WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.060 of Christ. And Lord, we long to hear the voice of our kind shepherd. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:17.160 Richard Baxter was a famous minister in the city of Kitterminster in the 17th century, 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:23.699 and he was a leader among the Puritans. He was also chronically sick. He had many afflictions 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:29.300 that often 17th century medicine couldn't solve and often really made worse. He suffered 00:00:29.300 --> 00:00:35.920 from a constant cough, frequent nosebleeds, migraines, digestive issues, kidney stones 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:41.659 and gallstones, in addition to all the other periodic illnesses that he came down with. 00:00:42.760 --> 00:00:50.299 And he said that from the age of 21 forward, he seldom had an hour free from pain. And 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:55.340 at one point, he was forced to stop working for five months because he was literally bedridden. 00:00:56.120 --> 00:01:00.900 And during that time, his pain was so great that he was convinced that he was going to 00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:06.620 die. And so he used his time to write his funeral sermon, and he decided to write that sermon 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:15.040 on heaven. Now, much to his great surprise, he did eventually recover, but he was so changed 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:19.760 by the experience of writing that sermon and thinking about writing it that he set forth 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:27.380 from that day forward to spend 30 minutes every day thinking about heaven. And in typical Puritan 00:01:27.380 --> 00:01:33.439 fashion, what started as a small sermon ended up being a 650-page book that you can still 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:39.800 buy today. It's called The Saints' Everlasting Rest. Now, thinking about heaven might seem like 00:01:39.800 --> 00:01:45.100 something that only super saints do, people like Richard Baxter. But Baxter actually thinks 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:50.099 that it's something that is good for even ordinary Christians, even weak Christians to think 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:57.560 about. He says this, for want of this recourse to heaven, your soul is as a lamp not lighted 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:04.979 and your duty as a sacrifice without fire. Fetch one coal daily from this altar and see if 00:02:04.979 --> 00:02:11.219 your offering will not burn. Keep close to this reviving fire and see if your affections 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:17.960 will not be warmed. Now, that's good advice. And what we're going to do tonight is hopefully 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:24.060 fetch a coal or two from that altar. But we're doing that not just because Richard Baxter thinks 00:02:24.060 --> 00:02:28.240 it's a great idea and he recommends it. We're actually doing it because that's what we're taught 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:35.340 in this passage by the Apostle Paul, and really Jesus Christ himself. Paul is telling the Philippians 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:42.460 2,000 years ago and us here today that heaven needs to be in our eyes and on our minds. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:50.099 It is our goal. It is our destination and it is our home. It's really the only way we can 00:02:50.099 --> 00:02:56.020 live the Christian life at all. We need to live it as citizens of heaven. And it should impact 00:02:56.020 --> 00:03:01.640 every step we take, every word that we say, because heaven is not just something we look 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:07.619 up to. It is the bedrock beneath Christians' feet as we walk. And really what we're talking 00:03:07.619 --> 00:03:13.659 about today is why heaven matters for our Christian lives. And to do that, we're first going to 00:03:13.659 --> 00:03:20.759 talk about why heaven matters because it's where we belong. That's our first point. Paul 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:26.659 gets at that, he gets at this, when he says in verse 20 that our citizenship is in heaven. 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:34.639 Now citizenship is a word that would have really wrung inside the ears of the Philippians 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:41.240 because Philippi was a very unusual city. It was a Roman colony. It was set up originally 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:48.560 by the Emperor Augustus. He reformatted the entire city in order to plant Romans there. And everyone 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:55.120 there, for the most part, could trace their lineage back to descendants of Roman soldiers who had 00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:01.439 originally served under Augustus. They could go to Rome and they could go to the record halls and 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:09.500 they could find their names listed in the records there proving that they were citizens of Rome. And that 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:14.939 citizenship meant a lot to the Philippians. It was extremely valuable in the ancient world. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:23.180 That citizenship meant that you were exempt from taxes. It also gave you enormous political, 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:29.780 like legal protections. No one could torture you if you were a citizen of Rome. That was not allowed. 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:37.420 If you remember back in Acts 16, Paul shows up in Philippi and he begins to proclaim the word of God and 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:43.180 people get upset. And the local magistrates try to solve the problem by taking him prisoner, having him 00:04:43.180 --> 00:04:49.519 beaten and thrown in jail. And then Paul afterwards kind of says, you realize I'm actually a Roman citizen. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:54.919 And the magistrates kind of had their lives flash before their eyes because they understand what 00:04:54.919 --> 00:05:01.839 they've done. They have laid hands upon someone who is under the emperor's protection. And the 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:08.359 Philippians were extraordinarily proud of their Roman citizenship. They looked to Rome for their orders. 