Appearing With Christ'
Appearing With Christ
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children [sons] of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21–NIV)
On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (II Thessalonians 1:10–NIV)</p>
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)The eighth chapter of the Book of Romans begins by telling us that if we choose to live in the Spirit of God, we are without condemnation. Then Paul goes on to tell us that the attitude of our mind is important if we desire to live in the Spirit.
Paul tells us also that the Spirit of God will assist us as we seek to put to death the sinful deeds of our fleshly nature.
As we follow Paul's thinking in Chapter Eight, we see that he emphasizes the fact that we are children of God. We therefore are heirs of God, co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall be glorified along with Him when He is revealed to the world.
Then Paul speaks of the glory that shall be revealed in us. It shall be so great that our present sufferings appear relatively unimportant by comparison. The Book of Second Corinthians tells us about the sufferings of Paul. As great as they were, Paul obviously felt that they were not sufficient to keep his flesh under control, so in addition he beat his body.
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. (II Corinthians 1:8,9)
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (I Corinthians 9:26,27)
I hear that today there are preachers who are telling people, mostly Charismatic believers I think, that Christ is coming today to grant them great power. Apostles are going to be restored. The Christian people are to bring in the Kingdom of God on the earth before Jesus returns.
Such foolishness! This is a spirit of triumphalism. It is, in fact, the rise of the False Prophet who seeks the power of the Lamb but speaks with the voice of the dragon. That voice is: "I will, I will, I will." Such people will support Antichrist during the closing days of the Church Age.
These believers know little or nothing about cross-carrying obedience. They are filled with their own ambitions. They are not willing to share the sufferings of Christ.
It reminds me of a young man in our church who is undergoing training to be a member of the United States special forces. He will be proud and happy when he can graduate as a Seal. But the training is rigorous indeed!
The present batch of Charismatic believers (of which I am one) are not accustomed to being told we have to deny ourselves. We have to submit to God's prisons for many years, and to do so without complaining.
In actuality, God has to bring is very low indeed until we are clothed with the sackcloth of humility. We have to undergo years of rigorous training until we are ready to be revealed to the world as a son of God!
No, we not going to move about according to our own presumption, covered with the Glory of Christ, invincible, stretching forth our hand and summoning the dead from the cemeteries. We shall be brought low until we learn to thankfully survive one day at a time.
We must be taught obedience by the Spirit of God until our bones respond instantly to the slightest desire of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must bring every thought, word, and action to Him until we can say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I am living. Yet it is not I who am living but Christ who is living in me."
God will create this state in us if we will ask Him to. When He does, we will cease uttering foolishness about the great things we are going to do for God; or how we are going to bring in the Kingdom of God so we can present it to Christ when He appears.
Jesus warned us that deceivers would come, preachers and teachers who know nothing of the sufferings of Christ but who are seeking their own advantage. Well, they are here today–-in America at least. We had better flee from such if we don't want to lose the Spirit of Christ!
I notice the current crowd of deceivers do not stress righteous behavior or walking with the Lord Jesus humbly and in strict obedience to the Lord.
How attractive it is to think of sitting in our nice warm homes and directing the creation by "faith." Such a vision is not right. Anyone who truly knows the Lord Jesus will reject it.
I realize we are in the time of the Latter Rain. It is a fact that God intends to entrust His victorious saints with the power of the seven thunders. They will work miracles as they give a true testimony of God and of His soon-coming Kingdom.
But they will not do so while they are relaxing comfortably in their middle-class American homes. Pentecostal people will not do the works of the Prophets and Apostles until they are willing to share the sufferings of the Prophets and Apostles.
What is being presented today by these so-called apostles is a host of magicians doing marvelous things. The people who are promoting this "revival" are seeking their own wealth, glory, and advantage.
You will be wise if you keep away from them.
I have noticed that some ministers of our day, and some politicians also, do not have integrity. They make their living by manipulating people. Perhaps there should be a course in the Bible schools on integrity. As it is, the students watch the senior ministry and learn scheming and conniving rather than prayer and obedience to Christ.
How many pastors lie to the IRS about the amount of the offerings. Perhaps they justify their deceit because they realize that the people of the government often lack integrity.
The apostles and prophets of the Bible, men and women alike, were people of absolute integrity. They practiced righteousness and walked humbly with God. Therefore God made them reinforced bronze walls. Their enemies could not overcome their testimony.
Maybe it is time today for us to set aside our grandiose visions of how we are to stun the ungodly with our display of miracles, and first learn integrity and righteous behavior.
If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
"I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you," declares the Lord. "I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel." (Jeremiah 15:19-21)
God has absolute integrity of Character. He expects each one of His sons to have absolute integrity of character.
The troubles affecting the people of the earth in our day are the birth pains of the Kingdom of God. The expectation (premonition; anxious longing) of the creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God. The creation may not be aware of this anxious longing, but it is a fact.
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19–NAS)
The verse above truly is a remarkable statement. We ordinarily do not think of the created world eagerly waiting for Christ and the other sons of God to appear from Heaven and present the Divine Glory to the people of the world. In fact, we might expect the opposite to be true of the world.
So how could Paul say such a thing?
I think the answer may be that there is a deep-seated hope in mankind for a better world. At Christmas time we in America often like to surround our children with presents and candy canes so they will be happy. There is an optimism in most of us that somehow this valley of the shadow of death is not all God has for us.
We have hoped our deceased loved ones are in a better place. In so many instances our Christian leaders have not told us that God's plan is to bring Heaven to the earth in the form of the Lord Jesus and the saints.
The idea of Heaven being our eternal home is a myth. It began at some point in the history of the Christian churches.
