Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - The Hope of Heaven

Episode Date: August 11, 2022

With growing opposition, if not hostility towards the claims of Christ and the truth of Scripture, the follower of Jesus is left asking the following: How do we live in such a culture? How do we love those who stand against everything we stand for and oppose the One we love the most?Thankfully, the Bible speaks with unfailing relativity in our own day as it teaches us how to live in a culture of chaos and hostility. In this second episode of Jonny Ardavanis’ short series on Living For Christ in a Hostile Culture, Jonny looks at John 14 and considers the precious promise of heaven that Jesus extends to those who will face inevitable persecution. Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. In this short series, we're discussing how we can live for Christ in a hostile world. This is episode two, so if you haven't listened to episode one yet from last week, you might want to go back and listen to that now. Also, if you've been listening to the podcast and enjoy the podcast, it would be helpful for us if you would leave us a review on either Apple or Spotify. This helps get the podcast into more homes, more cars, and hopefully presents the truth to more people. With that being said, let's dial it. The number one selling book in the English language of all time, apart from the Bible, is the book Pilgrim's Progress. This book was written

by John Bunyan in 1678 while John Bunyan was in prison. He was there in prison for 12 years for his refusal to stop preaching about Jesus Christ. They never even locked the door. He was free to leave at any time under one condition, that he would no longer preach the gospel. With a wife and kids at home, including a blind daughter, John Bunyan paid a great price for the sake of Christ. But Bunyan stated, I would rather suffer here till the moss grows over on my eyelids than compromise. This legendary book he wrote, Pilgrim's Progress, is an allegory of the Christian life. And the main character in that book is a man appropriately named Christian who is journeying to the celestial city or heaven. I remember growing

up, my dad used to read to us kids. I'm one of seven children. And he used to read to us from the illustrated version of this book, Pilgrim's Progress. And he would act out the various parts, use different voices for different characters. This was a highlight of my childhood. Well, anyways, I remember vividly my dad acting out one of the main chapters of this book, and it always stayed in my head until I read the full unabridged version in college. In one chapter, Christian is traveling with his companion named Faithful, and they come to the city of Vanity. The city is well known, it is well established, and it is well traveled. And residing inside the city is a fair, appropriately named Vanity Fair. At this fair, all worldly goods are sold, lusts and lies, sexual immorality, houses, treasures, pleasures, popularity, souls, gold, and precious stones.

Many shops would sell anything and everything that would promise to satisfy and fulfill those who were passing through. At the fair, all these types of temptations were present to lure these companions, Christian and faithful. There were seductive shows, casinos, there were gambling and girls available to them. And not only that, but there were many professing believers in God that attended churches that were culturally attractive and fashionable. But these professing Christians were exactly that, professors of faith in God, but not possessors of faith in God. They claimed to follow God, but lived like the rest of those in the city of vanity. In Vanity Fair, there are physicians and lawyers and politicians and businessmen, and the broad road that leads to destruction brings much commerce, trade, and traffic to the city.

The fair itself runs right through the center of the city, and the book says that the only way to miss an encounter with Vanity Fair is to leave the world altogether. For as long as you live in this world, you are passing through vanity fair. And as Christian and faithful enter vanity fair, they create an enormous upheaval. They stood out like a sore thumb. Their dress was different. Their speech was different and their desires and interests were different. And they seemed uninterested in buying what the fair was selling. And in a matter of moments, the city was an uproar. The town is rocked that Christian and faithful don't want to buy what is presented to them at the fair. And a

mob is formed and the people aggressively demand their attention saying, do business with us. We sell everything at this fair. Christian and faithful respond and say, what we seek, this fair does not sell. What? Respond the sellers at the fair. We sell everything. Do business with us. What will you buy? And Christian and faithful's response says, we will buy the truth. And when the people heard this, there was first a hush, then a rage. And then the people rose up in a storm and they took them and whip them and put them in an iron cage and put them on a trial and prosecuted them for professing such an outlandish desire. The truth. You want to buy the truth. What is truth? False accusations were bought and they were both condemned. Christian was beaten badly and then released while faithful was tortured and then burnt at

the stake because of his commitment to buy what the fair did not sell, namely the truth. This is an interesting story from one of the most read accounts in the history of literature. What will you buy? You can have anything. We will buy the truth. This is a masterful portrayal by Bunyan of the opposition that is endured by those who commit to the truth. Truly, biblically speaking, persecution is not a possibility for the Christian. It is a promised reality to those who follow Christ and desire to make him known. But this idea of buying the truth is so foreign to us in the context and culture we live in today. Although those taking the stand in the court of law square an oath to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We live in a context that

doesn't believe truth actually exists. The only absolute is that there is no absolute truth. Even today, if you were to say you want to buy the truth, which is derived from Proverbs 23, the world would scoff and spit and scorn at that very idea. There is no truth. Well, at least not on a universal level because the whole world has been oprified. Speak your truth.

