Bringing Heaven to Earth Sermons
Sermon 1
“Praying Heaven to Earth” (Ch. 1)
Matthew 6:9-13
Focus: Jesus taught us to pray heaven to earth rather than praying to exit earth for heaven.
Function: To allow the direction of the Lord’s Prayer to inform the direction of our own
prayers.
Summary: For the last few centuries, Christians seem to have focused our efforts on
escaping earth so we can get to heaven. But when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he
isn’t focused on escaping earth for heaven. He’s praying for God to bring heaven to earth.
And that directional focus should guide us as we invite God to do the very same thing
today.
Action/Response: Christians cannot remain mere ambassadors of heaven on earth, as if
we’re “doing time” on earth until we get to return “home” to heaven. The old hymn,
“This World Is Not My Home,” got it wrong. This world is our home. And God is calling
us to live as people who pray and invite heaven to this world.
Questions to Consider:
1. How might this prayer be good news for those in our communities of faith?
2. What would Jesus’ redirection mean for our lives if we took the direction of his
prayer seriously?
3. What impact has our focus on escaping earth had on the Christian faith?
Sermon 2
“The Bookends” (Ch. 5; pg. 5)
Genesis 1-2; Revelation 21-22
Focus: God created a good world and he has no plans of destroying or forsaking this
world.
Function: To encourage the hearers to read Scripture through the lens of Scripture’s
bookends.
Summary: Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22 have a lot in common. Unfortunately, for
the past few centuries, it’s as if we cut the first and last chapters of Scripture out entirely.
We begin the story in Genesis 3 with the Fall and we end the story by telling of God’s
fulfilled plan of atoning for the sins of humans and restoring relationship with us. This
story forgets that the story is larger than me and my salvation. This truncated story we’ve
told begins with sin and separation and ends with a remedy to our broken relationship
with God.
That is an important part of the story, but it’s not the whole story. However, when
we reattach the first and last chapters of Scripture, we begin to see that God’s story is
about so much more than finding forgiveness for my personal sins. It’s about a good
creation that needs restoration as much as we do. All of a sudden, we aren’t the primary
players in the story. The story isn’t just about us. It’s about the entire cosmos that God
intends to redeem.
And that’s a story worth giving your life to!
Action/Response: Since God is concerned with restoring all creation to shalom, we ought
to be a part of putting God’s kingdom dream for the future on display right here and now.
Questions to Consider:
1. How has a gospel that begins in Genesis 3 distorted the gospel we proclaim?
2. How might John be utilizing the language of Genesis 1-2 (the sea, the river, the curse,
etc.) to talk about God’s future in Revelation 21-22?
3. If God’s main goal isn’t to help us escape earth, how does that change the way we
view our work on earth today?
Sermon 3
“The Prodigal God” (Ch. 7)
Luke 15:11-32
Focus: God celebrates the return of his children.
Function: To challenge Christians to hand over our chains of “slavery” in exchange for
dancing shoes and party decorations.
Summary: For years, we’ve titled the third parable in Luke 15 “The Prodigal Son” story.
But this story isn’t about the son. It’s about the reckless love of a father.
I grew up associating the word “prodigal” with someone who was “wayward.”
But Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines prodigal as “recklessly spendthrift,”
which is a perfect description of the father. The father doles out grace like he has a neverending supply. He is a prodigal God.
However, many did not grow up thinking of God in this way. Like the older
brother in the story, many Christians “slave” for God in order to somehow earn God’s
grace. The good news of the gospel is that God isn’t like Pharaoh. He’s far better than
that!
Action/Response: Christians should practice hospitality. We ought to live like the father:
party planners and welcome committees, all of us.
Questions to Consider:
1. Jonathan and Josh referenced the Prodigal Son story throughout their book. Why is
this story so significant? What new insights did you learn about this story from
Bringing Heaven to Earth?
2. How is this parable good news for the older and younger brothers?
3. Do our churches reflect the love, grace, and celebratory nature of the father?
Sermon 4
“Practice Resurrection”
Isaiah 65:17-25
Focus: One day, God will make heaven and earth new…and his project is already
underway.
