Deliver Me into Thy Kingdom

The life of a new Christian is joy unspeakable. There is a heavenly euphoria caused by our release from the burden of sin...the sin that we all live in from birth. Some people tell us that it feels better than getting out of jail. Others are so happy that there are times when the tears of their bliss run freely and drip on the floor. In fact, one person lost their English language for several hours because the elation they felt carried them away from all present-day feelings. We could listen to thousands of people tell us of the wonder and awe of their jubilation. But no human can maintain a state of elation forever. At some point Christians reach a time where they will come down to earth for some testing. There will be times when we actually worry that we are not right with our God or that He is unhappy with us. At these times we must survive on our hope. The Lord knows us completely and He will always “make a way for us” if we simply call out for His help. God really wants to deliver us into His Kingdom.

Most of us know that our efforts to be good will never get us to Heaven because we are sinful. In fact, the disciples were surprised when they found out that no human will be in Heaven because of their own worth or position. The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matt 19:25-26 (NLT) It is plain that every human must seek divine deliverance from our situation on earth. Even after we are saved from this sinful life it is essential that we learn the ways of God for a complete deliverance. There is no way we will live in the Kingdom of Heaven if the Spirit is not allowed to change our life and show us the way. The Bible says this about a Christian; You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9 (NLT) Our deliverance is continually available if we rely on the Spirit of Jesus.

Over the years people have looked many places for God’s Kingdom but have never found it. Even when Jesus walked the earth it was hidden. “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. ” Luke 17:20-21 (NLT) Jesus taught us that He was the beginning of the Kingdom but that it was invisible to unbelieving humans. People will always have trouble believing in things that are invisible and this is why salvation is all about our faith. Without faith no one will ever be delivered into the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus came to earth most people did not want to believe that He was the Son of God and we still have the same problem today. After God went to the great effort of creating humans, it seems natural that He would want to save some of them for Himself. The Scriptures make it clear that God even sent His Son down from Heaven to deliver humans into God’s eternal Kingdom someday.

Although the baby Jesus arrived in humble circumstances, He always had the authority of the Almighty contained in Him. This authority was unlimited. One time when the Religious Leaders attacked He gave this answer; “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Luke 5:21-24 (NLT) When Jesus healed the hundreds of sick people He was simply trying to teach humans that He has the authority to deliver any person from any situation on earth. This included the temporary world of sickness or the eternal world of salvation from sin and deliverance into His Kingdom. It is plain that Jesus had the greatest authority dwelling in Him because not only did every one of His commands get answered but He fulfilled every prophecy in the Scriptures.

It is beautiful the way a Christian can trust Jesus and his power to deliver us from any situation. Remember the little lady that had been struggling with sickness for years. After learning about Jesus she took all her strength and forced her way toward the Master. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matt 9:20-22 (NLT) Nothing in this world could change her life but when she placed all her faith in Jesus her life changed in an unbelievable way. No one who ever trusted completely in the Son of God has been disappointed. This includes the most negative person in the world if they will make Him the Lord of their life. The fact is that Jesus can and will deliver us into the Kingdom of Heaven if we trust Him with our life.

There are times when our life is tough and it is hard to see anything good in our future. Unseen to us during these times, the power of our deliverance is still at work. During these situations we find out whether our faith in Jesus is complete or just partial. Paul had many trials that would possibly have ruined our faith in God. These trials always seemed to make Paul trust in Jesus more than ever. When writing to Timothy he said; But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! 2 Tim 4:17-18 (NLT) Yes, Jesus has the authority and the power to deliver any one of us into the Kingdom of Heaven. All we must do is continue to trust him with our life no matter what troubles we have or how terrible our future looks. God will deliver us into His Kingdom.

Hope of the Call

The average man in this world is acting out a loss of hope. Once there was a man named H.D. Thoreau who rejected most worldly pleasures. His lack of hope apparently entitled him to make many snide remarks about hard working Americans. Thoreau said, for example, that most men lead lives of quiet desperation and if they are resigned to their lot in life they are simply confirming their own desperation. He is saying that all well adjusted workers have a false hope because there is really no hope in this world. This incorrect line of reasoning can hurt good workers because the truth is; great hope is available to all people. This great hope is found only in the Spirit life that God is calling us to.  For God wanted them (Jews) to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. Col 1:27 (NLT) All unbelieving people are missing the secret--- that an eternal hope is available to every person in this world.

