AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
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Revelation 20
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21
1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” Corrie Ten Boom
Every person you meet, each encounter is designed by God either for your benefit or for the benefit of others. Oh to glean from the eternal mindedness of God and shower this temporal realm with everlasting sprinkles of life.
C S Lewis, in his classic sermon Weight and Glory, reminded us that “…we are seated next to immortal beings. We eat with, work with, disagree with and live with immortal beings.”
David Shibley says in his book, Heavenly Incentives for Earthly Living, “Every person you have ever known will live forever - somewhere.” “His or her destiny is either eternity with Christ or eternity without Him. So we should wrap arms of love around people. We should extend evangelistic warmth and compassion to non-Christians, and nonpartisan fellowship and love to fellow Christians.”
Somewhere a Spirit of Evangelism must again be planted and take precious root in our churches and in the everyday lives of common Christians.
Who will look past the present pressures of life and position themselves to impact eternity?
Who will deny themselves, take up their own cross and follow Jesus?
Who will obey the Great Commission out of a passion for the Great Commandment?
Let me tell you who …
* who will leave the pursuit of success and rather seek significance.
* who will discover their purpose and pursue their destiny
* who will uncover the deception that riches satisfy and that power and position bring pleasure and security
* who will enter heaven with a “well done good and faithful servant” welcome from God Almighty.
Let me tell you who … those who dare to:
* See the invisible (The servant of Elisha 2 Kings 6:17)
* Hear the inaudible (Sheep John 10:27)
* Embrace the imperishable (Eternity 1 Peter 1:4 & Matthew 6:20)
* Can do the impossible (Destiny Luke 18:27 possible with God)
You were created with an eternal purpose in mind. (Jeremiah 1:5)
You were created for something you cannot possibly do. (John 14:12)
If all you are doing is all you can do, then God is doing nothing in your life
A precious lady named Pearl Goode began to read and hear in the early 1950’s that God was raising up a national evangelist. This Methodist laywoman was impressed by God to assist this young preacher not so much with money, although she did give, but mostly by prayer. Perhaps she saw the invisible, maybe she heard the inaudible and embraced the imperishable in her attempt to accomplish what might have seemed to some as impossible.
Pearl Goode wrote to Billy Graham’s office in Minneapolis and requested his crusade schedule. Then, for the next several years, unknown to anyone, she would travel to the crusade city, check into an inexpensive hotel and lock the door. Throughout the days of the crusade she would pray down God’s power and blessings on the young upstart evangelist, asking God to give him a national anointing and return our country to God; one crusade, one family, one soul at a time.
Pearl Goode was committed to an eternal perspective.
What is a life committed to an eternal perspective?
A life committed to an eternal perspective is a life:
* Committed to Prayer
Without prayer one may never see the invisible and hear the inaudible.
* Committed to Praise
Without praise one might never sense the awaiting imperishable mansions, streets of gold, angels singing and immortal saints gathering. Heaven awaiting us!
* Committed to People
Without a commitment to others what would be the motivation, inspiration or reward of attempting impossible dreams
One seldom serves Jesus in this life without serving people.
Allow me to encourage you to:
* Look for the invisible hand of God which others do not see
* Listen for the inaudible voice of God which others do not readily hear
* Envision the imperishable things of God which others cannot imagine
* Endeavor to accomplish impossible dreams for God which others will not attempt
Let’s pray for us.
