Adrian Rogers: Anticipate the Hope of Heaven

When we know the Lord Jesus Christ, we experience the sweetest fellowship on Earth and can anticipate joy beyond comprehension when we all get to Heaven. In this message, Adrian Rogers shares the Christian’s dignity, destiny, and duty.

When Jesus comes and our eyes behold the king and the one who opened us.
The doors of grace will open to us. The doors of glory.
What a day that will be when our savior comes.
Our dignity, our dignity, we’re the sons and daughters of god.
Our destiny, we’re gonna be like Jesus.
Our duty, he that has this open him, purifies himself, even as he is pure.
ProFound Truth simply stated. This is love, word, finding with pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers.
Uh, would you take your bibles and find first John chapter 3 We’re making our way through this wonderful book of 1st John, this epistle, written by the beloved apostle, and, uh, we’re calling this Bible study, the sweetest fellow ship this side of heaven, but folks, we’re gonna move our fellowship right on up and right on over to heaven.
And not everybody, not everybody is enjoying life.
As a matter of fact, to borrow a phrase from another, many are living lives of quiet desperation, uh, crust of bread, a corner to sleep in, a minute to smile, and an hour to weep in, a pint of joy and a peck of trouble and never laugh.
But the moan comes double. And this is life, wrote 1. Not if you know Jesus.
Not if you know Jesus.
Friend to know Jesus is life eternal Jesus said, I’ve come that you might have life and have it abundantly.
I’m here to tell you that a rich man is poor without Jesus.
And a strong man is weak without Jesus.
And then an educated man is ignorant until he comes to know the lord Jesus Christ.
But if you don’t know Jesus, I mean, if you don’t have Christ, what hope have you?
But, oh, if you only know the lord Jesus Christ, You have the sweetest fellowship this side of heaven and then think of the fellowship when we all get to heaven.
1st John III verse 1, Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called.
Now, watch this, the sons of god.
Therefore, the world north us not because it knew him not. Beloved.
Now are we the sons of god?
And it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.
Now the three things I want you to think about today, I want you to think about the Christian dignity, and I want you to think about the Christian destiny and I want you to think about the Christian’s duty.
And they’re all right here, and so you can remember that.
Now first of all, we’re going to think about the Christian’s dignity, what we are. Look at this verse again.
Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god.
Therefore, the world, north us not, because it knew him not. You know this word, what manner?
What manner of of love the father hath bestowed upon us? And John says, look at that.
Be hold it. I mean, look at it. What manner of love. You know what that word literally means?
It is a Greek phrase, which means something from out of this world.
What manner, it literally means what other worldly kind of love?
What love, not from this planet, What indescribable unknown quality is this love.
Behold what matter of love.
It is out of this world that the father has to be stowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god.
Now I hope I hope that what caused John to say behold considered I pray that will grip your heart today.
Now, folks, listen. We are not just called sons of god.
We are sons and daughters of god. Now did that sink into you?
That may not sink into you, but friend, listen, If I am a child of god, I’m a royal blue blood.
I’m the child of the king. It’s called me Prince Adrian.
I am a child of the king.
And so are you I want you to turn to Hebrews, uh, chapter, uh, one with me, if you will, for just a minute, chapter 2, rather.
And it speaks of the lord Jesus Christ.
And look, if you went in verse 10, for it became him, for whom are all things.
And by whom are all things, that is everything was made for him and by him in bringing many sons into glory.
That’s us. Many sons to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings, For both he that sanctify it, the word sanctify it means to be set apart for for god.
For both he that sanctify it, that’s Jesus, and they who are sanctified are all of 1.
Now what that means in plain English is that Jesus is in me and I am in Christ, and we are one together.
And then look at this next phrase for which cause, now don’t miss this, He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the church, will I sing praise unto thee?
Hey. Are you ashamed of Jesus? He’s not ashamed of you.
He’s not ashamed to call you brother. He’s not ashamed to call you sister.
And he showed up here this morning.
And when we were singing about his name in the midst of the church, he is here singing with us.
He’s here, and we are sons of god.
Listen, the Bible says they are all of 1 in this passage in Hebrews.
That means we share the same nature. That means we are partakers of the divine nature.
That means I am a blood brother of Jesus Christ.
That’s a good place for an amen. I am a blood brother.
You are a blood brother of Jesus.
He has my nature because he took human nature I have his nature because I have been born of god, and we are sons, daughters of god, and Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us his brothers.
Hey, folks. Dear god open our hearts today to understand this.
If you could only understand, behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called.
The sons of god. Next of kin to the holy trinity.
Bled brothers with the lord Jesus Christ.
And because of that, because I’m a son of god, because Jesus Christ is my brother, I have my father’s care.
I’m not a beggar. My father’s obligated to take care of me. And he will.
That’s the reason worry is so pagan.
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 26, behold the files of the air.
They saw not neither do they gather into barns and yet your father feedeth them, your heavenly father feedeth them, Are you not much better than they?
You know what Jesus is saying? What farmer would feed his chickens and starve his children?
Now, friend, if god takes care of the birds of the air, come up here close, I’m gonna tell you something.
If you are a child of god, god is obligated to take care of you.
You say then why don’t I have more money in the bank?
You don’t need money in the bank if you’ve got god.
Once I was young, now I’m old, yet I’ve not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.
I wanna ask you a question, which did you rather have?
A warehouse full of bread or a father who owns a bakery? Listen.
That bread and warehouse can get stale. Nothing better than fresh bread. Give us today. Our daily bread.
If god feeds the fouls of the air. Don’t you think he’s gonna take care of you? Yes.
He is. You see, behold what manner of love the father told upon us that we should be called the sons of god.
Not only do you have the father’s care, but you have the father’s correction.
Why do you have trouble sometimes? Because god loves you.
Did you know that god sometimes engineers your trouble? Put this verse down.
Hebrews chapter 12 verses 5 through 7. And have you forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children?
My son despise not thou but chastening of the lord nor fate without it rebuked of him.
For whom the lord loveth, he chasteneth.
Every one of us had dads and moms say, son, daughter, I’m doing this because I love you.
I’ve often said my dad love me far more than you love my brother.
For whom the lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If he endured chastening, god deal with you as with sons.
For what son is he whom the father chasteth not?
Now that doesn’t mean god doesn’t love us when he chastens us It means that god does love us.
And then, you know, you have the fathers.
Not only do you have the father’s care and and the father’s correction, but you have the father’s compassion.
Oh, friend, I think of how I love my children.
I had a child one time that went through surgery, and I can remember taking that baby there and and handing the baby over to the doctor and thinking, oh god, if I could only take the place of that child, I would gladly do it that the child might not have to go through that.
As a father pith his children in the Bible says, so the lord pith them that that fear him.
Oh, he cares for you.
His heart is broken when your heart is broken, and therefore, it ought to be easy to talk with him.
You don’t talk with him as judge. He is judge, but for you, he’s he’s more than judge.
You don’t talk to him as ruler. He is ruler. You don’t talk to him as king. He is king.
But you talk to him as father.
God had sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying Abba father.
And you have the father’s companionship. I’m never alone. God is real to me.
I don’t say that braggingly, it would be strange if I could not say that.
I have I can be shut up along with him and he’s never too busy to talk with me.
Sometimes I get busy and, you know, the phone, there’s a there’s a certain tyranny of the telephone.
And the phone rings, and you don’t wanna answer it and you hate not to answer.
And sometimes when I will be just work will be piled up like this and the phone will ring.
I said, oh, but I pick it up And if on the other end, somebody says daddy, what do you want?
It it all the difference in the world. And if they say papa, friend, we’ll talk for hours.
Now listen, what is that? There is a relationship with almighty god. That is so wonderful.
This is what John is talking about. Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us.
That we should be called the sons of god. We have folks, his care.
