A Hope That Overwhelms Grief

I have heard it said before that “when things are going well we talk about God, but when things are tough we talk to Him.” I would say this is abundantly accurate.

C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain says “We can ignore pleasure, but pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

In reflecting on my own season of trials, suffering, difficulty, and a slew of circumstances not working out the way I thought they would, I was brought to Genesis 50:20 where Joseph says “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” For me, I know that Satan would want nothing more than for me to functionally “curse God and die” (as it is said in the book of Job) but I know that God is working something greater out, and because of that I can count this present suffering as joy–knowing that I am growing more aware and secure in Christ because of it (see James 1:2-4).

Besides, our God is in the business of turning defeat into victory.

We see this almost entirely throughout the Bible, don’t we? We see this in Genesis with Abraham and Isaac and with the story of Joseph’s abandonment by his brothers; we see this with Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, being delivered from Pharaoh, across the Red Sea, in the wilderness, etc.; in countless battles and struggles in the Old Testament; and most significantly we see this with Jesus on the cross (and ultimately His resurrection, ascension, and promised return)!

It is Truth like this that causes David’s cup to overflow in Psalm 23 while still in the valley. His circumstance has not changed, yet his disposition has been eternally altered.

Tim Keller puts it extremely well when he says “The Christian faith has a hope that overwhelms grief. This hope doesn’t get rid of the grief or pain but sweetens and shifts it.”

Again we say, ‘what Satan intended for evil, God (rightly) redirects for good.’

This is why the author of Hebrews can say “we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:39)

This truth grows in us a trust and a confidence otherwise unattainable. This truth is what propels Paul in Romans 8 to say “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (v.31)

This is why we can echo with 1 Thessalonians 4:13: “(we do not) grieve as others do who have no hope” and with numerous Psalms that proclaim “God is doing all of this so that He alone may be magnified! It is for HIS namesake and HIS glory that He does it!”

With all this in mind a particular quote yields a helpful context: “If we would talk less and pray more things would be better than they are in the world; at least we should be better enabled to bear them.” ~ John Owen.

You see, it is seasons like these that force our eyes off of ourselves and exclusively to Christ. He is the One we turn to; in Him (alone!) we trust, for He is trustworthy. His very self is declared “Faithful” and “True” (Revelation 19:11) and many verses echo the truth proclaimed in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 that says if God promises: “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

This is a hope that overwhelms grief.

God is bigger and more inclusive than you imagine

The following excerpt has really been challenging my paradigm of God. In times of suffering, difficulty, and trial it is so easy for me to get focused inward–on myself or my own circumstances–and lose track of looking outward–particularly to the Gospel truths and who God is amidst it. In a world where there is so much turmoil, inconsistency, and pain God promises to be a steadfast, firm foundation whose promises are always true and who is eternally unchanging (see Psalm 118, Hebrews 12:26-28, 2 Timothy 2:19, and Hebrews 13:8).

“Over the years I’ve seen Christians shaping God in their own image–in each case a dreadfully small God. Some Roman Catholics still believe only they will grace heaven’s green pastures.. There is the God who has a special affection for capitalist America, regards the workaholic, and the God who loves only the poor and the underprivileged. There is a God who marches with victorious armies, and the God who loves only the meek who turns the other cheek. Some, like the elder brother in Luke, sulk and pout when the father rocks and rolls, (and) serves surf-and-turf for a prodigal son who has spent his last cent on whores. Some, tragically, refuse to believe that God can or will forgive them, for: my sin is too great.

This is not the God of grace who “wants everyone to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). This is not the God embodied in Jesus that Matthew came to know. This is not the God who calls sinners–which, as you and I know, means everybody.”

From The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (p.42).

—–

I could dissect this quote for hours, but for the purpose of this particular posting I will draw out only one thing that comes to mind: God is so much bigger and so much more inclusive than I give Him credit for or imagine; and when I reflect on this truth it is so remarkably calming–freeing, even. This massive God is powerful, not particular. Sovereign, not slave-driving. Victorious, not defeated (or defeatable!).

This is the God who sees me at my lowest and has the power and compassion to lift me up. This is the God that, as the book of Hebrews says, aligns with me in my weakness and is “mindful of me” (Psalm 8:4). This is the God I sing about, pray to, look towards, and live to proclaim. This is not some manmade idea to help make sense of a complex world. This is a God both higher than our intellect while also closer than our most intimate emotions.

Quite simply: This is a God worthy of our worship.

