Present With the Lord January 28, 2024

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

                             For the last couple of weeks, I've been sharing with you what Heaven will be like.  I chose this topic because I want to give you something that will allow you to look past the chaos of today's world and instead focus on what we as Christians have to look forward to when we leave this life.  Today's text is from 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 where Paul writes:  "(9) But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepare for them who love Him.  (10) But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." 

                             Paul was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect that adhered to the strict observance of religious ceremonies and practices, the oral laws and traditions, belief in an afterlife, and the coming of a Messiah.  In this passage he uses his knowledge of ancient scripture as he alludes to what Isaiah first introduced in Isaiah 64:4.  This short passage is about the future of every Christian.  Paul is giving us hope that allows us to have grand expectations about what is ahead for us.  And yet for some, it may seem that it is too good to be true.  But I want to show you that it is all true.  This passage about Heaven gives us the opportunity to stretch our imagination about what is waiting for us in the future if we accept Jesus and remain faithful to Him during our life on earth.

                             All of us have dreams about our future.  These dreams often include meeting and creating a life with one special person, building a family and a home, having friends who care about us, having a fulfilling job, and being financially secure.  This is all good but in truth, some of our dreams will come true, some won't, and some will fall short of what we expected.  There will always be successes, disappointments, and failures throughout our entire lives.

                             But, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are introduced to a whole new set of dreams and expectations for our future.  The future we are promised goes far beyond our wildest dreams.  But these new dreams can't come true without Jesus and what He did on the Cross for each one of us.  Because of Him, we can now dream about what it will be like to leave this earth and live eternally in Heaven.  We can now have a relationship with fellow Christians who share our beliefs and the bright promise of the same future.  We can dream of the day we will be reunited with those who have gone before us.  And, we have an inner peace that the world can't understand unless they make the choice to trust in Jesus.

                             When Paul wrote, "eye has not seen," he is telling us that we have never seen anything like Heaven because our perspective is limited to what we see on earth.  As we talked about last week, it is impossible to describe Heaven, even for those who have had the privilege of going there for a brief time through what we know as a "near death experience," only to be sent reluctantly back to earth.  If your lifelong dreams include a trip around the world, that trip will fall far short of what you will see when you make the trip to Heaven.  If we were to put all of the memories of the best experiences we have ever had, they won't measure up to what we will experience in Heaven.  Paul also wrote "nor ear heard."  Here he is telling us that no one has ever heard of a place as wonderful as Heaven.  Even the most eloquent speakers and those who have been there can't adequately describe it.  The greatest artists can't accurately paint Heaven, nor can composers write a note of its music. 

                   Paul also wrote "neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them who love Him." He is telling us that even our wildest dreams fall short of what awaits us in Heaven because the human imagination is incapable of fully grasping the glories of the home that awaits us after this life.  There are many TV shows where people build their dream homes.  And I will admit to watching them and then spending a fair amount of money on my little earthly dream home.  But think about this:  our Heavenly dream home has already been prepared for us by God Himself and is waiting for our arrival.  This is the same God that created you and me and this planet on which we live.   

                             Jesus tells us in John 14:1-3:  " (1) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me.  (2) In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."  We should not be troubled or concerned about anything because when we believe in God, we can believe in Jesus too.  There are many mansions in Heaven so that as many as believe in Jesus and what He did on the Cross can be there with Him.  Jesus has already prepared the way to eternal life.  The only issue that may still be unsettled is our willingness to believe Him. 

                             Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  God allowed His Son to endure the agony of the Cross knowing that there would be many who would reject Him as their Redeemer.  The love of our Heavenly Father truly knows no limits.  If He was willing to do this, how much more will He do for those who accept His offer to be redeemed and reconciled to Him because of the Cross?  God's love and our acceptance of Jesus guarantees eternal life in Heaven.  John wrote in 1 John 5:11-13:  "(11) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  (12) He who has the Son has life; and he who has not the Son of God, has not life.  (13) These things have I written unto you who believe on the Name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.  The "record" John is speaking of is the Word of God.  And the Word of God -- our Bible -- is the story of the Cross.  Jesus is the source of eternal life, and the Cross is the means by which it was made possible.  John is telling all believers that they absolutely have eternal life because they believe in the Son of God.

                             The Holy Spirit, through the writings in our Bible gives us only a small glimpse of what waits for us in Heaven.  But it is enough to allow us to dream of what it will be like when we get there.  And my advice to you is to dream really big because when you get there, it will be so much more than your earthly dreams.  Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:20  that He is standing and knocking at the door of all hearts.  Everyone that hears His knock and opens the door of their heart to Him, He will take them as His own.  If you haven't yet asked Him into your heart, do it now so you can have eternal life and the unimaginable glory of Heaven to look forward to.  I am available anytime to talk with you and help you make the decision that I promise you will not regret.        

                             Until we meet again, may God bless and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.