In Heaven

Today we continue in our study of the Lord's Prayer. Last week we looked at just two words: "Our Father." We were hopefully amazed and encouraged that the God who created this vast Universe wants us to call him Father. Today we look at the words found directly after "Our Father." These words are "in heaven."

We dream of Heaven, don't we? Heaven Is My ultimate destination. We're comforted by our thoughts about heaven. We sing about heaven and church sounds like When We All Get to Heaven, I'll Fly Away, In the Sweet By and By, and Victory in Jesus, sir, just a few I thought of.

Even the secular World sings about heaven. Eric Clapton wrote Tears in Heaven in 1991 after the tragic death of his four-year-old son. Led Zeppelin sang Stairway to Heaven. Los Lonely Boys made a hit with How Far Is Heaven. I think all of us dream about heaven.

Listen to the words about heaven from Revelation chapter 21. "It's shown with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone, like Jasper, as clear as Crystal. The city wall was Broad and high, with 12 gates guarded by 12 angels, and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side: east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had 12 Foundation stones, and all of them were written the names of The Twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

"The angel who talked to me," John said, "held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its Gates, and its walls. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick. The wall was made of Jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

"The wall of the city was built on Foundation stones inlaid with 12 precious stones: the first was Jasper, the second Sapphire, the third Agate, the fourth Emerald, the fifth Onyx, the sixth Carnelian, the seventh crystallite, the eighth Barrel, the ninth topaz, the tenth chryso praise, the 11th adjacent, the 12th amethyst. The 12 gates were made of pearls, each gate from a single Pearl, and the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass."

Very descriptive in Revelation there. I plan to see that one day. Scripture tells us that in heaven there will be no crying, no death, no mourning, no pain. As you know, our Father is headquartered in heaven. He waits for us there.

Have you ever been somewhere you just didn't want to leave? The beach, the mountains, the lake, a place of beauty. Maybe it was with a special person, a loved one, a dear friend perhaps. Maybe with a time in your life you would love to go back to, your childhood, or when your kids were still at home if your nest is now empty. I have a nephew that, when he was small, would say about a particularly good day, "I wish this day would never end."

What does that have to do with the Lord's Prayer or with heaven? Think about this for a moment. Jesus was at home in heaven, and he chose to leave heaven to come to Earth for you and for me. Can you imagine leaving heaven?

We read in Scripture that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven long ago. Satan and his forces, they deserved eviction. But Jesus, he left his Father in Heaven willingly to come and rescue us. In John 6:38 Jesus told his disciples, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me."

And John 8:23, Jesus was talking to non-believers, and he said, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." In Philippians 2 we find this: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

There are several more scriptures that we could look at, but I bet you get the point. When Jesus prayed "Our Father in heaven," he was reminding us of immeasurable love. Jesus left the Father, and Jesus left his Heavenly home. One day, as Believers, we will be with our Father in Heaven, and we will never want to leave.

So in the last two weeks we have looked at two great thoughts. Number one, the God that created this world wants us to call him Father. And today, Jesus left heaven to come to Earth to save us and to take us to heaven to be with our Father. Can you imagine such love? We are so very blessed.

Pray with me. Our Father in heaven, we thank you today for that relationship that we can have as a child to a father. And we thank you that Jesus loves us so much that he chose to leave heaven, perfection, to come to a Fallen World to rescue us. Let us be a grateful people always. In Jesus' name, amen.

God bless you. Thanks for joining me today.