Hope of the Nations 130317

Romans 15:8-13, For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

In the passage just before this Paul says, "Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." "One another" represents the entire church of God, Jews and Gentiles altogether. We are able to do so because of the sacrifice of Christ. It is hard for us to recognize the suffering that Jesus went through on the cross. His sacrifice started long before that! Jesus, as part of the Godhead, existed eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Then, in the fullness of time, he came into the world as a human being. He left the glory of heaven for the gloom of earth. He left unlimited Godhood to become human and exist forever after as the MAN, Christ Jesus. He did this with a particular purpose in mind: to bring salvation to all those who would respond in faith among the Jews as well as the nations of the world.

In order to do this…

He became a servant of the Jews!

He came to his own people. Listen while I read, John 1:11, He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

The first "his own"refers to property ownership. Jesus, as creator of the universe, came to his own possessions. Not just the land of Israel but the entire world belonged to him. He had the right to claim his property and expel the human race from it! However, that wasn't the plan.

The second "his own" refers to people, not property. So it is correctly translated in the ESV. His own people, descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were not ready to receive him. In fact, they were looking for a Messiah but not one who came to serve and to save. They expected a Messiah who would lead them in victory over the Romans reestablishing David's earthly kingdom. However, that wasn't the plan!

From before the beginning of time God had a plan that involved all of the human race. God had the right, in the garden of Eden, to wipe out the human race before it began. As soon as Adam rebelled God had the right to end Adam's life, physical as well as spiritual. But he did not do that! Instead, in the fullness of time, he came to his own property knowing that his own people would reject him.

In line with that…

He limited his ministry. Listen to this story from Matthew 15:21-28, And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

This is a remarkable story! Picture the scene with me. Jesus and his disciples were walking along a road in the region of Tyre and Sidon. There obviously are many Jews there but the population must of been primarily Gentile, or Canaanite! As they were walking along a Canaanite woman came up to him, begging him to have mercy on her. Her daughter was oppressed by a demon. We're not told how this oppression was manifested in the daughter only that the woman described it as severe.

Jesus' answer seems rude in our culture. Instead of giving her help immediately he told her that he was only sent to the house of Israel and it would not be right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs! She was too concerned about her daughter to be offended. She immediately answered, in agreement with him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."

Jesus was so impressed with her great faith that he healed her daughter immediately. It was not her right to receive healing but it was a gift of grace based on her great faith.

He came to his own people…

In order to confirm the promises. Listen to what Paul wrote to the, Galatians 3:16, Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

The promises were made to Abraham and his offspring. Offspring is singular and was not referring to many people, as in the Jewish nation. God's plan from the beginning was to bless those who trusted in Christ. God never intended that salvation be limited to one race of people or to one tribe on earth. Hebrews, Chapter 11, makes it very clear that faith is the basis of human relationship to God and always has been. This was a mystery that was not always understood until Jesus came into the world as the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the world. Paul was given insight into the mystery and spoke of it in his writings about 20 times. One of those references is…

Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

The mystery gives hope to the nations. It was not just that the Gentiles might be saved but also that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the same promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of Paul's greatest battles was to convince the church that the Gentiles were equal to the Jews. As we have seen, earlier in Romans, the descendents of Abraham are not recognized in flesh but in faith. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. This belief occurred long before there was a Jewish nation and before Abraham did anything that can be considered a rule or a law to follow.

Over the centuries the concept of God having a relationship with anyone outside the Jewish nation was lost. By the time Jesus was born man had limited (or tried to limit) relationship with God to those who followed the law of Moses. In other words in order to know God one had to be, or become, a Jew. So Jesus limited himself, by and large, to a ministry to the Jews so that God's faithfulness could be understood. If God kept his promises to the descendents of Abraham he would keep his promises also to those who come to him by faith.

