THE RESURRECTION AND THE GLORY
THE RESURRECTION AND THE GLORY
Sunday, April 20, 2014, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Jesus died for us on the Cross--- was raised from the Dead--- and is now living for us in Glory.
“All the promises of God in him are yes and in him Amen, unto the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20)
“Because I live you shall live also”
It is by virtue of His righteous Blood, sin is blotted out. Guilt is cancelled. The curse is averted. Justice is satisfied. God is reconciled. “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth; to Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
When we receive Christ into our heart, we become one with the Savior. It is written, “It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.” “In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” “He has made us kings and priests to God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”
All things are ours; for we are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.
It is by virtue of our union with Christ, that all the promises of the covenant of grace are ours---that the riches of heaven’s treasure are ours---that all that is Christ’s becomes our portion and inheritance.
By virtue of this union, His grace is ours to strengthen and sustain us. His Holy Spirit is ours to guide, enlighten and comfort us. His intercession at the right Hand of the Father is ours, to secure for each of us all needed blessing.
His power is ours to defend us from injury, and to secure us against defeat.
His heart is ours into which we may pour all our sorrows, and feel sure of his compassion.
His home is ours to be our everlasting abode, that where He is, there we may be also.
Because He lives and for His sake, the Father will withhold from us no good thing.
The Risen Christ is God all-powerful ---“Jesus spoke to them saying, 'All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.
The glorified Christ “I am He that lives, and was dead; and behold I am alive forevermore…”
Christ as man is all gracious. Christ as God is able to save. Christ as Man is ready to sympathize. Christ as God is alone worthy to present a sufficient atonement and sacrifice for sin. Christ as Man “in all things made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of his people. For, in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to help in times of need them that are tempted.”
Christ in us is the hope of Glory, to be “in Christ” is to have everything the soul can require in time and throughout eternity.
This is the only real wealth and the only source of lasting happiness. It is the joy unspeakable and full of glory. Earthly possessions pass away. Fame, riches, honor, youth, even loved ones pass on before us.
We have found the pearl of great price---the treasure above all treasures---the enduring inheritance. To be “in Christ” is to “have happiness and heaven on earth as it is in Heaven. In him is all sufficiency of everything we long for.
Although in our daily journey, we have trials, struggles with our duty, disappointments, even sorrows, I am assured that as long as we are looking to Christ and being led by His sweet Holy Spirit, however difficult may be our tasks and life assignments, we will overcome and be victorious on life’s journey.
We will not be sent away from the Throne of Grace empty handed, but will receive “grace sufficient”. Faith has achieved its grandest conquests in the battles and trials of life. God leads His people to Himself and into greater weights of Glory in ways that we would not choose in our bucket list. He sets before us larger and harder walks of Faith and this, too, is a gift of His deepest love. He beckons us on to steeper heights---with sharper rocks. He calls us on and upward. On the journey, no matter the sacrifice or the gloom of darkness, we are reminded, “all the promises of God in Christ are yea, and Amen.” These promises are ours in virtue of our union with Christ and no virtue of our own. Jesus’ hand of love is outstretched. With Jesus by our side, we advance more rapidly and with firm steps.
One of the first and hardest lessons which we learn as children of God is the seeming refusal of our requests for which our soul longs. It is a mystery of God that in Him seeming defeat helps progress; humiliation exalts; putting a cross upon the shoulders lightens the burden of the race; when he asks us to stand still, it is then we see the salvation of God.
Christ has solved the wonder of His own cross---in virtue of our union with Him; we are enabled to do likewise. We discover that standing still at the right time, in the right way, for the right purpose, is the surest advance; that waiting on God enables us to surmount obstacles too great for our own feeble powers. The failure of our own feeble plans proves the richest success of the soul. Under pressure we are driven to our knees from the giddy heights of pride and self-sufficiency.
Grief brings us to be able to count it all joy. When we are broken in spirit, we are made whole. Humbled, we are exalted. Often defeated, we yet gain the victory, and our progress is hastened by the very things which we imagine to be obstacles. All are intended to work together for our good, that we may be driven from the world to God, from earth to heaven, from broken cisterns to the true fountain.
Your Word oh God is truth. Great is your faithfulness. Therefore to the Lord God do I fly for refuge, comfort, strength, holiness and peace.
It is not in one act of faith that makes us “complete in Him”. We grow up into Him. We are not molded all at once into the image of Christ, we must be “renewed day by day.” The divine life of the soul is a breathing life, and its breath is drawn from “fellowship with Christ.”
We need Christ every night and morning, every struggling, toiling day, as much as the day of our salvation. This is a place of abiding union with Christ. Oh people of God, when did it become competition between your giftings and the gifts and graces of your brethren? When did it become about exaltation and recognition of how spiritual we are or how prominent we are?
Let us not forget our true calling---to go on, from day to day, into a relationship and conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. Until our shadow heals a man as we walk along, it is my estimation that we all have a lot to learn about being changed into His image from glory to glory.
In Christ there is no competition, there is no need for one to be exalted above another. Scripture teaches us that believers in Christ are bound together in the ties of a holy brotherhood as members of the same household of faith. The Holy Spirit makes us one body and one with Christ Jesus our Savior.
Eph. 4:4: “There is one body, and one Spirit even as you are called in one hope of your calling.”
We have the same glorious “hope of our calling”. That when Christ shall appear either by visitation, to take us Home to Glory, or at the Second Coming, that we shall appear with Him in glory. It is the Glory of His Cross, Blood and Resurrection that we will share in His glory.
Because He Lives and because we are one with Him, we are so identified with His glory and divine blessing that we are “made the righteousness of God in Christ.” Instead of incurring the divine wrath, we are in Christ and through His Blood earned a title to everlasting glory. In Him, we die daily. In Him, we may exhaust the cup of wrath. In Him we may drink from the bitter cup. In Him, we endure until we go from faith to faith and from glory to glory and each attribute of our calling requires no more.
We are one with Christ by faith and made “the righteousness of God.” What words can express, what higher honor is there for man? Christ’s worthiness for our unworthiness---His sinlessness for our sinfulness---His beauty for our deformity---His meekness for our pride---His constancy for our back-slidings---His love for our hate. In a word, His fullness for our emptiness---His glory for our shame---His perfect righteousness for our manifold unrighteousness. Yet this honor has all the saints.
The saint on earth and the saint in heaven are alike in union with and are moved by the Holy Spirit of God. This is the Redeemer’s Glory.
JESUS SAID TO Mary, ‘I AM THE RESURRECTION, AND THE LIFE: HE THAT BELIEVES IN ME, THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE, AND WHOSEVER LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME, SHALL NEVER DIE. BELIEVE YOU THIS? Verse 40: JESUS SAID TO HER,” SAID I NOT TO YOU, THAT IF YOU WOULD BELIEVE, YOU SHOULD SEE THE GLORY OF GOD.”
“He that believes in me though he were dead, yet shall he live...”
The Glory of the church is destined to become even more brilliant, and to shine even more and more unto the Perfect Day. Let us therefore go forth ministering the Word of Life with all boldness, knowing that as surely as God raised Christ from the dead in the power of an endless life, so surely shall we rise also with Him to walk in newness of life day by day in the hope of our calling.
EVEN RESURRECTION GLORY.
Luke 24:3-6: “…they entered in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus…behold two men stood by them in shining garments…”\
Matthew 2-3: “…behold, there was a great earth-quake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lighting, and his raiment white as snow…He is not here; for He is risen…go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead…”
Luke 24:26: “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?
Luke 24:46: “…Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer; and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things...”
Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you…
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.