We Shall Be With the Glorious Christ (John 17:24)

I was very much blessed with my study of Isaiah 6. Since November is Tinubos blog's anniversary month, I'm planning to post that material later this month. If the Lord wills, it will be posted on the 28th, the very day Tinubos was born way back in 2008. For the meantime, I'm posting this material which is really a spillover from my study of Isaiah 6.

This is also to grant the request of She Yap and Chewvy Orlanes. They graciously visited Guiding Light Dagupan and heard me preach this material on the afternoon of August 3. Thank you dear friends; I'm sorry for the delay. Though slightly modified, this is essentially the same message given to us on that blessed afternoon.

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There is a verse in the New Testament that links Jesus Christ to the high and lofty vision of God's glory in Isaiah 6; that verse is John 12:42 where it is written:"Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him." John identified Jesus as the one whom Isaiah saw; the YHWH whose glory fills the whole earth.

Yet that was far from obvious on Jesus' days here on earth. While the king in Isaiah's vision possessed a blazing glory that even angels must cover their eyes, the carpenter  from Nazareth looked so ordinary. People saw no beauty, no majesty in him. The Pharisees and the Sadducees saw nothing special in him. Pilate and Herod saw him as a powerless suspect on trial. The crowd mocked him. The soldiers scourged. They spit on him, probably on his face.

Yet there will come a day when Jesus will be revealed in his full glory. When he comes, people would rather wish to be buried alive than to face the Wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16)

This glory was the first concern of Jesus when he opened his prayer at Gethsemane (John 17:1-5). He wants it back-- that blinding splendor which was veiled when he took the form of a servant. After praying for other matters (verses 6-23), he returns to the first concern in verse 24, so that his disciples would see that glory when they shall finally be reunited in the end. His specific prayer was:

NIV 1984

I would like to share three things we are assured of based on this short prayer item of the Lord:

First, this assures us that we ain't seen nothing yet.
Yes the disciples saw glimpses of his glory. They witnessed him turn water into wine. They heard him command the winds and the winds obeyed. Demons trembled before him. He made the sick well. He made the lame walk. He made the blind see. He raised the dead back to life and other things too many to mention.

And you my friend, if you have been a Christian long enough, there is no doubt that you have your own experiences of answered prayers and other wonderful things. Yet we have not yet seen the best of who Jesus is. We have not yet experienced the best of what Jesus has prepared for us. We will be with him and see his unveiled glory. We will be awed by his infinite majesty moment by moment and it will be unending. It will be an eternity of pleasures and joy in his presence (Psalm 16:11)

Second, this assures us that all our present troubles will soon melt away in the presence of Christ.
When the disciples began to understand that Jesus would soon leave them, their hearts were immediately filled with grief. As early as in chapter 14, Jesus has already presented the cure to that grief-- that is the promise of reunion with him (John 14:1-3).

Jesus' request in John 17:24 for his followers to be with him shows that he wants eternal comforts for us. We could then look beyond our present sufferings; they are not worth comparing to the glory that shall be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). "Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor. 4:17). Our Shepherd will lead us to the springs of living water, and there God will wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev. 7:17).

Third, this assures us that we will be changed into a people that fully enjoys God's glory.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible's testimony is consistent: Sinners don't enjoy the glory of God:

• After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees upon hearing that the Lord is approaching (Gen. 3:8).
• After hearing God spoke the ten commandments, the Israelites saw a frightening sight. The mountain was covered with smoke. Lightning flashed followed by the deafening sound of thunder. They trembled in fear. So they ask Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." (Exodus 20:18-19)
• Isaiah saw God's glory and his conclusion was, "Woe to me... I am ruined!"
• Earlier we saw that people would prefer being buried alive than face the Glorious Lamb (Rev. 6:16)

The presence of a holy and glorious God is a threat to sinners. But with Jesus' request in John 17:24, we are assured that someday we would be transformed into beings fully capable of enjoying God's glory. Facing God will no longer be a threat but a blessing (Matt. 5:8). Through the process of sanctification, the transformation has already began and it shall be completed when we are finally reunited with our Lord (1 John 3:2)

You may ask, "Will I ever arrive at that?"
Well, who doubts the potency of Jesus' prayer?  If you have put your trust solely on the Lord Jesus Christ for your eternal destiny, then this prayer is for you.

James picked Elijah as an example of a righteous man whose prayer is powerful and effective (James 5:16b-18). If a mere mortal's prayer is powerful and effective, how much more with the sinless Jesus Christ who has been in indescribable intimacy with his Father before the world began. "YES" we shall be with the glorious Christ and shall enjoy him forever.

The Holiness of God as Our Assurance that Evil and Corruption Will Be Eradicated Soon

There may be others but I could only think of three reasons why political leaders fail to eradicate graft and corruption:

1. Lack of political Will
 
2. Limitation in power-- corruption is deeply embeded in the system that it takes absolute power to eradicate it.
 
3. The political leaders themselves are wicked-- Ironically, if you fill what is lacking in #2-- that is if you grant absolute power to a political leader to enable him to fight corruption, he might turn out to be the problem himself. Remember the maxim, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

In God's kingdom, the three things mentioned above doesn't exist.

1st, God rules with perfect political will. He says "Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; As I have puposed, it will stand" (Isa. 14:24)

2nd, God is unlimited in power. It is written, "For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, who can turn it back?"

3rd, the maxim stated above doesn't apply to God. His absolute power will not corrupt him because God is light and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). There will never be an iota of dirt in the character of God. He alone can combine absolute power with absolute holiness.

Since the three problems in human governments are absent in God's rule, evil and corruption will not exist in the King's abode.

1 Cor. 6:9-10 "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
 

"Woe is me! Will I be outside the gate?"

When I was a university student, there was a sign I see daily. It was posted at the gate: No ID, No Entry. What is required for us to enter God's abode is perfect righteousness. The heavenly policy is: No Perfect righteousness, No Entry

Revelation 21:27 "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful..."

We also know that none among us possesses this requirement. Romans 3:10 "There is no one righteous, not even one"

Will we be then outside the gate?

The complete Revelation 21:27 reads "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Though many will not be able to enter in, the Lamb keeps a book of names-- names of those who will be richly welcomed in God's dwelling place. I list here three aspects of what the Lamb has secured when he was sacrificed at the cross:

1. By the Lamb's sacrifice, believers were made POSITIONALLY holy. That is they are not actually holy, but "God justifies the wicked" (Romans 4:5) as they receive by faith what Christ did for them at the cross. In theological jargon, this is JUSTIFICATION.

2. By the Lamb's sacrifice, believers are PROGRESSIVELY being made holy. Here we are "being transformed into his likeness" (2 Cor. 3:18). In theological jargon, this is SANCTIFICATION. Believers will be excited to enter heaven because they have experienced the joys of holy living here on earth.

3. By the Lamb's sacrifice, we will be made INSTANTLY holy. 1 John 3:2 says that when Christ appears the second time, we will be like him. Because God is holy, he will not leave those whom he loved in their sinful state. When time ends and eternity begins, there will not even be a hint of sin on the present bad boy Manny. In theological jargon, this is GLORIFICATION.

So we should be glad that this dreaded holiness of God is our assurance that our future dwelling place will be free from all evil and corruption-- including the evil and corruption presently in us.
 

Rejoicing in the Hope of Future Glory

Part 3 of 4: Some Fruits of Justification Series

Gleaned from Romans 5:1-4

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (NIV)

The word “hope” here is not how we usually use it. Hindi ito yung walang katiyakang "SANA" lang. Hindi ito tulad nang kanta ni Ariel Rivera:

“Sana kahit minsan ay mapansin ako..."

There is certainty in Christian hope. For instance, the return of Jesus has been called the blessed hope in Titus 2:13. there is nothing uncertain about the Lord's return. It will surely come to pass. And so here “hope of the glory of God” is certain that's why it is worth rejoicing in. When Jesus came, his followers saw his glory, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), but the fullness of his glory is yet to be revealed. That is the hope we are rejoicing in.

Not only that, when he finally reveals the fulness of his glory, we will be given the privilege of sharing in that glory. I am not saying we will be gods, leave that doctrine to Mormonism. But Scripture reveals that we will never be the same again when God finally grants us glorified bodies

1 John 3:2-- "...  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

Col.3:4-- "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

By then, we will no longer be subject to pain and sickness, and death. We will face death and taunt him: “O death where is your victory, O death where is your sting” (1 Cor. 15:55)

Sa Pagdating ng Araw na Ipagluluksa na Ninyo Ako

Halos hindi ako makapaniwala nang aking mabasa ito. Hindi ko tiyak kung mapagkakatiwalaan nga ba itong source na sinasabi nila. Pero Papatulan ko na rin. Ayon sa ulat, 12 katao na raw ang nagpakamatay dahila pagpanaw ni Michael Jackson.

Hindi naman masamang magluksa lalo na kapag mahal na mahal natin yung namatay. Umiyak nga ang ating Panginoon sa pagpanaw ni Lazarus.

But the Bible discourages grieving "like the rest of men, who have no hope" (1 Thess.4:13). Ang pagluluksa ang mga Kristiyano ay hindi tulad ng pagluluksa ng sanlibutan.

Mula sa 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, pupulot ako ng ilang mga prinsipyo tungkol sa pagluluksang Kristiyano. Kung sakaling darating na ang araw ng ipagluluksa ninyo ang aking pagpanaw, ito ang nais kong mangyari.

1. "we do not want you to be ignorant" (1 Thess.4:13)- I want you to mourn with biblical knowledge. The more you are informed about the truth, the more you can mourn correctly. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do (including weeping), do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor.10:31).

2. When you mourn for me, keep in mind that my my death will not dissolve my union with Christ. I have just "fallen asleep in him" (1 Thess.4:14). Rest assured that I will be in a better place by then. If it were not so, Paul could not have said, " I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" ( Philippians 1:23)

3. Keep in mind that if you are in Christ, we will be reunited soon. You will like me better by then because all things sinful about me will be gone. And best of all, we shall be with the Lord forever (1 Thess.4:17)

4. Kapag nagkita-kita kayo sa lamay ko, I want you to encourage each other ( 1Thess.4:18)



Photo taken from chron.com
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