I.   then life ends well – we go home.

A.     Dwell – return to the house, return, go back, come back

1.      When Earth’s path, valleys, and threats are over, there comes the real return home.

2.      We go where we were suppose to be the whole time – house of the Lord

3.      Psalm 27:4-6 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

ü      Behold the beauty of the Lord.

ü      Meditate

ü      We are concealed from the day of trouble.

ü      We are hidden in the secret places of our Lord.

ü      We are lifted above our enemies.

ü      Shouts of joy

ü      Sing – sing praises.

B.     It is forever.

II. We will behold the beauty of the Lord.

A.     What Dreams May Come – Robin Williams – movie was a bomb, but the movie’s visuals were stunning and brilliant..

1.      Beauty has always and will always captivate us.

2.      Genesis 6 passage – the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful.

3.      Egyptians were captivated by the beauty of Sarai when she came to Egypt.

4.      Moses was a beautiful baby – captivating to see.

5.      Esther was beautiful in form and face (Rachel)

6.      Song of Solomon – over and over – Most beautiful, How beautiful,

7.      Babylon – the beauty of kingdoms

8.      Temple in NT – beautiful stones

B.     Our God is beautiful – will b stunned when we see Him.

1.      Appearance – it will be stunningly beautiful.

2.      His character is beautiful.

3.      There will be nothing about our Lord that will not captivate us.

C.     We find great pleasure in gazing at beauty.

Illustration: Carlsbad Caverns – overwhelming when you sit on the south rim of the canyon.

Application:

• Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• We will have no trouble gazing upon our Lord in heaven – in fact we will not be able to take our eyes away from Him.
• There will be great pleasure in our heart being in his presence.

III.                we will be able to meditate in his temple.

A.     Meditate – is a critical element in our lives today.

1.      We cannot make any progress in life apart from careful thought.

2.      It is rare that we what we do wrong is the result of careful deliberation.

3.      Impulse and reactions are always wrong – that is the reaction of a fool – no thinking just acting.

B.     1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

1.      We see dimly – we have come to see by faith some amazing truths about life and about our Lord.

2.      We have all grow in some ways in wisdom and knowledge.

3.      But always still very limited – meditating to be careful to do according to all your commands.

C.     But now we see face to face – Know fully as I have been fully known.

Illustration: Peter reflecting on the Lord Jesus after the resurrection, must have been dramatically different from when he would reflect on his ministry during the days of Jesus ministry. New perspective.

Application:

• Dwelling in the house of the Lord – perfect knowledge and wisdom – can you imagine what we can learn from that perspective?
• Times of meditation from the perspective of heaven – what impact will that have on us in eternity.

IV.               We will finally be completely hid from the day of trouble.

A.     There will be no more shadows of death – deep darkness.

1.      Revelation 21:4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

2.      Revelation 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

B.     Hid – treasured and concealed – total protected – no more days of evil.

1.      Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

2.      Nothing but good days

C.     Hidden in Christ – permanent – we are totally protected for all of eternity.

1.      No longer will we walk difficult paths of life.

2.      No longer will we face death and the sting that comes with it.

3.      No longer will we have enemies in life – we will get along with all.

D.     Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

1.      No longer any tribulation – for some the first tribulation of the day is getting out of bed.

2.      No longer any distress

3.      No longer any persecution

4.      No longer any famine

5.      No longer any nakedness

6.      No longer any peril

7.      No longer any sword

Illustration: Isaiah 11:6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.

Application:

• We will one day reach the shores of heaven safely and find nothing but safety.
• Permanent safety – quietness, rest, joy, and peace!

V.                 We will be lifted up for eternity upon a rock.

A.     Enemies have been such a part of our lives.

1.      They are arrogant – they know that they are better, smarter, prettier, etc. than us!

2.      They view you as worthless and not important – in fact you keep them from enjoying their lives.

B.     The attack of the enemy is always the same:

1.      Speak peace, while evil is in their hearts.

2.      Repay evil for good

3.      They whisper against you, wink maliciously

4.      They open wide their mouth – aha, aha, we have seen

5.      They rejoice and get excited over your misfortunes in life.

C.     In the house of the Lord forever, the world now knows who you are in Christ Jesus.

1.      Rich man in hell – saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham – and could do nothing.

2.      There will be a day of vindication – and you will be totally and completely vindicated in Christ Jesus.

D.     You will be above your enemies.

1.      Psalm 40:4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

2.      Psalm 41:11 By this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.

3.      Psalm 41:12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever.

Illustration: What will judgment day be like for those who crucified the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – on that day they will know – they were that close to God and missed it!

Application:

• This is why we always need to wait on the Lord.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
• It ends well – we will be permanently lifted up – foundation is eternal solid.
• We can be faithful when we know who it ends.

VI.               We will sing for eternity.

A.     Psalmist says in Psalm 27 – shouts of joy and sing praises.

1.      Shout of joy – come from realization of victory.

ü      Tiger Woods – shakes his fist

ü      Michael Jordan – makes a great leap in the air with the pumping of his fist.

2.      Singing – when life is well – we love our music – we sing a song that is on our mind – we cannot get rid of it

ü      Singing – is a great way to express the emotions of the heart.

ü      It is a great way of expression of our love and appreciation.

B.     Scripture talks about singing.

1.      It is evidence of being filled with the spirit.

ü      Ephesians 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

ü      Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2.      Revelation speaks of singing

ü      Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

ü      Revelation 14:3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

ü      Revelation 15:3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!

C.     We will sing and shout forever in the house of the Lord.

Application

• We will live in a perpetual state of victory, joy, and love.
• Our response will always be one of overwhelming joy and peace – song on our heart always.
• We will singing with such amazing voices to our God for all that He has given us for eternity.```