Living in the Light of Eternity

From the "Not in Heaven" sermon series

Living as Citizens of Heaven

Last week, we began our new series entitled "Not in Heaven," where Phil brought a wonderful introduction, reminding us of what, and more importantly, who is in heaven. Our Redeemer Jesus, the one that our hearts adore. One day we're going to see him in all his beauty and glory and splendour. And we think it's good now, but you wait till then.

This series isn't about "pie in the sky when we die." This is about how eternity, how heaven affects our reality here on earth. It's a call to us as believers to live in the light of eternity. Our eternity is meant to impact how we live on earth, the choices we make, the decisions and actions we take.

Living in the light of eternity means making our decisions and living our lives with the understanding that our lives on earth are only temporary. This is just a moment in the span of eternity. We're just passing through.

Second Corinthians Chapter 5, verse 1 reminds us that when this tent is taken down, speaking about our bodies, we have an eternal home in the heavens. Some of our tents are getting worn out, getting moth-bitten. Those tents will one day be taken down, but then we will get a new permanent home, one not made by hands, but made in the heavens.

This earth is not our home. We're reminded in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20 that our citizenship is in heaven. We may live on this earth, but we are called to live not as citizens of earth, but as citizens of heaven. We live with different values, different ideals, in a different way.

The Focus: Things We Cannot Do in Heaven

Living in the light of eternity involves recognising the value of the spiritual and the eternal over the temporary, over the worldly things, over the fleeting pleasures of our lives. It's about priorities—what really matters, what should we be doing here as we journey through life now.

This series came about through the realisation that there are things we will not be able to do in heaven that we are meant to do here on earth. Over the next few weeks, we're going to talk about some of those things, and I trust that as we do, we might be further inspired to do those things now while we're on this earth, while we can.

In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15, we read these words: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that openly profess his name."

I want you to note those words: "Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise." That's our focus today.

A Revelation from Loss

At the beginning of April, I had a seven-day holiday. One of the things I decided to do was listen to some preachers who had lost loved ones. One of them was Bill Johnson, whose wife Benny died of cancer in July 2022. I particularly listened to the very first sermon he preached on his first Sunday back in the church following her death.

I don't know who I am to criticize his sermon, but that particular sermon seemed all over the place. There wasn't one particular theme. But there was one thing in that sermon that really impacted me. Bill Johnson said these words: "We as believers will be praising God for all eternity, but a sacrifice of praise is something we will only have the chance to give him here on earth."

It really touched me and impacted me. Offering a sacrifice of praise is one of those things that we will not be able to do in heaven that we need to do here.

Why We Cannot Offer Sacrifice of Praise in Heaven

The reason we will not be able to offer a sacrifice of praise in heaven is because in heaven there will be no more pain, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more sorrow, no more grief, no more hurt, no more disappointment. There'll be no more storms, no more trials, no more troubles, no more tragedies in heaven. It will be perfect. It's going to be glorious and wonderful. Every tear will be wiped away. There's going to be no crying; we're having lots of tears down here, but there'll be no more tears in heaven.

As we journey through life, we all face those things that we won't see in heaven. People in this room this morning are dealing with pain and sickness and suffering and sadness and sorrow and grief and hurt and heartache and disappointment. People who are in the middle of storms, in the middle of trials and troubles and tragedy, this is the stuff of life.

As I look around the room, I see people who are in it. I see people who've been in it. I also see people who one day will be in it. If everything is nice for you at the moment, get ready, because it's not going to stay nice. I'm not being a prophet of doom; I just want to talk reality.

The Reality of Trouble

As believers, we are not exempt from the stuff of life. Pain and loss and disappointment are unavoidable in this life. Jesus never promised us that there'd only be sunshine. In fact, he said the opposite. He said to his disciples: "In this world, you will have trouble."

Some of the other translations put it like this: there will be difficulties, there will be suffering, there will be affliction, there will be distress. Jesus said this is what life will be like.

There are some people who seem to have more than their fair share of trouble and difficulty and suffering and affliction and distress. We have very little control over what happens to us in life. But as I've said many times in this house, though we have little control over what happens to us in life, we do have control over our response to what happens to us in life.

