The Culture of Heaven
Just under 2,000 years ago, from the side of a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, a poor village man named Jesus spoke about His vision for citizens of heaven.
Though there was no pomp or circumstance, there was definitely a buzz in the air. Jesus had been touring around the Sea of Galilee, speaking to people about God and healing people with the power of God.
There was nothing special about this man, Jesus. Five feet, five inches tall, olive-brown skin, short black hair with a beard. Yet, when He spoke about God and His kingdom, people’s hearts burned within them. And often, when sick or injured people came around Him, they weren’t sick or injured anymore. More and more people began following Him around, with excitement and hope.
His disciples must have had many questions. To see a very common, humble man do such miraculous things would have been a lot to process. To associate with someone who claimed to be a rabbi, but was not accepted by the religious leaders of the day, would have taken some careful consideration. Yet, what they saw with their eyes, and what happened in their souls when He spoke was too compelling.
On this particular day, Jesus could sense the wonder and the questioning within His disciples. He knew the challenges they would face if they continued to associate with Him. And He knew the potency of both the secular culture and the religious culture they were swimming in. So, He pulled them close and taught them what the culture of heaven is like. In His sermon on the Mount He gave six examples of what a person filled with the culture of heaven is like:
A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just avoid murdering people; he/she doesn’t let anger take root in their heart.
A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just avoid committing adultery; he/she doesn’t let lust take root in their minds.
A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just divorce someone honorably; he/she stays faithfully committed to that person (with some caveats).
A person filled with the culture of heaven doesn’t need signatures, contracts, or collateral in order to keep their word; he/she just does what they say will do.
A person filled with the culture of heaven does not try to get even when they are genuinely wronged; he/she responds in kindness and generosity, knowing God is in control and is both judge of the wicked and rewarder of the righteous.
A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just will the good of his/her friends, but wills the good of those who hate or have hurt him/her.
Wow! And Whoa! Do you feel your heart shouting out Yes! That is beautiful! and at the same time Yikes! That stirs up some pain!
I find it interesting that, after Jesus spent thirty years learning what it means to be human, He focused on these six issues. Anger, lust, divorce, broken promises, vengeance, hatred of the other, were the weighty matters Jesus needed to address in His day.
I think we are dealing with these same issues in our society today. I know racism and homosexuality are getting a lot of attention and air time these days. And it is right for followers of Jesus to stand firm in the face of ideological wars and expose lies. But I think we have to be careful not to let culture dictate what the weighty matters of life are.
Though it is an unpopular opinion, I do not think that racism is a greater plague than anger is in America today. I do not think homosexuality or transgender issues are blocking the culture of heaven from showing up in our society as much as lust is. It may sound simplistic or naïve to some, but I believe that, if we stay faithful in our marriages, faithful to our contractual promises, turn the other cheek when we are wronged, and will the good of those who oppose us or hurt us, the culture of heaven will show up in greater measure — even if we are the only ones doing it.
So, how can change come to a person who is filled with anger or lust, has been divorced, has broken promises, has been vengeful, and/or is a long way away from willing the good of the ones who have hurt them? Well, that is what we will be discussing for the next six weeks at church.
Our positional righteousness is only possible by the price Jesus paid for us on the cross. And our practical righteousness is only possible through the guiding and empowering of God’s Spirit, who dwells inside those who have made Jesus their Lord.
You can be free. You can be transformed. You can change from being lost to found, from blind to seeing. You can be made whole.
So, join in on Sundays and in your Life Groups for the next six weeks as we dive into these deep, provocative words of Jesus. We are going to look where He is looking. We want to feel what He is feeling. We want His Spirit to come and fill us, because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. We want the full, unadulterated truth to set us fully free. We will all need to come with courage, ready to respond to the invitation of God to follow Him into greater freedom. We will all need to be ready for the merciful, kind Spirit of God to stir our souls in a way that brings the junk to the surface so it can be removed.
Hallelujah,
David