What about Heaven?

Have you ever heard the song that has a lyric like this, "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go now"?  Well I have...I don't remember who wrote it or sang it, but while the song is funny and I can even tap my toe to it, it is ironically true. 

Do you give much thought to Heaven?

What does it look like?  How do you get there?  What happens once you get there?
It's interesting that the Bible tells us how to get there.  It even tells us a little bit about what it looks like.  It also tells us what we do once we get there. 

So many preachers and teachers of today, (myself included sometimes) want to focus on the here and now.  We want to talk about how God can enrich my life now...here on Earth.  While God promises those things let us never forget that the Gospel or "good news" is the good news of the kingdom of God which is Heaven.  This life is not as good as it gets.  Isn't that awesome?!!!  The Bible tells us this;

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  John 3:36

What can be scary is that the song should go, "everybody wants to go to Heaven, but not very many people know how to get there".

While that is not as catchy it is true.  So many people lack the understanding of the Bible and it's teachings about the sacrifice of Christ and what that was really all about.  Right now everybody is thinking about Christmas and gift giving and gift getting and while all those things are ok...that is not the message at all.  Christmas Day was the day that the Bible calls, "the fullness of time".  It was a special divine day in all of human history that the God-man should be born of a virgin and would be tempted without sin.  He would grow up and heal many and raise dead and to touch lepers, and to give sight to the blind.  He was a man who was so gentle that children would sit in His lap, yet had such a fire to His Holiness that He could scare grown men out of the temple as they were making God's house a den of thieves. This baby grew up and died on a cross...an old rugged cross that was meant for me.  However, He didn't stay in the grave did He?  He rose forth with everlasting life and glory and because of that moment in history, because of that sacrifice and because of that raising from the dead I have access to Heaven's gates.  Jesus Christ, born of Mary paid my debt on the cross.  His death gave me life and it was life everlasting.  I stand with the righteousness of Christ in the eyes of the Father, because of the Son and I have the indwelling Spirit all because of Jesus.  The first and the last is He.

So folks, please understand something;  Jesus does bring life and he brings it with abundance (John 10:10) here on Earth.  More importantly He give eternal life in a place that no eye has seen or ear has heard.  Heaven is a place of no tears, no death, no sickness.  Don't you want to be there?  Maybe not tonight...but someday right?  Well here is one more thing that is said about Heaven in the Bible so please pay attention.

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.  Revelations 21:27

Jesus is the Lamb of God and He was the perfect sacrifice.  The only way to get your name in that book and guarantee a spot in Heaven is to ask Jesus to be your Lord and your Savior.

Admit you are a sinner
Believe that Jesus was the Son of God and He died for your sins and rose again.
Commit your life to Him.  That you will live for Him, until it is time to die for Him.

It's as easy as A.B.C.

God loves you...and so do I.

Yours in Christ's love
G