The Blessed Hope Of His Saints
It is impossible to be totally surrendered to Jesus Christ and not be groaning for our “New Body.”
Paul said, “we are saved by hope,” and that hope is far beyond this contrary world. We are actually carrying around in our flesh the seed or guarantee of this glorified house which is in heaven awaiting our graduation. Listen to the Holy Ghost speaking. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” (II Corinthians 5: 1-4)
The Holy Spirit in us is the earnest (down payment or guarantee) of what is awaiting on the other side. A true saint of God does not love this world system because it is totally opposite of what lives inside of our body, soul, and spirit. Yes, we love the Kingdom of God in us and all ministries of this eternal kingdom but the world and its passing shadows have no hold on us. The text above continues with a clear message of what we love.
“Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:5-8) This kind of Holy Ghost language seems so distant to our church world. Religion is of the flesh, but God’s revelations are from a different realm. Once a saint of God gets a vision of the future, it is impossible not to long for His coming for us.
Our joy until He comes for us is to be laborers for Him like a firebrand of purity. Our pleasures are neither in this world nor of this world. We want to be pleasing to Him in everything until we are right beside Him. “Wherefore we labor that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (II Corinthians 5:9-11)
Now we understand why the liberal religious people think we are beside ourselves. Actually we are beside ourselves. The Apostle Paul by the Holy Ghost said it for us, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (II Corinthians 5: 13-15)
What a Blessed Hope this is to us. We are the happiest people on this earth. We are ready to stay, and we are ready to go. This life is a joy as we walk with Him. But who can walk with Him, pray in the inner chambers of His Spirit, and not live in a state of “Rapture Readiness.” I’m glad I’m here but I had rather be there, so I’m living in between two worlds. One is passing and transitory and the other is breathtaking and eternal. Please do not weep for me when I am gone.
The Study Notebook below is entitled, “Jerusalem: God’s Chosen City”. It is a college level study on the single city in all the world that God Himself chose to be His eternal city. There are three large charts at the beginning to trace the history of Jerusalem from 3500 B.C. to the ultimate fulfillment in future prophecy. This notebook is 222 pages with color pictures. To me it is a treasure trove of Biblical importance.
Doug Allen
Brother Joe,
Great message today. Really means a lot to me in that Flo is now with our Lord. Oh, the Blessed Hope is a true reality !!
RJ
Blessed are the ones who say we are pilgrims and sojourners in this world!! ~ we are merely passing through!! This is not our eternal home (thankfully!) May we always be ALIVE:
“Always
Living
In
View (of)
Eternity”
Amen!!
Jaimie
Dear Pastor
Just read Isaiah 55 this morning. Good article, you are a light that we need in these dark
and consuming times. Ecc 5:19 & 20 says that you rejoice in your labour.
So do we!
God Bless
Jaimie
Pray every day for you Pastor
Ed Wood
If you’ve ever had the feeling that living Earth “didn’t quite fit,” then we share something in common. It was one of those things I could never quite articulate but one day, many years ago, I discovered this which spoke of Old Testament leaders and prophets:
Hebrews {11:13} These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of [them,] and embraced [them,] and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
{11:14} For they that say such things declare plainly that
they seek a country. {11:15} And truly, if they had been
mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they
might have had opportunity to have returned. {11:16} But
now they desire a better [country,] that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he
hath prepared for them a city.
That was it EXACTLY and it was a revelation. As long as we are in the flesh, Earth will never feel like home, more like a short stop in a rough neighborhood.
Pastor Joseph’s article above brought this to mind, so I thought I’d just pass it along!
Travis
“Please do not weep for me when I am gone.”
Pastor Chambers, those are some beautiful words. Those words are worth a thousand words and speak so much of the hope that is in us and love of Christ.
I’m going home with Jesus in the twinkling of an eye!!
藍光影片
Dear Sirs,I noticed your blogs named “The Blessed Hope Of His Saints « Paw Creek Ministries” daily. Your writing style is bravo, keep it up!
Lacy S. Haney
When Jesus was on the earth, He told a man named Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” ( John 3:5 ). After we are “born of water,” or baptized, we can be “born […] of the Spirit” by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. A person with God’s authority puts his hands on our heads and gives us the gift of the Holy Ghost ( Acts 8:17 ). This ceremony is known as confirmation. The Holy Ghost is a Spirit. He is the third member of the Godhead, along with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and walk humbly before God He can always be with us. We call it a gift because the Holy Ghost is given to us from God to guide us as we face difficult decisions, comfort us when we are sad, influence our minds and feelings, and help us recognize when something is true. This kind of divine help reminds us that God loves each one of us and wants to help us through the difficulties of our lives.