And currently, the subjectivity of the human mind makes knowledge of objective truth impossible. And in such an environment, conviction and commitment to truth is toxic. It's dangerous. And therefore, people that proclaim it must be rejected and opposed. In the book, The Closing of the American Mind, Alan Bloom details that 90% of college freshmen come to college with the conviction that there is a relativity to truth. Truth is not objective, it's subjective. And the tools of higher education that should deliver people from this relativism only cement and confirm that there is no such thing as objective

truth, just opinions and preferences. We could go on and on, but the picture is clear. We live in a world that in an increasing fashion opposes the very notion of truth. So think with me. If the world we live in rejects truth and Christians believe that not only is there something true, which would be bad in itself, but we believe that Jesus Christ is the only true way to God, the question is, how do you think the world will respond?

Well, like we saw with Faithful in Bunyan's tale, we will be rejected. Those who stake their lives on the truth won't always be burnt at the stake. But the promise of scripture is that we will be met with rejection, persecution, and hostility. Because persecution is not a possibility, biblically speaking. It's a promised reality. So the question is, how can we live with a peace

that surpasses all circumstances when the circumstances of our life may be hostility towards my Savior and consequently towards me? What hope is there for a Christian in the midst of inevitable rejection or inevitable scorn? Well, in order for us to answer these questions, we need to root our lives in the promises of God. And in this episode, we are going to look at John's gospel and look at one of the promises that Jesus gives in his final discourse before his crucifixion to his disciples. We will look at one promise in this episode, and then we will look at one more promise in the following episode from this very section in John's gospel. In John 14, we find ourselves, as I said, on the

night before Jesus's crucifixion. It is his final hours with his disciples. And the irony here is that even though Jesus should have been the one being comforted by his disciples, he is the one comforting them. And like all true comfort, this comfort is lined with truth, truth that lifts their souls from the darkness they are in. They have followed Jesus. They have served Jesus. They have loved Jesus. And now Jesus has told them he is going to die. With heavy hearts and the disciples' future unknown to them, Jesus is going to speak immensely comforting and precious words to those who were downcast and dismayed.

And these words will also be that which empowers the disciples after the resurrection to live boldly for the truth of Jesus Christ in a world that rejects the very idea of truth. There is one great promise that Jesus extends to those who are his that provides comfort, strength, peace, serenity, regardless of the circumstance, and that is the hope of heaven. Only those who long to be with Christ and greatly anticipate their heavenly home can truly stare death in the face and say, do your worst. I want to read to you from John 14. Jesus is going to give his disciples a precious promise. He says, 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. The question that haunts mankind is the one that Job once asked. If a man dies, will he live again? Man so deeply, you and I want so deeply to know what happens when we die. I want so badly to believe that life goes on beyond death. I don't want to believe that heaven is merely a fancy of my imagination. And here Jesus comforts his disciples by saying, I am going to prepare a place for you, an eternal place. On a human level, people prepare great things for those whom they have

great affection for. My birthday is in two months and my wife has been working on my party since the week after my birthday last year. this preparation is evidence of her love for me and partially because she's a party planner. Not everyone is a party planner though, but everyone understands that things for those to whom he has extended his kindness and affection towards and for those who love him in return? The greatest celebrations, events, and homes necessitate great preparation, and God has been preparing for his children from before time began, the home that he will welcome them into. Jesus turns and says, if it were not so, if it were untrue, if this was a myth of human hope, I would never have told you. I've never told a lie. I've never exaggerated. I've never dramatized reality. I've never stretched or shortened the truth. We remember that Karl Marx made this critique against

Christianity. He popularized the concept that religion was the opiate of the masses. But Jesus says, no, no, heaven is not a fancy of your imagination. It's not some sort of pie in the sky idea to enable you to get through the sufferings of life. And it's not going to be legitimized in the end. It would be cruel, Jesus says, to let you go and live your sufferings of life, and it's not going to be legitimized in the end. It would be cruel, Jesus says, to let you go and live your life on a hope that is divorced from reality. But the truth is, for you listening, if you're in Christ, there are palatial accommodations for you in glory.

