Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
11 In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust]; How can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to your mountain; 2 For look, the wicked are bending the bow; They take aim with their arrow on the string To shoot [by stealth] in darkness at the upright in heart. 3 “If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of men. 5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, And His soul hates the [malevolent] one who loves violence. 6 Upon the wicked (godless) He will rain coals of fire; Fire and [a]brimstone and a dreadful scorching wind will be the portion of their cup [of doom]. 7 For the Lord is [absolutely] righteous, He loves righteousness (virtue, morality, justice); The upright shall see His face.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
What does it mean to ‘rend the heart,’ and not just the clothing?
Much more than simply giving a whole array of apologies for bad behaviour.
David the Psalmist is urging the people to remember God’s covenant promises.
It’s easy to make outward shows of penitence without reaching inward to the heart.
David calls for the same depth of repentance which Jesus calls for.
To that end, as we once again prepare ourselves for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday for me to reminds each of us that Lent is so very much more than simply a time apologize for our “weaknesses” so just to ‘get my life back on track,’ as it were.
Lent is a time of focusing what ought to be our habit of seeing the heart anyway.
Above all, Lent reminds us of the character of God, which we all too easily lose sight of when we stray from those habits of the heart: forgiving and gracious, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
But, once we commit ourselves to the works of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, once we send our hearts into engaging with the sword of God’s Word,
It is promised by the Lord that changes and transformations will take place.
When those changes and transformations start and God is getting under our skins, into our souls, there is no stopping God from achieving His desired ends.
It is only a matter of choosing our desired response – run to self or run to God.
Build our own Castles, taking safe refuge in our own self defense mechanisms, or as the Prophet Isaiah predicted would one day have to happen to humanity;
Isaiah 2:2-5Amplified Bible
2 Now it will come to pass that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be [firmly] established as the [a]highest of the mountains, And will be exalted above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up the sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
In our hearts an in our souls …
The Mountain of the Lord is firmly established as the Highest Mountain.
When the people say … come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord,
To the House of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us His ways …
That we may walk in His paths…”
Then the Revival of our Hearts and our Souls may truly have their re-birth.
O’ House of Jacob …
O’ Body of Christ …
O’ Child of God …
COME …
Choose This Day Where You Should Run For Refuge
11 In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust]; How can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to your mountain; [Psalm 11:1]
When it comes to degrees and measures of crises in our life, it is not a matter of whether they will come but when and then just how hardcore they will be.
When they do arrive in whatever capacity and catastrophe, our response will be to flee to a safe refuge— a safe haven somewhere or something or someone we implicitly trust will keep us safe and protect us from all the pounding storms.
So the question then will not be whether we will flee but where we will flee to.
Some of us will take the advice of David’s friends in Psalm 11.
These advisors urged him to “flee like a bird to your mountain.”
Difficulty had come for David, seemingly in the form of threats to his life, with wicked people preparing to aim their arrows at him (Psalm 11:2).
The counsel he received was essentially to head for the hills, to get away, to go somewhere that removed him from adversity as fast as he could if not faster.
David did not heed this advice.
But what about you?
But what about me?
While you and I likely will never face armed foes threatening you with violence, and for those whose lives intersected with combat zones, crisis will come to you someday, in one form or another, in some measure and some degree or another.
It could be social pressure, peer pressure, to compromise biblical convictions, an unwanted diagnosis, or intense relational or financial or an personal strife.
Where will you flee?
Where will I flee?
Will we too head for the hills, finding some form of escapism, be it an effort at numbing yourself with endless media consumption or abusing a substance, or throwing yourself into hyperdrive, frenetic activity in another part of your life?
Or will you and I be able to say with David, “In the LORD I take refuge”?
David had seen God deliver him from bears, lions, and a Philistine giant.
The Lord had more than sufficiently proven Himself to be a trustworthy refuge, and David remembered those moments and took that to heart, relying on God.
David knew the Lord was a mighty refuge; that had been borne out again and again in his life – his trust in God was grounded and rooted deep in experience, making it sturdy enough to withstand life’s darkness and the Evil One’s darts.
Have your eyes been opened to God’s trustworthiness?
Have you trusted Him in response?
If you are a Christian, remember that your new life began by taking refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once, you were facing the wrath of an eternal God, with no hope to be found.
