284 Sermon Illustrations on Heaven

On December 16, 1944, 18 members of a reconnaisance platoon held off a

battalion of crack German storm troopers in the Belgian hamlet of

Lanzerath. Few history books note that their gallant stand gave Allied

forces time to begin mounting the defense that eventually won the

famous Battle of the Bulge. One of the platoon members was Will James,

who after the war slipped into oblivion for nearly 4 decades. During

that time he underwent numerous painful surgeries as a result of his

war wounds. Not until 1981, through the efforts of U.S. House Speaker

Thomas P. O'Neill and columnist Jack Anderson, was he awarded,

posthumously, the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary

heroism. Daily Bread, 12-16-91

A CURIOUS CALCULATION

"And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.

The length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal"

(\reference{Revelation 21:16}{Revelation 21:16}). Twelve thousand

furlongs, 7,920,000 feet which

being cubed, 496,793,088,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. Half of this we

will reserve for the throne of God and the court of heaven, and half

of the balance for streets, leaving a remainder of

124,198,272,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. Divide this by 4,096, the

cubical feet in a room sixteen feet square, and there will be

30,321,843,750,000,000 rooms. We will now suppose that the world

always did and always will contain 990,000,000,000,000 inhabitants, an

that a generation lasts for 331/3 years, making in all 2,970,000,000

every century, and that the world will stand 100,000 years or 1,000

centuries, making in all 2,910,000,000,000 inhabitants. Then suppose

there were one hundred worlds equal to this in number of inhabitants

and duration of years, making a total of 297,000,000,000,000 persons,

and there would be more than a hundred rooms sixteen feet square for

each person.

By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."

A little blind child had a surgical operation performed that

resulted in the restoration of her sight. The oculist had skillfully

pared off the integument that had prevented the light from passing

through to the retina, and then the eyes were bandaged for a while

until the wounded parts should be somewhat healed. At length the hour

arrived when the bandage, which had been from time to time partially

and temporarily removed, was to be removed altogether. Ah! what a

moment of supreme interest and anxiety to all her friends, but more

especially to the little patient herself, who as yet had never seen!

This child, when her eyes could bear the light, and by her kind

physician had now been permitted to open them, and for the first time

to look out upon the beauty there was around her, realizing, indeed,

as no words could ever show, "that the light is truly sweet, and it is

a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun," cried out with

delight, "Oh, Mother, why did you not tell me it was so beautiful?"

The mother, bursting into tears, replied, "I tried to tell you, my

dear, but the words wouldn't make you understand." Precisely. And so,

withal, is it with the Christian when he attempts to tell what is the

joy unspeakable and full of glory, the peace of God that passeth

understanding, the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy

Ghost, and what is the excellency of the knowledge of that Christ for

whom he would, if necessary, joyfully suffer the loss of all things.

By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."

"I know the way to heaven," said little Minnie to little Johnnie,

who stood by her side, looking on a picture book that Minnie had in

her hand. "You do?" said little Johnnie. "Well, won't you tell me how

to get there?" "Oh, yes! I'll tell you. Just commence going up, and

keep on going up all the time, and you'll get there. But, Johnnie, you

must not turn back."

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

Over the door of a cabinet maker's shop in London there hangs this

sign: "Living above." It is a notification to customers that he can be

found above his shop if the door is locked.

It is a great thing for a worker to be able to say he is "living

above" his work, that his dreams and hopes and real life are above the

level of his day's toil. He may have to work amid the clods and

clutter, but at least he can "live above." No matter how lowly a man's

work, his life can be above it if his life is hid with Christ in God.

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

Abraham looked for a city that had foundations, whose Builder and

Maker was God. Well, he surely found it. It cost him a lot, but it was

a paying proposition. Wonderful city! It has twelve gates, and at the

gates twelve angels. On the east, three gates; on the north, three

gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates. The

gates shall not be closed by day; so they are never closed, as it is

an eternal day. There are plenty of gates. We can enter if well

prepared.

But the gates are well guarded by the angels. Nothing that defileth

shall enter into the city. It is quarantined against sin. It is a holy

city for holy people. In this city there are no more tears, pain,

sorrow, or death. There are no hospitals or graves. The inhabitants

never say, "I am sick." They never grow old.

Here the river of life flows, and the tree of life bears twelve

kinds of fruit and yields her fruit every month. God's servants serve

Him, and they see His face, and His name is in their foreheads. It is

the city Abraham set out to find and, thank God, he succeeded. It is

the place Christ went to prepare for His own, and from which He will

come again and receive us unto himself. It is our eternal home. Christ

is the only way to it. May we not miss it at any cost!

