Job Chapter 21

Read Job chapter 21.

Though there are exceptions, the rule seems to be that the wicked prosper in this life and the righteous don't.  One reaches this conclusion through the narrow lens of human observation.  The other guidepost is that this life is not all there is.  The Lord knows how to compensate both the wicked and the righteous.  At God's time, and only then, perfect justice will be served.  Don't keep your hope built on goods or a status that you don't have.  Instead, keep your hope built on the realization that you will see your Redeemer one day.  Don't wish that the wicked get what they deserve.  Labor for their rescue from self-dependence.  Pray for their salvation.  Remember how gracious the Lord has been to you.  (You certainly deserved none of that.)

Many Are Saying (Psa. 4:6)

Read Psalm 4:6.

"Many are saying" (MEV).  There's that phrase again.  It is found also in Psalm 3:2.  The voice of the majority -- what foolish suggestions they can entertain!  In 3:2 they said, "There is no deliverance for him in God."  In other words, "He's on his own; even God won't come to his rescue."  Here in 4:6, "Who will show us any good?" (We're depressed and there is no good news anywhere.)  Whenever "many" speak it's easy to get sucked into hopelessness.  So "many" haven't learned to stop looking only at circumstances.  These cynical prognosticators offer unbiblical conclusions. 

Don't factor-out God.  What is He saying?

Timely Words From Psalm 11

Read Psalm 11.

1.  A word to the Christian:  God is your Refuge (11:1-3).  You do not have to flee and you do not have to fear.  Leave room for God to intervene.  Expect Him to.  Just because things seem beyond help doesn't mean there is no hope.

2.  A word to the nation:  God is your Judge (11:4-7).  He sees everything and knows everything.  At some point, there will be judgment and separation.  The issue isn't whether you are "Christian" or not.  The issue is whether you are righteous or wicked.  On what basis do you say, "I'm among the righteous"?  Heaven is real, but so is Hell.  The Lord's judgment is perfect.  No one will be able to say, "You're wrong!"

3.  What to do now?  Vote.  Pray.  Repent.  Turn your attention unto the Lord.  Get your eyes off of the politicians, pundits and pollsters.

Matthew 12:20

Read Matthew 12:20.

1.  Jesus is not out to make your sensitive hurt any worse.  He is a Healer, not One Who inflames.
2.  Jesus is not out to quench but to ignite.  He isn't out to remove hope but to stimulate it.
3.  Jesus is the Healer and the Hope-Dealer but He is also the Judge.

Belief For Right Now (Jn. 11:21-27)

Read John 11:21-27.

This is an invitation to keep promises and hope in the present.  Jesus is not just "The I Will Be" but He is "The I AM."  Allow what you believe about someday to impact you in this day.  Martha allowed that Jesus could've done something four days ago.  She allowed something would happen "on the last day."  She seemed to allow that Jesus could do something now (11:22).  That present hope fell apart when Jesus made one statement (11:23).  Martha heard the word "will" and interpreted it as "future" (11:24).

When Jesus shows up on the scene, there should be a "right now" expectation.  "Some day" is wonderful.  "Eventually" is inspiring.  Why live with low expectation in the now?  Consider your need, your situation.  What is it, exactly, that you believe about Jesus? (11:27).  Articulate it.  You need to hear yourself speak it.  (Do you believe what you just said or do you merely think, "That is sound theology"?)

Verse of The Week (11/18/16)

photo credit:  www.887thebridge.com

Weekly Inspiration (10/22/16)

photo taken 10-3-16 at 7:06 P.M. in my side yard

The white "flower" is a weed.  The red leaves are from a vine that no owner wants in his yard.  These two create quite the Christmas contrast (only 63 shopping days left).

Remember that God can take the "undesirables" in your life and transform them into something that will bring Him glory.  That is His specialty.

What Biblical Hope Does (Heb. 6:19-20) (Part 5)

Conclusion:

• What, exactly, is “this hope” that tethers us inwardly, thrusts us outwardly and turns us upwardly?
• Your hope can't be just anything or anyone you decide – not if it is to produce the stability, testimony and worship I mentioned. No, your anchor must be Jesus.
• What happens when you omit Jesus?
• Quote: When a culture forgets Jesus, “Wealth is idolized, truth is minimized, life is trivialized, abortion is legalized, television's vulgarized, advertising is centralized, everything is sexualized and commercialized, our consciences have been desensitized and anesthetized, education is secularized, free markets are monopolized, races are polarized, politics are polarized, sports are scandalized, morals and ethics are liberalized; in entertainment crime is sensationalized, immorality is popularized, drugs are legitimized, sin is glamorized; the courts are paralyzed, the breakup of the family is rationalized, manners are uncivilized, Christians are demonized, and God is marginalized.”¹ (Rick Warren)
• If you're going to have hope – real, lasting, life-changing hope for today and for eternity, it isn't going to happen without Jesus.

Lyrics: “In times like these you need a Savior,In times like these you need an anchorBe very sure, be very sure,Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One,This Rock is Jesus, the only One;Be very sure, be very sure,Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!”²

• Since biblical hope tethers you inwardly, thrusts you outwardly and turns you upwardly, you must evaluate whether you have it or not.
• Do you have this hope?
• You aren't born with this hope.
• To choose biblical hope, you must choose Jesus Christ.
• Here is my prayer for you today: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i35Jyxg-cq0 (accessed 9-26-16)

2Jones, Ruth C. “In Times Like These.” Hymns of Glorious Praise. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1969. Hymn #296.

Verse of The Week (10/08/16)

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil . . ." (Heb. 6:19)

What Biblical Hope Does (Heb. 6:19-20) (Part 4)

BIBLICAL HOPE TURNS YOU UPWARDLY.

“This hope” is “one which enters within the veil.”

• The background for this statement is probably the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-34).
• Once a year on a set day and by a set procedure, the high priest entered the most holy area in the tabernacle.
• The tabernacle, a large portable tent where worship happened, was divided into two areas: the holy place and the most holy place.
• This most holy place was called “The Holy of Holies.”
• Only the high priest could enter the most holy area, and that was done solemnly, cautiously and prayerfully.
• The procedure required blood – lots of blood – the blood of bulls and goats.
• When the high priest entered the most holy area with blood, he was said to be behind or “within the veil.”
• The veil was a thick curtain that, floor to ceiling, separated the holy place from the most holy place.
• Jesus, our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14), accomplished by His own death and shed blood once-and-for all what the blood of bulls and goats could not accomplish.
• Hebrews 10:4 > “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
• What is the significance of Jesus' shed blood?

“There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains . . .”¹

• Hebrews 9:22 > “ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
• This hope thrills me incredibly!
• How I want to break out in worship right now!
• In a moment, we will do that when we celebrate Communion.

1Cowper, William. “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood.” Hymns of Glorious Praise. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1969. Hymn #95.

What Biblical Hope Does (Heb. 6:19-20) (Part 3)

BIBLICAL HOPE THRUSTS YOU OUTWARDLY.

“This hope” is “both sure and steadfast.”

• Illustration: Recently, the buzz in Pittsburgh was about the Liberty Bridge. Penn-DOT says that cars, pick-up trucks and ambulances are okay to drive across the bridge. While none of these vehicles are anywhere near the 9-ton weight restriction, drivers still wonder, “Is the bridge safe?” They fear that it isn't trustworthy, that it won't hold them. After all, it is still being repaired underneath.
• People wonder the same about their anchor as they do about the bridge.
• Is my anchor going to hold?
• For those who have biblical hope, the answer is a resounding yes.
• Yes, my anchor holds!
• Yes, my anchor will continue to hold!
• Look at the description of this anchor, this hope.
• It is “both sure and steadfast.”
• It is both certain and enduring, both guaranteed and reliable.
• It can't be made to totter, and it won't break down under any weight.
• When you know your anchor holds, you don't have to live wrapped up in your own little world, withdrawn from human need and dominated by fear.
• When you have hope on the inside, you can live differently on the outside!
• Those who have such hope must share it with those who do not.\
• “ . . . always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence . . .” (1 Pet. 3:15)

What Biblical Hope Does (Heb. 6:19-20) (Part 2)

BIBLICAL HOPE TETHERS YOU INWARDLY.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul.”

• “Tether me inwardly . . . why do I need that?”
• If you are dealing with (or have dealt with) or know someone who is dealing with (or has dealt with) any of the following – calamity, rape, surgery, prolonged hospital stay, chemotherapy, debilitating disease, depression, bereavement, wayward children, divorce, financial disaster, heartache, etc. – then you realize the value of having an anchor.
• What do you do when these things happen?
• What do you do when these things weaken your resolve, scatter your thoughts, and hijack your emotions?
• What you need is an “anchor of the soul.”
• You don't need a meaningless cliché.
• You don't need a sedative or more pepto.
• You don't need medical marijuana (or any kind, for that matter).
• You don't need to cross your fingers and hope for the best.
• You don't need for your preferred candidate to get elected President of the United States.
• You don't need to spend money you don't have to experience things you never did.
• You don't need to drown yourself in a bottle or prick yourself with a needle.
• You need more than the power of positive thinking.
• You need more than luck to be in your favor.
• You need more than anything and everything the world has to offer.

Lyrics: “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
We have an anchor that keeps the soulSteadfast and sure while the billows roll,Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.”¹

• Quote: “Think of calamity as a time to show the Lord and the world what you really believe about God. We can make very bold claims when everything is going our way, but when events happen that are out of our hands we must trust the Lord with every fiber of our being.”² (Brian Evans)

1Owens, Priscilla J. “We Have An Anchor.” Hymns of Glorious Praise. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1969. Hymn #294.

2Https://gccwaverly.net/2009/07/15/sermon-our-souls-anchor-hebrews-613-20/ (accessed 9-26-16)

What Biblical Hope Does (Heb. 6:19-20) (Part 1)

Introduction:

• Read Hebrews 6:19-20.
• This week, I want to speak about hope – more specifically, the benefits of biblical hope.
• When I use the word 'hope', I don't want you to misunderstand. There are three meanings to the word 'hope.'
•  Quote: “You can use the word 'hope' . . . three ways: (1) a subjective feeling or conviction in the soul (“I hope to go to heaven.”); (2) a future objective reality that you hope for (“Heaven is my hope.”); (3) a person or event that makes your confidence sure (“Jesus' death is my only hope of escaping judgment.”).”¹ (John Piper)
• The first meaning is wishful thinking; the second meaning is more than wishful thinking but contains no guarantee; the third meaning is the one used in today's Bible verses.
• Biblical hope, a hope that exceeds optimism or wishful thinking or possibility of disappointment, is based on the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
• Once again, what I'm about to share with you will only work if you have the right kind of hope.
• That right kind of hope is biblical hope.
• What does biblical hope do?

1Http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/hope-anchored-in-heaven (accessed 9-26-16)

Verse Of The Week (05/27/16)

Presque Isle State Park, Erie, PA   4-22-16

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, 

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; 

And all of us wither like a leaf, 

And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

(Isa. 64:6)

Who is grateful for Jesus' provision?  He alone brings new life where there was death and blessing where there was barrenness.

God Cannot and Will Not Lose!

"But God is never at a loss. The land may be overrun with sin; the lamps of witness may seem all extinguished; the whole force of the popular current may run counter to His truth; and the plot may threaten to be within a hair's breadth of entire success; but, all the time, He will be preparing a weak man in some obscure highland village; and in the moment of greatest need will send him forth, as His all-sufficient answer to the worst plottings of His foes."
          --The Biblical Illustrator (1 Kin. ch. 17)

God Unleashed (Hab 3:8-15)

God is love. No question. Equally, God is just. No question. We hear about God's love today. Rarely do we hear (or want to hear?) about His justice. He must and He will respond to sin. Where there is sin there are sinners (those who habitually act contrary to God's prescribed standard and purpose; those who have rejected Jesus and His offer of forgiveness).

1. Look at the verbs: "cleave" (split), "march," "trample," "strike" (smash), "pierce," "tread on."
2. Look at the nouns: "anger," "wrath," "chastisement," "indignation" (avenging wrath).
3. Look at the result: God's wrath upon His enemies brings deliverance for His people.
4. Look at the hope: Jesus "smashed the head (Satan - Gen 3:15) of the house of evil" (Hab 3:13) "to lay him open from thigh to neck" (to deprive him of his weapons: sin, death and condemnation). Jesus used Satan's own weapons against him, conquering each one. Read Romans 5:12-21. You don't have to experience the wrath of God! (1 Thess 5:9).

What about Now? (Jn 11:17-27)

1. The undeniable impact of yesterday (v. 17). Lazarus had been in the tomb three consecutive yesterdays plus one today. It was what it was, right? "Just accept it," we're told. Whatever "it" is, "it" can't possibly change. Or can it?
2. The unwavering hope in tomorrow (v. 24). Tomorrow -- however many of them there may be until Christ's return -- things will finally change for the better. We all look forward to Christ's return and His Millennial Reign. For sure, things will be better.
3. The unbearable hardship of today (vv. 25-26). There is hope for tomorrow, but is there any hope for today? Yes! What Jesus told Martha was this: "What I can and will do -- in what you call 'tomorrow' -- I can and will do right here, right now." Your answer, your hope, your miracle is not in a timeline or an event. Your answer, your hope, your miracle is in a Person. This Person is Jesus. He is your help for today, not just your hope for tomorrow.

What a sad state if all you have is a painful past, a glorious future and a hopeless present. That's surely not abundant life (Jn 10:10).

Continue to look for Jesus' appearing (Titus 2:13). Until then, believe also that He is not on vacation from you. Expect Him to show up in the here and now.