LifeGroup Notes

BIG IDEA
Reality speaks to the existence of God as we see in Romans 1:20, and we see that God has been speaking to us for thousands of years trying to instill in us these truths: your lives are being lived in rebellion against Him, you are an eternal soul, and you need to be made right with Him. Thankfully, the God who made you and who made the universe was willing and able to make things right with you through the sacrifice of His Son. He is also very willing and very able to make sure that your eternal soul is not abandoned. To those who trust in Him and His plan, He gives them eternal life (John 3:16).

Passages we’ll review:
Luke 23:43; John 21:4-15a; Revelation 21:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 25:6-9

OPENING
What stood out to you from the message this week? What led you to really think? Did anything challenge you? Have you ever had to share something that you really loved, something that had immense value to you?

Are you afraid of death? Why or why not?

READ

Read Matthew 11:28-30

Heaven, as we will see, is a place that is presented as perfect in the Bible. A lot of people who have seen movies or read books of “perfect” people or places may have a bit of a negative view of that word, as in those books or movies the “ perfect” almost always shows itself to be imperfect. That perfection is either “plastic” and fake, or maybe even a front for something sinister.

Why do you think humans have this skewed view of perfection?

What do you think Heaven will be like?

Read Luke 23:43

Jesus addresses the thief that has repented as he is dying on the cross next to Him. He declared to the repentant thief on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” What comes into your mind when you think of the word “Paradise?”

The word Jesus used for “paradise” is paradeisos, which means “a park, that is, specifically an Eden, a place of future happiness, paradise”. Paradeisos is the Greek word taken from the Hebrew word pardes which means “a park: - forest, orchard” (Strong’s Concordance).

What is the purpose of a park? Why do you think Jesus is using that word here?

Let’s look at some misconceptions that the Devil loves to use as snares in our culture to dampen our excitement of Heaven and tell lies about God.

Misconception #1 - Heaven will be boring and immaterial.
This first passage takes place after the death and resurrection of Jesus. We read multiple times that we will have a physical, perfect body like Jesus when all things are said and done.

Read John 21:4-15a

Here Jesus is in His resurrected, glorified body. What does this passage teach us about the glorified bodies we are promised?

Read Revelation 21:1-4

What promises are here? Which is most exciting to you?

In Revelation 22:1-3, we also see that the tree of life from Genesis will return and will bear fruit and heal the nations. God’s presence will be there as well, and we will be serving God and ruling with Him over His creation! What does all of this imagery remind you of?

What does the fact that we will be serving God, not just constantly standing around singing, imply?

Here, we see a return to Eden-like conditions. Think about all the excitement and joy the Earth can bring even while it is in a fallen state. What are some things that you truly enjoy now that you can give God glory for?

God knows what our hearts and minds love, He designed us. He is the reason we enjoy good food, good company, sitting around a fire, swimming, meaningful work, feeling the sun on our skin, and good music. He is the author of all of our purest pleasures, and He wants to give His children good things as evidenced in James 1:17 and countless other scriptures.

Read 1 Corinthians 2:9

How can this passage apply to our view of Heaven?

Misconception #2 - Nothing is perfect.

When you try to think up an image of perfection, what is it like?

Going back to Revelation 21:3-4, imagine Earth with those aspects. What do you think that will be like?

Misconceptions #3 - “I won’t be myself anymore in Heaven”.

Studies have shown that some people, when thinking about their future, imagine themselves as strangers. Take a moment to imagine yourself in five years receiving an incredible blessing. Could you put yourself in that future person’s shoes? Science has told us that many people often cannot, and that in their brain they generate another person to receive whatever positive blessings are coming their way. This often leads to poorer, in-the-moment choices of instant gratification. And we can believe and behave the same way here with eternity and godliness in mind.

When you think that God is going to give another person the blessings that He promised to you, what are you doing?

In everything you do, work to keep your mind on the promises of Jesus, and TRUST that the good God who promises you these things is not lying to you. The new Heaven and the new Earth will one day be joined as one, and a truly perfect paradise will result. We will we see a return to Eden-like conditions, but with one massive improvement: the people, deeply in love and appreciative of what God has done for them, now are eternally sealed with the goodness of God in their hearts and can fully enjoy Him and His creation apart from the curse of sin, resurrected, and made perfect in Him.

DIGGING DEEPER

Read Isaiah 25:6-9

Isaiah prophesied against the nation of Israel as well as the Gentile nations surrounding them for their sins against God. Yet, even though God promised wrath and judgment against those who sinned against Him, He also offered hope to those who followed Him. —Editor’s Note

How does this passage show us God’s faithfulness even in difficult times?

How can the promise of salvation and rejoicing impact your perspective on present struggles and future hope?

LET’S PRAY

Consider the following as you pray together:

1. As we live our lives here on Earth, we must remember that, in Christ, we have a promise of eternal life with Him. Are you living your life now with an eternal perspective? How can you be more intentional in living your life in light of our eternal destiny with Him?
   

2. As followers of Christ, we can rest in knowing that even in difficult times, we are promised a hope and a future with Him! What has happened this week that you can praise the Lord for? Spend time praising Him for His love, care, and provision, as well as His promise to never leave you.
   

3. Knowing the future that we are promised in Heaven, what responsibilities do you have today? Look for opportunities to share this hope with those who are struggling and in need of His hope!
   

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” (C.S. Lewis)