Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. And all that we do and all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. I'm Darrell Bailey servants for Christ as we get into the wonderful Word of God here Sunday night March the 16th 20,025 the 16th of Adar 5785 of the Hebrew calendar as we look at a message that's really been heavy on our heart. I Remember many years ago. We were down at Jerry Vines Church and I Jacksonville First Baptist. And there was a man that was singing a song called I Want to See Heaven. One of the most beautiful songs that I'd ever heard. They had an orchestra that was playing. And that night, David Jeremiah was going through, at that time, cancer treatments. and he preached the message that night. There were 10,000 people in the audience. As that man began to get up and sing that song, I Want to See Heaven, it had some words like this, that there are moments in this life when it feels hard to carry on. I'm glad that all of us will experience loss, pain, and heartbreak. And so, Take your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 8. This is a message that's been really heavy upon our heart. We're gonna be talking about longing for heaven. Longing for heaven out of 2 Corinthians 5, verse 8. Turn over there with us if you would. And as that man began to sing that song, I wanna see heaven. You talking about a powerful message that begin to come out of there. Man, it wasn't long after that he sung that song that he passed away. And I'll never forget the power that he had in his voice when he sung that song. It stuck with us all of these years. As we read the Word of God, the Bible says out of 2 Corinthians 5, verse 8, we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Will you pray with me? Father, we come before you. with hearts longing for an eternal home that you have prepared for us. In a world filled with uncertainty and sorrow, we cling to the promise of heaven. Lord, strengthen us as we journey through trials, remind us that our present sufferings are temporary, and fill us with the assurance that one day, We will see heaven where the faithful carry on and the pain of sin is gone. And we lift up those that are grieving, struggling, and searching for hope. May your spirit comfort and guide them. Open our hearts to the word today. May your presence fill this place. Lord, thank you for meeting the needs in our lives. No one can meet our needs like you can. I know that you stand ready to hear And Lord, to help overcome what comes each and every day of our lives. And Lord, I pray that you'll give us a deeper desire to talk to you every day and to keep our hands opened, not clenched. And Lord, we know that you're a sovereign savior and we ask it all. Lord, because as you fill our hearts with assurance that one day we will see heaven, and Lord, I thank God that as you open our hearts to your word, may your spirit lead us in truth. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name we pray, amen. I'm glad that we read the Word of God in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 8. It said, we are confident. And the Greek word for confident is therio, which means to be courageous. It means to be bold and full of hope. and it shows how Paul's absolute assurance of what happens after death for the believer. He went on, he said, willing rather to be absent from the body. And I'm glad that the Greek word for absence is ectymio. Meaning to depart or to leave one's home Temporarily it indicates that our physical body is merely a temporary Dwelling place he goes on in second Corinthians 580 says to be present with the Lord the Greek word for present Again as it is from absent It means in diminio. It means to be at home, to dwell permanently. It reinforces the truth that the moment a believer leaves this earth, they enter their eternal home with Jesus Christ. You see, Paul is expressing an absolute confidence that for a believer, death is not an end, but a transition from one dwelling place to another. And the moment that we leave our earthly bodies, we are immediately in the presence of Jesus. Praise God, my brother in Christ and best friend, brother Darrell Pruitt, back in November, made that journey. I'm glad that he's in the presence of the Lord right now, according to the word of God. And this verse reassures us that heaven is real. It's immediate. It's worth longing for. And so I'm longing for heaven, hallelujah. And so the world seems dark by the day, but just this past week and months, there's been devastating storms, devastating earthquakes that have struck, leaving countless families in grief and despair. And these tragedies remind us of the fragile nature of life. They stir us in a deep longing for a place where suffering and sorrow will be no more. Oh, I was reading a story about a man that lost his father, but he held on to the hope that they would meet again in heaven. And he lived every day remembering the love that they shared and looking forward to the day that they would reunite. And so I'm glad that each and every one of us, as we look and we realize that God is going to do something great for all of us, amen, because I know that as this longing for heaven is something every believer understands, I'm glad that that song I was talking about that begin to inspire me to write this message, the name of the song was I Want to See Heaven, and it speaks to the very desire to our deep yearning to be where the faithful carry on. Hallelujah, praise God. And so, I'm glad that every one of us look and we realize that there are moments in this life when it feels like it's hard to carry on. We experience the loss, the pain, the heartbreak. And so, each and every one of us, as we're longing for heaven, it's something every believer understands. And it speaks to our very desire, our deep yearning to be where the fateful carry on. This message is about escaping, not about escaping a hard life. It's about embracing the certainty of our true home with God. We are temporary residents here, but eternal citizens there. And so, I'm glad that as we look and we realize that in this life today, that one of the very first things is I have that longing for heaven. It's point number one that I see that when we read 2 Corinthians 5a, we're confident, I say, willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. The first thing that I see out of this is the reality of loss and the hope of eternity. because life is filled with goodbyes. Loved ones pass on, but love never dies. And the sorrow of this world makes us long for something, praise God. And I'm glad, something greater, hallelujah. Oh, our hope is in the promise of eternity, where there'll be no more tears, Revelation 21 for. Billy Graham said one time, heaven is full of answers for which nobody on earth has questions, unquote. And so we see the reality of loss and the hope of eternity. But as I have a longing for heaven, I see not only first, the reality of loss and the hope of eternity, but second, I see carrying the cross to wear the crown. Because Luke chapter nine, verse 23, as it tells us some things, You know what, as we see that reality of loss and that hope of eternity, as each and every one of us, let me back up for a minute and get back on that just for a minute because Paul wasn't hoping that he was declaring. He was confident. He said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up the cross and his cross and follow me. Paul wasn't hoping for something. It was the reality of loss, but it was the hope of eternity. It was the certainty of the transition. And so Paul wasn't hoping, he was declaring, he was confident. It isn't just a feeling good, it's knowing without doubt that our departure from this world is an arrival in God's presence and our bodies are temporary shelters. Our souls are destined for eternity. Think of it. Maybe someday, but immediately, there's no waiting room. There ain't no hesitation. The moment that we leave here, we are there, praise God. And so Rabbein Dronoth Tagore said one time, death is not extinguishing the light, it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. Amen? And so, there was the certainty of the transition, praise God. It was simplified, Paul said in 2 Corinthians. He said the reality of the loss and the hope of eternity. But secondly, let me get back now to that. Carrying the cross to wear the crown. Because in Luke 9, verse 23, we are told, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. You see, this world can bring us down, but we must endure to the end. Impatience may tempt us, but we're called to keep pressing on. Those who bow the cross will one day receive the crown of life, according to James 1, verse 12. And so I'm glad that not only that we saw the reality of the loss and the hope of eternity, there was the certainty of the transition, but I'm glad here carrying the cross to wear the crown is the purpose for journey because it is very, he said, follow me, deny yourself and take up the cross. Oh man, you see this life is a journey. It's not a destination. We carry burdens, we face trials. But they aren't pointless. They refine us. They prepare us for our eternal home. Don't focus on the weight of the cross. Focus on the glory of the crown. And endurance isn't about gritting your teeth. It's about getting and keeping your eyes on Jesus. Can you imagine a seed buried in the earth? It endures darkness and pressure, but it's growing toward the light. And our struggles are the soil that helps us grow toward heaven. And so a runner in a marathon feels exhausted at times, but they keep their eyes on the finish line and we too must fix our eyes on heaven. And so there was a quote that was said one time, the will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot protect you. And so I'm glad that we look at the reality of the loss and the hope of eternity. When we long longing for heaven, we carry the cross to wear the crown. Amen. But I'm glad that when we look and we realize that thirdly, amen, and that is that we see, uh, that the living for heaven every day. There's the reality of the loss, the hope of eternity. Second, carrying the cross to wear the crown. But thirdly, living for heaven every day. Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise his mighty name. Hallelujah. I thank God. Matthew chapter six, verse 20, but lay up for yourselves treasures. In heaven, where neither moth nor rust do corrupt, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal. The world is filled with sin and evil, but our hearts must be fixed on Jesus. We must live each moment as if it were our last, focusing on what truly matters. And if Jesus comes tomorrow, will we be ready? Huh? You know what? We gotta be able to live with an eternal perspective, is what we're saying. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust do corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Because we're storing up treasures in heaven. How we live today determines where our hearts are tomorrow. Are we chasing fleeting pleasures or eternal rewards? Or are we investing in what lasts? Because we live like heaven is real. Because it is. Let every action, every word reflect the values of our eternal home. And if Jesus returned today, would he find us ready? Listen, don't live for applause, live for the audience of one. And so, I'm glad C.S. Lewis said one time, aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither, unquote. And so, We're not wanderers now. We're not wanderers lost in the dark world. We're pilgrims on the journey home. Heaven is not a distant dream. It is our certain reality. Let that truth transform how you live, how you love, how you face every challenge, because I'm glad. that each and every one of us, from the lyrics of I Wanna See Heaven, reminds us of our ultimate goal, to be with Jesus for all eternity. We have suffered, we have waited, we have endured, but one day we'll stand in the presence of God, where there'll be no more crying, no more dying, no more pain, and the promise for whosoever will believe. Listen, do you believe? Are you ready for the dawn of eternity? I'm gonna tell you, What does it mean to live each day with heaven in mind? It means making choices that honor God. And so I'm glad every one of us were able to do just that, to live each day. And I'm glad that as we honor God, we love others selflessly, keeping our faith strong despite life's challenges. can encourage others who are grieving the loss of loved ones. By reminding them of the hope of eternal life in Christ, comforting them with the promises of God's word, I wonder what steps we can take to ensure that we're ready for Christ's return. Daily repentance, staying in prayer and in the word and sharing the gospel, living in obedience to God's will. I'm glad one of the very last words that were in that song I want to see heaven was this, we shall meet on that beautiful shore where we'll never grow old. That was the last stanza of the words that the choir came in with that genuine and begin to sing that song. I want to see heaven. And so I hope and pray that your ultimate goal is to be with Jesus for all eternity because we have suffered, we've waited, we have endured, but one day we'll stand in the presence of God where there'll be no more crying, no more dying, no more pain. And so each and every one of us, heaven is not a distant dream. It's our certain reality. And we know that the truth can transform us, how we live, how we love, how we face every challenge. And so, as I close out with prayer, I hope that you have a longing for heaven as well. As you get up and down, and as you, the longer that you're in this old body that is not designed to last forever, of the aches and pains you all you can do is get up and keep on going and keep on doing the very best that you can because of the reality of the loss and the hope of eternity carrying the cross to wear the crown and living for heaven every single day praise God we live in a world that shouts temporary News cycles flash with tragedy like the recent events that are happening all around us, how fragile life is. But amidst this reality, God offers an unshakable certainty. Heaven, and it's not a wish, it is our destiny. And we're not just longing for a better place. Listen to me. We're returning to our true home. Lord, we thank you for the promise of heaven. Help us to live daily with our eyes fixed on you. bearing our cross with patience, storing up treasures in heaven. May we always be ready for your return. And if there are any among us who do not know you, draw them tonight, this Sunday night, to salvation. Strengthen the weary, comfort the grieving, and revive the brokenhearted. And Lord, I pray, may we always be ready for your return. If there, as we get ready to go, I pray that you'll intervene on each and everyone's heart tonight. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name we pray. Amen.