[Many years ago when D. L. Moody was still busy in this country, there was an
industrial exposition in
Chicago. There
was in the exposition ground a fountain which became the rendezvous for folk who
arranged to meet each other. One would say to another, "Will you meet me at the
fountain?" The answer was, "All right, I will meet you at the fountain."]
[P. P. Bliss, the gospel song writer, was allured with this meeting place. He
wrote the gospel song based on it, lifting the thought from the meeting place in
the exposition ground to that higher meeting place, and he wrote this: ]
[Will you meet me at the fountain,]
[When I reach the glory-land?]
[When you meet me at the fountain,]
[Shall I clasp your friendly hand? ]
[Other friends will give you welcome;]
[Other loving voices cheer;]
[There'll be music at the fountain—]
[Will you, will you meet me there?—Selected—Encyclopedia
of 15,000 Illustrations]
When we think of
Heaven we must think of:
A.
It’s Meagerness [– When we speak and preach the
placed called heaven we must understand our human linguistic ability.
R.G.
Lee said, “The word ‘meager’ means
deficient in or destitute of quantity and quality.
When I use the word ‘meagerness’ in pointing to Heaven, I mean to say
that any quantity of words, most skillfully arranged and most eloquently spoken,
are deficient in power fully to portray the wonders and wealth of the place
called Heaven.”
[The Placed Called Heaven, Christ for the World Publishers, 1959]
Consider:]
1.
[John C. Calhoun –
November 4,1811 – With Henry Clay as Speaker of the House, made his first speech
in reply to John Randolph of Virginia.
He spoke boldly against England.
“The Richmond Inquirer” said of the speech:
“Calhoun fells the cause of his
opponents with the club of Hercules.
The cause of his country is robed in light while her opponents are
wrapped in darkness.”]
2.
[Henry Grady –
December 1889 – The great Georgia statesman and Christian, upon the occasion of
the New England dinner in New York, delivered the great oration “The New South,”
a message only twenty minutes long as to its delivery, but years long in
its enduring influence. A newspaper
reporter wrote, “Grady was an animate
aurora with all the variations of a luminous sunset.
He managed in twenty-minutes to bathe the whole nation with fraternal
light. His speech thawed out much
coldness and inaugurated a better day.
The Gulf Stream hugged in midwinter New England’s
ice-bound coast.”]
3.
[Senator George Hoar from
Massachusetts heard
Dr, James Walker, president of
Harvard
College, speak.
Hoar’s comment was: “The tick of
the clock in the college chapel was inaudible when the chapel was empty.
But it ticked out clear and loud upon the strained ears of the auditors
who were waiting in the power of his sentences.”
In other word, Men listened as they had never listened before.]
4.
[Charles Haddon Spurgeon –
1834-1892 – Often referred to as
“The Prince of Preachers,” eloquently gripped the attention of over 10,000
listeners with his sermons before the time of electronic amplification.
His written works are still some of the most desired volume’s sought by
preachers today.
5.
[Dr. Adrian Rogers –
1931-2005 – Was a dynamic pastor and
preacher, who through his fervency, vibrancy, and articulation lead the Southern
Baptist Convention into what we call the
Conservative Resurgence. He
gripped multitudes with his sermons and always seized all of my attention when I
heard him speak. I found myself
hanging on his words.]
6.
[If I could speak with
the strength of Calhoun, as greatly as Grady, as wonderfully as Hoar, as
eloquently as Spurgeon, and as dynamically as Adrian Rogers, all I could say
about heaven would still be meager in comparison to its reality.
Hence, as I begin to speak of heaven I cannot help but think of it’s
meagerness in my articulation.]
B.
It’s Mistake (Luke
10.17,20;
Heb
12.23;
John
14.2-3) [– Not the mistake of heaven itself, but the mistake of those
who would convince others that there is no place called heaven.]
1.
[Heaven is not merely an
abstract thought. It is not a
mere emotional feeling.
