A HOMEGOING SERVICE

On Saturday a brother in Christ made a journey to a place I want to go. In Luke 23:43 we find this statement “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” That’s where he went.

 

2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 says “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

 

Do you know why I want to go to Paradise, otherwise known as the 3rd Heaven?

 

I. I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTER OF THAT PLACE

[Rev. 21:1-4, 10-12, 16, 18, 21-22:5]

 

[1-4] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

[10-11] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

 

[16] And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed , twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

 

[18] And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

 

[21-27] And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

[22:1-5] And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle , neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

No death, no goodbyes, no cemeteries, no sin, no drunk drivers, no locks on the doors, no hunger, no thirst, no hospitals because there is no sickness, no bills to pay, no disappointment, no heartache, no weariness, no Devil, no sin. If I wasn’t already booked for a flight, you could sign me up right now.

 

II. I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THE CROWD OF THAT PLACE [John 14:1-6]

 

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way , the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

I have 2 brothers I have never met. I have a grandfather I haven’t talked to since the night before he died in June of 1976. Besides family and friends I look forward to meeting Paul, Moses, David, Peter, John, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and so many others. That’s my crowd. Most of all, I want to see JESUS!

III. I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THE CRIES OF THAT PLACE [2 Cor. 12:2-4]

 

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

 

There is so much we are not told but can you imagine singing “Amazing Grace” led by the sweet psalmist of Israel King David. I sometimes watch videos of families reunited with someone they haven’t seen for some time. That cannot compete to when parents are reunited with children, families reunited, missionaries meeting again the people they led to the Lord, Christians reunited with the one who led them to Christ. The cheers when we see Jesus!

 

But my friends, most of all-

 

IV. I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THE CHRIST OF THAT PLACE [Phil. 1:21-23, John 14:6, 1:10-12]

 

-For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour : yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

-Jesus saith unto him, I am the way , the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

-He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

 

Christ loved us poor lost sinners so much He went to Calvary, He paid our sin debt and rose again 3 days later. My Christian brother trusted Him at age 36 in 1982, I trusted Him as a teenager- I am going to Heaven. I will see him again. I will see Jesus. The question is, will you?