PRAYING FOR YOUR CHURCH

In anticipation of the gathering of the saints for worship on this Lord’s Day, we need to pray. As the old hymn aptly states,

“Brethren, we have met to worship and adore the Lord our God;
Will you pray with all your power, while we try to preach the Word?
All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down;
Brethren, pray, and holy manna will be showered all around.”

That we should pray is indisputable. Yet, what exactly should we pray for—some general prayer for blessing?  General prayers are often generally unanswered. Paul gives us some specifics:

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:15-19‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

Meditate on these truths, then bow and pray with fervency and faith that God will do this among His people. We do not even have to tack on, “If it is Your will,” for we know it is!  The will of God is expressed in the Word of God.

What a difference this will make in your life, and in the worship experience of the congregation!  Such a prayer for your preacher is vital. Spurgeon was a pretty decent pastor, yet he said, “No man can do a truer kindness in this world toward me than to pray for me.”  If he needed prayer, I assure you that your pastor does!

CHRIST’S REIGN: Ruling in Majesty

Read Revelation 20.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He was not teasing us. There is literally a time coming when Christ will return and bring the Kingdom of God to earth and the will of God to be done for a thousand golden years. Jesus will sit on the throne of global dominion and rule in majesty.

The Millennium—the thousand year reign of Christ on earth—means that Satan will be bound (v.1-3). When the Serpent slithered into Eden, paradise was lost. Then paradise is regained as he is chained and cast into the bottomless pit.

It will be a time when saints will be enthroned (v.4-6). The people of God will be delegated areas of responsibility during the Millennium. The church—raptured from earth and glorified—returns with Christ to reign. Then the Tribulation martyrs are raised, as well as the Old Testament saints, so all the people of God reign with Christ.

There will be people who survive the horrors of the Tribulation, who bowing to Christ, will be welcomed into the Millennium. These will have children as earth is repopulated. As wonderful as the conditions—Christ reigning and Satan removed—these must still deal with their fallen nature, and sadly some will rebel and face the consequences.  In fact, when Satan is released, many will follow him (v.7-10). That rebellion is quickly crushed and Satan joins the Beast and False Prophet in Hell.
It is then time for all the wicked dead to be raised and judged (v.11-15). They will be given bodies suited for their eternal state of torment—the second death, in dying and being unable to die as they are cast into the lake of fire.

Paradise or punishment?  Where will you spend eternity?

CHRIST’S REIGN: Returning in Glory

Read Revelation 19:1-21

The overthrow of evil in the world will come.  The age of rebellion will end with the return of Christ to establish His kingdom of righteousness. Revelation 19 describes those climactic events.

It begins with the overthrow of this world’s political, economic, and religious system—Babylon (v.1-10). The great whore of one world government under the Antichrist, with its capital seated in Rome will be decimated.  While these tribulation events visit judgment on earth, the church is enjoying the marriage supper of the Lamb, safely in heaven.

But, the church will exchange her wedding gown for armor, as we will ride beside Christ in His return to earth to establish His dominion, where we will reign at His side (v.11-18). His description is awe-inspiring to the saints, but to His foes it will be fearful. Jesus is coming to reign on earth—the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” All His enemies will be conquered.

The Antichrist and his armies, gathered at Armageddon will be destroyed in a battle that is over as soon as it begins (v.17-21). None can stand before our Conquering King!  Even as the Bride of Christ has enjoyed a wedding feast in heaven above, now the carrion birds will be summoned to feast on the carcasses of those who dared fight the Lord. The Beast who directed the global political system and the False Prophet who led the global ecclesiastical system are first to be cast into eternal hell.

I want to be on the winning side, don’t you?

CHRIST’S REIGN: This Age and Ages to Come

Read Ephesians 1:15-23; 2:4-7.

“Jesus is Lord.”  That has been the universal confession of the church for the last 2000 years.

Jesus is Lord in this age. He has conquered death, risen in glory and power, and ascended to heaven where He reigns. All things are beneath His feet, in that He is working out His will. In particular, the church, as His body is under His Lordship. Paul prays that the eyes of the saints will be opened to understand the extent of our inheritance, that we share because of our identity in Christ.  We have been spiritually made alive together with Christ.  We have risen together with Christ in new life. We are spiritually so identified with Him that in this age we are seated with Him in Heavenly places.  All things are under His feet—so remember this today: there is nothing over your head that is under His feet!

Jesus will be Lord in the ages to come. That which is a spiritual reality will someday become a literal fulfillment. It is obvious that having new life in Christ has not actually made us glorified in the absolute sense.  We still live in this material world full of sin. We still live in this physical form that is decaying and dying. We still live in the battle zone where Satan is on the prowl. Yet, when Christ returns, the manifestation of our inheritance and actualization of our hope will be experienced. The dead in Christ will rise with new bodies, and the living saints will be changed into a glorified state. His kingdom reign will be extended over all the earth. Righteousness will reign on the globe. Satan will be bound—imprisoned in the bottomless pit. Happy day!  My heart sings, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

CHRIST’S REIGN: The Manifestation of Sovereignty

Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.

There has never been a time that Jesus has not been Lord, nor a time that He will not be. As the Second Person of the Godhead, He reigns as God eternally. The incarnation did not make Him less than fully God, rather it made Him fully man.

In His crucifixion, He died as man, but in His resurrection, He rose as glorified humanity. In doing so, He conquered death and crushed the serpent’s head. Satan is still dangerous in his death throes, however, as a snake can inject venom as it writhes in dying. The devil has been cast down, but not cast out—not yet.

Christ has ascended, and is extending His reign spiritually as He calls the elect to salvation. Each time a sinner repents of his rebellion and bows at the feet of the Savior, His reign is extended on earth.

The full manifestation of that awaits the future. Christ’s resurrection is the prototype of those whom He will raise from death. There is an order in the resurrection, as Paul  notes here. The dead in Christ will rise at the rapture of the church, to be joined by the living saints, transformed and taken up to glory. Following seven years of tribulation judgments on earth, Christ returns with His bride to reign. The Old Testament saints and tribulation martyrs will be raised to share in a thousand years of Christ’s reign on the earth. Following that the wicked will be raised and judged. Then Christ delivers over the kingdom to the Father and the Eternal State of new heavens and a new earth begins.

“And He shall reign forever and ever! Hallelujah!”

CHRIST’S REIGN: The Victory of Calvary

Read John 12:31-33. 

The popularity of Christ among the masses was diminishing. The tide had turned.  Most of the religious leaders had rejected Him, and now the common people were following suit.  Christ had come as their rightful Ruler, but because He was not the kind of king they were looking for, they would crown Him with thorns, rather than gold. 

Yet, in judging Him unworthy to reign over them, they were actually judging themselves unworthy of His kingdom. Their act of rejecting Him on earth would bring His rejection of them in eternity.  The only way to evade judgment for sin is to receive by faith the Savior’s work on the cross.  To refuse to bow at His nail-scarred feet is to endure judgment for sin which is deserved.

In the apparent defeat of Christ in His death, was actually accomplished the true victory over death. The ruler of this world—Satan—was overthrown. This fulfills the first prophecy concerning Jesus in Genesis 3:15. Sin had entered the world, as the serpent seduced Adam and Eve, but God already had a plan of redemption in place. “I will put enmity between you [the serpent, Satan], and the woman [Christ would be born of a virgin—the Seed of a woman, rather than man], and between your seed and her Seed [the spiritual warfare between sinners and saints seen in the hostility of the world rejecting Christ]; He shall bruise your head [the death of Jesus, crushing the serpent’s head], and you shall bruise His heel [the suffering for sin Christ bore].”

The cross, far from ending Christ’s claim as Lord, assured it!  The message of the cross will have a magnetic effect on all people. The Jews rejected their Messiah, but the result would be people from every nation will have opportunity to bow to the Lord and Savior.  An old rugged cross would become a royal throne!  He would not be a victim, but the Victor!

MYSTERIES REVEALED: The Next Big Thing

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

What is the next big thing to watch out for that would herald the coming of Christ for His church?  Are there prophecies to be fulfilled?  Are there signs to watch for?

No. Zip, zero, zilch. From the first century to the twenty first century, there has never been a generation that could not expect to see Jesus coming in the clouds for them.

