Moving Forward Series. Lesson 9 Moving Forward TO ETERNITY. earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

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1 Moving Forward Series Lesson 9 Moving Forward TO ETERNITY Revelation 21 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. The new cars and trucks are coming out next month. o This is the time of year when the models for the next year are being rolled out, and this is the time of year that people who purchased or leased a new vehicle this year begin to feel unhappy with that vehicle. o It doesn t look the same as the new ones, or is lacking some of the features of the new ones, or isn t in the most up-to-date color that is available in the new ones. o For some people, their lovely newer vehicle has become, essentially, obsolete because something newer is available. o Of course, as they go forward another year or two with the older vehicle, it starts to break down and repair and replacement of some of the major systems are necessary as the

2 vehicle does break down. o Eventually, that lovely new vehicle will end up in the scrap yard, because it was never made to last forever - it had a certain built-in obsolescence. Think about all you use that has a very temporary life. o In our homes, we have disposable razors, disposable pens, creams and gel and shaving lotion in disposable containers, styrofoam cups and paper plates, and the list goes on. o We are used to thinking in terms of using something for only a short time, and then it becomes obsolete. People think of themselves in the same way, oftentimes. We all know that we re only here for a limited amount of time and, unless you have some idea of something beyond, this seems like all there is. o If this is all there is, then we, like the paper plate, become something disposable and something soon to become obsolete. o This feeling shows up, often, in the lives of teens, sadly. o They are caught up in the cycle of divorce that wracks so many homes, and lack of love from parents, which is much too common. o They feel disposable, as they get shunted from one parental home to another, and as they feel so powerless in the processes of their lives. o This leads to some of the early sexual experimentation, drug usage, alcohol use at a young age, and smoking. o Many young feel that life is short and they are only being used up in their lives, so they might as well use life in ways that helps them feel good, even for a short time. They feel like they are disposable. However, this life is not all there is. There is a great eternity that you have been formed for. People, actually, intuitively, know this. o Why do people want to go on living? o Why do we have an incredible quest to extend our lives? o We know that, in our lifetimes, the average expected life has been extended by several years because of medical research and care.

3 o Why is there such a field as cryonics and why have some taken advantage of what it offers? o There is a great desire for self-preservation that is built into us. Eccl. 3:11- God has planted eternity in our hearts. o We have been made in God s image, remember? o And one of the ways we are in his image is in the fact that we are meant to live forever. However, this is not the place where we are to live forever, and this is what too many miss as they try to live on, in this flesh. o The days of Methuselah, who lived 969 years, are behind us, and, if you read Genesis, you ll recognize that life spans shortened rather dramatically after the Flood. o So, now, we re down to an average male life span of 74 and 79 for a woman, which is, as we know, more than the case just a few years ago. The apostle Paul understood something very important, that he records in his letter to the Corinthian church. 2 Corinthians 5:2 - he speaks of tents and houses (KJV). o The Bible calls our bodies tents - they re temporary. We might go camping and use a tent, but we don t to use it permanently, as where we live. o Some civilizations use tents because they are nomadic. Tents never implies permanence, and we re meant to understand this. We ARE impermanent, here. o But that does not mean that we re impermanent everywhere. o We have a house to come to. We enjoy living in a house - a house offers a sense of permanence. When you purchase a house, it means you are planning to stay awhile. o Someone asked me if I d purchase my burial plot here - I haven t done that, yet. Life, here, offers many choices, but eternity offers us two, as far as where we want to be forever. The forever is not in question.

4 o That s part of God s plan for all. o And He wants us all to be in His heavenly kingdom, but we can choose, also, hell/lake of fire. Our relationship to God will determine where we are and since we ve been given the choice now, what we do with that now is what matters for all eternity! C.S. Lewis, on of this century s greatest Christian authors, said, There are two kinds of people: those who say to God Thy will be done and those to whom God says, All right then, have it your way. o It is God s wish that no one would have to spend eternity without Him, but some will. Knowing this choice, and knowing that we are meant to live forever will have an impact on our lives now. When we understand this reality, it will impact us. o If we don t understand, then we ll live merrily on as if there were no tomorrow. o The key is for each of us to live with eternity in our heart and to live with eternity before our eyes and in our minds all day, each day. o Your life, you see, matters forever! When we understand that there is more to life than just here and now, and when we realize that life is just preparation for eternity, we will begin to live differently. o We will start living in light of eternity, and that will color how we handle every relationship, job, opportunity, and circumstance that comes our way. Some things that seem important will be revealed for the trivial that they are, and this is right and very good. o When we live with eternity before us, our values change, and we begin to use our time and money more wisely and we place a higher premium on relationships and character than we do on fame or wealth or achievements or, even, fun. o They have their place, but that should not be the central place. o Our priorities will be reordered, and we ll not be geared to keeping up with trends and fashions and popular values. Paul had a dramatic change in values once he got this straight.