The Bible teaches rather that God is preparing sons in His image who shall appear with Christ and remove from the whole earth the presence and handiwork of Satan.
Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; he will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalms 98:7-9--NASB)
For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12–NASB)
I remember as a boy, Malley's Department Store, in New Haven, Connecticut. During the Christmas season Malley's had a Toyland that to one little boy was one step below Heaven itself.
You know, this is the way the world is supposed to be. The Land of Light in the spirit world is like this the year around. The Land of Darkness is the opposite. The environment of the Land of Darkness, in the spirit world, is like the areas of the earth today where the wicked govern.
I am deeply grieved about the children in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the border of Syria, and in the Christian communities in Egypt. Yet all I can do at this time is pray.
This is Satan's work in the earth. When Christ appears with His brothers, justice will be restored.
Such a transformation not only is the hope of the peoples of the nations, it is our Christian hope also. But we have to wait for God to prepare His victorious saints. When the saints have learned obedience to Christ, Christ will lead them from Heaven into the earth. Then all that is of Satan will be removed.
The only darkness remaining will be the self-will of people, their desire to obey themselves rather than Christ. This is why during the Kingdom Age, Christ and His saints will govern with the rod of iron righteousness. Then God once again will be present on the earth.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope. (Romans 8:20–NIV)
It was not the idea of people that the physical creation should be a valley of the shadow of death. It was and is God's idea.
People foolishly blame God because there is poverty, sickness, famine, or some other frustrating condition. It is a fact that God in His love has subjected all of us, Christians and everyone else, to corruption and frustration.
But if it were not for these painful conditions, the world would be one great sexual cesspool. God hopes by permitting Satan to bring corruption and death into the world that out from this valley of the shadow of death God will be able to create a royal priesthood who will successfully govern the new world of righteousness.
Once the royal priesthood, with God's Lamb at the head, has come to the earth to govern, as we see in the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation, righteousness, love, joy, and peace shall be everywhere, except in the areas of darkness reserved for the disobedient.
It must be true that God has kept this hope alive in many of us, so we are not pessimistic but full of joy concerning the future. I myself am along in years, but I do not fear death. I know Christ will take care of my family in a far better manner than would be possible to me.
How do I view death? Like I used to look forward to the summer holidays. School was out, which I always hated. The spring piano recital was over, which I always dreaded. A glorious vacation with nothing to do but swim, run through the woods, play with friends, and otherwise do as I pleased.
This is how I picture my approaching passing from the valley of the shadow into everlasting Christmas.
That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:21–NIV)
"Decay" is a good term to describe the present world. Since I am getting older and my body no longer obeys me as I would like, I am looking forward to a body that always responds wonderfully to my desires. Never gets tired or sick. Never is weak. Best of all, it no longer wants to serve sin.
I do not know all that will be included in the "freedom and glory of the children of God." But I can understand that it will be like being released from prison. Really, our present life is a period of testing so God will be able to understand how we will behave when we receive the true riches.
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. (Deuteronomy 8:2--NIV)
Don't be so foolish as to fearfully grasp this present life. It is a testing period, and also an opportunity to learn obedience to Christ, not a time during which we are to enjoy ourselves. Obedience to Christ is the main lesson, and my observation is that many believers in Christ have never learned to look to Christ at all times to see what His will is for them.
I knew of a Christian lady who said that at the beginning of each new year she would get a word from the Lord concerning what that year held for her. That is mighty "slim pickings" from my point of view. I want to hear from the Lord Jesus twenty-five times a day at the very least. How about you?
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (Romans 8:22)
It is so true, isn't it? Did you ever drive by a hospital parking lot? They usually are full of cars. Inside there a numerous tragedies as people find out they are positive for cancer; or their small child has leukemia; or their loved one actually has had a heart attack.
I have been there. Have you? Why then should we grasp the present life when God has something a million times better for us?
If we have a deceased love one, unless he or she has been a wicked, malicious person, we shall see him or her again in a much better world where the children play all the day.
But this is not the end of the story. As soon as God has finished perfecting us, we shall return from Heaven with the Lord Jesus, drive out all the spirits that disobey God, and live in an unending Christmas.
Do you know what Paul's goal was? It was to be delivered from his sinful body.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
Perhaps many of us are not that concerned about the sin that is resident in our body. But the Apostle Paul was, and that is why he was looking forward to the redemption of his body.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:23,24)
Just consider what Paul was anticipating!
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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:52-54)
We do not often hear Christian people groaning that they might experience the resurrection from the dead in order to be free from the bondages of sin. This is because the "grace" teaching has confused us concerning the consequences of sinful behavior.
Hopefully in our day we are beginning to understand that "grace" is not an alternative to being conformed to the image of God.
Grace is in two parts: first, the forgiveness of our sins through the blood atonement made on the cross of Calvary.
Second, the release from the condemnation of the Law of Moses as we consider ourselves dead with Christ on the cross and alive with Christ in His resurrection.
As soon as grace has set us free from the guilt of sin and from the condemnation of Moses, we then are free to press forward each day into the resurrection of Christ so we can gain victory over the sins that plague us.
But the final outcome is the redemption of our body, as the Lord Jesus returns from Heaven and fills our body with the Spirit of God, removing every tendency of sin that is resident in us.
Eternal residence in Heaven is not our goal, because Christ is coming to rule on the earth; and we don't want to be in Heaven when Christ is on the earth. At least I don't!
Our true goal, like that of the Apostle Paul, is the redemption of our body. This must take place before we can be revealed to the world as a son of God.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:57).
Amen.