Coming Home

        Many of you might be familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines from their TV show "Fixer Upper". A few weeks ago there was a headline, "HGTV Fans at Odds After Joanna Gaines Makes Controversial Instagram Post". Her offense? She put up her Christmas tree before Thanksgiving!

Well, since I don't ever want to be controversial... I at least waited until after Thanksgiving to start moving our focus towards Christmas. But there is something special about this time of year. We haven't even recovered from celebrating Thanksgiving and now we're diving head first into Christmas.

Part of Thanksgiving and Christmas is about family; gathering all of the loved ones together. Being home for Christmas is a big deal. People travel hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles just to be home for Christmas. - But we know that not everyone can make it home. Some that we love won't be with us this Christmas. And that's probably why Christmas can be both one of the happiest times of the year and for some, one of the saddest. But Christmas is not just about family.

I want to lift our focus. We hope that everyone can be home for the holidays, but I just mentioned this last Sunday, and I'm bringing it up again because it's so vital to remember...

I. This world is NOT our home

We were created for eternity, not just for this life. We may have a lot of fond memories of home, but this place is not our final destination, not our true home. Author C.S. Lewis put it this way, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

God created us with the full intention of spending forever with us. In the beginning, in the book of Genesis, we see that God created the Garden of Eden where He placed Adam and Eve. It was a perfect place where God could be with His creation. Let's look at Genesis 3:8 (NIV)...

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve lost the garden, their home, and their intimacy with God. Ever since, God's creation has had a longing to return to that perfect home; that perfect relationship with God. Whether people completely understand it as such, man now has a longing for Heaven.

But how can we be sure there even is a Heaven? All of the other questions in life really don't matter if there isn't a Heaven. So how can I be sure that there is? There's several reasons why I'm confident. The first of which is the fact that we are...

A. 'Wired' for Heaven

God designed us this way. The idea of Heaven is built right into us; 'wired' into our minds. In every culture that has ever existed in every time period of history there has always been a longing and a belief in some kind of afterlife in some shape or form. I find it very hard to believe that the idea of Heaven just 'evolved' in every people group in every time.

When God created us, He 'hard wired' in us this desire for Heaven; for a relationship with Him. - That's because we weren't created for just 'this'. 'This' is not all there is. This world is not our true home. We see this written about Abraham, thousands of years ago, from Hebrews 11:10 (NIV)...

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

We can't see Heaven, but we can feel its pull, that ache, that longing for something more. Abraham felt the pull of Heaven. And so did many others who have gone before us. The writer of Hebrews continues...

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (14) People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

(15) If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. (16) Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

How can we be confident there's a Heaven? We may not be able to see it - but we can feel it, and more importantly - we can be confident because...

B. God said it

There are a lot of educated individuals, philosophers, scientists who reject this idea of Heaven. They claim we long for this imaginary place because everyone is afraid of death, so mankind invented this perfect afterlife concept simply to help comfort us.

Heaven isn't man's idea, it's God's. Jesus believed in Heaven, and He said...

John 14:1-3 (NIV)

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (2) In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

I've heard people ask the question, "Are we just gonna sit around all day playing harps in white robes, floating on clouds?" That may be the image we frequently see portrayed, but that's not at all the picture we see in the Bible. So, what is Heaven going to be like? There is a Heaven - I am sure of that fact. And as much as we'd like to speculate about what Heaven will actually be like, our minds can't even comprehend what's in store for God's faithful. I have a video I used a few years back, and it's one of my favorites - so I'm going to show it again...

***Video "Evermore"

I thought that was one of the best descriptions of what Heaven may be like. We will finally be exactly who God created us to be - apart from this fallen world. Those of you who struggle with age and mobility - you will run again! - With all the joy you had running as a little kid! We may still have a lot more questions than answers, but we do know that...

II. Everything will be made new

This earth that was created in six days and has seen a worldwide flood, thousands of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes and fires - this earth is still amazing and full of incredible beauty! - But it is still only temporary.

