Heaven Wk#4

Thanksgiving Celebration - Nov 24 @ 5:00pm | Bring side & dessert

Children’s Christmas Program Dec 8 both services

Prayer Walk that evening at 5:30pm

Haven’t connected with us outside of Sunday morning, please do on FaceBook, Instagram, NewHopeApp, Website

Mission: Disciples making disciples

Vision: is to become a church known for relationships, discipleship, & multiplication

Strategy: When it comes to doing relationships well, we believe it starts with being friendly. So every week we’re asking you to do something simple - make a new friend inside the church. Directly after service, find someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. It goes a long way to making others feel welcome.

Let’s pray!

I greatly enjoy the game of golf! Sometimes I wonder why. A few weeks ago I was out on the course with the boys and I had a brief conversation with one of them that went something like this; They said,“Golf is hard. I mean it’s difficult. There are so many moving parts to a golf swing - so many things that can go wrong and mess up a shot. And then you add to it the fact that it’s outside and you have to consider all those elements that go into one swing - Golf is hard!”

So you might ask the question - Why? Why do it? Why subject yourself to the torture? Why put yourself through the frustration and misery? Sometimes I ask myself that question.

One word - Hope! Every time I head to the course I think it’s going to be the best round I ever play. I’ve never shot under par, but I always believe today is the day. This is going to be my best round ever…until you get to #4 and snap-hook one into the trees and you quit keeping score! Golf is hard!

Well guess what, this isn’t going to come as a shocker… But life is hard. Like the game of golf, life can be difficult. There are lots of moving parts.

Health: Unfortunately, none of us are getting any younger. What family isn’t impacted in some way by a serious illness?

Work: Seems to be more challenging than it’s ever been. Demands are greater. Environments are increasingly more difficult.

School: Homework, tests, grades...

Finances: Even though disposable income seems to be at an all time high, costs continue to increase at a greater pace than income which puts strain on the family.

Relationships: This might be the greatest challenge of our time. Experiencing greater levels of depression and anxiety. So many are offended today to the point of lawsuits because of something someone said. Young people are more confused than ever when it comes to gender identity. Parents are struggling with parenting.

Spiritual: We are in a spiritual battle against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers and evil spirits, and against all the strategies of the devil.

It might seem as though things are going to hell in a hand-basket.

Aren’t you glad you came to church today?!

Sometimes we just need HOPE! We need some encouragement. We need to hear that it’s going to be alright. We need to hear that it all turns out fine in the end. We need to know that at the end of the day, not only does the battle end in victory., but God’s even has today under control...

And so we wrap up our series on Heaven this morning looking at .

And as you are turning there, allow me to read a few verses out of chapter 4...

8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.

9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

10Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.

12So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

14We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.

15All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

(NLT)

Paul was a tentmaker...

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body)… There is no if, but when. We don’t like to speak in these terms, but this life will come to an end. A natural part of life is death. There’s nothing more certain than death. And the Hope we have, the Hope we find is that death is not the end. Death does not get the final word. So there is Hope!

Paul was a tentmaker by trade and used a tent as an example of our earthly bodies.

we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. When we die and experience a physical death, if we have put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we WILL have a home in heaven. There is no question, doubt, or concern. Our eternity is secure. In fact, God has made all the preparations himself. So we can be assured that it will be perfect.

(NLT) 1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4And you know the way to where I am going.” 5“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. There’s HOPE in Jesus

1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

2There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

4And you know the way to where I am going.” 5“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

5“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

But Paul continues...

4 (NLT)

What will our house in heaven look like?

We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.

Paul now shifts his illustration and explains what will happen when we pass from this life to the next.

Paul speaks of a weariness / a groaning / a weighed down condition because of the afflictions experienced in his body. There’s a longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. But the interesting thing to note here isn’t that Paul is so focused on all the afflictions he’s gone through and possibly will go through - that’s not his greatest motivation...we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. The greater motivation is a preoccupation with what God has promised - Here’s Paul’s perspective found in other writings...

The greater motivation is a preoccupation with what God has promised - Here’s Paul’s perspective found in other writings...

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

(NLT)

23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

21He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.

What will our house in heaven look like?

The hope of heaven outweighs the worries of this world

(NLT)

Because Paul tells us in the next verse...

While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. (In order

(NLT)

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. Not only does Scripture say that God himself prepared us for life eternal...He made a deposit on our behalf in the Person of the Holy Spirit. He gave us His Spirit - 3rd Person of the Holy Trinity. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. He gave us His Spirit as a foretaste of what is to come. There is HOPE in the Holy Spirit!

8 (NLT)

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Several times Paul speaks of never giving up and remaining confident in our faith. Even though there’s so much we face in this life, we are called to not get preoccupied with the present troubles of this world which are only temporary.

Do not lose heart! Several times Paul speaks of never giving up and remaining confident in God.

says, So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Some of you may recognize verse 7 as, “We live by faith and not by sight.”

Some of you may recognize one the verse as, “We live by faith and not by sight.”

And it is impossible to please God without faith.

(NLT)

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

For we live by believing and not by seeing. (Some of you may know this verse as, “We live by faith and not by sight.”

29Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

(NLT)

We should never be more sure of what we do not see

(NLT)

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.

(NLT)

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

What will our house in heaven look like?

What do we grow weary of in our present body?

20For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

We will not be spirits without bodies.

21For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

We want our new bodies more than we want to get rid of our earthly bodies.

22But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better.

All this is guaranteed by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

23I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

Our goal is to please him.

24But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

We will all stand before Christ to be judged and receive what we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our earthly bodies.

25Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

26And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

27Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Regardless of location, our motivation should be the same

Heaven is our promise not our purpose

Heaven Wk#4

Welcome & Announcements

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