Better in Heaven sermon of the Better: Key to Understanding the Old Testament series teaches us that what we have here and now is temporary and to focus on that which is eternal rather than that which is temporary.

Key verses:
Hebrews 10:32-37
Luke 12:16-34

I’m going to ask you to take your Bible and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10 and also, if you would, to Luke chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 10 and Luke chapter 12. These two passages are related. We’ve been going through the book of Hebrews, actually, verse by verse, and seeing the truth that is there in it. And the key word in the book of Hebrews is “better.”

The things in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Himself, His sacrifice, His priesthood, are all better than the Old Testament. That doesn’t mean the Old Testament wasn’t of God. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t any good or of any value. We’re not saying that at all. We’re saying that the things in the Old Testament were preparation for the New Testament and that which was purchased by the blood of Christ.

A Better and Enduring Substance

Now, eventually, we’ll be looking, the Lord willing, at verses 32 to 37, and we also will look back in Luke 12. That’s why I gave you a little heads up there about going to both passages, but I want you to read with me. To begin with, just verse 34. So, Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 34. This is the theme of what we’re going to talk about tonight.

Hebrews 10:34: “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”

I want to talk to you tonight about the fact that it’s better in Heaven. So, in order to better understand Hebrews 10:32-37, I want us to look back at the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 12 and beginning at verse 16. Verses 16-34, we’re not going to make much comment here. We’ll discuss it a little bit, but I want you to get the basis for what is being taught in Hebrews 10:32-37, and here it is verse 16:

Luke 12:16: “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:”

Luke 12:17: “And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?”

Luke 12:18: “And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.”

Luke 12:19: “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”

Luke 12:20: “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”

Luke 12:21: “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:22: “And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.”

Luke 12:23: “The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.”

Luke 12:24: “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?”

Luke 12:25: “And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?”

Now, I want to comment on that in just a minute. Add to your stature one cubit. You don’t use that term “cubit” very much today. It’s not cubic. We use that a lot. “Cubit” – when I was younger, and I would read that, I thought of a cubit as being something small, maybe something about like that [2 inches], and which, by taking thought, can you make it so high. That’s not what it means. A cubit is an actual unit of measurement, and it corresponds to our English measurement of about 18 inches. So, when He’s saying which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to your stature, not can you make yourself a little bit taller. You can make yourself a little bit taller. He’s saying can you make yourself a foot and a half taller? Not without stilts or something like that. You can’t, can you? No, and so that’s what he’s saying.

There are certain things we have control over and certain things we don’t have control over. I heard a wise man say years ago, “Accept the things that you don’t have control over and the things that you do have control over. If they need to change, then go ahead and change them.” But some things don’t need to change, and some things can’t be changed. And so, those things that can’t be changed, we need to not try to change. And those things that don’t need to change, even if we can change them, we don’t need to change them.

I was talking to brother Chris about that the other day, and I think, maybe I can’t remember if I said it here or not, but there are some things here in our church that we do the same way Pastor Morgan Haynes, who was pastor here before me, the way he did it. Why? Because there was nothing wrong with how he was doing it. It’s not, I don’t mean to say anything against him, don’t misunderstand me, but that we don’t do it just to honor him, we do it because the way he was doing it was fine. There was nothing that needed to change. So, are there things that need to change? Yes. If things need to change and we can change them, then that’s okay to do that.

Don’t change the things that don’t need changing, and accept the things that you can’t change. That’s just part of what the Lord is saying here. It’s not the whole thought. The overall thought is understanding that what we have here and now is temporary. Focus on that which is eternal rather than that which is temporary. So, let’s go on. Luke 12 and verse 26:

Luke 12:26: “If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”

Luke 12:27: “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

Luke 12:28: “If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

Luke 12:29: “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.”

Luke 12:30: “For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.”

Luke 12:31: “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Now, that doesn’t mean everything you ever dreamed of, ever wanted, ever thought about. If you were greedy and coveting something, it doesn’t mean that. It means everything you need will be added to you.

Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 12:33: “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.”

Now, He’s going to conclude this teaching in verse 34, and verse 34 is the key to understanding this passage we just read in Luke and the passage we’re going to look at in Hebrews.

Luke 12:34: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Those things which are most important to you, those things that are most important to you, that’s where your heart’s going to be. If your heart is all wrapped up in the temporary, then that’s where it’s going to be if that’s what’s most important to you. But if your heart is primarily towards the eternal, God can give you so much more.

