In Light of Eternity

Hebrews 11:8; Revelation 21:3-4; Revelation 22:4 January 5, 2025 Pastor Ricky Alcantar

Thesis Because heaven is our true home where we will see Jesus face-to-face and experience eternal joy, we must live now in light of eternity — investing our talents, treasures, and daily decisions for God's kingdom rather than temporary earthly pursuits.

Series

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Type

Topical

Tone

pastoralcelebratorydidactic

Method

applicatorycanonical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

37 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #32

"Applies the gospel exposition with direct evangelistic appeal, stating the necessity of faith in Jesus for salvation and issuing a personal invitation to non-Christians in the room to respond today."

Doctrinal loci· 8 surfaced

Eschatology · 16 Christology · 8 Soteriology · 6 Ecclesiology · 3 Sanctification · 3 Theology Proper · 3 Hamartiology · 2 Anthropology · 1

Bible citations· 16

Illustrations· 6

personal story · unit #1 — Uses a personal story about his wife's love for Disneyland to illustrate the human longing for a place that feels like home, creating warmth and relatability while advancing the introduction's anticipation theme.
personal story · unit #2 — Extends the travel illustration with a detailed personal narrative about visiting the Spanish town his family name comes from, showing how the anticipation and planning for a long-awaited destination creates deep emotional investment, particularly when it feels like 'home.'
personal story · unit #3 — Completes the Spain illustration by introducing the element of disappointment — even the most anticipated earthly destinations fall short of our hopes, setting up the contrast with heaven as a destination that will never disappoint.
analogy · unit #14 — Uses the analogy of building or remodeling a house to illustrate the excitement of preparing a home, then applies it to heaven — emphasizing that God Himself is the designer and builder, making it beyond our imagination. Connects back to Abraham from the earlier text.
personal story · unit #22 — Uses the weekly family night tradition as a concrete illustration of the fellowship, eating, and laughter that makes a house a home, then explicitly contrasts the temporary nature of earthly gatherings with the permanent togetherness of heaven.
personal story · unit #27 — Uses a recent Christmas Eve family gathering as an illustration of the joy of being together and wishing it wouldn't end, then applies it to heaven where the party will never end. The grandchild's response ('being together was the best present') reinforces the relational core of heaven.

Theological claims· 6

Heaven is the home we were truly made for, and Jesus makes it possible for us to go there by paying the price for our entrance. unit #8
Heaven will be a place of fellowship and feasting together, which makes it truly home. unit #21
The best part of heaven is being with Jesus; the second best is being with our families and friends who know God, which reframes Christian death as temporary separation before the ultimate reunion. unit #26
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone; no human goodness is sufficient, but even the worst sinner can be saved by turning to Jesus. unit #31
Believers are called to live faithfully by investing what God has entrusted to them, with the goal of hearing 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' unit #34
Good works do not save us, but salvation transforms us so that we live for the Lord and not for ourselves. unit #36

Read it

Full transcript

14,757 characters 37 units ~16 min reading time Listen instead →

0 · Opens the sermon by creating anticipation through the relatable experience of looking forward to a dream vacation, specifically engaging children with the Disneyland question to establish a frame for talking about heaven as a destination

Have you ever taken a trip or a vacation that you were really excited about? Maybe you've never been to this place before and you've dreamed of going all your life? Hey, kids, maybe you've dreamed of going to Disneyland. How many kids would like to go to Disneyland? Ooh, me? Yeah, I guess. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe a few.

1 · Uses a personal story about his wife's love for Disneyland to illustrate the human longing for a place that feels like home, creating warmth and relatability while advancing the introduction's anticipation theme

Listen, I'm going to expose my wife a second here. My wife loves Disneyland so much. I'll never forget one time we were there at Disneyland, and we're walking, walking down Main Street. She goes, you know, I would just love to live right here. I said, in Disneyland, honey? She goes, yeah, like right here on Main Street. I said, well, unfortunately, your name is not Disney, so they're not going to let you live here.

2 · Extends the travel illustration with a detailed personal narrative about visiting the Spanish town his family name comes from, showing how the anticipation and planning for a long-awaited destination creates deep emotional investment, particularly when it feels like 'home

So maybe you've dreamed of going someplace exotic or maybe to Europe. Once you're able to, you plan for it and what do you do? You buy books, you get travel guides, right? You go get. Go to Barnes and Noble and you try to find out, okay, what do we need to do? So in 2019, Kim and I and Ricky and Jen, we had the opportunity to go to Spain. We had sold my business, and so we wanted to celebrate. And it was a trip I dreamed about all along, all my life, really. Ever since I understood that my last name, Alcantara, comes from a little town in Spain called Alcantara. So we planned and looked where we were going to go. And of course, one of the place was, of course, this little town. So we drove to Alcantara from Madrid. On the way, I did get a ticket, which they sent to me later in the mail. And as we approached the city, man, I was so excited. There was this bridge as you approached the city of Alcantara, and the city of Alcantara was up on this hill. And I remember we all just stopped the car. We got out of the car and we walked across the bridge. And on the bridge, there was this plaque in Latin saying how the Romans had built this bridge to Alcantara in 101 A.D. i mean, it was so cool. I was just so jazzed. And Kim said, honey, you know, you were acting like, giddy like you were a kid. And I was. I was like a kid. And in a sense, I felt like, man, I'm home. This is where I come from.

3 · Completes the Spain illustration by introducing the element of disappointment — even the most anticipated earthly destinations fall short of our hopes, setting up the contrast with heaven as a destination that will never disappoint

I was disappointed, though, when I went into a shop in Alcatra and told the clerk there my name said, how I travel all the way from El Paso, Texas. And he just kind of looked at me like, and said, well, what else would you like to buy? And I was just like, what? There's no welcome? We're glad you're here. You know, here's the key to this city. There was like, nothing. No love. So even the best trips we look forward to aren't perfect and have disappointments.

4 · Pivots from the illustration to the sermon's actual subject, explicitly stating that heaven is the trip believers will take where there will be no disappointment and full welcome, and frames the sermon's purpose as looking to eternity rather than just the coming year

Today we're going to talk about a trip that if you are in Christ, if you are a Christian, it's a trip that we will all take and we will never be disappointed and where we will be fully welcomed. So we want to start this new year looking ahead not just to this year, but but to eternity.

5 · Reads Hebrews 11:8 to establish Abraham as an example of someone who lived by faith while looking forward to the eternal city designed and built by God, introducing the biblical theme of heaven as our true home

Hebrews 11:8 says this by faith. Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, for he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

6 · Reads Revelation 21:3-4, emphasizing the promise that God will dwell with His people in heaven, wiping away every tear and eliminating death, mourning, crying, and pain

From Revelations 21:3,4. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and he will dwell with them. Now listen to this. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be 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.

7 · Explicitly signals the sermon's structure, announcing the first of two main points and setting up the exploration of heaven as the believers' destination

So, two points today. Number one, where are we going?

8 · Makes three interlocking doctrinal assertions: believers are going to heaven, heaven is the home we were made for, and Jesus is the one who makes heaven possible by 'paying our tickets' — a salvation claim embedded in eschatological promise

So again, if you are in Christ, we're going to heaven. This is what awaits us, the home we were truly made for. Jesus is the one who came from heaven, and he's the one that pays our tickets so that we can go there.

9 · Reads Revelation 22:4 and highlights it as the most amazing aspect of heaven — that believers will see Jesus face-to-face and bear His name on their foreheads as a mark of belonging

So the most amazing aspect of heaven is found in Revelation 22, verse 4. It says this. I mean, just imagine this for a moment. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads.

10 · Directly addresses the congregation with a personal question about longing to see Jesus, then turns the exposition into pastoral encouragement — assuring them that this longing will be fulfilled and explaining the meaning of bearing His name

Have you ever longed to see Jesus? Have you longed to see His Face. One day you will. You will see his face. You will see him face to face, and his name will be on your forehead. Means you will be his forever and ever.

11 · Transitions to the descriptive portion of point one by acknowledging time constraints and recommending Randy Alcorn's books on heaven (with a specific appeal to children), then signals the shift to a list of heaven's features

So what will heaven be like? So I wish I had enough time to just give you a thorough description, but it'd probably take about three or four hours. But there's some books I want to highly recommend about heaven by Randy Elkhorn. One is called In Light of Eternity. Another one is called Heaven and Kids, there's one for you, too. It's called Heaven for Kids. So I know there are kids in here today, so ask your mom and dad to get it for you and read it together. It's so much fun. It answers a lot, a lot of questions. Like, hey, are there going to be sports in heaven? I bet you wonder that. Well, we get the book, okay? Here are some things we can look forward to.

12 · Expounds on John 14:2-3 (referenced but not formally cited as read), emphasizing the personal agency of Jesus in preparing heaven — contrasting Jesus' work with human effort and underscoring His trustworthiness

A. Jesus is preparing a place for us Himself. I mean, just listen to those words. Jesus is preparing for us a place. He's preparing it. We're not preparing it. He is preparing it for us. And then he says, if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

13 · Breaks into imaginative first-person narrative, envisioning the moment of arrival in heaven when Jesus shows the pastor what He has prepared, creating emotional immediacy and modeling longing for heaven

I mean, just imagine, you get to see Jesus face to face, and then he. Then he does this. This is what I imagine when I see Jesus coming to him, falling at his feet, and then him picking me up and putting his arm around me and saying, look, Joe, what I have prepared for you. Oh, man, don't you long for that day.

14 · Uses the analogy of building or remodeling a house to illustrate the excitement of preparing a home, then applies it to heaven — emphasizing that God Himself is the designer and builder, making it beyond our imagination

If you have ever built a house or remodel a house, it is very exciting. You want to make it just right. Our new home is being prepared by our own creator and Savior. Kids, it's going to be better than any place you could imagine or I could imagine. Why? Because the Lord himself is designing it. The Lord himself is building it. Abraham understood this.

15 · Transitions to the next feature of heaven (new bodies) with a rhetorical question and light humor about aging bodies, creating anticipation for the exposition to follow

As I read in the passage earlier, next, I love this one. We will receive a new body. How many? How many? Anybody want a new body? Yeah, listen. I mean, listen, as you get older and older, the body isn't the same. The body starts breaking down. You get surgeries. Things need to get fixed first.

16 · Reads 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 on the resurrection of the body, then applies it pastorally — connecting sickness in the present to the hope of imperishable bodies in the future and offering a reframe ('I'm not home yet') for moments of physical weakness

Corinthians 15:51 says this 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, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and the mortal body must put on immortality. We will never again be sick or Weak or need glasses, Cohen. Or contact lenses or medicine. Listen, whenever we get sick, it's a reminder that we are not yet home. So the next time you're sick, remember that. I'm not home yet. But one day I'm going to be home. One day I'm not going to get sick. One day I'm going to have a new body. It's never going to get tired.

17 · Signals the next point in the list of heaven's features — that heaven is characterized by incredible joy

Next. Heaven is a place of incredible joy.

18 · Re-reads Revelation 21:4 to ground the claim about joy, then transitions to Luke 22:29-30 and references Psalm 23 to establish that heaven includes literal eating and drinking at Jesus' table, building anticipation and addressing potential confusion about heaven being 'spiritual only

As I read in Revelation 21, verse 4, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Why is there going to be incredible joy? Death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away. Next, Heaven will be a place of eating and drinking. Yeah. Yes, yes. Eating and drinking. Folks in heaven. Luke 22, verse 29 and 30. This is Jesus speaking. He says, and I assign to you, as my Father has assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Can you imagine? Jesus said, hey, I'm. You know. Psalm 23, what does it say? He's going to prepare a table for us. And where our enemies are in heaven, he's preparing a table for us, and we're going to sit down with him and eat and drink.

19 · Reads Isaiah 25:6 to support the eating and drinking claim with Old Testament imagery of the eschatological feast — rich food and well-aged wine — connecting the prophetic vision to the New Testament promise

Isaiah 25:6 says this. On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food. A feast of well aged wine, of rich food, full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

20 · Anticipates potential objections or discomfort about the wine reference, addresses it directly with pastoral sensitivity, then uses his own medical restriction as a personal illustration of longing for the freedom of heaven

Now again, I don't want to stumble anybody about drinking or wine or anything like that. But listen, in heaven, you're not going to have to worry about that stuff, okay? Right now, because of a condition I have speaking about medicine, I have to take certain medication that I cannot drink any alcohol at all. I cannot drink wine. Oh, but man, when I get to heaven, oh yeah. Oh yes, there's going to be some really good wine that I'm going to be participating in.

21 · Makes a propositional assertion that the activities of eating, talking, and laughing together are what transform a house into a home, then applies this to heaven and references Matthew 8:11 as support

So eating, talking, laughing together, makes a house, a home. In heaven. We'll have feasts together. Matthew 8, 11.

22 · Uses the weekly family night tradition as a concrete illustration of the fellowship, eating, and laughter that makes a house a home, then explicitly contrasts the temporary nature of earthly gatherings with the permanent togetherness of heaven

So once a week, one of the things that my family does is we have what we call a family night. So all our kids and our grandkids that live here, they come over and we have a meal together. We just hang out, we have fun, we have food, we talk, we laugh. They make fun of their dad like Ricky did today. It's just a normal thing. My kids, for some reason, they get a lot of joy out of doing that. But in heaven, it's not going to end. You know, at the end of the day, they got to go home, back to their own houses. But in heaven, we're going to be together.

23 · Signals the next feature in the list — that heaven will include rich fellowship with family and friends in Christ

So next, heaven will be a place of rich fellowship with family and friends in Christ.

24 · Reads 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 with emphasis on the resurrection of the dead and the reunion of all believers — both those who have died ('asleep') and those still living — highlighting the permanence of being 'always with the Lord' and with each other

First, Thessalonians 4, 13, 18 says this. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep. Notice how he uses that word, asleep. That you may grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And then listen to these words. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

25 · Addresses a potential question from the passage (flying to meet the Lord) with light humor and humility about the limits of his knowledge, then redirects to the recommended books

I don't know. Are we going to fly in heaven? Maybe. So I guess if you're here when the Lord comes back, you're going to fly. You're going to fly up to meet Him. I don't know if that's part of eternity or not, but read the books.

26 · Makes a hierarchical doctrinal claim about the two best aspects of heaven (being with Jesus first, then family and friends), then applies this theology to Christian grief — reframing death as separation before the ultimate reunion

The best part of heaven is that we'll be with Jesus. The second best, we will be with our families and friends who know God. So that's why when a Christian loved one dies, God tells us not to grieve like those who have no hope, but to comfort and encourage each other by anticipating the ultimate family reunion.

27 · Uses a recent Christmas Eve family gathering as an illustration of the joy of being together and wishing it wouldn't end, then applies it to heaven where the party will never end

So have you ever been at a party with family or friends and having such a good time that you wish it would never end? Last week, our kids and grandkids came over on Christmas Eve and spent the night. And two of my grandkids came and gave me a kiss and woke me up on Christmas morning. Man, it was so much fun. We had such a great time in heaven. This party of being together will never end. Matter of fact, one of my grandchildren, when asked by his sibling, what was the best Christmas present you got? This is what he said. Being together at Sugar and Abba's house on Christmas Eve. Of course, this brother said, well, that's not a present. You can't say that. And he said, I can say it because it was the best present I got. So I love that.

28 · Transitions to address potential non-Christians in the room by voicing their internal questions about salvation, surfacing performance-based thinking ('Am I good enough?'), and answering definitively that salvation is not based on human merit

So maybe you're here today and you're wondering, how can I be sure I will go to heaven? Maybe you're not a Christian. You're coming here and you're seeing the words. You saw communion and you're thinking, how can I be sure I can go to heaven? Or what do I have to do? Am I good enough? Do I go to church enough? Do I give to church and charities enough? Man, I hope God. I hope he does it on a curve, because, man, I'm not going to make it. Does he grade on a curve? No, he doesn't. The answer to all of these questions is no.

29 · Reads Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23 to establish the gospel foundation: universal sinfulness, justification by grace alone as a gift, and eternal life as a free gift in Christ

Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And Romans 6:23 says this, for the wages of sin is death. Listen to these words. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

30 · Narrates the story of the two criminals crucified with Jesus from Luke 23, highlighting the contrast between the one who mocked and the one who believed, then reads Jesus' response to the believing criminal as a dramatic illustration of salvation by faith alone even at the point of death

When Jesus was crucified, he was crucified with two criminals. And one of the criminals railed at him. And he said, well, if you're. If you're a God, why don't you save us? And the other one said. He said, this man is innocent. He has done nothing wrong. He says, we're receiving our just punishment. And then he said these words in Luke 23, 42 and 43, he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, truly, I say, today you will be with me in paradise.

31 · Interprets the criminal-on-the-cross narrative theologically, making explicit the doctrine that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, that no human goodness is sufficient, and that even the worst sinner can be saved by turning to Jesus in faith

This is an amazing display of God's grace and salvation. You see, folks, it isn't good. You've been good enough because we can't be good enough. Only Jesus was good enough. But even if you turn away, even if you're a murderer, the worst thing you can, and you turn to Jesus like this criminal did, and you say, lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. He says, today you will be with me in paradise.

32 · Applies the gospel exposition with direct evangelistic appeal, stating the necessity of faith in Jesus for salvation and issuing a personal invitation to non-Christians in the room to respond today

We all will one day die. And the only way into heaven is to believe in Jesus and accept his life, his death, in your place and in my place, for our sins, that God raised him up and is now seated in heaven waiting for you. So listen, if you're here and you don't know Jesus, I pray today. Today's your day. Today is your day to say, yes, Lord, I want you. I want you. I want to be with you forever and ever.

33 · Signals the sermon's second major point, pivoting from the description of heaven to the practical implications for Christian living in the present

So number point, number two. So why does this matter? Now why does this matter for us now as Christians to know, okay, this is where we're going, so what does it matter?

34 · Introduces the theological claim that believers are called to live faithfully, then summarizes the parable of the talents from Matthew 25, emphasizing the master's commendation of the faithful servant who invested what was entrusted to him

We're called to live faithfully. For the Lord Jesus tells a parable about giving talents to his servants. To one, he gave five talents, to another one, two to another one. The one who had received five talents went and made five more. That his master commends him in Matthew 25:21 and says to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.

35 · Completes the parable exposition by contrasting the servant who buried his talent and was rebuked, then interprets the parable's meaning (talents represent gifts and abilities from God) and applies it with a direct question ('What are you doing with your talent?') before supporting with Ephesians 2:10 on good works

Also, though the one who had only received one talent went and buried it, and he was not commended, he was actually rebuked. So each one of us. So the talents represent gifts, talents, abilities that God gives us to serve him. So the question is, what are you doing with your talent? We want to use what the Lord has entrusted to us for that day. That day. That day when we stand before Jesus. That day, we want to live for that day. Ephesians 2:10 says, we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

36 · Makes a critical theological distinction to guard against works-righteousness: good works do not save, but salvation results in transformation that produces good works

So I want to be absolutely clear. Good works do not save us, but once we are saved, our lives are transformed. And now we live for the Lord and not for ourselves.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

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Seeing a glimpse of what God sees—His glorious holiness and the reality of spiritual warfare—strengthens us to stand firm in ready stance for the fight of faith.

Daniel 10

Dec 22, 2024

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The God who sovereignly wrote the Christmas story holds the pen writing your life, and because you know the Author, you can trust the story He is writing even when circumstances appear chaotic.

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January 5 · This sermon

In Light of Eternity

Because heaven is our true home where we will see Jesus face-to-face and experience eternal joy, we must live now in light of eternity — investing our talents, treasures, and daily decisions for God's kingdom rather than temporary earthly pursuits.

Hebrews 11:8; Revelation 21:3-4; Revelation 22:4

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Hebrews 11:8, Abraham goes out 'not knowing where he was going.' What does the sermon say Abraham understood about his true home that mad…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we meditate on heaven as our true home and learn to live now in light of eternity — seeing Jesus face-to-face, feasting together in fellowship, and investing our lives for the kingdom that will never end.

Prayer

Prayer: Living in Light of Eternity

Father, we come before you in awe of the home you have prepared for us. You have made us for yourself, and you have made a place where we wi…

Family table

What Are You Building For?

This prompt invites kids to think concretely about the difference between temporary and eternal — using something they can see and touch. Li…

Couples

Living Now for Eternity

What part of the pastor's description of heaven stirred your heart most deeply — and what does that tell you about what you're longing for?…

Memorize

Revelation 22:4

This verse captures the sermon's central promise: the best part of heaven is seeing Jesus face-to-face. It is the anchor for why believers should live now in light of eternity — because our true home is defined not by streets of gold or feasting, but by the presence of Christ himself.

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday John 14:2-3

Jesus does not offer us a distant reward or a far-off theory — he promises to prepare a place for us and return to take us home with him. In a world where so many homes are fractured and temporary, this is the foundation of Christian hope: Jesus has already secured our place in the Father's house, and our entrance is purchased by his own death and resurrection.

Tuesday 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

We will not float as disembodied spirits; we will be raised with bodies renewed and incorruptible, clothed in glory that cannot fade. This promise means our deepest human longings for embodied existence, for touch and presence and tangible reality, find their ultimate satisfaction not in this life but in the resurrection to come. Everything that is good about being human will be perfected and eternal.

Wednesday Luke 22:29-30

Jesus invites his followers to eat and drink at his table in the kingdom of God — a picture of unending communion, celebration, and joy shared with the Father and one another. Home is not a solitary mansion; it is a family gathering. This is why heaven matters so deeply to the Christian heart: we will be reunited, feasting, rejoicing together in the presence of Jesus himself.

Thursday Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23

We have all sinned and fallen short, and the wages of our sin is death — but the gift of God through Christ is eternal life. No one earns heaven by moral performance; everyone receives it as a gift through faith in Jesus. This liberates us: we do not fear judgment based on our record, but we rest in the mercy of a Savior who has already paid the debt we could never pay.

Friday Matthew 25:21 and Ephesians 2:10

Because heaven is our home and eternity is real, every talent we steward, every kindness we show, every hour we invest in God's kingdom matters forever. We are God's handiwork, created in Christ for good works that he prepared in advance for us to do. The way we live now — faithful, generous, God-centered — is not earning heaven, but it is how we respond to the grace that has already saved us and will echo into eternity.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer: Living in Light of Eternity

Father, we come before you in awe of the home you have prepared for us. You have made us for yourself, and you have made a place where we will see Jesus face-to-face, where every tear will be wiped away, where death and mourning and pain will be no more (Revelation 21:3-4). We adore you for this mercy and for the grace that makes our entrance possible through Christ alone.

Yet we confess, Lord, that we live as though this world is our home. We chase after treasures that rust and fade. We make decisions based on what feels good today rather than what will matter in eternity. We invest our talents, our time, our money in pursuits that cannot follow us when we leave this earth. We forget that we are strangers and exiles here, seeking a city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8, 10). Forgive us for living so earthbound when heaven is our true destination.

But here is the good news: Jesus has already paid the price for our entrance. By his death and resurrection, he has secured a place for us at the table, a home in his Father's house, and the promise of eternal fellowship with him and with all those who belong to him (John 14:2-3). We are no longer slaves to the temporary; we are free to live as citizens of heaven right now. When we believe in Jesus, we are transformed—not by our own goodness, but by his grace (Ephesians 2:10).

So we ask you now: help us to live faithfully in light of eternity. Give us wisdom to invest what you have entrusted to us—our talents, our treasures, our days—for your kingdom and not for ourselves. When we are tempted to chase after what the world offers, remind us that it is all passing away. When we grieve the loss of loved ones who belong to you, comfort us with the promise of reunion in that eternal home. And help us to make every decision—large and small—with an eye toward eternity, so that one day we might hear your voice saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

We commit ourselves to you this week, Father. Make us a people who live now in light of forever. We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our hope. Amen.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

What Are You Building For?

For the parent

This prompt invites kids to think concretely about the difference between temporary and eternal — using something they can see and touch. Listen for whether they're starting to connect their daily choices (how they spend time, what they care about) to a bigger purpose that lasts forever.

In the sermon, Pastor Ricky talked about storing up treasures in heaven instead of just collecting things here on earth. If you could build something — a house, a city, a garden, anything — that would last forever and never fall apart or get stolen, what would you build? And why would that matter more than building something that might fall apart in a few years?

works for ages 7+ — younger kids may need help thinking through 'forever' vs. 'temporary,' but they can understand the difference between a toy that breaks and something that lasts

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Living Now for Eternity

What part of the pastor's description of heaven stirred your heart most deeply — and what does that tell you about what you're longing for?
As a couple, where are we investing our time, money, and energy right now — and are those investments reflecting that heaven is our true home, or are we still building kingdoms here?
What is one talent or treasure God has entrusted to us that we could steward more faithfully for His kingdom, and how can we pray for one another to take that step?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Revelation 22:4

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Why this verse: This verse captures the sermon's central promise: the best part of heaven is seeing Jesus face-to-face. It is the anchor for why believers should live now in light of eternity — because our true home is defined not by streets of gold or feasting, but by the presence of Christ himself.

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Hebrews 11:8, Abraham goes out 'not knowing where he was going.' What does the sermon say Abraham understood about his true home that made him willing to leave everything behind? What does this tell us about where Abraham's hope was actually placed?

Hebrews 11:8

→ How is Abraham's willingness to leave earthly security similar to or different from what Jesus calls us to do with our own lives?
According to Revelation 21:3-4 and 22:4, what three things does the sermon identify as the core components of heaven—what we will actually experience there? Why does the sermon emphasize that 'the best part of heaven is being with Jesus'?

Revelation 21:3-4; Revelation 22:4

→ If the best part of heaven is Jesus himself, how should that change the way we think about our loved ones who have died in Christ?
The sermon surfaces a 'fallen condition focus'—a problem we all face. What is the danger or temptation the sermon names about how we typically live our lives right now? What are we investing in that won't last?
Turn to Matthew 25:21 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (both referenced in the sermon). What is the connection the sermon makes between living faithfully now and hearing 'Well done, good and faithful servant' in eternity? What does 'living faithfully now' actually look like in concrete terms for you this week?

Matthew 25:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

→ The sermon says salvation transforms us so that we 'live for the Lord and not for ourselves.' Where in your own life is that transformation happening—or where is it being resisted?
The sermon teaches that 'heaven is the home we were truly made for, and Jesus makes it possible for us to go there by paying the price for our entrance.' If that's true, what does it mean that no human goodness is sufficient to earn our way there—but even the worst sinner can be saved by turning to Jesus (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Luke 23:42-43)?

Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Luke 23:42-43

→ How does this gospel truth reshape the way you think about your own entrance into heaven, or the way you think about the entrance of someone you know?
The sermon calls us to 'live in light of eternity'—to invest our talents, treasures, and daily decisions for God's kingdom rather than temporary earthly pursuits. In the coming week, what is one area of your life (your time, your money, your choices, your relationships) where you need to shift your investment from the temporary to the eternal?

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [The Age of Jubilee (Daniel 9:18-27, 2024-12-08)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2024/12/the-age-of-jubilee-2024-12-08-2)
- [Merry Christmas, Get Ready to Brawl (Daniel 10, 2024-12-15)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2024/12/merry-christmas-get-ready-to-brawl)
- [Holding the Pen This Christmas (Daniel 11, 2024-12-22)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2024/12/holding-the-pen-this-christmas)
- [In Light of Eternity (Hebrews 11:8; Revelation 21:3-4; Revelation 22:4, 2025-01-05)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2025/01/in-light-of-eternity)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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