Not our Home
I John 2:15-17 NKJV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
There is a power struggle that we all face.
We are caught in two worlds, the world of the flesh and the Hope of Heaven!
We are living in joyful hope of the things we cannot see.
The perfection of Heaven awaits us! The Groom is preparing the wedding feast. The peace we have always longed for seems so close yet far away.
We wait in anticipation for Him to receive us.
But we live in the world that we must physically battle through.
The days are long and hard. The uncertainty of being able to sustain life seems like it is more threatened than ever before.
The saying, ” The struggle is real” has more meaning than we can think or imagine.
It truly is a battlefield.
We always tend to get stuck and focus on the things that we must stay away from.
There is always going to be the lust of the flesh, eyes and pride.
I often think of Adam and Eve, living in the Garden of Eden.
In God’s perfection.
Walking with their Creator, openly.
No shame.
No guilt.
No sin.
Hearing His voice.
Obeying His Word.
Living under His peace and protection.
But the lust.
The definition of lust is having a strong and powerful desire.
It can be anything that is sinful or causes us to sin against a Just and Holy God.
For Eve it was the temptation of the forbidden fruit. For Adam it was not being able to obey the Fathers commands.
There is something inside us that wants to pull us away from the sheepfold from the Shepherd.
It is NOT always Satan!
Most times it’s our own sinful nature that wants to rebel against God.
Many things in this world are designed to do just that.
We can go on and on about the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
We can talk about loving the world and the things in it.
Yes, absolutely, 100%, all these things will keep us from the straight and narrow path. Yes, they will lead us to the wide and destructive one.
My question is this:
If we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, then why do we even focus on these dying selfish worldly things?
Shouldn’t Jesus have all of our attention?
Doesn’t Jesus deserve all of our focus?
Our thoughts.
Our actions.
What we say, how we say it.
Yes, we are fallible people!
If we were left alone to ourselves, our demise would come quicker than the morning sun!
Sin would be even more rampant.
Not only would we be wanting the desires of the world, lusting after the things we don’t have, but doing anything to get them.
So where is the Hope of Heaven!
What are we clinging to?
What are focused on?
It is not the Shepherd’s intention to scatter the ones that are His, but He will have no choice but to send out those that do not belong to His Holy Fold.
Matthew 25:31-32 NKJV
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
This is the moment that everything changes!
This is when staying on the narrow path that Jesus set before us pays off.
This is the moment that we wait for. This is the time of our rest and reward!
Matthew 25:33-36 NKJV
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you!
We must have the Hope of Heaven!
It must be seared on our hearts.
We can continue to focus on the wars and rumors of wars. We can let the birth pangs distract us.
Yes, hard and horrible things are happening.
We must be a people, God’s precious people, that are willing to let go of this world and focus on the Kingdom to come.
II Peter 3:9 NKJV
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
But who will go out to do the work?
We must pray for all those that are stuck in this world. We must speak of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
We direct them to the Glory of Heaven, Jesus Christ. We let them know that all of this will go away, the world and everything in it.
Tell them there are treasures in Heaven that don’t fade or rot. Tell them that there is no more pain. No more sorrow. Tell them Jesus, the Savior of the world, is preparing a place for all of His people.
Explain that this is not our home. Let them know that these bodies will die and decay but the soul of man lives forever.
Give them the reality of only two places that our souls go, Heaven or hell.
Either they will be in the Glorious presence of our Savior or the total absence from all of Light and Love in the pit of hell!
Show them the same love and compassion that has been shown to you.
But can we do this if we cannot focus on what the Lord has in front of us?
How can we do any of the things we are called to do if we are attracted and attached to this world?
How can we speak of the Glory of Heaven if we are not actively living our lives in anticipation?
The hearts of people are fading. Their hope, their faith, even their love. The reality is wearing.
At least we have hope!
Give them Hope in times of trouble. Meet the need.
Matthew 25:38 NKJV
When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
These are the ones that have the ability to not allow the distraction to overcome them.
These are the ones that live their lives with the Hope of Heaven.
Let me retract that!
These are the ones that live their lives with the PROMISE OF HEAVEN!
When we live in the Promises of God there is nothing that can stop us or take us away from everything that He has granted us by His shed Blood, by His Death and by His Resurrection!
So if we, as His Church, can be His Church, then even if it is one that comes into repentance will be worth it all!
Live today believing in the Promises of Heaven!
Pastor Ed