We sat in the lounge room intently gazing out the window. Ten days prior I had been told there would be snow this weekend. Saturday night’s weather forecast predicted the same. And now, on Sunday afternoon, the whole family peered with longing into the cold after­noon air. We were almost willing the snowflakes to fall. Our eyes strained to see the slightest hint of something more than rain or sleet. With deep desire we wanted to see the backyard turn white. But alas, it was not to be, and off we went for the afternoon church service.

As Australians who had never seen snow fall, we were truly longing for a good dumping. I wonder how many of us could honestly say that we long for heaven with the same intensity and earnestness. If you can say you do long for heaven like that, then it will be easy for you to recall the last time you spent a concentrated period meditating on the glories of heaven. It will be easy for others to tell who you are, because not a Sunday goes by without you telling them about how much you are looking forward to being there. It will be easy for the whole denomination to rec­ognise you, because you are the one constantly sending through overtures to the Synod to increase our support for various kingdom works, because there is no need for us to store up treasures here on earth.

Do you Really?⤒🔗

Do you really long for heaven? I take it you do. However, most of us are aware of our meagre longing for heaven. We are too comfortable in this life to long for heaven. Our schedules are so full with appointments and parties and soccer matches that we don’t take time to think about heaven with the seriousness it de­serves. Perhaps the only time you ever think about heavens is when you’re in attendance at a funeral. And besides all that, you might have the sneaking sus­picion that heaven will be boring. You imagine it will be like an eternal church service where you can’t move, you can’t talk, the pews are uncomfortable, and you’ve only got one peppermint to last through all eternity! Of course if that’s what you think, you will certainly be in for a very pleasant surprise.

It is clear that we don’t long for heaven as much as we ought. But at times we do have a good and godly longing for our true home. I want us to consider those times in the hope of stimulating a deeper and more abiding longing for heaven.

Don’t you long for heaven when the church is not what she should be? When people get into petty arguments about their favourite songs. When people would rather talk about the football than the sermon after a worship service. When you’ve got plenty of males in the church, but none who are striving to meet the biblical qualifications for elder or deacon. If you have been in a church, any church, you’ve seen many of the spots and stains of the bride of Christ. No amount of makeup or perfume can cover over the blemishes or the smells. And it is sometimes quite painful and ghastly to see. Especially when we know Christ’s intention is to make her holy and to present her to himself as a radiant church (Eph 5:26).

The Church – Triumphant and Beautiful←⤒🔗

One of the glories of heaven is that we shall finally be that radiant church! In fact, the picture given in Revelation 21 is that the bride of Christ (i.e. the church) is absolutely stunning. She is large, she is precious, and she is beautiful.¹ Jesus Christ will have finally made his bride ready for the marriage celebration. We will finally be a pure a radiant church. No more painful breakdowns in relation­ships. No more church discipline. No more of the ministers and elders letting you down. The language in Revelation strains the senses to describe how beau­tiful the church will be. Perhaps you find that hard to imagine, yet that is what we will be like in heaven. A perfect church. Next time you are disappointed with your church, instead of some sharp remarks about her failures, why not re­member what she will one day be and begin longing for that day.

Don’t you long for heaven when you are weary by your own struggle against sin? One of the great blessings that Christ has won for us through his death and resurrection is that we are dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:1-14). Sin no longer has power to rule over us. But sin is not yet dead. It still tempts and lures us. We still choose the fleet­ing pleasures of sin over love and obedience to our Saviour who died for us. We still have to battle each day against impatience, selfishness, hard-hearted­ness, ingratitude, and all the other sins of the flesh. We have to be constantly on a high state of alert against the lies and the temptations of evil one. We have to be constantly throwing off everything that hinders us in the Christian race. The Christian life is a battle that needs to be constantly fought, not a resort holiday where we chillax and pass the time in leisure and comfort.

No More Struggling←⤒🔗

In heaven, that battle will finally be over. The new heavens and the new earth are the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). It is the place where the spirits of right­eous men will be made perfect (Heb 12:23). You won’t ever again drive to work and find yourself struggling against the temptation to covetousness aroused by pervasive billboards. There will be no more temptation. You will never have to wrestle with those thoughts that you hope no-one ever finds out about. You will never again utter with pain and disap­pointment ‘oh no, I’ve done it again.’ You will never hear that accusing voice of the devil saying ‘you call yourself a Christian, what a joke’ when you stumble into sin yet again. Next time you are weary in the battle against sin, after you have brought that sin to the foot of the cross, why not remember and long for that place when your battle will finally be over?

Don’t you long for heaven when you see the suffering of this world? Isn’t it perfectly obvious that this is a world under the curse of sin? Our world is full of suffering and death. When you visit a nursing home and witness once healthy bodies and minds decayed to such an extent that they need full time care, the curse is obvious. When you attend a funeral, the curse is obvious. When the solid ground under your feet shakes like jelly, the curse is obvious. The whole creation has been subjected to frustration. The final solution to this frustrating situation is the new heavens and the new earth.

Hard to Imagine←⤒🔗

One day everything will be made new, and the old order of things will have passed away (Rev 21:4-5). It is hard to imagine what a world without any more crying, or mourning or pain will be like. We won’t need hankies or tissues or first aid kits. Drug companies will suddenly be out of business. ‘Cancer’ and ‘Alzheimer’ won’t be part of our vocabulary. The yellow pages will shrink exponen­tially without any listings for doctors, psychologists, funeral directors, ministers, police, or lawyers. The Bible is clear that it is not our best life now – the best is yet to come. Once you realise this, you don’t have to hang on to this life with all your might. You won’t get bitter at God when life becomes difficult and painful. You won’t seek to indulge every earthly pleasure and become frustrated when you can’t. You will learn to long for heaven.

Don’t you long for heaven when you get a brief taste of intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ? Through faith we are always in fellowship with Jesus Christ, but there are times when we experience that fellowship more keenly. Perhaps in a worship service it has seemed as it was no longer the preacher addressing you, but Jesus Christ himself speaking to you. Perhaps as you have meditated on God’s word, you have been thrilled by the glories of Jesus Christ and been lost in wonder and adoration and praise. Perhaps you’ve had a season of darkness where the valley you walked through was deep and dark. Yet as you walked thought that valley you experienced the gracious hand of the good shepherd and had peace and assurance like you’ve never had before. But the joys of these times of intimacy with Christ are often fleeting. Samuel Rutherford used to say ‘When Christ comes he stays not long, but certainly the blowing of his breath upon a poor soul is heaven upon earth.’ When you’ve known this fleeting experience of heaven upon earth, don’t you long for heaven more deeply?

It’s in heaven where we’ll experience the deepest and most glorious intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn’t that why Paul says that to depart and be with Christ is better by far than living on in this earthly body (Phil 1:23)? What is it about heaven that you long for most? Is it because that is where you will see your loved ones or all your mates who have gone before you? Is it because you think you’ll have heaps of spare time to do all the things you wanted to but didn’t get a chance in this life? Is it because you think that heaven is where you’ll be able to indulge your favourite pleasures: watching your entire DVD collection, playing rugby union without injury or disruption, eating perfect croquettes or fish and chips without putting on any weight? These are not the things that make heaven, heaven. These are not the greatest pleasures of heaven. It is the presence of the Lord Jesus, knowing him, and enjoying that intimate fellowship with him that makes heaven, heaven. And if you’ve tasted the pleasure of knowing him in this life, then isn’t the life to come something worth longing for more each day?