YAHWEH OUR HEALER

“and said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.’” (Exodus‬ ‭15:26‬‬)

God plagued the Egyptians because of their defiance of him. He promises the Israelites that He will spare them of such plagues if they obey His commands.

Someone may ask me, “Do you believe in Divine healing?”  My answer is, “What other kind is there?”  All healing is Divine healing.  God identifies Himself as Yahweh Rapha—the LORD our Healer.

There is the miracle of our body’s resistance to sickness and its capacity to be restored.  Without that, a cut could prove fatal. Obedience to God’s ways makes for a healthier lifestyle. A lot more people will be shot in a bar or contract disease in a brothel on Saturday night, than will happen in a church building on Sunday morning!

Then, there are marvels of medicine. Wisdom from the Creator has been given to druggists and doctors.  The development of vaccines, testing technology to diagnose illness, and surgical methodology to correct it are gifts from Yahweh Rapha.

That is not to discount miraculous answers to prayer.  God can, and does, sovereignly and supernaturally, bestow healing at times. Its rarity is what makes it a miracle, but He does do this—according to His design and not our demand.

Ultimate healing will be found in the resurrection.  It is provided in the atonement. Perfect, painless health awaits an environment where sin is no more. The lifting of the curse frees God’s people from all sickness. We won’t even get the sniffles!

GLORY EXPERIENCED

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  Thus says the Westminster Catechism. God’s glory and our joy are bound together in our experience with God.  John Piper puts it like this, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  Puritan Pastor, Jonathan Edwards declared, “The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which God is magnified and exalted.”

We get glory from God when we give glory to God.  This is the glory that Adam lost and what Jesus came to restore,

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one...Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John‬ ‭17:22, 24‬)

How can we experience that glory?

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor.3:18).

All that we go through—especially the groans—lead to glory, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Cor.4:17).

Yet, whatever experience of God’s glory we may know in this life, cannot compare with what awaits.  Romans 8:17-18 promises, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” This is glorification.  We shall behold God in all His glory and be changed into His likeness!

MYSTERIES REVEALED: The Defeat of Death

Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-55.

We live in a world where death is ever-present. Green hills are intermittently dotted with tombstones.  Funeral services are offered in letters mailed to aging people. Hospital patients may be sent to hospice units—medical comfort for hopeful recovery supplanted by comfort care in anticipated decline and demise.

Sin is the cause. The world is cursed and death is the consequence. Man’s rebellion against God permeates every inch of the globe and sentences every sinner to execution.

Yet, Jesus came to overcome death, hell, and the grave. In His resurrection and glorification there is the assured promise of ours.  While this body of flesh and blood is not adequate to dwell in heaven, there will be a translation in which we receive a new body.  For the Christian, this occurs at the rapture of the church.

The dead in Christ will rise—with new bodies, no longer subject to decay. The living saints will be instantaneously transformed, as well. The trumpet blast will summon us to meet Jesus in the air.  Earth’s gravity will no longer be able to contain us.  The new body elevates us to a state that transcends time and space.

Paul essentially sticks his tongue out at death!  He has no fear.  The sting has been stolen and death’s defeat assured. We can stick our tongue out at death, too!  A name written on a death certificate is not a concern if that name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

GLORIFICATION: HOME AT LAST

Read Hebrews 11:8-16

God’s people, in this world, walk by faith and not by sight. Glorification comes when faith becomes sight.  Then we are home at last!  Freed from a world of wickedness and a body of weakness, fitted for our real home in Heaven!

It was that promise this sustained the patriarchs like Abraham, his wife Sarah, Isaac and Jacob.  They moved from place to place, living in tents, nomads without a permanent dwelling. Nor did they need one.  Their confession of faith was that they were just pilgrims passing through. The city they looked for was the New Jerusalem above.  They lived and died in faith and the moment they closed their eyes here, they opened them in glory!  

No earthly carpenter here can construct what the Eternal Carpenter of Nazareth has built in Heaven above!  Jesus promised He would go to prepare a  place for us, and when ready will return to move us in with Him (see John 14:1-3).

