Heaven and How to Get There – Group Study
“Heaven and How to Get There”
Pastor Gary Hamrick
John 13:33-14:6
What will heaven be like? How can we get there? Many people think that if they are good
enough, they will get to heaven when they die, but then the question becomes, “How
good is good enough?” Thankfully, Jesus died on a cross for our sins because He knew
that we are not good enough—there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve heaven. Yet
Jesus opened heaven wide through His sacrifice on the cross for all who would believe,
and then He made a bold declaration that He is the only way to heaven! Heaven is a
choice.
- John 13:33-14:6 – “‘Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will
seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, “Where I am going, you cannot come,” so now
I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord,
where are You going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow
Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not
follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Will
you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall
not crow till you have denied Me three times. Let not your heart be troubled; you
believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I
am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.’
Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can
we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me.’” - These verses are a continuation of the Upper Room Discourse
a. Jesus’ final Passover with His disciples before His crucifixion
b. Important lessons for the disciples and us
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c. The disciples had three questions
i. Where are you going? (John 13:36)
ii. Why can I not follow you? (John 13:37)
iii. How can we know the way? (John 14:5)
d. Jesus told them prophetically what we now know historically
i. He would be crucified, rise from the dead, spend forty more days
with them on earth, and then rise into heaven (Acts 1:9-11) - Jesus talked about heaven
a. To prepare the disciples for His departure from earth after His resurrection
b. To prepare the disciples (and us) for our departure from earth when we die - What is heaven?
a. Heaven is the habitation of God and the eternal home for those who trust
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
i. Jesus died to allow as many people as possible into heaven
b. Heaven is mentioned more than two hundred seventy-five times in the New
Testament and over three hundred times in the Old Testament
i. 1 Kings 8:30 – “And may You hear the supplication of Your servant
and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in
heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.”
ii. Psalm 103:19 – “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And
His kingdom rules over all.”
iii. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 – “So we are always confident, knowing that
while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For
we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
iv. Revelation 21:27 – “But there shall by no means enter it anything that
defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
c. Heaven is located somewhere above the earth, beyond outer space
i. 2 Corinthians 12:1-2 – “It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I
will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in
Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or
whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was
caught up to the third heaven.”
ii. Psalm 14:2 – “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children
of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”
d. Heaven has streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of jasper, foundations of
precious stones, and a crystal-clear river
i. 1 Corinthians 2:9b – “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have
entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for
those who love Him.”
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ii. Whatever you may find spectacular about earth, it will not compare
to heaven
iii. Revelation 21:15-21 – “And he who talked with me had a gold reed to
measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a
square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city
with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and
height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and fortyfour cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold,
like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned
with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the
second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the
twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each
individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure
gold, like transparent glass.”
iv. Revelation 22:1 – “And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
e. Heaven is illuminated solely by the presence of God and His glory
i. Revelation 21:23 – “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to
shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”
f. Heaven is a place of “no mores”—no more death, mourning, crying, pain,
sorrow, sin, or sickness
i. Revelation 21:4 – “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be
no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
g. Heaven is a place of reunions with loved ones and friends who knew Christ
as Savior
i. Matthew 17:3-4 – “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is
good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three
tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’”
ii. John 21:1-7 – “After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:
Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee,
the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We
are going with you also.’ They went out and immediately got into the
boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had
now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know
that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Children, have you any
food?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ And He said to them, ‘Cast the net
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on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast,
and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of
fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the
Lord!’ Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on
his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.” - There is room in heaven for you
a. John 14:2 – “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
i. The word mansions in the Greek is monē, which translates to
“dwelling or home”—Jesus wants us to make our home with Him
b. God put the burden of sin on His Son so that we could go to heaven
c. The only reason someone does not go to heaven is because they do not
choose to go
d. All other world religions require the person to “do enough” to get to God—
Christianity teaches that God came down to us
e. John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
f. Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (1984 NIV)
g. Acts 2:21 – “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(1984 NIV)
Discussion Questions - Read John 13:33-14:6 to provide a foundation for your Bible study time.
- Why did Jesus talk about heaven with His disciples? (See #3 above)
- What is heaven? (See #4a above)
- Where is heaven? (See #4c above)
- Read Revelation 21:15-21. What does heaven look like? (See #4d above)
- Have you ever worried that you might miss elements of earth when you get to
heaven? Why is this type of thinking mistaken? (See #4d-ii above) - Read Revelation 21:23. How is heaven illuminated? What might this be like? (See
4e above)
- What might life be like in heaven? (See #4f and #4g above above)
- Read John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and Acts 2:21. Why is heaven a choice? (See #5e. #5f,
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and #5g above) - Close your meeting by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your time of prayer.
- Unless noted, all Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version (NKJV)