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:16.839 The entire city was shaped like Rome, built like a mini Rome. They all went around dressed not like 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:22.519 Greeks, but like Romans. And the official language of that city was Latin, not Greek. 00:05:23.299 --> 00:05:29.599 They were Roman citizens and they made sure to live like it. They wanted you to understand who they were. 00:05:30.659 --> 00:05:36.719 And what Paul here is telling these Roman citizens is that their citizenship is really in heaven. 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:43.159 They may have descended from a long line of Romans that you could go back and you can look at the tribal records and 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:48.280 see what line they came from, possibly all the way back to the bounding of the Roman Republic. 00:05:49.320 --> 00:05:57.040 But where it really matters is that their name is written in the book of life, in the heavenly Jerusalem. 00:05:57.720 --> 00:06:00.580 And it's the same for Christians today. 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:05.200 This is the most foundational thing about us. 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:14.060 It's not that Paul wants us to travel to heaven in order to try and get citizenship, in order to try to apply for it. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:20.120 Hopefully once they're there that maybe we get let in on a refugee program and then we're able to work our way up to citizenship. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.279 That's not the case. 00:06:22.099 --> 00:06:25.219 We already have citizenship in heaven. 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:27.439 We already are citizens of heaven. 00:06:27.620 --> 00:06:31.839 And we are called to live like the citizens of heaven that we are. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:35.939 Now what does it mean to live as citizens of heaven? 00:06:36.039 --> 00:06:37.459 Well, I have two words for you. 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:42.299 It means to live as a pilgrim and it means to live as an exile. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:49.859 For a Christian to live as a citizen of heaven means that you cannot live like you are of this world. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:57.099 To live like heaven is your home means that in some way this world cannot be your home. 00:06:57.100 --> 00:07:03.320 Now if I can shock everyone in this room for a minute, I'm actually not from around here. 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:12.680 I technically have some very distant ancestors who several hundred years ago were like a hundred miles northwest of here. 00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:14.460 But I'm not really from here. 00:07:14.900 --> 00:07:15.760 I'm not a citizen. 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.260 I do live here but I don't have citizenship. 00:07:19.260 --> 00:07:23.240 And it's only upon the goodwill of his majesty's home office that I'm allowed to stay here. 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:27.160 And I actually found out this last week that my visa has been approved. 00:07:27.420 --> 00:07:28.840 I'm here for a while yet. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.300 And that's, we're very thankful for that. 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:37.180 But even with that visa in our hands, we are very aware that this is not our home. 00:07:37.900 --> 00:07:43.519 And as much as Anna and I may joke with each other whenever we get on the bus and we see some tourists get on 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:47.699 and we just joke with each other about how obnoxiously American these fresh tourists are, 00:07:48.060 --> 00:07:50.459 everyone can tell that we are American too. 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:53.079 That we are not really from around here. 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:59.479 But what Christians are called to be is different and distinct, 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:03.060 even inside their home country, even where they have their passport. 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:08.939 There should be something alien and distinct about us, 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:11.699 something foreign about us, even inside our hometowns, 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:17.040 even inside the same home that we've grown up from since childhood. 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:24.860 Christians, it's not that we're called to speak with the same language or speak with the same accent. 00:08:24.860 --> 00:08:29.840 But we do join together. 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:33.899 And we join together in speaking a similar way. 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.139 We have new words for speaking about God. 00:08:37.560 --> 00:08:38.980 That we join together. 00:08:39.899 --> 00:08:44.000 And it's not that we're called to be different and distinct by having a different set of recipes. 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:47.120 You know, the Free Church of Scotland actually has a best-selling cookbook. 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:49.019 And that's a good and wonderful thing. 00:08:49.060 --> 00:08:50.940 But that's not a fulfillment of this passage. 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:53.960 To be slightly alien in this world. 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:58.300 It means that we're supposed to walk to the beat of a different drum. 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:01.480 Philippi took its orders from Rome. 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:05.120 But we marched to the beat of heaven. 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:10.899 Philippi looked to the emperor, to the savior of the world, as he called himself. 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:15.159 But we look to Jesus Christ, our Lord and our savior. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:16.399 He is our true king. 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:18.440 And we are his people. 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:21.440 And we obey every word that he has commanded us. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:27.260 And that means that when we go around this world, we act as citizens of heaven. 00:09:27.380 --> 00:09:29.260 It should set us apart in some way. 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:35.100 It means that when we speak, our language should be tempered. 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:37.020 There should be something gentle about it. 