We all prefer receiving blessings more than we enjoy being cursed. At least those among us who are not masochists who take pleasure in being hurt or punished. That holds especially true when we refer to how God works in our lives. I have never yet sought the Lord’s curse, but constantly request His blessings. I think we all pray as did Nehemiah, “Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.” Nehemiah 5:19 (NLT2)
Yet, there is a subtle danger of praying selfishly for God’s blessing as did the fellow who prayed, “Lord, bless me, my wife, our sons, we four, no more!” But what I share today, I hope you will take as your own personal assurance, and let it lighten your days, reduce your angst, and give you a pleasant anticipation of four special blessings that await you in Heaven.
We are, for awhile, earth-bound Heaven dwellers. Listen to what God’s word assures us:
“We are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” Philippians 3:20 (NLT2).
“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:19 (NLT2).
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT2).
“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the Heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT2).
The Bible gives us insight to some activities; so let us consider a few Biblical insights:
There will be dining and fellowship at God’s table. Matthew tells us that “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Matthew 22:2 (NLT2). So there will be times of dining and fellowship. And, I hope, no brussels sprouts, mince meat or any variety of shell fish!
There will be joy and celebration. Just listen to what God says to the faithful: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” Matthew 25:21 (NLT2).
There will be reunion with saved loved ones. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NLT2).
John relates Gold’s promise, God will be there. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:1-4 (NLT2).
So, consider just four out of many countless blessings that await us. They are stated thusly, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3-4 (NASB).
What kind of blessings are foretold in the text?
I. THERE WILL BE CHRIST, NOT A CURSE:
A. Let us hear it again. “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it.”
B. The curse of sin, death and the loss of innocence occurred in Eden when Eve was deceived and led Adam into the same disobedience.
1. But there is no sin in Heaven, so there is no curse.
2. There is no condemnation, no judgment, no hell where Jesus is.
C. Look forward to a dwelling place
1. 100% free of the curse of corruption, crime, violence, war, hatred, racism, irreverence and selfish greed.
2. Where we spend the endless, timeless, infinite eternity with the Triune God.
D. But in this world we see the curse in different ways
1. The ground was cursed by God when Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden. So today we have crabgrass, weeds, thistles, moles and gophers, drought and blight.
2. I believe that we can count earthquakes, hurricanes, flood, famine, pandemics, wars, crime, corruption, politics and death as results of the curse declared in Eden.
3. Not one of those, or any other, curses will be in Heaven – but Christ will be there. We go from the curse in Genesis to the cure in Revelation.
E. Here on earth we, individally are adversely affected. You probably remember the story of Beauty and the Beast.. At one time the Beast was handsome and his life happy. But then he was cursed by an enchantress, who turned him into the Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. He was left with a snout, curly tusks and an ugly temper. We, too, have lost the beauty God intended for us. We were twisted and marred by sin. Like the Beast we became ugly.
But all that changed when the girl, Belle, came. Somehow the Beauty saw beyond the ugly,, roaring exterior of the beast; she saw something worthwhile. She fell in love with him. And because Beauty loved the Beast, the Beast became more beautiful. The curse had been reversed and eliminated. So it will be for each of us who are relieved of the curse and beautified by the love of Christ.
So, blessing #1 in Heaven: Christ will be there but there will be no curse. A second blessing is that:
II. THERE WILL BE SERVICE, NOT SLAVERY:
A. Hear it again: “His bond-servants will serve Him.”
1. Spurgeon commented, “No other lords shall oppress us, no other service shall distress us. We shall serve Jesus always, perfectly, without weariness, and without error. This is Heaven to a saint: in all things to serve the Lord Christ, and to be owned by Him as His servant, is our soul’s high ambition for eternity.”
2. “But,” some protest, “isn’t heaven a place of rest? I've always looked forward that rest.but now I hear that God has work for us to do in heaven, and I'm tired of working.” But, for those who love, serving the beloved is not drudgery but delight.
B. If you have a job you like, work is a pleasure.
1. Think about a few of the things you enjoy about work: the satisfaction of accomplishment, the sense of doing a worthwhile thing, the knowledge that you have created something.
2. Then imagine all of that without any of the negatives weariness, sweat, or annoyance with other coworkers.
C. How can we serve Him in Heaven? What could we contribute that He lacks? What could we do that would be of help to Him?
D. We will serve Him, not to help Him, but to please and honor Him.
1. We serve Him by singing praises and adoration to Him. We do it on earth, and we will do it in Heaven.
2. But along with that we will be in a real world doing real and meaningful and enjoyable responsibilities and services. I will not even begin with certainty to declare what tasks we will perform but whatever He requires of us, we will gladly do to serve.
E. When Marlene and I were young, 2 or 3 pals and I would go fishing. We’d go really early and when they came to pick me up they noticed that she had fixed breakfast and packed a lunch. They asked, “Does she always do that?” They went home and told their wives, who were not all that pleased with the Nolte’s for awhile. But when you love, you serve.
So, in Heaven there will be service, not slavery:
III. THERE WILL BE SIGHT, NOT SPECULATION:
A. This is a promised blessing: “And they shall see His face.”
1. Spurgeon commented, “This makes the service delightful: indeed, it is the present reward of service. We shall know our Lord, for we shall see Him as He is. To see the face of Jesus is the utmost favor that the most faithful servant of the Lord can ask. What more could Moses ask than—‘Let me see Thy face’?”
