The LORD's Day, March 1, 2009

Eternal Life Through Jesus

Revelation 20.6

People all around the world today need hope.

TARGET profit falls 41%...
MACY'S reports 59% drop...
OFFICE DEPOT shows $1.5B loss...
Home prices post record decline...sales sink to 12 year low.
Consumer Confidence Collapsed to Record Low in February...

We hope things will rebound. But we also hope that these times will be used by the LORD to Draw people to Him. II Chronicles 7.13-14

He is our hope. II Corinthians 1.10 On Him we have set our hope
Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus‘ blood and righteousness.

This section of Revelation speaks of The Millennium or 1,000 years reign of Jesus on the earth before the final judgement takes place. This will be a time when this earth gets what God intended from the beginning: peace, harmony and tranquility among other things.

Jesus will reign. Revelation never loses touch with the personal nature of salvation.

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The ones who have eternal life will be a part of that 1,000 years reign of Christ Jesus. We will reign with Him as priests. We are told it that those who are involved in this are:

1. Blessed

Those who have know Jesus as their Savior are blessed.

*They are blessed as they look back.
Spiritual Legacy- Seeing how the LORD worked in all of us to bring us to salvation. Our story. The people He had us meet. The family we were born into.

They are blessed now.
We have Hope. Our hope is built on Jesus not on the U.S. Economy or World’s
We have Faith. No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you
We have Love.

They are blessed forever II Samuel 7.29
With Jesus forever and ever. With Him in His Father’s House!
We’ll talk about this more the next few weeks. It is so wonderful!

The first resurrection is spoken about by Paul in his letter to the (I Thessalonians 4.13-18).

2. Holy

Eternal Life through Jesus is living a holy life. We cannot do it without Him.
Here is the fulfillment of Hebrews 12.14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Those around God’s throne in the end will be those who have been holy.

What about all the imperfections and places where I need to grow? When we see Christ we will be like Him I Corinthians 13.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

I John 3.2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Live as close to the LORD as you can now. Make every effort to be holy. Don’t be discouraged at the areas where you still need to grow. I read this week in Luke 6 that we are to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. I stopped reading. I prayed. I know I have a long long way to go. But that is it- I am on the way.
I’m not all I am going to be but thank God I am not what I used to be

I’m encouraged by Paul’s words in Philippians 3.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. I am in a race and I am going to finish victoriously All who have Jesus as their Savior have this hope. Holy living brings hope!


3. Life Eternal

Free from the power of death. Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of youth in Florida so a story goes. Life Eternal is not finding the fountain of youth. It is far better than that I was sent an e-mail that spoke this week of the Fountain of Youth in some pills you could take and it would restore your youthfulness. Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. People are trying to stay young. But Eternal life is much more than staying young in this life. Life Eternal is a quality as well as a quantity of life. It is the life of God coming into a human being.

The rich young ruler’s question was a deep one: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Mark 10.17

The Philippian Jailer asked the same question: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Acts 16.30

Life Eternal is something you get now-
I John 5.12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

And something you will inherit:
Ephesians 1.13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of His glory.

4. Priests

Revelation 5.9 and they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Exactly what the role of priests will be during this 1,000 years I am not sure. We are a royal priesthood (I Peter 2.9) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. It could just be referring to the praising that is spoken about here in this passage. At the very least it will be that. We could give the LORD the praise for our salvation for 1,000 years and just get started. We will praise Him in eternity.

5. Ruling and Reigning with Christ

This is the time the LORD will restore the kingdom to Israel. The disciples asked Him if He was going to do that back in Acts 1. He said it wasn’t for them to know the times or the dates. This is it

I Timothy 6.12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul is probably speaking of Timothy’s baptism here.

Life Eternal with Jesus means that we will rule and reign with Him on the earth.

Batman in the 60's Stay tuned- the worst is yet to come
For the believer keep on believing- the best is yet to come
Maranatha, Come LORD Jesus!