How Our Stuff Gets to Heaven

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19:27-30

One morning on the way to school, my son Sam asked, “Dad, when we go to Heaven, how does our stuff get there?”

I told him, “Well, our stuff doesn’t go to Heaven.”

Sam seemed a little disappointed by that answer. While he was thrilled with the idea of having a body that would work entirely like it was supposed to and having ears that could hear without hearing aids, I think for a moment he was weighing out the benefits of Heaven with the loss of his “stuff.”

So, I told him, “When we get to Heaven, we get better stuff.” He seemed to like that idea.

Peter’s conversation with Jesus came on the heels of Jesus’ challenge to the rich young ruler to “sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:16-26). Now, while possessions in and of themselves are not good or evil, our attachment to them defines whether they are good for us. Jesus, being God, knew that this rich young ruler had an unhealthy attachment to his stuff. His possessions were in the way of his relationship with God. According to his own terms, the rich young ruler thought he was doing pretty well. Wouldn’t Jesus be proud of him? Jesus, then, carefully pointed out that even though the rich young ruler had his will under control, his affections were directed to the wrong place. His love for his possessions exceeded his love for God.

In what seems to be a prideful comment, Peter looks for Jesus’ approval by proclaiming, “We have left everything to follow you!” Essentially, he is saying, “We don’t have all of that wealth to burden us. See we’re better than that rich young ruler. We don’t have a dime to our name. What will there be for us? I’m sure it’s going to be good.”

Some have gone so far as to say that it’s more spiritual to be poor. If we’re unencumbered by earthly possessions, then certainly we are more closely connected with God. If that is true, then why is it that the poorest countries of the world with the most disease and starvation are often shrouded with the darkest evil and corruption? Poverty doesn’t make us more godly. God makes us more godly.

Jesus assures Peter and the others the “renewal of all things” is coming. One day everything will be made right. And, yes, those who have sacrificed for the cause of Christ will be rewarded. Speaking in their terms, Jesus promises that whatever they have given up will be given back 100 times over. But, even greater than that, they will have eternal life.

How is your relationship with your stuff helping or hindering your relationship with Christ? While we are free to enjoy the things of this world, pleasure does cross a line when it begins to substitute itself for what we can receive from God. Here’s the catch: while things can be enjoyable, they’re never fulfilling. That’s why we always want more. As you lean into God, you will discover that there is more than you will ever need.

The Ultimate Great Escape

Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

Some look at Heaven as the ultimate great escape. In Heaven there will be no problems, no temptation, no bad weather, and no bad days. If we can just get through this life, then we will live in a perfect circumstance in Heaven.

So, here’s a little secret: many of the benefits we will experience in Heaven are available to us now. We can freely commune with God. He is always with us. Even though our physical bodies are temporary, our spirit is eternal. Eternal life happens now for believers. The power of sin has been broken. While there is still plenty of temptation around, Jesus gives us the power to overcome. The devil has been defeated.

Slaves are freed, provided they don’t volunteer to put themselves back there. Without Christ, what happens after death is quite uncertain. Now, while most people believe they will go to Heaven, the reality is that any plan to get there outside of Christ won’t get them to that destination.

For those who belong to Jesus, we no longer need to fear any enslavement by the devil. The enemy is defeated. We belong to Christ, so nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. Any time that we feel the devil might be getting the best of us, we need only turn to God, and the devil will flee (James 4:7). We cannot defeat Satan on our own, but the enemy is no problem for God.

God gives us all of His resources to live our lives successfully for Him. He gives us the ability to recover from our wounds and overcome anything that enslaves us. Even the things that seem impossible to escape like viewing pornography, chatting up lost loves on Facebook, or taking crystal meth are not beyond God’s ability. While this type of slavery requires the support of other believers to overcome, the enemy is defeated. (If you could break your addiction by yourself, you would have, right?) If you would like some help and support to overcome a hurt, habit or hang up, contact Cindy Woodside in Brookwood's Care and Support Ministry.

The things that are bringing you Hell on earth don’t have to. Living a life connected to God and the flow of His Spirit brings us Heaven on earth.

