The Importance Of Seeing The World As God Made It Jan 2011

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Jan 2011

THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘SEEING‘ THE ‘WORLD’ AS GOD MADE IT

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this meditation is show how fundamental and far reaching the differences are between the ‘world’ that believers know they are living in ,on the one hand, and the world that unbelievers believe exists, on the other hand. The difference is on the level of the nature and extent or duration of reality. Is what we see with our physical eyes (or with physical machines --telescopes etc.) all that there is to the ‘world’ in ‘time’ and space? Believers know that this is not so; Believers know that what is experienced on earth before the death of the body is not the ‘total picture’ or the ‘end of the story’; believers know that there is more to the ‘world’ that God created than ‘meets the eye’ as the English idiom expresses it.

The Bible says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Hebrews 1:10-12)

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." (Isaiah 40:26)

"Creation itself will be liberated from it bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. " (Romans 8:21, 22, 23)

What does God say? "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:6)

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35)

The 'world' is not God. The Bible distinguishes between the world that God created and the eternal God. "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Psalm 102:25-27)

"As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." (2 Peter 3:12)

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. "(Revelation 20:11)

It is because of this fact (=how the ‘world’ is seen by believers) that the overriding values and objectives of believers are totally different from those that dominate the citizens of this world. Prayerfully, some of the eternal significance of these different concepts of the ‘world’ will become clearer as this topic is considered under the following 6 headings:

A.-- What 'world' do you 'see'? --a 'world' governed by chance, by the laws of statistics, a world of 'free will'?
B.-- Nothing happens in God's 'world' that is not part of the eternal creator God’s purpose and plan.
C.-- God’s ‘world’ is so different that even the basic categories of time and space do not seem to be relevant to all of the ‘world’ that God created.
D.-- In God’s 'world' all human beings are not identical creations of God anymore than whales and birds are the same kind of creature.
E.-- In God’s 'world' all of reality or existence does not take place prior to the death of the body.
F.-- What stage of God's 'world' is your heart set upon?
G.-- In God’s 'world' what reveals the importance of believers seeing the ‘world’ as containing both the present and the stage of life that begins
‘after’ the death of the body is the response of believers to trials, persecution, and hardships.

The life we experience on earth is not the whole picture. Believers know this. It is because of this fact that there is an enormous contrast between what the citizens of this world consider the ‘good life’ and what the citizens of heaven (believers) consider the ‘good life’--the God-pleasing life (while in the stage of life that takes place on earth)

In this meditation very frequently I, the writer, put the word ‘world’ between single quotation marks. I do that because the ‘world’ that God created includes more than the world we see in atlases or in books of astronomy or in the statements of 'scientists'. It is this difference and its importance between what the unbelievers of the world look upon as the world and what believers look upon as the ‘world’ that is the subject of this meditation. (End of introduction)

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God reminds believers in different ways that the way they ‘see’ the ‘world’ or sphere of existence in an entirely different way from the way unbelievers see or understand the world they live in. It is not that believers and unbelievers live in different worlds; we all live in the same world--the 'world' God created but not everybody believes that. Because not everybody believes that it follows of necessity that not everybody has the same view of the 'world'. Unbelievers 'see' the world just for what it appears to the eye in the present, whereas believers 'see' the 'world' as what the Bible says it is--God's world some of which is visible now and some of which will be 'visible' after the death of the body. This difference is extremely important; it ‘explains’ why believers behave differently. (For many illustrations of this fact jump to heading 'G')

Let’s look at some of the different ways God’s ‘world’ is different from the unbelievers' world.


                                                                                        A
                              What 'world' do you 'see'? --a 'world' governed by chance,
                                        by the laws of statistics, a world of 'free will'?

