The Hope of Heaven
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August 17, 2014 |
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 "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
There are many people of excellence in this world. They sing with angelic voices, and they play musical instruments with the talents of geniuses. They accumulate vast knowledge throughout their lives and keep abreast of state-of-the-art technology. But no matter how great the talents and achievements of the worldly people are, all these will become non-existent after their earthly lives. The excellent talents and the vast knowledge and skills will become useless for them.
But each duty that you fulfill for the Lord will be paid back in full as heavenly rewards. According to the extent you live by the Word of God, fulfill your duties, and achieve the Lord's heart on the earth, you will be given your eternal dwelling place and rewards in Heaven.
With faith, we should not follow anything perishable and futile on the earth. But instead we will see only things above and march towards New Jerusalem with hope. So, let's look into what kind of life people with the hope of Heaven live.
1. They do not live a life of falsehood
Not everybody who seems to be leading an enthusiastic life in faith really has the hope for Heaven. There are people who cheat and lie to God, the Lord, and the Holy Spirit and even themselves. Of course, nobody can cheat the almighty God. Here, to cheat means they don't renew their heart but they just pretend to be practicing the will of God in hypocrisy.
But in most of these cases, they are not only covering things over nicely for themselves, but they also deceive themselves. They don't circumcise their hearts but just make a pretense of living by the Word of God, loving and having reverence for God, and having great faith and faithfulness. We have to check if we shun worldly things because we really have hope in Heaven, or because we want to earn others' recognition.
The Pharisees at the time of Jesus didn't circumcise their hearts and just perfunctorily kept the Law before others, not knowing the will of God. They were deluded into thinking the deeds themselves were their faith in God. However, God, who searches the heart, does not desire the outward deeds that are revealed before men; He wants the righteousness cultivated in our hearts.
If we really love God with hope of Heaven, we will produce true fruits. We will love our brothers and constantly have consideration for others. We won't feel envious or jealous but will rejoice when others are doing well. Even when others' faults are revealed, we will try to cover for them. We try to have consideration for the standpoints and hearts of others.
We won't become irritated just because things do not go as we want nor pass judgment or condemnation on others. We will always consider others' positions and hearts. We will bear the fruit of loving our brothers as we love ourselves (1 John 4:20).
We will also attend worship services and prayer for we feel happy when we communicate with God. We will change our hearts and bear the fruit of true righteousness through those times. We won't just work only to the extent to be noticed by others, or just do that which has been given to us, but we will fulfill our duties with all our hearts.
I urge you to check whether you had the desire to flaunt yourself before others and act deceitfully before them, or not.
2. They will improve themselves considering their duty precious
As you have been doing your duty for a long time, you may get used to doing it. Some of you may do it as a matter of habit for 10 to 20 years without making any improvements, or just do the same work for many years. Then, you can't say you have hope for Heaven. You shouldn't be at ease since you are doing your work well, but you must have constant improvement receiving wisdom through prayer.
If we become accustomed to a certain work, we can fulfill more duties to the extent our time and abilities allow. We should dedicate ourselves continually thinking about what we can do for God's kingdom. We also have to improve our abilities even to match the experts in the world.
We know that successful persons in the world achieve their dreams with effort and passion that others cannot imagine. Let's check what kind of effort and passion we have invested as we work for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is enlarged through our ministry, and our faithfulness will be stored up as heavenly glory and rewards. Then, it is obvious that we should try harder than worldly people to improve ourselves. Of course, it doesn't mean the physical skills are so important that you neglect spiritual development.
Even though we received the best education and talents, those who commit sins have nothing to do with God. Those who do not pray and those who break peace cannot be used for God's kingdom. But if we really have hope for Heaven, we will live in the Word of God and develop our physical skills under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We should try to become more skillful workers by receiving wisdom and understanding from above.
3. They long for spiritual things
How happy and joyful were we as we began to experience the spiritual realm when we came to church for the first time? We were full of thanksgiving that we could experience this power of God. We were filled with joy that we could listen to the holiness gospel.
Those with hope of Heaven cry out in prayer in the sanctuary whenever they have time, and they listen to the sermons for many hours. When they receive a lesser duty, they are thankful from heart. They gather in the church even after they finish work, and pray before God as much as possible. They feel happy to do the work of God itself because they are filled with hope for Heaven.
But what if they lose the first love, and their spiritual zeal and gratefulness for the Lord's grace cool down? They might try to do as little work as possible and avoid doing difficult work that requires much time and effort. They may avoid responsibilities or something cumbersome in an effort to have as much personal time as they can. It shows that they do not long for heavenly rewards and spiritual things.
Even among the lay-members in the church, there are many who work for the kingdom of God, though they spend their own money and time. If you received duties in the church, how much more time and effort should you have put in to fulfill them? Moreover, in order to fulfill duties in the kingdom of God, you must long for spiritual things and understand the will of God by understanding the will of the shepherd who knows God's will. By doing so, you should fulfill your duty well and receive future vision.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Colossians 3:1-2 reads, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." You became God's children by accepting Jesus Christ. Now, you are to set your minds only on the things above.
I urge you to lead a life in faith without any falsehood, improve your skills and knowledge, and long for spiritual things. I pray in the name of the Lord that, in doing so, you will extend the kingdom of God and then will enjoy praises and honor in Heaven.
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