Series Description:
What if your best days aren’t behind you—but ahead of you?

As we step into a new year, we set goals, make plans, and dream about what’s next. But what if our highest vision isn’t for this life… but the next? In this six-part series, Heaven, we’ll lift our eyes beyond the here and now and rediscover the hope, clarity, and purpose that come from a bigger view of eternity.

So much of what we believe about heaven has been shaped by culture—songs, movies, and clichés that leave it vague, boring, or distant. But the Bible paints a far better picture. Heaven is not wishful thinking. It’s real, personal, purposeful, and more meaningful than we’ve imagined.

Over the next six weeks, we’ll explore what Scripture actually says about heaven. We’ll wrestle with questions like:
- What will heaven really be like?
- Will we recognize one another?
- What will we do there?
- Why does heaven matter right now?

This series is an invitation to stop counting the days behind us and start living in light of the days ahead.

Message Description:
Happy New Year! As we step into a fresh year—setting goals for health, finances, and life—what if our highest vision wasn’t for this life… but the next?

This Sunday, we’re launching a brand-new six-week series called Heaven—and it’s personal. In the midst of celebration and growth, our church also walked through loss this past year. That tension leads to honest questions: What is heaven really like? Is it real? Is it better? Does it actually change how we live right now?

In this message, we’ll talk about:
- Why many of us have a small, confusing view of heaven
- How culture has shaped a boring or vague version of eternity
- How a bigger view of heaven brings clarity, purpose, and hope today
- Why the best days for those in Christ are not behind us—but ahead

We’ll open God’s Word, address common misconceptions, and begin a journey that will reshape how we live, grieve, hope, and lead in 2026. Whether you’re full of faith, full of questions, or somewhere in between—this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Key words: Heaven, Hope, Vision, Joy, God’s presence, Eternity, Death

TALK IT OVER

1. “What Are You Really Living For Right Now?”
At the start of a new year, we often set goals around health, money, or success.
- What has been occupying most of your thoughts, energy, and prayers lately?
- How do you think your current goals reflect (or don’t reflect) an eternal perspective?

2. “When Was the Last Time You Truly Thought About Heaven?”
Not vaguely or sentimentally—but biblically.
- What comes to mind when you think about heaven right now?
- Does the idea of heaven stir excitement, comfort, confusion, or indifference in you? Why?

3. “How Has Culture Shaped Your View of Heaven?”
Songs, movies, funerals, and phrases all form our imagination.
- Which cultural ideas about heaven do you recognize in yourself?
- How might those ideas have made heaven feel boring, distant, or unclear?

4. “Paul Was Torn—Are You?”
Paul said being with Jesus was “better by far,” yet he stayed because God still had purpose for him here (Philippians 1:21–24).
- Do you resonate more with longing for heaven—or clinging to life here?
- What do you think God still wants to do through you in this season?

5. “Loss, Longing, and Hope”
Levi Lusko talks about shifting from counting the days since loss to counting the days until reunion.
- How have loss or disappointment shaped your faith or view of eternity?
- What would it look like to anchor your pain in a future promise instead of carrying it alone?

6. “Foreigners and Exiles—What Does That Mean Practically?”
Scripture says this world isn’t our home—we belong somewhere else.
- Where do you feel most tempted to settle in or get too comfortable?
- How might remembering heaven as your true home change your daily decisions?

7. “What Shrinks Your View of Heaven?”
Our enemy, who was evicted from Heaven, works to distract us from eternity.
- What tends to shrink your vision of heaven—busyness, fear, suffering, success, or comfort?
- How does that affect your joy, courage, or faith right now?

8. “If Heaven Got Bigger, What Would Change?”
The message said: When heaven gets bigger, life gets clearer.
- If your view of heaven truly expanded, what might shift in how you live, love, give, or share your faith this year?
- What’s one small step you could take this week to set your mind on things above?