Heaven, Part 2
Type: Sunday Morning Service
Series: Heaven
Sermon: Part 2 - Pictures of Paradise
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen
Heaven is the promised “paradise” in the presence of Jesus, immediately entered by those who trust Him, not because of their works but by grace. Scripture paints it as a place of welcome, wholeness, and peace—where all creation is restored, relationships are healed, and purposeful, joy-filled activity continues. The beauty and longings we taste on earth are only hints of the complete fulfillment awaiting those who overcome.
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Paradise: A Preview of the Home Our Hearts Long For
The human heart longs for acceptance, peace, and home. Scripture calls this promised future “paradise,” a place in the presence of God where every ache of this world is finally and fully healed. When Jesus assured the criminal beside Him, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), He offered more than comfort—He offered a guarantee rooted in grace.
Immediate Welcome, Not Earned Admission
The man on the cross did nothing to earn paradise. He confessed his guilt and acknowledged Jesus’ kingship—and received the promise that very day (Luke 23:39–43). Entrance into paradise is not the result of perfect performance, but the gift of grace received through faith. It is an embrace, a lei of welcome placed over the neck of the undeserving who trust the One who saves.
Peace That Is More Than Quiet
Biblical peace—shalom—is wholeness. Imagine a world where war, sin, temptation, and grief are gone; where creation flourishes without danger; where “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” and “they shall not hurt or destroy” (Isaiah 11:6–9). This is not the fragile calm of a temporary vacation but the everlasting harmony of life with God.
Hints of Home in the Beauty Around Us
Waterfalls, mountains, gardens—these wonders move us because they point beyond themselves. Revelation 21–22 describes a renewed creation with the New Jerusalem, at least one mountain, and the Tree of Life whose fruit sustains God’s people (Revelation 2:7; 21–22). The loveliest places on earth are signposts, not destinations—previews of a greater beauty that awaits.
Paradise and Purpose
Heaven is not an eternal nap. Humanity was created to steward and cultivate (Genesis 2), and in God’s renewed world, redeemed people will enjoy meaningful activity, creativity, and discovery. This is a park-like, garden-city reality—ordered, beautiful, and alive with worship, work, and celebration.
The Third Heaven: Paradise Is God’s Presence
Paul describes being “caught up to the third heaven… into Paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). The first heaven (sky) and second heaven (space) give way to the third: God’s immediate presence. Scripture locates the Father “in heaven” (Matthew 6:9), Jesus at His right hand (1 Peter 3:22), and believers welcomed there even at death, as Stephen saw (Acts 7:55–56). If the present paradise is this glorious, how much more the new heaven and new earth Jesus is preparing (John 14:1–3; Revelation 21–22).
Live Now With Your Eyes on Then
Paradise isn’t wishful thinking; it’s God’s plan fulfilled. Set your heart on things above (Colossians 3), receive the grace of Jesus, and live today in light of the welcome that awaits. The best is yet to come.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Opening: Share a time when a place or moment felt like a “hint of heaven” to you.
Read: Luke 23:39–43; Isaiah 11:6–9; Revelation 2:7; 2 Corinthians 12:1–4.
Discuss:
What does the thief on the cross teach us about grace and assurance (Luke 23:39–43)?
How does Isaiah’s vision of shalom expand your view of peace (Isaiah 11:6–9)?
What most encourages you about Eden restored—tree of life, beauty, purposeful life (Revelation 2:7; 21–22)?
How does understanding “third heaven” reshape your picture of paradise (2 Corinthians 12:1–4)?
What “hints” in your life help you keep your mind on things above (Colossians 3)?
Prayer: Thank God for the promise of paradise and ask for renewed hope.
Action Step: Choose one daily practice this week (gratitude journal, nature walk with Scripture, or memorizing Luke 23:43) to fix your mind on heaven’s promise.
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Luke 23:39–43
Set during Roman crucifixion in Jerusalem (AD 30–33). Two criminals are crucified with Jesus. One acknowledges guilt and Jesus’ kingship; Jesus promises immediate presence in “paradise,” a term familiar in Jewish and Persian-influenced contexts for a garden-like place of God’s presence.Isaiah 11:6–9
An eighth-century BC prophecy (Isaiah ministered c. 740–700 BC) describing the Messianic age under the “shoot from the stump of Jesse.” The animal imagery signals comprehensive peace and the removal of violence under the Messiah’s reign as “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD.”Revelation 2:7; 21–22
Written by John to the churches of Asia Minor (late first century). “Paradise of God” and the “tree of life” echo Eden (Genesis 2–3), now restored and accessible to those who overcome. Revelation 21–22 presents the New Jerusalem—a garden-city with God dwelling among His people, healing, and unending life.2 Corinthians 12:1–4
Paul (mid-first century) recounts an experience c. 14 years prior where he was “caught up” to the “third heaven,” a Jewish way of speaking about God’s immediate presence beyond sky (first heaven) and space (second heaven). He equates “third heaven” with “paradise.”John 14:1–3
In the Upper Room Discourse on the night before the crucifixion, Jesus promises to prepare a place for His followers and to bring them to Himself—grounding Christian hope in His person and future return.Genesis 1:1; 2
Creation accounts establish the heavens and the earth and situate humanity in a garden to cultivate and keep it—foundational to the vision of restored creation in Revelation.Matthew 6:9; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 7:55–56
These passages locate the Father in heaven, Jesus at God’s right hand, and Stephen’s vision of the exalted Christ—reinforcing paradise as God’s presence.1 Thessalonians 4:13–18:
Paul wrote to believers who were confused about what happened to Christians who died before Christ’s return. He assured them that those who “sleep in Christ” will rise first, emphasizing resurrection and reunion. This teaching established the Christian understanding of hope-filled grief—sorrow balanced by confidence in eternal life.Philippians 1:21:
Paul wrote from prison, facing the possibility of death, yet declared that dying would be “gain.” His perspective contrasted the fear of mortality common in Greco-Roman culture, emphasizing that life’s purpose and joy are found in Christ, whether on earth or in eternity. -
Title: A Welcome to Paradise
Scripture: Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7; Isaiah 11:6–9Introduction (5 min):
Show a flower necklace (lei) or a picture. Ask: “What does this mean?” Explain that Jesus promises a forever home where God welcomes us.Story & Teaching (7 min):
Share the thief-and-Jesus moment (Luke 23:43) in simple terms: the man said “I’m wrong; You are King,” and Jesus promised, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Describe paradise with Isaiah’s animal friends and the Tree of Life (Revelation 2:7).Craft (7 min): Paper Lei of Welcome
Cut colorful paper flowers and string them on yarn to make a lei. Write “Welcome with Jesus” on one flower.Game (5 min): Animal Peace Parade
Assign kids animal roles (lion, lamb, wolf, calf). They walk together calmly in a “peace parade” to music, showing Isaiah’s picture of peace.Discussion (4 min):
What did Jesus promise?
How do we come to Jesus? (Admit wrong, trust Him)
What will paradise be like?