Function: To invite the hearers to put God’s future on display today.
Summary: Isaiah 65 gives us a preview of the future. And it’s an attractive picture. No
more SIDS. No more exile. No more violence. That’s a world I want to live in.
And when Jesus announces the kingdom of God, he’s letting us know that his
future is breaking into the world now. And followers of Jesus are invited to put that
future world on display today. We serve as a sign and foretaste of the kingdom inviting
people to join us in heaven’s invasion of earth.
Part of the reason we “practice resurrection” is to begin to acquaint ourselves with
the way things will be in the new heavens and new earth. What we do now will last into
eternity. So, why wait?
Action/Response: Eternal life begins now. We’re not waiting on anything. We ought to
urgently seek to live resurrected lives in the present.
Questions to Consider:
1. How might Isaiah 65 relate to Revelation 21?
2. How might a church that puts Isaiah 65 on display impact the community around
them?
3. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) sounds like an absurd way to live until we
realize it is the way we will one day live. How might the Sermon on the Mount
inform our way of life as we practice resurrection?
Sermon 5
“The End is Just the Beginning”
2 Peter 3:8-13
Focus: God will judge us all. And that’s good news!
Function: To encourage believers to see God’s judgment as a good thing.
Summary: In postmodern culture, judgmentalism has become the ultimate sin. “Judge not
lest ye be judged” is the one verse every Millennial has memorized. Sermons on hell are
a thing of the past.
But in Scripture, judgment is a good thing. In a world full of injustice and
persecution, judgment from on high is needed and welcomed.
Which brings us to the topic of hell. When Jesus reference hell (gehenna), he was
referring to the town dump outside of Jerusalem. Dante has informed our understanding
of the fires of hell more than Scripture. In the first century, hell and its gates were places
you could walk to. And in our world, hell is the best word to describe some of our own
experiences in this life.
In 2 Peter 3, Peter refers to fire, but it is important to remember that fire can be a
helpful resource. Haven’t you seen Cast Away or Survivor? Peter is picking up on the
positive uses of fire. Just as the flood was God’s way of cleansing the earth of sin, fire is
Peter’s way to remind us that God will one day refine the earth and make it new.
Action/Response: There are cosmic implications in 1 Peter 3. But 1 Peter 3 reminds us
that we are all in process and in need of refinement. God desires for all to repent. That
starts with us!
Questions to Consider:
1. Where has our view of hell come from? Is our view truly biblical?
2. How does your social location impact your desire for God’s judgment?
3. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “patient…not wanting anyone to perish.” How has the
traditional interpretation of 2 Peter 3:8-13 denied the truth of verse 9?
Sermon 6
“The End of Hope”
Romans 8:18-25
Focus: In the end, God is going to restore all things.
Function: To fill the hearers with a longing for God’s restoration.
Summary: The world is a broken place. Just watch the first five minutes of tonight’s local
news and you’ll see what I mean. Since Genesis 3, our relationship with God and one
another has been strained. In addition, Romans 8:22 reminds us that all of creation
continues to groan.
But the good news is that the groan signals a world on its way. Paul uses a “hopeful”
image. He uses the metaphor of childbirth. In the same way that birth pains signal a child
is on the way, the groaning of creation signals the coming birth of the new heavens and
new earth. All of the pain you feel in this world is meant to remind you that there is
another world on its way.
Here’s the thing about hope. Hope is better than despair. But there’s one thing better than
hope: the arrival of what you have hoped for. And once you receive what you’ve hoped
for, hope is a thing of the past.
A day is coming when hope will be a thing of the past. And that’s why Paul says that
“…three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians
13:13)” In the new heavens and new earth, faith will be a thing of the past because we
will see God face to face. In the end, hope will die because hope is for those who await
something. But love will remain.
Action/Response: Because we are people of hope, we live in hope of God’s future.
Questions to Consider:
1. What is hope for? What does it do? Why is it important?
2. How might the image of childbirth give us hope in our groaning?
3. We often focus on our suffering and groaning. How do you see creation suffering and
groaning? What are some current examples of creation groaning?