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:39.440 Something Christ-like about it. 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:44.080 It's not that you can't celebrate a burned supper. 00:09:44.180 --> 00:09:46.420 It's not that you can't sing Au Blanc Sign. 00:09:47.380 --> 00:09:50.500 But we join together as the people of God. 00:09:50.540 --> 00:09:53.180 And we sing new songs, hymns and psalms. 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:55.540 We gather together for new holidays. 00:09:55.880 --> 00:09:56.360 The Sabbath. 00:09:57.260 --> 00:09:59.560 And we gather together with a new people. 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:00.540 The church. 00:10:01.380 --> 00:10:04.720 And we enjoy that fellowship with each other. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:12.240 It's not that when the world looks at us, they should see how Scottish we are or how American we are. 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:14.259 And they should see that. 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:17.080 It's that they should see Jesus underneath. 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:21.620 Slowly conforming us to be more and more into his image. 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:29.220 You know, this is really what made moving across the ocean so comparatively easy for Anna and myself. 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:33.800 It would be over the top to say that moving here was like coming home. 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:34.540 That's over the top. 00:10:34.660 --> 00:10:40.899 But coming to a gospel church is sort of like coming to see family in a foreign land. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:44.139 There's something familiar about it. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.000 And there's a good reason for that. 00:10:47.060 --> 00:10:49.060 Heaven is where we all belong to. 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:51.899 It is where we all are going towards. 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:56.460 And the church functions as an embassy of heaven. 00:10:56.460 --> 00:11:00.720 When we gather together, we gather together as the people of God. 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:05.400 United in Christ Jesus by the Spirit as new creations. 00:11:06.820 --> 00:11:10.660 And that kinship with other Christians, that is a real spiritual thing. 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:17.460 And it is the basis upon which the fellowship that we have here in Becloon and with other churches abroad. 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:21.759 It is more deeply ingrained in you than anything else. 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:30.120 That citizenship in heaven is deep, deeply built and stamped upon your very soul. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:33.779 It doesn't mean that you can't be a citizen of the UK. 00:11:34.299 --> 00:11:38.080 It doesn't mean that you can't serve in the British Armed Forces or do anything like that. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:48.100 But, you know, we see in Jeremiah 29 that exiles are called to live in the world in which they are placed. 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:52.440 That they are called to seek the good of the city where they are placed in. 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:57.500 And we are called to invest ourselves deeply into the communities in which God has called us. 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:08.179 And what it also means is that we are called to recognize that even if we have British citizenship or American citizenship, our heavenly citizenship matters more. 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:14.860 When being a British citizen comes into contact with being a heavenly citizen, British citizenship loses. 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:17.860 Because we serve the King of Kings. 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:21.480 We serve the King of King Charles and the King of Parliament. 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:24.000 The one who oversees everything. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:30.220 And like the Apostle Paul, we are called to use our citizenship as a stewardship. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.419 Use it for the expansion of the kingdom of heaven. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:41.259 And every so often, you should understand what it means to feel strangely homesick. 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:43.919 Even inside your own home. 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:47.259 Perhaps especially during worship. 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.779 Because this world is not your home. 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:52.399 It's not where you truly belong. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:58.840 When we Christians die, we're not going off to some mysterious place that we hope everything is better. 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:00.279 We're going home. 00:13:00.899 --> 00:13:03.259 We go to a place that we know. 00:13:04.620 --> 00:13:07.039 And we may be going in sad circumstances. 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:09.319 We may be even going in tears. 00:13:10.459 --> 00:13:11.620 But we also go in joy. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:18.519 Because we are going to the place where our Savior said He is preparing a place for us. 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:22.259 We are going to the place we belong. 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:25.480 There's a second thing I want us to see. 00:13:25.620 --> 00:13:29.159 Is that heaven matters because it's where Jesus is. 00:13:30.439 --> 00:13:34.379 Paul doesn't have some sort of vague idea about what makes heaven wonderful. 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:37.600 It's not that heaven is just like earth except better. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:42.019 That we get a pie in the sky and we get as much pie as we want until we die. 00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:43.220 It's not like that. 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:48.720 He cares about heaven because of the person who lives there. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.160 I want you to look with me at verse 14. 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:58.820 Paul says to the Philippians that they need to think about the Christian life as a race heavenward. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:00.700 And they need to throw off every burden. 