Changed Into Christ's Image #6 — Robert B. Thompson

We give praise to you tonight, as always, Lord, hallelujah, and you do so many wonderful things in our lives, Lord, it's just fantastic, and we are so thankful, Lord, so thankful for all you do, all you have done, all you're going to do.

We thank you for each family represented here, Lord. I pray your hand of protection on them, safety and health, Lord, blessings from the Lord. Grant it for each family represented here, Lord, and as we continue, you know the needs of the heart, you know the needs of the future, and Lord, we pray the Holy Spirit will add Jesus where Jesus is needed tonight, grant that no one leaves without something from you, Lord.

Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen. All right, we're going to start with Romans 8 .29. Now, what we're talking about here sounds far out, but it really isn't, it really is not. All we're talking about is that we're being made, we're destined to be made in the image of Christ.

Conformed to the Image of Christ

Now, it says, those whom God foreknew be predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. Now, you can take that a number of ways, I guess, but the way I take it is full bore. It means just exactly that, I don't think it's going to be done in a hurry.

Personally, I don't think it's all done in this world. I think that it will continue to grow. As I said before, the least significant thing that happens to us is physical death, because I believe life goes on, and I believe that our growth into the image of Christ will go on.

And so, we've been using the book of Ezekiel because in the first chapter, it describes the outward image of the Lord, that to which we have been called, as fantastic as it may seem. And then in chapters 40 through 46 of Ezekiel, this will be on the tape, it describes the inward work that God has to do in us to make us in the image of Christ, because there are a lot more chapters devoted to the inward work, because it's the most important.

And then in chapter 47, we find where all this is going. So that's all. It's no more profound or exciting than that. But it's kind of strange to us, because I guess we figured that we would be just like we are now, and we'd be up in heaven someplace, pretty much the way we are now.

Well, the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't look like the way we are now. And so, it doesn't say he's going to be changed into our image, because we're going to be changed into his image, and his image is that of God, of God Almighty.

And the fact that it goes on to say that we're called to be his brothers means just that, that God is raising up a family of sons. So, let's start with Ezekiel 1 .16. We've covered the prior verses on preceding tapes.

I guess we've been on this now for, it's probably about the fifth or sixth tape. Ezekiel 1 .16, I mentioned that crystallite is called today what? Do you remember? Olivine. It's a construction material, Mike, that's added to cement and other refractories, that is, materials that are built to withstand heat.

A refractory is a material that is built to withstand heat without melting, without melting. Olivine is a substance added to cement and other building materials so they won't melt when they're subjected to heat.

So, this tells us that God wants to work in us until we can dwell in his fire without melting. You remember in Isaiah 33, it says, Who among us will dwell with the devouring fire? And how many remember that Jesus said, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Do you remember that? Do you remember where it is? John 14, the third verse. And if I go, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Now, we've just put together our tradition and said that means that he's in heaven, so we'll be in heaven.

But when we read in Ezekiel, we find that to be where Christ is, is to be in the fire of God without melting. That's what crystallite is. It's a material that's used. We don't use that term anymore. We call it olivine.

But it's used to keep materials from melting under extreme heat. And the Bible says, in Hebrews, our God is a consuming fire. Well, Jesus, we know, lives in the center of God's person. How many knows that?

Do you know that? That Jesus lives. Then Jesus lives in the consuming fire. And he doesn't melt. Okay, now he said that where I am. And notice that in John 14, 3, he didn't say that where I will be. When you're dealing with Jesus, you're dealing with the I am of God.

He always is. The Lord said to me one time, all there is, is now. Very profound statement. Just before I had a heart attack. Because I'm a very stressful person. I tend to live in the future. And the Lord said, all there is, is now.

Because see, tomorrow will be now when you get there. And the Lord dwells in the now. Moses said, what do I tell him your name is? He says, tell him my name is I am. And when you draw that Hebrew term for I am, it means, I am whatever I wish to be.

I am. What is Christ? I am. I'm everything. I'm everything. You name it, I am it. You can't express majesty any greater than that expression I am. Remember Jesus said to the Jews before Moses was, I am.

