R1382 Heaven

What you think about when you think of heaven I don't think Hollywood got it right. Forget the clouds and fog. Let's go to God's words. Instead, this is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, and today we head to the book of John chapter 14 about heaven. That's Dr. Don's message as we study God's word know that were available for you connecting a number of ways he would like to talk to someone and pray with someone with your 24 hours a day at 866899 Word 866899673 were connecting online as well. Keyboard to keyboard@tewonline.org that's tewonline.org you why you're there, check out the resource about praying for our children and grandchildren. What opportunity that's online at tewonline.org oh are with Dr. Don Wilton we read our Bibles. John chapter 14, I want to speak to you today about heaven, so you can imagine what a subject I'm speaking to Steve as we got up when we all get to heaven you quoting you quoted my passage – I didn't even tell Steve which passage I was going to be in. But evidently God knew and I told Steve actually yes Abbasid Steve you know we both felt very strongly related that I would preach on heaven today and I told her near sausage Steve this is the problem with this is, I'm just coming up with more and more and more I mean, I might need to keep doing this ever thought about heaven in a general term. There are three schools of thought when it comes to him and I'm making a very general term here. First of all, there are some who believe that heaven doesn't exist.

I just it's just a nonexistent thing. It's hardly worth talking about.

Many, many people today who you talk about heaven. I say listen when you die, you just died so over just get on with it.

Just live do whatever you can while you're alive because when you die you just back to dust you don't go anywhere. You don't exist anywhere there is no such thing as hip then there's a second school of thought that believes that heaven may exist in the emphasis is on Monday. While some believe heaven doesn't exist. There are some who believe that heaven may exist but it depends. It's it's a possibility that the main group exists group are are a group of people and I'm doing a broad sweeping all people who would say well you're not it made you know the they could possibly some place out there. The may exist off of lost group of people who come up with statements when people die like will you know at least God needs a trumpet player and they just general. Well at least direct peace now people will make that statement when someone dies day that well at least direct peace, not what they mean by well wherever wherever it is, it and by what ever you call paradise some kind of service post existent existence. It's maybe it's you know but nobody knows and one day you know you find out, and it would be as it is if it isn't, it is said that iconic court in between. But there's 1/3 group are not affording to this third group and I want you to know that there are many of us who believe that heaven does exist. I do, I want you to know that today I am a Christian man and I believe very strongly with all my heart.

I'm absolutely convinced that heaven is very real. It's an absolute certainty and and I can guarantee you not on my authority but on God's authority that when you die you every single person ever born has every opportunity to go to heaven because God loves you and that's why he sent the Lord Jesus to die for you and it's through him and I want to just show you today in a very very basic.

Since something here that's so wonderful about heaven. Let me read this to you. First of all, in John chapter 14, Steve quoted this as we began our wonderful time of worship today. This is this is what Jesus said in John 14. He said let not your hearts be troubled, believing God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. Another word that use the many mansions, many rooms many places in which to live. That's what that means in my father's house that's God's house. There are many places in which you will live and if it was not the case.

If it were not so I Jesus said, I would've told you and I'm going to that place to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to myself, so that where I am there.

You will be also. And you know the way where I'm going verse five, Thomas Goodall doubting Thomas.

We all have docs to agree how many of you there at a doctor about God, about heaven.

I have my both my hands up.don't be afraid of you. Don's came don't don't don't be afraid of your dollars because God will on so those when you.something in a spiritual sense, God will demonstrate what it is that you need to know in order to overcome your.doubting Thomas said man.

How do I even know you are Jesus.

Jesus said see my hands on the one that was crucified you, you.agree your out you not going to go to heaven because you.Thomas said, Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way. And Jesus said to him, I am the way, I am the truth I am the life. No man can come to the father accepting through me, and if you'd known me, you would've known my father also. From now on, you do not know him and have not seen him in for the Savior and Lord, show us the father and will be enough for us.

Jesus said to him about being with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the father and Jesus here was talking in the quantic CE had this group of men in front of him.

That would not different to you and me. They will roll. A group of ragamuffins they will all preoccupied they will surrounded by struggles they will all being swallowed up by the community. Many of them were being persecuted.

They were all trying to make a living. And Jesus gathered them together and he said to them, I want to tell you something that is absolutely fantastic.

The bottom line was, he said I just want to tell you that heaven is real and he put into perspective a very very simple picture.

He gave them a picture of heaven are not just extrapolated some of these things.

What he said was that heaven first the bowl removes all your fear when you accept by faith and know that what I'm saying to you concerning heaven, it will remove all fear. He said let not your hearts be troubled is a lot going on in our world, the jolly old bricks voted to leave the European Union. They coined this phrase breaks and there is so much talk and discussion. There are people saying all kinds of things. It's become a political football to know what's going to happen now that England has made her decision. We might be reverting back to what some of us remember the days when we would go to Europe and you'd moved from Holland into Luxembourg Don Bilger go to Portugal and Spain and then cross every border you went across yet to go through border crossing with the different possible a lot of people are asking questions about the economy about what's happening and what is the foldout what does it mean the immigration issue is the centerpiece of everything their massive movements going on.

You got a new rise of nationalism taking place in the world and Jesus would look at you and me today need, say, let not your heart be troubled. Some of you today with good reason might be anxious and personally. Some of you going through your own personal challenges is not a day that goes by that we done had the great privilege of holding someone's hand and loving on our friends and family members. Jesus said let not your heart be troubled, you see heaven removes fear. It's it's not the type of thing where he signed will just listen.

Don't worry about a thing.

But Jesus didn't say be anxious for nothing and and when you look to heaven, not I, I, personally, and many of you can testify to this. How many times have you and I stood at the bedside of some precious person who is leaving this life you want to know the reality of heaven be around some of these people and and you and I would be there and we'd say wow look at the end. Sometimes people suffer physically and get the joy vision in the joy this piece. I know that I'm my Redeemer lives. Please forgive the interruption will be back in just a moment with the rest of today's message on heaven from Dr. Don Wilton for Dr. Don wanted to know were here to pray with you 24 hours a day.

We can connect a number of ways.

Many folks are finding even though we do a lot of texting and typing today that the joy of hearing someone pray for you on the phone is a unique blessing that we love to offer 866-899-WORD's phone number that's 866-899-9673 the pray with you would also love to connect with some wonderful resources that will help you grow in your faith. If your prayer warrior and you have children or grandchildren. There's a tremendous resource can stand in the Talking about the prayers that availed much for us as parents and grandparents and you'll see all those details on our website. TW online.org that's TE W online.org why you're there, sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email. It's absolutely free from Dr. Wilton again that's online@twonline.org now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton heaven that Jesus was saying heaven removes all fear. But he also wanted us to know that heaven depends on faith believe in God believe also in me. That's how you get to heaven, believing God. Why, because God summarized our access to heaven. Now back today's message on heaven with Dr. Don Wilton here on The Encouraging Word. Not now, my friends, listen carefully.

There are many opinions today, you could come to me. You could go to people, religions, different religions will give your opinion the opinion that I want is the opinion of my heavenly father God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ believe in God our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

The one who made us who created the heavens and the earth and who loves us. For God so loved the world, believing God and what he's trying to tell us is listen. Yes, heaven will remove all fear and the means by which all fear is removed because of heaven is dependent solely and exclusively on faith, trusting you gotta take God of these would because God authorized I'm not here telling you that there is heaven, I'm here telling you that God has authorized him.

It's his home.

It's his house. It's his abode and I'm going to take God at his word. Faith means that I trust God, I take him at his word. I just believe it. Any sin believe in God believe also in me. God authorized it. Jesus did for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not die but should inherit eternal life. Jesus did, and Jesus was gathered and gathered his disciples and he said he sit and listen you want to know how heaven can be yours.

How you can be guaranteed the fact that you going to heaven leave in God and believe also in me.

God authorized it because he is God, our heavenly father. He gave Jesus Christ as the ultimate act of his grace and his mercy to all of us and I the Lord Jesus am the son of the living God.

I am God, and I gave my life in order that you might have life, and through me.

Yes, you going to have the heaven removes all fear.

It depends on faith and thirdly it carries the promise. That's what Jesus Jesus want us to know this about hip that it carries the ultimate promise, what, what's the ultimate promise as I go when I go I will come back and receive what a promise. I'm coming back.

I'm coming back.

Did I remember when my children were little long time ago now, but I love thinking back on some of those days. I did it with my grandkids now to we will do that. You know when you have to go off somewhere.

I remember the times when our children were just two bricks in the ticket hi and I was always going off all over the place preaching and all over the country and I believe on overseas trips and I would still see my little people just standing there just absolutely not too happy that daddy was going off somewhere and Karen, my wife was always so wonderful and and so just the way she and I you know when you go down and you get down with a little child you say hey buddy, we can give me a big hug and they come over there and I got big tears running down the change that's okay that he's coming back. I'm coming back. I'll be back okay I'm coming, I'm coming back okay Dan you know then you off somewhere and you just can't help but you know it you go and pick up some T-shirt do you go and get something for the kids a little toy and you call back and then you say you not when I get home.

