OUR PERFECTION IN HEAVEN

Phil 3:20-21; I John 3:1-2

Many have always been intrigued by the sense of assurance that believers have conveyed with regards to going to heaven after they die. There are a lot people who are seriously asking if it is really possible for anyone to know if he or she is going to heaven or hell after dying. Personally, the more I study the Bible, the more I am convinced that God wants us to know. Listen to these verses:

First, when the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians (we know they were Christians because he called them Brothers), he specifically told them that they should not be ignorant about those believers who had fallen asleep or those who died, so that they would not be grieving like unbelievers who don't have any hope. In other words, if you know your loved one who passed away is a believer, you should know that after they died they went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, the apostle John also said that it is possible for you to know while you are still alive that you have eternal life. How will you know? The key is found in the phrase, "who believe in the name of the Son of God." The assurance of salvation is a personal conviction. You as an individual know whether your belief in Christ is real or not. If you know for sure that there was a time in your life that you have asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and save your soul, then you must believe the promise that Jesus Himself made:

Based on these words of Jesus, eternal life is a present possession, it is not something you will receive when you die, you received it at the day and time you have believed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you know you have already believed in Christ, you should know you have eternal life. This is the kind of assurance that the great preacher Dr. F.B. Meyer had expressed few days before he died. He said, "I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don't trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning."

Do you share the same confidence? You should never risk your destiny. We should prepare while we are still alive to go to heaven. I agree with Dr. Randy Alcorn in his book, Heaven, when he said:

People who want to get to Florida don't simply get in the car and start driving, hoping the road will somehow get them there. Instead, they look at a map and chart their course. They do this in advance, rather than waiting until they arrive at the wrong destination or discover they've spent three days driving the wrong direction. If you want to get somewhere, guesswork is a poor strategy. The goal of getting to heaven is worthy of greater advanced planning than would give to any other journey."

This is the reason why I am bringing to our church this study about heaven. I am praying that none of us will be ignorant about it. I know there is no way we can know everything about it. God has definitely hidden some things from us. He has many more surprises in store for us. But whatever He has revealed about heaven, we should at least discover and learn them. This would help us prepare better for it.

Last Sunday, we have learned what heaven is like - it is a genuine or actual place. That it is a glorious or very beautiful place. And that it is a gracious place because it is only by God's grace for anyone to get there. This morning, I want us to study what the Bible says about us, what will happen to us when we get to heaven, or what will we look like? Theologians have agreed that all believers will experience perfection in heaven. Others have referred to this experience as glorification. In order to understand it clearly, we will define it in three significant stages:

I     PROSPECTIVE PERFECTION:

In Philippians 3:20-21, the apostle Paul had explicitly reminded the believers in Philippi that while they were waiting to go to heaven, they hold dual citizenship - on earth and in heaven. This simply means that spiritually they already belong to heaven even if physically they are still on earth.

Technically speaking, to be a citizen of a certain nation suggests that you have certain rights and responsibilities pertaining to the nation you are a part of. Many of us who acquired American citizenship understand this concept. Once you become a citizen here, you automatically acquire some legal rights like the right to stay here for as long as you want without any risk of deportation. Another is your legal right to vote or participate in government elections. In addition to your rights, you also have some responsibilities. Active citizenship carries the idea that citizens should also act appropriately, obeying laws, and adhering to authority in order to properly represent the country he or she is a member of.

The same can be said about our heavenly citizenship. We have also acquired rights and responsibilities. Part of our right is to have a secured place in heaven so when we die; we get to live there forever. Then, we also have the responsibility to act appropriately representing our citizenship. Now, how do we do that?

If you consider the context of Paul's discussion in Philippians 3, he challenges believers to set perfection as a goal. This is what he meant when he said:

As citizens of heaven on earth, you see Christ's perfection as your ultimate pattern, and you strive to keep growing into it. Paul admits that he has never arrived yet, and no one will until we join the very presence of the Savior. But the longing and the struggling for perfection should be present in our hearts. Jesus exhorts us:

I'm sure we all can identify with the frustrations of really trying to be better believers. Even in our best efforts, we cannot attain it. However, it should come as a great consolation that perfection will become a reality for all believers. In God's appointed time, God himself will transform us into the perfection of Jesus Christ. This perfection is considered the culmination of our salvation experience in Jesus Christ.

II    PROVISIONAL PERFECTION:

The apostles Paul and John agree that as believers we will be transformed into the glorious likeness of Jesus Christ. If you examine John's statement, he clearly said that this would happen when Jesus Christ appears or during the second coming of the Lord.

It is clear in the New Testament that Paul also teaches that our physical transformation happens during our resurrection when Christ returns:

The big question for many is what will happen to us in between death and resurrection? This period has often been referred to as the intermediary or provisional state.

Unfortunately, some have embraced the idea that our soul will enter a state of unconsciousness. They call this teaching "soul sleep." They used references in the New Testament where death has been referred to as sleep ( 1 Thess. 4:13-14, 1 Cor. 15:51). However, this is not correct interpretation. The word sleep for death is simply a euphemistic expression. Euphemisms may be used to hide unpleasant or disturbing ideas. Just like using the word physically challenged to refer to people who are handicapped or with disabilities.

There is no basis for the doctrine of soul sleep in the Bible. We are going to enter a conscious existence after death. The story of Lazarus and the rich man shows this clearly:

Both Lazarus who was in heaven, and the rich man who was in hell were conscious in their intermediary state. Now, with a conscious existence, the other question that is often asked is: would we have a pre-resurrected body or not? This is really debatable and no one could be very certain. There are two possibilities - some say that we will wait for the resurrection as disembodied spirits, or we will have temporary bodies which will be replaced at the resurrection. More theologians seem to believe that we will have temporary bodies. Their main proofs come from the story of Lazarus and the rich man, where there is a reference to the finger of Lazarus. There is also the reference in Revelation 6:11 of the saints in heaven wearing robes. They say all these suggest for a body. The only problem for this teaching is that it diminishes the need for the resurrection of the body. For me, whether we have a body or not, it really doesn't make a difference as long as we are in heaven waiting for the resurrection, which is the final stage.

III   PERMANENT PERFECTION:

Lastly, during the second coming of Jesus Christ, our resurrection will happen. Our assigned texts clearly declare that we will all receive glorious, perfect bodies because it is patterned after the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ - "we shall be like him." In other words, we will be given bodies like Christ's. What will that body be like?

1. Real Body - Not a ghost, but like that of the risen Christ, who challenged His disciples, "Touch me and see."
2. Recognizable Body - With the same identity with the body laid to rest. The followers of Jesus recognized Him after His resurrection.
3. Incorruptible Body - It will not be subject to decay. No more cancer, no sicknesses, no more death.
4. Glorious Body - It could be compared to the body of Christ during His transfiguration (Matt. 17:2).
5. Powerful Body - Christ's resurrection body had an ability to appear suddenly, apparently coming through a locked door to the apostles (John 20:19), and "disappearing" from the sight of the two at Emmaus (Luke 24:31). If our resurrection bodies have the same properties as his, this suggests an ability to transcend the present laws of physics and/or to move and travel in some way we are now incapable of.

God in His supreme desire to give the very best to His children have included all of these qualities to our eternal state. The truth of the matter is: Heaven will not only be perfect as a place; we who will inhabit it will also be perfect beings, absolutely free from sin and all its curses against us. Indeed, God has honored us by preparing all of these for us. He truly deserves all our praises!