Author: looking2jesus13

“The Hope that is in You”

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-17

A man named John used to come to our weekly Men’s Bible study. He didn’t have a car, so one of the men picked him up each Saturday morning. We’d begin our study by singing a hymn, and I often asked if anyone had a song that they’d like for us to sing. Inevitably, John would ask for some hymn about heaven. I later learned that John had been orphaned as a child, and had lived a difficult life, but you’d never know that from the smile he bore. He was always talking about Jesus and heaven. John was an older fellow, and his health wasn’t so great, so I was not surprised when I got the news of his death. I attended his funeral service. He had no family there, and left behind few belongings. But at his funeral we heard story after story about how he’d talked to others about Jesus and impacted their lives. He was a heaven-bound saint and wasn’t shy about letting others know that. He was glad to share of the hope he had in Jesus!

The context of verse 15 has to do with the suffering any of us might encounter as a result of being a Christian. We are told not to fear or be troubled, but instead to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, trusting and submitting ourselves to Him in our response. Note this! The verse presupposes that others might ask us regarding “the hope that is in (us)” (1 Peter 3:15). Having been born again to a living hope, there’s to be a manifest difference in the way we conduct ourselves. Is your walk with Christ such that others see the difference in you? The days in which we live are filled with uncertainty. Many are weary and sad. But you possess a living hope, and others need to see the reality of that in you!

You need to be ready to “make a defense to anyone who asks” about the hope that is in you.  Opportunities abound.  Are you ready to do that?  The only way you can be ready is if you are walking by the Spirit and according to the truth of the Word.  Not only can the Spirit embolden you to speak without fear, He can give you the words to speak.  The term translated “defense” is related to our word “apologetics,” which has to do with “reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something.”  Whereas books and Bible School courses are devoted to that theme, the matter is relatively simple.  What is your defense or argument as to the source of the hope you possess?  It starts with the gospel, that glorious message of hope.  Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  Having put your trust in Jesus, you’ve been saved from your sins and given assurance of a future home in heaven.  No matter what happens to you here, you know that you are destined to heaven, and to that inheritance which is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  As someone once said, “When it comes to sharing your faith, it’s not a matter of how much you know, but Who you know, and how much you want others to know Him!” 

Our response to others, even in the face of threats and harsh treatment, needs to be “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).  According to the example of Christ, and the example of countless other saints who have likewise testified about Jesus in difficult circumstances (1 Peter 2:21-23; Acts 7:59-60).  The uncertainty of these days has worked to open a door of unprecedented opportunity for us.  “In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” we are to “shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).  You have hope.  Others need what you have.  The hope you possess in Jesus was meant to be shared!

The Hope You Possess in Jesus Was Meant to be Shared with Others

Heavenly Father. We remember something of what it was like when we were without You and without hope in this world. But then You caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus. How incredibly blessed we are to possess such a hope! Forgive us when we are too focused on the troubles of the here and now, and not enough on the glorious destiny You’ve prepared for us. May we be full of hope, as we well should be, and may that hope adorn our words and deeds. Grant us opportunities, as Your ambassadors, to share with others about what You’ve done for us. And when we are thus privileged, grant us compassion to care and the words to speak! That others might be reconciled to You! That You might be honored and glorified in all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hope’s Purifying Work

Bible Reading: 1 John 3:1-5

I got a haircut a few days ago.  The beautician at the beauty shop did a great job, especially considering what she had to work with!  I was reading the other day about the “beauty shop visit” of Queen Esther who was being prepared to see King Ahasuerus.  Her makeover lasted twelve months, and involved “beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments!”  Holy Makeover!  But then again one’s got to be ready before going to see the King!

We are so blessed to be called the children of God (1 John 3:1)!  But as long as we are in this world we are out of place. The day is coming when we will be presented to Jesus, Our King!  “What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

This confident expectation of seeing Jesus, now works to motivate and instruct us towards holiness.  Jesus spoke of his preparatory work regarding his church this way: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).  How much time and effort is directed towards preparing a bride for her wedding day?  Jesus is even now working to prepare his bride, the church, for her presentation to him.  So, the church works towards this purpose, even as its members exercise their gifts that they “might grow up in every way into him” (Ephesians 4:15).  

Salvation is in three tenses.  The believer has been justified (past tense), is being sanctified (present tense), and will be glorified (future tense).  How wonderful this sanctifying work of Jesus, whereby he takes us from where we were, dead in our trespasses and sins, and works to transform us into Christlikeness!  It is the ultimate of makeovers.  It is a work of the Spirit, as he mediates the presence of Christ to us, in us, and through us.  Through the renewing of our minds, and as we put off sin and put on Christlikeness, he works to transform us “from one degree of glory to another” (Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to change us (John 17:17). “The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” and is able to discern “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16).  Those who hope in him pay attention to the Word–hearing it, reading it, studying it, memorizing it, meditating upon it, doing it–that the Spirit might work a powerful, transforming change in us!

