Sound Doctrine: Live Today Focused on Eternity

Take your Bibles if you would please and turn to Revelation chapter 22, verse 12. This is the ending sermon in our doctrine series, and it is fitting to start in the last book of the Bible. Revelation 22:12 is a verse that helps you to see that you need to keep the end in mind as you leave. I want to open up with a question for you. Will Christ be empty-handed when He comes to reward you?

It is a good question to ask, and it is a probing question so that you will live with the end in mind. Today's message is on living today with a focus on eternity. Will Christ, when He comes to reward you, be empty-handed? Read with me if you would, to start this message, from Revelation 22, verse 12: "Behold, I am coming quickly."

That is Jesus promising you and I. He is coming again, and He is coming quickly. So this is a celebratory message, but also at the same time a very sobering message. "Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done." Let us pause for just a moment of prayer. Lord, thank You for this subject today as we get to think about seeing You face to face. Will You be empty-handed when You come to reward us, or will You be filled with rewards as You reward each of us? And God, what will those rewards be? How are we to live today except to think about this? In Christ's name we ask You to help us. Amen.

Now, would you label me as a religious nut if I said to you that the end of all things is at hand? Would you label me as a religious nut? There are a lot of religious quacks online and on television that have all of these threatening things, or all these shocking messages about the end of all things being at hand. Well, those who lived in 63 AD heard Peter preach that very thing. In 1 Peter 4:7 he said the end of all things is at hand. But not only Peter — think about Paul. Let me ask you this: do you think that perhaps those who heard Paul at Corinth say "the form of this world is passing away" felt that Paul was crazy when he said all of this, the form of this world is passing away? Well, he said that in 1 Corinthians 7:31. So is the Bible then filled with crazy nuts and quacks about the end times?

Well, stay with me, because what about this audacious statement: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Is that a religious quack or what? He said, "My words will not pass away and heaven and earth is going away." Well, that is Jesus, Matthew 24:34. But also I want you to listen to the author of Hebrews and how he states this.

Turn if you would to Hebrews and read it with me. Hebrews 1 is very fascinating and how it talks about how everything is going to be utterly destroyed, it is going to perish. In Hebrews chapter 1, verses 10, 11, and 12 — in fact, verse 9 is amazing as well. If I was to read every amazing verse, I would have to back up and back up and back up and get all the way to Genesis 1, but let us just do verse 9. Hebrews 1:9 says, "You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions." You know what I have in the margin of my Bible beside that verse? I have this: holy people are happy people. Amen. You are anointed with the oil of gladness if you are living a holy life, but you are gutted and emptied if you participate in regular sin. It steals your joy — it is just God's ways. So love righteousness and hate lawlessness. Anything that is outside of God's will and God's law for you is lawlessness, and His will for your life is sanctification, the Bible says. In verse 10: "And you, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish."

They will perish. The works of God's hands will perish. "But You remain, and they all will become like a garment." Now here are some illustrations that are going to add up. The writer of Hebrews compares this world that will perish to a garment. And then in verse 12: "And like a mantle You will roll them up, and like a garment they will also be changed." Here you see that they will perish, and when you look up that word "perish," it means that they will utterly be destroyed. So all that is seen is going away. Nothing that you can see is of eternal value. The soul that you have is eternal, okay? But all that is here is temporal. Your body is going to be replaced. Do not think too much of it. Your home — it is going to be gone. It is not really a house, a home. Our citizenship is in heaven. It is more like a motel. I do not care how nice your home is, it is more like a Super 8 motel, okay? It is going to be wiped away and destroyed.

So the author of Hebrews says that everything that you can see is going to perish, it is going to be utterly destroyed, and after everything is utterly destroyed, then it will be changed. The Bible says here it will be transformed — that is what the Bible says. And so if Peter and Paul and even Jesus and the author of Hebrews are crazy religious nuts, put me in that category as well, because there is also more, including the Apostle John. John said in 1 John 2:17, "The world is passing away." And so I build up all of that ammunition just to simply say to you: it is going away, so think eternally. Live today with eternity in mind. Live for the eternal. Do not live for the now. Do not live for your shell. Do not live for your home. Do not live for the now. Live for the things of eternal value. That is what we are talking about today.

Living today with a focus on eternity — live with no regrets. When you see Jesus face to face, will you have regrets, or will you have no regrets? To live with no regrets means that you are giving it all you can while you can. You are doing everything for the Lord Jesus Christ without any restraints. We live in a culture that has all kinds of seat belts. We are no longer Southern Baptists, but I used to call them the Southern Baptist seat belts. Well, shut off the seat belts that keep you from serving Christ unreservedly. Give it all you got. Give hysterically.

The children are raising money for Classical Conversations homeschool education out front by selling baked goods today. Have you given hysterically? Have you paid like fifty bucks for a cookie? That is hilarious. But you know what? That is awesome, because there is nothing more valuable than our children and the education and the discipling of our children. Give them the right education and raise them up in the Lord's admonition. You will never regret paying fifty dollars for a cookie. In fact, you will be rewarded because of it. But if you keep it, you will regret it. That is kind of funny.

You all are going to walk out of here empty-handed and you are going to go home hungry. I know. But that is all right. You go home with at least a cookie. Live with eternity in mind.

Now, do you think that perhaps those who heard Paul at Corinth say "the form of this world is passing away" felt like he was crazy? Well, I am not categorizing Peter and Paul and John and myself and even Jesus in with those TBN quacks. I am giving you actual solid information that you can take to the bank. This is real. This is what you need to know to be able to live today with the end in mind.

Number one, I want you to know this: know that Christ will return. It is a fact, but we live as if He is not going to return. We live like we have tomorrow, like it is already in the bank. We do not know if tomorrow is going to be promised. But we do know that Christ will return at any time. Acts 1:11 says, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go." In Acts 1:11, the urgency of expecting Christ to return was set before them, and we live with that same mindset. We live with the urgency of the return of Christ. So one word here describes four things that Christ will do upon His return. If you are taking notes, you can write down the word "separate."

He will separate the sheep from the goats. We see this in Matthew 25:31–32. If you would like, turn there. I would like for you to see it for yourself. Matthew 25:31–32 talks about the fact that this Christ is coming back in His glory and He will separate things at that time. In Matthew chapter 25, verse 31, it says, "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

And so one word, "separate," describes four things that are going to happen upon the return of Christ. Number one, He is going to punish. Number two, He is going to gather. Number three, He is going to reward. And number four, He is going to be glorified. This is an amazing event. When Christ returns, when He separates the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the believers from the nonbelievers, He does all of these things. And you see this in the text: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory" — He is going to be glorified — "and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered," the nations will be gathered at that time, "before Him, and He will separate one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

And I think in light of this truth that we should choose to have a joyful expectation and not live with bitterness in our souls. We should have a joyful expectation of Christ returning and live in Him and do it this way. Did you know that it is a choice between living and rejoicing or living with bitterness in your heart? The Bible says to rejoice — "Rejoice! Again I say, rejoice," in Philippians 4:4. But I see a lot of Christians choosing not to rejoice, but choosing to count up the wrongs that have been wronged against them and walk around with a frown on their face. I see a lot of Christians who choose to be bitter.

Did you know that bitterness is an acid? It is. Bitterness is an acid that does more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than the vessel in which it is poured. If you spew out your bitterness on someone else, it is like acid on them. It hurts and it does damage. But it is nowhere near the amount of damage as the acid of bitterness that is stored inside the heart and soul of the one holding it. So keep in mind that bitterness is a choice, but so is rejoicing. Amen?

So know this: Christ will return. And then secondly, live in the hope of Christ's return. Live with the hope of Christ's return. Live with this hope. Early Christians did. They had this hope inside of them. In 2 Peter 3:13 it says, "But according to this promise, we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth." And so the early Christians lived with the hope of the return of Christ, and they were looking forward to a new heavens and a new earth. This is great. In 2 Timothy 4:8 it says, "A crown of righteousness the Lord will award to those who have loved His appearing." And so the early Christians loved to think about the return of Christ. And if you are suffering, then you are thinking about a new heavens and a new earth and being with Christ again. This was basic for them. So we are to be hopeful and patient at this time as well.

James 5:8 says, "Be patient, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." Now I was very fascinated by the fact that James in the New Testament says to be patient for the coming of the Lord, and then he gives an illustration of patience. Nobody likes this illustration. But the illustration that he gives is Job. Yes, James brings up Job as an example of how to be hopeful and patient. And in one word, guess how you can be hopeful and patient at the same time at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how good your life is or how bad your life is. It is God who is working all things in and through your life. So recognize the fact that He is sovereign. Do not be bitter against God. Accept what He has for you. Learn, and He will move you on. But guess what? Job was steadfast. That is the one word that we see on how to be both patient in this world and yet at the same time hopeful.

James 5:11 says, "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord." Listen how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. I will be honest with you, I have some growing in my faith to do. I do not know how James knows that God is merciful and compassionate to Job when I think about all that happened to Job. I would rather learn it through my ears and through my tears, and I am going to pray and figure this out, but I am just being transparent with you, and until that time I am going to be steadfast. You know, the Apostle Paul said it this way to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:58. He said, "Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." And what that means to me is I am going to continue to serve Christ even though I do not understand. I might not understand, but I am not going to doubt God. I am going to keep serving Christ. I am going to keep worshiping Christ. I am going to keep learning and studying my Bible. I am going to keep going to church. I am going to keep doing what is right. I might not understand why things around me are happening, but I am going to be, by conviction, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

I see Christianity very simply. I see it as three priorities. Number one, salvation — that is priority number one. Number two, I see it as sanctification. You need to grow in your sanctification with Christ. It is God's will for your life. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God" — your sanctification. So many young folks get so caught up in God's will as being a destination, and they do not want to miss God's will as a destination in their life. That is not thinking biblically.

Thinking biblically is walking with the Lord, and He will work out those daily destinations. His will for you is sanctification. Be saved, be sanctified. Number three, it is very simple: service to our King. Serve Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. How do you do that? You love God and you love others. It is not about you. Everything you do should be keeping others at the forefront of your mind, and God. This is very simple to me. But I see Job as one who was in fact steadfast, even though he had some really bad friends and bad counsel.

So number one, know that Christ will return. Number two, live with the hope of Christ's return. Number three, do not think too highly of your body.

We need an America to be reminded that we are going to get a new body. Do not think too highly of this old shell. Do not get caught up in dedicating your life to an exercise routine, or to be too strict with diet, or be all about yourself in a mirror — about clothes, about all this shallow surface stuff. Be deeper than that. In fact, Christians, when you talk to someone, do not look at the things that are on the outside, okay? Look at them and talk to them. Who are they? Well, they are a person, and we live in a shell. It is temporary. So talk to people, look in their eyes, love them, listen to them, and be an example of what truly thinking biblically is. Think and speak about the things of eternity, the things that really matter. We do not need to worry about this old shell.

Philippians chapter 3, verses 20–21, says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, for which we also eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory." You are going to get a new body. Take care of the one you have the best you can, to perhaps evade all kinds of aches and pains, or at least to the extent that you can. I am reminded every day that we live in a declining body as I have to put on my glasses.

We are not going to be here long. Do not put too much merit in that which is temporal. Take care of it. Do the best you can, but think eternally. Do not put too much merit on the body. You are going to get a new one. 1 Corinthians 15:51–54 says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will be changed." You see this? "You will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. At the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable." Okay, so those who have died and have been put in a grave and have decayed — they will be raised imperishable. They will have a body that is awesome: think better, see better, all kinds of cool stuff. "And we will be changed, for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'"

This old body will be put away and we will have a new one. Praise the Lord. I think we need a new mind just to be able to comprehend more of God. I think we need a new shell just so that we can be in the presence of a holy God without being burnt up. Think of eternity, and you will find yourself overwhelmed with the presence of Christ in the thoughts of eternity, and you will not be like a chicken pecking in the dirt, thinking about the things of this world. The Bible says to set your mind on things above and not on the things of this earth, in Colossians 3:2.