After Illumination

Now let’s go to Hebrews chapter 10, and we’ll look at verses 32 and 33 and down through verse 37. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 32, the writer here says:

Hebrews 10:32: “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;”

Hebrews 10:33: “Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.”

Now, what is he talking about? Well, the Book of Hebrews is primarily written to those Hebrew or Israeli or Jewish believers in the New Testament period who had trusted the Lord Jesus as their Messiah, as their Savior, and trusted him to the saving of their souls. Now, a broader audience is always in mind. The Bible, though certain books and passages that are aimed at a certain individual or group of individuals, it’s never just limited to them. The truth is for everyone, but the primary audience here was those Hebrew believers. That’s where the name comes from, the Epistle to the Hebrews.

These Hebrew believers had, at some previous point, helped the writer when he was persecuted. How do you know that? Well, look at verse 32 again. “But call to remembrance the former days,” – that time in the past – “in which, after ye were illuminated,” – key phrase – “after you were illuminated” – after they had come to salvation. “Well, how do you know that’s what it’s talking about?”

Well, remember, we’ve read the rest of the chapter up to this point. But let me give you a cross reference 2 Corinthians chapter four and verse six written by Paul says:

2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness,” – He did, didn’t He? God did command the light to shine out of the darkness, didn’t He? “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; And darkness was upon the face of the deep.” And God said what? “Let there be light: and there was light.” So, God did command the light to shine out of the darkness, so let me give it to you again:

2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

So, that’s being illuminated. Just as God brought light upon the Earth in the creation, He brings light to the hearts of those who will believe in Jesus. And we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. We put our faith and our trust in Him. That’s what he’s referring to here. He says after you were illuminated. So, let’s start verse 32 again:

Hebrews 10:32: “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;”

After they were saved, the readers endured persecution, here called affliction. “Well, how do you know the affliction here means persecution?” Well, that’s a good question because sometimes it doesn’t mean that. Sometimes you can be afflicted in the Bible with an illness. This is not talking about illness here. It could apply to illness, but that’s not the intent here. The intent is talking about being persecuted. Why would you be persecuted? Because these folks had put their faith and trust in Jesus. They were persecuted for that. They were. You read the Book of Acts, and you’ll see that spelled out for you.

Made a Gazingstock

Hebrews 10:33: “Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.”

“Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock,” – you know what a gazing stock is? That’s when people just stare at you. You know, like, what is wrong with you, something wrong with you? You know, and they start to stare, and they point.

But they didn’t stop there. It says in verse 33, “Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions,” – reproach is when they do more than just stare at you. They start saying things to you, not just saying things about you, saying things to you. Like what? “What is wrong with you? You know this is not our tradition. You know this is not our way of doing it. You’re being different, you’re being weird, you’re going after Jesus. Why? When we go to synagogue, did they tell us to go after Jesus? No. They tell us to keep the traditions.” And why did you say synagogue? Because that’s where these people would have gone.

Now, you can apply that to any group you want, and it’ll come out the same way. You’re going against the grain here. You’re swimming upstream. You’re not going with the flow. People don’t like that, and they’ll begin to call you things, self-righteous, “What’s wrong with you? You think you’re better than the rest of us?”

How do you know people say that? I was there. I’ll give you an illustration. Back in the 1960s or late ‘60s, there were a lot of Christian schools being started around the country. And there may have been others closer than the one I’m about to talk about, but the only one I knew about. I wasn’t saved at the time. You have to understand that was Dade Christian School in Miami. That school, I’m pretty sure, is still there. I think it is, but it was in Miami.

I had some friends who went there every day. Got in a car and rode all the way. We lived in Pompano Beach. I should clarify that we lived in Pompano Beach, and they got in a car every day and rode all the way down to Miami to go to school. You know what I said? I said, “What’s wrong with you people? We got schools right here.” And some of them used to go to the same school I did, which was a public school. “Why can’t you go to our school? You’re better than us?”

Understand, I wasn’t saved. I didn’t know anything about being a Christian. I really didn’t and I sure didn’t know anything about a Christian school or why anybody would drive all the way to Miami to go to a Christian school. Now, looking back and knowing what I know now, I totally understand why they did that, and I really, honestly believe they were doing the right thing, but I didn’t know what I know now. Why? I had not been illuminated. I had not. So, I can understand how people would do that because I was one of the people who did that kind of thing.

It’s saying, “Partly, whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions;” – they went beyond saying things and did things to these people and – “partly, whilst ye become companions of them that were so used.” So, not only are you believing in Jesus, but you’re hanging out with those other people. Who are those other people? Well, people like Paul, for example. Why do you think it refers to Paul? Well, I’m going to tell you why in just a second here. You were made a gazing stock. you were reproached, you afflicted because you placed your faith in Jesus as Savior. You’re persecuted again because you were companions with others who believed in Jesus.

Who Authored the Book of Hebrews?

Verse 34:

Hebrews 10:34: “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”

“For ye had compassion of me in my bonds.” Now, what I’m about to say to you is not an ironclad, incontrovertible truth, okay? I want to be very clear about that, but I think the beginning of verse 34 and then something we’re going to see later on in the book gives us a clue as to who wrote the Book of Hebrews. See, no author is given for the Book of Hebrews here. There are a lot of different theories about who wrote the Book of Hebrews. Some people tell you it was this person or that person.

But let me tell you why I think this is a clue. Verse 34, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds,” – two other times we read in the New Testament of somebody thanking somebody else for caring about them in their bonds. Those two other times are in Philippians 1:7 and Philemon verse 10. In Philippians 1:7 and in Philemon 10, it’s the Apostle Paul in prison in Rome, and he’s writing to the Philippians, or he’s writing to Onesimus regarding Philemon. And he is writing there saying you cared about me when I was in my bonds, by that means, being in prison in Rome. I think this is a good chance this is a clue that Paul also wrote Hebrews while he was in prison in Rome and that he is the author of Hebrews.

Now, you say, “You are basing all of it on this one phrase?” I’m not. But this is a phrase that leads me to think this way. Besides that, and what C.I. Scofield said and, by the way, let me share this with you. C.I. Scofield was a man. He was not an inspired writer of scripture. His notes are helpful, but they are not the Word of God. Does that make sense to you? But he says in his introduction of the Book of Hebrews, he says there what I just told you. The writer is not identified. He says, but the style of writing is definitely Pauline. What does that mean? It means whoever wrote this wrote like Paul wrote.

Now, one Bible I had, the commentary there said that they thought the author was Timothy, and that would make sense because Timothy was a protégé of Paul, and he probably would have written like Paul wrote. So, is that possible? Sure, it’s possible. Other people have other ideas, but we don’t know, and it’s possible he was at one point, but we don’t have any record of Timothy ever being in bonds. So, I’ll leave that where it is.

Reward in Heaven

But whether Paul wrote it or not, he says, the writer says, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods,” – now, the spoiling of your goods doesn’t mean that they put something on the shelf and left it there too long and it spoiled, that’s not what it’s talking about. Spoiling here is the idea of an enemy who attacks you and takes what you have. That’s called spoiling. It’s called the spoils of war. So, the spoiling of your goods means that you lost what you had, and so he’s saying here:

Hebrews 10:34: “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”

You took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. They had given aid and support to the writer to the point that it harmed them in their own finances and well-being. They did this, it says, knowing that they have a better and more enduring substance in Heaven. What does that mean exactly? Well, I’ll tell you what it means. We read it earlier in Luke 12:33 and 34, where Jesus said:

Luke 12:33: “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.”

Luke 12:34: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

That’s what he’s talking about. He’s saying here that you have in Heaven a better and more enduring substance. What you had here on Earth was spoiled; you gave it, but now, you don’t have it anymore. Verse 35, the reward that the believer has in Heaven is better than anything lost on Earth. So, he says in verse 35:

Hebrews 10:35: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”

That word “recompense” is to be paid back. You have a great hope of reward. Now, it’s not wrong for you to work and do well in life if you have the right motive. There’s nothing wrong with that. I was talking to some children just the other day, and I was trying to explain to them that some people have the idea that it is a sin to be poor and everybody is poor because they’re lazy. I explained to the children that’s simply not true. Some people may be poor because they’re lazy, but that’s certainly not true of everybody. You can be very hardworking and still be poor. There can be a lot of different reasons why a person is poor.

And then other people on the other side of that coin have the idea that if you’re rich, you must be rich because you’re selfish and you don’t care about anybody but yourself, and that’s all you care about. So, you just hoard everything for yourself, and that’s not true either. That may be true of some people, but it’s certainly not true of everybody. There are in the Bible both poor people and rich people whom God blessed and used. The primary thing that the Lord is interested in is our heart.

Now, does money matter? It does. It does. I’d be foolish to stand here and tell you money doesn’t matter at all. It does matter, but that’s not the main thing. The main thing is where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The main thing is what is most important to you. So, what I’m trying to do is share with you what the Bible is teaching here.

In verse 35, what he’s saying here is, when he says, “Cast not away therefore your confidence,” he’s saying don’t lose your confidence in the Lord, and why not? Because verse 35, “which hath great recompense of reward.” So, don’t lose your confidence in the Lord because you will have a great recompense or reward in eternity.

Missionary Jim Elliot famously put it this way, and this quote has been used again and again and again, but it’s a good one. I’m going to share it with you now, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Let me give that to you again, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” That’s not talking about earning your salvation. That’s not what he meant. He’s talking about giving on Earth and earning rewards in Heaven.

I’ve told this here many times before, but I haven’t told it in a long time. Hurricane Wilma did a lot of damage here. It did a lot worse damage to people south of here, but it did a lot of damage here, and I’ll be honest with you, it is the worst hurricane I have ever sat through. Now, Hurricane Andrew was a worse storm, but not here. We got very little from Hurricane Andrew here. Down south, it was utter devastation.

But Hurricane Wilma did a lot of damage here and again, down south was worse, but we lost a lot of things. We had a big tree, a big black olive tree over here, that came over, and it fell and hit the building right over there. It damaged the roof and took out those two windows right there, and we had water damage and so forth. Did some damage to the building here, took out all of our parking lot lights, and did other damage. We had to re-roof both buildings and more. It took us quite a while to dig out of that hole.

When that tree came over, it pulled the part of the driveway up and, with it, pulled up the main electric trunk line to the building here. The next time we had church, and for a while there, we could only have church in the daytime because we had no electricity. There were no traffic lights, so we didn’t even ask people to come at night. We had daytime services only. The first service we had after that, I said to the people here, I said when the neighborhood over here gets power, we probably won’t because our main electrical trunk line was pulled up out of the ground. I was wrong. When the neighborhood got power, we got power. Now, the trunk line was still pulled up.

It was about a month and Florida Power and Light guys, and I’m not saying anything bad about them taking a month to get out here because there was a lot for them to do. A lot of people had trouble, but about a month later, they came out here, and they were working to repair the electrical damage out there. I walked out just to talk to them, and I walked up to the foreman of a whole crew of men out there working. As I walked toward him, he was shaking his head like that, and before I could say hello or anything, he said this. He said, “There is no way you should have had power in that building.” And this is the Florida Power and Light guy talking. He says, “All I can tell you is the Father must have been looking out for his children.” Now, that was the Florida Power and Light guy before I ever said, “I’m the pastor.” I didn’t. I just walked up to him, and that’s what he said. Well, great, they did that, and they fixed it.

But we still had the driveway broken. And a man who had been here at church a few times who was not a member of the church, but he was a construction contractor. He came by after the FPL guys did their work, and he said this to me: listen, this is why I’m telling you the story and how it ties into the text here. He said, “I am way behind laying up treasure in heaven. I’m going to bring my crew by here, and we’re going to fix that driveway for you.” And so, they came. The old tree was still there, and they sawed up the tree big tree and hauled it off, and they hauled away all the broken concrete, and they poured new fresh concrete, and they didn’t charge us a penny.

I call that a small miracle, but that’s the kind of thing that is being talked about here. Now, you say, “Isn’t that great? It didn’t cost us anything.” But it cost that contractor something. It did. He had to pay all the crew. He had to pay for his materials. He had invested his time. It cost him. So, let me just add this: whenever something’s free, it costs somebody something, okay? And just you always know that. So, this is what he’s saying:

Hebrews 10:35: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”

Receiving the Promise

Verse 36, and we’re finished:

Hebrews 10:36: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

What he’s saying here is you and I need to have patience. We need to do the will of God and we need to receive what God has promised. Now, let me add verse 37:

Hebrews 10:37: “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

I put a little “SC” in my Bible in the margin next to that. That’s the second coming verse, “He that shall come will come” – the one who promised to come. He will just as He said in Revelation 22:12:

Revelation 22:12: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

The bottom line, God is not a robber. He will never shortchange you. Anything that you give to Him or lose for Him will be repaid in a far greater way than you can imagine, perhaps in this life, perhaps, not perhaps, in eternity. But that’s what he said in verse 34:

Hebrews 10:34: “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”

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Let’s pray. Father, thank you so much for your Word. I ask that you bless it in our hearts. Help us to meditate on it. Help us to grow in our faith. Help us to grow in our walk to be like Jesus. Bless us as we go our separate ways, use us, and then bring us back together. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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