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“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!

A Messenger of Hope

Bible Reading: Acts 27:13-44

It was called the Great Coastal Gale of 2017.  With winds of over 100 miles it caused massive damage to our church building, ultimately costing about $950,000 in repairs.  It blew off all the church roofing, put a hole in the roof, and “racked” the church building.  For months the church family met for services in a small undamaged portion of the building while repairs were being made.  But those repairs were delayed for several months while important decisions were made about the extent of the needed repairs.  The building was well insured, but there was a $100,000 limit on any required building code upgrades.  The local building codes department was indecisive.  So we were stuck.  But we were praying.  The state finally sent a man who joined me and the local building code officials on a tour of the building.  That man decisively waived most of the proposed code upgrades, thus allowing the work to proceed.  Before he left that day, he met privately with me in the Fellowship Hall.  He asked if it’d be okay if he prayed for me and for the church.  He put his arm around my shoulder and we prayed together for the progress of our repairs.  I found out later that the man was a fellow believer, and was even a member of the Gideon’s. His visit allowed for the building repairs to proceed, which were ultimately completed months later just in time for the church’s 50th anniversary!  That man was to us a messenger of hope. 

In Acts Chapter 27 we read of another “messenger of hope.”  The chapter records the events surrounding the shipwreck of the ship carrying the Apostle Paul to Rome.  Paul held no position on board that ship, he wasn’t the captain, pilot, or even a member of the crew. But things would have turned out much different if he’d not been on board. Paul was a man of faith, filled with and being led by the Spirit.  When the decision was made to leave Fair Havens, Paul counseled against it (Acts 27:9-10). Tragically, “the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and the owner of the ship than to what Paul said” (Acts 27:11).  The ship sailed on.

The Apostle Paul prayed for and encouraged his shipmates.  As Paul had predicted, the voyage met with difficulty.  “A tempestuous wind, called the northeaster” (Acts 27:14), began to blow causing the ship to be driven along without recourse.  The crew jettisoned overboard the cargo and then the ship’s tackle.  “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:20).  So Paul encouraged the men with a message of hope (Acts 27:22-25).  The Apostle Paul witnessed by his actions.  He gave specific instructions as to what the men were to do once they approached land (Acts 27:30-32).  After fourteen suspenseful days without food, Paul urged the men to eat (Acts 27:34a).  He reminded them again of God’s watch care over them (Acts 27:34b-36).  From an earthly perspective, Paul was a nobody on board that ship.  But in reality there was no one onboard more important.  As a man of faith in God he had connections!  He was a man of hope, amidst a crew of those without any.

He did things that we all, as believers, can do as we interact with others.  He walked by, and was led by, the Spirit. He befriended folks and proved himself trustworthy.  He prayed for and encouraged his companions.  He led by example as he trusted in God in the midst of his own difficulties.  He brought hope to those having none.  You’ve hope, believer, by way of your faith in God and the Spirit who indwells you.  Others are lacking what you have.  By God’s grace, you can be a messenger of hope to others, as we sail through the storm-tossed seas of uncertainty in this troubled world!

The Hope You Have in Jesus is Meant to Be Shared

Heavenly Father. We praise You as the God of hope! How many times have we found ourselves in a hopeless situation, but then You somehow intervened to rescue us! And how many times have we been encouraged through the words or actions of fellow believer! Thank you for all the ways in which You work to impart hope to us when we need it. Grant us the wisdom and compassion to notice when others in our lives are experiencing some kind of distress, and the words to encourage them as we together look to You! Amen.

Hope Amidst Loss

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Year ago I was leading a men’s Bible study, when one of the men made an unexpected comment.  He said he didn’t know why it was that Christians grieved in the loss of a believing loved one since they knew where the person was going.  The comment was shallow and naïve, but it worked to lead us to a healthy and corrective discussion.  

Today’s Bible reading speaks of the rapture.  Christ is coming again to rapture His church!  “The dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).  Herein lies our hope, and we are to encourage one another in this glorious truth (1 Thessalonians 4:18)!

But the fact that we have such a hope does not mean that we do not grieve, it just means we grieve in a different way.  Since the day of that long ago Bible study I’ve conducted more funeral services that I can recall. For both believers and unbelievers.  For younger folks who had died unexpectedly and for the elderly who had died after a long fight with some disease.  I’ve witnessed the deep sorrow and many tears of those saying goodbye to the person they loved.  From that day of Laura’s cancer diagnosis until today, God’s been gracious, but that doesn’t mean that there’s been no sorrow in her struggle.  In this past year, working as a part time hospice chaplain, I’ve witnessed much sorrow.  In recent weeks, I’ve been leading a GriefShare group.  Everyone who comes has lost someone–a wife, a husband, a child, a grandchild.  They are there because their hearts are deeply burdened with the sorrow that accompanies being separated from someone you love.  Pray for my friends as they make their way in their journey in dealing with grief!  One can only imagine the full measure of sorrow even now being experienced by those in Ukraine, dealing with the death and destruction amidst the horror of war.  Pray for them too!

