Tag Archives: god in heaven

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – All Things New

Leave a comment

greglaurie

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture is Revelation 21:4: “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.”

One day all pain will be gone. All sorrow will be gone. All mourning will be gone. That is the promise from God. There will be no more physical or emotional pain—no pain from a broken body or a broken heart, no more broken marriages, and no more broken lives. Why? Because God will make all things new.

But even today God can make your life new. Maybe you have made some mistakes in life and have done things you regret. Maybe you are trapped in a cycle of sin right now that you don’t feel you can ever break free from. Here is the promise of God to you: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What old things have passed away? Your old sins. God not only forgives them, but He also forgets them. He promises in Psalm 103:12 that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

You change when you truly follow Jesus. Old values, ideas, plans, loves, desires, and beliefs vanish, and they are replaced by new things. You have a new desire to know God and learn more about Him and a new desire to be led by the Holy Spirit and be used by God. You have a new desire to bring glory to God—and yes, even a new desire to one day see God in heaven.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – A Matter of the Will

Leave a comment

dr_bright

“If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself” (John 7:17, KJV).

At the conclusion of an address I gave at M.I.T., a skeptical young man approached me. He said, “I am a scientist. I can’t believe anything that I can’t see. I must be able to go into the laboratory and test a proposition or a theory. I must prove its authenticity before I will believe and accept.

“Religion,” he said, “is a matter of faith. It has no substance and, as far as I’m concerned, no validity.”

I turned to the seventh chapter of John, verse 17 – our Scripture portion for today – and asked him to read it aloud.

“Do you understand what Jesus is saying here?” I asked.

“Well, I’m not sure,” he replied. “What is your point?”

“Your problem is not your intellect, but your will. Are you willing to do what God wants you to do? Are there relationships in your life that you’re not willing to surrender in order to do the will of God? Are there moral problems, problems of integrity that you are not willing to relinquish?”

An odd expression came over his countenance.

“How did you know?” Then he said, “I’d like to talk to you privately.” Later, as we sat together alone, he poured out his heart to me. He said, “I know that what you’re saying is true. I know that there’s a God in heaven, and I know that Jesus Christ is His Son and that He died on the cross for me.

“But,” he said, “there is sin in my life. I have been living with a young woman without the benefit of marriage for the last couple of years. Today you have exposed me for what I really am – a fraud, a sham, a hypocrite, and I want with God’s help to terminate my present relationship with this young woman and receive Christ into my life.”

I am happy to report that, soon after, he and the young woman both surrendered their lives to Christ and were married. Together they are making their lives count for the glory of God.

Bible Reading: John 7:14-18

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will confess – and turn from – all known sin that keeps me from knowing and doing the will of God. I will also share this message with others.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Does Such Wonders

Leave a comment

dr_bright

“I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me” (Psalm 57:2).

I cannot begin to count the times, even during just one 24-hour day, that I lift my heart in praise, worship and adoration and thanksgiving to God in heaven. I begin the day by acknowledging His lordship of my life and inviting Him to have complete control of my thoughts, my attitudes, my actions, my motives, my desires, my words; to walk around in my body, think with my mind, love with my heart, speak with my lips and continue through me to seek and save the lost and minister to those in need. Throughout the day I bring before Him the personal needs of my family. I pray for the extended family of Campus Crusade for Christ and staff and their families and for all those who support this ministry through their prayers and finances. I pray for business and professional people, that God will bless their finances as well as their lives so that they can continue to help support this and other ministries for His kingdom.

As I look through the mail, I breathe a prayer to God for some staff member, friend, associate, or supporter who is hurting, needing encouragement, strength and peace. At all of my many daily conferences, I will begin and close with a brief word of prayer claiming the promise of God-given wisdom for the matters we shall be discussing, for supernatural discernment that will enable me to see through all the intricacies of the problems presented. When the phone rings, I breathe a silent prayer and often a vocal one at the appropriate time with that person on the other end of the line who is in distress, whether from family problems or work-related difficulties.

In between, I pray alone and with others for the hundreds of different people, events and circumstances that involve the worldwide ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and the ministry of His Body throughout the world.

Bible Reading: Psalm 57:1-11

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Recognizing that prayer is as vital to my spiritual life as air is to my physical being, I will pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks to our God in heaven who does such wonders for me.

