Looking For Heaven On Earth

Introduction

Well, sit back and relax. The clock on the wall says it’s 10 o’clock. And I usually preach till 11:30. Babies come. Two of our mothers are saying. It’s getting long, isn’t it? And hopefully within a week or so we will have two new editions. And others to follow. So many babies in this group. It’s good to be back. I thought I only drove four hours. But when I woke up Sunday morning in Fort Worth, Texas, I thought I was in Montana. What kind of craziness was that? Driving through snow and sleet all day, preaching to two little sections that the only people that were able to gather on Sunday night. It was crazy in Fort Worth. Highs in the low 20s, highs in the low 20s, low temperatures in the teens in March in Texas.

This is crazy. But it’s good to be back with you. This morning I want to talk, first of all, about a little town in my home state of Indiana. A little town called New Harmony on the Walbash River. And my clicker is not working. If I turn it on, it will work better. Let me let you look at New Harmony, which is on the Walbash River in southwest Indiana, about a hundred miles from my boyhood home. And there are other couple of cities of interest that are marked with the blue dots as well. But New Harmony was settled. 200 years ago to the year 1814 by a fellow named George Rapp from a group of separatists from the German Lutheran church, and he was attempting to establish an ideal utopian community there.

In the first summer, as they were building the town, 120 people died of malaria. A little while later, some Shakers wanted to join them, but the religious differences proved too great for any real union to be forged. Eventually the town experienced some economic success, but due to new members not being as committed, problems with neighbors and feelings of isolation, Rapp would then sell the town to Robert Owen, a Scottish industrialist, and he was an unbeliever. And so his ideals for the town, as he also wanted a utopian or happy society, the key to that was science and education. But problems arose, grumbling over unequal credit, overcrowding along with insufficient housing, a lack of produce to adequately feed everyone, and a lack of unity in general, Owen left utopia.

He left New Harmony in 1829. So much for that. A similar effort was made in Dixon, Tennessee. Dixon, Tennessee has produced preachers like David Holder and Tommy Feeler, friends of mine. But again, under the direction of John Ruskin, you guessed it, conflicts, contentions led to a failure in less than a decade. Why? Well, for one reason, this world is totally broken by sin. Sin has its effects on our world and people, as we sometimes see. This world is really a low land of sin and sorrow, a desert of sorrow and sin. And so I want to raise this question to you this morning. Are we foolishly looking for heaven on earth? People are in search today of the ultimate feeling of the ultimate lifestyle of the ultimate relationship.

1. All Is Vanity Under the Sun

And even the ultimate local church. But all roads lead to, as the wise writer said, vanity of vanities. All is vanity. All things are wearisome. Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing. Young people, mark that. The eye is not satisfied with seeing. The ear is not satisfied with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. And all that my eyes desired, Solomon said, I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor. And this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done, and the labor which I had exerted, and behold, all was vanity.

And striving after wind, and there was no prophet under the sun. And so we learn from the book of Ecclesiastes that this is a poor place under the sun, to place all of our hopes. And the ultimate conclusion that the preacher draws in chapter 12 is to fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole of man. This is what makes a man complete or whole. It is the best way to live your life. If you are going to consume yourself with pleasure or finding fulfillment in something in this world, you will come up short. You will be lacking.

2. This World Is Not My Home

It is interesting to me that as the disciples are very disillusioned, they are going to be sleeping from sorrow, Luke says, in the garden, not many hours hence. Jesus is preparing them for his departure. And they’re very sad about the fact that this one that they’ve devoted their lives to for the last three years and followed over land and sea is now going to be gone. And they don’t understand. And then when the events unfold in the garden, they would all forsake him and flee. But he says these important words to them and to us in that Last Supper. Listen carefully.

Let not your heart be troubled. Let that say.

Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father’s house, are many dwelling places, mansions in the King James. If it were not so, I would have told you. And 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 to myself. That where I am, there you may be also. Those are some important words, not just to the apostles, but to us. And they suggest to us, as we have sung, that this world is not my home. Again, back in Ecclesiastes, one of the things that the preacher is doing is he’s telling us, don’t place undue hopes in this world. Make the best of your circumstances here, but cling to things above the sun.

And here’s why. In Ecclesiastes 9, he says, Eat your bread and happiness. Drink your wine with a cheerful heart. He’s just talking about the product of the grape there. Drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works. Be industrious or diligent. Let your clothes be white all the time. That doesn’t mean wear only white clothes. That means present yourself well. Wear clean clothes, young people. I know you’re in college. Let not oil be lacking in your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life, and believe me, it’s fleeting, which he has given to you under the sun, for this is your reward in life and your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

He’s telling you here, this is the best thing to do in your circumstances. Whatever your hands find to do, he says in the next verse, do it with your might. But then he offers this warning. Man does not know his time in verse 11. He’s like a fish caught in a treacherous net. You know, they weren’t expecting to be on somebody’s dinner table that day. Birds trapped in a snare. So the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. Understand the limitations, even in the best of pursuits in life. This world is broken by sin and by sorrow. And this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. And so what he’s telling us, and what the New Testament tells us, is to choose the highest course available.

3. Choose the Exalted Life of Godliness

Choose the exalted life of godliness. 1 Timothy 4 and verse 8. Bodily exercise profits a little. But godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and the life that is to come. I love that verse. It’s telling you about how to live successfully in this world. And yes, there are some things that have a little profit to them. Even more profit, perhaps, as we read about the things in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 that a person should do. But ultimately, the most important thing that we need to set our minds to do is to be godly. It not only will eventuate into life to come, which is far beyond our wildest dreams, but it is the most profitable thing for our lives now.

It holds promise of the life that now is and the life that is to come. But set your ultimate hopes beyond this world. While we certainly enjoy many blessings in this life now because we are Christians. After all, we have tasted of the good word of God. We have tasted of the powers to come. We have tasted of the heavenly gift. The Hebrew writer says in Hebrews chapters, we have a taste of what is to come. But ultimate fulfillment of all of our longings for harmony and joy will not be satisfied here. But here’s what we do. We come together and we sing. And I didn’t tell Scott was asking me what songs to sing, and I didn’t really think about telling him to sing that song, but it’s in my notes.

4. Lasting Joy in Selfless Living

We sing, this world is not my home. And then we go home on Monday and we’re frustrated, disappointed, and downright mad that it’s not. When things don’t go as we plan for them to do, and we murmur and complain about it. Though our founding fathers, through the Declaration of Independence, sought to provide the pursuit of happiness. Do we really believe that government, science, education, or even people are going to make us happy? And despite our best attempts to find pleasure, we are still beset with troubles and pain and conflict and accidents and road construction and injustices, diseases, war, problem, strife, sin, and all of its associated troubles. We’re still confronted with all of that. And so I want to commend to you that we should look for lasting joy in selfless living instead of the fleeting happiness of selfish pursuits.

I suggested in Bible class this morning that perhaps I’m making a distinction here between the words joy and happiness, where they are often used as synonyms and I’m splitting hairs, but I think the connotation is different. For the words joy and happiness. A lot of times happiness refers to a momentary sensation. While as joy speaks of something more abiding within.

Some thrill or excitement that to this point has escaped them. And if they just do this, or they just do that’s going to create this zing, this excitement, this missing element of our lives, and now I’m going to live a better life. My circumstances are going to be better. Now, the key to finding that is not perfect circumstances. Even if that elusive desire could be mostly achieved. So often people begin looking for this zing or excitement. We’re going to find the perfect partner. We’re going to find the perfect marriage relationship. And even marriage at its best. Even at its most harmonious, as you all represent. Even at its most harmonious, there are still disagreement and conflict and troubles. Well, perhaps the perfect church, after all, these are God’s people.