The next big thing is the rapture of the church.  While, it is fascinating to see developments rapidly falling into place, which intensify my belief that very soon we will hear the trumpet call, the reality is Jesus could appear before I finish typing this post, or before you finish reading it.  What if it were today?  That is how we ought to live.

Paul speaks here of the rapture of the church.  While the term is not found in the Bible, the teaching certainly is.  The word comes from the Latin expression for being “caught up.”

Paul tells us to comfort one another with these words.  It is comforting in knowing we will again see our loved ones who died in faith.  They will rise first and we will be “together with them.”  It is comforting to know that living saints will be transformed, set free from the sin, suffering, and sorrow of this world.  It is comforting to know that before God pours out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world during the seven years of tribulation, that Jesus will remove His bride, the church.

MYSTERIES REVEALED: The Defeat of Death

Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-55.

We live in a world where death is ever-present. Green hills are intermittently dotted with tombstones.  Funeral services are offered in letters mailed to aging people. Hospital patients may be sent to hospice units—medical comfort for hopeful recovery supplanted by comfort care in anticipated decline and demise.

Sin is the cause. The world is cursed and death is the consequence. Man’s rebellion against God permeates every inch of the globe and sentences every sinner to execution.

Yet, Jesus came to overcome death, hell, and the grave. In His resurrection and glorification there is the assured promise of ours.  While this body of flesh and blood is not adequate to dwell in heaven, there will be a translation in which we receive a new body.  For the Christian, this occurs at the rapture of the church.

The dead in Christ will rise—with new bodies, no longer subject to decay. The living saints will be instantaneously transformed, as well. The trumpet blast will summon us to meet Jesus in the air.  Earth’s gravity will no longer be able to contain us.  The new body elevates us to a state that transcends time and space.

Paul essentially sticks his tongue out at death!  He has no fear.  The sting has been stolen and death’s defeat assured. We can stick our tongue out at death, too!  A name written on a death certificate is not a concern if that name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

MYSTERIES REVEALED: Words to the Wise

Read Matthew 25.

I had a school teacher, who would tell you what to study for the test, and when the test would be, then close with this warning, “A word to the wise should be sufficient.”  Then would come the time of the test and the results revealed some were wise and some were foolish.

We may debate the details of prophecy. Among Bible preachers and seminary professors, you will find differing schools of thought.  But, one thing all who believe the Word of God will agree on is the purpose of prophetic truth being presented in Scripture—to be ready for Jesus is coming.

To that end, Jesus concludes His great prophetic discourse in Matthew 24-25 with three descriptions of the end times as a wedding (25:1-13), a stewardship (25:14-30), and a judgment (25:31-46).  In each the point is the same—make preparation.

There is much to be learned in the study of prophecy. We ought not neglect it because some texts are intricate and difficult.  We need not become frustrated at the many differing viewpoints we will see presented.  It is a major portion of Scripture and you will have to avoid much of the Bible, if you skip the prophetic passages.

Ultimately, remember this—it isn’t about gaining information, though much can be learned. It is not about inspiration—although the hope we have of a world set right one day is thrilling. The bottom line is that the return of Christ is about preparation—being ready.

A word to the wise should be sufficient.

MYSTERIES REVEALED: When and What

Read Matthew 24.

As Jesus pointed to the massive Temple and declared its destruction, the disciples immediately thought such a catastrophe must signal the end of the age.  They were not thinking of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, with this interlude that has already lasted 2000 years and the return of Christ.  They held out the hope that the Messianic Kingdom was going to be established now, and thought this must herald it—so they sought an answer.

Remember, in reading this, that the church is not in view here.  Christ’s church will be built on His finished work of His crucifixion and resurrection and birthed after His ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  This was a mystery—a hidden truth, that these twelve knew nothing about at the time.  The mystery awaited its explanation in the epistles and Revelation.  The content of Matthew 24 and 25 is, therefore, Jewish in focus, and the church is not mentioned.

The signs of the end of the age, mark all the “last days,” which began with Christ’s work on Calvary.  If you read Revelation 6 for instance and compare it with Matthew 24, you will find a synthesis of these signs that happen with the opening of the seven seals.

