Month: March 2021

The book of Revelation describes God in all his glory sitting on his throne in New Jerusalem. Believers will see and know God personally. The Bible talks about the river of life springing up from the throne of God and on each bank of the river flowing through heaven will be the trees of life. The sights in heaven are going to be dazzling and believers will be there to see it. Believers will be in their resurrected and glorified bodies that never get sick or age. Remember that we’ll have a new body just like the one Jesus has. We can travel anywhere instantly and walk through walls. Our bodies will never get tired and there is no need to sleep in heaven because our bodies don’t need repairing.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Revelation 21:2 – Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Work will not be a drudge like it is now and we’ll all do something we love doing. God will match our jobs to suit our abilities and personality. God never makes mistakes so you can rest assured you’ll be doing what you were meant to do. That means you’ll be happy and fulfilled forever. And no telling what else we’ll be able to do in heaven. Revelation talks about heaven (New Jerusalem) descending to the earth and remaining suspended above the earth. It appears we’ll reside in New Jerusalem and work below in earthly Jerusalem. I suppose we’ll teleport back and forth as needed.

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Isaiah 40:26 – Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; he calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.

In heaven we won’t be floating around on a cloud strumming a harp all day. Heaven is going to be exciting and rewarding for the believer. The Bible isn’t clear what our duties and responsibilities will be in heaven but they will be commensurate with our rewards earned by service to God while we were on earth. The Bible does tell us we’ll be singing and worshipping God. Not out of obligation but out of love and joy for what God has done for us. The Bible also says we’ll exercise authority over angels and men. Not all of us, but those who have earned it.

Isaiah 44:23 – Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.

Revelation 15:3-4 – They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You , O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

I’m thrilled that heaven will also be a place of learning forevermore. Primarily we’ll learn about God. The entire universe will be our playground and our laboratory for learning. Everything will become known to us. Wonders will never cease for those who live in heaven. And then we have the things God will give us and show us. The Bible says our minds cannot even begin to comprehend what good things God has in store for us whom he loves. We know that we will fellowship with other believers in heaven and they will be our friends forever. In heaven we will serves God in whatever capacity he requires of us and we’ll do it joyfully. We will want to please God in everything we do.

Revelation 22:3 – And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Revelation 22:5 – There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

I try not to focus too much on heaven or I’ll lose sight of the job I have to do down here on earth. I know God put each of here on this earth for two reasons. First, to seek God and accept his grace unto eternal life. Second, once we are saved we are to emulate Christ until we are called home. We do this by witnessing for Christ and doing good works so that men will see light of Christ in us and thereby glorify God. Because of the example we set some may accept God’s grace unto eternal life.

The Bible mentions hell 54 times and heaven 582 times so we know a lot more about heaven than we do hell. The Bible mentions three heavens. The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere; the air we breathe. The second heaven is outer space; the moon, the sun and the stars. The third heaven is the home of God and it’s not on our physical plane se we can’t see it or touch it. We have no idea where heaven is but God knows. This third heaven will one day be our home once we shed this earthly tent we call the human body. God will give us a new resurrected and glorified body that will never age once we get to heaven. No sickness or disease will ever befall our new body and we’ll be able to walk through walls and instantly transport ourselves anywhere in the universe. These are just the abilities we know about from the Bible. There is much more we’ll find out about once we get to heaven.

Revelation 21:16 – The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with a reed: twelve thousand furlongs (1400 miles). Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

Revelation 21:17-18 – Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty cubits (216 feet), according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall (New Jerusalem) was of Jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Revelation 21:12-13 – Also she (New Jerusalem) had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and the names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

God is so meticulous and detailed about everything he even tells us the exact size of heaven, the New Jerusalem. Heaven will be roughly 1400 miles long, wide and high. Imagine a giant cube and you get the picture. Most theologians agree heaven will be a giant cube but a giant pyramid would also fit the description given by God. I personally like the idea of a pyramid with the throne room of God at the top. One day in the future we’ll find out whether New Jerusalem is a cube or a pyramid when we see it descend to earth. If New Jerusalem were to set down on the United States it would cover most of the country it’s so big and heaven could easily house every person who has ever lived (approximately 40 billion people). Who will populate this heaven? We know the angels of God will be there. There could be untold billions of angels in heaven. The Bible says an innumerable company of angels (too many to count) are in heaven. We know all believers (the church) will be in heaven.

On the last Day, at the second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, he will set foot on the Mount of Olives to defeat the antichrist and the forces bent on destroying Israel. Jesus will save a remnant of Israel to take to heaven where they will have a prominent position. And of course we know God the Father will be in heaven on his throne. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will rule heaven forever. The Holy Spirit will also be with us in heaven. The Holy Spirit will indwell our new glorified bodies so we can never sin again because God doesn’t allow sin in heaven. Here’s my reasoning on this. If we were to ever sin in heaven God would be forced to break one promise or the other. God says believers will be in heaven forever but if we sin God has to kick us out. The only way God can keep both promises is to make sure we don’t sin in heaven. The only way God can accomplish that is to indwell us with his Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you but that’s a great comfort to me.

In Revelation God gives us a detailed description of heaven that is staggering to the human mind. When we see New Jerusalem with our own eyes we’ll be even more amazed. Heaven will rest on a foundation of 12 layers of precious stones with each layer a different gem and named for one of 12 Apostles. Heaven will be surrounded by a 216 foot high wall made of Jasper. New Jerusalem itself will be made of pure gold. There are 12 gates into New Jerusalem, three on each side, and each gate named for one of the tribes of Israel. Each gate is tall and massive and carved out of giant solid white pearls. New Jerusalem is a tribute to the Jewish people. Those who think that the church has replaced Israel as the apple of God’s eye need to think again.

We know there is a physical hell. The Bible contains no errors and the Bible mentions hell 54 times. As a result of the what the Bible reveals we know quite a bit about hell. Hell is a place of unquenchable fire. Everyone who winds up in hell will remember all the chances they had to enter heaven. They blew it and they know it. Their remorse will be unbearable and it’ll last forever. The Bible also portrays hell as a place of great thirst. If you’re unsaved stop right now and take a quick break. Run to the fridge and get a class of cold water and drink it. You never know when it’ll be your last cool drink.

Matthew 3:12 – His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Matthew 13:41-42 – (Jesus speaking) – The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mark 9:43-44 – (Jesus speaking) – If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched- where, “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

The thing most people can tell you about hell is those who are there are in pain and agony. What the heck does that mean? To me a toothache is pain and agony. Imagine being dropped in a vat of 3000 degree Fahrenheit molten steel. That’s the kind of pain and agony the Bible is talking about. Only imagine that the body and the nerve endings never burns up. The pain is the most excruciating pain anyone can experience, and it goes on twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for eternity. The way the Bible portrays hell it appears the unbeliever in hell will have a resurrected body of some sort. I don’t see how an invisible spirit can feel thirst or pain.

Hell is a place of frustration and anger toward God. The unbeliever will curse God for eternity for putting them in hell. In four separate passages in the Bible Gehenna hell is called, “the second death.” In the Bible death means separation from God. The sinner in hell is eternally separated from God. Since hell is a place of total darkness this separation will also include everyone else in hell. The person who goes to hell will be alone for all of eternity. God is powerful beyond our comprehension and those in hell get to receive all of God’s undiluted divine wrath. It doesn’t have to be that way for man if we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you’re reading this it’s not too late for you.

Hell was originally created by God for Satan and the other fallen angels. God created the angels as eternal beings so they can’t be utterly destroyed or God would be breaking his word. God made man with an eternal spirit too so we can’t be utterly destroyed either. While God can’t destroy either of us he can incarcerate both angel and man if we sin against God. That’s why God created hell. God made hell to last an eternity. Nobody who goes in the lake of fire can ever get out. God never intended for man to go into the lake of fire and brimstone but the unsaved will wind up there for rejecting God’s grace.

Revelation 21:8 – But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

John 19:11 – (Jesus speaking) – You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.

Luke 20:46-47 – (Jesus speaking) – Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.

Why must man be punished forever for the sins of a few years? Only the mind of God knows the answer and I’m not going to second guess God. Sins against God’s eternal holiness can only be punished by God’s eternal justice which demands an eternal death sentence. There is no injustice or partiality with God. We all get exactly what we deserve. Based on the above Bible verses there will be varying degrees of suffering in hell to match the heinousness of the sins of each unbeliever. Who is it exactly who is going to hell? We know from Scripture that there are fallen angels chained in the pit of hell for taking on human form and sleeping with women.

In the book of Numbers we saw God open up the earth and swallow the Israelite Korah and 3000 of his followers who went alive directly to the pit and the earth closed over them. We know on the last Day when Christ returns he will throw the antichrist and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire and brimstone. The Bible singles out Judas Iscariot as having his own place in hell. At the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth all of the unsaved dead from all the ages of man will be resurrected bodily to stand in judgment before the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ. All will be thrown into the lake of fire forever. Last but not least, Satan will also go into the lake of fire at this time and never threaten God or man ever again.

The second hell is the lake of fire and brimstone. This is the final resting place of Satan and all the unsaved souls of all the ages for all of eternity. The second hell is also referred to as Gehenna hell. All of the unbelievers who die prior to the Great White Throne judgment of Jesus Christ go to hell within the earth to await sentencing. So when is this Great White Throne judgment going to happen? As believers we know the next thing on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the saints when Jesus appears in the air to call all believers to himself before taking us all back to heaven. The rapture happens just prior to the tribulation, the last seven years of human history.

The second coming of Christ is at the end of the tribulation when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives. On this last Day Jesus will reward believers and all unbelievers will go to hell within the earth. Jesus will restore Israel and set up his 1000 year millennial kingdom and rule from Jerusalem. At the end of this 1000 year period is when all of the unsaved souls in hell within the earth since human history began will be resurrected bodily to stand before the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ for judgment and sentencing. Everyone at this judgment receives eternal damnation and they will all be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone forever where they will be in torment day and night.

Theologians have had 2000 years to study the Bible and chronicle God’s plan of the ages. Sometimes I can’t remember all the intricate timelines myself but luckily I keep a biblical history flow chart on my desk to remind me. You can pull this up on the internet and print off your own copy for reference. The flow of human events and biblical events fit like a glove to further reinforce the Bible is God’s Word and God is the author of human history. Everything that happens in this world is perfectly timed by God to fit within his salvation plan for man. The biblical history flow chart just gives us a pictorial representation of that salvation plan for clarity.

God doesn’t tell us where the lake of fire is located. From Scripture we know Gehanna hell is not the same hell that’s within the earth. We understand that the lake of fire is located away from this earth, a place of outer darkness ;possibly in some remote spot in God’s universe. We won’t know the answer this side of heaven. God doesn’t tell us everything. God just tells us what we need to know for now. What we know about Gehanna hell we learn from the following Bible verses:

Matthew 8:12 – (Jesus speaking) – But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13 – (Jesus speaking) – Then the king said to the servant, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:30 – (Jesus speaking) – And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2 Peter 2:17 – These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Jude 1:13 – Raging waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

There are actually two physical locations we refer to as hell. We use the word hell loosely to describe both places because they both have the same characteristics, they both have flames and the damned in both locations are in constant pain and agony. First let’s talk about the hell within the earth which we also call the pit or Hades. When the unsaved die this is where they go first. Think of this first hell as a holding cell for the damned until they can be sentenced on the last Day when they will stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment. We know this first hell is within the earth because the Bible says it is.

Do you remember the Old Testament story of Korah and his followers rebelling against the leadership of Moses when the Israelites were wandering in the desert? God opened the earth and swallowed up Korah and 3000 of his followers and they went down alive to the pit, which is hell. Hell is within the earth and beneath the Middle East somewhere. In my mind hell is directly beneath the Dead Sea although I have no proof of this.

Numbers 16:31-33 – Now it came to pass, as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallower them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.

We know the spirits of the both the believer and the unbeliever must leave the body at the moment of death. It’s a spiritual law that a live eternal spirit cannot reside in a dead body (corpse). Our eternal spirit leaves this physical plane at death and enters the spiritual realm where angels and demons reside; where God and Satan live. We know from the parable of Lazarus and the rich man that prior to Jesus the spirts of the righteous were escorted to Paradise within the earth by angels.

After Christ, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and anyone dying after that happens will have their spirit taken directly to heaven by the Holy Spirit himself to be in the presence of Jesus. Angels are no longer needed to escort your spirit to heaven if you already have Jesus within you. Paradise within the earth is no longer being used to hold the righteous because Jesus died for their sins and he descended into Paradise while he was buried for three days and then Jesus took the saints home to heaven. The Bible confirms this is what happens when believers die.

Hebrews 9:27 – And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

God is reciprocal. Saint and sinner will be treated fairly. Prior to Christ, if angels escorted the spirits of the righteous to heaven that means the spirits of the damned were also taken to hell within the earth. The unbeliever wouldn’t be escorted by angels or God so the only other alternative is they are escorted to hell by demons. After all, the demons know the way home. The unsaved wouldn’t want to go to hell even if they knew the way so it’s obvious to me their spirits are they are taken into custody by demons and transported to hell against their will. The only other way I can see the unbeliever going to hell would be to have them translated there by God, to be “beamed down” like on Star Trek.

If that were the case Lazarus would have been translated to heaven when he died and not escorted by angels. What happens is similar to the movie “Ghost” where Sam’s friend Carl dies. He’s the bad guy in the movie so the demons come up from below and haul him off to hell. The only difference in real life is the real demons won’t be inoffensive cuddly little shadow figures. Real demons are huge, fierce, terrifying creatures so in the movie the look of sheer horror on Carl’s face as he’s being dragged off to hell is the only realistic part of being taken to hell by demons. I know one thing for sure. We don’t want that to happen to us so we must learn the truth of God studying the Bible and obeying God’s commandments.

Luke 16:22-24 – So it was the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s Bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Satan is the god of this world. He calls the shots. Satan has two primary goals. First, he wants to convince man there is no God and, failing that, to lead man off on a wild goose chase following after false gods or no god at all. We have to say Satan has done a relatively good job on his first goal. Look at all the false religions that have flourished in the world and whose followers are headed to eternal damnation and they don’t even know it. Only the followers of Christianity, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, will see eternal life in heaven. Fact is fact. I don’t see any way to sugar-coat it. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and all the followers of other cult religions are headed for the pit. Even the followers of Judaism who don’t repent are headed to perdition. The vast majority of people on earth are headed to hell.

Second, Satan wants to convince man there is no hell. I’d have to say Satan has done an even better job convincing people hell doesn’t exist than he has convincing them there is no God. This is evidenced by the fact that even many believing Christians don’t even believe in the existence of a physical hell where the souls of unbelievers are tormented by fire forever. Hell doesn’t seem possible to some Christians because of their view of God as a kind and benevolent grandfather figure who only hands out good things. Kind of like Santa Claus, where if you’re naughty you just won’t get any presents. Harsher treatment is not a consideration. Let me be clear about this. Hell is a real physical place where the souls of unbelievers go immediately after they die. Satan has used the following three methods to pull the wool over the eyes of man:

1. Rationalism – In our modern, humanist world if you can’t see something or prove it scientifically it doesn’t exist. If you can’t see God, or any physical proof of God, then God doesn’t exist. If there is no God then there is no hell either. Our education system has pushed the theory of evolution down out throats until most people now believe the lie. God calls unbelievers fools and so they are.

2. Ridicule – Satan loves to push unbelievers to ridicule Christians and mock their faith. The lost and the weak-minded are easy prey for Satan and they will be pushed to do this. We know it’s coming. We shouldn’t get angry or upset. Instead, we should feel sorry for them and have compassion for them because they don’t know any better. They don’t know the truth of God. Jesus said we’d face ridicule in this world as believers because he did. Jesus said to rejoice when this happens to us and respond with kindness and gentleness. Ridicule doesn’t work if it has no effect on the intended victim. When those who ridicule you don’t evoke an angry response from you but instead receive kindness they usually don’t persist with it very long.

3. Religion – If Satan can’t convince someone God doesn’t exist he then twists our faith around by insisting a God of love surely wouldn’t send anyone to hell (if hell exists). Liberals believe this. Humanists believe this. Even a lot of Christian faithful believe this and many church pastors have adopted this view as well. Christians who hold this view are going against the clear teachings of the Bible. They are either denying the possibility there is a hell because it’s too horrifying for them to contemplate or they simply haven’t read their Bible. For whatever reason, they’re blinded to the truth.

Psalm 14:1 & Psalm 53:1 – The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

Proverbs 12:15 – The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds council is wise.

9. There is a difference between the spiritual position of the believer and his daily practice – Men criticize the practices of Christian’s, but God accepts the saved position of the Christian in Christ. The position of the believer never changes with God. The practice of our faith changes daily as we sometimes sin more and sometimes less. Unbelievers see Christians as hypocrites because they still sin. Unbelievers expect to see Christians turn into sinless saints if their faith is real. Unbelievers just don’t get it. They don’t understand that Christianity is a journey not a destination.

1 John 4:17 – Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

Romans 3:22 – Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

Numbers 22:12 – And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed (Israel).

Whenever I get into a discussion about faith with a nonbeliever I always hear about Christians continuing to sin. My retort is always the same, “Christians aren’t perfect, but we are forgiven.” That usually ends the conversation. We are not as holy as Christ is; but in position, our standing before God, we are just as acceptable as Jesus is. We have to remember that as believers we are children of God now and always. We will always have standing before God as believers in Christ. No matter what trials and tribulations we face during this life on earth we must never lose sight of the fact that we are blessed by God. That makes all the difference. Heaven awaits us at the end.

10. Salvation is by faith and not by works – Man is saved unto eternal life by his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A believer will then produce fruit from the goodness of his heart in the form of good works. Good works is proof of saving faith. Good works avail nothing to a man that is not in Christ in the first place.

Romans 4:5-5 – Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

1 Timothy 1:9 – (God) Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

11. God will fulfill his promises to both Israel and the Gentiles – The Jewish people are God’s chosen people and the apple of God’s eye. Don’t be fooled by the fact Israel is still being punished by God for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Don’t believe it when some religious leaders tell you the Christian church has replace Israel as the chosen people of God. God does not change his mind. God will never break his covenant with Israel. God is ever faithful. God has also fulfilled his promise to bring salvation to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. There is no conflict between Jew and Gentile, we are both brothers and sisters in the Lord and all of us are children of God. God will reconcile with Israel on the last Day and both Jew and Gentile will serve God in heaven forever.

Romans 11:26 – And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

7. Persistent sin after profession reveals the lack of a genuine conversion – We are all born in sin because of Adam. Our sin nature causes us to sin all our lives. We are not talking here about a single act of sin or sins committed occasionally. We’re referring to persistent sin. One of the hallmarks of a believer is they will feel guilty when they sin. They will be remorseful. Over time a believer will sin less and less and when they do sin they’ll find they don’t enjoy it as much as they used to.

1 John 3:6 – Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1 John 9-10 – Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

A sinner doesn’t stop cold turkey. It takes a little while for most of us to get where we want to be. It’s more of a two steps forward and one step backwards kind of deal. If a Christian keeps sinning as much as they used to I’d have to question their salvation experience. If a Christian finds he still enjoys it when they sin and they feel no remorse or regret for sinning then they aren’t saved. Their hearts haven’t changed. If a person professes to be a Christian and they continue to commit the same sin over and over they’re still lost.

Matthew 17:20 – (Jesus speaking) – Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Luke 6:45 – A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

8. Perfection is never achieved in this life – Near the end of his life the Apostle Paul lamented that he didn’t have as intimate a relationship with the Lord Jesus as he would like. Paul wanted to know and experience all that God had provided for him in salvation. Paul continued to press on and pursue the Lord. After 30 years of service to God Paul still hadn’t arrived where he wanted to be. The greatest Christian who ever lived still wasn’t satisfied! Paul’s attitude contributed to his greatness.

Philippians 3:13-14 – Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Why is it today some Christians are complacent in their Christian experience and others feel they’ve achieved sinless perfection? Some give the impression they have done God a favor by accepting Christ. A believer shouldn’t lament failures of the past. A believer is to reach for the future with a positive attitude. The Apostle Paul practiced the motto, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” All Christians should follow Paul’s lead. In this life, no matter how holy you are, you will never reach ultimate perfection. Perfection will be achieved one day, at the coming of Christ.

1 John 1:1-2 – My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Christians should have goals but expect and accept failure as a part of Christian life. Don’t be discouraged. We’ll always fail more than we succeed. When we do fail we should have the determination to do better next time. We are to obey God’s commands in the Bible and walk humbly with the Lord. We are to pray to God and ask for our sins to be forgiven. We are to persevere in the faith until Jesus Christ comes.

Do your best and God will do the rest. No man could ever keep his salvation by doing good works. He could never do enough. Our salvation rests on God’s grace. There is an obvious principle in Scripture I’ve felt acutely in my life. The closer one draws to God the more sensitive to his own sinfulness he becomes. I used to think I wasn’t such a bad guy but the more I study God’s Word the more I realize how naked and sinful I really am before a holy God. When I see my true sinful state I’m even more amazed at God’s abiding love for us.

5. Service to God must be based on love and not fear – You can’t coerce, threaten or force someone to serve God. It must come from the heart out of love and gratitude for what God has done for us. God made us and he loves us. God is our Father and we are his children. As children of God we return that love. How could we not? God sent his only begotten Son in heaven to come to the earth and die on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven. God gave up what he cherished the most so that we could have eternal life in heaven in his presence. God showed his love for us and saved us from hell. How could we not love a God who cares for us so deeply? How could we not serve a God who provides for all our needs? Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior leads to saving grace. It means to serve Christ out of love and for what he has done for us.

Romans 12:1- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Ephesians 4:1 – I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

6. Sin severs fellowship with God but not the relationship – There is no moral flaw in God’s character. God is holiness personified. God cannot abide sin. Light and darkness cannot exist together; therefore a holy God and an unholy person cannot have communion. Fellowship with God is only possible if the believer walks in the light of Christ, whose blood cleanses us of all sin. This fellowship between the believer and God is easily broken by unconfessed sin. God is gracious and merciful to forgive our sins if we repent.

1 John 1:5 – This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Communion between the Savior and his own does not require repeated baths of regeneration (salvation), only daily washings of the soul that has become soiled walking through a hostile world. That happens as we confess our sins to God daily, asking for forgiveness. What this all means is that God may stop talking to us because of our sin if we don’t confess it but God will never let go of our eternal souls. We belong to God. Our salvation is secure. We will be in heaven one day in the presence of God our Father.

John 13:10 – Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

The British rock band “The Who” issued a single record in 1969 titled, “Pinball Wizard.” It was about a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who was a master at playing the pinball machine. The goal was to rack up the highest score and nobody could beat him at it. I’m giving away my age here because I remember playing pinball. There are no more pinball machines that I’m aware of except possibly in museums. Pinball has been replaced today by video games. But they are both still games with the same goal, which is to score the most points. Usually these video games will list the top scorers on each machine so you know the score you have to beat. The Christian life is much like a video game or a pinball game. It’s all about keeping score. When it comes to leading an exemplary Christian life the Apostle Paul is our top scorer. The Apostle Paul was the ancient world’s equivalent of the, “Pinball Wizard” of my youth. The Apostle Paul is without question the greatest Christian who ever lived because he has racked up the most points in heaven based on his record of good works.

Matthew 5:16 – (Jesus speaking) – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

We know a lot about the life of the Apostle Paul. We know God chose Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. We know Jesus appeared to Paul in person on three different occasions. We know Paul visited heaven at least once during his ministry. In the Bible we learned that God brought Paul back to life after he’d been stoned to death during one of his missionary trips. These are all great and wonderful things to know but they’re not what separated Paul from other Christians. The Apostle Paul was great because he figured out how to keep score in the game of Christian life and he was good at it.

Luke 6:45 – A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles but there were better preachers than Paul. Paul wrote many of the New Testament epistles but there were other good gospel writers as well. While there were a number of early church leaders, what made the Apostle Paul the greatest church leader who ever lived was his many good works for the kingdom of God. Paul worked tirelessly to start many of the early churches and he nurtured their growth. Paul was a master of doing the little things that pleased God. Paul, more than any other person, was responsible for the rapid growth of Christianity. One of the keys to Paul’s success was his great fear of displeasing God. Paul’s goal of pleasing God was always before his eyes.

Psalm 37:3 – Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

The Bible repeatedly exhorts the believer to witness for Christ and do good works. We know when believers die the Holy Spirit will immediately take their spirit to heaven to be in the presence of Christ. We know at some point all believers will stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus to receive their reward for deeds done in the flesh on earth. Other than a brief mention of five rewards, or crowns, the Bible doesn’t give a lot of details on how these rewards are tabulated or distributed. Let’s look at this logically to see if we can learn more. We know there is a spiritual law that says, “you reap what you sow,” and that it applies to both our rewards and our punishments because God is just and fair to saint and sinner alike. While the Bible is unclear on the reward for believers there is clarity on the punishments to be received by unbelievers.

Proverbs 13:21 – Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

We know when the unsaved die their spirits immediately go to hell within the earth where they’ll be in constant pain and agony. Think of hell as a temporary holding cell for the damned until judgment day. At the end of the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ on the earth the unsaved will be resurrected bodily from hell to stand in judgement before Christ at the Great White Throne judgement. All unbelievers will be judged on every evil thought, every evil word, and every evil deed. Unbelievers will then be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity.

Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

God is all about reciprocity. This is an important thing to remember. If God is going to judge and condemn men on every every single little thing they’ve ever done wrong in their lives you can rest assured God will use that same criteria in reverse to reward Christians for every single one of their good works no matter how small. In the Bible God doesn’t come out and say explicitly what our reward will be for our good works done here on earth. But the Bible does clearly say believers will be rewarded for their good works and we know God is generous. God will be generous to his children just as we would be to our children.

Psalm 37:27-28 – Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

At the bema seat we know that all Christian works will be judged by fire. God refers to the three categories of Christian works as straw, wood and precious metal or stones. Those with works of straw and wood are burned up but those with works of precious metal or stones will survive the fire and be rewarded handsomely. I don’t believe our rewards will be as black and white as that. I believe there will be a wide range of rewards in heaven. There has to be because of the variety of every good work to be judged. We can’t all be great Christians like the Apostle Paul. Most believers will not do great things for the kingdom of God. Most in heaven will not be giants of the faith but all believers are in heaven for a reason. All believers have done some good works or they wouldn’t be in heaven. All believers are children of God and all will receive some reward in heaven because God is good, kind, generous and gracious. How could believers not be rewarded?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The Bible tells us our rewards will be based on our witness for Christ and our good works. We don’t often get a chance to witness but we can do good works for the kingdom of God every day. If we persist in doing good works our rewards in heaven keep adding up all the days of our life. Our treasure trove in heaven is not something God gives us. It’s something we accumulate ourselves over a lifetime of Christian service and living for God which Jesus presents to us on the last Day. The more good works we do on earth the more treasure we have stored up in heaven for us. This treasure equals a future reward from Jesus. It’s not rocket science. It’s simple really, once you know the rules of the game. We must guard against being prideful. We must serve the Lord with all love and humility.

Proverbs 11:17 – The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

Every single good thing goes to your account after you become a believer. When you give kind words of encouragement to someone who needs it or you perform a small kindness for someone who cannot repay you it adds up. When you drop $5 in the Salvation Army kettle or send $20 to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital it adds up. When you help a little old lady cross the street or go pick up medications for an elderly person who can’t travel it adds up. We’re all thinking we need to do great things for the kingdom of God for it to be counted as treasure in heaven. I posit that in heaven believers will be rewarded for every single good deed no matter how small or insignificant we think it might be. In heaven we’re going to find that most believers whose works are precious metal or stones are those who have accumulated many small good works over a lifetime of godly service until it becomes a mountain of precious metal or stones. The quantity of good works will matter as much as the quality.

John 5:28-29 – (Jesus speaking) – Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear believers are to continue doing good works all their lives. There are no qualifiers. We are simply to obey this command of God. Believers do good works because they love God and because they love their fellow man. If a believer realizes their good works are also building up treasure in heaven at the same time then so much the better. There is no shame in doing good, even if part of the reason is self-serving. The Bible says we should knowingly build up treasure in heaven by our works. The believer would still do good works without any possible reward in heaven because they love God and their fellow man.

Matthew 17:20 – (Jesus speaking) – Therefore by their fruits you will know them (believers).

Any heavenly treasure earned by a believer is only a secondary consideration. Satan is always going to try to put it in your mind that you shouldn’t do good works for God. Satan wants you to believe you’re sinning against God if you think about building up treasure in heaven by your good works. Get those thoughts out of your mind. Give Satan the boot. Every good work you do, no matter how minor, adds to your heavenly bank account. The Apostle Paul wasn’t ashamed of pursuing treasures in heaven while at the same time serving God and neither should we. As a Christian, live every day to do something good for the kingdom of God and the Lord will smile on you. Consciously make an effort to do at least one good work a day to honor our Father in heaven.

John 4:36- (Jesus speaking) – And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

1 Corinthians 9:24 – Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Hebrews 12:1 – Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 – Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Luke 12:33-34 – (Jesus speaking) – Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.