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

AN ASTRONOMER used to go out at night to observe the stars. One

evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention

fixed on the sky, he fell accidentally into a deep well. While he

lamented and bewailed his sores and bruises, and cried loudly for

help, a neighbor ran to the well, and learning what had happened

said: "Hark ye, old fellow, why, in striving to pry into what is in

heaven, do you not manage to see what is on earth?'

Although Christians may have their sight fixed on Heaven, they cannot

neglect their duties and responsibilities on earth.

Various indeed are the ideas and conceptions of God's people about

that new home of theirs they're to flit into at the term day of

earth's removing. "What do you think heaven is?" asked Wilberforce,

the Christian statesman of Robert Hall, the Christian preacher. "Well,

heaven is rest."

Ah, Robert Hall was a great sufferer. In the ruthless grip of an

internal disease, writhing hours of the acutest agony were his daily

lot. Rest, rest, for that poor, wracked, pained body of his, to him

was heaven. Said Wilberforce, "I think of heaven as love;" a happy

home had he; a life large, generous and free from distress was his;

the very image of bliss was his "ain fireside," and as he looked

around it and caught the bright reflection of that cozy dancing fire

on the gladsome looks of the dear home -- loves, he naturally thought,

why, heaven is just "this present transplanted, purified, glorified,

and made eternal; love with the loving, my home! It's true. There are

many, many facets on that gem of the universe that catch, each a

different ray of the sunlight of God, and each ray is beautiful and

glad and healing to our blear and reek-filled eyes. There's the touch

again of the "vanished hand," there's the sound again of the "voice

that is still," there's the light-up again of the dear old faces th at

faded away in the chill gloom of the grave, there's life from the dead

by yon crystal sea. Ay, but statesman and preacher alike were agreed

with the Apostle on the fact that the highest, the chief, the one

crowning attraction of heaven was "to be with Christ." "In my Father's

house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I

go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for

you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,

there ye may be also." "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast

given me, be with me." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit

with me in my throne."

"Oh, heaven without my Saviour

Would be no heaven to me;

The pearly gates were darkness,

And dark the crystal sea!" -- J. Robertson.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

When railways were first introduced, the Czar of Russia was asked

how he would like the railway from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The

autocrat said, "Let me see the map." It was brought to him. "Pass me

that ruler." It was handed to him. Ruling a straight line from town to

town, he said, "That is how I want the railway to run," and that is

how it runs. God has planned my life straight for his throne. I know

that Jesus, the surveyor, has gone through it, down into the darkness,

down into the depths. When the cloud came about me, when the sudden

dip of bereavement was felt, I said, "All right; Christ has laid the

rails here straight, ahead, for God has ordained and planned my life

in grace. Have you got on the rails yet? Have you your soul saved? --

J. Robertson.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Travel agencies are reporting that they're getting a significant number of requests from travelers who want to sightsee in “Middle Earth” locations such as Mordor and Rivendell. Those are fictional locations in the “Lord of the Rings” movies. In the films, Mordor is occupied by forces of darkness; Rivendell is where elves live. The scenes for those locations were shot in national parks in New Zealand. (New Zealand Press Association)

All humans are headed to destinations that many consider fictional – heaven and hell. You don’t need an agency to get to either one, but you need a Savior to find the way to heaven.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #16465]

Think of the rewards of heaven as a glass of wine. Everyone receives a glass of wine when they come to heaven. Some are given a large glass; other are given a small glass. Yet, everyone is given a full glass of wine. That's the way it is in heaven. Everyone's joy is full and complete.

"When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see; the third and greatest wonder of all will be to find myself there."

-- John Newton

A rich man showed a preacher around his estate. Pointing to the

north, the man said, "As far as you can see, I own." Then pointing to

the east, then the south, then the west, he repeated, "As far as you

can see, I own."

It was the preacher's turn. Pointing skyward, he asked "How much

do you own up there?"

I’ve only been to Israel once, and that was only for a short visit - but I will never forget the thrill of seeing the places where Jesus walked when He was here, and watching all those names and places in the Bible suddenly come alive. It was really one of the highlights of my life - except for one thing. I went alone, on my way back home from a ministry trip to Africa. As I stood on the Mount of Olives, as I walked the streets of old Jerusalem, as I experienced the feel of Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee, I kept thinking, "I want my wife to see all of this. I want to experience this with my kids!" Yeah, Israel was terrific ... but I really wanted to share it with the people I love.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Missing Those You Love."

I guess that’s just the way it is when you’re enjoying a special place - you want the people you care about to be there, sharing it with you. That must include the most special place of all - heaven.

Imagine that you get to heaven and you see Jesus. After you fall on your face in adoration and awe, you begin to thank Him for all He did to get you to heaven. And then you ask a question that’s been on your mind since you arrived ... "Lord, is Scott here? Is Linda here?" What if Jesus says, "Oh, did you bring him? Did you bring her?" See, Jesus was counting on you to help those people you love understand what He did for them on the cross - and to point them to the only One who could get them to heaven.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Paul anticipated the joys he was expecting when he got to heaven. In 1 Thessalonians 1:19-20, he says, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy." Now, when Paul sees Jesus, his joy is going to be that the people he loved - that he loved enough to introduce to Jesus - will be there with him.

I wonder who you’ll be looking for when you get to heaven - people who, as far as you know, may not be headed there right now. If you want them to be there in heaven with you, you’ll have to tell them how they can know the Savior who died to get them there. In fact, that’s why God has you in their lives - to help them go to heaven with you. How are you doing? There are very few sadnesses deeper in life than standing by the casket of someone you could have told about Christ - you should have told about Christ - but you didn’t. We can’t have any of those opportunities back, but we do have the friends and neighbors and co-workers and loved ones who are still with us. And we still have time to tell them. But no one knows how much time.

This very day, you could start praying what I call the "3-open prayer." First, "Lord, open a door" - that’s a natural, God-given opportunity to bring up your relationship with Jesus Christ. Then, "Lord, open their heart." And finally, "Lord, open my mouth." You don’t even have to pray, "If it’s Your will" - it is His will. "Lord, open a door. Lord, open their heart. Lord, open my mouth." Begin to seek and pursue opportunities to tell the people in your personal world about the Son of God who paid for their sin so they don’t have to.

If there are people you want to have in heaven with you, well please - while there’s time - share with them the message that will get them there.

________________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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It is said that at the coronation of Queen Victoria an Indian chief from America was present by the invitation of the queen. When asked what there was about it that impressed him most, the only remark the Indian made was, "The thing that impressed me most was that I was there."

And when we attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the thing at which we will marvel most will not be the glory of the surroundings, but the grace of God that allowed us, sinners and aliens by birth, to be there.

("Choice Illustrations" by W.W. Clay, page 80)

1. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus;

Sing His mercy and his grace.

In the mansions bright and blessed

He’ll prepare for us a place.

Chorus

When we all get to heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

2. While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when traveling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

3. Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving every day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

4. Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

*

"Doctor, I want you to get me well by Sunday!" said a dear little

lad not yet five years old, stricken suddenly with a fatal disease.

"Why, my boy?" asked the kind doctor. "Well, you know, teacher showed

us the tabernacle last Sunday. We saw all the outside, but there was a

curtain, and teacher said the priest went in behind it to speak to

God, and she is going to show us about it next Sunday. Oh, Doctor,

shan't I be able to go? I do so want to see inside where God was."

The doctor had walked to the window while Charlie was speaking, but

then came back, and laying a caressing hand on the child's feverish

brow he said softly, "Next Sunday, dear, you may see the place where

God is." Next Sunday he had passed away the little white crib was

empty. Little Charlie had passed from earth to "the place where God

is." --The Life Line

At one time Frederick the Great held a banquet at which Voltaire, the French philosopher and skeptic, was present. When dinner was served, the noted unbeliever began to ridicule the Christians who were there. Finally he said, “Why, I would sell my seat in heaven for a Prussian dollar!”

There was a pause. Then one of the guests quietly rose from his chair and said, “Sir, you are in Prussia, where we have a law which requires that one who wishes to sell anything must first prove ownership. Are you prepared to establish the fact that you have a seat in heaven?” Surprised and embarrassed, Voltaire, the normally quick-witted scoffer, had nothing more to say for the rest of the evening.

Located near the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, is a little town in Oregon called Halfway. I dwelt there part of one summer when I was a lad. Halfway, Oregon, is also located just above Hell’s Canyon, through which runs the Snake River. Those who dwell there no doubt enjoy the beautiful Pine Valley where it is situated, but none of us who ever lived there will inhabit a place halfway between the Savior in Heaven’s Mountain and the Snake of Hell’s Bottomless Pit. We will all be either all the way into Heaven or all the way into Hell, and there will be no “Halfway House” for those wishing to be rehabilitated from the confines of eternal punishment.

