Citizens of Heaven
Scripture: Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2 Thessalonians 2.1-2)
Main Point: Until Christ returns, we live as citizens of heaven, as beloved children of the God who is not a God of the dead, but of the living.
Let us not be like the Sadducees, denying or forgetting the resurrection. Let us not be like our culture, celebrating life while forgetting the greater life to come. Instead, let us live each day in the light of Easter morning. We can face death without fear. We can endure suffering with hope. We can let go of loved ones with grief but not despair.
Paul reminds us that we await “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him.” This is our blessed hope—not just that we will live forever, but that we will be gathered to Jesus, seeing Him face to face, dwelling with Him eternally.
Rather than forgetting the resurrection in our daily lives, we remember it with joy. We remember it when we wake each morning. We remember it in worship, joining with the angels and archangels. We remember it in the Lord’s Supper, tasting the foretaste of the feast to come. We remember it at funerals, not as those without hope. We live as citizens of heaven, as children of the resurrection, as beloved sons and daughters of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God who is not a God of the dead, but of the living.
Reflection: You are a citizen of heaven, living as a child of the resurrection until the day Christ returns in glory. What does it mean to you practically to be a citizen of heaven while living on earth? How can you remember the resurrection with joy in your daily routines?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, come quickly! Until You gather us to Yourself, help me live as a citizen of heaven. Fill me with joy as I await Your return, and use me as an instrument of Your love. In Your precious Name. Amen.
Responses