People pursue earthly hopes, like fame and fortune, with an amazing degree of effort and determination.  How much more should the certain hope of seeing Jesus work to motivate the believer in the pursuit of holiness!  All three members of the Triune God have worked and are working towards that goal in our lives!  We’ve been saved to that purpose.  The Spirit of God now works within us, towards that end.  We’ve been well-provisioned–in the Word, in prayer, and in the fellowship of believers–that we might be purified as we look to our glorious union with Christ!  There’s no more virtuous purpose! We do well to pursue it with renewed Spirit-led enthusiasm!  

John Angell James, “the very contemplation of heaven, in which hope indulges—has a transforming power…Oh, the unworthiness that is in me! Not only the sins I have committed and still commit, but the evil nature, the unworthiness in me, all these things which I have to mortify. There is so much to be done, and time is uncertain. We do not have a moment to spare or to waste. We may find ourselves with Him, facing Him, at any moment!”  

What You are Looking for will Determine What you are Living For

Heavenly Father. How incredibly blessed we are to be called Your children! We once were children of wrath, but now we are objects of Your love. We were once lost in sin, but now we’ve been forgiven and empowered by the Spirit to walk in newness of life. You’ve availed to us everything needful that we might put off sin and put on Christlikeness. Forgive us for our inattentiveness to Your rich provisions. Though we don’t now know what we shall be, the day is coming when we will, having been glorious transformed to be like You! May this present hope in our future destiny work to motivate us in the pursuit of holiness, that we might be pure even as You are pure. Amen.

Hope, A Sure and Steady Anchor

Bible Reading: Hebrews 6:13-20

On February 4, 1999, a ship, the New Carissa, was bound for the Port of Coos Bay, Oregon to pick up a load of wood chips.  The ship’s crew was informed by the local bar pilots that weather conditions would prevent the ship from entering the harbor until the next morning.  The captain ordered the ship to drop anchor some distance off of the coast in order to ride out the storm.  The crew dropped anchor, but the anchor line was too short.  Heavy winds drove the ship to the shore where it ran aground.  Though no lives were lost, the recovery and cleanup cost tens of millions of dollars.  The New Carissa was provisioned with a suitable anchor, but since it could not be well-positioned it was of no help.  Amidst the storms of uncertainty we face in life, a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” has been provisioned by God to the believer in Christ.

We all have need of an “anchor of the soul.”  “Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss.”  We face trials and temptations of many kinds.  An untethered soul will inevitably be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). The anchor provisioned by God is both “sure” and “steadfast.”  Each term relates to the nature of the anchor in a different way.  The word “sure” speaks of that which is certain.  The word “steadfast” speaks to the anchor’s security when placed under stress.  The hope of the believing soul is both certain and unassailable. It is so because of who God is, He Himself being immutable and faithful.  God has promised salvation to the believer.  The believer’s assurance is based on “two unchangeable things” (Hebrews 6:18)—His promise and His oath (Hebrews 6:13-18).  Since “it is impossible for God to lie,” we know we are secure in the salvation He has promised.  No matter what happens in this life, nothing can work “to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

An anchor is of no value if it is not laid hold of by some means.  The author of Hebrews spoke to those “who have fled for refuge…to hold fast to the hope set before (them)” (Hebrews 6:18).  How is a soul tethered to the sure and steadfast anchor?  Is it not by faith?  “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith “flees for refuge” in the unseen Christ.  Faith works to bind one’s self tightly to Him.  No one can be saved apart from it.  It is by faith that the believer experiences both security and stability.

Note the place to which the anchor is secured.  It “enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).  The well-anchored soul is tethered to heaven itself.  And though we face the winds and waves of adversity here, all is calm in that harbor.  Is your soul even now bound by such an anchor to such a glorious place?  Charles Spurgeon concluded a sermon on this topic with these words, “My cable has grown shorter of late, a great many of its links have vanished.  I am nearer my hope than when I first believed.  Every day hope nears fruition!  Let our joy in it become more exultant.  A few more weeks or months and we shall dwell above!  And while we shall need no anchor to hold us fast, we shall eternally bless that Divine condescension which produced such a holdfast for our unstable minds while tossed upon this sea of care!  What will those of you do who have no anchor?  A storm is coming!  I see the lowering clouds and hear the distant hurricane!  What will you do?  May the Lord help you at once to flee for refuge to the hope set before you.  Amen.”  

MY ANCHOR HOLDS

Tho’ the angry surges roll
On my tempest-driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.