The only hope you had was to cast yourself on God’s mercy and embrace the salvation offered in Christ, and so you fled to Him and found eternal refuge.
God desires for you and me to seek refuge in Him not only at the beginning of the journey but until Christ returns or calls us home, and not only for eternal salvation but in the measures and degrees of storms of this concourse of life.
Trouble will come—and when it does, you can either head for the hills or you can lift up your eyes beyond the hills and to the Lord “who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2), facing the crisis with 100% confidence and, yes, even joy.
100% Trust, Confidence and yes, even Joy … in God, the Father.
100% Trust, Confidence and yes, even Joy … in God, the Son.
100% Trust, Confidence and yes, even Joy … in God, the Holy Spirit.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord God Almighty, shaper and ruler of all creatures, we pray for your great mercy, that you guide us towards you, for we cannot find our way.And guide us to your will, to the need of our soul, for we cannot do it ourselves. And make our mind steadfast in your will and aware of our soul’s need.Pray, Lord, to shield us against our foes, seen and unseen.Teach us to do your will, that we may inwardly love you before all things with a pure mind. For you alone are our maker and our redeemer, our help, our very best friend, comfort, our trust, our hope; praise and glory be to you now and forever.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
14 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Amen.
An experienced traveler knows the value of making hotel reservations.
They spend some time working on their itinerary – the quality of the hotel they will be staying in, the quality of the food from local restaurants, entertainment venues which will help them pass their time while they are away from family.
The very thought of a comfortable room, a comfortable bed, the possibility of a good meal waiting for us at your destination just makes one feel more relaxed.
If we have to be away from our families, we might as well know the best ways we will be able to relax, get our share of work and rest, enjoy that time away.
The trip goes ever more smoothly when you have those advanced reservations.
In our reading for today from John’s Narrative, Rabbi Jesus speaks of hospitable lodging at the end of a long trip.
To comfort his disciples then, He tells us, his followers now , not to be worried during our journey on the road to eternity, on the road to our heavenly abode.
We have to trust in the Father.
In his heavenly abode there are many rooms.
And the Son prepares a special place for us.
The best medicine for a heavenly travelers heart is to utterly trust in God.
As we study this passage, we discover two important facts.
The reservation confirmation for this heavenly lodging is going to be very simple.
BELIEVE IN GOD …
BELIEVE ALSO IN HIS SON, JESUS …
BELIEVE It’s forever safe for us in the hands of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Have you trusted him fully?
But, I can imagine that such a complete level of trust should have come from Rabbi Jesus’ disciples in that Upper Room after they have been told their Rabbi was going away – was going to be arrested, humiliated, brutalized, and killed.
I can also probably safely guess that if we were the ones in that Upper Room, our hearts too would be greatly disquieted and visibly shocked, out of sorts.
Setting aside the indescribable shock of learning your Messiah is about to be [voluntarily] walking down the roadway into his own grave, from which there is no return, is the lingering question for them of exactly what comes afterwards.
A Place, A heavenly place, A heavenly Abode …. A Mansion with many rooms.
Prepared by Jesus Himself … who will return for us one day … take us “home.”
What About this “Heavenly Mansion, Heavenly Home?”
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” ― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
Everyone wants to know about heaven and everyone wants to go there.
Except, who has actually been there and will testify, paint that masterpiece everyone will automatically point to and believe is the true and actual place?
Recent polls suggest that nearly 80% of all Americans believe there is a place called heaven.
I find that statistic encouraging because it tells me that even in this skeptical age there is something deep inside the human heart that cries out,
“There has got to be something more, something better.”
Something more than the pain and suffering of this life.
Something more than 70 or 80 years on planet earth. Something more than being born, living, suffering an dying, and then being buried in the ground.
Sometimes we talk about a “God-shaped vacuum” inside the human heart.
I believe there is also a “heaven-shaped vacuum,” a sense that we were made for something more than this life.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-13Amplified Bible
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
God Himself, despite our own self-opinions, has made everything and everyone beautiful and appropriate in their own time, their own unique, individual place.
God has also planted eternity, a sense of divine purpose into our human hearts.
And then gifted us with an insatiable desire we always refer to as “curiosity.”
Considering this notion of “curiosity” and the always and forever lingering question “what comes next for us when Jehovah Ra’ah the shepherd comes?”
