The Beauty of Heaven

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Southeast Christian Church
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If we can understand that this world will never be like heaven, it changes everything. It’s not that making this world a better place is a bad goal, but this world can never be free of brokenness and darkness until Jesus returns. If our goal is to make this world free of suffering, injustice, or pain then we will strive for nothing. Heaven shows us how broken and upside-down our world has become. And while Jesus is invading the hearts of people and changing the world, his ultimate goal to make all things new won’t come until he returns. Until then, this world will be subject to futility (Romans 8:20). 

If this is the case, we can expect suffering in this life. We can expect that every year will bring pain, disappointment, and heartache. Hardship won’t come as a surprise if we are expecting that the world will always be broken. This is why it’s not our goal to strive to bring equality for the sake of equality or joy for the sake of joy. While these are good things, we were created for perfect unity under the authority of Jesus in the Body of Christ. We can experience the gifts of Jesus in our broken world, but for now we can only experience a taste. Instead of striving to make this world better, we can strive to bring the Kingdom of God here on earth so that people experience a taste of the Kingdom on their journey home.

When we carry the Kingdom of God with us, we can face the constant darkness in this life with joy, peace, and hope because we know the end. We know that the darkness doesn’t win. We know that the pain won’t last forever. We know that disappointments will come undone. We know that our hearts will be mended. Not only can Jesus begin this transformation in us here and now, he promises to complete his work in us when we arrive in heaven and get to spend eternity in the place of perfection that we were created for.

Reflection/Discussion Question: How does it change your perspective when you think about the fact that this world will always be broken?

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