Practically speaking, this hope for tomorrow makes a difference in the way we live today. It helps us resist the allure of the material world and the pleasures of sin which are but for a season, and sharpens our focus while fueling our passion for the world to come.  Our eyes are on the prize and, like Abraham, there is no turning back.

Of such people this is said, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”  What a day that will be!

GLORIFICATION: PAULINE PERSPECTIVES

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Paul had much to say about the promised glory to come for the child of God. His magnum opus concerning the resurrection is found in 1 Cor.15, which we previously examined, but it was by no means the only time he referenced this doctrine that was a driving force in his life.  Today’s devotion will focus on some additional Pauline perspectives on our future hope.

Glorification is our great COMPULSION.

 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬).

Paul lists a number of difficulties he faced in serving Christ.  Yet, he did not despair.  He was a driven man, and this compulsion was maintained by looking ahead to the glory to come.  His resolve was fueled by the hope he possessed. We may say with the old Gospel song, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.”

Glorification is our great CONSUMMATION.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Philippians‬ ‭3:20-21‬).

All that we do for God, every service we render for others, and all hardship we endure is in view of the consummation of all things in glory. As we use this body for Him, the toll of that effort wears us down, but in the end we can press on, knowing that there is a new body being prepared in exchange for this worn out one.

Glorification is our great CONSOLATION.

 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians‬ ‭4:16-18‬).

There is no sorrow so deep as when we are separated from our loved ones by death.  Likewise, there is no solace so delightful as when we will be reunited with them.  That is the promise when Christ returns for His church.  The dead in Christ will rise and the living saints will be changed—all of us glorified and taken to heaven, to be with the Lord and with one another forever.  It is our message of consolation to one another.

What a happy hope!  This was Paul’s perspective.  Is it yours?

GLORIFICATION: AN OVERVIEW

Read 1 Corinthians 15.

There are some chapters in the Bible that jump out as key passages for specific themes.  Genesis 1–creation. John 3–regeneration.  1 Corinthians 13–love.  1 Corinthians 15–our focus today—an overview of the resurrection.

1.  THE BASIS OF THE RESURRECTION (v.1-11). Paul lays out the case for Christ’s resurrection.  Credible testimony has been made from those who saw Jesus alive from the dead.  Paul’s own life had been transformed by seeing Him.

2.  THE NECESSITY OF THE RESURRECTION (v.12-19). If there is no resurrection event, then Christ was not raised and should Christ not be raised, then we have no hope.  Christianity is a house of cards.

3.  THE ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION (v.20-28). Christ is the prototype for the resurrection.  We will be like Him in glorification.  The rapture of the church will be a time when the dead in Christ will rise with new bodies and living saints will be transformed.

4.  THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION (v.29-34).  The reality of the resurrection has implications for how we live today.  If this life is all there is, then sacrificing for eternity is foolish.  Live it up now, for this would be it.

5.  THE FORM OF THE RESURRECTION  (v.35-49).  That new body will be superior to this one in every way.  Yet, it will be a real body.  As our physical body was suited for life on earth, the spiritual body will be designed for life in eternity.

6.  THE VICTORY OF THE RESURRECTION (v.50-58).  The Christian cannot lose.  Triumph in Christ is assured.  Death has been defeated!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (v.58)

GLORIFICATION: THE PROMISE OF JESUS

Read Matthew 22:23-33. 

It was an old trick.  The Sadducees had used it on their theological opponents—the Pharisees—often.  The Sadducees were the liberals of their day, denying the supernatural, including the resurrection.  That is why a Sadducee was “sad, you see.”  They took Moses’ command that when a brother dies, his brother is expected to marry the widow and care for her, and in the hypothetical they present, this happens an absurd seven times.  So, they stumped the Pharisees with the question they think will buffalo Jesus, “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?”

Our Lord responds by pointing to the root of their problem, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”  He then proceeds to tell them that marriage is an institution of earth, that will be superseded by a higher relationship in eternity.  A sexual union with a spouse is supplanted by a spiritual union to Christ—the church is His bride. Jesus says we will be, “like the angels.”