Session Four: Textual Preaching (Preaching the Text) [Tony Merida]

[These are Session 4 notes (Session 1 of Day 2) from the Preach The Word 2013 Acts 29 West Regional Conference in Reno, NV]

[ UPDATE: VIDEO FROM SESSION FOUR IS NOW AVAILABLE HERE ]

——

[Harvey intro]

-Excellent Resource: Faithful Preaching (Tony Merida)

2 Cor 12:9

“We would all mentally and intellectually ascend that you are our desire, yet we continually turn to smaller things. Let our idols taste like death so that we might enjoy you and long after you”

——

[Tony Start]

Text: 2 Tim 3:14-4:4

 “What we know not, God teach us,

What we see not, God show us

What we are not, God make us.”

Regarding Calvin: “His whole theological labor was the exposition of scripture”

(The whole of my life is the dedication to this Word)

“Trying to preach without a bible is like trying to play football without a ball”

The overarching message in 2 Timothy – “be different”

Note the “as for you, you however, and you then’s” in the book.

•2 challenges:

-1) Continue in the word personally (v14-15)

Keep learning the bible! Keep studying the scriptures!

“The entirety of our lives, let us be men and women consumed with the Scripture”

We never get to a point where we say “that’s enough, I’ve got what I needed out of the bible” (see 2 Tim 4:13: ‘bring me my books’)

The whole of Paul’s life is People and Parchments

–Continue BELIEVING the Scripture

Believe it haas power to save, power to transform (because it does!).

–Why study the Bible?

-It leads us to Jesus (make us “wise for Salvation)

Paul continually points back to the OT (Acts 17, Acts 13(?), Acts 28, Bookends in Romans) -“according to the scriptures, the law of Moses, as it is written,” etc.

“The bible doesn’t answer all the questions we ever had but all the stuff we need to know”

“The Bible doesn’t tell us how the heavens go but how to go to Heaven.”

We need this (bible) in our souls, personally (reminding us of the Gospel)

“A bible is a HIM book” (cf. Paul: ‘Him we proclaim’)

He is the grand theme of the Bible and He ought to be so in our sermons as well

“Many Christians know stories IN the Bible and not stories OF the Bible”

Study the Scripture to know Christ

Pastors: read the bible with a microscope AND a wide angled lens (tree&forest)

“Make the hero of the bible the hero of every sermon”

•“People cannot preach life changing sermons without the life changer at the center of it.”

~~Why bother with the Bible?

-God speaks to us through it.

We know when we come to the scriptures that we are encountering God (not “God was speaking” but “God IS speaking”)

People need God’s word (Luke 16)

“You show what you believe about the Bible with how you use the Bible”

Psalmist: “my heart stands in awe of your word”

~~Why bother with the bible?

-It changes us from the inside out

-It provides doctrinal proof, equips us, encourages us (v16)

How are you doing with this?

May the word lead us to the pulpit, not the pulpit to the word

-2) Preach the word pastorally

1 Tim 4:13 – devote yourself to the public teaching of the word

–Do it faithfully (1 Tim 4:1-2)

Paul reminds us of our accountability (v1) and responsibility (v2)

No preacher ever goes unnoticed (maybe by people and speaking arrangements, but not God)

Always preach in the presence of God.

**”I was worrying about preaching in front of Piper when I’m unmoved by the presence of God in my midst every week”

“It did not matter how many people you’re speaking to, because God has called you to it”

“When the word of God is truly (rightly) preached, the voice of God is truly (rightly) heard”

Some reformers refer to the Bible as the “Third Sacrament” (God administers his grace through it)

Preaching – saying what God has said in His word, and declaring what God had done in Christ

‘Letting texts talk’ (J.I. Packer)

Ranting is not preaching.

“More heresy is preached in application than exegesis”

(Many people in the seats think the pastor is saying ‘thus says the Lord’ because they’ve never read it)

Preaching is preaching the Word.

-We must be careful with this. We hold their souls.

You lose your authority as a pastor when you depart from the scriptures (that is our authority)

When you rant you feed the flesh of people. 

Jeremiah “let him who has my Word speak it faithfully”

Good stuff v. God stuff

Good – gleaned from human observation

God – gleaned from God’s word

~~Preach consistently (v2a)

-Let your ministry be known for (consistency)

-when you feel like it and when you don’t

“In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion.  Take myself as an example.  I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force.  I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing.  And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26–29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philipp and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it.  I did nothing; the Word did everything.” ~ Martin Luther

“That’s the first A29 guy, Luther. –>  ‘I just drank bear and shared the bible’.”

