1 Sunday, June 1, 2014 The Judgment Seat f Christ What Des it Mean t Reign With Christ? Intrductin/Review The last few weeks we have been cnsidering the faithful saying f II Timthy 2:11-13 as part f ur greater series n the JSC. Thus far we have cnsidered 3 f the 4 if statements that cmprise the faithful saying. Fr if we be dead with him, we shall als live with him: If we suffer, we shall als reign with him: if we deny him, he als will deny us. After cnsidering these expressins as statements f FACT instead f statements f CONDITION we have bserved the fllwing truths. All believers ARE dead with Christ and WILL als live with Christ in the future. All believers WILL/DO suffer as a matter f FACT. All believers WILL reign with Christ as a matter f FACT. This is purpse fr which the Gdhead created the bdy f Christ t repssess the heavenly places All believers WILL/DO deny Christ thugh ur wrks. All believers WILL be denied by Christ by suffering lss with respect t ur wrks at the JSC. ALL BELEIVERS WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST IN SOME CAPACITY. THE JSC MANIFSTS AND DECLARES EACH BELIEVERS CAPACITY FOR SERVICE IN THE HEAVENLY GOVERNMENT. WHILE ALL BELIEVERS WILL REIGN WITH CHIRST ALL BELIEVERS DO NOT FULFILL THE SAME FUNCTION IN THE HEAVNELY GOVERNMENT. Befre we mve n and cnsider the 4 th if statement f the faithful saying in verse 13 I wuld like t spend sme time talking abut the nature f what it means t reign with Christ. Preliminary Cnsideratins Clssians 1:16 we can understand sme basic things regarding the nature f the invisible heavenly gvernment by bserving the visible earthly gvernments arund us. Fr example, we can understand that there are levels f gvernmental authrity in bth realms f gvernment. Ephesians 1:21 Daniel 10:13, 20 in the heavens there are plitical/gvernmental affiliatins and assciates that resemble the bservable nes n earth. Ams 9:6 just as Gd funded his trp n earth, he als builded his stries in the heavens. Pastr Bryan Rss
2 Clssians 1:16 just hw far d these physical bservatins extend? In ther wrds, just hw much can we understand abut the nature and functining f the heavenly gvernment by bserving the earthly gvernmental structures arund us? I wuld submit t yu nt very much. I Crinthians 2:7-8 if the princes f this wrld, wuld have knwn abut the mystery they never wuld have crucified Christ. The princes f the wrld are fllwing the curse charted by the prince the pwer f air, i.e., Satan himself. Ephesians 2:1-3 the curse f this wrld has been charted by Satan. Satan has s crrupted the gvernmental structures f bth heaven and earth that it is next t impssible t lk at them by utward bservatin and cncludes much abut the nature f reign with Christ in eternity. In fact, I wuld submit t yu this mrning that it is exactly this prpensity that we have t judge eternity by the here and nw that cluds ur ability t see these things clearly. We cannt use the nrmal functining f the earthly gvernments arund us judge what it means t reign in eternity with Christ. Earthly gvernments are s crrupted by the curse f this wrld that they impeded ur ability t think clearly abut what it means t reign with Christ. Reign 1) t pssess r exercise svereign pwer r authrity; t rule; t exercise gvernment, as a king r emperr; r t hld the supreme pwer. 2) T be predminant; t prevail. 3) T rule; t have superir r uncntrlled dminin (Rm. 6). (Webster s 1828 Dictinary) When we read the definitin f what it means t reign we see wrds assciated with pwer, authrity, and ruler ship, i.e., the ability t tell thers what t d and Lrd ver them. Given that we see earthly gvernments d these exact things we naturally assume reigning with Christ in the heavenly places is a pwer trip. II Timthy 2:12 when read as statements f CONDITION suffering in II Timthy 2:12 results in a greater psitin f reigning. Suffer nw reign later. Dn t suffer nw and yu will nt reign later. Suffer a lt and yu gain a great psitin f reigning later. Maximize yur suffering nw and yu will maximize yur reign in eternity. Ephesians 1:21 thrnes (Cl. 1:16), principalities, pwers, mights, and dminins are psitins f reigning authrity that are ccupied by thse wh are jint-heirs with Christ sme maintain. While the every name that is named categry is reserved fr thse wh are heirs f Gd. These are the janitrial staff f eternity, these are the nes wh are nt wrthy f reigning with Christ because they didn t suffer fr the right things in the prper amunt, accrding t sme. D yu see hw critical it is t get II Timthy 2:11-13 right? It is equally critical t have a prper understanding f what it means t reign. Pastr Bryan Rss
