A Glimpse Into Heaven

We're going to take a glimpse into Heaven today and I don't want this to sound too much like school, but we want to take a look at the chart first. Okay, the prophetic chart that we've been using and let's recapture where we have been. We are nearing the end of this series of messages on prophecy or prophetic themes entitled the End of the World as we know it. And we have seen a number of different things that we believe will happen in this sequence as we understand the Scriptures to teach. First of all, the rapture. We're living right here in the church age. We've looked at the rapture, the judgment seat of Christ for all believers in the church age, the tribulation that will occur for seven years upon the earth, followed by Jesus second coming. His return all the way to the earth. We looked at that as well. We've looked at the millennium, the thousand year rule of Christ upon the earth, and then the great white throne judgment where all the unsaved will appear before God in judgment to be cast into ultimately the lake of fire. And our last time together in this series, we looked at the lake of fire or the place that we call hell. Today we're looking at a new heaven, new earth, and a new city, the city of Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem. I want to invite your attention to Revelation chapter 21, where we will spend some time this morning, along with a number of other Scriptures that we'll talk about this city. After looking into what the Bible teaches about hell, a place that no one really wants to talk about, but we need to in order to be faithful to Scripture. After looking at that, we look today at a place that everybody wants to talk about. Everybody wants to know about hell. Every major or about heaven. Every major religion has some concept of heaven, regardless of how they describe it, some concept of heaven. Although many people deny the existence of hell, even some that would claim to be Christians, practically everybody believes that there is some kind of place called heaven. There are multitudes of songs in our himdels about heaven, plenty to choose from. So it may surprise you that the Bible has more to say about judgment and hell than it does about heaven. There are glimpses into heaven, and we'll see one extended glimpse at the end of the Bible today, but the information is quite scarce. So scarce, in fact, that careful Bible students disagree on what heaven was like or even where it was before the cross. Careful Bible students also disagree on what heaven is like, even where it is, during the millennial reign of Christ. Most people are in pretty much agreement on what heaven is like today, and most would agree that there is a city called the New Jerusalem that will come down, but there's a lot of disagreement about where exactly it will be and where our dwelling place will be. What heaven will be like in eternity? Well with that scarcity of information, you probably will be surprised that what we normally think of as heaven, what we normally describe as heaven, is not the heaven that we're talking about going to today at all. Most of the hymnal descriptions of heaven, most of the things we know about heaven, are about the New Jerusalem. A city that is actually on a new earth that will be the eternal dwelling place of all believers of all ages. That's what we're going to look at today. Now we want to build up to that. So what I want us to do is we take a glimpse into heaven, we will find four discoveries. As we peel back the curtain of time and take just the glimpses that the scriptures give us into heaven, we will make four discoveries. The first discovery is what heaven is like. What kind of place is heaven? What is it like? The Bible first of all describes heaven, and we'll get to Revelation 21 in just a few moments, but we're going to lead up to that. The Bible first of all describes heaven as a real, literal place. It is not a place in the imagination, it is not some never land that is in your mind, it is a real, literal place. If you'll focus your attention for just a moment on the screen and these verses from John chapter 14, notice how Jesus describes this place. He says, do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God? Believe also in me. My father's house has many rooms. Let me stop right there. Some of you are saying that is disappointing. I thought it was mansions. The word for mansions, which is the translation in the King James Version, is actually a word which means dwelling places. We're talking about dwelling places in the father's house. Some translations refer to them as rooms. Don't be disappointed if you think, oh I'm just going to get a room, not a mansion. Rooms in heaven are going to be pretty nice, I would say. So it will be better than any mansion we have here. So however you want it, whatever word you want to use, it's going to be pretty neat. It's going to be a pretty great place. So my father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I'm going. Three times in these four verses, Jesus describes heaven as a place. He also describes it as a place he's coming to take us to, which indicates a change from one location to another location. He is taking us to a place and we will be with him where he is, a particular location. We will be there. This is emphasizing, this is a real literal place. It's just like Princeton, just like Bluefield. Well, I'm not exactly, but in the sense that it is a place like Princeton and Bluefield, it is a very real literal place. You say, wait, where is that place? Where is heaven? Interestingly enough, the place where God dwells is referred to in the Bible as the third heaven. You say, well, what are the first two? If you do a study on the word heaven in your Bible, you'll find that the word itself is used of three different