It is very intentional to set your mind on the right things. It is very intentional to set your mind on rejoicing. It is very intentional to think about the things of eternity. It is natural to think negatively. It is natural to engage in sin. It is natural to be negative. The natural man is made of the carnal flesh. The flesh is enmity toward God. The flesh is opposite of living in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to think about heavenly things, to think about that which is pure, and to dwell with Christ. This is spiritually being in Christ, having communion with Him and walking with Him, and this is — and I am not copying Joel Osteen, I am mocking him — this is your best life now: with Christ, in Christ, truly walking with Christ. And so we need to make sure that we are not putting too much merit in the temporal.

Number four, know that God's righteous vindication is coming. This is going to set you free. I am just telling you, people are going to abuse the body that you are in. People are going to abuse the mind that you have. People are going to hurt the heart that you have. People are going to steal the possessions that you have, okay? But God will judge, and if you live with this eternal perspective, you will not be all bound up because of injustice. You will not be internally frustrated all the time because someone stole from you. You will not be trying to seek out your own revenge, because God is the one who will avenge. You will not have to worry. You are actually truly set free because of God and how He loves you and how you are His child.

Romans 12:19–20 says, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay," says the Lord. "To the contrary — here is a challenge for you — if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink." And in verse 21 it says, "Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." And so we are to bless those who persecute us. This is the Christian lifestyle. These are God's ways, not our ways. And when you deny yourself and take up the cross and follow Him, then you will do these things. You do not worry about the rest. In fact, when someone wrongs you, you are going to be like, "Oh, my Dad saw that."

And you will pray for them to repent. When someone steals from you or wrongs you or hurts your heart, lies about you and says all kinds of things about you, you can take a step back and say, "Lord, You got this. I do not have to worry about this a bit. I do not have to be a keyboard warrior and defend my credibility. I do not have to go online and trash them. I do not even have to think about it. I am just going to trust You." The older I get in my faith, the more I see that it is harder and harder to fulfill the smallest and the simplest commands in the Bible.

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Do not be bound up with all of this frustration and all of this bitterness. That is not what Christ wants for you. He is King. He will handle it. Do not worry about it.

So all men will be judged by Jesus. John 5:22 says, "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son." You might ask, by what standard does He judge? By His Word. So what the Bible says in John 12:48. You might ask, by what grounds does He judge? By His law. He has given us His law and He will judge us by His law — Romans 2:12–13 — but He also judges us by how He has dispensed His grace, in Romans 3:20–25.

You might ask then, okay, by what records will He judge us? Yes, He has records. And I want you to turn with me and look in Revelation chapter 20, verse 12. Revelation 20:12 — not only does He have records, He has books and books and books and books. Plural, lots of books here to judge the world. He will judge us by His perfect standard, the Word of God, on the grounds of His law, the Word of God, upon His grace, by these books.

Revelation 20:12 says, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and the books" — plural — "were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." Every deed recorded — that will keep you sober. Every deed recorded — that will keep you slow to speak. Every deed recorded — that will keep you living in reverence of God, because every idle deed, every idle word, everything is being recorded.

Don't you feel sorry for the wicked? They do not get away with a thing. But are you not happy for the righteous? They will be rewarded for everything. You and I do not have to worry about a thing. Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." You and I are completely free from all of these things. Christ is King. He is ruling now and forevermore. You do not have to worry about anything. So live with eternity in mind and know that God will righteously vindicate everything. Live knowing that God will judge. He will make all things right. He is just, and He will not leave anything undone. Amen.

Now, fifthly, I want you to know that the wicked will suffer eternally. And sixthly, I want you to know that the righteous will have communion with Christ forever, for eternity. The final state of the wicked is described in eternal terms — eternal fire. The pit of the abyss in Revelation 9 is described as outer darkness in Matthew 8, described as eternal torment in Revelation 14, described as eternal punishment in Matthew 25, and the wrath of God in Romans 2. And it is a second death in Revelation 21. This is eternal destruction in the presence of the Lord. And this eternality is an immense amount of weight to share with someone who is still underneath the wrath of God.

