by The Father's House on Jun 30, 2024
### Summary
Today, we concluded our series on the theme "After This," focusing on what the Bible says about heaven and eternity. We began by emphasizing the importance of gathering together to lift up the name of Jesus, who is worthy of all our praise. Our key scripture was Hebrews 9:27, which reminds us of the certainty of death and the judgment that follows. We discussed the importance of basing our understanding of heaven on scripture rather than personal experiences or near-death accounts, which can sometimes be misleading.
We addressed several questions about heaven, such as whether we will see God, experience marriage, and have relationships. Revelation 22:4 assures us that we will see God's face, and Matthew 5:8 promises that the pure in heart will see God continuously. We also explored the nature of relationships in heaven, affirming that while marriage as we know it will not exist, the bonds we form on earth will carry over in a transformed way.
We touched on the presence of animals in heaven, citing Isaiah's vision of a peaceful coexistence among all creatures. We also discussed the possibility of seeing our pets again, referencing Billy Graham's comforting words that heaven will be a place of perfect happiness.
The sermon emphasized the importance of living with an eternal perspective. Using a rope as an illustration, we showed that our current life is just a tiny dot in the grand scheme of eternity. How we live now, in this "dot," affects our eternal future. C.S. Lewis's quote reminded us that those who think most of the next world do the most for this one. We are encouraged to set our sights on the realities of heaven and live each day in light of eternity.
Finally, we discussed the Bema Seat of Christ, where believers will be rewarded for their faithfulness. Our goal should be to please God in all we do, knowing that our actions have eternal consequences. We concluded with a prayer for believers to focus on living in light of eternity, making a difference in the lives of others.
### Key Takeaways
1. **Seeing God in Heaven**: Revelation 22:4 and Matthew 5:8 assure us that we will see God's face in heaven. This vision will be a continuous, ever-increasing reality, filling us with awe and wonder. The essence of God will be manifest in ways beyond our current understanding, making us realize how we lived so long without seeing Him. [40:57]
2. **Relationships in Heaven**: While marriage as we know it will not exist in heaven, the bonds we form on earth will carry over in a transformed way. We will recognize and have relationships with our loved ones, experiencing a deeper intimacy that surpasses earthly understanding. The ultimate marriage in heaven will be between Christ and His bride, the Church. [48:02]
3. **Animals in Heaven**: Isaiah's vision of a peaceful coexistence among all creatures suggests that animals will be present in heaven. Romans 8 speaks of all creation groaning for redemption, indicating that animals will be part of the new earth. If having pets makes our happiness complete, we can trust that God will provide for that in heaven. [51:16]
4. **Living with an Eternal Perspective**: Our current life is just a tiny dot in the grand scheme of eternity. How we live now affects our eternal future. C.S. Lewis reminds us that those who think most of the next world do the most for this one. We are encouraged to set our sights on the realities of heaven and live each day in light of eternity. [59:12]
5. **The Bema Seat of Christ**: Believers will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ to be rewarded for their faithfulness. Our goal should be to please God in all we do, knowing that our actions have eternal consequences. The crowns we receive will be a testament to God's grace and mercy, and we will lay them at His feet in worship. [01:08:26]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[36:21] - Introduction to the Series
[37:45] - Near-Death Experiences and Scripture
[39:31] - Prayer and Introduction to Questions
[40:57] - Will We See God?
[48:02] - Relationships in Heaven
[49:34] - Animals and Pets in Heaven
[51:16] - Eternal Perspective
[57:27] - The Rope Illustration
[59:12] - Living in the Dot
[01:01:22] - Setting Our Sights on Heaven
[01:03:16] - Expiration Date Illustration
[01:05:14] - The Bema Seat of Christ
[01:08:26] - Rewards in Heaven
[01:11:48] - Living to Please God
[01:13:39] - Prayer for Believers
[01:15:14] - Closing Prayer
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Hebrews 9:27 (NIV) - "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."
2. Revelation 22:4 (NIV) - "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads."
3. Matthew 5:8 (NIV) - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Hebrews 9:27, what are the two certainties mentioned about human life? ([36:21])
2. What does Revelation 22:4 say about our experience of seeing God in heaven? ([40:57])
3. How does Matthew 5:8 describe those who will see God? ([40:57])
4. What illustration was used in the sermon to explain the concept of living with an eternal perspective? ([57:27])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the certainty of death and judgment in Hebrews 9:27 influence the way believers should live their lives? ([36:21])
2. What might it mean to see God continuously in heaven, as described in Revelation 22:4 and Matthew 5:8? How does this vision impact our current understanding of God? ([40:57])
3. The sermon mentioned that relationships in heaven will be transformed. How might this transformation affect our current relationships and how we value them? ([48:02])
4. The concept of the Bema Seat of Christ was discussed in the sermon. What are the implications of believers being rewarded for their faithfulness? ([01:08:26])
#### Application Questions
1. Hebrews 9:27 speaks of the certainty of death and judgment. How does this reality affect your daily decisions and priorities? ([36:21])
2. Revelation 22:4 and Matthew 5:8 assure us that we will see God's face in heaven. How can you cultivate a "pure heart" in your daily life to prepare for this continuous vision of God? ([40:57])
3. The sermon emphasized that our current life is just a tiny dot in the grand scheme of eternity. What practical steps can you take to live with an eternal perspective, focusing on the "line" rather than the "dot"? ([59:12])
4. Reflect on your current relationships. How can you invest in them in a way that aligns with the transformed relationships we will experience in heaven? ([48:02])
5. The presence of animals in heaven was discussed, including the possibility of seeing our pets again. How does this vision of a peaceful coexistence among all creatures influence your view of God's creation and your role in it? ([51:16])
6. The Bema Seat of Christ will be a place where believers are rewarded for their faithfulness. What specific actions can you take this week to ensure that you are living a life that pleases God and has eternal consequences? ([01:08:26])
7. C.S. Lewis's quote was mentioned, stating that those who think most of the next world do the most for this one. How can you balance your focus on eternity with your responsibilities and actions in the present world? ([59:12])
Day 1: Seeing God Face to Face
In heaven, we will experience the profound joy of seeing God face to face. Revelation 22:4 and Matthew 5:8 assure us that this vision will be a continuous, ever-increasing reality, filling us with awe and wonder. The essence of God will be manifest in ways beyond our current understanding, making us realize how we lived so long without seeing Him. This encounter will be the culmination of our faith journey, transforming our relationship with God into an intimate, unending communion. [40:57]
"And they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 22:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: How does the promise of seeing God face to face change the way you live your life today? What steps can you take to cultivate a deeper relationship with Him now?
Day 2: Transformed Relationships in Heaven
While marriage as we know it will not exist in heaven, the bonds we form on earth will carry over in a transformed way. We will recognize and have relationships with our loved ones, experiencing a deeper intimacy that surpasses earthly understanding. The ultimate marriage in heaven will be between Christ and His bride, the Church. This transformed state of relationships will be marked by perfect love, unity, and joy, reflecting the divine nature of our eternal home. [48:02]
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:30, ESV)
Reflection: Think about your current relationships. How can you begin to cultivate a love and unity that reflects the eternal relationships we will experience in heaven?
Day 3: Animals in Heaven
Isaiah's vision of a peaceful coexistence among all creatures suggests that animals will be present in heaven. Romans 8 speaks of all creation groaning for redemption, indicating that animals will be part of the new earth. If having pets makes our happiness complete, we can trust that God will provide for that in heaven. This vision of harmony and peace among all creatures points to the comprehensive redemption and restoration that God has planned for His creation. [51:16]
"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6, ESV)
Reflection: How does the idea of a redeemed creation, including animals, shape your understanding of God's plan for the future? How can you reflect this vision in your care for creation today?
Day 4: Living with an Eternal Perspective
Our current life is just a tiny dot in the grand scheme of eternity. How we live now affects our eternal future. C.S. Lewis reminds us that those who think most of the next world do the most for this one. We are encouraged to set our sights on the realities of heaven and live each day in light of eternity. This perspective helps us prioritize what truly matters and motivates us to live faithfully and purposefully, knowing that our actions have eternal significance. [59:12]
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, ESV)
Reflection: What are some practical ways you can shift your focus from temporary concerns to eternal realities? How can this shift impact your daily decisions and actions?
Day 5: The Bema Seat of Christ
Believers will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ to be rewarded for their faithfulness. Our goal should be to please God in all we do, knowing that our actions have eternal consequences. The crowns we receive will be a testament to God's grace and mercy, and we will lay them at His feet in worship. This understanding of eternal rewards encourages us to live with integrity, purpose, and a heart devoted to serving God and others. [01:08:26]
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your daily actions and choices. Are they aligned with the goal of pleasing God? What changes can you make to ensure that your life reflects a commitment to eternal rewards?
Wow, Fourth of July weekend! Wow, it's unbelievable. It's almost Christmas, as Andrea said.
So very excited, evangelistically speaking, but we're glad you're here today.
Hey, before we jump in, I just want to say to you that we love you. We're so glad that we get to join you on this journey together. It's not about us on Sunday; it's about all of us coming together and lifting Him up because He's worthy. Amen? Do you believe He's worthy today? So give Him a praise and say yay!
Before we jump in, we're going to wrap up this series today, and I have a lovely, wonderful team leader that's working with me today—my wonderful wife. At least she brings a little better look today. Team Terry, team... I better be careful with that.
We only have a few days before the registration ends, so please do that. It's the first of September. It's going to be up at Gatlinburg. It'll be a lot of fun—people taking their motorcycles, riding their motorcycles. It'll be great!
But we're going to end this series today on our theme verse that we've used, which is Hebrews 9:27, and it says, "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."
So in this series, we've been talking, and it's been building on itself. So if you've missed any, I'd encourage you to go back to our website or, yes, wherever else it is—YouTube and all those things. I know we got TikTok and all those things. I don't know, but it's there, and you can go back and catch that series. It's going to be really great, and it builds on top of each other.
So today, we're going to try to answer some questions of what the Scripture says. I'm going to ask a question of one of our listeners, and that's what I do. In the last service, we said, "Look, we're going to spend eternity on a new earth and a new heaven." We talked about that. Somebody in the last service said, "Man, I never heard that before. I have to go back and look at that." Read it! Well, it's in the Bible. It's good to read.
So if you missed that series, be sure to do that. But we've gone by what the Bible says, not what somebody says after a near-death experience. I don't discount near-death experiences. There are a lot of people who have written good books about going to heaven and coming back, but also some of them went to heaven and came back and then said it was all a lie and they made it up.
Yeah, which only makes it harder for people that are believers. But I also say that when a person talks about a near-death experience and whatever they saw in what they thought was the new earth or the new heaven, it needs to line up with the Word. Like somebody I read said, "Well, when I was there, I saw rainbow-colored unicorns." No, sorry.
Somebody said, "Well, I saw all the people there had wings." No, sorry. It doesn't line up with the Word because you see, you can have a vision or a dream and think you've seen something, but it's a concoction of the enemy.
Yeah, so you can't go about what you feel; you got to go by what does the Scripture say. So we're trying to do that. And so today, we're going to answer some questions.
But I know we got more questions than we could ever answer. So we got these books, "The Encyclopedia about Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. He read over 140, 150 books on heaven, and then he put this together. It's so easy to read; it's in question format. And also, we have it for kids. And then, of course, the Right Now Media one that we talked about, "The Real Heaven." So those things are full of answers for you.
So go ahead and get those. And so today, what Anita and I are going to try to do is answer some of those questions. And we can't answer them all, so I hope that you get some of those resources.
And I thought, how do you say that much about heaven? But it's good stuff. It's going to be forever. So today, we want to answer some of those questions.
So let's pray. Father, we love You. We thank You today for Your kindness to us. Thank You, Lord, that we sensed Your presence today already. I know there's some that are here that their hearts are broken. Some are here trying to find out where You're leading them, guiding them. Some are here today just to come in contact with You. It's been a while since I've been in church.
So we ask You to help us to say the right things. Don't let us say anything we shouldn't say. And I pray today, Lord, that You will be glorified at the end of this. Today, the saints will be edified, and the enemy will be terrified in the name of Jesus.
So I'll jump in with the first question.
Okay, first question. Some of you asked some of these questions, and we're not going to get to all of them today. And just because we didn't, doesn't mean you have a bad question. So get the book.
So the first question today is, will we actually see God? Will we actually see Him?
Well, Revelation 22:4 says simply that—read it with me—they will see His face. And I don't know how that's going to be. God is a spirit; the Holy Spirit is a spirit. We know that Jesus is still in His body that He was incarnated to. We know that He'll still have the wounds and the scars in His body.
So when we see Him, we say, "Yeah, we see the essence of God." But also, I really believe that we're going to be able to see, however that is, God. I mean, He's able to manifest Himself any way that He wants to.
The Scripture says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are those pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Yeah, the word "see" there is the Greek word "horo," which means future continuous reality. So that means in heaven, we're going to see God, and we're going to see Him continuously. And it's just going to keep increasing and increasing and increasing.
I think it all comes down to this: after we see Him, we'll wonder, "How did I live so long without seeing Him?" The way that He surprises us by some things, don't you? When you get surprised, right?
Well, I say that next time, you know, Jesus had a physical body, and so will we. It was glorified. He still had the same body.
Who knows? There might be a better meat substitute in heaven. I mean, God could concoct without killing a cow and say, "Ribeye, come forth!" Okay, He could.
Al, that's thanks to Al. He told me because it's a plant, and you know, plant or tree, doesn't it?
Well, okay, all right, keep going.
Will we experience marriage in heaven? Will we have relationships in heaven? Will we know our friends in heaven? A lot of people say, "Well, when I'm in the intermediate heaven, will I know what's going on on earth before the Lord comes back?"
So I guess the general answer would be yes. In the intermediate heaven, it said the martyrs look down on the earth and said, "How long, O Lord, is it going to be until You redeem the world?" So to a degree, I would say yes. While we're in the intermediate heaven, we could look upon the earth that's still to be the new earth and say, "Yes, we can see."
But on the new earth, we wouldn't need to know that because we all see each other. We know.
So, but in heaven, yes, there will be relationships. Our kids and our grandkids will always be ours, right? And those of us that are married, when you get to heaven, even though it says that we will not participate, there won't be any need for marriage, you're still going to have that bond of marriage—not that bad word "marriage," but that relationship that you had together on this earth.
You don't live 60 or 70, 80 years on this planet earth with somebody who is your husband or wife and not know them in heaven and not have a close relationship with them. Yes, you will have that.
And you say, "Well, if I've been married five times..." Anticipation, one of those things.
Yeah, but I do know this: that when we get to heaven, we'll know one another. We'll experience that, and we'll experience some sort of intimacy that's beyond anything that we can ever imagine.
And let me just say this: a lot of people say there won't be any marriage in heaven. Yes, there will be marriage in heaven. Christ marries His bride. That's the thing that focuses everything in heaven.
