Reunion and Joy: Knowing One Another in Heaven

Now what a marvelous vision this is let's try and take it in for just a moment John sees a vast crowd more than anyone could count a great multitude and there in the immediate presence of the Lord hears those who are in the presence of Christ there before the throne and there before the lamb they are dressed in white robes which is a symbol of purity there isn't a hint of a stain on them there isn't the faintest whiff of a temptation anywhere near them and they have palm branches in their hands now in the Bible palm branches are often the symbol of victory and so these people are celebrating a complete and total victory there are no more battles for these people no more struggles no more wounds a complete victory and they ascribed that victory to God himself which is why they say salvation belongs to God it didn't come from us it's God who saved us and he saved us through the lamb. [00:59:00]

And we have an enemy the devil who though he can never finally succeed against us never gives up trying and so for all of these reasons as a Christian with a new heart and with the Holy Spirit in this world we are always living a life of repentance and a life of faith it's a life of repentance because we never get beyond the awareness of our own sins and our many failings and it is a life of faith because we are always walking by faith and not by sight and we do this and we persist in this with the help of the Holy Spirit but the Christian life in this world is a struggle all the way but what we're seeing here in Revelation and chapter 7 is that it will not always be so John sees believers in the presence of Jesus and there isn't the hint of a struggle here they're celebrating total victory the long struggle is over they're waving the palm branches because the victory has been won. [05:18:55]

Picture this large canvas and God shaking it out so that they boundaries of it fall beyond all of his people he spreads his tent over them so that every one of the people of God in the presence of God are that it's the most beautiful picture of inclusion nobody is outside everybody is on the inside everybody is enjoying being in this glorious home that belongs to Almighty God he spreads his tent over a beautiful picture think about this where in the world when in all of your life have you felt most completely at home where is the place where you most deeply have said and felt this is where I belong that feeling that you can identify as you think of that place or that time that feeling is a little foretaste of what you will experience when you are in the presence of the Lord and this is wonderful to anticipate some of us struggle to feel at home in this life some of us struggle to feel at home in our work we're not sure we really fit with what we're doing some of us don't feel completely at home in the church some of us don't feel completely at home even in our own families some of us don't feel completely at home even in our own bodies but if you are in Christ the day will come when you know that you are completely at home and God will spread his tent over you and you will find yourself saying ah this is where I belong I was made for this place now I know that this was where I was always meant to be. [07:03:41]

And to be at home you see means wonderfully to be completely yourself when you are in heaven redeemed fully in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be able to say and to know I'm more myself than I was ever at any time in my life in that old world so much of what went before wasn't really me it attached itself to me but now I know myself to be more myself than I have ever ever experienced and the peace of that and the joy of that and in heaven we will therefore serve the Lord as we always wished we could every Christian wants to be something for the Lord Jesus Christ we want to serve him well that's part of the life of the Spirit within you if you're a Christian believer but but notice in heaven verse 15 they serve Him day and night there's no jaded Nestor's no running dry there's no exhaustion there's no running low for believers in heaven. [09:19:35]

Notice something very important here the distinct identity of every person in this vast crowd is maintained they are specifically identified wonderfully identified as being from every tribe and every nation and every language now ponder this it's something to be so thankful for the distinct individuality with which God has made every person who he has then redeemed remains it is preserved but what makes us different no longer divides us there isn't a hint of conflict there isn't a hint of tension here truly in the presence of the Lord out of many God's people will be one and this speaks of course directly to the question will we know one another in heaven let me give you a one-word answer just to make it very simple and then I'll seek to support it from the Bible will we know one another in heaven answer yes yes you will be you and I will be me we will be like Christ but each of us will reflect his likeness through our own individuality God never made two snowflakes the same and he certainly never makes two Christians the same the glory of the redeeming people of God will be the multi-faceted reflection of the boundless glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [12:30:00]

Now for sure we shall know one another in the resurrection the disciples knew and recognized Jesus in the resurrection body but I'm going to suggest to you and try and demonstrate from the Bible that before that we also have good reason to believe that the same wonderful reality will be true and I want to take time then today to offer to you seven scriptures all of them point to our knowing one another after the resurrection and some of them point to believers knowing one another immediately after death in the presence of the Lord savor these with me they give anticipations of the joy that lies ahead number one David and his son second Samuel Chapter 12 and verse 23 King David had a little boy who died in infancy there are many folks in the congregation who had the same painful experience and when this little boy died David said I shall go to him he shall not return to me but I shall go to him now think about this David is saying something much more here than I will go to heaven when I die what he says is I will go to the boy I will see him I will be reunited with the boy in heaven and this is a wonderful assurance for every Christian parent who has lost a young child. [14:29:00]