How we respond in the troubles, in the tragedy, in the difficulty, in the problems, in the pain can make a big difference to our onward journey. It really can.

Examples of Sacrifice All Around Us

I look around this house and I see so many people who have modelled what I'm going to be talking about today. I've watched them. I am aware of so many who have modelled what I'm talking about today, who have set an example for those coming behind, myself included, to follow.

In the band today, there are four people who are going through the stuff of life. You would not know it to look at them. They have sung, they have clapped, they have danced, they've lifted their hands, they've smiled, but they're going through stuff. Sometimes a smile hides a lot, and some of us are expert smilers. If only people knew—but never mind, if only people knew, God knows. And that's the greatest thing. God knows.

The Tale of Two Responses: Job and His Wife

Thinking about a right response, my mind immediately went to Job. Job's life was turned upside down through a series of tragic events. For poor old Job, it was one thing after another. I'm sure Job must have thought, "Surely it can't get any worse" How many of us have thought exactly the same, only to discover that it can. And it does. Oh yes, it can.

But we see two responses in that story. First, the response of Job's wife in Job Chapter 2, verse 9. Job's wife responded to the very same situation that Job was responding to. They both faced the same things, and she said: "Curse God and die."

However, Job had a very different response. Job 1:21: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

What a difference in response; a stark contrast. Job's response in the midst of all the tragedy and the trouble, in all the hurt and pain and grief and loss, was one of praise: "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

"He has given and he has taken away, and I bless him. I'm not just going to bless him when he's given; I'm going to bless him in everything that I've lost." In the horrendousness of this situation, he praised God. In the pain, he praised God. In the sadness, he praised God. In the loss, in the confusion, in the uncertainty, and in doing so, he gave us an example to follow.

The wonderful thing about Job's response—Job's choice to bring the Lord a sacrifice of praise in the midst of all his pain—saw things turn for Job. As the story goes on, Job thrived and prospered and flourished. What was taken from him was returned to him double fold.

Sometimes when you're in those places of hurt and pain, you can never imagine that is going to be the case. There are people here today who can't imagine looking to a future that is different. I want to tell you: in Jesus, there is a future that is different, and that which has been taken shall be restored in the name of Jesus. He's a good God. "The Lord gave, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Learning What Sacrifice Really Means

As a teenager in the mid-80s, I vividly remember singing one of the early praise songs that had been released: "We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord, we bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord, and we offer up to you the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and we offer up to you the sacrifices of joy."

I sang that song loudly—I've never done anything quietly in my whole life. I sang that song loudly with great gusto, with great enthusiasm, much clapping of hands, much jigging of my body, like I've always done. I want to tell you, I was sincere in what I was singing. But whilst I was sincere, I had no idea what I was singing.

I had no idea at that time in my life of what a sacrifice of praise really was. I had no idea what it looked like, what it felt like, what it smelled like. No idea whatsoever.

But now, 40+ years on, and that may come as a shock to many of you, like many of you in this room, I now know what a sacrifice of praise looks like and feels like. Do you know? There are so many people here who really do know what it is to bring a sacrifice of praise.

Witnessing Sacrifice in Action

In the 18 years that I have been here, first of July is my anniversary—I have watched people in this house go through hardship and trials and tragedies. Horrendous things have happened. And I've watched them bring a sacrifice of praise. I've watched them show up. I've watched them stand up. I've watched them sing up and speak up. I've watched them lift their hands. I've watched them worship the Lord. I've watched them walk with him. And I want to say, it's been absolutely amazing.

You know what it is to bring a sacrifice of praise. You have praised him in your pain. You have praised him in your storm. You've praised him in your sadness. You've praised him in your heartache. You've praised him in your hurt, and you continue to do so.

I applaud you. What incredible people—people who have set an example. I think of some of our older members, many of whom are not in the room but are watching online. You set me an example. You showed me how to do it. And I thank God for you.

When Praise Becomes Costly

It's easy to praise God when everything's going well. Really is. But when it's dark and when it's difficult and when you're hurting, it's a different matter, isn't it? It's a different matter. But you know what? That's when it counts. That's when it matters the most.

