The Faith, Which carries us beyond the grave

Many of us  unfortunately see the extent of our faith only in this life and here is where arises one of the most vicious cycles of disappointment and despair.

On the road to Emmaus  two men were walking in despair. These were disappointed in their God who left them with a dead Messiah in a cold tomb by the garden of their hopes. Two men with shattered dreams in their earthly mindedness were too estranged from the mystery of their hope. These were to be the travelers of hope.  They were grieved and burdened, because their hope in God was only based on this side of the tomb. They saw Christ only as a great prophet a man sent by God and not the true hope of the eternal life. However God’s sovereignty embraced them in their despair and reached them in His covenant of love by revealing His eternal plan to them by the revelation of resurrected Christ in their midst.

Luke 24:13-35

The scriptures says these two men were on their way to the nearby village when the resurrected Lord appeared to them in an unknown appearance. After listening to their conversation He began to unveil the Old Covenant scriptures to them by the Spirit of God. Having been awakened, to the truth, they insisted Him to remain with them for the night hour. It was then that Jesus in breaking the bread revealed His true identity to them. Being amazed and in awe they began to understand the mystery of life on the other side of the grave. This is where they began to see the plan and purpose of their salvation in a much clearer sense and to its intended purpose.

Though it was all divine grace and act of His predestined will in these two men’s lives, but it was their persistent plea with Him to remain with them in the darkest hour of the night to reward them by this glorious unveiling of Himself.

These men only saw their faith being rewarded in this life, yet the sovereignty of Godled them beyond their human perception of things. This I believe served their greatest discovery of the purpose of their calling and election in Him. This again was revealed to them by God’s eternal plan  of predestination for His elect. Here is where I would like to start expanding our study tonight.

In Luke chapter 14 verses 7 through 14 Jesus being invited in a Pharisees house tells them a parable involving a very distinctive purpose of their hope in God. This was to unveil to them the deeper reason for their salvation than a mere earthly system of rewards.  First He touched the motives of their hearts in doing so called good acts in God’s name. Secondly exposing the wickedness of the Pharisees hearts He told them about God’s  method  of repayment, which they never understood in their carnality. He talked to them about the day of the resurrection of the just. A concept they never understood the right way. Although they  ( The Pharisees ) believed in the Day of Resurrection, yet they never understood the meaning of this general and bodily resurrection for the just. They saw their faith only on this side of  the grave.

A concept very common in our midst today. We are so much like these ignorant faith  professing blind guides. We too when doing good in His Name expect to receive our rewards here in this life and that soon. We too like the Pharisees enjoy many of their misunderstood principals of man made faith and when they are not materialize in this side of heaven become disappointed and fall into despair.

Like the two sister friends of our Lord Martha and Mary , we have the three resurrections confused. We too do not understand the mystery of being born again and then Christ being our resurrection and life and the bodily resurrection of the righteous at the last day. We seek to be always rewarded here on earth, where this life is not promised to us for ever, but the life to come. We seldom forfeit our rewards in heaven by demanding our repayments here & now.

Today this fallacy still remains among many of us Christians. Confessing Christ’s resurrection we remain blinded to its true identity by still living our Christian lives with no heavenly prospective. It is as though we have initiated an insurance policy by our verbal confession of Christ, yet have not dare looked into heavens value system in theeyes of the Lord. As some say we want Him as our Savior and not Lord.

Living in Christ we are still very earthly minded and heavens reality has not touched our lives with His divine prospective. The final day of the resurrection of the just has escaped our attention. We are searching for new heaven on earth now and not later. We hold fast to the standards of this earthly existance and refuse to see this life as a wilderness or a passage onto the eternal abode of Kingdom of God.

Pointing at the resurrection of the just in the future

We live with a marred view of our heavenly prospective, since we have a mistaken view of Christ resurrection and its promised future in our lives. As the Lord spoke to the Pharisees, who were lovers of this present age and said to them about their confused values, we too need to hear Him on this before it is too late.

In Luke chapter16 verse 15 Jesus said it in this way “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” By this He said ..You Pharisees have no understanding of the kingdom to come and are very attached to this world and its values. You profess to be wise, but have become blinded by the prince of this world Satan.  He said you esteem what it highly regarded by men, yet the very same thing is an abomination to God.

Another word your value system is off.

Doesn’t this describe the Church today brothers and sisters? It is no longer the Jewish religious leaders who need to hear this. It is you and me. We want to see all His promises to come true right here on earth. We have no view of heavens in our minds and hearts. Prosperity and blessings needs to be received here in this age as though another age will never come. We do things in the name of faith and expect to receive earthly rewards. We have started calling earth our own heaven. The resurrection of Christ has lost its meaning and we work to be seen and appreciated  by men and not God.  It is a very sad fallacy being lived  right before our eyes that says … “ Do you really believe a life after this one?” and this within the body of the so called believers. May God spare us from such heretical age of spiritual decay and hypocrisy. May the Lord Jesus Himself appear to us in these final Days. Amen?