The Final State of the Righteous

Tonight we're on lesson number seven in our 20-part series on eschatology. Last week, in lesson number six, we looked at the final state of the wicked. That is a very important doctrine, and it's a sobering doctrine, and it's also a very heavy doctrine. Tonight, in lesson number seven, we're looking at the final state of the righteous. This doctrine is pure sweetness. I pray that as we read and study about heaven, seeing our Heavenly Father's face, that it'll fill your hearts with joy, with longing, and with hope. Let's begin with Bible point number one.

At the last judgment, the righteous will enter into everlasting life. Life is the first blank. Just as the wicked enter into everlasting death, the righteous enter into everlasting life. Blessed by the Father, the righteous will inherit the kingdom. The kingdom is the second blank. The kingdom of God prepared for them before the foundation of the world, Matthew 25:34. Remember, God is king. Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and we're in Him. We're co-inheritors with Christ, and we inherit His kingdom.

The saints enter the joy. Joy is the third blank, the joy of the Lord.

When we get to heaven, it's pure joy. We enter into the Father's favor, the same favor and reward that God has stored up for His Son, who perfectly obeyed Him and perfectly pleased Him and never transgressed, is given to us because of what Christ did for us, dying on the cross, the just for the unjust that we might live.

This is called heaven. Heaven is the fourth blank. Heaven means sky or air. The idea behind it is that God is transcendent. He is holy and pure and great and above us, right? And so heaven is named after that transcendent reality of God's presence. We view our presence as earthly, right? In a sinful and sometimes dark here on earth, but in heaven, all is bright, all is pure, and all is joy.

The final state of the righteous is described as the fullness and perfection of holy life. There will be no more sin in heaven. The culmination of reward and eternal life with the community of the redeemed. Just as we are blessed here already in Christ — we have so many blessings to be in Christ, to have our sins forgiven, to have the fellowship of the saints here on earth — in heaven, it's going to be that much more. It's going to be amplified. It's going to be the culmination of the reward and eternal life with the community of the redeemed and the eternal communion with God.

Now we look through a glass darkly, right? But then face to face. Now we know in part, then we'll know even as also we are known. What a glorious day that will be. Matthew 25:34 says, "Then the king will say to those on his right hand" — this is the passage where he separates the sheep from the goats, the last judgment — "Come ye blessed of my Father." In other words, those who had the Father's favor, the Father's happiness, the Father's joy, the Father's blessing. "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

From the very beginning, God set His love on His saints. From the very beginning, He created us in order to redeem us. And He created us with the mind that we would have eternal fellowship with Him. It's the joy of the saints. It's the heaven that was prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

Application for number one: What does it mean to enter the joy of the Lord? In Matthew 25, there are a couple of different parables. One of the parables is the servants who are given talents or minas, if you will, and the ones who did well — what did the master say? Enter into the joy of the Lord. What does it mean to enter into the joy of the Lord?

Why is God called Father? Don't you know that He's revealed Himself to us as a Father? Because we need that, right? We need to know who is in charge, that Father figure — one who will punish when we get out of line, and also who affectionately rewards His children, right? The Father who gives all good things to His household. Many of us have had terrible fathers in life. Some of us have been blessed with great fathers. But even if you've had a terrible father, that means you still can conceive of a good father, right? Doesn't everyone long to hear the approval of their father, and mother for that matter, right?

For you to hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into my joy." Doesn't every child long to see his parents' love and appreciation and affirmation when we look into our parents' face?

My parents have long been gone to heaven, but I'm looking forward to the day of seeing them in heaven, right? And to see their smile once more. That's what it means to enter into the joy of the Lord, to enter into His blessing, enter into His favor, enter into His love.

But point number two, the final state of the righteous is inseparable. It's inseparable. In other words, heaven is inseparable from the new creation. New is the first blank.

When Christ returns in judgment, the heavens and the earth will pass away. Away is the second blank. We find that in Revelation 20:11, where they flee at the face of Christ. Christ will bring forth the new heaven and the new earth. We have as a reference here Hebrews 12:26-28 and Revelation 21:1. We'll read those in a moment.

This is described as the regeneration in Matthew 19:28. And quote, "The restoration" — restoration is the third blank — "of all things," in Acts 3:21, that Peter spoke about.