He does not say that we will be angels!  I have often heard people say that.  You don’t want to be an angel.  You will be glorified humanity. Jesus wasn’t saying you would become an angel.  He was saying that in their devotion to Christ alone, we will be like holy angels. They do not wed, but focus on serving God and worshipping Him.  They are consumed with His glory, and all this will be true of us.  You won’t earn wings, but you will get a new body, designed for Heaven. 

The Sadducees claimed to believe only the first five books of the Bible.  So, Jesus proved their ignorance of the Scriptures by quoting from one of those books, Exodus 3:6, 15. The faithfulness of God’s Word extends to the very tenses of verbs, as God decreed, “I am the God of Abraham...Isaac, and...Jacob.”  He is eternally their God, for they are eternally with Him—and so shall all God’s people be.

Note, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob retained their identity.  In many ways, heaven is an extension of this life, but only on a higher plane.  I will know my wife and she will know me.  I will love my wife, but with perfect love, and so I will love everyone absolutely.

“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”  Case closed!

GLORIFICATION: AN OLD TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE

Read Job 19:23-27 and Daniel 12:1-3.

There are three tenses in salvation.  There is salvation from sin’s penalty, a past experience of justification when a believer has come to faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s power, a present experience of sanctification as a believer lives by faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s presence, a promised experience when a believer’s faith becomes sight. It is the third dimension we will focus on this week: glorification.

We begin with an Old Testament perspective from Job and Daniel.  Because revelation is progressive—that is, God discloses truth in an increasing way as one moves through the Scripture—there is not as much about the promised glory of the resurrection and our life in heaven found in the Old Testament. The teaching, while not fully developed, is there, however.

What a hope it was for Job!  Imagine all this man suffered. He lost everything—except for the hope of glory!  Yet, he expected an existence where he would have a new body, in a new place, where he would not feel the pain and heartache of this world. He would not be a ghost, floating around, as he speaks of “my flesh” and “my eyes” being with God and seeing God.  The resurrection body will be a different type of body and yet a real body.

Daniel says more about the resurrection.  He points to the timing—in the last days of earth’s history and the return of Christ.  He writes of “many,” because this refers to “your people”—Daniel’s fellow Israelis—who will be raised following “a time of trouble,” meaning the seven year Tribulation Period. There are actually a series of resurrections—Christ being the firstfruits, then the dead in Christ at the Rapture, and now these Old Testament saints at His return to earth to reign. Lastly, the wicked will be raised.  The righteous will be raised with bodies suited for Heaven and the wicked with bodies designed for Hell, but for all people everlasting existence, somewhere, destined for reward or retribution.

Where will you spend eternity?

BLESSED ASSURANCE!

Read Romans 8.

This is a chapter the commences with, “no condemnation,” and concludes with, “no separation.”  It highlights the precious promise of the perseverance of the saints.  “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” (v.25‬).

This doctrine underscores the faithfulness of God that undergirds the fruitfulness of God’s children. It is rooted in His character and assures those who are truly born again of the grace we need for transformation—that the God who calls us, changes us, and confirms His work in us.  From start to finish, it is all of grace.  Paul puts it like this, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (v.29-30‬). In the all-knowing mind of God, and according to His almighty power, He saves us to the uttermost.

We will make it home.  God will hold us fast. Far from being an excuse to sin, this love and grace is the motivation and means for holiness. Even, these bodies of ours will be redeemed.  Our environment, now under the curse, will be liberated as Eden blooms again!

This is a chapter that contrasts groans with glory. We are not home yet.  There are groans (v.22,23,26). Those groans will—some golden daybreak—yield to glories (v.17,18,21,30). God is even using the things that make us groan to accomplish the glory He intends, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (v.28‬)

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.” (Fanny Crosby)

HERE'S HOPE!

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ….  (Titus 2:13)

Your world can be turned upside down in a heartbeat.   Just a few weeks ago, our little six-year old granddaughter, Mya, seemed a picture of health and bundle of energy.  Then she was diagnosed with cancer.  As I write these words, she is in the hospital fighting a deadly enemy.  What we desperately sought was hope—and the doctors told us this could be successfully treated—but, ultimately our hope rests in the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.  While she seems to be responding well to the treatments, we know the immediate future still contains uncertainties, yet Mya’s future—and ours—is in a hope that does not depend on earth’s circumstances, but God’s eternal assurances.  Do you have such a hope?  You can.  Titus 2:11-14 tells us how.  We see salvation is in three tenses—all bringing hope.

The first tense deals with our past: WE HAVE BEEN PURCHASED (v.11, 14a).  I have been saved from the penalty of sin.  That's justification.  It is the work whereby we are placed in right standing with God by faith in Christ.  There are three great Gospel words featured here: "grace" and "salvation" in verse eleven and "redeem" in verse fourteen.  The word redemption means to be set free by payment of a price.  When Paul wrote these words, men and women were sold in the marketplace like commodities.  Spiritually, we were in the slave market, held fast in the shackles of sin.  Christ paid the price to free us—and the price He paid was His own blood!  He "gave Himself for us" and the great exchange took place—Christ took my sins and gave me His righteousness.  

The second tense deals with our present: WE ARE BEING PURIFIED (v.12, 14).  I am being saved from the power of sin.  That’s sanctification.  It is an on-going process.  "Ungodliness" is all that is contrary to the nature of God. "Worldly lusts" are the perverse passions of our nature that are informed by the putrid philosophies of our culture.  These must be denied.  But the Christian life isn't just about what we avoid, but what we apply: "We should live soberly" in our inward disposition; "righteously" in our outward demonstration; "godly" in our upward devotion. We must be different to make a difference "in the present age" as we are in the world but not of it. A boat is of no use unless it's in the water, but get water in the boat and you're sunk!  Paul says that Christ has purified us "for Himself."  We belong to Him—“His own special people," who are to be "zealous for good works."

The third tense deals with our prospects: WE WILL BE PREPARED (v.13).  I will be saved from the presence of sin.  That’s glorification.  I’m "looking for the blessed hope...."  Some golden daybreak Jesus will come!  The Savior whom we have heard of, we will we see with our eyes!  John wrote, "everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3).  The hope is verse thirteen connects with holiness in verses twelve and fourteen.  The most important aspect of prophecy is not to give us information about the future, but bring transformation anticipating it.  It is a call to readiness (see 2 Peter 3:10-14).

Is your hope secure?  Does it rest upon Jesus Christ?   Remember,  

Only one life;

‘Twill soon be past;

Only what’s done for Christ, will last.

CHANGED FOREVER!

 

that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  (1 Peter 4:2)

I love to sing, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart….”  He has changed my direction here and my destination hereafter.  Although that process is ongoing, it is relentless—I am not who I used to be and can never be again—forever changed.

There is A DISPOSITION THAT IS SETTLED (v.1).  Peter has been talking about how Christ suffered for us in doing the will of God (3:17-18). This is an encouragement to each of us to be willing to suffer in following His example.  Peter uses a military term as we prepare for battle.  Our weapons are spiritual in nature and the battlefield is the mind.  If we are willing to deny self and die to sin in following Christ, we are done with the lifestyle of sin.  That is repentance.

There is also A DIRECTION THAT IS SET (v.2).  The reorientation of our lives is from a direction set by fleshly impulse to one set according to the will of God.  Our life will be directed by the lust of the flesh or the lordship of the Father.  We can seek our own will or God’s will.  Sin occurs whenever I rebel against the will of God.  That means I have established my self as my own god—and that is idolatry.  This is how we were before salvation, but if we are truly saved this can no longer be the case. 

There is further A DIMENSION THAT IS SPENT (v.3).  The Christian has come to realize that this world is utterly bankrupt—it is fool’s gold.  The currency of our time was once spent for wicked pleasures and now it will be exchanged for eternal pursuits.  Peter was writing to converted pagans radically altered by Christ!  A Christian’s life is no longer dominated by the evils mentioned here.  Peter says, “Enough of that!”

There will be A DIFFERENCE THAT IS SEEN (v.4).  At first people are surprised at the change in us and then they scorn the change in us.  Better to be scorned than ignored.  So many claim to be Christians and they are chameleons instead!  The world will call you a holy roller!  They will brand you a fanatic.  In my day, they mocked you as a “Jesus freak!” 

