Why Can’t We See Heaven Clearly?

September 18, 2022 Sermon Outlines

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TITLE: Why Can’t We See Heaven Clearly?

SUBJECT: Heaven

PROPOSITION: 1) Do We Think We Already Have It? 2) Are We Close Enough to God? 3) Does Our Pain Prevent us From Seeing It? 4) Is Fear Keeping Us From Seeing It? 5) Do Our Worries Block Our View of It? 6) Do We Love Hell Instead?

OBJECTIVE: Heaven should motivate us to live godly lives. Sometimes, however, we lose sight of it. What keeps us from seeing it clearly?

INTRODUCTION:

1. Read: 1 Peter 1:3-5

2. About the Text:

1) Peter talks about our living hope.

2) That means we have something to look forward to as Christians – heaven!

3) Do we see heaven clearly enough for it to motivate us?

4) Illustration: Seeing Six flags on I-30. Once we saw it, we got excited.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

DISCUSSION:

I. Do We Think We Already Have It?

1. I’ve got a wife, children, my job, my stuff, my car, and my boat.

2. This is the problem of self-satisfaction.

3. What happens when we lose these things?

4. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

5. 1 John 2:15-17

II. Are We Close Enough to God?

1. If something is far away, we can’t see it very well.

2. James says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a).

3. Near-sightedness may be a problem too! How do you fix it? Get closer.

4. 2 Peter 1:5-11

III. Does Our Pain Prevent Us from Seeing It?

1. Pain can distract us from everything else.

2. Physical pain can be debilitating.

3. Emotional pain can drag on for years.

4. How are we processing our pain?

1) Do we love it? Do we want to keep it?

2) Can we learn to see through it or around it?

5. Philippians 4:6-7

IV. Is Fear Keeping us from Seeing It?

1. We can be so fixated on preventing our fears from coming true that we can’t see anything else.

2. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 ).

3. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

V. Do Our Worries Block our View of It?

1. Maybe we are just trying to make ends meet, living from paycheck to paycheck.

2. Do we worry about food, clothing, shelter?

3. Matthew 6:25-34

VI. Do We Love Hell Instead?

1. Billy Joel sang, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

2. A lot of people in this life love hell more than heaven.

3. If we love hell, we are not going to see heaven.

4. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

CONCLUSION:

1. How Can We See Heaven Clearly?

1) Reject the World!

2) Get Closer to God!

3) Process Your Pain!