2003-08-08
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
There was more to write in dealing with the question: Will believers be judged for their sins at the time of the judgment of the saints? We can gain better insight from the Scriptures of what God has to say about that. We’ve already seen that through Christ’s obedience to God in giving His life on the cross, He has taken on the world’s sins and brought the opportunity for forgiveness for mankind. However, to take advantage of that opportunity, one must repent, have faith in Christ, and endure in that faith. Our need for Christ in our lives is really apparent from JN 15: 5, “I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.” This metaphor of the vine really brings a vivid picture in our minds of exactly what the relationship between Christ and the believer is. Without God to bring rain, sunlight, and nutrients to a vine, it can’t live. The leaves are attached to the vine and are totally dependent on it, just as we are to God and Christ for spiritual nourishment that brings the hope of eternal life.
1 COR 3: 10-15 is another metaphor of God’s building that gives us illumination on what we must be to eventually enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. We learn that Christ is our sure foundation in (11), “For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the One and Only Foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.” A builder must decide on what materials he will use. Some choose solid, sturdy materials, and some choose flimsy, cheap materials. Anyone can understand that this choice will make a huge difference to the quality of the outcome. The same is true with the choices and actions we take in our lives. If we make worldly, flesh-driven choices, the outcome is that we would experience spiritual death at worst and a lesser reward in heaven at best. That is why RO 6: 23a says, “The wages of sin is death.” If we use the Bible as our “roadmap” and Christ as our paradigm, then our choices will please God. That is why RO 6: 23b says, “But God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.” Verse 15 in the 1 COR 3 passage tells us, “But if anyone’s work is burnt up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire.” Remember that we are discussing the judgment of the saints here. We must examine our own lives to see if what we are doing pleases God. The only way we can know that is through daily study of the Scriptures which reveals God’s will and His attributes.
I was reading through sections of the book of Ephesians recently and came upon two Scriptures that are helpful in this kind of discussion. EPH 2: 8-10, “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” EPH 3: 20-21, “To Him Who by means of His power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever! Amen.” There is reason for us to meditate upon the implications to us of what God says here. It certainly points up our utter dependence on our Creator. It also shows us that there is nothing accidental about the direction that God takes the life of an individual believer or of congregations of believers. He has a marvelous plan for us, one that is not only to His best benefit, but is also to our own. His plan was conceived before the universe was created. We can see that in COL 1: 17-20 and again in 1 PET 1: 20-21, which are well worth reviewing. The Spirit reminds me to reiterate Christ’s own statement of God’s main purpose found in JN 6: 39-40, “And it is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should not lose any of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last Day. For what My Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last Day."
When we take matters into our own hands-something our impatient, judgmental fleshly selves want to do-we produce things without eternal value. When we refuse to examine our lives against the teaching in the Scriptures, we further separate ourselves from the only Source of eternal life we have. God will surely not reward this. On the other hand, the work that comes through us because of God’s influence on our lives is of great value eternally and will garner a great reward in heaven. Those doing this kind of work get some additional perks here on earth. They feel the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit even during tough times. They know they can boldly and confidently approach God’s throne with their cares and concerns, knowing full well that God will hear their prayers and answer them [EPH 3: 8-12; PS 116: 1]. When believers please God, He gives them a kind of peace not available from any other source [PHIL 7: 7]. This can happen amidst the most daunting of circumstances. I’ve seen it through the requests and updates I send to our congregation’s prayer chain and in my own life. When we are in union with Christ, we are able to come through any test that Satan sends our way. Our awesome God keeps all His promises, including the one in 1 COR 10: 13, “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.” Praise be to our loving Abba!
PRAYER: O Lord, through the death of Your Son on the cross, You have demonstrated that Your plan of salvation for us has been put into effect. You are so much stronger and more enduring than Satan. Your power is used for only righteous reasons. You are an unselfish Deity Who didn’t hold back Your Son any more than Abraham held back Isaac [GN 22: 11-12; RO 8: 31-32]. We stand before Your throne today in the knowledge of the poverty of our human spirits. Through Your Son’s Sermon on the Mount, You have told us that those who are poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven [MT 5: 3]. We are imperfect sinners and confess our sins privately before You today. We are also very grateful that You have given us the Scriptures in these last two messages, so that we can know Your expectations for us and Your willingness to make it possible for us to meet them. We testify, Dearest Abba, that while our human limitations don’t always allow us to fully understand Your plan, You have given us enough that we can understand that we can confidently dedicate ourselves to doing our part to see that it is carried out. We must at times endure pain, suffering, and loss. And yet, You make it possible for us to gain enough of Your perspective not to allow these negatives in our lives to bring us to hopelessness. Any person in the medical field or a pastor who is present at the time of a death knows that there is a great difference between how the survivors react to the loss of a loved one, depending on whether or not they have faith in You. You have forgiven and forgotten our past sin, showed us how to avoid sinning now, stood by us when we sinned and then repented, given us the strength to make the changes in our lives necessary to conform with Your will, and have never abandoned us when we kept on striving. We are awed by the fact that You have our names written on the palms of Your hands [IS 49: 14-16]. Today, we beseech You to hear our prayers that we will be able to keep the covenant promise we have made today to dedicate ourselves to living “in Christ” and to help bring others to where the Holy Spirit can given them saving faith. We are workers in Your vineyard, anxious to produce a record harvest. We share the hope of having eternal life with You in joy and close fellowship forever. Our offering today, given in humility, is adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, obedience, trust, thanks and praise of You. In Christ’s name, amen.
If you are anything like me, you are very curious about what heaven is really like. Some, like my husband Peter, are satisfied that we know heaven is a place so wonderful that it is far better than anything on earth. The details aren’t that important; he just knows he wants to end up there. On the other hand, I want to know as much as I can about the details. That’s the difference in us. My next message is God’s words to us in answer to our quest to know as much as He will allow about heaven. From what I will discuss about four major aspects of heaven, we have plenty to convince us it is worth all the suffering we must endure to remain faithful here on earth. So, that will be the subject of next week’s message. How amazing it is that no matter where we are or what is happening in our lives, God is with us. Christ’s very own name, Immanuel, means “God Is With Us” MT 1: 23]. While it’s true that Christ is the Judge, it is also true that “there will be no condemnation for those who live in union with Christ Jesus” [RO 8: 1]. The reason for this is that God has imputed His righteousness in the true believer, which makes him want to have thoughts, make decisions, and take actions in line with God’s will. Once again, I must say, “Praise be to God!”
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn