Trinity Methodist Church

Sermon: The Kingdom of Heaven 

Trinity Methodist Church of Eugene 

July 6, 2025 

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-10; John 14:1-3; and Luke 23:32, 39-43 

Rebecca Wetmore-Cook

The Kingdom of Heaven is a topic we often overlook in our adult church discussions, yet it is a vibrant subject for children’s Bible study. Children possess an innate ability to imagine and understand heaven. 

Their minds, not yet clouded by the complexities of the world, seem naturally attuned to this kingdom, and their faith in it often appears unshakable.

It’s curious, isn’t it? The older we get, the closer we are to potentially entering God’s kingdom, and yet we seem to contemplate it less. Why might that be?

On the cover of your bulletin, you’ll find one artistic depiction of the city of Heaven. This image seems to draw inspiration from the Book of Revelation, portraying a place known as the “New Jerusalem”

 – a city of gold, often depicted suspended on clouds, with rivers of crystal. And at its heart, the Tree of Life, perpetually drawing us closer to the God we love.

As a child, I devoured these descriptions, but they never felt like enough. I yearned to know more about this mysterious place. I would pepper my grandmother with endless questions about Heaven, and she, with loving patience, would do her best to guess the answers.

“Will there be animals there?” I’d ask. Her answer: “Yes, every animal that has ever lived, and yes, they will all be tame and cuddly.”

“Will I have endless access to chocolate there?” This question gave Grandma pause. She was what many today would call a “health nut.” “There will be carob,” she’d offer, “Can’t you just eat that?” For those unfamiliar, carob, while pleasant on its own, is often touted as a healthy substitute for chocolate. But for us chocolate lovers, we know there is no true substitute.

“But Grandma, will there be real chocolate?” With a sigh, she conceded that all the plants would be there, and I was welcome to pick some cacao and make it myself. That sounded perfectly fine to me. 

With an eternity stretching before me, I could build an entire chocolate chip factory! She simply reminded me that in heaven, I would never be hungry, so I wouldn’t need it. To which I, with the undeniable logic of a child, replied, “I don’t need to be hungry to eat chocolate!”

It’s certainly fun to imagine what Heaven might look like. Yet, Jesus seemed less concerned with the physical descriptions of God’s kingdom than he was with who is going. Jesus spoke extensively about the Kingdom of Heaven, and today’s scripture verses capture three of the main points he made about it during his earthly ministry.

First, in Matthew 5:1-10, we find the Beatitudes. This profound section begins and ends with bold statements about the Kingdom of Heaven and who will inherit it. We are told, first and foremost, that the poor in spirit will enter the kingdom.

To be “poor in spirit” is to recognize our utter lack of merit before God. It’s an honest admission of our spiritual emptiness, our inherent sinfulness, and our complete inability to earn God’s favor or salvation through our efforts alone. It stands in direct opposition to spiritual self-sufficiency or pride.

This poverty of spirit leads us to genuine humility. When we truly grasp our own inadequacy, we become completely dependent on God for everything – for forgiveness, grace, guidance, and ultimately, for entrance into His eternal kingdom. It is a surrender of self-reliance and a trusting in God’s boundless grace alone.

Jesus is essentially proclaiming that those who acknowledge their deep need for God are the very ones who are ready to receive all that He so freely offers. Only those who recognize their spiritual poverty will seek and find the immeasurable spiritual riches of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus then continues, listing others who will find a place in His kingdom: the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. The list culminates with “those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” assuring them they too will inherit the kingdom. This promises a reward for those who make personal sacrifices in God’s name.

These verses from Matthew offer an extensive, though still incomplete, portrait of those Jesus intends to welcome into Heaven. But how vast is this kingdom?

In our verse from John 14:1-3, Jesus describes the expansive nature of Heaven, assuring us that his Father’s house has many rooms, many dwelling places. 

This means there is indeed room in Heaven for everyone who desires to go, and profoundly, that Jesus himself is actively preparing a specific space there for each of us. Not only that, but he promises to personally come and take us there so that we can be with him forever.

In these verses, Jesus unequivocally confirms that Heaven exists as a real, physical space, and that he will personally ensure our passage there. It’s a truly beautiful and comforting passage that we can return to any time we feel doubt or uncertainty.

It reads: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

I recall my grandma reading these very verses to me from her King James Bible. Though the language was a bit more archaic, the powerful message remained the same. 

And it brings to mind another question I once posed to her about Heaven: “Grandma, are the people I don’t like going to be there?” This question elicited an even deeper sigh than the chocolate inquiry.

Her short answer was, “Yes, but the ‘bad parts’ of them, and the part of us that dislikes others, will all stay behind.”

Her longer answer was a retelling of one of her favorite stories, the one where the thief on the cross is forgiven – the very one we read today from Luke 23. Grandma would often remind me how often we only see one cross in pictures of Easter, but that there were two other crosses there as well.

Crucifixion was a common and brutal punishment for crimes in the Roman Empire – a hideous public spectacle designed to display the empire’s cruelty. These death sentences were so commonplace that multiple executions often occurred simultaneously. And the day of Jesus’ death was no different.

And once again, even in this most harrowing of circumstances, Jesus was given a profound opportunity to contrast the nature of God’s kingdom with the one created by men.

The story from Luke tells us: “Two others, criminals, were led away to be executed with him… One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 

But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’”

This man, in his dying moments, recognizes Jesus. He acknowledges his own sinfulness  and, with a flicker of faith, turns to Jesus, asking to be remembered in His kingdom.

This “poor in spirit” moment from a dying criminal offers us a profound glimpse into the vastness and accessibility of God’s grace. This man, with no time for good works, no opportunity to join a church, no chance to earn his way, simply recognized Jesus for who He was and, in his humility, asked for mercy. And Jesus, in His limitless love, granted it immediately: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

This thief, with his last breath, models the very essence of true spiritual poverty. He had nothing to offer but his desperate plea, and Jesus offered him everything. 

This story utterly shattered my childhood question to my grandma: “Are the people I don’t like going to be there?” Because who among us can judge another’s heart in their final moments? Who are we to say who is truly “unworthy” when God’s grace extends even to a dying criminal who, at the very last moment, turns to Him?

The Kingdom of Heaven is not just a distant, gold-paved city for the perfectly righteous. It is a reality that begins now, in hearts that are poor in spirit, humble, merciful, and peacemaking.

 It is a promise of vastness and welcome, with many rooms for all who turn to Jesus. And it is a testament to God’s incredible, undeserved grace, extended even to those who, like the thief on the cross, have nothing to offer but a cry for mercy.

So, as we leave this place today, let us carry these truths with us. Let us not be so preoccupied with the fleeting things of this world that we forget the eternal kingdom. 

Let us strive to live as the “poor in spirit,” recognizing our dependence on God. Let us trust in Jesus’ promise to prepare a place for us and to welcome us into His Father’s house. And let us embrace the astounding truth that God’s grace is so immense, so encompassing, that there is indeed room for all who truly seek Him, even in their final hour.

May we live with the confident hope of the Kingdom of Heaven, a hope that shapes our lives today and comforts us with the promise of eternity with our loving God. Amen.