Wrap-Up & Prayer (2 min):
Pray: “Jesus, thank You for welcoming us. Help us trust You and look forward to Your home.” -
As most of you know, Robin's mom passed away just a couple of weeks ago. And I found it so interesting that I'm preaching on this series of heaven during this time. The funeral will be this coming Saturday for her. And so in my mind, in my imagination, I started thinking about what's it going to look like for her? And you might be thinking, well, what do these Hawaiian lays have to do with it? And maybe you don't know, but this is the sign of welcome. This is the sign of acceptance in the Hawaiian Islands. My parents loved to go to Hawaii on a regular basis. They would spend sometimes the entire month of January in Hawaii when they were from South Dakota, when it was 30 below zero. They would go to Hawaii where it was a perfect 72 every single day. And so today I want to show you some pictures of paradise. That's what I want to do. I want you to think of today's message like God's travel brochure for heaven. It's a preview of the destination that all of us are heading towards. We may not know every detail, but we do You know enough to make us want to hopefully pack our bags and make sure that our reservations are confirmed. Who can say amen? So there is a scripture and it's an interesting context. This is at the end of Jesus' life. He's dying on the cross and one of the thieves on the right side is kind of mocking Jesus. and saying, if you're really the Messiah, why don't you get us all down from here? And the other thief says, you know what? You and I deserve to be on this cross. In other words, there's a confession going on here. We deserve to be on this cross, but not this man. He's done nothing wrong. And he looks at Jesus and he says, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And this is what Jesus says. Assuredly. In other words, I'm going to make you a promise right here. I don't look like I can make promises up here on the cross. All looks lost here on the cross. But let me guarantee something. I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise. Ooh, we changed the marker there. Paradise. Say paradise. Paradise. Hawaii, to me, is a picture of paradise. The very first images I remember when I was a kid, I was watching a television program called The Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch. Do you guys remember this one? And I'm watching it when the dad comes running home from work one day because he just got awarded some tickets so that he could fly his entire family to Hawaii and he could check out on some job that he was working on. The kids went crazy thinking we get to go to Hawaii. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the next image that I remember is them coming off of an airplane. Now they didn't have gangways the way we do today. It was just a staircase that walked down from the airplane and they're walking down the airplane and one by one someone from Hawaii puts a Hawaiian lei around their her neck. Except for Alice. If you remember Alice, they put like 40 lays around her neck so that she couldn't even see and she's trying to look through these lays. But I remember that image. And I remember thinking, I want to go to heaven someday. I want to go to Hawaii someday too. And I thought it was heaven. Okay. Now how many of you have actually been to Hawaii? Oh wow. Lots of you have been to Hawaii. Robin and I finally got to Fulfill my boyhood dream on our honeymoon. We got to go. We stayed at Turtle Bay. Someone related to her dad or a member of the church, something like that, gave us their condominium for a free week in Turtle Bay, Hawaii. It was absolutely amazing, especially as a young person who had no money whatsoever. I was able to finally, finally go. And I've been there a couple times since. And every time I go, the temperature's perfect. The weather's It just seems to be a hint. Say hint. It's a hint of heaven. A place of acceptance. I looked it up online this week. Why do they give lays? And I found a number of reasons. I just wrote down three of them. The first one is this. Lays are given as a gesture of welcome. That's the obvious one. You know, we understand that. They're just saying hello, aloha. It's good to see you on the island. It's hello. It's goodbye. It's both. The second one I saw here was laser given as an invitation to spend time with somebody. I literally can imagine Jesus giving me a lay when I enter into heaven. And the reason I say that is because the scripture says, assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me. A personal invitation to the thief on the cross. Do you understand? This man did nothing to deserve heaven. He did nothing to deserve paradise. And yet because he admitted that he had done wrong and because he acknowledged that Jesus truly was a king because he wanted to enter into his kingdom, he was provided an immediate assurance into the very presence of God. Who can say amen? So it's not based upon our works on this planet. It's not based upon us being perfect in any way, shape, or form. It's purely based upon the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our acceptance of that invitation. And finally here, lays are given to celebrate a milestone. Making it to heaven, you know, some of the scriptures say, blessed are those who overcome. So if you've been here for 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 years and you have been battling the good