And Jacob is enjoying a good old chat round the table with his father and with his grandfather that's Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11 notice what Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are doing they are reclining at table they are eating and they're drinking what is here according to the words of Jesus that is identity there is relationship there is conversation among three generations from the same family on earth and Jesus says many will be coming from the east and the west and they'll be joining them could only be clear number three and along similar lines Jesus and the disciples Jesus says that the Last Supper I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom now notice the same clarity here Jesus says quite clearly that he will drink the cup in his father's Kingdom and he will do it with the disciples that is the eleven who shared the last supper with him on earth will sit and they will drink the cup with Jesus in heaven and these disciples are named and these disciples are known. [18:21:00]

And here's another scripture along the same lines the gathered souls in heaven here's hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22 and verse 23 the writer to the Hebrews reminds us of the great truth that the church worshiping on earth is at one with the church worshiping in heaven and he speaks of the latter as the spirits of the righteous made perfect that is the souls of believers in the presence of Jesus and he says that these souls are gathered in the Assembly of the firstborn so here's a description of what is happening in heaven right now with those who are already there they're gathered together the Assembly of the firstborn gathered means community and community means relationship relationship means knowledge of other persons number six Paul and the Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 19 for what is our hope or joy says the Apostle or what is our crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming and here's his astonishing answer is it not you so here are these believers in this town of Thessalonica and the Apostle Paul has a very special bond with them there's an affection that is expressed in the correspondence with these Thessalonians that is quite marked and he says that they will be his joy and his crown in heaven what does that mean it surely means this that the special relationship that existed between Paul and these believers deep bonds of love that were formed on earth will continue in heaven and he sang to them quite clearly 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 19 you have been my joy on earth and you will be a joy to me in heaven. [22:03:00]

And the grief of these people isn't about death in general the grief of these people is about the death of their loved one in particular and he offers to these folks this comfort in their sorrow that we will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air he's not talking about just believers in general he's talking about the loved ones who have been lost and are no longer here in particular the whole point is that Christian believers have the comfort of knowing that they will see their loved ones again so that truly it can be said that Christians never say goodbye well I don't know about you but that's more than enough to settle the issue for me I hope that it is for you as well the next hundred times I'm asked this question I'm just going to refer to the sermon I'm gonna say it's on the internet there are seven scriptures and you can just check it out for yourself our hope is not an anonymous existence it is a shared life with all of the people of God in the glorious presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that make you want to look forward to heaven so why is it that in the church we don't have the eager anticipation of heaven that the early Christians had it's because we're not thinking clearly enough about it. [26:49:00]

Whatever else we anticipate about heaven let us put this as the greatest of all because when we get there it will be jesus said to the thief you will be with me in paradise the joy of being with Jesus much more on this next week but just notice while we're in this chapter that Christ who is our Shepherd on earth is still going to be our Shepherd in heaven and it is he who will lead us into the springs of living water in other words heaven is not a kind of independent life in which each of us is of doing our own thing it is a shared life in which very wonderfully Jesus Christ is bringing each believer into ever-increasing joy we focus today on the question will we see our loved ones in heaven and we've answered yes the bigger question of course is will Jesus see his loved ones in heaven and the answer to that question is emphatically yes also when Jesus was preparing to go to the cross he prayed to the Father and his words are recorded in John and chapter 17 and they're absolutely glorious please underline and no John 17:20 for if you don't know it already father says Jesus I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am that they may see my glory think of it here's Jesus going to the cross and why is he going to the cross he's praying about it he says father here's why I'm doing it here's what it's all about I want them that you have given to me I want my loved ones the loved ones that you have loved before the foundation of the world that I have left before the foundation of the world I want that they will be with me I want my loved ones in heaven and I want them to see me and to know me I want them to behold my glory I want them to know me in heaven that's what Jesus is saying and it's it's marvelous he went to the cross to get you there and he lives at the right hand of the Father to bring you there so that on the last day when he says Here I am father and all the children that you have given to me not one of them will be missing and when you arrive in heaven you are going to see his glory think of this John says we shall see him as he is you will not see him in a manger you will not see him sweating great drops of blood as he was in the Garden of Gethsemane you will not see him with here pulled from his face and spittle running down his cheeks in an agony writhing on a cross but you will see him risen and you will see him triumphant and you will see him victorious we will see says the prophet Isaiah the king in his beauty and that is why we will have palm branches in our hands and that is why we will say together with all the redeemed salvation belongs to God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. [29:44:00]