Our Christian hope is more like this stone that it is the shadow. Very often, we feel our hope in Christ is more wishful thinking or "spiritual reality than something we could stand on. I know people don't say outright that it is just intangible reality--a shadow, but it comes out that way. They look at scriptures like "Ask whatever you want in my name and it will be given you," and they take it for now, and then they have to bend it and soften it to make it true. They put conditions on it--you didn't ask right, you didn't believe right. But taken at face value, that is a pretty card blanche guarantee. What if Jesus was being serious? He does appear to be offereing something solid like a stone, not shifty like a shadow. A day will come when we will have whatever we ask for. And our requests will truly be righteous.
Here's a scripture that is also taken figuratively or spiritually:
Isa 40:3131 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. NKJV
"Waiting" as I have understood it means to meditate and sit still before the Lord. However, we can rip off the Christian face, and just "wait on the Lord" the way everyone else waits. That is, patiently observe the passing of time. If we wait, we will "mount up with wings like eagles," literally:
1 Thess 4:16-1816 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
We rob ourselves of a real hope when we take just the shadow of reality that we have right now to be the full substance. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit and the promise that Jesus will be with us always. However, that tenuous and subjective reality is temporary. If we wait for the end of this age of faith, we will have the substance of these outrageous promises. We will mount up on wings like eagles. We will have a physical body that will rise up in the air, that air will rush past our physical ears and "with our eyes we will see God". Right now, if we are honest, we do grow tired and we do faint and our bodies get worn out and we fall. However, this will not always be so:
1 Cor 15:51-5351 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
And how will we be changed? We will no longer be subject to the weakness of the body, it's mortal nature:
1 Cor 15:53-5453 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
I've heard so many sermons on our victory in Christ and walking in it. But how hollow these scriptures are when we take them for now. These are promises of His Kingdom--when King Jesus takes his rightful place to rule the world, with the saints he redeemed, transformed and resurrected. Yes, we can rejoice that our sins are taken care of. But the implications of that--that we will now have Life--that remains to be seen. We make a terrible mistake to believe we have anything but the scarcest taste of the promise today.
I encourage you to read the scriptures with me and find the nuggets of hope in the resurrection. Our hope is yet to come, and it isn't figurative or immaterial or subjective. It is overwhelmingly powerful, tangible, and starkly real. It was enough to give the apostles boldness. And they were guys that were bumping along living the life of subjective faith that we live with too. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the spirit prevented him. Why did he want to go there if he was supposed to be lead by the spirit? Peter was going around acting like a jew when the jews were around and compromising the gospel to placate men. The apostles didn't have the fullness of the kingdom. They suffered confusion, conflict, frustration. They didn't get whatever they asked for. Instead of running and not growing weary, they got persecuted and killed. But they weren't bothered because they knew that the Kingdom would come, and all the promises would be made good, as evidenced by the resurrection of Christ. When they saw Christ raised, it was the outline of the shadow of the full deal: a redeemed earth with physically raised saints. Let's not settle for less.
Here's a scripture that is also taken figuratively or spiritually:
Isa 40:3131 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. NKJV
"Waiting" as I have understood it means to meditate and sit still before the Lord. However, we can rip off the Christian face, and just "wait on the Lord" the way everyone else waits. That is, patiently observe the passing of time. If we wait, we will "mount up with wings like eagles," literally:
1 Thess 4:16-1816 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
We rob ourselves of a real hope when we take just the shadow of reality that we have right now to be the full substance. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit and the promise that Jesus will be with us always. However, that tenuous and subjective reality is temporary. If we wait for the end of this age of faith, we will have the substance of these outrageous promises. We will mount up on wings like eagles. We will have a physical body that will rise up in the air, that air will rush past our physical ears and "with our eyes we will see God". Right now, if we are honest, we do grow tired and we do faint and our bodies get worn out and we fall. However, this will not always be so:
1 Cor 15:51-5351 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
And how will we be changed? We will no longer be subject to the weakness of the body, it's mortal nature:
1 Cor 15:53-5453 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
I've heard so many sermons on our victory in Christ and walking in it. But how hollow these scriptures are when we take them for now. These are promises of His Kingdom--when King Jesus takes his rightful place to rule the world, with the saints he redeemed, transformed and resurrected. Yes, we can rejoice that our sins are taken care of. But the implications of that--that we will now have Life--that remains to be seen. We make a terrible mistake to believe we have anything but the scarcest taste of the promise today.
I encourage you to read the scriptures with me and find the nuggets of hope in the resurrection. Our hope is yet to come, and it isn't figurative or immaterial or subjective. It is overwhelmingly powerful, tangible, and starkly real. It was enough to give the apostles boldness. And they were guys that were bumping along living the life of subjective faith that we live with too. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the spirit prevented him. Why did he want to go there if he was supposed to be lead by the spirit? Peter was going around acting like a jew when the jews were around and compromising the gospel to placate men. The apostles didn't have the fullness of the kingdom. They suffered confusion, conflict, frustration. They didn't get whatever they asked for. Instead of running and not growing weary, they got persecuted and killed. But they weren't bothered because they knew that the Kingdom would come, and all the promises would be made good, as evidenced by the resurrection of Christ. When they saw Christ raised, it was the outline of the shadow of the full deal: a redeemed earth with physically raised saints. Let's not settle for less.
1 comment:
Very good. I agree that the life that Christians can experience now is the "the scarcest taste of the promise". But that promise is so great that even the scarcest taste inspires us, and those disciples of long ago, to serve Jesus to the limit. Carry on tasting and sharing with us these wonderful nuggets of Good News.
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