Hope Walks The Streets (of Gold)
Pastor Don Carpenter
Anchored to Hope in a Stormy World / Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 5:8–14
A millionaire Christian is sleeping in his bedroom when an angel comes to him and wakes him up.
“It’s time for you to go to heaven”, says the angel.
“Oh, i’m not ready, what should I bring ?”, says the millionaire.
“Nothing, just yourself”, replies the angel.
But the millionaire pulls a large suitcase from under his bed and opens it up. It is full of gold bars. “Can I just bring this along ?”, he pleads with the angel.
The angels thinks for a while, gets on his hand phone to God and speaks some divine language. Then he turn to the man and says , “OK, but only the suitcase”.
So the millionaire is taken up to the pearly gates where St.Peter is waiting to welcome him. Looking at the suitcase St.Peter says, “I’m sorry but we don’t allow any earthly possessions here, you’ll have to leave the suitcase behind.”
The angel whispers the situation into St.Peter’s ears and St.Peter seems to understand. “But what could be so important that God would allow you to take it through ?”, muses St.Peter, “Let me take a look”.
St.Peter opens the suitcase to see all the gold bars inside and immediately falls to the floor rolling around with ecstatic laughter!
The millionaire is amazed at St.Peter’s antics. Why is he laughing ?
After a while St.Peter is able to stop laughing and manages to let out a solitary question, “Why do you want to bring PAVEMENT into heaven ?”
For the last 6 weeks we have been looking at the theme “Anchored To Hope In A Stormy World.” We have seen that there is hope in the midst of heartache. There is hope for the backslider. There is hope for the sinner facing natural consequences of his sin. There is hope of life in death valley. Last week we started to meditate about heaven. We discovered that when a believer draws his last breath here on earth, his next breath will be in heaven as his spirit is immediately before the Lord!
Today let us focus on our believing loved ones who have made that journey already. What are they doing right now in Heaven? What do we have to look forward to? Let us see what God’s Word has to say on this subject and drop our anchors and believe what God says.
They Are Worshiping The Redeemer.
Revelation 5:9–10 KJV
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Revelation 7:9–10 KJV
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 15:2–3 KJV
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Revelation 19:5–7 KJV
And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
They Are Resting
Hebrews 4:9 KJV
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
From The Weight of this Sin Cursed Flesh
Romans 7:24–25 KJV
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
From Suffering the Curse of Sin
Romans 8:18 KJV
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
1 John 3:1–2 KJV
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
2 Thessalonians 1:5–7 KJV
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
From The Sting of Sin – Death
John 11:26 KJV
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Revelation 21:3–4 KJV
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
An advertisement based on Revelation chapter 21 reads: “Free, beautiful homes to be given away in a perfect city! With: 100% pure water, no electric bills, perpetual lighting, permanent pavement, nothing undesirable, everything new, perfect health, immunity from accidents, best of society, beautiful music, free transportation.
They Are Reuniting
With Loved Ones
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 KJV
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
With God
Psalm 17:15 KJV
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Matthew 5:8 KJV
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
With Christ
John 14:3 KJV
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Revelation 22:4 KJV
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
They Are Rejoicing
Psalm 16:11 KJV
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Isaiah 51:11 KJV
Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, And come with singing unto Zion; And everlasting joy shall be upon their head: They shall obtain gladness and joy; And sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Luke 15:7 KJV
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 KJV
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
They Are Serving
Revelation 22:3 KJV
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
They Will Be Reigning
2 Timothy 2:12 KJV
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Hebrews 12:28 KJV
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Revelation 3:21 KJV
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 20:6 KJV
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all, by the lights or its décor.
But it was the folks in heaven who made me sputter and gasp;
the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from 7th grade, who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor, who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What the deal? I would love to hear your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here? God must’ve made a mistake.
And why’s everyone so quiet, so somber? Give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” said He. “They’re all in shock. No one thought they’d see you.”
When we get to Heaven it will not be because of our great virtue but because of Christ’s Great Grace! He has promised that those who have gone on before are enjoying Heaven’s bliss and are waiting to see us. You can drop your anchor on that truth!
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 12:49 PM April 27, 2022.