Welcome back to Cultivating Growth, we want to thank everyone for joining us again this week. Jeremy and I are going to be discussing the desire each of us should have for heaven. God has given us the promise if we are his children to bring us home with him one day and that reality should govern how we live our lives and the excitement that we have in anticipation of that day.

And so we're going to discuss what the Bible has to say. about growing in our desire for heaven. So with that, let's get to it.  Well, John, I mean, we can certainly spend a lot of time and talking about a topic such as this, and I like the wording of it that we've kind of placed on it of growing in our desire for heaven.

You know, that means we don't probably hear, maybe we can another time, but I don't think here we need to spend a whole lot of time talking about the greatness of heaven or, you know, what the Bible has to say about what heaven is going to be or, you know, what it's going to be like. The Bible does have a lot to say, you know, about the place.

Heaven the destination the eternal destination of heaven,  but for us in the next, you know a few minutes I think maybe to stay focused on you know, just kind of growing in our desire for heaven our focus You know for heaven and I think that's a big part of it There's a lot of different places we can go, you know, one place that I think is interesting  Just because of the phrasing that's used a couple of times, specifically in Hebrews chapter 11.

And that's not a passage we'll commonly use. I mean, it's a very faith forward, you know, passage. There's no question about that. But you do kind of have, in looking back, You know, some of these characters in the Old Testament and the way they were focused forward and the phrasing that the Hebrew writer will use.

So, for example, in Hebrews chapter 11, in talking specifically about Abraham, he says in verse 16, But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. And so he's looking kind of forward in that way. Even in talking about Moses and leaving Israel. Egypt for, you know, his people, the Israelites, you know, the Hebrew writer makes the point in verse 26, esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches in Egypt, for he looked to the reward.

And so you kind of have that phrasing that even you have these, these great men of faith in the Old Testament that the Hebrew writer wants to. Kind of bring to the forefront. They had faith for sure, but a part of that is that forward focus to that destination that they kind of have out in front of them.

Yeah, and that, that faith that they all had. wasn't in anything physical or tangible to them in that moment. That faith was in something that was still to come and it, it drew them closer to God in a longing for a time in which they could be with him for all of eternity. And so we, we read that and we can go back and we can read the stories in the old Testament of, of these people that are mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, but the application.

It is just as real for you and I today. We live in a world that is physical and tangible, but our faith can't be in those things, shouldn't be in those things because those things will all be done away with. Those things are all temporary, regardless of what they are,  anything physical, anything of this world is temporary.

And so God is asking us to put a faith in something, put our faith in something that is eternal. And that makes us long for that time in which we can be a part. Of that eternal place that God has prepared for us. And so I think a story like, or stories like what we see in Hebrews 11 and the wording that you referenced there, they're really powerful for us today, because this really should describe all of us.

We should all be wanting more. This, this world is broken and this world is messed up and this, I don't want this to be all that there is. And I, and I read stories of.  Abel, and Moses, and Abraham, and they lived in broken worlds too. They lived in worlds of sin, and they lived through pain and suffering, and they could do all of that because they were longing for something better, something that this world couldn't provide them.

And that's the same way that I want to live my life, recognizing that God has prepared something for me that this world can never give me. And so I'm. anxiously, eagerly waiting for the time in which I can enter into that rest. I mean, you have, I mean, even in that same context in Hebrews chapter 11, you know, kind of the point that the Hebrew writer is going to make by way of application there in Hebrews chapter 12, at the very beginning of that, when he says, listen, we're looking back at the, to learn because of the things that we have.

difficulties in front of us, and ultimately there in Hebrews chapter 12, he's going to point to Jesus. Yeah. And he makes the point, really the same point that Judas made specifically there in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2, where, you know, Jesus was able to endure the cross. That was hard. That was difficult in the moment.

But he was able to do that because of the joy that was set before him. Yeah. And so he's able to endure that joy. difficulty because his focus was on something so much greater, and I think that's what the Bible teaches us as Christians, is that, listen, life has some difficulty to it. There's no question about that.

Life has darkness to it. There are obstacles. There is trouble that has to be navigated for God's people, and God has said, listen, all of that You're equipped for,  especially if you can stay focused on what is to come. And so I think to the point that you made a moment ago, I think that's why he's able to say, listen, don't focus on things of this world.

It's just temporary things that are going to fade away. You focus on heavenly things. Jesus makes that same point, you know, even in the Sermon on the Mount. I think sometimes. I know in studying with people, talking to people as they kind of work through their own faith, one of the questions that often arises is, you know, why is there so much suffering in this world?

Why does, why does God allow All the pain and all the suffering that we see around us, and certainly that's a big question that demands a big answer, but I do think one of the answers to that question lies in this conversation that the suffering and the pain of this world.  builds within us an anticipation of heaven  and without it, what would we be waiting for?

If we lived in a world where there was no pain and no suffering and no sadness, what else would I be waiting for? I would have everything that I would ever want in that scenario. And I think Paul points to this a little bit in a way. He's not necessarily talking about heaven when he brings this up, but in second Corinthians chapter 12, he talks about the thorn in the flesh.

And, and he longed for that thorn in the flesh to be taken away, and God said no, and God had told him that my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness. That was the explanation or the reason that God gave to him. But as I think about that passage, and  God didn't really elaborate on all of the reasons behind why this thorn was given to Paul or why it wasn't taken away,  but whatever infirmity Paul was dealing with, whatever that may have looked like.

Like, it was painful enough that he wanted it removed. And I think all of us have things in our lives, physically, relationally, whatever it may be that we wish were better, that we wish didn't hurt so much that we wish could be taken away.  And when those things aren't, it should make us think about a time when they will be taken away.

When there will be no more pain, when there will be no more suffering, when there will be no more sadness, no more loss, that, that moment is waiting for us. It's not going to be this side of eternity, but that is what God has promised us in heaven. And so those things should remind us of that. And even  increase our longing for heaven.

And so in a way we should be thankful for them because they are moving us closer to God and closer to heaven. I think that's why God kind of makes that point. I mean, you didn't look to the very end of the New Testament when John is sharing for all of us, you know, the vision that he records there in the book of Revelation.

The very end of that, the very end of that book, he, even though the book is making very progressive. Kind of present day kind of points of of practicality. The very end of that book is talking about eternal heaven that is to come. And some of the points that are made directly talks about those kinds of things.

No more death. No more tears, no more sorrows. I mean, these things that our world is all about to remind us that there is something waiting for us, that none of those things even exist. There's no darkness. There, you don't even need the sun even, because that's where God is. And so God understands that that is something that man is looking for.

And so he reminds us that that is a part of what heaven is. And so, you know, you, you, you, You know, you look at the Apostle Paul in the book of 2 Timothy, who is at the very end of his life, and he's very heaven heavenward focused at that point, you know, making the point that, listen, there's, there's waiting for me, that crown of life, and I'm excited about that.

And so you have all of these examples.  Of  really showing us the way to make it through this life is to have that kind of focus and ultimately that is in a lot of ways a definition of what hope really is and how it is our anchor, how it is that it propels us, you know, forward. You brought up Revelation and I had made a note of that as well.

I really appreciated in thinking about this conversation, looking back to Revelation 4 and Revelation 21 specifically, passages where we get glimpses of heaven, but they're given to us using physical terminology, things that we can understand. We can actually begin to like paint a picture in our mind. Of what John is seeing as this vision is given to him.

So for instance, in Revelation four, as this throne room is shown to him, there is a throne that has a rainbow around it in appearance, like an Emerald the, from the throne proceeds lightning and thunder, and then before it is a sea of glass, like crystal, and it goes on and on. And we see similar imagery and language used in Revelation 21 as well.

And these very physical things that we can picture in our mind are given to us to depict something that isn't physical, that is entirely spiritual in nature, but these things are given to us To just blow our mind about what heaven is going to look like.  While I can kind of start to picture some of these things, I can't even fully wrap my mind around what this looks like physically.

And, and what God tells us is that heaven will far exceed any expectations as you can possibly come up with in our minds. And reading things like that and meditating upon those I think are important for us because it reminds us of the greatness and the awe inspiring nature of what heaven will be like.

Whatever you think heaven will be like, it will be better. And to just sit with that, and allow that to sink in, I think really motivates us to just long for that. I mean, that sounds so cool.  The most amazing The only thing that I can possibly imagine, heaven exceeds. Right. And there is nothing else that gives us an opportunity to use our imaginations in a sense, but then to recognize that this is a real place where I can spend all of eternity and that just makes me want it so much more.

I love Philippians chapter one. You know, it almost comes across as very psalm like, and I say that because, you know, a lot of times we'll make mention of the fact that, you know, we love the psalms because we know of maybe a circumstance that maybe David was going through, and then we can, you know, kind of correlate that.

A psalm to that. And now we know what his mindset is. We know what he's thinking. Well, Paul does that for us in Philippians chapter one. He shares some of his inner thoughts with us. I mean, he, and he does that not just here in Philippians, but he does that, you know, in other places as well. But he does that per hour conversation today, you know, there in Philippians chapter one.

And, you know, he kind of has in his mind to be here on earth. Or to be in heaven with God, and he kind of plays the back and forth on that, and he acknowledges that, you know, being on earth, that there are some, some advantages to the fact that he can continue to work for Christ, and, you know, there are blessings that come from that. 

But he'll use the phrase, you know, in verse 23, where he'll make the point of flipping chapter one, I'm hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart to be with Christ, and then he uses that phrase, which is far better. And that's what I thought about, you know, when you were bringing up, you know, what John has for us in the book of Revelation, where you have this, you know, his thought process of, man, if I were to choose,  I'm choosing heaven, because in comparison to what I have right now,  And there he's enjoying blessings, even in blessings that he has in Christ, but it is far better.

I mean, it is a no contest, you know, kind of situation. And for us, that, I think, has to be something we're looking to attain. That level of mindset that if we were presented the choice,  you can go and be in heaven right now or stay here.  That we would have this kind of conversation that Paul is having in Philippians 1.

And that's just common sense because we would have that same conversation with anything if you are trying to decide what restaurant you're going to go to for dinner. And you have this option, which is okay, but it has its ups and downs and some people like it and some people don't. And you have this option, which is far better.

Everybody agrees that this one is far better. Well, you'd be silly to pick. The subpar option there, you would want whatever is far better. Everyone acknowledges that and everyone knows it. That's the one you're going to want. And that should be the way we think about this world. God has created this world for us and this world has good things in it for us and we have a job to do while we are in this world.

But there is something far better waiting for me. And I really want that, and so I long for that day when God calls me home and whatever, whether it's my death or whether Christ returns, whatever it may be, I long for the day because it's far better. And we need to remind ourselves of that because it's far too easy to begin thinking of this world as a pretty good place.

Yeah, somewhere I'm pretty happy here, and I'm getting pretty, pretty, pretty tied down to it. Heaven is far better, and we need to remind ourselves of that constantly. Yeah, there's no question about that. Well, that's a good place to stop for us today. We'll close as we do with the passage. We'll stay in the book of Philippians, Philippians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21.

The Apostle Paul will make this point, which is good for us and for our discussion, you know, today. He says in verse 20, beginning, For our citizenship is in heaven. From which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself.