Does the Party Stop?

The Fear No Fear series focuses on rejecting fear and embracing faith. The idea of birthdays in heaven is discussed, with the speaker acknowledging that there is no biblical evidence either way. They emphasize that their eternal existence has already begun and that they do not fear death. The speaker suggests that God may celebrate individuals in heaven, although it would be different from earthly celebrations. They also address the fear of aging and encourage speaking life and health over one's body. They believe that it is possible to age with full capacity and enjoy life even in old age. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Psalm 145.7 They will utter the memory of your great goodness and will sing of your righteousness. It's not really a full episode today, or at least not a traditional one. It's the birthday of one of my children, and I find my thoughts leaning toward birthdays. I did a search online about birthdays in heaven, because I was curious, and I was curious about the thoughts of others. And, wow. Just, wow. There's a lot of hate about the idea of birthdays in heaven. And I want to say right now, I have no idea if they happen or not. There's nothing biblical about it either way. At the end of the day, it makes no difference to our walk here on earth. But there was a lot of fear wrapped up in those posts. And I am against fear. The majority who are anti-heavenly birthdays point out that since you die, you are no longer alive, and therefore you cannot age. And that's not strictly true. I died years ago. I've done all the dying I'm going to do. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. Galatians 2.20 I died and was resurrected to life in Christ Jesus. My flesh will perish, though. It'll go the way of the dodo. But me, I will keep on living. I don't fear death from the human perspective. My flesh suit's going to fall off, and I'll keep on walking. It will take less time than the blink of an eye. How can I fear something I am barely going to notice? My eternal existence has already started. It will continue long after my body is down. Heaven has time, but not time as we think of it. We get a heavenly body, so we will have a body, and we will be in heaven. But we're going to be in God's time and his existence. So, there's obviously no need to mark years. I don't know if we will mark years in heaven. If we do, it certainly won't be with the same perspective that we have now. I can see the point of view which says, no birthdays, you know, in that light. At the same time, my very existence is a gift from God, and that won't change. In fact, there will be something quite awesome about going to God and thanking him face to face for creating me. To take time on a regular basis, yearly perhaps, to go and worship him for what he did for me and in me. To make the celebration of a birthday not about me alone, but of God who made me. Of the things that he did in me, for me, through me, and with me. Of the things that would not have existed without me being alive and being me. From that perspective, I can see the value of a birthday in heaven. Now, God celebrates us now. God will celebrate us then. He is consistent. That doesn't change. He tells us that directly in Malachi 3.6. It is our perspective that changes. Now, our minds that get renewed to how God does things, Romans 12.2, will change their perspective as we're being renewed. That's going to ramp up like a billion times once we get to heaven. So, if God will wake people up today to wish us happy birthday, and he does do that, why won't he celebrate us in some way in heaven? It won't be a celebrate us the way we think of it. It won't be making everything about us. God doesn't do that. But God acknowledges each of us. I'm aware of people who have been woken up by God, and the word they receive from God is, happy birthday. It hasn't happened to me, but I know that it does happen. Now, why wouldn't he do that in heaven, when he can do it to all of us, and we'll all be aware of him and relationship with him to the point that we'll hear everything he says? Because that's the deal. You could hear from the Lord all the time. You do hear from the Lord all the time. The Holy Spirit speaks to us constantly. We're just not always aware of the words. And I don't mean like an audible voice, necessarily. But he speaks to us constantly, that still, small voice. Now, in heaven, when he won't have to use that, when he can just talk to us face to face, and I don't mean have to as in he could not do it another way, but he chooses to do it that way because it's the best thing for us. But in heaven, we won't need that. We won't be battling flesh. We won't be having to learn to live by faith. We will exude faith in a way that we don't hear. So why wouldn't he celebrate us face to face? I mean, he celebrates us, and he loves us. He acknowledges each of us. If he didn't think we were special and worth something, why would he bother to correct us? Why would he bother to look out for us? There's nothing selfish about God, nothing wrong, nothing unrighteous. There's no reason to think that God won't celebrate us in heaven. But we know that since everything in heaven is perfect and righteous, that celebration will be perfect and righteous. That also means we probably won't ever be able to reason out what it will be like because we are here, not there. We are in this body, not that body. Though, he might tell you if you ask him. God loves to share things. I notice that there's also a lot of fear about aging, which is not unusual because you see it everywhere. There's so much fear that they ignore or even decry the movement of physical time. And I've never understood that. I honestly have never understood the whole ignoring birthdays or lying about your age thing. Now granted, I never really celebrated birthdays growing up. I didn't want to make a big deal of it because birthdays don't matter. You see, once I was truly sick on my birthday. I couldn't even get out of bed. I did not get a birthday that year. It might have been chickenpox. But the family ate the cake because it would have spoiled before I got better. And yes, once I was well, I got a new one. But lying upstairs listening as life went on, I just kind of got it. Birthdays weren't a big deal. Have one, don't have one, life went on. Now it did free me from a lot of the greed and eager anticipation of everyone telling me how special I was. But I still had birthdays until I was, I don't know, probably a late teen. But eventually they faded away. I mean, I got a card if I wanted one, a cake. I'm a private person now, so they faded into an area where I kind of felt uncomfortable with being singled out for notice. That was not a positive. Now my family has worked to remove that fear of notice from me. And I appreciate that. You can celebrate it without it being selfish, and you can celebrate it without feeling put on the spot. And it's perfectly alright looking forward to being celebrated by friends and by family. We put God first, so it's all about thanking Him for us. But we also celebrate us. Now age is just a number. I don't know why everyone gets so scared about it. Biblically, we get a minimum of 120 years with full use of our minds and bodies. Genesis 6-3 and Deuteronomy 34-7. I don't believe we're limited to 120 though. Psalm 91 says that we will be satisfied with long life. You might not be satisfied at 120. But Psalm 91 is all about abiding in the Lord, submitting in humble obedience, being a servant and putting the Lord on high and first place in our life. It's only within that framework that we're blessed with a long life that we're satisfied with. Now I have a number I'm going for, unless Jesus comes back first. But I won't be disappointed if it doesn't play out that way, because I want God's plan to play out, not my plan to play out. I'll take the full 120 in total and complete health with total satisfaction if that's how it goes. I'll hit my number with the same total satisfaction if that's how it goes. I'll be satisfied with anything that happens if that's how it goes. And I'll be thrilled with Jesus coming sooner and starting in on the in my heavenly body part if that's how it goes. But I don't fear aging. We fear aging as a society, and we need to be careful. See, death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18, 21. That's one verse about it, and there are others. We have the power to speak life and death because God has given that to us. So why speak death to your body? Why accept the idea that because something runs in your family, you're automatically going to get it, or that you tick some of the boxes on the WebMD website? Don't accept the idea that you have to be infirm. Will your body age? Of course your body will age. But why does it have to age with reduced capacity? You don't have to wake up with aches and pains, so don't speak that to yourself. You don't have to get dim eyesight. You don't have to stop hiking and dancing and running or enjoying life. You can be fully functioning in every way over 100 years old. You don't have to be weak and frail and so much less than you were. People spend millions of dollars trying to turn back the clock. They spend millions of dollars trying to be young. There's a multi-billion dollar industry feeding on that fear. Now how great would it be if instead of needing vitamin supplements and special, special things and all this rigmarole, we could just say, Hey, why am I doing so good at this age? Because Jesus is my Lord. Would you like to hear about Him? Wouldn't that be a great opportunity for a witness? I mean, our bodies were meant for life. If you take care of them, they will serve you well. Now that, of course, is unpopular. It's unpopular with me some days, too. We like food that's bad for us because it tastes good. We like relaxing way more than is healthy. We don't like the effort of exercise. We don't really like taking care of ourselves. We prefer to do what feels good, what we like and how we like. And that, of course, is the flesh talking. And it doesn't make a lot of sense to listen to it, though we all have a hard time saying no. If you do your part in taking care of your body, your body will do its part in running correctly. I won't get into the specifics or how-to here because, you know, I don't have a full grasp on it, I'll be honest. And too many people tune you out when you're talking about that stuff. I'm not trying to tell you what your diet should be. And I'm not trying to tell you what your exercise regime would be. But I will tell you this. Remember that what is good for us spiritually is good for us physically. Listen diligently to me and eat that which is good and let your soul delight itself in richness. Isaiah 55, 2. Now, God is, of course, talking about spiritual food. Look at the verses around that verse. You clearly see that context. But it also applies to the physical. Don't let your flesh determine what goes into you. Cake and ice cream are not a three-meal-a-day plan, people. Lean on the Lord for His understanding and do right by your body. That's Proverbs 3, 5-6. The Spirit will guide you and help you. It's what He does. And if we do what He says, it will be good for our body and our souls will be able to delight in the rich food of the Spirit at the same time. It will be a full-package deal. It doesn't mean wilted celery for the rest of your life. Now, as far as today's verse is concerned, I chose it because it sums up a lot of my thoughts around birthdays and the possibility of them continuing into the future. The verse isn't talking about Yahweh Most High. It's not talking about us. It's talking about us declaring His great goodness in memory. That means we think on what He has done. We think about the good things of God that are in your life and have been in your life. Friends, family, events, activities, food, drink, parties, learning, jobs, neighbors, children, parents, entertainment, and even chores and maintenance. Everything that was good was from Him. The things that reinforced His values. The moments where His nature shone through. The things that we enjoyed and He gave to us because we enjoy them. How can we look back on our life and celebrate the fact that we are a year older and not celebrate God at the same time? Birthdays are about what makes us special, not about us being selfish. A lot of that is going to revolve around us, and that's great, but a lot of it is also about God and who He is in us, around us, through us, and because of us. Birthdays can be a great way to evangelize. When they see us take those moments to acknowledge the Lord and what He's done, what He's given from conception right up to now. The Lord is righteous, and what He does is righteous. We should sing of that righteousness every day, but especially on our birthdays, the day that we gained the breath to do what we had been doing in our minds in the womb, worship Him. He knew us then. He knows us now. He will know us for eternity. If we submit to God, if we will believe on Jesus, we will be saved. There is celebration in heaven when we are saved, Luke 15, 7. There is celebration in heaven when we return to the paths of the Lord, when we've strayed, Luke 15, 11-32. The Lord celebrates us. He will always celebrate us, and we can now and forever celebrate Him and what He has done for us. Are there birthdays in heaven the way we think of them? I don't know. I hope we will have the chance to take moments to celebrate God making us and those around us, and I hope that we will be able to have a party and make it all about Jesus and His partnership with everyone, and yes, that would be a lot of parties. But since when is God a boring stick in the mud? He has fire flowing around Him, rides with a rainbow of glittering light surrounding Him, sitting on a throne of shining precious stone, and He shines Himself with a light so bright only heavenly eyes can look on it. This is not a boring God. This is a God of love, of blessing, and of mercy, a righteous God worthy of all our worship, honor, and praise, a God who made you and made me. On the chance that we won't do it in heaven, take the time to make your birthday about Jesus as much as about yourself. We abide in Him and He in us, John 15, 4-9. Make it a double celebration and make sure that you put Him first. It's where He deserves to be. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Zephaniah 3-17. When you are calm, you're not fearing. You're not anxious, you're not depressed, you're not afraid, you're not despairing, you're not desperate. You are tranquil. You are at peace, free from agitation, excitement, and disturbance. This is the gift of God to us. He can calm us, and He does it with His love. God sings over you. He rejoices in you so much, He can't help but burst into song. Maybe a little soft shoe, I don't know. He celebrates you, He's mighty, and He saves us. He does it because He loves you. Do you know that love? Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3, 14-21 says that we can know God's love for us. Everything about ourselves and our condition should be filtered through that. Does God want you sick or well? Well, He loves you. Does God love you enough to heal you? Yes, He heals everyone who receives it. Are you not receiving it yet? Maybe you don't understand His love for you yet. Waiting on another promise of God? Seek His love. Understand His love. He's mighty and He saves. From sickness, from shame, from unproductivity, from laziness, from toil. He does that. He spoke those words of triumph in His passion. Do you believe them? Will you receive them? Are you waiting for it? You need to understand His love. It brings peace. It will calm you. It will help you see you like He sees you. It will help you receive what He has for you. If nothing else, it will help you rejoice in Him as He rejoices in you. Pray and do it. Seek it. It's worth it. As we close, remember that you have birth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us that God has sent His only-born Son into the world that we might live through Him. And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear, too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.