Category Archives: Assurance/Faith

I’m Thankful to Have Hope in Christ — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 9

I’m thankful to have hope in Christ!

I don’t know what I would do if I did not have assurance that Jesus loves me and has prepared a place for me. It is too easy to get distracted by all of the trouble in this world — to get burdened and downcast — to get focused on myself and difficulties, faults, and failures. But God has made a way for me.

I think about the men and women Peter wrote 1 Peter to; he called them “elect exiles in the Dispersion”, writing to Jewish Christians who had been dispersed for various reasons, including persecution, all around the NT world (1 Peter 1:1-2). Here in 1 Peter 3:15, we see Peter encouraging them to be ready (prepared) to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. Read that again. Peter wrote to people experiencing trials and tribulations and persecution and difficulties of all sorts — people who were a long way from home in foreign lands — people who had reason to be downcast and distressed and told them to be ready when people asked them why they had hope. This means that, despite their difficulties, they would not only have hope but that Jesus, their “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3), would have such an impact on their lives and their outlook that people would take notice and ask.

That’s good news!

As we saw yesterday, the hope that “has been poured out into our hearts” stems from God’s love and “does not put us to shame” (Romans 5:3-5)! That hope is in spite of our circumstances and proven through God’s faithfulness amid our circumstances.

So, tonight, whatever is bothering you or beating you down, whatever difficulties you are in the midst of (even if those difficulties won’t end today, tomorrow, or soon), know this, beloved Sojourner: this world is not our home, the troubles that plague us have an expiration date, and Christ the Lord gives us a hope that will carry us through and bring us home to Him. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take Jesus’s.

In John 16:33, Jesus was talking to His disciples on the night He was arrested, tortured, and mocked before being crucified the next day. He told them about how He would send them a Helper, His Holy Spirit, and gave them hope by telling them that He would prepare a place for them in His Father’s house and praying for them. John 16:33 falls kind of toward the middle of that conversation.

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

Those words give me hope. Peter was there that night, and the hope Jesus offered clearly impacted him as he wrote all those years later to dispersed believers dealing with trouble. I hope they help you as well. I hope you find hope in the fact that He has already overcome the world, your troubles, and made a way for those He loves.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful God Gives Hope in the Midst of Suffering — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 8

I’m thankful to God for giving hope in the midst of suffering.

Sometimes, we can be fooled into thinking that being thankful is all about happy things, but the joy we have in Jesus is not because we have no sorrow and trials but despite our sorrow and trials.

The way Paul talks about this in Romans 5 bridges the hope we have in Jesus to Him being “justified by faith” in Him (Romans 5:1). There is a peace that comes through Him saving us — a peace that settles eternal matters and gives a necessary eternal perspective on troubling temporal (and sometimes temporary) matters (Romans 5:2).

That does not make the temporal or temporary suffering easy, though. It just reminds us Whose hands we are in, Who has taken care of our future, and how He will carry us through to the end. The progression in Romans 5:3-5 illustrates this.

For those who are in Christ, suffering produces endurance because He will carry us through; His strength is enough to endure whatever we need to get through. Enduring through His strength produces godly character because more time spent with Him and being carried by Him makes us reliant on Him and grow more like Him. Becoming more like Him gives us hope because we are used to looking to Him — now not just in trouble but in everything. And looking to Him in everything is not shameful because that is how we are designed; we were never meant to be self-reliant but Christ-reliant!

So, today, has plenty of trouble. Our lives here on earth are full of troubles and suffering. The longer we live, the more those can multiply. But the longer we walk with Christ, the more we realize that He carries us through. In that good news, there is hope in the midst of sorrow and trouble!

Lord, thank You for taking care of me and mine. You know that I let trials and sufferings hijack my mind too often, but even in the midst of my forgetfulness and stupidity, you are still holding me together and carrying me through. Thank you for holding me together until I can remember who You are and that I belong to You, and I look forward to the day that my forgetfulness is overwhelmed by the memory and character You are producing in me. You know I have friends and loved ones overwhelmed in temporal and temporary trials and suffering. Please help them remember you carry them, too. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for God’s Faithfulness — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 7

I’m thankful for God’s faithfulness!