Some will argue, “Haven’t false messiahs, wars, famines, disease, earthquakes, and religious persecution, marked the last 2000 years?”  Yes!  But, the key is to note Jesus called these “birth pains,” (the meaning of “sorrows” in v.8). A pregnant woman will feel twinges of pain all during her term, but as the time for birth draws near, the labor pains escalate in frequency and intensity. So, it will be in the last days, until the climactic pain of the Great Tribulation and the birth of the New World with Christ’s return.

MYSTERIES REVEALED: The Kingdom Parables

Read Matthew 13.

Jesus taught the parables in Matthew 13 as a means of separating the faithful followers from the false followers.  Those who were saved would have the mysteries of the kingdom revealed to them, while those who were lost would be unable to grasp the teaching (v.10-17).

There is the parable of the soils (v.1-9). This one is explained (v.18-23).  Four types of soil indicate the four responses that people make to the Gospel. Only one soil that produces fruit symbolizes those who have true faith.

There is the parable of the wheat and tares (v.24-30), with the explanation (v.36-43). The course of the age will feature both true believers and false converts within Christendom. Satan will see to it that he infiltrates the church, but in the end the truth is revealed in judgment.

There is the parable of the mustard seed (v.31-32).  The course of Christendom has been one of numerical expansion—from a small beginning of only 120 in the Upper Room, to the millions of those who profess Christianity today.  Yet, the birds are there to remind us that Satan is active in this church.

There is the parable of the leaven (v.33). This continues the theme of a mixture of evil with good in Christendom.  Leaven represents sin in Scripture.  False teaching will eventually permeate the kingdom resulting in a false church at the end of the age.

The last three point to the three great works God will do among three classes of people—Jews, Gentiles, and the church of God (see 1 Cor.10:32).

There is the parable of the hidden treasure (v.44) the pearl of great price (v.45-46), and the dragnet (v.47-52).  The hidden treasure is the nation of Israel. God has made covenant promises to the Jews which He will ultimately fulfill in the end times.  The pearl of great price is the church which Christ has purchased with His blood. The dragnet is the missions movement in the world, as God calls us to fish for men. As in the other parables we see a mixture of the true and false are brought into Christendom, to be separated in the end.

SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

The deepest longing of the human heart is for God.  There is a hole in our soul.  Sadly, because of our depraved nature, we try to fill that void with false gods—possessions, pleasures, power. We make our own deities and devise religious systems that appeal to our ego. It is like trying to satisfy your thirst by drinking water from the ocean.  The more you take in, the thirstier you become.

Moses expresses that heart cry properly, “Please, show me Your glory.” (Ex.33:18). It was a response issuing from grace, as God said, “you have found grace in My sight,” and rooted in a relationship with God, “and I know you by name.” (v.17b).

God, in His sovereignty had extended grace,  “Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” (v.19‬). That we are undeserving of such grace is what makes grace so amazingly gracious!  You don’t earn it; God gives it.  It isn’t based on who we are, but Who He is.

We can have “a foretaste of glory divine,” as the old hymn, “Blessed Assurance”, puts it.  While Moses could not look into God’s face and live, He was permitted an experience that would make his face radiant (read 33:20-23; 34:33-35), an experience He could renew before God.  So may we!

All this, will be consummated in Heaven.  We will have a new body that will enable us to look into the face of God.  Until then, our heart cries, “Please, show me Your glory.”  May we encounter the Eternal One as we meet with the saints for worship tomorrow!

GLORIFICATION: HOME AT LAST

Read Hebrews 11:8-16

God’s people, in this world, walk by faith and not by sight. Glorification comes when faith becomes sight.  Then we are home at last!  Freed from a world of wickedness and a body of weakness, fitted for our real home in Heaven!

It was that promise this sustained the patriarchs like Abraham, his wife Sarah, Isaac and Jacob.  They moved from place to place, living in tents, nomads without a permanent dwelling. Nor did they need one.  Their confession of faith was that they were just pilgrims passing through. The city they looked for was the New Jerusalem above.  They lived and died in faith and the moment they closed their eyes here, they opened them in glory!  

No earthly carpenter here can construct what the Eternal Carpenter of Nazareth has built in Heaven above!  Jesus promised He would go to prepare a  place for us, and when ready will return to move us in with Him (see John 14:1-3).

Practically speaking, this hope for tomorrow makes a difference in the way we live today. It helps us resist the allure of the material world and the pleasures of sin which are but for a season, and sharpens our focus while fueling our passion for the world to come.  Our eyes are on the prize and, like Abraham, there is no turning back.

Of such people this is said, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”  What a day that will be!

GLORIFICATION: PAULINE PERSPECTIVES

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Paul had much to say about the promised glory to come for the child of God. His magnum opus concerning the resurrection is found in 1 Cor.15, which we previously examined, but it was by no means the only time he referenced this doctrine that was a driving force in his life.  Today’s devotion will focus on some additional Pauline perspectives on our future hope.

Glorification is our great COMPULSION.

 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬).

Paul lists a number of difficulties he faced in serving Christ.  Yet, he did not despair.  He was a driven man, and this compulsion was maintained by looking ahead to the glory to come.  His resolve was fueled by the hope he possessed. We may say with the old Gospel song, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.”

Glorification is our great CONSUMMATION.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Philippians‬ ‭3:20-21‬).

All that we do for God, every service we render for others, and all hardship we endure is in view of the consummation of all things in glory. As we use this body for Him, the toll of that effort wears us down, but in the end we can press on, knowing that there is a new body being prepared in exchange for this worn out one.

Glorification is our great CONSOLATION.

 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians‬ ‭4:16-18‬).

There is no sorrow so deep as when we are separated from our loved ones by death.  Likewise, there is no solace so delightful as when we will be reunited with them.  That is the promise when Christ returns for His church.  The dead in Christ will rise and the living saints will be changed—all of us glorified and taken to heaven, to be with the Lord and with one another forever.  It is our message of consolation to one another.

What a happy hope!  This was Paul’s perspective.  Is it yours?

GLORIFICATION: AN OVERVIEW

Read 1 Corinthians 15.

There are some chapters in the Bible that jump out as key passages for specific themes.  Genesis 1–creation. John 3–regeneration.  1 Corinthians 13–love.  1 Corinthians 15–our focus today—an overview of the resurrection.

1.  THE BASIS OF THE RESURRECTION (v.1-11). Paul lays out the case for Christ’s resurrection.  Credible testimony has been made from those who saw Jesus alive from the dead.  Paul’s own life had been transformed by seeing Him.

2.  THE NECESSITY OF THE RESURRECTION (v.12-19). If there is no resurrection event, then Christ was not raised and should Christ not be raised, then we have no hope.  Christianity is a house of cards.

3.  THE ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION (v.20-28). Christ is the prototype for the resurrection.  We will be like Him in glorification.  The rapture of the church will be a time when the dead in Christ will rise with new bodies and living saints will be transformed.

4.  THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION (v.29-34).  The reality of the resurrection has implications for how we live today.  If this life is all there is, then sacrificing for eternity is foolish.  Live it up now, for this would be it.

5.  THE FORM OF THE RESURRECTION  (v.35-49).  That new body will be superior to this one in every way.  Yet, it will be a real body.  As our physical body was suited for life on earth, the spiritual body will be designed for life in eternity.

6.  THE VICTORY OF THE RESURRECTION (v.50-58).  The Christian cannot lose.  Triumph in Christ is assured.  Death has been defeated!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (v.58)

GLORIFICATION: THE PROMISE OF JESUS

Read Matthew 22:23-33. 

It was an old trick.  The Sadducees had used it on their theological opponents—the Pharisees—often.  The Sadducees were the liberals of their day, denying the supernatural, including the resurrection.  That is why a Sadducee was “sad, you see.”  They took Moses’ command that when a brother dies, his brother is expected to marry the widow and care for her, and in the hypothetical they present, this happens an absurd seven times.  So, they stumped the Pharisees with the question they think will buffalo Jesus, “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?”

Our Lord responds by pointing to the root of their problem, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”  He then proceeds to tell them that marriage is an institution of earth, that will be superseded by a higher relationship in eternity.  A sexual union with a spouse is supplanted by a spiritual union to Christ—the church is His bride. Jesus says we will be, “like the angels.”

