I had to opportunity to teach about Heaven with my Sunday School Class...got them to think deeper about what the bible tells us! I asked them what they wanted it to be, or hoped it would be. Many times our ideas are influenced by movies we have seen or books we have read...sometimes talking about faith can be a very boring subject. Sometimes, people create their own "gospel" and don't even realize that they do. I had already written about Heaven on this blog. Next week, our Class is going to talk about Hell. That's a subject that has become mute in our world. Folks just do not seem to believe in such things...and of course Hollywood may have much to do with that! It may be also, the lack of teaching on it, because it paints a different God than what we "want" to think about. We can't wrap our heads around 'The Good God Who is Love and Life--casting anyone into eternal suffering'....just because we don't want to think anyone is there--does not mean they are not.
My focus today, is on the Cross. Everyone in the world knows the Cross! They know Christians believe Jesus died on it for our sins! What other religion teaches that "their god" came into human form and died for them? This is what makes our God such a wonderful God! He always has us in His Mind! He knew before the Curse of Sin came upon humanity that it was going to happen. Instead of stopping it, He works with mankind. He knew before satan's heart lifted up against Him--that this creature would turn away! God could make us do what He wants but how much do we love dictators? Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean He wanted it to happen. The bible says God is past, present and future all at once--HE is all-knowing! He is ever-present, everywhere all the time! He is Almighty...all-powerful...nothing is more powerful or can take anything away from Him! So did satan "trick" Him? Did he get one over on the "Big Guy"? Why doesn't GOD just deliver us from evil and from suffering so we can live good lives now? Well, actually He already did. Remember I said He was past, present, and future all at once...however in our human sinful bodies...we are just present. We are limited in knowledge, in power, in time and space. It is a terrible mistake to put God on our level! God knows EVERY creature...every insect, parasite, animal, planet, blade of grass, and human being--that exists NOW --but that had EVER existed or WILL EVER come into being!! Satan is limited. He is quite a formidable opponent though. We must never underestimate how knowledgeable and how unique his power is...but we must understand...he is NOT God! If God be for us--who can be against us? That is directly out of the bible, but what does that truly mean?
We all know the Passion of the Christ--do we really? Do we know what HE "saw" in His Spirit? Do we know what HE "heard" in His Spirit? Do we know that HE took every single defect in His Creation upon Himself? So His Perfect Life is given in exchange for our fallen one...He offered to 'break', 'deliver' and 'redeem' us! When you take a gift card to purchase something...you are redeeming it...getting something you did not actually pay for or earn; someone else bought the card so you could get your items. Jesus paid for our sins...with His Life...and gave us His Life! He is giving us what we didn't pay for and didn't earn...and probably don't deserve. Some will argue that we are "paying" for it by the suffering and death that happens here on earth. Well Catholics believe we can offer up our sufferings on behalf of others...not for ourselves. The point being that, Christ did that for us, and we can bless ourselves in giving unto others as HE did for us! To struggle to give up our self, to deny our "self" to become like Christ is a challenge! Yet we are called to do just that! He says we can do it with His Holy Spirit. The suffering we endure here on earth is NOTHING compared to what HE did in the Garden of Agony or on that Cross for all of humankind! We are being "changed" throughout our lifetime. Of course, at the end of the 'day', we will still be incomplete--but Jesus promises to present us, His Body, without spot or wrinkle to the Father. Various denominations differ on how that is accomplished, and I am not here to debate that point. My post today is to stir in your heart...that God is bigger than we consider on a daily basis! He has not forgotten anything that has happened to us, not a single event, not a single word has escaped Him, nothing is out of His Mind! He is in existence our past, our present, and our future...HE CANNOT FORGET! HE is not capable of forgetting....IT IS ALL RIGHT THERE IN HIM!
Every malicious gossip, swear word, evil thought, selfish motive, and hateful behavior is present with Him! He knows the evil that seeps in and through our world...walls do not hide things. Your bedroom is not invisible to Him. My computer is not hidden from His Eyes. Oceans and skies do not limit Him! Every murder, every beating, all starving persons, people dying at the hands of war and terrorists, every rape or molestation, every child abused and used and kidnapped and/or killed, every fear, every worry, every pinch of anger, every single exploding atom, every earthquake and tsunami, every fire and flood, every car accident, every farm accident, every lie, every greedy act to profit, every sinful lust....every vulgar thing you can possible think of---HE suffered with on that Cross! NOTHING escaped HIS EYES!
Being that HE is future as well, so EVERY sin has not been committed yet or HE'd be back! Obviously EVERY person this is going to turn to HIM and be converted--has not done so yet. Since HE already knows what is going to happen and when-- HE does have advantage over us...HE asks us to trust in HIM and His Word and to hold onto faith till we see HIM again! Moses and all the Old Testament saints suffered and died NOT HAVING SEEN THE PROMISES IN THEIR DAY! They were not in Heaven when they died...HEAVEN was not opened until thousands of years later! We have been blessed to learn and understand more of what those promises meant! We have been given to know Jesus Christ while still in our flesh! Right now, they are blessed with experiencing what we have not yet seen! Now THEY are dancing in the joy waiting for us! So much God suffered for His Children...and HE gave us the gift of His Life if we want it! It is NOT on OUR terms either...HE has the right to set the "conditions"! People say HIS LOVE is unconditional and they take that to mean that they can do whatever they want and God will not reject them! We must not assume that every person who dies is guaranteed entrance into Heaven! We are not capable of knowing what is in another's heart...only God is! God's Love is available for all who want HIM! He turns no one away who comes to HIM! NOTHING you did can turn HIM away from you---except you and holding onto your right to sin! There's the 'condition'. You have to turn in your life for His! You have to surrender your will for His! You cannot have your own way, your own life, and your idea about things---that is holding onto your life...you cannot have both--your life and His--yours is in darkness and His is in Light--and both cannot co-exist! He offers to take your suffering and give you the Life you never could possibly dream of...the fulfillment in this time and space has not happened yet...and for many only occurred after they shed their earthly bodies...but HE does promise it is ours!
The problem is, it hasn't happened yet in our time and space! We can't see it or prove it--therefore what is happening....science, technology and Hollywood is filling our heads with many other thoughts! Many people have given up the thought of an afterlife, eternal joy and awesome life in Christ, or the consequence of rejecting His Gift and suffering for every sin they ever did! The world has decided to choose what they want to believe--adding to the Gospel, changing it, watering it down, or just chucking it aside as fanciful literature or myths of undeveloped minds....or as a means of the rich and powerful controlling the world! That is rejecting the Gift...that is accepting your own way bringing upon yourselves...your own suffering, fears, delusions in Justice. Yes, God is Justice. You can have your way...all through eternity! Are you sure you know what you are getting? Are you absolutely positive that you KNOW what comes after death? Do you really think God's Heart doesn't yearn for you, hurt for you, and anger over sins? He doesn't want you to suffer, but the choice is yours...turn to the Light or away into the darkness. So you do it to yourself, HE doesn't. If a soul goes to eternal damnation--they do it to themselves! God is a good God and doesn't send people to hell....HE opened a door to Good and Life...He won't force you through it! You are your own boss! So if you choose not to believe....its in your power to do so! Does HE already know if you are going to? Yes! He already knows who is coming! He already knows if you love Him or will discover HE has always loved you! Ponder these things...
AMEN!
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