We Value and Eternity Mindset

Introduction

Tonight, I want to speak on part two of our third core value, an ETERNITY MINDSET: Life is Short. Eternity is Real. People Matter the Most.

If we want to see what a Biblical eternity mindset looks like, then we can find examples all throughout scripture. We’re going to focus tonight, primarily, though, on the writings of the Apostle Paul. Paul told the Corinthians, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” And when it comes to living our life with our minds fixed on eternity, then we would all do well to imitate the eternity mindset that Paul lived by, as it’s laid out for us by the Word of God.

Paul writes…

2 Cor 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Prayer - 1-Speak through me. 2-Be here with us. 3-Let whatever I say be perceived as you intend. 4-I pray that lives are changed tonight by the power of your Word. 5- Above all, may this message bring honor and glory to your name.

This is an incredible example of what an eternity mindset of a Christian looks like. Look at the contrast that Paul draws between our life here on earth and the eternity that we will one day face. Our life here on earth is full of momentary troubles. But, if we are in Christ, those momentary troubles will lead to eternal glory.

Everything around us, here on earth, that we can see…our troubles and our pleasures, Paul says, is temporary. And on the contrary, Paul says that what is unseen is eternal. And which one does the Word of God tell us to focus on, the issues that we will face here on earth until the day we die, or the eternity that we will all one day face forever? He calls us to fix our focus on eternity. This is what an eternity mindset looks like, and this is the mindset that we, as Christians, are called to live with.

Having a Biblical eternity mindset is knowing that 1) Life is short, 2) Eternity is real, and 3) People matter the most. And, tonight, I want to take it a step further than that. Living with an eternity mindset doesn’t just mean believing these three principles in your head; it means living in such a way that your life is a reflection that you believe these things in your heart.

What we believe about eternity should shape every part of our lives in a major way. And the way we live our lives should be a direct reflection of what we truly believe about God, about our eternity, and about the eternity of others.

So, tonight I want to talk about why we believe in an eternity mindset and what God’s Word says about 1) Life being short, 2) Eternity being real, and 3) People mattering the most. We believe that life is extremely short, because we’re comparing our time here to eternity.. So before we talk about life being short and what we should do with our short time here, we have to establish the fact that eternity is real. So our first point is this…

We Believe Eternity is real. Why do we believe eternity is real? Because the Word of God says so. Our first core value is that we believe in a Biblical Worldview. It’s our first value for a reason; we allow God’s Word to shape how we view everything in life, especially eternity.

E. So, here’s what the Bible says about eternity - heaven and hell.

Explain eternity- heaven is real and hell is real. There is no in between, and every human being in history will spend forever in one of these two places.

Heaven

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (AMP) For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Hell

Some people may say, why are you talking about hell? Hell makes people uncomfortable. We talk about hell because the Bible talks about hell. And it’s only by knowing God’s truth on the matter that we form a Biblical eternity mindset. Having an eternity mindset is knowing that heaven or hell is at stake for everyone.

Jesus talked about hell more, and in greater detail, than He talked about heaven.

Matthew 25:46 (AMP) Then these [unbelieving people] will go away into eternal (unending) punishment, but those who are righteous and in right standing with God [will go, by His remarkable grace] into eternal (unending) life.”

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There is an eternal destination for every single soul to ever live. Everyone you come into contact with will spend forever and ever either in glory with our creator or in eternal conscious punishment. There is no in between, there is no other option. There is no Biblical case for purgatory or any other in-between. When we draw our last breath, we are settled into our forever home forever. That’s what the Bible says, so that’s what we believe.

A. So based on that belief, the challenge for me and for you becomes living a life that is reflective of what we believe about eternity. What we believe about eternity should shape our lives. The decisions that we make daily should be a direct indicator of what we believe about what happens after we die.

And with a Biblical belief of eternity, we have to recognize that our time here is short. Point #2…

We Believe Life is Short. Compared to eternity, life is incredibly short. Illustration: cup compared to the ocean.

“Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.” - Charles Spurgeon

I. Cup and ocean

picture of ocean

I want to provide an illustration that hopefully sticks with you, to show us how short life really is. This cup represents your life. The ocean represents your eternity.

James 4:14 says you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes, meaning that our lives here, in the grand scheme of things, are no more than a vapor.

A couple weeks ago, we talked about what Jesus said about being a true follower of Him. In Luke 9:24 he said, For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. The life He is talking about in this verse is the life in this tiny cup. He’s saying that if you hold onto your life, and you don’t come to a true, surrendered faith in Christ because you’re holding onto things that are, in your mind, more important than a relationship with the living God, then there’s an ocean, an eternity, of separation from God that awaits. But if we do lose our life for His sake…if we take this tiny cup of water and say, “God it’s yours; I give it to you.” Then there’s an eternal reward that awaits us.

When we take on that attitude, then we’re operating out of an eternity mindset. We’re deciding that this life, this cup, is just a temporary stop on our way to an eternal destination.

E. This is a temporary stopping place for us.

Phil 3:20 Paul says …our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

4th Century Writing about Those of ‘The Way’: Christians are indistinguishable from others, either by nationality, language, or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. With regard to dress, food, and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in. And yet, there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through… any country can be their homeland, but for them, their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country… They pass their days here on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.

When we live as if this small cup of water - our life here - is just a temporary stopping place for us… It’s not the end.. It’s just a means to a greater end, and that greater end is eternity… when we have that mindset, how we live our lives changes dramatically.

I. Phil 1:21 - a motivator to live for Christ.

Having an eternity mindset is not only realizing that our time here is short, but recognizing that our time here - this little cup - belongs to God. When we lose our lives to Christ, like He calls us to in Luke ch. 9, we’re totally selling out for Him. Every decision we make, we make with Him in mind. Because we know that what we do with our life has eternal implications.

There’s not a lot of water in this cup, but what you do with it has an ocean of consequence.

Your life here is short, but what you do with it has eternal consequences.

In Philippians 1:21 Paul said, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. What he meant is that when his small cup of water runs out, then he has gained the ultimate victory… but until then, to live is Christ…meaning that his life mission was to be faithful to God regardless of the consequences. He was willing to go through a lot in life because his focus was not on his circumstances; his focus was on eternity…here’s another example

Philippians 3:13b But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul is showing us that having an eternity mindset is incompatible with being stuck in the past. It’s incompatible with dwelling on our earthly problems. Because having an eternity mindset means totally fixing our focus on what lies ahead… and Paul says that in doing that, he is literally straining in this life to do what God has called him to do. Being eternity minded requires us to consciously strive to do God’s will while we’re here..knowing that when God calls us home, then that is when we receive our victory.

An eternity mindset also puts in perspective our problems/afflictions.

Paul says in Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

There’s a popular expression you may have heard that “If it won’t matter in 5 years, then don’t worry about it.” I would take it a step further and say that if it won't impact eternity, then it will be okay.

This is written by a man, the Apostle Paul, who lived a life of suffering. Beaten within an inch of his life multiple times, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead..many of his letters were written from an inhumane prison cell. And his message is that what he has suffered, a fraction of this little cup, is not worth comparing to the ocean of glory that he’s going to face.

Some of us are in the midst of some suffering right now. And I am in no way discounting anyone’s suffering. It’s real. It’s hard. It hurts. But I’ve gotta remind you that it’s temporary. And God’s Word says that if we are in Christ, then we win in the end. An eternity mindset is knowing that we win in the end and not losing sight of that.

And we aren’t the only ones who win. Anyone who has a genuine, saving faith in Jesus wins in the end. And when we understand the weight of eternity and what it means for everyone, having an eternity mindset naturally gives us a heart for people.

Last point is this…

We Believe People Matter the Most.

All people will one day face eternity. Everyone in this room, everyone who came before you, everyone who will come after you, will face eternity. And if we’re Spirit-filled Christians, then we should have a strong desire to see people come to a saving faith in Christ, to see people secure an eternal home in heaven.

