If you missed the first service, Ken answered the question by saying that primarily, heaven is the place where God dwells. The Bible doesn't give us GPS coordinates or a location, but generally refers to it as "up." In 2 Corinthian 12, Paul referred to the place where God dwells as the "third heaven" (the "first heaven" refers to the place where birds fly, and the "second heaven" is the place where the stars, moon and sun spend their time). When Jesus ascended into heaven, He went up (Acts 1:9).
Isaiah 14:13 might indicate that when you look up into the sky, heaven is in the direction of the north. However, that idea is purely the speculation of some theologians based on one verse. The Bible doesn't emphasize where heaven is so much as it emphasizes how to get there, which is by trusting Christ alone as Savior.
Here are some other questions from Sunday's service:
If God created everything, why did He create sin? Why did He create imperfect beings that would require Jesus' death to save them?
The logic of this argument goes like this: God created everything. Sin and evil is something. So, God must have created sin and evil. However, sin is not a "thing," per say, but the absence of good (Think of a hole - a hole is not a "thing." It is the absence of a thing). God is not the Creator of evil (1 John 1:5; 1 Corinthians 14:33), but He is the Creator of a world that included the potential for evil. It is us who make evil a reality.
So, why did God create a world with the potential for evil? Why does He allow evil to exist? He doesn't tell us explicitly, but He does give us some clues. Throughout the Scriptures, God makes it clear that He is in the Self-revealing business. Truly, the most loving thing a perfect God could do is to reveal His perfections to others who can appreciate them. And yet, we could not understand the depths of God's love if His love was not contrasted with hate. We could not begin to enjoy His grace if rejection was not a possibility. We could not understand forgiveness or the depths of Christ's sacrifice if sin was only hypothetical.
Ultimately, we are assured that God's plan is completely perfect and that even the awful things of the world will make good sense in the future (Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 13:12). Meanwhile, rather than worrying about the evil "out there," the Bible challenges us to deal with the evil "in here" - in our own hearts, by trusting Christ as Savior.
Ken Boa and Larry Moody have a great discussion of this topic in chapter 7 of their book "I'm Glad You Asked." You might want to check it out if you want more information.
How do you know you're saved? Is it possible for someone to lose their salvation?
John answered the first part of this question for us in 1 John 5:11-13. We know we are saved because our salvation depends on God, not on us. God promised eternal life to those who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, and God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). So, if you are wondering whether or not you are saved, the question to ask is: Have I trusted that Jesus Christ paid the price for my sin on the cross, rose from the dead, and gives me eternal life simply by trusting Him (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)? If you have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, you can know with absolute certainty that you are saved.
When you trust Jesus Christ as Savior, He gives you (present tense) "everlasting life" (John 3:16; John 11:25-26). For "everlasting life" to be "everlasting" life, it cannot be lost. Otherwise, it would just be just "life until you lose it." You did not do anything to earn salvation, and cannot do anything to lose it either. Salvation is dependent on God's faithfulness, not ours, and Jesus is clear: no one (not even ourselves) can snatch us out of the Father's hand (John 10:28-29).
Why do we have to trust Jesus Christ as Savior? Wouldn't His sacrifice be enough to cover our inaction?
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is absolutely enough to pay for our inaction, but there is a difference between the payment for sin, and the forgiveness of sin. I could go to the bank this afternoon and make sufficient payment to pay-off your home mortgage, but if you chose to reject my payment on your behalf, the bank would not forgive your debt. Similarly, all sin of all time has been sufficiently paid for by Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 2:9), though many people do not experience the benefits of that payment because they choose to reject it (John 3:18). No one would be foolish enough to reject the payment-in-full of our home mortgage. How much more foolish would we be to reject Christ's payment-in-full of our sin debt?
Why did Christ have to be a perfect Lamb (sinless)?
If Jesus had been imperfect, He would have owed God separation from Him - the same debt we owe God (Romans 6:23). As a result, He couldn't have paid our penalty. My bank will not allow me to make a payment on your mortgage if I am in default on my mortgage. The payment for sins demanded a substitute who did not owe the penalty Himself. Jesus had to be sinless.
Why did God wait so long to send Jesus? Why not send Him right after Adam and Eve sinned?
From Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Isaiah to Jesus, God was demonstrating to man that man could not earn salvation through good works. The Mosaic Law (See Exodus 20 through Deuteronomy) essentially proved to man that only God's grace could provide salvation. During that time, God was proving His wisdom to angelic creatures (Ephesians 3:10-11) through what Jesus accomplished on the cross. In fact, this is precisely the point Paul makes in Galatians 4:1-7. Jesus came at just the perfect time.
Can Muslims go to heaven, or is Christianity the only way to heaven?
Actually, according to Him, Jesus is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). No religious system, Islam or Christianity, grants a person entrance into heaven. Forgiveness is not found in a religious system, but in a Person. Although many Muslims are sweet, loving, God-fearing people (in the truest sense of the phrase), they are sinners just like you and I. Therefore, they owe God the same penalty that anyone else does: death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Unfortunately, the Islamic faith does not provide a Savior - just a series of works that a faithful person will do in hopes that Allah will accept them into Paradise. The very best Muslim is in the same boat as the very worst Muslim when they stand before a Perfect God: less than perfect. Without accepting the forgiveness that is only found through Jesus Christ, a Muslim will have to pay the penalty (death) himself.
Why is it that when you are living right in God's eyes, bad things still happen?
We still live in a world that, as a whole, stands against God. In fact, Satan has temporary authority within the world to work in and through people who stand opposed to God (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:12). Because the world is allied with the enemy, the battle we face is real. Sometimes we face the unintended consequences of sin perpetrated by the world. Other times we are the target of those who are allied with the enemy (2 Timothy 3:12). Remember, Jesus promised if they hated Him they will hate you for being identified with Him (Luke 21:17), but that their persecution is not the end of the story (Matthew 5:11-12).
What do you do if [the five friends you're praying for] are already Christians but don't live the Christian life?
Paul dealt with a similar situation throughout most of his ministry. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 to "warn those who are idle" (the people who aren't doing anything), "encourage the timid" (the people who are scared to do something), "help the weak" (the people who can't do something), and to "be patient with all." We should work hard to encourage our friends to do better just like Paul did in his letters, but also to be patient with them. If they are believers, we can be confident that God is at work in their lives (Philippians 1:6; 2:13).
We would also encourage you to find 5 friends who don't know Jesus, and begin praying for them as well. It is important to pray for each other as believers, but also to ask God to give us opportunities to share the Gospel with our friends who desperately need to hear it.
We've got more answers queued up for tomorrow, so be sure to check back then for answers to questions like:
- If Christ hadn't died, what would have happened? Would God just have destroyed man?
- What did Jesus experience during the 3 days in the grave? Why is it considered 3 days when [Friday to Sunday] is only 48 hours?
- How do modern Jews deal with the issue of sin?
- Does God need us? If not, why did He create us?
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