Sermon: "Relationships: Will We Know One Another in Heaven?"

well please open your bible at revelation in chapter 7 we're continuing to look at this great theme of heaven we've asked the question how can I be sure of heaven and we saw the answer from the story of the thief on the cross that he turned to Jesus he asked of Jesus he trusted in Jesus and to the person who turns and asks and trusts in Jesus he says you will be with me in paradise then last week we looked at the question what will it be like in heaven and particularly what is the experience of our Christian loved ones right now in the presence of Jesus and we saw four answers to that question from the Scriptures they are with Christ they are fully conscious they are actively engaged and they are eagerly waiting what they enjoy right now is better by far than the best that we know in this world and yet the best even for them and the best for us is yet to be they are waiting as we are waiting for the resurrection of the body for the gathering of the entire family of God and of course for the new heavens and the new earth about which more next week all of that is in the future for them as it is in the future for all of us now today we're coming to a very important question will we know one another in heaven and I focused on this in the message today because it is I think the question that I have been asked over the years more often about heaven than any other question and it's really important to have a clear answer to this question we're going to look at the answer today in a way that I hope will be very clear and settling in all of our minds as we look at the theme of relationship in heaven three parts today we're going to begin by looking at the joy of being at home in heaven then we will look at the joy of being together in heaven or relationship with one another and then thirdly and briefly the joy of being with Christ in heaven so if you have your Bible open at revelation in chapter 7 verses 9 and 10 we begin with the joy of being at home this marvelous vision John says I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number and there from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages and this great crowd are standing before the throne and before the lamb try and picture this they are clothed in white robes they have pan branches in their hands and they are crying out in a loud voice salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb now what a marvelous vision this is let's try and take it in for just a moment John sees a vast crowd more than anyone could count a great multitude and there in the immediate presence of the Lord hears those who are in the presence of Christ there before the throne and there before the lamb they are dressed in white robes which is a symbol of purity there isn't a hint of a stain on them there isn't the faintest whiff of a temptation anywhere near them and they have palm branches in their hands now in the Bible palm branches are often the symbol of victory and so these people are celebrating a complete and total victory there are no more battles for these people no more struggles no more wounds a complete victory and they ascribed that victory to God himself which is why they say salvation belongs to God it didn't come from us it's God who saved us and he saved us through the lamb when you become a Christian God gives you a new heart he puts his Holy Spirit within you but every Christian knows we live this Christian life in this world in the body and that is why a truly Christian life is a battle every step of the way we carry in this world we carry in our body the baggage of remaining sin and however much progress we make in the journey of the Christian life we never wholly get free from it we live in a fallen world where Christ is dishonored and righteousness is spurned and where evil and violence cast a shadow over all that is good we're up against the pool of the flesh the direction of that pool may change in some ways over a lifetime lust may give way to greed greed may give way to laziness the direction of the pool of the flesh may change over the course of a lifetime but the struggle that it brings never goes away and we have an enemy the devil who though he can never finally succeed against us never gives up trying and so for all of these reasons as a Christian with a new heart and with the Holy Spirit in this world we are always living a life of repentance and a life of faith it's a life of repentance because we never get beyond the awareness of our own sins and our many failings and it is a life of faith because we are always walking by faith and not by sight and we do this and we persist in this with the help of the Holy Spirit but the Christian life in this world is a struggle all the way but what we're seeing here in Revelation and chapter 7 is that it will not always be so john sees believers in the presence of jesus and there isn't the hint of a struggle here they're celebrating total victory the long struggle is over they're waving the palm branches because the victory has been won and now verse 15 they are at home therefore they are before the throne of God and they serve Him day and night in his temple and he who sits on the throne will alter them with his presence literally that last phrase God sheltering them with his presence literally translated what John writes here is that God Himself will spread his tent over them picture this large canvas and God shaking it out so that they boundaries of it fall beyond all of his people he spreads his tent over them so that every one of the people of God in the presence of God are that it's the most beautiful picture of inclusion nobody is outside everybody is on the inside everybody is enjoying being in this glorious home that belongs to Almighty God he spreads his tent over a beautiful picture think about this where in the world when in all of your life have you felt most completely at home where is the place where you most deeply have said and felt this is where I belong that feeling that you can identify as you think of that place or that time that feeling is a little foretaste of what you will experience when you are in the presence of the Lord and this is wonderful to anticipate some of us struggle to feel at home in this life some of us struggle to feel at home in our work we're not sure we really fit with what we're doing some of us don't feel completely at home in the church some of us don't feel completely at home even in our own families some of us don't feel completely at home even in our own bodies but if you are in Christ the day will come when you know that you are completely at home and God will spread his tent over you and you will find yourself saying ah this is where I belong I was made for this place now I know that this was where I was always meant to be and to be at home you see means wonderfully to be completely yourself when you are in heaven redeemed fully in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be able to say and to know I'm more myself than I was ever at any time in my life in that old world so much of what went before wasn't really me it attached itself to me but now I know myself to be more myself than I have ever ever experienced and the peace of that and the joy of that and in heaven we will therefore serve the Lord as we always wished we could every Christian wants to be something for the Lord Jesus Christ we want to serve him well that's part of the life of the Spirit within you if you're a Christian believer but but notice in heaven verse 15 they serve Him day and night there's no jaded Nestor's no running dry there's no exhaustion there's no running low for believers in heaven Ligon Duncan has this wonderful comment he says I have no idea what it is like to live with a heart that is wholly given over to God there's a Christian leader a godly man and he rightly says as any Christian would have to say living this life in the flesh he says I have no idea what it is to live with a heart that is wholly given over to God I have not lived one second with that kind of heart he says but one day I will don't you look forward to that and we will love him with a love that truly reflects the love that he has for us and Satan will never again be able to get his hook into anything that is in you because there will be nothing in you that would be drawn in any way to anything to do with him and you will never find yourself out of sorts you know this experience a mood kind of settles over you and you wonder where in the world did that come from you will be at peace with yourself you will be at peace with others and you will be at peace with God you will be at home and it will be glorious the joy of being home I want you to notice secondly and here we focus in on the question I referred to earlier the joy of being together now look particularly we will look at several scriptures here but we begin from this very passage revelation 7 and verse 9 after this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number and then watch this from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb now notice something very important here the distinct identity of every person in this vast crowd is maintained they are specifically identified wonderfully identified as being from every tribe and every nation and every language now ponder this it's something to be so thankful for the distinct individuality with which God has made every person who he has then redeemed remains it is preserved but what makes us different no longer divides us there isn't a hint of conflict there isn't a hint of tension here truly in the presence of the Lord out of many God's people will be one and this speaks of course directly to the question will we know one another in heaven let me give you a one-word answer just to make it very simple and then I'll seek to support it from the Bible will we know one another in heaven answer yes yes you will be you and I will be me we will be like Christ but each of us will reflect his likeness through our own individuality God never made two snowflakes the same and he certainly never makes two Christians the same the glory of the redeeming people of God will be the multi-faceted reflection of the boundless glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now for sure we shall know one another in the resurrection the disciples knew and recognized Jesus in the resurrection body but I'm going to suggest to you and try and demonstrate from the Bible that before that we also have good reason to believe that the same wonderful reality will be true and I want to take time then today to offer to you seven scriptures all of them point to our knowing one another after the resurrection and some of them point to believers knowing one another immediately after death in the presence of the Lord savor these with me they give anticipations of the joy that lies ahead number one David and his son second Samuel Chapter 12 and verse 23 King David had a little boy who died in infancy there are many folks in the congregation who had the same painful experience and when this little boy died David said I shall go to him he shall not return to me but I shall go to him now think about this David is saying something much more here than I will go to heaven when I die what he says is I will go to the boy I will see him I will be reunited with the boy in heaven and this is a wonderful assurance for every Christian parent who has lost a young child Spurgeon has a beautiful observation on the story of Job I'd never noticed this until I read it in in his in his work that at the end of the story of job you know it says in the last chapter that God gave job double all that he had lost and if you look at the numbers for the camels and the sheep and the money and all the rest of it all exactly double and then it tells us that God gave to him three daughters and seven sons who say why did God not double the sons and the daughters answer you're there because the ones he'd been originally given were still his there safe in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ he had double because the ones who died were still is in one day he'd see them the double-hole group where we know one another in heaven David points to its second witness and trying to meet my case calling multiple witnesses here you understand and I now call Abraham Isaac and Jacob from Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11 here are the words of Jesus I tell you many will come from the east and the West and recline at Keeble with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven I notice very significantly distinct identity in the kingdom of heaven Abraham is Abraham he's not Isaac Isaac is Isaac and Jacob is Jacob they retain their distinct identity they are not nameless anonymous spirits Abraham think of this is enjoying the company of his son and his grandson according to the word of Jesus and Jacob is enjoying a good old chat round the table with his father and with his grandfather that's Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11 notice what Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are doing they are reclining at table they are eating and they're drinking what is here according to the words of Jesus that is identity there is relationship there is conversation among three generations from the same family on earth and Jesus says many will be coming from the east and the west and they'll be joining them could only be clear number three and along similar lines Jesus and the disciples Jesus says that the Last Supper