It is reasonable to say and then to believe that …
“We were definitely made to live forever somewhere.”
In a very real sense we were made for heaven.
There is another fascinating statistic I should mention.
Not only do most Americans believe in heaven, most people expect to go there when they die.
If you took a microphone to the streets of where ever you live and asked, “Do you think you will go to heaven when you die?”
the vast majority of people would answer, “I hope so,” or “I think so,” or perhaps “I think I’ve got a good chance.
Not very many people would say they aren’t going to heaven.
Perhaps one modest point is in order.
Whenever you talk about living forever somewhere, it would help to know for sure where you are going.
After all, if you’re wrong about heaven, you’re going to be wrong for a long, long time.
With that background, I now consider some what I believe are some of the most frequently asked questions about heaven.
But before I jump in, I should make one preliminary point.
The only things we can know for certain about heaven are the things revealed in the Bible.
Everything else is just speculation and hearsay.
The Bible tells us everything we need to know and I believe it also tells us everything we can know for certain about heaven.
Where is Heaven?
There are three things I can try to tell you in answer to this question.
John 14:1-3Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Comforts His Followers
14 Jesus said, “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.
1. The most important fact is that heaven is a real place.
Twice in three verses Jesus calls heaven a place.
He means that heaven (“my Father’s house”) is a real place, as real as New York, London or Chicago.
The place called heaven is just as real as the place you call home.
It’s a very real place which is why the Bible sometimes compares heaven to a mansion with many rooms (John 14:1-3) and sometimes to an enormous city teeming with people (Revelation 21).
2. The Bible also tells us that heaven is the dwelling place of God.
His throne is there, the angels are there, the Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven.
Philippians 3:20 says very plainly that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
That’s why Jesus told the thief on the Cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise”(Luke 23:43).
3. Third (and I find this fact fascinating), the Bible hints heaven is not as far away as we might think.
Because heaven is a real place, we will sometimes think it must be outside our present universe – which would mean billions and billions of light years away.
However, it’s very clear that the early Christians understood that they would pass immediately from this life into the presence of Christ in heaven.
How can that be possible if heaven is “beyond the farthest universal bounds?”
Hebrews 12:22-24Amplified Bible
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering], 23 and to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect [bringing them to their final glory], 24 and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man], and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].
Hebrews 12:22-24 tells us something amazing about what the gospel has done for us:
“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
The writer is here comparing Mt. Sinai with Mt. Zion.
Under the old covenant no one could come near God except under very strict conditions – and then only by one person – the High Aaronic High Priest .
That’s why the mountain shook with thunder and lightning.
Most of us have heard that heaven is a place where the streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and the walls made of precious jewels.
Those images come from Revelation 21, which offers us the most extended picture of heaven in the entire Bible.
If you ask me if I believe those things are literally true, the answer is yes and no.
Yes, they are literally true but no, heaven won’t be anything like we imagine.
It will be infinitely greater.
When John writes about a street paved with gold, I do not doubt his words.
He simply reports what he saw in his vision.
Thus, I believe his words are literally true.
They are also meant to tell us that the things we value so highly in this life will be used to pave the roads in heaven.
Each of the stones and gems mentioned in the chapter represent something to the readers, have very well known and very specific spiritual qualities to them.
They are also meant to tell us that the things of this earth we value so highly in this life will be used to pave the roads in heaven.
You may also google each stone individually … Educate Yourself.
Jesus Has Our Eternal Travel Itinerary Already Prepared For Us
John 14:1-7 The Message
The Road
14 1-4 “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”
5 Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”
6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
Believe in God the Father …
Believe in God the Son …
Believe in God the Holy Spirit …
Believe in the Word of God for the Children of God …
Believe in the Life, Death, and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Loving Father, thank You for Christ’s wonderful words of comfort, “Let not your heart be troubled…” Thank You that God the Son came to earth as the Son of Man to bring comfort to my heart, healing to my soul, and live in my spirit. Enable me, in the power of the Spirit, to hold fast to this wonderful truth in Your Word, and I pray that You endow me with the wisdom, the words, and the grace, to pour forth Your great comfort to others who are facing their own difficult trials. Our Father, what a total joy it is to know that Jesus has prepared a place for us in your presence! Help us to overcome our worries and to trust in you fully as we journey with you. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
6So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]— 8 we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the [a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or [b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
What does it mean to live by Faith?