fight, you've been fighting it on a regular and consistent basis, then God, I can see this in my imagination anyway. I can see a homecoming parade to celebrate our milestone. I can actually see those streets of gold lined with my friends and my relatives. and maybe biblical characters. Maybe Moses will be there. And David will be there. And I can see this big Tom Van Kempen blimp. Well, they've got, you know, different blimps that they have here at the Macy's Day Parade and stuff like that. I can see it. I can imagine the welcome. I can imagine Jesus standing there and putting that lay around my head and my neck and saying, welcome home. Well done, good and faithful servant who can say amen. I can see the picture. Because heaven's going to be a place of acceptance and a place of peace. I'm not talking about the artificial drug-induced peace of this world. I'm not talking about just the absence of war. I'm not talking about finally getting along with that family member. I'm talking about the complete elimination of hate. War, Sin, Temptation, Evil, they are all gone. And rather than having a vacation where you still have a little ache in your side because you know you have to go back to work or you have to go back to the hubbub, you have to go back to the busyness of life, that knot is eternally gone forever and ever. There is final rest and relaxation, tranquility unlike we have ever known. You can literally unwind in the presence of God. And the stress that haunts our daily existence will be replaced by complete harmony. Who can say amen? I mean, it's going to be amazing. I think about Isaiah 11, verses 6 and following where it talks about wild animals like wolves and lions laying down with oxen and sheep. And then the Scripture says, a child will lead them. It says that an infant will play near the hole of a cobra. And the young child will put his hand into the viper's nest. And they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain. For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. The entire planet, the entire heavens, the entire universe, the new Jerusalem will be filled literally with the knowledge of the Lord. When I think of that Jewish word for peace, shalom, I don't just think of these relaxing things. I think of what the word really means, and that's this wholeness. That every part of my being will fully and completely be saved in the name of Jesus Christ. That I will literally thrive. I will be prosperous body, soul, and spirit. It will literally be a perfect place I talked about perfect weather earlier Can you imagine never being in fear of a hurricane again for the rest of your lives? No hurricanes Close to that but not quite as serious I will never have allergies again No allergies because there's no pollens that are going to be affecting me In that same way there will literally be no tears If you've ever been to Hawaii, you know that if you go the right week, and it's not like this because it's not literally heaven, but sometimes even like a week like we've had this week, the highs are in the upper 70s, the lows are in the 60s. It's close to that perfect temperature in the morning, in the night, not too hot, not too cold, no humidity whatsoever. that we're going to be eating in heaven. We will never, ever send something back to the kitchen again because it will always be delicious. There will be no calories that we have to worry about. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. No more taking medicine. Don't have to worry about high blood pressure. any longer. Don't have to worry about sugar diabetes. Because there is no sugar diabetes. Because there's no sickness or disease in Jesus' name. You will be perfectly healthy. You can throw away your glasses because you'll have better than 20-20 vision. You can throw away the hearing aids because you'll be able to hear anything and nothing will ever be too loud. Unlike Pastor Tom's voice right there. Your balance will be perfect. No falls that break bones. No car accidents of any kind. And better than anything, the people will be perfect. No one will ever frustrate you again. Their perfection will be a non-stop blessing over and over again. No more grumpiness. No more disappointment. No more anger. No more sadness. No more melancholy. Life will literally be perfect every single day. But listen to me. But there will still be challenge. There will still be opportunities for growth, for advancement, for development. Because the Bible teaches to a restoration of what God's plan appeared to be in the Garden of Eden. And we are still going to get there in Jesus' name. Picture number one is something like a Hawaiian island. Picture number two is paradise is a picture of the Garden of Eden. The word paradise came from the Persian language. Jesus used it on purpose to cause the Jewish audience and listeners to understand this idea of going back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 2. and simultaneously connecting it to the future heaven that they were all longing for and hoping for. And what was even better is upon death, he said you would enter heaven when? Today. In other words, some denominations mistakenly teach that you fall into soul sleep. That you just disappear. for a hundred years, a thousand years, whenever it is that Jesus is coming back, that's not what Jesus says. Jesus says you will immediately be brought into the presence of God. Who can say amen? It's immediate. Artists have imagined what this