...from the desk of Rande Wayne Smith D.Min., Th.M., M.Div.

Heaven – 6

SET YOUR HEARTS ON HEAVEN

Colossians 3:1-2

You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.
 

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion to His glory and our edification.  Amen.

Last October Kathy and I spent 5 days in Connecticut. We both love history, and Kathy had found the Joshua Phinney house, a single family home, built in 1750, in the town of Canterbury for us to stay in. We had planned to arrive there in the early afternoon, but we experienced car trouble, and then there was a storm, and so by the time we finally pulled into the driveway, the house which was out in the country, and completely surrounded by trees, was pitch black. It had been a long, hard drive, and we were tired.
We entered the old house, with plank board floors and see through walls, and a lone light bulb hanging over the kitchen table. We just looked at each other … whose idea was this?

But when we got up the next morning … what a difference. The sun was shinning. The autumn leaves were absolutely beautiful. There were rolling hills. The birds were singing. The house had gone from old and uninviting to rustic with character. What a difference … a fresh perspective … the night was soon forgotten.

This morning we’re concluding a 6-part series on Heaven. One day, those of us who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, are going to step out of our “old uninviting house”, as it were, into the majesty and splendor of Heaven. And our present struggles here on earth will soon be forgotten. Heaven will put everything into perspective, which is why Scripture encourages us to set our hearts and fix our minds there.

I want to read again this passage from Colossians. Actually, this could have been the key text for our entire Heaven series. “You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.” And this morning we’re going to take a closer look at some people who did just that. They lived with an eternal perspective on things. What things? We’re going to look at Hebrews 11 to find the answer. This chapter has sometimes been called “Scripture’s Hall Of Faith” … because the men and women who are listed here demonstrate world record caliber faith. The opening sentence defines what faith is. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

Now if faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see … then it obviously has something to do with Heaven. It has something to do with an eternal perspective. Hebrews 11 describes men and women of faith, who had an eternal perspective. And this morning we’re going examine 4 things that you and I will look at differently if our hearts and minds are set on Heaven.

#1 … an eternal perspective on stuff. Of all the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, nobody gets more attention than Abraham. Abraham is not only an O.T. hero because he becomes the father of the nation of Israel, God’s O.T. people; the N.T. says that Abraham is also our hero. He is the father of all who believe in God, all who have faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham is Mr. Faith. Abraham is Mr. Eternal Perspective. And we see this especially in the way Abraham viewed his stuff. Listen to how Scripture describes his life.
“It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.” Hebrews 11:8-10

Let me give you some background to Abraham’s story. Prior to setting out for the Promised Land he lived 1st in the city of Ur and then in the city of Haran. Archeologists tell us that Ur was a highly civilized city in Abraham’s day. It had a library, and a large commercial marketplace. And Haran was a caravan trading post. Both cities were good places to live.

Scripture tells us that Abraham was a wealthy man. He had a lot of stuff. But when God called him to leave Ur, and then later, leave Haran, and go to Canaan, where he and his family would have to live in tents … Abraham immediately obeyed; he didn’t hesitate.

Okay, let’s make this personal. Try to imagine doing something like that yourself. You live Rolling Meadows, or Arlington Heights, or Huntley, or Mt. Prospect, or St. Charles, or Cary, or Addison, or Palatine, or Schaumburg, or Streamwood, or Bartlett.
And tonight in your prayer time God tells you to give up your house and go off somewhere and live in a tent. Is there anyone of us who would immediately obey? If you’re like me you’re already coming up with excuses.

Abraham gave up his home and property. In fact, years later when his wife, Sarah, died, Abraham actually had to buy a parcel of property from a local in the Promised Land, where God had sent him, in order to have a place to bury her. Genesis 23:4

So, why did Abraham do that? Why did Abraham walk away from all his stuff in Ur and Haran and go to where he had virtually nothing? “Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.” Abraham was looking forward to Heaven. And his example causes us to ask the question, do we hold-on to our stuff as loosely as Abraham did? Are our hearts, are our minds so set on Heaven that we’re more concerned about accumulating wealth there, than we are with accumulating stuff here?

