The Main Thing Heaven

The Main Thing

Heaven 

How do you see Death?

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

What do you want, the Gifts or the Giver?

If today you were given a choice after the doctor said you are terminally ill

Do you want the Gift of Healing or the Gift of Eternal Life?

Sometimes God gives both

But if He does not give you the Gift of Healing

Will you be excited about the better Gift of “Eternal Life”

Is Heaven the main thing?

Do you look forward to being with God in Heaven for all Eternity?

Don’t let your love for the things in this world

Eclipse your desire to live with the Lord in Heaven

Keep the main thing the main thing

Keep Heaven as your first desire

Heaven

When do we talk about Heaven?

Jesus said…

 Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven

Heaven is the place where God dwells.

Heaven is the destination we all hope to reach when

we die, but most of us are not excited about dying soon.

The Bible says every good and perfect gift…

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

 coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

 who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

We all like gifts.

Gifts are given as an expression of love and appreciation.

Therefore gifts are more than the gift itself.

1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:11…

 Are two key places God tells us of

gifts He sends from Heaven.

Think about these words of Jesus…

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"  

 Luke 11:13

“How much more will your Father in heaven give”

The Father in Heaven sends down many gifts, gifts of

healing, wisdom, knowledge, miracles and so many more.

I am sure you, like me, have asked

for at least one of those gifts.

Maybe you read or heard stories of people

who received a gift from God and the gift

you sought after did not come.

Maybe you are like the apostle Paul who

sought at least three times for God to give

you the gift you needed, but it did not arrive.

Maybe you questioned…

Does God not love me or appreciate me?

 Certainly God gives the gifts as He wills?

Why is He not willing to give me what I ask for?

This may be hard for some of us, but

think about what I am about to say…

The Gifts were never to take the place of the Giver.

The rest of the verse in Luke 11 says…

 

“How much more will your Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" 

What is it God wants to give us…

 The Holy Spirit

God want to give you Himself.

Remember John 3:16…

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The greatest gift of God’s

love is to give us eternal life.

The hope of living in Heaven where

all the Gifts of God are fully given.

1 Corinthians 13 says the gifts that

come from Heaven are “in part”.

The gifts we receive on

earth are only part of the gifts.

As great as the gifts are, they are like opening the

gift wrapping and finding the whole gift is not there.

Every gift we receive from God on earth

is only a taste of what awaits us in Heaven.

What we receive in part here on earth will pass away.

But what will not pass away is God’s love.

Because in Heaven we will

receive our full inheritance.

It is like this…

My mother in law has written in her will for her

daughters to get everything she owns when she dies.

Now once a year Sandy’s mom takes her daughters on a trip

so they can enjoy her love while she is still here.

The money Sandy’s mom spends on the

annual trips is only a part of the inheritance.

God loves us so much He died so we

might have the greatest gift of all…

An inheritance

The inheritance is life eternal in Heaven where…

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 21:3-4

I am not trying to answer why some people

get the Gift of Healing and others do not.

But which is greater the Gift of

Healing or the Gift of Eternal Life?

You and I did nothing to receive either gift

but to accept the work of Jesus on the cross.

The life we live on earth is precious, we all

want everything we can get here on earth.

      

But that is not the main thing.

 The main thing is Heaven.

The main thing is living with

the Lord forever and ever.

It is seeing Him face to face in

the fullness of His love and grace.

On earth we receive gifts from His hand but

in Heaven we will receive the full inheritance.

We should never forget that all the

Gifts of God come by the Spirit of God.

Your heart would be grieved if at Christmas

time your loved ones only wanted your gifts.

What do you want the Gifts or the Giver?

If today you were given a choice after

the doctor said you are terminally ill…

Do you want the Gift of Healing

or the Gift of Eternal Life?

Sometimes God gives both.

But if He does not give you the Gift of Healing will

you be excited about the better Gift of “Eternal Life”?

Is Heaven the main thing?

Do you look forward to being

with God in Heaven for all eternity?

Don’t let your love for the things in this world

eclipse your desire to live with the Lord in Heaven.

Keep the main thing the main thing.

Keep Heaven as your first desire.

Where is your greatest love?

Scripture Reading

Matthew 6:28-34 NIV

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 Revelation 21:2-4 NIV

sed for her husband. 3 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. 4 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."

Psalm 116:15 NIV

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.