This new creation will be made fit for righteousness. The fourth blank is righteousness. This new creation will be made fit for righteousness to dwell, 2 Peter 3:12-13.

Into this new creation, the New Jerusalem will descend, where God will forever dwell. Dwell is the fifth blank. Dwell with His people, Revelation 21.

Look here on the front, Revelation 21:5. "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'" When Christ returns, He brings with Him the new heavens and the new earth, the restoration of all things. He makes all things new.

Let's look at Revelation 20:11-12. "Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away." This is at the judgment seat of Christ. The old creation is no more. The new creation comes. "And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books." We read about this in lesson number five, the last judgment.

Look at Revelation 21 through five, talking about this new heaven and this new earth. "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more sea." You may think, I like the sea. The ocean's kind of cool. I enjoy going down to the beach, right? Well, in biblical literature, the sea is often viewed as a symbol of chaos. If you think about the boats back then, think about Jesus and His disciples when they were on the Sea of Galilee, right? And a storm came up and Jesus was asleep and the disciples woke Him up. "Don't you care that we're perishing?" And what does Jesus say? "Peace, be still." He's the Lord of creation. The new heaven and the new earth — there is no chaos. There is no tumult. There is no disorder.

"And there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." The New Jerusalem is the saints, right?

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, His dwelling place is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" How many tears have we cried in this life?

How many tears will we cry in this life?

God keeps them all in a bottle, right? He numbers them all. When we get to heaven, He will wipe away — there will be tears no more. "God Himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death."

No more decay. No more dying.

"Nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Praise God. That includes our old body, right? At the Lord's coming, we'll be glorified, transformed into the very image of the resurrected Christ. It means no more physical pains, no more death that we're carrying in our bodies.

Verse 5: "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'" Christ is a true and faithful witness, right? He says, "Write these words down. Take them to the bank. God will make all things new." We go through this life and we lose loved ones. We go through this life and we suffer physically, right? We suffer mentally. We have broken relationships. We have all kinds of brokenness and sorrow in this world. No more in the new creation, right? All things will be restored. All things will be made new by His divine hand.

Hebrews 12:26-28. "Whose voice then shook the earth, but now He has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.' Now this 'yet once more' indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken. As of things that are made, the things which cannot be shaken may remain." In other words, everything that's carnal, everything that's earthly and worldly will pass away, but the eternality of His people who are born again in Christ, God's word, our relationships — those things continue, right? Those cannot be shaken, for we are one in Christ Jesus.

And then look at 2 Peter 3:12-13 in the upper right-hand corner. "Looking and hastening for the coming of the day of the Lord" — that's the day which He returns, the day of His judgment, the day when the dead are raised from the grave, the day when the righteous are glorified, the day when the books are open, the day when all things are made new. He says, "Looking forward and hastening to the coming day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." How great that will be.

When you go through this world, you can go to what you would call paradise on earth. You can go to Jamaica, Tahiti, wherever you think is a great place. You'll find the sickest acts of perversity and evil there. It's filled with people, right? We're sinners, and what do sinners do? We sin. We rebel against God. We do harm. We do evil to our neighbor. We don't love God. We don't love our neighbor as ourselves. But in the new heavens and the new earth, we can look forward, because there only righteousness will dwell. No lying will come into there, no murderers, nothing that is against God or against His people will be there. Only righteousness will dwell in the new heavens and the new earth.

Application for number two. How can believers take hope? Hope is the blank for application number two. How can believers take hope in all things being made new? How can we take hope in all things being made new?

We can hang on to these promises, can we not?

And can we sing praises to the Lord? When someone dies — like this weekend, we're going to be having a funeral here at the church — we can rejoice, because we know that for that beloved saint, death has no more hold on him, right? He will not experience the second death, right? And we know that we will see him again, because all who are in Christ Jesus live, right? "Though he may die, yet shall he live," is what our Savior said. So we can praise Him for His promises. We can also cling to His promises, right?

In the midst of suffering, when our body is turned against us and it's consuming us, and we're in the midst of grief, and we're in the midst of suffering, we can know that God is going to make all things new, including this frail flesh, right?

Bible point number three. Entering into Christ's glory was God's plan for the elect from the beginning. We already read that this was prepared for us before the foundation of the world, right?

We were created for His glory, Isaiah 43:7. You want to know your purpose in life? That's it. We were created to bring glory to our Lord and Savior.

Mankind fell short of God's glory from the very beginning, Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fallen what? Short of the glory of God. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, and we ratified that as soon as we could, right? Every time we sin, we are falling short of His holiness.

Mankind fell short of God's glory from the very beginning. God's glory is the sum of His attributes and the vast weight of His infinite perfections. We talk about glory sometimes under the figure of a cloud, because that's how it's presented in Scripture — this glory cloud, the Shekinah glory that's bright and fills the temple, or that surrounded Christ in His ascension and glory, right? But His glory in actuality is the sum of all of His attributes. Think of all that makes God God: that He's always good, He's always loving, He's always just, He's always true, right? He's all powerful, He's always present, He's all knowing, He doesn't change, He's immutable — all these different attributes. We can only grasp them apart, but if you grasp all of them and sum them up, that's what His glory is. It's the very Godness of God.

Christ is the glory of God. God is the second blank. Because in Christ, we see God, right? Christ is God made flesh. If you want to see God, you look to Christ, because we find all those attributes that we just spoke about in Christ Jesus. That's what He lived His life to show us, right? Perfect love on the cross, perfect holiness, never sinned — right, that is our God.

In union with Christ, Christ shares with us His glory, Luke 24:26 and John 17:22-23. Luke 24:26, the road to Emmaus, says, "Should not Christ have suffered these things and entered into His glory?" Because He was humiliated in His suffering — self-chosen humiliation, laying aside His glory — but in His resurrection and ascension, that glory is restored, right? And what did Jesus pray in His High Priestly Prayer in John 17? "God, restore — now the glory that I had with You from the very beginning, and I want My glory to be shared with My people" — those who are in union with Him.

When Christ returns, we enter into His glory, Titus 2:13-14. In other words, we'll be glorified. When He returns, remember it's epiphanous — that is one of the phrases or words used to describe His return. We often talk about having an epiphany, a light bulb going off above our head when something suddenly dawns on us. Well, literally the glory of God will dawn on us, right? We will be transformed into His image in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. We will be changed, right? We'll share in His epiphany, we'll share in His glory.

When Christ returns, we enter into His glory. What God the Son incarnate is by virtue of His resurrection, believers will be in similitude at their resurrection, right? When we are raised in newness of life, and this corruptible puts on incorruptible, right? We don't know exactly what it's going to look like, but we're going to be a finite representation of the glorious, infinite nature of Christ.

The redemption of our whole person — whole is the third blank, H-W-H-O-L-E, whole, entire person, both body and soul — Genesis 2:7. Remember, God created us not as a body only, but as body and soul. We have a material and an immaterial makeup. Already our soul has been quickened in Christ Jesus, has it not? And when He comes, our soul will be perfected, and so too will our bodies, right? Both soul and bodies will be reunited for those who are already dead, right? The dead will rise first, and their bodies and souls will be reunited because Christ redeems our whole person.

We'll be in conformity to the resurrected Christ at His appearing. Our whole person, body and soul, will be in complete conformity to Christ at His appearing. "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2. What a glorious promise.

"All of creation" — this is the fourth blank — "all of creation will also be renewed." Renewed is the fifth blank. "As it eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God. All creation dwells under the curse, and it is waiting for the revealing — the apocalypse, the epiphaneia, the parousia of Christ — when His saints will be revealed in glory with Him. We who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23. We long for the day when we will have no more sickness, when we'll have no more sin.

Think how bitter our struggle is against sin in this world. Can you imagine one day when that bitterness will be gone, and that war will cease? Because our sanctification will be complete, and we will be glorified in His precious image. Colossians 3:4.

"When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Right? You're going to share His glory just as Moses and Elijah were transfigured with Christ and glowed radiantly. We're going to appear with Christ in glory at His appearing.

Got Romans 8:29-30. "For whom He foreknew" — speaking of His church, His bride, His predestined nation, knowing us beforehand — "for whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son."

"He set us apart from all eternity past to be conformed into the glorious image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." He's our elder brother, and we're going to be in His likeness. "Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified." He speaks of it in the past tense, because even though our glorification hasn't happened yet, it's as good as done in His mind, right? When Christ comes, we will be with Him in glory.

Application for number three. Who will make the church glorious? Ephesians 5:27. Who makes the church glorious?

