Home Sweet Home

Revelation 21:1-4 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Have you ever heard the old Gospel Song - This World is not my home, I'm just a passing through? I have put a link to it below. 

It asks this question "If heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?"  Have you ever asked yourself that question?

No matter how great our journey has been, it is always lovely to arrive home.  When my husband and I have been out for a long drive, or have been on holiday, we are always glad to arrive home again.  We would often say to each other "Home sweet home" or "There's no place like home".

 I have been thinking much about what the scriptures say about heaven.  And I recently read this quote  "For the Unbeliever their best days on the earth will be the closest they ever get to heaven" BUT "For the Child of God their worst days on the earth will be the closest they ever get to hell".

Jesus himself said that you must be born again, to see the Kingdom of God and later in that same chapter he said if you are not born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.  (John chapter 3)

I want to tell you a story about my friend.  He was born in the 50's in Dublin, his parents had lived a very full life and had been very successful and lived it high.  His older brother and sisters had been sent to private schools but he called himself "the little late one".  When he was very young, his Father fell into difficult times and lost everything.  They lost their high life, and large house and ended up in a little rented cottage.  His parents didn't care much for the things of God.  So he grew up just finding his own way in the world.  He started work for a growing company in Dublin, and soon found himself traveling all over England opening new shops and eventually arriving in Belfast.  He had given everything to his work, but in the end, the company had hit its peak and things where changing, My Friend found himself in an place of frustration and didn't  like the changes, so finally one day in anger he just quit and walked away.  Not knowing that he has due to receive a substantial redundancy payment the next day.  He never forgave himself.  And found it very difficult to forgive the Manager for letting him walk away knowing what had been prepared for him the next day.    Now he found himself, like his Father before him, losing everything.  This is when he met a good Christian friend in Belfast, and began to go to church, and to Christian Business men's breakfasts.  He was fascinated by the testimonies of what God had done for these men, and one day he received Jesus Christ as his own Lord and Saviour.  Although he confessed to being a Christian now, he really struggled to receive from God.  He believed that God was well able to do wonderful things, but he always found himself at a place of "BUT, I don't deserve it, I'm not worthy".   

Then one evening, there was a special speaker coming to our church, I asked my friend along and he came.  That evening, there was a sweet time of worship in the Presence of God, the speaker taught from the bible and then he prayed with individual people.  My friend had gone up for prayer and the man of God had given him a word from God, through the gift of the Holy Spirit.   After the meeting I asked my friend "what did he say?".  With tears in his eyes and a smile on his face he replied "something very personal between me and my Father God".  I didn't say anything more because I knew at that point something special had happened, because although he talked much about God, I had never heard him call him 'my Father God'.  

The very next day, I received the phone call, that no-body wants to receive.  It was the Police, explaining how they had found my friend in his car, how he had taken a turn for the worse.  The Policeman kindly explained which hospital he was taken to and how I could arrange to get the car picked up etc.  He had taken an aneurism and the bleed on the brain was  to severe, all they could do was find a quiet place in the hospital to let him pass away in peace.  As I was sitting beside him, I knew his breathing was getting weaker and weaker, and I remember, I felt someone come into the room, I looked up to see who it was but there was no-0ne, then as I turned my head back I saw my friend take his last breath and thought, an angel must have come to take him home.

I will not lie, the next days and months were extremely difficult, as he had no family in Northern Ireland and his brother was in his late 70's and not in great health himself.   I was the only one to organise the funeral and to deal with his legal affairs etc.  But  that meeting was recorded and I was able to listen to what the Man of God had said.  I don't remember it word for word, but it was something like this "My Son, I love you, and I have heard your prayers and I have seen your tears and you are accepted".

This brought so much comfort to me, because I knew how much he had longed to hear those words.  

I tell you this story to make this point - we can work hard all our lives and at the end find there is no reward - or - we can receive the gift of salvation that Jesus paid for with his own blood and life and receive the greatest reward of all - A home in Heaven.

Mark 8:36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

Only you can answer this question "If you died today, do you know for sure you are going to heaven?"

Salvation is a free gift to all - no-one can earn it, no-one can buy it - But  it is our own personal choice to receive it or to reject it.

How?

1st to Know that it is God's desire for you to receive this gift of Salvation that he has provided through Jesus Christ his Son.

1 Timothy 2 v 3-5.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

2nd to Receive this gift of Salvation, by acknowledging and receiving Jesus Christ

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ( Romans 10:9-10)

The "prayer of salvation" is the most important prayer you will ever pray.

When you are ready to become a Christian, you are ready to have your first real conversation with God.

• Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord; that He came to earth as a man in order to live the sinless life that you cannot live; that He died in your place, so that you would not have to pay the penalty you deserve.
• Confess your past life of sin that is living for yourself and not obeying or acknowledging God.  
• Admit you are ready to trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. 
• Ask Jesus to come into your heart, to take up residence there, and begin living through you.

When you pray the prayer of salvation, you are letting God know you choose to believe His Word is true. By the faith He has given to you, you can choose to believe in Him. The Bible tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

So, when you pray, thanking God for the gift of salvation, you are exercising your free will to acknowledge that you believe in Him. 

It is not the prayer itself that saves you, but it is the grace of God working in you as you pray.  You can use your own words or use this prayer as a guide.

If you have just prayed the Salvation Prayer, then tell someone and find someone you know who is Born Again and ask them to prayer with you.   You can contact us for prayer or just someone to talk to.