---About believers the Bible says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)

---To believers the Bible says, "Through him (Christ) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3) And, "by him (Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Colossians 1:16)

This world is not ‘governed’ by chance and the laws of statistics. Another way of stating this truth is to say, this world is not under the control of chance and the laws of statistics. To believe that this world is ‘controlled’ or ‘directed’ by chance and the ‘laws of statistics' is to deny God’s ultimate control. The world is not just something that is just there; The world is not the result of an explosion of gases that were just there! The world didn't just 'come out' of nothing. According to the Bible the 'world' was -and is- a creation of God. If the course and destiny of this 'world' is dependant upon chance and the laws of statistics what meaning is left of the idea that this is God's 'world'? Did God turn his world over to chance and the laws of statistics?

---Another view of this world that undermines and 'contradicts' the idea that this is God's 'world' is the idea that human beings only need to obey God only if and when they choose to do so. Nobody including believers is told by God to obey only if he/she feels like obeying. Obeying God is a command, not an option. Obeying God is a command not a choice. "Jesus replied:' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22.37-39)
While we all know we fall short of perfect obedience yet the Bible indicates nothing less than perfect obedience is adequate. There is no ‘God-approved’ alternative between ‘all’ or ‘nothing’. There is no such thing as 'partial obedience. The wages of any sin is death. (Romans 6:23) There is mystery in God's statements.

---Jesus put it this way, saying, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37-38)

In a way believers don't live in a world where they have the authority and power to behave as they wish any more than a creature God made into a bird has the authority/power(=freedom) to choose not to fly. Believers were not given the authority or power to set aside the objective that God (the creator and ruler of the universe) said should motivate and guide the behavior of every redeemed child of God--that is, the objective and motive to glorify God.

In a way a believer is not free to do what he or she pleases. How I act is not up to me. How I behave is not up to me any more than how a soldier behaves is his choice. The Bible says a soldier wants to please his commanding officer. (2 Timothy 2:4) Believers, God’s redeemed children, are ‘soldiers’ in God’s ‘army’. How I -as a soldier in God’s army- should behave should not depend upon what serves my purposes but upon what serves the purposes of the almighty God who saved me, the God who bought me (and every saved person) with his son’s blood.

Another set of verses which sheds light on this subject (but does not eliminate the mystery) is Romans 9:13-16

---The Bible speaks of two brothers. The 'I' in these verses is the Lord speaking. "Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

---God’s word reminds believers that walking worthy of God’s calling is not a matter of choice--something to be done only if the believer chooses to do so; it is a command of the Almighty Creator God, the one who spoke and the created world came into existence. Walking according to God’s calling is not a choice but an obligation. "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; see also 1 Thessalonians 4:1) How beyond our logic which is limited to ‘either/or' are God’s truths! If this is true our logic 'says' to us the opposite cannot be true. Thus many times when believers try to put God's statements of truth together they must admit it is a mystery.

---The apostle Paul said to the believers in Corinth that every believer was bought at a price; therefore they should act accordingly. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; see also Romans 12:1)

---The Bible makes it very clear that nobody including believers can serve the interests of two ultimate Lords or masters. God’s word says: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Luke 16:13) This subject is frequently spoken of as ‘where your heart is’. Your heart can only be in one place at time.

---The word of God is very clear about this. Who can forget these unforgettable words of Jesus? "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

---"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

---Jesus told a parable which illustrated where an individual's 'heart' or concern lay--on things of this world or on rewards in heaven: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:17-21)

---Many times the Bible records occasions which illustrate the human propensity to place earthly objectives above a spiritual benefits: "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ "Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ "Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’" (Luke 14:18-20) For more detail see below under heading 'G'.

---"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15) It makes a great deal of difference where our heart is!

---"To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

---Believing in Christ is not a ‘ticket’ to the ‘successful life ‘ as the people of this world view the ‘successful life’. Believers understand this. What does the Bible say? "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him," (Philippians 1:29)

---"cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

---"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33)

---The psalmist speaking of God said, "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded." In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded." (Psalm 102:25-26)
---"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1)
---"For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.’" (1 Peter 3:10)

Nothing happens in God's world that is not part of
the eternal creator God’s purpose and plan

A conclusion that can be drawn from this truth is the realization that that nothing happens to believers (or anybody else) that is not part of the eternal creator God’s purpose and plan. This is another way God makes it clear to believers that the ‘world’ they believe they are living in is totally different from the ‘world‘ unbelievers believe exists. Believers know that the ‘world’ they live in is not a world governed by chance and the laws of statistics whereas unbelievers think the world they live in is just that.

One of the results of having this relationship to the eternal creator God is that nothing happens in this world that is ‘outside’ of the creator-God’s purpose. Nothing happens in this world that is ‘outside’ of the creator-God’s plan. Nothing happens in this world that is ‘outside’ of the creator-God’s control. Nothing is unforeseen. Another way of stating this truth is to say ‘Nothing that happens in this world is an accident.’ But that does not mean that everything that happens is pleasing to the flesh. Far from it. The life of Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is a model for believers. His life was not a ‘bed of roses’ as the English idiom describes it. Jesus’ life was not a striving for the comfort and success, the kind of life that is sought by so many people in this world. On the contrary, on earth he lived in a world dominated by sinners and God haters.

The Bible says to believers "Consider him (the Christ) who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12: 3-4). The Bible says to believers, ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

---Believing in Christ is not a ‘ticket’ to the ‘successful life ‘. Believing in Christ is not a ‘ticket’ to the the pain-free and hardship-free life--the kind of life that the people of this world look upon as the ‘successful life’. What does the Bible say to believers? "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him," (Philippians 1:29)

Is believing in Christ a 'ticket to the successful life'? Quite the contrary! Having the opportunity to witness, to ‘stand up’ for Christ is a privilege. What greater opportunity can a person have in which to reveal the strength of his (or her) faith than by standing up for Jesus when the going gets rough, extremely rough? Is not standing up for Jesus when the going gets rough, extremely rough, a tremendous witness to the truth of Christianity? As one commentator put it so well, ‘The commendable thing is not the suffering as such but being so committed to God's will that devotion to him overrides personal comfort.'

---God brings about his purposes sometimes in ways we don’t think of. Sometimes he confers blessings through the 'painful' experiences of faithful believers. " ..the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer." (2 Corinthians 1:3-6)

Trials are not pleasant but they serve many purposes. Don’t athletes who train for years for great competitions say, ‘no pain, no gain’.

---The apostle Peter dealt with the matter of trials and testings here on earth this way, saying to believers, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

---Believers are not citizens of this world; they are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20) What did Jesus say to his disciples? "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15.19)

---Jesus told his disciples what to expect in this world: "They (people of the world) will treat you this way (as an ‘enemy’) because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:21)

---Who can forget Jesus’ solemn prophecy about his disciples’ future in this world, in this stage of life? Jesus said to them: "Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:20)

How ‘other worldly’ and therefore how different are the truths set forth in the teachings of Jesus from the way individuals of this world think ! (Matthew 5:10-12)

---A human being, the apostle Paul reminds us we should not be daunted and upset by trials here on earth because that is not the conclusion or God’s final word any more than sleepless nights of study before an exam are the ‘last word’. The ‘last word’ is not in the present. What does God’s word spoken by the apostle Paul say? "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)

But do not draw the conclusion that because everything that happens in this world is part of God’s purpose and plan that must mean that everything that happens in this world is or must be pleasing to the eye or to the flesh! Far from it. The life of Jesus on earth shows us what to expect. (Hebrews 12:1-4)

                                                                        C
           Even the basic categories of time and space do not SEEM
                to be relevant to all of the ‘world’ that God created

God’s ‘world’ is so different that the basic categories of time and space which are so necessary to make sense of this stage of existence are not ‘big’ enough to be relevant to all of the ‘world’ that God created any more than the measurement of an inch describes and includes the distance from the earth to the sun or planets that are so far away that we cannot even see them through telescopes or a 24 hour period is useful when speaking of the age of the earth.

---The Bible says very clearly that salvation is not and was not limited to, or by, 'time'. It did not occur 'later' in time, that is, after the death and resurrection of Christ as we might think because without the death and resurrection of Christ there is no salvation. It was God "who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." (2 Timothy 1:9)

---"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (Ephesians 1:3,4)

---One day when Jesus was debating with the religious leaders of the Jews, they said to Jesus "Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" 58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:53, 56-58)

---"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3.8)

God's conception of 'time' is not the same as ours.

D
Even all human beings are not the same kind of creature of God

The Bible says believers are new creations, that they are, as it were, a ‘new species’, citizens of heaven, -- immortal sons and daughters of the eternal creator God. (Nor are all human beings the same creature that differs only in being a bit higher on some imaginary ‘scale’ of being such as ‘evolution’).

---"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1.3-5) This relationship is very special in that everyone is not included. In fact, it is as unique as (but far more profound than) the relationship every individual has with his or her parents.

Some human beings have been ‘born’ more than once. Listen to the words of Jesus and his apostles:

---"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13)

---"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)

---"Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6)

---Listen to the words of the apostle Paul: "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:49)

---"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)

---"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:9)

Another way in which God points out that believers are not the same as every human being is that they have been qualified by God to be part of God’s family. As such they are under the eternal creator God’s care and protection. (Colossians 1:13; see also 1 Peter 1:3-5)

Believers are sons and daughters of the eternal creator God (though in a sense very different from Jesus being the Son of God) is one of those many ways God shows us that the ‘world’ we are citizens of is a different ‘world’. Believers are citizens of heaven, citizens of a sphere of existence or reality that will never end.

---The Bible says to believers ‘you are different’. Why? "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Romans 5:1)

---"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

---"for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4)

---"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
---The apostle Paul reminds believers "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

---"At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now." (Galatians 4:29)

---"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Revelation 12:11)

---"He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I (Jesus) will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5)

---"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--(Ephesians 2:8)

---"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:5)

Nothing that happens in this world to Christians can be an insurmountable threat or obstacle God’s children (believers). The creator God says so--in many ways.

---"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15) Even the peace of Christ is ‘other worldly’ since it refers not to the absence of strife in this world of sin but to the confidence believers have in the certainty of God’s promises and control.

---"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

---"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. " (Revelation 2:11)

---"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Revelation 3:12)
---"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Revelation 3:21)

---"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Revelation 2:17)

E
All of reality, all of the 'world' God created does not take place
or become visible prior to the death of the body

All of the ‘world’ that God created, all of reality, all of existence does not take place prior to the death of the body. This might be illustrated by thinking of a picture or photograph on a table; Anything else on the table is not included in the photograph.

In my opinion this is the most important consideration that makes the ‘world’ that God created, the ‘world’ that believers believe in, so different from the world that unbelievers think exists.

For the believer the objective in life necessarily includes all of life, all of existence --the present and the life in heaven, in ‘eternity’. The existence of everybody occurs in two stages--the present stage which is visible now, and the stage following the death of the mortal body, which is not visible now. For believers the existence will be heavenly beyond imagination. For unbelievers that existence beyond the death of the body will be 'painful' beyond imagination but many unbelievers are unconcerned about that since they do not believe there is any existence at all beyond the death of the body.

This is perhaps the most important way God tells believers that the ‘world’ (meaning reality or existence) is altogether different from the ‘world’ unbelievers think they are living in is by telling believers (and everybody else) that fact (cf. John 5:24) (If the world that we see with out physical eyes included all of reality or existence then everything that the Bible says about heaven, eternal life, hell and the judgment etc. would be a lie and meaningless as unbelievers believe.)

