Bible verse for today

“For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” -Psalm 149:4 (NIV)

Heaven for real

I like to dig deep about heaven. Is it real? Is it place where i could find peace, and love? But most of all is it real place with economy and life like earth? Or is it just like what the atheist thought about heaven? Hhhmmmm....Let us see....

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Heaven: The Great Adventure

Heaven is a dream for some peoples. It is a place of perfect peace. Heaven is a place that we can find rest and comfort. What else can we asked for if our destiny is heaven? Nothing, everything will be perfect for us, if we are going to be in heaven. However, we are only become curious about heaven when we are in time of difficulties, suffering, pain, etc. For some this is place where we can escape the sadness and longings of the heart. When sadness grip in the heart of person, especially when they experience the lost of a love one people started to asked a lot of questions about heaven. Even I wonder about the things beyond my imagination. Then a lot of questions arise like the image of heaven.

What will heaven be like?

Explicit biblical teaching about heaven and let see what Christians can look forward to.

1. Don’t look far. Eternal life has already begun in this life.

John 6:47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
1 john 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life
- Paul mention in Phil 3:20-21 the believer are citizens of heaven right now.
- We not even have to die to taste or encounter a bit of heaven. In a prompting of the Holy Spirit and when we truly worship God or fellowship with Him we will be able to feel a bit of heaven.
- All the good things that we experience in this life, all the good movies we have seen, good book we have read, a piece of music that warm our heart is a glimpse of heaven.
- This is all made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?")

2. Heaven exist as a real substantial place

Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
- UNDER REAL PLACE ………….
- Paradise came from the Persian word “pairidaeza” meaning enclosed garden or a walled park
- In OT the world paradise used to describe the Garden of eden (Gen 2:8, Ezekiel 28:13)
- God say “ to him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in paradise of God”(Rev. 2:7) The save physical tree of life that was in the garden of Eden will one day in the New Jerusalem on the New Earth (Rev 22:2)
- The resurrection of Jesus Christ is actually the initial manifestation of eternal life.
- Heaven is actual place, it already exists.

- UNDER SUBSTANTIAL PLACE …………..
- It was reveal by the fact that the resurrection of Christ appearance were bodily in nature, and our body will be like his [(Phil. 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.), ( 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.)]

- UNDER BOTH REAL AND SUBSTANTIAL…..
- Heaven inhabitants will never experience death again ( John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?")
- This was the teaching of the resurrected Jesus.
- Believer will be like Jesus himself in this sense: They will live eternally (John 14:19; 2Cor. 5:1; Thess. 4:17)

3. All negative qualities are devoid in heaven

Rev. 7:15-17 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
- Sadness, pain, and suffering will be banished forever from our heavenly home.

4. Fellowship with Jesus

Matt 26:27-29 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
- Heaven is a place of great activity, the top of the activity list will be the fellowship with jesus himself.
- After predicting his death Jesus states that he wouldn’t drink the fruit of the vine again until he did so with his disciples in the kingdom of God
- We have also the opportunity not only to see their Lord face to face(1 john 3:2) but also to spend eternity in his presence, both in intermediate state (2 cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23) and in heaven itself (john 14:2-3; rev 22:4)
- What could be more gracious that to see jesus face to face?

5. Believer will be glorified

Eph 2:6 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
- We are raised with Jesus, seated and exalted with Him in heaven
- Several text teach that believer will be given position of honor and authority in God eternal kingdom, including reigning with him (2 tim 2:11-12 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;)

6. Continued growth in knowledge and truth

Eph 2:7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

- It increasing our awareness of God and his work.
- Paul mention that throughout the future ages believer will be shown “incomparable riches of his grace”. This conclusion concerning our future growth can also be inferred from the very nature of human beings.
- Even thought we are going to resurrect, we will still be glorified, finite human beings, not omniscient wonder. Part of our human nature as a sentient being is to learn as we live.

The imagery of Heaven

There metaphors and figure of speech concerning heaven. It implies what’s waiting in us after this life.

Matt 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation.

What is the meaningful image of heaven traced by OT, the teaching of Jesus, and book of revelation?