If they are not saved, they have not only hell to pay, but hell to pay for eternity. God's wrath is abiding upon the children of wrath, the children of Satan. You are either in the family of God or you are underneath God's wrath. And it is only by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that He could take on all of that punishment on the cross. All of that wrath, all of that punishment for the sins of the whole world was taken on Jesus on the cross. And you are that scapegoat. You get to get away. You get to evade God's wrath by His mercy and by His grace. You do not have to pay for everything that you have ever done wrong — every sin, every thought, every deed. You do not have to give an account. Though they are recorded, they have been washed away. You are made clean.

Isaiah said it best. He reminded us that we would be washed clean. He says, "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet" — okay, they are nasty, they are ugly. You are stained, blood-red with sin. They are like scarlet — "they will be as white as snow." Some garments you cannot clean because they are stained forever. But here your soul will be washed as white as snow, as if you have never done it before. You are clean. "Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool, if you consent and obey." Man, that is a powerful little word — the word "if." If you consent, if you obey, if you submit to God's ways, if you would turn from your wickedness and turn from your sin and realize that — be sure, the Bible says in Numbers 32:23 — be sure your sin will find you out, not only now but later and for eternity.

Guys, when we get this, we see it from an eternal lens and we plead with the wicked. We feel sorry for them and we want to go and evangelize. We plead with them to repent. You do not want to have to pay for all of your sins. They are recorded in the books. "If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken." These are Isaiah's words. But Jesus' words say in Revelation 22:17, "Let the one who is thirsty come." If you thirst for righteousness, if you thirst for forgiveness, if you have an appetite for Christ, if you have been given this longing, this desire, then come, because Christ will forgive you and you will be washed clean. All of this will be done for you, and you will truly be able to think eternally. But until then, you are just going to struggle.

I am telling you, point number five: the wicked will suffer eternally. We must never, ever, ever deny this doctrine of eternal punishment. To do so would be like what Satan did in the very beginning. He said, "You shall not surely die." Right? In Genesis chapter 3, verse 4, he questioned God's Word. He said, "You will not surely die." He diminished God's Word. And that is where most people live — with a diminishment of God's law — thinking they can live how they want now, yet live eternally with Christ in heaven. That is a contradiction of truth. That is not true. We must see God's Word for what it truly is and explain it with tears and explain it with hope.

The most fearful utterances of future punishment are from Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 10, verse 28; Matthew 23; Matthew 25; and Mark 3. Now when you comprehend the enormity of sin, you see how enormous the sacrifice of Christ was. When we know the enormity of sin — only by God's own declarations with regard to it and by the sacrifice He has made to redeem us from it — we bow before Him in honor and praise and respect. We see the cross completely afresh and anew. Each time we look at the cross, we see it afresh and anew.

Did you know that most sanctuaries that are being built today do not have a cross in the worship center any longer? Because it is offensive. They do not want people to feel like they have done anything wrong. They do not call sin sin. They just call it "you are broken, we can help you be made whole." They have diminished God's law. It is established in heaven, it is settled, and it is what it is. When we diminish it, we are satanic. When God's Word is diminished and we are in conversation and someone thinks that they can live in sin apart from Christ and yet inherit eternity with Christ — they think they can do one and hold the other — we do them a satanic injustice by validating that sin lifestyle.

I mean not to pounce on anyone, but I do intend, as a faithful shepherd, to equip you with truths that are weighty and heavy, because this life is so short. We are not going to be here long.

When you get in an airplane and look down, it is sobering as to how many people there are and how this is all going to be gone. Let me give you this proof text that I have in my heart on living righteously and obeying. Jesus said in John 3:36 — it is the last verse in John chapter 3 — He said, "He who believes has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Do you see the connection between obedience to Christ and those who are disobedient in having the wrath of God placed upon them? This is just so sobering, I cannot do it justice.

