HOPE

I have hope!  Two big changes happened in my life last summer one on the heals of the other. Our oldest daughter Grace married our son-in-law, Austin Humbles and 2 weeks later I drove our youngest child, Michael off to college. It was incredibly overwhelming for me. I had no idea that it would hit me as hard as it did. It was not the identity crisis that a number of women experience when the kids are grown and gone, nor the wring of hands, oh what will I do now? Dan and I so enjoyed raising and being with our children, it was like when you read a really good book and you don't want it to end. Life with our children was not absent of pain or struggle but there was much joy. M. Scott Peck began his book, The Road Less Traveled with, "Life is difficult." and more recently, Dr. Brene Brown said in her Vulnerability TED Talk, "We were born for struggle." And Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world."

Grieving is a part of life that most people do not make space for anymore. And this year, I have made space for it. More importantly, Dan and my counselor have helped me to make space for me to grieve. A few dear friends have walked this road with me. Comforting, counseling, and praying for me, these dear ones held me up and held me close. One of these friends: Jamie continually held up the banner of HOPE and she believed for me that the LORD Jesus would see me through this season. Time and again, with the Life Giving WORDS of God's Holy Word, Jamie would remind me of God's Promises. The season is not really over but more and more, I am feeling hopeful and more importantly, I am believing in the HOPE of the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST.

The countless, phone calls, texts, emails and then a wonderful visit in the beginning of March of this year with Jamie and her dear husband, Craig have been life giving. It was so sweet to have some face to face time. The LORD is GOOD and Jamie is a great ambassador for Christ and counselor in Christ. I think counselors need to be compassionate and also carry the banner of HOPE. In Romans chapter 5, God's Word says:

"we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

"Hope does not disappoint" and fortunately, Jamie reminded me of the truths and promises of God. In 2Corinthians chapter one it says, "As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him."  (Which I believe that I have quoted earlier this month.) The LORD JESUS is ALIVE and well, working through the body of Christ to help me to remember that my hope is in Him.
There is so, so much more that I could write about HOPE but we will leave it there for now. It is a topic that never grows old.

Every Day

As people who are blessed by God, every day we eat, dress, meet with others, read, write, work and walk along this journey. And every day, as an Image Bearer and a sinner, I need to remember the Good News, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today this is how I remembered by watching the following video.

Freed from everything

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."

(Acts 13:26-39 ESV)