The ultimate objective or purpose of the Christian is ‘other worldly’; The ultimate objective or purpose of the Christian life is to please the eternal creator God who saved them. Their primary objective is to further his purposes. Their objective is not to have a smooth and ‘successful’ life according to the standards of many people --that is, unbelievers--whose desire is to get as much pleasure and satisfaction as possible out of the life on earth that ends when the body dies! You have heard the declaration of the people of this world--’you only go around once; make the most of it.’ The contrast between what the citizens of this world consider the goal of life, that is, the ‘good life’, and what believers consider a ‘good life’ which is a God-pleasing life (while in this life on earth) is enormous. The contrast in the objectives of believers and the objectives of ‘unbelievers’ is necessarily related to the different conceptions of the ‘world’ which each group believes in.

Let’s consider some of the ways that the teachings to which each group of people (believers or unbelievers) are exposed differ. Unbelievers believe in the reality of only what their physical senses or their machines (e.g. X-ray, eeg, radio telescopes) can ‘see’. Nobody’s physical senses have ever seen anyone come back from the dead. If such would happen we would call it a miracle or a fake--what magicians do. Yet, for believers this is the foundational fact of Christianity--the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the consequent resurrection of all believers. (Romans 6:4-5; 8:23; 1 Corinthians 6.14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 5:1-4) For believers many of the basic truths which shape their view of the ‘world’ are just of this nature--they cannot be detected or verified by the physical senses of human beings in this world. What believers 'see' with the eye of faith is more than the present physical creation--"At that time his (God's) voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' 27 The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain." (Hebrews 12:26-27)

What are these beliefs or teachings or doctrines? The soul, the Fall, original sin, the judgment, heaven, the resurrection, Jesus Christ the Son of God, existence beyond death, etc. All of these realities of the believers’ world view (and probably many others) have their existence in the realm of existence which lies beyond the death of the body. While for believers these are the fundamentals of their faith, of their belief, for unbelievers The Fall, The Judgment, Heaven, The Resurrection, Jesus Christ the Son of God, existence beyond death, original sin, the soul these are not realities but are creations of human imagination, figments of human imagination. It is easy to understand why the world that believers ‘see’ is altogether different from the ‘world’ that unbelievers belief in.

---The Bible makes it very clear that nobody including believers can serve the interests of two ultimate Lords or masters. God’s word says: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Luke 16:13)

---"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17)

---"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22.37-39)

God’s word reminds believers that walking worthy of God’s calling from God's point of view is not a matter of choice; it is an obligation.

---"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

--- "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; see also 1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Now let’s listen to a tiny selection of the words of God that speak about painful experiences---

---"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:12)

---"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

---"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;" Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;" (2 Corinthians 6:4)

---How different the believers standards of the ‘successful life’ are from the world’s standards is set forth vividly in the statement of the apostle Paul when he prayed to God for the removal of a thorn, that is, some circumstance or condition the apostle was living with. The apostle prayed thus--"But he But he But he (God) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ " The apostle's response to God's answer was this.. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12.9-10) What an incredible statement of the believers' standard!

---Jesus told his disciples what to expect in this world: "They (the people of the world) will treat you this way (as enemies) because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:21)

---But Christians are not to look upon and treat as enemies those people who treat them (or other believers) as enemies. Such people should be looked upon and treated as people who need to hear and believe the gospel the same way God looked upon and treated us who deserved only death--(see Ephesians 2:8) "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:44-45)

---Jesus words (‘prophecy’) to his disciples about their future had an awesome quality: "Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:20)

Believers are not citizens of this world but of heaven. (Philippians 3:20) What did Jesus say to his disciples? "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15.19)

---The missionaries (Paul and Barnabas) sent out from the church at Antioch when they got back described their mission in these terms: "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. Part of their message was telling the believers that "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)

---"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," (2 Timothy 3:12)

Trials are not ‘accidents’ or oversights or unfortunate events. In his first letter the apostle Peter makes a clear statement to believers about the purpose of trials: "though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Suffering is not an ‘accidental’ or an occasional ‘price’ to ‘pay’ for the glories of salvation. Though many kinds of suffering , even extreme suffering, is neither visible or physical, yet it is as necessary for the Christian as oxygen is for physical life. "And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Jesus is our model. What does the Bible say to us? "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:2-4)

