What Won’t Be In Heaven? | Afterlife | Pastor Adam Bishop

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Weeds Uprooted, Gardens Restored

The world groans under the weight of sin’s corruption—even the stubborn weeds in our yards testify to creation’s brokenness. Yet Revelation’s promise of a renewed earth means thorns and thistles will give way to unbroken beauty. The frustration of laboring for growth in a fallen world will cease. Heaven’s gardens will flourish without decay, a testament to Christ’s victory over sin’s curse. Every wilted flower and choked seedling points to a future where creation sings in harmony. [48:46]

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:5-6, NIV)

Reflection: What “weeds” in your life or community most vividly remind you of sin’s distortion? How might tending a garden or caring for creation today stir hope for Christ’s restoration?

Day 2: Tears Collected, Hearts Unbroken

Heaven’s promise isn’t just the absence of sadness but the healing of every fracture within us. The God who counts every sparrow’s fall keeps our tears in a bottle, preparing to wipe them eternally. Depression, anxiety, and grief—those unwelcome companions—will dissolve in the light of unmediated joy. Even heroes of faith like Elijah and David wrestled darkness, yet their stories point to a Shepherd who carries us through valleys. [33:52]

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NIV)

Reflection: When has sorrow felt like a permanent resident rather than a passing shadow? How might holding a physical object (a bottle, a stone) as you pray today symbolize entrusting your pain to God’s keeping?

Day 3: Battles Ended, Shovels Down

The sugarcane fields of suffering still enslave many, but heaven declares an expiration date for oppression. Like Compassion International’s long-game rescue missions, our present struggles against injustice are seed-planting for eternity’s harvest. Every meal shared, every child sponsored, every protest against darkness is a down payment on Christ’s coming reign where exploitation ceases. [45:05]

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18, NIV)

Reflection: What specific suffering in your world feels too vast to confront? What small, persistent act of love could you commit to this week as an act of defiant hope?

Day 4: Mirrors Cleared, Faces Unveiled

Our daily battle with sin is like living with smudged glass—we see dimly, warping even our best intentions. But the day comes when we’ll see Christ face-to-face, our reflections finally matching His image. No more internal civil wars, no more regret over words spoken or love withheld. The Apostle Paul’s frustration gives way to freedom as we shed sin’s gravitational pull. [46:58]

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19, NIV)

Reflection: What recurring struggle makes you sigh with Paul’s words? How might picturing Christ’s smile over your efforts (not just your successes) change your approach today?

Day 5: Graves Opened, Hell’s Echo Silenced

Death’s sting lingers in empty chairs at holidays and fresh gravesides. But resurrection isn’t a metaphor—it’s the future physical reality for every believer. The hope isn’t merely reunion with loved ones but sharing their laughter as Christ’s victory echoes through death’s hollow halls. Funerals become “see you laters” whispered through tears that heaven will one day dry. [51:25]

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, NIV)

Reflection: Which loss still echoes in your soul’s hollow places? How might writing a letter to your loved one in Christ (even if unsent) affirm the “not goodbye” hope today?

Sermon Summary

Revelation 21 gives a clear picture of heaven by first naming what will not be there. John hears a loud voice from the throne declare that God’s dwelling place will be among his people, and that promise changes how pain gets understood right now. The hope of heaven says that what hurts here will not last forever. Pain feels permanent when it is close, but God says it has an expiration date. It will not follow God’s people into eternity.

The new creation removes sickness, including all the wear and tear of aging bodies. Sickness on earth does not mean Christ followers have been abandoned or somehow failed God. Cancer, dementia, ALS, prescriptions, and bodies that just hurt for no obvious reason all belong to the old order of things. Christ promises a new body that will no longer battle decay.

The new creation also removes sadness. God himself wipes every tear from every eye, which means grief, despair, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and heartbreak will not have the final word. Depression does not automatically mean someone loves Jesus less or is living in sin. God’s grace still meets people in the deep places of the heart, even while sadness remains a real part of life on this side of heaven.

The brokenness of the world also points to suffering that should not be. Hunger, trafficking, oppression, and people trapped in circumstances they never chose all reveal that things are not as they should be. God’s patience in delaying Christ’s return is not slowness, because God desires people to receive salvation. The hope of heaven does not make suffering something to merely observe from a distance. Christ followers are called to step into the middle of it, ask what they can do to help, and play the long game for the good of people who need hope.

Sin sits underneath sickness, sadness, suffering, and death. The weeds that grow without effort while good things require constant labor give a picture of sin’s reach into everything. Even believers with a new identity in Christ still battle the old sin nature. Heaven brings the day when that battle is finally over.

Death will also be gone. Jesus defeated death for real, and believers who die are with him. Heaven is not earned through church attendance, good works, giving, or religious effort. Salvation comes through receiving the free gift of Jesus Christ, whose perfection covers sinners who cannot save themselves.

Key Takeaways

1. What hurts will not last forever. The hope of heaven does not pretend pain is small or easy. The promise says that pain is real, but it is not permanent. God gives suffering an end date, even when circumstances make that hard to believe. [28:43]
2. Sickness belongs to the old order. Broken bodies are not proof that God has stepped away. Aging, diagnoses, and physical decline belong to a world still marked by sin and death. Christ promises that these bodies will one day be made new. [32:30]
3. God meets people in deep sadness. Depression and anxiety are not simple indicators of weak faith or hidden rebellion. God sees the pain carried in the heart, and his promise reaches all the way to every tear. Heaven guarantees that despair will not remain forever. [33:52]
4. Suffering calls for faithful action. The world’s suffering should stir more than sadness or outrage. Christ followers are still here to step into hard places with the love of Jesus and practical help. Heaven gives hope for the end of suffering, while love calls for action in the present. [45:05]
5. Jesus alone brings sinners home. Heaven requires perfection, and no person can produce that perfection through religious effort. Jesus lived perfectly, died for sin, and defeated death through his resurrection. Salvation becomes personal when his free gift is received by faith.

## [52:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:46] - Series Introduction: Afterlife
[23:20] - Celebrating Baptism
[24:42] - What Won’t Be in Heaven?
[27:31] - Revelation 21 and God’s New Creation
[28:43] - What Hurts Will Not Last Forever
[30:13] - No More Sickness
[32:57] - No More Sadness
[35:27] - No More Suffering
[45:50] - Stepping Into Suffering
[46:58] - No More Sin
[49:24] - No More Death
[52:12] - The Only Way to Heaven
[53:41] - Receiving the Gift of Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 21:3-5
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” [27:43]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Romans 7:19
“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” [46:58]

Romans 8:22
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” [49:07]

Observation questions

In Revelation 21:3-5, what does God promise to do personally for his people, and what parts of the old order will be gone?
What examples of sickness and physical decline show that bodies in this life are still affected by the old order? [32:04]
What kinds of heart pain are included in the promise that God will wipe away every tear? [33:27]
According to Romans 7:19 and Romans 8:22, how do both human beings and creation show the effects of sin? [48:44]

Interpretation questions

Revelation 21 says God will dwell with his people, not merely remove painful circumstances. Why does God’s presence matter so much to the hope of heaven?
If sickness, sadness, suffering, sin, and death belong to the old order, how should a believer understand painful circumstances without assuming that God has abandoned them? [32:26]
Romans 7:19 describes the ongoing struggle with doing what is wrong even when a person wants to do what is right. What does this reveal about why believers still need God’s grace after coming to faith in Christ? [46:39]
God’s patience delays Christ’s return so that more people may receive salvation. How does that truth help explain why Christians are called to bring practical help into places of suffering now? [36:37]

Application questions

What pain or burden in life currently feels permanent? What would it look like to hold onto God’s promise that it will not last forever? [28:43]
Is there a physical struggle—aging, chronic pain, a diagnosis, treatment, or caring for someone who is sick—that needs to be brought honestly before God and trusted to his care?
Depression, anxiety, grief, and loneliness do not automatically mean a person has weak faith. How can the group become a safer place for someone to speak honestly about deep sadness? [33:52]
Where is there suffering close by—at work, in a neighborhood, at school, or in the community—that has become easy to notice but hard to respond to? What is one practical way to ask, “What can I do to help?” [45:18]
What “weeds” of sin seem to grow most easily in life right now? What specific help from God, Scripture, or trusted Christians could help in the ongoing battle? [47:18]
Jesus’ perfection, not religious effort, is what makes salvation possible. Is there any tendency to rely on being good enough, serving enough, or attending enough rather than resting in the free gift of Jesus? [52:22]

Sermon Clips

36s

#ServeTheSuffering

“And part of why we are still here, church, isn't just so that we can see suffering and go, man, that's terrible. It's so that we can see suffering and step into the middle of it and do something about it and try to make it better. K? And you don't have to hop on a plane and go down to the Doctor to see some suffering that God could call you into to make it better. We live in a community full of people who are suffering, full of people who are in circumstances and situations they didn't choose and, frankly, are gonna probably not be able to get out of unless somebody meets them with the love of Jesus and practically says, what can I do to help?”

35s

#SeeYouInHeaven

“And if you have someone in your life who has passed on and and they were a Christ follower, I'm I'm just here to remind you it wasn't goodbye. It was see you later. You are gonna see them one day. You are gonna be in their presence. And listen, if just for a moment, just for a moment, if they could say one thing to you right now, they would say, don't worry about me. They would say, don't worry about me. I'm with Jesus right now. They're having the time of their life. We're the ones that have to deal with the loss.”

39s

#CoveredByGrace

“Like, if you wanna be in God's presence for all of eternity, you gotta be perfect. None of us are perfect. Jesus, therefore, was perfect in our place. When he died on the cross, his sacrifice was sufficient because he was perfect. When you receive the free gift of salvation, what you're simply saying is I'm gonna let Jesus' perfection cover me as well because I can't do this on my own, but you have to receive it, and it's a choice you have to make. Nobody else can make that choice for you. We're gonna baptize a bunch of people today. Baptism is how someone shows everybody they've made that choice. It's not what makes the choice.”

26s

#NoMoreSin

“And it's just a great picture. This is what sin does. It messes up everything. It makes the things grow that we don't wanna grow, and it makes the things that we wanna grow not grow, and it's really difficult. And Romans says that creation groans to be redeemed from the sin that's affected it, That it's literally affected everything on this earth. And there will be a day, church, imagine this, where there's no more sin.”

41s

#GodIsPatient

“you imagine from God's perspective? I mean, we're touched by suffering from time to time or when we read about it or when we experience it. But from God's perspective, he sees all of human suffering at all time in real time in his presence. And someone says, well, then why doesn't God stop it? Why doesn't he just send Jesus to return? And if Jesus returns, all of the suffering would stop. Why doesn't he do that? Well, we actually get the answer in God's word. The answer is because he's being patient. He's not being slow. He's being patient. He's not being slow to send Jesus to return. He's being patient because the moment Jesus returns, there's no longer the opportunity for people to receive Jesus as their savior.”

52s

#DeathDefeated

“But can you imagine can you imagine a world where there's no more death? Where you never have to go through that again? Where you're with the people you love, and you're with them for all of eternity. See, when Jesus went to the cross and when Jesus defeated death, he really defeated death. That for the Christ follower, the moment your life ends here on this earth, the next moment you're fully present in his presence. That if you're a Christ follower, the closest to hell you'll ever get is right here on earth. That if you're a Christ follower, you have nothing to fear when it comes to death. And then one day when we get to heaven, there will be no death, that Jesus will be there, his people will be there.”

29s

#ThisTooShallPass

“It's one of the greatest lies that the enemy can start to get our heads all wrapped up into, but that's how it feels. When you're walking through something painful, it always feels permanent. And right off the bat, regardless of what you're walking through today, regardless of how challenging or terrible your circumstances may be, here's what the truth of God's word says that I would encourage you to receive and accept by faith that what hurts here, it won't last forever. It's gonna have an expiration date.”

22s

#NewIdentityInChrist

“But God loved you enough to not let that define you. God's been chasing after you your entire life by sending his son for you. But even those of us who received Christ Jesus as our savior and lord, we've got a new name. We've got a new identity. We're promised heaven for all of eternity. We still battle our old sin nature. It still holds us back.”

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