Ten (10) Benefits That Are Kept In Heaven For You.
A person without Jesus is no more than a walking corpse.
The apostle Paul reminds us that we don’t belong here on earth. This planet is not our home. (It’s not home for the Saint, nor the sinner).
He urges us to be continually aware that our citizenship is in heaven.
DL Moody quoted a humble woman who said that the way to heaven is short, easy, and simple… Out of self, into Christ, and into glory.
Philippians 3.20-21NIV “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”
Awe, these lowly bodies…Transformed into His glorious body.
In a cemetery in Philadelphia, there’s an epithet that the great American founding father Benjamin Franklin wrote for himself.
The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, it’s contents, torn out, and Script of its lettering and Gilding, here, food for worms. But the work shall not be lost, for it will, as he believed appear once more in a new more eloquent addition, corrected and improved by the author.
Of course the author Benjamin Franklin refers to, is God.
As born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have treasure stored up in heaven.
Paul, in Ephesians 2.7, calls these treasures, the incomparable riches of His grace.
I call them the 10 benefits that are kept in Heaven for every believer.
The first benefit of heaven is, Resurrection from sin and death.
The apostle Paul opens Ephesians 2, with these statements.
Ephesians 2.1-2, 4–5NIV “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
God, through Jesus Christ, has resurrected us from sin and from death!
This foundational Christian truth is diametrically opposed to the biggest, and worst lie ever spread, namely, “that if you are a good person, you will go to heaven.”
Here’s the truth, straight from God‘s word. There is only one good person in heaven, and that’s Jesus. -Everyone else in heaven is a bad person saved by grace.
If you rely on being a good person to get to heaven, you are going to hell. -Only bad people go to heaven.
Romans 3.12NIV “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””
Again, In writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul also said in, Ephesians 2.1NIV You were dead in your transgressions and sins.
Not sick, not weak, not on life-support, but dead!
-In our natural spiritual state, before we are born again, we are spiritually dead.
No one is good enough to satisfy God‘s standard of moral perfection.
-We are so selfish, sinful, and polluted with sin that we don’t even realize how sinful we are.
Incredibly, we are able to look at ourselves in the mirror and think, “Now, there’s a good person! That someone deserves to go to heaven.” -Yet we are spiritually dead.
In, Luke 15.11-32 Explains how even the living can actually be dead.
Jesus tells the story of a father, whose son leaves home, squanders his inheritance on sinful living, and returns home, poor but repentant.
And what does the father say? “This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now found!”
Listen, in his rebellion, sinful condition, the son was physically alive, but spiritually dead.
He had no fellowship with his father; he was lost. Only when he came home in repentance was he truly alive.
Ephesians 2.8-9NIV “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. 9— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
“God‘s not in competition with anybody or anything, he has to be trusted and faithfully loved and served.” PH
Now, the fact that salvation is a free gift is a problem for many people. Tragically, they are too proud to accept Jesus Christ sacrifice on their behalf.
You might say, “I like hard-working people who believe in earning everything they have.”
-That’s an admirable trait for this earthly life.
However, hard work won’t get you into heaven.
You can’t earn it and you don’t deserve it.
-Heaven is a free gift!
So again, the first benefit of heaven is that God raised us from the spiritual death into which we were born, and He makes us truly, eternally alive through spiritual rebirth.
Benefit 2. The second benefit of heaven is, God’s mercy and love.
Ephesians 2.4-5NIV “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
The late evangelist Luis Palau told the story about a mother in France, who approached the emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, asking him to pardon her son.
Napoleon rejected her, stating that this man had committed his crime, not once, but twice.
-The laws of France and the very notion of Justice demanded that he be put to death.
I’m not asking for Justice, the mother said, I’m pleading for mercy for my son.
Your son does not deserve mercy, Napoleon said.
The mother replied, If he deserved a pardon, it would not be mercy. And mercy is all I’m asking for.
Moved by her plea, Napoleon showed mercy – and he spared the young man’s life.
Listen, that day this mother taught the emperor the true meaning of mercy. We all deserve justice. We all deserve hell.
—But God, in his great love for us, showed us mercy – undeserved grace, and goodness – instead.
Again, the mercy and love of God are the second great benefit of heaven.
Benefit 3. The third benefit of heaven is, A Meaningful life.
Ephesians 2.10NIV “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We are God’s peace of art!
You have heard the phrase, “Get a life.” —When you were dead in your sins, you didn’t have a life.
When you came to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, when you were born again, God gave you this third wonderful benefit of heaven.
—He gave you a meaningful life!
Benefit 4. The fourth benefit of heaven is, A purpose for living.
Who gave you the ability to dream, who gave you a mind greater than any computer?
Listen to me, every great leader is motivated by vision, dream and purpose. PH.
Ephesians 2.6-7NIV “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
Hear this truth— When God saved us, he breathed into us and awakened our dead spirits to a new purpose, and gave us an eternal reason to live.
You have become an ambassador for Jesus Christ, You are a royal priesthood, A holy people, A chosen generation.
Again, 4. God’s given you an eternal purpose for living.
Benefit 5. The fifth benefit of heaven is, Fulfilling work to do.
God gives us good works to do, and those good works benefit others, good works also bring a sense of fulfillment and meaning into our lives.
Can I tell you the best way to discover your spiritual gift is to get involved in ministry with other believers. PH.
Ephesians 4, teaches that when Jesus ascended, He gave gifts unto man.
There’s no unemployment line in the kingdom of God! If you have been saved, you are a child of God, He has a fulfilling, and enriching job for you to do.
Benefit 6. The sixth benefit of heaven is, Heavenly Citizenship.
Earth is our temporary home. Heaven is our Eternal home. —Our citizenship is in heaven.
Philippians 3.20NIV “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
As citizens of Heaven, we are to adopt heaven’s culture, values, and practices.
A citizen of Heaven is focused on eternal things, they spend each day storing up treasures in heaven.
Jesus taught from the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6.19-21 ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Benefit 7. The seventh benefit of heaven is, A Heavenly ID card!
Ephesians 2.13NIV “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
What is our heavenly ID card? -The blood of Jesus Christ.
-Any other way other than the blood of Jesus Christ is a fake ID.
Hebrews 10.19-20NIV “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,”
Benefit 8. The eighth benefit of heaven is, A daily refuge of Peace.
Ephesians 2.14-15NIV “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,”
Luke 23.34NIV “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
If Jesus reigns in your life, you will respond as Jesus responds, “Father, forgive, Father, forgive.”
Jesus wants to control your responses in times of conflict.
Again, Jesus offers you total peace!
How and Why? -Because He is the Prince of Peace!
Benefit 9. The ninth benefit of heaven is, A new and loving family.
Jesus points this out in, Matthew 18.15NIV ““If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”
Gods true family is only motivated by love.
Benefit 10. The tenth benefit of heaven is, A new home.
Ephesians 2.19-22NIV “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Heaven is a new home, a building, a holy temple – and not only do we have a home in heaven, but we are a home, a dwelling, in which God himself lives.
The 10th benefit of heaven is that we have been given a new home in which to dwell today and throughout eternity.
Benediction. Today, if you would like to receive these 10 benefits of heaven, Surrender!
Did you know that the Bible mentions heaven about 500 times? Surrender! You don’t want to miss heaven and its benefits for today. PH.
