LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:13	hello today let’s talk about your new
0:18	Heavenly
0:20	Body you may not think very much about
0:22	it but you will someday soon receive a
0:27	new Heavenly Body and you will have it
0:30	for
0:31	eternity I know a Heavenly Body is very
0:35	hard to imagine it’s like trying to
0:38	understand living outside of time nope
0:42	can’t imagine that or like trying to
0:46	understand instant
0:48	teleportation oh can’t imagine that
0:50	either that’s how difficult it is to
0:53	imagine wearing a new Heavenly Body but
0:59	today let’s see what the word of God
1:02	teaches us and Promises us about your
1:06	new Heavenly
1:08	Body introduction Christ looks like
1:13	lightning in the Gospel reading from St
1:15	Mark the 9th chapter veres 2-9 we get a
1:20	glimpse of the Heavenly Glory of our
1:22	Lord Jesus Christ Jesus has taken his
1:25	disciples Peter James and John high up
1:27	on a mountain and there Jesus pulled
1:31	back the curtain of heaven and he
1:33	allowed his disciples to take a Peak at
1:36	his Heavenly
1:39	Radiance Mark and Matthew both tell us
1:42	that Jesus was transfigured that’s the
1:45	word that they use the Greek word is
1:47	meta
1:49	moroe from meta meaning change and mor
1:54	meaning form Jesus changed his
1:57	form Luke does not use the term
2:00	transfigured lukee simply says that the
2:03	appearance of Christ’s face was
2:05	altered that’s all right I guess that
2:09	that’s what you say when you run out of
2:10	adequate words for what God is doing of
2:13	the synoptics in my opinion Mark gives
2:16	the best description perhaps that’s
2:18	because Mark was told about the
2:20	Transfiguration by Peter and Peter was
2:23	there he actually saw Jesus
2:26	transfigured Mark uses a unique word in
2:29	Greek steel bow meaning an intense flash
2:33	of lightning when Jesus was transfigured
2:36	he looked like an intense flash of right
2:41	of
2:42	lightning except that the lightning
2:44	didn’t flash on and off it seemed that
2:47	Jesus just stayed white and bright
2:51	beyond measure said
2:54	Mark it’s important to note that Moses
2:57	and Elijah also were with the Lord Luke
3:00	tells us that they appeared in glory too
3:04	I suspect that they too glowed or Shone
3:07	with some Heavenly
3:09	brightness already we have some
3:11	important information Jesus the
3:14	uncreated Heavenly Lord radiated with a
3:18	brightness that was like a strike of
3:20	lightning that just kept on
3:22	glowing created Earthly beings Moses and
3:27	Elijah seemed to Glow too though perhaps
3:31	less
3:32	brilliantly point one like his glorious
3:36	body now let’s add some more information
3:39	St Paul writes to the church at Philippi
3:43	chapter
3:44	3: 21 and 22 Paul says but our
3:49	citizenship is in heaven and from it we
3:52	await a savior the Lord Jesus Christ who
3:55	will transform our lowly body to be like
4:01	his glorious Body by the power that
4:04	enables him even to subject all things
4:06	to
4:08	himself beloved we simply do not have
4:11	readily available to us words that
4:14	describe heavenly bodies or Heavenly
4:17	Glory so please bear with me as I do a
4:21	bit of exploration into the original
4:23	words of the Bible St Paul writes for us
4:27	that Jesus will transform us the Greek
4:30	word is meta
4:32	schemati from meta meaning change and
4:36	schema meaning appearance or external
4:42	bearing
4:44	Paul writes that Jesus will change our
4:47	lowly appearance or external bearing
4:51	Jesus will change us into Conformity
4:55	with his glory the Greek word for
4:56	Conformity is sum morphe sum meaning
5:01	together with or similar and morphe
5:03	meaning very being or
5:06	Essence this tells us that Jesus will
5:09	change our sinful nature to be like his
5:14	very essence please listen to this part
5:17	very carefully these two Greek words
5:20	teach us that our new Heavenly Bodies
5:23	will not only change our appearance our
5:26	external bearing but will change our in
5:30	nature our very essence of being the
5:33	change that Jesus makes in you will not
5:36	only be an external change how you look
5:39	but it will be an internal change of how
5:42	you
5:44	are we’ll come back to that when we get
5:47	to Point number
5:48	two earlier in Philippians we learned
5:51	that Jesus had emptied himself out you
5:54	remember that taking the form of a
5:57	servant now he did not empty him himself
5:59	of his divinity but he did empty himself
6:02	of his glory so that he could accomplish
6:06	The Humble task of suffering and
6:09	sacrificing and dying for us he had to
6:11	become one of us so that we might become
6:14	one like him Jesus couldn’t very well
6:18	accomplish his purpose if he walked
6:20	around in the lightning Radiance of his
6:22	transfigured glory but still his
6:27	transfigured Radiance is
6:30	a glimpse of his true Heavenly
6:32	appearance isn’t
6:34	it the Bible says that
6:38	Jesus will transform our lowly body to
6:42	be like his glorious Body by the power
6:46	that enables him even to subject all
6:48	things to himself so does that mean that
6:52	when Jesus transforms our bodies that we
6:56	will be able to walk through walls and
6:58	appear in in rooms as Jesus did after
7:01	his resurrection and at the same time
7:04	will we still be able to eat and enjoy
7:07	food and drink with our friends and
7:09	family as Jesus did after his
7:12	resurrection it would seem
7:15	so will we appear and disappear
7:18	transporting as Jesus did unencumbered
7:21	by a physical body and physical
7:25	space apparently
7:27	so will our appearance glow and radiate
7:31	with the glow of Heaven the same Glory
7:34	that Jesus and Moses and Elijah had it
7:38	seems so point
7:40	two death is swallowed up in Victory St
7:44	Paul writes to the Corinthians in his
7:47	first letter and he gives us another
7:49	important piece of information about the
7:51	new Heavenly Body 1 Corinthians 15
7:55	51-54 behold I tell you a mystery we
7:58	shall not not all sleep but we shall all
8:00	be changed in a moment in the twinkling
8:03	of an eye at the last trumpet for the
8:06	trumpet will sound and the dead will be
8:08	raised
8:09	imperishable and we shall be changed for
8:13	this perishable body must put on the
8:15	imperishable and this Mortal body must
8:18	put on
8:19	immortality when the perishable puts on
8:22	the imperishable and the Mortal puts on
8:26	immortality then shall come to pass the
8:28	saying that is written death is
8:30	swallowed up in
8:33	Victory when this glorious moment
8:36	comes it will come quickly in a moment
8:39	in the twinkling of an eye and then we
8:43	shall be
8:45	changed that Greek word for changed
8:48	found in 1 Corinthians
8:50	15:51 is simply
8:53	alaso it means
8:56	other once again we’ve run out of human
8:58	words to describe what our new Heavenly
9:01	Body is going to be like but it will be
9:04	other that is it will be completely
9:07	other than the one that you have
9:10	now but we must must remember what God’s
9:13	word has already taught us thus far this
9:17	instantaneous change that Jesus will do
9:19	to us means that we will share in the
9:23	external Glory that is like his glorious
9:26	lightning body and of more importance it
9:30	means that we will share in the
9:33	essential Holiness of Jesus we will
9:36	share in the Heavenly communion that
9:39	Jesus has with the father and the Holy
9:41	Spirit we shall be changed internally
9:46	essentially spiritually We Will Shine
9:49	from the inside out with the Holiness
9:53	that comes from Unity with Jesus Christ
9:56	Our Lord and for that reason St Paul
9:59	writes that this perishable will put on
10:02	the imperishable this Mortal will put on
10:05	immortality but beyond even that death
10:09	will be swallowed up in Victory all that
10:12	is associated with
10:14	death Temptation guilt shame sin
10:21	sickness of every kind suffering for any
10:23	reason the whole power of death all the
10:26	attacks of
10:28	hell hell itself for us will be
10:32	conquered this is because we will be in
10:36	spiritual communion with God the father
10:39	and God the son and God the Holy Spirit
10:41	We Will Shine from the inside out with a
10:43	Holiness that comes from Unity with
10:46	Jesus Christ Our
10:49	Lord point
10:51	three you are already in
10:55	Christ so you may be wondering how can
10:58	this be how can it be that we will be
11:00	given a new and Heavenly Body and how do
11:03	we know that we will be given a glory
11:06	that’s like unto his glory well child
11:09	because the word of God says so and
11:10	because you are a child of God and you
11:13	already have a foretaste of this glory
11:16	to come how because you already are in
11:21	Christ Jesus and you have already been
11:25	changed you remember the passage
11:27	therefore If any man is in Christ he’s a
11:30	new creature the old things have passed
11:32	away behold all things have become new
11:35	you have become new born again that’s
11:39	why you hate what is sin you have such
11:42	guilt and shame for your
11:45	sinfulness why is it that you love God’s
11:48	word and want to be in his presence and
11:51	desire so to worship and praise him why
11:53	is it that you know that you have been
11:56	made into a spiritual creature and you
11:58	long long to be in the presence of the
12:00	most high God while at the same time all
12:04	the while you continue to wrestle with
12:07	sin you’re undisciplined in your
12:10	spiritual reading and prayer time you
12:12	doubt that you truly are spiritual you
12:15	cannot imagine that you really are a
12:17	holy child of the holy God and that one
12:19	day you too will dwell in the house of
12:22	the Lord forever why is there an
12:24	internal conflict within you well
12:28	because you are a redeemed child of God
12:31	who lives in this world but you are not
12:34	of this world you continue to be
12:37	attacked by the devil and tempted by the
12:41	world and weakened by your own
12:46	flesh you remain a product of the
12:49	already and of the not
12:52	yet you live in Christ and Christ Jesus
12:56	lives in you but you still live in in
12:59	this world and you have not been fully
13:02	translated into the world to come your
13:06	transformation has begun but you are not
13:09	yet fully
13:10	conformed into what you will be in God’s
13:14	Heavenly
13:17	Glory so what does that mean for you
13:20	right here and right now
13:24	well you’re still in a Warfare called
13:27	and inspired to crucify your flesh
13:31	mortify your sinful desires and die to
13:33	yourself yes and so you take up your
13:37	cross not because you are so Pious but
13:39	because the Holy One Jesus himself is
13:42	alive and living in you Jesus is leading
13:45	you guiding you loving you into deeper
13:49	faith and into a more abundant spiritual
13:53	life in
13:55	him
13:57	conclusion your Unity with Jesus Christ
14:01	has already begun one day soon and very
14:05	soon you are going to meet the king
14:08	Hallelujah then you will be truly like
14:12	him externally you will be transformed
14:15	into his transfigured glory or some
14:18	semblance thereof internally you will be
14:22	conformed into the Holiness of Christ
14:25	the attacks that come from the devil
14:27	this world and your own flesh one day
14:30	will end in the meantime you battle not
14:34	with flesh and blood but against
14:37	principalities and powers and rulers of
14:39	this dark world and against spiritual
14:41	wickedness in the high places but you do
14:44	not battle them alone you are armed with
14:49	the word of God and filled with a power
14:53	of the Holy Spirit yes and more
14:56	so Jesus Christ himself s lives within
15:00	you so that you may fight the good fight
15:03	of
15:04	Faith until in a moment in the twinkling
15:07	of an eye your lord Jesus will transform
15:10	your lowly body to be like unto his
15:13	glorious body and conform your inner
15:16	being to be in complete Unity with
15:19	himself
15:20	hallelujah how is this possible the Lord
15:23	Jesus Christ will do this for you by the
15:27	power that enables him even to subject
15:30	all things unto
15:33	himself
15:41	[Music]
15:50	[Music]
15:55	amen