Preached at Markham Baptist Church, July 28, 2002

You know of course that most animals seem to have a homing instinct. You have heard of cats and dogs being lost and being able to overcome some amazing obstacles and find their way home. In my previous office I had a real difficulty with squirrels getting up in the cavity between my ceiling and the roof. I could hear them up there, running around. So we started to trap them - live. We would take them unharmed to a park on the other side of town, where they could be free and enjoy the huge maples of the park. But apparently that wasn't home for them - because two days later they would be back above my office running amok. They had a homing instinct that brought them back. It really is quite amazing when you think about it.

Well you and I have that same instinct. It is deep within all humanity, some people try to ignore it, some might even deny it, but it remains that you and I have a homing instinct that is persistent, it cannot be erased it is always there, and sometimes it is overwhelming. We have a home and it isn't this earth - we have a homing instinct for our true home which is heaven. We know that this earth isn't our true home - for we are not satisfied here, not fully, not spiritually, this earth cannot fulfill our hearts' desires. There is within each one of us here today a longing for God - we want to be with Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him and to enjoy Him forever. It is not that we hate this world, or that we don't care for this world; it is that we know that this is not home, this is not where we belong - we are just passing through - this is not our home. Our home, your home is heaven. That is where we belong.

So out of that hunger, out of that homesickness come many questions. A couple of them were asked in a survey inviting you to ask any question you like about the faith, and those questions have formed our summer sermon series. So this morning, you have asked, “What is heaven like?”

You will notice that the question itself is made up of only four words, all of them except for the word heaven are one syllable words. But could there be a larger more complex question? What is heaven like? I realize that no matter how great my attempt may be to answer such a question we will never fathom the wonders of heaven. Even those who have caught a glimpse of heaven, Paul who was taken up to heaven, the apostle John who saw a new heaven and a new earth with gates of pearl, streets of gold could not fully describe what they had seen. They needed to resort to metaphors to describe the wonders that were revealed to them.

So some would say, "Why try? Why speak of heaven at all, it cannot be described. No one really knows."

I don't agree with that at all. Scripture speaks a great deal of heaven, and we shouldn't hesitate to learn all we can about our home. While there is much that remains a mystery about heaven there is much that we can know for sure.

And it isn't true that no one has ever experienced heaven therefore we can't know. There is one who has been there and back. There is one who lives there now who seeks to assure of our place there. Our Lord Jesus Christ lives there and has some important words to tell us about our home, heaven.

His words are beautiful, and have given hope, comfort and assurance to millions of people throughout the ages. They are words recorded for us in John 14:1-6. Let us study it together with a view of answering the question, “What is heaven like?”

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:1-6) (NASB)

Jesus begins with the words, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Now we cannot divorce this passage from the rest of the chapters that come before and after this. Chapter 14 is part of a 5-chapter conversation Jesus has with His disciples in the upper room, just before His death. In chapter 13 we see that the disciples are upset - they have some real fears. These fears are caused by:

seeing Jesus troubled in spirit (13:21)

hearing that one of them would betray them (13:21)

the mysterious departure of Judas (13:29)

hearing that Jesus would soon leave them and where He was going they could not come (13:33)

hearing that Peter would deny Jesus three times (13:35).

So in the midst of this Jesus says, “do not be overcome by your fears” - He says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Now that sounds rather trite, doesn't it? Have you ever heard someone say to you in the midst of your pain - "Everything is going to be all right”? That kind of optimism is based on wishful thinking.

But Jesus doesn't stop there. He says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled believe in God, believe also in Me.” This is more than wishful thinking. The NIV translates that word “believe” as "trust". And that's what that word “believe” means - it is more than just a head nod in God's direction; it is a deep-seated trust, a reliance upon God. Let your faith be anchored securely upon God, the Creator of the universe and the Saviour of your soul.

So Jesus says to us in the face of difficulties, in the face of death - "do not let your hearts be troubled - instead trust in God, trust in Me.” He really knows what He is doing.

And He goes on to say, "In fact, God has this great house, a home for you.”

In My Father's house there are many dwelling places. (John 14:2) (NIV)

This is a beautiful description of heaven and from it we learn many wonderful truths. Note that this is the "Father's house". That means that it is a real place, it is not some imaginary place, nor is it some “pie in the sky when we die”. It is a real place - concrete and substantial.