---"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:10)

---The apostle Paul’s statement is blunt and to the point. He said,--- "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17)

---In another letter the apostle said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death," (Philippians 3:10)

---For believers to behave as God’s children, as people born again, as heirs of God (Romans 8:17) is not option which can be ignored or heeded as if the behavior of God’s redeemed children (1 Peter 2:9) were up to us. Does a bird that God made make a choice to fly. The bible says very clearly "if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;" (2 Timothy 2:12)

---Being obedient vs. being disobedient is not an option . Believers were not given the authority to choose. Being obedient is an obligation. How does the Bible put it--"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

---"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12; cf. 2 Timothy 4:)

---"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13)

---There is mystery here. God’s ways are definitely beyond our ability to make complete sense out of them. God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Now let’s look at the amazing declarations in the New Testament which reveal how vastly differently believers regard, and have regarded, times of trial, hardship, and persecution. If believers had no eternal perspective this would have been unthinkable.

---It is an opportunity to ‘stand up’ for God. What does the Bible say to believers? "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him," (Philippians 1:29)

---"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds," (James 1:2)

---The Bible does not say to believers--’accept or tolerate’ trials and suffering; it says ‘rejoice’ in them-- "but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:13)

---"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;" (Romans 5:3)

---In the book of Acts we read how the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem acted--"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (Acts 5:41)

---The apostle Paul puts the matter of ‘trials’ this way, saying, "Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." (Galatians 6:17)

---When the apostle knew his opportunity to witness was coming to a close he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

---To repeat the truth stated in God’s word: "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:10-11)

---"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1)

---"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

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

---"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." (Luke 21:34)

---Another parable Jesus told illustrated the substitution of short-lived earthly concerns to take the place of 'forever-lasting' spiritual issues. Short-lived earthly concerns are seen as more important. Jesus told a parable of a man who gave a great banquet and had invited many people. "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ "Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ "Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’" (Luke 14:18-20)

---"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25)

---"But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:13)

---"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:12)

---"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)

---"if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;" (2 Timothy 2:12)

---"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

---"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13)

F
What stage of God's 'world' is your heart set upon?

---"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:12)

---In the apostle Paul's letter (epistle) to the church at Colossae, he says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2)

---"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:15-16)

---"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:3)

--- "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. " (Matthew 10:21-22)
---In the apostle Paul's second letter (epistle) to the church at Corinth he says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

---What did Jesus say to disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25)

---"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:6)

---"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them." (Revelation 20:11)

---The Bible makes it very clear that nobody including believers can serve the interests of two ultimate Lords or masters. God’s word says: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Luke 16:13) This subject is frequently spoken of as ‘where your heart is’. Your heart can only be in one place at time.

---"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of (this) life, and that day (the coming of the Lord) will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." (Luke 21:34)

---Sometimes hearing God's truth preached does not have any good effect that is permanent. One of Jesus' parables sets forth this truth. "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." (Luke 8:14)

---As would be expected in a section of the New Testament which discusses the qualifications leaders in the church should have, we read they should not be "given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." (1 Timothy 3:3)

---In the Gospel of Luke a parable of Jesus is recorded. In it we read of a rich man whose focus and interest was on this life: "He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’ "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:17-21)

God’s concerns should never be secondary in any situation. It is not a matter of ‘free will’ or what we want for ourselves. The redeemed children of God have no option but to keep God’s concern in the primary position in every situation.

---Over and over God’s word reminds individuals who are his sons and daughters (that is, believers) how vital it is to remember whose family they have been incorporated into--the family of the eternal-creator-God. Because..."If we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17)

---What did Jesus warns his disciples about? What to expect in this world-- "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)

---In the last book of the Bible we hear God’s words directed at the ‘church of Ephesus’: "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." (Revelation 2:3-5) Have we lost the love, the zeal, the overwhelming gratitude we once felt?

