Heb 12:27-29 And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. 
	We are in the initial stages of our consideration of heaven. As we have seen, heaven and all of creation was created for God’s glory. We looked at the fact that, on the earth, the glory of God was diminished. However, it has never been tarnished in heaven. God’s glory shines brilliantly and brightly and will forever shine vibrantly in heaven. The earth, and all its inhabitants needed to be redeemed, and have God’s glory restored. But that is never the case with heaven. It is from heaven that God’s glory came back to earth in Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that God’s glory is restored throughout all of creation. The whole of the Bible record is, in fact, the story of the restoration of God’s glory. Heaven was created for God’s glory and is the place where His glory is fully revealed. It is the dwelling place of God, His home, the place where His nature and character are perfectly reflected.
	This brings us to the perspective that heaven should have within the life of His church, within you and me, as we are included in the restoration of God’s glory through Jesus Christ. There is a reason that heaven is revealed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. It has direct bearing on our lives now on this earth. The caution, however, is that we need to have the proper perspective of what heaven entails. It is not created for you and me. It is created for God. It works in our lives for His glory, Alone. Quote, What we have said so far should serve to remind us that heaven does not exist primarily for our sake. Its main purpose is not to make us happy, to offer us a selection of pleasures, or to provide for us an eternity of well-being. It will do all these things, as we shall see; but that is not why God created heaven and it is not why He will bring heaven to its glorious consummation at the return of Christ. Heaven exists for God’s own glory.
	It is essential that this be absolutely clear before we move on. If it is not, our whole concept of heaven will be poisoned by self-centeredness. We will have a degraded perspective, interested in heaven only for what we hope to get out of it. And that is profoundly wrong. End Quote.  
	Consider that, in the Bible, God and heaven are sometimes interchangeable. Christ, Himself, relates this in Luke 15:21, as He is telling the parable of the prodigal son. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' The son means that he has sinned against his father and against God. Daniel warns Nebuchadnezzar that it is God that rules and overrules in the affairs of man, and that he must not vaunt himself above God, Dan 4:26 …your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. It is God Who rules. 
Throughout His Gospel, Matthew uses the terminology kingdom of heaven, referring to the kingdom of God. John the Baptist, in Matt 3:2 cries out, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", meaning the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is recorded many, many times in this manner as is evident in the following examples: Matt 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And verse 10, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And in Matt 10:7, "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' All of these, and many other references, are declaring the kingdom of God. 
	Quote, Heaven exists for God and apart from God it has no meaning. We must never, not for one moment, think of heaven apart from Him. We will be sane and safe and biblical in our studies only if right at the forefront of our thinking is this concept: heaven is for God and His glory. End quote.
	One reason that this is an important recognition is for the very basis of why we are spending our time on this Biblical doctrine. If we are eager to hear about heaven and to listen to the teachings for what we can get out of it, we are at a sorry state of spiritual awareness. We must study heaven for the sake of God’s glory alone. His glory is the reason for which God created the heavens and the earth. It is the greatest reality there is. If we are not interested in His glory, our entire focus of life is skewed and we need to seek after God to expose our selfishness and our lack of true knowledge of His heart. God’s glory is the only purpose of life in Christ. 
It is in Christ that His glory shines forth with unadulterated brilliance. We need to be single-heartedly searching for His glory to be the central concern of our walk on this earth. Just as with heaven, we are created for His glory. Rom 9:22-26 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea, "I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,' And her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'" "And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ' you are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." 
As heaven operates within us, our lives are to reflect the glory of God. 1 Chron 16:23+24, Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. Ps 148:13+14, Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord! Isa 44:23-28, Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the Lord has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone, Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back, And turning their knowledge into foolishness, Confirming the word of His servant, And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem,' She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah,' They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again. "It is I who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers dry. "It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'" And Isa 60:1-5, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. "For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you. "And nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes round about, and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. "Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. 
	The heavenly glory of God should transform us as it did Isaiah, when he beheld the Lord, in a passage that is very familiar to those who have undertaken the Truth Project. When we behold the glory of God face to face, there should be three things that happen in our lives. First, we should see ourselves for who we are. Second, there should be a true vision of our culture. And third, there should be a change within us to the point of service unto God for the sake of His glory in all our spheres of influence. Isa 6:1-8, In the year of King, Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven." Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 
	Quote, If you are a believer, does thinking of God’s glory not thrill you? Does it not fill you with delight to reflect that at this very moment there is a place where His glory is shining perfectly, uninterruptedly, without shadow or blemish? Soldiers have described how, amid the horrors of war, they were comforted by thoughts of home – a place of peace and happiness where their loved ones were safe. To know that home existed, secure and inviolate, strengthened them for the battle. In the same way, we can pause in the struggles and disappointments of life and praise God that somewhere, even now, heaven is a reality. End quote. Phil 3:20+21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. 
	Heaven comes down to restore God’s glory as it works in our lives. There should be a correspondence within us that rejoices in the glory of God manifested in the light of heaven, Jesus Christ. Ps 72:17-19, May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen. Ps 113:4-9, The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust, And lifts the needy from the ash heap, To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord! 
	And the glory of God is the advance installment of heaven. It is here, now, in the person of Jesus Christ, Who lives in our hearts. It is here, now, in the power of the Holy Spirit as He indwells us and gives us the guidance and the spiritual insight to see God’s glory in the midst of every situation and circumstance. Eph 1:13+14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation —  having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. Heaven is at work now, as we are empowered to obedience and are changed into conformity to Christ, which will fully bring increasingly more and more glory to God in our lives. 
Please remember that God’s glory is seen in the most strange and dreadful places. It is seen in hospital beds, and in the faces of dying believers. It is seen in the fiery trials and tribulations. It is seen in the martyrdom of God’s faithful servants, and in the endurance of widows and orphans. God’s glory manifests its heavenly self in the suffering and in the anguish and in the heart-break as fully as it is seen in the praise and the worship and the joy. 1 Peter 4:12-16 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. 
	Consider the very death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In that travesty of earthly justice, God’s glory was fully manifested at Calvary. John 12:23-28 And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 
After His resurrection, He reminded the disciples of this in Luke 24:25+26. And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 
	Our Lord showed this course of God’s glory in the foretelling of the Apostle Peter’s death, as recorded in John 21:19. Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" 
Every aspect of the believer’s life is to be to the glory of God. There is no exception, no variance, no alternative. Heaven produces in us God’s Glory today. 1 Cor 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 
The Glory of God is seen in the day to day struggles of the faithful Christian trying to obey the guidance of the Word of God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is through each of those glories, step by step, moment by moment, and day by day that heaven is seen in the lives of the believer. 2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. Quote, We can show heaven where we work, in our homes, or as we sit and worship with our families. We can show heaven by Christ-likeness and patience, honesty and meekness. ‘Grace is glory begun’ and, wherever grace is seen, God’s glory is seen and there is heaven. End quote.
Thus we conclude this morning with Eph 3:14-21. For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. 

This morning’s benediction reading is Jude 24+25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.