God's Holy People (April 26, 2026)

One of the greatest things about being a part of a group is benefits and being a Christian is no different. We talk often about bad things that happen in this world, bad things that is going to happen prior to the rapture, but let’s talk for a moment about the blessings of God’s Holy People:

•     Our birth is heavenly

•     This new birth is not by blood. The idea is that heritage—being born of a particular family, race, nation or people—is of no value in becoming a child of God. Blood is not what causes the new birth.

•     This new birth is not by the will of the flesh. The idea is that a person is not spiritually born again by wanting and willing to become a child of God as a person wills to have an earthly child.

•     This new birth is not by the will of man. The idea is that even man (the husband, the stronger member, the one who is usually the leader) cannot bring about the spiritual birth of others. No man, no matter who he is - husband or world leader - can cause or make a person a child of God.

•     This new birth is of God!

•     We are seated in heavenly places

•     The believer is said to be in Christ and since Christ is in the heavenly places, the believer should be in the heavenly places with Christ.

•     True the believer physically lives on earth, but spiritually he has already been placed in the heavenly places with Christ.

•     When things are bad here, just remember we are passing through, we are not here for long, we are headed to that heavenly place with Christ.

•     Our blessings are heavenly

•     God’s great blessings are spiritual and heavenly, not material blessings.

•     Throughout history God has used two methods of blessings to deal with man.

•     Before Christ, God dealt with man by blessing him with material blessings. He promised Abraham and Israel land, wealth, and fame.

•     But Israel misused and hoarded the material blessings. Instead of sharing its blessings with other nations, Israel isolated itself and claimed superiority and God-given rights over other nations of the earth.

•     However, since Christ, God deals with man spiritually, blessing him with spiritual blessings.

•     Four things should be noted about this:

•     Spiritual blessings are of the Spirit.

•     Spiritual blessings are the very opposite of the temporal blessings.

•     Spiritual blessings are vastly superior to material blessings.

•     Spiritual blessings are found only in Christ.

•     Our calling is heavenly

•     Focus your thoughts on Christ Jesus.

•     Consider Him. To “consider” (katanoeo) Christ means to focus on, to fix one’s thoughts, mind, attention and eyes upon Jesus Christ.

•     It means to concentrate, to seek to grasp, and to be attentive in order to learn about Jesus Christ.

•     This exhortation is written to believers.

•     Believers should fix their attention upon Jesus Christ because of who they are.

•     Believers should fix their attention upon Jesus Christ because of who Christ is.

•     Our inheritance is heavenly

•     There is the inheritance of the hope.

•     The inheritance is the eternal life that God gives us, but the inheritance of eternal life involves the most wonderful gifts imaginable.

•     There Will Be the Inheritance of a New Nature or State of Being

•     Being adopted as a son of God (Galatians 4:4–7; 1 John 3:1)

•     Being made blameless and harmless (Philippians 2:15)

•     Being given eternal life (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 6:19)

•     Being given an enduring substance (Hebrews 10:34)

•     Being given a glorious body (Philippians 3:11, 21; 1 Corinthians 15:42–44)

•     Being given eternal glory and honor and peace (Romans 2:10)

•     Being given eternal rest and peace (Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 14:13)

•     Being given the blessings of the Lord (Proverbs 10:22)

•     Being given the knowledge of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8)

•     Being given durable riches and righteousness (Proverbs 8:18)

•     Being made priests (Revelation 20:6)

•     Being given a crown of incorruption (1 Corinthians 9:25)

•     Being given a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)

•     Being given a crown of life (James 1:12)

•     Being given a crown of glory (1 Peter. 5:4)

•     Our citizenship is heavenly

•     The believer’s life is to be heaven-centered, for his citizenship is in heaven.

•     The believer’s life is to be focused upon the return of Christ.

•     The believer’s life is to focus upon the glorious body he is to receive when Christ returns.

•     Our Representative is heavenly

Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”