We have his correction uh, we have his compassion. We have his companionship. He is our father.
Christ is our brother. He’s not ashamed to call us brother, we are a part of the family of god.
That’s wonderful.
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Now here’s the second thing because it gets better.
Not only do you see our dignity in what we are.
But now notice our destiny and what we will be. Now continue to read. Beloved.
Now are we the sons of god?
And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him What we shall see him as he is.
That is incredible. Now what John is telling us is, first of all, there’s some things we don’t know.
What are we gonna be like when we get to heaven? What are we gonna look like?
What age will it be? What will we eat? What? You don’t know. Don’t even try to answer those questions.
Pray and a four year old can ask questions nobody can answer except god.
So don’t don’t try to explain everything that we’re gonna be like in our resurrection body. I don’t know.
We have hints. We have clues.
There are some things we can’t be dogmatic about, but, friend, there’s something we can be bulldog magic about.
That is we’re gonna be like Jesus, and that’s good enough for me.
Now it does not yet appear what we should be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
Actually, there are three things, uh, that are are mentioned here that we can certainly know.
First of all, that Christ is going to appear. Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth.
Now he didn’t say if he shall appear, but when he shall appear, Christ is coming back to this earth.
Now the second thing we know, uh, that, uh, uh, we will see him as he is.
That’s what this verse says. Look at it.
Be beloved now are we the sons of god and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall see him.
Now watch this. Not as he was, but as he is.
Now as he was, that’s when he was here in his humanity, walking the dusty shores of Galilee.
That’s when we when he was here, wearing a crown of thorns, but we’re going to see him when he comes again.
Resplendment in his glory. No.
I referred to you that to to that prayer in John chapter 17 sometime just just sit back and read and read and reread and reread again, John chapter 17.
Because it concerns you, Jesus Christ is praying for you.
And and this is what he preys in John chapter 17 verse 5.
And now, oh father, glorifythou me with thine own self, with the glory, I had with you before the world began before god hurl this planet out into space.
Before god flung out the sun moon and stars.
Before god scooped out the oceans and heaped up the mountains.
And dotted the hillsides with flowers before god breathed and demands nostrils the breath of life.
The lord Jesus was there in the bosom of the father, glorified.
And he says, now, father, I’m getting ready to go back to that glory.
I came out of the Ivory palaces into this world of the now father.
It’s done. Gloryify me, father.
With the glory, that I had with you before the world began.
Now get ready for this. John 17 verse 24.
Here’s what Jesus prayed for Bob, for Adrian, for Jim, for David, for the choir and for you, father, I will, that they also, whom thou has given me, may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory.
That they may behold my glory. Number 1, he’s going to appear.
Number 2, we’re going to see him. And number 3, we’re going to be like him.
Look again in verse 2. When he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
And notice that he he links these 2 being like him and seeing him together.
Did you know if you were to see him right now, you would disintegrate?
I mean, you couldn’t bear it.
In your body right now without being transformed, you couldn’t you couldn’t look upon him.
Jesus dwells in such glory that you could not even begin to approach approach to it.
We have sent a man to the moon. Do you think we’ll ever send one to the sun?
No. No. Nobody can approach to the sun. I’m talking about the s u n.
Now the lord Jesus dwells in light that no man can approach unto.
Whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honor and power everlasting are men.
Do you know what this put this together?
That means we’ll have to be like him to see him as he is.
I mean, if if we were not made like him, Our eyes could not stand the sight, but we are going to be like him, and we’re gonna see him as he is.
Now you can ask me a lot of questions, but, folks, I wanna tell you three things, and you listen to me carefully.
Jesus is gonna appear we’re gonna see and we’re gonna be like him.
That’s the reason the psalmist said. I shall be satisfied when I awaken in thy likeness.
Adrian, what’s the resurrection body gonna be like? Adrian, what is heaven going to be like?
I can’t tell you, but I’ll tell you this much. You’ll be satisfied. You will like it.