He does not say that we will be angels!  I have often heard people say that.  You don’t want to be an angel.  You will be glorified humanity. Jesus wasn’t saying you would become an angel.  He was saying that in their devotion to Christ alone, we will be like holy angels. They do not wed, but focus on serving God and worshipping Him.  They are consumed with His glory, and all this will be true of us.  You won’t earn wings, but you will get a new body, designed for Heaven. 

The Sadducees claimed to believe only the first five books of the Bible.  So, Jesus proved their ignorance of the Scriptures by quoting from one of those books, Exodus 3:6, 15. The faithfulness of God’s Word extends to the very tenses of verbs, as God decreed, “I am the God of Abraham...Isaac, and...Jacob.”  He is eternally their God, for they are eternally with Him—and so shall all God’s people be.

Note, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob retained their identity.  In many ways, heaven is an extension of this life, but only on a higher plane.  I will know my wife and she will know me.  I will love my wife, but with perfect love, and so I will love everyone absolutely.

“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”  Case closed!

GLORIFICATION: AN OLD TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE

Read Job 19:23-27 and Daniel 12:1-3.

There are three tenses in salvation.  There is salvation from sin’s penalty, a past experience of justification when a believer has come to faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s power, a present experience of sanctification as a believer lives by faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s presence, a promised experience when a believer’s faith becomes sight. It is the third dimension we will focus on this week: glorification.

We begin with an Old Testament perspective from Job and Daniel.  Because revelation is progressive—that is, God discloses truth in an increasing way as one moves through the Scripture—there is not as much about the promised glory of the resurrection and our life in heaven found in the Old Testament. The teaching, while not fully developed, is there, however.

What a hope it was for Job!  Imagine all this man suffered. He lost everything—except for the hope of glory!  Yet, he expected an existence where he would have a new body, in a new place, where he would not feel the pain and heartache of this world. He would not be a ghost, floating around, as he speaks of “my flesh” and “my eyes” being with God and seeing God.  The resurrection body will be a different type of body and yet a real body.

Daniel says more about the resurrection.  He points to the timing—in the last days of earth’s history and the return of Christ.  He writes of “many,” because this refers to “your people”—Daniel’s fellow Israelis—who will be raised following “a time of trouble,” meaning the seven year Tribulation Period. There are actually a series of resurrections—Christ being the firstfruits, then the dead in Christ at the Rapture, and now these Old Testament saints at His return to earth to reign. Lastly, the wicked will be raised.  The righteous will be raised with bodies suited for Heaven and the wicked with bodies designed for Hell, but for all people everlasting existence, somewhere, destined for reward or retribution.

Where will you spend eternity?

THE COST OF CONVICTION

I wonder if we have considered much the suffering of our forbears who remained faithful to the Lord and His Word under threat, imprisonment, torture, and death?  I am reading, “The Story of the Baptists,” by Richard Cook, and there are many accounts of their persecution.  One I read today was of Pastor John James, who in London was “dragged by force out of his pulpit to prison” October 19, 1661. Witnesses perjured themselves as he was accused of “treasonable language against the king.”  He would be sentenced “to be hanged, drawn and quartered.”  The author states, “His death was a glorious one. ...he was calm, patient and forgiving, and exhorted those around him. His last words were, ‘Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.’”

In far too many places in our world today, we hear of such treatment of our brothers and sisters—India, China, Iran, Syria, Nigeria, and other spots.  Because America’s founding fathers established a country with religious freedom—having fled tyranny to come to here—we have enjoyed protection from such attacks.  The increasing secularism of the nation and pronouncements of courts indicate this may not hold much longer.

What would I do if I faced the challenge which came to John James, and so many other faithful Christians?  Would I stand?  How strong, how real is our faith?  God preserve us, and if it is Your will that we suffer, grant us grace to be faithful.

 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭21:12-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

GREETING, GUARDING, AND GROUNDING

Read Romans 16.

One of the fine ladies of our church has been our postal carrier for years.  Carrie has been faithful to carry the mail!  Paul had a trusted woman, Phoebe, who would bring his letter to the church at Rome.  Thank God for those sisters who are servants to the saints!  They are vital to the Lord’s work.

After commending Phoebe to them, Paul will conclude his letter emphasizing three basic areas: greeting, guarding, and grounding.

GREETING: those he wished to embrace.  “Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.”(v.16‬). By my count, twenty two times, the Apostle uses the word, “greet,” or “greets.”  How he loved the church and the church loved him!  This is the kind of loving fellowship God desires to mark His people.

GUARDING: those he warned to exclude.  “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.” (v.17‬). Doors serve two functions—they swing to let friends in, but shut to lock foes out.  Satan has emissaries who slither like serpents among the saints to inject false doctrinal and filthy moral venom into the church.  God will crush them beneath the feet of the church as we march to victory!

GROUNDING: those he worked to establish. “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—” (v.25-26‬). The Apostle was always concerned with grounding people in the truth.  It was his passion and mission.  It is why he wrote this letter, and why I have shared these devotional thoughts that I pray have helped you in some way.

Now, “to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (v.27‬)

OTHERS

Read Romans 15. 

If God is our Father, that makes all His children to be our brothers and sisters.  We are in the same family and are to relate to each other in love.

Those who are strong ought to bear with the tender souls of the weak.  “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.” (Rom.15:1-2). We are not to drive the sheep like cattle, but lead them like lambs.  Those mature in faith are not meant to be arrogant and indifferent to the immature, but to lovingly lead them.  Our concern is to build others up in faith.

Those whom Christ has received need to be received into the church. “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” (v.7). The compassion of Christ has reached out to sinners with grace and mercy, and He has embraced us.  Even more, He has come to dwell in us.  When we receive others, we receive Him.  This, in turn, brings us into the purpose for which we have been redeemed—to glorify God. 

Those God has brought together in His family are meant to admonish one another. “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” (v.14). To admonish is to inform and correct, or as some translations render it, “instruct.”  As we grow in moral goodness and Biblical knowledge, we are meant to help others do likewise.  Someone else in the body is always farther along than us and can instruct us, while someone else is behind us and we can instruct them.

Those in the church can be at peace through the presence of the Prince of Peace. “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (v.33). Here is the source of our unity.  The God of peace who has given us His peace can now enable us to abide in peace with one another in the church.

The Christian life is about others, not about me.

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

Read Romans 14.

“No man is an island,” said John Donne, the seventeenth century English poet and preacher. He was reflecting the Biblical concept that who we are and what we do does not merely affect ourselves, but others around us.  Paul put it this way, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” (Rom.14:7‬).

And to this end, we are accountable to God in life and in death.  There will be a Day of Judgment, where we will be evaluated as to the impact our life has had for Christ.  “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (v.8-12‬ ).

The implications for our earthly activity since Jesus is Lord cannot be underestimated.  In every dimension of this life we are responsible to Him—and how we live for Him is in relation to how we live among others.  Likewise, the implications for our eternal accountability before Jesus as Lord cannot be overstated.  In each area of our life we will answer to Him—and He will judge how we have judged the worth of others.

The Apostle begins the chapter by discussing the debates among the saints over sacred days and special diets, that were leading people to judge one another.  Some, with a sensitive conscience were assailing the liberty of their brothers who felt a greater freedom in the “gray areas,” of life, while those who promoted freedom were attacking their brethren whom they thought legalistic, by flaunting their liberty.  Paul concludes with a call to love—to respect one another and commit them to God.  The final judgment is up to the only One qualified to make it—Almighty God.   “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (v.13‬).

RISE AND SHINE!

Read Romans 13.

Rise and shine!  It is the call of a father to his child to wake up, get up, and dress up.  Many decades have passed since I was a boy, but I still remember having to get out of my warm bed and get ready to face a cold world in response to my father’s command. That is the call of our Father to His children, as we see in Romans 13.

We need to WAKE UP, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (v.11‬). It is easy to get comfortable under the covers of the church building.  But, there is a job waiting for us outside those walls.  Let us hear the Father calling and wake up!

We need to GET UP, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” (v.12‬a). No hitting the snooze button!  Some of us get awakened during a time of challenge from the exhortation of a pastor or from the experience of a problem, only to roll back over and go back to sleep.  Get up!

We need to DRESS UP, “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ...But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (v.12b, 14‬). Take off the night clothes.  Spiritually speaking, you repent and remove the wardrobe of this sinful dreamworld. But, you don’t go out naked!  Clothe yourself in the armor of God, which is nothing less than Christ Himself in all His fullness.  It’s a hostile world, and you better have your armor on!