---"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

---"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33)

---"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded." (Psalm 102:25-26)

---"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1)

---"For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.’" (1 Peter 3:10)

---"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:12)

How different this purpose in life is from the self-serving purpose of those individuals whose life is currently limited to their life in this world which God says is passing away!

---"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

---"For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." (1 Peter 3:10)

---"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." (Revelation 21:1)

---"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly
like a trap" (Luke 21:34)

G
The response of believers to trials, persecution, and hardships is evidence of
how important IT IS TO HAVE this two-stage view of the ‘world’ God created

The fact that believers do not look upon trials and hardships in this life as wholly negative events or occurrences but as opportunities to grow more like Christ ( Romans 8:29), to act like Christ (Hebrews 12: 2-4) and to witness shows how important it is to have that view of the ‘world’ that says it consists of two stages.

How a single believer acts or how many believers act under pressure is a witness to the Christian faith. It is also reveals how great is the strength of the single believer or the many believers' faith.

This is another way God ‘tells’ believers that the ‘world’ or sphere of existence we live in is different. It shows that the ‘world’ that what we ‘see’ includes both the present and the eternal ‘future’. Believers ‘see’ not only what is happening now but also what lies ahead for them. Because they 'see' what lies ahead for them they act differently in the present. Even the Bible uses athletic competition to illustrate that the competitor sees a ‘reward’ in a later stage of life to justify his or her actions in the present , actions which may involved terrible pain and hardship, etc. (1 Corinthians 9:25)

---"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Revelation 12:11)

---What does the Bible say to believers: "rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." (1 Peter 4:13-14)

---What does the Bible say to believers: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:11)

---What does the Bible say to believers: "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man." (Luke 6:22)

Now is not the time to spend our energies on feeding our flesh. "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." (1 Peter 4:16)

Nothing happens to believers that is other than an opportunity to help further God’s purposes. But that does not mean that there is no stress involved. It is quite likely that a great deal of stress, trial and hardship will be involved.

Where our attention (often spoken of as our ‘heart’) is focused makes an enormous difference.

Jesus describes the danger believers face, saying, "the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Mark 4:19)

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.' " (Luke 12:22)

That the believers’ knowledge of God’s ‘world’ has the effect of causing believers to view trials, hardships, persecutions so differently shows how profound, how fundamental, how pervasive is the effect of having that God-given vision, having that knowledge that ‘life’ does not end with the death of the physical body.

The ‘peace of God’ which believers experience in this world has an ‘other worldly’ dimension to it because it passes all understanding when judged by all earthly experience. The ‘peace of God’ is something so different from the absence of that conflict and strife that we see, hear, and feel all around us in the present. An example or illustration might be helpful. Think of running a race. If you have certain knowledge that you will finish the race then what ever happens (such as breaking a leg) will not create any doubt about whether you will finish the race. Isn't the foundation of the Christian message that Christ was raised from the dead; that God can call into being that which is not a sufficient basis for believing in God's words, God's promises? (REF)

Trials and hardships though often not kind to the flesh serve a ‘higher’ purpose of the eternal-creator-God. The Bible itself points out how trials, hardships and persecutions further the ‘eternal welfare’ of God’s redeemed children the same way training for athletic competitions promote better results in the ‘future’.

---"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;" (2 Corinthians 6:4)

---The apostle Paul in one of his first letters tells the believers in Thessalonica that trials and testings are not the kind of ‘events’ that human beings naturally enjoy and are encouraged by. But "We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them." (1 Thessalonians 3:2-3)

---The missionaries from Antioch (Paul and Barnabas) reported what they accomplished on their journeys--"strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith." On their journeys they spread the message that "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22) Years later, in the apostle Paul’s letter to a disciple he makes the statement: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," (2 Timothy 3:12)

Having the opportunity to ‘stand up’ for Christ is a privilege. As one commentator put it, ‘The commendable thing is not the suffering as such but being so committed to God's will that devotion to him overrides personal comfort.' Who wants to miss an opportunity to do show extreme devotion to the glory of God? What believer does not tell himself or herself that he or she wants to demonstrate a mighty witness for God?