There is then A DETERMINATION THAT IS SURE (v.5).  “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.”  It is inescapable. We must prepare to meet God.  Either the account is settled when we die because the Eternal Son paid it or we will be settling up for all eternity—a debt we cannot pay.  The problem we have isn’t just the sins we commit or we might eventually pay for them.  The problem is the sinner we are—and without the new birth we can never become anything different.  That’s why we risk ridicule and rejection to warn the wicked!

We have A DELIVERANCE THAT IS SECURED  (v.6) What’s the worst that could be done to you?  Someone kill you?  Then you would enter the greatest life there is!  Peter paid that price. Your whole outlook about life is changed.

Can you honestly sing, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart”?  Christ will change you today if you ask; He will change you forever!

TRANSFORMED BY TRUTH

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart…. (1 Peter 1:22)

God’s truth will transform us.  The truth provides the standard for transformation—it reveals God’s holy character and His holy commandments, so we know what we are to do.  It provides the stimulus for transformation—showing our accountability and the rewards and discipline if we obey or not, so we know why we obey.  The Word not only provides the standard and stimulus, but the strength for transformation—it renews our mind, nourishes our soul, and fortifies our faith. The Bible is different from any other book—Divine in its nature and power.

Peter points to THE ETERNAL ABILITY OF THE WORD OF GOD TO SAVE US (v.23).  He speaks of the effects of the Word in verse 22 and offers an explanation for this in verse 23.  If you are saved, it is because someone, somewhere, somehow shared with you the Word of God.  It may have been your parents, a preacher, a teacher or friend, but you heard the Gospel and believed in Christ.  No life whether human, animal or plant begins without a seed.  That is the starting point of all and it is the beginning of a spiritual birth, even as fertilization begins a physical birth.  That seed is the Word of God.  We should have confidence that the power of the Gospel that saves us has power to save others.  Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom.1:16).

Peter, also, proclaims THE EFFECTIVE AGENCY OF THE WORD OF GOD TO SANCTIFY US (v.22).  The Holy Spirit works through the Holy Scriptures to produce holy saints.  The new life implanted in us at salvation becomes a new lifestyle incarnated in us through sanctification.  “Purified” is in the perfect tense that speaks of that which commences at conversion—positional—and continues in sanctification—progressive—until it culminates in glorification--perfection. The truth that we comprehend in our head, becomes the conviction of our heart, and then becomes the compulsion of our conduct.  The faithful application of the truth through obedience is how we grow in Christ-likeness.  Faith is active, not passive.  We can’t be pure apart from the Spirit’s power, but we won’t be pure apart from our partnership with Him.  A new life produces a new love.  It is the outstanding mark of the Christian.  “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

Peter, further, professes THE ENDURING ACTIVITY OF THE WORD OF GOD TO SECURE US (v.24-25).  The work of the Spirit that begins when we respond in faith to the Word of God continues to be active in us as we grow in the Word and will ultimately shape us to be like Christ in glory.  The brevity and frailty of our humanity is stressed in verse 24.  Contrast that with God’s eternal and powerful Word in verse 25.  The unchanging Word in an unstable world is what we need.  If your Bible is coming apart, you won’t be!

I commend to you the Word of God.  Trust its Author and He will save you.  Study its message and it will sanctify you.  Make it the foundation of your faith and it will secure you—giving you a solid path in the constantly shifting philosophies of the age.

THE EXCHANGED LIFE

 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  (Colossians 3:4)

Your old clunker has had it—so you drive the smoke-mobile into the car lot. You trade it in, but the dealer just shines it up and gives it back to you instead of the new one! It might look better, but it is the same old car.  Jesus told a parable about the folly of trying to fix an old garment with a new patch (Mark 4:21).  Jesus never intended to patch up our old rags, but to exchange them for a new robe!  Christianity is not so much a changed life, but an exchanged life!

Paul writes in Colossians 3 about THE POWER OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.1a).   We are raised with Christ.  The power that brought Christ from the tomb now brings us out of spiritual death and into resurrection life.  That power now enables us to meet and overcome every challenge in life.  Today you can exchange human weakness for heavenly power!