00:14:00.800 --> 00:14:03.580 They need to forget everything that's behind them. 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:06.899 And they need to press onwards in their race. 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:11.819 But I want you to think what is the prize that is mentioned in verse 14. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.259 The prize is actually Jesus. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:21.819 The commentators all say that that little phrase in Christ Jesus at the end of that verse. 00:14:21.959 --> 00:14:23.259 That's actually doing double duty. 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:27.100 We run the race in Jesus Christ as He strengthens us. 00:14:27.439 --> 00:14:31.179 But we also run the race towards Jesus Christ. 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:35.859 You can see that even more clearly in verse 8 where it says, 00:14:36.579 --> 00:14:42.759 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 00:14:43.259 --> 00:14:52.019 For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. 00:14:53.439 --> 00:14:57.000 Whenever Paul talks about heaven, Jesus is not far behind. 00:14:57.599 --> 00:14:59.740 Because Jesus is not just the main event. 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:00.919 He is the event. 00:15:01.179 --> 00:15:01.919 Of heaven. 00:15:02.839 --> 00:15:08.859 And the great privilege of heaven is being able to behold Jesus in all His glory. 00:15:10.359 --> 00:15:15.000 In some measure here on earth, we get to see Jesus now. 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:17.339 As it says in John 1.14, 00:15:18.079 --> 00:15:20.279 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:22.259 And we have seen His glory. 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:26.139 The glory of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth. 00:15:27.099 --> 00:15:29.899 And anyone, if you take hold of Christ by faith, 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:34.019 Then you can say, I have seen Jesus and I have seen the Father. 00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:34.600 That's true. 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:37.539 But there's also a tension in the Bible. 00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:40.319 We do see Jesus now. 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:42.539 But we see Him by faith. 00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:47.219 And there will be a time when our faith becomes sight. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:51.339 And that is actually what Jesus longs for. 00:15:52.339 --> 00:15:55.419 John 17 is the great high priestly prayer. 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:58.000 It is one of the most profound passages in all of Scripture. 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:01.539 It's extraordinarily moving because Jesus is praying. 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:05.459 And at the end of that prayer, Jesus says, 00:16:05.719 --> 00:16:07.899 I do not ask for these only, 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:12.159 But also for those who will believe in me through their word. 00:16:13.439 --> 00:16:14.939 In that verse, Jesus is saying, 00:16:15.099 --> 00:16:16.699 I'm not just praying for my apostles. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:18.279 I'm not praying for my disciples. 00:16:18.599 --> 00:16:20.439 I'm not just even praying for the early church. 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:24.419 I am praying for every Christian everywhere in all of time and space. 00:16:24.719 --> 00:16:27.339 I am praying for the clue here tonight. 00:16:27.340 --> 00:16:30.720 And what does he pray for in that prayer? 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.899 The last thing that he says in that prayer is in verse 24. 00:16:34.680 --> 00:16:35.500 When he says this, 00:16:36.160 --> 00:16:43.580 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am. 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:51.560 To see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:57.419 The day is coming when our faith will be made sight. 00:16:58.459 --> 00:17:01.139 And Christians from every tribe and tongue and nation, 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:05.740 We're going to gather together and we are going to behold Jesus. 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:10.279 And we will gaze upon him in all his glory. 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:13.480 Just like he was seen in the transfiguration. 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.419 That is what we are going to be able to see. 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:19.519 This is something that the church has called the beatific vision. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:25.960 And it's on that day that our Savior longs for. 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:32.799 When all of his people will be gathered together and we will be able to see him face to face. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:38.980 And is it any wonder that if our Savior longs for that day, we long for it too. 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:44.900 Because we long to be with our Savior who loved us before the foundation of the world. 00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:47.720 Who died for us in our stead upon the cross. 00:17:47.800 --> 00:17:49.960 Who adopted us as children. 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:53.080 To be with the one who saved us from all of our sins. 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:58.300 And to meditate forever on the one who was our greatest thought by day or by night. 00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:05.080 We focus our eyes upon heaven and we run towards it because it is, 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:06.800 Because as it says in verse 20, 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:10.740 We eagerly await for a Savior from there. 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:12.859 The Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:18.039 Like the psalmist says in the Psalms of Ascent. 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:22.599 Which were sung as you went up those twisting, rounding paths up to Jerusalem. 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:28.159 I lift my eyes to the hills from where does my help come? 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:35.380 And we know, like the psalmist, that our hope is in the king of that heavenly Jerusalem. 00:18:37.080 --> 00:18:42.160 He's on that spiritual mountain, ruling and reigning and saving. 00:18:43.300 --> 00:18:47.360 And what Christians do, what we are commanded to do, is just keep walking. 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:50.100 And really, just keep looking. 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:54.820 Looking at the mountain from which our help comes. 00:18:54.819 --> 00:19:00.079 We're looking with an eye to what Paul says in verse 21. 00:19:00.639 --> 00:19:04.619 Who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.480 Will transform our lowly bodies. 00:19:07.939 --> 00:19:11.779 So that they will be like his glorious body. 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:19.240 We hope for that great transformation that will come one day when we will be made perfect before God. 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:23.439 When we will be able to gaze upon Christ and be changed in an instant. 00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:26.740 But he actually changes us even now. 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.220 He changes us even now, progressively, slowly. 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:32.460 He sanctifies us to be more like himself. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:39.599 Whenever we behold him by faith, we become more and more like Jesus. 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:43.939 And that looking is a cry of hope. 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:47.960 Jesus is the only one who can change us. 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:49.759 He is the only one who can make us new. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:53.519 And he will, as long as we look at him. 00:19:55.539 --> 00:20:00.420 You know, some people, they go around this earth and they try to turn earth into heaven. 00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:04.039 Rather than waiting for Christ to bring heaven to earth. 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:05.879 In the new heavens and the new earth. 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:07.379 When heaven and earth are going to overlap. 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:14.240 But there is nothing more impossible than trying to make an earthly utopia without Jesus. 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.560 Like as we sang in that hymn by Samuel Rutherford. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.960 He is all the glory of Emmanuel's land. 00:20:22.080 --> 00:20:24.980 There is nothing else other than Jesus. 00:20:26.580 --> 00:20:32.940 And that's why Paul, he says that he's weeping over those who are not putting their eyes upon Jesus. 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:36.580 Look with me at verses 18 and 19. 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:42.180 For as I have told you before and tell you even now, even with tears. 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.299 Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 00:20:45.860 --> 00:20:47.440 Their destiny is destruction. 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:49.700 Their God is their stomach. 00:20:50.140 --> 00:20:52.779 And their glory is in their shame. 00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:57.820 Their mind is set on earthly things. 00:20:57.819 --> 00:21:04.299 If you don't have your eyes fixed upon Jesus, that's what Paul describes you as. 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:09.839 And the startling thing here, Paul is not describing people who are outside of the church. 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:14.299 Actually, based on context, he's talking about people who are inside the church. 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:19.980 People who are not focused upon Christ, even though they say they follow Jesus. 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:26.299 These people, they're really enemies of Christ, even though they call out his name. 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:28.299 Their real God is their belly. 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:29.779 It's their desires. 00:21:30.139 --> 00:21:35.379 And what they seek is just their own glory and just their own love and care and affection. 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:36.799 They just care about themselves. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:41.680 Spiritually, they're doing the spiritual equivalent of navel-gazing. 00:21:42.159 --> 00:21:47.460 Focused entirely upon themselves, upon this earth, and not upon heaven. 00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:57.680 And Paul says, if you don't run your race headlong towards heaven and headlong towards Christ, then you're like them. 00:21:57.779 --> 00:21:58.980 You're really an idolater. 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:03.500 And you've exchanged that glory of Christ for a lie. 00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:09.180 And what that most immediately applies to is actually false teachers. 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:13.079 People who are trying to spread a false gospel inside the church. 00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:16.359 But the passage is also something of a warning. 00:22:16.500 --> 00:22:18.679 It's applicable to all of us, even today. 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:20.299 Perhaps particularly today. 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:27.740 Because there's never been a time in history where more things have tried to grab your attention than now. 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:30.199 Everything is seeking your attention. 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:33.660 And it is so easy to go through your life in a daze. 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:35.640 From one thing to another. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:37.600 Following the latest fad, the latest trend. 00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:39.660 From entertainment to entertainment. 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:42.279 Not giving a second thought for anything else. 00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:45.180 And that can happen to the best of us. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:46.299 It can happen inside the church. 00:22:47.319 --> 00:22:51.400 But what we're called to do is refocus our eyes. 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:54.519 To move them towards Jesus Christ once again. 00:22:54.860 --> 00:22:55.980 And to guard our hearts. 00:22:55.980 --> 00:23:02.940 We need to be careful that the things of this world do not become more dear to us than Jesus himself. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:09.120 And we need to be careful that we don't find ourselves longing for earthly things more than heavenly things. 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:14.319 Because it is spiritually true that our home is where our heart is. 00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:19.440 It's just that Christians have our hearts with Jesus. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:23.180 We need to have our hearts with Jesus. 00:23:23.340 --> 00:23:27.080 Because Jesus is the one that we want truly. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.720 Now there's one final thing I want us to see here in this passage. 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:33.720 One final thing I want us to talk about. 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:36.920 Heaven is important because it is where we belong. 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:39.759 It's also important because it's where Jesus is. 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:41.680 But it's also where we worship. 00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:45.080 And the truth is I could actually fit this underneath the second point. 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:46.320 But I'm trying to be Trinitarian. 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:47.799 All right. 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:53.379 So we long for heaven because we long for worship. 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:55.700 It's what we were made for. 00:23:56.679 --> 00:23:59.039 I want you to think back to your Westminster Shorter Catechisms. 00:23:59.179 --> 00:23:59.819 Question one. 00:24:00.399 --> 00:24:01.579 What is the chief end of man? 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:05.379 To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:07.000 Man's purpose. 00:24:07.159 --> 00:24:13.439 The reason he is here on earth is to worship God and to enjoy worshiping him forever. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:16.920 That's what it means to be placed here on earth. 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:18.019 That's our goal. 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:20.340 It's what's behind everything that we do. 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:23.140 We seek to worship God in everything. 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:25.019 And to glorify him. 00:24:25.360 --> 00:24:27.740 And to enjoy glorifying him. 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:36.460 And it is true that the Bible says that even today we are in some way lifted up to heaven when we worship. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:44.519 In Hebrews 12 the author tells his readers you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:49.100 The heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable angels and festal gathering. 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:52.640 And to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:58.019 But the key there is that we still aren't there yet fully. 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:01.680 We are in some measure lifted up to heaven as we worship. 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:04.100 But we're still here on earth. 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:07.599 What we're doing here tonight is really a dress rehearsal. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:12.019 A dress rehearsal for the big event that is to come. 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:15.199 And if you want to know what heaven is like. 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:16.959 You should look at worship. 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:20.219 You should look at worship services. 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:25.339 That's what the Bible says gives you the tiny foretaste of heaven that is to come. 00:25:26.199 --> 00:25:29.459 When the countless saints from every tribe and tongue and nation. 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:30.719 When they all stream in. 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:33.740 When they're all worshiping father, son and holy ghost. 00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:38.160 United in their adoration of Jesus Christ for all eternity. 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:39.960 And fully devoted to it. 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:41.200 And fully enjoying it. 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:46.180 That is the moment that our worship longs for. 00:25:47.259 --> 00:25:48.620 And the problem is. 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:52.240 That our worship doesn't get to that level here on earth. 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:54.160 We're still sinners. 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:57.400 We still worship in some way. 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:59.420 In a way that's tainted by sin. 00:25:59.420 --> 00:26:02.180 we don't pay attention as much as we should. 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:03.800 We have our attention wane. 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:06.560 Our hearts are not as warmed as they should be 00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:08.060 when we hear about the things of God. 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:09.880 And that's a normal thing. 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:10.980 We're this side of heaven. 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:14.620 But we're called to focus ourselves more and more 00:26:14.620 --> 00:26:17.400 upon Jesus Christ, to seek to worship him, 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:20.980 all the better to be there on the final day 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:24.800 worshiping him, fully changed by him. 00:26:25.779 --> 00:26:29.100 In that moment, our worship will be perfect. 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:32.620 And if you could compare that worship on the final day 00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:36.519 with our worship today, you would see two shades of white, 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:41.259 one blazing white that your eyes can't look at, 00:26:41.320 --> 00:26:42.620 and another one that is white, 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:46.300 but you can still see some shadow mixed in. 00:26:47.300 --> 00:26:50.660 But what we long for is when we will be united, 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:54.400 worshiping God for all eternity. 00:26:55.060 --> 00:26:58.180 What we do in heaven is not just sitting around on clouds 00:26:58.180 --> 00:27:00.799 with harps in permanent retirement, in boredom. 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:02.880 We engage in work. 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:05.279 We engage in the work of worship. 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:10.279 But our work of worship is going to be the deepest rest 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:11.779 that we could ever imagine. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:17.519 We will be refreshed, even as we are glorifying God 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:20.200 and enjoying him forever. 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:23.259 And what we are called to do as Christians 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:26.660 is to try to get that little taste of heaven 00:27:26.660 --> 00:27:27.819 into our mouths now, 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:31.840 to keep getting a stronger and stronger taste for it, 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:34.019 striving to be more like Jesus, 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:35.620 worshiping him all the better. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:38.400 Even as we know we're not going to reach perfection, 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:40.120 we're not going to be there, 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:41.380 and we're not going to be able to reach 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:42.299 that perfect perfection. 00:27:43.140 --> 00:27:45.640 We need Jesus, and we need to be changed by him. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:49.240 But we still need to try to get that taste of heaven 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:50.460 into our mouths. 00:27:51.360 --> 00:27:55.259 We still need to get that subtle, homesick longing 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:56.720 for heaven into our hearts. 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:59.420 And if you do, 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:03.300 you'll find your love for your Savior 00:28:03.300 --> 00:28:04.780 growing all the more. 00:28:05.300 --> 00:28:07.360 And you're going to find it burning with a fire 00:28:07.360 --> 00:28:10.620 that will burn in good times and in bad times. 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:13.500 And you'll find that it will help you 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.399 dedicate your life to him and to his glory, 00:28:17.939 --> 00:28:20.219 both in this world and in the world to come. 00:28:20.899 --> 00:28:24.579 And it will help you prepare to die well, 00:28:24.939 --> 00:28:28.399 resting upon promises that will be fulfilled 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:29.219 on the final day. 00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:32.099 And if you're not a Christian, 00:28:33.239 --> 00:28:34.719 then what you need to know is that Jesus 00:28:34.719 --> 00:28:37.500 stands before you, clothed in his promises. 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:41.799 And if you trust in him alone for your salvation, 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:43.500 to save you from your sins, 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:46.759 then those promises will be yours. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:50.400 And that does mean that you have to give up this world. 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:52.700 It does mean you have to give up everything you own, 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:54.940 but it means you get a hundredfold. 00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:59.819 It means that you get a Savior who embraces you 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:04.680 and welcomes you home to be with him forevermore. 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:09.279 Now, pilgrims, what we're called to do is journey. 00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:12.940 But don't journey without thinking about 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:16.120 what awaits you in the life to come. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.940 We are called to live in a happy expectation 00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:22.039 about what comes after. 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:24.580 As the hymnist says, 00:29:25.320 --> 00:29:28.080 haste thee on from grace to glory, 00:29:28.560 --> 00:29:31.080 armed by faith and winged by prayer. 00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:33.940 Heaven's eternal days before thee, 00:29:33.940 --> 00:29:36.340 God's own hand shall guide us there. 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:39.440 Soon shall close thy earthly mission. 00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:42.140 Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days. 00:29:42.900 --> 00:29:45.600 Hope shall change to glad fruition, 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:47.400 faith to sight, 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:50.360 and prayer to praise. 00:29:51.100 --> 00:29:51.960 Let us pray. 00:29:51.960 --> 00:30:00.940 Lord, we are thankful for what you have promised us in Jesus Christ. 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:06.240 And we ask that we would be able to run in Jesus Christ 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:07.980 towards Jesus Christ. 00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:12.220 Lord, we long to rest our eyes upon him, 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:14.440 to meditate upon him, 00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:18.360 and to be with God's people forevermore, 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:21.799 transformed into new creations on that final day. 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:23.840 Be with us now. 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:25.840 Work inside us. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:28.080 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:30:28.900 --> 00:30:29.140 Amen. 00:30:29.140 --> 00:30:29.220 Amen. 00:30:31.540 --> 00:30:32.520 Now, if you would, 00:30:32.580 --> 00:30:33.880 let us conclude our worship, 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:36.660 and let us stand and sing our final song, 00:30:36.860 --> 00:30:37.920 Psalm 84. 00:30:38.540 --> 00:30:40.400 We'll be singing Psalm 84. 00:30:40.400 --> 00:31:10.380 Psalm 84. 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:16.280 Heart and flesh cry out aloud, 00:31:16.280 --> 00:31:20.500 For the true and least.