Living the Life of Heaven

Scriptural Text:

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching If We Live the Eternal

If We Live the Eternal

The late and marvelous preacher, Ralph W. Sockman, while writing an Easter sermon one year, received word that a friend had died. He was a scholar, a doctor of philosophy from Columbia University, a distinguished missionary to China for forty years. A daily prayer of this remarkable servant included: “Oh, God our Father, I accept Thy gift of love; help me to pass it on for Jesus’ sake.” On the morning of the missionary’s death, at age ninety-two, Lacey Sites said to those near his bedside: “If we live the eternal life now, we will always.”

If We Live the Eternal

The late and marvelous preacher, Ralph W. Sockman, while writing an Easter sermon one year, received word that a friend had died. He was a scholar, a doctor of philosophy from Columbia University, a distinguished missionary to China for forty years. A daily prayer of this remarkable servant included: “Oh, God our Father, I accept Thy gift of love; help me to pass it on for Jesus’ sake.” On the morning of the missionary’s death, at age ninety-two, Lacey Sites said to those near his bedside: “If we live the eternal life now, we will always.”

Life in Heaven “The soul anticipating a life above experiences now an abundant life in all its richness, because unafraid of the future. Life is fundamentally the same in heaven as here on earth. Life in heaven consists of more than adoration.”

“The soul anticipating a life above experiences now an abundant life in all its richness, because unafraid of the future. Life is fundamentally the same in heaven as here on earth. Life in heaven consists of more than adoration.”

Religious and Theological Abstracts Life in Heaven

The soul anticipating a life above experiences now an abundant life in all its richness, because unafraid of the future. Life is fundamentally the same in heaven as here on earth. Life in heaven consists of more than adoration.

William Sailer et al., Religious and Theological Abstracts (Myerstown, PA: Religious and Theological Abstracts, 2012)

Questions: How can you become acceptable to God? How can you gain access to God, fellowship and commune with Him? How can you know God in a real and personal way? How can a person gain and maintain a relationship with God?

Dictionary of Everyday Theology and Culture Everyday Application

Aquinas pointed out, our desire for happiness is an awareness in us that our purpose or end is union with the supreme good, God. We become more happy in this life the closer our union with God. And we can know that in the life to come we shall experience true and full happiness forever.

Heaven also enables us to live as we should in this life. Righteousness doesn’t always seem to be worthwhile on earth. Paul acknowledged, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19, KJV). The knowledge that an eternal life of happiness in union with God awaits the righteous enables us to seek a closer union with God in this life.

Aquinas pointed out, our desire for happiness is an awareness in us that our purpose or end is union with the supreme good, God. We become more happy in this life the closer our union with God. And we can know that in the life to come we shall experience true and full happiness forever.

Heaven also enables us to live as we should in this life. Righteousness doesn’t always seem to be worthwhile on earth. Paul acknowledged, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (, kjv). The knowledge that an eternal life of happiness in union with God awaits the righteous enables us to seek a closer union with God in this life.

kjv King James Version

 Tim Finlay, “Heaven,” ed. Bruce Demarest and Keith J. Matthews, Dictionary of Everyday Theology and Culture, The Navigators Reference Library (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2010), 210–211.

You Better Get Used to It! One of the main reasons God has us here in this life is to prepare us for eternity in heaven.

God’s perfect design is that believers mingle, interact, and fellowship with each other in vibrant, dynamic, ongoing ways. That’s how it’s going to be in eternity. There won’t be any place to hide.

One of the main reasons God has us here in this life is to prepare us for eternity in heaven.

The writer of Hebrews tells us how men try to approach God...

men try to approach God… through prophets (); through angels (); through great leaders who are great men of God (); through priests (); through covenants and law or by trying to be as good as they can ()

deals with the same subject: How do men try to approach and worship God?

The earthly sanctuary or tabernacle are inadequate or incomplete to approach and worship God ()

The heavenly sanctuary is the most adequate and complete approach to worship God (): (1) perfect priest[, ] (2) spiritual and perfect[, , ] (3) perfect sacrifice[,, ] (4) saves a person perfectly[, , )

(NKJV)

25Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

(NKJV) 4For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

4For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;

(NKJV) 24For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

24For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

5who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

(NKJV) 24For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

(NKJV) 1For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

1For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

(NKJV) 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

(NKJV) 28For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

28For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

(NKJV) 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

(NKJV) 13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

(NKJV) 14For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

14For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

(NKJV) 21and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

21and having a High Priest over the house of God,

22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

(NKJV) 4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

Risen with Christ, we are bound to heavenly principles.

3:1. If ye then be risen with Christ. Since you are jointly raised up and new life has begun. Seek. Keep on seeking, an outward active. Things. Real, heavenly, spiritual things (). Above. The upward things (), treasures of heaven (). Our Head is there; our home is there. Where Christ sitteth. The place of exaltation, power, and authority. Paul gives heavenly motives for earthly duties.

2. Set your affection. This is inward active. Keep on thinking about and directing your mind toward heavenly things. We should seek everything in the light of eternity. The Christian must be heavenly-minded, not worrying about earthly things.

3. For ye are dead. Literally, you died. Your life … hid. Permanently hidden. We are locked together with Christ in security, and Satan can’t break the lock.

4. Christ … our life, shall appear (; ; ). Shall ye also appear. Be made manifest ().

 Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds., KJV Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 2463.