Heaven is not our Home
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
How often have you heard this phrase as a summary of our hope as Christians? [below]:
“Trust in Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die”.
Have we misplaced Christian hope through this statement? B/c I think it’s more biblical to say:
“Trust in Jesus so you can live on earth when you rise”.
We need clarity on the hope and inheritance that belongs to true Christians in the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ:
One writer, in a very helpful way, puts it like this:
“When we die, before the end of all history, [before Jesus returns], what happens to us? We of course go to be with the Lord [in Heaven] (2 Cor. 5:8). But over time, this intermediate state, this very temporary state of affairs, somehow became for us our central hope, something we call going to heaven. But this is not biblical hope. The Bible doesn’t generally speak in our popular way of going to heaven when we die—not that it is technically wrong. If we die before the 2nd Coming, we will go to be with the Lord Jesus. We do go to heaven when we die. The problem is that this interim state has become our overarching paradigm, replacing the biblical hope. The final biblical hope is heaven coming here. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. We look to heaven, not so much becuase that’s where we’re going in order to be finally saved, but because that’s where our salvation is coming from, when Jesus returns … So Christ is going to come from heaven, and in the meantime, He rules from heaven … [But Heaven is not our Home]”.
Theme:
Heaven is not our Home
Need:
As Christians, we need to ensure that we have Gospel Meekness—and that we know where we are headed! We need to know where our true home is or else we will misplace our hopes. And if you don’t know Jesus, this morning, you need to come to know the salvation and eternal hope that is in Him alone.
Purpose:
To describe and explain what Gospel Meekness is; to proclaim that Gospel Meekness is evidence of God’s Saving Blessings on one’s life; to rebuke those who are dead in their sins and lacking this holy meekness; to exhort the saints to grow into this Humble Meekness; and to comfort the Meek in the hope of their homeland of the renewed earth when King Jesus returns!
Recap:
Last Sunday, a brave bunch of you came to worship during the storm, and many tuned in on livestream, and we looked together at the 2nd Beatitude. We saw how Jesus blesses those who mourn over their sin, and promises divine comfort in the Spirit. We saw that the true disciple is most happy in Jesus, when he is most sorrowful over sin. And we saw that eternal comfort is coming for those who belong to the Lord through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here we continue in the 3rd Beatitude. True disciples aren’t only spiritually poor and sorrowful over sin, they are also meek, gentle, and humble like Jesus—and this proves that Heaven is not our Home! We have something even better coming our way!
Open your Bibles to:
Matt. 5:5 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) Those who are Blessed in the Gospel are Meek among Men - v. 5a.
(1) Those who are Blessed in the Gospel are Meek among Men - v. 5a.
Matthew 5:5 (ESV)
“Blessed are the meek”
(1) Those who are Blessed in the Gospel are Meek among Men - v. 5a.
(1) Those who are Blessed in the Gospel are Meek among Men - v. 5a.
Q - What does it mean to be blessed in the Gospel?
The world tells you that you are blessed if you have the North American Dream. It’s true that there is some general blessing in that. But someone can have the have world and yet forfeit his soul. Jesus isn’t talking about worldly blessings—but spiritual blessings, saving blessings, and eternal blessings. These blessings are peculiar to Christians. Jesus is describing his true disciples, those who are truly blessed by God in the Gospel of the Kingdom. So what does it mean to be blessed in this way?
It means to be joyfully lavished with the benefits of Jesus Christ, his grace upon grace, and the living hope that is in Him. It is to be graced with the Spirit of God who makes the blessing of God to rest upon His people. It is to be brought near to our Father who is in heaven, with new adoption certificates. It is to be a recipient of everything that is contained in the covenant of grace: I will be their God, and they will be my people. It is salvation in Jesus Christ—and new life in the Holy Spirit. Paul writes:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
These are Gospel blessings, blessings of redemption, restoration, renewal! These are Kingdom blessings, blessings of being under the merciful rule of King Jesus. To be blessed in the Gospel is to be united to Jesus, and to partake of the life that is in Christ, through faith and repentance, through genuine conversion by grace alone. Salvation is union with Christ.