Indeed there is much suffering in this world! But one good reason for hope, is that in Jesus we have One who cares.  The “Man of Sorrows” is well aware of all we go through.  As was said of Him in Isaiah 53: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3a).  Jesus wept at a funeral.  He shared in the sorrow of those who were grieving, knowing full well that He was soon to raise Lazarus from the dead.  On the cross He’d do even more than that, as Isaiah 53:4 puts it, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Matthew 26:38).  There is grief and sorrow in this world because of sin.  All that troubles us can be ultimately traced back to that root cause.  In dying for our sins to save us, Jesus experienced immeasurable grief and sorrow (Matthew 26:38, 27:46).  Through the blur of our tear-filled eyes, we look to the cross, and again to the empty tomb, and in Jesus find good reason for hope! 

And we have reason to hope amidst our sorrows because Jesus is coming. The One who “died and rose again” (1 Thessalonians 4:14), is coming again! There’s no place on this planet to which we can go to escape the sorrow associated with suffering loss. But Jesus is coming again to take us home and “he will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes!” He’s coming to take us home, where “death shall be no more!” Home, to that perfect, sinless place in the presence of God where there’ll be no more mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:3-4)! We still grieve now, in suffering loss, but with a sorrow that mixed with the confident expectation of the coming heavenly reunion in the presence of Jesus! It’s okay to cry now! But the day is coming when there’ll no longer be any reason to.

It’s Okay to Cry Now, But the Day is Coming When There’ll Be No Reason to

Lord Jesus. We praise You for Your saving work on the cross! In love You came on Your divine rescue mission to save us. We marvel at Your willingness to enter into our sorrows and bear the burden of our sins. We worship You as our Risen Lord and Savior who is one day returning for us! In the midst of our sorrows, help us to look to You, the One who can sympathize with us our weaknesses. And in the midst of our grief may we be reminded and encouraged by the hope-filled promise of Your rapture of us to a place where sorrow will be no more!

Hope When All Seems Lost

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

My friend Greg drove down from the Seattle area to go fishing with me.  On a cold clear late November morning we drove from Astoria to Seaside to the Necanicum River and launched my drift boat.  I’d run a drift boat many times and on more challenging rivers, so drifting down the Necanicum was a piece of cake in comparison–or so I thought.  We weren’t far from the launch when we entered into a turn in the river in which the river narrowed considerably.  I was approaching that turn as I should, but there wasn’t enough water to get any traction with my right oar.  The water pushed us up against the bank and within seconds the boat started filling with water.  Ultimately the boat flipped over and we and all our equipment ended up in the river.  I remember floating downstream looking up at the surface and wondering if we’d both survive.  I prayed.  About 100 yards downstream the river calmed and we found our footing.  Amazingly, all we lost was one fishing pole and a considerable amount of my ego.  We spent the rest of the day trying to get warm!  Life is filled with all kinds of trials (John 16:33; Job 5:7; James 1:2).  But God is well able to deliver us.  In Him we should set our hope.

The context of today’s passage is a severe trial that the Apostle Paul and his companions faced. We are not told the specifics of what happened, but it was an affliction of such severity that Paul and his companions “were so utterly burdened beyond (their) strength that (they) despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). “Indeed, (they) felt that (they) had received the sentence of death” (2 Corinthians 1:9). We all face trials, and there’s a lesson to be learned in them. We are prone sometimes to think that we can figure out things on our own, but trials are God’s way of teaching us to “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:34). If God can do that, then He can do anything!

“Deliverance” is a key term in this passage.  The Apostle Paul experienced countless trials, like this one, and God delivered him from each and every one (2 Corinthians 11:23-33).  So, “on him,” Paul and his companions “set (their) hope that he (would) deliver (them) again” (2 Corinthians 1:10).  To set one’s hope on God is to determine, by the Spirit, to focus one’s thinking regarding future deliverance on him alone.    

God doesn’t always deliver us from our trials, sometimes he delivers us through them.  Like when the Apostle Paul was harassed by a thorn in the flesh, “a messenger of satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7).  Three times Paul prayed that it should leave him, but God said no and instead provided sufficient grace to see him through (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes God delivers to a place where trials will be no more.  We have Paul’s last works in 2 Timothy chapter 4.  The “time of (his) departure had come” (2 Timothy 4:6).  He’d faced opposition (2 Timothy 4:15).  Friends had deserted him (2 Timothy 4:16).  But he said, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18).

You’ve faced trials before.  You’ll face them again.  In the “God who raises the dead” we have One who is preeminently qualified to come to your rescue.  On Him we should set our hope.  The hymn “Be Still, My Soul” puts it this way: “Be still, my soul!  God doth undertake, to guide the future as He has the past.  Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last.  Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know, His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below!”

Hope Set on God is Well Placed Hope

Lord Jesus.  Time after time You’ve delivered us.  From the moment of saving faith, until this very day, You’ve watched over us.  In this life we meet with all kinds of troubles, and it’s to You that we look.  Apart from You we’d have no hope of deliverance.  Thank you for saving us!  Thank you that amidst the darkness of these days, the bright hope bound up in You shines even brighter.  May we have the wisdom to set our future hope on You alone, the One who rose from the dead; the One who has worked to deliver us from this present evil age; the One who will bring us safely into Your heavenly kingdom!  Amen!  

“Our Blessed Hope”

Bible Reading: Titus 2:11-14

January 5th, 1982.  It was a day I had been looking forward to for months, even years.  I had enlisted in the Navy six years earlier, and though I’d been a good submariner, even earning several commendations, all I could think about was being done.  Prowling around under water in a long steel tube with a hundred other smelly men has its shortcomings.  I was counting the days until my freedom.  At night I’d sometimes dream about that day and alternately I’d have nightmares about being stuck in.  I was waiting expectantly for the day I’d be set free. 

Our text speaks to how we as believers are waiting, but for something infinitely better, our blessed hope.  The term translated “blessed” means “spiritually prosperous.” Our passage speaks to two appearings of Christ (Titus 2:11,13).  By both we are “graced,” but in the second we will be so in transcendent fashion.  Note that this blessed hope which we are waiting for is not an event, but a Person–”the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:1).

What are we looking for?  First, Jesus Christ is going to receive us to Himself.  In that, the longing of your heart, for which your heart is even now groaning (2 Corinthians 5:4-7), will be fully and finally satisfied.  Second, Jesus Christ is going to transform you to be like Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).  That great work of grace, which God has patiently been working out in you, will reach its glorious conclusion.  You will be like Him, and perfectly fitted forevermore to dwell in His presence.  Thirdly, Jesus Christ is going to have you forever to Himself, to worship Him and enjoy Him in His glorious presence.  We will marvel at Him!  And Jesus’ long ago prayer to the Father will be fulfilled (John 17:24)!

This waiting for Christ is an attitude of heart.  Much as I was eagerly looking to the last day of my Navy enlistment, we as believers are to be expectantly looking forward to our blessed hope.  It is the one hope that is to rise above all others, preeminently so, in our minds and hearts.  But contrary to repeated admonitions in Scripture, I’m not sure we are always living with this kind of longing for His return.  It’s far too easy to set our minds on earthly things and we will inevitably gravitate to that, if the Spirit is not at work in us.  We are earthbound by nature.  Much like an un-inflated hot air balloon.  It’s only when you fill the balloon with hot air that it defies gravity and ascends above. The Holy Spirit has a ministry of focusing our eyes on Jesus, and thus lifting our hearts and thoughts to a higher plane.  To the extent that He fills us, and the Word richly dwells within us, we will live our earth-bound days with a heaven-bound mindset.  Helpful too, is the encouragement we can offer one another (Hebrews 10:25), as we collectively remind ourselves that our hope lies not in the here and now, but in the there and then!  

In his book “The Christian Life and How to Live It,” W H Griffith-Thomas commented on this, “Hope, in the New Testament, is always associated with the great future connected with the Lord’s Coming. Again and again, indeed no less than three hundred times, is the “blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,” brought before us as the expectation of the Christian, and the crown of all his aspirations and endeavors…We look forward with joy and satisfaction to the time when we shall see Him as He is, and be made like unto Him in His eternal and glorious kingdom… Joy looks upward, peace looks inward, hope looks forward. The Christian hope is fixed on the coming of the Lord!”

In Our Blessed Hope We Possess Something Well Worth Waiting For

Lord Jesus, How wonderful the day when the Spirit worked to open our eyes to the truth about You!  Since that day You’ve been working to prepare us for the day of Your return.  Though that’s something that should fill our hearts with eager anticipation, we don’t always think and live that way.  Forgive us for our earth-bound ways!  May the Spirit work within us to open the eyes of our hearts to the glory of all You’ve prepared for us!  May we be led to mutually encourage one another as fellow pilgrims on our journey home!  As we look to the blessed hope of Your coming, may others be drawn to look there too!  Amen!