That you may be with me where I am. Now that ability of Christ to always be in God. I'm not sure what the theological term. They use the term omnipresent. But the term I use for Christ's ability to be everywhere at once.

Is the power of multiple presence. That's what I call it. I made up that term. The power, the ability to have multiple presence. In other words, you can be present here, there, everywhere. You could be too if you could move at the speed of light.

You could be everywhere at once. But we'll see later in Ezekiel, not just yet. That we're called to that same image. And so we will always be in the center of God. In the consuming fire. Always. Remember what Toyota says, you get your hands on a Toyota, you'll never let it go.

Well, that's the way God is with his holy saints. Once he gets his hand on you, he'll never let you go. And you'll always be there in the center of God's person. See, you're being made part of the I am.

Because you are the bride of the Lamb. And what he is, you are. And you're being made part of that. So, you too will be able to go anywhere in the universe. See, that's what it's telling us about these four wheels.

The four in the Bible represents communication. For example, the fourth furnishing of the tabernacle was the lampstand. On the fourth day of creation was the sun, moon, and stars. Four in the Bible represents communication.

The Four Wheels and Communication in Ezekiel

Four is the number of Pentecost. Pentecost is the fourth of seven feasts. It's number four. And when you ever see four, where the Bible is speaking symbolically, such as in Ezekiel's vision and in Revelation, it means communication.

And what this is saying is that God dwells between the cherubim. And they are chariots. They are four-wheeled chariots. As I said the last time, there are two kinds of chariots. There are war chariots, which have two large wheels.

So they are maneuverable. And then there are chariots that were used in processions. And for other purposes, and what they are, were, I don't use them anymore, they had four wheels. And they were light carriages.

And this is a carriage we're looking at here. These four chrysalite wheels sparkle like chrysalite. They show the fire and light of God and his people. This is God. He dwells between the cherubim. Remember it says in Psalms 18, he did fly upon the cherubim.

When God is moving, he flies on the cherubim. And that's what we're being made. We're not being made cherubim. They're a creature of part. Satan is a cherub. We're not being made cherubim. We are being made the brothers of Christ and the body of Christ and the wife of the Lamb.

But we will dwell with Christ between the cherubim. That where I am, there you may be. And so like Christ, you will be dwelling in the fire of God. And God wants you fireproof. And he makes you fireproof by bringing you through the problems of life.

And as you overcome through Jesus, it changes your nature from Adam who is flammable. Adam is flammable. He's wood. Man is represented in the Bible by wood. In symbology, deity is represented by gold.

And what fire does to gold is, do you know what it does? It purifies it. It purifies it. When you get gold ore, it has to be purified. And we have the gold of divinity in us because we're born of God.

But it has to be purified in the fire. Now when that consuming fire attacks our personality, what does fire do to wood? It doesn't refine wood. Fire does not refine wood. It burns it away. And so as we dwell in the fire of God, that which is flammable, our Adamic nature decreases.

And the divinity in us that was born of God is what? Purified. Purified. Purified. Seven times the Bible says, in a furnace of earth. The word of God is purified seven times in a furnace of earth. That where I am.

Now Ezekiel, the first chapter, tells us where Christ is. See, and then the cherubim talk about the chariot of God that can move, run and return with a flash of lightning, but yet Christ remains stationary as it were.

He's in those cherubim. He's in them. Just like he's here in this room. But he's also at the right hand of God. And if you stop to think of it, that's also true of us. Because it says in Colossians 3 .1 that you are dead and your life is, present tense, is hidden with Christ in God.

So as of right now, if you have reckoned yourself dead in water baptism and you have died on the cross with Christ, which is what water baptism means, then you already have the power of multiple presence.

Because you are hidden in Christ, in God, according to Colossians 3 and the second chapter of Ephesians, but you are also here, here. So you already have the power of multiple presence. Now, it says lift up your heads because your redemption draws near.

Now when our redemption comes, we will be released from this body. It's this body that keeps us tied here. It's this body, through gravity, that keeps us tied on the earth. Now when your redemption comes, you won't be tied here anymore.

So you will be part of, you will be, you're being made a chariot for God to ride in. That's what you're being made. So that his presence can be anywhere in the creation where there is a need. And you see, you're being formed.

