Are You Truly Registered?

I wonder how many believers even realize that this world is not our permanent home if we truly have given our hearts to Jesus? Let me unpack what I mean by this and what I don’t want to convey.

First, far too many people speak about going to heaven when they die, assuming that is their final destination. Mind you most non-Christians believe this for various reasons, one of which is the feeling that they aren’t bad enough to land in hell and secondly they think God is all loving and would naturally let them in. The church is partly to blame for this notion because it has communicated the wrong thing about God’s love, why death happens and who qualifies as God’s children.  Therefore, many none Christian people make the claim that we are all God’s children because the church has been giving the world mixed messages about God’s love and acceptance. The apostle John made it crystal clear in the first chapter of his gospel that only those embracing Jesus as messiah would be qualified to be called children of God.

John 1:12                                                                                                                                                                                                                      But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

Churches started conveying wrong information to unbelievers, and the world in general, by saying that God’s love is “unconditional” and thus all a person needed to do was accept that as fact.

The church started using the idea of “UNCONDITIONAL LOVE” around the early 1900’s, and then idea became main stream since around the 1970s. Most Christian authors did not use the term before the 20th century. Ironically, far from being a Biblical term, it was actually coined by Erich Fromm, an atheist, in 1934. He rejected all forms of authoritarian government, including God’s. Isn’t amazing that the world believes that a loving God will save everyone except the really bad people, like Hitler or Lenin? Again, the church in the last 50-100 years has done a poor job of explaining what real justice is and how God intends to apply it.

Although God’s love is vast, it has its limits, as does his mercy. There are so many parts of the Bible that tell us that God requires change for his mercy to be extended.  Nonetheless, many believers think, and have been taught, that once a person embraces Jesus as their savior they are set for eternity regardless of how they live their lives in the future. If Satan can’t get people to outright reject Christ, then he will get leaders in churches to twist the truth of the gospel and the Lordship of Christ.

The idea of what heaven represents and who gets to go there, for many believers and unbelievers alike, embrace the idea that most of us go to heaven because God is love.  If you ask the average person what we will do in heaven, they have no idea.  Folk lore has taken over as many people believe heaven to be anything from playing harps to just being in a happy place. Scripture, however, has a different idea of who goes to heaven and why.

Consider the idea of the second coming of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote that true believers long for Jesus to return. How many people do you think really long for the return of Christ, including professed believers?  Far less than you would think because of what they have been taught about what God requires to be his adopted child according to John 1:12

1 Corinthians 1:7                                                                                                                                                                                                 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paul also wrote that becoming true believers, or children of God, that our citizenship is more than just our current country. In fact, our citizenship is in heaven because that is where God’s perfect will is being done and where he gets the honor and respect that he so richly deserves. Paul says our longing comes from the realization that Jesus “SAVED” us, not merely forgave us.

Philippians 3:20-21                                                                                                                                                                                           For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Luke wrote about the first disciples who listened to Jesus teach about the kingdom of God for 40 days after the resurrection. When Jesus had finished, he ascended into heaven and the disciples watched with longing in their hearts as he left. Angels informed them that Jesus would return from heaven just as he had been taken up, which means their discipleship in following Jesus was just beginning.

Acts 1:11                                                                                                                                                                                                                They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

In fact, Jesus told the disciples that great tribulation would come upon the earth but he would “GATHER” his saints to live with him forever.  The disciples understood that the world is temporary but living with Jesus was eternal.  They understood that their true citizenship was not this earth. How many people are afraid of death because they don’t know what to expect afterwards? Unfortunately, even professing Christians hold onto this earthly life rather than longing for the one in which Jesus rules and reigns.

Matthew 24:29-31                                                                                                                                                                                               “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [30] “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. [31] “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 

Midway through his ministry, Jesus sent his close disciples out, two by two, to heal the sick, cast out demons and proclaim the Good News. When they returned, they were very happy because demons were subject to the authority which Jesus gave them. Jesus, however, wanted them to focus more on their citizenship. Why? Because when we believe we belong, we will be the most loyal.

Luke 10:20                                                                                                                                                                                                             But don’t rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven.”

All should consider where their loyalties lie, whether it is to this life or to heaven where Jesus waits to bring us all home. Remember, you will be the most loyal and the most protective where you belong.

Questions:

1) Have you resolved in your own mind whether you are a child of God? The answer will tell a lot about your real citizenship.

2) Are you more loyal to this world or country than you are to heaven? Only by making Jesus the Lord of your life will you be able to call heaven your future home.

Longing for the kingdom of heaven and our reunion with Jesus in the flesh,

Pastor Dale