Jesus, as the prototype of our journey, was the first man to be resurrected from the grave. He overcame what every other man has been subject to since the first man, Adam, fell from the glory of God and was marred with sin which is the sting of death. As the first man that rose from the dead, Jesus Christ broke the power of death by resurrection. He also sealed the promise of a coming resurrection of all humanity when he ascended to the right hand of the Father sending His Spirit as a down payment.
Jesus is what the scriptures call the first fruits of those who will be raised from the dead. In like manner at the end of this present age we will follow in the footsteps of our master when the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Will be fulfilled. However, until then we are the body of Christ in the earth and His representatives as a royal priesthood. I’ve taught you in previous lessons that God is Spirit and through the resurrection of Christ we have been given the very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. It is the down payment and guarantee that just as Christ was physically raised from the dead and given a new body in like manner we will too. However, right now we are called to be representatives of Christ displaying his nature of love, forgiveness and impart blessings to others.
The Holy Spirit working through our lives gives us power to perform works of service and wisdom to implement the will of God. It’s the grace of God connecting us to the throne of the lamb in holistic worship dedicating our whole lives to Christ living through us. As a part of the priesthood of Christ we are earthen vessels made of the dust of the ground, but through Christ's resurrection we have been given the power of his Spirit. The cruciform life is to be no longer us living, but us living our lives by faith working through love being changed from the inside out.
In this school of discipleship, we have been covering in the last few lessons the foundational doctrines of our faith as laid out in Hebrews chapter 6 verse 1 thru 2 and the cruciform life of following Christ by identifying with his death, burial and resurrection. We have covered repentance from dead works, faith towards God, the doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands. Let’s now look at the subject of resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment. These last two foundational teachings are inextricably tied together and overlap in laying out the doctrine of last things.
As we looked at ‘The Resurrection of Jesus Christ’ we saw that He was the first fruits of those that will rise from the dead. In I Corinthians chapter 15 Paul had to remind the Corinthian believers, who had begun to question the doctrine of the resurrection, that the resurrection of Jesus cannot be separated from the resurrection of those who are His. People have mocked and scorned the resurrection of the dead, but as sure as day follows night, a day is coming when all will rise from the grave. Jesus was ‘the first to rise from the dead’ and he rose as a representative of the first fruits of a new creation.
His resurrection caused us first to be raised spiritually being given his spiritual life flowing from the throne of grace and at the same time guarantees that we will be raised bodily with Him when he returns to this earth.
In John chapter 5 verse 25 Jesus said that there comes an hour and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those having heard, shall live. This verse is not a physical resurrection, but a spiritual resurrection that has already happened when he was raised from the dead, seated at the right hand of the Father and sent his Spirit to fill all those who believe. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 says that we were dead in our sins, but when we received the gospel message and believed we became alive to God. The spiritual resurrection of the believer happens through the power of the Holy Spirit coming to live within our hearts. The Holy Spirit has made us joined to and alive with Christ.
We have been born into the royal priesthood by spiritual new birth.
It is for that reason that Peter encourages us to be like newborn infants, longing for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. It says in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14 thru 16 that "we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
We can draw near to Him because we have been made alive with Christ and He has sent us His life-giving Spirit. The law and ministry of Moses had a purpose, but with the coming of the Messiah that purpose was complete, and our complete focus needs to be on the one who has been raised from the dead, seated at the right hand of the Father and extending those blessings to us through His life-giving Spirit.
Paul speaks with similar language as the author of Hebrews to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 12 thru 18 he tells us that "since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains un-lifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit".
Jesus was the first man raised from the dead and has ascended to the right hand of the Father. It is now by his life-giving Spirit that we live our spiritual lives.
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 5 thru 6 says that when "we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved and through His indwelling Spirit you have been raised up with Him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus". To be raised up with Christ is the power of the Holy Spirit raising our lives out of a sin dominated life, to a God centered life. To be seated with Christ is to be joined to all that Christ has accomplished on our behalf. As children of God, we can now approach the Father for all that we need.
I had an experience just after I was delivered from addiction. I had been attending early morning prayer meetings every day with a group for almost a year and for the last week I had not noticed John in the group. I did not know him that well, but I had given him a ride home a few times after prayer. John was one of those individuals who pursued God with his whole heart. He was earnest in prayer. He was a man who was hungry for the things of God. He had great zeal, but I was soon to find out, it was not tempered with Biblical wisdom. As I was in prayer one morning, the Holy Spirit laid John upon my heart and I sensed a need to go visit him. I had some extra time that morning, so I stopped by his house and knocked on the door. 1 heard a voice from inside instructing me to come in. I stepped into the house and John was lying on the couch.