Sometimes when Christ-followers say Jesus is our everything or that He is everything to us, it can sound a bit cliche. But for those who are in Christ, it is not just a statement we make; it is the foundation of our hope — the foundation of our life in Him.

When we are saved, He takes us from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-5). He takes our sin and exchanges it for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our old life passes away in His death and new life is born through His resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:17-24). He builds us up and establishes us (Colossians 2:6-7).

Not only is Jesus faithful in salvation, but He is faithful in keeping us and protecting us. Think about it: if we can trust Him to do what He says and save us — if He can bring us from death to life in Him, isn’t He powerful enough to protect us and “guard [us] against the evil one”?

The answer is yes.

As the author of Hebrews put it: “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). And I sure am thankful He is!

Thank You, Lord, for being the One who never fails, never lies, and never changes. When He say You will do something, You do it. When You promise, You fulfill it. When You love, You don’t let go. There is no one else in the universe faithful like You — definitely not us! Thank You for being faithful to build us up and protect us from evil. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful That We Can Trust God — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 5

I’m thankful that we can trust God!

So many are filled with anxiety right now as they watch the election results roll in. Honestly, I feel it, too. But there is One we can trust no matter the outcome of this election, or if He tarries, the outcomes of the next or the next. His name is Jesus, and He is truly trustworthy.

I chose this passage today because it is a good reminder of why we should trust the Lord rather than put our trust in worldly things.

To trust in “chariots” and “horses” was trusting in military prowess. Their might is contrasted with the “saving might” of God’s “right hand” in v. 6 and compared to the way His people can continue to stand when their worldly trusts “collapse and fall” in v. 8.

Psalm 20 is appropriate as it is a prayer for their nation’s king. As we pray tonight for the King of kings to grant us the president we need, we can stand in our trust of the Lord. If everything collapses, we can stand in our trust of Him. He won’t move. I’m reminded of the lyrics of the hymn: “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus / how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.” The good news isn’t that we have proved Him but that He has proved Himself “o’er and o’er” and will again and again.

As you watch the election coverage — or if you are reading this once the results have come in, don’t put your trust in donkeys or elephants. They will all collapse and fail you one way or another. Put your trust in the name of the LORD our God. His name is Jesus — the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the Potentate of presidents. He will never fall or fail.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 14

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb is such a beautiful picture of what what Paul describes as being found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

So often, talk of the righteousness and wickedness fuels complaints about religious people thinking they are better than others or even fuels the self-righteousness of some church folks. I wish I could say this never has applied to me, but as I wrote in the #DailyWisdomChallenge post for Proverb 11, it is too easy to forget we are all sinners — all wicked, as many of the Proverbs say.

If it were not for Jesus saving me, I would have no righteousness to speak of (Romans 3:10); all I would have is my sin and the death that my sin has earned (Romans 6:23). To clarify, I am not a righteous man. My heart is wicked. And, well, not to be a downer, but yours is too. All of us sin and “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He is righteous. He is perfect. He is sinless. The rest of us are not.

There will come a day when I will stand before this righteous, perfect, sinless God and be faced with my wickedness and sin. Everything I have ever done will be evidence of that. Everything I have ever said will make the case for my guilt. The Bible tells us that Satan is the Accuser — one who accuses us day and night “before our God” (Revelation 12:10). He is bringing to God’s attention, and not having to lie despite his great knack for deception, our sin and failures. And, scarier still, none of this is news to God, because He knew all that we would do and all that we would say before the foundation of the world.

For those who have been saved, however, a “guilt offering” has been made on our behalf. Those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection are saved (Romans 10:9), and God places our sin and guilt on Jesus, His sinless Son, in order that we can be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid our sin debt “by cancelling the record…that stood against us with its legal demands” by “nailing it to the cross” — by allowing the sinless Savior to be nailed to the cross that we deserved (Colossians 2:14).

That’s good news!

What’s more is that God did not merely satisfy some legal demand. He did not issue some writ or declaration that can be passed to the accuser who is trying to prosecute us and shame God with our failures. No, the Bible tells us that we have an “advocate” who has taken our case, and his name and credentials are “Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1)! Think of every dramatic courtroom drama you have ever watched or read about, and know that they pale in comparison to the rich finality with which Jesus handles the case of those He has saved. When the accuser taunts and mocks, reminding us of sin and failure, Jesus answers with His own righteousness! He declares that by His blood and sacrifice — and the fact that He died and is now living and interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34) — our sin has been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and “cast…into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19)!

