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Work: A Preview of Things to Come

Study Guide September 6, 2015

Several new inventions and technological advances are now on the horizon. And here is one that will be a welcomed breakthrough for all the beach lovers around here…how about instead of having to slather on hand-fulls of sunscreen each time you go to the beach you just take a ‘sunscreen pill’ instead? Then, this one sounded really great. Imagine you are out hiking and badly cut your leg or arm in a fall or something…and you just reach into your bag and pull out your Laser pen which instantly seals up your wound.

This one was kind of crazy: Let’s say you are on vacation, but a meeting at the office comes up and you have to be there. Instead of flying back for the meeting, you call on your holograph phone and it projects your image to your fellow employees and their office phone projects their images to you at the same time. Meeting done…back to the Links…And then this one was fascinating, and I think there’s something like this around already, but it’s a speech to speech translating device that lets you communicate with someone of a different language. It’s like having a portable translator.

And here’s a strange one…you might want to start carrying around a heavy duty fly swatter because they are working on insect like robots that can spy on people. I can see that becoming both something really helpful, for like the military, or really bad, for like hackers and such.

And of course, cars are getting really smart, like communicating with each other to prevent crashes. And Volvo is working on a crash proof car. Then imagine that your car’s computer had an owner detection system, so that when it detected your approach it could not only start up, but even remember what temperature you prefer and what music you like and set that up for you. Plus, it might even be fitted to start up a hot cup of coffee in the cup holder waiting for you when you get in.¹

But the point is, just think about some of the amazing things that mankind, even in man’s unredeemed and fallen condition, has been able to create and continues to create. Why is that? Gen 1:26-28- “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” NKJV

To be created in the image of God includes being created with the innate inclinations of God, particularly in relation to this proclivity for creating things. In other words, the Creator created human beings with the intention that they would continue to exercise their God given creativity to steward all the Creator’s creation. Continue it how long? We’ll talk about that. But the thing is, with all of these remarkable inventions of man throughout history, these are simply previews of what redeemed man is going to invent and create when the curse is finally and fully removed from God’s redeemed people and from God’s redeemed world. In every area of life, from entertainment to engineering, from technology to travel, from music to media, and on and on, this God designed creativity that God placed within man will be one of the main features of life on the New Earth and in the New Heavens.

We talked a little about this in our study Wednesday night on the Truth Project, as we explored this area of ‘Labor’ or ‘Work’. And I’ll be gleaning a bit from that excellent study by Dr. Tackett as we expand on this subject of the Labor or the Work of man.

But think about it: We often wonder why the Universe is so immense. Why so many physical places beyond what we can even see and imagine? Well, when God’s people are able to utilize all their creative abilities, unlimited by sin and the curse…well, as the saying goes; “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Literally, the sky is the limit for what God’s stewards are going to come up with, are going to create, once the limits of the curse are gone, and, especially since we have been made in the image of the One who loves to create, we will really get on with our proclivity for ‘creating’.

How is that different from most people’s idea of what Heaven is going to be like; or what is really going to be going on in the new world; or what the activities of Heaven will include? Is Heaven just an existence filled with resting and lounging around? No, Heaven’s not going to be filled with a bunch of ‘cloud potatoes’. No, on the contrary, Heaven will be filled with this fulfilling of this call by God for His people to exercise ‘dominion’; the management and development of all His works. And so once again, whatever mankind has been able to create and invent so far is going to seem like child’s play compared to all that God’s stewards are going to be doing and dreaming and inventing and creating in the coming Kingdom.

Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book on Heaven, said that in Heaven God is going to ‘unleash’ our creativity, not confine it. What a great way to put it; ‘creativity unleashed’. He then said, ‘As a musical novice, I might even compose something worthy of Bach. And (then) what kind of music do you suppose Bach will compose?”²

Brother Alcorn went on to point out that now we use the arts, including drama, painting, sculpture, music, and much more to provide enjoyment and entertainment and especially to praise God. So don’t you think these will continue to provide enjoyment and entertainment and be used to praise God even more in Heaven? C. S. Lewis said, “When you painted on Earth…it was because you caught a glimpse of Heaven in the earthly landscape.”³ All the beauty of the Earth, and all the wondrous things of the arts and sciences and technologies and so on, are like glimpses we are getting now of things to come in the land of the New Earth and the New Heavens. These things on Earth, these abilities on earth, these talents on earth, these creative expressions of our innermost image, this image of God in which we were created, are all like previews of the things that will really thrive in Heaven, once we are free from the sin stunted effects of this old earth, which is still under the curse.

And then think of games and hobbies and sports. It could be that your favorite sport is one that is yet to be invented in Heaven. Often when I’m talking with someone about playing sports in Heaven they say something like, “Well, I don’t know. What challenge will there be if we’re all perfect there?” Whoa! Time out! What a huge misconception of what we will be like in Heaven. Perfect? In what are we perfect? Thankfully, we going to perfect in our holy moral nature, but in everything else, like in our learning and in the developing of our talents and abilities and so on, we will continue to grow and to further develop in all of these and more. Remember, only God is perfect in all things and in all ways. Only God is perfect in knowing all things; His omniscience, and only God is perfect in all power; in His omnipotence, and so on. So we will be like God in our moral nature, but we’ll have a long way to go in our development of everything else, like our knowledge and abilities and power and such. Praise God, we’ll have perfect health, as in free from sickness and disease, but your resurrected body is always going to benefit from a good workout or a helpful practice session in whatever you are doing in Heaven.

But again, the point we are making is that all these sporting events and artistic displays and even engineering feats on this present Earth have come out of this original creative implantation within us when God made us in His own image, His own likeness. And the thing is, most people of this world don’t even realize that’s why they are drawn toward or driven to do the things they do and to make the things they make and to dream the things they dream about creating, whatever those things might be that they are on the verge of creating. Who put those desires within them, and why? You see, Most people do not connect their inner talents and gifts and abilities as being those very things which the Creator placed within them when He said, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.” Gen 1:28 AMP

God’s plan for those He created in His likeness included being His stewards over all that He created, and this plan was never altered nor rescinded. In other words, the plan remains, and it will remain throughout eternity. Once this interruption of the reign of sin and death is over, the original plan of God’s will unfold and God’s redeemed people from every tongue and tribe and nation of this Earth will be given complete dominion and stewardship over the New Earth and New Heavens.

Think about it: Those of you that are good at Engineering, why do you think you are good at engineering? Could it be that God designed you to do those things in engineering that would bless others in this world now, and also do those things in the ages to come in the new world that will be part of those things God said that eye has not yet seen nor ear yet heard, all that God has planned for those who love Him? Could it be that things you will one day build or design in the New Earth and even into the New Heavens are part of those things beyond our imagination now? And what about those of you who are craftsmen and artists. Recall what God told Moses about the way He had planned for the building of the Tabernacle: Ex 31:1-6- “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you…” NASU Just like God placed those skills of craftsmanship and artistry within these servants of God for the purpose of building the tabernacle, God has placed certain skills within you for the purposes for building that which honors God and blesses others now, and on into the Kingdom of Heaven.

As Pastor Robert pointed out in our study, that this is all simply part of God’s design as He told us in Eph 2:10- “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” NASU And what’s the time-frame on this? Is there a 20 year or 40 year or 90 year limit on these good works or on God’s plan? Did God create us for time or did He create us for eternity? Right, He created us for eternity and He designed us with an eternal plan of good works in which we should walk. That’s one of the reasons Jesus told us His parables about the Kingdom of Heaven so that we would understand how important our faithfulness is now; that we would understand that our faithfulness in doing good works now for God affects our privileges of getting to do more and more of these good works and great things that God planned for us to do in the coming Kingdom of Heaven.

There are many unimaginable opportunities ahead for us. There are skills and interests and abilities that we have just now only experienced in part, but we will fully get to experience them all in Heaven…if we are faithful in these little things now, so that we will be rewarded with being given the privileges of the greater things ahead in the coming Kingdom.

And here is one help that can help us keep this focus in mind. In the Truth Project series Dr. Tackett pointed out that at the end of every composition of Johann Sebastian Bach he would write three letters: ‘SDG’, which stood for ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, meaning: ‘For God’s glory alone’. That commitment to God’s glory can also keep us focused on how we are to do whatever we do in the use of the talents and gifts and abilities that God has implanted in us to do these good works that He planned for us before the beginning of the world and on into the never-ending new world to come…this new world that is just on the horizon now. Imagine that; we can make what is coming even more glorious by doing everything we are doing now to the glory of God.

‘SDG’ – Soli Deo Gloria

1. Jason Wire, 23 Incredible New Technologies You’ll See by 2021, matadornetworking.com

2. Randy Alcorn, Heaven, p. 403

3. Ibid, p 406

Gold Digging in the Mines of the Bible, Pt. 8

Study Guide  August 30, 2015

Did you hear the news reports this week on the finding of gold off the coast of Florida? The gold was from a ship that was on it’s way to present the gold to King Philip of Spain 300 years ago, but it wrecked and sank just off the coast of Florida. A salvage company discovered 350 Spanish gold coins just 16 feet off shore. The find is estimated at four and a half million dollars.

As God’s people, we have something far better than even 350 gold coins because we get to dig up hundreds of gold truths out of the Word of God. And this gold is far more valuable than all the gold in this world. These are eternal truths that we get to have and to know and to enjoy both now and throughout eternity. So let’s examine another one today as we continue digging for gold in the Bible.

One of the odd traits about us all is that we tend to make the Christian life harder than God intended it to be. For an example: in 2 Peter 3:18 the Apostle instructs us: “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” NASU So the Apostle gives us the clear command to ‘grow’…to grow in both the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And so we, as conscientious Christians, set out on this quest of spiritual growth. We take charge of this need to grow. And we naturally think that in order for this spiritual growth to happen we will need to do this and to read that and to attend such and such and to avoid these other things…and then we think, “By doing all of these I will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.” In other words, in learning this command to grow our focus naturally turns toward working on growing, and so we then get on with this work of growing, as Peter commanded us to do. It’s a noble intention, but is that what Peter meant?

But could it be that when Peter commanded us to ‘grow’ that he intended for us to know that this process of spiritual growing is directly connected to the process of spiritual filling which then leads to the process of spiritual flowing which is what would actually then cause our spiritual growing? The answer to that question is: ‘Yes’. So now lets explore the answer.

It’s important to realize that what Peter was instructing us about in his command about ‘growing’ is related to what Paul instructed us about in his command about ‘filling’. And what Paul instructed us about in his command about filling is related to what Jesus informed us about in His revelation about ‘flowing’. Do you remember in a previous study we spoke about Jesus’ great invitation of receiving Him as Messiah, as Savior, and then do you remember what He said would happen in and through us? He said when a person did receive Him then this would happen: John 7:37-39- “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive…” Holman Bible

Think about what Jesus said here: ‘…streams of living water flowing from deep within him.’

And so another question: Could it be that growing in the Spirit of Christ in us is related to this flowing of the Spirit of Christ through us? Or how about this? Could it be that this growing in the Spirit of Christ in us is related to this flowing of the Spirit of Christ through us which is dependent upon this filling of the Spirit of Christ in us? Absolutely!

Part of the point we are making here is that one of the reasons we tend to make the Christian life harder than God intended it to be is that when it comes to this concept of spiritual growth, we tend to set off on the ‘growing’ instead of first focusing on the ‘filling’ and then acting on the ‘flowing’. In other words, it is when we focus first on spiritual filling that we can then act on spiritually flowing, and as we do we can then experience spiritual growing. However, mark it down; you cannot experience spiritual growing without spiritual filling and spiritual flowing. Why?