They have been redeemed from sin. They’ve been called out of darkness to walk in his marvelous life. Certainly in the perfect church. Someone has often suggested that if there was such a thing as a perfect church, if you came to be a part of it would no longer be perfect. In fact, anyone who is a part of it makes it less than perfect. And I would have you notice that even in the seven churches of Asia Minor, a lot of them had problems. Now, Jesus didn’t immediately cast them off, did he? He asked them to repent. While there’s time and opportunity or space was given to repent. Even five of the seven of them have significant spiritual problems. And the two that are not spoken of as having problems, he still tells them in the conclusion that there’s some things that they have to overcome.

There will be obstacles to overcome. And I would say this.

Which a good portion of the time means that they disagree with me about something. Except for all I’m always right. But the key is to form a friendship, a bond, a union with the same goal and fight through life’s struggles as a king. And not as enemies.

I want to say something to you about self that occurred to me. I was in the middle of a workout. I had to stop and go write this down so I didn’t forget.

I want to warn you about self. We talk about self a lot. Let me tell you what self and the exaltation of self really is. It is a black hole. When you immerse yourself in yourself, it is such a deep pit. It is a black hole that no matter what you keep stuffing in there, and this is what people do. Self, stuff it in there. How is everybody relating to me? How is everybody serving me? Put self on a pedestal. You keep serving self, it never gets in us. If it was the ultimate way to live, Jesus would have told us to do it. You can never stuff enough in that hole. And that’s why Jesus said instead in these important verses if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Is that Jesus’ cross or our cross? I suggest to you it’s both.

Whatever it is that stands in the way of accomplishing God’s purpose for us, take up your cross. For whoever wishes to save his life, this person who is holding on to self, whoever wishes to save his life, shall lose it. But he who loses his life for my sake shall find it. What a paradox. For what does a man profited if he gained the whole world and loses his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels and will then recompense every man according to his needs. Listen, how does that how does that affect our worship together? You want worship to be fulfilling. Worship is fulfilling when the focus is upon someone else other than yourself.

When what I receive is a byproduct of what I am giving to God and how I’m serving others. Decisions about to worship or not to worship. Those aren’t about me. Those are about the Lord. Those are about my commitment to his people. Even if I’m not feeling a hundred percent. And I would say this. To find joy, I don’t want to sometimes have to give way to, I need to.

Perhaps I don’t want to if I was just left in my own selfish desires. But I do it because I need to. And then the other side of this is that I want to sometimes has to give way when we’re talking about sinful pursuit. To the grace and love of Jesus constrains me.

5. The Search for Joy

The search for joy. Is a slave above his master? We know Jesus raised that question, right? A disciple shall not be above his teacher. Well, who was Jesus? As predicted in Isaiah 53, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And so what should his disciples anticipate? But despite the sorrows and the pain that he experienced, characteristically, his was a life of joy. And that was due. I want to suggest to you to his relationship with the Father. In John 17 in verse 3, this is eternal life, that we might know you, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. What a verse. And verse 4, he says, I glorify thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do.

And now glorify thou me together with thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Any pursuit of fulfillment that doesn’t first and foremost revolve around a right relationship with God will come to naught. And yet so often people think this is the last thing that I want, this is the last thing that I need, it is the only thing. Period.

It is the only thing.

6. The Lord Expects Faithfulness; Home Is Where God Is

That is easier to laud than it is to achieve. It is easier to say than to forge in our lives. Make it your priority. Stay focused on the unseen. Keep your hands to the plow. And keep plugging away. Despite any and all pain and frustration and disappointment. So many things can take their toll. And we began to question the validity of our confession of faith and our loyalty to the Lord. I want to go back to make two observations about John 14. Number one, the Lord expects faithfulness. Believe in God, believe also in me. He knew what they were about to endure. He knew how they were about to flee him. The Lord expects faithfulness. Believe in God, believe also in me. This was spoken in the context of the disciples’ sorrow, their approaching scattering and severe disillusion, disillusionment, their hopes and dreams temporarily dashed.