I shall be satisfied when I awaken in thy likeness.
Now We have talked about our dignity and what we are, sons of god.
We have talked about our destiny what we shall be like him.
Now let’s get to the bottom line and talk about our duty.
What we should be, what we should be.
Now look at this verse 3, and every man that hath his hope in him purifyth himself even as he is pure.
Now what does that mean to us today?
You know, it’s one thing to talk about our dignity and our destiny, Note your things about time.
We talked a little bit about our duty.
Don’t you think we ought to say, what does this mean to me? What does this mean to you?
Every man that hath his hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.
Let me mention some things concerning the coming of the lord Jesus. That ought to be real in your life.
Number 1, you ought to be looking for his coming. You know what the word hope means?
The hope the word hope in the Bible means absolute certainty mingled with anticipation.
Sometimes my brother and I’d get in the fight in the backseat of the car, we’d be out for Sunday drive.
My dad say, when you get home, I’m gonna give you boys a licking.
That was certainty, but there was no anticipation. Uh, not not not glad anticipation.
Uh, you see, the the coming of Jesus is a divine certainty mingled with I can hardly wait for it to get here.
And you and I ought to be longing for his coming.
Now, not only should we be longing for it, but we ought to be living for his coming.
Now, notice this, again, verse 3, every man that hath this hope in him does what purifies himself.
Go back up to chapter 2 in verse 28, and now little children abide in him that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Folks, are you ready for Jesus to come today? I mean, I mean, really, is your heart pure?
Or is your heart headquarters for hate? Are you feeding a fever nursing a grudge?
Is there in your heart some vile habit? Is there in your cabinet?
Some beverage that ought not to be there.
Is there in your library, some filth? Think about it.
If you knew if you absolutely knew absolutely knew that Jesus Christ We’re coming back this afternoon.
Would you make some changes? Would you make some changes?
Then make them because you don’t know when he’s coming.
Every man that hath this hope in him purify themselves.
Even as he is pure, you’re to be longing for his coming.
You are to be living for his coming.
2nd Corinthians 71, having therefore these promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
Perfecting hopeless in the fear of god.
You know, it’s it’s wonderful to be able to pray and say nothing between my soul and the savior.
What you say, pastor Rogers, just so long as I get to heaven, they’ll be alright, even if I go 2nd class.
That’ll satisfy me.
Well, they won’t satisfy god, and it won’t satisfy you.
Do you know how I know I’m saved?
Do you know why I want to live a holy life?
Not because I’m afraid of what god will do to me if I don’t. I think I can illustrate that.
Some teenagers were out, and one of them suggested they do something they ought not to do.
And a godly girl in that crowd said, no. I don’t want to do that.
And one of them began to tease and said, oh, you’re afraid your daddy will hurt you, aren’t you?
She said, no, I’m afraid I’d hurt my daddy hurt my daddy. See, that’s the difference.
That’s the difference between law and love.
Every man that hath his hope in him every man that says I am a blood brother of the lord Jesus Christ.
Every person boy, girl, man, woman that sit that that says it.
It means it’s sown in very soon. I’m gonna see the king. They wanna be pure.
When the lord Jesus comes. We are to be looking for his coming.
We’re to be living for his coming, and we ought to be longing for his coming.
You know, when I was a youngster.
I used to hear preachers preach about the second coming of Jesus, And I thought, oh, what rotten luck?
I won’t even get to get married.
I won’t get to do all those things I wanna do.
My heart, my life’s gonna be cut short. Friend, listen.
The longer I live and the more I see, the more I understand that the best thing could happen to any of us in all of us is for Jesus Christ to come right now.
Right now. Don’t you worry?
You’re not gonna get you’re not gonna get left out if Jesus comes right now.
Don’t you worry about things coming, uh, somehow that you you missed out on something?
It is all gain for me to live as Christ and to die is gain.
If I die now or if Jesus comes now, I’m step stepping out.
I’m stepping up and and, folks, I long for the coming of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.