Each one of us is highly individual, highly unique. And we're being fashioned by the Lord in terms of people that haven't been born yet, but are going to need the presence of God. And so you're being made that presence.

And of course, your Adamic nature is of no use. No use. God wants you to bring Christ to people. He wants you to bring his presence to people. He just, you can only bring, see, we talk about bringing people to Christ.

But what God wants is us to bring Christ to people. See, you can be completely, you could be unsaved and bring someone to Christ. But you can't bring Christ to people until you're crucified and Christ is living in you.

And then you can bring Christ to people. And that's God's plan. Is that you are God in Christ, bringing God's life and healing and wisdom and rule and love to human beings that don't have it. You're being made the presence of God.

You're being made the chariot of God in which he can ride. And that is why God deals with us so strenuously. Because when we bring our Adamic nature to people, we're bringing corruption to them. I don't care how religious you are, I don't care how learned you are in the Bible.

When your Adamic nature is alive, that's what you're bringing to them. And you may be a dandy person, but that's not eternal life. Only Christ is eternal life. You can tell people about eternal life. And you can tell them to go to Jesus and get eternal life.

And that's fine, that's great, cool. Way cool, in fact. But how much better to bring the life to the people, like the Apostle Paul did. And he kept being brought down to death, down to death so that the life of Christ would raise him up and then there would be an overflow for other people.

That's how it works. Life comes from the cross, so we bear the cross. And as we do, faithfully, the Lord raises us up, but always raises us up with more than we need. There's some for somebody else. So we die and other people live.

And that's the way the royal priesthood operates. So this idea that where I am means much more than dwelling in paradise. Sure, we'll be in paradise some day. That's not the issue. All kinds of people in paradise.

That's where sin began, was in paradise. What we want to be is in the consuming fire. Who among us, Isaiah 33 says, shall dwell with everlasting burns? Who will walk in the consuming fire? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up the soul to vanity.

Same as the 24th Psalm, shall ascend into the hill of the Lord. It's righteous. So Christ has to make us righteous so that we can dwell in... The whole aim of this salvation business is fellowship with God.

It isn't even going to heaven. The whole aim of why we are saved is what we lost in the garden was fellowship with God. And that's the main thing that we gain back through Christ is to have fellowship with God.

You know, it's interesting, Bill, where you said that certain parties said that they regard salvation as one thing and holiness as another. But you know, Hebrews says, without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

So, can you be saved and not see the Lord? Not cool. Not cool. But you wouldn't want to say that. We don't want to throw any ropes across the Grand Canyon. But that's the first thing that popped in my mind.

Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. We don't see the Lord by grace. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So, Christ has to make us pure if we ever hope to see God. Because it's the pure in heart.

That's why children can see the Lord. Babies, but we've got too much guile there. You can't bring guile into the presence of God. It's flammable. So, God wants us to be, we're to be with Christ where He is in the center of God's person and will.

That's what we're called to. And that means, we keep being brought in closer and as we get closer, the fire burns hotter and the fire burns hotter, but we're more fireproof than we were. Got more of this olivine in us.

We keep getting closer to God and closer to God and closer to God until BING! We're there with Christ where He is in the center of God's person. That's the rest of God and that's the goal of our discipleship is to get right in there in God's person and will and live there for eternity.

Anybody can live in an old mansion, but to live in the center of God's person, you can have all the mansions you want once you get there. Mansions, if you're up for that, that's fine, but if you live in a mansion and still not be in the center of God's person and will, that's something that you do now, not after you die.

That's something that you do now. You press into God's person now. You abide in Christ now and when you're abiding in Christ, you're abiding in the consuming fire and it will cause fruit to come forth.

Isn't that right? Sure it will. Sure it will. You can't abide in that fire without fruit. So, all four looked alike. The wheels were all the same. It was uniform. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel and I talk to you much about that.

What does that mean? The wheel intersecting the wheel. That we're made to be in the center of God. You have God who is in Christ who is in us and we are in Christ who is in God. That means we're in the center of this tremendous being called God.

See? Isn't it true that God is in Christ? Isn't it true that Christ is in us? Isn't it true that we are in Christ? Isn't it true that Christ is in God? Well, then we're smack dab in the middle. The wheels intersecting a wheel.

