CREATED FOR HOPE: REGENERATION

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 NKJV)

The generation of human life began with God making a man in His own image—molding him from the mud and breathing life into Adam.  Before the day was done, a woman was fashioned to perfectly complement him, as the Lord created Eve.  They were blessed of God and given an incredible purpose.  They were created for hope.

Then, the catastrophic choice was made one day.  The one forbidden fruit was sampled.  Their rebellion brought the curse.  Immediately generation surrendered to degeneration.  Decay and death supplanted life.  Hope was shattered.

But, into this darkness there burst a ray of light.  The serpent will have his head crushed.  The Seed of the woman—singular and particular—will do the job.  He is the Seed—Jesus the One and Only.  He would be the Seed of the woman—what an unusual expression!  Typically we would think of the seed as being of man, and the egg of a woman.  The miracle of the incarnation is implied here—that the Crusher of the serpent would be born without a human father, and indeed He was—Christ, the virgin born Son of God.  Satan’s demise, however, would not be without pain for Him—His heel bruised on Calvary—the agonies of the cross where the serpent’s deadly venom of sin would surge through the sinless One’s veins for the first and last time!

In this messianic prophecy hope is found.  No sooner than sin entered than a Savior was announced.  “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom.5:20b). That which the first Adam lost will be restored by the last Adam—for that is also the title of Jesus Christ, magnifying His founding of a new creation.  Consider Paul’s words:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.  But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.  For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.  Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Romans 5:12-21)

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.  ‎However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  ‎The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  ‎And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

There is assured the reverse of the curse!  Hope will rise like a phoenix from the ashes!

Regeneration brings the hope of BEING LIKE JESUS.  The image of God, marred by sin is restored.  Having a new birth means that we are being shaped into the likeness of Christ.

There is also the settled hope of REIGNING WITH JESUS.  We were created for dominion, but allowed the usurper, Satan, to take authority over this fallen world—but, not absolutely.  Those who receive Jesus are assured they will reign with Jesus.  Christ will come and take dominion and His bride will be at His side.

Hope comes as we are UNITED IN JESUS.  We are reconciled to God and each other.  Sin built a barrier, but the Savior built a bridge!  The connection with God that was broken is re-established.  Not only that, the sin that separates us from each other is overcome.  Nowhere is this more demonstrable than in a Christian home, where a wife can submit in love to her husband’s leadership as the Son is equal with God and yet submissive to the Father, and a husband can sacrifice in love for his wife’s welfare as Christ did for the church.

Hope restores our productivity as we are FRUITFUL FOR JESUS.  We can reproduce “after our kind” and that is the spiritual progeny we bring into the world.  The seed of the Gospel produces the fruit of salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit works through believers that He indwells.  A new spiritual race of descendants from the last Adam is begotten.  Heaven will be populated with these saints!

You must be born again—that’s where hope is found.  If you are born of the first Adam only, you are still a sinner and under the curse—without God and without hope.  But, to receive Christ by faith and repentance is to be regenerate and born of the last Adam—spiritually—into God’s forever family.

Here is the promise:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev.21:1-5)

CREATED FOR HOPE: DEGENERATION

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” ’ ” (Genesis 3:1-3 NKJV)

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we have the generation of all things.  God creates the heavens and the earth, and all that is in the earth including the pinnacle of His creation—Adam and Eve.  We find that they are created for hope—a hope that rests in their CONFORMING to the image of God, as they were made in His likeness.  Their hope also resided in their CONTROLLING, as they were commanded to exert dominion over God’s creation.  Hope was found in their CONNECTING—the man and woman designed to connect in a love relationship with their Maker and their mate.  Humans were created for hope in CREATING, by bringing new life into the world.

But, the hope that was given in the first two chapters was spurned in chapter three.  Generation turned to degeneration.  In the sad story we read is found the cause of all the sorrow and suffering in the world—a huge three letter word—sin.

There was A DEADLY DETOUR.  Discontented to bear the likeness of God, they wanted to be as God (Gen.3:3).  It was choosing this path that first turned the beautiful angel, Lucifer, into the malevolent devil, Satan, and the cunning proposal that would cause human beings who were generated to bear God’s image, to degenerate into more resembling the spawn of Satan than sons of God.  God had a great destiny intended for Adam and Eve, but they decided to take a detour, beguiled by the devil.  It sounded so appealing, however, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov.14:12)

Degeneration also brought A DETHRONED AUTHORITY.  Man forfeited his dominion.  He failed in his stewardship and all creation came under the curse.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.  Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” (Gen.3:17-19)

Adam was generated from the dust, and would—because of sin—degenerate back to dust.

Degeneration would also be displayed in A DISRUPTED RELATIONSHIP.  Immediately there was a disruption in the relationship of man and his Maker.  Where there had been an unbroken fellowship—as man walked with God intimately and joyfully, at peace as they traveled the same direction, all would be turned on its head through Adam and Eve’s rebellion.  Peace would yield to fear.  Transparency would be supplanted by a cover-up.

“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Gen.3:8-10).

But the disruption would not only come between the man and his Maker, but the man and his mate. 

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings…. To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” (Gen.3:7, 16)

The battle of the sexes begins—male chauvinism and radical feminism—rooted in sinful self-interest for manipulation and domination.

Degeneration would further be marked by A DIFFICULT CHILDBIRTH.  The productivity of childbirth would bring the pain of childbirth.  Every woman who has gone through labor can attest to that. 

But, sin causes pain from children beyond birth.  Imagine the ache in the hearts of Adam and Eve as they stood over the first grave, belonging to their son, Abel.  I have been with parents in hospitals as they held a stillborn infant in their arms and have witnessed that little form christened with their tears.  I have made the journey to a cemetery with grief-stricken parents whose child’s lifeless form would be encased in the sod. 

Another son, Cain, would not attend that first funeral.  Adam and Eve watched him walk away.  His rebellion against God that led to such brutality was judged with banishment.  Unlike the father in the story of the Prodigal Son who would see his lost boy come home, insofar as we know, Adam would go to his grave with his son still estranged from him.  What woe!  This is the disruption from the degeneration of sin.

We see it all around us.  We have tasted the tantalizing fruit and found it toxic.  Ours appears to be a hopeless world, degenerating rapidly.  Paradise has been lost. 

Can paradise be regained?  Stay tuned.  There is more to the story.

CREATED FOR HOPE: GENERATION

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV)

The best place to begin is with the beginning.  To know what God intended for humanity to experience, we need to see His original blueprint.  Genesis is about generation—you note the similarity in the words.  To generate something is to create it, and that is what God did in bringing all things into existence.

We are created for hope in CONFORMING.  We see that human beings—male and female were created in God’s image.  God made us to be conformed to His likeness.  The likeness of God in man means the capacity for rational thought, emotional expression and volitional decision.  We were designed to think God’s thoughts after Him, to feel the same desires and make godly choices conformed to His will.  As Adam and Eve walked with God the truth would captivate their minds, their hearts would become intertwined with His so God’s passions would become theirs and they would progress in faith and obedience directed by God.  That was and is God’s intent for humanity!

But more, we are created for hope in CONTROLLING.  Adam and Eve were given dominion—meant to control and be stewards of God’s creation.  They were to manage the beautiful world God had fashioned.  All was to be in subjection to man.  In so doing they would rule the world under God’s authority.

Then, we are created in hope in CONNECTING.  They had the capacity for connection to the Creator.  He walked with them in fellowship. There was an intimate bond—a relationship that was profound and personal.  Out of that connection, Adam and Eve were to be connected to each other.

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Gen.2:18)

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  ‎Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”  (Gen.2:21-25)

Love was to permeate their relationship.  We are not to live life in isolation, but connection.

Finally, we are created in hope for the purpose of CREATING.  As God created mankind in His image, so they would create new life in their image.  Adam and Eve were designed and directed with the capacity and the call to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth with those they had brought into being.  Humans were bestowed with a marvelous creativity—for art and music and architecture—all manner of invention—planted in us by the Creator.

So, there was a pristine paradise and in Adam and Eve so much potential.  They were created for hope—and what a hope it was!  Man would never be God, but was made to reflect God.

Yet, something had gone wrong—very wrong—impacting every one of these areas in a horrible fashion.  That will be the subject of the next study in this series.

CREATED FOR HOPE

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV)

‎‎Close your eyes and picture in your mind, the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen.  Now, imagine it a thousand times more wondrous. 