It's Christ, right?

"Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He may present her a glorious bride, without blemish, without spot."

Yes, we need to do our part, so to speak, in our sanctification, but our salvation begins with the Lord and ends with the Lord, right? We can drag our feet or we can cooperate, but Christ will see that His bride is sanctified, is made clean and bright and glorious.

Bible point number four. Because Christ will make all things new, heaven will involve deliverance from death. Death is the first blank. Sorrow and pain, Revelation 21:4 — we read that a moment ago.

It's deliverance from death, sorrow, and pain; from fallen — fallen is the second blank — fallen surroundings. No more will evil come into this new creation and into this new heaven and earth, as well as from the remains of evil — evil is the third blank — in our hearts. Not only will the evil that surrounds us be gone, but the evil that is within us, that old flesh, will finally be gone, right? When we reach the new heavens and the new earth, our sanctification will be complete, as we will be glorified when we enter Christ's glory. We will be perfect as we enter heaven. Free from sin, Revelation 21:27.

We'll be free from the curse, Revelation 22:3. And darkness, Revelation 22:5. Isn't that beautiful? Revelation 22:5 says there will be no more night there, right?

Night is often a symbol for darkness, but in heaven there is no sun because the glory of Christ illumines the entire heavens, and His glory will never fade, right?

We will be made perfect, Hebrews 12:23. We will be present — present is the fourth blank — with Christ, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8, and Philippians 1:23.

Suffering and separation will be no more, Revelation 21:1-8. Look at Matthew 25:46.

"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." There at the last judgment, there'll be a separation, right, of the evil from the righteous. We won't be in their presence anymore.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18. "Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." Even right now, we're being transformed into the image of Christ day by day in our sanctification. We're being transformed from glory to glory, but at Christ's glorious appearing, that transformation will be complete, right? We will be glorified. How glorious that will be.

Revelation 21:6-8. "And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.' But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

So those who are in Christ enter into His sonship, right? We call upon God as our Father and dwell with Him forever, separated from evil.

Look at Revelation 21:22-27. It continues the description of heaven here. "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." There is no temple in heaven because we dwell with God, without any partitions in between us — no veil to go through anymore, no stairs to ascend, right? He dwells with them. "The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light." We see by Christ.

"And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The gates shall not be shut at all by day. There shall be no night there." When you left to come to church tonight, did you lock your door?

Yeah, it's a wise thing to do. If you don't lock your door, you might come home to find your TV gone. You might find your dog missing. You might find your kitchen empty. Or worse than that, you may find that you have people who've invaded your house and are now squatting inside your house, right? There'll be no squatters in heaven. The gates will be wide open, no evil can enter by day. There's never night there.

Verse 26: "And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it."

The kings will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. What does that mean?

All the good things that we enjoy in this life will be brought into heaven.

That's what it means by the glory and honor of the nations. Things, even cultural things, right? Music — there's going to be singing in heaven, there's going to be worship in heaven, there's going to be fellowship in heaven, there's going to be feasting in heaven.

I'm from Texas and I love me some Texas barbecue and I love me some Tex-Mex. And I guarantee you, they're going to have the best enchiladas. The best brisket you ever tasted is going to be in heaven and it's going to be glorious.

Verse 26: "And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it, but they shall by no means enter into anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life." Glorious that's going to be.

Application for number four. Can you conceive of abundant life free from strife? Strife is the blank. Can you conceive of abundant life free from strife?

Think about this world. From the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned, what did God do? He cursed the ground so thorns would come up, so man would labor by the sweat of his brow. A woman would experience pain and suffering in childbirth.

We fight against this world, don't we? This world — it's a struggle sometimes just to subsist, just to make a living, just to put food on our tables. Is it not?

Think about the strife that we have with our fellow men and women. Because of sin, we often wrong one another. We hurt each other's feelings. We lie, we are prideful and boastful, and we hurt — sometimes those that we love the most. We break trust, right? We can be bitter towards people. That's strife.

How about the strife that we feel and go through in putting to death — mortifying the deeds of the flesh, right? Paul talks about this in Romans seven: the things that I want to do, I don't do, and the things that I don't want to do, I find myself doing. "Who can deliver me from this body of death? Thank God, Christ Jesus our Lord will," right? So we can conceive of abundant life without strife in the new heavens and the new earth when God makes all things new.

