It’s a blessing to be living in Christ every day, getting to know Him by faith, enjoying our fellowship with each other, but it is possible to focus too much on the spiritual benefits of this life.
Main Idea: Don’t let the evil one persuade you to minimize eternity.
Luke 10:20 Spiritual conflicts will continue and sometimes you will feel victorious and other times not but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Matthew 5:11 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
Text: John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
• Jesus did not speak these words to funeralize the dead but to inspire their living.
• Jesus spoke those words as One who knows. As one who has been there.
• In Philippians chapter 1 Paul says “I’m torn.” To depart and be with Christ is very much better.
• 1 Peter 1:13 Set your hope completely on that day.
• James 4:14 tells us life is a vapor! .
We talk about what we can’t take with us when we leave, but it’s also good to think about what we get to leave behind.
• We get to leave worries about money. We get to leave health issues. We get to leave job pressures. We get to leave relationship conflicts. We get to leave bad news. We get to leave goodbyes to loved ones behind us. For as the Scripture says, 1 Thessalonians 4:17 we shall forever be with the Lord.
We are not hoping there is life after this one. We are not guessing. We are not wishing.
• 2 Corinthians 4:14 – We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:17 And so we will be with the Lord forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Forever is for real. Just as there is forever with the Lord, there is forever without Him. Every person matters to the Lord and praying for anyone is no waste of time.
[View from My Place]
Leave a Reply