Refrain:
And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Amidst the Inevitable Storms of Life, In Jesus You’ve a Sure and Steadfast Anchor of Your Soul

Heavenly Father.  Like the disciples in their storm tossed sea, the waves of uncertainty in this sin-stormy world would work to frighten us or move us off course.  But You have worked to save us and in You we have set our hope!  Praise You for Your faithfulness!  Our souls have found a sure and steadfast resting place in You.  May our faith rest solely on You, and not on ourselves or others.  May our minds be firmly set on the hope laid up for us in heaven.  Being well tethered by faith in You, may we be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding” in You work.  To Your glory!  Amen.

Rightly Fixing One’s Hope

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:10-13; 1 Timothy 6:17-18

I don’t play the lottery, so my odds of winning are not very good.  But I was entered by the state into a recent lottery for those who had gotten their Covid vaccinations.  As an incentive to get folks vaccinated, the State of Oregon held a lottery in which $10,000 was to be distributed to a winner from each county in the state.  Our county decided to mirror what the state was doing, and planned to award up to $20,000 to five lottery winners.  I figured that in a small county like ours, my odds of winning were pretty good.  But apparently they weren’t good enough.

We all have hopes and dreams of this and that and sometimes they come to pass and sometimes they don’t.  Most of our hopes have to do with earthly things, some of them virtuous, some not so much.  Each of us could probably make a list of various things we are hoping for.  Both passages in today’s Bible reading speak of the need for us to focus our hope on one particular thing.

Recall that Peter was writing to believers who were enduring persecution.  Their profession of faith in Christ was oftentimes accompanied by threats and abuse and the loss of things they held dear, like friends, or homes, or jobs, or even sometimes their very lives.  Peter wrote to them about the hope they possessed in Jesus, a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).  In Him they possessed an “inheritance that is imperishable, and undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  Their promised inheritance was not just wishful thinking, it was guaranteed to them, by God, who is always faithful, and in His promises, which never fail.

Peter admonished his readers to be “preparing their minds for action” with respect to their hope (1 Peter 1:13).  Recall that hope is an attitude, a way of thinking about things.  The KJV translated the phrase this way, “gird up the loins of your mind.”  In those days folks often wore long flowing robes, which typically served them well, but could get in the way if they were in a hurry to get somewhere.  Then the robes would need to be gathered up.  The thought here then is of reigning in one’s thoughts so that they are focused on the one thing of preeminent concern, seeking to maintain an attitude singularly focused on the hope of Christ’s return (1 Peter 1:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5).

How are we to set our minds to this hope?  We’ve allies in that process.  The Spirit of God is ever-working to direct our hearts and thoughts to Jesus.  To the extent that we are being led by Him, He’s the freedom to do that work in us (Romans 15:13).  He works through the Word of God, to the extent the Word richly dwells within us, our thoughts will be inclined to the promise of Jesus’ return (Colossians 3:16).  And we each have a role in encouraging one another to look heavenward, as we see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).  

Let’s face it, when it comes to our Christian lives, life is filled with all kinds of distractions.  We tend to fill our minds with hopes related to the here and now.  Some of those hopes are even virtuous, but almost all of our earth-bound hopes come with no guarantee.  There is a heavenward bent to the promises of God!  And that’s where we need to focus our attention.  No matter what happens now, grace–unimaginable grace–will be brought to us in Christ’s return.  That promise is guaranteed.  Nothing can work to steal it away.  “By God’s power (we) are (even now) being guarded through faith” until its fulfillment (1 Peter 1:5).  

Lawrence Richards commented on the matter this way, “Too often we “set our hope” on some near, immediate “grace”. “Lord, I’d like a new job.” “Lord, heal my illness.” “Lord, if only You’ll let us get this home of our own.” “Father, I know this marriage is just what I need to make me happy!” We may indeed get what we ask and hope for in this life. But any earthly prospect can disappoint, and every earthly possession be torn from our grasp. Only when we set our hope “fully” on the grace that will be ours when Jesus comes will we be immune to life’s losses.”

The Promises of God All Lean Heavenward and so Should Our Hope

Heavenly Father. We praise and thank You for the many blessings we’ve received. We were blind, but now we see. We were lost, but then you found us. We were dead in our sins, but now we’ve been made alive in Christ! And in that You’ve caused us to be born-again to a living hope! We’ve all experienced the disappointment of dashed dreams, thank You for the unassailable hope we possess in You. May Your Spirit work within us, through the Word, that our hearts and minds might be set on the one hope that cannot fail. Grant us that through eyes of faith we might even now behold the glory of the grace to be brought to us when we shall see Jesus! In these uncertain days, may this certain and living hope shine forth from within us, that others might be encouraged to look to the source from which it came! Amen.

“A Living Hope”

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Sometimes hopes die.  As in Peter’s case.  Following Jesus’ arrest, and in spite of his earlier promise to stand by Jesus, Peter denied even knowing Jesus.  The rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at Peter, and Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62). Can you imagine what must have been going through Peter’s mind?  He had hoped for things–that Jesus was soon to reign as King; that life and ministry with Jesus would continue on; that he’d have the personal resolve to stand by Jesus.  He had devoted himself to a dream and a cause, only to have all his hopes suddenly swept away.  I’ll bet you can relate to Peter.  Who amongst us hasn’t hoped for something only to suffer bitter disappointment when it didn’t come to pass?  It is a part of our human experience.  And in that we go through a kind of a refining process.  For there are, in this life, hopes that are mere expectations and hopes that are firmly assured to us in the working and promises of God.  That’s our focus today.

Thirty years after his denials, Peter wrote this epistle. For three decades he had served the Risen Jesus, faithfully proclaiming the good news of salvation through faith in Christ. As “a dying man, speaking to dying man,” (as Richard Baxter once put it), he proclaimed God’s glorious gospel that folks might be born again to this living hope. Note how verse three literally bursts forth with lively themes–”born again;” a “living hope,” and “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” The believer in Christ possesses such a hope!

There is such a thing as a living hope because of the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:19-20).  There could be no living hope if there were no risen Christ.  Jesus Christ died for sins and rose again from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  He is the resurrection and the life, and is able to impart life to sin-dead souls (John 11:25-26).  “Whoever has the son has the life” and the hope that goes along with knowing Him (1 John 5: 11-12).

A living hope is not something anyone can self-generate or conjure up.  You can’t bargain for it or purchase it.  You can wish for such a thing, but you’ll not possess it unless you are born again to it through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13).  But for the born again, the hope borne in them is as alive as Our Risen Lord Himself.  In contrast to the perishable things we are prone to hope in and for (1 Peter 1:7, 18, 23), this living hope is unassailable.   It equates to the hope of heaven, the confident expectation of being brought safely home to an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  It is a guaranteed hope, “kept in heaven” for us and to which we are “being guarded by God” (1 Peter 1:4-5)!

Charles Spurgeon, “And, truly, this is a blessing, beyond all comparison or imagination, that we have been begotten again by (God) unto a “living” hope…Our first birth brought unto us sin and sorrow, but our second birth brings us into purity and joy.  We were born to die; now are we born never to die, “begotten again” unto a life that shall remain in us forevermore, a life which shall even penetrate our mortal bodies, and make them immortal, “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Peter wrote his epistle to persecuted believers, many of whom were suffering the loss of friends or homes or even their very lives. But none of those losses could work to kill their living hope. Same with Peter.  A few years after writing this epistle his living hope was fully realized when he was martyred into Jesus’ presence.  There’s a lot of uncertainty in this world.  And there is a lot of hopelessness out there too.  But the “God of hope” has caused you to be born again through Jesus to a living hope.  That hope is meant to be shared (1 Peter 3:15).  Praise God for it! Rejoice in it! Trust God in it! Focus on it! Encourage others in it! Spread it around!

The Believer Has Been Born Again to A Living Hope Through the Risen Christ to a Lasting Inheritance

Heavenly Father.  Praise be to You for Your saving work whereby You’ve caused us to be born again to a living hope!  We were once without hope and without You, but now as Your children we possess both!  You’ve warned us of the troubles and hardships that we’d face in this sin-cursed world, but there’s nothing that can work to steal away the living hope we possess in You.  Thank You for the imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance You’ve reserved in heaven for us!  And thank You for guarding us by faith as we wait now for its unveiling!  May the Spirit work even now is us that we might treasure the promised treasure of all You’ve prepared for us in glory!  That we might be thankful even amidst our trials, for all You’ve done and are doing in our lives!  Amen!

Hopeful Words for Troubled Hearts

Bible Reading: John 14:1-6

Martin Luther called this passage “the best and most comforting sermon that the Lord Christ delivered on earth, a treasure and a jewel.”  There’s no human pain so deep as that of separation.  Nothing works to trouble the heart to a greater extent than that.  What hope is there for comfort amidst the sorrow of personal loss?  Where can we go for reassurance things will somehow be okay?  In these words of Jesus, we’ll discover there’s good reason for hope, even amidst the most troublesome of circumstances.

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).  Jesus knew what was in the hearts of His disciples.  They were no doubt sad and bewildered and afraid.  Jesus had already spoken to them of things they could not comprehend–betrayal, desertion, suffering, death. That was hard enough, but then Jesus spoke of going away (John 13:33, 36).  It was just too much for them.  They had abandoned everything to follow Jesus.  They heard him speak as no man had ever spoken.  They’d seen Him do things no man had ever done.  They loved Him.  They trusted Him.  Things were not going according to plan–they thought He’d come to reign as Messiah.  They’d loved and served Him for 3 and ½ years, now He speaks of leaving them?  

