CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21, NASB)

Devotion 5 of 24

THE DESTINY OF SENSUAL RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

What will be the destiny of those who are enslaved to earthly appetites? Remember, the Spirit is speaking about teachers; i.e., those who are leading the people of God. The condemnation also includes those receiving the false emphasis, for "if the blind lead the blind, they BOTH fall into the ditch" (Matt 15:14). All such, the Spirit affirms, will be destroyed! The outcome of such an emphasis is perdition, or eternal exclusion from God! It is written of such individuals (the proclaimer and the receiver), "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess 1:9).

"Destruction," in this case, means final and eternal exclusion from any and every form of Divine influence. The very thought produces fear in the hearts of the sensitive. And why is such an awful outcome determined? Because such were dominated by earthly appetites! They lived for what they could receive in this world, and thus ignored "the world to come."

Because we are saved to citizenship in heaven, there is no place for a "this world" emphasis in the body of Christ. I am not speaking about a stereotyped list of do's and don'ts! A this world emphasis [or worldliness] is a frame of mind, a spiritual posture that prefers this world. The Holy Spirit states the case clearly for us. "For ALL that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16 17, NASB). The Divine prohibition makes perfect sense in view of this situation. "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (Verse 15). No amount of culture, religious or otherwise, can change that situation.

God has no alternative but to consign such individuals to perdition. They have preferred for this world, which requires a rejection of both the Father and the Son. You will not find a single word of tolerance in Scripture for choosing to emphasize this world or earthly appetites, which are the connection with it. This is a situation that spans both covenants. Of even more serious consequence is preferring an emphasis that contradicts what God has revealed. If Jesus gave Himself to "deliver us from this present evil world" (Gal 1:4), how can any emphasis upon it be justified?

The gravity of this pronouncement is scarcely known in the religious community. Were men and women conscious of the seriousness of the situation, they would refuse to allow their assemblies or their personal lives to be ruled by earthly concerns, however legitimate they may be in a proper context. A high tolerance for an emphasis of this world reveals a woeful lack of fellowship with Christ. Such individuals have, by virtue of their preference of the seen realm, cut themselves off from God.

We must not allow ourselves to develop affinity with the cursed realm. Those who encourage this attitude are enemies of Christ's cross. By virtue of that circumstance, they are also our enemies. Their teaching builds a wall that shuts out the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal 4:2). Their end is destruction, ours is eternal life. It is on the part of wisdom to take these words seriously.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, I ask for the overthrow of those who mind earthly things, and an exaltation of those who speak of the world to come.

-- Tomorrow: THE CENTRALITY OF CITIZENSHIP --