So it must have been in Eden. 

Over and again, God spoke in creative power and assessed, “It’s good,” and then He made Adam and Eve, declaring, “Very good!” 

So what happened?

As we look around us—even though creation still shows God’s imprint—we see something far from paradise.  Instead there is a world that is broken—shattered lives, sorrow and suffering, disease and death, woe and war.

The big question we ask, “Is there any hope? Can paradise be restored?” 

The Bible has an answer.  This week we will see that there is hope!  We are created for it, and all will be consummated in what the Word of God declares is, “the blessed hope” which is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EMBRACES THE SAVED: Our Sufficient Resource

“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Col.3:4 NKJV)

Here we see the flip side of the same coin.  Much of what Paul writes in the third chapter of Colossians concerns our position in Christ.  But, in verse four, the Apostle notes our provision of Christ.  Yes, we are in Christ, but also, Christ is in us!  These are two sides of the same Christian coin.

Jesus doesn’t just give us life as something apart from Himself—He is our life!    This means that Jesus, by His Spirit, now indwells you—the all-sufficient resource for all you face. 

The Christian life is simply Jesus being Jesus in and through you.  We may think the Christian life is difficult.  No!  It’s impossible!  We could never hope to live up to the standard set by the sinless Savior.

Only one Person has ever lived the Christian life as it is meant to be lived—that is Jesus Himself! That is still the way it works—the Christ life expressed through the Christian’s life.

 Rather than rely on our puny resources, we can rest in His powerful ones!  That’s why we are more than conquerors through Him. 

It isn’t a victory at the end where we barely pull it out.  We may have the erroneous idea that on one side there is the devil and on the other side there is Jesus.  They are up and down the court of time scoring basket after basket—nip and tuck all the way.  Then we come into the final seconds of human history, with God’s team down by two points.  As the clock goes to zero the last shot has left the Lord’s hand and it swishes through the net for a three pointer—the buzzer sounds—and we win!  The truth is that the contest isn’t even close—more like 9,000-0!  Scripture doesn’t just say that we conquer, but that we are super-abundant conquerors through Jesus!

Now, that should fill us and thrill us with hope!

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EMBRACES THE SAVED: Our Secure Relationship

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  ‎Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  ‎For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  ‎When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV)

The Devil has to go through the Father and then the Son to get to us.  Then, he encounters a believer indwelt by the Spirit. By the time Satan reaches us, his intended evil has become God’s intended good. That’s security!

Knowing we are secure in Christ is foundational to spiritual growth.  A believer who lacks assurance will never be what he could be. Picture two men who each own a parcel of land.  Both plan to build.  One of them, however, checks the deed repeatedly.  He is concerned that maybe the deed is not really filed, or maybe it is filed improperly, and can think of a host of issues that worry him.  The other man accepts the facts and builds rigorously.  You will not be built up in faith until you see that you are secure in Him.  
                                                                                                                                       
•           WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST’S REDEEMING DEATH (v.3)  When Jesus died, we died with Him! Paul develops this doctrine in Romans 6 in great detail. Being crucified with Christ means we are dead to sin. What if I told you Bonnie and Clyde just robbed a bank? You’d say, “They can’t!  They’re dead!”  So, we are dead to sin.  The sinner that I was has been nailed to the cross with Jesus.

•           WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST’S RESURRECTION LIFE (v.1a)  The power that brought Christ from the tomb now brings us out of spiritual death and into resurrection life. That power now enables us to meet and overcome every challenge in life. Today you can exchange human weakness for heavenly power.  That is enough—more than enough!

•           WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST’S REIGNING VICTORY (v.1b-2)  We are seated with Christ. So we seek after heavenly things, because we’re seated in heavenly places. Christ is seated in the position of authority and in Ephesians the Word of God says we are seated with Him. There He reigns as Lord and in union with Him we are masters of every situation. There is nothing over our head that’s under His feet.

•           WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST’S RETURNING GLORY (v.4)  We are returning with Christ. Christ has promised to come for His bride. At the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise and living saints will be transformed—all caught up to heaven. After the seven years of tribulation, when judgments are poured out on a Christ rejecting world, we return with Him to reign. The godly, growing Christian looks for the heavenly city.