So, what was Jesus’ message to His troubled friends?  First, He encouraged them to trust Him.  As they believed in God, so they were to believe in Him.  “Faith is..the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  They hadn’t seen God, yet they believed in Him.  Jesus was going to leave them, but that didn’t mean He would cease to exist.  As they trusted God, whom they could not see, so they could continue to trust Jesus after His departure (Matthew 28:20; 1 Peter 1:8).  Trust means focusing not on our troubles, but instead on the One who is there in any circumstance.  The One who has promised to never leave us or forsake us!  Are you even now troubled of heart for some reason–the first thing to be done is to look to Jesus and trust Him!

Second, Jesus encouraged His disciples by way of His promise regarding their future home in heaven.  He spoke to them of His Father’s house, a place having many dwelling places. There’ll be plenty of room there for us all!   In this world, our homes are often the setting not only of welcome greetings, but sad farewells.  The day is coming when we’ll step into our heavenly home where there’ll be no more sad goodbyes!  Jesus has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us.  The One who “does all things well” has been working for two thousand years to get things ready!  One can only imagine who glorious heaven will be!  He’s coming again for us.  He’ll take us home!  Such comforting knowledge!

How are we to find our way there?  That’s what Thomas wondered.  It’ll do no good to type “heaven” into your GPS, it doesn’t know the way.  I’m reminded of all my visits to Uganda, being driven from village to village to the various churches.  There were no road signs or maps.  I was totally at the mercy of our driver, Paul Mwesigwa, who always knew how to get where we were going.  When it comes to heaven, you don’t need to know the specifics of how to get there, you just need to know the One who knows the way and is the way (John 14:6)!

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).  Jesus knows your heart.  He knows all about your heartache.  He’s not far away, He’s promised His presence.  He’ll never leave you, or forsake you!  Trust Him.  “Let not your hearts be troubled.”  In this life there is loss and pain and sorrow, but Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a new place for us in which there’ll be none of that!  He’s been getting things ready and He’s going to come again to take us home!  “And so we will always be with the Lord! (1 Thessalonians 4:18)!

Augustus Toplady, who wrote “Rock of Ages,” died in London at the age of 38. When death drew near, he said, “It is my dying vow that these great and glorious truths which the Lord in rich mercy has given me to believe and enabled me to preach are now brought into practical and heartfelt experience. They are the very joy and support of my soul…”  About an hour before he died, he seemed to awaken from a gentle slumber. His last words were, “Oh! What delight! Who can fathom the joys of heaven! I know it cannot be long now until my Savior will come for me.” And then bursting into a flood of tears he said, “All is light, light, light, light, the brightness of His own glory. Oh, come Lord Jesus, come. Come quickly!” And he closed his eyes.

Troubled Hearts Should Look to Jesus for Hope

Lord Jesus.  Thank you for always knowing what’s in my heart.  You are not oblivious to my troubles and heartache.  You know and care and are able to intervene on my behalf.  Sometimes life gets so confusing I lose my bearings and am at a loss in which way to go.  Forgive me for my lack of trust.  Point me again in the right direction.  Fill my heart with the certain hope of the promise You’ve made of the place You are preparing!  Remind me again…in knowing You I know the way home.  And I’m never alone on the journey because You are right here with me.  Amen.

Hope and the Resurrection

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-28

In the late 1800s, an English journalist by the name of Frank Morison wanted to learn about Jesus, but under the influence of the skeptics of his day, he doubted the resurrection of Christ and set out to disprove it.  Perhaps you know what ultimately happened?  If not, read on…

There have always been skeptics when it comes to the resurrection.  In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 we read of Paul’s response to those who were promulgating the false teaching that Christ had not risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12).  The church in Corinth had its share of problems, most having to do with misbehavior of one kind or the other.  But in the denial of the resurrection they were confronted with a theological heresy which attacked the very foundation of their faith.  So the Apostle Paul responded in the strongest possible terms.

What if there were no resurrection?  The Apostle Paul spoke to that.  He said if there were no resurrection then those who preach the gospel do so in vain and are false witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:14-15).  Yet eleven of the twelve Apostles (all witnesses of the resurrection) suffered martyrdom in preaching that message.  The only exception being the Apostle John, who himself experienced his share of persecution.  Why would these men choose such suffering if the resurrection hadn’t happened?

