Who Am I ? A Heaven Bound Person

A. Jno. 3:16-17, John brings to us the greatest message mankind could ever hear. That message answers life’s most important question. The question, “Who am I?”, can be
answered in terms of our identity. We are God’s created children, made in His image to enjoy fellowship with Him.
But the question “Who am I?” can also be answered in terms of our destiny: We are persons being drawn toward heaven through the gospel of Christ. Heaven, quite simply, is what the gospel of Christ is about. Those who would reduce Christianity to a system of moral teaching that makes life better in this world miss the main point.
a. Paul wrote about the unpleasant truth that must be faced. If we cut the resurrection out of
the gospel - he says in, 1 Cor. 15:13-19. Our purpose in this lesson is to understand
what heaven ought to mean to us.
(A) The most important thing about heaven is that God will be there — He for whom we
were made! Eternal life, whether we think of it as a present possession or a
future hope, primarily has to do with “knowing” God. That’s John’s statement in
Jno. 17:3.
(1) To be where God is — to be with Him — will be glory for us. Glory is our
destiny — That’s God’s purpose for us. Heb. 2:10. Jesus died to bring
us to glory.
(a) We were created in God’s image for the purpose of fellowship with Him
now so we can become beings of unimaginable glory ourselves. 2 Cor.
3:18. We are spirit beings who are being qualified to share in the same
glory that Jesus received. 2 Cor. 4:16-18. Make up your mind that
nothing in this world is worth losing your soul over.
It’s absolutely stupid and immorally insane to sacrifice your soul for some thing or the approval of some person on this earth. And if you are that carnal and selfish you deserve no respect what so ever.
There are no ordinary people in the world. All have the opportunity to stand glorified with God. Even those you look down your nose at. They may one day stand with God and then where will your snobbery get you?
God is on our side — He is for us. “God loved everybody in the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Heaven is worth everything — it is worth whatever price you have to pay to get there. If you’re so pygmy souled as to make such a poor choice as this world You deserve everything you get.
(3) Choice is what it boils down to. Heaven is for those who choose to go there and not everybody really wants to go there. Most are just hanging out hoping they will be able to catch the bus without paying the toll.
(1) Heaven is only for those who have decided that they want it more than any anything else this world has to offer. You have to long to be with God with a passion that will not be denied. In Matt. 5:6, Jesus said, “Those who will be “filled” are those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
(1) Paul talked about not doing anything “dumb” that would rob us of our place in heaven. 1 Cor. 9:27.

(2) God is not going to make you go to heaven if you want something you think is better. You can’t earn heaven, buy heaven or slip in the back door. All you can do is want it so much that you allow nothing to keep you out.
(2) Heaven is not merely an arbitrary “reward” for those who have fulfilled certain requirements — it is the logical end result of a growth process.
Heaven will be populated with people who have grown to be in the likeness of God. those who have allowed God to conform their character to His.
(1) He wants us to think like Him, to be like Him and be with Him forever. 2 Pet. 1:2-4. He wants us to share the goodness of His character, to become “partakers” of His nature.
(2) If you’re not like God you won’t enjoy being with Him in heaven. And God is not going to “inflict” heaven on anyone who has no desire to be like Him and be with Him. We do not spend our lives in this world growing our characters away from God and then wake up in eternity and find ourselves among those who have grown toward Him.
Every deed, every decision, every choice you make moves you either closer to God or farther away from Him. Heaven is for those who want what God wants! If you truly want what God wants for you, you can know that heaven will be your home:
That’s what John says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name
of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may
continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” 1 Jno. 5:13.
(1) To be a Christian — Is to have a purpose for living that gives meaning and significance to every single day. = If you are a faithful Christian, be thankful for what that means to you — let God guide you, hold you and bring you to be where He is.
(2) If you’re not a faithful Christian you need to repent, confess your failure and get right with God and stay that way. And if you are not a Christian, right now is the time to become one. If you don’t know how to become a Christian, say so, and we’ll help you become one.
(4) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 10/20/02 pm