Alive in Christ, Alive in Joy

Rom 6:8-10 "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."

Alive! We are alive in Christ. All the bells in all the churches in the world should ring every time one of His creation passes from death into life.

First of all we have the assurance of salvation.

Rom 8:38-39  "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

There is no external pressure that can separate us from the promise of eternal life. Our place in heaven is guaranteed.  There are many depictions of heaven throughout the centuries.  Many people have tried to picture what heaven will be like. For me, it is not what heaven will look like, it is about what I will be doing.  I would go straight to the throne room of God and I would look into His face and I would bow down and worship Him for eons without end as tears of gratitude stream down my face.  Then, once Jesus, my groom called me I would enter into the bridal chamber so that I could be one with Him as He is one with the Father.  This is my idea of bliss.  This is my idea of heaven.  No more sorrow, no more pain and no more shame.  Only an eternity of enjoying His presence.

John 17:20-21 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you."

But not everything is deferred until the day of His return.  We can catch glimpses in this lifetime as "through a glass darkly" as the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13.  How many times have I been transported in worship when this world has faded and I find myself before Him for a moment in time?  How many times has His Word come alive to me as He reveals His heart to me?  How many times have I heard His voice as He comforted me or gave me a word of instruction or direction?  How many times have I felt His touch, the loving touch of a Father?

Sadly, these times have been limited, not because of Him but because of my disobedience.  When I take my eyes off of Him it grieves Him for He is a jealous God.  His Spirit is at the ready to show us the Father's love, to reveal Christ to us if only we would surrender, if only we would incline our hearts toward Him.

Eph 4:30  "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Many times when I share my faith, people have this idea of Christianity as a list of do's and don'ts.  They think that the Christian walk is something for old people who have had all their fun and are now focused on trying to get to heaven.  They don't want to give up their fun.  Of course, that is the old self which is focused on the id.  Sadly, we have given the wrong impression of what living in a relationship with Christ is all about.

When I grew up I was a part of the holiness movement.  While I know that in the beginning that movement was born out of a love for God and a desire to please Him by living holy lives, but by the time I came around it had become a codified list of behaviors.  It seemed to me to be more about external behaviors than about a driving desire to become more like Him.

John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life , and have it to the full."

When I read that verse for the first time it rocked my world.  Jesus wants me to have life to the full, not just exist in some misguided asceticism.  Yes, we must deny the old self.

Luke 9:23 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

But denying the old self without the joy of intimacy with Christ is bound to fail. The more we experience the joy of following Christ the less attractive our old pleasures seem to be.

The word "joy" appears 63 times in the New Testament in reference to our walk with the Lord.  Yes, we will experience suffering in this world, but God's desire is for us to know the joy of His presence in our lives.

Acts 13:52 "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

Rom 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"

Rom 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control."

1 Peter 1:8-9 "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy , 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

To be alive in Christ is to live an abundant life full of joy.  Let us be more like Jesus," the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross" ( Heb 12:2)