1 John 4:16, John 3:16

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Are you familiar with Pascal’s Wager?

Blaise Pascal was a 17th century mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. And his wager, his argument is that if he is wrong, as a Christian, if Christians are wrong, if atheists are right, and there is no God, then there’s nothing is lost at the moment of death. Nothing happens. Christians haven’t lost anything. They’re just wrong. The other side of the argument, though, is that if Christianity is true, if there is a God, and if there is a heaven and a hell, then there’s something great to be gained for the Christian, for the believer, and there’s a whole lot to be lost for the atheist. Eternity in hell.

So basically, it’s a good bet. It’s a safe wager to believe in God.

That argument might have some force. It might be used when we’re talking to an atheist about the importance of thinking about things spiritually and about the importance of considering Christianity.

But is that why we as Christians believe?

Is it just to hedge our bets just in case there is a God, we better believe in him. Is it because we’re afraid of going to hell?

It’s not. We believe because by God’s grace, he has worked faith in our hearts. And he has brought us to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And we know his love for us. And so we’ve grown to trust him. As we read in first John 4:16.

We also have come to know and trust the love that God has for us. (1 John 4:16)

So we believe because God has worked faith in our hearts. We love because by God’s grace, we know the love of God, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This makes all the difference for us.

We have peace because we know the peace that Jesus has won for us, in paying for all of our sins, and in forgiving all of our sins. And so we are at peace with God, and we have an eternal future secure for us in heaven. And so we have eternal hope. Hope that doesn’t change. Hope that doesn’t fade away.

And that’s why we tell others of God. Not to brag. Not because we have to. Not just in case. It’s because we want them to know the hope and the joy and the peace and the love that we have in God.

May God bless us as we walk in that love, live in that love and share that love. Amen.

John 17:20-22, Romans 8:34

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What does Jesus pray for? Well, what do you pray for?

We probably pray that God will bless us in different ways, right? That he would give us good health, that he would restore us to health after we have a medical issue or an illness that we’re dealing with. We may pray for our loved ones, that the Lord would bless them, that he would help us in our relationships. We pray that he would watch over our community, maybe our nation. But what does Jesus pray for?

What would it surprise you to know that Jesus prays for you? And you’re not just somewhere on his prayer list, you are a pressing concern for him. And we see that the night of his betrayal and arrest, the night before his crucifixion. And you think about, man, there’s got to be the most distressing night of all for him. He knows it’s all coming. He sees it coming. And yet what’s on his mind? You are on his mind and he prays for you. And by the way, it’s in the book of John that we see this John 17. We see his prayer. He prays for himself, but it’s so that he has the strength to bear the cross for you. And then he prays for his disciples. And then he prays for those who might hear the message of his disciples. And that’s you and me.

We read in John 17,

“I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one[a] in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one:” (John 17:20-22)

How awesome is that? That on that most stressful, anxious night that Jesus was praying for you. And then it was even more awesome as what happened after that, that he allowed himself to be betrayed and arrested. And he went to the cross, and there he took the punishment for the sins of the world and your sins and my sins. And there he paid for those sins, and there he conquered Satan, death, and hell.

Three days later, he rose again to show that his payment was accepted so that you can know you are forgiven. And through faith in him you’re a child of God. You’re an heir of eternal life in heaven.

And then 40 days later, he ascended into heaven. And what does he do now?

He prays for you. He intercedes for you. We read in Romans 8:34.

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! (Romans 8:34)

And so when you fall into a sin and Satan goes to God and he says, “look at that person, they have broken your trust. They’re not worthy to be your child.” Jesus stands in for you and he prays for you. And he says, “yes, they have sinned, but I paid for that sin on the cross. They are forgiven. You promise that they are forgiven through faith in me, and they are your child. And you promised that they have eternity in heaven waiting for them.” Isn’t that so awesome? Jesus prayed for us on that most distressing night, and that he continues to pray for us and intercede for us as he leads us on to that heavenly home that he has won for you.

May God bless us as we bring our prayers and petitions to our Heavenly Father. Amen.

Romans 13:8

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Does love save? Will love get me to heaven? Back in the 60s, there was a popular song entitled All You Need Is Love. It’s an idea that still is around today. It’s very popular. You know it’s all about love. Follow your heart. If you love those around you, that is the ultimate good. And so it makes sense that love saves. Love gets us to heaven. That’s the standard by which God judges us. Even Romans 13, verse eight, it says,

Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

So will my love save me?

Well, Jesus told an interesting parable about this. (Luke 10:25-37) It’s well known as the account of the Good Samaritan. There was a man, he was traveling on a wilderness road in Israel, and he was attacked by robbers, and they stripped him and beat him and left him half dead. There were a couple of religious leaders that passed by separately, but they each passed by, didn’t pay him any attention. And then there was a Samaritan who passed by. And Samaritans and Jews were arch enemies. They hated each other. But the Samaritan, he did tend to the man. He poured oil and wine on the man’s wounds. He put the man on his own animal, took him to an inn. He offered to pay for him for that night and beyond, and any care that had to be given, he was going to provide for it. And that’s the love that Jesus holds up and says, this is true love, love even for your enemies.