I have been alternating reading this section of Acts 13 and the 17th chapter of Acts each day as of late. Each chapter contains the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. This line keep grabbing me "everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."  Of course, you have to read it in context. We have to ask and answer the question: What is it that you are to believe in order to have this freedom? The first part of the answer seems obvious to me: the clause right before this one says: "that through this man (Jesus Christ) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" so we are forgiven of our sins. I can hear myself before I was a Christian saying, "So what?! Who cares? I am not interested in being a good girl and having no fun." There was no appeal to me. I was blind and I had no understanding of my need for forgiveness. Frankly, I didn't care. When the LORD opened my eyes and I saw that God was Holy and could not be in the presence of sin and that He loved me enough to pour out His wrath upon His Son Jesus who went to the cross willingly to die for my sins, that I might be forgiven and made righteous by His blood, then and only then did I see my need. The need goes far deeper and still more is being revealed as I seek Him. I believe that through "this man" i.e. Jesus Christ I have forgiveness of sins.
We can't just leave it at that.  The man, Jesus Christ died for my sins. If he was just any man, it would not have fulfilled God's requirement of a perfect sacrifice. Jesus lived a perfect life as a man and he is also God incarnate. Yes, I believe he is 100% man (100% God) who was raised bodily and did not see decay and is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for those who believe and trust in Him.  1st John 4 verse 2 states: "By this you know the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" I believe that Jesus Christ is God and that he came into the world just as we do, being born of a woman, he grew into a man. He counted himself as one of our brothers and being made like us in every respect as it says in Hebrews 2. I believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
Thirdly, there is the fulfillment of the Law. That Jesus is who He says He is. The Law of Moses was followed by the Jews. We might call them "keepers of the Law." They also possessed the hope of the Coming Messiah and some had their own ideas about what He would be about and how He would conduct His business. Some Jews, obviously, had their eyes open by the Holy Spirit and some did not. One of the mysteries is how God Almighty, Infinite in Power and Providence used all to bring about His Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Freedom
By keeping the law of Moses seemingly to perfection by great works we can not be free. Even our BEST works are considered stained by sin. We can't have it so that our good works outweigh our bad deeds. If we could, then Jesus Christ died in vain and God could not be holy.
Christians who believe if they go to church every Sunday, tithe 10% or more, do good to their neighbors, friends and enemies, serve in the ministry of the Church and the Word in other words love God and their neighbor in their own power are not free.
Christians who believe that they are saved by Grace Alone through Faith Alone and can do whatever they want to do in this life. They are a law unto themselves and they too are legalists. There is no freedom for the law makers either.
Who can have this freedom?!
Those who believe that Jesus paid it all. Those who believe Jesus did for them what they could never do for themselves. Those who believe it is Jesus who paid for all of their sins. Those who believe that Jesus is the God/man who came in the flesh, lived the life that they could never live, died the death that they deserved and rose bodily from the grave. Those who believe that Jesus conquered sin and death motivated by the great love with which He loved us and made us alive that we might have LIFE Eternal. Those who indeed believe that Jesus plus nothing indeed equals everything are the ones who have been set free from everything which the law had no power to do.

"Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  2Corinthians 3:17

The second half of the Gospel of Matthew (Chapters 15-28)

“Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

(Matthew 16:16-17 ESV)

The kingdom is mentioned 52 times in the Gospel of Matthew and 21 times in this second half of the book. The phrase, “the kingdom of Heaven (or God) is at hand” is a very interesting saying. If it implies that it is within reach wouldn’t it make sense to say that it is here and now?

Throughout my reading this week, I have been drawn to the King and have a great curiosity about His Kingdom. One of the questions that have been on my mind over the past 6 to 9 months is: “What does it mean to have an eternal perspective?” As I continue to study the Word of God, I really want to understand to the extend that I can about life in the light of Eternity. One thing I do know; there is disagreement among God’s children.

In Matthew’s writings, there are some clues. As children of the King we are to have childlike faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. We are not to be concerned about position. There is to be no hierarchy among us. If you want to be great Jesus says you need to have the humility of a child.

What kind of King will rule the Kingdom of Heaven? He will be like a King described by Jesus whose forgiveness is so incredibly bountiful in mercy that our response is to be like him. We are to forgive each other because we have been forgiven so much that we could never repay. Peter was asking about forgiving one another. The language in this answer from Jesus in Chapter 18 certainly sounds like it is applicable to the here and now.

Entrance into the Kingdom is difficult as Jesus explains the parable of the rich young ruler, “but with God all things are possible.” So Peter is taking this in and says to Jesus in Matthew 19 “we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brother or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” v. 27-29 Three more questions arise about the kingdom: “what is this new world? Is Jesus talking about the kingdom of heaven? Isn’t Jesus sitting on His Glorious Throne now?

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King is the King of Celebration as depicted in the parable of the Wedding Feast. It shows that we really have no business saying you don’t belong here at the table and you do belong because it really is the King who clothes and provides for those who will sit at His banquet. (chapter 22)

The verse that grabbed me and will not let go is also from chapter 22 v. 32 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” In Jesus answering the Sadducees about the resurrection and pointing to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If God is King and if we are living along with the saints who have gone before us, then wouldn’t it be reasonable to say that the Kingdom of Heaven is now?

Jesus being questioned by the high priest in chapter 27 says, “from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The Kingdom is now and later?

