Michael Youssef - The 10 Benefits of Heaven
The one thing that those who love Jesus must always, always, always remind themselves, and literally every waking moment, not just on occasions, every waking moment, that this planet is not our home. That we are eagerly awaiting the coming of our beloved Savior to take us out of here. Why? Because it is only when we are constantly reminding ourselves of our eternal future, of our eternal home, can we truly experience joy in the midst of this sad and miserable world. Keeping heaven at the forefront of our minds has huge benefits in this life. I'm gonna show you in a minute. In fact, I was trying to narrow those benefits.
There's so many, I had to narrow them down to ten. Ten benefits that heaven gives every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ here and now. Every born-again believer, every lover of Jesus, every redeemed child of God, everyone who's constantly investing in heaven, knowing that that's their eternal home, should know of this priceless treasure that we have here on earth. According to Ephesians 2:7, this treasure, this priceless treasure, a treasure that value cannot be comprehended, is called the riches of his grace. The riches of his grace.
So, I want to look at those ten benefits very quickly, and if you do me a favor, do yourself a favor, open your Bible onto Ephesians chapter 2, because just about all of those ten benefits are coming from Ephesians chapter 2. Benefit number one is that it's constant reminder, we're constantly reminding ourselves of heaven, our future home, is our resurrection from sin and death. We already rose from sin and death. Ephesians 2, look at it with me. "You were dead in your transgressions and sin, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world. But God". Can you say that with me? Say it again. "Who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ".
Now, beloved, listen to me, this is the foundational truth of the Christian faith. This is the foundational truth of the Christian faith, and it is diametrically opposed to the biggest lie that has ever been invented and manufactured by Satan, that has sold a bill of goods to millions of people around the world. What is it? That if you are a good person, you go to heaven. That is the biggest lie from the pit of hell that is invented, manufactured, and sold by the devil. Here is the absolute truth straight from the Word of God. In heaven, there is only one good person. In heaven, there is only one good person, it's Jesus. Everybody else in heaven is a bad person who's redeemed by grace. Can I get an amen?
Before repenting of our sin and receiving Christ as our Savior and Lord, we were not, listen to me, we were not sick or weak or on life support. No, we were dead. We were what? Dead, dead, dead. In our natural state before we came to Christ, before we be became born again, we were spiritually dead. You may be saying, "What do you mean I'm dead? What do you mean? I'm not dead, I'm vigorous, I'm alive. That's absurd to say that I am dead". Yes, you're physically alive, but you're spiritually dead until you come to Jesus, until you surrender your life to him, repent of your sins.
Second benefit, God's mercy and love. Because we are born in sin, and then when we grow up we adopted sinful behavior, because the root of the tree is sinful, therefore the fruit showed up as sinful behavior, and that is offending to a holy God. And that is why Ephesians chapter 2 again says, "But God," but who? "Rich in mercy". You know, I'm fond of a story of a French mother who went to Emperor Bonaparte, and she pleaded with him to pardon her son and give him reprieve, and Napoleon rejected her plea, saying this young man committed crime not once but twice.
The law of France and the notion of justice demands that he be put to death. And the mother said to him, "Your majesty, I am not asking for justice, I'm pleading for mercy for my son". Bonaparte said, he said, "Your son does not deserve mercy". And the wise mother responded, "If he deserved pardon, it wouldn't have been mercy, and mercy is what I'm asking for". Moved by her plea, Bonaparte showed mercy and spared the life of the young man. This mother taught the emperor a very important message of mercy. Listen to me, we all deserve justice, we all deserve hell, but God, but who? In his great love for us showed us mercy to every repentant sinner. And so, mercy and love of God, the second benefit of heaven.
The third benefit is meaningful life, meaningful life. God does not only give the believer new life but he gives us meaningful. He gives us a life that is worth living. His love and mercy saved us not to be lazy or idle, no, but he saved us to good work. Look at Ephesians again. "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us". Serving God, and serving others, and sharing the good news with whomever would listen to us, all are meaningful work. When those who are born again, God gave them a third wonderful benefit of heaven, he gave them meaningful life.
The fourth benefit of heaven is a purpose for living. This one builds on the other, purpose for living. God has given us the greatest purpose for living that is possible. Ephesians 2:6-7 said, "God raised us up with Christ and seated us," where? In heaven. Where? Why? "In order that in the coming age He might show us the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus". When God saved us, and he breathed on us, and we became awakened from our dead and trespasses of sin, he gave us his Spirit to dwell on us for a purpose, a new purpose, eternal and important purpose. One of the greatest benefits of heaven is that you have a heavenly purpose, and now, right now, today, you have that heavenly purpose.
Fifth benefit of heaven, you are having a fulfilling work. Oh, my goodness, I heard how many people through the years not fulfilled at their work, not happy at their work. They don't feel really fulfilled in it and contented in it, but God created you with fulfilling work. The work that you do after you repented, after you become born again, after you surrendered your life to Christ, the work that God gives you that you are doing right now looks wonderful to God. Why? Because that work is the work that he gave you to do. It's a service that he called you to do. It is the task that he entrusted you to do. It is the calling that he placed on your life. Start now. Start now, it's never too late. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late.
