WORSHIP IN HEAVEN

 

1.    Maybe you have heard an illustration that I do not particularly like.

2.    There was a certain church member who had a dream.

3.    He envisioned himself as well as several other Christians approaching the gates of heaven.

4.    As they got closer and closer, this church member and those with him heard shouting.

5.    People were raising their voices in joy.

6.    Upon getting to the heavenly entrance, the one dreaming asked about the commotion.

7.    A person said, “We just learned there is no Wednesday night service in heaven.”

 

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN IDEAS ABOUT HEAVEN.  THIS EVENING WE WANT TO COMPARE HEAVEN TO THE WORSHIP OFFERED IN THIS LIFE.

 

a)      Most agree that heaven will be a place where the inhabitants will worship God.

b)      Not as much consideration has been given to what actually happens in heaven.

c)      What will our worship be like, or stated another way, what will it not involve?

d)      We can draw certain conclusions by turning to the Scriptures.

 

2)      For instance, we may start our study with the model prayer.

3)      Jesus taught people to pray for God’s will to be “done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).

4)      Jesus affirmed that in heaven, things are done in the way God wants.

5)      On the earth, of course, God’s will is not always done in the way God desires.

6)      Even in places called churches, praise and worship are not always right.

7)      In view of Mt. 6:10, worship in heaven will always be carried out in the way God wants.

a)      One of the things in accordance with God’s will in heaven in singing.

b)      For our Scripture reading we heard Rev. 14:3; I am going to read that again – READ.

c)      Heaven will offer the saved some new songs.

d)      In fact, some of the songs we now sing would not be appropriate for use in heaven.

 

8)      We sometimes sing, “When we all get to heaven” – that would be the wrong song to sing.

9)      Other tunes would also be improper:

10)  “On Jordan’s stormy bank I stand; Send the light; Why do you wait dear brother?”

11)  “Work for the night is coming” and “come to Jesus, He will save you” will not apply.

12)  Other hymns would be consistent with life in heaven:

a)      “Where we will never grow old; safe in the arms of Jesus; heaven holds all to me.”

b)      Singing songs will be a part of a heavenly existence for the righteous.

 

13)  When we meet on the Lord’s day, singing is only part of what we do.

14)  We also come together on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord's Supper.

15)  It is worthwhile to ask if the Lord's Supper will be served in heaven.

16)  Will we be sitting at a table and partaking of the bread and a cup?

a)      We can ask this question and we can give a definitive answer.

b)      An important passage in considering this question is found in 1 Cor. 11.

c)      Many things are found in the Corinthian letter about the Lord's Supper.

d)      Paul told the Corinthians how to do it and how not to do it.

e)      A reason for observing the communion is found in verse 26.

f)        Here Paul said we show (proclaim) the “Lord’s death.”

g)      The end of the verse is all we need but all verse 26 will be read – READ.

 

17)  How long is the Lord’s Supper to last?  Till He comes.

18)  When Christ returns, the Lord's Supper will be no more.

19)  The saved will not need a reminder because they will be personally be with Christ.

20)  Furthermore, when we look at the communion elements, they are earthy; material goods.

21)  1 Cor. 15:50 tells us something about heaven; it is a place for spiritual items.

22)  Paul said “flesh and blood” cannot inherit or enter into the kingdom of God.

23)  Since heaven is a spiritual dimension, physical supplies like bread will not be there.

 

24)  Coming together on the Lord’s Day means more than signing and communion. 

25)  On this day we also have teaching.

26)  Will there be any instruction in heaven?

a)      I use the word “instruction” instead of “preaching” for a specific reason.

b)      All preaching should be instruction, but not all instruction is preaching.

c)      We might receive instructions on how to operate a car, but that is not preaching.

d)      Being with God in eternity implies learning more and more about God.

e)      Since we do not know all about Him now, being in His presence implies an increasing knowledge.

f)        Too, the “new songs” we mentioned may also suggest gaining additional knowledge.

g)      Though it seems our knowledge will continue to grow, some teaching now done will be outdated.

 

27)  In heaven, there will be no talk about a great commission and evangelism.

28)  Once people are sent to heaven or hell, evangelism and the need to discuss it ends.

29)  In heaven, there will never again be a need for a sermon on sin.