So, the next question I know some of you have been asking this, and you thought Anita would answer this, but I'm answering this one because I have so much compassion.
Will there be animals and pets on the new earth?
Well, what was before that time? No cats! We've already discovered that. We've already discovered that before the fall of man, there were animals.
So, right? Remember Isaiah? It says in the new heaven, the new earth, here's what it's going to be like: the wolves will live at peace with the lambs; leopards will lie down in peace with young goats; calves, lions, and bulls will all live together in peace. A little child will lead them. Bears and cattle will eat together in peace, and all their young will lie down together and will not hurt each other. Lions will eat hay like cattle. Even snakes will not hurt people. Babies will be able to play near a cobra's hole and put their hands in the nest of a poisonous snake.
So yes, there will be animals in heaven. There will be on earth. There will be.
And in fact, Romans 8 says that all of creation groans for the redemption.
So the question about pets: if you've ever had a pet that you'd want to see again—I don't remember a pet I ever had I'd want to see again—but if you've ever had a pet that you'd want to see again, then I go to what Billy Graham says. And if Billy Graham said it, it's good enough for me.
Here it is: heaven will be a place of perfect happiness for us. And if we need animals around us to make our happiness complete, then you can be sure that...
And I do believe, and you know, I can't give you Scripture for this, but I do believe if you were married and you had a miscarriage, that child had a soul. And I do believe that in heaven, somehow in God's grace economy, the two of you will be able to see that child raised and mature and grow.
I just can't believe that. I can't believe that. I can't imagine an earth of all ages the same when God loves variety. Look around us here. Look at the variety of colors, sizes, ages here.
And I'm just hoping I have hair. That's all I care.
Well, different things. I usually lose, but I enjoy it.
Yeah. So, but you—I enjoy the company.
Okay. So, the question is, thank you. You did a great job. Thank you.
So, the question is simply this: in light of these five weeks, I just didn't do these five weeks because we want to just do that. But I wanted to teach this five weeks about heaven because we need to live every day as though what I'm doing today affects my eternity.
Remember, we've been talking about this rope, and we said this rope, from the white part back here, represents eternity past. God has always been. God was never created. He never started. But somehow, as we read, there was chaos and there was darkness. And out of that chaos and disorder, God brought order. And then He created man.
And so, I come to this red part. And this red part on this rope really is the history of man from Adam and Eve till where we are now. We'll talk about that.
But then there's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. There's more.
I'm sure the rest of this rope talks about eternity future—that the future ahead of us is longer than a thousand years, it's longer than a million years, it's longer than a billion trillion years. It goes on forever and ever and ever.
Have you ever stopped to think about that? That what I'm doing now will affect everything in my future?
Here's what C.S. Lewis said. I love this quote. Look at this: "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next."
It is since Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world that they've become ineffective in this one.
So we said this little blue spot here represents all of our life right now in which we're living. But in the midst of that little blue spot, there's a white dot, and that white dot is representative of my life.
So what I'm doing now in living in the dot—every day I'm living in the dot—how I live today, what I do today, affects my eternity.
So in other words, catch this today: you get to speak into your dot. You speak into that dot. But one of these days, the line will tell about you.
We come to your memorial; people say, "Yeah, well, you know, he lived here. There was a dash. You know, he was born 1950, dash, died 19... whatever."
Not yet 20, 20 thousands—no, forget it, just a long time.
And what you do here... But here's what I know: James says life is like a mist. You spray some spray, and there's a mist, and then pretty sure it's gone. Then it also talks about our life as like a flame—here today, burned out, and just smoke. That's all that's left.
There are some people who live and think their entire life is going to be right here in the dot, but it's here and it's gone.
So the question would be today is that how are you living? Are you living in light of eternity? Are you living just for the vapor, just for the match?
Here's what the Scripture says. This is just so important: Colossians 3, verses 1 and 2. "Since you've been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the—"
Look at your neighbor and say, "Set your sights on the realities of heaven."
So we're not just talking... It's like somebody left in the last service, and she said to me, "Is it wrong, in light of listening to this series, I feel like I want to go?"
I said, "No! Isn't that how we should live every day?"
You get up, and maybe you're the best—Sean, maybe you're the best builder in the villages. And so you don't get up and say, "Oh man, I'm a good builder today, and I get to go build things."
But you wake up every morning, and you think, "I get to live life today in light of an eternity that's going on forever."
And who can I add value to?
Matt, when you walk into your medical facility, and you're one of the best ones that's there, but you don't wake up in the morning thinking, "Yeah, I'm really good at this medical stuff. I'm really good; people seek me out all the time."
No, you wake up and think, "I get to live today in the reality that eternity is going to go on and on, and how I live today is not only affecting my eternity, but it's affecting everybody that is around us."
I wonder how many people have you changed their life this week simply because we lived with that thought in mind.
So he says, "Keep thinking about the realities of heaven." And then in verse 2, he says, "Think about the things of heaven. Set your sights on the things of heaven."
Wow! Every person in this room, when my daughter Kelly—our daughter Kelly—comes to our house, the first thing she does is she goes to the fridge and she starts looking.
You guys have things that are expired, so I know we don't do things like that here at the Father's House.
So I went to the freezer back here, and the boys helped me, and we found that this says, "Let's use if by December 2022." This is expired. I don't know if that matters anything or not, but here's what I do know: would you look at your neighbor's back or the back of their neck, and do you see the little expiration date that's there?
Do you see that little expiration date? We all have one. We have a time in which this life is going to be.
I don't get to do a do-over. I don't get to do a do-over when I drop that last breath and I leave this body and I'm in the presence of the Lord.
I don't get to say, "I didn't do such a good job; give me a do-over."
No, we start off in life with a heartbeat, and then it becomes a heart beep, and that's it.
Today, by the grace of God, your heart will beat over 100,000 times, and you will breathe 900 gifts of air today. But we're all moving towards the beep, and one day that'll end.
And what we do with the cross determines where we'll spend eternity. But what we do as believers determines how we will spend eternity.
There's an amazing Scripture in 1 Corinthians 5. It says, "So we are confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies, we're not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we're fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we are at home with the Lord."
So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to... What?
Our goal is to... What?
Right now, my goal is to please Him. My goal is not to impress you. My goal is not to say, "You know this." But my goal is to please Him.
That's why I got up this morning: "Lord, I want to please You today because I know what I do with my life today, because I'm a Redeemer, because I've been redeemed, will determine how I spend eternity."
And the rewards... He said, "Let me tell you the story." He said a wealthy man went away, and he left one man with a bag of silver, and he said, "I want you to make sure you invest this, to use this. I'm giving you this. I'm giving you this."
He gave another five bags and another one, and he came back after a long time, and he said, "What did you do with what I gave you?"
The first one says, "I doubled it." The second one says, "I doubled it." The third one says, "I hid it."
And he says to those who use their resources, their time, their talent, their treasury for His kingdom, he said, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over small things; I'm going to make you ruler over many. I want to make you ruler over ten cities, make you ruler over five cities, make you ruler over this."
So I don't get to do a do-over and say, "God, how did I miss that? How did I live thinking so much about the dot that I didn't realize that how I use this redeemed life I have is going to affect my eternity?"
Because everybody's not going to get the same reward in heaven. The thief who died on the cross, he cried out to the Lord in the last seconds of his life, and he said, "With me today, you'll be in paradise."
But he never had a chance to do anything. We're not saved by our works, but our positions on the new heaven and the new earth are by our works—not what people see us do, but what we do with the right heart, the right attitude, in the right way.
You see, you may do a lot of things down here, but if your motive is to be seen by other people, well, guess what? That's going to be burned up with the purification of the Lord, and only that which we've done with the pure motives—that's scary to me—only what we've done with the pure motives.
But this verse goes on to say, "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged."
And we will—read it with me—we will receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done.
So he says there's coming a day when we, as believers, you say, "Well, as a believer, did I ever do anything that's evil?"
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, that's why he said we'll give account for every idle word we speak.
But on that day, as a Christian, we'll stand before what is called the Bema seat of Christ. It's a judgment seat, but it's not an evil judgment seat.
So I got my chair here—my purple—to represent Jesus because Jesus will sit in the Bema seat. When Paul talked about we're going to receive rewards, he was talking about the Bema seat that he would see in the Roman competitive competition.
So there'd be somebody that would set up above everybody else on the oval track—maybe be runners that day—and they'd sit in what was called the Bema seat because from where they were sitting, they could see how everybody was performing.
And they could see if somebody got in somebody else's lane. And then after the race was over, they would call them up, and they'd give them that little wreath of olive leaves on their head or whatever.
And so Paul is using that. He's saying the Lord is watching how we're running right now, and one of these days, He's going to reward us.
I don't know what that's actually going to look like, Tim, but I know He talks about that there's a lot of different crowns that He gives. There's a crown of righteousness; there's a crown of serving. There are several crowns that it says that He gives us.
And then we wonder, "Well, what are we going to do?"
We're going to put like a funny crown on our head and go around, and some people do more than others, and so they're going to have a stack of crowns on top of their head.
I think we have to realize that the crowns that He gives us simply remind us that I didn't do anything to deserve the life that I have.
In Revelation chapter 4, it says those elders and those that were there that had all those crowns, they didn't walk around presenting those crowns and see how much that they've done.
But when they saw the King of Kings sitting on His throne, all they could do is come by and simply say, "I don't deserve any of these. It's only because of Your grace, only because of Your mercy that I'm even here. I'm not worthy of anything that You've done for me. I don't deserve anything. You alone are worthy to wear all the crowns."
And I thank You for that. But laying down my crown doesn't say that I still don't have rewards. He's going to say, "Terry, I've seen what you've done, and now here's the reward that you're going to have on the new heaven and the new earth."
And I don't get to go back and say, "Man, I wish I'd have done more."
Some believers don't change what they do with their life now. When they get to heaven, they're going to sort of walk by that seat because their hands are empty.
"Jesus, I thank You. I thank You for saving me, but I was so busy living in the dot that I didn't have time to help park cars. I was so busy that I didn't have time to share the gospel with my friends. I was so busy I didn't have time to invite people. I was so busy I didn't have time to come to church but once a month. I was so busy doing this. I was so busy doing that. I was so busy, and I don't have any crowns to lay at Your feet."
And I honestly don't know what you do for eternity.
I don't know where we got into this flying thinking that we'll all be rewarded in heaven equally. Sorry, it just doesn't happen.
But you see, we can't look at what somebody else does and think that we do more than they do because the Lord looks at all of our motives, and He changes those around.
Second Timothy says this: "As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I fought a good fight. I finished the race. I've remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day."
And the prize is not just for me, but for all those who eagerly look to His appearing.
I don't want to get to the place and say, "Well, I could have," or "Well, they hurt me, and I just quit," or "They did me this way."
Look, all the hurt that you have right now, in the scheme of eternity, it's not going to matter because every tear will be wiped from our eyes.
But here's what I'm saying today, church: I'm saying as believers, please don't get so focused here that we forget that as I'm speaking now into the dot, how I'm doing that, then this line is going to talk about me.
Let's don't wait before it's too late.
I want to pray, first of all, for us that are believers today. I want to pray that we focus more, as it says here, "Set your sights on heaven."
Why does that mean that I'm looking for that? You know, like years ago, it was everybody's looking for the rapture bus: "Get me out of here! Get me out of here!"
No, we want to live in light of eternity—not so much that we wanted to pull us out before our time, but we want to make a difference in people.
We want to see people saved, see this church filled four or five times in a weekend. We want to see our lives make a difference in people.
So let me pray for you today as believers. If we could bow our heads.
Father, I thank You today that our life has been so important to You. And I thank You that You've been with us for so long.
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### Quotes for Outreach
1. "So today we're going to try to answer some questions of what the scripture says and I'm going to ask a question of one of our listeners and that's what I do in the last service we said look we're going to spend eternity on a new earth and a new heaven we talked about that somebody in the last service said man I never heard that before I have to go back and look at that read it well it's in the bible it's good to read and uh so if you missed that series be sure to do that but we've gone by what the bible says not what somebody says when after you know a near death experience and I don't discount near death experiences there's a lot of people who have written good books about going to heaven and come back but also some of them went to heaven and came back and then said it was all a lie and they made it up yeah which only makes it harder for people that are believers but I also say that when a person talks about an uh and a near-death experience and whatever they saw in what they thought was the new earth or the new heaven needs to line up with the word like somebody I read they said well when I was there I saw rainbow colored unicorns no sorry somebody said well I saw all the people there had wings no sorry it doesn't line up with the word because you see you can have a vision or a dream and think you've seen something" [37:45] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Will we experience marriage in heaven will we have relationships in heaven will we know our friends in heaven a lot of people say well when I'm in the intermediate heaven will I know what's going on on earth before the Lord comes back and uh so I guess the general answer would be yes in the in the intermediate heaven it said the martyrs look down on the earth and said how long oh Lord is it going to be until you redeem the world so to a degree I would say yes while we're in the intermediate heaven we could look upon the earth that's still to be the new earth and say yes we can see but on the new earth we wouldn't need to know that because we all we see each other we know so but in heaven yes there will be relationships our our kids and our grandkids will always be ours right and those of us that are married when you get to heaven even though it says that we will not participate there won't be any need for marriage you're still going to have that bond of marriage uh not that bad word marriage but that relationship that you had together on this earth and you're still going to have that bond of marriage that you had together on this planet earth you don't live 60 or 70 80 years on this planet earth with somebody who is your husband or wife and not know them in heaven and not have a close relationship with them yes you will have that and you say well if I've been married five anticipation one of those things yeah but I do know this that when we get to heaven we'll know one another we'll experience that and we'll experience we'll experience some sort of intimacy that's beyond anything that we can ever imagine and let me just say this a lot of people say there won't be any marriage in heaven yes there will be marriage in heaven Christ marries his bride that's the thing that focuses everything in heaven" [48:02] (120 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "So, the question is simply this. In light of these five weeks, I just didn't do these five weeks because we want to just do that. But I wanted to teach this five weeks about heaven because we need to live every day as though what I'm doing today affects my eternity. Remember, we've been talking about this rope and we said this rope, this from the white part back here represents eternity past. God has always been. God was never created. He never started. But somehow as we read, there was chaos and there was darkness. And out of that chaos and disorder, God brought order. And then he created man. And so, I come to this red part. And this red part on this rope really is the history of man from Adam and Eve till where we are now. We'll talk about that. But then there's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. I'm sure the rest of this rope talks about eternity future that the future ahead of us is longer than a thousand years it's longer than a million years it's longer than a billion trillion years it goes on forever and ever and ever have you ever stopped to think about that that what I'm doing now will affect everything in my future" [57:27] (86 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Here's what C.S. Lewis said I love this quote look at this if you read history you will find the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next it is since Christians since then Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world that they've become ineffective in this one so we said this little blue spot here represents all of our life right now in which that we're living but in the midst of that little blue spot there's a white dot and that white dot is representative of my life so what I'm doing now in living in the dot every day I'm living in the dot how I live today what I do today affects my eternity so in other words catch this today you get to speak into your dot you speak into that dot but one of these days the line will tell about you we come to your memorial people say yeah well you know he lived here there was a dash you know he's born 1950 dash died 19 whatever not yet 20 20 thousands no forget it just a long time and what you do here but here's what I know James says life is like a mist you uh you spray some spray and there's a mist and they're pretty sure it's gone then it also talks about our life as like a like a flame here today burn out and just smoke that's all that's left there are some people who live and think their entire life it's going to be right here in the dot but it's here and it's gone so the question would be today is that how are you living are you living in light of eternity are you living just for the vapor just for the match" [59:12] (155 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Here's what the scripture says this is just this just so important Colossians 3 verses 1 and 2 since you've been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the what look at your neighbor and say set your on the realities of heaven so we're not just talking it's like somebody left in last service and she said to me is it wrong in light of listening to this series I feel like I want to go I said no isn't that how we should live every day you get up and maybe you're the best Sean maybe you're the best builder in the villages and so you don't get up and say oh man I'm a good builder today and I get to go build things but you wake up every morning and you think I get to live life today in light of an eternity that's going on forever and who can I add value to do Matt when you walk into your medical facility and you're you're one of the best ones that's there but you don't wake up in the morning think yeah I'm I'm really good at this medical stuff I'm really good people seek me out all the time no you wake up and thinking I get to live today in the reality that eternity is going to go on and on and how I live today is not only affecting my eternity but it's affecting everybody that is around us I wonder how many people have you changed their life this week simply because we lived with that thought in mind so he says keep thinking about the realities of heaven and then in verse two he says think about the things of heaven set your sight on the things of heaven" [01:01:22] (105 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Will we actually see God will we actually see him well revelation 22 and 4 it says simply that read it with me they will see his face and I don't know how that's going to be God is the spirit holy spirit is the spirit uh we know that Jesus is still being his uh body uh uh that he was incarnated to we know that he'll still have the wounds and the scars in his body so when we see him we say yeah we see the essence of God but also I really believe that we're going to be able to see however that is God I mean he's able to manifest himself any way that he wants to the scripture says in matthew 5 and 8 blessed are those pure in heart for they shall see God yeah the word see there is the is the greek word horo which means future continuous reality so that means in heaven we're going to see God and we're going to see him continuously and it's just going to keep increasing and increasing and increasing and increasing I think I think it all comes down to this after we see him we'll wonder how did I live so long without seeing him the way that he surprised by some things don't you when you get surprised right now well I say that next time you know what Jesus had a physical body and so will we it was a glorified he still had the same body going to be who knows there might be a better meat substitute in heaven I mean God could concoct without killing a cow and say ribeye come forth okay he could Al that's thanks to Al he told me because it's a plant and you know plant or tree doesn't it well okay all right keep going" [40:57] (437 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Will we experience marriage in heaven will we have relationships in heaven will we know our friends in heaven a lot of people say well when I'm in the intermediate heaven will I know what's going on on earth before the Lord comes back and uh so I guess the general answer would be yes in the in the intermediate heaven it said the martyrs look down on the earth and said how long oh Lord is it going to be until you redeem the world so to a degree I would say yes while we're in the intermediate heaven we could look upon the earth that's still to be the new earth and say yes we can see but on the new earth we wouldn't need to know that because we all we see each other we know so but in heaven yes there will be relationships our our kids and our grandkids will always be ours right and those of us that are married when you get to heaven even though it says that we will not participate there won't be any need for marriage you're still going to have that bond of marriage uh not that bad word marriage but that relationship that you had together on this earth and you're still going to have that bond of marriage that you had together on this planet earth you don't live 60 or 70 80 years on this planet earth with somebody who is your husband or wife and not know them in heaven and not have a close relationship with them yes you will have that and you say well if I've been married five anticipation one of those things yeah but I do know this that when we get to heaven we'll know one another we'll experience that and we'll experience we'll experience some sort of intimacy that's beyond anything that we can ever imagine and let me just say this a lot of people say there won't be any marriage in heaven yes there will be marriage in heaven Christ marries his bride that's the thing that focuses everything in heaven so a next question I know some of you have been asking this and you thought Anita would answer this but I'm answering this one" [48:02] (120 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "So, the question is simply this. In light of these five weeks, I just didn't do these five weeks because we want to just do that. But I wanted to teach this five weeks about heaven because we need to live every day as though what I'm doing today affects my eternity. Remember, we've been talking about this rope and we said this rope, this from the white part back here represents eternity past. God has always been. God was never created. He never started. But somehow as we read, there was chaos and there was darkness. And out of that chaos and disorder, God brought order. And then he created man. And so, I come to this red part. And this red part on this rope really is the history of man from Adam and Eve till where we are now. We'll talk about that. But then there's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. There's more. I'm sure the rest of this rope talks about eternity future that the future ahead of us is longer than a thousand years it's longer than a million years it's longer than a billion trillion years it goes on forever and ever and ever