Number six, the sixth benefit of heaven is our heavenly citizenship. I alluded to this, but I'm gonna expand it here, our heavenly citizenship. Beloved, earth is our temporary home. It's our temporary home. Heaven is our permanent home, and that is why Paul in Philippians 3:20 could say, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ".
Oh, beloved, listen to me, please. No matter how long we live here, no matter how deeply we get entrenched in this world, this is not our home country. We represent another country. As citizens of heaven, we are to adopt the culture of heaven, the values of heaven, and the practices of heaven. And all of this should be in contrast to this corrupt and evil dying world. This world is obsessed with endless entertainment, acquiring wealth and status and financial security, but our focus is on eternal things and storing up treasures in heaven where we are seated.
Seven, we have a heavenly ID card. Question, what does your ID card say? Mine says the blood of Jesus Christ. Are you carrying an ID card? As citizens of heaven, your ID card stamped with the indelible blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross for you. The moment you come to Christ in confession, repentance, brokenness, humility, and receive that ID card, you have that ID card stamped with the blood of Jesus. If you think that you can go to heaven with some other ID card, let me tell you, it is a fake ID card. Not only that, your ID card will take us to heaven, but also in this life that ID card is gonna give you victory over sin by the blood of Jesus. It's gonna give you victory over discouragement by the blood of Jesus. Will give you victory over temptation by the blood of Jesus. Will give you victory over the opposition by the blood of Jesus here and now.
Number eight, the eighth benefit of daily focusing on heaven is a refuge of peace. Verses 14 and 15, "For He Himself is our peace, who made of the two groups, and He destroyed the barriers, the dividing wall of hostility," how? "By setting aside in His flesh the law with the commandments and regulations". Hear me right, please, please, please. Christ's purpose was to create one humanity out of the two, the Jews and the Gentiles. There was a wall of hostility, the Jews and Gentiles. Now that wall has been broken. Think about this. When you experience racial strife, political strife, or marital strife at home, that is all direct result of sin and Satan ruling supreme instead of Jesus. Conflict will raise its ugly head when sin enters in and takes the place of Christ, but when Christ reigns supreme, there is always peace, whether it be in the home or in the nation. Under Christ's rule, all hatred, all prejudice, all revenge, all strife will cease. Jesus is our peace and we can have no peace without him.
Number nine, the benefit is having a new loving family, a new loving family. When Jesus became our peace, he abolished the enmity between us and God the Father, and he abolished the enmity between us and each other, regardless of our differences in terms of race or language or economic status or any of the superficial differences that we may have. Jesus can unite us in peace. Why? Because his purpose was to form a one heavenly family, the family of God, where God the Father is our Father. He's our daddy. Jesus is our older brother and redeemer, and we are each other's brothers and sisters, Why? Because, listen to me, this is a dress rehearsal for heaven, and if you're not getting ready for heaven, you're gonna be in a world of hurt. This is a dress rehearsal for living together, for our eternal home.
Number ten and finally, these are the perfect ten, perfect ten. We have a new home, a new home. Look at verses 20 to 22. The household of faith, "built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets". So, you can't ditch or get unhitched from the Old Testament. The household of faith, "built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building joined together and rises and become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too, being built together and became dwelling," listen to this, you become a dwelling, "in which God lives by His Holy Spirit".
Heaven is our home, but we are also a home. We are a home, you're a home. We're a home. We're a dwelling place in which God himself resides. Now, beloved, sometimes that mind boggles. It boggles my mind when I focus on this. God is dwelling in me. The foundation of his house made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus himself, the cornerstone.
Now, in ancient times, not like we build houses and high-rise buildings now, you know, cement and a lot of foundation and so forth. No, a house in the ancient times basically built around a cornerstone. You get a big boulder and you put it on the corner, and that becomes the foundation of the house. It's a source of strength. It's a source of stability. The walls and the roof of that dwelling rests firmly upon that cornerstone and everything in the house built in relationship to the cornerstone, which is the Lord Jesus.
Let me tell you this as I conclude. Like many people before me, immigrants who came to this country and became naturalized citizens, the naturalized citizens, once they become naturalized, they are free to enjoy all of the blessings of citizenship that the natural-born citizens have, except for one very, very, very important difference. One problem that a naturalized citizen can have that the other citizen cannot is when he goes home to the country of his birth. The country of his birth does not acknowledge his citizenship of another country.
When you go to the land of the birth, they treat you as a citizen of their country. When a citizen of heaven deliberately returns to his former state of sin and rebellion and carnality and disobedience, you are returning to Satan's territory from which Jesus saved you. By deliberately returning to Satan's territory, you have removed yourself from the protection and the protective environment of your heavenly citizenship. I'm not saying that you lose your salvation, and I'm not even saying you lose your heavenly citizenship, but you bring upon yourself untold pain and suffering.
Somebody who's listening to me right now, right now, this very moment, who is wandering off into the wilderness of sin and carnality and disobedience and rebellion against God's Word, somebody knows, and you know who you are. There may be pastors who are watching this very message who know deep down they have wandered away from the infallible Word of God and began to preach their ideas. Come back, come back. Save yourself all of the agony and the suffering of putting yourself under Satan's control. God is calling you. God has been calling you.