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Sacrificial Faith on Display

1 Comment

John MacArthur

“In the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:25-26).

It’s understandable that James would use Abraham as an illustration of living faith–especially to his predominately Jewish readers. Rahab, however, is a different story. She was a Gentile, a prostitute, a liar, and lived in the pagan city of Jericho. How could such a person illustrate true faith?

Rahab knew very little about the true God but what she knew, she believed, and what she believed, she acted on. She believed that God had led His people out of Egypt and defeated the Amorite kings (Josh. 2:9-10). She openly confessed that the Lord “is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (v. 11). Her faith was vindicated when she aided the Hebrew spies who entered Jericho just prior to Joshua’s invasion.

Both Abraham and Rahab valued their faith in God above all else. Both were willing to sacrifice what mattered most to them: for Abraham it was Isaac; for Rahab it was her own life. Their obedience in the face of such great sacrifice proved the genuineness of their faith.

James calls each of us to examine ourselves to be sure we have a living faith. The acid test is whether your faith produces obedience. No matter what you claim, if righteousness doesn’t characterize your life, your faith is dead, not living. James likened that kind of faith to hypocrites who offer pious words to the needy but refuse to meet their needs; to demons, who believe the truth about God but are eternally lost; and to a lifeless, useless corpse. Those are strong analogies, but God does not want you to be deceived about the quality of your own faith.

I pray that you are rejoicing in the confidence that your faith is genuine. God bless you as you live each day in His wonderful grace.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask God for the grace and courage to face any sacrifice necessary as you live out your faith.

For Further Study:

Read Joshua 2:1-24; 6:1-27; and Matthew 1:1-5.

How did Rahab protect the spies?

How did God bless Rahab?

Uncategorized

Charles Stanley – Heaven: Our Eternal Home

1 Comment

 

Revelation 21:1-6

A wise person will prepare for the inevitable. And the most inevitable thing in the world is our physical passing. We weren’t designed to live forever in our earthly bodies; we are eternal beings with eternal purposes. With so sure an outcome, we would be wise to spend time on earth preparing for our eternal future.

Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior? If so, then you can be confident that you will spend eternity with Him in heaven. However, a common question for believers is, “But what will we do when we get there?” Despite common portrayals of the afterlife, we will not be sitting around on clouds and playing harps. An exciting future awaits believers.

We will praise God. If you’ve ever been passionately in love with someone, you probably remember how hard it is to think about anything else. In a way, that’s how we will view God in heaven—as our ultimate source of love and companionship—only, our relationship with Him will far surpass any “feeling” of love we’ve ever experienced. Far more than simply a feeling, it will be the outgrowth of a completely perfect union with our heavenly Father.

We will shine for God. In heaven, earthly limitations will be stripped away, allowing the glory of God within every believer to shine brilliantly (Matt. 13:43).

We will reign with God. Do you understand how valuable you are to your Creator? Romans 8:16-17 tells us that we are notonly God’s children but also co-heirs with Christ. This means we will take part in all that the Father has designated for His Son.

Heaven is a reality, and in John 14:6, Jesus explained that there is just one way to get there: through Him.

Uncategorized

Charles Stanley – Our Heavenly Existence

1 Comment

 

Thanks to cartoons and movies, many people have the wrong impression about heaven. They imagine gaining wings, donning white robes, strumming a harp, and flying around on clouds. But is that how we’ll spend our time? No. Let’s discover what Scripture says about a few of our activities in heaven.

We will praise and worship the Lord.

Read Revelation 4:1-11. What surprises you about this heavenly scene?

Sometimes believers are guilty of having a worldly concept of worship—mainly that it is boring. But heavenly worship will be more exciting than we can imagine.

When you have a chance to worship the Lord, give Him your full attention. Express your devotion and admiration to Him. You’ll most likely get a taste of how wonderful praise will be in eternity.

Consider how you worship. Which do you resemble more, a participant or a spectator?

Write a prayer, asking the Lord to let you experience more joy in worshipping Him.

We will glorify God.

