Philippians 3:20

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I want to share with you the foremost joy in my life; the greatest thing I have. The very first day my wife and I heard about the gospel message of our Lord, I was filled with awe and joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8). It was a message I had never heard before…a message that radically transformed my life. Little did I know of its power and the one in whom the power was from. The expectation of seeing this Jesus face to face one day is my greatest anticipation and will be until my last breath on this planet. Whether I go to be with Him first or He returns and I meet Him in the clouds with all the saints of glory who have ever gone before me, it doesn’t matter. The truth is, it’s going to happen, and all I can say is, “Get me ready, Lord!”

But the catch is, you can’t buy your heavenly citizenship; you can’t purchase it by doing good deeds; you can’t earn it by your own merit and goodness. This incredible promise of heaven and eternal life comes to us as a free gift from God through His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:15-17, Ephesians 2:8-9). He saved you and me because HE is pure and holy and just, not because I am pure and holy. There is a citizenship that is far greater than even the citizenship I have as a U.S. citizen! Here my earthly passport allows me to go just about anywhere on this globe, but the citizenship and passport from the Lord is to those who love Him and who obey Him…those who long for his second coming. No one has the right to enter through the heavenly gates of their own accord; only by the shed blood of Jesus and by his resurrection is this made possible to those who believe (Philippians 3:20; 1 John 5:3; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Titus 2:11-14).

So, let’s get real for a minute: when was the last time you intentionally took time to think about heaven? If you’re the average person it’s probably been a while. But

the Apostle Paul encourages us to “Set your mind on things that are above, on heavenly things and not on earthly things…” (Colossians 3:1-3). As we walk through life, let’s be challenged to ponder more about HEAVEN. I believe we all could use more time contemplating this amazing place that awaits us if we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

The truth is, thinking about Heaven can be a difficult chore for us when the world in which we live is cluttered with “stuff”. We are bombarded not only with physical accumulation, but our mental and emotional states are in constant stress. My question is, do we think about Jesus and His Second Coming often enough? Are those thoughts having a positive and transforming effect on your emotional and spiritual life? I hope so, but if not, maybe this message will embolden you to ponder more upon the “unseen heavenlies” knowing this Glorious Day is sure to come.

Let’s talk about these “unseen heavenlies” (Ephesians 1:3).

This is what we need to pray to God for when we get in those down times and our eyes can only see what is tangible. During these times we miss out on the “unseen heavenlies” that the Apostle Paul told us about in Ephesians: ”Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (in those unseen realities) in Christ…” You see, there is a spiritual realm where real angels fly, where our faith and heaven meet, where the impossible becomes the possible, where spiritual battles are fought, and where our hope through faith becomes a “living hope” in Jesus Christ our resurrected Savior. We need to grow a faith that enables us to see spiritually beyond this world and into the supernatural heavenlies that the Bible speaks of.

Faith allows us to see the invisible, “THE UNSEEN HEAVENLIES.” Without faith we cannot please God. You see, you can’t separate heaven from your faith, and you can’t separate your faith from the Word of God. These work together intrinsically; therefore, you can’t think of heaven without exerting faith in a living God and in his Son who takes away the sins of the world.

Oh, what a day that will be when all believers enter in through the gates of Heaven. The Apostle Peter says, “We shall receive a rich welcome…” (2 Peter 1:10-11). The implication in the original language (Koine Greek) of verse 11 indicates there will be one who shall “richly welcome” us as we enter through the gates of heaven. Can you even imagine if Jesus our Lord is doing the welcoming as we enter into heaven? Wow! I can’t wait!

George Mueller, an incredible, godly missionary to orphans in England during the 19th century, says, “Just in proportion in which we believe that God will do just what He has said, is our faith strong or weak. Faith has nothing to do with feelings, or with impressions, with improbabilities, or with outward appearances. If we desire to couple them (these things) with faith, then we are no longer resting on the Word of God because faith needs nothing of the kind. Faith rests on the naked Word of God. When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace…” Reading of his faithful life inspires me greatly! Try reading this quote again in light of your own faith journey.

My friends, before my acceptance of Jesus, I had no hope, no future, no expectations or aspirations, nothing that was lasting and a heart that was lost and filled with the world. I asked the Lord in those early days of my conversion, “If you are real, prove yourself to me. I want to know you as much as I can know my wife. If you’re not real, then I’m going back to the streets where I came from” (prior to marriage I had been a drug abuser for over a decade and lived in a van nearly three of those years). The Lord met me right where I was and changed my life forever.

Where are you headed? Are you assured of heaven to come?

Henry Clay Trumbull, a 19th century preacher of the Word, said this about faith, “The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If He builds the bridge a road ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith. That which is of sight is not faith.”

Let us trust in the promises of Heaven given to us by the Lord and say with David, the psalmist, “I trust in your Word” (Psalm 119:42).