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EMBRACES THE SAVED

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  ‎For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.   When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  ‎Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  ‎Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.  ‎But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  ‎Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:1-11 NKJV)

We dip ‘em and drop ‘em—have you heard that expression before?  It means that Baptists are notorious for getting decisions, but not much for gaining disciples. 

Last week we rightfully celebrated baptism, but already we are making plans for those children to be taught more about what it means to follow Christ.  We know that physical growth is to be paired with spiritual maturity.  This past Sunday morning, we had a group of folks who met beginning at 8:00, and stayed until the afternoon as through this new member class, and ongoing ministry, we make every effort to connect them with the church.

As someone has well said, “We are good at obstetrics, but poor at pediatrics.”  Yet, all the New Testament shows that the Gospel not only is meant to save sinners, but is meant to strengthen saints.

There is no hope for the church that is distracted from disciple-making.  At best, such a church becomes a revolving door, with members coming in and others going out, as fast—or faster.  The front door of evangelizing the sinner is essential, but the back door must be nailed shut by embracing the saved.

It has been noted that a lot of Christians have a spiritual experience like an old iron bedstead—firm on both ends and sagging in the middle!  They are firm on the end of their conversion by Christ and on the end of the consummation with Christ, but in this present time, they aren’t amounting to much.  Our story commences with regeneration, and concludes with glorification, but the chapters in between need to be connected by sanctification—and that’s what Paul is calling for in the third chapter of Colossians.

There is hope for the church that welcomes new people with open arms, connects them to truth through the teaching of the Word, gives support and encouragement that strengthens them in the challenges which must surely  come—that has a love that will not let others go.

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EVANGELIZES THE SINNER: The Manner of Our Witness

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:6 NKJV)

The fact that God has mandated Christians to witness to the lost, does not mean that the manner of our witness doesn’t matter.  It does!

We can’t be like a bull in the china shop.  Nor are we to be obnoxious.  Some come across as hired gun-slingers looking to put another notch in their belt.  Some like this sanctimoniously boast, “I shared the Gospel and five people were saved!”  The reality is that you can’t know that.  You might say, “They were hopefully converted,” or “they professed faith,” but as to whether they were saved has yet to be determined.  We can’t see in a heart.  The attitude conveyed by such statements is the problem.

The significance of the manner of witness is conveyed in this phrase: “how you ought to answer each one.”  Paul has already said that we ought to do it—that’s our mandate.  He next says to understand how we ought to share—that’s our manner.

Our manner is to “always be with grace.”  We don’t take a “holier-than-thou” attitude.  We realize that only grace has made us acceptable to God, and that same grace is available to others.  We are called to be witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys and certainly not judges! 

Our manner of speech is to be, “seasoned with salt.”  Salt enhances the flavor of food.  We need to convince people to taste what we are offering. 

Our manner of speech lets us, “know how you ought to answer.”  Peter said, “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.”  People ought to see the hope in our disposition and hear the hope in our discussion.  This ought to cause them to wonder and then seek an answer for how we can have such hope in a hopeless age.  Then we are ready to tell them the difference Jesus makes!

The manner of our speech takes into account, “each one.”  A cookie-cutter approach won’t work.  People are different.  Having a memorized outline, an array of verses committed to memory—some learned methodology may be helpful.  But, a “canned” speech that we are intent on reciting, rather than a compassionate heart willing to listen, will often be counterproductive.

But, there is one way in which everybody is identical.  People need the Lord.  God’s solution is likewise the same for everyone—Jesus!

The Lord’s method for reaching the lost is unchanging: God expects us to tell them!  Give them hope!  Give them Jesus!  When a church does this—any church, anywhere—there is no distinction—there is hope for that church.

THE TREASURY OF THE SNOW

“Have you entered the treasury of snow…?” (Job 38:22a NKJV)

As I write these words from my perch in my study, I look out the window at a world blanketed with deep snow.  I have considered its beauty, been aggravated that it postponed a ballgame I wanted to watch, felt a quiet peace as I was forced to slow down, been out sledding like an overgrown kid, made snow cream, wondered about the need to scrape the parking lot before Sunday…and a swirl of other thoughts all inspired by the fluffy white stuff that descended from the clouds.

When you read these words, all that snow will have melted and maybe it was winter’s last hurrah, as the time for daffodils and crocuses to push up through the warming sod as harbingers of spring has come—and maybe not, because I recall the worst snowstorm I’ve ever been through was the blizzard of ’93 in March.  Weather in the short term can be unpredictable and for that far ahead nigh impossible to forecast—mostly guesswork based on averages and trends.

Life can be even more unpredictable. 

Just ask Job.  He was sailing along without a cloud in the sky when the storm broke upon him—and calamity followed calamity.  Some things didn’t make sense—and as we would all be tempted to do—he questioned God.

But, when God showed up, the tables were turned and God had some questions for Job!  One of those is a verse that arose in my mind this morning as I gazed on the winter wonderland outside.  “Have you entered the treasury of snow…?”

We certainly know more about how snow forms and when snow falls than Job ever did—yet it contains something of majesty and mystery still in our modern age.  There is a treasury of truth in the snow that we may explore.

No two snowflakes are identical—though out of the astronomical number of them, you could possibly find two that were nearly identical on a microscopic level, that on a molecular level—the answer is they are all unique.  So, God has made each of us special.  “Identical” twins may seem indistinguishable to us, and will have definite similarities—yet in some ways they will differ—as do all of us.  As snowflakes, we are designed by the same Maker but with an array of capacities, personalities, preferences and so much more.  God has a design and destiny for us all, just suited to us, and we find fulfillment and purpose when we discover and submit to that.

One snowflake isn’t much by itself.  Put a bunch of them together and they have power to impact a city.  This is the genius of the church.  Individual believers may not be able to accomplish much, but collectively we can be a great power for good in the world!

Snow is beneficial to the soil.  It prepares for the flowers of spring and crops of summer.  The needful moisture is put into the ground, slowly absorbed, and so even better than rain!  The term, “blanket of snow” is instructive because the snow actually traps the earth’s warmth around the roots of plants, protecting them from the frigid temperatures of winter.  What seems to be so cold and harsh is actually a blessing!  So much of what God permits to come into our lives, that we think is so brutal, actually proves to be a blessing in disguise.  He is at work to accomplish the end result of our good and His glory, though it seems very much the opposite at the time.

But my favorite part of the snow is its transformative power.  You may have a pile of trash outside and let the snow cover it and all that is changed—the ugliness is hidden and what you see is the beauty of white snow that covers it.  After David sinned, he cried out, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Ps.51:7b) 

This is the promise of God,

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool. (Isa.1:18)

This is the greatest treasure of all—a life changed!  Sins gone; righteousness given—a new life in Christ is ours, irrespective of our past. 

The old hymn echoes this possibility:

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EVANGELIZES THE SINNER: The Mandate for Our Witness

“that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.  ‎Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:4-5 NKJV)

Here is the great expectation: Paul says, “I ought to speak.”  He had a mandate from his Master—it wasn’t up for debate or discussion. 

Folks, evangelism is not optional.  It isn’t one of those things that a select few with a gift of evangelism are called to do.  There is a gift of evangelism—I think of Billy Graham as an example.  Now, those kinds of folk are a select group but the reality is that God doesn’t want you to be Billy Graham—He wants you to be you, sharing your story with someone you know! 

Neither are you expected to tell more than you know but what you have experienced, to “make it manifest.”   I love the story in John chapter nine of the man born blind that Jesus healed.  Because the Lord did it on the Sabbath, the religious elite were infuriated that He had transgressed their traditional way of interpreting the Sabbath laws.  They summoned the man in and demanded that he tell them what was done.  How did the fellow respond?

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”  ‎ He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”  (John 9:24-25)

He was not a Bible scholar, so he didn’t try to debate the finer points of theology.  There is no great virtue in ignorance, but we don’t have to wait until we are on the level of a seminary graduate to share what we do know!

You say that you don’t know when to speak and what to say even if you knew when, but look at the mandate: “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside.”  We can ask God for wisdom and we can study the wisdom in the Word.  The Spirit of God will teach us!

How urgent is this?  We are to be “redeeming the time.”  We have a limited number of days—death and judgment are certain.  If we miss the deadline, then there is no hope!

So, let’s get busy!