When those who we love and those who are around us live apart from Christ and are living disobedient to Christ — when they do not long for God's Word, they do not live sacrificially, they do not live with eternal things in mind, they are living for the flesh, they are living for the now, they are focused on their body, they are focused on the things of this world — when they live in the now and they are focused on the things of this world, they are not living for Christ. They are not focused on eternity. They are not having heaven and Christ in mind. And if they are not living obediently to Christ, then they have the wrath of God upon them. Is it not the most loving thing that you could possibly do to explain these truths to them and say, listen, John 3:36 is clear: "He who believes has eternal life, but the one who does not obey" — circle the word "obey" if you are there — "the one who does not obey." It does not say "the one who does not believe."

You get that? Listen: "The one who believes has eternal life." You would think that the verse would say, "The one who does not believe has the wrath of God upon him." That is not what the Bible says. The Bible says the one who does not obey. That is the great commission — to teach them to obey all that I have commanded you. And so when we go — "You therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them all that I have commanded you" — we are teaching them to obey the commandments. And the ones who are obedient are the ones who are truly saved.

And so my last point with you is point number seven: to live, to share the gospel, and make disciples. If you believe that the gospel truly saves souls, then you are truly sharing the gospel. I would say that for those who are not sharing the gospel, you have not truly believed that the gospel transforms. Because if you truly believe that the gospel is what transforms a lost person, then you tell lost people the gospel, because you truly believe that it could transform that lost life. But if you do not believe that that person can be saved, then you shy away from them. You have no confidence that sharing the gospel can do anything. You see the difference between truly engaging in sharing the gospel and truly being eternally minded?

And so to live now with eternity in mind, you will live to share the gospel and make disciples. God will set before you opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to just turn your posture, share the gospel, and engage in a conversation. Believe me, God will give you the words, He will give you the thoughts, He will well up within you the right things to say. It is all by faith anyway. It is not dependent upon whether or not you showered that morning or dressed your best. If you are just there, God wants to use you. Share the gospel and work hard to make disciples. I pray that we would be given to leading people to Christ, and leading people to learn more about Christ, and leading people to live an awesome life in Christ. There is nothing better than life in Christ. If you truly believe that, then you will live with eternity in mind.

I close with this statement. The theologian Dr. Francis Schaeffer said it best: "How then shall we live?" — the title of his book. My answer to that question today is the title of this message: live today with a focus on eternity.

Let us pray. Father, thank You for the subject matter today, for us to be able to live with the realization that Your return is upon us. We need to live with the understanding that You are coming again. We are not promised another day. We could pass. We could get in a T-bone accident and, boom, be right there with You, dear God. I pray that we would be living with that in mind, that we could be face to face with You at any time. I pray that we would live with no regrets. I pray that we would live ready to meet You face to face.

God, I pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit that You would draw souls low who are not right with You right now. May the sorrow overcome them so much so that tears pour out of their eyes. God, I pray that the sorrow of sin that they have committed against You would bring them to repentance. Your Bible says that in 2 Corinthians 7:10. And I pray, dear God, that as they truly embrace this sorrow and do not reflect it or deflect Your conviction, that they would repent and be saved. Dear God, I pray that if anyone is not saved, that they would believe that You died on the cross and rose again for their sins. God, I pray that they would come to You. I pray that they would be thirsty for You, that the things of this world not only would grow strangely dim but would become repulsive.

Father, I pray that You would give this spiritual mindset to Your sheep. Help them to see it clearly, Lord, and how we are not living for this world but we are living for You and the world to come — a new heaven and a new earth. This is not our home. We are only passing through. God, I pray that You would help us, as spiritual Christians, not carnal Christians, to put this into practice. I pray, dear God, for our lovely congregation, that You would refine us. That You would help us, dear God, to change our daily habits to better reflect living for eternity. God, I pray that You would put it in its place in our morning devotion times, in our Bible study times — a purposeful statement to live with eternity in mind today. God, I pray that You would help us to do things well here, to be good stewards of our body, to be good stewards of our homes, to work with excellence, to do all things to Your glory. But at the same time, Lord, be heavenly minded and earthly good.

God, I pray that You would help us to do this, and it is only by the power of Your Holy Spirit in us and through us that can refine us, that can save us, that can have anything good happen. And we give You all the praise and the glory, and we love You. It is in Christ's name we pray. Amen.