kayte
Sep 2nd 2004, 06:03 PM
Chapter 10
Our view of heaven will greatly affect how we pray. We will either turn our eyes and hearts toward God, longing to be home with Him in heaven. Or we will look to this world as our home, longing to stay, longing to have heaven on earth.
Paul describes the heart of the Christian beautifully, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
Is death the end of all things familiar or the fulfillment of what has been growing in you since you first knew Christ? Is heaven real to you?
John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
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.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Have you ever dreamed of buying that perfect piece of land and having your dream house built on it? The excitement, energy and work are consuming.
Daily you’re bombarded with choices and decisions to make. What style should it be, what color, what kind of siding, what style of windows, how many windows?
What kind of floor coverings, what texture do you want on the walls, what style of sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen? Where do you want the kitchen? (By this point you’d rather just skip the kitchen and eat out!)
What style of cabinets do you want? What kind of door knobs and drawer pulls? How about lighting fixtures and how thick a padding do you want under the carpet?
You innocently ask if the master-bedroom can be made bigger to accommodate the closet you really want, then sit back and watch the architect pull his hair out.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
God is all things. He is the architect that designed the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He not only chose the color scheme… He created it. He chose the perfect lighting fixtures and hung them in the sky. He was a carpenter in Galilee, and He’s now preparing a place for you in His own home… heaven.
What does God treasure?
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the people; for all the earth is Mine.
Matthew 13:44-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus left heaven, came to earth as a man. Gave up His life to pay the purchase price for you… His treasure… His pearl of great price.
Pearls are so beautiful. So softly white and clean. So smooth. And they come from an unclean creature.
The Lord’s comparison of us to a pearl is an incredible description. The Jewish people, whom Jesus was speaking to, did not treasure pearls because they come from the oyster, which was unclean.
Jesus’ use of the pearl as an example was a pointed lesson. The pearl is only of value because the ‘merchant’ seeks it. He gives it worth. He calls it beautiful.
Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. (My special treasure).
And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Luke 15:4-7 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
And when he has found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Do you know that you are God’s delight? We know so well the scriptures that refer to us rejoicing in the Lord, but do we really understand, really know, that He rejoices over us?
In the story of the prodigal son we read:
Luke 15:20-24 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
The picture of the sinner repenting is clear. The forgiveness and joy of the Father evident.
Throughout scripture there is no other story of a father running. This abandonment of joy… this exhilarating display of the father’s love is also a glimpse into heaven at the homecoming of the child of God.
#
Dianne’s dad was dying. Cancer was quickly consuming his body.
He had been in the hospital for two weeks. Because of the intensity of the pain, he was placed on a continuous morphine drip. In order to control the pain the dosage was extremely high, unfortunately causing horrible nightmares and the inability to recognize his family when he was awake.
It was heart wrenching for Dianne’s friend to hear the pain in her voice when they spoke on the phone.
This particular afternoon Dianne’s friend was worshipping at the piano.
Playing through the song, “The Lord Thy God In the Midst of Thee Is Mighty,” an amazing thing happened. It was as if heaven opened and she could hear others singing with her. Loud, solid… joyful.
And she knew… they were singing over Dianne’s dad. This one small, ordinary man that lay in a hospital bed dying.
It is impossible to put into mere words the incredible joy witnessed that day.
In Zephaniah 3:17 are the words of the song.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
By the worlds standard, an insignificant man was dying and few took notice. But all heaven was alert and filled with the celebration of the Lord’s heart over this man’s journey home.
On one side was a hospital room filled with grief. A man shadowed by pain as his wife, children and grandchildren mourned his passing.
On the other side, all heaven seemed focused in unimaginable joy over this man coming home. The Lord Himself was rejoicing over him with gladness, the joy of life pounded like thunder through His being... and His joy over this child of His coming home shattered the darkness.
The sickness, the death, held absolutely no sorrow in the heavens.
The anticipation and joy of the birth of a long awaited babe can’t compare.
The joy was so free, so unhampered. It was clean and pure… unaffected by sin. The joyful anticipation was such that the human heart couldn’t contain it.
All heaven was caught up in the love and delight of Jesus.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
And heaven’s curtain closed. The singing faded away and she cried. Saddened to see it end, envious that she couldn’t go too.
Christ in me is to live, and to die is to gain.
Dianne called her friend that night. Dad had died earlier that afternoon.
Before he left he became alert and peaceful. She related how he had recognized them and was able to say goodbye. And how he lay back on his pillow and said, “Do you hear them singing? Can’t you hear them sing?”
Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
Father in heaven, we worship You. Our hearts poured out before You as we see a glimpse of Your love for us. Lord, we ask that as we pray we would know You better and better. That we would live in understanding that You are our home. It is amazing that You delight in us, help us to live our lives honoring You. We are humbled.
Come quickly Lord Jesus,
Amen
#
Study questions
1) Is heaven ‘real’ to you? How does this affect your relationship with God?
2) What are your treasure’s?
3) Re-read Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
If you will indeed obey… Is your life one of active obedience?
4) In your relationship with the Lord, do you know you are a pearl of great price or do you see yourself as one still in a life of uncleanness? What does the Lord say? (whisper… who is right?)
5) According to the world our worth is in what we know, what we do, what we look like, etc. According to God, where does our worth come from?
6) In Jeremiah 9:24 the Lord states that He delights in those that glory in understanding and knowing Him. What do you glory in?
