Heaven Is Wonderful Due To What Is There And What Is Not
Our senior pastor, Dr. Larry Crawford, brought us our Sunday morning message: “Heaven is wonderful.”
We stood for opening prayer and the reading of God’s word taken from Revelation 21:1-6.
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3. 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.
4. And 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.
5. And 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.
6. And he said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Most preachers only preach about Heaven at funerals. Have you ever wondered about Heaven? Have you ever sat and tried to imagine what it is like? Have you ever tried to explain to a child about Heaven? Ever thought what it’ll be like to see Jesus for the first time? What will you do? What will you say? Ever had a lost person ask, “What’s so big about heaven anyways?”
What makes Heaven “Wonderful”?
Someone asked General Arnold of England what had been his greatest thrill?
“The greatest thrill of all has not yet taken place,” he replied.
“What do you mean?” the person inquired.” Do you plan to fight other battles?”
“No,” he answered. “I expect the greatest thrill of my life will be the first five minutes after I die!”
Heaven is wonderful because of what is there.
1 Corinthians 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 prepared for them that love him.
There are many things we do not know, but there are many things we do know. Heaven has trees and has a river. Revelation 21:16 tells us Heaven is 12,000 furlongs wide, high and long. That is 1500 miles long, wide and high. That is the distance from Boston, Mass., to Miami, Fla. Heaven is a city, like Pineville or Anderson. Heaven has dimensions. It has streets. The Bible tells us that Heaven has a golden street, has gates of pearl. The average Biblical gate is at least 200 feet high and one pearl per gate.
Wow! What a pearl! Wow! What an oyster!
The Bible says there are 12 foundations to Heaven; each foundation is made of precious stones. Heaven is wonderful due to what is there. Revelation 21:4, 23, 25, 27 Heaven is wonderful because what is not there. The Bible says there is no pain, no death, no sorrow, no night, no graves and no tears or sickness. So, this means Heaven will not have doctors or police. “Unless, they are saved.”
There will be no need of hospitals or cemeteries. One will not have to worry about medication or surgery. And think of the places such as “honkytonks” or jails. No room in Heaven for these places because crime will be non-existent. We will no longer need to borrow handkerchiefs from Brother Larry to dry our tears. Heaven is wonderful because of what is there, but also because of what is not there. No lost person, either.
Have you ever thought of all the folks you would get to see if you went to Heaven today? Who wants to load up on the bus today? To see Peter, John the Baptist, James, Paul, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Moses, Abraham, Adam, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Joel, Micah, Malachi, Job, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Habakkuk?
Heaven is wonderful because the angels are there. Dr. Crawford asked, “Have you ever seen an angel, besides me?”
Heaven is wonderful because our loved ones are there. Dr. Crawford told us, “I have children, grandparents, aunts and uncles.”
Many loved ones from our church are there. Brother Jack Williams, Grace, Brother Jim’s mother, Brother Roger, Sister Orpha, Sister Leora, Brother Don Serr, Sister Charlotte Gardner, Danny Shirley, Brother Bobby Coles’ father, Brother Larry Haggard, Brother Gene Thacker and Brother Charlie Wright and, more recently, Sister Elaine Tillman and Brother Henry McMahan.
“Do you think we will know each other there?” asked Dr. Crawford. “Yes, we shall know as we are known.
“Do you think they can see and hear us on earth? Yes. There’s a great cloud of witnesses. Do you think they grow up and grow smarter? Yes, we have grown in grace on Earth and get smarter on earth. Think we will be dumber in Heaven? No!
“Whether it be a praying mother or Godly father, grandmother, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, son or daughter, or a most-readabout Bible character, they are there waiting for our arrival to that blessed city.
“Heaven is real! Heaven is wonderful because our converts are there. Will you have any? Shall I meet him empty handed? No. No. A thousand times, NO! One day in Heaven, someone will say ‘Thank you’ for leading them to the Lord. The happiness of accepting Christ and leading someone to Christ equals the same happiness.
Revelation 22:4 states, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” What is it about Heaven that is most Heavenly? Not His hands, feet, side or scars. His Face!
The Nursing Home Ministry meets at Golden Living Center in Anderson at 2:30 p.m. every other Saturday. The next meeting is Sept. 10.
Please check out our FBCP Teen Group Facebook Page.
We bring a covered dish and our Bibles for Friday Night Bible Study. “Lead” by Brother Bob Cole and Brother Steve Hartman will resume at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, in the church gym.
WMU is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the FBCP.
A family fishing and camping trip is planned for Roaring River State Park Sept. 9-10. Contact Steve Hartman for questions.