It’s actually what we’re commanded, by God, to do. The Great Commission,(Commission - not suggestion) according to Mark, says this 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Jesus is saying, “ETERNITY IS AT STAKE. GO AND TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT THE WAY - The only way, the only truth, and the only way to eternal life.

E. The name “The Way” describes the early church, those who followed Christ no matter the cost. And we see first mention of “The Way” in the book of Acts, the Biblical model for what church should look like. If you read throughout the book of Acts, do you know what a sure fire marker was that someone was Spirit-filled and was genuinely part of The Way? (not tongues)... they evangelized. They witnessed. They told people about the power of Jesus. God used them to change eternity for thousands of people.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The whole reason that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given is to build the kingdom of God. We are called to witness to others, to tell the world about Jesus. And you may say, “We’ll evangelism just isn’t my spiritual gift…” Evangelism is not my spiritual gift..but spreading the gospel is my call. It’s your call too. Anyone who claims Christ has been commissioned by Christ to share Christ…we are called to share the gospel no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable it is.

Story - God has a sense of humor.

Decided to walk to the beach for my lunch break.

To look at the ocean, meditate on tonight, and pray to God.

First thing I saw on the boardwalk was a kiosk surrounded by Jehova’s Witnesses (they don’t believe the true gospel - don’t believe what the Bible teaches about eternity, the Jesus that they believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible).

I’m trying to enjoy the ocean, pray, and meditate/prepare for tonight’s sermon.

Holy Spirit begins to convict me that I need to share the true Gospel w/ these people.

But I’d rather not. I’m extremely uncomfortable just thinking about it…there’s several of them and only one of me..and I’ve decided I’m just going to walk back to the office.

Man comes down screaming/proclaiming Jesus.

God said, “If he can do that, then you can talk to a few JW’s”

So I approached them..they were very nice..I began to ask them what they believed, and then proceeded to walk them through what the Bible said about Jesus and eternity for the next 40 minutes. I’ve never done anything like that in my life, and God just supernaturally worked..He brought to mind the verses, He helped me articulate what His Word says in a way that I certainly couldn’t do by my own power. And to the point where they were nodding their heads with me..and I asked them to please go study those scriptures that we talked about…and maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But they heard the true gospel today…some of them maybe for the first time.

The point here is that there is opportunity to share the gospel with people everywhere we go; we just have to be willing.

I. Unique Reward. We can take people to eternity with us, nothing else.

And there’s a unique reward in evangelism that really isn’t comparable to anything else. The way that we live out our lives here, this small cup of water, the decisions we make on earth, will bring either reward or regret. Not regret that separates us from God, but when we get to the end of the water in this little cup, we don’t want to look back and say… “I wish I would have said this…I wish I would have done that…” - JOE story

In the time that you have in this little cup, do everything you can to live without regret, to store up treasures of reward in heaven that will last FOREVER.

There will be heavenly reward for our faithfulness here on earth… but you know what might be the greatest reward of all? Seeing other people in heaven. PAPAW story-

Part of his reward will be seeing me there, and part of my reward will be seeing him there. All because when he was a teenager, someone shared the gospel with him and he gave his life to Christ, and then taught my mom about Jesus and she taught me (took me a while to get through my thick skull and hard heart but He did). And because the gospel was shared, eternity has been changed for so many people.

Imagine getting to heaven and seeing all the people that God used you to share the gospel with. Can you imagine a greater reward?

Of everything we choose to focus on here on earth, we can’t take any of it with us. That’s why Jesus tells us not to store up treasures here on earth. There’s only one treasure that we have here on earth that we’ll have in heaven: people. The only treasure that we can take to heaven with us is people. And people are God’s greatest treasure.

God sees you and the people that you come into contact with daily as such a great treasure that He paid our debt, paid our ransom, with His one and only Son…so that we may have eternal life. Don’t lose sight of that. And let that truth be the guiding force in everything you do in life. That is an eternity mindset…amen?