IN HEAVEN

 

            Is it really possible to get on earth what is in heaven?  I am not sure our focus is right about heaven.  Many are working hard at getting people to go Heaven when in actuality heaven wants to come here. 

 

      After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Matthew 6:9-10 ASV

 

JESUS IN HEAVEN

 

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.  Ephesians 1:16-23

 

Firstly we can gather that it takes a revelation to know just how rich a true believer is.  Such a person has been given a glorious inheritance, an inheritance that is more excellent than that of the angels.

 

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:4

 

We have been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ and have therefore been blessed with what Jesus has in heaven.  We even have a more excellent name than they because Jesus was made perfect through suffering.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  Romans 8:16-17

 

Again the Spirit himself is revealing to all how rich they are in Jesus.  If we are willing to walk with God we will be given all the blessings that Christ has received as an inheritance.  The man or woman who has died with Him has been made an heir and God will not refuse them their inheritance.

            This transaction of bequeathing a will is between the one who is leaving the inheritance and the one who is receiving.  There is no accusation that can be brought against us be because the accuser has been cast out of Heaven and God alone fills the place with His glory. Therefore there is no legal challenge to the will.  There is no probate court in heaven to challenge this will.

 

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10

 

We plainly see that Jesus is seated high above all opposition to His rule.  There is no war raging in Heaven but rather He is now high above all because satan has been cast down.  Our battle is being fought on earth but was won long ago as the light burst from the tomb and the Son of God walked out of death and ascended on high.  Jesus is untouchable when it comes to the warfare of satan and demons.  No event is ever considered a loss to Heaven.  Heaven cannot know failure, it cannot know defeat it only knows and sees that Christ has triumphed over darkness and is sharing the spoils with His brothers and sisters.  We truly are joint heirs.

            Jesus fills everything in every way through His church.  Paul exclaimed to us that the church is the fullness of Christ in that we are His body, and because we are His body we have been rewarded with what the head receives.  Since we are His body we can expect the anointing that is upon the head to also be upon the body.  We are connected to heaven.

 

WITH HIM

 

Jesus promised His disciples that He would be with them always even until the end of the age.  He was promising to never depart yet He is seated in heavenly places with all our blessings while we roam around on earth suffering through many difficult things.  Some have suggested that He is with us in spirit.  With that I agree, but I also believe we have fellowship with Him that is out of this world even while we are in this world.

 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Philippians 3:10

 

Fellowship with Jesus occurs when we suffer the loss of all our plans in life, when we die to our world and decide to live in His world.  It takes death to live in heaven and it takes faith to live here on earth most have taught that we are in heaven by faith but that is not a clear picture of the way the Kingdom exists.  You have died to the world and cannot live any longer according to its principles because it is dead to you.  You have now been raised up by Christ and seated with him in heavenly places.

 

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:6

 

If we are dead to the world and alive in Christ it requires faith to exist in the blessing while living on this earth.  We must not be too focused on dying when we have been given life and that more abundantly.  After all Jesus said He is the life.  He claimed to be the bread of life, the living water, the light of life, even the resurrection and the life, Christianity is not about dying but about living.  One cannot pay the price but instead must receive the inheritance that Jesus purchased for us. 

           

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: 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. Galatians 2:20

 

The theme of this verse is obviously about living a life of faith in the flesh.  Our faith must be used not to dwell in heaven, but to dwell on earth without leaving our place in Heaven.  Plainly we are to die by self-denial and crucifixion but life comes through faith and is intended to help us bring heaven to this world rather than take us out of this world.

The marvelous truth is we are in Christ and He is in us.  We are seated with Him in heaven because we have through faith died in baptism and now we live in Him and He is alive in us.  The life we live here on earth is a life we live by using our faith that is those who are justified live by faith. 

           

For we walk by faith, not by sight 2 Co 5:7

 

HEAVEN IS CLOSE TO YOU

 

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:14

 

Every generation since Adam had believed that the Messiah would come soon.  When suddenly from Nazareth this man Jesus was declaring that the age of the messiah had arrived and He was Him.  Many argue that Jesus is saying that the Kingdom is coming but rather at hand is a saying that means ? it is within reach'.  This thought is consistent with the rest of the teachings of Jesus for example:

 

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

 

The kingdom is available now and is within our reach if we can grasp it.

Hold up your hand, look at it.  Even if you put your hand as far away from your body as possible it is still within your reach, and barring a catastrophic event that would cause you to lose your hand it always will be.  Jesus was preaching repent for the kingdom is within reach.  The word repent in the original Greek means to change direction or in this case their minds.  For generations they had believed the kingdom was coming but now Jesus was saying it had arrived, but they had to change to enter into it and it into them.  We can live in the supernatural if we die to the natural; If we change the direction we are traveling; If we forsake the way the world operates we can live like we are from another world.

Heaven is within reach and contains all that a person could ever need.  Provision can appear from heaven anywhere anytime, just like when Peter collected the temple tax from the mouth of a fish.  He can lead you on a midnight stroll across the stormy seas.  He can fly you to the next city on Air Heaven without even a moment being spent.  It is all there; everything you need is in heaven and is within your reach.

            God is rich and His economy immense while the ways of the world are of no value to Him. In fact a worldly mind is hostile towards God and His kingdom.  What the world desires most is what heaven honors the least.  Men strive to rise to the top while heaven becomes the least.  Great men of the world lord it over others and enjoy privilege while the great in heaven serve and suffer persecution.  Gold is wealth in the world while in heaven it is only pavement, pearls adorn the necks of rich ladies in this world but in heaven is used for gates. 

            The world's economies fluctuate while the value of heaven is constant and never diminishes. It is eternal.  Seek it and you will receive it along with all the other things you need.
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