Psalm 23:1-3 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

- Peace is one of the deepest longing of every individual
- In psalm 23 the shepherd meets the innermost longing of his people – green pastures, quiet waters, he provided the peaceful rest.
- This theme found in john 10:1-16, where in Jesus is a Good shepherd, who calls his sheep by name and lead them out to find pasture.
- The Sheep hear, recognize, and follow him
- The shepherd also protect his sheep and give his life for them
- Let us see the revelation scene (Rev.7:15-17 And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
- Lamb became their shepherd lead them lead to spring of living water
- The believer are protected from all problems
- Then didn’t experience pain and suffering
- Heaven is final culmination of our search for peace

BURDEN

Psalms 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Psalms 81:6 He says, "I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.

- God remove the burden

Mat 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

- Jesus give rest

Rev. 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

- Our rest begin here on earth; it ends in heaven

SECURITY AND PROTECTION

Psalms 91:1-4 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
- Here God is the shelter of his people, who rest under the shadow of his wings.
- God is also the mighty fortress and refuge.
- The idea revolve around finding a haven of protection and security
Mat 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
- Jesus portrays himself as a mother hen who wanted his chickens to find protection under his wings.
Rev 21 – the ultimate fortress created for God’s people is unveiled. In verse 1-3 of rev 21 God lives among his people.
- Once again heaven is portrayed as the place where the need for refuge and protection is met the utmost.


CONCLUSION

1 peter 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,

On top of everything else, Peter explains that Jesus resurrection guarantees that our heavenly inheritance can never be spoil or fade.

The word “kept” indicates the guarantee on our behalf.

2 Tim. 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

If there is a God, Why is there suffering in the world?

All of us or majority of us struggle with this question. Sometimes we think we are good citizen or good person. We also help those who are in need. We believe in God. We go to church every Sunday. But deep inside we ask ourselves and sometimes we asked God, Why God allowed the bad things happen to good people? For some they think God abandoned us.

The bible said about suffering………….

Luke 13:10-16 – Satan or at least a spirit was the direct cause of this woman’s infirmity, a condition that had crippled her for eighteen years.

Job 2:4-7 – Job offers a combination of the two causes: Satan inflicts the pain, but only after obtaining God’s permission.

Proverbs 26:27 – This verse typical of proverbs, stresses the natural consequences of a person’s action: follow an evil pattern and you will one day suffer because of it.
God is powerful, all knowing why He allowed it?

- There is a PURPOSE in suffering

Suffering make us look upward. CS Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Ecclesiastes 7:14 - When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

No one can change what God has ordained. So when evil comes accept the fact that man’s limited perspective does not permit to see how it fits into the totality of things. This is the reason why Job didn’t blame God (job 1:21)

Gen 50:20 – you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

It doesn’t mean that Evil is somehow good. Rather it meant that even in suffering, God is at work to bring about his good purpose in our lives. Actually even physical pain can be good things. Think about what would happen if we lost our pain senses tomorrow. We will be able to step on a nail, burn and we never know it.

- Suffering maybe the consequence of our own action

Pr 19:15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry

Wrong choice in life is the result of our suffering. It leads to painful consequences.
The life of Jesus is the good example of suffering. Jesus walked this earth and suffered just like us.

1. He knew what it was like to be hungry ( Matt 4:2)
Mat 4:2 “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

2. He did not have a home or possessions (Luke 9:58)
Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

3. He was ridiculed by other (matt 27:29)
Matt 27:29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.

4. He wept when someone he loved died (John 11:35)
John 11:35 Jesus wept

5. He was betrayed by two close friends (Luke 22:47, 61)
Luke 22:47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him,
Luke 22:61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."

6. He was beaten and suffered pain (John 19:1-2)
John 19:1-2 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe

7. He experienced injustice when he was put to death even thought he was innocent (2 Cor. 5:21)
2 cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God

Jesus understands our pain and suffering. This is good but what we need is a solution. The solution is Jesus Himself

1. Jesus overcome evil in this world ( john 16:33)
2. Jesus overcame sin, disease, and death when he arose from the grave. (luke 24:6-7)
3. He offer to us that same overcoming power of the resurrection with which we can live our live (eph 1:18-20)

Yes, God allowed suffering and pain, but at the end of the day God himself as the answer.
There is suffering in this world because we have freewill. God set up human beings and human society to operate according to fixed principles. Like honesty, truthfulness, and compassion that would yield to good results. Unfortunately we choose the opposite, like lying, cheating, and greed, which is the cause of our suffering.


Book references:

1. Where is God when it hurts, Yancey
2. Bring your faith to work, Norman Geisler

Grace

Logic – is the study of right reason or valid inferences and the attending fallacies, formal and informal.

God is the author of Logic.