Bible point number five. In making all things new, Christ restores mankind to its image. Image is the first blank. Its image-bearing role in which they were meant to have dominion over all of creation. God set Adam and Eve to have dominion in the garden and to make the world the garden, right? To expand it, right? To be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.

They disregarded that, right? They gave into carnal pleasures, right? And they served themselves. Well, God's going to restore that image in heaven. In the new creation, the saints are joint heirs. Heirs is the second blank. With Christ, Romans 8:16-17. It's not because we deserve it. It's solely because of the grace of Christ — the perfect Lamb of God who died for us in our place, right? And because our life has died with Christ in His death and burial, and has been raised with Him in His resurrection, we are considered to be in Christ. So what is true of Christ is true of us. When the Father looks upon Christ and says, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," we will hear that in heaven, for we are in Christ. We are co-inheritors with Christ, with all the glorious rewards that Christ merited through His perfect life of obedience. It's going to be shed and shared with us in heaven.

In the new creation, the saints are joint heirs with Christ, and sit with Christ on His throne. Throne is the second blank. We find that in Ephesians 2:6 and Revelation 3:21, which is amazing. Not only do we get to go to heaven and experience all those blessings, but we actually get to sit on the same throne that Christ shares with His Father. He says in Revelation 3:21 — mind-blowing — and participate in His judgment and rule. We find that in Revelation 1:5-6, Jude 14-15, Daniel 7:27, Matthew 19:28, and 2 Timothy 2:12. We find in Old Testament and New Testament that we will rule and reign with Him forever, without end.

While Christ's mediatorial kingship over the universe at large will be fulfilled when that last enemy is destroyed — 1 Corinthians 15, that last enemy being death — He will always be King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ's dominion has no end. End is the fourth blank. Find that in Psalm 45:6, Isaiah 9:7: "The government will be upon His shoulders and His dominion will have no end," right?

Daniel 7:14, Luke 1:32-33, Hebrews 1:8, Revelation 5:9-14, Revelation 11:15 — all these talk about Christ's dominion being forever and ever. Christ will forever govern, sustain, and bless His people, graciously sharing His reward. Reward is a blank. With us. He shares His reward with us.

Look at Revelation 3:21. "To him who overcomes, I will grant you to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne," right?

Look on the back, Romans 8:16-17. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God."

Think about that.

What kind of inheritance do you dream about?

You've probably seen movies before where someone gets an unexpected inheritance from a long-forgotten uncle, right? And they become suddenly wealthy and life is great, right? Maybe they don't know how to handle it or whatnot. But all the wealth that we get here in this world — what happens?

It makes like wings and flies away. We're lucky enough to hold on to it till we die. You ain't taking it with you, right?

The old saying — there's never been a hearse with a U-Haul behind it — you know, is true. What happens to our treasures? Rust corrupts, right?

Moths eat. I used to enjoy classic cars. I had an old Ford Bronco — a '74 Ford Bronco that I bought off a rancher years ago in Texas. I restored it piece by piece. You could get reproduction parts. Had it perfect, just beautiful. Picked it to a paint shop and he treated the metal and gave it this beautiful black color paint laid on it. Shined great, had dark black wheels. It was menacing, sounded great. About two years later, guess what happened?

Little rust bubbles began to form where some of the holes had been filled in through welding, right? So that paint job would have to be redone again. That's expensive. Sold that thing as quick as I could, right? I didn't want to be doing that forever and ever, because treasures here don't last. But in heaven, what treasure do we inherit? God Himself is our inheritance. "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a wonderful inheritance," is what the Psalms say.

Verse 17: "If children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." We will share His glory with the Father forever and ever.

Look at Luke 1:32-33, what the angel says. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there will be no end." He reigns forever.

Look at Acts 2:29. "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne." God had promised David an heir that would sit on his throne. He's saying that David was being prophetic, speaking of Christ. Verse 31: "He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear."

In His resurrection, He sits on the throne of His father David, because He sits on the throne of God in heaven. And that's the throne that we share with Him in heaven. How amazing.

And even more amazing, look at Ephesians 2:6-7. Speaking of what Christ has done for us — we know Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved, that not of yourselves, not of works, lest any man should boast." But we often skip over verses 6 and 7. Look what it says: "And raised us up together — we've been buried with Christ, been raised with Him — and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Right now, in a very real sense, because we're one with Christ, we're sitting in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, because His Spirit is in us, right? That's a foretaste of glory, a foretaste of heaven.