I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom now notice the same clarity here Jesus says quite clearly that he will drink the cup in his father's Kingdom and he will do it with the disciples that is the eleven who shared the last supper with him on earth will sit and they will drink the cup with Jesus in heaven and these disciples are named and these disciples are known number four this one's very interesting Moses and Elijah Matthew chapter 17 and verse 3 and behold there appeared to them this is on the Mount of Transfiguration Moses and Elijah talking with them now this one I say is particularly interesting because Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration and when that happened they did not have the resurrection body remember even now Jesus Christ is the only person in the universe who has the resurrection body is the only one Moses and Elijah where are they they're in heaven together with the rest of believers who have gone ahead of us they're with Christ they're fully conscious that actively engaged and they're also eagerly waiting for the day when they will receive the resurrection body which is tied to Christ coming again in power and in glory so when they receive a pier on the Mount of Transfiguration one are they are spirits they are souls made visible in the same way as the angels who are normally invisible to us were made visible to the Shepherd's on the night that Jesus was born or the souls in heaven that we looked at last week in Revelation chapter 6 were made visible to John so that he was able to see their presence there with the Lord but here's what's so fascinating that even without the resurrection body Moses and Elijah were known and they were recognizable now you say well how did Peter and James and John know that they were in the presence of Moses and Elijah I have no idea but we do know from Scripture that they did they knew they knew Moses and Elijah even in advance of the resurrection I think that points us very clearly to the knowledge of believers immediately after death in the presence of Christ in advance of the resurrection and here's another scripture along the same lines the gathered souls in heaven here's hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22 and verse 23 the writer to the Hebrews reminds us of the great truth that the church worshiping on earth is at one with the church worshiping in heaven and he speaks of the latter as the spirits of the righteous made perfect that is the souls of believers in the presence of Jesus and he says that these souls are gathered in the Assembly of the firstborn so here's a description of what is happening in heaven right now with those who are already there they're gathered together the Assembly of the firstborn gathered means community and community means relationship relationship means knowledge of other persons number six Paul and the Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 19 for what is our hope or joy says the Apostle or what is our crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming and here's his astonishing answer is it not you so here are these believers in this town of Thessalonica and the Apostle Paul has a very special bond with them there's an affection that is expressed in the correspondence with these Thessalonians that is quite marked and he says that they will be his joy and his crown in heaven what does that mean it surely means this that the special relationship that existed between Paul and these believers deep bonds of love that were formed on earth will continue in heaven and he sang to them quite clearly 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 19 you have been my joy on earth and you will be a joy to me in heaven Jonathan Edwards says in this connection the special affection that the sins have in this world towards other sins who are their friends will in some respect remain in another world Spurgeon quotes a pastor by the name of John Ryland whose wife asked him the question John she said will you know me in heaven and this is what Ryland said Betty he replied that was his wife's name I have known you well here and I shall not be a bigger fool in heaven than I am right now therefore I shall certainly know you that Christians who knew and loved each other on earth will know and love each other in heaven and here's the last and I think the clinching and the clearest of all the reunion of believing loved ones that is spoken of in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 17 and 18 the Apostle is speaking here about the return of our Lord Jesus Christ he will descend from heaven with a cry a command with the voice of the Archangel with the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first then he says 1 Thessalonians 4:17 we who are alive the ones who are left we are going to be caught up together with them that is with those who have gone ahead and right now are in the presence of Jesus when he comes they'll come with him their spirits will come with him we'll be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord therefore encourage one another with these words now think about this the whole point of this passage why is it being written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God the whole point is to bring comfort to believers who grieved the loss of a loved one and Paul is writing to parents who've lost children children who've lost parents wives who've lost husbands and so forth and so on and the grief of these people isn't about death in general the grief of these people is about the death of their loved one in particular and he offers to these folks this comfort in their sorrow that we will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air he's not talking about just believers in general he's talking about the loved ones who have been lost and are no longer here in particular the whole point is that Christian believers have the comfort of knowing that they will see their loved ones again so that truly it can be said that Christians never say goodbye well I don't know about you but that's more than enough to settle the issue for me I hope that it is for you as well the next hundred times I'm asked this question I'm just going to refer to the sermon I'm gonna say it's on the internet there are seven scriptures and you can just check it out for yourself our hope is not an anonymous existence it is a shared life with all of the people of God in the glorious presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that make you want to look forward to heaven so why is it that in the church we don't have the eager anticipation of heaven that the early Christians had it's because we're not thinking clearly enough about it also special Brian what a grief it must be to the heart of God that when Jesus Christ gave everything