Sermon Summary
This week, Adina Olson rounded out our sermon series on Heaven with the desire that each individual perspective on the end times would be founded on the Word of God. The most important question to confidently answer about Heaven is whether you know you’re going there. Adina brought us back to the beginning, reminding us of how God’s original plan was simply to be with us. The Lord’s compelling longing is to see us fully united and unified with Him in eternity.
Leviticus 26:12-13 (NIV)
13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
John 17:23-24 (ESV)
23 In them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Three questions about Heaven
- What does God’s eternal Kingdom involve?
An unveiled look of Jesus on the throne – See Revelation 4:1-11.
Revelation 7:10 (ESV)
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.
Worship – We will get to have face-to-face encounters with Jesus.
Revelation 19:1-2
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven,
crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
Revelation 19:6-7 (ESV)
Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory
Revelation 5:2-10 (ESV)
2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
- Will we actually rule with Christ?
- Yes. Jesus made us a Kingdom – Because of the shed blood of Jesus, we collectively become one family. We are a community of believers and brothers and sisters in Christ who will rule together with Christ as heirs with Him.
Definition of Kingdom: an organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government.
- Yes. We will be Priests – Priests are a holy, anointed, set apart group with power and authority to minister with full access to God’s presence. We will be overseers, rulers, and managers of land.
Exodus 19:5-6 (NLT)
5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’
Isaiah 61:6-7 (NLT)
You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches. Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
Genesis 12:7 (NLT)
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.
The triune nature of God is to do nothing alone. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit fully ruling because of the Son, then we will be doing the same as co-heirs.
“We’ve been born into a family of an incredibly wealthy landowner. There’s not a millimeter of cosmic geography that doesn’t belong to him, and by extension to his children, his heirs. Our Father has a family business that stretches across the whole universe. He entrusts to us management of the family business, and that’s what we’ll do for eternity. Manage God’s assets and rule his universe, representing him as image-bearers, children and ambassadors.”
- Randy Alcorn
- How will we rule in God’s Kingdom? – We will serve first and then be assigned the duty of sitting at the King’s table.
Luke 22:25-29 (ESV)
And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
I’m convinced that in serving, there is ruling, And as we are ruling there will be serving. Serving is like breathing Jesus.
“We will forever please the Father by ruling over the earth that he’ll refashion for us to live forever.”
– Randy Alcorn
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
“ The ongoing succession of Earth’s unrighteous rulers should make us hunger for the day when our righteous God will rule, not just in heaven but on Earth.”
- Randy Alcorn
Discussion Questions
- What will God’s eternal Kingdom involve?
- Will we actually rule with Christ?
- How will we rule in God’s Kingdom?
- What is one truth you learned from this series that you will take with you in your daily walk with Jesus?
Application Questions
- Adina echoed the quote from last week’s sermon that said, “In nature, everything moves in the direction of its’ hunger.” How hungry are you for God? Answer honestly this week.