Before the Accuser can plead his case any further, God smacks the gavel with finality and declares innocent based on the righteousness of Christ!

Proverbs say that fools “mock the guilt offering”. One thing I can surely testify to here today is that I “enjoy” God’s “acceptance” BECAUSE I know how serious my sin is and how eternally grateful I am that He would save a wretch such as me.

How about you?

Do you see Jesus’s death and resurrection as necessary, or do you find it silly and unnecessary?

Do you think you will stand before God and have acceptance through any other means — wealth, prosperity, good works?

Let me plead with you today to look to Jesus to save you!

And, if you have, rejoice in the acceptance that will never be taken away, and do not fear the accuser. He knows “his time is short” and is lashing out in anger, trying to hurt those God has saved and thereby hurt Him (Revelation 12:12). Be encouraged and fear not, because the same proclamation that brings news of the accuser also proclaims God’s victory and Satan’s doom:

“Now the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have CONQUERED him BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 11

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 11:7 is kind of blunt and honest and relates back to what was written about Proverbs 10:27-29 yesterday.

So often, there is a temptation for “church folks” (notice I did not say saved folks or those who have put their faith/trust/belief in Jesus) to want to take passages like this and point to those they know to be “wicked” at the expense of seeing their own sin. I have fallen into this sad state of affairs too many times over the years, and as bad as I hate to say it, I will again. In those times, it does not take long for the Holy Spirit to convict me by reminding me of the grievous sin in my own life. Sometimes, it will be past sins that He has already forgiven, but often, it will be sin that I currently am needing to repent of and ask Him to forgive.

When we talk about the “wicked” here in Proverbs, this ain’t that. This is not me defining wickedness or pointing out the way that wicked people live. This is written plainly in God’s written Word and illuminated by His Spirit. He defines wicked, and only He can make one righteous (Romans 3:10, 23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Proverbs 11:7 speaks of the reality of sin and death for people who do not trust in Jesus for salvation. If one does not trust in Jesus/have faith in Him to save and give eternal life, the only hope to be had is what is in this world. As David wrote in Psalm 20:7, some “trust in chariots” and some “in horses”, meaning that some put their trust in possessions, status, or even military or national strength and identity. When you die, all of those eartly hopes die, too. That’s part of what is pictured in the hope that comes from God in the rest of Psalm 20:7-8: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” When all else falls and this world — or we first — passes away, we can stand on the hope that comes from God, the living hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).

This verse reminds me of an illustration I heard a preacher give many years ago.

There was a man who was rich beyond measure. Late in life, he was saved, but one struggle, one temptation, he still dealt with was trusting in his money instead of trusting fully in Jesus. As it happened, his health began to dwindle, drawing him nearer to the Lord because all of the money he had and all of the doctors and medical treatments and trials he could afford were offering no relief. It was clear that he was going to die.

In the days leading up to his death, he had his lawyer come and he drew out his will. Large portions of his wealth were to go to his children and family, but he also divided it up so that the earthly kingdom of wealth he had built up would go to advance God’s Kingdom. He allotted a small amount of money for a funeral so that he would leave this world with only his trust in the Lord. Well, only his trust in the Lord and two gold bricks just in case there was a need for currency when he got to heaven.

He died and found himself in heaven. He was amazed when he got there and was making his way as quickly as he could through the gate made out of a giant pearl and along the street made of gold to see Jesus. As he walked, though, he noticed people pointing and staring at him. He couldn’t make out their whispers to one another and was confused and a little disheartened. He finally made his way to Jesus, falling at His feet. When Jesus lifted him up, the man asked him why folks had been pointing and talking about him as he walked in.

Jesus told the man that they were asking why he had his pockets filled with gravel.

That is a quippy story that makes a joke of how insignificant earthly riches are to the lavish wealth and trappings of heaven — especially how all of it pales in comparison to Jesus, but there is a kernel of truth in the story that points us back to Proverbs 11:7. Just as surely as earthly hope dies when we die, so does our wealth. Everything we earn goes to someone or something once we die.

