2003-10-03
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
Last week’s message ended with PHIL 1: 23-24, an expression by Paul of the desire all true believers share to leave earth’s trials and go home to be with the Lord, while at the same time recognizing that it is important to be here to do the Lord’s work. The choices we are called upon to make by the Lord go against our fleshly desires. Yet, they often have important long-term implications. Just think of Abram who was called upon by God to leave his family and the only culture he had known to go to a destination he didn’t even know for a reason he would never fully understand [GN 12:1]. God’s remarkable ability to transform the fleshly human mind is demonstrated in PHIL 3: 7-9. “But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ’s sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with Him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith.” What a very different mind-set it is to yield up control of one’s life to God! One does this knowing that the ultimate goal is now gaining eternal life with the Father, not feeding fleshly desires. Part of getting God’s perspective on our lives is learning to value long-term, eternal goals rather than feeding immediate appetites. If my experience is any teacher, the things that one must work hard and long to get are those he most appreciates. Yes, Dear Ones, heaven must be so very sweet.
This same concept is illuminated in 2 COR 5: 6-10. “So we are always full of courage. We know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord’s home. For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight. We are full of courage and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and be at home with the Lord. More than anything else, however, we want to please Him, whether in our home here or there. For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad in his bodily life.” This statement should not cause confusion regarding FAITH + NOTHING = SALVATION. Paul is writing to the body of believers, the church, and not to those who have not yet repented and come to faith in Christ. This audience is already slated for salvation. The question for them is the degree of reward in heaven, not whether or not they will be saved.
Paul attempted to describe Paradise as being the “third heaven” in 2 COR 12: 3 in one of the more curious passages in the Scriptures [2 COR 12: 2-4]. He isn’t sure it is a vision or actually happened. He tells the story of “a man who was caught up to the third heaven” who learned things that can’t be spoken of on earth, because they are too sacred to be uttered here. This is the same Paradise that Christ referred to in LK 23: 43 when He was being crucified and said to the man next to him who had expressed faith, “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with Me.” You’ll remember that when I wrote before about this in a previous message, the Believer’s Commentary revealed that the earth’s atmosphere is thought of as the first heaven, and space is the second one.
JOB 26: 7 speaks of the Creation, “God stretched out the northern sky and hung the earth in empty space.” The praise in PS 104: 1-2 is brought to mind by this. “O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain.” I can’t help but stand in awe of the many references we are given in the Scriptures that describe heaven for us. In His infinite wisdom, God uses every means available to give us just enough of a foretaste of heaven that we will want to desire to be there with Him for eternity. Even our Lord Jesus’ death on the cross, God’s greatest sacrifice of all, is designed to help bring us back to Him. We should be more than grateful; we should desire to worship God for all eternity, which might not even be adequate thanks for the blessings He showers on all who believe in Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, in my own mind the entrance to heaven is like a silky gauze curtain through which we are invited to pass in God’s time. We can’t see very much of what awaits us there, only what is described in the Bible. But, Dearest Abba, it is enough for us to make the choice to want to pass through. This curtain is the veil that is over the eyes of all who have not yet accepted Christ as their personal Savior. It can be removed by repenting of sin, coming to faith, and by spending one’s life in obedience to Your teaching. That is why You prompted Paul to write in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instructions for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” In other words, this is a way that You bring Your goodness to earth. This imaginary curtain is translucent; we can see only a shadow of the remarkable and desirable place that heaven is-just enough to want more-from the earth side. Those who reject Christ cannot even see that. 1 COR 2: 14, “Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them; they are foolishness to him, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis.” On the other hand, living “in Christ” allows believers to take the path that I believe will eventually lead to a place so blissful and wonderful that even with the Scriptural descriptions given we can’t imagine its brilliance. Your light shines throughout this delightful place, so that no sun, moon, or stars are even needed [REV 22: 5]. Once we pass through this gauzy curtain, we will be allowed to gaze upon Your face without fear of death and to feel the warm glow of Your eternal love all around and through us. The Aaronic blessing of NU 6: 24-26 will be a reality for us. “The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The healing of “earth-worn” souls will have finally taken place in heaven. PS 80: 53 will have come true for us. “Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved.” And Dearest Lord, the traditional Jews who have now not yet come to faith, but who will answer your call will finally have the veil removed from their eyes too. You will have fulfilled the wonderful promise made in COL 1: 20, “Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to Himself. God made peace through His Son’s death on the cross and so brought back to Himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.” For all the blessings and hope You give us, O Lord, we offer You our worship, adoration, trust, obedience, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, thanks, and utmost praise. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
In next week’s message, we will take a good look at what God tells us about the eternal city, the new Jerusalem, in REV 21:1-22:5. As many times as I have written about this passage, I learn something new from the Holy Spirit each time. Thus, I take joy in returning to it once again. How blessed our Abba makes us when we spend daily time in His word, converse with Him (allowing Him to speak first) in prayer, reach toward His perspective on the circumstances of our lives, and interact with other believers within and without our congregations. I have learned through experience that we get to know God through obeying Him. It is awesome the way He can inspire not only the prophets and authors of the Scriptures, but seemingly ordinary people to bring His will into our lives. Through our study and prayer, He gives us the discernment to recognize when this is being done and when it is not. He provides true believers with amazing protection through His guidance and very presence in our lives. No doubt I will spend the rest of my writing life extolling God’s virtues and generosity toward those who love Him. And still, I will not have told all there is to tell about this. That is why God could inspire Paul to write in RO 8: 1, 28, “There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus…We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.”
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn