Heaven Is Our Glorious Home
Phil. 3:20

Even in the days of the apostles, there were problems in people’s thinking about heaven, 1 Cor. 15:12, “What have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?” 1 Thess. 4:13?18; 2 Thess. 2:1-2.
1. What are these three scriptures telling us? Keep encouraging, reminding each other of what we have in Jesus. We have God’s promise of eternal life. If one of us gets discouraged and lax in our Christian life we are to point out those things that hinder our salvation. Help each other to be strong and faithful.
1. One problem in our own day is the tendency to become so contented with this world that we can loose our strong desire and motivation to go to heaven. We need regular reminders of how important heaven ought to be to us.
(1) I don’t tell those outside of Christ they are not doing right. They scream at me and say, “Who are you to judge me?” But, if I see you doing wrong and loosing your grip on Christianity. I have an obligation to point that out to you. You are my brother and sister in Christ.
(1) Heaven is our hope. 1 Pet. 1:3-5, says, “We have been “begotten...again to a living hope,” and we have an “inheritance...reserved in heaven.” It is our responsibility to point out to each other when one of us gets entangled in the world and begins to loose that hope.
(1) Heaven is at the very heart of true Christianity. Take away the concept of heaven, and all that is left of the religion of Jesus Christ is a hollow shell of little use to the world.
(2) Modern “humanism” denies anything beyond this life — and “religious humanism” is a contradiction in terms. The religious philosophy known as the “social gospel” also concentrates solely on transforming this world into a better place. It seeks to build the kingdom of God on earth.
(3) In contrast both to humanism and the social gospel, the Scriptures affirm the reality of the heaven for which the Christian hopes. Jno. 14:1?3. Col. 1:5, reminds us that “...Our hope is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”
(2) We need to constantly be reminded to meditate on heaven and learn to cherish it so we will truly make it the hope it ought to be.
(1) For the Christian, heaven is our true treasure. Where our treasure is there will our hearts be also. Everything that really matters to us is in Heaven.
(2) Matt. 6:19-21, says, “Heaven is where our treasures are.” We long to hear those words spoken by Jesus in Matt. 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

(3) The value of your treasures is measured by what you would give up to keep them. Matt. 25:24, says, “In heaven, we will come into the inheritance of a kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.” The apostle Paul cautions us about losing that inheritance, Col 2:18, says, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.” We should look upon anything or anybody that would take heaven away from us as evil, fraudulent and our worst enemy. And there are just such people in this community.
(2) Heaven is our true reason for our laboring and faithfulness in Christ’s Church.
(1) While our work continues to go on in this world, we need good, solid reasons to keep going when it would be easy to quit. That’s why Heb 10:36, encourages us by saying, “You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
(2) Our greatest need is to strongly resist the tendency to settle down in this world and begin to think of it as home. Never forget, We do not “belong” here.
(1) And Paul, In many different scriptures, reminds us that heaven must be our most important goal. If we forget that we will fall short of it. That’s why he says in Heb. 4:1, “Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” In short, we need to get a deathgrip on heaven.
(2) There’s a song we should sing as a constant reminder of the treasure we have with God. “Heaven Holds All To Me.”
(3) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 02/17/2002 pm