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EVANGELIZES THE SINNER: The Might in Our Witness

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains...” (Colossians 4:2-3 NKJV)

Salvation is a supernatural worker and so soul-winning requires supernatural power.  See how Paul makes the connection between praying to God and proclaiming the Gospel in these verses.  An opened door by importunity with heaven can lead to an open door of opportunity on earth. 

The Apostle here calls the Word of God, “the mystery of Christ.”  The Greek term means a truth that is hidden now revealed.  Again, this requires the activity of God, although He will use us to communicate the truth.  Apart from the grace of God, all our talk will be to no avail.  Here’s why:

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Cor.4:3-4) 

Only God can open blind eyes and unstop deaf ears and take a dead heart that is hard as stone and make it a living heart of faith.  Prayer is the critical dimension that must precede our witness.  In it we have a weapon to drive away demonic darkness from the sinner and a power that gives us courage, compulsion and clarity to share the truth.

Jesus understood and taught that prayer precedes proclamation.

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’ ” (Matt.9:36-38) 

So, He would later command them to wait in prayer at Pentecost so they could witness in power!  After a ten day prayer meeting, they preached for ten minutes and 3,000 were converted.  Isn’t that the kind of effectiveness we seek?

Evangelism involves spiritual warfare, and the victory is won on our knees.  After Paul in Ephesians 6 describes the whole armor of God we must wear, he tells us that we are ready to pray, and as prayer is offered to make it a priority to petition God for open doors of evangelism.  Read it and apply it.  Knock on heaven’s door before you knock on your neighbor’s—but do both!

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.  ‎Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.   Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:2-6 NKJV)

Charles Dickens wrote a book called, “Great Expectations.”  Long before he penned that title, there was another Book written which has the same theme.  That Book?  It’s the Bible. 

This Book is full of great expectations of what God has in store for His people.  But, it is likewise true that the Scripture contains God’s great expectations for us. 

One of those great expectations is the Great Commission—that God has called His church to share the Gospel with all humanity.  We have a message of hope to proclaim, and any church that is faithful in that has a reason for hope as a congregation.

We must admit that an increasing number of churches appear hopeless.  In large measure they have lost their enthusiasm for evangelism.  Rather than being fishers of men, they have become keepers of the aquarium, as someone once said.

There is many a dry baptistery!  I recall walking through the auditorium of a dying church, and looking into their baptistery.  Not only was it dry, but it was being used for storage—evident that it was seldom used or that there was any expectation that it would be!

Still, even in a setting like that, there is hope—if (and this is the big IF)—that church can once more have a pulse, joining God’s heartbeat for the harvest of souls.  Let us lean on the bosom of Christ, until our heart pounds with His great expectation!

THERE’S HOPE FOR THE CHURCH THAT EXALTS THE SAVIOR: Our Practice as Worship

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)

When I’m talking about our practice as worship, please don’t jump to the conclusion that I am talking about practice for worship—as in the band getting together to work on their chords or the choir rehearsal.  That is all well and good, but I’m talking about putting into practice what is preached.  The greatest expression of worship is not tossing a few dollars into the offering or singing several choruses, but the giving of our total being in delightful devotion to God every day of the week.

In many ways such an individual consecration readies one for joining other devotees in a combustible explosion of corporate worship on the Lord’s Day in God’s House.  Get a group together like that and there will be an ignition of praise!  But, not only does it culminate this way, it launches us into another week of commitment to Christ.  A renewed mind reinforced by the Word of God on Sunday, leads to my all on the altar on Monday!

Paul out it like this in Romans 12:1-2:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  ‎Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)

The real proof of whether we have met with God is what happens when we leave.  It doesn’t matter how high your jump, it’s how straight you walk when you hit the ground!  Feelings are like the tides that ebb and flow.  Commitment stays solid.   We may or may not have our hearts soar into the stratosphere of exultation on Sunday, but we can always leave the sanctuary zealous for serving Christ.  We haven’t worshipped until we do.

The acid test of a worship encounter with God is that, “whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)  It is a simple template to remember, yet a most profound one to flesh out.  If I have honored the Name of Jesus and professed Him as Lord on Sunday, shouldn’t I demonstrate that during the week by what I say and do?  If I have actually expressed gratitude on the first day of the week, will I not be thankful on the other six days?  This is a daily surrender on the altar of all we are—in conduct and conversation to exalt the Savior.  There’s hope for the church where members live like that!