Heaven Bound
HEAVEN BOUND – THE CHRISTIAN’S HOPE
In my short life as a Christian, I seen some of my brothers and sisters in Christ suffer some pretty tuff ordeals in their own lives. Some were self-inflicted, some were not. Life becomes hard and sometimes we just feel like giving up and we get discouraged. Even going to church some wonder why bother. And so that’s why I want to share a special lesson with you today; one I’ve done before and one I’ll probably do again, because we need to be reminded why we are here
I believe that’s why men like Peter and Paul thought it important to lift the eyes of those first century Christian Heavenward, to remind them of the eternal hope have. And that’s why I why I want to talk about Heaven this morning, because troublesome times are not something new…
Paul wrote to the Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed . “
To the Corinthians Paul wrote “Do not loose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out weighs them all.” I Cor. 4:16-17
To the Ephesians he wrote: ” I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, The riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18
Sometimes you and I need to open our eyes to the hope we have in Jesus.
Farther Along (click to listen to Dailey And Vinncent version on Youtube)
The eternal purpose and plan of God is for us to walk with Him in Heaven.
I like what angels had to say to the early disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven… Read Acts 1:9-11 “After he (Jesus), said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Did you ever wonder what it will be like on that day, when Jesus returns?
Paul had much to say on the topic as he wrote to the Thessalonians.
I Thess. 413f ‘Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For on that day, the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven a loud command (a shout, a victorious shout), and with the voice of the arch angel and with the trumpet call of God. And those who are dead in Christ and those who are dead shall be raised incorruptible.’
Anyone and everyone that has died before you, by just a moment, or by a year, or by centuries, will hear the sounding of that trumpet .
So when the trump is sounded, when the voice of the Arch angel is sounded, the Earth will cast forth her dead. And every one that is alive at that moment, busy marrying, “and busy giving in marriage, busy cooking, and busy doing things that we must do in this world, will be changed. In the twinkling of an eye – instantaneously! (I Cor. 15:50-53)
When the Roll is called up Yonder (click on to listen to)
And, I Thess. 4 says that all, will be caught up to meet the LORD in the clouds,
The Bible also teaches that on that day:
The Heavens and earth will pass away with a great noise – a noise like you’ve never heard before!
It will be like that on that day when the stars and the planets, and every thing that is out there, will begin to move away and disappear and be no more. ‘For before the beginning they did not exist, and at the end of time they will not exist any more’.
2 Peter 3:10 Tells us that this Earth which is so precious to us will be burned up and it will be no more,
So the Earth has cast you forth. We are not on it, we are somewhere out in space – and we will all have new bodies. Babies have new bodies. Teenagers have a new bodies. Old men and women have a new body … as well as the sick and cripple and hurting.
In 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 Paul wrote “50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
Our new bodies will be an indestructible, imperishable, glorious, spiritual bodies. And like a babe, you begin to explore that new body; and you will be so happy with what God has given you!
And then maybe you’ll smile when you think about some of the old church songs you sang like
I’LL FLY AWAY (Click on song to hear it)
And as you look you see all the people of the Earth with you, you may say to yourself, “This must be all the people that ever lived”.
And you remember the verse in Matt 25:31f, “When the son of man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, Before Him will be gathered all the nations of the Earth, and He shall separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”.
So there you will be in the greatest family reunion ever, for we are all related through Adam and Noah
And you see and hear those separating everyone into lines and you look to see what line you are in and you see that you are on His right hand, and are numbered among the sheep – the righteous. And you look and you are amazed, even baffled at the length of the line you are in. More people in it than you ever thought there would be. And you recognize it as a tribute to the majesty and glory of God, and a tribute to the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it’s power to save.
You may say to yourself, “I did not think this many would go to heaven.”So many but then you remember Hebrews 2:10 where it says, “He will call many sons into glory”.
As you behold the great line that you are in, maybe you will also recall what Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe in me also, for in my house there are many mansions”. And you realize those mansion will not be empty. And maybe you smile and start humming
Mansion over the Hilltop (cick on to listen)
Suddenly you are at Judgment, and you look up and you see the eyes of your Lord. You finally see Him face to face.
And He looks down and you see before Him a great book which is open. And as you look down and see his hand on the page you notice the nail pierced hand, and it kind of takes you back a bit. Yes it was Jesus Himself. He who was nailed to the cross.