Let’s ask another question in order to answer that question. Let’s personify a ‘branch’ for a moment. What is the primary focus of a branch, on the fruit that its bearing or the vine to which it is connected? Well sure, a branch delights in its fruit, but its foremost focus is on abiding in the vine, because if there is any weakening of this interaction between the branch and the vine the fruit will fail as well. You know where we are going with this, don’t you? John 15:4-6- “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” NASU

One of the major problems with most Christians is an identity problem. Their true identity is a ‘Branch’, but they tend to default to a ‘Vine’ identity. But regardless of how much a branch tries to usurp the identity and activity of the vine, it can’t. And thus, when is does, inner and outer conflict is inevitable. Remember, our union with Christ is the key to our salvation, but our communion with Christ is the key to our sanctification, or our spiritual growth as Christians. Apart from this communion, this fellowship, this abiding in Christ; what did Jesus say? “…for apart from Me you can do (what?) nothing!”

That’s rather stark, isn’t it? ‘Nothing?’ What is ‘nothing’? Remember also our study on the ‘Ecclesiates experiment’? The Ecclesiastes experiment showed that all the gain in the world of power or pride or possessions for purposes of self gain and self glory was vanity…emptiness…wasted days…or essentially, ‘nothing’. As Paul spoke to the Corinthians about the wise use of their talents and time and treasures he used the words ‘loss’ and ‘gain’. This ‘loss’ of the usefulness and this ‘loss’ in our fruitfulness is what Jesus was warning us about in leaving Him out of our focus and attention and communion and abiding and fellowship. For if we did, the result of our efforts would be loss, vanity, wasted days…or as He put it: “nothing”. Contrary to the popular idea that life is short so live for today…no, life is eternal so live today with eternity in sight. Live today in a way that what you do today will last, not just for today, but for every day; for all eternity. Live today in communion with, in fellowship with, and in dependence upon Christ, abiding in Him so that He can then bear His fruit through you.

Another way to break this down is to realize that essentially, every person has a blackboard of their life. And at the end of each day on that blackboard is written either ‘loss’ or ‘gain’. And no, we’re not talking about our body weight here. That’s a different blackboard. No, this blackboard is more like that of the Ecclesiastes wording, as in: ‘Another day wasted’ or ‘Another day of bearing fruit.’ For most people in the world at the end of each day is that message: ‘Another day wasted.’ Unfortunately, for some Christians, because they are not abiding in Christ, nor fellowshipping with Christ, nor communing with Christ; they too, have written on their blackboard; ‘Another day wasted.’ Remember what Jesus said? ‘Apart from Me you can do ‘nothing‘…meaning, nothing of lasting value; nothing of eternal gain; nothing of eternal reward; nothing God was trying to accomplish in and through your life; essentially, ‘wasted.’ However, for communing Christians, for abiding Christians, for those Christians who are seeking to be filled with the Spirit so that they can flow with the Spirit and thus grow in the Spirit, at the end of the day the message on their blackboard is: ‘Another day of bearing fruit; a fruitful day.’

Stop asking if your day was successful; Start asking if your day was fruitful? Contrary to our culture’s thinking, life is not measured by ‘success’; life is measured by ‘fruitfulness’. Now, if by success you mean fruit, then fine, but you see what we mean?

On our trip to Virginia there were two places that we saw signs that said, ‘Not I, but Christ.’ One was in the sanctuary of Thomas Road Baptist church. That was great, and we would expect to see a sign like that there. But the other was on a giant sign above a road side business near Danville, Virginia. And that was more like a surprise, but what at great statement to the world of where the focus of these believer’s lives were; their goal was to honor Christ in every area of their life, whether worshipping in a church or working by the highways of life: ‘Not I, but Christ’. That’s John 15 thinking; that’s branch thinking; that’s being filled with the Spirit in order to flow with the Spirit by which you then grow in the Spirit. Again, it’s about focus.

We often hear Heb 12:1 quoted: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” NASU What a great picture of the Christian life! And so we set off on this great race, running the race that is set before us. The problem is that as we’re running the race we are looking around at others who are running, and we’re comparing our run with their run, and we feel good about our running or bad about our running based upon how others are running, not realizing we have just run into a trap. It’s the trap of comparing ourselves by ourselves, which Paul reminds us that they who do that have just acquired another title… “Fool”. To compare your spiritual growth to others spiritual growth is foolish…we’ve been fooled into thinking foolishly. And then another trap we fall into is that we set off running, but instead of looking up we’re looking down, down at ourselves, and as such we then fall into either self pride or self pity, but either way, we’re fooled again. What we’ve forgotten is that to ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us’ is only part of the instructions. The main part of the instruction is what comes next: Heb 12:2- “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” NASU You see, If you are running the Christian life without your eyes fixed on Jesus you are either going to run off the road or get run-down.

So often we have our eyes fixed on others or on ourselves, but not on Christ. Warren Wiersbe often says, “If you look to others you’ll be distracted; if you look to yourselves you’ll be discouraged, but if you look to Christ you’ll be delighted.” You see, not even this call to spiritual growth is to be about us setting off to do whatever it takes to grow stronger and smarter or spiritually rougher and tougher. Yes, spiritual growth should include gaining strength and wisdom and perseverance and toughness and so on. But we have to get our focus right or everything else will go wrong. And the focus is not, “I and Christ’ , but “Not I, but Christ.” It’s what Paul said was his goal: Phil 3:10- “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” NASU Paul’s goal was not to experience more of his own life, but to experience more of the life of Christ in him. It was to lose self and gain something better; gain the power of the resurrected Christ; gain the fellowship of suffering for the sake of Christ, and of even being conformed to His death, if that’s what ‘Not I, but Christ’ resulted in. So be it; for it was all better than anything that Paul could ever be or do on his own. When Paul thought of growing in the Spirit, he first thought of being filled with the Spirit so that he could then have the working of the Spirit flowing through him.

And that’s the kind of growing that the Apostle Peter was also talking about. For it was Peter that said, “Set Christ apart as Lord in your heart.” (1 Pet. 3:15) This is the same as the “fix your eyes on Jesus” in Heb.12. And this is the same as “For it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave His life for me” of Gal.2:20.

So now what happens if when you read this command to ‘Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ that you think of it in terms of ‘Flow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’? How does this affect your focus? Right, it turns the focus onto letting Christ, letting the Spirit of Christ, flow through your life and move through your life and have more of your life, thus growing His work and influence in and through your life.

And do you also see how it affects how you see and think of yourself? You no longer see yourself as the source. You no longer think of yourself as the vine. You see yourself and you think of yourself as a beloved branch on the Vine of Christ. And you think of your main duty as not being the production of fruit, but of abiding in the Vine, who then produces His fruit and grows His fruit through you, the branch. It is a major shift in your focus from ‘the strain of trying to grow’ to ‘the release of letting yourself flow’. Your focus is not as much on the growing as it is on the flowing, the flowing of these spiritual waters of life that God has poured into you. Your focus now is not so much on how can you spiritually grow in obedience to this command to grow, but on how you can yield more of your life to the filling of God’s Spirit so that the Spirit of Christ can flow through your life as His branch, and thus bearing the fruit that He is trying to grow in and through your life. And as Christ, the Vine, works His works and grows His fruit through you and me, His branches, we find that not only are His spiritual waters now flowing more and more through us, but that we are also experiencing more and more spiritual growth in us.

‘Fix your eyes on Jesus’…’Be filled with the Spirit’…’You are the Branches’… To obey God’s command to grow we have to get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Christ. To obey God’s command to grow we have to seek to be filled with God’s Spirit and not stay full of ourselves. To obey God’s command to grow we have to think and act like a Branch and not the Vine. And when we do, we finally learn what Jesus meant when He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 NASU

Here is a suggested motto for your thinking: ‘Through me, not from me.’ ‘Through me, not from me.’ In order to grow spiritually you must flow spiritually. And in order to flow spiritually you must be filled with the Spirit. And it all starts and ends with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and perfecter of our faith.

(‘To grow’ speaks to your intention. ‘To fill’ speaks to your yielding to the source of your growth; God’s Spirit. And ‘To flow’ speaks to the process of letting God’s Spirit work through you, which results in ‘spiritual growth’.)