Speed bumps on way to glory

Having troubles this week with all sorts of stuff and so here's just a short one and will work on getting back in the game:

At a weekend Bible conference in Grand Rapids, MI with the theme, "The Quiet and Peaceable Life in a World Gone Crazy," preacher David Reid closed the last message with these final thoughts: 

You can look at the "crazy" and be discouraged because everything is wrong and everything is dumb. I get that. Or you can look at that and say, "It's always darkest before the dawn." As it gets nuttier, you know what that means? The blessed hope is that much closer.

Think of it this way. When I was newly saved, a lot of folks I fellowshipped with were all excited to live under the time of the Rapture because then, you know, you get "changed" and you won't have to die and wouldn't that be great.

I Corinthians 15: [51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

That's exciting but do you know what that also means? If you live to see the blessed hope, then you had to go through the "last days," and if you're in the last days then you're in perilous times.

So, what's going to happen as we get closer to the end of this? Are times going to be perilous? Yes. Are they going to be spiritually darker? Yes. But that is good in the sense it just means were that much closer to going home.

So don't focus on the earthly circumstances; focus on who you are in Christ. "Set your affection on things above." All the stuff that goes on in the earth, let me put it this way; It's just noise.

The way to think about it is this. The moment you get saved Satan can't do anything to you that's meaningful. He can make your earthly life tough, but he can't chance your position in the Body of Christ. And what happens, Revelation 12, is Satan and his devils are cast out of the heavens.

The Body of Christ is a heavenly people blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. The positions that we're occupied by Satan and his minions, the Body of Christ is going to occupy.

That's why I Corinthians 2: 7-8 says: [7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

So he looks at you and he says, "Well, I hate this guy because he's my replacement." And oh, by the way, the indignity of, "Look who I'm being replaced with! These guys are clowns!"

So he hates you, hates you, hates you and you're going to have on this earth opposition and persecution and problems and what I would just say is it's just speed bumps--it's just noise--on the way to glory. Because you win! And in fact you've already won if you're in Christ.