Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

 The saints will judge the world.  

 

1 Corinthians 6:2

2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

 

            We will have an awesome responsibility one day. If God can entrust such a thing to us then, shouldn’t we be responsible enough to do things here and now? We, as Christians, should be more active in politics, the courts, the school boards, and many other things. We are more than able to do so, and we should take our places in society. That is so we can have a life closer to what we as Christians desire than we have now.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special ones and shall reign victoriously with Me. Why do you say that you are nothing and can do nothing? Do you think that I would want to have a people who were of no value and could do nothing for My Kingdom? I want a people who know Me and know My Word; for it is in My Word that judgment shall come. You cannot judge rightly without knowledge of My Word. It is in My Word that judgment shall come upon all flesh. If you do not know My Word, you cannot know what is right and what is wrong … both for you and for those around you. You shall judge the world, but now My Word shall judge you. It is not something to be feared, for I would never harm you. It is for your good to know My Word and to allow it to judge you. Once you have passed the judgment of My Word, then you can be free to judge the world.”

 

            90. When He returns, we the saints, will judge the world.

 

 

            I just finished watching “Fiddler on the Roof” again. At the end, Mottle says, “We’ve been waiting for the Messiah a long time. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Him to come?” We as Christians have been waiting almost two thousand years for Him to come again. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Him to return?

But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

 Results:

 

            Cannot die any more:   

 

Luke 20:35-36

35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

36 for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

 

            This doesn’t mean that we have some list of things we must do in order to become worthy enough to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead. They worthiness comes from Him indwelling us, not from something we do. He is the reason for our resurrection.

            It says in these verses that we cannot die anymore. A lot of people live in fear of dying. If you believe that you will go to Heaven when you die, there is nothing to fear in death. That doesn’t mean you want to go right now, but that when the time comes, you won’t fear it.

            One night during the evening service, a pastor asked his congregation to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Heaven. All but one man raised his hand. The pastor asked, “You mean you don’t want to go to Heaven when you die?” The man replied, “Oh, you mean when I die! I thought you were getting up a busload to go tonight.”

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My children and as such you have an indestructible life. You cannot die anymore because My Spirit is dwelling within you. You are My special ones and shall never perish because of My life dwelling within you. You shall rise again on the Last Day. You shall be like Me and shall walk like Me; for there is no distinction among us in that way. We are alike in that we shall walk in newness of life and in the glory of the Lord Most High. His glory is in us and shall be displayed in us in that Day. Walk like children of Light.”

 

            88. I may die physically before He returns, but I cannot die spiritually ever again.

 

            All things made new:  

 

Revelation 21:5

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

 

            All things will be made new. How marvelous! There may be things that we think are great, but there are a lot more that as Christians we despise. We want a place where righteousness dwells.

            We all like new things … new car, new TV, new furniture, even a new home. Why not have all things new; not just new versus older editions of the same things, but completely new and different. He has promised, and He never fails in His promises.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not long for the old; for the old is disappearing and will be done away with. Long for the new of the Spirit; for in it is your salvation. You cannot survive without My newness of Spirit dwelling within you. You shall succeed and shall be overcomers as you walk in Me and My Spirit. You are My special ones and shall reign victoriously as you walk in Me.”

 

            89. When He returns, all things, including myself, will be made new

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

 We’ll be like Him:  

 

1 John 3:2

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

 

            Now we are children of God … not some day in the sweet bye-and-bye, but now. We don’t know for sure what our new bodies will be like. We do know for certain that they will be like Jesus’ body. What is true about His body will be true about ours. This verse also says that we will see Him just as He is.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children you are Mine, and I am yours. You are My children and so shall be like My Son. Your lives shall be like His and your bodies shall be like His. Just like with your children there is a likeness among them, so it is with My children. There is a likeness of glory among My children. You cannot tell them apart by looking at them, for they are all alike. They are walking in My glory and shall ever after maintain that glory in their bodies.”

 

            87. When He appears, I will be just like Him, and I will see Him as He truly is.

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him

 Life to your mortal bodies:

 

Romans 8:9-11

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

 

            Are you uncertain whether you are saved are not? Do you have Christ’s Spirit living in you? If you know for certain that you do, then you know that you belong to God. If you’re not certain, then you can ask Him to come in and make His dwelling place in you. He wants you to be sure that you are His. Otherwise, you won’t be as effective as you could be. Then you will know that you are no longer in the flesh.

            Because of sin (notice it did not say sins … those you may commit each day), the body is dead. It cannot relate to God; but our spirits are alive because of the righteousness of Christ living inside us. Because of the Holy Spirit living in us, we know that the same Father who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our dead bodies on the day He returns. It is that indwelling Spirit that will bring about our resurrected bodies.

            We have Almighty God living inside. If we kept that in mind all day long, how differently we would behave!

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that I will abandon you. I have chosen you to be like Me in life and in death. When you see Me in the resurrection, you shall be like Me. Your mortal flesh will be done away with and you shall have a new body; one which will never suffer or wear out. When you reign with Me, you shall walk in My glory. The body that you now live in cannot stand in the presence of My glory. But the new body that you will have one day can survive in My presence; for it shall be like Mine. You have My Spirit dwelling in you. He it is who will bring your body into conformity with Mine at the resurrection. It is not that long off. Do not fear and do not give up. Keep trusting in Me and be patient; for I will bring it to pass at the proper time. Now is not the proper time, but it shall soon be here. Do not try to figure out when that will be. It will be at just the right moment when mankind is least expecting it. So don’t you  be like them and give up waiting for Me. Remember the story of those in charge who thought their master would be long in  coming and began to beat those under them. They will suffer the consequences; but you won’t if you have patience and wait expectantly for My return.”

 

            86. He will give His resurrection life to my mortal body when He returns.

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

 Our Bodies:

 

            United in the likeness of His resurrection:  

 

Romans 6:3-8

3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

 

            This is a very powerful passage about the Christian life. Verses 5 and 8 are the ones applicable to our present topic. This is guaranteeing that we’ll be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection. The same kind of body He has in His resurrection, we will have in ours. It will be a glorious, sin free one. It will never die. It will never get sick or wear out. It will be in His glory. We died with Him, and we shall live with Him.

            The other verses talk about how that being “dead” in Him, we shouldn’t behave like we use to. That old man is dead. We should behave like He did when He was on earth. We should glorify Him with our lives. Sin is no longer our master. He is. Our nature no longer is a sin one. It is a righteous one. We should allow our righteous nature to rule our lives. We can choose to do so. However, we must make that choice every day. We make it one time at the beginning, and then remind ourselves of it every day for the rest of our earthly lives.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special ones, and as such I have great plans for you. I did not choose you out of the world to let you fail. I did not choose you to continue to walk in the same paths that you did before I saved you. I desired from the beginning that you would walk in the same manner that I walked. I desired that you should be free in Me. This freedom is not a freedom to sin, but rather a freedom to choose to follow after Me. When you were in the world, you were not free to choose to not sin. You had no choice. You were born to sin like your father Adam. But now that you have come to know Me and to walk in My freedom, you have a freedom to choose to walk in My Spirit and to not sin. You may make use of this choice or you may not. That is up to you. However, I know that you will be happiest when you walk in My Spirit and to not sin. Trust in Me to make it happen. I will not let you fail. I greatly desire that you succeed.”

 

            85. I will be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection when He returns.