Beloved;
Rather then give this in many parts, I think it best to make it one study you can
review at your leisure.
WE FOLLOW CHRIST
To
follow Christ is to walk by faith, always mindful we live to please our Lord, and be profitable to Him. Each of us, at a time known by God when we believed, received eternal security, being "born again", and the
coming of The Lord For His Church is ever anticipated, ever ingrained in us BY THE HOLY SPIRIT,
according to the faithful teachings of the Apostles, as we labor daily in full expectation that whether in the body or
not, we shall all be reunited one glorious day at His mighty call John 14:1-3.
2
Corinthians 5:1
"1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
"For
we know..." How do we "KNOW"? The Spirit of God makes it real to us. And God has stored up for
us a "new" body "eternal in the heavens". Today we are here in a perishable "house". A frail
little tent that can blow away in an instant if God so wills. We have both an outward being and inward. That which
is seen is falling away day by day. That which is within is being renewed by the Spirit. If we should pass, the body goes
into the grave, but the inward man, OUR SOUL/SPIRIT will have gone to be with Christ!
The
inward man is spiritual. God is a Spirit. And we who worship Him do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We have a
house eternal in the heavens. This body of ours is sown a natural body, but it will be raised one day a spiritual
body. He is going to give us a new body on that day when He calls US and we are Home.
2 Corinthians 5:2
"2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring
to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:"
We
are not naked here. Not without His righteousness which dwells in us. Thus we are clothed in His being.
This condition is never in a state of jeopardy. And if we are "sleeping"(dead in body) this state awaits us.
Romans
4:25
"25 Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
THE BOLD FACED LIE OF UNIVERSALISM (THAT
ALL ONE DAY WILL BE SAVED!)
But
the lost will not have His righteousness, and because they have rejected Him their time will come when they must stand before
the Great White Throne Judgment seat of Christ clothed only in their
own self, without righteousness, nor excuse. The deeds of their lives, thoughts, etc will
be read to them. They will perish in The Lake of Fire. This is the judgment of the lost. This is
the "Second Death". Eternal separation from GOD.
But
there is a judgment seat in heaven that we will come before, not for condemnation but for rewards
if so be as a result of a faithful life lived in Him. And this will be a time that all our life from the time of salvation
to the time we die will be gone over. (Notice NOT for sin judgment, but "rewards only")
Acts
24:15
"5 And have hope toward God, which
they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
unjust."
John
5:29
"29 And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation."( The Great White Throne judgment of Rev.20:11-15).
Rev. 20:11-15
"11 And I saw a great white throne, and
him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave
up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
We
will stand before Him one day. Either in His righteousness or
that which is not righteous in us. We need to be accepted
in the beloved. There is only one way to eternity.
Now
the bible speaks of different types of judgments:
1. The judgment Christ bore on the cross. Because of this we can say Amen
to:
John 5:24
"24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life."
2. There is self judgment:
1
Corinthians 11:31
"31 For if we would judge ourselves,
we should not be judged."
3.There is the chastisement of God for the believer. He will "take us to the
woodshed".
Hebrews
12:6
"6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Such
is the wise believer who will take it and grow on it, rather then rebel and deny.
4. The works of a believer will be judged.
2
Corinthians 5:10
"10 For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad."
This is for believers only! It is the "bema" seat of Christ. It is not a judgment of the believer's sins, WHICH CHRIST FULLY ATONED FOR ON THE CROSS.
The judgment is to see whether we receive a reward or not. (All believers have their name written
in The Book of Life and will never be stricken!.
When
Paul says, "We must all appear" he is writing to believers. All we will be judged, that we may receive the things done in
the body. Judged on how we lived our Christian life, how we lived in these bodies down here. When we go before His presence
the question He will ask us is how we used these bodies. How did we live down here?
IF
WE WERE ALL SINLESS SUPER DUPER SAINTS NOT A "BUT" WOULD
appear on our record "BUT" WE ARE NOT! WE ALL ARRIVE HOME, EACH WITH DETAILS OF OUR LIVES WAITING. YET WE STRIVE
TO FINISH THIS RACE IN FAITH, NOT HIS PERFECTION. THAT, WE RECEIVE WHEN HE CALLS AND WE ARE MADE AN ETERNAL BEING IN HIS HOUSE OF FOREVER MORE!