Christ was born miraculously by the Spirit—we are born again by the Spirit (Jn. 3:3).
Christ is the Son of the living God—we are sons of God through adoption (Eph. 1).
Christ lived a perfect life of obedience—in Him we are clothed in His garments of righteousness (Gal. 3).
Christ died a bloody death on the Cross—we receive forgiveness by the washing of that blood (Rom. 3).
Christ rose again to new life—we partake in the new life of the Spirit of God with the hope of resurrection (Rom. 8).
Christ ascended into to his heavenly throne—we are seated with him and spiritually reign through him (Rev. 1).
Christ is conquering his enemies unto victory—we are overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 Jn. 5).
Christ will return to make all things new in eternal life—we will rise to live with Him forevermore (Jn. 5).
This is what it means to be a Christian—it is to be united to Christ—to share in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places—and to walk in those blessings by the Spirit of God. Come to Jesus, and find life forevermore! He saves and blesses all who run to him in simple faith in his promise, hearty sorrow over sin, and submission to His Lordship. Only those who follow Jesus are true disciples that are blessed in the Gospel. And Jesus, in the 3rd Beatitude, describes them as Meek. If you are united to Jesus Christ, you share in this Gospel Meekness:
Q - What does it mean to have and practice Gospel meekness?
To have and practice Gospel meekness is to have the humility, gentleness, and mildness of Christ flowing through your veins by the Holy Spirit. It is not a natural temperament. It is a divine fruit of salvation. It is not a personality trait. It is a blessing of the Gospel. Only Christians partake in this Gospel Meekness.
Henry: Blessed are the meek. The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to his word and to his rod, who follow his directions, and comply with his designs, and are gentle towards all men (Tit. 3:2); who can bear insults without being inflamed by them; are either silent, or return a soft answer; and who can show their displeasure when there is occasion for it, without being transported into any indecencies; who can be cool when others are hot; and in their patience keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of any thing else. They are the meek, who are rarely and hardly provoked, but quickly and easily quieted; and who would rather forgive twenty injuries than revenge one, having self-control over their own hearts.
Ultimately it is to be like Jesus Christ who is gentle and lowly toward his people:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Christ is the preeminent example of this meekness—and Gospel meekness is nothing else but Christlikeness.
Jesus was the most humble man to live on this planet. He had the right to the riches of heaven, yet became a man of sorrows, with no place to lay his head, to save guilty sinners.
Jesus was the most gentle man to live on this planet. He doesn’t break his people who are bruised reeds or faintly burning wicks. He gently encourages their peaceful growth.
Jesus was the most mild man to live on this planet. He was kind even to his enemies, loving them in their brokenness. He was not unduly harsh or irritable or arrogant.
Now, don’t get me wrong—Gospel meekness doesn’t mean weakness.
Hendrickson: Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is not spinelessness, the characteristics of the person who is ready to bow before every breeze. … ‘Jesus could be bold, forceful, and confrontational, yet meek, and so can we’ [Doriani].
Jesus was the King of Glory. His boldness and courage was perfect. His righteous anger and valor was glorious. He is the thrice holy God in the flesh, and the Judge of all the earth. He battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil—and triumphs over them in His majesty. But this is the glory of Gospel Meekness—it is majesty in meekness. It is to be bold and humble, gracious and truthful, mild and courageous, both the Lion and the Lamb—and only being Lionlike when circumstances call for it, when enemies must be slain, but at all other times being Lamblike in gentle compassion.
The aroma of Christians should be that of bold meekness as followers of Jesus, who are seeking first His Kingdom & Righteousness in all of life. Blessed are the meek.
Q - Why is it that only those who are meek are truly blessed?