Please forgive me. I am going to share a little bit of my recent journey. I don't say this for sympathy. It's not about therapy. I just want to be transparent. I want to be real. And I think it applies very much to what we're saying today.

Many of you will know that the last five years have been the hardest, most challenging, most difficult years of my life.

In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 8, the Apostle Paul spoke of where he was at in life. He spoke of being hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. The apostle was going through a hard time, trial and trouble and difficulty. It was hard.

I'm not likening myself to the Apostle Paul in being persecuted and struck down, but please bear with me in this. For the Apostle Paul, that was only part of the story. And for many of us, the hardship is only part of the story. There's another side to the story.

The Apostle wrote these words: "We are hard pressed on every side, but we're not crushed. We are perplexed, but we're not in despair. We are persecuted, but we're not abandoned, because the Lord is with us. We are struck down, but we are not destroyed."

There's another side to the story, and we thank the Lord for that.

Light in the Darkness

In the darkness, there is a light. In the storm, there is a peace. In the sadness, there is a comfort. And in the sorrow, there's a joy. There's always another side to the story, but let's be real. The dark gets very dark at times. The storm gets very rough at times. And the sadness and the sorrow can be really overwhelming.

Just over five years ago, at the start of this season of our lives in this journey, Jill and I decided that no matter what, we were going to praise the Lord. However bad it got, we would praise him.

And we did, and we still are. She's up there, I'm down here. She's praising, I'm still praising. We're doing that. But there were times when that praise came easy. It was easy—it was the easiest thing in the world to give him praise. There were other times when it cost. It really cost.

The Cost of Sacrifice

David the Psalmist in 2nd Samuel 24:24 said these words when he was wanting to buy the threshing floor of a ruler: "I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that cost me nothing."

Look at that phrase: "I can't offer God a sacrifice that cost me nothing." If I'm going to give God a sacrifice, then it needs to cost me. There's cost involved.

For a little while, we've been singing a song that contains the words "bless God with a praise that costs me."

Praise doesn't always cost us. It doesn't. When all is well, when everything is good, when the sun is shining and God is blessing, and my prayers are being answered and everything is wonderful, praise comes very easily and there's no real cost because it just bubbles up from inside our hearts and it's easy to offer him the praise that he really deserves.

But it's a different matter when the storm comes, when the sickness comes, when the sorrow comes. It's a different matter. And that is when it costs us. It costs us to praise him in the storm. It costs us to praise him in the sickness. It costs us to praise him in the sadness and sorrow. And many of you know what it is to pay the cost. I'm not alone in this. You have done it.

Personal Testimony of Costly Praise

I remember times when Jill and I were sat on the front row. There were times where it was dark, it was difficult. In fact, it was getting even darker and even more difficult. And yet we still lifted our hands. We still sang. We still shouted. We still danced. We still did what we had done when everything was wonderful and everything was great. But this time it was different because this time we were bringing a sacrifice of praise that cost us.

We had to push through the pain. We had to push through the disappointment. We had to push through the not being able to understand, the not having all the answers to the questions. We had to push through the sadness and the sorrow and the grief.

In the last six months, still sat at the front, there have been many times where I have stood here with a very real pain of loss in my heart. Let me say, pain in our hearts doesn't just come about because we've lost someone we love. Some of you are carrying pain in your hearts for all sorts of reasons.

There was pain, but there were tears. And I tried to sing some of the songs that have been on the screen—some of these words that I know are true, but perhaps don't feel. And in those moments, I brought a sacrifice of praise. "Lord, I'm going to praise you. I may not feel like it. I may not really get what those words are saying, but I'm going to praise you," and those hands go up.

I brought an offering that cost me. One of the songs that impacts me every time I sing it has been ever so meaningful: "So I'll throw up my hands and praise you again and again, cause all that I have is a hallelujah."

Sometimes that's all you've got, and I've stood there, and that's all I've had—a hallelujah. I haven't had much else but a hallelujah. And I know it's not much, but I've nothing else fit for a king, except for a heart that says hallelujah.

Sometimes that's all you've got, and you say to the Lord, "Lord, it's not much, but it's what I've got."

God Honors Our Sacrifices

You remember the lady who came to the temple? People were putting in bagloads of money, and she just had those two little coins. "I know it's not much, but it's all I've got."

God doesn't ignore our sacrifices. He sees and he knows what it costs to bring it. Jesus spotted that woman. He knew all the others were giving out of what they had. She gave everything. He knew what this cost.

When we come with our sacrifices, God is not only honoured in and by the sacrifice that we bring, but God honours the sacrifice that we bring. When we come with our sacrifices of praise, he is honoured, but he honours the sacrifice. He honours the ones who bring the sacrifice.

Paul and Silas: Praise in Prison

I cannot help but think about Paul and Silas in Acts Chapter 16. They have been stripped, they have been beaten, they've been flogged, they've been placed in the inner cell with their feet in the stocks. And in the darkness, in their pain, in their confusion, they offered a sacrifice of praise.

They praised him in the prison. They praised him in their pain. And the Bible shows us and tells us that God met them. He met them in the prison. He met them in their pain. He met them in that place of darkness.

I am just so glad that God still meets his people in the place of sacrifice. When we're in the dark, when it is painful, when our feet are in the stocks, when we're hurting, God meets us in that place of sacrifice.

The Place of Divine Exchange

The place of sacrifice is not just a place of divine connection, but it's a place of divine exchange. Something happens in the place of sacrifice. The place of sacrifice is a place where the broken can be made whole, where the grieving are comforted, where the weak are made strong.

Something happens. I've stood here like many of you—I'm not alone in this—and I brought a sacrifice, and God has comforted, God has encouraged, God has blessed, God has met me in those moments as he has so many of you. We thank God for that.

A Decision, Not a Feeling

Finally, I want to say this: a sacrifice of praise is not about a feeling. We don't always feel like it. Sometimes it's the last thing we want to do. "I don't feel like it, Lord, I don't feel like it."

A sacrifice of praise is not about a feeling. A sacrifice of praise is a decision. It's an act of the will. It's a choice we make.

In Habakkuk Chapter 3 and verse 17 and 18, we read these words: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls"—it's rough, that was rough. What on earth is going on? That was rough.

When it's rough like that, we read these words: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will be joyful in God my Saviour."

Let me read it to you from The Message: "Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to the Lord."

It can be as bad as it can possibly get, but yet I'm going to praise him. I am going to sing joyful praise to my God. I'm going to bring him that sacrifice of praise. I'm going to praise him in eternity forever, but down here, I'm going to bring him a sacrifice of praise. We only have the chance to do it down here.

A Call to Continue

Many of you have done it. I want to say to you: keep on doing it. Keep on doing it. And if you were like me when I was a teenager singing "I'll bring a sacrifice" without having a clue what a sacrifice was, when the time comes for you to bring it, I pray that you'll bring it and that God will meet you in that place of sacrifice and that he will minister to you.

Today, we are going to bring a sacrifice of praise. We're going to bring him a sacrifice, and there are people in this room where for you to sing some of these songs, it really is a sacrifice. But I believe this: as you bring that sacrifice, God is going to meet you in that moment.

There is an impartation, there is a strengthening, there is a comfort, there's a hope, there's a peace, there's a joy. Something is going to happen.

He Remains the Same

I want to close with the words of a song that was written by Lara Martin: "You are the voice of hope." It says, "And through the storm, I'm gonna praise you. Despite it all, I'm gonna sing. Through good and bad, I'm gonna worship."

Why? Because you remain the same. King of kings, he is who he's always been, who he will forever be. He's good, he's faithful, he's sovereign.

We recognise that you deserve the highest praise, mindful that in eternity, we will be praising you forever and ever and ever in perfect conditions. But Lord, while we live here in these imperfect conditions, would you help us to truly praise you? Help us bring to you that sacrifice, that offering of praise that you rightfully deserve.

As we sing your praise, as we push through pain, as we push through the sadness, as we push through the hurt and the disappointment and the heartache, may this be a divine moment. In the name of Jesus.

This blog is based on a sermon delivered by Pastor Michael Williams on June 29, 2025 at the City Church Swansea