FINISHING STRONG


FINISHING STRONG

                “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. 2 Cor. 5:1, 2

                “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” Romans 8:22

                “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.” Or guarantee.” 2 Cor.

                “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” Rom. 8:23

                “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight, we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:6-8

                “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard- pressed from both directions having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” Phil. 1:21-24

                “And I consider it right as long as I am in this earthly dwelling to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure, you may be able to call these things to mind.” 2 Peter 1:12-15

                Both Paul and Peter lived with a certain sense of detachment from their bodies. It was as if to say, “I know that my spirit is the real me and it is presently housed in this tent, this body of flesh, but I will soon lay this tent aside and be with Christ. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21.

                Throughout his writings Paul is screaming out to us that the real me is not this body of flesh that you see. The real me is my spirit and Christ dwells in my  spirit by His Holy Spirit and that makes me a temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 3:16 and how did this transaction take place? Paul tells us saying:

                “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave His life for me.” Galatians 2: 20.

                If we want to finish strong, we need to understand that we humans are created in God’s image, that we are first of all spirits. We are created in God’s image and God is a Spirit. John 4:24

                Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:11: For who among you knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God, no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

                But the amazing and wonderful fact is this: “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 1 Cor. 6:17

                When we are born again, the Spirit of God enters into our spirit and we become one and that makes us temples of the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:16

                This then is why Romans 8 is such a key chapter in all of scripture. In this chapter he tells us that we must learn to live by that spirit… that spirit that is married to the Holy Spirit and we must no longer be ruled by our flesh.

                So what we have seen in both Paul and Peter is that they lived by the Spirit of God so much so that as they neared the time of their death… (actually martyrdom,) they lived with this sense of detachment from the physical body knowing that the real them, their spirit man, would go to be with God… just as Ecc.12:5, 7 says. For Solomon, after wrestling with the futility of a life apart from God drew this final conclusion: “For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street… then the dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

                John spoke of this in connection with Jesus death on the cross when he said: “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” and bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30.

                So we begin to see this picture of man as a spirit that lives in a body. A newborn spirit is eternal for as it says in John 6:47, 54 “Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” And again He says, “He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.” He that has the Son has the life.” And Jesus reassured Martha saying: “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:26.

                Okay, this is all well and good, but what does it have to do with my finishing strong and your finishing strong? It is this…THE WHOLE POINT OF THE NEW BIRTH IS THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD MAY COME TO DWELL IN MY SPIRIT… AND THE WHOLE POINT OF LIFE THEREAFTER IS THAT I MUST LEARN TO LIVE BY THAT SPIRIT RATHER THAN BY MY FLESH. Romans 8: 1-4

                As we do this, we will learn to place more and more confidence in the Spirit and less and less confidence in the flesh.  As Peter and Paul did this in their life and ministry, they became more and more aware that to live is Christ and to die is gain. They were able to face martyrdom knowing that the dying of their body only meant that they would be immediately present with the Lord. Paul said exactly this when he said: “While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” and then he confessed that he would “rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:6b, 8b.

                Now, this life in the Spirit includes walking in the Word of God for Jesus said in John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” So the bible is not just for information, but it is spiritual food for the health and growth of our spirit. Therefore we must eat the word, or to take it into us, even as if eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus that we may have eternal life. This refers to the covenant that we live in and by which we live which is a covenant in His body and blood. This demonstrates for us the level of commitment of Jesus concerning this covenant, for this He gave up His body and He signed it in His own blood… God dying for us so that we might live.

                If we want to finish strong then, we need to live by the spirit, putting less and less confidence in our flesh and more and more confidence in the Lord who dwells in us. Christ is indeed our hope of glory.” Col. 1:27.

                We have many struggles in this life… in fact life is like a boot camp where we are learning how to live by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. The obstacles and difficulties, the griefs and disappointments are all meant for our growth. For those of us who have entered into God’s basic training, Jesus holds out these promises:

                To him that overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7b

                “To him that overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat, and I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” Rev 2:17

                “And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations; he shall rule them with a rod of iron…”

                “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Rev. 3:5

                “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God and I will write on him my new name.” Rev. 3:12

                “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Rev. 3:21

                Each of these overcoming promises is loaded with symbolic meaning and eternal purpose and it is for these eternal purposes that we lay aside every weight and run the race that is set before us with joy and anticipation…”For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:19.     Shabbat Shalom

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