A man asked, “Can you go to Heaven and chew?” The reply was, “Yes, but you’ll have to go to hell to spit!” This may have seemed like a clever answer. However, the solemn truth is that there will be no transition between the eternal abodes, no “Halfway House,” and no admission into the New Jerusalem of anything that defileth” or “worketh abomination.” Those who chew the filthy cud of sin without repentance in this life will be themselves spewed into the cuspidor of condemnation forever along with all of their uncleanness.

Even the morally upright and socially respectable who have refused to admit their need of the Savior and spurned His cleansing blood must descend entirely and eternally into hell. There will be no pleasant, little town just outside of the gates of the New Jerusalem called Halfway, Heaven for those who were too good to go to Hell but not quite qualified for Heaven. Conversely, the chiefest of sinners Jesus will save when they obey and believe, and He escort them all the way into the heights of holiness and Heaven. Ya just can’t get to hellven from here!

Two psychiatrists were at a convention. As they visiting, one asked, “What was your most difficult case?”

The other replied, “I had a patient who lived in a pure fantasy world. He believed that an uncle in South America was going to die and leave him a fortune. All day long he waited for a letter to arrive from an attorney. He never went out, he never did anything, he merely sat around and waited for this fantasy letter from this fantasy uncle. I worked with this man eight years.”

“What was the result?”

“It was an eight-year struggle. Every day for eight years, but I finally cured him... then that stupid letter arrived!”

[Some would say it is just as stupid for Christians to anticipate their eternal inheritance.]

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #10465]

When I was a child of about 4 or 5, my Dad was called to be the guest speaker at a church one Sunday morning. By way of bribery my parents had told me before arriving at the church that if I were a good boy they would take me to McDonalds after the service. During my Dad's rather fiery sermon on the destination of the good vs. the evil he asked, in a rather loud voice, "And where do you think those that live a pure, just and good life before the Lord are going to go"?

With all the fervency of the old time ameners, I stood in my seat and cried out "TO MCDONALDS"!!!

In an ABC report from July 30th and August 4th, Pope John Paul apparently updated or clarified the Catholic position on Hell, Heaven and Purgatory.

The Roman Pontiff stated that "Catholics have never taught that Hell is a physical place, but a state you put yourself in by cutting yourself off from God."

Purgatory the Pope continues are for those who have led a less than perfect life and are destined to do some time in limbo after death, the stairway to heaven is easy to find.

He reiterated that, "Before we enter into God's Kingdom, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated, every imperfection in our soul must be corrected. This is exactly what takes place in purgatory."

Echoing his words on heaven and hell -- that they were a spiritual union with God or a rejection of him respectively, not a paradise in the clouds or a fiery furnace -- he added: "(Purgatory) does not indicate a place, but a condition of life. Those who, after death, live in this state of purification are already immersed in the love of Christ, which lifts them out of the residue of imperfection."

Despite the leader of the Catholic church's public statement that heaven and hell not being real physical places, the Bible clearly teaches that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

(Revelation 20:14-15 KJV And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(John 14:2-3 KJV In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The 2003 Iraq War started with the news of a U.S. Marine lost in combat and the deaths of British and American soldiers in a helicopter crash in Kuwait. It continues as brave men and women make the ultimate sacrifice for their country and for freedom.

When we rewind to the first Gulf War, we're reminded that Kuwait was liberated and Iraq defeated with miraculously small losses. But, as the Secretary of Defense and the President are quick to remind us, even one soldier lost is too many. If it's your son or daughter, your husband, wife, daddy, or mommy, it is small comfort that the life you've lost is one of a relative few.

I'm reminded of the unforgettable public appearance of a Gulf War soldier's mother not long after that war ended in 1991. It happened, as it was reported to me, at a large stadium meeting where Dr. Billy Graham was the speaker. Earlier in the week, someone passed on to Dr. Graham a letter that touched his heart very deeply. As a result, he invited the mother of the soldier who wrote it to share that letter at the stadium rally.

As the woman stepped to the microphone, staring out at tens of thousands of people, she explained that she had never spoken in public like this before. But she felt that she should not pass up this opportunity to honor her son. At a time when all those victorious Gulf War soldiers were coming home, her son was one of that small number who wouldn't be coming home. He had died in a helicopter crash in the waning hours of the war.