If that is all we hope in, we will go to stand before the LORD hoping that the gravel we have filled out pockets and lives with will buy us eternal life. Let me tell you some good news: Jesus has already paid for eternal life by His blood for all who put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!

The only question is in whether you will put your hope with Him rather on fickle, fleeting, perishable hopes here on earth instead.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 10

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s passage, like yesterday’s, gives us two contrasting groups. In Proverbs 9:8, we looked at the scoffers and the wise. Today, we have a comparison of the righteous and the wicked.

We need to make an important distinction here so that I can make sure we are on the same page: “none is righteous, no not one” (Psalm 14:3, 53:3; Romans 3:10). Any discussion of the righteous and the wicked needs the understanding — almost like a disclaimer — that none of us are righteous outside of “faith in Christ”, “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Sometimes we get sideways on this and talk about righteous as if we are inherently good. The Bible makes it clear that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23). The sin that plagues our lives cannot be blamed solely on outside forces, either; our temptations often come from within when we are “lured and enticed by [our] own desire” (James 1:14). So, any appeal of an us v. them argument on this puts our “us” on the side of the wicked — and makes it an us v. HIM (Jesus Christ the Righteous — 1 John 2:1)!

The only way we can be made righteous is to trust in Jesus. I love the clarity of 2 Corinthians 5:21 on this subject. We’ll break it down phrase by phrase to help us get it (or as I tell my school kiddos, to pick up what I’m laying down).

For our sake. Jesus offers salvation because we need it. We are sinners, as we have seen above, and He is the only Savior. Sometimes we are offended when confronted with this truth, but it is good news — the God who stands holy and righteous offers an opportunity to be saved by grace through faith in His Son Jesus rather than having to receive His wrath reserved for sin.

He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin. We deserve the wrath of God because He is the righteous and perfect Creator, and we have gone against His standard. This is not a popular view point. But, here’s the good news: Jesus becoming sin for us means that He willingly took the wrath of God for those He saves! Jesus, the only sinless One — God’s righteous standard in human flesh, pays the sin debt of those who trust in Him by grace through faith by the price of His own blood (Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24).

So that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God. The only way for us — sinners or “wicked” “evildoers” as Proverbs 10:27-29 puts it — to be righteous before God is to have Jesus’s righteous covering our sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us a glimpse of this great exchange between Jesus and those He saves where He takes their sin and exchanges it for His righteousness. 1 John 2:1-2 gives the picture a little clearer: Jesus Christ the righteous is our advocate and stands before God as our atoning sacrifice, His blood paying for our sin and covering us with His righteousness.

That’s good news! It’s tough and raw and infinitely unfair, but it is a picture of God’s love for His people in Jesus. It’s a picture of grace. It’s a picture of mercy. It’s a picture of Proverbs 10:27-29.

Biblical wisdom is knowing that we can do nothing to prolong our life and being well-aquainted with the reality of the wages of our sin being death (Romans 6:23). The hope of those who fear the LORD is Jesus, and from Him and the life He gives there is joy (Proverbs 10:28); any expectation other than what we can have in Jesus perishes when we do.

And, don’t miss this, Jesus came to seek and save the lost — to give His life as a ransom for the wicked, for people like me who confess Him as LORD and believe in Him. That’s good news for me and all who put their faith in Him. That news represents the “stronghold” I have in Him — not that I am “blameless” but that He is, but that news represents “destruction to evildoers” who do not put their faith in Him (Proverbs 10:29).

What about you? Where do you stand in the great exchange? Has Jesus taken your sin and counted you blameless, or are you banking on your own righteousness?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 4

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

This section of proverbs is written father-to-son and gives a good picture of why the wisdom of God is good for us — and better than the wisdom of the world.

There is a phrase in English that is meant to convey this: father knows best. There was even a TV show with that name in the 1950s. Well, it ain’t the 1950s anymore. Fathers don’t always know best or give the best advice; they don’t always give the best example to follow and aren’t too consistent (even absent in too many cases).

The phrase “father knows best” doesn’t mean what it once did. And, truth be told, it didn’t mean it as often as folks would like to believe then. Here’s some good news, though: God the Father knows best. Always. His wise counsel is worth following. His example is worth following. He is the very definition of consistent. And because He is God, He is never absent!

The picture we get in Proverbs 4 is instruction for the son to “be attentive” in order to “gain insight”. So, for us in this #DailyWisdomChallenge (and for all the days that follow until we stand before the Father), we should be attentive to what God the Father has to tell us in His Word. That will give us insight into how He intended us to live, and since He is God — the inventor of humanity and the giver of life, He knows how He designed life to work best. God the Father knows best.

Here’s some more good news: we never have to wonder if God is leading or guiding us the right way. Earthly fathers are fickle and often fail (I am unfortunately an example of this), but God the Father always gives us “good precepts”. He never leads us wrongly. So, don’t forsake His teaching but follow it wholeheartedly.

Lord, help us to hear you and be attentive to Your Word. Instill in us a trust for You as Father that may not come easy to us, and give us the strength and opportunity to live out your “good precepts”. Amen.

Songs for Sunday, September 8, 2024 @ Christ Community Church

Sunday’s coming!

Do you ever feel like you are living in between two realities — like there’s a tension in where you are and where you want to be?

In a sense, all of us are, especially if you are saved. There is the reality of what Jesus has done in dying for our sins and raising again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). There’s the reality of when His Spirit convicted us of our sin and we turned — repented — from our sin and put our faith and trust in Jesus (John 16:8, Acts 2:38)….

…when He made us born again (John 3:3-7)….

…when He brought us from dead in sin to new life in Him (Ephesians 2:1-5)….

…when He reconciled us from enemies to His friends (Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)….

…when He adopted us into His family (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:4-5).

Those who are saved know and understand that reality. They understand that confessing Jesus as Lord and believing He is risen is an eternal-life altering moment (Romans 10:9-10). And with that comes the assurance that Jesus is alive and reigning despite the way this world is going (Ephesians 1:20-21, Colossians 1:17-18). There is assurance that Jesus cannot be defeated. There is assurance that Jesus has promised to return for His Bride, the Church, in victory and bring her to be with Him forever and ever (John 14:3, Revelation 19:7-9). There is assurance that He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

But living in between those bookends is tough. Salvation is already and, at the same time, not yet. There is a tension because we struggle with sin inside us and without us (Romans 7:21-25). There is a spiritual battle being waged (Ephesians 6:12), and with it comes pain and struggle and sorrow and danger and mourning and threat and…well, that list can go on and on, can’t it?

I’ve been thinking about that tension a lot this week, and, thankfully, the tension drove me to Jesus in His Word. Let’s look at the bookends of Romans 8 to see just how faithful and powerful our God is!

First, let’s look at Romans 8:1-2:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

God tells us here that, for those who are in Christ, there is NOW “no condemnation”. If Jesus has saved you, you are saved. He has paid the death penalty for your sin and given you His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Before He saves us, we are captives of our own sin yet we have no idea. We had a sort of sad Stockholm syndrome with our sin and could not see that our captor — the sin that we so enjoyed and pursued — was actively trying to kill us. But Jesus comes in as a powerful warrior King and rescues us from our captivity. He rides in and paid the price to free us. As the old hymn says, He sought us and bought us with His redeeming blood. Death and sin no longer own those He saves. He bore our sin and paid our price by His death to set us free and give us His life.

This is a powerful bookend — a significant beginning where our lifeless corpse, killed by the wages of our sin, is filled with life better than anything we could even hope for. But the life we have is still in a world where death and sin is rampant. The Fall is everywhere and still falling. There are temporal dangers that bring fear and reminders of captivity. They breathe threats that we still deserve condemnation. And our physical bodies, despite our eternal life, are decaying and dying.

Here in the middle is a scary place to be sometimes.

But GOD!

Look at the end of Romans 8 (vv. 31-36):

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ is the One who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or danger, or sword?

These rhetorical questions are helpful here in the tension of living eternal life in this fallen world.

The accuser can throw our sin in our faces all he wants to. Our past can testify against us as vehemently as it wants to. If God is for us, none can stand against us. He gave His Son to save us and will not withhold His grace. There is no condemnation because Jesus justifies those He saves — justifies in the present-tense because Jesus is alive and seated at the right-hand of His Father and actively interceding for us!

So, in the midst of fear — in the midst of those frightening things Paul listed in v. 36: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, danger, death by the sword — the answer to the question of “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” is a clear and definite NO ONE!

If Jesus has saved you, the world can throw its worst at you, and its greatest threat — death — is your greatest reward. Death brings those who are in Christ TO Christ (Philippians 1:21-23). I don’t know about you, but that comforts me. I don’t have to survive to thrive. Jesus has saved me, so I thrive in Him and eternally no matter what happens here (John 10:28-29, 1 Peter 1:3-5). The greatest threats in the midst of tension are merely part of a testimony of what Jesus is bringing me through, even and especially when I can’t see it right now (Romans 8:28)! I can know that because my Savior lives and reigns and intercedes for me even now (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34)!

How about you?

Are you in Christ?

If not, I invite you to call out to Him to save you (Romans 10:13)! He is still that valiant warrior King — the God who saves! He delights in reconciling sinners to Him (Zephaniah 3:17, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19)! He has the power to bring you from dead in sin to alive in Him (Ephesians 2:4-5).

If you are in Him, I invite you to breathe a sigh of relief because God has got you no matter what (John 16:33, Psalm 46:1-2). One way or the other, He is bringing you to Him (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), so let the things of this earth pale in comparison to His light and glory (Colossians 3:1-4)!

I invite you all to gather with us tomorrow at Christ Community as we sing to and about Jesus, all He has done and is doing. John will open the Word and point us to Jesus, the living Word of God (John 1:1, 14).

I can hardly wait.

In the midst of the tension between salvation and eternal life, we are going to remind each other of what He has done and can do — get a glimpse of what it will be to stand around His throne and worship Him — the Lamb who was slain, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ — forever and ever (Revelation 5:5-6, Titus 2:13).

Won’t you gather with us?

Here are our Scriptures & songs:

21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

9But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Meditation Monday, July 29,2024

The Bible teaches us that it is good to meditate on God’s Word so that, as the Lord told Joshua, we “may be careful to do everything written in it” (Joshua 1:8). To meditate on it means that we are doing more than reading or comprehending it because we are dwelling on it, allowing it to stay on our minds and hearts throughout the day. This is a practice the Bible attributes to those who “delight” or “love” God’s Word and want the words of their mouths and meditation of their hearts to be pleasing in the sight of God (Psalm 1:2, 19:14, 119:97).

Meditation Monday is an opportunity for us to take a short passage of Scripture — no more than a few verses, consider what it means, and store it in our minds so that we think on it throughout the day and it make its way into our hearts and lives.

Here is today’s passage:

Psalm 119 is all about God’s Word. It is 176 verses long and has 22 sections (one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet). It is a very long poem of adoration and worship to God for giving His Word and providing His people with it. There are eight words the psalmist uses to talk about the Word of God: law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, rules, and, of course, word. We are going to be spending a while on Mondays looking at some highlights from Psalm 119 to help train our minds and hearts to meditate on God’s Word.

Today’s passage helps us understand how viewing life in light of eternal life can help keep us from focusing on “worthless things”.

If we are not careful, we can get caught up in all of the evil and darkness of this world and begin to feel like all that is light, good, or godly is being extinguished. Hopelessness takes root easily because we cannot see a way forward and it seems like the forces for good are few and weak in the face of overwhelming evil. But that is not the case. How can I say that with assurance? To use the words of the beloved children’s song: “The Bible tells me so”:

There are many Bible passages that I could give, but two from John’s gospel are very clear and comforting:

  • John 1:1-5 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
  • ‭‭John‬ ‭16:29-33 — “His disciples said, ‘Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.’”

In these verses we get needed perspective and an illustration of our need for God, through His Word and His Spirit within us, to turn our eyes from the “worthless things” of this world toward the “life” that comes from His “ways”. The darkness is not powerful enough to extinguish the light because Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12)! He is God and has already “overcome the world”!

If our eyes are fixed on our social media feeds and news outlets, we will be in constant fear, but if our eyes are fixed on Jesus, there is no need to fear. You might be tempted argue against this, but it is the Bible that defines what is worthless and what is worth focusing on. The things above where Jesus is are where our eyes and focus should be fixed (Colossians 3:1-3). The “worthless things” are here below.

So, meditate on God’s Word today and find life in His ways.

The Bible tells us so!