presence looks like. They have painted pictures. They have done all kinds of things for thousands of years. And one of the things everyone's convinced of is that it will be a This idea of garden is found in Genesis. It's found in Isaiah. It's found in Ezekiel. It's found again and again in the Bible. So in order to give you a hint of what this might look like, I have brought some pictures with me today in regards to natural beauty on our planet. This is Niagara Falls right here. And in my mind, I see water Waterfalls all over in the kingdom of God. I see waterfalls in heaven someday. And if you've never been to Niagara Falls, it's beautiful. It's romantic. It's on the border of Canada and the United States of America. And it's just glorious. Sometimes with those falls coming down, you literally see a rainbow forming in the mist. It's just this beautiful, beautiful image. And it's absolutely spectacular. But there's other kinds of beauty that's going to be in heaven. How about this one right here? Now the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 21 and 22, it says there's going to be a mountain. I wonder if it's going to look like this. Or maybe there will be mountain ranges. I don't know for sure. But I know there's going to be at least one mountain. And this Mount Rainier is majestic in nature. And if there's a mountain in heaven, I guarantee you it'll be more beautiful than anything on this planet. Who can say amen? It's going to be awesome. The great smoky mountains are so green and spectacular. The Hawaiian islands have lush rainforests, active volcanoes, and areas like this one right here with the volcanoes and everything. It's just mind-boggling. Now listen, I don't show you these pictures to say heaven's going to look I show you these pictures because they are a hint. Say hint. They're just a hint. Every longing we have on this planet is a hint of it being totally fulfilled in heaven someday. Are you getting that? Even our longings for hunger, our longings for home, everything is because we will ultimately be fulfilled when we get into the presence of God. So the beauty that I'm talking about that we recognize on this planet pales in comparison to what's going to be in heaven even though it is still extremely beautiful. Now listen, this is really interesting. Heaven is not going to be nature untamed though. A lot of times we think, oh, nature is super beautiful and man comes on the scene and ruins it all. No. God's plan from the beginning, was man was going to have dominion over nature. God's plan was for man to rule and reign in heaven, on earth, in the new Jerusalem. And this means heaven will be a place of created order. There's this ungodly idea that man is bad for the environment, that we're a plague on the earth. But listen to me. Sin is bad for the environment, not man. Man was created to be in dominion over the earth. Yes, we're supposed to steward it. Yes, it's going to involve some work like gardening, artistry, creativity. There's a song that's over 55 years old now, and this is how it begins. They paved paradise and put up a... Guess what? That's not a Christian song. Because the idea is that man ruins paradise. Man does not ruin paradise. Listen, sin can ruin paradise. But man is going to work with God in co-creating with Him some beautiful, beautiful things in heaven someday. So let me give you another picture up here. of the Alfred B. McClay Gardens here in the state of Florida. How many have ever been here? Come on. Anybody? You've been there? One person. How about the next picture? You see this one? Same place. Okay. But here's what I want you to take note of. I want you to note how that man created walkways, fountains, a good view to the lake. He planted trees in specific areas. This is another picture that the word paradise produces in our minds. It is a park-like structure. The hanging of the Babylonian gardens in that great city in Persia called Babylon, the hanging gardens was one of the seven wonders of the world at that time. Those are the ideas that should come to our mind when we of heaven. How the nature is beautiful, but our addition, what we bring to the table will be equally beautiful because God has gifted us. Who can say amen? And this is going to be a place of fulfilling activity. Heaven's not going to be an eternal nap. It's not going to be boring. It's going to be interesting. There's going to be discovery. There's going to be music and fun. What kind of activities? Well, the first one that comes to my mind is reunions. Pastor Jeff alluded to it in his song earlier that we're going to be with family and friends and things like that. I remember growing up in the state of South Dakota that we would have family reunions about once a year, actually. Sometimes it might be every other year, but we got together on a regular basis, and we would oftentimes get together at a place called Si Chi Hollow. It was a state park in northeastern South Dakota. And it had like this underground fountain that watered the area. And so it was much greener and more foliage than in most places in northeast South Dakota. And we would set up volleyball nets and we'd play lawn jarts. Who remembers jarts? Those little darts that you would throw through the air. We played those things. My parents and the family would play whist together, some card game. We'd play basketball. We'd run through the water and do all kinds of things. We'd eat chili and potato salad and all kinds of stuff. But it was a reunion. My mom's five brothers and sisters with their spouses and all the cousins would show up. My grandpa and grandma, my mom's mom and Stepmom and dad would show up. And there'd be like 40 or 50 of us there. And it would be this gigantic party. Heaven is going to be like that on a regular basis. Who can say amen? You might be thinking right now, but I don't even like my family. Listen, listen, listen. It's the familial joy multiplied by the presence of God. Multiplied by this perfect the perfect environment that we're in. And multiplied by the perfect food that we're going to eat on a regular and consistent basis. Do you understand that we're going to get to eat from the tree of life? That's what it says in Revelation 2, verse 7. He who has ears to hear, 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. I bet you some of you didn't even know that was in there. Do you know how many harvests every year are going to come from the tree of life? Twelve. It brings forth fruit every single month. And we don't even know if it's the same fruit. It could be a different fruit every single month. Because once it's the tree of life, once you're in heaven, all things are possible in Jesus' name. There's going to be exploration in the heaven that we're talking about. I think of New York Central Park and I've got a picture of that for you up here too. 843 acres that literally will take days and days to explore. How long do you think it's going to take us to explore heaven? Because remember the New Jerusalem which I described last week as 1200 miles by 1200 miles by 1200 miles is just one city in the New Jerusalem. are in the new heavens. Just one city. The Scripture tells us that the nations are still going to be bringing things to God on a regular basis. So there's still going to be nations. There's going to be other cities. There's going to be other things to do. We will take all eternity exploring the heaven, the home that Jesus is preparing for us. Who can say amen? If you've been to New York City, you know there's places to walk, places to swim. There's ice skating, boating, carousels, horse and carriages, sports, theater. What are we going to find in heaven? Let your imagination roam wild. And third and finally, the heavens are a picture of paradise. Have you ever noticed when people talk about heaven, what do most people do? Right? They look up. And one of the reasons they look up is because of this next scripture that we've got. It is 2 Corinthians 12. Listen to what Paul is saying here. It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. So I need you to understand what's about to take place. Paul, 14 years previous to this, has had some revelations and some visions of heaven. but he doesn't want to boast about it he doesn't want anyone to think oh he's super spiritual Paul or anything like that and so listen to what he says he says I know a man he doesn't say me he starts talking in the third person it's as if I go and pastor Tom did this the other day no no I did this the other day but he doesn't want to boast so he says I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago, whether in the body, I do not know, or whether out of the body, I do not know, God knows. What's he saying? He's saying that the experience I had in this vision, in this revelation, was so real. It felt like I was actually there. It could be just a vision or a revelation. I don't know. I don't know if God took me to heaven or if I just saw, A Vision of Heaven. I cannot understand the difference. But this is what He says. Such a one was caught up to the third Heaven. One, two, three Heavens. So what's He talking about? What does that mean? Well, the first Heaven is simply our atmosphere. I've got a picture up here that will help you to see the The Earth, I think I, yes, there it is, there it is. So you can see the Earth at the bottom right there. And then you've got the ozone layer, you've got the stratosphere, you've got the thermosphere, you've got the exosphere, and the title is Earth's atmosphere. But that dark blue on the outside, that's the universe. So that first atmosphere, and I'm talking about one, two, three, like five or six layers, there, that's all described as the first heaven. The Jews believe that where the birds flew, where the clouds float, that is literally the first heaven. The second heaven is the darker blue one on the outside. It's the sun. It's the moon. It's the stars. It's the galaxies. It's the Milky Way. All of that other stuff. In Genesis 1, verse 1, it says that God created the heavens. This is heaven number two. The vastness of that universe seems to actually be growing. The universe seems to be stretching further and further away, almost a limitless direction. And so a couple of years ago, actually probably 20 years ago, a group sang a song entitled, How Far Is Heaven? to look up. We see the sky. We see the universe. We hear from scientists that it's billions and billions of light years away. Well, how far is heaven? Reminds me of a young family. Mom, dad took their 10-year-old daughter and their 5-year-old son to New York City. And they went and looked at a bunch of different things and some of the newer sites and Statue of Liberty. And then on the last day, they went to the Empire State Building. And it's not as big a tourist attraction as it used to be, but it's still a big deal. But what young people don't understand is the elevator in the Empire State Building