3 Reining in the Kingdm f Gd Members f the bdy f Christ are nt the nly nes t have miscnceptins regarding what it means t reign/rule in the kingdm f Gd. During the earthly ministry f Christ, in the Gspels, the 12 Apstles argued abut which ne f them wuld be greatest in the kingdm f Gd. Luke 22:24-27 accrding t verse 24, there was strife amng the Apstles cncerning which ne f them wuld be accunted the greatest. This was nt the nly time such an exchange amng the apstles is recrded. Matthew 18:1 Mark 9:34 Luke 9:46 Luke 22:25 in verse 25, Jesus begins t rebuke this spirit f divisin within the Apstle by discussing the type f lrdship that Gentiles kings exercise ver their subjects. The English wrd lrdship carries the fllwing meanings accrding t Webster s 1828 Dictinary: 1) The state f quality f being a lrd; hence, a title f hnr given t nblemen, except t dukes, wh have the title f grace. 2) A titulary cmpellatin f judges and certain ther persns in authrity and ffice. 3) Dminin; pwer; authrity. 4) Seigniry; dmain; the territry f a lrd ver which he hlds jurisdictin; a manr. That the Gentiles view lrdship in authritarian terms is evidenced by the secnd half f Luke 22:25, they that exercise authrity upn them are called benefactrs. Ntice that this prtin f the verse is written frm the pint f view f thse wh exercise authrity upn thers, i.e., the kings f the Gentiles in the first half f the verse. In the gentile wrld, thse wh wield and cmmand this type f lrdship and authrity ver thers are the benefactrs f their pwer at the expense f their subjects. In shrt, Jesus perceived that the Apstles viewed his kingdm as functining in the same manner as Gentiles kingdms in terms f pwer and authrity. Mark 10:35-40 James and Jhn ask Christ fr the hnr f sitting ne n his right hand and ther n his left when he entered int his glry, i.e., the kingdm. Mark 10:41 when the remaining ten Apstles where made aware f these events they were mst displeased with James and Jhn fr making this petitin. Mark 10:42 Christ calls the Apstles unt him and addresses them in a very similar fashin t what we bserved in Luke 22:25. Here like in Luke 22, Christ describes the manner in which the Gentiles cnceive f Lrdship and plitical authrity. There can be n dubt that Christ viewed the Apstles as thinking that authrity in the kingdm f Gd wrked in the same manner as Gentile plitical authrity. Pastr Bryan Rss
4 Mark 10:43 that Jesus viewed the Apstles as functining with a Gentile ntin f kingdm authrity is evidenced by his cmments t the twelve in this verse. Christ says that authrity in his kingdm is nt a matter f lrdship and exercising authrity ver peple. Rather greatness in the kingdm f Gd is tied t ministry and service, accrding t Mark 10:43. Luke 22:26 Elsewhere in the Gspels, the Greek wrd translated minister in Mark 10:43 is translated servant in the King James Bible. Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest amng yu shall be yur servant. Mark 9:35 And he sat dwn, and called the twelve, and saith unt them, If any man desire t be first, the same shall be last f all, and servant f all. Jhn 12:26 If any man serve me, let him fllw me; and where I am, there shall als my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father hnur. Accrding t Jhn 12:26, wh will the Father hnr? The father will hnr thse wh are his servants. These bservatins help establish the premise that greatness and hnr in the kingdm f Gd are related t greater capacities frm service nt authritarian rule in the Gentile sense. Mark 10:44 the ne wh will be chiefest, i.e., first in rank is the ne wh will be servant f all. The ne wh demnstrates the greatest capacity fr humble service will be given chiefs psitin f hnr in the kingdm. Luke 22:27 Mark 10:45 the Lrd Jesus Christ came t minister unt the peple f Israel and ffer himself fr their sins. The Lrd Jesus Christ was the suffering servant wh paid the ultimate price by sacrificing himself. Zechariah 3:8... I will bring frth my servant the BRANCH. Philippians 2:5-8 Jesus Christ was the Father s ultimate servant. Philippians 2:9-11 Jesus Christ is accrded the greatest psitin in heaven and earth because he demnstrated the greatest capacity fr service. Clssians 1:18 Christ is the exalted head f the bdy the church s that in all things (psitins f gvernment) he might have the preeminence. Reigning with Christ is nt abut authritarian rule r pwer and authrity it s abut serving the Lrd Jesus Christ in the heavenly gvernment. This is what the JSC is all abut trying/testing the srt f ne s wrk/service fr Christ. While all believers will reign with Christ but nt all Pastr Bryan Rss
5 believers will nt have/ccupy the same psitin because all believers d nt demnstrate themselves t have the same capacities fr service. Pastr Bryan Rss