Now, there are a lot of things we can learn from that account, but the one I want to focus on is that God wants us to love our enemies and love all those around us.

Will love save us?

Unfortunately, we haven’t reached that standard of perfection that God requires. We have not loved God with our heart, soul, and mind, much less our neighbor, those around us, our friends, our enemies. Not perfectly. So, no my love won’t save me. Your love won’t save you.

But Jesus’ love does and will.

Jesus saw the mess that we made of the world. He saw that we are beaten down and broken by sin. And left half dead. We’re dead in sin. And even while we were still his enemies. Even while we were still sinners. He came to this world. And he lived a perfect life of love toward all those around him. And then he especially showed his love as he died on the cross for the sins of the world, for your sins, for my sins, for all sins. By his love we are saved.

In his sacrifice he paid for the sins, he bought his membership in his royal family. He won us heaven, eternal life in heaven. So are we saved by love? Yes, by Jesus’ love. And as those who know Jesus’ love as shown on the cross, we want to live in that love as baptized believers we’re rooted in that love. And we want to show a love to all those around us friends, enemies, everyone, because Jesus died for them as well.

We want them to know the love of our Lord. Praise be to our Lord of love. Praise be to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:13-16

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Do you aspire to be an influencer? It’s a rising trend these days. With the advent of social media and all these full access video channels like YouTube people want to share insights about their hobbies and sports. They want to wow and impress people with their tricks and stunts, give glimpses of their home lives, teach people things they want to influence people and have a positive impact on people. And that’s natural. We want to have a positive impact on our world and on those around us.

So what does God say about being an influencer?

Well, he doesn’t talk about being a social media influencer per se, but God does want his people he wants Christians to be good influences in the world. To show the world his love and to make a positive impact in the world. He wants people to know, he knows, he has seen, he does see how messed up our world is and how messed up we are as individuals, and that he’s come to do something about it.

Jesus was born as one of us in this messed up world, but he was always a perfect influence to those around him. He never fell victim to the peer pressure influences that surrounded him, but he lived in perfect love toward all those. And yet he didn’t come just to be a good influence or a moral teacher, a good example. He came to win salvation for us, and he did that by living that life of love but then, also giving up that life on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, your sins and my sins. To win us membership in God’s family, to make us heirs of eternal life in heaven.

And he brought all those blessings to you in your baptism. He washed your sins away. He gave you faith. He made you a new creation. And for what purpose? Ephesians two verse ten says,

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 EHV)

He’s made us new creations so that we might live new lives of service and produce works to glorify his name. It’s not how we’re saved, not even a little bit. We’re saved by grace through faith. Jesus has done everything. But as those who know his love. He wants us to live in that love and positively impact the world through that love. And that’s what he’s talking about in Matthew five where he says,

You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world… In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 EHV)

That is influence. That is impact. To show others the love of Jesus, to show others the love of their Savior. This is influence that makes an eternal difference. And what a privilege that he would give us the joy of serving in his kingdom work. And it is not even us that’s influencing others. It’s God working through us to show them his love and his mercy and the hope that we have in him.

How blessed we are to be instruments of influence in God’s Kingdom.

All glory be to his name. Amen.

John 16:33

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When you look at the world around you, does it terrify you the way things are going? When you watch the news, are you horrified by what you see? Are you worried about the future? Are you shocked by the twists and turns that your life seems to take? These things can concern us, but they really shouldn’t be a shock. They shouldn’t be a surprise. This isn’t unexpected. Jesus never promised us a rose garden. In fact, quite the opposite. In John 16:33 he says,

In this world you are going to have trouble. (John 16:33)

We live in a broken world, surrounded by broken sinners. In Matthew 13 he tells us that we are wheat living among the weeds. So none of this should be unexpected what we see in the world around us. What is unexpected is his love for the world, despite its brokenness, his love for those around us, despite their brokenness, and his love for us, despite our brokenness. He saw this world and all of its corruption and all of its brokenness. And what was his response? God loved the world so much that he sent his Son.

Jesus was born as one of us. He lived as the perfect wheat among the weeds, living a perfectly loving life. And then he even died for this broken, troubling world. And in so doing, he won the victory over it. Going back to John 16:33, what does it say? It says,

In this world you are going to have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And that’s what he did by his death and and by his resurrection. He paid for the sins of the world, and he made peace between us and God. He reconciled the world to himself and he defeated Satan, death, and hell. In John 14 he says, Peace I give to you. My peace I leave you not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not be troubled, and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

And so we see the things around us. We see the things in life and its reason for concern. We don’t like to see these things. It saddens us. But as Christians we live in peace. We have the peace that only God can give us. We have hope. And so what do we do? We stay in the word because God’s Word is where he fills us with the peace and the hope and the joy and the love that we have in him, and that get us through these difficult times. And His word is where he keeps our eyes focused on our homeland of heaven that he won for us.