does not go as fast as most modern-day elevators. And so they get in the elevator, and they want to go to the look-up point, which is towards the top, and that elevator is moving really slow. is that it finally hit the tenth floor. And then it finally hit the twentieth floor. And then it finally hit the thirtieth floor. And it felt like forever. And he goes, Dad, where are we going? And he said, well, we're just going up. It finally hit the fortieth floor. And then the fiftieth floor. And the little boy's like, Dad, does God know we're coming? We'll look at the last couple of verses here. This is what it says in verses 3 and 4. And I know such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows how he was caught up into paradise. The third heaven and paradise are the same thing. He's communicating literally that paradise, heaven, is the presence of God. Who can say amen? You're in the presence of God. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says this in Matthew 6, 9, Our Father which art in heaven. Well, what about Jesus? 1 Peter 3 says this, Jesus Christ who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God. If you remember in Acts 7, Stephen saw Jesus when he was being at the right hand of God in heaven. Heaven is being in the presence of God. Now you might say, well, how does this reconcile with what we talked about last week that heaven's a real place? Well, this is what we know. Based on Jesus' words in John 14, Jesus is preparing a new place for his family. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament describe this place as the new heaven and the new earth. And if the current heaven is paradise, what Stephen saw, what do you think the new one's going to be like? If the current heaven and earth took God six days to make, and Jesus has spent the last 2,000 years preparing What do you think the new one is going to be like? It's going to be exponentially grander and greater and more beautiful and more lovely. When Jesus told the thief on the cross, today you will be with me in paradise, he was giving us more than comfort. He was giving us a promise. He was giving us confidence. Paradise isn't a fantasy. It's not wishful thinking. It's a place where every tear is dried. Every wrong is made right. Every wound is healed. Every goodbye is made hello again. And it's not just a place. It's the person of Jesus Christ. He told the thief, you will be with me in paradise. So keep your eyes on heaven, Colossians 3 says. Keep your heart anchored in the faith. And as I said last week, keep your fork in your hand because the best is yet to come. Would you bow your heads with me, please? I love talking about heaven. a brochure for you to see where we're going to be someday. And you might be in the middle of the worst part of your life. Sickness, disease, lostness, who knows. But if you make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, you can look forward to heaven the same way that I do on a regular and consistent basis. And so like last week, I'm going to give you an opportunity just to say, Pastor, I just want to make sure that God and I are okay. And if you need that assurance today and you want to be in heaven someday and you're not quite sure that you're ready, would you just say by raising your hand, Pastor, would you remember me in prayer? Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I see. Thank you. Heavenly Father, I see a number of hands today. Lord, some probably have never accepted you as Lord and Savior. Others, Father God, just want to be reassured that what we talked about today is their eternal destination. But Father God, I pray that everyone here will understand that just like the thief on the cross, it's really a simple process. It begins by saying, God, I'm guilty. It begins by acknowledging that I'm a sinner. That I can't even control my own behaviors. That even when I want to do right, yeah, I do it right sometimes. But sometimes I go the wrong direction. So Father God, I pray that in this moment this morning that all of us will repent. That every man, woman, and child will acknowledge their sin before you this morning, Father God, and say, we are sons. as individuals and, Father God, collectively as a church. Father God, wash away our sin. Use the blood of Jesus Christ to make us whole. Make us holy and sanctify us day by day, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. And then the next part of this is to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father God, that's what the thief on the cross did. He said, remember me when you go into your kingdom. There's an acknowledgement that Jesus really is the king, even though he's on a cross. Each and every one of us have to make that same acknowledgement. Jesus, you're the king, not just of the universe. You're the king of my life. So I pray, Father God, that every single person will either make that declaration for the first time or make it anew today in the precious name of Jesus Christ. So we bless you today, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We give you our lives. We give you our sins, Father God. We give you our dreams. We give you our families. We give you our church. And we just ask you to wash us clean and prepare us, Father God, first for the mission on this planet and then for that place called heaven. I pray this today in Jesus holy. And together, everybody says, amen. As the prayer partners are coming forward, would you stand and join the worship?
