Heaven On Earth by Pastor Jerry Eze: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Whole Idea of Living as Pilgrims

The whole idea of living as pilgrims on earth leaves us with one level of understanding, especially as enshrined and dictated by the Lord — you must live like people who are in heaven but on earth.

The Bible speaks countlessly and will remind you, especially when he was speaking to Jeremiah: Jeremiah 1:5 — before I formed thee, I knew thee, and I ordained thee a prophet to the nations. In other words, Jeremiah, you didn't just happen on earth. There was something about you that was concluded before you came. You were not the thought of a man's idea that we need to have a baby. The man had the idea because God ordained you.

You are not here because someone thought about you or planned for you — God already ordained a destiny. God already ordained you and you were coming from somewhere. The Bible says even though you are in this world, you are not of this world. It is wrong to let the world be your update, your programming system. If the world energizes you, the world would disable you. The Bible says our commonwealth is in heaven.

Heaven on Earth Is the Kingdom Life

Whenever you hear the concept heaven on earth, know that it is talking about the kingdom life — the higher life that we have in Christ. It is talking about the redemption mandate that is upon any and every believer. It is speaking to your life first as a spirit before your life as a human. The conclusion of your destiny is not by the processes, the protocols, the permutations of men. There is something higher that you are connected to that is bigger than that man who looked at you and said, "I will deal with you." Nobody can predict how your life will turn out because they don't have the manuscript of your life. The Bible calls what we carry scriptures — the root word is script. If you don't have my script, don't predict my outcome.

Heaven on Earth Is by Prayer

The entirety of the Lord's Prayer we find in Matthew 6:9-13 is a direct model and representation of what it means to live in heaven while you are on earth. Jesus at a point began to think about how he could convey the entirety of the finished work. He wanted to let them know about their identity, to understand the riches of the inheritance in the saints of God. When the disciples came to him and said, "Sir, teach us how to pray," he gave them this model.

Jesus began to speak about the concept of heaven on earth through prayer. The concept of heaven on earth came because the disciples asked, "Teach us how to pray." There will be no heaven on earth experience for you if you don't know how to pray. It is through prayer that we enforce heaven on earth.

We don't pray with vain repetition of words. The New Testament believer is a prophetic prayer warrior — we speak what God has spoken, we call forth the things which be not as though they were. Prayer is not mental ascent. It is an overflow of every word of every revelation. There is a way that the Word will live inside of you, looking for an opportunity to find expression. In this kingdom, we don't speak what he has not spoken.

Prayer for us is not vain repetition. Prayer for us is relationship. Prayer for us is communion. Prayer for us is a daughter looking at the face of the Father. Prayer for us is pouring out our very essence in front of our Father. Prayer for us is letting him see our vulnerabilities. Prayer for us is communicating with our spirit to the one who sees us, to the one who knows us. Prayer is letting the very fullness of God find expression in who we are.

For the Spirit himself gives utterance. In the place of prayer, there is an utterance that witches cannot alter. Until my family becomes heaven, until my health becomes heaven, until my journey looks like heaven — I will be found in the place of prayer.

The concept of heaven on earth is by prayer. When you are not praying, you are removing heaven from the equation of your life. My prayer is my enforcement. It's got to be heaven on earth.

Our Father Which Art in Heaven

When you pray, recall to say "Our Father which art in heaven." Ephesians 2:6 says he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So it is not just the Father who is in heaven — by progressive revelation, you also are seated there.

Right now, with my understanding of who I am, I don't just say my Father which art in heaven — I say my Father and I, which art in heaven.

Those who say they will deal with you have not yet understood where you are. Come up to heaven. When you are done dealing with heaven, then you can deal with me.

The spirit powers the flesh. The spirit powers the body. Your body might be on earth, but this is where your spirit is seated. It is revelation that keeps your spirit seated there. It is revelation that continuously reminds you this is where I am. And this is what the devil does — he tries to steal that awareness, that conviction from you. But your body will always catch up to where your spirit is.

When my body meets my spirit, the earth will call it a miracle. The earth will say, "Did this happen?" But my spirit was there already — I already knew about this miracle before anyone else saw it.

Don't let the devil pull your spirit away from where your body is supposed to meet it. My mistake does not change my position. The gifts and calling of the Lord are without repentance.

When my spirit man is disconnected from where I ought to be, for as long as the heir is a child, he differeth not from a slave. When you pray, recognize position. With progressive revelation, it is not just about the Father — it is about you. Speak like where you are.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Our Father which art in heaven — the next word that follows is "hallowed," meaning to be made holy, to be consecrated. So anyone who is in heaven must understand consecration. If I am seated with him in the heavenly places, I should not just enjoy where I am seated — I must understand the second part: hallowed be thy name.

That person who is seated in Christ must understand what it means to be set apart, to understand that you are different. We don't want anything that will water down where you are.

Powers that are fighting your consecration — powers that don't want you to walk in the fullness of who God has made you to be — powers that make you rise and fall — powers that make you make up your mind and then abandon it — at the sound of your amen, let them be broken right now.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

The Bible says, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Heaven is not just a place — heaven is a lifestyle, a revelation, a manifestation. For New Testament believers, heaven is our conviction and our way of living.

The common denominator between heaven and earth is the will of God. If you miss out on the will of God, you are not going to have heaven on earth. The connection I have with heaven is his will. It is in the will of the Father that I will experience heaven on earth — not my will, not my desire, not my pursuit. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Jesus, speaking in the book of John, describes himself as the bread of life. John 6:35 — when he says give us this day our daily bread, it is not merely bread that fills the stomach and leaves you empty again. It is when we find him as the bread of life that we can find bread from life.

The bread of life is what God himself is. The bread from life is what man can offer you — and if a man gives you bread from life, a man can collect it back. When you lose out on the bread of life, you will not be able to lay hold on the bread from life.

Naomi and her husband left Bethlehem — which means "house of bread" — to find bread in another country. There was bread there, but it was bread from life. As they went looking for that bread, they lost their children. Those who stayed behind in the house of bread did not die. When Naomi came back, the people said, "You left us, and you are the one who lost everything."

Perhaps at this point he wants us to eat the bread of life before he gives us bread from life. One slice of bread of life is enough to give twenty years of bread from life.

He said "daily" — daily as I live, often as I pray, let my whole life be expressions of your grace. Give us this day — not yesterday's revelation. There was a revelation he gave yesterday, but along the way the devil threw an arrow and my heart got bitter. So I am here again. What is the word for today?

Lead Us Not into Temptation

Every temptation is evil in disguise. Temptations are usually very colorful — they never announce themselves as evil. They never say, "I am coming to spoil your destiny." Never see temptation as an end in itself. It has something coming with it, and it is called evil. He said, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

For Thine Is the Kingdom

Heaven on earth — until you know the kingdom, you will not understand the power and the glory. The church is praying for his power and glory, and all the Lord is saying is, "Know my kingdom." Power and glory are an attachment — when you know the kingdom, they come with it. Kingdom is not somewhere else. Kingdom is right within you. Kingdom is not an abstract concept. When you begin to pray, you are kingdom. When you say, "God, I trust you," you are kingdom. When you make declarations, you are kingdom. Whenever there is kingdom, there is power and there is glory.