1Pe 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

- Meaning always give a logical defense for you faith in Christ.

The 3 laws of thought

1. The law of non-contradiction – no statement can be both true and false
2. Law of Excluded Middle – Any statement is either true or false
3. Law of identity – if any statement is true, then it is true.


KEY VERSE

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

OFFENSE we made - Last time (Discussion about the BAD NEWS)

The bad news is we are all sinners. And God does not forgive by simply looking the other way when we sin.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

- All of us are sinners. We all commit crime against the law of God, every sinner are condemned. Since we are all guilty the judgment was made and the sentence carried out.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

NEED

We are unable to satisfy God’s demands and justice

Look at the following verses

1. Eph 2:8-9
2. Isaiah 6:4-6
3. Gal. 2:16
4. Gal 3:11
5. Roman 3:20
6. Heb 10:1

Since we could not reach God, God decided to reach down to us and provide the solution (GRACE)

EARN FORGIVENESS FOR US

- We are in desperate need of a substitution who can pay our debt, take our place, and earn forgiveness.

- Initially. God set up a system of animal sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sinner as that person’s sin would be transferred to an animal, its blood would cover the sin, and its death would equal the sentence. Lev. 4:1-4, 5:5-9, 17:11

- But this sacrifice was not permanent, and a better one was needed.

Biblical verses: Lev. 4:1-4, 5:5-9, 17:11

Important Observation about the animal sacrifices

1. Sin requires the sacrifice of an animal, and its blood brought forgiveness (Lev 9:7)
2. The sacrifices were not permanent. The frequent slaying of animals as sin offering shows that their blood was insufficient to take away sins permanently. (Lev. 10:1,. 3-4)
3. A better sacrifice was needed – a perfect “lamb” who could remove sin from people forever.


Question now: Who could be worthy enough to be our sacrifice?

WORTHY

Characteristic of worthy sacrifice

1. This better sacrifice would have to be a man with a body to be sacrificed. (Gal 4:4-5; Heb 10:5-7)
2. This better sacrifice would have to be sinless to be an unblemished sacrifice. (Heb. 9:14; 1Pt. 1:18-19)
3. This better sacrifice would have to be eternal for the sacrifice to apply to all and forever. (Heb 9:25-26; heb. 10:11-12)

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). Jesus is a man, he is sinless, and he is eternal. He fulfills all the requirements.

Question: if Jesus fulfills the requirements, would He do it?

Act on Our Behalf

- Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice who acted on our behalf ( Heb. 10:5-7) (John 1:29)
- He was born with body that was sacrificed on the cross and provides eternal salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.

Results :

1. Redeemed (Gal. 3:13) (Titus 2:14)
2. Justified (Romans 3:24-26)
3. Our sin offering (Rom 8:3) (1 Pt. 2:24)
4. Bring us to God (1 Pt. 3:18)

Question: how do you respond?

YIELD TO HIM

- We need to repent in that we lay down our arms and surrender to him
- We need to place our faith for salvation wholly in him and not in ourselves.

Question: Was Jesus’s claim true when he said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6)?

Depravity

Every single day we are going to make a moral decision in our life. Whether we like or not there are some view in life we make that flow within the system of this world, which is not parallel with the word of God. If we are really honest with ourselves we realize that often time we falter. We begin to understand that in our nature we are not naturally sweet, gentle, and pure all the times. Little by little bits destroy us. The doctrine of Sin will help us to know what will happen to us and why we need Jesus in our life.

a. God is good – Psalm 119:68 you are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

b. The image of God (Goodness) - The moral attribute of God is embedded to us. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

c. Presence of Good and Possibility of Evil – the presence of good was made by God. Gen 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. The possibility of evil is also in the bible. God gives warning in Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
- Sinless nature with freewill (Gen 2:25)
- Adam and Eve has the capability to choose (Gen 2:16)

d. 3fold nature of Man
d.1) Body - the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Man and Dust both contains 96 elements (Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.) Body

Body gives man “world –consciousness” – the ability through the senses to understand. (5 senses)

d.2) Soul – gives man “self-consciousness” – The ability to be a person, personality. The bible speaks of a hungry soul, a weary soul, Jeremiah 31:25; a thirsty soul, Psalm 42:2; a grieved soul, job 30:25; a loving soul, Song of Solomon 1:7.

Soul is in the midway. Soul joins two worlds the physical and the spiritual. The work of the soul is to coordinate the activities of the two diverse parts. The soul is the keep of the body, as lowest and subjective to the spirit of the highest.

d.3) Spirit – gives man “God-consciousness” – the ability to communicate with God.

