One eye on the cross, one eye on eternity

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Revelation 21:1-4)

As a preacher, I have benefited greatly from other preachers who find a way to bring every sermon back to the gospel of Jesus’ sacrificial death for us. These preachers are able to take the story of Joseph in Genesis, a Psalm, a Proverb, or any other Biblical passage, and skillfully show us our need for a Savior, and how Jesus provides what we truly need. Instead of preaching “should” sermons, where we are given an ever-growing list of work we need to do in order to please God, these preachers talk about the work Jesus has done for us, and how we stand righteous before God because of that work, free to follow God without fear of condemnation. These messages reinforce how deep God’s love is for us, how valuable we are in His sight, and how we are free from having to perform for anyone in order to earn that love and value.

But what I have found as I have grown older is how it is just as essential to focus on eternity. If we must keep one eye on the cross at all times, our other eye should be fixed on the life to come. Because when I focus on eternity, I am reminded that all my heart desires here on earth will one day be mine forever. The deep love I crave, the significance that comes from a meaningful occupation, the justice I wish would govern this world, the community I long to be a part of, the decay and death that I wish would stop bringing sorrow into my life, the rest, the joy, the peace – all of it will be mine forever when I am with Christ and my brothers and sisters in the new heavens and new earth, where death and evil will be no more, where I truly will experience life to the fullest.

The cross teaches me that I am loved and valuable. It tells me that my guilt, my shame, my sins, have been taken away by Jesus. The cross shows me how to love and show grace to others. It frees me from looking to anything in this world to find my self-worth. But the promise of eternity gives me hope. It helps me to be content (but not complacent) with my situation in life. It helps me to not frantically search for the perfect spouse, the perfect community, the perfect job, the perfect safe place where the evils of this world will not touch me. It reminds me that all those things will be mine forever, and so I can serve God where He has me, with what He has given me.

The world teaches us that we only have one life to live, so grab what you can while you are still able. But God’s Word teaches us that this life is passing away, and that the life we will live after we die is actually the life that will endure forever. And so, let us live for eternal life, storing up treasures in heaven as we serve Him and love others in the situation in which He has called us to live, in the family He has placed us in, in the occupation He has given to us, and in the community of which we are a part.