Revelation 21:1-7 (NIV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. (2) I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

(4) He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (5) He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (6) He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

(7) He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

This world, as amazing as it is, is nothing compared to our future home! It will be like moving from a cardboard box under a bridge to a palace! Everything will be made new. Imagine a place where there's no death, no pain and no evil - no sickness, no tragedy! All of the things that break our hearts and weigh us down here - will be gone. There will be no wars, no fighting, no broken families, no pandemics, no lousy economies, no fear, no hate, no more of the crimes against children that we see on the news that just tear us up. All of it - gone!

God is preparing this new, perfect place for those who trust Him. We have this new home waiting for us! And we also have the promise of...

A. A new body

Think about the billions of dollars spent in our healthcare system just to take care of these bodies that just keep wearing down. What about the billions that people spend to fight the effects of aging. All of that - gone!

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NIV)

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - (52) in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Let's face it - this world is pretty hard on these bodies. But these bodies were not meant to last forever. That's why we will be clothed with new, perfect bodies when we get to our new home.

Just imagine it - Heaven, our new home with our new eternal bodies. Let's make another list of 'no more's' - no more disease, no more COVID or cancer or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's or Crone's or arthritis or diabetes, no more joint replacements, no more heart attacks, no more aneurisms or strokes! No more! All done! Gone!

Our new bodies will be made strong and perfect and will stay that way in the presence of our God. Now in light of all that, do any of our questions about what will or won't be in Heaven really matter? We'll have a new home and new bodies and something even more fantastic - Heaven will be...

B. A reunion

It will be a reunion with those in Christ who have gone before us. Every one of us has lost someone to death. For those who accept Jesus as their Savior - Heaven will be the greatest reunion in history! I think that's the thing that Christians look most forward to - being reunited with those we've lost; those we long to see again. Let's look at Paul's words from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NIV)...

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. (14) We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (15) According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

(16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Those in Christ who have gone before us are not dead. Their bodies may be dead, but they are not. These physical bodies were not designed for eternity, but we were created for eternity. When Jesus returns, the spirits of the faithful will again be reunited with their new bodies and we will then be reunited with them!

And this is not just some empty hope we have - this is the promise of God's Word! All of our families have felt the pain of losing a loved one. As a congregation, we have had many faithful ones who have passed on. But that pain is not the end of the story. Christians don't stay dead!

But as incredible as that reunion with our loved ones will be - there's actually something even more incredible coming! The greatest reason to look forward to Heaven...

C. We will see God!

Everything in which we have believed and worked for and sacrificed for will be realized! Everything in which we have placed our faith will be made real! We will finally see what we have been promised. We will see the very face of God!

1 John 3:1-2 (NIV)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (2) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

I'm going to see Jesus! I'm going to be able to look at the very face of God. This temporary body wouldn't be able to stand the power of looking on the face of God. My new body will be designed for exactly that! We will see God. All of the struggles and frustrations of this life will fade away and we will see God.

Anybody else slightly homesick at this point? Which brings us to the big question...

So What?

Heaven is a real place that will make this existence feel like a poor dream in comparison. There is a real hope at the end of this life for those who believe. That's why we gather here. But even as I talk about Heaven, there's also a sad reality. Repeatedly in scripture we're reminded that not everyone will make it to Heaven.

And - we're also reminded that only those who remain faithful to the end will win the prize. And - another reality that we'd rather ignore - some of us will be getting the answers to all of our questions about Heaven sooner than others. And none of us, is promised tomorrow. So...

I'd like to suggest two things - first, take advantage of every day you have to serve faithfully. Remember, the calling is to be faithful to the end. None of us get to retire from the faith. Our service will change drastically over our years - but all of us can pray. Don't see that as a 'lesser service' by any means...

And the second thing that we may need reminding - we're to take this amazing message of hope and the promise of Heaven to anyone who'll listen. In just a few weeks, we'll be celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas. The airports, train stations, bus stations and highways will be packed with people longing, aching to get home for the holidays.

As believers, we know that this world is not our real home. If you get to spend time with some in your family who are 'home for the holidays' - some who do not know Jesus... - Talk to them about their real home. Talk to them about Jesus.