Monday, August 27, 2012
The Heir of All Things
THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS
Heb.1: 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
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:
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Many times Christians believe that God created all things and that Jesus is somehow just a touch inferior than the Father. That is patently and Scripturally false. Although the inward workings of the Godhead are a profound mystery, to say nothing of the Trinity in and of itself, the Scriptures make it clear that all creation came through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Throughout the world of religion there are many tests of faith.
Some must go on long fasts.
Some must become a church member.
Some must pierce themselves.
Some must walk on hot coals.
Some must pray 5 times a day.
Some must ascend certain steps of knowledge.
Some must perform feats of strength.
Some must go on certain pilgrimages.
Some must jump off a high place with a bungee around their ankle.
Some must wear a burka.
But what is now the modern test for western Christianity?
Money.
Back in 1975, after living a life of meaningless debauchery, I was injured in a fight. It was then I began to question the meaning of it all. If there was no god, and if this life was just a collection of molecules moving around in time and space, only to die just like a mosquito, then pleasure must be our only goal. Who said don’t lie? Who said don’t have sex without marriage? Who said do not steal? If there was no god, then all morals are man made attempts to make some sense out of nothing. And if there is a god and we cannot know him, then his existence is irrelevant. Think about it, though. What kind of a deity hides himself and just watches disinterested in man’s calamity?
But, I said to myself and anyone who was listening, if there is a God and I can know Him, then I want to know Him. And that was the beginning of a search which culminated in March of 1975. That was when I was rescued by Christ and came to know this God who not only does exist, but Who died for me so I can know Him.
If there is no god than nothing has meaning except within the miniscule and fleeting moments of the now. All human existence has no more eternal implications than does a rock. We must live for pleasure and for self. Caring for the needy just wastes what little time we have. And if there is no god then church and religion is nothing more than an exercise meant to soothe our consciences. And if you can steal to provide money for your pleasure, and if you can stay out of jail, then steal. If there is no god than humanitarianism is a deceptive waste. You only have several decades of existence and we all must make the most of it for ourselves.
Most of the world says they believe in a god and yet killings and violence and all kinds of perversions flourish. The entire world drifts aimlessly and pretends to seek the same redundant answers year after year. Men with educations and wealth send poor men to do their killing, and they call that freedom. Men with wealth create systems where they can gain more wealth. Nations quarrel and quarrel until war breaks out, and then we start all over again until we reach the same results. Pointless, hollow, and pitifully redundant. But still we claim to believe in the existence of a god.
But if God does exist, then only He can reveal Himself. And if He does desire us to know Him, then what better way than to come and tell us Himself, and as one of us. And so, having been raised in a mainline denomination and being confirmed as a church member, I realized that I was completely lost and I did not know God. Sure the mountains and the oceans and the heavens were evidence of the existence of god, but they were just cold, hard facts with no way to embrace them as god. I never even toyed with pantheism.
But one cold night on top of Garrett Mountain in Wayne, New Jersey I met Jesus Christ. I do not speak of joining a religion or embracing a denomination. I had an encounter with the Risen Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, and so I climbed up that mountain as a lost sinner and I scaled back down a saved sinner. Everything was new and different. Everything had changed. I was as green as grass and I had no earthly idea where to go to church. God was patient with me and little by little I grew as a believer. God subsequently called me to preach.
There was a God, and He has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ His Son. By His amazing grace I had an encounter with the Living God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. But how many church members today have had such an encounter? How many have been born again, and how many have come to a personal knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ? I am by no means setting myself up as the example of anything, however I am asking a very poignant question which carries with it eternal implications. If Jesus created everything, and if He is the heir of all things, should not His joint heirs by His grace live lives that must be seen as remarkably different than the run of the mill western culture lifestyle?
All that we know here on earth is coming to en end. When it became evident that the Titanic was sinking, all the passengers acted very differently than they had before that news became factual. So when we say we believe that Jesus will return, and that many signs openly reveal His coming as eminent, how can our lifestyles so closely resemble those who do not believe in Jesus? Millions upon millions of evangelical church members do not have, and perhaps never have had, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
God has in these last days spoken to us by and through His Son. It is our duty and our privilege and our calling to listen and follow Him. The times demand urgency by those who can see the signs. This is no time to remain the same. This is a time to awaken to what the Spirit is speaking to the hearts of those who will listen. The heir of all things will soon come and take hold of all that is His. And to those who by faith were grafted into His family, they will share in what is His victory alone.
But to those who spoke His name with their lips but did not have Him in their hearts, to those will come a fate beyond human words. Far, far beyond human words. Repent, the hour is upon us. The Heir of all things is coming quickly to claim what has been His all along.
Again I reiterate some of the tests and demands on those who follow earthly religions.
Some must go on long fasts.
Some must become a church member.
Some must pierce themselves.
Some must walk on hot coals.
Some must pray 5 times a day.
Some must ascend certain steps of knowledge.
Some must perform feats of strength.
Some must go on certain pilgrimages.
Some must jump off a high place with a bungee around their ankle.
Some must wear a burka.
But what is the test for followers of Jesus Christ? Faith in Him alone, and by that faith you are born again. So how does that faith manifest its reality in the heart and life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ? He believes differently, he thinks differently, he acts differently, and he lives a life sacrificed to the Lord Jesus. He has become a joint heir of all things and things mean very little to him. His desire is to love, please, and worship the Head Heir of all things. He lives for Jesus alone.
Take that test.
You may need to pass it very soon.
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