It's not a Motel 6. It's a glorious palace with many suites. That's where I'm going, Jesus says, my father's house. And I'm going to prepare one of those suites for you. There are no overbookings in this palace. You're not going to be on the outskirts of heaven when you get there. You're going to be in my father's house and I will be with you there. This is the first and simplest and best part of heaven. Jesus is there. J.C. Ryle once said, I am a dying man in a dying world. All before me is unseen. The world to come is a harbor unknown,

but Christ is there, and that is enough. We will return to this precious reality in a moment, but first let's ask the question, what is heaven like? In 1inthians 2 9 it says what no eye has seen what no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived the things god has prepared for those who love him now people often use these words to detail that christians have something glorious and unimaginably wonderful to look forward to this is true but we must always remember that the bible is not a series of memory verses but a collection of books and, but we must always remember that the Bible is not a series of memory verses, but a collection of books and letters. So we must always read verses within their context. So we must read the following verse. It says, what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what no

human mind has conceived, the things that God has prepared for you if you love him. But the next verse says, these things, that being the unimaginable things he just referenced, these things God has revealed to us through the spirit. Christians do have something unimaginably wonderful to look forward to. But the point Paul is making here is this, that in measure, God has already revealed to us just what he has prepared for his people in Christ. He has not left us in the dark to wonder what he has prepared for us. And the revelation regarding our eternity is not left to human intuition, but is detailed for us by the spirit of God in the word of God. So the question remains, what is heaven like? Well, the Bible

generally deals with the subject in negative terms and not in positive assertions, meaning that the Bible describes what there will not be in our glorious future so that we may conclude with some level of certainty what heaven will be like. Let me give you an example. In 1 Peter 1, it says that our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. In Revelation, it says that there will be no more tears. We know throughout the rest of scripture that in heaven there will be no sin, there will be no gossip, there will be no cancer, there will be no disunity, for we have all been

unified in heart with hearts full of love for our Savior. There will be no temptation. There will be no sorrow. There will be no want. Maybe you don't have things that you desire now, but in heaven, all that you desire is present because of the presence of the one who paid for your sins. In heaven, there will be no corruption. There will be no loss. Let me ask you a question. Have you experienced the loss of something you hold dear? Well, that will never happen in glory. There will be no disinterest in the things of the Lord. There will be no apathy towards the gathering of his people. There will be no coldness towards someone, but only warmth towards those who bask in the warmth of the sun of righteousness. But it's not only the absence of these things. For the Christian,

it's the presence of all that a believer should long for. The Bible details that our Father is in heaven. The way that Jesus teaches his disciples to pray begins in such a way as to cement in their thinking where their father, your father, dwells. Jesus says, our father who art where? In heaven. Matthew 5, 16, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who's where? In heaven. Verse 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. It's obvious that Jesus wants you to understand that our father is in heaven. And that's why heaven is your home because your father is there and you belong with your

father in his house. But not only is your father there, if you're a Christian, your savior is there. Jesus prays in John 17, 24, father, I desire that they also whom you have given to me be with me where I am so that they may see my glory, which you have given me for you loved me before the foundation of the world in heaven. You will be with your savior, not because it's some coincidental by-product of his redemptive work, but because God wants you to be there. He prayed this way. I want them their father where I am for all of eternity. But not only is your father there, not only is your savior there,

the Bible says that our names are recorded in heaven. In Luke 10, there's this section I was reading the other day, and I love it. The disciples return and report to Jesus that they have power over demons and can cast them out. And Jesus responds and says, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded where? In heaven. Did you know this? That your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. If you're a Christian, what does this mean? Well, it means that you are registered in heaven at all great celebrations or homes. There is someone who greets you at the door to welcome you. Think of a wedding reception, someone with a clipboard that asks you your name

and checks your name and welcomes you in. So the question is, so who is the one that welcomes us into heaven? Who is the one that knows my name, that knows who we are and allows us to enter? Well, in Acts 7, there is the account of Stephen, the first martyr. And after preaching the gospel, he was stoned by the angry mob. And in his final moments, he said this in verse 56 of Acts 7.