R.G. Lee once noted,
“Heaven by some, who have vague and
floating ideas of heaven, is thought of and spoken of as a sublimated and
ethereal state, ever purely spiritual, ever abstracted and removed from all the
sympathies of the present life.”]
2.
[Heaven is a real place.
Heaven is a real physical place.
Just as:]
a.
[Your home is a place.]
b.
[A jail is a place.]
c.
[Mount Moriah is a place]
d.
[Your city is a place.]
3.
[Luke recorded:]
a.
[The astounding power of the seventy that were sent out by Jesus
and their amazement.]
[Luke
10:17 And the seventy
returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us
through thy name. ]
b.
[Jesus reminded them that heaven was a real place when He said,]
[Luke
10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits
are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because
your names are written in heaven. ]
4.
[Jesus would encourage us with similar words, as scripture
records:]
[Hebrews
12:23 To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, . . .]
5.
[Jesus twice refers to heaven as a place.]
[John
14:2-3
In my Father's house are many mansions: if
it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for
you.
3And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.]
6.
[D.L. Moody said,
“My heaven is a solid heaven.
After the resurrection has come, you will have a resurrection foot and
something to tread on; a resurrection eye and colors and substances to see with
it, a resurrection ear and voices and music to regale it, a resurrection heart
and to satisfy it. I have no patience with your transcendental, gelatinous,
gaseous heaven.”]
7.
[Jesus went to prepare a
place for you. A real physical
place where pure waters of life flow freely from the throne lined on both sides
by the trees of life that bear twelve types of fruit and whose leaves heal the
nations.]
C.
The Multitudes (Rev
7.9;
Heb
12.22) [– While exiled on the island of Patmos, the lonely John looked and saw the
place called heaven and wrote,]
[Rev.
7:9 After this I
beheld, and, lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands;]
1.
[Untold millions have gone to heaven since this vision was
recorded by the Apostle John.
Multitudes upon multitudes are there in the glorious light of the eternal lamb,
slain from the foundation of the world.
Bible reminds you that when you fit yourself for heaven, you prepared
yourself to join this redeemed host.]
[Hebrews
12:22 But ye are come
unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of
angels,]
2.
[Multitudes from:]
a.
[China’s
hidden, underground churches, where
Lottie Moon gave herself in ministry, and where numerous other missionaries
work tirelessly to share the gospel today.]
b.
[Ecuador’s
hidden jungles where Jim Elliot and other missionaries were speared to death,
and would rather die than defend themselves with firearms because they were
ready for heaven, but the Indian’s were not.
Yet, today multitudes in those jungles are securing heaven as their home
because of their sacrifices.]
c.
[The radically religious
Muslim nations will be found in heaven’s multitude because of those
missionaries today who hazard their lives, many sacrificing their lives to bring
the gospel to the lost in their militant lands.]
d.
[The ranks of the despised and reproached
handicapped peoples of our world
will be seen in this hallowed place of restoration and renewal.
Many of whom will see for the first time when they gaze upon the Lion of
the Tribe of Judah. Many who will
hear for the first time as they listen to the precious words,
“Well done my good and faithful servant.”
Many who will leap for joy in the presence of this innumerable host who
have never walked before.]
e.
[The poverty stricken
and lowly esteemed as well as the upper
class and affluent who focused their eyes upon Jesus Christ rather than the
corruptible riches of this temporal existence will be seen in this place.]
f.
[The lost and sinful
world who have heard and responded to
the gospel of Jesus Christ will be seen in this precious, perfect and
prepared place.]
D.
It’s Marvels (1
Kings 10.4-7;
1 Cor
2.9;
Rev
21.3-5) [– Having considered the multitudes eternally inhabiting this
place called heaven we are also compelled to consider the marvels of this
incredible place.]
1.
[The Queen of Sheba once came to see King Solomon in all his glory
and said,]
[1
Kings 10:4-7 And when
the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had
built,
5And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the
attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his
ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord;
there was no more spirit in her.
6And she said to the king,
It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy
wisdom.
7Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen
it: and,
behold, the half was not told me:
thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.]
a.
[The queen of Sheba had not heard the half of
Solomon’s glory. In comparison we
will find that the minutest fraction of heaven’s glory and perfection has not
been told, nor could be in human speech.]
2.
[Paul wrote:]
[1
Cor. 2:9 But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ]
3.
[Dr. Bounds wrote, “all
figures and values and beauty are exhausted in description.
Earthly and angelic vocabularies are exhausted—and yet only the outside
is described. What there is of
wealth and good inside defies all language to convey, all beauty to describe.”]
4.
[Yet this is the marvelous place promised to all who have accepted
Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
They are promised a place like that described y John when he wrote,]
[Rev.
21:3-5 And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God.
4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.
5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And
he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. ]
[What a Marvelous place,
A
Place
Called Heaven.]
E.
The Madness (Acts
26.9-11; 24;
Rev
22.3-5) [– The madness of multitudes in our culture today.]
1.
[Many have noted this
madness:]
a.
[R.G. Lee said,
“Many are mad—wildly mad, and tragically
mad—in this world . . .”]
b.
[John Taylor said,
“’Tis a mad world, my masters, and in
sadness I travailed madly in these days of madness.”]
c.
[The Apostle Paul
wrote, ]
[Acts
26:9-11 I verily
thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus of Nazareth.
10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut
up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they
were put to death, I gave my voice against
them.
11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled
them to blaspheme; and being
exceedingly mad against them, I
persecuted them even unto
strange cities.]
d.
[Festus demonstrated the worlds madness when, in the presence of
King Agrippa, he said of Paul,]
[Acts
26:24 And as he thus
spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself;
much learning doth make thee mad.]
2.
[The Madness Simply Put.
That God has provided a perfect, precious, marvelous place of eternal
bliss and glory, and mankind is largely leaving itself unprepared for this
place.]
a.
[If there were an island, somewhere on earth, where all forms of
cancer were mysteriously cured, aides could be completely healed, hearts never
failed, arthritis never inflamed a joint, cholesterol never clogged an artery,
and death never visited a family, you would give everything you owned to be on
that island. And yet, multitudes
look scoffingly at heaven which is just such a place.]
b.
[We find that in heaven there is:]
1)
[Perfect Security]
[Rev.
22:3 And there shall
be no more curse: . . . ]
2)
[Perfect Government]
[Rev.
22:3 . . . but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; . . .]
3)
[Perfect Service ]
[Rev.
22:3 . . . and his
servants shall serve him: ]
4)
[Perfect Fellowship]
[Rev.
22:4 And they shall
see his face; . . . ]
5)
[Perfect Recognition]
[Rev.
22:4 . . . and his
name shall be in their
foreheads.]
6)
[Perfect Knowledge]
[Rev.
22:5 And there shall
be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the
Lord God giveth them light. . .]
7)
[Perfect Victory]
[Rev.
22:5 . . . and they
shall reign for ever and ever.]
3.
[It is madness to be offered such a perfect, precious, marvelous
place like heaven and to not make oneself ready to enter that wonderful place.]
F.
It’s Master (John
14.1-3) [– The Master and Maker of heaven is none other than Jesus
Christ himself.]
[John
14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me.
2In my Father's house are many mansions: if
it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also. ]
1.
[Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you.
A place that the highest aspirations of mans imagination cannot conceive
of. He is preparing for you and has
place a mansion in it just for you.
It is a:]
a.
[Physical Place.]
b.
[Perfect Place.]
c.
[Precious Place]
d.
[Permanent Place.]
e.
[Promised Place.]
2.
[The Master of this place, King Jesus desires that you be in this
place. Jesus wants you there and He
offers it to you as a free, eternal gift.
Yet, you must let Him know that you want to join Him in This Place Called
Heaven. You let Him know by:]
[Romans
10:9That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ]
3.
[Will you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, or
will you continue in your earthly madness?]
CrossRoads Baptist Church, Sunday Feb 5th, 2006