30)  I say this with confidence because of Jesus’ words in Jn. 8:21.

a)      The Lord spoke to some people who, if they didn’t change, were not going to be in heaven.

b)      According to the Lord, these people were going to die in their sins.

c)      Jn. 8:21 – READ.

d)      In view of these words, sin and sinful people are not going to be in heaven.

e)      If sinners and sin are not in heaven, there is no need to offer any teaching for these things.

 

31)  Heaven will affect us in other ways, one of which is prayer.

a)      At the present time we may pray about the needs of life.

b)      When giving the model prayer Jesus said, “Give us our daily bread” (Mt. 6:11).

c)      In heaven, we will not be praying for food, clothing, shelter, and a job.

d)      Rev. 22 pictures a tree of life bearing twelve manner of fruit.

e)      In heaven, God’s people have all their needs met by the heavenly Father.

f)        Now we use prayer to ask for forgiveness of sins.

g)      Moments ago we established that sin and sinners will not be in heaven.

h)      Thus, when a saved person dies, he or she will never again need to seek forgiveness.

i)        Other matters that cause people to pray are sickness, disease, and death.

j)        Revelation 21:4 also refers to death and sorrow (these problems will also be removed).

k)      Prayer for and through the difficult times will no longer apply.

 

32)  Another aspect of life and worship on the earth is giving.

33)  At Corinth (1 Cor. 16:1-2), Christians came together every Sunday.

34)  On this day they contributed part of their income.

35)  In heaven there will be no collection plates.

36)  Instead of giving, it will be a time of getting (receiving).

a)      Mt. 25:34 says, “come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom.”

i)        Earlier in this chapter (verse 21) a similar point is made.

b)      A servant who was “faithful over a little” was made “ruler over a lot.”

c)      Lk. 12:32 says it is “God’s good pleasure” to give the kingdom to His people.

d)      Such is true in the sense of the church as well as the eternal kingdom.

e)      Rom. 8:17 says we will be “heirs of God” and “joint heirs with Christ.”

f)        Eph. 5:5 refers to an “inheritance in the kingdom.”

g)      2 Tim. 2:12 refers to our “reigning” with Christ.

h)      2 Tim. 4:8 promises a “crown of righteousness” to all the faithful.

i)        1 Pet. 1:4-5 says there is an inheritance being “reserved.”

 

37)  Heaven will offer plenty of wonderful things and some big improvements.

38)  In life, when we come to worship, there are sometimes distractions.

39)  Maybe you have been at worship and a CB radio user came over the sound system.

40)  Maybe you have been a parent who had children that have not wanted to stay still.

41)  Maybe your worship was distracted because of health problems or something else.

42)  In heaven, there will be no distractions.  God has taken away all the tension, pain, and hardships.

43)  On the earth, there are times when we are too tired to continue without rest.

44)  I sometimes have people say to me, “_______ is not here because they are exhausted.”

a)      Rev. 22:3 says there is no “curse” in heaven.

b)      Limitations and hardships from this life will be all gone.

c)      God’s people will serve Him “day and night” (Rev. 7:15).

d)      All hindrances will be removed.

 

45)  I would prefer not to make this next point, but it is Biblical and practical.

a)      We have examples of Bible characters who did not get along with others.

b)      God’s people have had disagreements.

c)      We find, for example, times when God’s people did not trust each other.

d)      There are even cases where one party was not fair to another.

e)      In heaven, there will be no people problems.  Brethren will be in perfect harmony.

f)        As we showed from the Sermon on the Mount, God’s will shall be done in heaven.

g)      God’s will according to Jesus in Jn. 17 is unity.

h)      Christ prayed for the kind of unity that He had the Father have.

 

46)  On this earth, this type of unity is not always achieved.  It will exist in heaven.

47)  Whoever is there will get along in sweet accord with all the other residents.

48)  A similar thought is found in the word “love.”

49)  On earth we find that love is sometimes defective and even seriously flawed.

50)  In heaven, love will be perfect in every way.

51)  Here many are poor and they struggle; in heaven all will be rich in every way.

 

 

52)  CONCLUSION:

53)  There are plenty of negative things to see on the earth.

54)  If we look hard enough, we can find some discouraging things in the church.

55)  One of the truths that helps Christians continue living faithful lives is the promise of heaven.

56)  Tonight we have a little better understanding of what this place is like.

57)  We hope each one here wants to spend eternity with God.