2. But God declared, “But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” Exodus 33:20 (NLT2). But that was the pre-Heaven limitation.``` In Heaven we shall see His face and live!
B. People have always speculated on God’s appearance and form.
1. Some through the ages have tried to represent God by manufacturing an idol in the form of animals or heavenly bodies or whatever they think is a photograph of God.
2. Some form a mental image of God:
a. They see a kill-joy who rains on parades and sends an army of ants to picnics and hollers at those who laugh and live with joy.
b. Others envision a doddering old relic like the Wizard of Oz.
c. To others He appears Narcissistic and too self-consumed to care about us.
d. Some envision a Santa-like Grandpa who chuckles at our childish misbehavior and hands out goodies when we are good.
C. The Bible presents a God
1. Who is holy, righteous, just and wrathful to unforsaken sin. A God to be feared with awe.
2. Who is gracious, merciful, loving, patient, forgiving, Who seeks the lost, and Who welcomes the penitent prodigal. A God envelops us in everlasting love.
D. How you see sin determines how you see God.
1. You will cherish the sin and see God as a buttinski Who wants to interfere.
2. You will despise the sin and see God as a Deliverer Who wants to save.
E. Let me illustrate how seeing God’s face affects how we see Him. When I was a boy of about 12, I attended church on and off with my Best Friend, Jim, and his family. One Sunday a rather portly lady was so into the sermon that she jumped up too fast, shouted, “Praise the Lord!” and collapsed, cracking the pew. I was scared spitless and with fear and trembling quickly decided, “This is not for me! I’m outta here” and I bolted out the door only to be pursued by a man. I saw him as an enemy to escape! I cut in the after-burner but he was too fast and as he caught me, I thought, “Oh, No! He’ll make me go back into that nut house!” But when I looked at his face, I saw concern and kindness. He spoke gently and drove me home. I saw him then as a friend and rescuer. When, in Heaven, we see God’s face we will see kindness, love and compassion. We will then see Him as a friend and rescuer. So, rejoice!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
There will be sight and not speculation and then:
IV. THERE WILL BE RELATIONSHIP, NOT REJECTION:
A. “And His name shall be in their foreheads.”
1. Spurgeon noted, “They are acknowledged by him, and they acknowledge him. The secret mark of inward grace develops into the public sign-manual of relationship.”
2. Don’t you write your name on certain possessions? It can solve or prevent ownership disputes.
a. When we loan books, tools, clothing, cookware or whatever, we are wise to affix our name to the item.
b. Case in point: two men took part in a Christmas pageant and wore identical bathrobes to be shepherds. The only difference was that one was obviously older than the other. After their part was finished, they removed their robes backstage and took seats in the sanctuary. When the pageant concluded, the men were gathering up their robes and the trouble ensued. Both laid claim to the newer robe and the debate got heated before the more mature of the two yielded his claim and took the older robe. What a difference a name written on the robe’s tag would have made.
B. With God’s name written on our forehead
1. Nobody can doubt that we belong. to Him.
2. We will not doubt it either bu will forever be reminded, “I belong to Him!”
C. We are related, not rejected:
1. Paul wrote, “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:19 (NLT2).
2. John wrote, “ See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 (NLT2).
3. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, God is your Father and you are His child. He loves you!
a. There is nothing you need to do to make Him love you.
b. There is nothing you can do to make Him stop loving you.
c. If you are his child you can say with assurance: “I am God’s child. He loves me!”
D. There is a fable that a kind-hearted king was once hunting in a forest, and found a blind orphan boy, who was living almost like a beast. The king was touched with pity, and adopted the boy as his own, and had him taught all that can be learned by one who is blind. When he reached his twenty-first year, the king, who was also a great physician, restored the youth his sight, and took him to his palace, where, surrounded by his nobles and all the majesty and magnificence of his court, he proclaimed him one of his sons, and commanded all to give him their honor and love. The once friendless orphan thus became a prince and a sharer in the royal dignity, and of all the happiness and glory to be found in the palace of a king. Who can tell the joy that overwhelmed the soul of that young man when he first saw the king, of whose beauty and goodness and power he had heard so much? Who can tell the happiness he must have felt when he saw his own princely attire, and found himself adopted into the royal family—honored and beloved by all? D. L. Moody.
E. The song says,
“My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holds the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.
I’m a child of the King, ,A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior,
I’m a child of the King.”
Harriet E. Buell
From Grace Gems, “Our title to all this surpassing and eternal glory is simply the blood of the Lamb. He has bought it for His Church; and it is hers forever. The nightless day, the unsetting sun, the incorruptible life, the undefiled inheritance, the new name, the heavenly city, the everlasting kingdom . . . . She is to walk worthy of it here—worthy of such a crown, such a heritage, such a city, such a Bridegroom, such a joy. . . . . . The entrance stands ever open, and each one is invited to go in. . . . .'He who believes' enters in. . . . It is not working, nor buying, nor waiting—but believing—which secures this eternal kingdom. Believe, and enter! Believe, and be blessed!” Believe, trust, and obey!