If there were no resurrection then those who believed, have believed in vain and are still in their sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).  What is the gospel message?  “Christ died for our sins…(and) he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3).  That gospel message, that message “of first importance” would bear no good news of triumph over sin if Christ had not been raised!  There would be no salvation and no hope!  And those who have died will have perished (1 Corinthians 15:18)!  But Christ has been raised and there is good news to believe in and to share!

Perhaps most disconcerting is Paul’s statement in verse 19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  John MacArthur has commented on this: “So when somebody trickles along with a philosophical argument that there’s no resurrection, says Paul, the ramifications are stupendous. God is a mocker, every preacher is a liar, all of our faith is useless, every message is pointless and we’re all in our sins and damned to hell. That’s the end of everything…All we’ve got left if there’s no resurrection is the here and now, right? That’s it. Here we are, folks. And…verse 19 says…in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men…what?…most miserable. If all Christ can do for me is something in the here and now and nothing in the afterlife…forget it. Who needs it? I can do for myself what I want. I’ll become a Hedonist. I’ll become a practical existentialist. Why should I bother?”

Verse 20 is pivotal.  The first word in the verse makes all the difference–”BUT!”…“Christ has been raised from the dead!” The truth of it being attested to by those all those who have believed, by the Scriptures and by those who personally saw the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).  Christ is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep–meaning, of course, there’d be more to follow.  Including all who have believed.  A glorious transformation awaits every Believer (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)!

What happened to Frank Morison, the one who set out to disprove the resurrection?  Instead of disproving the resurrection, his investigation into the Biblical record led to his discovery of its validity in a moving, personal way.  The book he went on to write, “Who Moved the Stone?”, is considered by many to be a classic apologetic on the subject of the Resurrection.  Thomas Brooks once said, “We are more sure to arise out of our graves than out of our beds.”  In the resurrection of Christ, we possess a sure and triumphant reason for hope!

In Christ’s Resurrection You Possess a Certain Reason for a Living Hope!

Heavenly Father.  We praise You for the glorious, good news of Christ’s death for sins and resurrection from the dead!  By your grace and mercy, and through Him, we’ve been forgiven and set free from sin’s penalty and power!  When it comes to the resurrection, we live in a world of skeptics, yet You’ve planted the truth and reality of it in our hearts!  As we live in this sin-cursed world, walking through the valley of the shadow of death, let us always be mindful the tomb is empty, Jesus is risen from the dead!  The day is coming when we will all be changed, when the perishable and mortal will give way to the imperishable and immortality!  We will praise You forevermore for Your victory won through our Lord Jesus Christ!  Help us to abound in Your work now as we anticipate that day!

A Dying Man’s Hope

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-18

LeRoy and his son and daughter-in-law had moved from the midwest to Seaside, Oregon and started attending our church.  Though in his 90s, and of deteriorating health, LeRoy loved the fellowship of believers and attended church services as much as he could.  He’d served as a Gideon for much of his life, and in his final years he’d regularly ride his motorized wheelchair to the prom in Seaside, looking for opportunities to pass out Gideon New Testaments and talk to  people about Jesus.  Not too long before he died (at the age of 97), I got a call from his daughter-in-law.  LeRoy had something he wanted to say to me, so she asked if I’d come to visit.  LeRoy’s health was failing, he knew he’d soon be leaving us.  His message to me was clear and succinct:  “When it comes time for my funeral, don’t be talking about anything I might have done, talk about Jesus and share the gospel.”  Soon after that meeting LeRoy died, but he departed earth with a heart full of love for Jesus and the hope of heaven!

It’s fitting that we should pay careful attention to the last words of a dying man.  As death draws near, one can’t help but reflect on the things in life that matter most.  And in those dying words we can discern whether a person has any measure of hope, and if so, where it lies.  In our passage we read of the Apostle Paul’s last recorded words.  Not surprisingly, they are words that speak of the strong hope he possessed in Jesus.

Paul knew that the “time of (his) departure had come” (2 Timothy 4:6).  Though historians debate the exact manner in which he died, it is almost universally accepted that he was martyred, likely during the time of the attack on Christians following the great fire in Rome. We can learn a lot from Paul’s example in what he was focused on in his final days.  As a pastor and a hospice chaplain I’ve walked alongside plenty of folks in their final days.  It’s a good time to take account of where you stand in relationship to God, and with others, and with respect to what matters most–looking up, looking around, and looking within.  Paul spoke to all of these things in his final words.

