Looking Forward to the Heavenly City
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This is the Word of God. “The entrance of God’s Word gives light.”
Text:
Text:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Today I want to speak on
Looking forward to the Heavenly City
Looking forward to the Heavenly City
How many of you agree that in life, we must always be looking forward?
The Bible warns us “Remember Lot’s wife.” She looked back. She became a pillar of salt.
The recipients of this letter were tending to drift backwards. Many were looking back.
Many were going back to their previous lifestyle, previous religion. Some even backslid.
But we should never look back. We can never look back. It is not an option.
We keep moving forward, always. We keep looking ahead.
There are good things in store for us up ahead.
I love the words of Moses, speaking to his father-in-law
“Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good to Israel.”
In Heb. 11, as we continue our series on Heroes of Faith, we see
Abraham reached the place God called him to but he knew he was not home yet.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Looking Forward to the Heavenly City
Looking Forward to the Heavenly City
Beloved brethren,
We have a heavenly city
We have a heavenly city
The designer, the architect and the builder is God Himself.
The same Jesus who said “I will build my church” - I will raise up the kingdom of God on earth, said
I go to prepare a place for you!
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
There are three views to life and death
- The atheist says - you are only matter. You live. You die. And wonderful news - that’s it. You are nothing
-The pantheist says - you live, you died and you return. You are reincarnated. I am not sure as what
-The Bible says - you have an eternal soul. You live, you die and then awaken to eternity. You decide where that will be.
“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food. ... Men feel sexual desire; well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Abraham was looking forward all his life to an eternal city.
What kind of place is this?
What’s this heavenly city like?
Oh, indeed “eye has not seen, nor ear has heard the things that God has prepared for us.”
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Many young women dream of their wedding day. Those of you who are married still look back at your wedding day.
You picked out that wedding gown. You looked so beautiful it it
The wedding day is coming - and you are dressed gloriously, a bride adorned for her husband.
The new Jerusalem is a bride for the Lamb of God, the Son of God, Jesus the Savior of the world.
He goes on to describe it -
Revelation 21:11 says “It had “the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
It had a great high wall.
Revelation 21:18 “The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.”
Revelation 21:19 “19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.
Revelation 21:21 “21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls.
There are many beautiful cities in the world.
You may be dreaming to visit London, NYC, Tokyo
None comes close to the glory, beauty, majesty of our heavenly Jerusalem.
Hebrews 11:10 “10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
In the same way you and I ought to be looking forward to the heavenly city.
Looking forward to the heavenly city will require:
1. A heavenly citizenship
1. A heavenly citizenship
You will need your certificate of citizenship!
Only those who have responded to the invitation of Jesus are qualified to be citizens.
Jesus Himself stated Jn 3.3
Paul in writing to the believers of Philippi said
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
The city of Philippi was one of worldwide fame, a miniature Rome.
It was a city the citizens could take pride in
Yet Paul says to believers there - “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
You and I may have a Canadian citizenship but and you can be proud of that but we must take greater joy and pride that we are heavenly citizens.
In our congregation here we have - citizens, permanent residents, visitors, asylum seekers, refugees.
Every non-citizen desires citizenship to know I belong here. I can call Canada my home. I have rights etc.
There are millions in the world who have no home, no citizenship to a country.
They have been displaced by war, famine, oppression.
They end up living in refugee camps
They cross the seas in rafts unfit for sailing
many drown in these attempts.
They are looking for a better life.
Many may not enjoy the full benefits of citizenship of a country in this world
But I have news for you
Every born-again child of the living God is a bona-fide citizen of heaven.
There are no refugees, assylum seekers there.
A heavenly city also requires
2. A heavenly focus
2. A heavenly focus
Since I belong to that heavenly city, I ought to set my mind, my focus, my affection on it.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
or take the KJV
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
So often we are caught up with the things of the world.
Maple Leafs
Raptors
Argonauts
We are so consumed, preoccupied for this world that spiritual things come last.
They occupy the bottom of our to-do list.
‘Seek ye last the KOG..”
If we don’t set our minds on heavenly things, think about spiritual things, then we just living like everyone else.
We are not getting ourselves ready for what comes in the hereafter.
In a sense, we are practical atheists.
The disciple has a heavenly focus - we pray, seek the face of God daily, we spend time in His Word, getting to know Him.
We are involved, occupied with kingdom business.
[Friday night -]
We must have a heavenly focus.
Let me give you an example
Let’s say we are faced with struggles, trials, difficulties in life. This heavenly focus looks at it this way
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
A heavenly city also requires
3. A heavenly pilgrimage.
3. A heavenly pilgrimage.
Heb 11.9 tells us that Abraham was living in tents - because he was looking forward to the heavenly city.
Tents are temporary structures - you set and pull down after a short period of time. [college protests]
Abraham was indicating - this is not my home.
v13 - acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13 (NKJV)
13 ..confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Pilgrim: one who journeys to and in a foreign land.
One songwriter says: We are not home yet.
Another one writes
All I know is I'm not home yet, This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus, This is not where I belong
Every year we have pilgrims to various holy sites on the earth.
Beloved, you and I are on a pilgrimage - don’t you ever forget that.
This world is not my home, I’m just passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door and
I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
The church doesn’t sing the songs of heaven, return of Jesus because we are so caught up with this life.
Don't ever believe the saying. “You so heavenly minded that you're of no earthly good.” The people who are heavenly minded. are the ones who have made the greatest changes in this earth.
Heaven changes everything
It changes your focus
It reshapes your thinking
It transforms your outlook on life
It inspires a different lifestyle
It drives different actions.
Finally, a heavenly city also requires
we have
4. A heavenly treasure
4. A heavenly treasure
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where is your treasure?
You can only imagine the pain people feel when their new cars are stolen.
The cops found a body-shop where luxury cars are dismantled for parts
You buy an expensive, in-fashion winter coat or dress and soon the trend changes
The house needs repair.
Our bodies tell us the same thing - the golden years are not so golden.
Earthly possessions, earthly treasures don’t even last for a few years, definitely not a lifetime, much less for eternity.
Only a fool lives for temporary things.
The wise lay up treasure in heaven.
Where is your heart? What possesses you? What do you dream of? That’s your treasure.
Let me tell you the story of the Rich Fool
Luke 12:13–21 “13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” .. And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.””
This is the folly of those who are building earthly wealth at the expense of eternal treasure.
The question is how can I lay up treasure in heaven?
One rich young man asked Jesus Matthew 19:16 “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?””
He told Jesus he had kept all the commandments. What do I still lack?
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.
Conclusion.
Are you looking forward in life not only to what’s ahead in this life, but also what lies in the after-life?
Our time on earth cannot compare with eternity.
A wise man will ensure he’s prepared and live with an eternal perspective.
Salvation prayer/invitation
Closing song: