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Norbert Bohnert—January 6, 2024
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God is a multitude of wonderful gifts for us. But the gift that I want to concentrate today is by far, at least in my mind, one of the most important.
2-Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sound-mindedness. Therefore, you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner; but jointly suffer with me for the sake of the Gospel, according to the power of God, Who has saved us and called us with a Holy calling—not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time" (vs 7-9). These are powerful words.
Brethren, this is not something that just recently got decided on, but has been in the planning since the beginning of time."
Verse 10: "But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who has annulled death, and has brought to light eternal life and incorruptibility through the Gospel."
These are very powerful words that we hear from the Word of God. He has brought life and immortality to light for all of us. In other words, mortician or mortuary or mortify, they are all derived from the word mortal, which means death. Mortal means the nature of a human being, being as eventually having to die.
We know that is true. That is the case. On the other hand, Christ has revealed, or brought to light a different kind of life. And that's the crux of this message.
So, the crux of this message is a different life that God has in store for us. It will be a life that is not mortal, not subject to death. Immortal means deathless, living or lasting forever!
Physical human beings do not have this kind of life. Do we understand that? All men and women are subject to death. Currently, our lifespan averages about 70 to 80 years. Can you imagine living forever in this human state that we live in today? The human physical state? Maybe when you are healthy and young at the age of 20, but as we know, there are many blessed people out in this world today that live long, long years up into their 90s, and even some over a hundred-years-old.
What a blessing that God has allowed them to live that long. But I'm sure that many of the very elderly people that we see daily may be so thankful of still being alive, but also at the same time asking the question: Why am I still here?
The human body was not built to last much beyond the time span, was it? Very few people do! Immortal life is not subject to the earthly elements. Whatever this life and immortality is that Christ has revealed to us, it is a different kind of life.
Right now, we do not have immortal or deathless life. For those who have been called and given God's Spirit, it means we should be in the process of learning how to live this kind of life. As it says, life and immortality has been revealed to us through the Gospel, the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.
People can look at the Bible and say that 'those are just words. These are just ideas of certain men who have come along down through the time and eventually compiled this book,' referring to the Holy Bible.
To us, these are words of life. As the Bible tells us, we are talking about something more than just physical life.
Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes—both to the Jew first, and to the Greek."
- Do we actually believe these words?
- Do we believe that God's Word tells us and contains the good news of the coming Kingdom of God?
This is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. These words:
- impart power
- they tell us how to live
- they give us the ability to endure
- they are the words that teach us perseverance and patience
- they are the words that give us the understanding and vision that we need
- they give us hope and faith
- they impart gentleness, goodness, mercy and compassion to us all
We can begin to list all the ways in which God's Word impacts our lives as we yield ourselves to Him. In other words, the Bible clearly shows us how to live righteous lives.
Verse 23: "And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed creatures, and creeping things."
I know you are all familiar with these words and have this verse memorized:
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." That is what we have been called to learn!
Romans 1:17: "For therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith unto faith, according as it is written: 'The just shall live by faith.'"
You could say that God is revealing to us how He lives and how He wants us to live. In that process, He is clearly revealing Who He actually is, the Eternal, Ever-living God.
I say that, and yet. because we are physical, mortal human beings, flesh and blood, and it is difficult for us to comprehend what it means to have life and immortality, eternal life, to be immortal, to live as a spirit being.
It is hard to wrap that around in our minds. That is the kind of life that God wants for all of us. God is in the process of training us how to live His way of life in the physical bodies that we have today. God is saying:
IF you learn to live the kind of life that I am instructing and directing you to live, I will add what you do not have, that being immortality!
No matter where we look in the Bible, the Gospel message is revealed repeatedly. As I just pointed out to you in Rom. 6:23.
1-Peter 1:13: "For this reason, be prepared in your minds, be self-controlled, and be fully hoping in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform yourselves to the former lusts, as you did in your ignorance. But according as He Who has called you is Holy, you yourselves also be Holy in all your conduct; for it is written, 'You be Holy because I am Holy'" (vs 13-16).
- Why prepare our minds for action?
- Why be self-controlled?
- Why set our hope on God's grace?
- Why should we be obedient children?
- Why do we want to be Holy?
Because God is going to give us the true life and immortality, eternal life!
What more is there for us, brethren? But God is not going to give immortality to those or someone who is not striving to become Holy. We must fervently and reverently want to become Holy.
