Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Behold I Show You a Mystery of Love


BEHOLD I SHOW YOU A MYSTERY OF LOVE

PHIL.2: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[
b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

He who owned the moon and the stars; He who was worshiped by tens of thousands of angels; He who shone with the brilliance of a billion suns; He who spoke the universe into existence. It was He who left it all to come to this world for the express purpose of rescuing me from sin and the punishment that was waiting for me. What can I tell you? Can I say I was a good person or that my whole life I sought Him? No, I cannot say those things. I was happy in my sin and content to live for myself alone. But God the Son left all that was His and came in the likeness of sinful flesh. And it was all for us sinners.

What kind of love embraces such humiliation? What kind of God comes in such poverty? Look again and peek over the edge of that trough and see the infant who is God in the flesh. This is our gift…this is the beauty we receive for our ashes. While we have nothing He gives everything. This miracle child is God saying “I love you” to the entire wretched human race. He who is holy reaches out and calls those who are unholy. The innocent must die for the guilty to go free.

Oh the beauty of His holiness! There is none like Jesus. He is above all and in all and through us all. He walked among those who had no idea just who He was. But there was something, yes something about this man they called Jesus. O Lord we are fascinated by You. Oh for too long the church has been obsessed with every issue under the Sun. But when will we become obsessed with Jesus? Will the church at large ever return to His feet? We have mastered Martha's kitchen, but when will we rush to sit with Mary?

He left His eternal dwelling place with all His eternal glory for us. What have we left for Him? How can we cling to this world and all its phoniness and fallen glory of wealth and tinsel and in so doing look away from Him? Just one short glimpse of Him as the Risen and Glorified Christ should immobilize us in broken worship and energize our inner man to rise in the power of His resurrection. But in order for us to gaze at the Eternal One this side of heaven we must stop and turn away from all that glitters in this present world and seek His matchless face with a relentless spirit which will not be denied.

Look down at your hand. He made that. Look at your neighbor. He made him. Look at the moon and the stars and He made them. There is nothing that is made without Him. He existed august and emanating a glory which illuminated the halls of heaven. He was worshiped by angels. And He enjoyed the glorious mystery of a Trinitarian fellowship with the Father and the Spirit. And he left all that to put on the rags of human flesh. Does it sound like a tale told by a fool? Yes, it is. I am a fool for Jesus Christ.

But there is fast approaching a day that will change this present reality and usher in a reality which will confound the wise and create great fear amidst the race we call human. Yes, all those stories many thought as religious superstition will suddenly reveal themselves as the eternal realities that had been waiting for the final revelation. It will all make sense to everyone, but it will spell the death knell for most. The entire human race, past and present, will stand arrested and terrified as the Deity that they had denied makes His entrance.

Who can know it? Who can imagine such an event? We cannot even imagine how one star, our star, can expend more energy in one second than seven million times all the energy of all the nuclear bombs on earth. And yet we pretend to know and understand what the event we call His Second Coming will look and feel like? Here is a secret all who know Christ personally should know. The closer we know and understand Jesus the more we must admit to the majesty of His eternal mystery. That means the more we know the more we experience the glory of what we do not fully know. Yes, the Spirit allows us to experience the majesty of that which we cannot know in all its fullness until that day.

And as men tremble and cry out in fear and even beg for death, we who have been grafted into His very family by grace through faith will tremble under the weight of His surpassing love. How could it be? How could we be granted such an eternal treasure? We did nothing before we knew Him and we did nothing after we knew Him that could possibly earned anything that He has bestowed upon us. But there we will be. Not only basking in His glory, but receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls. And to think we might have missed it.

But even while we stand amazed at what has happened to us, and the final revelation of His grace, please do not be distracted in your imagination. For there will be nothing, no streets of gold and no gates of pearls and no robes of white that can draw away the attention and devotion that will consume us as we gaze at the Risen Christ, the Lamb that was Slain. Just to see Him with eternal eyes in all His majestic glory will be reward enough. What can keep us from falling on our faces in worship while still lifting our heads so as to keep our eyes fixated upon Him from Whom the nations fled.

What words can capture Him? What temporal emotions can do justice on that day? There He is manifested in beauty unknown to the human mind. There He sits upon a throne arrayed in His own brilliance and accepting of our worship. Like the immoral woman washing His feet with her hair, the King of the Universe will receive the worship of scoundrels and thieves and liars and sinners of every kind and stripe, but who now have not only been washed by His blood, but have been made to be like Him. Oh my, all our doctrines have been left behind as we enter that kind of revelation.

And although eternity cannot be measured by time, the freshness and overwhelming atmosphere of that first day will not dissipate or grow old as time goes on.

The invisible God who is a spirit now reveals Himself so that we who know Him might see Him. What kind of unspeakable mystery is this which has been granted unto us? Why has He done all this, and why did He sacrifice Himself for us? This is beyond us and too much to understand except to say that as we are in His presence we may understand that God is love. We will not need to have all the answers to our questions. Just to see Him and feel the power of His love will satisfy the saints for all eternity. What will think about our human love then?