Those words seem simple enough, yet it may be a lot tougher than we think.
It requires tremendous courage and strength.
Preaching the gospel to the world brought Paul and his co-workers much suffering.
Yet they continued the work contending for the faith.
They refused to quit and “pressed toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
Living in the end times requires living by faith and not by what we see going on around us.
Yet it is a journey of tremendous hope, blessing and reward.
Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to trust God, not knowing where you are at times in the larger scope of God’s plan and purpose.
Take the example of Abraham, “when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going”. (Hebrews 11:8)
That’s walking by faith.
Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan as outlined in the bible, regardless what life throws your way.
Like 2 Corinthians 4:18 urges us, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
It is a deep trust in what cannot be seen that provides hope.
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus stated, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Jesus ascended and left his Spirit as a guarantee.
Walking by faith is sometimes lonely, except for the presence of Christ by his Spirit, left to all believers as a “guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:5).
Christians are frequently called to stand firm in spite of the isolated place their faith leads them to.
Our faith is reasonable, but there are aspects of the gospel we accept on faith and are unable to see.
What are these invisible things?
And what is the walk of faith?
The Second Letter to Corinth
First of all, here is some context for 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth was a difficult one.
Paul had led them to faith with the assistance of mature believers in Christ, but when Paul was gone the church was easily swayed by outsiders who opposed his teaching.
In Paul’s absence, they fell apart and it was easy for opponents to convince the church that his suffering was a sign that Paul’s faith was actually folly.
If Jesus Christ has really come to save sinners, how could the apostle’s life be so horrendous?
To Paul’s mind, his way of life represented faith.
How else could someone suffer so much, if not for the reasonable expectation of eternal gain? (ESV Study Bible, Introduction to 2 Corinthians).
The Corinthian church was struggling, and Apostle Paul’s letter suggests a big part of the problem was the followers trusting the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and coming to that place in their life of trusting in the promise of Heaven.
Faith is trust.
Fabulous Adventures In Trusting Him!
Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him!
Fulfilling Adventures In Trusting Him!
Futuristic Adventures In Trusting Him!
But faith in Christ does not come in the exact instant we snap our fingers.
Time and effort, trials and tribulations, radically counter cultural responses.
Faith not in what we see ‘Now’ but what we cannot see in Eternity
2 Corinthians 5:1-5Amplified Bible
The Temporal and Eternal
5 For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling, 3 so that by putting it on we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. 5 Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].
What does the gospel tell us which we cannot prove by way of anything other than faith?
For one thing, we cannot see what awaits the faithful around the next bend in their roadways, over the next mountain— eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Apostle Paul is confident: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God” (verse 1).
That building is the individual body, the church body, a real Kingdom, invisible to us for now. “We know,” says Paul; not “we believe,” or “we imagine.”
The original Greek uses “eidó,” which means “be aware, behold, consider, perceive.” “Knowing” in this sense combines knowledge with an intelligent perception of an idea, which cannot be physically represented —just yet.
Paul based his belief in eternal life on sound, objective evidence as well as his subjective, personal experience of Christ.
His suffering could have become a distraction from this truth — it certainly was for the Corinthians.
To Paul, his counter cultural response to immediate suffering was supposed to demonstrate his deep trust in what could not be seen, provide a reason to hope.
Christians “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
A Connecting Faith
Christ’s message of eternal salvation through his death and resurrection was explosive.
Master Pharisee Saul, before becoming Paul, had originally sought to persecute these blasphemers, run them all to ground, imprison them all until he realized that the Old Testament had been leading Israel unto the empty tomb all along.
When Apostle Paul described the body as a “tent” (2 Corinthians 5:1), he was also connecting the new church with the Old Testament.
God’s people had frequently been sojourners, both in the days before Solomon and during Jesus’ ministry.
Moses and the Israelites followed a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire, setting up temporary Sukkoth shelters to cover themselves against cold desert nights.
They had nowhere to permanently call “home” until Solomon built the temple.
The body as a “tent” evokes the Israelite’s trust God would meet their needs day by day.
A tent is impermanent, just like a body is temporary, but once this covering is shed God provides something eternally better.
Faith in the Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:15-18Amplified Bible
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
As believers, to some extent, we already see more than those who choose to turn their faces from God.
We have an “unveiled face,” although we only see “in a mirror dimly” for now, it is by faith we believe we will one day see Christ “face to face”(1 Corinthians 13:12).
Meanwhile, we have the Holy Spirit.
Here is one aspect of the Christian life we cannot lay hands on and inspect up close.
There are ways to detect the Spirit in us; evidence of “fruit.”
When one has grown in any of these ways, the Holy Spirit is responsible, and we are invited to delve into and recognize this gift living inside of us and in others.
The Spirit is not a virus or an implant; it cannot be scrutinized with the naked eye or under a microscope.
Everyone holds a belief in something, and Paul says we can be confident.
That is the word used in the NIV and KJV for “courage” so “we are always of good courage” (2 Corinthians 5:6, ESV) is a statement of certainty.
Faith is not blind; it merely sees in other ways.
Every Faithful, Faith-Filled Christian
1 Peter 3:13-15Amplified Bible
13 Now who is there to hurt you if you become enthusiastic for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness [though it is not certain that you will], you are still blessed [happy, to be admired and favored by God]. Do not be afraid of their intimidating threats, nor be troubled or disturbed [by their opposition]. 15 But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.
Every faithful believer sees something that is not visceral but still real — much of our knowledge is like that.
We believe someone is trustworthy based on actions, which demonstrate their character.
We know that an event took place in history based on statements of witnesses and on physical remains.
We must examine the evidence and be ready to give our testimony, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
We all live by faith in something, although not the same things.
It is theologically accurate to say and to insist that the Christian must always seek to live by faith and trust in God and his promises, and not be motivated by only what he or she can see and hear in their present circumstances.
But the Apostle Paul says the church at Corinth is already doing that.
Apostle Paul “directly and unequivocally says that we, all believers, do, in fact, live by faith.”
This faith must also stand firmly by the strength of internal reasoning, against external forces, and without an apostle to hold one’s hand in a spiritual sense.
The Corinthians’ faith was strong in the presence of mature disciples such as Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:18) but definitely blindsided by “partisanship, with the Corinthians factionalizing behind rival leaders.”
Paul knew what made “considerate and appropriate relating especially hard at Corinth,” which was an “unusually diverse” and tough, working-class culture.
Paul sought to “overcome the tensions these differences were bringing into the community” by talking about how to just love one another in Christ-like ways.
What Does it Mean to Walk by Faith?
Ephesians 4:1-6 Amplified Bible
Unity of the Spirit
4 So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], 2 with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another [a]in [unselfish] love. 3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. 4 There is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation]— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] over all and [working] through all and [living] in all.
And what about the action of walking in faith? “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” wrote Paul (Ephesians 4:1).
Our walk as Christians should be identifiably different from the walk of one who does not believe and has been saved by grace.
There is a practical element, which must not be overlooked, for if we love God there will be an outpouring of that love towards others.
Jesus embodied a unifying love for the marginalized and Paul taught that their Savior was the best example of “what a Christian leader should look like. It could hardly be more dramatically countercultural, and Paul lived out this leadership style in person.”
Yet walking, or living, by faith, is also about our relationship with Christ “God is looking for not only a clinging bride but also a walking partner.”
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.(John 15:13-16)
When we walk with him, we recognize that worship of Christ is not so much a “catalyst” to action but “an everyday walk of unbroken communion with our Lord and friend.”
Jesus calls us “friend,” and we are called to live our lives close to him, confident and worshipful.
This is personal and real — other people cannot fill in for Jesus, whether they are our pastors or mentors or BFFs.
Such individuals promote growth, but they are not the vine.
Only Jesus is the vine (John 15).
Is Sight Coming?
Will we see Jesus when we die?
Paul says it himself: We see dimly today, but the mist will lift one day revealing his face – the veil between God and man was torn when Jesus died on the cross.
John 20:11-18Amplified Bible
11 But Mary [who had returned] was standing outside the tomb sobbing; and so, as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?” Supposing that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in [a] Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “[b]Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came, reporting to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
So, while we cannot fully see him as Mary Magdalene did right now, this definitely does not mean that we are cut off from fellowship with the Lord.
Living by faith, not by sight, is no hindrance to communion with our Savior.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24The Message
24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 