Jesus the Joy of Heaven

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Revelation 22:4

Jesus  is the Beloved One of his people. Above all the attractions of heaven, the Church longs to see the beauty of its Saviour. If there were no Jesus, there would be no heaven; Jesus is the “all in all” of heaven. Believers in every age of the world have summed up their hope and expectation in the one desire of seeing the Lord. David’s prayer in Psalm 27 tells of this longing, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

Christians are waiting for the Lord Jesus, who will return, according to his own promise, to receive us unto himself, that where he is we may be also. (John 14:3) This gives us hope even though in this world we see much sin and defilement in ourselves and others. We see the bitter fruit of this sin, which is sorrow, anguish,  troubles, and afflictions. We find our choicest earthly comforts are vain and meaningless. The world has no resting place for us. We are strangers and pilgrims in the world. Even now, our citizenship is in heaven. Philippians 3:20 says, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

To be in love with heaven  we must be weaned from earth; it is then that we long with intense eagerness to find a refuge in our eternal home.       H. Watts

If our way grows rough, it leads to an unspeakably joyful end. One moment with Christ will make up for it all. Whatever other joys are in store for us, and there are many others, fellowship with Christ will be the greatest of them all. Heaven will be light with the light of his presence, and its inhabitants will enjoy eternal fellowship with him.  “The light of heaven is the face of Jesus; the joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus; the melody of heaven is the name of Jesus. The harmony of heaven is the praise of Jesus. The theme of heaven is the work of Jesus. The employment of heaven is the service of Jesus. The duration of heaven is the eternity of Jesus. The fullness of heaven is Jesus Himself.” …Anonymous (note found in D.L. Moody’s Bible)

What great joy is laid up in store for us in the future, when we shall be permitted to see God’s face in righteousness. To be permitted to gaze upon the face of an eastern monarch was considered a high honour; so great an honour indeed that the penalty of death occasionally followed an unauthorized attempt to gaze upon it. In allusion to this beholding the face of God, it is said of the redeemed in the book of Revelation, “And they shall see his face, and his name shall be written in their foreheads.”

And how shall we see God’s face? We shall see him in the person of Christ. And what face is to be compared with His? –a face more brilliant than ten thousand stars; a face in which shines resplendent every virtue that can make glorified humanity attractive; a face beaming with loving-kindness, compassion, mercy, wisdom, and grace; a face more beautiful than that of the loveliest of created beings; a face of which Samuel Rutherford has nobly said, “Oh, sun, in thy shining beauty, put on a web of darkness, and cover thyself before thy brightest Master and Maker.” This is the face that we shall see; the face of the once “Man of sorrow,” the face now of the Man of heaven’s glory.  H. Watts

Christ has “died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 10 This is our hope, not only to go to heaven, but to “live together with Him.” It is also Christ’s great desire that all his people “live together with Him.” Just before his death, Christ fervently prayed for his loved ones, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24 Christ is not going to be disappointed. He died upon The Cross of Calvary that we might “live together with him.”

He comes — for, oh; His yearning heart
No more can bear delay —
To scenes of full unmingled joy
To call His Bride away.

Our relationship with Christ is permanent. Many times he has told us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Death severs our ties with dearest loved ones, but death has no power over our relationship with Christ. He is our God in life; our God in death; our God forever. The full realization of this relationship will be in heaven. Christ loves us now, and we rejoice in that love (see 1 Peter 1:8), but when we fellowship with him in heaven, we will know that love more clearly, fully, and blessedly. Heaven will be a home of perfect love and joy, and will continue forever. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3,4

I will close this post with an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, The Throne of God and of the Lamb. “To loving hearts great is the bliss of heaven’s unbroken fellowship of saints: it will indeed be a great joy in heaven to see all who loved the Lord below. How happy we shall be when these blessed reunions take place. Still, I think that all of you will agree with me that the heaven of heaven is that we shall be “with Christ, which is far better” –that we shall behold his face and partake of his glory. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be the centre of our delights. To have reached home in the heavenly Father’s house, to have seen our Elder-brother, and to be sure that we shall abide with him and go no more out: oh, that is what we pant for! We long to hear his voice welcoming us to our new abode.”

Come in, thou blessed, sit by me;

With my own blood I ransomed thee,

Enjoy my perfect favour;

Come in, thou ransomed spirit, come,

Thou now must dwell with me at home;

Ye blissful mansions, make him room,

For he must stay for ever.”

And then may our quick response be—

“I am coming! I am coming!

By the blood of Christ I’m coming!”

image credit: juliejigsaw

What Shall it Profit a Man

“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36, 37)

One moment spent in fellowship with Jesus Christ is worth much more than a million years spent in the pursuit and pleasures of this dying world. How much better to live for eternity! Jesus himself asked, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36, 37) Men and women everywhere need to soberly reflect upon this question.

