"THOSE WHO WILL APPEAR WITH CHRIST IN GLORY"

Colossians 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ…

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him…

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Genesis 2:8  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
 
• After going into some explanatory detail of what we just read in that verse, we read this reiterating that basic thought of putting man in a Garden.

 

 

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

• Husbandmen were people who tended farms and gardens and vineyards.
• Their basic duty was to KEEP the Garden and maintain its purpose to produce a certain fruit.

 

 

Zechariah 13:5…I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

• This idea of man being a husbandman is continued throughout the entire Bible.
• It is so often repeated that we know there is a MAJOR issue we are dealing with when we refer to a Harvest and the Fruit the Lord desires to obtain.
• God put a husbandman in the Garden in order to see that husbandman produce in that Garden what God intended it to produce.

Jesus referred to this principle in a parable:

Luke 13:6-9 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

• In that fourth year they crucified Him.
• Israel never did bring forth fruit to God.

John 15:1-3 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

• We must stay in Him, or ABIDE IN HIM, to bear fruit to Him one day.

• The Church will do it as a whole.
• But the question is, Will you be a part of that Church? and part of the ones who render fruit to God?
• Every single one of us must concern ourselves with whether or not we will bear fruit to the Lord.
• As Jesus said in John 15, he is the vine and we are the branches.  If we do not bear fruit we will be cut off and cast away.
• I WANT TO BEAR THE FRUIT THAT HE WANTS ME TO BEAR.

We are in the Garden.

• The master seeks to obtain His fruit.
• Phil 1:11  Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
• The fruits are righteousness which come by Jesus Christ.
• They give glory to God.


Song 7:12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

A life that brings total praise and Glory to God and God alone is a life that is bearing the fruit that He is coming for.

Don’t miss that point!!

This is the whole point of telling us we MUST bring forth fruit.

It is FRUIT OF GIVING TOTAL GLORY TO GOD.

• There is not one jot or tittle that allows you to glory in yourself in the Gospel.


Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

• What God did in the Garden was very good.
• All that the Lord provided for Adam was all that Adam would ever need.
• He made the trees good for food and pleasant to the sight.
• Adam was complete in the Garden.
• And He simply had to KEEP it that way.

• It was able to make one wise.
• Satan tempted Eve to ADD to what God provided for her and Adam.
• But God told Adam to KEEP it the way God made it.
• Satan knew that by ADDING one small addition to what God provided, man would lose out with God.
• IT WOULD ROB GOD OF PRAISE.
• That single addition was something that would cause man to exalt himself.
• And every addition to what God has provided to his people will be additions that cause us to remove glory from God onto ourselves.

• But being gods, glorifies ourselves.

The Gospel is set up in such a way by God that all glory will go to Him if we get saved AND KEEP IT THE WAY GOD SAVED US.

• As Adam was to KEEP the Garden, we are to KEEP OURSELVES.

When you are saved, there is no more work to be done so far as being saved goes.

• You cannot be more saved than what you were when first saved.
• You can lose that salvation, but you cannot become more saved than being saved.
• Your robes are white as snow when you are saved.
• You are as righteous as Jesus Christ, because He gave you His righteousness when you were saved.

• DON’T THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS after you are saved.
• You have been fooled to ADD to what God did.
• The only changing there will be after we are saved, is simply ESTABLISHING OURSELVES IN WHAT GOD DID FOR US, so we cannot be convinced to add anything.

Right before Paul told about how we are saved by grace, he said:

Ephesians 2:5-7 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

• We will glorify God.
• HIS GRACE will be shown to be so exceedingly rich.
• All will see that THROUGH THE KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH JESUS.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

We are God’s HUSBANDRY.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

• Paul said we are both a husbandry and a building of God.


1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

• There is the FOUNDATION and then the UPPER STRUCTURE.
• THE UPPER STRUCTURE MUST COMPLEMENT THE FOUNDATION.
• The house that is built must have a foundation.
• If it doesn’t, then all the church-attendance and all the Bible reading (UPPER STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSE IS SUCH THINGS) is going to be tainted with worship of self.
• Because there is no foundation beneath us of CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

James 5:7-8 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

• The fruit and vegetables you have in your home, came from plants that have weathered the storms and finally produced.
• Their farmers had long patience for those fruit to come.
• They tended those fruit and made sure that nothing that would damage those fruit would occur to them.
• They safeguarded that fruit.
• They fertilized it.
• They are the products of SUCCESSFUL HUSBANDMEN.
• James addressed persecutors who killed the just, when he then turned to the believers and told them to be patient.

