Rev. David Holwick Z "Questions People Ask" topical series
First Baptist Church (very well received)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 25, 2002
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
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I. God's preparation for this sermon.
A. We go on vacation to Nova Scotia.
1) It is Holwick family's idea of heaven:
beautiful scenery, few people, cheap Canadian dollars.
B. My pile of mail includes a Newsweek with heaven splashed over
cover. (August 12, 2002)
C. My email has a letter from James Brafford.
1) He requests a sermon series on questions people ask.
What will Heaven be like (e.g. will there be animals,
will I know people, what form will we have,
what will we do for eternity, will it get boring,
will we have the option to live in Heaven or the
new earth, etc)?
2) Your pastor is so spiritually attuned, he recognized a
pattern WITHIN DAYS.
II. Our current vision of heaven.
A. Each culture has its own details.
1) Muslim terrorists: paradise with 72 virgins.
2) America: Sentimental destination for grandparents where
there will be family reunions and lots of food.
B. Common theme: heaven is what you want it to be.
1) Movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams - he is a
painter who dies and goes to heaven.
a) Heaven is dripping with colorful liquid paint.
2) Movie "Contact" about communicating with an alien culture.
a) Jody Foster's experience of heaven is a tropical island,
because that is what she likes.
3) Heaven will be better than we expect, or can expect.
Philip Yancey's pastor decided to pull a vacation surprise
on his four children.
"We're going to Junction City, Kansas," Peter told them.
"It's where my dad used to pastor a church, and we can
have lots of fun there."
Meanwhile he made secret plans to spend one afternoon in
Junction City, then drive on to enjoy the glories of
Disney World.
Ever trusting, his children bragged to skeptical friends,
"We're going to KANSAS for vacation. It's great!"
All during the long drive from Denver to Junction City,
Peter described the wonders awaiting them.
Junction City had playgrounds, a swimming pool, an ice
cream stand, maybe even a bowling alley.
After touring Granddad's old church, the kids were ready to
check into a motel and go swimming when their dad
dropped the bombshell.
"You know something, it's kind of boring here in Kansas.
Why don't we just drive to DISNEY WORLD!"
Mom reached in a bag and pulled out four custom-made
Mickey Mouse hats.
Peter expected his kids to jump up and down in delight.
Instead, they complained: "Ah, who wants to get back in
the van?"
"What about the swimming pool? You promised!"
"I thought we were going to go bowling!"
The great surprise had backfired.
For the next few hours Peter sat behind the steering wheel
and smoldered as his children expanded on all the
advantages of Junction City over Disney World.
Peter turned this fiasco into a fine sermon illustration,
quoting C. S. Lewis:
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink
and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.
[We are] like an ignorant child who wants to go on making
mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is
meant by the offer of a [vacation] at the sea."
#19874
C. We treat Heaven too lightly.
1) It burns more brightly for troubled times.
2) We have it too good.
a) Heaven seems like a pale imitation of what we can
already attain.
b) We are more comfortable with what we can see and touch.
3) And heaven reminds us of death.
a) It is a one-way ticket with no turning back.
b) Yet because of this, it always confronts us.
4) For many people, heaven is all that is left of their faith.
In a 1994 interview, Marlo Thomas talked about the death
of her dad, Danny Thomas.
She said, "When I got on a plane to go to my father's
funeral, I was alone.
Phil stayed behind to do a memorial program on my father
on The Donahue Show.
It was a mistake for me to be alone.
I cried the whole way.
Phil and I were both raised Catholic, but we're not so
much involved with the church anymore.
He is kind of a devil's advocate.
But I called him from that plane that day.
I was as fragile as an egg.
I said, 'Answer me truthfully. Is there a heaven?'
And my darling husband, I'm not sure what he believes
anymore said, 'Yes, yes, there is a heaven.'
The need to hear that there is a heaven, and that the
person you love is there, is very strong."
#17866
III. Bible's description of heaven.
A. Varied images.
1) (Even Newsweek confuses the issue, attributing Biblical
images to later theologians.)
2) Revelation 21-22 alone: heaven is like a city, a river,
a garden, a renewed world (and universe).
a) Highly picturesque language: golden streets, seas of
glass.
b) Sketches are necessary because heaven is another level
of reality.
c) As Paul says in 2 Cor. 12, it is impossible to describe.
B. God is there.
1) Taught in first line of Lord's Prayer.
a) Our loving Father will welcome us home. John 14:2-3
2) Heaven is where God's rule is perfect, his will is done.
3) We will see him face to face.
C. Heaven is a beautiful place.
1) It will be filled with intriguing sights.
2) God is the architect and builder of heaven. Heb. 11:10
3) The building materials are surreal: emerald, glass,
crystal, gold, pearls.
4) It encompasses a whole new universe. #22699
a) Anne Lotz's book on heaven takes it too literally as
1500 miles by 1500 miles, or 37 acre cube per person!