~~Preach it comprehensively (v2b)

Some need to be rebuked, some reproved (convinced), some exhorted (encouraged/edified)

“I think God has given us different genres of literature to touch on all of these.. Consider a back and forth of the genre’s through series’ to give them a holistic view”

~~Preach it patiently (v2c)

Sanctification is a slow process (just look at your life)

It’s going to be messy.

Don’t be discouraged.

There is a cumulative effect in your preaching.

_Charles Simeon story (saved, appointed, locked out of his church, preached outside; still prepared, prayed, preached, etc. / Was ultimately wildly accepted and loved)

How do you work patience into your heart? Cause we need it. 

-The Spirit of God produced patience

-Paul refers to his conversion as a testament to the patience of God (remember how patient God is: Slow to anger, etc.)

~~Preach it theologically (v3)

**3 things preaching does that teaching doesn’t always do:

-1) Evangelize (it is inherently wrapped around scripture)

-2) Involves exhortation (Paul distinguishes between exhortation and teaching)

-3) Involves exultation (reveling in the truth and the God we talk about) // preaching IS worship

People ought to see a guy actually excited about the God he is preaching/teaching about.

Teaching is often present in your preaching – “You have to explain that which  you proclaim.” (Grace? Freedom? Holy? Etc.)

2 Tim 4:3-4 –> reverse this and use it as prayer requests

“They will not endure sound doctrine” –> pray that they will enjoy sound doctrine

Pray that they will be an active participant

“Some have itching ears” –> pray that our listeners hear hard truth humbly

That they will not look after preachers giving soft truths

Pray they will receive hard truth

-Pray they are eager to hear this truth with passion

“They turn away from truth” –>Pray they will receive the truth with hope.

2 Timothy’s overarching message – Present suffering, future glory.

We must always take a long view in ministry (v8; granted to all who has loved his appearing)

   Love His appearing

   You will not regret expounding the word faithfully.

Experience His strength (v17; the Lord’s presence and promise strengthened him)

-Underneath our call to faithfulness is a God who is Faithful

-Under our call to be strong and steady is a God who is strength and power.

We Must Die to Live

As some of you may know, the last 12 months have been the most trying, overwhelming, difficult months of my life. I went from having a stable and comfortable job of which I was passionate about to being jobless for 8 months. I went from having a reliable car to having issue after issue, leading to thousands spent in repairs and ultimately being car-less for 2 months. I could go on, but that’s not the point of this post.

I struggled through so much in trying to reconcile just why God would put me through such trials; I mean, I was being faithful, wasn’t I? [note: I do not believe (intellectually) that my works provide God any sort of incentive or necessity to bless me or give me a comfortable life; I do not control God nor does he owe me anything, but if I’m being honest, this is what I often felt (functionally).] I struggled as everything around me was shaking. Everything was being “tried by fire” so to speak, and I was really wrestling with what God meant to do with all of this. My job, my car, my savings, all of it was being pressed–and hard.

As this season continued I had to press into the scripture. I needed to hear from the living God. Throughout this season I was able to hold on to a couple promises to provide hope and joy in the midst of it. Hebrews 12:26-28, one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible, speaks of the removal of “shakeable” things, that the unshakeable foundation of Christ will remain–needless to say, this rang truer to me in this time than in most others I had felt. Another portion of scripture which rang particularly true to me in this time were the Psalms. These were raw accounts–frustration, heartache, confusion, pain, turmoil, temptation, anger–of prayer to God, and the turning to trust and hope in Him, knowing He is faithful, worthy, steadfast, and ALWAYS true to His word.

Today I came across another verse which I feel gives peace to a lot of my frustrations, questions, confusion, and doubt amidst these circumstances.

John 12:24 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

I would often plead to God, “Why is this happening to me? How could this be your will? What lesson are you trying to teach me?” and I am honestly starting to feel that John 12:24 is exactly it. Jesus Himself compares his true followers to a grain of wheat, which must die and be put into the ground in order to bear fruit. Just the same, I see this to mean that we are stretched, we are tested, we struggle, and this serves to reveal to us where our devotion truly lies. I like to say “You only know what a person believes in by what they suffer for–not what they say.” Paul says that we die to sin and in turn are Alive in Christ (Romans 6:1-14); he continually uses the terminology of a “new self” in comparison to the “old self” which has been ‘put away’ or died (crucified).

So put bluntly: I believe God was allowing my (false) foundations and securities to be shaken. He was removing the idol of my job, the idol of comfort, the idol of security, the idol of thinking that I can do well enough on my own, and continually revealing to me that HE Himself is the only one that will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:5, 2 Corinthians 4:9), that will never change (Hebrews 13:8), and will be with us [me!] always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20b). This ‘death’ was that I may ‘bear [more] fruit.’

