Hi,

This morning I preach a sermon on living with eternity in mind.

TLDR:

* The Christian life is not just about getting through this life, but about living with eternity in mind.

* Our ultimate goal as Christians is to spend eternity with God.

1.The importance of living with heaven in mind:

* When we focus on heaven, it helps us to keep things in perspective and not get too caught up in the temporary things of this world.

2.How to live with heaven in mind:

* One way to do this is to regularly meditate on the promises of heaven and the blessings that await us there.

* Another way is to strive to live in a way that is pleasing to God, by following His commands and seeking to serve others. Cruiciform Life!

* By living with heaven and eternity in mind, we can experience true joy and purpose in this life and look forward to the incredible blessings that await us in the next.

"The purpose of life is not to just get to heaven, but to prepare for heaven. 

[Jas 4:14 NLT] 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows. And I know that this man - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows - was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that people are not permitted to tell (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

From book: Paul's Ascent to Paradise: The Apostolic Message and Mission of Paul in the Light of His Mystical Experiences…….Pardes Jewish Tale: 4 Rabbis went to heaven….One looked and died; one looked and went mad; one looked and apostatized; and one entered in peace and departed in peace.

Today we're going to talk about living in the light of eternity and I'm 

going to read to you a list of passages from the New Testament, some from the Old Testament that remind us of the fact that life on this earth is extremely short and that there is an eternity that awaits all of us. 

And if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have given him your believing allegiance, you have trusted Him as Savior and surrendered to him as Lord, then the very fact that he has defeated death, the greatest enemy of all, is good news for you and for me. 

But it is so easy to lose sight of the fact that there is an eternity and for the believer there really is not this thing called death. All throughout the New Testament, when death is spoken about in reference to a believer, the word used is sleep.

We don't die, the sting of death has been removed, and we merrily sleep. And when we awaken the greatest hope of all, the greatest hope as presented in the New Testament is not heaven. Heaven is not presented as the hope of the believer, it is the resurrection.

 But we will be resurrected, we will be like him, the first fruits of the resurrection, Jesus, our bodies will be just like his, free from the presence of sin and we will participate in the new world, the fullness of the new creation. 

So let me read these passages to you. I'm not really going to comment on them. They expand what I have just said. 

[1Co 15:53-58 NLT] 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

[2Co 5:1-5 NLT] 1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

[Ecc 12:6-7 NLT] 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

[2Co 5:8-10 NLT] 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Message-The Master’s Coming 13-14 And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. SinceJesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. 15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.

[Ecc 7:1-4 NLT] 1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. 2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies--so the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. 4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

[Jhn 5:24 NLT] 24 "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

[Phl 1:21-24 NLT] 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. 23 I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

[Rev 14:12-13 NLT] 12 This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!"

[Psa 116:15 NKJV] 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD [Is] the death of His saints.

[Rev 21:4 NKJV] 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

[Rom 14:7-8 NLT] 7 For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Conclusion

number one, if you are in Christ, you will not die. You will merrily sleep. 

Number two, your great hope is to awaken in the Lord's presence and receive a resurrected body, free from sin, free from corruption, free from mortality, just as immortal and perfect as the resurrected body of your Lord. 

And three, recognizing how temporary and how fast and how fleeting this life is, we are but dust. We are like the grass that withers and the flowers that fall. 

Live in light of eternity. 

Live in the light that your deeds and my deeds will follow us. 

And our aim is to hear the words well done, my good and faithful servant. 

Let’s take a moment to allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in our hearts

I want To pray then ask the Board to come to the front and make themselves available to pray over your life if you want to come up

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