By Dr. David Jeremiah
Crudely condensed to 6500 words by merlin in hopes
you’ll read or listen to the 240 page five hour read.
Prescribed to be read on demand to your choosing, perhaps by a chapter daily?
A timely message today for Christ-followers on August 7, 2021, as
we approach the precipice of our civilization as we have enjoyed it…
Regardless, our way FORWARD as always, is propelled by:
Dreams-Prayer-Choice-Focus-Risk-Pursue-Believe-Invest-Finish
Introduction
Trust me! Your past has prepared you for what’s next and every promise of God will provide you what’s needed.
Chase your future with focus, faith, & fervor
Phil 3:13-14 “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”
Tommy Walker song “Forward.”
The older I get, the easier it is for me to want my life to be safe, comfortable, and predictable. But that’s not God’s plan. God loves the new and He is all about bringing newness into our lives and the lives of those around us.
FB Meyer “It is a mistake to always be turning back to recover the past. The law for Christian living is not backward, but forward; not for experiences that lie behind, but for doing the will of God, which is always ahead and beckoning us to follow. Leave the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before, for on each new height to which we attain. There are the appropriate joys that befit the new experience. Don’t fret because life’s joys have flown the coop. There are more in front. Look up, press forward, the best is yet to be.”
Ch 1. Dream:
Seize your tomorrow today. As Followers of Christ we can cultivate a dream that outlasts the world, transforms time, changes eternity, and advances his cause and His kingdom for His glory. Remember ancient prophets who had supernatural visions of inspired revelation. Without a dream, we float thru life without catching the current… the majority of our hours are filled with consuming diversions.
The best dreams don’t start with us but instead are planted in us by God.. If it isn’t rooted, it’s rotten. We get ideas from history and from others inspired today. To develop your dream, think about your heritage, what you love to do, and your life experiences. Everything in your life has prepared you for the next step, so examine what’s already happening in your life and the church. Start where you are and work outward and forward.
Every dream faces discouragement. That is part of the process of proving its validity.
Having a deep conviction of what we feel God wants us to do for eternity that will make us men and women of devotion, dedication, and determination.
As you build your vision, be willing to sacrifice. Dreams are costly, big dreams are expensive…. Money, energy, criticism, unbelief, unplanned obstructions, unfaithful helpers, etc.
I Chron 28:20 Be strong and of good courage, and do it, do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord God – my God – will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
Ch 2. Pray:
Lenora Wood – in 1909 an Appalachian teacher offered a dreaming prayer for Raymond Thomas “Father, you’ve given Raymond a fine mind. We believe You want that mind to be developed. You want Raymond’s potential to be used to help you lift and lighten some portion of your world. Since all the wealth of the world is yours, please help Raymond find everything he needs. And Father, we also believe you have even bigger plans for Raymond. Plant in his mind and heart the vivid pictures, the specific dreams that reflect your plans for him after college. And oh, give him joy in dreaming – great joy. Years later, Raymond told her “The fact that I could sit on your front steps and with no money at all, dream of going to college and achieve it, proved something to me. Very simply, what your mother said was true, any right dream can be realized… And prayer helps you know if it is right and gives you the power to stay with it. The same occurred with Nehemiah!
How can you be sure the dream in your heart is God’s will, not yours? You must humbly and specifically ask God to place His ideas for your life into your heart and mind. Psalms 24:4 “show me Your ways O Lord; teach me your paths.” Prov 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” God can be trusted with your dreams – to divulge them, develop them, sometimes delay them, and always drench them with his blessings….. When God uses the success, it means the fulfillment of His plan for you. And we have to trust Him, however that unfolds, if we want to move forward.
We have the privilege of praising God for His work in our lives. There’s nothing like the joy of watching God form and fulfill His plan for your life. George Muller writes “The joy which answers to prayer give, cannot be described; and the impetus which they afford to the spiritual life is exceedingly great.”
Ch 3. Choose:
Feeling Stuck? You have company… Moses-backside of a desert with sheep; Naomi-Moab lost husband & Sons; Elijah, Ezekiel, Peter, Thomas, Paul at Troas, John on Patmos… remember John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” Rom 12: 11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” I Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
So how do we get off the sandbar and back to sailing in open water?