How many of us have our whole focus centered on this life, all the while neglecting our souls? We assume we will live for many years, and do not habitually prepare for death. We may be rich outwardly, yet our souls are “poor, miserable, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17) “If a man has Christ, he has all for eternity; and if he has not Christ, he is poor, and blind, and naked, and will be miserable for ever.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“There are two things that characterize the teachings of our Lord.  Number one is this: the worth, the infinite, heavenly, eternal worth of the soul.  And the second one: the transitory, temporal, ephemeral, ultimate worthlessness of everything else.” (Dr. W. A. Criswell) Christ knew perfectly well the value of the soul, and the value of the world; for he was the creator of both. The worth of the soul is evident from the price paid for its redemption. What was this price?

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18,19)

All the treasures of the universe were not sufficient to pay the ransom. Hebrews 9: 22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” However, the sacrifice of no created being, no matter how exalted, would answer the purpose. “Would you then learn the worth of the soul, see it in the humiliation, sufferings, and death of the Son of God. See the Eternal Father giving up His Son, and laying upon him the sins of the world. See the Saviour voluntarily assuming our nature, becoming a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and submitting to the ignominy and agonies of the cross;— and remember all this was necessary for the redemption of the soul. Surely if the soul had not been of infinite value, this sacrifice  never would have been made.” (Bennet Tyler)

You and I shall live forever. We shall be praising God and the Lamb in Heaven, or uttering the groans and blasphemies of hell. Let me ask again, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” “One soul is precious. One soul is worth more than ten thousand worlds. One soul is worth all the wealth of the universe— and far more than that, but you trifle with God, and God shall require thy soul; it is an awful thing to fall into the hands of a sovereign and angry God, who shall consign men to Hell.”(Wayne Cox)

To close this, I will post an excerpt from a sermon by Dr. R. G. Lee (1886-1978). It is from his sermon, Paths of Disappointment, and based on Ecclesiastes 1:2. “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

what shall it profit a man if…

What shall it profit a man if he be a great artist and know not Jesus, the one altogether lovely?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great architect and know not Jesus, the Chief Corner Stone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great baker and know not Jesus, the Living Bread?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great banker and know not Jesus, the Priceless Possession?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great biologist and know not Jesus, the Life?

What shall it profit a man if he be a great builder and know not Jesus, the Sure Foundation?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great carpenter and know not Jesus, the Door?
What shall it profit a man if be be a great doctor and know not Jesus, the Great Physician?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great educator and know not Jesus, the Teacher?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great engineer and know not Jesus, the New and Living Way?

What shall it profit a man if he be a great farmer and know not Jesus, the Sower and Lord of Harvests?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great florist and know not Jesus, the Rose of Sharon?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great geologist and know not Jesus, the Rock of Ages?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great astronomer and know not Jesus, the Star of Bethlehem?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great horticulturist and know not Jesus, the True Vine?

What shall it profit a man if he be a great judge and know not Jesus, the Righteous judge?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great jurist and know not Jesus, the True Witness?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great jeweler and know not Jesus, the Pearl of Great Price?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great lawyer and know not Jesus, the Sinner’s Advocate?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great philanthropist and know not Jesus, the Unspeakable Gift?

What shall it profit a man if he be a great philosopher and know not Jesus, the Wisdom of God?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great sculptor and know not Jesus, the Living Stone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great student and know not Jesus, the Incarnate Truth?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great sinner and know not Jesus, the Lamb of God?

Set Your Affections on Things Above

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18

the world passeth away

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17

The world’s pleasures are only for a transient period. Everything which men of the world lust after, and are so desirous of, is passing away. God has created us to find our happiness in himself alone. Love of the world must necessarily produce dissatisfaction and ruin. On the other hand, those who are in Christ have solid joys, considerable pleasures, riches which are durable and will outlast the world. They have an eternal inheritance; an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them. The saints who now reside in heaven are done with the pleasures of the world. They have found something far more satisfying and replenishing. Their desire is to know more of the glory of God.

Look into the lives of men in general, and you will see that visible and temporal things appear to them the most important; unseen and eternal things the most trifling. They spend their days laying up for years to come, but take no thought for eternity. When men die, they must pass through “the gate of eternity.” The righteous man puts off the body with all its cares, temptations, and sorrows; his soul ascends to God and enters into everlasting rest, security, and joy. The sinner likewise changes temporal things for eternal things; but it is for torment and misery. The misery of hell is eternal. Our Lord, describing the day of judgment says, “The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”

Like a flower. Beautiful, very beautiful; fragrant, very fragrant, are the summer flowers. But they wither away. So fades the world from before our eyes. While we are looking at it, and admiring it, behold, it is gone! No trace is left of all its loveliness but a little dust! O man, can you feed on flowers? Can you dote on that which is but for an hour? You were made for eternity; and only that which is eternal can be your portion or your resting place. The things that perish with the using only mock your longings. They cannot fill you; and even if they filled, they cannot abide. Mortality is written on all things here; immortality belongs only to the world to come,-to that new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Like a ship at sea. With all its sails set, and a fresh breeze blowing, the vessel comes into sight, passes before our eye in the distance, and then disappears. So comes, so goes, so vanishes away this present world, with all that it contains. A few hours within sight, then gone! The wide sea o’er which it sailed as calm or as stormy as before; no trace anywhere of all the life or motion or beauty which was passing over it! O man, is that vanishing world thy only dwelling-place? Are all thy treasures, thy hopes, thy joys laid up there? Where will all these be when thou goest down to the tomb? Or where wilt thou be when these things leave thee, and thou art stripped of all the inheritance which thou art ever to have for eternity? It is a poor heritage at the best, and its short duration makes it poorer still. Oh, choose the better part, which shall not be taken from thee!

THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY. This is the message from heaven. All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field.
THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY. But God ever liveth. He is from everlasting to everlasting; the King eternal and immortal.
THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY. But man is immortal. Eternity lies before each son of Adam as the duration of his lifetime. In light or in darkness for ever! In joy or in sorrow for ever!
THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY. What then? This is the question that so deeply concerns man. If the world is to vanish away, and man is to live for ever, of what importance is it to know where and what we are to be for ever! Horatius Bonar

treasures in Christ

It is the duty of all men to keep their hearts in heaven. Jesus commanded, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6: 19-21 Let us set our hearts upon Him who remains faithful forever.

Our Savior exhorted his disciples not to labor to be rich, not to set their hearts on the world. “He exhorts us rather to lay up our treasures in heaven. What does He mean by this? A treasure signifies something that is laid up and preserved with care for a future day. In a larger sense it signifies any riches, temporal or spiritual, which men regard as their portion. The meaning of the injunction is, Neither seek overgrown estates, nor regard your worldly possessions as your chief good; but seek first and most earnestly the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof.

Secure for yourselves the happiness of heaven, and consider God, and the light of His countenance, and the graces of His Spirit, as your most valuable treasure. Make them the supreme object of your desire and pursuit. Value as your treasure those perfections and manifestations of God which are called “the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God,” “the riches of his glory,” “the riches of his goodness,” “the exceeding riches of his grace,” “the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Esteem the service of God your wealth, and count the very reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. Value as a treasure all the graces of the Spirit; not only the “riches of the full assurance of understanding,” but “the full assurance of hope.” Secure for yourselves that heavenly country which Abraham sought and found, that “house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens,” that “better and  enduring substance” which is “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” This is the treasure in heaven…

If you consider heavenly things your chief riches, if you have, and know you have, stores of eternal happiness laid up for you above,—your heart will follow your treasure; your love, your desire, your care, your joy, trust, hope, and fear will center in God. Your soul will tend heavenward, and will keep heaven in its eye, as men are inclined to watch diligently their most valuable treasure. But, if your treasure is on earth, if you consider worldly things your chief good,—then your thoughts, your desires, your cares, joys, hopes, and fears will be earthly.” (Edward Dorr Griffin)

i will never leave thee

In Hebrews 13:5, God gives us a commandment and a promise, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” It is easy to talk of contentment in the day of health and prosperity; very few of us can remain content in the midst of poverty, sickness, disappointments, trouble, and losses.

Contentment is learned at the feet of Jesus Christ. He who has God for his friend and heaven for his home, can wait for good things, and be content with little here below. God gave us this sweet promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” I, the eternal Father, the mighty God, the King of kings, “will never leave thee.” The English language fails to give the full meaning of the Greek. It implies, “never—no, never—no, nor ever!” Earthly good things leave us. Health, money, property, friendship; all make themselves wings, and fly away. They are here today, and gone tomorrow. But God says, “I will never leave thee.”

The relationship between Christ and the sinner that trusts in him never ends. The apostle Paul said, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39 Truly, God will never leave us. Let every believer grasp these words, and store them up in his heart. Keep them ready, and have them fresh in your memory; you will want them one day.

The great truth upon which Paul constantly dwelt, and which was to him spiritual meat and drink, was Christ and His salvation. The things of Christ are what is meant by things unseen and eternal. Paul loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and the thought of Christ gave him indescribable comfort. He declares ‘I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.’ ‘And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.’

But how is it that the unseen Christ gives such comfort and strength and joy? In the first place because He reminds us of the wonderful love of God which has been manifested through Him. We should never grow weary of hearing the great truth, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.’ What a marvellous assurance He brought of divine love for fallen man! This love doubtless could only have been appreciated by us when conveyed through Christ.

Looking at the troubles of life, at our perishing and afflicted bodies, at the disappointments and sorrows connected with this world, who can rejoice or be satisfied? But looking at the unseen Christ and seeing Him as Paul did, who can sorrow? Is there not in Him the promise of all things? Is He not afflicted in all our afflictions? Are we required in the line of God’s providences to endure anything He has not endured? Does He not know the way and is He not able to guide us through all life’s perplexities? Has He not secured for us a right to the Tree of Life; and is He not the door through which we may go into the very presence of God and into the glories of heaven? What greater feast can be partaken of, or what higher joy than that which faith secures in the Lord Jesus Christ? John Craig Havemeyer

Put your all in Christ; set all your affections on His person, all your hope in His merit, all your trust in His efficacious blood, and all your joy in His presence. Join your heart to Him who will never leave you. Trust all your concerns to Him who can never be taken from you, who will never leave you, even Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Image credits: jam343; Mara ~earth light~