I asked John how things were, and he said, 'I am resting'. By the way he said it I knew he didn’t mean that he was tired and therefore he was resting. As I questioned him, I discovered what he meant. John had heard a teaching about entering into the rest of God and as far as he was concerned, he was doing just that. He invited me to lie on the other couch and to enter into the rest of God. Naive as I was, I did. We lay there on the couches listening to some relaxing music while praying and in our minds, we had entered into the rest of God. This story is an example of how zeal without sound Biblical knowledge can lead to foolishness at best and heresy at worst. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with lying on a couch listening to relaxing music while praying. That is a good thing, yet it is not necessarily what entering into God's rest is all about. As we shall see, the rest of God is not a cessation of an active Christian life nor is it a lack of practical application, but the very source of one.
It is the author of Hebrews who paints a word picture for us describing the rest of God. In the book of Hebrews, we find the author contrasts the earthly ministry of Israel to the heavenly ministry of Christ.
He shows us the superiority of the New Covenant and clearly portrays the Old Covenant ministries and promises as having been brought to completion and fulfillment in Christ. The Law and Prophets have been replaced by the true reality. The types and shadows, of which they spoke, are no longer the focus, because they have been consumed by the brightness of the glory of Christ.
In chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews, we see a contrast between the children of Israel entering into the promised land of Canaan and believers entering into Christ. This is spoken of in the terminology of the rest of God. The 'rest' spoken of here is not taking a day off from work or spending a special day of the week worshipping God. It is ceasing from our own personal works and carnal strivings. It is by faith entering into the resting place of God's promises and presence. It’s entering into a personal relationship with a living personal God. The reason we can enter into the rest of God is because God has entered into His and He is simply calling us to enter along with Him. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 4 and 10 says, "God rested on the seventh day from all His works. The one who has entered his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His".
We have become partakers of a complete and perfect salvation. The finished work of Jesus is the ground of our faith. In Andrew Murray's book, "The Holiest Of All", he tells us that: “Because Christ has put away sin, rent the veil, and is seated at the right hand of the throne, - because all is finished and completed, and we have received the Holy Spirit from heaven in our hearts to make us the partakers of the glorified Christ, we may with confidence, with boldness, rest in Him to maintain and perfect His work in us."
I personally believe the reason very few people really understand the book of Hebrews is because they don't have a firm grasp on the basic milk of God's word. If we can simply get a firm grasp on the basics and take a radical look at the New Covenant it will help us understand what the word of God is teaching. There is nothing more basic than the revelation of 'Christ in us', yet it is a deep well, which we continually draw from for the rest of eternity. One author has rightly noted that, ‘true apostolic vision is Christ living in people - not buildings’. If we look at scripture, we will discover that entering into the ‘rest of God’ is simply understanding who we are in Christ. It then is understanding that He is in us and learning to allow Him by His power to work through our lives.
In Matthew chapter 11 Jesus while he was walking on this earth beckoned the people by saying, vs. 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy- laden, and I will give you rest. vs. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls, vs. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My load is light". The yoke is not a well-known instrument in modern days, however in ancient times the yoke was seen daily. A yoke was used to couple two animals together so that they could work.
In the Old Testament the yoke is spoken of figuratively of severe bondage, or affliction, or subjection. In the New Testament, the word yoke is also used to denote servitude and Jesus told us to come under His yoke and to serve Him' in humility of heart. When we partake of Christ's divine nature at new birth, we are then yoked to Him, and we must learn how to become His co-laborer. It is only through learning how to cooperate with His ways that we will truly have productive lives in the kingdom of God.
Entering into the rest of Christ, will take our undivided attention. It is returning to a single focus of devoting our entire lives upon Christ and learning to live by the resurrection life of his Spirit.
In Hebrews, we see that it is only those whose hearts are wholly given over to the Lord being united with faith which are able to enter into His rest. The first two foundational doctrines we have discussed in this course are repentance from dead works and faith towards God. The good news is that Christ has finished the work of our salvation. He partook of our humanity and has conquered Satan, sin, and death through His death, burial and resurrection. He has entered into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, as our High Priest, interceding for us and calling us up into a place of union with Him. Our hearts must become sensitive to the good news of His resurrection power so that the power of his endless resurrection life can live and work in us. It is simply by faith that we are able to do this learning to completely rely on his ability.