have you ever stopped to think about that that what I'm doing now will affect everything in my future here's what C.S. Lewis said I love this quote look at this if you read history you will find the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next it is since Christians since then Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world that they've become ineffective in this one so we said this little blue spot here represents all of our life right now in which that we're living but in the midst of that little blue spot there's a white dot and that white dot is representative of my life so what I'm doing now in living in the dot every day I'm living in the dot how I live today what I do today affects my eternity so in other words catch this today you get to speak into your dot you speak into that dot but one of these days the line will tell about you we come to your memorial people say yeah well you know he lived here there was a dash you know he's born 1950 dash died 19 whatever not yet 20 20 thousands no forget it just a long time and what you do here but here's what I know James says life is like a mist you uh you spray some spray and there's a mist and they're pretty sure it's gone then it also talks about our life as like a like a flame here today burn out and just smoke that's all that's left there are some people who live and think their entire life it's going to be right here in the dot but it's here and it's gone so the question would be today is that how are you living are you living in light of eternity are you living just for the vapor just for the match" [59:12] (155 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Here's what the scripture says this is just this just so important Colossians 3 verses 1 and 2 since you've been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the what look at your neighbor and say set your on the realities of heaven so we're not just talking it's like somebody left in last service and she said to me is it wrong in light of listening to this series I feel like I want to go I said no isn't that how we should live every day you get up and maybe you're the best Sean maybe you're the best builder in the villages and so you don't get up and say oh man I'm a good builder today and I get to go build things but you wake up every morning and you think I get to live life today in light of an eternity that's going on forever and who can I add value to do Matt when you walk into your medical facility and you're you're one of the best ones that's there but you don't wake up in the morning think yeah I'm I'm really good at this medical stuff I'm really good people seek me out all the time no you wake up and thinking I get to live today in the reality that eternity is going to go on and on and how I live today is not only affecting my eternity but it's affecting everybody that is around us I wonder how many people have you changed their life this week simply because we lived with that thought in mind so he says keep thinking about the realities of heaven and then in verse two he says think about the things of heaven set your sight on the things of heaven wow every person in this room when my daughter Kelly our daughter Kelly comes to our house the first thing she does is she goes to the fridge and she starts looking you guys have things that are expired so I know we don't do things like that here at the father's house so I went to the freezer back here and the boys helped me and we found that this says let's use if by December 2022 this is expired I don't know if that matters anything or not but here's what I do know would would you look at your your neighbor's back or the back of their neck and do you see the little expiration date that's there do you see that little expiration date we all have one we have a time in which that this life is going to be I don't get to do a do-over them don't get to do a do-over when when when I drop that last breath and I leave this body and I'm in the presence of the Lord I I don't get to say I I didn't do such a good job give me a do-over no we start off in life with a heartbeat and then it becomes a heart beep and that's it today by the grace of God your heart will beat over a 100 000 times and you will breathe 900 gifts of air today but we're all moving towards the beep and one day that'll end and what we do with the cross determines where we'll spend eternity but what we do as believers determines how we will spend eternity there's an amazing scripture in first Corinthians 5. it says so we are confident even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we're not at home with the Lord for we live by believing and not by seeing yes we're fully confident and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies for then we are at home with the Lord so whether we are here in this body or away from this body our goal is to what our goal is to what right now my goal is to please him my goal is not to impress you my goal is not to say you know this but my goal is to please him that's why I got up this morning lord I want to please you today because I know what I do with my life today because I'm a Redeemer because I've been redeemed will determine how I spend eternity and the rewards he said let me tell you the story he said a wealthy man went away and he left one man with a bag of silver and he said I want you to make sure you invest this to use this use this I'm giving you this I'm giving you this this he gave another five bags and another one and he came back after a long time and and he said how what'd you do with what i gave you the first one says i doubled it the second one says i doubled it third one says i hid it and he says to those who use their resources their time their talent their treasury for his kingdom he said well done thou good and faithful servant you've been faithful over small things i'm going to make you ruler over many i want to make you ruler over 10 cities but make you rule over five cities make you ruler over this so i don't get to do a do-over and say god how did i miss that how did i live thinking so much about the dot that i didn't realize that that how i use this redeemed life i have is going to affect my eternity because everybody's not going to get the same reward in heaven the thief who died on the cross he cried out to the lord in the last seconds of his life and he said with me today you'll be in paradise but he never had a chance to do anything we're not saved by our works but our positions on the new heaven and the new earth are by our works not what people see us do but what we do with the right heart the right attitude in the right way you see you may do a lot of things down here but your motive is to be seen by other people well guess what that's going to be burned up with the purification of the lord and only you that which we've done with the pure motives that's scary to me only what we've done with the pure motives but this verse goes on to says for we must all stand before christ to be judged and we will read it with me we will receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done so he says there's coming a day when we as believers you say well as a believer did i ever do anything that's evil uh yeah yeah that's why he said we'll give account for every idle word we speak but
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