1 Peter 4:1+2, Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  
	We are very much in the midst of our deliberation of heaven. We have emphasized over and over again that Jesus Christ is central to heaven, to any consideration of heaven. In heaven, God’s glory will be fully expressed and that glory will be manifested in His Son. We will see Him face to face and dwell on Him in all His glory for all of eternity. He will be the endless focal point of praise and worship from all of creation, and we will be partakers of it by the fact of our union with Him. This will be heaven, and it is something that we can appreciate even now, at this time. Heaven is Christ Jesus, and as He is the focal point of our entire life, so will we experience heaven even on this earth at this time. Last week, we were challenged with the question of how much does heaven really mean to us? How much does Christ Jesus mean in His every facet within our lives on this earth?
	This morning, let us take this a further step, because this is a reality that definitely pertains to the lives that we live on this earth. There is a realization that needs to fill our thoughts of heaven. It is expressed by the Apostle Paul in Rom 8:18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. The Amplified gives us a better understanding, a richer explanation of what will happen to us in heaven. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us! This is the concept of heaven around which we need to wrap our minds. 
	Quote, The glory will be revealed ‘in us’, in you and me and in every one of the people of God. The revelation of glory in heaven will be more extensive than that to be seen in God the Father, Son and Spirit. Believers, redeemed humans, will also be exceeding glorious. It will be God’s glory, of course, not ours. He will confer it upon us and we will merely reflect it. It will not be to our credit in any way. Still, it will be in us that His glory will be revealed. End quote.
	As we are told by the Apostle John, in 1 John 3:2, Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. We do not fully understand this, nor can we absolutely comprehend the magnitude of this truth, but we know, deep in the very core of our hearts and beings that we will be like Him. God will work so fully in us, that when we see Jesus as He is, we will be like Him, perfect and holy and complete and glorified. This is what heaven holds in store for you and me, Christ-likeness for our souls and bodies. 
	Be very, very, very clear on this point. We will not be Christ. We will not be little Jesus’, little gods unto ourselves in any fashion. Everything will be singly centered in Him, Alone. All that we are will be of, in, and through Him. But we will be transformed, changed, as we are told in 1 Cor 15:49-53. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. Heaven means an end to the corruption of this mortal being. It is the fullness of Christ’s redemption, perfection, sanctification, and glorification. Of this, we need to more and more concern ourselves in our thoughts and actions and attitudes especially now. This is an outcome of our intimate, personal communion with Christ now, as He reveals Himself to us in a personal and living manner. This is the reason that our time of prayer and scripture reading and seeking after Him in a quiet devotion is so key.
	As we read in Heb 12:22-24, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. We read of the spirits of righteous men made perfect, made perfect by God, in His immediate presence. It is obvious that there will be a transformation in our lives in heaven in order for us to be in the immediate presence of the God of Holiness and Righteousness. After all, as we are told in Rev 21:27, and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. We must be sanctified for we know that without sanctification …no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14).
	Quote, The transformation takes place at death, when the soul of the believer goes to be with Christ.
	This is an exhilarating truth. God’s purpose for His people is ‘that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Eph. 1:4), and so, as our souls are about to enter His presence, they are purified completely, cleansed from every trace of sin. That is why we are told of the martyrs that ‘a white robe was given to each of them’ (Rev. 6:11) The white robe is a sign of their sinlessness. They ‘washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ (Rev. 7:14).
	When we die, our souls will be made perfect in holiness. End quote.
	Think of it. No more sin! What a wonderful reality! What a glorious change into which we are brought by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we enter into heaven, no more will we be cursed with a nature that is saturated with sinfulness. No longer will there be a war raging within us between that which we want to do in our old nature and that which we know we should do in our new, heavenly nature. The battle will be done, once for all. No more sin! 
	That with which we so struggle on this earth, as we read in Romans Chapter 7, will no longer be an issue. Verses 14-24, For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am…  
	As we are told by the Apostle John in 1 John 1:8, If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. We try to delude ourselves on this earth with our goodness and our purity. We try to present the best picture of who we are to others, but inside, we know that we are sinners. We know that we fight a constant battle between what pleases God and what pleases ourselves. In this life, we are continuously and relentlessly facing the truth of our sin and the corruption that infests our hearts and minds. Even when it comes to our spiritual life, we find ourselves facing the truth of our sinfulness.
	Quote, Nor are we any better when dealing with the holiest things. We read the Bible and are unmoved by its heart-melting truth. We pray for the lost, because that is our Christian duty, but in reality we care little about them. We pretend to worship the Lord while our minds are on other things, so that, a moment after praising God, we can hardly remember what words we were singing. We are jealous of other Christians. Instead of rejoicing at the graces and the gifts God has given them, we are envious and try to tear our brothers and sisters down. Preachers, privileged to proclaim the gospel of salvation, can in the very act of preaching be congratulating themselves on the competent performance. Outwardly we are setting forth the Saviour, but inwardly we are busy grooming our rotten little egos.
	It is vile! When we think of it, we are ashamed and hate ourselves. We know that we have been forgiven in Christ. We rejoice in the assurance that His blood keeps on cleansing us from all sin. But there is a wound in our hearts that does not heal, an ache in our daily experience that does not cease to throb. With Paul, each one of us must admit that ‘evil is present with me’. ‘For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. I go mourning all the day long. I groan because of the turmoil of my heart’ (Psa. 38:4-8). End quote.
	We must admit to ourselves and to God that this is true of us, until heaven. In heaven, no more sin. As we encourage ourselves, often daily with the Word of God in Rom 8:28-30. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. … For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.
What a tremendous truth of heaven! He is working in our lives, even today, to bring us closer and closer to heaven. He is actively manifesting Himself and His sovereignty today. Let us never forget that or lose heart in our daily struggles on this earth. But, in heaven, we will be perfectly conformed to the image of His Son. No more sin. No more struggle. No more anguish. No more slavery to the lusts of these sinful bodies. We will be conformed to the image of His Son. 
	We will be forever free from sin. Our hearts will be able to worship God perfectly and sinlessly. We will be able to pray in the purity of the Holy Spirit and to give faultless worship unto God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There will be no ulterior motives, no measurements of our righteous against another. We will stand before the very presence of God and bask in the holiness and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Consider, for the briefest moment, the absolute lack of struggle with sin. That will give us a glimpse of the gloriousness of the heaven that awaits those who are now in Christ Jesus. What freedom and peace and joy will be ours in Him! 	
	This is the fulfillment of the promise of God to Moses. Ex 33:14 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." And as He spoke to David in 2 Sam 7:10+11. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies…
 	The Prophet Isaiah looked forward to this reality as recorded in Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return, And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. These are all glimpses of the reality that is ours in heaven.
	As we are told by Our Lord, Himself, in Matt 11:28-30, At that time Jesus answered and said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." 
	The joy of heaven for our souls is freedom from sin. That is our heritage in Christ Jesus. Yes, we get a foretaste of it here, as we obey His Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But it is still an intense struggle of not my will, but thine be done. We do learn to live lives that are more and more pleasing unto God. We taste the joy of heaven as we obey Him today. We close with the reality of heaven, as recorded in Rev 21:3-7. Here we see the end of all our struggle and strife in the revealed person of Jesus Christ. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. …He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away… There will be no more sin! 
	Again I ask before God, how much does heaven mean to you and to me? What true value does Jesus Christ have in our lives today? 
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Amen.

This morning’s benediction reading is Ps 145:1-13. I will extol Thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day I will bless Thee, And I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; And I will tell of Thy greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, And shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord, And Thy godly ones shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, And talk of Thy power; To make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Thy dominion endures throughout all generations. Amen.