Jesus addresses this issue in His Sermon on the Mount. “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are.” Matthew 6:19-21
Do you understand the either/or nature of Jesus’ challenge here? We can have treasure either here or in Heaven … but not both. Now most of us would like to think that Jesus got it wrong. Most of us would like to think that we can have our treasure in both places … but it doesn’t work that way.

Let me show you what I mean. This is a $100 bill. Now I’ve got to determine what I’m going to do with it. What could I get with $100? I could go out with Kathy to a very nice restaurant for dinner; one that has valet parking and everything. (I’m not talking about our usual Panera Bread.) Or, I could buy some new running shoes, good running shoes. Or, I could go to a Bulls game with a couple of friends. Or, I could stop down here at Dunkin’ Donuts and get 37 chai lattes. West Side Story is coming to Chicago; I could get 2 tickets. However, once this $100 is spent on any of those things … it’s gone.

On the other hand, I could store up for myself riches in Heaven. I can put my $100 in the offering at Community Church. … (ushers come running down center aisle) … It would support our ongoing ministry. It would keep our doors open. It would provide for pastoral services. It would support mission projects.

Now the thing I know about money … if I give my money there … I don’t have it to give here. On the other hand, if I give it here … I no longer have it to give there.
Don’t miss this point. The nature of money is that it is finite. And by finite I mean it can’t be 2 places at the same time. And that’s why Jesus said, “you can have your riches here, or you can have it there … but you can’t have it both places.” An eternal perspective on stuff says, “I want to have it there for certain.”

Here’s a test for you … if you suddenly came into some extra money … what would you do with it? Most of us know immediately what we would do with extra money. We have dreams. We’re thinking about some of our furniture we’d like to replace, or the cruise we’d like to take, or the digital camera we want to purchase. But, what if we started thinking differently? What if we looked at any potential extra that came in and asked, “What could I do for the Kingdom of Christ?”

Our trustees are evaluating several smoke alarm bids that have come in. We need to put an alarm system throughout this building. Your financial support of that is going to store up riches in Heaven for you.

I have a dream for Community Church, and I want to share it, even though it might scare some of you. I have a dream that we’re going to become a Church that’s known for its’ generosity, a Church that’s known for its’ giving. If we take a life lesson from the playbook of Abraham we’ll say, “I’m not going to hold on to Ur. I’m not going to hold on to Haran.
“I’m not going to hold on to Rolling Meadows” (or whatever community you happen to live in). “I’m going to store up riches for myself in Heaven” … an eternal perspective on stuff.

Here’s a 2nd thing we will look at differently … an eternal perspective on sin. This is a faith lesson that we learn from Moses. “It was faith that made Moses, when he had grown up, refuse to be called the son of the king’s daughter. He preferred to suffer with God’s people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26

Most of you know his story. Moses was born into slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh, at the time, was paranoid about the growing strength and numbers of the Israelites, and so decreed that every little Hebrew boy who was born should be put to death. Moses’ Mom, after he was born, “took a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar to make it watertight.” Exodus 2:3 She put him in it and “placed it in the tall grass at the edge of the river,” with the hope that some Egyptian family would find him and raise him as their own. Little did she expect that the Egyptian family that would discover him would be Pharaoh’s. Pharaoh’s daughter finds Moses and decides to raise him in the palace.
Then, at some future date, Moses became aware of his true identity … and he had a choice to make. Does he identify with the people of God who are being abused and tyrannized, or does he keep his mouth shut and enjoy the comforts and pleasures of the palace? Which will it be? “He preferred to suffer with God’s people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while.”

Let me point out something obvious about sin here, because it’s sometimes obscured in theological discussions. In our “spiritual” explanations about sin we usually refer to it as disgusting. And it is disgusting in the eyes of a holy God … but sin’s not so disgusting to us, and we just have to honestly recognize that. It’s pleasurable. It’s enjoyable.