With respect to his relationship to God (looking up), it is apparent that Paul was fully trusting in God.  He had fought the good fight and had kept the faith.  He was looking to the heavenly reward that awaited him in heaven.  Though others had deserted him, “the Lord stood by (him) and strengthened (him)” (2 Timothy 4:17).  His hope was unwavering, for he knew that “The Lord (would) rescue (him) from every evil deed and bring (him) safely into his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18).  From a cold, dark jail he praised God, saying, “To him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).  His faith was firmly rooted in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

With respect to his relationship to others (looking around), it is apparent that Paul walked a similar path as did his beloved Savior.  Jesus had his Judas, Paul had Demas (who deserted him).  Jesus’ disciples abandoned him, at Paul’s first defense “all deserted (him)” (2 Timothy 4:16).  Jesus’ prayed for the forgiveness of others from the cross, Paul responded in similar fashion with respect to those who had failed him (2 Timothy 4:16b).  Demas had deserted him and Alexander had caused him much harm, but Luke was with him and he asked that Mark be sent, for he was “very useful to (him) for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11; recall that he’d previously deemed Mark to be not useful; Acts 15:37-38).  He treasured those he loved, and forgave those who had failed him. In contemplating death, it’s good to take measure of where we stand in relationship to the others God has placed in our lives.

We also get a sense of what mattered most to Paul in this passage (looking within). Paul wasn’t about to waste his remaining days.  He asked Timothy to bring his cloak, that he might be kept warm, and the books and “above all the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13).  As long as Paul had breath nothing mattered more to him than that “the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17).  His hope was set on God and perfectly aligned with God’s purposes.  In living and dying well, Paul set a good example for us all to follow!  None of us know when it will be time for our departure, but it’s good for us to be prepared–give some thought today to these matters.  How is your walk with Jesus, are you even now trusting Jesus as you fight the good fight of faith?  How are you doing in your relationship with others–are they better off in Jesus as a result of knowing you?  What matters most to you now?  Is it the same thing that will matter most when you breathe your final breath?  Because of Jesus there’s always good reason for hope, even when death draws near!

Is What Matters Most to You Now What Will Matter Most When Death Draws Near?

Heavenly Father.  Our lives are in Your hands.  You’ve numbered our days.  We don’t know when it will be time for our departure.  During the time of our stay here on earth our hearts are drawn in so many directions.  Forgive us for our lack of devotion and propensity to wander.  We invest our lives in so many things that cannot matter for eternity.  Forgive us for our foolhardy choices.  Grant us the grace and wisdom that we might refine our focus and set our hope on those things which truly matter.  May we walk closely with You.  May we invest our lives in serving You by loving and serving others.  May we readily forgive as we have been forgiven.  May we take advantage of every opportunity to share the truth of the gospel with others.  May you be honored in our lives, and when that time comes, in our death.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Hope for the Prodigal

Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-32

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).  But the religious leaders  of Jesus’ day didn’t understand that glorious truth about Him.  In their prideful ignorance, they disdainfully grumbled, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).  They’d never have done what Jesus was doing.  Such sinners were beneath them in their supposed religious superiority.  They erroneously assumed there to be no hope for such folks.  Jesus responded to their indictment with a series of parables.  Would not a man owning one hundred sheep go after the one who was lost (Luke 15:3-7)?  And would not a woman, having ten silver coins, seek diligently for one that was lost until she found it (Luke 15:8-10)?  In both cases there’d be much joy when what was lost was then later found.  And just like that, all of heaven rejoices in the salvation of a sinner (Luke 15:7,10)!  But the pièce de résistance in Jesus’ argument is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).

According to Webster’s Dictionary a prodigal is one “who spends lavishly or foolishly.”  That’s what the prodigal did when “he squandered his property in reckless living” (Luke 15:13, 30).  We do the text and ourselves an injustice if we view the prodigal as an exception to the rule.  In Adam, we are all prodigals by nature (Romans 5:12).  It is in the heart of man to expend his life in vain and foolish pursuits.  It is in the nature of sin to pursue such things and the world, the flesh, and the devil unanimously concur with that approach to life (Ephesians 2:1-3).  

The prodigal son asked his father for his share of the property and then headed off on a journey into a far country.  Having both the money and freedom to do as he pleased, he foolishly expended all his resources in sinful pursuits.  A severe famine in the land left him hungry, so he got a job feeding pigs.  He became so destitute that he was longing to feed himself with pig food.  Sin led the prodigal into a state of utter hopelessness–guilty, vile, desperate, destitute, and embarrassed.  And if his story ended there it’d be a tragic ending indeed.  But a glimmer of light was brought into his darkness when “he came to his senses” (Luke 15:17).  That is the pivotal point in the passage.  

Having come to his senses, the Prodigal decided to go back to his father so that he might get on as one of his father’s hired men (Luke 15:17-19).  Having embarrassed his father—to be made a servant was the best that he could hope for.  But as he returned and “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20)!!!  The father then put a robe around him, a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet.  He even killed the fattened calf and held a banquet for his son accompanied by music and dancing (Luke 15:23, 25)!  Not only was the prodigal forgiven, he was reconciled and restored in amazing fashion.  The prodigal had hoped, at best, that his father might give him a menial job, instead the father mercifully accepted him, and then proceeded to lavish upon him unanticipated grace!  Being of the same spirit as the religious leaders, the elder brother was angry about his father’s response to his prodigal brother.  So the father explained, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32)!