Famously quoted by Christians for different reasons, but what does the Resurrected Jesus means by this in regards to His Kingdom, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Immediately followed by “Go therefore and make disciples…” Is this an indicator that the Lord has involved us in Kingdom building today?

“this gospel of the kingdom” This is Jesus Christ…..His Gospel. Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. If the Gospel is true and for us now? How about His Kingdom? These are real questions. I am searching. These questions are not rhetorical for me.

Preaching the Gospel to myself

There are many God dependent brothers and sisters in the faith that are calling us back to the Gospel and reminding us of the Gospel. These dear ones give testimony to the fact that they are preaching the Gospel to themselves; others call it rehearsing the Gospel. Recently I have had the opportunity of reminding some young people from Christian households about the Gospel both with my own words and in presenting a short presentation from a preacher who is sometimes affectionately called, "Smarty Pants." It has crossed my mind that one of the great ways to preach to myself is through writing and perhaps some of those dear people who take time to read my blog might enjoy a reminder as well.

The apostle Paul who wrote a good percentage of the New Testament said in essence, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." (1st Corinthians 9;16) Earlier in this same letter Paul states that he decided to know nothing among the Corinthians except Christ and Him Crucified. (1st Corinthians 2;2) In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he talks about the gospel in terms of reconciliation. Before I can even get to that, I have to ask myself a couple of questions:

What do I believe about man?

What do I believe about God?

What do I believe about God relating to man?

What do I believe about man relating to God?

These are some of the big questions about life. To assert anything about reconciliation, I first must state briefly what I believe about each of these things in regards to reconciliation. (To answer in there entirety would take several blog posts.)

What do I believe about man?

I believe that man is inherently sinful and in need of God's grace and forgiveness.

What do I believe about God?

God is all powerful, all knowing, perfectly just and altogether loving. He is the Redeemer and Restorer of all things.

What do I believe about God relating to man?

As our Creator, God is a Loving Father, the sun shines and the rain falls abundantly upon the just and the unjust. As our Father, He sent His Son through whom He reconciled us to himself, making us new creations, and adopting us as His Beloved Children.

What do I believe about man relating to God?

There are so many ways to describe this incredible relationship. Finite man in relationship with an Infinite God seems most unlikely, a Holy God relating to sinful people. God is incredibly merciful. Gaining an understanding that it is only through Jesus Christ who is God that we have a way to the Father. The one thought that keeps coming back to me when I think about man relating to God is He is the Potter and we are the clay. In a recent video by Francis Chan he says in light of this thought from chapter 9 of Romans, "it is like I am a piece of clay trying to explain to other pieces of clay what the Potter is like, none of us can claim to be experts about the Potter." It is a humbling place to be. Jesus says, unless you become like this little child you can not enter the kingdom of heaven. So, as a daughter of the Living God, I am to trust him. This trusting needs to be one of the outstanding characteristics to my relationship with God.

God has reconciled us to himself through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. I am a sinner who has been saved by grace through faith and I didn't do anything to add to grace because that would just cancel it out. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that I could never live, died the perfect death that I should have died, He shed his blood for my sins and then HE conquered death by rising from the grave. As the old hymn writer wrote Jesus paid it ALL, all to Him I owe sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.

Even though I am his daughter and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, securing my inheritance, I am still walking around in the flesh, that is my sin nature, and I still sin. I am daily in need of His grace, His mercy and His forgiveness. If I wasn't in need of being forgiven regularly then I would not need to hear the Gospel but one time on that day that I was reconciled to my Father in Heaven. Jesus did indeed save me once, I have been justified. The beauty of the Gospel is that it is also for my ongoing sanctification. It is the Righteousness of Christ that has given me access to our Holy and Heavenly Father. Indeed, I want the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be a part of my daily "bread" to live in the Light of the Truth and to know how GREAT the Father has lavished His Love upon us.

"God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2Corinthians 5;21