LOOK UP!

Future!

(Part4)

Psalm 121

¹I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? ²           My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Def. Perspective. - A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

Synonyms: outlook, view, viewpoint, standpoint, position, stand, stance, angle, slant, attitude, the frame of mind, frame of reference, approach, a way of looking, interpretation.

Perspective Changes Your Outlook.

Proverbs 23:7

⁷ For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…

I.                   WHAT IS A VERTICAL PERSPECTIVE

When our attitude or point of view, the frame of mind or reference is derived from what is on God’s mind rather than what we see, thing, feel or wish.

Looking at your future through God’s eyes is the path to unbelievable peace and contentment

II.                FOCUS ON FACT HE HOLDS YOUR FUTURE

Psalm 31:14-15

¹⁴ But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” ¹⁵ My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. NLT

Jerimiah  29:11

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (expected end KJV)

Philippians 1:6

⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 19:20-21

²⁰ Get all the advice and instruction you can so you will be wise the rest of your life.  ²¹ You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

James 4:13-17

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

III.             FOCUS ON YOUR ACTUAL FUTURE

2 Corinthians 4:17-18   

¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things, which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things, which are, seen are temporary, but the things, which are not seen, are eternal.

1.     An Eternal Perspective Produces Endurance

Hebrews 10:34-35

³⁴ For you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. ³⁵ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

2.     Faithfulness unto Death

Revelations 2:10

¹⁰ Do not fear any of those things, which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

3.     Perspective on Current Problems

Romans 8:18

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us.

IV.             YOUR FUTURE

1.     You will serve God till you see His face

2.     Death

Hebrews 9:27

²⁷ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

3.     Second Coming

Acts 1:10-11

¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

4.     Rapture

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

⁵⁰ Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh, and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

¹⁶ 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: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

5.     Resurrected Bodies

Daniel 12:2-3

2Those who sleep in the dust [physical death] of the earth shall awake [resurrection]… 3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament…like the stars forever and ever.

Matthew 13:43

43The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

6.     Battle of Armageddon

Joel 3:2

² I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.

Psalm 2:1-9

¹ Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ³ “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.” ⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. ⁵    Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: ⁶ “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” ⁷ “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to me, ‘you are My Son, Today I have begotten you. ⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for your possession. ⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

7.     Satan Bound 1000 years

Revelations 20:1-3

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ² He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

8.     Millennial Reign of Jesus

Daniel 2:44

⁴⁴ And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

9.     Jesus taking over Government of the Earth

Jesus, as King of Kings, will personally govern a worldwide Kingdom from Jerusalem in partnership with resurrected saints, establishing a biblically based social order (Mt. 19:28; 20:21-23; 25:23; Lk. 19:17-19; 22:29-30; Rom. 8:17; 1 Cor. 6:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21; 5:10; 20:4-6; 22:5). The saints’ roles in the Millennium are as priests (intercessory worship) and kings (ruling). As kings, the saints will rule with a rod of iron and will conduct war tribunals, judge, and administrate punishments on sinners. The rod of severity against sin will be used by Jesus with His saints (Ps. 2:9; Isa. 11:4; 24:23, 32:1; Jer. 30:21; Ezek. 45:8-9; Mt. 19:28; Rev. 2:27; 19:15; 12:5).

10.                       Post Millennial Reign Testing

Revelations 20:7-9

⁷ Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ⁹ They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11.                       New Heaven and New Earth 

1 Chr. 23:25; Ps. 37:29; 78:69; 104:5; 105:10-11; 125:1-2; 28:8; Isa. 60:21; Ezek. 37:25; Joel 3:20).

Revelations 21:1-4

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”