Because by definition a Christian is Christlike. If He is a follower of Jesus, he is being transformed into the image of Jesus. A Christian is someone who shares in the life that is in Christ, and is slowly and painfully, but really and truly, becoming more like Him day-by-day:
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
A true Christian has been born again, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is gentleness, humility, and Gospel meekness. But the true disciple is also meek because she is the Bride of Christ:
Watson: Meekness shows us the badge of a true saint. Every saint is Christ’s spouse (Canticles 4:8). It becomes Christ’s spouse to be meek. If any injury be offered to the spouse, she leaves it to her husband to revenge. It is ungodly for Christ’s spouse to strike.
The Church is the Bride of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, and we ought to exemplify this spirit of submission, quietness, compassion, humility, gentleness, and meekness. Christ says this of his Church & Bride: Song. 6:9
Song of Solomon 6:9 (ESV)
My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to her who bore her.
The Church is a dove, because the Spirit of God has changed us with his gentle power. We are perfect, clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and being beautified into his image. And she is pure, blessed, and praised. I wonder, is that a description of your life, dear Christian? If someone looked at your life would they say, wow, that’s a meek and humble man or women. Something is different about those Christians—they have a gentleness that is unknown to the world. If you are a Christian you are meek, but your meekness might not be as sanctified as it ought to be. So:
Q - How can we grow into the blessedness of Gospel meekness?
Only by drinking deeply from the fountain of life, and the means of grace. It is in the Word, in the Sacraments, in Prayer, in Praise, in the Fellowship of the Saints, in Family Worship, in Private Devotions, that God has promised to grow us and pour out his blessings upon us. But in all these things, we must come with faith—faith to look unto Jesus, to gaze upon his beauty, and to become like Him in the Spirit—a faith that yearns and pleads with God to make us more humble and meek:
Watson says: “Look upon the meekness of Christ and pray earnestly that God will meeken your spirit. God is called ‘the God of all grace’ (1 Peter 5:10). He has all the graces in his gift. Sue to him for this grace of meekness. If one were patron of all the livings in the land, men would sue to him for a living. God is patron of all the graces. Let us sue him. Mercy comes in at the door of prayer. ‘I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them’ (Ezekiel 36:26, 37). Meekness is the commodity we want. Let us send prayer as our factor over to heaven to procure it for us; and pray in faith. When faith sets prayer on work, prayer sets God on work. All divine blessings come streaming to us through this golden channel of prayer.
Psalm 37 which speaks of this Gospel Meekness exhorts us to: (1) Fret not, (2) trust in the Lord, (3) Do good, (4) delight yourself in the Lord, (5) commit your way to the Lord, (6) Be still before the Lord, (7) Wait patiently on Him, (8) to Refrain from anger, (9) turn away from evil and do good, and (10) meditate on the law of God that is in our heart.
So let’s not fall into despair. We aren’t as meek as we should be. But if we’re true Christians, then we are meek. And if we’re true Christians, then we desire to be more meek. So let’s press on to know the Lord deeper—that we at Calvary would shine forth with Gospel Meekness for all the world to see (Matt. 5:13). Let us adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour with the Beauty of Meekness!
But maybe some of you are convicted that you aren’t sharing in this Gospel meekness: you aren’t humble, you aren’t gentle, and you’re not mild. Well my friend, please do be warned:
Q - Why should we be warned if we lack this meekness of heart?
Because if we lack this meekness of heart then we don’t yet have a new heart. If we don’t have the fruit of the Spirit then we don’t have the presence of the Spirit. If we don’t have the meekness of Christ, then we don’t have the Christ of meekness.
Oh let us examine ourselves, to ensure that we have become a new creature in Jesus Christ! That we have been raised to new life through faith in the powerful working of God! That we have been born again by the Spirit of God and his almighty power! That we have looked upon the Lamb of God that was slain for our redemption—and are becoming Lamblike as we follow Him.
The same Psalm which talks about this Gospel Meekness, also warns about the lack thereof:
Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
Oh be warned, the transgressors shall be altogether destroyed and cut off! If you have not Gospel Meekness, then you have not salvation from the Lord, or a stronghold in the day of wrath. Don’t be deceived! Dear unbeliever, you who don’t know or follow Jesus, wrath is coming—judgment is coming—and your only hope is refuge in Jesus Christ. Your lack of Gospel meekness proves a heart that isn’t right with the living God.
