January 12, 2016
DOES THE IDEA OF HEAVEN SOUND EXHAUSTING?
Matthew 5:1–12
Sheila Silver
Central Truth
While a few of the blessings mentioned in this passage in Matthew will be experienced here in this life, ALL of them will be blessings experienced in heaven. If we do not look forward to heaven, then how can our hearts desire to follow these instructions?
Key Verse | Matthew 5:12
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven . . . ." (Matthew 5:12)
Matthew 5:1–12
The Sermon on the Mount
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons 1 5:9 Greek huioi; see Preface of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 5:1–12
During the last three years, my dad fought for and received a heart transplant and then got lung cancer, and this year I've had breast cancer. On rough days, thoughts of eternity sounded exhausting, UNTIL I realized I had the wrong view of heaven. Don't get me wrong—I've been faithful, trusting the Lord, leaning on Him, but the part about heaven stumped me. I knew I was saved (John 5:24) and going to heaven, but it didn't excite me. It exhausted me because I compared it to life now.
A friend gave me the book 50 Days of Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Before, I saw heaven as a floating cloud, something out of a movie where Andy Rooney is at the pearly gates with a checklist. But now, my heart soars with the adventure that awaits. This book helped bring the picture of Scripture together.
One chapter on the New Jerusalem spoke to the adventurer in me. Heaven will be amazing, with "radiance like a most rare jewel" (Revelation 21:11), where the streets are "pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21:21). A gorgeous river flows "through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month" (Revelation 22:2a). Beyond the city is "a great, high mountain" (Revelation 21:10).
Can you imagine walking through and exploring this glittery city, placing your toes into the river, closing your eyes, and listening to rushing water? Sitting on the bank looking across the river to a distant mountain to be explored, with features only heaven can have. Maybe waterfalls that pale in comparison to what we see now, or flowers with colors the eyes have never seen. Hiking trails waiting for you.
Now when I read this passage in Matthew 5, my heart pounds with excitement: "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (verse 3), "for they shall inherit the earth" (verse 5), "for they shall see God" (verse 8). "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven . . ." (verse 12).
Excited yet?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe that if you die today, you will go to heaven?
2. How do you see heaven?
3. Are you longing for it as the gift that it is?
4. If we do not look forward to heaven, then how can our hearts desire to follow Jesus' instructions?
Additional Resources
For further learning on the Beatitudes, listen to the sermon from Watermark Community Church on What are the Beatitudes?