The purpose of me writing this is to provide hope. Maybe you’re going through an exceptionally rough time in your life; maybe God seems distant to you or inactive in your life; maybe all the things you thought were secure and comfortable in your life are being ripped away, altered, and shaken.

I write this to breathe life into the situation. God is not absent, far from you, or uncaring. He is working out something so unimaginable in ever single thing that He does. God knows what He’s up to, His promises are sure; and He can be trusted [always]!

In closing, here are a few more verses which have ministered to me over the past 12 months, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite your spirit with these truths:

Isaiah 48:10 – “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”

             (our affliction is refining us, not destroying us)

Daniel 11:35 – “..and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.”

            (we may stumble, but there is a purpose and a promise within it)

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

            (these trials are for our joy, steadfastness, and sanctification)

Romans 5:3-5 – “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

             (this suffering, this season, these tensions yield more endurance, character, hope, and confirmation of the Holy Spirit than could ever be accomplished without it; God is working something amazing out. Keep your eyes open!)

I Will in No Wise Cast Out

“Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”—John 6:37.

No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but, “I will in no wise cast out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him.”

But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but He will “Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; He will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow”; “From all their iniquities will I cleanse them.”

“Once in Christ, in Christ for ever,
Nothing from His love can sever.”
“I give unto My sheep,” says He, “eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” What say you to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, you do not come to One who will treat you well for a little while, and then send you about your business, but He will receive you and make you His bride, and you shalt be His for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby you shall cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: “I will in no wise cast out.”

~ C.H. Spurgeon (from Morning and Evening, a daily devotional; formatting mine; also some minor language updating)

Joy and Suffering in Psalm 30

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30:4-5

The psalmist displays a posture of worship reflecting the full spectrum of human experience – he calls God’s people to praise Him for His faithfulness and grants the freedom to cry out when our suffering seems too great to bear. He proclaims that God knows our sorrows, hears our cries and is near (Ps. 34:18). His words speak comfort from the Lord, that in our pain we have hope, the promise of joy in the end.

To you, O LORD, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
O LORD, be my helper!
Psalm30:8-10

Yet sometimes in suffering, our only response is, “Why, Lord?” Another friend, parent or sibling diagnosed with cancer. Another baby lost before his parents could know the joy of the first cry of life. Another marriage that ends with a spouse alone the first night after the funeral. It’s too much to bear. The pain is too great. So we cry out, “Where are you, Lord?”

And we wait. Sometimes for a night. Sometimes for weeks. Sometimes years. We wait with darkness laid heavy like the heat of a late summer’s night. Will it ever break?

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing:
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothe me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
Psalm 30:11-12

But then, when the weight is at its heaviest: relief. The light of the morning dries our tear-stained cheeks, and we can see, maybe for the first time, that there is joy. We come to know that our story, with all its hurt and brokenness and grief, is part of God’s grand redemptive story. It is the story of creation, fall, redemption, consummation. The story of a people ruined by sin, of a love so great that even death could not overcome it, of a Savior who lived, who died and was raised – Jesus, who will one day come again to set all that’s wrong to right. The tension may remain, the aching still present, but in the morning, there is hope. In the morning, there is joy.

Originally posted on The Village Church’s blog by Brady Goodwin here: http://ow.ly/cvABe

The Forgotten Zwingli

Luther. Calvin.

The Mantle and Ruth who brought out the boomsticks of church reform.

The Superman and Batman of the Justified League.

Their names are mentioned in the same breath with the word “Reformation.”

Zwingli.

Oh yeah. He was around too.

I think.

Like an Aquaman of Reformers, he remains a tad obscure. Most of us have a ripple of awareness he’s in the League.

And this will be true of most young, aspiring pastors. We’re often daunted by the big names because we know (in our most honest moments) that we won’t be joining the majors on the conference circuit or in the history books.

Ulrich Zwingli’s story helps us be okay with that.

Zwingli’s road to salvation and ministry began with a desire to read the Bible. Young Ulrich was exposed to the Bible’s entirety after learning Greek in a secular humanist college. He subversively read its text cover to cover (recall in those days the Catholic Church did not allow lay persons access to the full text of Scripture). This caused him to reevaluate his view of the Bible as a mere book of moral virtue. It was into its fountain that he dove and met Christ. This was the headspring of an eventual overflow that would affect a small congregation in Zurich, Switzerland, forever.

