Heaven: What It Is

•How much time in the last week have you spent thinking about Heaven?

•Do the comforts of this world make it difficult to think we need a better place?

•Certainly God desires us to be heavenly minded people who look forward to the day of Christ and long for the home He has prepared for them.

• The goal of this lesson is to encourage us to develop the mind that looks forward to our heavenly home by consider what Heaven is.

Heaven: What It Is

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father

Heaven: What It Is

“Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.”

Matt. 6:9

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father~ Our Lord and Savior

Heaven: What It Is

“For Christ has not entered the holy places

made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Heb. 9:24)

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father~ Our Lord and Savior~ The deceased family of God

Heaven: What It Is

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and

to be present with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:8)

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain… yet what I shall choose I

cannot tell… having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Php. 1:2123)

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father~ Our Lord and Savior~ The deceased family of God~ Our citizenship

Heaven: What It Is

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the

Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Php. 3:20)

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father~ Our Lord and Savior~ The deceased family of God~ Our citizenship ~ Our inheritance

Heaven: What It Is

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to

an inheritance incorruptible and

undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in

heaven for you”(1 Pet. 1:3-4)

•That which needs to be precious to us.

In Heaven is…

~ Our Father~ Our Lord and Savior~ The deceased family of God~ Our citizenship ~ Our inheritance

Heaven is our Home!

Heaven: What It Is

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims…“

(1 Pet. 2:11)

“These all died in faith, not having received the

promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,

embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a

homeland (Heb.11:13-14)

•That which needs to be a priority.

“19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:1921)

Heaven: What It Is

•That which needs to be a priority.

“24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Heb. 11:24-26)

Heaven: What It Is

•That which needs to be a priority.

“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 Jn. 2:15-17)

Heaven: What It Is

•That which needs to be a priority.

“19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” (Php. 1:1923)

Heaven: What It Is

•The eventual dwelling place where all who love God will live in complete perfection and glory.

“42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body… 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Co 15:42-44; 51-54)

Heaven: What It Is

•The eventual dwelling place where all who love God will live in complete perfection and glory.

“20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Php. 3:20-21)

Heaven: What It Is

•The eventual dwelling place where all who love God will live in complete perfection and glory.

“1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Co 5:1-8)

Heaven: What It Is

•A place of joy, beauty, peace, and happiness that will never end.

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps 16:11)

Heaven: What It Is

•A place of joy, beauty, peace, and happiness that will never end.

“1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev. 21:1-5)

Heaven: What It Is

•Understanding what Heaven is…

We should long to be clothed with our heavenly form.

We should look forward to being present with the Lord.

We should become more preoccupied with the glories of eternity rather than the pleasures of this life.

We should spend our energy accumulating heavenly treasures rather than amassing earthly treasures that are ultimately meaningless.

Heaven: What It Is

Do You Want To Go To Heaven?