Hebrews chapter 4 verse 9 thru 10 tells us there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." Right here, at the very beginning of our faith, so many people are tripped up. Far too many believers have had the faulty foundations of dead works laid down in their lives and they need foundation repair! They live in what I call the 'Cycle of Dead Works' as I taught in lesson 7 of this school discipleship. The very center of this cycle is a salvation based on self. They have never had a clear understanding of entering into the rest of God and ceasing from their own self-effort, by allowing Christ to work in them so that He can then work through them. Their lives have never been solidly founded completely upon Christ the foundation.
If you will go back and listen to previous lessons, I clearly showed you that our focus must be on the word of the cross and the blood covenant living the cruciform life. As I mentioned, the word of the cross covers not only the death of Christ, but also His burial, resurrection and ascension to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus not only died for our sins, but has also been raised up as the life-giving Spirit and from His throne emanates the power of an endless life. We must come to know and experience the Heavenly Christ who has overcome the enemy and entered in for us. He sits upon a throne as our High Priest in power, keeping us in personal living fellowship with the Father, so that in Him, we too enter the rest of God.
We must come to know Him, as our heavenly Joshua, following Him and allowing Him to bring us into our land of promise. It is only those who have the same spirit of faith, which Joshua possessed, that will be able to enter this place of endless power. Jesus never told us to follow Him in our own strength. He told us to take His yoke. It is through our covenant of blood, water and Spirit of God, that we are brought into union with Christ. The Holy Spirit is called the Helper. He is the one Jesus sent to be with us and in us. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything Jesus did for you real in your life.
The Holy Spirit has raised us up, but His indwelling is also the guarantee of a future bodily resurrection. When we received Christ and were resurrected spiritually, we were given the Holy Spirit, who is the down payment for our future resurrection body. Romans chapter 8 verse 23 says that we who have the first fruits of the Spirit are eagerly waiting for our resurrection bodies. The present possession of the Holy Spirit is a down payment on our future resurrection body. It’s also a foretaste of the glories that will follow when we are given new bodies at Christ Second Coming. The fullness of life awaits the Coming of Christ, but until then God has given us His Spirit, which is the guarantee of a future resurrection.
Salvation for the believer is on three levels, which are referred to as justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification means that we have been saved from the penalty of sin by the blood of Jesus. Sanctification means that we are being delivered from the power of sin by God’s Spirit living in us. Glorification means that we will be delivered from the presence of sin and given a new glorified body at Christ’s Second Coming.
The final fulfillment of our personal salvation will be the gift of a brand-new body. The Bible doesn’t give us all of the details of what it will be like, but we do know that our new resurrection bodies will be uncontaminated by our sinful past, unaffected by disease, decay or death. Philippians chapter 3 verse 21 says that our new bodies will be like ‘His glorious body. I John chapter 3 verse 2 it says that ‘we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28 says Jesus will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
So, when is this bodily resurrection going to take place? The resurrection of the believer happens when the Lord Jesus Christ descends from heaven. I Corinthians chapter 15 verse 52 says those who have died before His return will be resurrected from the grave and given new bodies. Those who are alive at His coming will “be changed in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. All believers, whether dead or alive, will be given a new resurrection body just like their Lord’s when He returns.
Our present body is still subject to sin, suffering, sickness and death. There is provision in Christ’s work on the cross to be healed from sin and sickness, but death and suffering cannot be avoided by the believer. Romans chapter 8 verse 23 says that while in this body we groan, longing to be clothed with our new resurrection body. Even though we have been joined to his resurrection Spirit we still live in this temporal body that is subject to death. However, the good news is that we should be looking forward with hope to the day when we are going to be clothed with immortal life.
The Message Translation in II Corinthians chapter 5 verse 4 thru 5 says, compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we 're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God wets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.
Jesus is going to come back, just as he left, and he will reign upon this earth as the ruling king when he returns. The next great event on the calendar of the redemptive story will be the second coming of Christ, consummating the day of the Lord and wrapping up this age. Philippians chapter 4 verse 21 tells us that we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like His own. It’s the blessed hope and it should put much hope in our hearts and something to look forward to.
Paul in I Corinthians chapter 15 was quoting from Isaiah chapter 25 verse 8 when he said, death is swallowed up in victory and then Hosea chapter 13 verse 14 when he quotes the prophet saying; O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The final victory is going to be over death and the coming bodily resurrection is something all of the prophets looked forward to. Until then we have the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts, and we eagerly wait for the time when we will receive our resurrection bodies. The day we see Christ face to face then we will be changed to be like Him, and we will become partakers of the full power of His resurrection.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 20 - Living the Resurrected Life
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