Every Christian has answered "yes" to the call of Christ and hope is part of this call. As a Christian begins their new life they should realize what is waiting for them in the next life. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven. (This is) where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Col 3:1-4 (NLT) These facts make it impossible to live a hopeless Christian life. We are like a young person that has not yet come of age and taken possession of their great inheritance. As R.L. Stevenson said in his famous novel “there is a treasure not yet lifted.” When the Spirit, which lives inside of a Christian, promotes us into the next world we will be absolutely amazed. Some day Jesus Christ will share His position and His possessions with those of us that serve Him.

Hope is the fuel that helps a Christian keep going when things are tough. Because our hope is in another world we should not let anything in this world diminish it. The harder this life gets, the brighter our hope should shine. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Heb 12:1-2 (NLT) The Bible tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus who is in Heaven but He also lives inside of us by His Spirit. We have the power to maintain our hope living in us. Paul said it this way; God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. Eph 1:22-23 We should accept the fact that great power resides in a real Christian life.

A Christian life in this world actually is proof of the great hope that is available. The Scriptures talk about the plan of God to remove us totally from sin. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. Heb 1:2-3 (NLT) It is amazing that the character of the Almighty and the creation of the entire universe was used to sacrifice his Son, in order to cleanse a Christian from their sin. To repeat, a Christian life in this world is certainly proof of the hope that is available to people. We could say that everything God recorded in the Scriptures was done ultimately for the purpose of cleaning up a few people to live forever as His family.

There are many people that have desired to go to heaven but will never live with God. These people have gone down the aisle of a church and believed that Christ died for them. They sit in the pew and ignore the scriptures they hear week after week. They are refusing to live their life totally for Jesus Christ. Some of these folks have even tried to follow Jesus under their own power. They will never be successful because we are too weak spiritually. The Bible says; “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. Acts 2:32-33 (NLT) There is only one way to live a life that pleases God; a person must allow the Holy Spirit to be poured into their life. The hope of our calling is contained in the power of the Spirit of Jesus living in us and directing everything in our lives.

The more we are controlled by the Spirit, the more eternal hope we have.

From White Knucklers to White Washing

Humans have an uncanny ability to resist God in a thousand ways. We may not even be aware of our own ploys when we want to avoid what Jesus is asking us to do. Older Christians can remember when the preachers used to present God’s gospel message to those in the pews so rigorously that conviction would be all over the person that was avoiding the call of Christ. When they were asked to make a decision the convicted person griped the pew in front of them until their knuckles would turn white. Preachers are afraid to preach sternly today so the message has been watered down to make people feel comfortable. They claim they are teaching the way of love but preachers have forgotten that our God is merciless when it comes to a sinful or unbelieving life. The fact that nobody is convicted of their worldly life style is proof that the Gospel message is now being white-washed. Maybe we should call our reluctance to serve God the “White Plague”. White washing is dreadfully insidious. It causes people to misunderstand the Gospel message.

The one commitment that people fear the most is leaving the life that they love and living a life dedicated to God alone. The fact that the Church person today is normally living an ungodly life is repulsive to God. There are many passages presenting this truth, for example; They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires… They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. Jude 1:18-19 (NLT) This verse even gives us the remedy for our worldly lives, God’s Spirit in us. No matter how righteous we think we are, all our lives are ungodly until the Spirit is obeyed. If we know how we should be living but are doing something else then we are not obeying the Spirit. Our old nature is always demanding that we please ourselves rather than God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. Eph 2:2-3 We must have a change of nature (which will change our life) or we will face God’s wrath.

Justifying ourselves has become a way of life for Church people. Today loving our family is considered a life of righteousness along with other noble pursuits. Doing good deeds is being used as another way to resist what God actually wants for us. When Jesus walked this earth this was part of His message; If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matt 10:37-39 (NLT) Jesus did not white-wash his message because it is dangerous to risk losing an eternal life with God because of the pleasures of our short life here. Many people say we have no right to talk to them like this. They feel that they deserve new cars, boats, houses and all the pleasure they can find in life. They cannot understand that we really worry about their soul because replacing God with things today will result in Hell forever.