5 Philippians 3:7- he threw away some things he thought important in the past. IF this life is all there is, then you should leave here right now and get on with living it up. o You have food to eat, booze to drink, fun to have, credit cards to run up to limits as you purchase everything you can. IF this life is not all there is, then you ll live differently as you realize that there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth. o Every act of our lives will make some difference for eternity. o You ll be thinking more long-term, rather than as short-term as so many live right now. o What we see is such a very small part of what is, yet, with short-term vision, we can focus as if this is all there is. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. God has so much more in mind for us than we can see right now. He gives us a picture of eternity, though. Revelation 21 and in Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. This is what we are looking forward to, I know. Living with eternity in our hearts will have an impact on how we live. On September 12, 2008, people in Los Angeles, California began to leave their workplace. It was a Friday evening and the work week was done. Those people gathered up their belongings and boarded a commuter train that would take them home. No doubt many were thinking of their weekend plans and other looking forward to a shower and supper. Suddenly, without warning, their commuter train collided with another train. Instantly 25 people were hurled into eternity. There was no warning, there was no notice. Everything seemed normal and then their appointment with death came. Where they are today depends on what they did with Christ, on whether or not they were prepared to meet God. Are you?

6 Again, C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia - an allegorical seven-book children s fiction series- as he concluded the books: For us this is the end of all the stories But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which on one on earth has read, which goes on forever and in which every chapter is better than the one before. This is where we will be as we come to what is revealed in Revelation 21. o That s when the story really begins. o God has a purpose for our lives on earth, but it doesn t end here. o His plan involves far more than the few decades we will spend on this earth. It s an incredible purpose. Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. o As we go out today, we need to be thinking about eternity. We need to think about eternity a lot. o This is not a morbid subject. This is what we re meant to be doing in our lives... Keeping our eyes on the reality the REALITY that lies ahead. Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. o We re meant to think about the end of this life and the beginning of the next. Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. o As we might plan for a house here, we need to be looking toward our real house in eternity. 2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

7 o Paul realized that every day here was a day away from the full presence of God. o Do we live with this reality in our lives? It s one that people tend to push away, and we re people and we might well do the same thing. What we need to realize is that, what you think about Heaven determines what think about the present. C.S. Lewis said, It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. But it is easy to get so swamped with things here on earth, as we get squeezed by our jobs, the finances are tight, and our relationships are going sour. In 2 Peter 3:11-14 Peter addresses this very concern, 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. o The word manner means what kind or sort of person am I suppose to be. o The word ought carries the idea of necessity. But as we all understand there is often a vast difference between what we are and what we should be. The word translated ought refers to obligation including the idea of owing a debt to someone. o The question is, Do you sense an obligation to live with an eternal perspective? o Peter is saying, "If you don t, you should" o The Living Bible conveys the idea: "And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be living!" How astoundingly excellent you ought to be! o Heaven is our real home and we need to live accordingly. What kind of people ought we to be then? o We re not living for this world; we re aliens, strangers, and

8 foreigners. o We as Christians are not a part of this world system, we are commanded not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world. It s not our place. We are pilgrims. We belong to a heavenly place. We look for a city whose builder and maker is God, a city not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. What kind of people ought we to be, at what level of excellence ought we to live? o Since I am headed for eternal glory, since I am going to be a citizen of God s eternal Kingdom, since I am going to be delivered from the day of the Lord to enter into the eternal day of God, I should be living in expectation of that. Three things About How We Ought to Live. II Peter 3 I. We Are To Live With Devotion (v. 11b) in holy conduct and godliness. Peter says that an eternal perspective will change the way we behave in two very practical ways, holy conduct and godliness. John McArthur compares holiness and godliness this way, "Holy conduct refers to action, godliness refers to attitude. o Holy conduct refers to the way I live my life, godliness refers to the spirit of reverence within me by which I live my life. o Holy conduct refers to that which rules my behavior, and godliness refers to that which rules my heart. o And so he is saying what kind of person ought you to be in heart and in behavior, in motive and in action, in attitude and in duty. The first result of an eternal perspective is it will result in Purity. John wrote (1 John 3:3) And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Randy Alcorn in his book on Heaven says, If my wedding date is on

9 the calendar and I m thinking of the person I m going to marry, I shouldn t be an easy target for seduction. o Likewise, when I ve meditated on Heaven, sin is not terribly unappealing. o It s when my mind drifts from Heaven that sin seems attractive. o Thinking of Heaven leads inevitably to pursuing holiness. o Our high tolerance for sin testifies of our failure to prepare for Heaven. o Heaven should affect our activities and ambitions, our recreation and friendships, and the way we spend our money and time. o If I believe I ll spend eternity in a world of unending beauty and adventure, will I be content to spend all my evenings staring at game shows, sitcoms and ball games? o Even if I keep my eyes off of impurities, how much time will I want to invest in what does not matter? The second thing Peter says will be a result of a eternal perspective is - "godliness"- the Greek word (eusebeia) which means literally to worship well describes a person whose life is devoted to pleasing God lived out even as an act of worship (and not just on Sunday). If we really believe what Peter has just written, it will be reflected in the way we live, and the way we live gets down to our personal choices: o What I will do with my time and my money. o Because I realize, that of course, none of these things are mine but His and that we are just acting as stewards who will one day be held accountable in regard to how we handled the Master s riches! Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. o If you want a heart for General Motors, then buy stock in it. o If you want a heart for your house or car or boat, just invest your time and money in them. o If you want a heart for God, then put your treasures where God is at work. o Want a heart for missions, then begin putting your treasure in missions, start giving to missions through Faith Promise.

10 We are not only to live with Devotion but. II. We Are To Live with Expectancy. (vv a) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things Peter used the phrase looking for three times in these three verses. This verb translated looking for or looking forward carries the idea of expectancy, of waiting with alertness, of being ready. o The first is found in verse twelve where we read, looking for the coming of God. o And then in verse thirteen looking for new heavens and a new earth. o Then he uses it again verse fourteen, looking forward to these things. The word translated looking is in the present tense indicating that this is one s habit or lifestyle. Are you continually living with an eternal perspective? If you do, it will radically impact what you are living for! The idea is to wait for, to look for, to expect, to anticipate. It describes the attitude saints should have as anticipating, waiting with watchfulness, being in expectation. The coming of Christ and the doctrine of Heaven provide some of the strongest motivation for living the Christian life that you will ever find. What you believe about the future determines how you live today. o The future is like an anchor that has been cast ahead of us and is pulling us into the future. Today we see a lot of careless, slipshod living, but also a great emphasis on prophecy. I hear people say, Oh, I m waiting for the Lord to come! Brother, my question is not whether you are looking for the Lord to come, but how are you living down here? How you

11 live down here determines whether or not you are really looking for the Lord to come. Not only should we Live with Expectancy but III. We Are To Live with Diligence. (v. 14b).be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. What one is "looking" for should have a direct relationship to what one is "living" for. Hebrews 6:11-12 uses the noun form to similarly urge readers onward in their Christian walk, "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." The second half of verse fourteen refers to two things; first we are to be without spot or spotless - this refers to our character what we really are on the inside there is no hidden blotch. And secondly, we are to be blameless this refers to your reputation and how you relate to other people that people know that you truly are what you claim to be! o These two terms speak of both character and reputation. o They speak of both what we are in reality and what people think we are. Peter says the result will be be found by Him in peace. o I think what he is saying is...i want you to be at total peace, living without fear. If you were told that the Lord was taking you home in the next twenty-four hours, either through His coming or your death, You can be at ease, because you know where you are headed. CONCLUSION Imagine someone takes you to a party. You see a few friends there, enjoy a couple of good conversations, a little laughter, and some decent appetizers. The party s all right, but you keep hoping it will get better. Give it another hour, and maybe it

12 will. Suddenly your friend says, I need to take you home. What Now? You re disappointed nobody wants to leave a party early but you leave, and your friend drops you off at your house. As you approach the door, you re feeling all alone and sorry for yourself. As you open the door and reach for the light switch, you sense someone s there. You re heart s in your throat. You flip on the light. Surprise!! Your house is full of smiling people, familiar faces. It s a party for you. You smell your favorites barbecued ribs and pecan pie right out of the oven. The tables are full. It s a feast. You recognize the guests, people you have not seen for a long time. Then, one by one, the people you most enjoyed at the other party show up at your house, grinning. This turns out to be the real party. You realize that if you d stayed longer at the other party, as you wanted, you wouldn t be at the real party you d be away from it. Christian s faced with a terminal illness or imminent death, often feel they re leaving the party before it is over. They have to go home early. They re disappointed, thinking of all they ll miss when they leave. But the truth is, the real party is underway at home precisely where they re going. They re not the one s missing the party; those of us left behind are.