 

 

James 5:10-11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

• We will reap if we faint not.
• PATIENCE.
• We will face storms, but we need to keep tending our gardens no matter what.
• We need to look ahead to the great day of the Harvest and stay encouraged.
• Don’t let the enemy sidetrack your mind away from that more important issue.
• Don’t look at the storm, look at the future harvest.
• And when James said be patient, he said ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD DRAWETH NIGH.


Jeremiah 4:1-4 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

• Because that is accomplished through baptism into Jesus and that is obedience to the Gospel (Rom. 2:29)


Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

• Man might not praise me up for being saved, but God highly honours it.
• And I’d rather please God than man.

• The upper structure of the houses on Rock complement the foundation.
• We are saved and on the Rock.
• We must CONTINUE IN THE faith (Col. 1:23) with a determination that complements the foundation you are on.
• Rock Solid faith on a rock solid foundation.
• The walls that we must throw up around us on the this rock are walls that withstand fire and heat.
• GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES.
• These cannot burn.
• They’re not ORGANIC – FLESHLY.


1 Corinthians 3:12-14 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Colossians 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ…

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism,…

Colossians 2:12  wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ…

Seated with Him!

Colossians 3:1 seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

1. Dead with Him.
2. Buried with Him.
3. Risen with Him.
4. Seated with Him.
5. HID WITH HIM IN GOD.

But there is something that we have not yet experienced with Him, and we must make sure we do experience with Him.

• · It has not happened yet, so we have not experienced it yet.
• · But when it does, so long as we are STILL WITH HIM AND IN HIM we will experience this also with Him.


Colossians 3:4 When Christ,  who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

But that state of hiding is going to change.

We are hidden from the world’s view as being RIGHT.

They laugh at us, and wonder if we’re right and some of them join us and believe we are right in the Gospel.

But FOR THE MOST PART, WE ARE HIDDEN.

Our true identity in Christ is hidden.

The world thinks no more of us than any other religion right now.

But all that will change.

When Christ APPEARS, and is REVEALED to all the world, WE SHALL APPEAR WITH HIM.

The world will then KNOW JESUS IS the WAY.

• What glory?
• GLORY TO HIM.
• We must KEEP ourselves in the Garden in Christ and CONTINUE in the faith, until Christ comes.


1 Thessalonians 5:23… be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul told the Thessalonians in the second letter the same point.

2 Thessalonians 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

• The lives of those He comes for will be a total giving of glory to God.
• The rapture is not simply occurring because of our need to escape the world.
• About the same time as the rapture occurs, we will appear with Jesus to all the world as we return to this world with Him.
• And the ones with Him will be those who dedicated their all to Him.
• Everyone they knew in the world knew they glorified God.
• They put God first.
• They refrained from sin for the sake of being people whose lives glorify God.
• And Jesus will be glorified even more when He appears WITH THEM.
• Do you think He is going to have people at His side when He appears who were hypocrites and liars and half-hearted christians?
• NO.
• The ones who were dedicated to Him will be at His side.
• The ones totally committed to Him.
• Those who did all He asked them to do, and took every opportunity to help the church go forward in this world will be the ones whose lives were known to be godly in this world.
• And when they appear with Him, people will recall these people’s lives.
• And people will remember their lives as they see them with Christ.
• And they will remember the dedication these people had, and WILL KNOW THAT JESUS IS INDEED HOLY as these people really said He was.
• And God will be glorified in them.
• They ensured they KEPT what GOD DID and did not add to it anything that would remove glory from God.
• They knew God provided all they would ever need in Christ when He first saved them and put them in Him.
• And they established themselves in that fact.
• Paul sought to present every person he preached to perfect in Christ.
• Rooted in Him.
• Persuaded that God alone did the work necessary to saving them.
• And as a minister, I have a tremendous responsibility of preaching truths that will be like RAIN AND LATTER RAIN to you, the crops that must produce fruit.
• I have to make sure I preach messages that will cause you to remove any glorying you might have in yourself.
• To repent of self-glory and live lives that praise Jesus alone.
• And THAT type of preaching will establish you in the faith that God did all the work.
• The faith of …

 

 

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Colossians 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, …

Colossians 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Colossians 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross,

Colossians 1:21  yet now hath he reconciled

Colossians 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel,

• We did not yield to the temptation to USE JESUS to show ourselves off, as though we were so good and so holy.
• We hated the very thoughts of WANTING people to glory in us since it is that much glory that will be removed from Jesus.


Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

• THAT is the fruit of the harvest He is coming for.