places, all of which seem to expand on the other. The first use of the word heaven is of our atmosphere around the earth, the birds of the heaven, the Bible speaks about. Obviously, that's in our atmosphere around the earth. And then the Bible also uses the word heaven of the starry universe, planets, the galaxies, the expanse of the universe, the heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows His handy work. So the Bible speaks of the heavens in that sense. The first heaven evidently is the layer of atmosphere around our earth. The second heaven beyond that is the universe, all that is found in our universe. The third heaven is where God dwells. Notice how Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 in verse 2. When he says, I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven. That's obvious from what he says later this man, he's talking about himself. He's not wanting to boast about his own experience. And so he speaks of it as almost like in the third person. But he's talking about himself. He was caught up to the third heaven, whether it was in the body or not out of the body. I do not know. God knows. And I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know what God knows, was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one has permitted to tell. Paul speaks of being caught up to the third heaven evidently the presence of God, the place where God makes his dwelling. Now if the third heaven is like the second heaven is to the first heaven, if the third heaven is beyond and above the second heaven, then the presence of God, the dwelling place of God evidently, if we can conceive of it in spatial terms, is beyond the universe, which makes it absolutely ridiculous what was stated, reportedly stated, by the first Russian cosmonaut in space in 1961. When he was put into space, just a few miles above the earth, he made the comment reportedly, this has been disputed by Russian authorities, but he made the comment reportedly that I looked and I did not see God anywhere, a few miles above the earth. That's about like an ant crawling out of an ant heel in the front yard of Johnson Chapel Church and saying, I looked around, but I did not see Moscow, it must not exist. It's about that ridiculous. We're talking about an expanse in our universe that is measured in light years. A light year is the distance that it takes light to travel in a year. You know, don't you, that light travels 186,000 miles in one second. It can go around the world seven times in one second. How long does it take that light to travel in a year? Do you know the closest star in our universe is four light years away from us? And there are billions of stars beyond that. So where is heaven? The third heaven? Evidently beyond our known universe where God himself dwells. But the Bible speaks of it in terms that describe it and the description that is given of heaven is found most completely in Revelation 21 and 22. It is described as the New Jerusalem. So if you have your place in Revelation 21, we're going to take a few minutes to look at what heaven is like as it's described. Again, I can't be sure that that's what it looks like today. See most descriptions of heaven where we're going when we die now are found are taken from this passage. This is not talking about the present heaven. This is talking about a city that comes down out of heaven when the new heaven is created. I'm assuming that the heaven we go to now is something like this. But certainly this is the eternal dwelling place of all believers where we will be for eternity. Let's see how John describes it. In chapter 21, verse 1, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. What does it mean when he says there's a new heaven, a new earth, a former heaven and earth had passed away? There are some who believe that that means they are completely obliterated and God starts completely fresh out of nothing speaks as he did the first earth and heaven speaks a new earth and heaven into existence. There are others who believe that, no, no, what is described here and in second Peter 3 is a purging, a cleansing, a renewal of the earth by fire which does away with all remnants of the old earth and a new earth emerges from that. I prefer that understanding. It seems to be more consistent with the way God resurrects our bodies. There is a likeness with our glorified resurrected body to the body that existed before. We are recognizable. There are certain elements of the human body which still exists but it is completely different also in the fact that it is glorified. I think that's the way God will do the rest of his creation as well. By the way, we'll get into that a little bit more when we get into second Peter 3 in two weeks. We'll finish up the series then and we'll talk about the actual meaning of the words that Paul uses there and Peter uses in second Peter to describe the destruction of the earth and the heavens. It will be a real place and notice in verse 2 he says, I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. This Holy City, the one that Al sang about, this New Jerusalem is coming down out of heaven, the New Heaven and New Earth and will be the dwelling place of people as he goes on to describe it. People of God with God in this city, I believe although there's disagreement about this, I believe that this city will actually rest upon the earth, the New Earth and we will come and go from this city across the New Earth. Notice how he describes it, look at it verse 9. One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lord. The Lamb, this is not the church he's talking about here, you know the church is called the bride of Christ but this is not the same thing. In this context he's referring back to verse 2, the city that comes down out of heaven that is prepared like a bride ready for her husband and he goes on to describe that in verse 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. And notice the description of this, if you can imagine this in your mind, verse 11, it's shown with the glory of God and its brilliance was like that of a very special jewel like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great high wall with 12 gates and with 12 angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. So the 12 gates had the 12 names, the tribes of Israel. 12 foundations had the 12 names of the 12 apostles, seeming to indicate the unity of believers from both Old Testament and New Testament in eternity future. Those who represent the church, those who represent Israel united together in the city New Jerusalem in eternity future. Verse 15, The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square as long as it was wide. Now please try to imagine this. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 1200 Stadia in length and as wide and high as it is long. 1200 Stadia is just a little over 1300 miles, just actually little under 1400 miles. So the city is 1400 miles long. If you would have traveled from here and go 1400 miles west, you would go about 100 miles west of Denver, Colorado. That's how long the city is. One city. You talk about a megalopolis. One city that stretches from here beyond Denver. But wait a second, it's also that wide. Oh, and wait a second, it's also that high. 1300, 80 miles high. You're kidding me. You say I don't want to go there, I'm afraid of heights. But I think in your glorified body you won't be. Okay, so if you're on the truerth floor of this new city, don't worry about it. You'll be okay. Unimaginable. Indescribable place. I cannot really imagine that kind of a city. Now whether it's in the form of a pyramid or a cube, I don't know. I take it that maybe it's a cube. 1400 miles wide and long. Not only at its base, but all the way up. Wow, incredible place. Or 17. The angel measured the wall using human instrument. And it was 144 qubits thick. Some translations say, hi, either way, big wall. That's 200 feet, over 200 feet, either thick or high. Maybe both. The big wall. Verse 18. The wall was made of jasper and the city of pure gold as pure as glass. Yes, the streets are of gold, but the whole city is gold. The whole city is transparent gold. Gold that is as transparent as glass. Again, I can't imagine. I can't imagine that. Foundations, verse 19 of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone and then he lists 12 stones, one each for the foundations. Verse 21, the 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold as pure as transparent glass. Skip down to chapter 22, verse 1. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life as clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. There's a great street in this city and down the middle of that street is this river of life. Verse 2 says, on each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. You imagine that? Have you ever seen a tree that had 12 different kinds of fruit? Each month was a different kind. You know, January's oranges, February's apples, March's plums. Can you imagine? It's incredible. And then he says at the end of the verse, the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. You say, oh, wait a second. You mean there's sickness in heaven? People get sick in heaven? No, no, that's not the idea. The idea is these leaves have a health giving property to them, which in a perfect place, I believe simply means that a healthy enjoyment of life is available as you take of this fruit. In some way, this fruit will provide and contribute to just a healthy enjoyment of all that God has provided for us there. It's not that you'll get sick and get ready to die and then you eat a piece of fruit and you're okay. I don't think that's what heaven is going to be like. I think it provides for the ongoing, healthy enjoyment of life is what he's speaking of. Unbelievable place. That's what heaven is like. At least the place where we will dwell in eternity. We must hasten on this. These glimpses of heaven, even though this glimpses amazing. We need to understand a little bit about what we will do in heaven because that's a great interest to most of us. What will we do in heaven? The Bible gives us little glimpses of our activity in heaven. First of all, we will rest in heaven. I'm just going to give you the scriptures. We're not going to take the time this morning to look at them. Revelation 7, verses 16 and 17, talk about there will be no scorching of the sun, no heat of the sun to drain you. It will be a place of rest. Revelation 14, 13 says that we will rest from our labors. So we will rest in heaven. Now, there are some people who say, hey, if all heaven is sitting around strumming a harp and sipping lemonade on a cloud, I don't want to go. I like activity. I like me doing something. But that is not really what heaven is like. I know some of you get enough harping from your mate and you don't want any more harping in heaven. But that's not what heaven is about. The rest in heaven that is described quite clearly is the rest from any toil or labor, the toil some aspect of activity. In other words, when you are active in heaven, you do not become worn out. The sun does not scorch you with its heat. You are not drained from all of those things. That's the kind of rest we have in heaven. Although I think there will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy good rest, which for many of you sounds wonderful right now. It really is talking about more of the rest from toil and labor and discouragement and difficulty, exhaustion, weariness, suffering, sorrow, all of those things that accompany our life here. Rest from all of that. Secondly, we will worship. We will worship in