Watson: An unmeek spirit is a mischief! Lack of meekness despises God’s sovereignty, lack of meekness evidences lack of grace, and lack of meekness proves a monstrous heart.
If this is you this morning, with a monstrous heart of stone, who are dead in your sins—then you must not try to attain this meekness. You must not try to reform your life. You can’t do it. You can’t change yourself. You can’t fix your heart. Only Jesus Christ can do that! Only he can save you! Only his Spirit can change you! Only the LORD can redeem you. So look to Christ in faith, repent of your sins, repent of your false-humility, and cast it all upon the Cross of Calvary, where Jesus died to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and give us eternal hope!
Or maybe you are backsliding—but know this—God has no pleasure in those who backslide, and you are in grave danger of losing your soul and proving to have never truly been born again. Oh return to the Lord with all your heart, and you who don’t know Him, come to Him even now and find mercy in Jesus (Joel 2; Heb. 6; Phil 1; 2 Tim. 4).
The same Psalm quoted above, closes like this:
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Oh run to Jesus and take refuge in His blood—look to Him and be saved all the ends of the earth! Don’t seek Meekness before you trust in the Gospel—it is only through the Gospel that Meekness will come. And if this is you, then take heart—for blessed are the meek.
(1) Those who are Blessed in the Gospel are Meek among Men - v. 5a.
The Meek aren’t only blessed now, they also have blessings to come—an eternal homeland that is better than Heaven!
(2) Those who are Meek in the Gospel Belong on the Earth - v. 5b.
(2) Those who are Meek in the Gospel Belong on the Earth - v. 5b.
Matthew 5:5 (ESV)
“For they shall inherit the earth.
(2) Those who are Meek in the Gospel Belong on the Earth - v. 5b.
(2) Those who are Meek in the Gospel Belong on the Earth - v. 5b.
Q - What does it mean to inherit something through the Gospel?
It is to receive the promised possession; it is to partake of the promised blessing; it is to not only have a right to, but to actually enjoy the inheritance. It is to receive the blessing by grace alone. We never earn something in the Gospel. We always receive by the mercy of God. To inherit something in the Gospel is to receive the gift of God for Christ’s sake. So what is this gift?
Q - What is the inheritance of the saints in the new covenant?
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth! Heaven is not our home! We are going to inherit the renewed earth! The new heavens/and new earth! The renewed cosmos! The renovated creation! The redeemed world! Heaven for the Christian, for the true disciple, is resurrection life, in the resurrected earth!
The people of God in the old covenant, the shadow of the church, were given an inheritance. They were redeemed from Egypt by grace, in order to possess the Promised Land:
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”
And Psalm 37:10-11 says this, which Jesus quotes in this Beatitude:
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
But Jesus quotes this and changes it from land to earth! Jesus expands the promise from Palestine to Paradise. The inheritance of the OC people of God was Canaan—but the inheritance of the NC people of God is the New Creation. This is Jesus’ point in our text, Paul’s point in Rom. 4, and John’s point in Rev. 21-22. The church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel of God, don’t inherit the shadowy land, but it’s fulfillment in the eternal land of the new heavens and new earth! The true City of Zion. The promises of God have been expanded for the spiritual children of Abraham, who walk in his Gospel faith, who shall inherit all things in Jesus Christ.
This is why I said that Heaven is not our Home. That is, if we understand heaven to be a spiritual angelic existence. True heaven, the true kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus, the true promised land for the disciples of Christ—is the renewed earth—where we shall rise to reign with Christ forever and ever!
Jesus says this to the Church of Rev. 3:12
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
Oh blessed hope indeed! But maybe some of you are still struggling with the earthiness of our homeland. So I ask:
Q - Why is the eternal home of God’s people on the earth?
B/c we are creatures of the dust, made very good, and Paradise was always meant to be on earth—the Gospel doesn’t destroy nature, it renews us to it through redemption. The Gospel brings us back to Paradise, and to a better Paradise indeed.
Look at the picture of it described for us in the Book of Revelation, truly it is a land flowing with milk and honey, a Garden and Paradise, a City and a Kingdom that is glorious forevermore!
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Q - When will the saints inherit the earth as our homeland?
When Jesus returns, Heaven comes to Earth—Heaven will be on Earth. That is why I said Heaven is not our Home. Heaven is earth-bound at the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. Right now our inheritance is kept in heaven for us—but when Jesus returns he will bring it down out of heaven, to transform the earth forever and ever. That means that the Gospel is about the resurrection of the Body, not just the salvation of the Soul. Just as Jesus rose again with a new body to never die—so too will we rise again to inherit the renewed earth, to enjoy the inheritance of the Kingdom forever and ever.
Paul speaks about this day of redemption, when we will inherit the whole creation, set free from it’s bondage to corruption, to enjoy the freedom of the liberty of the Sons of God:
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
So whatever comes our way, Calvary, whether pain or sickness or tribulation or distress or or loss or famine or sword or death—take heart! Christ is conquering the earth now, saving his people, crushing the Canaanites, and after his conquest is complete he will return to destroy the last enemy, which is death, and we will rise at the sound of a trumpet to inherit everlasting life, as the earth is purified through fire, and renewed by grace (1 Cor. 15:24-28; 2 Pet. 3:8-13).
Q - Where will they go who don’t inherit the renewed earth?
They will be cast out into the lake of fire, where they will inherit the promised curses of God’s law, in eternal wrath, forever and ever. Oh this is a terrible place. I plead with you, if you don’t know Jesus, if you aren’t a Christian, if you are walking in the ways of your own prideful and selfish heart, to come to Jesus and buy your inheritance for free, as a gift of grace, for all who turn from sin, and trust in Christ. Come, before it is too late. Seek the Lord, while he may be found.
The meek will inherit the earth, but the wicked will inherit the lake of fire, where the smoke of your torment will go up forever and ever. Only a fool would choose wrath in hell over heaven on earth. Come to Jesus—and live—find salvation for your soul, and redemption for your body—find true life and hope (Rev. 21).
(2) Those who are Meek in the Gospel Belong on the Earth - v. 5b.
What blessed hope we have in Jesus! Hear now our conclusion for our text:
(C) The Meek are Blessed in the Gospel & Belong on the Earth—so Don’t Settle for Heaven Above, Settle for Heaven Below.
(C) The Meek are Blessed in the Gospel & Belong on the Earth—so Don’t Settle for Heaven Above, Settle for Heaven Below.
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
There is a land of pure delight, where saints immortal reign; infinite day excludes the night, and pleasures banish pain.
There everlasting springs abide, and never withring flowers; death, like a narrow sea, divides this heavenly land from ours.
O could we make our doubts remove, those gloomy doubts that rise, and see the Canaan that we love, with unbeclouded eyes.
Could we but climb where Moses stood, and view the landscape o’er, not Jordan’s streams nor death’s cold flood, should fright us from the shore.
“Trust in Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die”.
NO! But rather:
“Trust in Jesus so you can live on earth when you rise”.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
(C) The Meek are Blessed in the Gospel & Belong on the Earth—so Don’t Settle for Heaven Above, Settle for Heaven Below.
(C) The Meek are Blessed in the Gospel & Belong on the Earth—so Don’t Settle for Heaven Above, Settle for Heaven Below.
Amen? Let’s pray.
Discussion Questions:
(1) How does the 3rd Beatitude relate to the previous two? What is its organic connection and logical progression?
(2) What does it mean to have Gospel Meekness? What is it like? And what is it not like?
(3) How can we grow into a deeper experience of Gospel Meekness? And how can we practice this meekness among men?
(4) Read Psalm 37:11. How does Jesus expand the inheritance of God’s people from the Old to the New Covenant? See also Rom. 4:13 + Rev. 21:5.
(5) Why is heaven not our home? What is our eternal hope? And when will we inherit the renewed earth in resurrection life?