The mother explained that her son had written a letter before Desert Storm began - a letter which he gave to his best friend to pass on to his mother if “something happens to me.” Now that letter was in her hands - she brought it to share with the silent stadium crowd. The letter she read said: “Mom, if you're reading this, I didn't make it. But that's OK. Because now, Mom, for the first time in my life I'm smarter than you are ... I have seen heaven. I have seen Jesus!”

This was a soldier who knew where he was going - forever. He knew he was ready for eternity, whenever and however it came. A fallen soldier from a war in Iraq had a lot to say to thousands of people that day. He has a lot to say to you and me about real hope, about ultimate security. There is no deeper personal peace than to know for sure that death holds no fear for you, that when you die, you'll “see heaven” ... you'll “see Jesus.”

On an average day in America, over 6,000 people go into eternity. Their deaths usually don't make headlines as they might if they died in combat. But a simple look at today's obituaries reminds us that our time on earth is short and unpredictable - that we are all “terminal.” In a recent “Family Circus” cartoon, a little boy is standing with his dad at his grandfather's grave. The inscription on the gravestone includes the usual name, date of birth, and date of death. The boy blurts out this conclusion to his dad: “I guess Grandpa's life was just the dash between the numbers.” That's true of everyone's life. “Your life,” the Bible says, is a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)

So when you've fought your last battle, will you “see heaven”? With all the demands and distractions of our busy lives, there simply is no more important question to settle. Some would say, “I think I've got a pretty good shot at heaven. I'm a good person. I'm a religious person.” But, then, we hear God's verdict from the Bible - “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10) ... “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) In plain words, none of us is good enough to make it with a perfect God. We can be better than everyone else around us but still nowhere good enough for a sinless God.

If your getting to heaven depends on your goodness, you can't possibly know until it's too late if you were good enough. But, thank God, it doesn't depend on our goodness. Our “sin” - a lifetime of doing what I want instead of what God wants - has left us bearing the penalty that sin brings ... “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) That's death as in being separated from a holy God forever ... Jesus called it hell.

Like a person buried in the rubble of a collapsed building or the wreckage of a car, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. The Bible explains that being “saved” from our deadly situation is “not by works” (Ephesians 2:9) - whatever your religion, whatever your morality, it cannot pay your spiritual death penalty. Someone has to die to do that. And Someone has. In God's own words, His only Son, Jesus, “bore our sins in His own body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24) “He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9) Like those parents who have lost a son in Iraq, God - on a much greater scale - gave up His Son so we could be with Him forever.

Jesus took my hell so I could live in His heaven. He did it for you, too. And He is why you can know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are right with God and you are going to heaven when you die. If your trust is in the right place - in the Man who loved you so much that He died for you. As God says in His Book, “Whoever believes in Him (that's Jesus) shall not perish but (will) have eternal life.” (John 3:16) There it is. God's guarantee, God's eternal life insurance - for anyone who abandons all other hope of heaven and puts their total trust in His Son.

You may have done so much good that you thought you could get to heaven on your own. You may have done so much wrong that you thought there was no way you could get to heaven. But the door of heaven is open, not to good people, but to people who have grabbed Jesus Christ to be their personal Rescuer from the penalty of their sin. If you've done that, you can, as the Bible says, “know you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13) If you've never given yourself to Jesus, you can do that right where you are - and have every sin forgiven and your eternity in heaven guaranteed. Just tell Him, “Jesus, I've been living my way, and I'm sorry. I want to live Your way from now on. I believe You are my only hope of heaven. I'm Yours.”

When you belong to Jesus, you can know where you'll be when you've taken your last breath - you'll be seeing heaven. You'll be seeing Jesus.

[see also HolwickID #7662]

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[Original illustration at this number was added to HolwickID #16638]

As I stood in the midst of one of the busiest sections of Delhi, India, I looked around desperately trying to find a place to eat and get out of the heat and humidity. I had been in India -- nearly half a world away from my southern Indiana home -- for almost two weeks. As a lifelong meat eater in a vegetarian society, I felt homesick.

That's when I spotted those famed golden arches -- a gentle reminder of home for many of us 20-somethings who grew up on a regular diet of grease. But on my first bite into that burger, I realized this wasn't home. It was a lamb burger not a hamburger. The beautiful golden arches and smell of greasy fries had been a carefully constructed ploy.

It wasn't as much the physical distance between me and the house where I grew up or even being far away from my family. I was nearly a year into a two-year stint as journeyman missionary with the International Mission Board and was getting used to those obvious, physical symptoms of homesickness. But that day in Delhi, it was the values and societal rules I was having trouble understanding.

That's not the first time I felt that way. Whether it was listening to raw conversations in the workplace or watching friends fight and claw their way toward the almighty dollar, the feeling is the same as that day in Delhi. For Christians, that feeling of homesickness is part of our spiritual journey.

The author of Hebrews calls us "strangers and exiles" on our way to a heavenly home. Ever since we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, we've felt it. We knew that we don't seem to understand the rules of this world.

Unfortunately, many of us spend much of our lives trying to make ourselves at home in this world. We work long hours, we build dizzying social calendars and buy the biggest earthly home we can afford. We try to dull our homesickness.

C.S. Lewis called this building "inns" along the way. There's nothing wrong with inns -- as long as we don't make them home. No job, friendship or family can equal the joy of heaven. Paul tells us in Philippians 3:20 that we are citizens of heaven -- that's where we belong.

But as believers we aren't the only ones with heaven's call. Non-believers -- all made in the image of God and spiritual creatures as well -- long for a place where they can be with him. But no one has told them what they are longing for.

That's why as Christians our lives need to point others to their heavenly home. If we live as strangers and exiles, our neighbors and friends as well as the billions who live in darkness around the world just might want us to show them where we are going.

But how do we live as pilgrims in this world? In short: Call home, read your map and don't unpack.

1. CALL HOME

The ultimate example of someone who lived as a sojourner was Jesus. He knew heaven's glory yet he gave up his home to live as a pilgrim on earth. No one has ever experienced so much estrangement as Jesus.

But for Jesus, the key was talking to his Father. Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. If ever the ways of earth aren't the ways of heaven, it's at Gethsemane. When earth's values say to split when things get tough, heaven's values say go on. That's when Jesus prays. In those moments instead of facing execution, he's facing his Father.

Like a college student calling home before a big exam, we don't call home for answers to the next day's questions; we call home to hear someone say "keep going." For just like that college student, it's not the grade we make on the test that matters, it's the prize waiting for us at the end.

2. READ YOUR MAP

A good map is the product of several travelers' journeys into unknown lands. They show the obstacles and boundaries that earlier travelers ran into and how to avoid making the same mistakes they did.

That's exactly what the Bible is. It's a record of what other pilgrims found along the way in their journey home. Look at the lives of Abraham, King David, Paul and the apostles. Their lives weren't smooth sailing, but their mistakes on the journey can help us know what to avoid.

We also get an accurate picture of where we are and where we are going. A journey without a beginning and end is just walking in circles. Even though parts of it were written more than 3,000 years ago, it's still the best source available on the human condition. And as we read about the Bible's description of heaven, we are reminded the destination is worth the wait.

3. DON'T UNPACK

If you've ever spent a significant time away from the place you call home, you know that the minute you put up pictures and hang up clothes, homesickness begins. Suddenly you realize nothing is going to make the new place quite like home.

In order to truly live like a pilgrim in this world, we can't set up residence. None of the "inns" along the way are worth making you forget about where you're going. A good job, good family and friends and money in the bank are nice stops along the way, but they aren't home.

By not making homes out of inns, we give ourselves the freedom to follow God to the next part of the journey. God's purpose for this trip is that we might bring as many people home with us as we can. That might mean moving to a different part of the world, where people might have never heard about Jesus. If we don't set up residence in the "inns" of money, lust and power, then the journey across the street or across continents to share the love of Christ won't be near as difficult.

That ache in your heart for something more to the Christian life is normal. It's God's gentle call of heaven.

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Sermon in Questions People Ask series. 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

WHAT'S A HEAVEN FOR?

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I. God's preparation for this sermon.

II. Our current vision of Heaven.

A. Each culture has its own details.

B. Common theme: Heaven is what you want it to be.

C. We treat Heaven too lightly.

III. Bible's description of Heaven.

A. Varied images.

B. God is there.

C. Heaven is a beautiful place.

D. We will be surrounded by wonderful, caring people.

E. We will have a fresh start.

F. We will experience lasting contentment without fear.

IV. Why Heaven matters now.

A. It can keep us from making a terrible mistake with our life.

B. It encourages us that our daily lives have meaning.

C. It teaches us the virtue of having faith while we wait.

D. It can comfort us when times are hard.

V. Who goes to Heaven?