Another way that we resist God is to simply ignore Him. This is very popular among non-believers as well as Church members attempting to gain heaven without giving up this world. We are warned about this mental white-washing; For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? Heb 2:2-3 (NLT) This verse makes it clear that if we ignore the new life provided by Jesus, we will be punished. It is difficult to live by the truth when it has been white-washed by the organized Church. When we stand up against the Church we will be persecuted the way Paul was in his day. Although it is unpopular let us take a pledge to obey the truth and refuse to put up with the white-washing.

Most of us are aware that the truth has fallen in our country. But God gave us the Scriptures and Jesus has sent His Spirit so that we could live by the truth. Paul said to us; Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Eph 4:21-24 (NLT) Yes, it is hard to believe but our new nature was created to make us like God. This will require us to completely give up the world and not to resist God in any way.

Secret Christian Word

There are some subjects that authors of the past have written about that are so special that a new word must be coined. This happens when a brand new concept is being introduced to the minds of people. Paul wrote about one half of the New Testament and at times he talked about new spiritual ideas that Jesus had given to him. Because no one ever had these thoughts before Paul had to push the Greek language to the extreme limit. In other words, Paul used a word that has never been found anywhere else in the world of written languages. This word means a sort of super assurance in the Spirit. Some Christians know this word as a feeling that they express by saying “I know that I know, that I know, etc.” Of course, the world could never feel or understand this word because it is only given by the Spirit of Jesus when He is living inside a person. It must have been difficult for Paul to figure out how to tell people about this brand new feeling. We will discover that this word only applies to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Nouns can refer to the state of a person. This beautiful Greek noun, pronounced “plee ro pho ria” describes the absolute full persuasion that can be found only in the Spirit of Christ and nowhere else. For example, this is the happy state of a martyr like Stephen when Paul watched him die. The world can never explain or understand the mental state of a happy martyr. Most of us know what euphoria is but to have this feeling while being tortured to death for the Gospel is a supernatural gift from God. The point is that every Christian can have this feeling about Jesus even though we are not being physically tortured. Plerophoria is only used four times in the Scriptures. It is used in two books by Paul and twice in the book of Hebrews. Maybe Paul started thinking about needing a word for this state of a Christian after considering how Stephen had died. The song that describes being filled to overflowing comes to mind as we think of the state of being fully persuaded. When Christians are absolutely persuaded to this level of confidence it can overflow and influence others.

Christians are all about trust and this is something every person must settle in their heart. Paul said; And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. Heb 10:19-22 (NLT) The words “fully trusting him” are translated from the word “plerophoria.” No one could possibly be a Christian and not be fully persuaded that the blood of Jesus guarantees a path into the presence of God forever. The fact that Jesus opened the way through “the veil” is the foundation of all Christianity. With the covering of Christ’s blood over us we can become clean enough to live with God but we must believe it to the point of euphoria. God desires that we trust Him until, we know, that we know, that Jesus will represent us to the Father. This confidence can result in our living forever as a part of God’s family.

As with many of the ways of God it is difficult for us to describe the way the Spirit makes us feel.  Here Paul say’s; For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 1 Thess 1:4-7 (NLT) In this passage, plerophoria has been interpreted as “full assurance.” We can see here that when the Spirit brings this “super” persuasion into our life we receive the special power of God to make it a part of our everyday life. The Good News has been endorsed by the Spirit. Our confidence in what the Spirit gives us is a form of imitating Jesus who always relied on the Spirit. Obeying the word of God can cause us to have great assurance in God Himself. We can certainly depend on the love of God when we obey His word and have absolute trust in Him.

In this next verse we are being encouraged to love each other because of our growing knowledge of the plan of God. Paul explains another benefit of plerophoria.  I want you to know how much I have agonized for you …and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col 2:1-3 (NLT) “To have complete confidence” is the interpretation of plerophoria that is given here. These different ways of trying to explain the same word begin to shape our thoughts on this subject. The mysteries of God are referred to several times in the Bible but the Scriptures are alluding to an unsaved person. A Christian will have great confidence because they can understand the plan of God. People who have a lack of persuasion are limiting what God can do in their life.

Living for Jesus takes a lifetime of our trust and obedience. We must stay active in the new life that the Lord has given us or risk running out of oil for our lamp. This passage is to encourage us in the life we have chosen.  For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. Heb 6:10-12 (NLT) Every Christian hopes to please God and then to live with Him forever. This message wants us to know that with our love, our endurance, our faith and our hope, we can be absolutely and fully persuaded that we are pleasing God. Isn’t it a wonderful feeling to be in the will of our God and know His secrets?