He did that in order…

That the Gentiles (Nations) might glorify God! He was to be…

A light for the nations. Listen to the prophecy of Isaiah, found in, Isaiah 60:1-3, Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

About 700 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah, the Prince of Prophets, heard the word of the Lord concerning the thick darkness that would cover the earth blinding the eyes of people to the truth of the good news of God's love. Isaiah heard God speak and preserved his words for us. More completely than any other prophet Isaiah understood that God would send salvation in the form of a man who would be the light of the world. He could see that that light would shine drawing people from all nations. John's gospel tells us that Jesus came into the world as the Word, and as Life. Then he said that The Life was the light of men. The light will shine in the darkness repeating the imagery of Isaiah.

This was done…

In order for salvation to reach the nations. Again we turn to Isaiah 49:6, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

We can see clearly in this passage that God always intended his salvation to reach out to all people. To Israel he says that it is "too light a thing" to bring back the preserved of Israel. Instead, Israel is to be a light for the nations. Remember this is about 700 years before Christ's birth. God's intention is not just to save a people but to make salvation available to the ends of the earth.

When Jesus was about to leave his disciples for the last time physically he told them that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth. God's plan is always been that the gospel go out to all nations.

This was the same message…

Preached by John the baptizer. Listen while I read, Luke 3:2-6, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

When John was questioned about his role in God's plan he stated that he was not the Messiah he was simply the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. You may remember that after John was arrested he called his disciples to him and asked them to go to Jesus to ask if he was really the one they were waiting for. Jesus responded with, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them." Jesus came into the world to seek and to save that which is lost. Paul tells us that Christ became a servant to the Jews to prove God's truthfulness and faithfulness showing that the promises given to the fathers serve the purpose of bringing the Gentiles (Nations) to a place where they may glorify God and…

That we may be filled with joy and peace!

We have peace with rejoicing. Listen while I read from, Romans 5:1-2, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Paul does not say we should have peace with God he says that, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have obtained access by faith in this grace in which we stand. The God of all hope fills us with joy and peace. Since we have such a relationship with the God of all hope we are able to abound in hope…

By the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the next three verses Romans 5:3-5, More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us! As a result we are able to rejoice in our sufferings not just the good things in life. Along the way to a realized hope — suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character. And the hope that we realize from that process does not disappoint us instead it puts us in a position to choose cooperation with the spirit of God in our life. Once the Spirit moves in our hearts and lives we are brought to a place where we can respond to God…

By our choice. I want you to look at three passages of Scripture first: Galatians 5:22-24; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

When a person is saved the Holy Spirit comes to live in them. The Holy Spirit produces his fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. For many of us it is a real struggle to get out of the Spirit's way and allow him to produce his strength in our lives. We need to choose to be filled with rejoicing and peace. The next best of Scripture is…

Colossians 3:14-15, And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Paul has just listed several qualities that we need to choose to have in our lives. But above all these are to put on love. Remember, faith, hope and love remain but the greatest of these is love. Love doesn't just happen we need to apply ourselves to "put love on". And then we must LET the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Do you see, the Holy Spirit bearing his fruit of love in our life, with our cooperation, brings the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts. We must choose to cooperate if we're going to enjoy the work of the Spirit in our life.

The third passage of Scripture is, Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If we will but choose to cooperate with God awesome changes will come into our lives. Rejoice always! The Lord is at hand! We have nothing to fear or be anxious about. We simply need to bring our needs before God in prayer and trust him to do what really needs to be done. Then, and only then, will the peace of God that is beyond human understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. In order to do this, he became a servant to his own people — the Jewish nation. He knew when he came that his own people would reject him. But he came anyway because he had a greater purpose in mind. That great purpose was salvation for all those who would believe. While on earth, Jesus limited his ministry, with few notable exceptions, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He did that to prove that God is faithful to his promises. But his greater promise was that all people who would believe might be saved. Have you accepted him as Lord and Savior? Will you turn to him now?

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Those Who Love God 120715

Romans 8:28-30, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:28 is one of the most abused passages of Scripture. It's often used by people to say things like: "It will all come out in the wash" or, "Doesn't the Bible say everything works out for good?" No where does the Bible say that everything, for everybody, works out for good. The translators of the English standard version changed the order of the words to make an emphasis. Where the King James version says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." The ESV says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." The difference in word order is important. The ESV helps us to see that "all things work together for good for those who love God — for those who are called according to his purpose."