Obedience to God does not come about mechanically, automatically as if people (even believers) were nothing but machines that had no feelings and were incapable of feeling pain or heartache. The whole person is involved. For believers as much as for all other individuals the decision to obey is just that --a decision. Even Jesus, the believer’s model and example, was not ‘untouched’ by what obedience to the Father required of him. Jesus own words reveal how much of his being was ‘involved’ in the decision to carry out the Father’s wishes: Listen to Jesus' words when Jesus was only hours away from laying down his life to pay for the sins of believers, "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour." (John 12:27)

Does the Bible say anything else about the kind of life Jesus led while on this earth? In the book of Hebrews we read "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." (Hebrews 5:8-9)

An important part of the witness of believers is to show our belief that we are citizens of heaven, that we believe that the important stage of our life is ‘beyond’ or after the death of the earthly body--in eternity. No, the life of the believer on this earth is not a ‘bed of roses’ or full of that success, that comfort and pleasure that is desired and sought for by much of the world’s population. While the experience of believers may be different also their objective is different--to glorify the God who saved them and called them out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9); To repeat, the objective of believers is different--to glorify the God who qualified them to be saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:12)

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" (Ephesians 2:8)

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

The difference in the ‘worlds’ that believers and unbelievers ‘see’ themselves living in is enormous. Is the present all that there is? Or, according to the Bible does life of everyone consist of both the present and the life that lies beyond the death of the body? Perhaps in the case of some believers this two-stage view of 'life' only becomes obvious with the passing of time.

Whose world do you live in? In God’s world, or, a world where you are ‘on your own‘-- a world which is not governed by anybody or any thing--except that mysterious and mechanical (impersonal, brutal, uncaring) thing called chance and the laws of statistics?

Is what happens in this life before the death of the body just what unbelievers believe it is --all that there is to ‘life’? Or, for believers is what happens before the death of the body only a brief period of preparation, trial and training that precedes and makes one fit for the unending ‘age’ of a blessed existence for God’s redeemed children as believers believe? (1 Peter 1:7)

Is your focus ‘other worldly’, or, is it like the focus of people who have not been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light? The ultimate objective of believers in life is different--to glorify the God who chose to send his son to take the punishment their sins deserved, the God who qualified believers to share in the ever-lasting inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:12)

Can an individual be a real believer in the work of Christ and at the same time not believe that the world that exists now and which will exist in eternity, in the kingdom of God, is God’s creation over which God has complete control?

Is it possible to be a believer in Christ and his promise of eternal life if one doesn't believe that there is any life beyond the death of the body? This shows how important it is to believe that this is God's 'world' -- not all of which is visible to the naked eye or to unbelievers or the scientists!

What in life concerns you; what kind of event makes you happy and creates feelings in you that ‘things are going the ‘right way’, your way’? Where is your heart? Whose reputation and glory are you concerned about? Are your answers (my answers) to these questions what God wants to hear? Because of your answers is your behavior in this dark world of sin like that of Christ? (Hebrews 12: 1-4) Is your behavior such that when Christ (who sees your real motivations whatever they are) comes from heaven with his holy angels will he say to you, ‘Good and faithful servant’ ? Or, will he say, "throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25: 23,30; see also 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

(If you appreciate what you read here please tell your friends about this URL and sign my guest book on the homepage. Also, if, as you read any of the meditations, you feel you know of a situation that beautifully illustrates any of the points made I would be delighted to learn of it. I might incorporate it.) mailto:camppp21355@comcast.net

If you wish to pursue your own study on issues (thoughts) raised or on the Scripture verses used try these links: The Goshen Bible Study Tools or Translate 2012 Bible Study Tools. An additional translation with many notes can be found at Net Bible. To search for related sermons (recent), sermon outlines, articles, devotions and topical sermons go here: Sermon Links.com

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