heaven. If we only had the time to look at some of the worship scenes in the book of Revelation, there are four of them. One in Revelation 4 verses 9 through 11, which describes worshipping him as the Creator. Revelation 5 verses 8 through 14, worshipping him as the Savior, the Lamb who shed his blood for us. Revelation 16, worshipping him as the coming judge and Revelation 19, worshipping him as the coming King of kings and the Lord of Lords. We will worship him because of his creation. We will worship him because of salvation. We will worship him because he is the righteous judge of all things and of all people. And we will worship him because of his sovereignty. He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. At least those glimpses into the worship of heaven. We will spend worshipping him. You know, there are times, and this morning was one of those times, when we were worshipping together singing some of those great Chris Tomlin songs about worship and being in the presence of God. And you just feel almost like you're being lifted into God's presence. This doesn't even come close to what it will be like in heaven. As wonderful as it is and as filled as our musicians are, not anything close to what it will be like in heaven. The worship we will experience there, unbelievable. So we will rest. We will worship. Thirdly, we will serve. We will serve. Revelation 22, since you're right there. Look at chapter 22 verse 3. So longer will the beady curse, the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve him. I don't think that's referring only to angels. I think it's referring to all believers. We'll serve him. We will serve. We know we'll do that in the millennium. I mean, we're told that we will rule and reign with him a thousand years. I think that serving of God will continue on into eternity future. And I think we will serve. We will be active. We will be involved in things. I believe that means there will be meaningful vocations in the New Jerusalem in the New Earth. Now some vocations will have run their course with this world and your vocation will not be needed. We won't need any doctors in heaven. We won't need any dentists in heaven. No decay, not even of our teeth. So you'll be out of work, not really, but you won't do that vocation. No law enforcement in heaven, no crime. No insurance agents. Think about that one for a little while. Is there any risk in heaven that needs to be compensated? I don't think so. So there will be some vocations that will not continue. But I think there will be legitimate work that is done in heaven. We're living in a real city on a new earth. I think there will be legitimate vocations that will take place. Maybe you will have in heaven your dream job. You will. And I think that we will be active in serving the Lord and doing many of the things that are normally thought of and carrying out the functions of a city or of a world. I think many of those things will still take place. And we will serve. We will serve him. Think about it. What does that mean? How do you serve God? In the city and in this world you serve him by work, by honest vocations. I think there will be those kinds of things in the new earth and this new city of Jerusalem. Fourthly, we will fellowship. We will fellowship. First of all, we will have direct fellowship with God, chapter 21, verse 3. Says, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, look, God's dwelling place is now among the people. And he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. I think we will have the closest fellowship with God we have ever experienced. I know there are some who say we will never see God face to face. I think they're mistaken. I think they're thinking of the passages which only talk about us in our mortal body. No man has seen God at any time. The sun has shown him. John 1, Moses not being able to see the face of God, but that's all because we're in a mortal body. I think it's quite possible that in our glorified body we will have close personal direct fellowship with God himself. We'll also have fellowship with other believers. But Matthew 8 and verse 11 describes people coming from the east and the west in the kingdom of heaven and sitting down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Matthew 8, 11. And while that main reference there is to the millennial kingdom, certainly what happens in the millennium on this earth will not be any less or any more than what happens in eternity in the New Jerusalem, in the New Earth. I think we will still fellowship with other believers for all ages and you'll have an eternity to talk to Abraham about what it was like to leave earth and follow God to a land that he didn't know. You'll talk to Moses about what it was like to cross the Red Sea and David what it was like to kill Goliath and Isaiah what it was like to see what he saw and prophesy what he prophesied. And throughout the ages, Martin Luther what it was like in 16th century Germany as he led the Reformation and Billy Sunday and D.L. Moody and Charles Haddon, Spurgeon and Hudson Taylor and all of the great men of God and women of God through the years will have fellowship with one another. Sit across the table and talk about what happened, what an amazing time that will be. But let me say this, we will do much more in heaven than what I've described. We will do much more. We have an eternity there. I don't think I've begun to touch on all that will happen in heaven. I would encourage you and I'm not going to try to get into all of this, it's fascinating to think about. But I would encourage you to read a book that I have mentioned many times from this pulpit it's Randy Alcorn's book titled heaven, simply just titled heaven. Randy Alcorn, A-L-C-O-R-N. He has done a masterful job. In fact, his ministry, eternal perspectives