Romans 8:18-23 St. Luke 6:36-42

For the Glory Set Before Us

One of the major differences between non Christians and Christians is the
fact that we have an eternal hope whereas they have hope only this life.
This basic difference influences the way in which both parties approach life
itself. For instance, whereas the non Christian emphasises accumulation of
things with a view to gaining more the Christian is encouraged to give away
even to the extent of losing his life for the sake of the proclamation of
the Gospel. Indeed, our Lord taught us that it is more blessed to give than
to receive.

As such, the object of Christianity is always the other person, answering
the question, "How can my life be of service to others?" On the other hand,
the object of the world is essentially self, answering the question, "What
can I get out of life?" Even the most humanitarian amongst unbelievers are
ultimately seeking some sort of individual fulfilment.

But the Christian is called to emulate the humble mind of our Lord - to
duplicate that which is the essence of the incarnation - the giving up of
ourselves with the express purpose of obediently serving God for the benefit
of His world. Indeed, the very nature of being human is bound up in the
restoration of the image in which we were created so that we might fulfil
the original reason for our creation in the first place.to exercise God's
loving, gracious and merciful dominion over the earth as co-heirs with
Christ of that which He has redeemed by His Blood shed and Body broken.

Thus understanding our goal to be conformity to the image of our Saviour,
the suffering of this present time takes on a whole new meaning. To non
Christians suffering is nothing more than an unpleasant interruption and
interference in their search for happiness in this life. But for Christians,
suffering is a tool by which our gracious Heavenly Father works out His good
purpose, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of all those around
us.

You see, there are three main areas in which Christianity is expressed.
Firstly, there is the personal dimension in which we are intimately
connected to our Father as His adopted sons and daughters through the
sacrificial act of the Son and the life giving agency of the Holy Ghost. It
is in this dimension that we cry 'Abba, Father!'

Secondly, there is the corporate dimension in which we are intimately
connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ by virtue of our one
adoption into one family by our one God and Father through the indwelling
presence of the one Holy Ghost. Thus, ultimately, Christians are never truly
divided.Christian denominations are merely varieties of the same one family
of God. Neither are we separated from the saints that have gone on before us
as we are all in Christ. Like a huge home with two rooms, some have merely
passed through the door into the other room.

As such, our Christian life must find expression in both individual and
corporate dimensions if we are to be fully Christian. It is by our love for
each other that we are identified as followers of Christ.

In many ways, the quality of Christian expression in this corporate
dimension serves as a pretty good indicator of what's happening or not
happening in our personal dimension. The closer we are to the Father the
closer we will be to each other.

Then, thirdly, there is the universal dimension of Christianity in which we
find ourselves face to face with a creation yet to fully experience the
liberation that is presently ours in Christ. This dimension is as important
as the other two to the extent that the Christian who fails in this
dimension ultimately fails in all three. Our Lord said to His disciples, "As
My Father has sent Me, I also send you." The task of the Church is the same
as that of Christ. We too are sent into a lost and fallen world as
ambassadors of the Kingdom, progressively bringing an end to the great exile
by proclaiming the current Universal reign of the great Liberator, our Lord
and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Indeed, this unity of purpose is so vital
that if we are not fulfilling this third dimension we had better check to
see Who it is that we are following. There is a strong possibility that it
may not be the Jesus of Scripture.

Now, if we are true to all three of these dimensions, suffering is
inevitable as we are faced with the daunting task of restoring that which is
broken. But, unlike non Christians, we are able to endure the suffering
because we are able to see the glory set before us. Like the runner in a
race keeps the finish line firmly in his mind's eye, so we also keep in mind
the great promises of God regarding the transformation of that which He once
made subject to futility because of Man's sin.

Thus it is important for us to enter into every dimension of Christian life,
otherwise we run the risk of losing this perspective. If we only enter into
the personal dimension, we will find ourselves constantly dealing with the
question, "why do bad things happen to God's people?" instead of "How is our
gracious, loving, merciful and faithful Heavenly Father going to use this
for my good, the good of His people, the advance of His Kingdom and
ultimately for His glory?"

Indeed, Christianity has been limited to the sphere of the individual soul
only for too long. Instead of transforming culture we are being overthrown
by it. Recently, someone observed that in the United States, although some
denominations are bursting at the seams, statistically, Christianity is on
the decline. If these statistics are correct, then this type of "growth"
indicates that the Church is not growing, but merely shifting her weight.

Don't get me wrong, we should be reaching out to those trapped in
denominations that have long since left the biblical path.but if that's all
we're doing, then society will continue to plummet headlong into the abyss
while we continue our game of trading places.

In our Epistle reading for today, St. Paul wrote of a day of liberation in
which the whole created order would publicly share in the glorious salvation
of God's children. We, as individual members of the corporate Body of Jesus
Christ, must repeatedly make ourselves aware of our divine purpose to be
actively engaged in the universal dimension of Christian expression if we
are to prevail against the gates of hell at all. It is simply not fitting
for us to regard our present trials as a dead end.it is not for us to sink
into depression or despair.it is not for us to constantly wish for release
from this world.it is not for us to shut the church doors and piously keep
the light for ourselves.it is for us to do what we have been called to do.to
be what we have been re-created to be.as we eagerly wait for the hope of
global redemption.

Otherwise, why do we bother to call Him Lord, if we do not do the things
which He has commanded?

A well dressed individual once told Os Guinness: "Having it all just isn't
enough. There's a limit to the success worth counting and the toys worth
accumulating. Business school never gave me a calculus for assessing the
deeper things of life." (Long Journey Home - Os Guinness) This man had
finally come to realise that even though he had it all, he didn't have that
which he was really looking for - eternal hope. Like shopping in a
Department Store in which a prankster had previously switched high price
tags for low price tags, this man had spent half his life purchasing that
which, in terms of eternity, had no value at all.

But the greatest tragedy of all time is surely the fact that the Church
itself has largely forgotten the glory set before us and has traded the
pearl without price for mere trinkets. We have forgotten that there are
three dimensions to Christian living that must find expression in our lives
if we are to fulfil our God-given purpose. We are to be salt and light in
the world, dearest brethren.we are not to hide our light under the pail, but
to set it on high so that all may walk by it.we are to let our light so
shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify our Father
in Heaven. Surely a Christian that no longer expresses himself in all three
dimensions.personal, corporate and universal.is like salt that has lost its
saltiness.good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by
men. Indeed, is that not perhaps the reason why the world is walking all
over us at present - and publicly mocking the Church, mocking Her clergy and
Her members? A church which has largely forgotten Her identity, Her biblical
foundation and Her universal purpose invites the world's scorn.

In Numbers 13 and 14, the twelve Israelite spies returned to report on what
they saw of the land God had promised to give them. All twelve spoke of the
wonder of what they had witnessed, describing it as a land flowing with
"milk and honey". Yet, ten of the spies warned that the cities were well
fortified, the people were gigantic in comparison to them and consequently
that what God had called them to do was nothing less than a mission
impossible. Only two saw the glory set before them and encouraged the people
to trust in the promises of God and to press on to take what was
legitimately theirs. But the people did not listen to the two.they chose to
listen to the ten (the majority) and thus what would have been a story of
great victory turned out to be a tragic tale of monumental failure. God
passed over that generation and gave the land to their children.

Dear members of St. George the Martyr, each and every one of us has to ask
ourselves a simple question today. Are we going to focus on the difficulty
of fulfilling the third dimension of our Christian life and shrink from our
Lord's command to disciple all nations? Or will we choose this day to focus
on the mission entrusted to us as God's witnesses and ambassadors to the
whole of the created order, remembering that He has promised to be with us
even to the end of the Age?

There is a deep hunger for spiritual things throughout this country.many
have woken up to the emptiness of secular humanism. We, as the Church, are
poised on the brink of a great victory if only we will seize the day. As we
come to partake once more of the elements of the greatest victory of all,
let us ask our dear Father to grant us wisdom, conviction, faith, strength,
courage and determination so that we might be active participants together
with Him in the delivery of creation from the bondage of corruption.

© Johann W. Vanderbijl III 2004