I got you something special. Moms and dads do that there is a sense in which some we are God's children. He loves us, loves us very much carries the promise of our heavenly father. I'm going to my father's house, and I will come back. The Bible tells us, gives us all that alarm.

I told Steve I stated I you know I'm really praying about maybe just developing a series year on heaven right you on Sunday morning because I want to just spend some time telling you some of these great truths and where the Bible tells us, and how it all comes together. It's fantastic. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus going to come in the clouds.

He's going to he's going to gather us or to give.

We got up we going to be, we gotta be joined together with all of those maybe your daddy's in heaven today and he loves you very much. Going to see them again. Your mother may be at your son or your daughter, you know, and we we hurt a lot because we miss each other we go to heaven to think about, you know it hurts when you when you lose someone that you love very much doesn't it. I don't think Jesus ever told us to just can't get over that if any of you can tell me how to get over love. I actually don't listen to you because I want to get over love, why, why, you know, and when someone that you really love.

You know suddenly leaves her and goes off to heaven. But then think about this. I'm gonna come back and I'm going to gather you unit B. We are going to be together in heaven. That's a promise. I'll be coming back. I'm coming to get you and you know you and look at this and we say Sheila is at a whole year from now is that 50 years from now how you know I don't know that we can fully understand how short and meaningless time is in heaven. It's for ever. My favorite aunt told you this 100 times. Someone once told me it's like a little bird. The size of my little finger landing on the steel bowl. The size of this earth once every million years and just scraping the beak on that steel bowl when that bowl has been scraped away if it was possible not even a millisecond of eternity's boss by and then it hasn't even begun any right, I mean heaven removes all fear depends on faith carries the promise number four guarantees, he's presence. He said where I am that you will be also the number one person present in heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ and gathering us to himself once again gives us this beautiful picture of this personal relationship Sam Davis and I sometime back. Had to get a taxi to get to an airport regarding the taxi and Sam was with me and the man's name he couldn't speak English very well but his name was Abraham. Abraham Abraham and of course he began talking and didn't need talk Sam and the he started trying to tell me about his religion, so I laid them talk and let them talk and let them talk and then finally started interrupting and he wanted to talk again I sit, I said I didn't interrupt you when you were telling me about your religion that don't you interrupt me when I tell you I see them.

Abraham I'll make a deal with you. I said I want you to just imagine sadly that riding in your text. The infected wouldn't surprise me at all what you driving if around the corner. We have a Rick and all of us were to die.

We were in the city and we would die and you've got from now until we all die.

When we got around that next corner to tell me why I need to believe in the God of your religion and most importantly, I want you to tell me how I'm going to get into your heaven.

He said all can't do that. Nobody could know if they get to him. I said why he said well you just don't notice it meant. That's why I pray like I do. He said that's why do this and this is why want to do this and this is why this this trend gives me all these works and these things that he does in his religion, and then I said all right you be quiet now let me tell you, because we're about to go around that corner. We model die. You know that Jesus is the son of the living God and he loves you.

He is God's son and he died on the cross. You can give your heart to him be forgiven of your son be guaranteed his presence and you will go to him. Would you give your heart to Jesus that he turned me down flat fee should not notice her dark daughter. He said I would do that. He said now don't have any problem with Jesus. He's just a good man and a good profit but I'm not going to sit no, but I shared the gospel with them. You know Jesus see this is what heaven is all about. This is why Jesus gathered his guarantees, his presence to personal relationship. What seats Christianity apart from womb religions as you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and we literally become brothers and sisters in Christ we are part of the same family read people yellow people want people from every persuasion, every economic see when Jesus went to the cross leveled the playing field. He died that people might know him. It's been a great day of Bible study here The Encouraging Word officers a great day ahead. Tomorrow tomorrow's topic is God's promise for praying for others. I hope you'll join us for the next edition of The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. If you just pray along with Dr. Wilton life to Christ to rededicate your life were not only excited to pray for you, but we'd love to put some resources in your hands will help you take the next half an I phone numbers 866898668999673 Dr. Wilton would love to pray for you each and every day we receive emails to Don Dio in@twonline.org with friends telling us about what God is doing for the ministry.

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