Is this just another way to say that believers will praise God in heaven? No. According to “Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology”, “glorification” involves first the Christian’s moral perfection, in which the believer is made holy and blameless. Second, the body is made glorious—immortal, imperishable, powerful, and spiritual. Third, glorification includes the Christian’s participation in the kingdom of God, even to the point of reigning with Him. Finally, believers partake of the Lord’s glory (2 Thess. 2:14; 1 Peter 5:10).

On earth, our ability to radiate the indwelling presence of God is limited by our sins and spiritual immaturity. In heaven, those obstacles will be removed. We will shine with all the radiance, beauty, glory, and majesty of the living God.

Why will our inner character be like Christ (1 John 3:2)?

How does Matthew 13:43 describe glorified believers?

We will never fully resemble Jesus this side of heaven. But we should be growing more and more Christ-like as we mature.

We will serve God.

Our Father made us to create, achieve, and serve. In eternity, we’ll be engaged in God-ordained assignments. Before you picture yourself toiling away in misery, remember that work doesn’t have to be tedious, frustrating, or boring.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave man a task (Gen. 2:15). Adam’s job of cultivating the garden was pleasant. But when man sinned, a curse fell on the earth.

What did the curse include, according to Genesis 3:17-19?

What implication does this have regarding work?

What does this verse reveal about the good deeds God calls us to do?

How does this knowledge impact the way you think about serving Him each day?

Describe the life of believers in eternity, according to Revelation 5:9-10.

What two groups will believers judge (1 Cor. 6: 1-3)?

Read Luke 19:16-17. How is the faithful servant rewarded in this passage?

How does one earn the right to “govern” in eternity (Matt. 25:23)?

What has the Lord called you to do with your life?

Does it encourage you to know a reward awaits you for faithfully completing God’s assignments? Why or why not?

In describing our eternal home, Revelation 22:3 says, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him.”

The way we prepare for serving God in heaven is by serving Him now. Together with church attendance, giving, and prayer, service is an important expression of our devotion to the Lord.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

If you are unsure about how God wants you to serve, pray about it. Each morning, ask Him to guide you into the good deeds He’s prepared for you.

We will reign with God.

You already know that we won’t be idle in heaven. Does it surprise you to know we will rule with the Lord?

It’s not clear from Scripture what our reign will include. But the level of responsibility given to us will be proportional to how faithfully we serve while on earth.

Remember the parable about a master who entrusted money to three servants? The money symbolized a person’s time, talents, and other possessions. According to how each servant invested the money, he was rewarded or punished (Luke 19:11-27).

Closing: Heaven will be far more exciting than we can imagine. In this brief study, we haven’t been able to address everything God’s Word says about it. So, as you read your Bible, particularly Revelation 4-5 and 21-22, watch for descriptions of our eternal home.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the amazing glimpses of heaven You gave us in Your Word. Help us remember this world is not our eternal home. We want to be faithful, obedient stewards, fulfilling Your calling on our lives. Amen.

 

Uncategorized

The Fountain of Youth?

Leave a comment

 

It Starts with Caring

When he reached the age of 70, historian Will Durant said, “To live forever would be the greatest curse imaginable.”

Will we live forever? The answer is “yes” and “no.” Will our bodies live forever? No. Will our bodies cease to exist at one point? Absolutely. But the soul is immortal. Each one of us has a soul. It is the soul that gives each of us uniqueness and personality. . .and that part of us that will live forever.

Today, many people are searching for immortality, that elusive fountain of youth. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to accept the fact that life is passing and death is approaching. One day, you will wake up and realize you have more life behind you than you have in front of you. But the question we should be asking is not, “Can I find immortality?” Rather, it should be, “Where will I spend my immortality?”

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ and have asked Him to forgive you of your sin, the Bible teaches that you will go immediately into the presence of God in heaven when you die. That is God’s promise to you.

But God not only promises life beyond the grave. He also promises life during life, not just an existence, but a life that’s worth living. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10 NLT).

In Romans 5:17, the apostle Paul declares: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (NIV).

Reign in life! No matter what our circumstances, we are sons and daughters of the great King. He will watch over us through our days on earth, and take us home to be with Him when this brief life is over. That’s the hope and promise for all Christians. And that’s why the believer does not have to be afraid to die. . .or afraid to live.

WEEKEND BIBLE READING: Matthew 20-22; Matthew 23-25