We have loved pets and sports teams and cars and preachers and family members, but what will that love look like when we see Him who IS love? When the waves of His love come crashing down upon the blood washed throng, what then of earthly love? Without being granted a new body we would all have to die before Him. So go ahead, look around and see the realities that the Spirit had to describe with human words. It will be that the words gold and silver and jewels and pearls were just used by the Spirit to give us some inkling about what was in store for us. But the tangible realities of heaven will surpass anything we knew here on earth.

And how real is heaven? Paul said that when he was captured into the third heaven, it was so real he could not tell whether it was in or out of the body. That is how real it was. And John the Apostle spent time leaning upon the chest of Jesus here on earth. But when he came face to face with the Risen and Glorified Christ, he fell at His feet as though dead. When all is said and done we will spend all eternity in a place of unimaginable bliss. But again, it is not that which will capture our hearts and minds throughout eternity.

It will be Jesus.
Look around heaven and see what He left for you,
but do it quickly because your eyes will not suffer long away from gazing at Him.

18 comments:

Cherie c. said...



(__) (__)

(________________)


Above: eyes closed, and smile drawing.


To Close my eyes and think on this Love, so great, so undeserving, so beyond description, puts a smile on my heart.

I don't know if my little drawing will come out after posting, but I hope it does. It depicts a moment when we should allow ourselves to feel His Love. We need to be refreshed in Him to make it through the day. I was not there when He walked among us as human flesh, but I sometimes wonder if anyone could fully understand who it was they were gazing at.

Having a hard time explaining it.
Part of me fears it and part of me can't wait to see Him.

I would never stand on line for tickets to see anyone. I would stand in subzero, rainy weather to see Him. I would fly in an airplane to see Jesus and I cannot fly without risking severe illness, but I would risk it for Him. Can you imagine what it will be like to see Him? To take a moment of peace to think upon that day is truly a blessing. Thank you Lord for a moment of refreshing; to think upon you, and your soon return.

Love to All1

your sister in Christ Jesus,
Cherie c.

Lorena said...

What a wonderful future we have with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! This was very encouraging and inspiring, Rick.
The mysterious love of God, to leave His glory, come down and sacrifice Himself for us, the undeserving. To spend all eternity with the Glorious God. He is so much more, and greater, and magnificent then I could ever try to describe Him or even understand.

Anonymous said...

I can hardly wait to gaze upon Jesus but at the same time it't very sobering. I have loved ones, a best friend I've known for over 40 yrs, coworkers, and other I've met briefly. What will happen to them?! The thought is way too sobering eventhough I try & tell them about Jesus. I try to be the best witness for Jesus that I can. But it still makes me so sad. I remember when I left the church in 2006 and there didn't seem to be a church that preached the true word of God. I started researching Christian teachings and blogs. I read a blog called bible truths by L. Ray Smith (I believe) and he stated that a loving God would never choose to put anyone in hell. Yes He wouldn't choose to do that but humans do everyday by refusing Jesus. Everyday I think about the possibility of someone refusing Jesus and the consequence is excruciating. -Noel

Anonymous said...

P.S. I think also in the blog bible truths, Smith concluded that there wasn't a hell. We all know that is the biggest lie from the pit of hell. -Noel

Anonymous said...

Gol.3:3 for we have Died! And our lives
Are hidden with Christ IN God.together
With Jesus we are in God our Father
Since Jesus is our Life we really don't have to
Ask Him anything , but really just thank Him And worship Him
For being our eternal life, our Strength , He is our Faith,
Since our hearts is the book in which He is writing His Faith
In, the Author and Finisher, we as sons, and daughters its our new-birth right and privilege to embrace all the spiritual
Blessings of heaven IN Christ. We are in the kingdom , and may the kingdom be sampled and tasted by all who come our way, IN CHRIST Be a blessing today

Cherie c. said...

Dear Anonymous,

We are not yet in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is at hand, but not yet. The reason I tell you this is because there are some who believe we are now in the Kingdom and that Jesus is ruling from His throne in Heaven, and that is not true. We are still in the age of Grace.

But, thy Kingdom come.... soon God willing, soon.

your sister in Christ Jesus,
Cherie c.

Cherie c. said...

Diana,

I responded to your post.

your sister in Christ Jesus,

Cherie c.

Anonymous said...

Just the last few days as more and more ministries are being exposed and more and more people take up arms in protest against our government, the Lord is helping me to keep my eyes fixed on Him alone. It's an under statement to say that there are many things (opinions, views, voices, etc) screaming out to be heard. Me and my kids were called out just this January from the "religious system" after many years of me crying out to Him to have understanding. Why was I seeing things within our church(people,leadership) that did not line up with His character and His ways? Within a week He confirmed what he was showing me,the things that I did not understand fully, He confirmed them and then called me and kids out to "Come follow Him". We are learning truly what it means to rest in His grace (His divine power and ability). He saves to the uttermost! My one desire is to walk with purity of heart and to have my life overflow with His wonderful love and grace. Blessings to you all :)

Reine Gnade said...

