Would you be happy in heaven if Jesus were not there?

In his book, God is the Gospel, John Piper poses this question:

The critical question for our generation --and for every generation is this:
If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all your friends and loved ones there, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, with no human conflict, no human disasters, no physical pain or suffering, and even a new resurrection body, could you be satisfied with heaven--if Christ were not there? 

Would you be happy in heaven if Jesus were not there?  

John 17:3 says, "This is eternal life, that we might know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." What is eternal life? KNOWING GOD. Beholding God. Eternal life is NOT having your sins forgiven. Eternal Life is being reconciled to God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Eternal Life is being in relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Eternal Godhead.

By the number of hits on my last post, it appears that this is NOT a popular topic, or maybe I'm not putting this good news across in such a way that it can properly be understood.

Regardless, my reason for attempting to write on this subject is because I don't want to miss out on the Good News and I don't want that for you either. And the Good News is God Himself. I think that I and so many others get sidetracked and miss the fact that we're saved not for all the gifts and benefits, but we're saved to fall in love with Jesus, to let Him love us and to love Him right back. He is the greatest gift, and for many of us, He is the gift that remains unopened, unseen, unknown, not even sought after.

Maybe that's why worship is so hard and so few believers enter into real worship of the Lord, because you can't worship what you don't know. That's what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 and it's true for us today as well. If we don't KNOW Him, we have NO desire to worship Him. We may love the trappings of Christianity, love going to Church, love serving in Church, but if we don't worship Him, then we don't love Him and don't know Him.

Consider what Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-9 (NLT)

⁷ I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

⁸ Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

⁹ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.  

Paul's heart desire is to become ONE with the Messiah, Jesus, Our Lord. His goal is not going to heaven, or having peace with God, or receiving any of God's other gifts, his goal is Jesus Himself. As Matt Redman writes in "The Heart of Worship",

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, all about You, Jesus....I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it, when it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus."

Some Good News for you this Christmas!

Here's something to think about: If you knew that you could go to heaven in your new resurrection body along with no more pain, no more problems, and on top of everything else, you'd be reunited with all your loved ones, would you want to go? Of course! But what if there was just one problem--What if Jesus wasn't there? If Jesus was absent from heaven, would you still want to go? Would it still be heaven?
                                                      What is the Good News? 

What message did the angel proclaim to the shepherds on a lonely hillside outside of Bethlehem? If you asked the average churchgoer in a Southern Baptist church around where I live, they'd tell you that the Good News means you're saved and going to heaven. Others would say that "forgiveness" is the Gospel. But is that really the good news? Is being forgiven and getting your ticket punched for heaven the essence of the Gospel?

If Jesus wasn't there, would Heaven still be Heaven? 

The point John Piper makes in his book, "God Is the Gospel" is that heaven isn't heaven without Jesus. Yet many Christians would still want to go there, even if Jesus wasn't there. Why? Because they don't really KNOW Jesus. Salvation to many so-called "Christians" means you're not going to hell and you get to go to heaven. But all too many "Christians" know nothing about Jesus, much less knowing Him. He is not their daily bread, or their daily portion. They don't worship Him because they don't love Him. They love church and Christianity, but not Jesus. They love the gifts, but not the Giver Himself.

Here's the Good News that the angel announced to the shepherds on the hillside outside Bethlehem.

Luke 2:8-14 (NLT)
⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Merry Christmas: God is the Gospel

This Christmas, the Good News is that God is the Gospel. God came down to earth, became a man, lived a sinless life, suffered on a cross, died, was buried and rose again on the third day--Why? So that you and I could be with Him, see Him in all His glory, and KNOW Him. That's what Christmas is all about. It's about the ultimate gift: A relationship with God Himself. He is our everlasting treasure!

Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
⁸ Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. 

• Search for Him. Find Him. 
• Get to know Him. 
• Christmas is not about church or religion or helping others. 
• It's not about Santa Claus, or giving or receiving presents. 

It's all about Him. Christmas, the Good News announced by the angel to the shepherds is that our salvation has come, and that salvation is wrapped up in knowing and being with Jesus. He is the Gospel. It's seeing him in all His glory and letting His glory shine forth in our daily lives.

I'm on my quest to get to know Him, to learn about Him, to love Him and worship Him. Some days are better than others. Sometimes I drift back into religious piety and put my quest on hold. But deep in my heart, I know this: I want to know Jesus because He is the Gospel.

Merry Christmas.