Devotion

I Corinthians 5:1

We Long for Heaven

5 Now we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven, which is not made by human hands. 2 In fact, the reason we groan is that we long to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. 

One congregation has a cemetery called "Pilgrim's Rest."  A pilgrim is someone who is traveling toward their home, so "Pilgrim's Rest" means we are ready and waiting to get home. 

Verse one in our text tells us not only is heaven God's home, but it is our home, too.  The passage tells us that our body is like a tent but when we go to heaven, our body will be a building, not just a tent.  That building is so lovely, while here on earth, we want the perfection that awaits us in heaven.

In today's lesson, we will see that heaven is presently God's home, but when we die or when judgement day comes, it will be our home, too.  The beauty of heaven is not just that our bodies will change, that we will no longer have diseases, or sickness, or the eventual death.  No, the beauty of heaven is also that we will always be with our Father, brother, and friend.  

We owe it all to what Jesus did in obedience to His Father.  He died on the cross for our sins, so that we don't have to be separated from God anymore, but because of Jesus, we can be at home forever with our heavenly Father.

Devotion

Monday, November 14, 2022

2 Peter 3:10 The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

It's Going To Happen

If you have ever been on a commercial airline flight you have heard the preflight safety instructions given by the flight attendants before takeoff. But do you remember what those instructions were? Could you carry them out if there ever were an emergency midflight?  Perhaps not. If you’re like most passengers you don’t pay much attention to where the exit doors are or whether you have to push or pull to open them. You may recall something about oxygen masks dropping down from somewhere, but you’re likely a little hazy about why or how to use them. And where are the flotation devices in case of a water landing? We don’t concern ourselves a great deal about those details because we don’t really anticipate ever having to need them. Statistically, there is little chance that the flight you’re on is going to have a problem. But what if it did? What if the likelihood of an inflight emergency were 100%? Would you then pay attention to the instructions? Absolutely! Who wouldn’t?

There is such an event on the way. Jesus warns that the Last Day is a sure thing. It is going to happen. “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). But how many people pay attention? Like passengers with earbuds firmly in place, listening to music or talking to seatmates during the safety briefing, many ignore the Lord’s words. Do we? Yet His instructions are vital to survival. For Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

In Jeremiah 26 the Lord warns Judah of the impending judgment which would fall upon the nation if they did not listen to His call to repent and turn back to Him. Tragically, they didn’t listen and as a result, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed and the people were taken into captivity. It’s a small preview of the judgment coming on the Last Day. The safety instructions are simple: Trust Jesus. His perfect obedience is our righteousness before God’s court. His payment in blood on the cross has made peace between a guilty world and the holy God. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Let’s put aside everything which would distract us from that message and give the Lord our full attention before the Last Day arrives. Our lives depend on it!

The lesson

Who art in heaven.

Modern English would say who are in heaven.  Verb declension means show the forms of the verb with their person

Nahum 1:10 has the form ye be in the kjv.  Regardless, in the Lord's Prayer, we are talking to the Father in the address not about him.  Luther's version could be translated Our father, the "you are in heaven,"

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20 A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and 21 longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores. 22 Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell,[g] where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. 24 He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’

25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s home, 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Questions.

Notes

The lesson of heaven