Moses toyed with the idea of enjoying the pleasures of sin. Sin can be fun … can we just honestly admit that? Sin can be fun. It’s fun to get back at somebody who has offended us. It’s fun to catch up to the guy who cut us off in traffic and signal him appropriately. There’s apart of us that finds that satisfying. It can be fun to drink too much with your friends. It can be fun to sleep-in on a Sunday morning and skip worship. It can be fun to watch a steamy sex scene on HBO. It can be fun to spend a bunch of money on yourself, or get yourself off the hook by telling a lie, or to play the flirting game with someone.
Whatever the sin … it feels good for a little while.

How did Moses manage to resist the allurements of Egypt and consistently do the right thing? Look at the closing phrase … “he kept his eyes on the future reward.”

An eternal perspective on sin means that we’re constantly reminding ourselves, when tempted … if I do this it may give me a short term buzz, but I will forfeit the Heavenly riches that come from saying “no” to sin and “yes” to God. Do you understand that God rewards saying no to sin, every time you say it?

Listen to the Apostle Paul, “All of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 Now when Paul wrote that, it was to believers. Someday, we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Now fortunately, our judgment will not lead to eternal condemnation for our sins because Christ has already taken that punishment upon Himself. But our judgment may result in the loss of eternal riches because of the times we chose sin over obedience.

Think about Michael Phelps. Here’s a guy who became the hero of the Olympics. He won 8 gold medals. Michael brought great pride to our country. He was Sport’s Illustrated’s “Sportsman Of The Year.”
He was a perfect role model for our youth. But then he went to a party and smoked marijuana. The USA Swimming Association has suspended him for 3 months. He’s lost his endorsement contract with Kellogg’s; and possibly other deals as well. This has been a huge embarrassment to Michael, and it has already cost him plenty … in integrity, reputation, and money. I’m willing to bet, that had Michael Phelps known what was coming down the pike, he would never have touched that pipe.

Do we have an eternal perspective on sin and its’ repercussions? Or have we deluded ourselves into thinking that our sins only have repercussions in this life? Moses was tempted, but he chose heavenly riches over a short term buzz. Let’s keep that in mind the next time sin knocks on our door, that God will reward, that He will see, that He will record every time we say no.

Here’s a 3rd thing that we will see differently … an eternal perspective on success. “Should I go on? There isn’t enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners.” Hebrews 11:32-34
That’s a pretty diverse group of people. But they all have one thing in common … they served God. Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah were all military leaders who freed God’s people from enemy domination.

The next person mentioned was David, Israel’s greatest king, who composed dozens and dozens of songs that have been used in worshipping God. Samuel was a prophet, a spiritual leader. Daniel “shut the mouths of lions.” Daniel 6:21 And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (or as I learned it as a kid, Shadrach, Meshach, and to-bed-we-go) stood strong for their faith in God, and when they were thrown into the blazing furnace were not burnt up. Daniel 3:27 Because of their faith many hearts were turned to God.

All these faith heroes viewed success in terms of serving God. And by serving God they found themselves serving others. Now what’s so unusual about that perspective? Well, in our contemporary culture we tend to view success in terms of how well we’ve served ourselves. We tend to view success in terms of … did I make the team? Did I land the best job? Did I close the biggest deal? Did I buy the best house? (That’s part of the problem with these bank CEO’s.)

Success in our world is very “me” centered. But that’s not success in God’s book … an eternal perspective … evaluates success on how we served God and others.
Steve Jobs has been in the news lately. He’s the founder and CEO of Apple computer and creator of iPod. Not long ago it was discovered that he has a tumor in his pancreas, and he’s taken a leave of absence from his company. And here’s what he said in his announcement, “our time on earth is limited” … (so far so good) … “so be certain that you live your own life; be certain that you listen to your own inner voice.” That was it. There’s nothing about serving God or serving others.

Let’s compare and contrast Steve Jobs’ insights with those of the Apostle Paul. Paul, too, was living on the fringe of death. In fact, he writes a number of his letters from a Roman prison where he was confined because of his faith. He expected execution at any moment. Listen to his words. “My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in 2 directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing: but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith.” Philippians 1:20-25
Do you understand what Paul’s saying? “It doesn’t really matter to me whether I live or whether I die. Personal preference, I’d just as soon die because I get to go and be with Christ immediately. However, I’m willing to stay on this planet because I know what my living here will mean for you and the people in Philippi. I know that it will mean spiritual growth for you; it will result in your eternal joy … so I’m willing to go on living to serve you.” That’s an eternal perspective on success. It’s serving God and serving others.

How do you spell success? My grandmother had a plaque on her kitchen wall:
Only one life t’will soon be passed …
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only what’s done for Christ will last. That’s an eternal perspective on success. Let me tell you who wrote that saying … C.T. Studd. Have you ever heard of him? C.T. Studd was a household name in England at one time. He was the Babe Ruth of England. In the late 1800’s cricket was the sport in England, and C.T. Studd was a national hero. He played for the team in Cambridge. He was an extraordinarily bright man, a handsome man, from a wealthy family. One day he came to faith in Jesus, and as a result of that decision, he quit cricket. The fans couldn’t believe it, but then it was even harder to believe what happened next.
He quit cricket so that he could go to China with an international ministry to tell the Chinese about Jesus. He’s the one who wrote,
Only one life t’will soon be passed …
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Success … being a national sports hero? Or serving Christ and serving others? As we think back over our past week … how much did we contribute to our success if success is measured in terms of serving God and serving others?

Here’s a 4th, and final thing, that we’ll see differently, if we keep our hearts and minds on Heaven … we will have an eternal perspective on suffering.

“Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life. Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in 2, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of sheep or goats – poor, persecuted, and mistreated. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.

“What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised, because God had decided on an even better plan for us.
“His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:35-40

You see, just because you’re following Christ doesn’t mean that everything will go smoothly in this life. In fact, faith in God for the folks that I just read about meant persecution and death. So why did they do it? Because they had an eternal perspective. Because they believed their faith in God would eventually pay off. If not in this world, who cares … in the world to come. One day, they understood that they would “be made perfect” along with all of us who persevere in following Christ.

Now maybe you find it difficult to identify with these people who sacrificed so much in order to keep the faith. I’ve told you on other occasions how I regularly look at “The Voice Of The Martyrs.” Also on their website (www.persecution.com) each week are new stories about the persecution that’s taking place in the world today. As I read those stories I pray for those people. It helps me put into perspective my life here at Community Church.

So, while we’ll probably never suffer like this for our allegiance to Christ, we, on the other hand, all suffer to some extent just by facing the trials that everybody experiences in life. And the degree to which we persevere in those trials is the degree to which we have an eternal perspective on suffering. It brings to mind the words that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth.
“For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Whatever trial you’re experiencing today … some of you are facing trials at work, some are facing trials in your family, some are facing trials within yourselves … face them with an eternal perspective. Keep Heaven in the forefront of your thinking. Think in terms of Heaven’s values, Heaven’s rewards, and Heaven’s King.

Back in 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the channel between Catalina and the coast of California. She was already famous for being the 1st woman to swim the English Channel both ways. But on that day when she set out to swim those 26 miles it was foggy, it was chilly, and the water was rough. And as she was swimming she began to think that she couldn’t make it. She could barely see the boats that were accompanying her in the fog. Her Mom was in one of those boats and kept yelling out, “You can do it! You’re getting closer.” But after 15 hours of swimming, Florence just emotionally collapsed.
She told the people in the accompanying boat to pull her in. But after she got in one of the boats she realized that she was less than ½ mile from the California coast. The next day in a press conference here’s what she told reporters. “All I could see was the fog. I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

I know that some of you, this morning, feel as if you’re in the midst of a lot fog right now, and that’s all you can see, and you can’t see anything in front of you except rough water.

My friends, “You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.”

That’s what this series has been all about … no just filling our heads with thoughts of Heaven, (of when it’s coming, and what it’s going to look like, and what our eternal bodies are going to be like), but preparing us to live today in the light of eternity so that we will develop an eternal perspective on stuff … so we will develop an eternal perspective on sin … so we will develop an eternal perspective on success … so we will develop an eternal perspective on suffering

 

MARANA THA