so that his people should enter heaven apparently relatively few of his people actually want to go there oh there should be in the Christian heart a great anticipation that actually sustains us in the troubles and in the sorrows and in the hard hard battles of life in this evil and fallen world that the best is yet to be and that the future is glorious very briefly then I want just thirdly to focus in on what will take up more next week the joy of being with Christ the joy of being at home the joy of being together which has been our main focus today and then just leading into next week the joy of being with Christ notice verse 17 of Revelation 7 the land in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd and he will guide them to Springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes whatever else we anticipate about heaven let us put this as the greatest of all because when we get there it will be jesus said to the thief you will be with me in paradise the joy of being with Jesus much more on this next week but just notice while we're in this chapter that Christ who is our Shepherd on earth is still going to be our Shepherd in heaven and it is he who will lead us into the springs of living water in other words heaven is not a kind of independent life in which each of us is of doing our own thing it is a shared life in which very wonderfully Jesus Christ is bringing each believer into ever-increasing joy we focus today on the question will we see our loved ones in heaven and we've answered yes the bigger question of course is will Jesus see his loved ones in heaven and the answer to that question is emphatically yes also when Jesus was preparing to go to the cross he prayed to the Father and his words are recorded in John and chapter 17 and they're absolutely glorious please underline and no John 17:20 for if you don't know it already father says Jesus I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am that they may see my glory think of it here's Jesus going to the cross and why is he going to the cross he's praying about it he says father here's why I'm doing it here's what it's all about I want them that you have given to me I want my loved ones the loved ones that you have loved before the foundation of the world that I have left before the foundation of the world I want that they will be with me I want my loved ones in heaven and I want them to see me and to know me I want them to behold my glory I want them to know me in heaven that's what Jesus is saying and it's it's marvelous he went to the cross to get you there and he lives at the right hand of the Father to bring you there so that on the last day when he says Here I am father and all the children that you have given to me not one of them will be missing and when you arrive in heaven you are going to see his glory think of this John says we shall see him as he is you will not see him in a manger you will not see him sweating great drops of blood as he was in the Garden of Gethsemane you will not see him with here pulled from his face and spittle running down his cheeks in an agony writhing on a cross but you will see him risen and you will see him triumphant and you will see him victorious we will see says the prophet Isaiah the king in his beauty and that is why we will have palm branches in our hands and that is why we will say together with all the redeemed salvation belongs to God who sits on the throne and to the lamb there's a beautiful story and I end here today about a man by the name of William Montagu Dyck not a bad name William Montagu Dyck when William was 10 years old he was blinded in an accident and despite his disability he went to university graduated with very high honors and while he was in school William fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval officer and the two became engaged shortly before the wedding William had eye surgery in the hope that his sight may possibly be restored it was cutting-edge for the medical world as it were at that time and William knew that if this particular operation failed he would remain blind for the rest of his life well after the operation and this is a true story William's eyes were swelled in bandages of course and he insisted on keeping the bandages on his face until the wedding day if the surgery was successful he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride well the wedding day arrived you imagine this the guests assembled to witness the couple taking their vows Williams standing at the front with his father on one side and the doctor who had performed the surgery on the other side and his eyes are still covered with these bandages the organ trumpeted the traditional wedding march the bride walks down to the front of the Cathedral and as soon as she arrived at the altar the surgeon takes the scissors and cuts the bandages from William's eyes imagine a tension in the room everybody's holding their breath to find out if William is able to see the woman who is standing next to him it stands face to face with his bride and everybody heard Williams words echo out through the cathedral you are more beautiful than I ever imagined friends one day the bandages from our eyes will be removed and faith will be turned to sight and you will see the Savior as he is and when you see him his glory will be greater then you have ever imagined father until that day grant that we may walk in faith until we see the one who we have loved and trusted heart-to-heart we bless you for the glorious anticipation that lies ahead of every believer and I pray today that the believer who finds himself so discouraged and in such a dark place may find his/her heart lifted renewed and refreshed in anticipation of all that Christ has in store and all that he died and lives to bring us into and for any who could not say that they have turned to Christ and asked Christ and trusted Christ father may today be the day of saying such glory I cannot miss such a savior I cannot stand apart from one moment longer Lord Jesus here am I save me take me make me your own for these things we ask in Jesus name and everyone together said

Channel: Unlocking the Bible

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Keywords: unlocking the bible, what does the bible say, sermons by colin smith, pastor colin smith, colin smith, sermon about heaven, sermons on heaven, sermon on salvation, sermon on Revelation, will we recognize each other in heaven, what does the bible say about seeing loved ones in heaven, do we recognize each other in heaven, Relationships in heaven, how will we recognize each other in heaven, no marriage in heaven, sermon on heaven, bible teaching on heaven, what is heaven like

Id: T5kKGcmpJfk

Length: 38min 25sec (2305 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 28 2015