Reasons To Rehearse The Gospel Daily. Day 26-The Hope Of Heaven

REASONS TO REHEARSE THE GOSPEL DAILY

Day 26-The Hope Of Heaven

The more I experience the riches of Christ in the gospel, the more there develops within me a yearning to be with Christ in heaven where I will experience His grace in unhindered fullness.118 The reason for this yearning is simple: however great may be the present blessings of salvation, they are but the “first fruits of the Spirit,” the first installments of an unimaginably great harvest of glory which I will reap forever in heaven.119

The Apostle Paul could not rehearse gospel blessings in Romans 5-8 without being reminded of his anxious longing for the future glories awaiting believers in heaven.120 Likewise, The Apostle John could not speak of his and his readers’ status as children of God without also relishing the beautification they will experience at the revelation of Jesus Christ.121 Neither will I be able to think long upon gospel blessings without thinking also of the infinite glories which will be mine to enjoy in heaven.

Such a gospel-generated heavenward focus yields enormous benefits to me while on earth. The more hope of seeing Christ in glory releases the purifying influence of heaven upon my life from day to day.122 Also, knowing of the future love that God will show me in glory enables me to love my fellow-saints with a heaven inspired love even now.123 I love others out of the greater fullness that will be given me in glory!

Hope of eternity with Christ in heaven also enables my heart to thrive during the most difficult and lengthy trials here on earth. When looking at the sheer weight of unseen glories to come, my troubles seem light by comparison; and when looking at the staggering length of eternity, my troubles seem fleeting by comparison.124 It is only against the backdrop of a glorious eternity that my circumstances can be seen in such a manner; and the promise of this glorious eternity is part and parcel of the gospel itself.125

Preaching the gospel to myself everyday is a great way to keep myself established in “the hope of the gospel,”126 so that I might experience the practical benefits that such hope is intended to bring here on earth.

118-Philippians 1:23. “But I…[have] the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better,” 1 Peter 1:13. “…fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Christ Jesus.”

119-Romans 8:23. “…we ourselves, having the first fruit of the Spirit…”

120-Romans 8. “(18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (19) for the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God…(23)…we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

121-1 John 3 “(1) See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God, and such we are…(2) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

122-1 John 3:3. “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

123-Colossians 1. “(4)…we heard of…the love which you have for all the saints; (5) because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…”

124-2 Corinthians 4. “(16) Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. (17) For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (18) 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.”

125-Colossians 1:5. “…the hope laid up for you in heaven of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…”

126-Colossians 1:23. “…continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”