Sermons

How is heaven described in the Bible? There are three levels in the Jewish understanding: where the birds fly, where God hung the stars and where God is. However, we know that God is everywhere. God is a Trinity, three persons yet one God and Father. Psalm 139 confirms His omnipresence. In Matthew 18, we learn that where two or more are gathered in Christ’s Name, He is with us. During the Lord’s Supper, we enjoy the real, spiritual presence of God with us. Truly, His spiritual presence is more real than His physical presence. We affirm that in WLC question 101, that He is with His people, enabling us to honor Him. That is what we proclaim when we pray, “hallowed by thy Name.” We profess that our chief end is to glorify God. It is not blasphemy to call God our Father. Romans 8 tells us that in the Holy Spirit, we are made Sons of God, children, heirs and fellow heirs with Christ. We are adopted and brought into His family. With trust in God, even if we are forsaken by our human family, God will take us in. In Eden, our first parents had an intimate relationship with God. Sin came into the world by them, yet it was part of God’s plan. They were cast out, but He kept appearing to them and their posterity. They were taught to sacrifice as an offering of worship to God, especially as God provided them with victories over their enemies. Under the Spirit's guidance, God’s people established places of worship connected with the appearances of God. First, the tabernacle and then the temple placed God at the center. Jesus worshiped there and punished those who would profane the center of worship. With Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the risen Jesus became the true temple; the veil of separation was torn. The New Testament church is established as the dwelling place of God, and the Lord is in His holy temple.