ministry is all about heaven. That's what he does. He studies, teaches, preaches, lectures and so forth on heaven and on the eternal state. So he's done a lot of work on this and I think of the books I've seen and have in my library on heaven it's the very best. He describes a lot of things that the scriptures teach but also implications that we can make from biblical theology and from what we know about God as to what will be in heaven. I agree with him that there's no reason to think that we will not enjoy many other things in heaven on the new earth in the New Jerusalem. Public arts, entertainment, drama, sports, possibly. So wait a second, does anybody in heaven lose? Is there anything sinful about losing? Anything sinful about scoring two less points than somebody else? In heaven you'll enjoy the competition and rejoice in each other's skills without any any paint of the sin nature. You imagine what that would be like? So there may well be sporting activities on earth. I'm putting my dibs in for a few things before we go. There may well be travel on the new earth. Genie and I often talk about places we've never been. We've never been out west. We'd love to see the west and we've never been further west in Iowa. We're free but drop off the end of the earth if we do. But we've flown to places like Japan and P and G and places like that but we've never traveled out west. And we often say, well, we'll ever get a chance to see that. I think probably during the millennium and I think maybe even in the eternal state on the new earth. We will see a earth that bears some resemblance to our earth now if our glorified bodies or any indication of what God does with his creation. It will bear resemblance to the earth we have now but purified and cleansed and glorified to where there are no imperfections, no scars of the curse. The most perfect earth we've ever known. So who knows, maybe we will go visit other places, maybe we'll even visit other places in the universe. I mean, there are an infinite number of possibilities, infinite number of possibilities of what we will do in heaven. Now, I know what a lot of people wonder about and that is what about our relationships in heaven. I'm not even going to take the time to get into that. Although I do believe our relationships in heaven will be far richer than we've ever known them to be here. One of the nagging questions that a lot of people ask is what about my loved one who died early? Will I get to enjoy them? Will I get to see them? Will I get... Again, I can't prove this from a direct verse in Scripture. But consistent with the character of God and consistent with what he told Israel in Joel chapter 2 when he said in the millennium, I will restore the years of the Locust is eaten. I'll give you back what was taken away. I think in some way that I cannot fully understand God will redeem those years and give you the opportunity to have that time that you missed with your loved one. I don't understand all that. I don't even understand the concept of time in eternity. But I believe in some very fulfilling way, the God who promised that the Israel will not do less for us and will restore those opportunities that you missed with loved ones, I believe he will. What is missing in heaven? Quickly, a number of things missing in heaven and we should rejoice in this just as much. If you look at chapter 21 verse 4, let's just note them. He will wipe away every tear from the rise. No tears. There will be no more death. Thank God. No more death in all the sorrow and memory that goes with that. No more mourning or crying. No sorrow in heaven. Or pain. No pain. No physical suffering in heaven for the old order of things has passed away. You can go on down through these verses in verse 22. There's no more temple in heaven. I mean, why would you need a building when you're in the very presence of God? The temple was designed to represent how to come into God's presence. Why do you need a building in heaven when you're in the presence of God? I don't think there's any, well, there's no temple in the eternal heaven, the new heaven and the new earth. Certainly. No, no more light from the sun. Moon. Verse 23. No more night. Verse 25. No more sin. Verse 27. And chapter 22 verse 3, no more curse. The judgment of God that was placed on both mankind and upon all of creation, the scars of sin will be removed. No more natural disasters. No more hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes. No more physical suffering on the part of people. All of that gone. All of that gone. What is missing in heaven? All of those things, all of those things, and maybe others that the Bible doesn't touch on here. But I want to hasten to this most important of all aspects of heaven. That is who will be in heaven. Who will be in heaven? If you look at the screen again quickly in Hebrews chapter 12, the Bible describes who's going to be there. And I believe it's talking about the eternal state here because of the way it's phrased. But you have come, the writer of Hebrews speaking to believers, you have come to Mount Zion. It's not like Mount Sinai, which is the contrast in the passage, not like the Old Testament covenant. You've come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come, first of all, to the city of the living God. So God is there. But you have also come, he says, to thousands upon thousands of angels, innumerable angels, in joyful assembly. So there are angels there. And then he says to the church of the firstborn, those of us in this age since Christ founded the church, in the book of Acts, that have known Christ the Savior. We will be there, the church, whose names are written in heaven. And he goes on and he says, you have come to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, writing to the Hebrews most believe this to be a reference to Old Testament saints. And so in other words, church age believers, Old Testament saints, any believers from any age will be in heaven, in the heavenly Jerusalem. And then last of all, he mentions the focal person in heaven to Jesus, the mediator, of a new covenant to the sprinkled blood that speaks of a better word than the blood of Abel. Who will be in heaven? All of those mentioned. I cannot prove this with a verse of scripture. But my personal conviction is, because I know some of you have this question, my own personal conviction, based upon what we know of the love and mercy and grace of God, is that babies who have died before the opportunity to even grasp and understand what spiritual matters are. And by the same token, seriously, mentally handicapped people who are in that same condition, I cannot prove that from a verse of scripture, but I believe they will be in heaven. I know some of you are thinking of 2 Samuel 1224, where David said, I will join my child, I will go be with him. He says, that is an Old Testament way of saying I will join him in death. It may provide some hope that we will actually see them in heaven, but the main reference there, it's a common expression in the Old Testament of, you know, he was praying for his baby as long as the baby was alive, but when the baby died, he will not come back to me, but I will join him in death someday. But I do believe, I do believe, not because they're innocent, because the Bible teaches where we're conceived and sin. We have a sinful nature from the moment of conception. So we're already under the wrath of God, but I do believe that God in His mercy and grace covers with the blood of Christ the only atonement for sin. Those that I've described can't prove it from scripture, but I believe that. I just trust in that mercy and grace. But I will say this to everyone seated here today. The only people in heaven are those who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. John chapter 14 verse 6, after Jesus has described that place that we saw earlier. And Thomas has said, well, we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? Jesus says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one. And there are no asterisk, there are footnotes, exceptions. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. He came to this earth to pay the penalty that you owed God because of your sin and I owed God. Jesus paid that. Jesus bore the wrath of God. He took the punishment of God for you and for me. And the only way to go to heaven is to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is not what you do. It is not joining a church. It is not even coming forward and signing some kind of statement. It is not getting baptized. It is not turning over a new leaf and doing a better job and being a better person. None of those things get you to heaven. It is only through Jesus Christ and His death for you on the cross. And you must trust Him to have made the only proper provision for you on the cross and trust Him to save you. That's the only way you'll get to heaven. That's the only way. But for those of you who have trusted Christ as your Savior, that welcome of heaven awaits you when you finish your journey here. I have for many, many years enjoyed the story of John Todd, the story told in his autobiography, a 19th century British preacher. He tells the story of when he was six years old, both of his parents died. But a kind hearted aunt raised him until he left home to study for the ministry. Years later, this aunt became seriously ill and knew that she was nearing death. Even though she knew Christ as her Savior, there was a normal apprehension about death and anxiety about what would happen in her heart at least. And so she wrote him a letter and asked him, is this the end of everything? What is the hope beyond the grave, beyond death? What can I expect? And I want to read you, John Todd's response given in his autobiography. He said, it is now 35 years since I, as a boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word that you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day I made the long journey to your house. I can still recall my disappointment when instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your servant Caesar to fetch me. I remember my tears and anxiety as perched high on your horse and clinging tight to Caesar, I wrote off to my new home. My heart fell before we finished the journey and I became lonely and tired and afraid. Do you think she'll go to bed before we get there? I asked Caesar, oh no, he said reassuringly, she'll stay up for you. When we get out of these here, words, you'll see her candle shining in the window. Only we did ride out into the clearing and there sure enough was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door that you put your arms close about me, tired and bewildered little boy. You had a fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper, you took me to my new room, heard me say my prayers and then sat beside me till I fell asleep. Someday soon, God will send for you to take you to a new home. Don't fear the summons, the strange journey or the messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road, you will find love and the welcome of waiting and you will be safe in God's care. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for that home, the home that you have promised to take us to someday. If before you come back to take us, we go through death's door. Thank you, Father, for the place that you have promised us. And Lord, I pray that if there is anyone here this morning that is never trusted Christ, that does not know for sure that they are going to that place called heaven, that today they would be willing to put their faith in Jesus for it is in His name we pray. Amen.