Welcome Home

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Homecoming Sunday morning, the 12th of September, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Church homecomings, like pretty much everything else, have changed over the years.  It’s still an annual event, unless there’s a pandemic or some such going on.  There’s usually still food and fellowship.  But it seems to mean less to more and more people, even those who normally attend church most Sundays.

Historically, it was a time for folks who had moved away from their home church to come back for a “visit”, to see their old friends and Christian brothers and sisters again.  That part seems to have less importance these days.  And that’s a shame.

I like to think of church homecomings as a prelude to that glorious day when the church is called home to its just rewards.  Of course, those rewards will be determined by our Lord when He stands in judgment of us all.  Please listen and follow along to how Jesus describes what will happen on that day, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in chapter 25 of his Gospel account, verses 31 through 46, and I’ll be reading this from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

--Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Your Son Jesus and to follow Him.  Through Him and Him alone we are granted redemption from our sins, so that we can stand spotless before You at the last.  Thank You, Father, for Your great mercy and love.  Please help us be worthy of that love.  Help us put the needs of others before even our own.  Help us to do as You will and not just whatever it is we want to do.  Please keep us strong in our faith and of one purpose in our service to Christ Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  And Father, please guard us from Satan and those who blindly do his bidding, whether they realize it or not.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this morning.  Write upon our hearts what we should do, how we should act, to be righteous in Your sight.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus Your Son.   Amen.

James Packer, in his book Your Father Loves You, wrote the following:

As I get older, I find that I appreciate God and people and good and lovely and noble things more and more intensely; so it is pure delight to think that this enjoyment will continue and increase in some form (what form, God knows, and I am content to wait and see), literally forever. In fact Christians inherit the destiny which fairy tales envisaged in fancy: we (yes, you and I the silly saved sinners) live and live happily, and by God's endless mercy will live happily ever after.

We cannot visualize heaven's life and the wise man will not try to do so. Instead he will dwell on the doctrine of heaven, where the redeemed will find all their heart's desire: joy with their Lord, joy with his people, and joy in the ending of all frustration and distress and in the supply of all wants. What was said to the child -- "If you want sweets and hamsters in heaven, they'll be there" -- was not an evasion but a witness to the truth that in heaven no felt needs or longings go unsatisfied. What our wants will actually be, however, we hardly know, except the first and foremost: we shall want to be "always... with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).

What shall we do in heaven? Not lounge around but worship, work, think, and communicate, enjoying activity, beauty, people, and God. First and foremost, however, we shall see and love Jesus, our Savior, Master, and Friend.

Packer makes note that our "wants" will likely change once we get to heaven, where a million dollars or even a black, 2-door Maserati will be meaningless.  Instead, first and foremost, we will want to always be with the Lord, as Paul remarked in chapter 4 of his 1st letter to the Thessalonians.

Packer also challenges the popular image of life in heaven, often depicted as sitting around on clouds, playing harps, just peaceful relaxation.  Yes, above all, we will be worshiping, worshiping our God just as Jesus revealed to the Apostle John.  But we’ll also be working, although the tasks will likely be nothing like we experience today.  We’ll be thinking, about the wonders of heaven among other thoughts.  We’ll be communicating with one another, and with our Lord Jesus, whose face we’ll finally see.  And we’ll be enjoying all that heaven has to offer: the beauty, the buzz of activity, the people, and our Father God Himself.  We’ll enjoy finally being home, our true, eternal home.

Jesus tells us, though, that before that great homecoming can begin in earnest, there’s a little reckoning to be done.  All the peoples of the earth – everyone who ever drew breath – will be brought before Him as He sits upon His throne of glory.  From there He will render judgment, separating the people as a shepherd separates sheep and goats.

His sheep He sets to the right, those who believe in Him, obeyed Him, did as He commanded.  These are the inheritors of all that God has reserved for them, co-heirs with Jesus of God’s kingdom.  The non-believers - the goats, those who refused to accept and obey Jesus, who did as they pleased rather than serving their fellow man – these He moves to His left, to be thrown into the everlasting fire along with the devil and his servants, to suffer eternal punishment and separation from God.  Each person will receive the full measure of their due, whether reward or punishment.

We want to be among the sheep, don’t we.  If we listen carefully to what Jesus said, we should see that there is more to being a sheep than just believing in Jesus.  Satan and his demons fully believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, but they aren’t saved by that belief.  No, if we truly believe in Jesus, we will know He is our Lord, and that knowledge will guide our service to Him, our obedience to His commands.  We will love one another, as He loved, seeing to their needs even ahead of our own.

Obedience to Jesus is the key.  The author of the letter to the Hebrews affirms all this, in chapter 13 of that letter, verses 10 through 16, when he writes…

10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood. 13 So let us go out to Him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace He bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

--Hebrews 13:10-16 (NLT)

This world is not our permanent home.  We are looking forward to a home yet to come, a great and glorious homecoming yet to be.  And it’s all through Jesus, all because of the sacrifice He made on our behalf while He was one of us.

So we need to do good, to share with others in their time of need, to continually praise our Father God.  For all this pleases God.

There’s one last bit of advice I’d like to offer, and this comes from the Apostle John in his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17…

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

--1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)

Since this world is not our permanent home, we should not allow ourselves to be enticed by what it offers.  If we lust after things of the world, then we succumb to temptation, which gives birth to sin, which leads to the second and final death.  This world won’t last.  It is passing away, fading with each tick of the clock.  The world to come, our true home, will endure forever, whether it is in heaven, or the everlasting fire.

So let’s do good.  Let’s praise God with every breath.  Let’s truly recognize Jesus as our Lord and obey His every command, loving all others and helping them in their time of need.

And then, some sweet, beautiful day, God will look at us, smile, hold out His hand and say, “Welcome home!”  What a homecoming that will be.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for preparing a home for us in heaven.  Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your own Son to offer us redemption of our sins so that we might live forever with You in paradise if we only accept Jesus as our Lord and Master.  Father, please help us be more obedient to Jesus.  Sometimes, Father, we let our foolish human pride get in the way and think we have no master, that we don’t need anyone telling us what to do.  Sometimes we make our idols of things of this world rather than worshiping only You.  Please help us remember that You created all there is.  Remind us that You made us, that we are Yours, that everything we have we owe to You.  Give us the full conviction of our promise to serve You.  Encourage us and strengthen us as we strive to obey and serve our Lord Jesus.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service to You and Jesus.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, one day when we least expect it, You will return to the earth to set things right.  Everyone who ever lived will be brought to stand in judgment before You, where You will separate Your sheep from the goats of this world.  Thank You, Jesus, for bringing us the means of salvation, for redeeming us with Your own blood so that we can be counted among Your sheep.  Lord, we ask You to help us be obedient servants.  Help us try to tell others all about You and what You mean to us.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in this dark world while we still tread this path.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.