Angelic Conflict part 351: Future work of Christ [Bema seat] – Gal 6:6-10; Mat 6:19-34.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 351: Future work of Christ [Bema seat] - GAL 6:6-10; MAT 6:19-34.

 

We have been looking at what constitutes darkness within a person from MAT 6:23 and how it is fully revealed in the NT mystery doctrine.

 

We have already documented several points and are now on:

 

Deeds of darkness done by believers are to be laid aside.

 

ROM 13:12

The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 

The armor of light consists of things that make for alertness and sound thinking, 1TH 5:8.

 

1TH 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

 

This alertness and sound thinking makes the appearance of the Lord a time of rejoicing, 1TH 5:4.

 

1TH 5:1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

 

1TH 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night [Rapture to begin the eschatological events].

 

1TH 5:3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

 

1TH 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief;

 

1TH 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

 

1TH 5:6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

 

1TH 5:7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.

 

1TH 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

 

1TH 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

1TH 5:10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him [all believers will live together with Him].

 

1TH 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

 

Motivations can be darkness or light, of which no man can judge but in himself and only if he has wisdom to do so.

 

1 Cor 4:5

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

 

Satan's kingdom is of the realm of darkness.

 

EPH 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

The kingdom of light consists of royal believer priests, able to represent themselves as they approach the throne of grace, 1PE 2:9-10.

 

1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

 

1PE 2:10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

Residing in the dark kingdom would not put you in the vicinity of the throne of grace. No one can approach God from the darkness. The unbeliever must believe the gospel and the carnal believer must recover and set the eyes of his heart on the things of the Spirit again and then he can approach such a graceful and merciful throne with great confidence.

 

Back to:

 

MAT 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

 

MAT 6:20 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

 

MAT 6:21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

MAT 6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

 

MAT 6:23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

 

MAT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [earthly stuff]. 

 

MAT 6:25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? [think higher]

 

MAT 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

 

MAT 6:27 "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?

 

Cubit is a measure of length. When we die we will not take one more step. "Which of you can add a step to his life by being anxious?"

 

MAT 6:28 "And why are you anxious about clothing? [how do I look to others?] Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

 

MAT 6:29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.

 

It's perfectly ok to want to look respectable and good and attractive, but the question was, why are you anxious about it? The solution is not to look like a bum but to lose the anxiety about appearance.

 

MAT 6:30 "But if God so arrays [to clothe around - every spring the grass comes back, thick and green] the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?

 

MAT 6:31 "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?'

 

MAT 6:32 "For all these things the Gentiles [ethnos - a multitude of the same type - heathens of the world] eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 

We are busy with the details of life and not idle as we see the opportunity to express divine good in those details but we are not anxious about the results.

 

MAT 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness [priority, set your mind upon, expression, sow with a view towards the HS]; and all these things shall be added to you.

 

2TI 2:4

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

 

MAT 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care [same word; merimnao - anxious] for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

He is acknowledging that each day has trouble. The same verb merimnao is translated anxious in the first part and then care in the second, which is fine if the word care didn't have a different nuance in our day. The word means to take thought about something that it becomes an anxious concern. Each day has its anxious concern. I can deal with tomorrow's tomorrow and since I must deal with today's, and every day has some, why should I even be concerned about tomorrow's? Therefore this ties in perfectly with "let us not lose heart" in GAL 6:9 as we look at the rows and rows of fruit we must harvest and begin thinking of the agony of the future work. We must simply move to the next plant and harvest that one.