Paul
faces this question when he writes to the Philippians.
In
1:21 he tells us:
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Then he talks of his desire to go to be with Christ but also of his desire to live longer
so he can minister to the Philippians. He wants to stay so he can minister to them a little longer. Some of us have had this
experience when circumstances put us at the doorway of death. We like Paul want to stay to magnify Christ in our body that
we might be accepted of Him and receive the reward of a CROWN (S). Then
when we come before Him, He will be able to say, "Well done my good and faithful servant".
2
Cor.5:11
"11 Knowing therefore the fear of
the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."
Prov.
9:10
"10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning
of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
One of the problems of the watered down Gospel of today is the failure of preaching, in Spirit, the fear
of the Lord! AND THE SECOND DEATH!
Heb.10:31
"31 It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God."
We
need to preach Hell! and The Lake of Fire! There is no greater truth but that men will be
bound for that eternal separation from God unless they repent of their sins believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior
and that He is the only way out of the payment of that FINAL BILL He covers for them, or they must account for "still in their sins!" And WE are going to be held accountable if we forgo this truth, for Jesus
came to save THE LOST. And falling into the hands of the living God, lost, is a fearful thing, my beloved, for only judgment
lies ahead, not grace.
This condition IS inspired
by the great LIE of Universalism that some "Christians" preach to their and others damnation!
We
do NOT strive after popularity! We strive for the truth. And neither should we strive in harshness and disdain, but gently
in the love of Christ for all humans. In this we are not commending ourselves, like political hacks seeking office, or crowd
pleasing ministers singing "glory hallelujah", self seeking for their little balance sheet that will burn up, but as
bond servants who KNOW the fear of the Lord and are wise to serve Him in truth...HIS TRUTH.
2
Corinthians 5:12
"12 For we commend not ourselves again
unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance,
and not in heart."
And not being crowd pleasers we may, indeed, be considered crazy, as some
of us also have experienced, PRAISE GOD!
2
Corinthians 5:13
"13 For whether we be beside ourselves,
it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause."
It
is the love of Christ that we know so well that constrains us, PUSHES US OUT, to give out the word of God. Mankind is UNDER
JUDGMENT AND A DEATH SENTENCE HANGS OVER IT'S HEAD!
Genesis 2:16-17
"16 And the LORD God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
You and I have been born into a family of death! ALL mankind is under a sentence of death. In
Psalm 23:4 David is not referring to the END OF LIFE but to all of life that is like walking down
a great avenue of death, until finally we must go through it's doorway!
Psalm 23:4
"4 Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me."
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
"14 For the love of Christ constraineth
us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
When we are wise in Spirit we know men differently then from their flesh, their worldly credentials.
And our lives are a testament to His Glory, His meaning which brought Him here to die for this lost world. Being now changed,
led by The Spirit, and educated as well, we look upon this world differently.
IT IS AN EMERGENCY CASE OF LIVE THROUGH CHRIST OR ETERNALLY DIE
A SECOND DEATH BY ONES OWN SELF PROCLAIMED GOODNESS!
OR!!! In the case of the heretics
of Universalism: Nom matter how you die and how you lived, God will welcome you in HIS Presence!
2 Corinthians 5:16
"16 Wherefore henceforth know
we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
We have died with Christ and risen with Him and are NOW IN CHRIST in the heavenlies where He is
glorified at God's right hand side interceding for our sin's as OUR High Priest and of those that come to God by His
blood and Eternal life, in faith. .. UNTIL HE STEPS OUT IN JUDGMENT! And then THE END OF THIS AGE!
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (my add)
Are you unsure? Still thinking HE HAS NOT FINISHED WITH THE ISSUE
OF YOUR SALVATION? ARE YOU STILL LISTENING TO THE "BUT" GANG!!!
John 5:24
"24 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
HIS LOVE CONSTRAINS US TO SERVE FOR HIS SAKE AND THE LIVES OF THOSE HE LOVES
WHO ARE THE LOST AS WE WERE ONCE.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
"20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Jesus Christ took our place down here. He, who knew NO SIN, came
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He has given us His place, clothed us in His righteousness.
He took our hell down here so that we HAVE His heaven up there where He is. HE DID THAT FOR US!
May God bless the reading of His word.
Chaim