Well, things would improve, right? Ultimately there would be the glorious day of Acts 2. Three thousand brought to the Lord. What an event. What a day. The disciples were knitted together, devoted to one another, but as we’ll see tonight, whenever things are going well, the devil is ready to oppose. And so when Paul writes 2 Corinthians chapter 1, he said, we are perplexed, despairing even of life because of the opposition that the devil has brought. It will be necessary to believe God and believe in Jesus when the storms of life assault. The second observation is home is where God is.

We groan in this temporary dwelling or tent, he says in 2 Corinthians 5 and the first few verses. So I have as my ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to the Lord. That is where true joy and fulfillment is found.

But there will be troubles.

Conclusion

Focus on two things here. Number one, due time. Due time. It may seem like way off there in the future. But remember, Paul and his initial audience who received this message, their due time came a long time ago. In due time. And then he says, we shall reap. Look at that little word. It’s a little word, but man, it’s full of stuff. Reap. Huge. That’s huge. That’s winning it all. That’s thanksgiving. And Ed’s three pies. That’s everything. It’s more than that. It’s reap. In due time we shall reap if we do not faint. And so I want to suggest you in conclusion look for something. Infinitely superior to what we have here. Because that’s what’s coming. Don’t look for heaven on earth. Look for something infinitely superior.

And believe in me. Believe Jesus when he says, the safest investment on earth is what?

Not a material things where moth and rust do destroy and thieves break in and steal. But treasure in heaven, right? Where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. But how’s this all going to pan out in your life and my life? Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. Where’s your heart? That’s going to determine everything. Are you setting up for yourselves treasures on this earth? What a foolish investment that is. The safest investment on earth. It’s to set your affections on things above and to place your treasures there. It is the wisest and most rewarding investment. One more passage in the lesson of yours this morning, 2 Peter chapter 3.

In light of the fact that all of this, anyway, is going to be destroyed and set on fire. And that day is going to come when people do not expect. It will come as a thief. In 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10, the question is raised since all these things are going to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? Choose the best course, choose the wisest course, make the safest investment. What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. Looking for, and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed with burning and the elements will melt with intense heat, but according to his promise, we are looking.

There’s that word again. For new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. I thought for a long time that this is the only figurative expression in 2 Peter chapter 3. Some people want to make the whole thing figurative and not talking about the literal destruction of the world. That just blows their minds. But I think there’s too much evidence for that. Too much contextual evidence. But he’s talking about the literal destruction. And so then we come to this statement, looking for a new heavens and a new earth. And so, well, we’ve got the first figure of expression in the book. And it just occurred to me a while back that it’s not figurative. Oh, I don’t know that it’s going to be a globe like we’re on now.

I don’t believe that. It’s sort of going to be like our immortal bodies that have sown one way and has raised something entirely different. I don’t know what everything’s going to look like in the next life in the presence of God, but it’s going to be a new heaven and a new earth. And that’s literal. It’s going to be a new world. And we need to be longing for that. Make the best of our circumstances here. Choose the highest course, godliness. But look. Look for this. Are you looking? Or are you thinking? I just don’t find this religion thing very fulfilling. Really hungry right now. Wish you would be quiet and get done. It’s only 10.30, folks. Got an hour to go. But you know what?

We’re all going to go eat. And then about 5 o’clock, we’re going to get hungry again. And you’ve got to listen to me preach again. But what are you hungering and thirsting for above all? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. They’re the ones that are filled. Putting up all putting all our eggs in this basket here, looking for heaven on earth. Are we understanding the limitations of life here and the promise of what’s coming?

Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Jesus says, believe also in me. I go to prepare a place for you. That where I am, there you may be also. You don’t want to miss that. Everything that means anything is in Christ. And you don’t want to miss that. Are you looking for the new heavens, a new earth in which righteousness dwells, when everything will ultimately be fixed? And the righteous will bask in the glory of God forever and ever. Don’t you want that? Can we assist you to fight? Won’t you come while we stand still?