| Hope series |
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What Is Hope
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Why Did Paul Say YOLO?
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Hope in Heaven
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Hope enables us to experience the good promises God has for us even while we’re surrounded by the troubles of this life. We saw last time that the Christian life was never meant to be (and frankly cannot be) done without a very tangible, daily hope in the promise of eternal life. It’s in this hope that we can experience joy in all circumstances because the promise of heaven is always present, regardless of what’s happening around us. In many ways, the key to joy, the key to being happy is this kind of hope. But how can we have a hope like this that sustains our joy?
What’s Heaven Going to Be Like?
In simple terms, to have hope in heaven we have to know a little about what it’s going to be like. To get excited about heaven we have to know what’s worth getting excited about. If we’re honest, I think our idea of heaven is one that sounds like it could get a little old. If it really lasts forever, is it maybe, possibly, going to get boring?
Let’s get honest and explore the Scriptures together. We’ll start with what we know about heaven.
God Himself Will Be with Us
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3, emphasis added)
The first and most foundational fact about heaven is this, God Himself will be with us fully and continually. Now, that either sounds like the most amazingly, overwhelmingly exciting thing you could possibly imagine, or it, well, doesn’t.
If words like exciting, moving, exhilarating don’t come to mind for you when you hear this, I don’t want that to make you feel bad. It should, however, make us wonder why. To understand what’s missing, we need to know why it would be exciting.
The truth is that this is only exciting when you really know God. When we truly know Him, what He’s like, through a genuine relationship/friendship with Him, the thought of finally, truly, fully, continually being with Him is enough to short-circuit our emotions. He is the truest friend I have ever had. Every kind of love I have seen and felt in this world pales in comparison to any single taste of His love He has shown me, even in rebuking me. When I think about how loved, how peaceful, how joyful, how cared for, how cherished, how satisfied, how fulfilled I have been in just one moment of feeling His companionship. That’s what makes this thought so exciting.
If you haven’t experienced Him in this way, I want this to encourage you that you don’t know what you’re missing. If you want to experience Him like this,