Such is the nature of God!  The penitent sinner cries out to God for mercy and seeks pardon for his sin.  The grace of God works in “far more abundant” fashion to bestow unanticipated blessings (Ephesians 3:20).  The new believer in Christ is not just forgiven, God’s love and grace are lavished upon him (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:8, 3:8).  All of this is to the “praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14) which is made manifest in the salvation of a prodigal. It is a joyful occasion when a penitent sinner comes to “his senses.”  He finds in the Savior one who was already looking for him.  There’s hope for the prodigal, no matter how destitute they’ve become or how desperate their situation, because God is who He is!  There’s hope for you and me.  And there’s hope for all those the world deems hopeless!

There’s Hope for Every Prodigal Because of Who God Is    

Heavenly Father. Sin worked to lead us to despair. Spiritually bankrupt, we had lost all hope. But then the Spirit graciously intervened and we came to our senses. We remember the day when we ran back to You, wondering how You could ever forgive us. But in Your love we were shown mercy, and by Your lavish grace we’ve been blessed beyond measure. Forgive us for our forgetfulness, and grant that our hearts might ever more rejoice with heaven in all You’ve done! Open our eyes anew to the truth that Jesus’ came to save prodigals like us. No one is without hope because it’s You who saves!

Hope Brings Joy

Bible Reading: Proverbs 10:27-30

Proverbs 10:28, “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectations of the wicked will perish.”

The Hebrew word translated hope is rooted in a word meaning “to wait.” The hope of the righteous is founded on God, and waits patiently, trusting Him to fulfill His promises. The hope of the righteous brings joy because God is always faithful to do what He says.

The Hebrew word translated expectation has to do with “things hoped for,” looking for a particular outcome regarding some desired thing. The expectations of the wicked are self derived and and therefore unsecured, lacking any guarantee regarding their ultimate fulfillment. The expectations of the wicked will perish, along with the wicked themselves.

There’s perhaps no greater illustration  of the distinction between these two future perspectives than what we read about in the examples of Mordecai and Haman in the book of Esther.

Haman was a wicked man filled with pride and lofty ambitions, and their associated expectations.  Having been promoted above all the King’s officials, he expected to be revered.  But Mordecai refused to bow down to him.  Haman discovered that Mordecai was a Jew, so Haman convinced the King to sign an edict calling for the annihilation of the Jews.  He expected that to happen. Haman had built a high gallows in which he expected to have Mordecai hung.  But the King discovered how Mordecai had previously intervened on the King’s behalf, and asked Haman “what should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor” (Esther 6:6)?  Haman erroneously assumed the King was referring to him, so he said, “Let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set.  And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials.  Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor’” (Esther 6:8-9).  Haman had some lofty expectations indeed!  But in an ironic twist of providential fate, Mordecai was honored instead. All of Haman’s expectations perished with him when he died on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.

Mordecai was a Jew, a God-fearing man, whose hope was in God and His promises for His people. When Mordecai got word of the King’s edict regarding the annihilation of the Jews, Mordecai pleaded with his adopted daughter, Queen Esther, that she might intercede before the king. He hoped that God would rescue His people, either through her or some other means (Esther 4:14). The king ultimately issued a second edict, allowing the Jews to defend their lives and attack and annihilate any who came to attack them. Mordecai’s hope was fulfilled when “the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them” (Esther 9:1). “The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor” (Esther 8:16). “And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them” (Esther 8:17). The Jews in that day even inaugurated a feast, the Feast of Purim, which is celebrated to this day!

Haman’s expectations perished, along with Haman.  Mordecai’s hopes, being well founded on God and His promises, were joyously fulfilled and in a manner which would have far exceeded what Mordecai could have imagined.  We all have hopes and dreams, but it is those which are firmly rooted in God and His promises, in which we can hope with a confident expectation of a joyous fulfillment.  

The Hope of the Righteous Brings Joy

Heavenly Father.  We sometimes forget that it’s in you that we live and move and have our being.  You are sovereign over all and over the affairs of our lives.  Forgive us for our sinful tendency to self-generate expectations that have no relationship to You or Your purposes.  Grant us the grace and wisdom instead to set our hope on You and the firm foundation of Your promises.  Praise You for Your ability to work behind the scenes in our lives to accomplish Your plan, even when we don’t realize or understand what You are doing!  May we lean hard into the work You are doing in us, finding joy in its fulfillment!