But look in verse 7: "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. He has saved us, so that in the ages to come He can show us the exceeding, the overflowing, immeasurable kindness of grace in Christ Jesus forever and ever." Have you seen videos perhaps of teenagers who go to a mall and they get to the balcony and they start throwing cash off? They say, "I'm making it rain, baby." People start catching the money, and they think it's great till they run out of money, of course. God's grace that He'll pour out on us in heaven will never end. Your cup will run over, and over, and over, and over without end, because that's how immeasurable the kindness, the goodness, and the riches of Christ are.

Application for number five. How long will it take Christ to show us His amazing grace? Long is the blank.

How long would it take you to show me your collection, whatever it is you collect? Maybe you collect stamps or bottle caps or baseball cards, basketball cards, right? Maybe you collect Legos, maybe you collect shoes. Whatever it is, it's going to be finite, right? You'll be able to go through your collection pretty quick.

Christ will never exhaust His blessings on you. Spend all eternity sharing the blessed love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Bible point number six. The final state of the righteous is described as eternal life. Life is the first blank.

It's described as eternal life. It's abundant life. We have that now — to know the Father is eternal life, right? To know His Son, Jesus Christ. But we'll know Him in fullness in heaven, and how wonderful that's going to be. It's described as paradise. You find that in Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:4, and Revelation 2:7. Remember in Luke 23, Christ is on the cross and the thief says, "Remember me." He says, "Today you'll be with Me in paradise," right?

The second place where you find that in Scripture is in 2 Corinthians 12:4, where Paul says — very humbly, he says, "I know a man" — speaking of himself, he's speaking of himself in the third person — and he says he had a vision. He says, "I can't even really describe it. I was called up into the third heaven and had this vision of paradise, a vision of what heaven is, and it was so overwhelming that God sent him a thorn in his flesh and he couldn't talk about it, right? He never did describe it to us because it was so glorious and so amazing. There are books today by people who claim they died and went to heaven. It's balderdash, right? That's fiction. Paul saw the real thing and he couldn't speak of it, right? And God had to send him even a thorn that he could not shake to humble him all of his days, right? So it's described as paradise there. It's also described as paradise in Revelation 2:7. What does paradise mean? We think of paradise as maybe a tropical island or something like that. I remember the old song, "Two Tickets to Paradise," but what does paradise mean?

Oh, paradise means garden. Think about it.

Man was placed in a garden for fellowship with God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from that garden — paradise lost, right? What does heaven describe? Paradise regained.

We'll be in the garden with Him forever.

Glorious that's going to be. It's no mistake, I don't think, that when Christ rose from the dead — remember Mary Magdalene? She mistook Him for a gardener. What is He doing, right? He's the faithful new Adam, right? Tending to His garden. And how awesome that is going to be to be with Him forever.

It's also described as glory. It's described as rest. That's the second and third blank, in Hebrews 4:9 — rest.

It's described as knowledge, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. Holiness, Revelation 21 through seven. Service, Revelation 22:3. You may not think about that, but heaven is not going to be just sitting on your hands. We're going to be actively engaged in service in heaven. Worship — worship is the fifth blank. Revelation 19:1. So the first blank is life, the third blank is rest, the fourth blank is service, the fifth blank is worship. Society, Hebrews 12:23. And communion with God, Revelation 21:23. The blessed state will be unchanging and of endless duration. How incredible it will be.

Look at 1 Corinthians 2:9. "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'"

Can't even imagine that.

Sanpaio family, I know y'all just got back recently from Hawaii — I've been there before and it's a beautiful place. But everything beautiful that you saw there, from the waterfalls to the ocean, can't even compare. Our mind can't even imagine how glorious heaven is going to be.

Revelation 2:7. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

Amen. Paradise restored, right? Again, a picture of a new Eden, right?

Eternal communion with God in the garden — how beautiful that will be.

Application number six. "What comes to your mind when you think of paradise?" Paradise is the blank.

Maybe you think of the bright sun, right? Maybe you think of the endless buffet, right?

Maybe you think of fellowship with friends and family, you know?

All those things are just faint comparisons to what true paradise is, and our mind can't even imagine it, is what the Scripture says.

