Part 2, of From The Heart, will try to explain what the attitude should be of the New Creations and try to gain a proper perspective as to how to react to the trials of this world. Jesus said this in John's gospel Chapter 16, verse 33;
"These things I have told spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Jesus said this to His disciples in John's gospel Chapter 15, verses 18 -20,
"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. " If you were
of the world, the world would love it's own; because you are not of the world, but I chose
you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you,
A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you:
If they kept my word, they would also keep yours."
You are probably wondering why I am bringing up this subject. In Part 1, I talked about the importance of The New Creations letting the love that is now in them shinning through to the world. This now seems like a much harder task, now that we know that the world will hate us. So we will look at how we can continue to express God's love to the world, when we are hated and persecuted by them. To do this we have to be able to put things into proper perspective. These next few verses that I am going to share with you, have become some of my favorite. I have been able to recall them to keep things in the proper perspective when this world and people are not kind, per say. These verses are found in Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians, Chapters 4,5 and 6. In Chapter 4, verses 3 -11, it starts of in verse 3 by giving a hint as to why the world might hate us. We know that it hates us, because it hated Jesus first. But why would they hate Jesus so much? Are they being motivated to hate him? Of course they are.
(3) "And even if our gospel is vailed, it is vailed to those who are perishing, (4) in whose case
the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might
not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (5) For we
do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants
for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who said ' Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Christ."
Daniel gives us an explaination as to why it is good to know what will take place in the in times, and what we are to do with what we know, and what will be our outcome for doing so. Daniel writes in Chapter 11, verse 33;
"And those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many;
yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, for many days"
In Daniels last Chapter, 12, verse 3, he writes;
" And those who have INSIGHT will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
So it will be important to be able to love enough to be willing, despite the hatedred from those who are blinded by Satan, to help them see the way out of darkness and into the light. So having things in the proper perspective, is very important.
Paul continues in verse 7;
(7) "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the
power may be of God and not of ourselves; (8) we are afflicted in every way, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not desparing; (9) persecuted but not forsaken; stuck down, but
not destroyed; (10) always carrying about in our body the dying of Jesus, that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (11) For we who live are constantly being
delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested
in our mortal flesh. (16) Therefore we do not loose heart, but though the outer man is
decaying, yet the inner man is being renewed day by day. (17) For momentary light
affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison, (18) while
we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things
that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.
(Chapter 5, verse 1) For we know that if this earthly tent (our bodies) which is our house
is torn down, we have a building not made with hands (the New Creation), eternal in the
heavens. (2) For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling
from heaven."
A must for a believer, especially in the end times, is to know who they are. A believer will have many challenges, but it will be worst for those who refused the truth as to be saved. For a believer, if they know prophecy, they will recognize the signs of the time and know that it will be just a short time before they are called by Jesus to come and be with Him. No matter what is done to them by those who would not believe, it does not compare to what will happen to the unbelieving. It will be what they chose, everyone in that day will have heard the truth and have had a chance to escape the wrath to come.
A believer is a New Creation, eternal in the heavens. When they are born of above, they are right then seated in the heavenly realm. Although you still are here on the earth in a body, you also now exist in heaven. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 2, verses 4 -9,
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of great love with which He loved us, even when
we were dead in our trangressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have
been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places,
in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of
His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved
through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a GIFT of God; not as a result of works,
that no one can boast."
What is done to us in this body, changes nothing in the new spiritual man that dwells in us, other than causing us to grow into what we will be forever. So whatever a beliver will have to go through here on earth, does not even compare to what awaits them when they receive their new glorified bodies at the first resurrection. Paul continues in 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5, verses;
(8) "we are of good courage, I say, and prefer to be absent from the body and to be at
home with the Lord. (14) For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that
one died for all, therefore all died; (15) and He died for all, that they who live should no
longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed
away; behold new things have come."
We will conclude with this passage in Chapter 6, verses 4 - 10;
"but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in
affictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors,
in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the
Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by weapons
of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report
and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as
dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always
rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things."
May the peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding, be with you today and forever.
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