Verse 17: "And if you call upon the Father, Who judges according to each man's work without respect of persons, pass the time of your life's journey in the fear of God; knowing that you were not redeemed by corruptible things, by silver or gold, from your futile way of living, inherited by tradition from your forefathers; but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (vs 17-19).
The Apostle Peter says that prior to God's calling us and giving us the gift of his Holy Spirit, this life we were living in ignorance, when we follow our own evil desires. It was nothing more than an empty way of life!
We were all inspired by the work of Satan around us. In the end, we would come up empty, and we have come to that point now that we realize that it's like trying to grasp the wind. It is pretty obvious that if you reach out and to grasp the wind, we come up empty handed.
But we know that both you and I have been redeemed from this empty way of life by the blood of Christ through His sacrifice.
Verse 20: "Who truly was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for your sakes; even for you who through Him do believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God" (vs 20-21).
Now we have the same faith and hope that we will be just like Christ in the resurrection.
Verse 22: "Having purified your lives by obedience to the Truth unto unfeigned brotherly love through the Spirit, love one another fervently with a pure heart."
This is what God is in the process of doing for us today. So that he can add immortality to us; He can add immortality to our lives.
Verse 23: "For you have been begotten again, not from corruptible seed, but from incorruptible seed, by the living Word of God, which remains forever."
The Apostle Peter speaks of it as though we have already attained immortality. Here again, we see that this change from being mortal to becoming immortal is brought about by obeying the Truth, the commandments of God, which He says is living and enduring.
It is the gift of God's Spirit dwelling in us that enables us to understand God's living and enduring Word.
Speaking of the Day of Pentecost, Christ told His disciples, 'When the Spirit of Truth comes, it will guide you in all Truth."
The Apostle Paul, in a letter to the Church in Rome, said:
Romans 8:11: "Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you."
1-Peter 1:24: "For all flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man is like the flower of the field; the grass has withered, and its flower has fallen away." Just emphasizing physical life is temporary, and we all know that!
Verse 25: "But the Word of the Lord endures forever; and this is the message that was preached to you through the Gospel."
That is the message that we are out there to preach to the world. The words we find written in this book, the Holy Bible, the written Word of God, are not just words.
This is the Word of God through which it has been revealed to us that we have been promised life and immortality.
- How important are the words in this book?
- How important are they?
Ask yourself that!
- How willing are we to study these words and allow God to speak to us through these words?
We are living in times right now that we should be motivated and question:
- how much we actually want to attain eternal life.
- How much do we actually want to be part of God's Kingdom?
This is a very valid question, brethren, that we must ask ourselves, to be always aware of where we stand in the faith with the words that God has given us.
Psalms 40:5: "O LORD my God, many things You have done, Your wonderful works and Your thoughts which are toward us; there is none to compare unto You; if I could declare and speak of them, they would be more than can be told."
One of the many things that God has planned for us is life and immortality. What an awesome gift God has planned for us, that of eternal life!
Do not compare it to the physical life, as there is no comparison whatsoever. Learning God's way now, which we are all doing through the words written in the Holy Bible, is all important to us.
That should be our focus; to learn God's way and to strive to have that opportunity that God has for us as a gift, that of life and immortality!
- What are we looking forward to?
- The continuation of this physical life as long as we can, with all the aches and pains, all of its tests and trials?
or
- Are we looking forward to that day, to what God has literally promised us, through God the Father's calling?
- First of all, personally, each one of us, to that possibility of attaining life and immortality?
- What more would we possibly hope for and want?
- What more would we really hope and want?
We are a blessed people, brethren! Let us realize and comprehend and appreciate this to the extent that we should be getting closer to God and build on that personal relationship and dedication and commitment in faith towards the awesome gift that God has for us, that of true life and immortality.
What a blessing we have been called to by God the Most High—the Father and Jesus Christ at His right hand—personally:
- calling us
- choosing us out of this world
- allowing us that opportunity to receive this awesome reward that is awaiting us in the future
Let us be encouraged and enthused to do our part to make this happen. What a blessing it is to understand this concept of having the ability to achieve true life and immortality.
All praise must go to God the Most High and Jesus Christ!
Scriptural References:
- 2 Timothy 1:7-10
- Romans 1:16, 23
- Romans 6:23
- Romans 1:17
- 1 Peter 1:13-23
- Romans 8:11
- 1 Peter 1:24-25
- Psalm 40:5
NB:bo/po
Transcribed: 1/10/24
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