We need to WALK UP, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” (v.13‬). We can’t stay inside, feeding on God’s word, and adjusting our armor by looking in the mirror—important as that is.  Once we hear our Commander’s instructions, it’s time to get out the door.  It is an uphill walk, against the wind. Those we encounter live in revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife, and envy.  They seek to bring us down to that level, but we must press on the upward way, and try to persuade them to come along.

Now—rise and shine!

DEDICATED TO GOD

Read Romans 12.

Paul has presented the glory of God’s Gospel in the first eleven chapters of Romans.  Now, he turns to the practical implications of that truth, as we see belief is to impact behavior.  His call is to complete dedication to God.

The basis of this dedication is in grace—what God has done for us, “I beseech [beg, implore] you therefore [because of what God has done for you], brethren, by the mercies of God [that has spared us from hell and opened up heaven], that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”  (v.1, comments added). That is, it is a perfectly reasonable thing for you to dedicate your all to the Savior who gave His all for you.

The means for this dedication has both a negative and positive dimension.  In verse two, the negative to avoid is “do not be conformed to this world,” and the positive to apply is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” with the result, “that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  You will either be conformed to the world or transformed by the Word.  It’s your choice.  You can’t do both, for they are mutually exclusive. You cannot walk in opposite directions at the same time!

For the rest of the chapter, Paul makes practical application of what it means to be dedicated to God.  There will be the deploying of spiritual gifts in humble service (v.3-8). There will also be the demonstration of sanctifying grace in personal action (v.9-21). We are in the world to make a difference, but not of the world in being different. Our dedication to God is seen in our devotion to our fellowman.

THE SALVATION OF ISRAEL

Read Romans 11.

God is not through with the Jew. If I cannot trust His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, then I cannot trust His covenant with me. Yet, I am reminded, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (v.29).  The failings of men, cannot bring the failing of God. “And so all Israel will be saved...” (v.26a).

This doesn’t mean, of course, that someone is saved eternally by a matter of their DNA. Only through faith in Christ can anyone be saved.  Those who died in faith under the Old Covenant trusted in a Savior to come.  Their sin debt, as ours, was paid for on Calvary. We now look back on that as the basis of our salvation.  Jesus was, is, and will ever be the only Way to the Father. The future salvation of the Jews will be as they come to faith in Jesus, “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (v.26b-27).

Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, and the Messiah of Israel.  They rejected their King and demanded He be crowned with thorns.  Since then, “blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (v.25b). A remnant of Jews have been saved down through the centuries, and we have Messianic congregations in our area today for example.  But, not many, for their is “blindness in part.”  The great harvest of those who are spiritually, as well as genetically, Israel awaits Christ’s second coming.

In the present, the church is predominately Gentile.  God is dealing with all men and women—including Jews—by the Gospel proclaimed by the church.  None are, or can be saved otherwise. Therefore we must witness to our neighbors, Jew and Gentile.  When, the church age is over, however, and “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (v.25b), then a great harvest of Israel will be gathered.  God is not through with the Jew.

GOSPEL IMPACT

Read Romans 10.

God has given the church the Gospel to have a global impact. In Romans, the Apostle Paul has already put the potential front and center, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation, for everyone who believes...” (1:16). Sadly, that potential is not being realized.  It seems the world is impacting the church far more than the church is impacting the world.  Why?

Here’s one reason, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (10:14-15‬).  To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, “[Evangelism] has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Two things can turn this around.

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” (10:1‬). Prayer for the lost prepares both the evangelist and those to be evangelized. It conditions our heart with a burden that overcomes fear and conditions the heart of those who hear the witness, for salvation is a supernatural work only God can do.

SCRIPTURAL PRESENTATION: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (10:9-10‬). This is the fundamental truth of the Gospel.  We don’t have to know elaborate philosophical arguments, nor offer eloquent grammatical answers, just make a clear proclamation of Jesus.  That is how people come to faith.

Here is the promise: “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’” (10:13‬). I am not opposed to us sharpening our skills and learning apologetic methods.  But, bottom line, when it comes to evangelism, “Just do it!”