This Too Shall Pass

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:1-4

Someone said that the most enduring words are “this too shall pass.” That’s exactly what John saw in this revelation. Everything that we have ever known is going to pass away and be replaced completely by a new heaven and a new earth.

The old world and all of its problems will all be gone: no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Our sinfulness will be gone. So, will the sinful acts and attitudes of others. That does sound heavenly.

After His resurrection, Jesus gave us an idea of what a resurrection body would be like. He suddenly appeared to His disciples without necessarily using a door. Yet, He showed the scars on His hands and feet, and He ate (John 20:19-23). Jesus and those who follow Him will have a body that will never perish, spoil or fade (1 Corinthians 15). We won’t age. We won’t have aches and pains. Our hair color will actually come from our roots.

This life on earth is important. This life is our preparation for the next. This life is our chance to point others to Christ through our loving words and kind actions. Oh, but the next life, it will be worth it all.
 

The Answer to Trouble is Trust

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3

Jesus gave these words to His disciples to prepare them just prior to His arrest. He gathered them together and washed their feet (John 13:1-17), then He shared what was coming next. Peter in his brashness swore to “lay down my life for you” (John 13:37). Jesus told Peter, “No, you won’t. You’re going to deny me, then the rooster is going to crow” (John 13:38).

There was an obvious amount of apprehension among the disciples that night. As much as Jesus had tried to prepare them, the reality was slowing sinking in along with a great deal of fear. Then, Jesus speaks these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” The answer to their trouble was trust.

Jesus goes on to explain that He is going to prepare a place for them and that He will return for His disciples (including us). How do we know that? We know because this is what Jesus promised us.

King James inserted the word “mansion” because that’s where he preferred to live in Heaven. The hymn writers liked that image. Ira Stanphill penned “I've got a mansion just over the hilltop.” Should we change it to “I’ve got a room just over the hilltop”? Sort of sounds like an eternal Motel 6.

Whether large or small, posh or sparse, Jesus promised a place for us. He said that we could trust God for that. Outside of God’s promise, the only thing we know for sure is that at the end of this life, our bodies return to the earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust (Genesis 3:19). But, that’s not entirely true.

Most people have a sense of life beyond this life. Solomon said, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). If you asked the man on the street where people go after they die, most would say “Heaven.” How they plan to get there may be another matter.

For believers, we understand from Jesus’ words that there is a better place beyond this one. There is also a better life beyond a mere earthly existence. Eternal life is our possession now.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust God. He’s got a plan for us.

Temporary Problems Build Eternal Qualities

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

I can look at someone and not see them. I can hear someone and not listen to them. You are probably thinking that this is because I am a man, but you do the same thing.

The difference between looking and seeing or hearing and listening is that one just happens and the other requires focused attention. We look at things more or less by default. How many times have we “lost” something only to discover that it’s sitting right in front of us? We were looking at the lost object. We just weren’t focused on it.

How do you look at things that are unseen? According to Paul, we “fix our eyes” or “set our sights.” It’s something we do on purpose. It’s not something that comes naturally.

What comes naturally is to look at the world around us and worry. I know this is happening when I receive multiple requests to repeat the End Times class at BrookwoodU. Students don’t like what they’re looking at these days. They would rather focus on what’s yet to come.

Setting our sights on what is unseen is not copping out of reality. It’s actually a way of coping with reality. We can put up with the situation in front of us because we know that God will use our frustrations and failures to build our character. The temporary problem can catalyze an eternal quality. The key lies with our perspective. What have we “fixed” our eyes on the problem or the process?

What do we know of that is eternal? God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit has no beginning or end (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 1 Timothy 1:17). God’s Word will last forever (Psalm 119:89). Humans are spiritual beings with eternal souls (1 John 2:17). Heaven and Hell are eternal places (2 Corinthians 5:1; Matthew 25:46). The Earth is not (Revelation 21:1). Angels were created to last forever. God’s plan and the inheritance He gives are eternal possessions (Hebrews 9:15). And, that’s about it. Everything else is temporary.

One day there will be no more 401k’s or sports cars or mortgages. Fire ants, pollen, diets and workouts will all be distant memories. Congress, terrorists, nuclear arms and traffic will be long forgotten. There will be no marital problems in Heaven, because there will be no marriages and no sin. Our kids will no longer misbehave or need discipline. They will be God’s kids anyway.

This is not an invitation to deny reality and long for Heaven at the neglect of our responsibilities here. This is an invitation to embrace what we face here with the understanding that this life is preparation for the next. Our problems are our teachers to forge our character. Even the days when we’d rather “skip school” are better lived with an eternal perspective.

What we are looking at, the things that are staring us in the face, won’t last forever. We are connected far more deeply to the things beyond this life than anything we might confront in this life. What’s more, the unseen things are far more significant than the obvious things. As our pastor, Perry Duggar says, “The most powerful things in the world can’t be touched, but they can be felt.”

Today’s Post: Are You Living a Shouldy Life?

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 25:41-46


Okay, so what if you love Jesus, but you just don’t feel like doing any of this? Let’s say that you don’t really have a mercy gift, but you do have a strong gift of discernment. You can tell the homeless why they got in their situation and give them three steps to get back on their feet. They simply look at you and say, “But, are you going to help me?” You think, “Well, I just did.”

We live in a selfish, indulgent culture. As believers, we are just as prone as the next guy to chase the newer, faster, shinier, better, softer, tastier things. Advertising works well on the just and the unjust.

I have lived in several places that call themselves the “buckle of the Bible belt” (apparently, there’s a little competition for true “buckle” status). Most people in Buckleville, regard themselves as “good soil” from Jesus’ parable. We are open. We are fertile ground for the Word of God to be planted and to flourish. We just get a little distracted.

Here’s a hard truth: most of us, even in the buckle, are more like thorny ground “who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). We can all say “Ouch” together.

At this point you might be thinking, how did this devotional become so pointed? Why can’t we get back on this week’s topic of Hell? Is Jesus going to send us to Hell if we don’t do good works?

“[Jesus] is not saying that only the social workers get into heaven. Rather, he is saying that the inevitable sign that you know you are a sinner saved by sheer, costly grace is a sensitive social conscience and a life poured out in deeds of service to the poor. [The wayward] are too selfish and [the pious] are too self-righteous to care for the poor” (Tim Keller in The Prodigal God, page 112).

Now, go and feel bad for a little while, beat yourself up, and then forget about this devotional. Okay, how about this? Anything that we are not deeply motivated to do can easily become “works” in our lives. If we fill our lives up with things that we should do, we end up living “shouldy” lives.

Instead, our motive to help others should stem from our deep love for God. If you make yourself available to God for His purposes, you will be surprised at what He can accomplish through you.

Today’s Post: What Are You Building with Your Life?

Or, to put it another way, you are God's house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 (The Message)

If you’ve ever constructed anything, you know that a visit from the building inspector is often dreaded and rarely celebrated. No one wants to hear that their hard work must be undone by more hard work to eventually be built correctly. But no one wants to end up under a pile of rubble from shoddy construction either.

The good news is that spiritually, even if believers do shoddy work, they can still make it to Heaven. They “will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:15, NIV). Whew.

Paul writes these words to the Corinthians to challenge their connoisseur attitudes toward their relationship with God. Some said, “We’re followers of Paul Hybels.” While others said, “We follow Apollos Stanley.” While we must admit that different churches and different ministries reach different people, the end goal is the same: that God would be glorified and the Kingdom would be built.

Rick Warren is not going to reach the same crowd as John MacArthur and vice versa. When it’s all said and done there isn’t an expository heaven separate from a felt-need one. There is only one Heaven, and we must be careful before we send a ministry to the other place.

So, what has God called you to build? A Small Group, a class, a relationship with a neighbor? God didn’t call you to sit and soak and sour. He called you to build.

The second question is: How’s it going? Are you building daily or in your spare time? Are you asking what spare time is?

It’s exciting to think that God wants to involve us in what He’s doing. But, that’s exactly how God works. We don’t need to work to get to Heaven, but there is satisfying, life-giving work to be done.