Another Reason to Look Forward to Heaven

The main reason to look forward to heaven is the presence of Christ. When Jesus prayed for "His sheep," He emphasized that the highest blessing the Father could bestow on them is to bring them into His glorious presence forever: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).

Anyone who truly loves Christ needs no other motivation to long for heaven. Like the Psalmist said, “Whom have I in heaven but you?” (Psalm 73:25a)

Yet there are other reasons to look forward to heaven.

Glory is Not Just a Destination

"I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun."

I remember singing "Do Lord," and that stanza, the year I became a Christian. "Glory land" means heaven.

It’s true. Believers in Christ are headed to a place where God dwells, a place Jesus prepared for us, where we’ll be with the Lord and with all His redeemed children forever. It is truly “glory land.”

No Wasted Pain - Through the Flood and the Fire: Part 2

“No wasted pain, no wasted pain.” I heard my wife whisper that many times when the pain was nearly unbearable. I found myself calmed by her courage, and came to believe the truth of Isaiah 43:1-3 because I saw her living it out, even when her health was at its worst.

We Christians are not spared suffering and heartache, but we have God’s word to interpret our pain and His presence to sustain us through it. That’s what Isaiah 43 has meant to Dionne and me.

Here’s the passage again, with my own highlights: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:1-3a).

Last time I spoke of three simple lessons my wife and I learned (and are still learning) from this ancient prophecy. The first is that we belong to Him. When the flood waters rise or the fires threaten, courage comes from knowing that we are His, and that He is in control.

Here’s the second truth: The flood and the fire are inevitable. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Please notice: it says when you pass through these hard times, not if.

Wretched Man

Recently I was rude to a telemarketer who called the church office. The church secretary was out and I made the mistake of answering the phone. The poor man who called was just trying to make a living. I was unnecessarily abrupt, downright discourteous. I've asked the Lord for forgiveness and would apologize to the telemarketer if I could speak to him again.

One of the disappointing things about getting older, for me at least, is my limited progress in spiritual growth. Twenty or thirty years ago, when I thought of being the age I am now, I assumed I would reach a point of unbroken holiness, steady faith, and unflappable joy in the Lord. I imagined I would be winsomely Christlike in character, always displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

Now the years have passed and here I am. I suppose I have made progress, but there are plenty of days when I don’t resemble that guy I hoped to be.  

This is a humbling truth that even the Apostle Paul learned the hard way. Right in the middle of writing Romans, Scripture's most exalted explanation of God’s redemptive plan, Paul spoke of his own spiritual life. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

But this blog is not called “Disparaging Myself” but “Admiring Christ.” And here are two truths I've learned, both of which cause me to admire and exalt my Savior.

He Does All Things Well

Jesus probably worked in the family carpentry shop before beginning His public ministry. You can be sure that everything He made—chairs, plows, cabinets—was solid, functional, and beautiful.

So years later, when people said of Him, “He has done all things well” (Mark 7:37), we’re not surprised. He had always been doing all things well.

Mark's gospel records how He transformed a man’s life, rather than a block of wood. The man had been deaf and mute, and Jesus gave him hearing and speech. When the crowd saw the miracle, their praise found its way into Scripture: He has done all things well!

You better believe it. Whatever He does, He does well. For example:

• He chooses His own well. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide... John 15:16

•  He pays completely the debt of our sins. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14

• He keeps working in our lives. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

•  He prepares a wonderful place for us. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3

•  He never stops praying for us.  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Even when life seems extra hard and God seems far away, Jesus is still at work. He's cutting away at our rough lives, shaping and carving and sanding, to make us solid, functional, and one day, beautiful. He still does all things well.

Words Matter: Justification and Sanctification

Yogi Berra: famous malapropisms

Words matter. Especially if you get important ones mixed up.

Years ago I was looking for a substitute preacher when I went on vacation. Our denominational headquarters recommended a retired pastor whose first name was “Denver.” But somehow I got it into my head that his name was “Dallas.” My excuse: they’re both cities, and I am perhaps oversensitive that Dallas humiliated Denver in the Super Bowl. (Lame, I admit, especially considering that was 34 years ago.)

So I called the poor man “Dallas” for years, and though he tried valiantly to correct me, I couldn’t get it right. He ended up just answering to “Dallas” when he was around me. Bless him.

Or another famous (to my wife and me) mix-up happened when one of the guys in our church sang a solo during the worship service. He was kind of a crooner, had a nice baritone, and he was singing about how Christ came to earth to save us. I can’t remember the song, but I do remember him belting out this lyric.

 Oh, what condensation, oh, what love divine!

Go ahead, read it again. He sang condensation, like when your dog fogs up the inside of the car window. I’m pretty sure what he meant was condescension, like when the King of the Universe steps off His throne and comes to earth as a man.

The other thing I remember about that song was how I tried to avoid eye contact with my wife so I wouldn’t crack up.

So it’s understandable that we sometimes mix up justification and sanctification. But for anyone who loves, admires, and follows Jesus, it’s really important to understand the difference.

Justification is God’s legal declaration that you are righteous in His sight because you have faith in Christ’s death on the cross. Justification is God’s action alone—we don’t and can’t cooperate with Him. It is immediate, complete, and permanent.

Sanctification is the process you undergo to become more like Jesus once you’re justified. It is growth in grace and knowledge of the truth. We do cooperate with God as we obey Him and respond to His grace. It is ongoing, and will be completed only when we get to heaven.

More than a declaration of “not guilty,” justification is God's pronouncement that we are righteous—with Christ’s righteousness counted as ours.  It is “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:22, ESV). Then we enter the lifelong process of growing to be more like the One we love the most.

What a Savior! Words help, but they really don’t do Him justice.