Then, there is THE POSITION OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.1b).  We are seated with Christ.  So we seek after heavenly things, because we’re seated in heavenly places.  There Jesus reigns as Lord and in union with Him we are masters of every situation.  There is nothing over our head that is under His feet!

Next, Paul points to THE PURPOSE OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.2).  We are like-minded with Christ.  J.B. Williams translates, “Practice occupying your minds….”  The purpose and passionate pursuit of Christ was to do the will of His Heavenly Father.  He occupied His mind with eternal matters. We have the mind of Christ, so glorifying the Father becomes our mission.

Further, we find THE PRINCIPLES OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.3a,5-9).  We are crucified with Christ.  Paul develops this doctrine in Romans 6 in great detail.  Being crucified with Christ means we are dead to sin.  We are to pronounce a death sentence upon sinful attitudes and actions. We can feed these passions or starve them to death.  This was part of the old carnal life, but not of the new Christ life.  

See also THE PERMANENCE OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.3b).  We are secure in Christ. The Devil has to go through the Father and Son where he encounters a believer indwelt by the Spirit.  By the time Satan reaches us, his intended evil has become God’s intended good.  That’s security!  Confidence in our foundation moves us to proceed with construction of the new life.

We have THE PROMISE OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.4).  We are returning with Christ. Christ has promised to come for His bride. At the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise and living saints will be transformed—caught up to heaven. After the seven years of tribulation ends, we return with Him to reign.  The godly, growing Christian looks for the heavenly city.

Next, we discover THE POTENTIALS OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.10).  We are regenerated in Christ.  God made Adam in His image and that was marred by sin.  Now we are a new creation in the image of Christ.  We have the potential to be all that God created man to be.

Finally, we observe THE PEOPLE OF THE EXCHANGED LIFE (v.11).  We are one in Christ.  Fellowship with Him is the basis of our fellowship as believers.  There is no room for division.

Christ is all in all!  He is our life and we can’t live without Him!  May Jesus be Jesus in me!

KNOWING CHRIST

 

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death….  (Philippians 3:10)

It is possible to know about someone and not know them personally.  When a Jew spoke of “knowing” someone it suggested the deepest intimacy.  So as Paul spoke of his passion to know Christ, he wasn’t talking about knowing Him theologically—as important as that is—but, he meant knowing Him experientially.  This knowledge is in three tenses.

The past dimension is THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:4-9).  Paul had experienced this indispensable and initial knowledge.  This is where a personal relationship with Jesus begins.  Before his conversion, Paul knew about Jesus—and rejected Him.  When he met Him on the Damascus Road, he came to know Him as Savior and Lord.  He spoke into the blinding light in replying to the voice, “Who are You, Lord?”  The answer, “I am Jesus.”  Paul would never be the same.  There was repentance (v.4-8) as Paul changed his mind about Jesus—and this brought a change of earthly direction and eternal destination.  Repentance brought righteousness (v.9)—not the self-righteousness of a Pharisee, but the saving righteousness that comes by faith.

The present dimension is THE SANCTIFYING KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:10).  Beyond the initial knowledge there was an increasing knowledge that comes with spiritual growth.  The more we know of Him, the more we become like Christ.  This was Paul’s heartbeat.  We can know the power of His resurrection—the power that conquered death, hell, and the grave—flowing through us overcoming sin and energizing service.  We can know the partnership of His sufferings.  While we can’t share in the sufferings of the atonement, we can share in suffering for His cause—suffering for righteousness’ sake.  We can know the pattern of His death.  We take up His cross and follow Him.

The promised dimension is THE SUPREME KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:11).  No matter how well we come to know Christ in this life, we will always be limited by the flesh.  Paul admitted in 1 Cor.13, “we know in part…but then face to face.”  John tells us, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!”  (1 John 3:2b).  A surface reading of Phil3:11 might lead you to think the Apostle is expressing some doubt about the resurrection, but rather it is an exclamation of desire—his way of saying that nothing was more important than the resurrection to life.  We will spend eternity somewhere—make sure you are heaven bound!  Blind Fanny Crosby put it best,

When my lifework is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.