A. Consider what’s best – realize not everything is equally important. We get so distracted by molehills we can’t charge up the mountain. Not everything is a priority, nor vital, nor every situation eternal! Remember “ the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.” Matt 13:22
B. Clarify what is best! Remember the Greatest commandment Mark 12: 29-31
1. The priority of Loving God..
2. The Priority of loving people James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.”
3. The Priority of loving Ourselves.. Mark 12:31 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Acts 20: 28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.” If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t care for others!
4. Choose what’s best!
5. Courage to embrace your limitations… II Cor 12:9 “God’s strength being made perfect in our weaknesses”
6. Courage to eliminate our distractions
7. Commit to what’s best: Priority order:
I am a person with a responsibility before God
I am a partner with a responsibility to my wife.
I am a parent with a responsibility to my children
I am a pastor with a responsibility to my congregation.
Ch 4. Focus:
A. Focus on God’s Plan
Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way.” We are not good in ourselves, but we are good in Christ. And in Christ, God not only orders your steps and your stops, He delights in the way He guides you forward. If He delights in His plans for you, shouldn’t you delight in them too?
B. Focus on God’s Prize
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Phil 3:14
C. Focus on Your One Thing
This is the 4 lane road God wants you to focus on as you move forward:
Purpose, Perspective, Plan and Prize
Ch 5. Risk :
Get Out of Your Safe Zone
Most of us think of risk as a negative situation to avoid. But risk is part of life, and it’s a big part of faith. Not every risk is worth taking, but if you’re too overwhelmed by fear to correctly assess a situation a situation, you’ll miss many opportunities for growth, increased strength, deeper faith, and success.
Have you been playing it safe? Too safe? Being a follower of Christ in today’s world is not safe. In his book Seizing Your Divine Moment, Erwin McManus wrote, “I want to reiterate the fact that the center of God’s will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will put us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous.”
Think of the people in Scripture who took great risks. Moses wasn’t playing it safe when he returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh (Ex. 5:1). Gideon wasn’t playing it safe when he dismissed most of his army (Judg. 7:7). Neither was David in facing Goliath, or Esther, or Peter, or Paul, or you, if you want to seize tomorrow and accomplish the dreams God places in your heart.
A. Mr. Risk-Taker
Over the years I’ve had to make many difficult decisions. Left to myself, I might have erred too often on the side of safety and security But there’s a man in the Bible who only occupies 30 verses who inspires me to keep stepping out and taking risks with wholehearted confidence in the Lord. That man is Caleb. Read the account in a children’s Bible Story book.
B. How to Live Life in the Safe Zone
1. Maximize the Opposition
If you propose to move forward in life, especially if you aspire to leadership, you’ll have to learn what it means to take risks – to live by faith. Scripture say, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” II Tim 1:7
Consider general George B McClellan, whom some called the “Napoleon of the American Republic. It seemed he regularly overestimated the size of the enemy, magnifying the threat. The more daunting the enemy grew in his mind, the less confidence he showed in the field. Although he constantly organized and prepared, he rarely got around to fighting. When he did, his objective seemed to be avoiding a loss, not winning the battle. Lincoln finally wrote McClellan, saying, “If you don’t want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for awhile.” Hmm … remind you of Caleb’s and Joshua’s ten scared spies?
God wants you to go forward. He has adventures, challenges, victories, and meaningful tasks for you. As you look at the rope bridge to your future, are you looking at the ropes or at the holes? If you’re one of those people that are afraid to take calculated risks, worry about every little thing, and having a hard time making decisions in your life, it’s time to take a break and do a little work on yourself. I learned a long time ago that being timid and conservative will get you nowhere.
2. Minimize the Opportunities:
While the ten spies maximized the opposition, they also minimized the glorious opportunities that lay ahead of them. They only had a dim perception of what God had in store for them; they believed in their hearts that God was setting up for destruction, and their unbelief was contagious.
You can read it for yourself in Numbers 14: So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept all night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron… Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (vv.1-3).
Their perception of God would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. After all the Lord had done for them! Delivered them from slavery, parted the Red Sea, accompanied them with cloud and fire, provided food and drink in the wilderness, promised to be a great nation flowing with milk and honey!
How could they ever so quickly forget all this?
But more even importantly, we must ask ourselves today, HOW CAN WE?
When we forget all the blessings God has provided for us in the past, we’re too apt to minimize His ability to guide us into the future. We may even dread the future and where we think God is leading us. If so, we are exactly where the devil wants us: in a place of avoiding risks and playing it safe. Oh, we of little faith. Don’t put all your efforts into avoiding loss or turn your face away from the future He has planned for you. Instead, go forward with confidence and courage to do the task He has set for you.
3. Jeopardize the Objective:
In their unbelief, the Israelites discarded the precious, powerful future God intended for them. Their act of defiant unbelief incurred a terrible penalty that was meted out in two severe sentences. First, the ten men who gave the evil report were killed immediately by a plague. Second, the children of Israel who listened to the ten spies were told they would all die in the wilderness… only exceptions will be Caleb and Joshua.
What is your Canaan? What does God want you to tackle, to possess, to accomplish for Him? Unbelief forfeits your opportunities and jeopardizes your objective. So let’s keep seizing the moments God provides for us with childlike wonder.
C. How to Risk Life in the Faith Zone
1. Risk-Takers Stay Exuberant About Their Lives
2. Risk-Takers Stay Excited About Their Futures
3. Risk-Takers Stay Enthusiastic About Their Assignment
4. Risk-Takers Stay Energized About Their God
Only the energy of our God within us can keep us barreling forward into the remainder of God’s will for our lives. The story of Caleb’s life is told in 30 verses in the Bible. Bur six times in those 30 verses, we’re given the secret to his risk-filled, risk-taking life.
Num14:24 But my servant Caleb …. Has a different spirit in him and has followed me fully.
Deut 1:36 …I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.
Joshua 14:8-9 …. Shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.
Ch 6 Pursue
Chase Your Dream
In Ch One we spoke about dreams and how to build a vision for your future. What could my life look like in the future? What do I see myself doing? Now we will pursue Purpose… about meaning and motivation. Answers the “why”
A. Present yourself totally to God. Life is about God using you for His purposes. About Jesus showing you how fit into his plan. I can tell you that everything I ever dreamed of doing in my life I discovered in God’s purpose for me.
B. Understand your uniqueness
C. Realize your Responsibility… Responsibility is your response to God’s ability..
D. Pursue God’ Plan for your Life. Look for clues: Keep pursuing God’s good, acceptable, and perfect plan for your life, Look for indications, notice circumstances, follow leads, take initiative.
E. Obey Orders from God’s Word …. Joshua 1:8 “shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
F. Serve others Selflessly
G. Experience Eternal Life… It begins the minute you believe!! Jesus purchased for us a place in heaven. He compressed the suffering of an entire world of humanity into the few hours that He suffered on the cross. It was suffering to a magnitude we’ll never know. To get out of emptiness and into purpose, you have to go through Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And when you receive Him as Savior, eternal life begins at that moment for you – and with it comes a life of purpose.
H. No Regrets! Borden’s Dairy in Chicago … Son William mentored by MBI Pastor Dr. R A Torrey, $50 million fortune, passed at age 25 on mission field, Biography “Borden of Yale ‘09” “No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets had top billing in Borden’s consecration to God.” We must duplicate.
Ch 7 Believe:
Get Your Mind Right
Dabo… William Christopher, found Christ at 16, walk on for Clemson football team
As a youth D Jeremiah says his church as a youth was better known for what it was against than what it was for.. should not be our primary focus. Takes a positive attitude to move forward.. We should guard ourselves like Gideon against any self-help ideology that pushes God to the sidelines, magnifies human ability, and doesn’t tell the whole truth. But there is a positive, hopeful, joyful optimism that is totally biblical in its essence and comes from Christ alone
A. Be positive in your convictions
B. Be positive about God’s Love for you. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, not things present not things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, hall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The loss of hope around us today is rampant, and it is lethal!
Say “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom 15:13 Repeat morning noon & night!
C. Be positive about God’s Plan for you. The book Think Forward to Thrive “Although we often think the past dictates our behavior, the future is what really motivates most of our actions.” Christians of all people ought to be the most curious. Consider Romans 5:2 TLB “For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.”
D. Be Positive in your Conversations
E. Speak Positively to Yourself. II Cor 10: 5 “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” and II Timothy 1:12 “I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” and Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” A Jeremiah sermon outline on how to handle negative thoughts: “Don’t curse them, Don’t nurse them, Don’t rehearse them, Disperse them!
Consider this: Dr. H Norman Wright says “depending on how active our minds are, we may produce 45,000 thoughts each day. To complicate our minds more, not all these are conscious thoughts, and sometimes they pass so fleetingly, we barely notice them. Every time we have a thought, it triggers an electro-chemical reaction in your body…. Each thought sets off a biological process – about 400 billion at once. Because of that thought, chemicals surge through the body, producing electromagnetic waves. Those set off emotions, which affect how we behave.. Science confirms what Scripture has been saying all along; We are shaped, in large part, by our thoughts.”
F. Speak Positively to Others
G. Be Positive in Your Crises. Martin Seligman’s book “Learned Optimism”
H. Be Positive in you Countenance… “What’s down in the well comes up in the pail!!!!”
According to the Association for Psychological Science, a University of KS study found an incredible link between smiling and the ability to recover from difficult episodes in life. There are standard smiles, which use the muscles around the mouth. And there are genuine (or Duchenne smiles) … which engage the muscles around both your mouth and your eyes. The real key is your eyes.” Google the study. Consider Scripture. Palms 34:5 “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” Ecclesiastes 8:1 “A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.”
That inner wisdom comes from believing. It’s not in believing in positive thinking or the power of a positive attitude. It isn’t even believing in ourselves. True optimism comes from deep biblical convictions about the nature of God, knowing He loves you and has an exciting plan that is uniquely yours. It comes from quoting scripture to yourself and reminding yourself and others of his goodness and of the incredible future He has for those who trust him. A firm belief in the God of Scripture will bear you through the crises of life and put joy on your face, unmatched by the world’s best makeup. Your faith makes you radiant
I. Stay Positive!
“A smile is an asset; a frown is a liability. Some people grin and bear it; others smile and change it. Being happy and enthusiastic is always a choice… Both enthusiasm and pessimism are contagious. How much of each do you spread?” Cathy Free, People, 9/28/17
Ch 8 Invest:
A. Outlive your Life…. Prov 13:11 “Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Prov 27:23 “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”
“The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”
Austin Carlile story, began a band Of Mice and Men, suffered from Marfan syndrome, discovered he had lost everything, but really had it all! (Read his story and one about Warren Buffet’s unique investments, See’s Candies, on Pgs. 133-135)
B. Invest in God’s Word: Psalms 119:89 “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” I Peter1: 24-25 “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word by which the gospel was preached to you.” Jesus said “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” Matt 24:35.
1. Study His Word: Paul said, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Tim 2:15
2. Spread His Word: Jack Murphy, the jewel thief, sentenced to 2244 years met Bill Glass and Roger Staubach and gave his life to Christ and helped write “God’s Prison Gang”
3. Invest in God’s Work
4. Develop a Personal Ministry:
5. Devote Yourself to a local Church:
6. Invest in God’s Wealth: Having already invested in God’s Word and God’s work, next we need to make sure we are investing in God’s wealth – in the rich, endless, and lavish future He has laid up for us in heaven. We are but a vapor here, but heaven is our eternal destination. Therefore, we need to make sure we’re “paying ahead” and investing our lives in things eternal. Recall Matt 6: 19-20 “… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Randy Alcorn in his book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity explains it well:
“Christ offers us the incredible opportunity to trade temporary goods and currency for eternal rewards. By putting our money and possessions in his treasury while we’re still on earth, we assure ourselves of eternal rewards beyond comprehension.
Consider the implication of this offer. We can trade temporal possessions we can’t keep to gain eternal possessions we can’t lose. This is like a child trading bubble gum for a new bicycle, or a man offered ownership of the Coca-Cola company for a sack of bottle caps. Only a fool would pass up the opportunity.
If we give instead of keep, if we invest in the eternal instead of the temporal, we store up in heaven treasures that will never stop paying dividends. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.”
7. The Legacy of a Well Invested Life:
Psalms 71:18 says it well, “Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.”
If you’ve noticed, that verse is on my Break Free Enterprise business card. It gains greater significance for me everyday as I see my coaching is not only preparing me for eternity, but by helping my peers prepare to live purposeful joyful lives today, I’m really preparing them to die with a spiritual legacy here and beyond…..merlin
William James said, “The great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. The Bible calls this being rich toward God. (Luke 12:21). “This one life will soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Ch 9: Finish
A. You’re not done until you’re done.
While writing Shelter in God, Jeremiah tells of reading Jefferson Smith’s study revealing only 63% of readers complete a book prompting Jeremiah to call his publisher to change the Epilogue to become the Prologue, not wanting anyone to miss the biblical emphasis of truth.
B. Finish What You Start
Dr J Robert Clinton of Fuller identified about 1000 men and women who were considered leaders in some capacity but found only 49 prominent leaders whose lives could be surveyed as a whole, knowing how they started and finished. Of those 49, only 30 % finished well. The other 40% fell short of God’s plan for their lives – a fact that should jolt us. Thank God for the 30 % – for people like Joshua, Daniel, Peter, and Paul – ho enjoyed walking with God in increasing intimacy throughout their days. They simply kept growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. They remained yielded to Him in all things. Clearly, the greatest finisher in the Bible is Jesus. Thus far we have explored eight critical steps that move us toward God’s plan for our lives.
There are countless barriers to finishing well, and I’m presenting five that seem to dominate what I’ve read on this subject. But rather than barriers, I prefer to to begin on a positive note, and call them challenges. Consider the rest of this chapter a s locker-room pep talk delivered to all of us before we head out of the tunnel for the second half of the game.
1. Stay Focused Till You’re Finished
2. Stay Resilient About Retirement:
Harry Bollback is still active and in his mid 90’s and when asked about retirement, he says “Yes, I retire every night to go to bed so that I can get up the next morning to find out what God has for me to do.
Someone said that a husband’s retirement can become a wife’s full time job. If you do decide to leave your job and retire, remember – retirement is simply God’s way of freeing you for further service, perhaps in Vistas you’ve never yet imagined.
3. Stay Connected To Your Calling:
I’ve observed that those who finish best never consider themselves from their basic calling from God. There is no “best if used before” stamped onto your soul. The Bible says “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Even Jesus said in John 17:4 about His life “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Read the verse again carefully and you’ll notice Jesus did not finish all the work there was to do; but He finished all the work He was given to do. If you do that, you will have a full and exciting life.
4. Stay Vigilant After Your Victories: Consider King David and Elijah.
5. Stay Ready For Redeployment:
And now, the fifth and final key to finishing well: don’t finish at all!
Nine times in the Bible (ESV) we find the words old and advanced in years. I’ve always thought this phrase was an illustration of unnecessary redundancy. If you say someone is old, you shouldn’t have to add the words advanced in years. That seems like piling it on. But every word is important in the Bible, and one day I noticed something fascinating. Many of the times when that redundant phrase appears in the Bible, it’s a description of a person who is about to experience something astounding. For example:
Abraham (age 100) and Sarah (age 90) were “old”, well advanced in “age” as they are about to become the parents of Isaac (Gen 18:11).
Zacharias and Elizabeth were “old and advanced in years” before they gave birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1:18).
Ch 10 Celebrate
A. Turn Your Forward Into Forever:
We may all need a break now and then, but we don’t need an endless holiday! Heaven will not bore you. It will bring you fulfillment and celebration! All of your dreaming, praying, focusing, risk-taking, and investing – all your forward momentum on earth – is a prelude to greater service, happier work, and richer fulfillment in your heavenly home.
The apostle Peter said something important about this. Notice the words in italics, for they reveal the attitude we should have about heaven:
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day Of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in thee heat. But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him. (II Peter 3: 11-14 NIV)
The Bible says, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1). Will that make us too “heavenly minded”? C.S. Lewis responded this way:
“A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will found that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get Earth “thrown in”: Aim at Earth and you will get neither.”
What, then, can you and I expect in heaven? What kind of celebrations will we discover in God’s eternal home?
B. Look Forward to a Rousing Welcome.
Most of us are apprehensive about dying. But the Bible is full of information to alleviate your concern. The apostle Peter said that if you serve the Lord Jesus faithfully, “you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:11 NIV). Your “rich welcome” actually begins before you arrive in heaven. In our Lord’s parable of the rich man and the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” in heaven (Luke 16:22 NIV). I believe the Lord sends an angelic escort to accompany His departing saints to heaven. You’ll not be forgotten, forsaken, or alone for a single second. And you’ll arrive there to find you are at Home at last!
If you want to imagine how you’ll feel when you see your amazing new home, listen to what the martyr Stephen said in the New Testament. As he died, he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He shouted, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56).
C. Look Forward to a Rich Reward
The Bible teaches there will be a moment in the future when our work for the Lord will be evaluated. This is called the judgement seat of Christ (II Cor 5:10). I believe it will occur immediately after the rapture of the church to heaven. This has to nothing to do with eternal destination, for all those in Christ Jesus are heaven-bound by grace. The Bible often describes these rewards as “crowns,” the Victor’s Crown I Cor 9:24-25; the Crown of Rejoicing I Thess. 2:19; the Crown of Righteousness II Tim 4:8, the Crown of Life James 1:12; the Crown of Glory I Peter 5:4.
D. Look Forward to a Resurrected Body
E. Look Forward to a Renewed Assignment.
Your work on earth, whatever God is assigning you right now, is preparatory to eternal service in heaven. Randy Alcorn writes extensively about this in his book on heaven, saying, “Work in heaven won’t be frustrating or fruitless; instead, it will involve lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay and fatigue, enhanced by unlimited resources. We’ll approach our work with the enthusiasm we bring to our favorite sport or hobby.”
He continues, “In heaven, we’ll reign with Christ, exercise leadership and authority, and make important decisions. This implies we will be given specific responsibilities by our leaders and we’ll delegate specific responsibilities to those under our leadership (Luke 19: 17-19). We’ll set goals, devise plans, and share ideas. Our best work days on the present Earth … are just a small foretaste of the joy our work will bring us on the New Earth.”
Perhaps our occupations in heaven will be an extension of our work on earth or of those duties that brought us the most joy. Of course, some occupations won’t exist in heaven. There will be no physicians because there will be illness. Police officers won’t be needed, nor prison guards. There won’t even be evangelists, for everyone will know Christ.
But there will be musicians! There may also be teachers, for we won’t be omniscient. We’ll be capable of learning and teaching what we learn. We know there will be layers of authority and responsibility in the administration of the new heavens and the new earth. I expect some will be scientists because God’s new heavens and new earth will be full of surprises to investigate.
You’ll have plenty of time to undertake new vocations, hobbies, and such pursuits. With eternity to practice, you’ll be able to master great symphonies, create wonderful works of art, play extreme sports, write books, deliver lectures, explore exotic locations, and enjoy thrills without risks. All along the way, there will be meaningful work and fulfilling activities.
F. Look Forward to a Royal Throne
By far the greatest energy and enthusiasm in heaven will be around the throne of God when we cast our crowns at His feet and worship with full understanding and joy. We have a preview in Revelation 4 and 5, when all the saints angels of heaven sing in a loud voice, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev.5:13).
G. Look Forward to a Rapturous Reunion
Shortly before he passed away from complications from pulmonary fibrosis in 2003, evangelist Bill Bright contemplated the nature of our heavenly experience. He wrote:
“No reunion in history can even foreshadow what joy we will experience when we see loved ones and friends who went on before us. We are known. We are recognized. (I John 3:2) And we identify our loved ones, family, and friends. Brought together in the exquisite, all surrounding presence of the Lord, our faces beam. Our countenances gleam, and we shout in such delight that angels glance at each other in wonderment: What full-throated, glad-hearted welcomes these blood-washed sinners give each other! How they adore the Lord Jesus! How they love him! How they love each other!”
H. Look Forward to a Risen Savior
And that brings us to the single greatest anticipation about heaven-our risen Savior. You will see Jesus Himself face to face. There’s no more glorious verse in the Bible than Revelation22:4: “They shall see His face.”
This is your ultimate goal. This will be the single most phenomenal moment of your life. This is what you’re living for, what you’re waiting for, and what you’re anticipating with all your heart. This is Celebration with a capital C- for Christ. You shall behold Him. As the blind poet Fanny Crosby proclaimed, “And I shall see Him face to face and tell the story saved by grace.”
The closer we get to heaven, the greater our longing for Jesus’ face. What do you think you’ll be doing an hour after you die? Let me give you the answer to that from Scripture. You’ll be doing the same thing you were doing an hour before you died – seeking to please Jesus in all you are and do. The Bible says, “So our aim is to be please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven” ( II Cor 5:9 TLB).
Your location may change, but not your core purpose in life. The things that pleased Christ on earth will please Him in heaven; and that means Christ-followers have an exhilarating celebration ahead that make the heavens ring and the angels sing. Don’t miss the celebration and eternal joys of heaven! Jesus died and rose again to take you there, and He’s ahead of you to get everything ready. The only way you can go forward is with Him.
The whole human race is poisoned by sin, and the blood of Jesus is the only cure. He died on the cross for you, and the Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Rom10:9-10 NIV).
There’s no going forward without Jesus!
And with Him, there’s no turning back.
THE END!