Yes. Kind of like a trinity type of thing? You know, God as God. You know, like a trinity kind of deal? Picture it as concentric. Not concentric. Picture it this way. Think of a small wheel. A small circle.

That's God. Think of a larger circle with a smaller circle inside of it. That larger circle is Christ. God is in Christ. I'm not there yet. Okay. Now think of a bigger wheel and the little wheel and the next little wheel are inside this bigger wheel.

That bigger wheel is us. And then you have a still bigger wheel and that still bigger wheel is Christ. And then you have a great big wheel that's bigger than them all. That's God the Father. So God is in Christ who is in us and we are in Christ who is in God.

It's a wheel intersecting a wheel. The important thing of that is that we become an integral part of that great being that God is. And that's what we're being called to. Because God wants to give us his glory.

The Glory of God and the One New Man

We find in John 17 it says, The glory which you gave me I have given them. The glory which you gave me I have given them. That's in John 17 .23 I believe. The glory which you gave me. Have you got that?

Isn't that stunning? But now think. God will not give his glory to another person. And yet he said, The glory which you gave me I have given them. The glory God gave to Christ Christ has given to us. But yet God says, I will not give my glory to another.

Put it together. What does it mean? We have to become so one with God that when God gives his glory to us he's given it to himself. As long as we are a person separate from God he cannot give his glory to us because he will not give his glory to another.

That may seem confusing but stop and think of it. We have the picture in Adam and Eve, don't we? God created Adam from the dust. Okay? Maybe his friends call him Gusty. I don't know. He created Adam from the dust.

Now he created Eve from Adam and women brag about that. They say, We weren't created from the dust. We were created from Adam. But they don't know their simple mathematics. If A equals B and A equals C then B equals C.

In other words, if Adam's made from the dust and you're made from Adam then you're made from the dust. Isn't that cunning? Well, now look. Look what God said about them. He said, The two shall be one.

And he called their name Adam. And Eve was flesh of Adam's flesh and bone of Adam's bone and God did not regard them as two people but as one. The two shall be one. So anything that happened to Adam was happening to Eve and anything that happened to Eve was happening to Adam because they were married in a way that no two people on earth have ever been married.

Because Eve was made from Adam. That's how they were married. They were not married in a ceremony. They did not have a wedding ceremony. The wedding took place as Eve came out of Adam. And she couldn't marry anyone else because it would have been Adam marrying them.

She was Adam in another form. If you go back to the Hebrew it doesn't say that a piece of Adam came out and God put that in something and then built around it a woman. It says the woman was built. Every part of the woman was made from the piece taken from Adam.

In other words it was drawn out her toenails and her hair and her heart and her lungs and everything else. All came from Adam. She was Adam. He called their name Adam. Now no two human beings since that time have ever been married in that fashion.

No woman was ever taken out from her husband. So what we have is human and what you might say a first cut but what God is after is what he showed us in Adam and Eve. And you remember God put a deep sleep on Adam.

That was I guess the first anesthetist the first anesthetist put him to sleep and operated on him. Well that sleep that Adam was in was typical of Calvary. See God caused a sleep as it were to fall on the second Adam.

And then he had a soldier pierce him. He had to be pierced. That was the beginning of the bride right there was when that spear went into Christ because before that Christ was an intact person. He was the word of God who was from the beginning with God and through whom all things were made.

But he was a distinct individual. Okay? But once that spear went into his side that was the beginning and God took the blood of Christ and on his flesh and his blood God is creating a bride. We are not married to Christ as we are.

And by the way the Bible never speaks of being married to Christ. Always to the Lamb. Always to the Lamb. Never is it called the bride of Christ. Always the bride of the Lamb. Because the Lamb is slain.

And that's how we become the church. The church is not made up of Adamic individuals. It is the body of Christ and the bride of the Lamb. And everything that was in Eve came from Adam. So you are not looking at two people there.

You are looking at one person in two forms. The male and the female. So that together they could be in the image of God and be fruitful. See they couldn't be fruitful without each other. And fruitfulness results in dominion which is what we are called to do is to govern everything.