Eccl. 12:7 he dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Eccl. 3:21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"

e. Sin Entered – the old good in now contaminated… When Adam and Eve eat the fruits, both of them introduced some toxic substance which disturbed its operation and ultimately brought him/her to the grave. (reason why people die)

f. Sin causes physical death and spiritual death (sin and sins)

d.1) Physical death
Gen. 3:22 we are not live forever
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin...and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

d.2) Spiritual death
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that he will not hear.

g. because of the toxic sin manifest

- transgression – the overstepping of the law. Psalm 51:1 “.. blot out my transgression”
- Inquity and error – the departure from right. Psalm 51:9… blot out all my inquity.”
- Missing the mark – The failure to meet the divine standard. 1 John 5:17, Roman 3:23
- Lawlessness – this is spiritual anarchy. 1 tim. 1:9 “… for the lawless and disobedient.”
- Unbelief – an insult to the divine truth of God. Heb 3:12 “…evil heart of unbelief”

Psalm 58:3 Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies. – Because of Adam and Eve we are now contagious by sin.

h. Division (wall)

1. Result affecting the relationship with God
- Before Adam and Eve was very close and have a friendly relationship with God. After the fall all was changed (Gen3:8)
- They had place themselves on the wrong side of God, and had in become his enemies. Remember it was not God, who had changed, but Adam and Eve.
- God hates sins…(Psalm 5:5, 11:5, 7:11)
- God will not acquit the guilty (Exodus 23:7)
- God will not leave the guilty unpunished (Nahum 1:3)

2. Result of Sin
- Death (Roman 6:23) - separation
- Lost (Luke 15:24)
- Condemnation (John 3:18)
- Guilt (Genesis 26:10)
- Perdition (1 Tim 6:9)
- Punishment (Matt. 25:46)
- Eternal fire (Jude 7)
- Hell (Matt 25:41)
- Lake of fire (Rev. 20:14)

3. Effect on the sinner
- Fight from reality (consequence of sin) (Romans 6:23)
- Denial of sin (Gen 3:11) (shifting the blame)
- Self-deceit (Jer. 17:9)
- Insensitivity
- Self – centeredness
- Restlessness (satisfaction never occurs)

4. Effect on the relationship to others
- Competition (James 4:1-2)
- Inability to empathize (personal desire) (Phil 2:3-5)
- Rejection of authority ( own accomplishement)
- Inability to Love

Sound Doctrine

A. All people have at least one religious belief
B. There at least 7 major religions in the World

1. Christianity
2. Islam
3. RCC
4. Judaism
5. Hinduism
6. Buddhism
7. Atheism

C. Worldview - What we believe and why we believe it.

Worldview – is a philosophical system that attempts to explain how the facts of reality relate and fit together.

Worldview is important because our thoughts influence our emotions, reactions, and behaviors. It is important for us because what we know is what we believe.

There are seven worldviews:

1. Theism – is a worldview that holds to the belief that the world is more than just the physical universe (atheism). They believe in the existence of God.
2. Atheism – believes that no God exist either beyond the universe or in it. For them the universe is self-sustaining. They held the basic belief that God doesn’t exist.
3. Pantheism – belief that God is the universe. For them there is no creator beyond the universe. They believe that God is the world and the world is God. (Embrace by new age movement, Hinduism, Zen Buddhism).
4. Panentheism - the doctrine that God includes the world as a part though not the whole of his being
5. Deism - the belief in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority.
6. Polytheism - is the belief in and worship of many gods
7. finite Godism - is a world view that accepts the existence of a god. However, it believes He is limited. Adherents differ as to how God is limited. Some believe He is limited in His power. Others consider Him limited in His knowledge or His goodness

D. Christianity is the kind of world view we Christians embrace.

What does the Christian faith believe?
- Summary answer – 2 tim 2:16 All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness.
1. Doctrine (how we view things in life)
2. Correction (how we change our wrong world view of life)
3. Reproof (how we weigh evidence that affects our decisions in life)

E. Under Christianity we have 14 crucial word sound doctrines.

1. Depravity
2. Grace
3. Regeneration
4. Imputation
5. Substitution
6. Repentance
7. Redemption
8. Reconciliation
9. Propitiation
10. Justification
11. Sanctification
12. Security
13. Predestination
14. Resurrection