Sermon snippet – Simply Heaven – Part VII
INTRODUCTION – For the last six weeks, we have been specifically setting our affection on heaven (Colossians 3:1-2). In Hebrews 7:25, we find our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ back in His heaven-home, back where He belongs, back where He wants all of us to be.
- THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS REAL
He “liveth.” I regularly state the obvious: if the Roman and Jewish authorities had simply produced the dead body of Jesus, Christianity would have ceased to exist before it even began. The powerful opponents of Jesus could have forced every citizen of Jerusalem to enter the tomb of Jesus and view His lifeless remains. They did not, because He had risen from the dead, as He had predicted. The best that the antagonistic leaders could come up with was an inane story that would make a toddler’s prevarication logical by comparison (Matthew 28:11-15). Soldiers under the penalty of death do not sleep on duty, sleeping men do not see, and a massive stone does not casually roll away. Moreover, numerous credible witnesses attested to the reality of the Resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus had raised others from the dead, including His friend Lazarus; His own Resurrection was thus a rational and reasonable expectation and outcome, consistent with His previous miracles and with His core character as the God of life. We have ample evidence that He “liveth.”
- JESUS OFFERS ETERNITY IN HEAVEN TO US
He “ever liveth.” The logic of His offer is overwhelmingly convincing. Because He is eternal, He can and does offer eternal life. Furthermore, because His everlasting home is heaven, He can and does offer us His everlasting place. His gift of eternity in heaven through faith in Jesus is thus consistent with His giving nature, His essential characteristic of eternality, and His residence in heaven. We know that He “ever liveth.”
- JESUS REASSURES US OF OUR PLACE IN HEAVEN
He “ever liveth to make intercession” for all believers. We need intercession, for we cannot approach a holy God or His holy home just as we are. We require the righteous intervention of our perfect Savior. We should not misread this verse and surmise that God the Father has to be repeatedly convinced by God the Son that we should be in heaven. The Godhead is always in absolute agreement. It is simply one of the roles of the Son to intercede for us. His fulfillment of this role provides us with the assurance of our salvation. The ongoing intercession of Jesus is one way that Jesus is preparing His place for us (John 14:1-6). We can be certain of heaven, for Jesus “ever liveth to make intercession” for us.
CONCLUSION – May each one of us be certain that Jesus is Savior – your Savior, my Savior. He died on the Cross to take the full payment of our sins, was buried in a sealed and guarded sepulchre, rose the third day as He had prophesied, ascended to heaven to prepare it for us, and now intercedes for us as we await His promised return. If anyone asks for salvation, He will gladly give it. He gave His life to give us life – life like His own, life eternal in heaven. Lord, help us to set our affection on things above, on heaven and, especially, on You.