Now that's a type of Christ. When we die with Christ in the waters of baptism and then we go through the experiences of life which are killing off our Adamic nature we are being fed in the spirit realm with the body and blood of Christ.

Now that's what the church is. It isn't what we are. It's that body and blood of Christ. That's the kingdom. That's Christ. That's eternal life. Call it what you will. But it is not human. It is supernatural.

It is the body and blood of Christ. And as that is formed in us that's how we are married to Christ. We are not going to die and then we are going to go up to a regular Anglican ceremony and God the Father and we are standing here and Christ is standing here and we are standing here and here is God the Father and John the Baptist is the best man and I don't know who the bridesmaids are and then God says I pronounce you man and wife.

Well, Adam and Eve were not married in a wedding ceremony. They were married by one being drawn out of the other. I think Christians are looking for the marriage to take place in the sky or in heaven.

The marriage takes place as you die and Christ is formed in you. That's how the marriage takes place. It takes place today. And what will happen when the Lord comes is not the marriage it's the demonstration of what is done today and then glorified in a body like Christ.

That's the marriage of the Lamb. But the essence of it is taking place as Christ is being formed in you. So we are being made an integral part of Christ obviously because Paul says in Ephesians 5 bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh applying to the church the same thing spoken of Adam and Eve that's in Ephesians 5 we are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh well if we are bone of Christ's bone and flesh of Christ's flesh then we are like Eve was Adam in another form we are then Christ in another form.

It's as simple as that. We're not talking about Adamic people entering into a religious contract with God we're talking about something that occurs organically within us as Christ is formed within us.

And that which is formed within us will be revealed when he comes. When he comes we shall be like him we shall see him as he is. Why? Because it's not the outer that's important it's the inward that's important.

The outer you can take care of a twinkling of an eye. It's the inward that occurs through the problems of life and that's why they have them. And that's why they're sent to us God uses Satan to afflict us to drive us more into Christ.

Don't waste your sufferings. Don't waste them. Every one of them. If you will when people hurt you or things hurt you if you will quit looking at the tool and say thank you Jesus because this thing is pressing me into you.

Thank you Lord. You say that to all your enemies. Every one of them. Say thank you Charlie, Joe and Shirley. Thank you so much because you have driven me into Christ. Don't waste your time getting mad at the tools God uses.

Take advantage of them. Pray and they'll drive you to prayer. Don't they? Don't troubles drive you to prayer? Well forget about who's doing it. Just thank God. Here I am on my knees otherwise I'd be going around saying foolish things and doing foolish things.

Instead I'm on my knees being pressed into Christ. Hallelujah. How wonderful. That's why Paul said therefore I will glory in my infirmities. That way you can't lose. Nobody can take your peace unless you let them.

Remember that. Nobody can take your peace unless you let them. You can always use these things to be a catalyst or however you want to term it to drive you into Christ. God is not interested in taking Adam up to heaven.

What he's interested in is forming his son in you so that you can be with Jesus where he is in the bosom of God in the center of God's being and wealth. So you can always say I am. Where am you? In the center of God.

No matter where you are in the creation you are in the center of God. You are in the consuming fire. And more and more each day as you're willing to let God burn out the dross. No more profound than that.

And of course in the first chapter of Ezekiel we still haven't got to the inward image. We're still talking about the outward image. It's very profound. Okay? Are there any questions so far? We got into the wheel intersecting the wheel.

Alright. It looks like you're doing alright in this town. Alright. Now, next we're looking at the 16th verse. We want to touch on most of the guys here know this pretty well but we want to touch on Psalm 68 verses 15 through 18.

Bill you've got this memorized I'm sure. And Stan does. Maybe some of the others do. I'm sure Mark Owen does. Don't you have this memorized? Oh well, come on. Let's get with it now. Huh? The Spartans are at the door.

The Spartans are at the door. Tony, remember that. Don't be all occupied with the play. The Spartans are at the door. Alright. The Mounts of Bashan are majestic mountains. That's talking about religion.

The Mounts of Bashan are talking about religion. They're rugged. But they look at envy at the mountain that God chooses to reign. And what mountain is that? Zion. That's Christ. And that's why the religious people murdered Christ.

It's because they were mountains of Bashan. See, they were reaping to get God's favor and to look good in the sight of people. But religion will always murder Christ. They'll always look with envy on Zion.

That's why Pilate said he knew that the Pharisees had crucified Christ because of envy. And religious people will always envy anyone that really knows the Lord. When you depart from iniquity, you make yourself a prey of religious people.

Don't think everybody's going to love you. You're going to be a darling when you begin to seek the Lord. Because you're going to find a lot of people in the church who don't like it. But do with that as you will.

Alright. Now, now see, where God chooses to reign, the Lord Himself will dwell there forever. That's in Mount Zion. Alright, now, the chariots of God. See, that's what God is interested in is these chariots.

Not chariots singular as in Ezekiel 1. But God wants thousands and thousands and thousands of them. And that's what He's making you and me. Is a chariot. So that God can ride to where there are needs in His creation.

So that you can stay in Him and at the same time be out bringing His presence to people. That make sense? You can't minister to people unless you am in God. Alright. The Lord has come from Sinai into His sanctuary.

Well, Sinai was the law, but the law is a tutor that brings us to Christ and Christ makes us the sanctuary of God. We sing that here about make me your sanctuary or something to that effect. We're being made the sanctuary of God.

But it begins in Sinai. The law is a tutor. It's a slave. A Greek slave that brings us to the school of Christ and makes us the sanctuary of God. So He comes out of Sinai into His sanctuary. And He always will because see, the law tells us we have to be righteous.

And then we give up and we die with Christ and then the Holy Spirit imputes to us the righteousness of the law and then it enables us to do the things which the law could never do. The law could never remove envy from a human being.

But the Spirit of Christ can remove envy from a human being. Isn't that wonderful? See that? Alright, now when you get into verse 18 you're getting into Christian territory, see? You're getting into Ephesians 4.

When you ascended on high, that's Christ you led captives in your train that's Ephesians 4, chapter 7, verse I think you received gifts from men and those are the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit.

From... from there doesn't quite fit. Other translations are much better than that. Gifts consisting of men or you gave gifts to men. But it's right in Ephesians 4, we'll get to that. Even from the rebellious and God gives His gifts and His ministries to rebellious people.

We think somebody... You know, here's a mistake that Christian people make. They see someone with a great gift maybe preaching, maybe healing, maybe whatever and they think that person's spiritual. I'm here to tell you the gifts and ministries are no indication whatever of spirituality.

God gives them... There's ministers with tremendous gifts and then they go off into adultery and fornication and everything else. It happens commonly. Don't ever mistake a gift for spirituality. A gift is given to you and to me.

It's a gift. It's not fruit. It's a gift. And it's given to make the recipient spiritual and the people to whom they minister spiritual. But it is a gift and it's given even to the rebellious. Okay. And then that you, O Lord, God might dwell there.

That's the whole purpose of the gifts and ministries of the body of Christ is to prepare a dwelling place for God in the hearts of people. Alright, so then we go now naturally to Ephesians 4 starting with verse 7.

Yes. Chapter 4. Yes. We're back to verse 15. Right. Religion. He doesn't. He said, Why are they gazing at the mountain where God chooses to reign? See, the mountains of Bashan gaze at the mountain where God wants to reign.

And that's Zion. Hasn't clicked yet. Alright, now look. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains? Who are those rugged mountains? Exactly. Now look. Why are you gazing at another mountain? You mountains of Bashan.

See, I'm the mountains of Bashan here. You're the mountain that God has chosen. Why am I looking at you with envy? See. Because what I tried to get with my striving I can't get and you got it. It just was given to you.

There's a seclusion and it doesn't say the mountains of Bashan it says the mountains of God. Uh-huh. In the English translation there was a seclusion. Interesting. The mountains of God.

Are majestic mountains. I've never seen but what does the next verse say? That's the seclusion. That's the Greek translation. It says, The mountains of God is a rich mountain a dwelling mountain a rich mountain.

Wherefore do you conceive evil in dwelling mountains?

This is the mountain which God has delighted in dwelling. Yea, the Lord will dwell in it forever. Yeah, that's the same thing. See, two different things. There's the mountain of God and then there are the evil mountains.