7) What is the picture that this study gives you of God?
copyright 2002 tkc
Our view of heaven will greatly affect how we pray. We will either turn our eyes and hearts toward God, longing to be home with Him in heaven. Or we will look to this world as our home, longing to stay, longing to have heaven on earth.
Paul describes the heart of the Christian beautifully, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
Is death the end of all things familiar or the fulfillment of what has been growing in you since you first knew Christ? Is heaven real to you?
John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
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.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Have you ever dreamed of buying that perfect piece of land and having your dream house built on it? The excitement, energy and work are consuming.
Daily you’re bombarded with choices and decisions to make. What style should it be, what color, what kind of siding, what style of windows, how many windows?
What kind of floor coverings, what texture do you want on the walls, what style of sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen? Where do you want the kitchen? (By this point you’d rather just skip the kitchen and eat out!)
What style of cabinets do you want? What kind of door knobs and drawer pulls? How about lighting fixtures and how thick a padding do you want under the carpet?
You innocently ask if the master-bedroom can be made bigger to accommodate the closet you really want, then sit back and watch the architect pull his hair out.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
God is all things. He is the architect that designed the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He not only chose the color scheme… He created it. He chose the perfect lighting fixtures and hung them in the sky. He was a carpenter in Galilee, and He’s now preparing a place for you in His own home… heaven.
What does God treasure?
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the people; for all the earth is Mine.
Matthew 13:44-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus left heaven, came to earth as a man. Gave up His life to pay the purchase price for you… His treasure… His pearl of great price.
Pearls are so beautiful. So softly white and clean. So smooth. And they come from an unclean creature.
The Lord’s comparison of us to a pearl is an incredible description. The Jewish people, whom Jesus was speaking to, did not treasure pearls because they come from the oyster, which was unclean.
Jesus’ use of the pearl as an example was a pointed lesson. The pearl is only of value because the ‘merchant’ seeks it. He gives it worth. He calls it beautiful.
Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. (My special treasure).
And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Luke 15:4-7 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
And when he has found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Do you know that you are God’s delight? We know so well the scriptures that refer to us rejoicing in the Lord, but do we really understand, really know, that He rejoices over us?
In the story of the prodigal son we read:
Luke 15:20-24 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
The picture of the sinner repenting is clear. The forgiveness and joy of the Father evident.
Throughout scripture there is no other story of a father running. This abandonment of joy… this exhilarating display of the father’s love is also a glimpse into heaven at the homecoming of the child of God.
#
Dianne’s dad was dying. Cancer was quickly consuming his body.
He had been in the hospital for two weeks. Because of the intensity of the pain, he was placed on a continuous morphine drip. In order to control the pain the dosage was extremely high, unfortunately causing horrible nightmares and the inability to recognize his family when he was awake.
It was heart wrenching for Dianne’s friend to hear the pain in her voice when they spoke on the phone.
This particular afternoon Dianne’s friend was worshipping at the piano.
Playing through the song, “The Lord Thy God In the Midst of Thee Is Mighty,” an amazing thing happened. It was as if heaven opened and she could hear others singing with her. Loud, solid… joyful.
And she knew… they were singing over Dianne’s dad. This one small, ordinary man that lay in a hospital bed dying.
It is impossible to put into mere words the incredible joy witnessed that day.
In Zephaniah 3:17 are the words of the song.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
By the worlds standard, an insignificant man was dying and few took notice. But all heaven was alert and filled with the celebration of the Lord’s heart over this man’s journey home.
On one side was a hospital room filled with grief. A man shadowed by pain as his wife, children and grandchildren mourned his passing.
On the other side, all heaven seemed focused in unimaginable joy over this man coming home. The Lord Himself was rejoicing over him with gladness, the joy of life pounded like thunder through His being... and His joy over this child of His coming home shattered the darkness.
The sickness, the death, held absolutely no sorrow in the heavens.
The anticipation and joy of the birth of a long awaited babe can’t compare.
The joy was so free, so unhampered. It was clean and pure… unaffected by sin. The joyful anticipation was such that the human heart couldn’t contain it.
All heaven was caught up in the love and delight of Jesus.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
And heaven’s curtain closed. The singing faded away and she cried. Saddened to see it end, envious that she couldn’t go too.
Christ in me is to live, and to die is to gain.
Dianne called her friend that night. Dad had died earlier that afternoon.
Before he left he became alert and peaceful. She related how he had recognized them and was able to say goodbye. And how he lay back on his pillow and said, “Do you hear them singing? Can’t you hear them sing?”
Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
Father in heaven, we worship You. Our hearts poured out before You as we see a glimpse of Your love for us. Lord, we ask that as we pray we would know You better and better. That we would live in understanding that You are our home. It is amazing that You delight in us, help us to live our lives honoring You. We are humbled.
Come quickly Lord Jesus,
Amen
#
Study questions
1) Is heaven ‘real’ to you? How does this affect your relationship with God?
2) What are your treasure’s?
3) Re-read Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
If you will indeed obey… Is your life one of active obedience?
4) In your relationship with the Lord, do you know you are a pearl of great price or do you see yourself as one still in a life of uncleanness? What does the Lord say? (whisper… who is right?)
5) According to the world our worth is in what we know, what we do, what we look like, etc. According to God, where does our worth come from?
6) In Jeremiah 9:24 the Lord states that He delights in those that glory in understanding and knowing Him. What do you glory in?
7) What is the picture that this study gives you of God?
copyright 2002 tkc