He says, behold, I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of God. And then in verse 59, they went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Did you notice where Stephen said the son of man is? Not seated on his throne, but what? Standing at the right hand of God. Why is Jesus standing? Well, Jesus is standing because he is the one who welcomes us into his father's house. And he is the one who

receives not just Stephen, but all believers. When you get to heaven, you will not be welcomed by a bellboy, but will be welcomed by the son of God, our savior, our Lord. This is immensely personal, but not only are our names there, the Bible says in 1 Peter that our inheritance is there. We've covered this. Our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It's not diluted by an economic depression, but appreciates in time because we long for what's there more than what's here on earth. Why is our inheritance imperishable?

Well, because the one who secured our inheritance is imperishable. Why is our inheritance undefiled? Well, because our Savior is the pure, spotless, blameless, undefiled Lamb of God. Why is our inheritance unfading? Because Jesus Christ will never fade. He is the light of the world. He never flickers. He never fades. An inheritance is something that one receives when someone dies. But our Savior has not only died to secure our inheritance. 1 Peter 1 says that he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain this very inheritance reserved, watch this, for you.

Your inheritance is solidified because Christ rose from the grave. But not only is our inheritance there, the Bible says that our reward is in heaven. So often we think that the motivation for serving and obeying Christ is purely out of gratitude. This indeed is the most significant catalyst of living for him. But the scripture speaks often of the reward that we will receive in heaven that is dictated and determined by how we live on earth. Why did Moses obey? Well, Hebrews 11, 25 and 26 tells us that he chose rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.

Watch this. For he was looking to the reward. Why did Abraham obey? Well, it says in Hebrews 9 that he lived by faith as an alien in the land of promise because he was looking forward to the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. He was looking towards his heavenly home. Moses was looking towards his reward. Jesus will say in Luke 6, rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. But not only is our reward there, the scripture details for us

that our loved ones are there in Christ. And because of all of these realities, we could sum all of this up. Our greatest joy is in heaven. We know Psalm 1611 that says, you will make known to me the path of life. And in your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand, there are pleasures forever. Heaven is unmitigated, undistracted, constant, never ending joy because our father is there. Our savior is there. Our inheritance is there. Our loved ones are there. And because these conditions of heaven will never change that, which produces joy will also never change. It's constant. God's presence is marked with joy, not only because he is good, but because in glory, we receive all of the extensions of his goodness and kindness unmixed and unmarred by the sin of the world and by the

sin of our flesh. Well, Jesus is detailing for his disciples, these wonderful realities. And Thomas is going to ask him an important question. He doesn't want to miss this. Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus answers and says, oh Thomas, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes to the Father except through me. Jesus, in the context of telling them about their future in glory, details something that you cannot miss. You can miss certain elements of theology, but no one in heaven can miss this. If you want to go to the Father's house, the only way to get there is through the Father's Son. So the question is worth asking, what's the effect of anticipating our heavenly home? Well, I think three things. First of all, if we long for heaven, there will be in our own life

a loosened grip on the world. Spurgeon says that the best moment of a Christian's life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest to heaven. And then it is that he begins to strike the keynote of the song, which he shall sing for all of eternity. Once you long for heaven and long to be with Christ, you will lose your love and affection for the things of this world. Secondly, not only will there be a loosened grip on the world, but there will be a gradual transformation into the image of Christ. First John 3 says that whoever has this hope fixed on him purifies himself even as he is pure. Do you want to be pure?

Do you want to be holy? Well, then fix your mind and fix your thoughts on the Holy One who dwells in heaven. Third and finally, there will be a greater boldness to proclaim Christ. Those who know that their eternity is secure are both thrilled by and emboldened by the reality that no mortal man can do anything to us in regards to taking away what Jesus has secured for us. If you're not in Christ, heaven is not your home.

So the one who is preparing a place for his children says, come to me in faith, receive forgiveness of your sins, repent and turn to me. And if you are in Christ and know Christ, even we at times may doubt our inheritance. So the second promise that we'll look at next episode is the one that Jesus extends to those who are his, and that is his Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit, Ephesians says, is the seal, the pledge, and the down payment of our inheritance.

Because all Christians have the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God testifies to us that we are the Father's children and that the father's home will be our home for all of eternity. Well, until next week, stay dialed in.