Edited Message by Elder David Yeo at Evening Service on 26 January 2014, continued from last week.

3.  We have an incorruptible inheritance reserved for us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  (1 Peter 1:3-5)

To know that this incorruptible inheritance is reserved for us must give us great assurance and certainty.  The type of certainty that the suffering of a believer on his death bed gives way to his last smiles and the soul’s excitement in the imminent meeting with his Lord.
Several years ago, I was in Frankfurt Germany, about to board a plane for Tel Aviv, Israel. The plane was really full and at check in I was asked if I would mind being upgraded to business class. Of course I did not mind and a ticket was issued and I had a reserved seat. As I boarded the plane I was looking forward to my reserved business class seat where I could stretch out on an overnight flight. On reaching that prized business class seat there was a man in my reserved seat. I think he could also have had an upgraded seat. My heart sank when he refused to budge and clung on to this precious seat.
We thank God that there are no mistakes in heaven.  I guess you might be wondering what happened to my business class seat? Because I must have looked disheartened with no seat available, the stewardess came by to resolve the issue and said after a while, “ Mr Yeo, seat 1A please and welcome to first class.”
The inheritance in heaven for the saved is completely assured and reserved. Furthermore we know that at the end of life’s journey our reward or inheritance is incorruptible. Unlike our earthly home that decays, that home and life  in heaven cannot be destroyed, will neither corrupt, decay, nor pass away. This eternal home is reserved for all who are kept by God through faith. Thank God for that assurance.

4.  Born again believers who are faithful to God will wear an incorruptible crown.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (1 Cor. 9:25)
In the verse above, Paul illustrates this truth of an incorruptible crown, using terms that the Greeks and other people he spoke to would understand.
Athletes during the time of Paul would seriously prepare for their competitive events by abstaining from lusts and habits that would weaken their bodies so that they could win the crowns in their races. However these crowns will corrupt but the most prized crown that our Lord Jesus gives to those who faithfully run their races for the Lord is incorruptible. How do we run this race for the Lord? There are several ways: By presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. By running our race for God’s glory and pointing others to the saving blood of the Lamb of God. We will then, at the end of this life of faithful stewardship wear that crown that will never corrupt. Only an incorruptible God can produce such an incorruptible crown.

5. The saved will receive a body that is incorruptible.

Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul tells them in 1 Corinthians  15:51-53:

“Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

1 John 3:2 describes what our eternal bodies will be like:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

All who are saved will one day receive a body that will never corrupt.  What a marvelous thought and we must look forward to that day. I have to tell you, especially those younger ones that your youthful bodies will not last. When I first came to Hope Church on a visit from Melbourne in 1989, I was 34 years of age. I remember meeting many Hopefuls who were also very much more youthful. Now in 2014  I can see that many including myself have aged and several of us now have back problems, knee problems, hip problems, heart problems, blood pressure problems. Some have succumbed to their illnesses and are no longer with us and have gone home to be with the Lord. When Auntie Oei whom some of you knew well, was with us, she too had quite a lot of issues with her health in the last years of her life. Broken bones as a result of falls, swollen feet because of heart failure and kidney problems because of medication for the heart failure. I remember her saying that she would get a new body when she went home to heaven. I am sorry to have to tell you that we all have broken-down bodies to look forward to while we live our earthly lives. But then when we all get to that much older age,  all who have that eternal hope of salvation will start to  look forward to a body in heaven that does not break down or be affected by disease. I have to confess too that when I was a younger teenager and not yet a believer, I had a great fear of death because I was afraid that I could not enjoy life to the fullest. I was young and healthy, strong and fit with so much to look forward to. It was less the fear of what would happen after death, than the thought of what a waste if I could not live out more of my life in a healthy physical state. I thought I was invincible in my health. What foolishness I think now. But as I am now older and a believer, my thoughts have turned upside down or right side up. As I get nearer to the inevitable day of my own home going, there is some sense of excitement that I will then have at last, that body that I thought I had in my youthful years. One that is always strong and one that does not break down. What a glorious thought.

When we went to Rome a couple of years ago, we visited the Sistine chapel which is in the Vatican. As we gazed at Michelangelo’s famous paintings on the ceiling, I could not help but notice that he painted the body of Adam at creation as very strong and robust. As I cast my eyes over his other paintings, I gazed in wonder upon the depiction of the victorious risen Christ at the far end of the chapel.  I thought that the artist had painted the same strong body. And I thought for a while and then wished for a body that God had intended for all of us at creation, Adam’s body before he first sinned.

Ever since Adam sinned against God by his disobedience, our bodies have become corruptible. But those of us whom Christ has redeemed now have that assurance and hope of having a body that is incorruptible when we see Christ in heaven.

All have sinned and all of us have an earthly body that is fraught with problems. Do you want a body that is incorruptible? If you believe on the incorruptible Word, you too will inherit an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, wearing your incorruptible crown promised by our incorruptible God and made possible only by the incorruptible blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.


Elder David Yeo

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