• Brenda Lee's version had stalled at #45 on the country charts in 1972.
• Elvis Presley first made "Always on My Mind" famous, reaching number 16 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart in early 1973.
• The song was also recorded by Willie Nelson. Released in the spring of 1982, the song raced to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart that May, spending two weeks atop the chart. The song also did very well on Top 40 radio, peaking at number five on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
In this song (Willie Nelson) looks back on a relationship that had turned sour due to his negligence. He tells how he wished he had done some things differently, but he says over and over again, “YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND.”
Many can relate to that song.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger went to see a man who loved his wife dearly and was devastated when he discovered it was a one-way relationship.
She later left him. His love for her was so strong that for the next decade he set aside a bedroom to buy her expensive gifts at Christmas. He had them beautifully wrapped so if she came back to him she would be able to open them and enjoy them.
He told Dr. Belger that the first thing he thinks of in the morning is this woman, and she is the last thing he thinks of before he goes to sleep. He then said, I cannot stand the thought of her loving some other man.”
The reason I mention this song and this incident is because it is the perfect picture of how things are with God.
God is madly in love with mankind, but it is obvious that mankind is not in love with Him. But the truth is that WE ARE ALWAYS ON HIS MIND. WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE!
We can see this by observing what God has done and is doing.
(1) GOD HAD MAN ON HIS MIND IN CREATION
Look at Genesis 1:26-28. We read, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and OVER ALL THE EARTH, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Notice, God created man after He created everything else on earth. He wanted to get everything ready for him.
Now some environmentalists would have us believe that God created mankind and all the other creatures of the earth to share earth on an equal basis. But, that view is not scriptural.
Actually, the reason God created the creatures of the earth and the environment was FOR MANKIND.
It seems that when God Created everything He created, WE WERE ON HIS MIND!
(2) GOD HAD MAN ON HIS MIND IN THE SCRIPTURES
The central theme of the Bible is REDEMPTION. From the beginning of the Bible to its end, God speaks of the redemption of mankind.
Many will die and go to a Christ-less eternity, but it will not be because God did not provide a way of escape. It will be because THEY HAVE REJECTED THE GOD of the scriptures Who always had you on His mind.
(3) GOD HAD MAN ON HIS MIND IN CREATING HEAVEN
Look at John 14:2-3. We read, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
This passage of scripture tells us that the reason God created this wonderful place called Heaven was... “...TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU...”
HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE.
Let’s take a few minutes and talk about this glorious place called heaven that is prepared for us because we WERE ON HIS MIND.
It is recorded in the Bible that God raised the curtain of heaven and allowed a few men to peek into that glorious place. For example...
I. JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
Because of his sinful activities, he became a FUGITIVE and had to flee for his life.
Alone and discouraged one night under the stars, he was sleeping with a rock under his head for a pillow. This was one of the lowest, if not the lowest point of his life. It was during this time that God gave him a vision of heaven.
Look at Genesis 28:12-20. We read, “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Jacob had a glimpse into Heaven and he was never the same after that.
Illus: Some say that if God would pick any of us up by the seat of our pants and hang us over Hell for only a few short seconds and allow us to return to earth, we would never be the same again. Why? Because Hell is such a horrible place. If we could see it, we would spend the rest of our lives trying to do all we could to keep our loved ones and friends from going there. It is true, if we saw it, and heard the cries that come from that place, WE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!
But, the flip-side of this coin is this: Heaven is such a wonderful place that if we were allowed to peek inside for only a few short seconds, we would spend the rest of our lives trying to get our loved ones and friends to go there with us! WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME!
Jacob saw heaven and he never was the same again! Before he got a glance of heaven he was:
• ENVIOUS
• DECEITFUL
• A THIEF
After God gave him a peek into heaven:
• He jumped up and acknowledged God was in the place
• He vowed he would tithe of everything God blessed him with
We see that JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN and -
II. STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
Look at Acts 7:55, we read, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”
Also look at verses 59-60. We read, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
HOW COULD A MAN TAKE SUCH ABUSE AND BE SO CHRIST-LIKE?