Bible point number seven. Heaven is more than just a state. It is deemed an actual place. Place is the first blank. John 14:2 — remember Jesus says, "I go to prepare a place for you," right? Revelation 21:2, as well. Heaven is described as a city. City is the second blank.

This description details security from every foe, Revelation 21:17. Think of a walled city that evil cannot enter. Provision for every want, Revelation 22:2. Intensity of life and occupation, Revelation 21:25 — heaven's going to be a busy place. And closeness of relation to others, Revelation 21:24.

On earth, the great cities are associated with great sin and woe. Find that in Matthew 10:15. "Woe to you, Bethsaida, Chorazin." Matthew 11:22-24. 2 Peter 2:6, Jude 7, Luke 11:50. Revelation 11:8 — Babylon. Chapter 18 — the city that stones and kills the prophets, right?

In heaven, the life of the city will only help holiness and service. In other words, there'll be no association with sin or dreadfulness. I saw this past week kids going back to school, and it was one of the schools out in California that is very prized as being enlightened — called Berkeley. And I don't know if you saw the pictures, but a giant homeless camp is camped out right in front of the university.

You know, people shooting up drugs right there while the kids are walking by to go to their classes. Not so in heaven. The city will only promote godliness and wholeness, right?

In heaven, rest will be consistent with service. It will be a holy activity without weariness, a service of perfect joy and freedom. Weariness is the third blank — service without weariness. You know, when we do our labors, we do get tired, right? Even if it's for people we love. Things that we do for our family, because we're finite, we're frail, right? We have our limits. You may enjoy, ladies, cooking for your family. Men, you may enjoy putting up a fence in your backyard or mowing the grass so your house looks nice, and it's a sense of accomplishment. You do it to give a safe place for your family. But we're finite, we're frail, right? And we grow weary. In heaven, we'll never grow weary. Service will be all delight, all joy. A service of perfect joy and freedom.

The glory of the nations will enter into the celestial city. This implies that all the good things that we have and experience on earth will continue into heaven, but in an elevated and perfected way. Music will be there. I believe we'll have art in heaven. I believe all the good things in culture that bring us joy here will bring us even more joy in heaven. It'll serve a holy end.

In heaven, we will rejoice in the fellowship of the saints. This perfect fellowship is described as a festival — the fourth blank is festal, F-E-S-T-A-L, a festal gathering. Hebrews 12:23 describes the church as coming to the new Jerusalem. We've already arrived here to a festal gathering, a feast, and banqueting in joy.

The apostles recognized Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration. They had long been dead, but they knew them. Abraham is presented as knowing Lazarus, the beggar in Christ's parable. Paul longs to see one of his flocks, the church at Thessalonica, at Christ's coming, right? When we'll be glorified, when we'll be changed. So we're going to know those that we love here on this earth. We certainly won't know them less — we're going to know them more, we're going to know them in perfection.

As love to Christ here draws us near to each other, we shall love friends not less, but more. Is that the sixth blank? Six blank. In heaven, due to our oneness in Christ.

Here on earth, we often hold back, right? Because we're finite, we're limited. Sin gets in the way, right? We hold things in guard. But in heaven, there'll be perfect transparency, perfect self-impartation, perfect giving. How glorious our relationships will be. All things will be made new. If you and a brother in Christ aren't as close as you used to be — maybe they've moved away, or maybe you had a falling out at some point in the past and you've forgiven, but it just isn't the same — in heaven, it's going to be restored. How sweet that will be.

Hebrews 11:13-16. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind the country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Speaking of all these saints in the Hall of Faith, they walked through this earth as strangers, as pilgrims, because this world wasn't their home. They knew that their home was in heaven. They looked for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

If you read a few verses up above that in Hebrews 11, it's often overlooked. It says, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going." So he goes into this land that God tells him to go to. He doesn't even know where it is, but he goes, right? This land that was promised to him as an inheritance. "By faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob" — all three of the patriarchs dwelt in tents — "the heirs with them of the same promise." Abraham was one of the wealthiest men ever.

He could have used his vast wealth to buy title deeds to land in the promised land. He didn't. The only parcel of land he ever bought was a place to have his body buried, right?

Abraham not only was a wealthy man who could have bought the whole place, but he was a man of military might. Remember his daring rescue of Lot? He could have gone in and conquered it, as later the saints would do in the conquest.

But he didn't. He chose to live there as one who just passes by.

Because though it was promised to him, he knew that was a shadow. Just a piece of real estate. That's all it is.

But it pointed to a greater reality. It pointed to Christ Jesus, our eternal rest. He looked for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, right? So should we. Don't hold on to things in this life too much, right? What we have in heaven, in the new earth, in the new heaven, is far better than anything we can imagine here in this world.

Application for number seven. Wait — wait is the blank. "Wait for the city which has foundations." And that comes from Hebrews 11:10. "For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

Wait for that city. Look for that city. Long for the city. Let it be your hope. You may never have a mansion here on this earth. That's okay.

You're going to be dwelling with Christ. You're going to be sitting on His throne. You're going to be sharing His reward. The love of the Father for the Son and the Holy Spirit will be yours in heaven.

Bible point number eight. In heaven, there may be degrees of reward, blessedness, and honor. Honor is the first blank. In proportion to the capacity and fidelity of every person and their earthly works. Luke 19:17-19, 1 Corinthians 3:14-15. As I mentioned last week, when we talked about hell, there may be degrees of punishment based on some of the parables and some of the things that Christ taught. You could also make that same assumption about heaven. I personally don't think that's what it's talking about. I personally think that that's talking about earthly rewards here and missed opportunities here. In heaven, there's going to be fullness of joy. What more could you ask than inheriting God Himself and Christ Himself? Someone has eight crowns and I have two crowns — what difference is that going to make? I got the prize. I got Christ. But many hold that view and they base it on Scripture. You'll find — again, look at these references in your own time.

For certain, all the redeemed will receive the greatest reward by God's goodness and grace, Matthew 20:1-16. I find that parable as an answer to that, and we'll look at that in a second. The greatest reward is the Father Himself. This is the fourth blank — the Father Himself. It is seeing His loving face, earned by Christ and given to His children.

The great blessing that Aaron pronounced in the Old Testament — what was it? "May the Lord bless you and keep you. Cause His face to shine upon you." We call that the Beatific Vision — the beautiful vision — because everyone longs to see the face of the Heavenly Father, and we'll see that in Christ. Jesus will find His full love in Christ forever, and will receive His reward.

Look at Psalm 16:11. "In Your presence is fullness of joy." You can't get more joyful than being in the presence of God who loves you.

"At Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." You'll never run out.

Remember God's grace, Matthew 20:8-16. This parable that Christ tells — so when the evening had come, this is after a day where there was a vineyard owner and he goes out and he hires laborers at the beginning of the day. He says, "I'll pay you what's right." And he goes out at midday, hires some more. He says, "I'll pay you what's right." And he goes to those at the very end of the day who aren't working and they said, "No one would hire us." He says, "Go to the fields and I'll pay you what's right." And then when he goes to pay them at the end of the day, they all get paid the same, right?

So when the evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, "Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first." And when those who came were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more, and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner saying, "These last men have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the heat of the day." But he answered one of them and said, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first and the first will be last. For many are called, but few are chosen."

What a glorious promise that is. I look around and I see saints who, like Willie, pulled up stakes and went over to Romania, right? Who gave so much of his life on the mission field. I look at people who give their last mite, so to speak. People who've done so much for the Lord — like, "Okay, they deserve heaven."

And I look at myself as one of the last laborers. God says that — isn't it His prerogative to do with what He wishes? He's so gracious, so gracious to us that even the thief on the cross who repented at the very last minute is at the right hand of God's pleasure, right? He is experiencing fullness of joy right now. It's amazing to me.

Application: See the Father's loving face — face is the blank — in Christ Jesus the Son. Remember John 14, after Jesus says, "Hey, I'm going to go and prepare a place for you and I'm going to come again. I'm going to receive you to Myself. And the way you know — I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me." And what does Philip say? "Show us the Father and we'll be satisfied." And He says, "Haven't I been with you all this time? You've seen Me, you've seen the Father." Look to Christ. Look to His love on the cross, that He would die for you, that He would bear the wrath of God that you deserve, that I deserve, because we're all sinners. The wages of sin is death. He died that death for us to give us His righteousness so we could be forever reconciled to God and share His glory in heaven. What a glorious day. Hallelujah.