Zwingli’s enthusiasm for the Bible saturated his life of devotion, study and preaching. He believed, against the tide of culture, that the gospel of Scripture was within the grasp of any ordinary intelligence. So God placed this mild-mannered man in the pulpit of a local cathedral in Zurich where he announced that he would ignore preaching from commentaries and preach from the Bible, for it was there that the true gospel would shine – and cause true reformation.

Luther and Calvin’s voices carried. Zwingli’s people reportedly complained of not being able to hear him. But the message of the gospel resounded nonetheless. The established church and unsaved souls of the Swiss people would be forever changed by the following years of steady, gospel-centered preaching and counsel to come.

Dubbed “The People’s Priest,” Zwingli swam against the tide of aloof priests and believed every preacher should be a watchman of the flock entrusted to him. A lover of the Old Testament, Zwingli repeatedly rehearsed the image of the shepherd as descriptive of the call of God upon the minister. He took frequent audiences with church members and even stood for the gospel in civic affairs. Over time, he noticed that this steady diet of biblical preaching and counseling increased the depth of biblical literacy in his people and altered their flow of desire to fidelity for the Savior. God became famous in Zurich and throughout the country of Switzerland because an ordinary man decided to dig in to his local church and, over years, show His people Christ in the Scriptures.

Zwingli didn’t leave us near the volumes of writing and commentary that Luther and Calvin did. Perhaps that’s why we hear less of him. But his story of faithful gospel ministry serves as reminder to us all of the exclusive means of true reform in the local church. He knew that if any influence flowed from him, it came from the primary fount: the very words of God.

You and I will likely never be a Luther. But we can be a Zwingli, quietly epic in our own stewardship of the gospel entrusted to us.

Posted Originally on The Village Church blog here: http://ow.ly/ba6ie

Taking Your Faith to the Grave

When the apostle John read Jesus’ letter to the church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) there was a young man there named Polycarp, who would later become famous for his writings and his gruesome death. What I can’t stop thinking about is that this man served Jesus for decades. It’s recorded that Polycarp worshiped Jesus for 86 years, with at least 60 of those years as a pastor of the church in Smyrna.

The message to his church encouraged Polycarp to remain faithful until death. Jesus made this letter available to us in his Word so that our suffering and trials might be transformed from something to be feared to something we can celebrate. Jesus wants the story of our lives to end with the words “Faithful until Death,” and to help us arrive at this he gives five main points to consider.

First, Jesus reminds us of the gospel. Christ himself was faithful to death. He gave up all his rights and privileges as God and died on a cross, defeating our sins. He then came back to life, defeating death. Jesus destroyed our two greatest enemies!

Second, Jesus sees when his church suffers and is mocked, so he reminds us of three things: 1) He cares for us, 2) He is blessing us in our trials (even when we don’t see it), and 3) he is keeping record of those who slander us. He will either judge the slanderers on the last day, or take their sins on himself and adopt them as our fellow brothers and sisters in the gospel. Be encouraged that your trials are not in vain.

Third, Jesus encourages us not to be afraid. We were once enslaved by things in this world. We all used to be enemies of God. But Jesus declares that he has died for you and has risen from death, so you are now free. No one can take that away from you. Jesus encourages us not to be afraid of what people can do to us, because we have been set free, and ultimately, they can’t touch our souls.

“Christians will suffer, but our goal is not martyrdom.”

Fourth, Jesus honestly says that for some of us the trials are going to get worse. Everyone who follows Jesus as king of their life will suffer. Some will even experience torture and death. A conservative statistic estimates that 180,000 Christians are killed every year because of their faith. This averages out to someone being killed every 3 minutes. Living Stones supports several missionaries in parts of the world where it is extremely dangerous to be a Christian, and every once in awhile we receive a message that a pastor or a missionary has been killed. Reading these messages as a member of the church is hard – I can’t fathom the pain of the families and friends who grieve the loss. You may never experience torture or death, but you will suffer for Christ. However, the goal is not martyrdom. Jesus does not like it when his children start throwing rocks at others, get themselves beat up or killed for it, and say they suffered for the kingdom. Our goal is to simply be faithful, even unto death.

Finally, Jesus rewards us. In the most beautiful of exchanges, Jesus pays for our sins, gives us his Spirit to remain faithful, and then rewards us for the work his Spirit does in us. We are reminded at the end of this letter that those who are in Jesus will find rest and reward at the end of this life, not judgement.

To those who read this blog, I encourage you not to idolize the things that you do as a Christian, but instead keep looking at Jesus, remind yourself of the gospel, and remain faithful until death.

This post originally found on the Living Stones Pastor’s Blog here: http://ow.ly/b7azT