You see, emphasis is not on "all things", the emphasis is on "those who love God". Now we need to remember that love is not a feeling it is an action. Or rather it's a series of actions each one confirming the other. To say "I love you" without lifing out "I love you" shows that you do not know the meaning of the words. God so loved the world doesn't mean much until there is added to it "that he sent his only son" to save the world. Some people will turn away from the idea of loving God because of the twisted understanding they have of the word "love". Nevertheless, God's word says, "And we know that for those who…". The world is divided between God lovers and God haters.

Those who love God.

The great divide. Let's read Ephesians 4:17-18, Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. The Greek word translated here as "Gentiles" could just as easily be translated "nations" or, "the human race". Christians are separated from the world by their faith in Jesus Christ. That faith can, and often does, result in rejection by the world. Recently, a pastor in Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to sixty days in jail and a $1210 fine. For seven years he had hosted a Bible study at first in his home. When it outgrew his home he built a game room on the property and the Bible study begin to meet there. The government authorities determined that what he had was a church and therefore involved dozens of code violations. The Pastor's response was his meeting was no different than a group of friends coming together to play poker or watch football.

I have often joked that we think persecution is the code enforcement people not letting us break the law. This case is no joke! This man has had to pay a hefty fine and is now sitting in the Maricopa County jail, unless he has been released in the last few days. And that is not a fun place. I have no doubt that there are code violations, if the building is really a church, but at the same time there appear to be similar buildings being used for all sorts of recreation in the area. The problem is a lack of evenhandedness just because the use of the building involved Bible study.

We need to remember…

Trials come — look at Job! If you want to follow in your Bible turn to the book of Job. Most of you know the story of Job. He was caught up in a great contest between God and Satan. After he lost his property, and his family, he responded, Job 1:20-21, Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Then, he lost his health and the loving support of his wife. Read 2:9-10, Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Later, after much suffering and struggle Job answered his tormentors 13:15, Though he slay me, I will hope in him. That's love! That's trust! Job didn't feel very loving. I'm sure that all he felt involved grief and pain. But he could still say that he would rather hope in the God of heaven than turn away and follow his grief. Further on Job made one of the most profound theological statements in the Old Testament. He probably did not have any written Bible. In the context of the story I believe it happened long before Abraham, the father of faith. But Job knew God and could speak with confidence 19:25-27, For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! And the rest of the story illustrates Romans 8:28. God allowed one who loved him to suffer for no apparent reason. God allowed it to happen because he had a greater purpose than Job's comfort. And when it was over God restored his fortunes and honored his prayers. Job loved God and was loved by him in return.

According to John, in his first little letter, we love God because…

He first loved us. Read with me 1 John 4:18-19, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

There's a praise song we sing that goes like this:

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

That's an expression of love and trust in the living God reflecting his love back to him.

But does God really work good in…

All things? I believe he does.

He uses good things. Read with me Romans 5:2, Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God! We have obtained access into his grace and we enjoy it! That's a good thing and God uses it to help us to grow up to his image reflected in Christ. But God also uses…

Bad things. Look at the next three verses Romans 5:3-5, More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Suffering may be physical or mental/emotional. God always has a plan that includes our suffering and he has a purpose in allowing it. William Cowper was a great hymn writer. He wrote thousands of poems and hymns. Two of them are found in our hymn book more than two hundred years after they were written. One we sing often, "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood". The other is less well known and we've never sung it. It is entitled, "O for a Closer Walk with God" And is hymn numbered 471. The second verse reads like this, "Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul refreshing view of Jesus and his word? The last verse shows his love for and trust in God. It reads like this, So shall my walk be close with God, calm and serene my frame; so purer light shall mark the road that leads me to the lamb. Cowper could trust in the God he loved and know, without a doubt, though he suffered much mental anguish he would still be brought through to the glory of God.

Another sufferer was Adoniram Judson who served in Burma as one of the earliest missionaries. He saw the death of his first and second wives and several of his children with little obvious spiritual results. One day, obviously reflecting on the suffering he had gone through, he wrote this little poem:

In joy or sorrow, health or pain,
Our course be onward still;
We sow on Burma's barren plain,
We reap on Zion's hill.

Judson understood his calling and his God. He knew he could love God because God loved him, in fact, God is love!

In the Bible book of Habakkuk we see the prophet observing the contradiction of God using the pagan nation of Assyria, and later Babylon, to punish Israel and Judah. There was much suffering during that time and yet he could write at the end of this little book the following words, Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. Though all else fail Habakkuk would say, "yet I will rejoice in the Lord"! We need to learn to follow these examples and keep our eyes focused on the author and perfecter of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Those who love the Lord are also…

Those who are called. Romans 8:30

There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding around the concept of election or predestination. Of course, there are those who help make it worse by insisting on a hypercalvinism. I personally am not a follower of Calvin so much as I am a follower of Paul. What the Scripture sets forth plainly is that God has issued a call to mankind of a general nature and a call to some, very specifically, that will not be resisted.

There is a story told about John Leland, an evangelist from Virginia in the late 1700s. He was visiting with a local doctor who had recently become a Christian. The doctor was eager to learn more about the faith. After some conversation, the doctor told him that he should be glad to have his views on two or three points of religious doctrine. First, as to the sovereignty of God. This was with Elder Leland a favorite theme, and one in which his head and his heart had been engaged for sixty years. He proceeded, and occupied several minutes in repeating appropriate passages of Scripture, commenting upon them in a most lucid manner, until the doctor said he was entirely satisfied with those views. "Now," said he, "please let me know what you think of the free agency of man." With no less authority from Scripture, and no less potency of reason, he made this point equally satisfactory. "Now, Elder," said the doctor, — "One more solution, and I shall be entirely satisfied — will you tell me how you reconcile these two great and important truths." "Doctor," said he, "there was once a mother, who, busy with her needle, was teaching her daughter to read. The child at length came to a hard word, and asked her mother what it was. "Spell it, my child," said she, "I can't spell it." "Let me see it then." She handed her the book, and the mother, after puzzling over it for some time, returned to the child, and said, "Skip it then." Iain H. Murray, Revival and Revivalism, Banner of Truth Trust, pp 318-319

When we come to what appear to be two conflicting doctrines, that are both clear in Scripture, we may just have to "skip it" until we have better light on the situation. Both, the doctrine of election, and, the free will of man are taught in Scripture. Don't get tangled up in trying to resolve the apparent conflict. Rest in the fact that all Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for our instruction.

First of all let's look at…

The general call. Read the words of Jesus in, Luke 24:46-47, Jesus said, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. …" Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name among all nations. Repeatedly, throughout Scripture, the word says we are to proclaim the gospel to everyone, everywhere. Look at what Paul said in Romans 10:14, How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? The message must go out to everyone of every race and nation that the Savior has come. For many the response may be negative but we have no way of knowing until we proclaim it. But for some there is a positive response to the gospel that is…

An effective call. Look at the words of Jesus,John 6:44, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

In order for the call to be effective the Father has to draw that person. Nothing we do can cause a person to be drawn to God. We can plant the seeds, we can water, but God gives the increase. When Paul and Silas crossed over to Philippi, bringing the gospel for the first-time to Europe, they sought out a place of prayer. They went there on the Sabbath and finding a group of women set down and presented the gospel. Luke records the story for us, Acts 16:14, One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. Paul spoke the words God had given him. That's all he could do. Deliver the mail! It was up to God to open her heart to pay attention to what was said and, at the end of the day, she and her whole household believed and were baptized. All of these things are part of God's purpose. All things work together for good for those who are called…

According to God's purpose.

The salvation of his people. Read with me, Ephesians 1:5-10, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have redemption through his blood. From the beginning of time God planned to send his son to be born of a woman, live a sinless life, and die on the cross for our sins. He did this with the specific purpose of uniting all things in him in heaven and on earth. Since that is true, his purpose not only includes salvation it also involves our glorification. His purpose is…

To glorify them. Jesus talked about this plan in his prayer preserved in the gospel of John. Turn with me to John 17:20-23, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.…" Jesus actually said that he had given, already, the glory that the father had given him to those who believe in him. Well, I'm not experiencing it all the time but I have to remember that my experience is not the standard, the word of God is. You see I can't work up God's glory but I can accept what God has done. Look with me at the words Paul wrote to the Philippians, Philippians 1:6, And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that my salvation does not depend on my good works. In fact the Bible is very clear that it is not by works of righteousness that I have done but according to his own mercy he saved us. You see…

It is God who does the work. Look at, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Pay attention to what this passage says. The God of peace himself will sanctify you completely. You cannot sanctify yourself — it's impossible. Only God can do that! But folks, it says right here that he is faithful and he will surely do the work of completing our salvation. The glory that Jesus gives will be revealed in us at the end of time.

God sent his son to seek and save that which is lost. There is, and always has been, a great divide among humans. Cain killed Abel simply because Able offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice. However, God had a plan and a purpose even before he created the earth. That plan was to raise up a people by his own strength to serve and follow him out of love because "God is love"! Have you come to love him? Come to him today he will not turn you away.

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All Scripture quotes are from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Luke 24:1-12, "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened."

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a historical fact! Jesus was publicly buried and his tomb was guarded by soldiers who were not sympathetic. His disciples, including Peter, were cowards who hid themselves, or lied about their relationship, during his trial and crucifixion. Yet, forty days later they would boldly stand in front of the same crowd that called for Jesus' crucifixion and proclaim, "… this Jesus, … you crucified … God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it," (Acts 2:23-24) How could they have been so brave if they had not seen the risen Lord? There are people, even today, who claim that the resurrection was a fabrication of the apostles. If that were true the authorities would've produced the body and stopped the whole movement in its tracks. None of the arguments against the resurrection hold water in the light of the fact that his disciples believed so strongly that he was raised that they were willing to die rather than deny it. What can we learn from his resurrection?

This resurrection was different from others.
Lazarus, and others, had been raised from the dead but died again. While these earlier resurrections were very significant in proving that Jesus is the Christ they were temporary. The widow's son at Nain, I am sure, was given many years to take care of his mother. He was given a second chance I'm sure he made the best use of it. Lazarus was restored to his family and lived on for a time as a witness to the power of God over death but he died again. I am sure he had less fear of death. After all, he had been there! It was no longer a mystery to him!

Jesus was the first of a new kind of human.
Paul presents the idea in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Here, he uses the word "firstfruits" and then notes that death came by a man and by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. Many theologians use the term, "Federal Head" to describe Adam and Jesus. Adam's sin resulted in death for all mankind. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection resulted in the hope of life eternal. Jesus became the head of a new race of humans. A race of people who no longer live in the kingdom of darkness but have been transferred to the kingdom of light.

He will never die again.
Romans 6:9 tells us exactly that, We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Dominion is an interesting word. The Greek word that it translates speaks of influence and authority over. When Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehem he was born into a body that was under the curse of sin. The body not the baby was under that curse. The person who lived in the body was God himself. He was the Lord of life and as such was never strictly under the dominion of sin, but his body was. When he was raised from the dead is body took on new characteristics. In his first appearance to his disciples he came into a closed room. He didn't need a door, but he always had before! They could touch him and feel him. Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and see that they are real. Later he walked with two of his disciples and they didn't recognize him. When he broke bread with them they suddenly recognized him and he vanished from their sight! Again, a little later, he met some of them by the sea and cooked breakfast for them. For thirty-three years he had walked on the earth in his earth-suit. Now, he was walking around in his heaven-suit. It was a body that was perfected, made forever free from weakness, sickness, and death. There is a heaven-suit waiting for all those who have faith in him. The Bible says that when he appears we shall be like him! Have you trusted him? Do you have a heaven-suit waiting for you?

Christ's resurrection is essential to Christianity.
The empty tomb sets Christianity apart from all the world religions. The great teachers of the Greeks all died and remain dead. The great teachers of the Far East all died and remain dead. None of them offer eternal life because they don't have it to offer. The life of Jesus, not just the time he was on the Earth as a man, but the life force of Jesus is, and always was, eternal! He was there at the creation. All that was created, including life itself, came from him. As John would say, "… in him was life, and the life was the light of men".

Through his resurrection we were born anew.
1 Peter 1:3, says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,… When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus to talk about his teachings Jesus surprised him by saying, "… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no eternal life. We were born into the kingdom of death and darkness. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the right to be called children of God. Children who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13) Without this new birth mankind has no hope. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And, the wages of sin is death, but the gift God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Through his resurrection we are justified.
Romans 4:25 speaks of the Lord Jesus, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. What is justification? Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology defines justification as follows: Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight. What a marvelous thing this is! Having put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven, legally, and we are credited with Christ's righteousness. He took our sins since he had none of his own and gave us God's righteousness since we have none of our own. We should be overwhelmed by this truth. The power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us salvation and justification and guarantees our resurrection.

Jesus' resurrection ensures ours.
In 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, Paul tells us, Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. In fact, Paul goes farther in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4-6, when he says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God will raise us up with Jesus because he HAS raised us up with Jesus! He took our sins to the cross and nailed them there. He took our sins into the grave and left them there. He raised us up with Jesus and seated us with him in the heavenly places. Of course we are not physically there yet! But so far as God is concerned, according to Scripture, he raised us up and already considers us as seated with him.

Christ's resurrection applies to our life now!
This is not some pie in the sky by-and-by scheme. This has practical applications for our lives right now! Through the power of the resurrection he does several things for us.

He gives strength to our service.
After a long discussion of the power of the resurrection in first Corinthians chapter 15 Paul tells us in verse 58, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Remember, any time you see the word "therefore" in Scripture you should pause for a moment and ask yourself, "What Is therefore there for?" In order to answer that question look at the material just before it. For most of the chapter before verse 58 Paul is talking about the concept of the resurrection. Since the resurrection releases so much power in the human life we can be: steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain. Sometimes it seems to be and sometimes we are discouraged. A lady by the name of Lucie E. Campbell wrote a song in 1933, that goes like this, "If when you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the savior has come; Be not dismayed when men don't believe you, He understands; He'll say, "Well done". Oh when I come to the end of my journey, Weary of life and the battle is won; Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption, He'll understand and say, "Well done."

He inspires us to seek a heavenly reward.
Because Christ has been raised, and because we have been raised with him, we are to seek for a heavenly reward and set our mind on the things of heaven. Paul wrote to the Colossians words that encourage us to look to our reward. In Colossians 3:1-4 he says, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. We spend too much of our time on earth looking for temporary satisfaction. There's nothing secure about earthly rewards. Peter talks about our security in his first epistle chapter 1 when he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Remember, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
Do you have an inheritance waiting for you in heaven? If you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and confessed him as your Lord you do.

He encourages us not to sin.
Paul wrote to the Romans to tell them that by virtue of the resurrected Christ, and his resurrecting power in us, we are to "consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" He then goes on to say, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:11-14. I believe the greatest promise in Scripture, for the believer, apart from promises related to salvation is contained in verse fourteen. Sin will have no dominion over you! Admittedly, it's in future tense but it is God's promise to us and is part of the process of growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. The resurrection power includes victory in life and over death.

In the early days of the church the only "special days" were the first day of the week, as a day of worship, and Passover Sunday later called "Easter" by the established church. It's the only calendar date that is essential to the Christian church. Apart from the resurrection, Christianity is just another man-made religion rooted in the flesh and not worthy of our consideration. As Paul said, "… If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14) In the resurrection we have hope that we could never have without it. Not just hope of heaven but hope of a better life in the here and now! Have you trusted him?

All Scripture quotes are from, The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.