We also learn that this is a place filled with God. It is the "Father's house". That means that it will be filled with God - with His character, with His personality and His presence. When my brothers and sisters talk about home, we are talking about mom and dad's house. The place we all grew up and in which mom and dad have lived for 38 years. And we get a mental picture in our mind, a place infused with mom and dad's character - it is their home. Because mom and dad have a love for old furniture there are lots of antiques; because they have a love for their children there are lots of pictures of the kids around. The chairs are nice, but not uncomfortable - the whole house is infused with their character. So it is with heaven - it is infused with the character of God - His grace, His joy, His love, His light, His will permeate the place because it is His house.

Jesus uses this phrase "My Father's House" one other time in the gospel of John - it is a time when he is quite angry that the merchants have set up sale tables in the temple. And as he clears the temple he says, "How dare you turn my father's house into a market" (2:16).

The way he uses the phrase “there” gives us understanding of what He means by “here:. The temple (My Father's house) is but a shadow of heaven (My Father's house). Think of it! The temple housed the holy of holies -the place where it was thought God dwelt and communicated with His people. And so with heaven we will have free communication with God.

It will be a wonderful place of worship. There will be no controversy about how slow the hymns are or how fast the choruses are. There will be no watch alarms going off on the hour, warning the preacher that it's time to stop. No, the worship will be sweet - we will be so consumed with the presence of God that I think our greatest trouble will be a question of do we fall down prostrate in awe or do we stand up and shout for joy?! Of course we will know exactly what to do and we won't need a bulletin!

And because God is present there - it is the Father's house - it will be free from all negative qualities of life. Certainly the Book of Revelation makes this plain saying that there will be no hunger, no thirst, our tears will be wiped away, no more death, no mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 7:15-17; 21:4). And so there will be no temptation, no doubt, no sin. It is our Father's house.

But the sentence continues and Jesus says, "In my father's house are many dwelling places.” That word "many" tells us that heaven is large - indeed infinite. Its grandeur no one can measure. Indeed, John in the last two chapters of Revelation discovered that it is beyond measurement.

Not only this, but that word "many" suggests that there will be variety in heaven. It will not be one long worship experience for us. There will be no dull monotony there. No, there will be adventure and continued growth. Paul says that in the ages to come, believers will be shown the "incomparable riches of His grace" (Ephesians 2:7). So we will be increasing in our awareness of God, of His Son and the riches of His grace.

There will be "many". Many what? Dwelling places. We are used to hearing this text in the King James version which reads "mansions". The problem with that word is that it means something different today than what it meant originally. Today it refers to a palatial house. Then when the King James version was written, it referred to a place of rest. So our text translates it right when it says that there are many dwelling places. That is, heaven will be a place of rest. Physical? Yes, but more importantly and strongly it will be place of rest from all that causes us fatigue. There will be a rest from temptation, there will be a rest from worry, there will be a rest from sorrow, there will be a rest from pain.

Jesus goes on to give us assurance of heaven by saying in the rest of that verse "If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" As sure as Jesus is your Saviour and my Saviour, we can be sure that He has prepared a place for you in His Father's house and its many dwelling places. He has prepared it for you by dying on the cross and rising again. He has prepared it by winning a right for every believer to enter into it. No one can stop us for our Lord lives there, owns it and has written the names of all who believe in the reservation book.

Then in verse 3 He goes on to give us assurance of our safe passage there - "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” We need not worry about that step into death for we will not make that journey alone. Jesus Christ himself will usher us into heaven as one of God's children.

Now there is one more wonderful truth in this passage about heaven. In our text Jesus tells us that Heaven is a certain place. He tells us that we can be certain of our place there, and He tells us that we can be sure of safe passage there. And then this at the end of verse 3 - "Where I am, there you may be also."

The best thing about heaven is that Christ will be present there. When we begin to think of heaven, we can begin to get the willies in our stomachs, thinking of its variety, its scope, its eternity - but then we must remember that heaven is the place where Jesus lives. We can be certain of this - we will see Jesus Christ in heaven. He has opened up the way for us for He is the way the truth and the life. And He has prepared a place for us, now He awaits all who believe.