D. We will be surrounded by wonderful, caring people.
1) It is filled with "righteous people made perfect." Heb 12:23
2) We assume each will be recognizable, just as Moses and
Elijah were when they appeared with Jesus.
Dr. W. A. Criswell, the beloved pastor of First Baptist
Church of Dallas, was once asked,
"Will we know each other when we get to heaven?"
His answer: "We won't really know each other UNTIL we
get to heaven."
#20785
E. There may be animals, too.
1) Doubts about this are usually pinned on a verse in
Ecclesiastes (3:21) -
"Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the
spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
2) Note that he is NOT saying this is the way it is; he is
saying, "Who knows?"
3) Interesting Bible hint: immediately in front of God's throne
are four supernatural beings. Rev 4:6-7
a) One appears human, the others have animal features.
b) This may mean heaven is like earth, with all of God's
creatures.
c) Also, Old Testament images of God's kingdom on earth
mention animals, with one change - they don't eat
each other (or us).
F. We will have a fresh start.
1) A brand-new body.
a) 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says our bodies will be...
1> Immortal. They won't wear out.
2> Glorious. We will like how we look.
3> Spiritual. No more physical limitations.
b) How old will we look? Probably not an issue.
1> Similar to relationships like marriage - heaven
transcends it.
2) A brand-new nature.
a) We will WANT to do what is right.
b) We WILL do what is right.
c) We will be as pure as Jesus. 1 John 3:2
G. We will experience lasting contentment without fear.
1) No more death or mourning or crying or pain. Rev 21:4
2) We will be relaxed and contented. Ps 16:9-11
3) No one will be able to steal our joy.
IV. Why heaven matters now.
A. It can keep us from making a terrible mistake with our life.
1) We often compromise for short-term benefit and long-term
disaster. (marriage, job...)
2) Heaven gives us a higher standard to aim for.
a) Is this what I should be living for?
b) Put your energies into what will last. Matt 6:19f
B. It encourages us that our daily lives have meaning.
1) In the great scheme of things, we don't seem very
significant.
2) Heaven teaches us that we ARE important and what we
do is important.
a) Every day we are investing in heaven.
C. It teaches us the virtue of having faith while we wait.
Catherine of Genoa wrote this in 1460:
If we could see what we will receive in the life to come,
we would cease to occupy ourselves with anything but
the things of heaven.
But God, who desires that we see by faith, gives us this
vision little by little, sufficient to the level of
faith of which we are capable.
In this manner, God leads us into a greater vision of that
which is to come until faith is no longer needed.
#4405
D. It can comfort us when times are hard.
1) In old days, heaven seemed limited to scare tactics and
pie-in-the-sky. Is it passe?
2) Human life remains harsh, and always will be.
a) Only heaven is an unshakable shelter. Heb 11:9-10
b) Knowing there is a heaven gives us comfort.
c) Paul: our present sufferings are not worth comparing
with the glory we will experience then. Rom 8:18
V. Who goes to heaven?
A. Can be a matter of dispute.
On July 29 in Godley, Texas, a 20-year-old man was fatally
shot wrestling for a gun with a 21-year-old man with
whom he had been debating.
The issue: which of the two was more likely to wind up in
heaven.
B. Everybody goes to heaven.
1) This is most popular view.
The great "theologian" Sophia Loren gave an interview in
1999.
She said, "I'm not a practicing Christian, but I pray.
I read the Bible.
It is the most beautiful book ever written.
I should to go to heaven; otherwise, it is not nice.
I have not done anything wrong.
My conscious is very clear.
My soul is as white as those orchids over there; and I
should go straight, straight to heaven."
She's a movie star - it must be true. #17867
2) If God grades on a curve, and is generous, maybe so.
a) Muslims believe Allah weighs our hearts.
b) Society's conclusion: only Hitler and Stalin go to hell.
c) (Newsweek: curious image of suicide bombers' families
and victims' families both expecting loved ones in
heaven.)
C. Bible's standard: perfection.
1) God is too holy to allow sin in his presence.
2) We are all sinners, without exception.
3) We can only get to heaven through Jesus, who took
our place.
a) Jesus to the thief: Today you will be with me in
paradise.
D. Will YOU be in heaven?
1) Though not popular, there is more than one destination
available.
2) We must make a conscious commitment to follow Jesus.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
This sermon depends heavily on "Heaven Can't Wait," by Kevin A. Miller,
Discipleship Journal #57, May-June 1990, pages 8-12.
# 4405 From an internet sermon dated November 10, 1998; quote is by
Catherine Of Genoa.
#17866 Internet sermon titled, "What is Heaven?" Dr. Ronald W. Scates,
Central Presbyterian Church; Baltimore, Maryland, July 18,
1999. Illustration titled, "Answer Me Truthfully - Is There
A Heaven?"
#17867 Internet sermon titled, "What is Heaven?" Dr. Ronald W. Scates,
Central Presbyterian Church; Baltimore, Maryland, July 18,
1999. Illustration titled, "Will Sophia Loren Be In Heaven?"
#19874 "What's A Heaven For?" by Philip Yancey, Christianity Today
Magazine, October 26, 1998, page 104.
#20785 "Criswell on Heaven," by Michael Green, compiled in Rev. Brett
Blair's Illustrations By Email, www.sermonillustrations.com,
November 7, 2001.
#22699 "Why We Need Heaven," by Lisa Miller, Newsweek Magazine,
August 12, 2002 (from internet).
These and 20,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Interesting commentary on the theology of Robin Williams' film, though
not completely conservative:
http://www.chiafilm.com/dreams.html
"WHAT DREAMS MAY COME"
By Doug Cummings
Loosely based on the 1979 novel by fantasist Richard Matheson, this
movie reflects the abysmal state of religious dialogue in American
culture. In borrowing ideas from religious art, pop psychology, and
Hollywood romance, the movie resembles the creation of a romantically
frustrated Sunday School dropout with a multi-million dollar budget.
Robin Williams stars as a man so in love with his wife (viewers are
inundated with shots of them smiling and winking in various settings),
that after he dies and she commits suicide, he courageously decides to
leave Heaven and descend into Hell to rescue her. In presenting this
story, the film establishes some ground rules: 1) Heaven and Hell are
merely places that reflect our subjective fantasies, 2) Any person who
commits suicide must spend eternity in Hell, 3) If you really love
someone (and were "soulmates"), then the afterlife will still be empty
without them, 4) If you love a psychologically sick person, the only
way to help them is to enter their world and experience their pain with
them.
While the visions of Heaven and Hell are visually impressive because of
today's computer graphics, the context in which these images are
explained is woefully shallow. The spiritual kingdoms are presented as
collages of images the characters take from their earthly lives:
childhood fantasies, flight stewards, nightmares, paintings, etc. Each
person's Heaven or Hell is unique, because in perfunctory postmodern
fashion, it's assumed one vision of paradise couldn't please everyone.
This raises a question: How then could everyone interact if they're
living out individual subjective realities? The question is never
answered, but it really doesn't matter -- Heaven and Hell aren't
philosophically thought out so much as they're simply made into
allegorical platforms for the analyst's couch. If characters are
feeling good with life, Heaven (and their deceased pets) await them; if
they are feeling bad with life, it's a one way ticket to Hell, no pets
allowed.
Pretty images aside, it doesn't take an advanced theologian to
recognize the horror in the film's proposal that all suicides lead to
eternal damnation. Watching this movie in the midst of a young adult
generation known for its statistical increase in suicides, one can't
help wonder how many audience members must be helplessly worrying about
the eternal whereabouts of suicidal loved ones. The movie may toss it
off as a "impenetrable fortress" plot device, but unfortunately, real
life doesn't offer a lot of opportunities to descend into Hell and
rescue people.
While one may be able to overlook some of the film's more shady
theological assumptions, it's difficult to overlook the fact that God
doesn't play any part in any of its proceedings. "Where is God?",
Williams asks after entering Heaven. His guide answers with a shrug
and a wink, saying, "He's up there somewhere, shouting down that He
loves us." They both ponder this for a second and then move on, making
it clear the filmmakers won't be addressing those thoughts again.
Despite the creative visuals, the entire movie has the feeling of
artistic drudgery. Writer/director Vincent Ward has built a career
making obtuse films with shady religious imagery ("The Navigator" and
"Alien 3"), Robin Williams dutifully performs his Rescuing Saint role
and poor Max Von Sydow shows up to lend gravity to the picture simply
by his association with Ingmar Bergman. If it weren't for the fact
that its visual creativity is the one thing this movie has going for
it, its artistic mediocrity wouldn't be quite so offensive.
But perhaps the most potentially damaging notion the movie proposes is
its total rejection of the idea of moving on with life after the death
of loved ones. With dramatic fervor, Robin Williams (probably patting
himself on the back for breaking out of his warm and fuzzy persona)
snarls lines about being soulmates and how no one else understands and
how he'd rather live in Hell than be without his wife. In their on-
line press kit, Executive Producer Scott Kroopf gushes, "The idea that
soulmates exist and that love goes on after death is a powerful,
compelling, wonderful idea."
Steven Spielberg, of all people, made a largely unseen movie about
death and loss called ALWAYS in 1989. It told the story of a
firefighter who looks back at his lover from beyond the grave and
experiences turmoil as she slowly moves on from her grief. The movie
shows the gradual process involved in emotionally letting go of a loved
one, ending in an affirmation of the process. WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
rejects that process, combining its notions of "eternal" love and self-
centered afterlife to form a twisted, irresponsible answer to
psychological and theological issues.
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