Cherie, Jesus is King right now. Jesus is ruling as King in the life of all Christians. You are right. God is gracious. And you are right to pray thy Kingdom come, nonetheless God has already decided when He will come!

Not only is Jesus King but everyone in Christ is a priest and king. As kings we go to war agaist sin and Satan in the triumphant name of Lord Jesus Christ. He has already won the victory against against , sin, Satan and death on the cross.

God's creation shows that they trust and obey Christ by fighting against impurity, for
Jesus said "blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God".

God bless you.

Cherie c. said...

Hi Reine,

With sisterly love I need to correct you. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Please consider the following scriptures:

Acts 7:55
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

Acts 7:56
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Hebrews 8:1
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Hebrews 10:12
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

1 Peter 3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

When Jesus Comes with His Kingdom:

2 Timothy 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Peter 1:11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Unless there is more that I am not seeing in the Word, I hope you see that the Word does not put Jesus on His throne until He returns. Let us pray for His quick return. God bless you!

your sister in Christ Jesus,
Cherie c.

Reine Gnade said...

Thank you Cherie for your comments. A useful verse to study is Zechariah 9:9. It says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled when, King Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

God bless you.

Kim said...

I love posts like this Rick, as it helps me to think about what it will be like. I love the scripture that says "no eye has seen and no ear heard that which God has planned for those who love Him". We can't really imagine what it will be like. Praise God who alone is worthy of all our praise. I recently asked Him in my quiet time to give me a greater desire to think about what it will be like to be in heaven in His literal presence. I have a book which I started by have not completed called "Heaven". I'm going to be picking that one up again.

Kim

Reine Gnade said...

Revalation 1:4-8

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings [and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, [d] “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”


God bless you Cherie and thank you for sharing your gift of friendliness with us.

Anonymous said...

Cherie,

Just want to share a different view with you on the kingdom of God.
Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God in:
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation" Neither shall they say, lo here! or lo there! For behold the kingdom of God is within you.

Jesus is King now and believers are in the kingdom of God now, (it's a spiritual kingdom)...our citizenship is in heaven. The eternal things that we can't see now will become the reality and the temporary things we see now will vanish away, when Jesus returns. I am not looking for Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom. When Jesus returns, it's to gather together into one, all that belong to Him that are in heaven and on the earth and then he will turn the kingdom over to the Father. Judgment day takes place and a new heaven and a new earth are created where only righteousness dwells.

Peace be with you,
Jann

Kim said...

Correct me if I am wrong, Rick, but there will be a Kingdom set up here on this present earth, Jann. The 1,000 year reign of Christ over all the earth. I believe this is to fulfill all the promises of God to the nation of Israel. David will rule over Israel and Christ will rule over all.

Rick Frueh said...

I believe that will be generally true however I do not make that a point of contention.

Anonymous said...

Who is the true Israel of God after Jesus death and resurrection? The physical land of Israel?
Romans 9:6 states "they are not all Israel who are of Israel"
Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly..verse 29 For he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The only chosen nation of God today are both Jews and Gentiles who have been born again of the Spirit of God, those spoken of in 1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him, who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.
God's Israel after the cross became spiritual Israel.

In Matt 23 Jesus said "Behold your house is left to you desolate" God's own people had the son of God their Messiah crucified. Jesus fulfilled all that was written about Him by the prophets through His death on the cross and resurrection. Read Luke 24:44-49 and Luke 18:31-33

1Corinth 15:20-26 tells us at Jesus coming then comes THE END, when he shall deliver the kingdom to God the Father. Since Pentecost, each spirit filled believer becomes part of the Kingdom of God. Did Jesus or any of the apostles ever talk about a 1000 yr reign here on this earth after Jesus returns?

Jann

Chris Baumgart said...

I realize this may, "cut against the grain" for many, but I've begun to understand Jann's scriptural perspective as of two years ago... The Holy Spirit lead me to scriptures that describe at Christ's return -this earth is burned up and the new earth is where He will reign... Reading 2 Peter 3 in context it talks of a judgement of water, next of fire. Peter gives us a full descriptive. Understanding Gods promise to David you will also be blessed to see 2nd Samuel 7:16-17 is spiritually manifestd in the New Jerusalem where His throne is. His saints are caught up with Him in the air at his return... To those who did not receive the mark will be set down in the new earth, the new heaven. New Jerusalem measures 1200 miles square, and I hear is one heck of a place! Revelation 21. I have never looked at understanding eschatology as a precursor to salvation... It was always a festival of pride during Bible studies as to who knew more than the others... So I would avoided such discussion later in my walk. But now I draft some importance to it based on the believers expectations and what the next generations should be prepared for. Assurance to what is closer to Truth would not make ones Faith shrink being confronted by circumstances that are prophesied to come. At least I pray not.