STUDY 47 – THE RENEWED PERCEPTION OF OUR INHERITANCE IN HEAVEN

Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.

1st Inaugural Bible Study at DLBC Gbagada, Lagos HQ

30th April 2018

STUDY 47 – THE RENEWED PERCEPTION OF OUR INHERITANCE IN HEAVEN

John 14:1-14

As we look at these scriptures today, you will find that Jesus Christ at this time was actually moving on to Jerusalem to the point of betrayal, crucifixion and where He will pay for the sins of the whole world. At this time there were no Pharisees or Sadducees in His audience; He was with His disciples, the inner circle, inner chamber, with no unbelievers and outsiders around Him now. From chapter 13 He was eating with these people explaining and exposing to them the things that be and will be, and the place where He will be going. Infact, in chapter 13 Judas Iscariot, the Betrayer had gone away from them to the people of the world, so that he will do what he had purposed to do: he was on his journey to eternal damnation. Now we have only the disciples of Jesus with Him.

1. These were people that had believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and that He came so that we can have relationship, interaction, and a covenant of salvation with the Heavenly Father.
2. They were disciples. He had called them one by one to make them fishers of men as they followed Him, and they had left all to follow Him. He had told them “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31b).He assured themthat they were not only disciples here on earth, but their names were written in Heaven(Luke 10:20). They were saved and their names were written in Heaven.
3. They were changed people. Their lives had been turned around. He had called them out of darkness into the light, and out of the world unto Himself. That’s why He told them,“but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).
4. Their hearts were troubled (John 14:1). Why? The betrayal was very near, and He said He was going. He had been talking about the Cross, Crucifixion, His Death, and the fact that the world would kill Him, but on the third day He would rise again. As they began to think that their Lord, Saviour, Healer, and the one who had been providing for all their needs, was going, they were troubled and perplexed. But He told them “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1),and He told them what He was going to do.
5. They were receiving encouragement from the Lord. He said it was not the end of the road for them, as He was going and would come again. They would not see Him for some time, but you would see Him again. He gave them encouragement as well as assurance that He would send the Comforter unto them.
6. They were given the power of attorney to use His Name.“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14). He assured and reassured them that if they asked anything in His name He would do it. Ipray that the assurance will take effect in your heart and life even from this day in Jesus name.

This passage brings us to the understanding that this is a renewed perception. That is why the topic is ‘The Renewed Perception of our Inheritance in Heaven’.

3 points:

POINT 1: THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL STATE IN HEAVEN

     John 14:1-4; 17:24-26; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:1,6,8; Philippians 1:21-23;

    Acts 7:55-59; 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Peter 1:3-5

Jesus said He was going to prepare a place, and assured them He would come again to take them there. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).He is in Heaven, and thank God you are going there; your eternal abode is Heaven. The Lord is talking to you tonight that whatever has been the pressure upon your heart, troubled your mind for yourself, wife/husband, children, business, circumstances, this is the place of solution, this night all that trouble, oppressions, attack, confusion, will vanish away in Jesus Name. To be freed from all troubles and trauma in the heart, you believe in God, for He has all power, and with Him all things are possible. In your life nothing shall be impossible. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, Provider, King of Kings, and Baptizer in the Holy Ghost: He is the Shepherd that will provide for all your needs, and all things are possible in your life. He was telling them this so that the disciples will not think that the Pharisees, Sadducees, Judas Iscariot, Herod, Pilate, enemy and persecutors have done their worst, or had the final say. The enemy or persecutor will not have the final say in your life. That’s why He said, ‘I am going’. Neitherthe persecutors nor the Pharisees were sending Him away, but He Himself wanted to go. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).Nobody had the final authority over His life. He laid down it down for our salvation. He has gone to prepare a place for you. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people – saved, holy, righteous, sanctified and converted; they come to Christ and abide with Him. He has gone to prepare a place for you. Christ is coming again. We are going to heaven, and to take part in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

Some lessons from this passage – John 14:1-3

1. The Prophecy – He was going and would come again. He had prophesied and predicted that definitely He was coming again; ‘I will come again.’
2. The Promise– a place for saints in heaven. His promise will not fail. We are preparing ourselves to be there.
3. The Preparation– Heaven is not for sinners, backsliders, unbelievers or those who remain in their sin. How do we prepare? By coming out of sin and coming to the Saviour; leaving all the ways of the world and walking in the way of the Lord. The preparation is through salvation and sanctification. Be holy, follow peace and holiness with all men, and be pure as He is pure.
4. The Place– the Father’s House, heaven, paradise and He has gone there.
5. The Possession– a mansion with your name attached to it.
6. The Passion– love God with all your heart, soul and mind and center everything you’ve got with the depth of your heart to the Lord.
7. The Purpose of salvation, sanctification, service for the Lord, prayer, passion, serving the Lord is to get to heaven eventually. Thank God you will be there.

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). You see that He has gone to Heaven, and His desire is that we shall be with Him in Heaven.

As you come to the final chapters of John, He was crucified, died, buried and then rose from the dead. “…. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and the Son of God is coming back. We are assured then in so many ways that Jesus went to heaven, and that He is coming back to take us into heaven. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  For the Lord Himself, not a substitute nor angel Gabriel or Michael, but the Lord Himself will descend from heaven to take us back to heaven. The ‘we’ are those who are saved, changed, submissive, surrendered unto the Lord, sanctified and made holy, part of the Bride of Christ, waiting and watching for the coming of the Lord, not yielding to temptations, and not going back to Satan, darkness nor occultism.

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). He is saying that He is going to give us a new and heavenly body. Once we leave here, we go to the eternal abode. “But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not” (Philippians 1:22).There is no soul no spirit laying in the grave after a person dies. The same moment of his death, the soul and the spirit go to be with the Lord. Thank God you will be there. When a child of God dies today, although the body is buried here on earth, immediately the spirit and soul go to be with the Lord in heaven. Then on the Resurrection Day, the body will rise, and the spirit and the soul will join with that body and that whole personality – spirit, soul and body will then be with the Lord. “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Stephen knew that his body will remain in the grave but his spirit will go to be with the Lord. How do we get there? “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).This is what it takes to get to heaven. I pray that none of us will miss that glorious place in Jesus Name.

POINT 2: THE PASSION OF EARNEST SEARCH WITHOUT HYPOCRISY

               John 14:4-11; Ecclesiastes 10:15; Isaiah 55:6-8; Acts 4:12; John 3:3,5; Hebrews 10:19-23,35-39;    

              Jeremiah 6:16

Jesus is gone to heaven, and it takes a path and road to get there. Understand that you have to walk in The Way to get to that final destination. Jesus is the Way, the Path, the Road and the Ladder to get you to heaven. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man will get to the Mansion of the Father without going through Him but by Him (John 14:6,7).

You have the heart, desire, passion to know the Way. This is what the disciples were asking. No hypocrisy in them, they actually wanted to know, to follow after, and to get to the place He was going. “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14:4). We must know the way to heaven where Christ has gone otherwise, we will be of all men most miserable. To Thomas wanting to know the way – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). There are many religious people who are labouring, trying to do their best, turn over a new leaf, pull themselves up, roll on the ground, doing some good works, all in hope of getting to heaven, but the Bible calls them foolish – “The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city” (Ecclesiastes 10:15). The way of the Lord is the one that leads to heaven.  “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).There are many wicked people who go to church, fast, do religious works, pray, and go to Jerusalem for pilgrimages to get to heaven. That is the religious man. The Father has given us that Way. He sent Jesus Christ into the world who died, sacrificed and shed His blood for us, and as you remember that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, eternal life will come to you. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).Jesus Christ is the only one that can make it happen, and He will make it happen in your life.  The only way to be born again is to believe on the Lord Jesus, turn away from your sins, and turn to Christ as your Saviour and Redeemer. As you do that salvation will be yours in Jesus Name (John 3:3,5). He has shed His blood for you, and all you need to do now is to accept and appropriate that blood into your heart and soul. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10:23). He is faithful to His promise and He is a Faithful Saviour. He is coming again, and will not tarry (Hebrews 10:37). We are not going to backslide.

Some lessons from this passage – John 14:4-11 include;

1. The desire to know the Way– to those mansions on high
2. The decision to choose the Way. He reveals the way to us – that He is the One that qualifies you to get to heaven, so you need to make the choice.
3. The demand to walk in the Way – After He reveals the way to you, He demands that you walk in the way of righteousness and holiness. The grace to do that, the Lord grants unto you in Jesus Name. The good way to godliness, righteousness, holiness, the narrow path that leads to life eternal, heaven (Jeremiah 6:16)
4. The duty to show the Way – You have chosen that way, abide in it, and show it to those who do not know, because Jesus has given you that duty.
5. The determination to continue in the Way – It is not those who have started that we glory in but those who continue till the very end. 2 Peter 2:21
6. The damnation of departing from the Way – Jude 1:11-13. Once He has revealed it to us, there is damnation for those who depart from the way.
7. The destiny of all who abide in the Way

All the works of the Lord we have seen in salvation, healing, deliverance, and in granting us miracles, all show that this is the very Christ, Son of God and the Saviour of the world. Now, as He has gone to heaven and left us here to harvest the souls into His kingdom, we need His power and this He has given us. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12).

POINT 3: THE POWER FOR EVANGELISING SAINTS ON THE HARVEST FIELD

     John 14:12-14; Acts 1:4-5,8;4:29-31,33; 5:14-16;19:11-12,2;Mark16:15-20

He was leaving them behind for a purpose, to evangelize the world. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15b).To do that effectively, they needed the same power that He had manifested, same unction that was on Him, same anointing that he carried, and the same assurance that if they said anything on the harvest field, they would be done. As the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost without any limitation were with them, they will be with you and through you the Father will be glorified (John 14:13). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).The time for greater works and glory has come. It will happen in your life, and family. All we need to do is to believe in Him, and that greater power and works will be done in Jesus Name. “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).How does that happen? It is as we follow through, and allow the Holy Ghost to take full residence inside us. If we stay in our houses, the power will not be manifested because we receive the power so that we can go out with the gospel, and that is how greater works will be done (Acts 1:8). “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).They were filled, saturated with and received the power of the Holy Ghost, and they went out to speak the word with boldness, and great power and grace was upon them all. Greater works happened in the Acts of the Apostles, and now is a new day, a new dawn, and a new dispensation, and greater works will be done through you and the whole church in Jesus Name. This happened because they had the power of the Holy Ghost.  “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2). Have you received power, are you sanctified and surrendered, entirely consecrated to God; have you received supernatural courage, boldness, fearlessness, done any works, great works, greater works since you believed; have you won any abiding convert, received the personal Heavenly vision, commission, passion, since you believed? If you have not been baptized in the Holy Ghost, a new day has come. If you have not receive sanctification, this is a new day, you will be sanctified in Jesus Name. If you have been stagnant, sluggish, pulling back, not up and doing, this is a new day, a new power and auction will come upon you, and you will go and find the fulfillment of God’s power in your life in Jesus Name. The works He has done you will do, and greater works you will do because he has gone to the Father. “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen”(Mark 16:20). We are going forth. You own day has come.

Ponder on this! You must know the way to heaven. If you know the way to any other city or place, and you don’t know the way to where Christ has gone, you will be of all men most miserable in eternity. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.

Reflection – You must be asking yourself these questions. Have you received power, manifested power; are you sanctified and surrendered, entirely consecrated to God; have you received supernatural courage, boldness, done any works, great works, greater works since you believed, have you won any abiding convert, received the personal Heavenly vision, commission, passion, since you believe? Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.

Words on the Marble – Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.

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