A Life Of Anticipation

A Life of Anticipation

Living in the hope God Offers

Various Scriptures

November 16, 2003

Introduction

Today we finish our look at what it takes to have a life lived in the peace of God.

We’ve focused on three strategies for living in the peace of God. First, we said we need to understand the control, or sovereignty of God. Then we looked at how to develop a biblical mindset, and last week we talked about making wise plans for the future.

This morning I want to visit with you about living a life of anticipation.

Do you look forward to heaven? How about tomorrow? When you get up in the morning do you have a sense of excitement, wondering what God has in store for you?

Me neither, a lot of times! But I’m here to help you and me get to a point where anticipation is a major part of our lives.

And in doing that I want to give you two facts regarding anticipation, and then tell you just how to make anticipation a real part of your life.

My hope is that you will leave here today convinced that a life of anticipation is a life worth living.

Let’s get started by looking first at…

Two facts regarding a life of anticipation:

1. God made you to anticipate heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:19 is one of my favorite Scriptures. Here’s what it says:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

The late Keith Green, one of the best songwriters in the history of Christian music has a great song, entitled, “I Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven,” in which he describes his anticipation of meeting Jesus.

And in the introduction to the song, he says this:

“You know, I look around at the world and I see all the beauty that God made. I see the forest and the trees and all the things. And says in the Bible that He made them in six days and I don’t know if they’re a literal six days or not. Scientists would say no, some theologians would say yes. But I know that Jesus Christ has been preparing a home for me and for some of you, for two thousand years. And if the world took six days and that home two thousand years, hey man, this is like living in a garbage can compared to what’s going on up there.”

Allow me to read you the lyrics of the song. I had hoped to play the song for you, but when I found the CD, I also found that the CD case was empty, so you’ll have to just listen to the lyrics for a minute.

Seaside sunset, silver linings round the clouds,

Birds fly, singing, making such a joyful sound.

Thoughts of heaven somehow seem to fill my mind,

But I can’t even imagine, what it is I’m gonna find.

I can’t wait to get to Heaven, when you’ll wipe away all my fears.

In six days you created everything,

but you’ve been working on Heaven two thousand years.

Deep green forests, mountains reaching for the sky,

Grasslands and deserts, your creation fills my eye.

Thank you, thank you Jesus, though this beauty is just a taste,

Of all your glory I’ll see when I pass through those gates.

I can’t wait to get to Heaven, when you’ll wipe away all my fears.

In six days you created everything,

but you’ve been working on Heaven two thousand years.

I can’t wait to get to Heaven, when you’ll wipe away all my fears.

In six days you created all of the world,

But you’ve been working on Heaven,

You’ve been working on heaven, Holy Spirit,

You’ve been working on Heaven, two thousand years.

Isn’t that great? He lived in anticipation of heaven. He didn’t have too long to wait, because 5 years later, he was killed in a plane crash that also took the life of his son.

Do you look forward to heaven? Paul said that we have hope that goes on beyond this earth! In fact, he says that if we who call ourselves followers of Christ don’t have hope, we’re to be pitied!

Folks, I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to be pitied by anyone. I live in hope – I live in anticipation of heaven.

You might have heard about the couple from north Oklahoma who decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter.

Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, and his wife would follow the next day.

Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the motel. He decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back home. But he accidentally left off one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing the error.