Are you ready to meet The Master of the Universe?
Swallowed up by life eternal
I can hardly contain my excitement (so to speak) at the prospect of this groaning body being “swallowed up by life” eternal (verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 5:1-5). Wow! What a moment that will be. Just can’t imagine!
Death is “vanquished forever”…and ever and ever…
God has “made us and prepared us” (2 Corinthians 5:5) for an eternal, celestial – imperishable, incorruptible, immortal body and spirit (1 Corinthians 15:20, 54). We are now brand new inside, but later we will be brand new all over!
This is a very short, temp existence we now experience. But soon, when I die, when this “earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], —- we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
“then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever).”
– 1 Corinthians 15:54
You and I will enter His Holy Heaven with an eternal, immortal body and spirit. Can you feel it yet?
To serve Him
With that eternal perspective in mind, I am supremely motivated “to be pleasing to Him” (v9). The Bible teaches that He has forgiven me of every sin, cleansed me from all that offends His Holiness, and He promised me eternal life.
“We’ve been called by Jesus to be forever on a higher level. That life on a higher plane — starts here!”
– Source: Jesus will rescue us soon from the wrath to come
THAT motivates me to NOW serve Him with all that I am, with all that I have, with all that I am humanly capable of doing.
And he replied, “You shall
love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and
with all your strength, and
with all your mind; and
your neighbor as yourself.”
– Luke 10:27
Beyond my immensely huge gratefulness for salvation from His damnation, another plan of God grabs my intense attention. I am supremely motivated to conform to the will of God for me — in order to do as well as possible at “the judgment seat of Christ” (v10). Yes. We will be judged.
PIC: Johanna and Randolph Michaelsen-2018
The Believer’s Judgement
Every follower of Jesus must “appear before the [a]judgment seat of Christ”. This is not a trial to see if we get into Heaven. Not at all. We’re in! This will be a judgement to determine our rewards in His Kingdom.
We have already been set free from His condemnation. We have already been declared holy (All references or: 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Peter 1:16, 1 Peter 1:15, 1 Peter 2:5, Romans 12:1, Revelation 20:6). We have already been… “seated at the right hand of God in Christ” (Colossians 3:1). No worries there! Thank God.
Colossians 3:3 tells us it’s done – past tense… present tense: have died…is hidden. When God sees me, He sees Holy Christ, because “…your life is hidden with Christ”! I am judicially holy now before our Omniscient Holy God. His forgiveness is THAT MIGHTY to save!
The Judgment Seat of Christ is where we in Christ “will be called to account”… “so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or [b]bad” (v10).
Every deed counts. All that we have done on earth? We “will be held responsible” for every deed: our personal “actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of …time, opportunities and abilities]”.
PIC: Seconds.clock by Noor Younis. Unsplash
My every hour counts big time
Now doesn’t that supremely motivate you to get your act together — NOW? Like, right this moment?
Aim to clean up your act? Make every day count for Jesus? Make hours count? Repent and stop what displeases Him? Renew again your commitment to live every hour for Him? Sure does me.
33 Do not be deceived: [i]“Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Be sober-minded [be sensible, wake up from your spiritual stupor] as you ought, and stop sinning; for some [of you] have no knowledge of God [you are disgracefully ignorant of Him, and ignore His truths]. I say this to your shame.
– 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Unstable fanatics for Jesus (v13)
Like Paul, I am out of my mind – for God. I am in my right mind – “for your benefit” (v13).
As with Paul, we all should say: “the love of Christ controls and compels us” (v14).
13 If we are out of our mind [just unstable fanatics as some critics say], it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit. 14 For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake. – 2 Corinthians 5:13-15
If you/me/we believe that Christ “died for all”, and have repented, committed 100% to Jesus, then, we are like them who…
“…no longer live for themselves,
but for Him
who died and was raised
for their sake” (v14-15)
You and I
will enter His Holy Heaven
with an eternal,
immortal
body and spirit.
Can you feel it yet?
TOP PIC: Karsten Winegeart. Unsplash
FOR MORE:
Scripture text for this article:
9 Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the [a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or [b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].
11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord [and understand the importance of obedience and worship], we persuade people [to be reconciled to Him]. But we are plainly known to God [He knows everything about us]; and I hope that we are plainly known also in your consciences [your God-given discernment].
– 2 Corinthians 5:9-11
______________
“For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling, 3 so that by putting it on we will not be found naked.
4 For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection].
5 Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].” – 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
Being a Temp in our temporary tent
Luke 10:27… “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart….”
We only have one shot at this. How are you managing so far?
Legally Damned – Legally Forgiven
Being pleasing – Romans 6:12-14
God forgives all wrongdoings of all repentant sinners, no exception
The Righteous Person Excerpt: Avoiding Evil.
How to be more righteous
A Swift proverb based on the various translations of Job 11:12
Don’t be an empty-headed wild ass who thinks he knows it all. You’re so vain! You were never “born free”. Don’t be a stupid person who can’t tame himself! If you are a fool – forget about it! You’ll never become wise. It’s more likely that a wild donkey will give birth to a human!
– Source: Personal rules of practice. See: Proverbs 27:12; Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 16:6.
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