Heaven Is Other People (2/2)
In this final part of the two-part series on "Heaven Is Other People," Jean-Marie will continue to explore the scriptural evidence we can gather to suggest that heaven is about the day-to-day experience, contributed by ourselves as well as others.
As we learn to embrace our experiences in open-hearted and mindful ways, we will not only benefit from their uplifting impact but also learn to break free from our own limitations that may have held us back for many years. As a result, we get to choose whether other people are perceived as hell or heaven, which reminds us of our spiritual responsibility.
Experience the Sermon
Invocation
Jesus, The Kingdom of God
by Raymond Sides
I carry the Kingdom of God with me; He is with me everywhere I go.
It's the kingdom Jesus proclaimed, as He taught in this world below.
The Kingdom of God now stands before you,
living in me, as you can see.
But had it not been for the blood of Jesus,
there would have been no kingdom for me.
Many of us are filled with the Kingdom of God,
and our lights are shinning bright.
But there are some that have let their lamps grow dim,
because of sin surrounding their light.
So let's trim our wicks in our lamps,
which will make our lights shine bright.
And then the Kingdom of God can be seen in us,
through the darkest of all nights.
There are some of you who have never received the Kingdom of God,
and don't understand what I'm saying.
But if you will repent of your sins, and truly change your ways,
then you will have this Kingdom of God, just by simply praying.
Ask Jesus to forgive you for all of your sins,
and ask Him to come into your heart.
And Jesus, the Kingdom of God, will give you
everlasting life and a brand new start.
Sermon Notes
Main Scripture
Matthew 6:19–21: Concerning Treasures
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Supporting Scriptures
John 3:13: Nicodemus Visits Jesus
“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
Matthew 22:37–39: The Greatest Commandment
“He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Mark 10:21: The Rich Man
“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”
Luke 12:33–34: Do not worry
“Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Heavens and Hells in Different Religions
Six (6) Heavens
Judaism → Heaven (ambigous)
Christianity → Heaven; eternal
Islam → Paradise; eternal
Zoroastrianism → Paradisel; eternal
Hinduism → Moksha (release from cycle of death and rebirth)
Buddhism → Nirvana (end of suffering)
Seven (7) Hells
Judaism → Hell (ambiguous in scripture); not eternal
Greek Mythology → Hades → place of eternal punishment for evildoers
Christianity → Hell; eternal; mix between Gehinnom and Hades
Islam → Hell; eternal
Zoroastrianism → the Chinvat Bridge; not eternal
Hinduism → Samsara
Buddhism (Tibetan) → The Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead)
Metaphysical Interpretations
Heaven (RW)
“The Christ consciousness; the realm of Divine Mind; a state of consciousness in harmony with the thoughts of God. Heaven is everywhere present. It is the orderly, lawful adjustment of God's kingdom in man's mind, body, and affairs.”
Heaven and earth → “Two states of mind, the ideal and the manifestation. According to Revelation 21:1 we are to have new ideals with manifestations in the earth to correspond.”
Hell (RW)
“Hell represents a corrective state of mind. When error has reached its limit, the retroactive law asserts itself, and judgment, being part of that law, brings the penalty, called hell, upon the transgressor. This penalty is not punishment, but discipline. If the transgressor is repentant and obedient, he is forgiven.”
Hoarding (RW)
hoarding--Gathering things together in the external. This is a vain effort to avert an imagined shortage in the future. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume" (Matt. 6:19,20).
Law of Conversation (RW)
law of conservation--Building up a large reserve consciousness of substance, life, strength, and power, instead of laying up material treasures. This is done through prayer.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (Matt. 6:19, 20).
Quotes
Jean-Paul Sartre
“‘Hell is other people’ has always been misunderstood. It has been thought that what I meant by that was that our relations with other people are always poisoned, that they are invariably hellish relations. But what I really mean is something totally different. I mean that if relations with someone else are twisted, vitiated, then that other person can only be hell. Why? Because … when we think about ourselves, when we try to know ourselves … we use the knowledge of us which other people already have. We judge ourselves with the means other people have and have given us for judging ourselves.”