Rev. David Holwick P
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 17, 2015
Luke 23:39-43
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Summary: This sermon follows a Hawaiian vacation the church presented
to Pastor David and Celeste on their 25th anniversary in serving
Ledgewood Baptist. The wider application is of course heaven.
I. The paradise of Hawaii.
A. For many Americans, it is a trip of a lifetime.
1) Retirees make it a goal to go there before they die.
2) We got to go in style, thanks to the church.
a) We took helicopter and boat rides on Kauai.
b) We rented a convertible in Maui.
c) All our rooms had little refrigerators and microwaves.
B. Epitome of exotic - volcanoes, palm trees, endless beaches.
1) You walk around in sandals and flowery shirts with leas
of orchids around your neck.
a) We found out the leas are not just for tourists.
b) Mothers are given them on Mother's Day.
2) Thousands of miles from ordinary life.
a) The non-stop plane ride took 11 hours to get there,
and 10 to come home.
b) Milk is $5.40 a gallon, bread is $6 a loaf, and gas
costs $1.00 more a gallon.
c) For cheaper versions of paradise, many people prefer
the Caribbean or Florida.
d) For the ultra-cheap, there is always Wildwood, New Jersey.
II. The concept of Paradise is deeply rooted in the Bible.
A. It is a Persian word that was borrowed by the Greeks.
1) Genesis 2:8 is the foundational passage.
a) The NIV translation says:
"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east,
in Eden..."
b) The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament
that was popular when Jesus was alive, uses the
word "paradise" for "garden" here.
2) This is why we associate paradise with tropical locations
like Hawaii - lush vegetation and lots of flowers.
a) On the island of Maui, we took the infamous "road to
Hana" with its one-lane bridges and passed countless
waterfalls cloaked in ferns and canopied in trees.
b) But any garden is a pale reflection of God's original
ideal, which was the garden of Eden.
B. Eden had some special qualities.
1) It was a garden planted by God for the blessing of humans.
a) It had many trees and plants.
b) They were beautiful as well as edible.
2) Everything was watered by a special river.
a) We learn later in the chapter that there was an
abundance of animals as well.
b) Apparently they were there to help us, but not for
food.
3) In the center of the garden were two special trees:
a) The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
b) Eden was not just a beautiful place - it was a place
of perfection.
1> Human nature was unmarred [unscarred?]
2> God was at the center.
III. Paradise has been lost.
A. Humans sinned and were sent "east of Eden."
1) We couldn't leave the knowledge of good and evil alone,
so we were excluded from the tree of life, and from God.
2) Famous poem by the Puritan John Milton in the 1600s.
a) Very artistic language but really long (10,000 lines).
b) It is a poetic way of describing our disobedience to
God and expulsion from paradise.
B. Many things are messed up in the world.
1) The natural realm has been marred by industrial waste,
the burning of rain forests, and millions of tons of
chemicals poured into the air.
2) The human realm has its own set of problems.
a) Many have all the material things they could want,
but they feel nothing but emptiness and frustration.
b) Others have one disaster after another - never enough
money, broken families, rebellious children.
c) Life can seem like it is cursed.
IV. How can we get back to paradise?
A. We can try to make our own.
1) Every spring I buy plants at Home Depot to decorate the
patio behind the parsonage.
a) A lattice wall woven with ivy shuts out the sound
from Route 46.
b) Containers planted with Elephant Ear and other
plants give it a tropical appearance by August.
c) Colorful flowers make it a restful oasis for us,
Celeste especially.
2) Many societies have tried to do more - Utopianism.
a) Puritans came to America with this goal.
1> They wanted to build a perfect godly society.
b) The great "isms" of the 20th century - Marxism,
Nazism, Socialism, have tried to create perfection.
c) Even ISIS believes it is instituting its version of
paradise by whacking all the infidels.
B. Why we can't make paradise here and now.
1) Paradise is more than nice plants and colorful flowers.
2) It is even more than a stable society with peace and
lawfulness.
3) The Bible says paradise is having the most intimate
relationship with God.
a) Since humans are so flawed, we cannot create this.
b) You cannot get there on your own - it has to be given
to you.
V. Only a few have gotten a taste of it without dying.
A. Paul's uniqure experience is related in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6.
1) It took place in hidden part of his life, between his
conversion and his missionary journeys.
2) It is obvious he is the one who had the experience.
a) He is trying to be humble about it.
b) He couldn't tell if it was a physical experience or
a mystical vision.
3) Paul identifies paradise with the third heaven.
a) Traditionally, Greeks saw the first heaven as the
atmosphere.
b) The second heaven was outer space where the stars are.
c) The third heaven was the abode of God, and this is
where Paul was taken.
B. Seeing paradise changed his life.
1) It was wonderful but he was forbidden to talk about it.
a) The book of Revelation gives more detail.
b) It talks about brilliant colors and dramatic sights
and sounds.
c) It is far more than bland whiteness and serenity.
VI. One man discovered this in his worst moment.
A. He was being crucified, and he knew why.
1) He was a criminal and he deserved what was being done to him.
2) He also understood that Jesus was not guilty but was
really who he said he was - a king.
B. His simple request is for Jesus to remember him.
1) He has a distant perspective - the Second Coming.
2) Jesus surprised him by offering him paradise that very day.
3) This paradise is not a physical garden but heaven itself.
4) This man, who did nothing to deserve it, was being
given eternal salvation with Jesus.
VII. This paradise is offered to you.
A. This has always been humanity's dream.
1) The prophet Isaiah envisioned his war-ravaged nation being
as lovely as the Garden of Eden again. Isaiah 51:3
a) Not just beauty, but joy and gladness.
b) It is where you want to be.
2) The apostle John, in the book of Revelation, combines
paradise with a holy city and a renewed earth.
a) The nations are healed with the leaves of the trees
of life.
b) In Rev. 2:7, Jesus promises that overcomers (true
Christians) will eat from the tree of life in
the paradise of God.
c) To get back to Eden, you have to keep following Jesus.
B. Will you be there?
1) Many, but not all of you, will get to Hawaii someday.
a) Or you can do the discount version in Wildwood.
2) Only some will get to the real paradise.
a) It is granted by Jesus to those who believe in him.
b) Do you believe?
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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