And then He speaks your name. But He speaks as if He knows you. He does not have an angel whisper your name in His ear. He speaks as though He had known you more than a day, or even a year. As He begins to Judge you He says, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was naked and you clothed me.’
And He Judged you. ‘I wanted you to believe in me and you did. I commanded you to turn from a sinful life style and you did your best. I commanded you to be Baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sin and you obeyed.”
And He Judged you. ‘You used what talent I gave you. You forsook not the assembly, but gathered and encourage your brothers and sisters unto good works. You remembered Me as you ate the bread and drank the fruit of the vine each week. He spoke of the gifts you gave week after week, year after year. He spoke of how you did your best to share the Gospel message to all those you came into contact with.’ And He judged you.
And the more He spoke, the more you were amazed at how well He really knew you. Just not your name, but He knew you! It was as if He knew the very hairs on your head and had them numbered. He knew all your successes and failures. And then He looks you in the eyes and said, “Enter into the Glory of your Lord”.
Suddenly you are passing through one of those 12 pearl gates, and you notice the gate is a single pearl. Finally in the city of God, the city you so longed to see. It is far more than you ever expected or dreamed it could be. You can see why Paul said that no human words could express what you saw. And you are thrilled and filled with ultimate joy!
First things first, you want to see God. As you travel, the great street you move on is beautiful, of pure gold, yet transparent like glass. And finally there in the center of the city you see Father God, no temple hiding Him. He’s just there. Surrounding Him is a number angels and people. They are innumerable, in white.
And you feel so comfortable among them, and start to sing, and sing with great joy and peace and happiness. You sing songs of praise and it sounds so beautiful like you’ve never heard before.
There is a Habitiation (Acapella’s version on Youtube)
You really don’t know how long you were there in that worship service, it couldn’t be measured. It is a new dimension of eternity. There’s not clocks, no sun going down because the sun is gone and there is no need for lamps, because the glory of God enlightens that city.
Then as you are looking at God, it is as if He were looking right at you. And as you see Him face to face, you notice something, there is pleasure on His face, as if He were glad to see you, and your heart jumps with joy. And you realize there is no longer an need to hope, and not longer a need for faith because you are now living your hope, and your faith has become a reality. And now Love is the one thing remains welling up in you.
Oh, they tell me of a Home (cick on to listen)
God speaking through Isaiah wrote: 65:17-19 “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I WILL REJOICE in Jerusalem and delight in her people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”
When you see His face and His joy, and the joy of those in that gathering, in His presence, and you never want to move. But there’s more things to see and do. And so as if you knew the city, as if you were programmed with the mind and language that is called ‘Heaven’, you know where your mansion is and seek it out.
As you enter it you are amazed and astonished and the feeling of joy continues to encompass you for it is a mansion in every sense of the word…prepared just for you.
When we all get to Heaven (cick on to listen)
You later go out and begin to mingle with other people. You see David, and Moses, and Adam, and Job and Noah, and people you’ve known in the church since you became a Christian. Everywhere you go you feel welcomed and comfortable, and accepted, and you continue to feel that joy.
Every question you ask is answered, everything you ever wondered is answered, and you begin to understand it all.
And suddenly you may try to remember some of the things from your past, something from your old life and the Earth and the trials you now face. But like the earth itself, those memories will be so dim. You will try to reflect on them and you will not be able to remember why you felt pain. You will try to remember, and then you won’t bother trying anymore.
It will be like that on that day, the day our Lord Jesus returns. As surely as Jesus came to die for us, He will come again to gather His own and take them home.
We need to remember that this world is not our home. Jesus has one waiting for us in glory!
This world is not my Home (cick on to listen)
Whether you are on the right hand of Jesus or the left when we meet Him in the air is totally up to you. Those on His right will live with Him in glory.
Those on His left on the contrary, will be cast forth from God’s presence, into the lake of fire, or Hell. Each day we have to remember that this world is not our home.
Today’s encouragement is this: Yea life is tuff sometimes. You may hurt physically or emotionally, but you have prize awaiting you. As Peter encouraged the first century Christian, I encourage you, he said, ‘Make your calling and election sure’
Don’t you Want TO Go to That Land (cick on to listen)
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
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