A. V. 4a "When Christ, who is our life"

1. Most wonderful here, Christ is our life; outside of Christ there is no life.

2. While life comes to us through the Holy Spirit, it is only possible in Christ.

3. John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"

4. John 14:6, 19 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (19.) "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also."

B. V. 4b "shall appear," this must be the second coming because this is His next appearance.

1. When He shall appear those who have died will receive their new bodies, then we who are alive will also be with Him, and therefore every child of God will be with Christ at this time.

2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17.) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

C. V. 4c "then shall ye also appear with him in glory."

1. This is the Christians next major event.

2. What a day indeed this will be. Philippians 3:20 "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:"

3. This is Christ promise to us. Romans 8:29-30 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30.) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Remember this is all spoken of in past tense because of predestination.

4. This will actually conclude when He appears and we appear with Him. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."

D. Since we will appear with Him we should prepare ourselves for this event. V. 5a "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;"

1. The word "mortify" means to be dead too. Beloved there is no easy way to put it; we simply cannot do the pleasures of this world and honor Christ.

2. Just as the church is to keep herself pure so are we as believers.

3. Dead to it means corpse dead. Colossians 2:11 "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"

4. Romans 8:13 ^"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

5. Galatians 5:24 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

6. Romans 6:13 "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."