Illus: Consider this illustration. If you went to a dentist with a painful toothache, he would give you a shot of Novocain. Once the Novocain kicked in and overrode the pain, you would not be able to feel the pain.
I believe that when Stephen got a glimpse of Heaven, he got so sidetracked by what he saw, that the pain was no longer a problem.
This has happened time and time again, when people of God lay on their deathbed and God pulls back the curtains of Heaven, and they get a glimpse of what they have to look forward to, they have literally begged for God to allow them to pass from this life.
But this is not the case with the ungodly.
Illus: A man in Houston, Texas, lived a very wicked life. His wife could not get him to put a foot inside of a church.
• His thoughts were wicked
• His words were wicked
• His deeds were wicked
He became sick, and reluctantly went to the doctor. The doctor told him he had a terminal disease.
Still he showed no sign of wanting to get his heart right with the Lord. In a few weeks he was bed-ridden.
He became semi-conscious, and often, in his sleep, he would start kicking at something and he would cry out, “Get away! Get away!”
His family and friends had no idea what he was talking about. After a few days it became apparent he was talking to the devil.
In the last few hours before his death, he cried out, “Get away devil! Get away devil!”
He began to straighten his legs out, as if he were being pulled off the bed. With a voice filled with great trepidation, he screamed, “He’s got me! He’s got me! He’s got me!” He died in that state!
But what a contrast to see men like Stephen when they died. God eased their suffering by pulling back the curtains of heaven and letting them see what they had to look forward to for eternity.
Listen, after Stephen got one glimpse of Christ, standing by the right hand of the father...
• He became so much like Christ that he spoke like Christ
• He had a smile on his face that all those rocks that were being thrown at him could not erase
We see that JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN, STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN and -
III. PAUL HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
Look at 2 Cor. 12:2-4, concerning how Paul was caught up into the third heaven. We read, “And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
Paul SAW THINGS and HEARD THINGS that he was forbidden to speak about upon his return to earth.
It is believed that Paul’s experience of seeing heaven happened approximately five years after his conversion.
This could explain why Paul went on to be the great servant of God that he became. As we all know, PAUL CERTAINLY NEVER WAS THE SAME AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE!
Illus: We hear of some today who write books and publicly give testimonies of being caught up into the third heaven and seeing that glorious place. But, more than likely, the experience they had was the result of eating too many peanut butter sandwiches before they went to sleep. We tend to believe what most of these people have experienced was a figment of their imagination.
Why do we think that? Because, we believe that if they had seen that glorious place, THEY WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME PERSON AGAIN!
One thing we can see in the lives of all of the people who have ever had a glimpse of that glorious place called Heaven, is that THEY WERE NEVER THE SAME ONCE THEY HAD SEEN IT!
Conclusion:
John, when he was exiled on the isle of Patmos, had a look at heaven, and in Rev. 22:20, we read, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Once John got a peek at Heaven, he was begging the Lord to return. He said, “…Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Illus: We, as Christians, have so much to look forward to one day. A widely respected man known as “Uncle Johnson,” died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of praise to God. His pastor, who was passing by, looked over the fence and called,
• “Uncle Johnson, you seem very happy today.”
•“Yes, I was just thinking,” said the old man.
•“Thinking about what?” questioned his pastor.
•“Oh, I was just thinking that if the crumbs of joy that fall from the Master’s table in this world are so good, what will the great loaf in glory be like! I tell you, sir, there will be enough for everyone and some to spare up there.”
Marco Polo, the thirteenth century explorer, left Venice and went to the Far East.
• He was amazed at the beauty of the place. When he went back, he told people of the beauties. They had a hard time believing the scenes he described.
• In fact, many thought he was outright lying. However, just before he died, some felt he should set the record straight.
• They asked again about what they thought were exaggerations. His reply was, “I did not tell you one-half of what I saw.”
All the people we have mentioned from the scriptures in this sermon only got a glimpse of this glorious place. They have not come close to describing its glories!
You and I have never had that privilege. However there is one thing we know for sure. We know...
• When God created this earth HE HAD US ON HIS MIND
• When God created heaven HE HAD US ON HIS MIND
I. JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
II. STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
III. PAUL HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