And then we look out at the world around us. And what do we see? A ripe mission field. We see a world full of souls that need the hope and joy and peace that we have. And so we look for opportunities to share this hope, joy, peace, and love with those around us. Let’s pray.

Dear Father in Heaven, we thank you for sending your son. Dear Jesus, we thank you for coming to this broken world, living among us, and then dying for this world so that we might have hope and every reason for joy and peace. We thank you for winning us peace with God. We ask that you would continue to be with us and speak to us through Your Word, especially when we face troubling and concerning times. Keep our eyes focused on the homeland of heaven that you won for us and to which you are leading us. We pray this in your name. Amen.

Ephesians 5:25-27

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Have you been burned by the church? Have you been hurt by Christians? Unfortunately many have. And if you’re one of those that has been hurt by the church or by Christians. I’m sorry. It’s disappointing. We sometimes feel like the church should be the one place where we aren’t disappointed. Christians should be the one group of people that doesn’t hurt us. And yet it happens. Unfortunately, as long as we live in this world, the church is going to be imperfect and it’s going to be full of broken sinners.

But we don’t gather together as a church because of how good we are. We gather because of how good God is. See, someone else that was burned by the church was Jesus. Really not burned, he was crucified. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He lived a perfect life. He was not a broken person. But the religious leaders hated him. They condemned him to death. They crucified him on a cross. He’s the Son of God. Why would he allow such a thing? Why would he stand for such a thing? Because he loves you. He wanted you to be his own. He recognized our imperfections. He saw our brokenness. But he wanted us to be his bride. And so as he died on that cross, he was doing something about it. As we read in Ephesians five,

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, by cleansing her with the washing of water in connection with the Word. He did this so that he could present her to himself as a glorious church, having no stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but so that she would be holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

He won forgiveness for the sins of the world. He won forgiveness for you. And we are declared to be forgiven and declared to be saints and holy. Again we gather together not because we are perfect people, not because of how good we are. But because of how good he is. As we gather together around His Word, our eyes are refocused on his goodness to us, on his love to us, on his mercy, his grace, his forgiveness. And then we have a chance to show that mercy and grace and forgiveness to those around us, to our fellow believers as we gather at church.

If you’ve been hurt by the church, if you’ve been burned by other believers, I would encourage you to give it another chance. Not because of the perfect people you’ll be surrounded by in church, but because this is where we receive the grace, love, and forgiveness of our God. And this is where we have a chance to show it, to share grace, love, and forgiveness with our fellow believers. May God bless us as we do. Amen.

Leviticus 11:12, Matthew 11:28, Colossians 2:16-17

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Do you like clam chowder? I do, but am I sinning when I eat it? Because in the Old Testament, God clearly commands the Israelites not to eat shellfish. Leviticus 11:12 says,

Every creature in the water that does not have fins or scales is detestable to you. (Leviticus 11:12)

So does God just not like clam chowder or oyster stew? And what if I do? That’s a question, an objection sometimes that has been raised by a number of people. They say we Christians are being inconsistent because we’re keeping some of God’s laws, but others like to abstain from shellfish, we’re not following. And it’s a fair question. We want to be consistent in following God’s law. Thankfully, it’s also a question that has a clear answer in Scripture.

See, in the Old Testament, God gave many laws to the Israelites, and some of these were civil laws that regulated the government of Israel. And these help to set apart Israel as God’s holy chosen nation. They also were given ceremonial laws which would have regulated their worship life and would have included things like sacrifices or festivals or dietary restrictions. These also set them apart from the nations of the world, set them apart as God’s holy chosen nation. At the same time, they pointed ahead to the coming Christ to Jesus.

Think about the sacrifices of sheep or other animals. They were to point ahead to the Lamb of God. They were also to show that blood must be shed, that there must be death to pay for sin. Think about the commandment to keep the Sabbath day, to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. There were to take Saturday as a day of rest. This was to point ahead to the one who would say,

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

These laws were fulfilled when Christ then came. He came in fulfillment of these laws. And that’s shown to us in Colossians 2, where Paul writes.

Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in regard to food or drink, or in regard to a festival or a New Moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were coming, but the body belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

The other laws that were given to the Israelites were God’s moral law, and these are summarized in the Ten Commandments. This is God’s will for his people for all time. And these are reiterated in the New Testament by Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus also came in fulfillment of the moral law. He fulfilled it for us. He lived a perfect life, always following his father’s will. He lived a perfect life of love towards his Heavenly father and towards all those around him. And then, as the Lamb of God, he gave up his life on the cross as the sacrifice needed for the sins of the world. And in so doing, he paid for your sins, my sins, and all the sins of the world. You are forgiven. Through faith in Jesus, you’re credited with his perfect fulfillment of God’s law, and God sees you as his own dear child, as an heir of eternal life in heaven.

So now the question is, how can we thank God for his sacrifice? Well, there’s no need to keep his ceremonial law or his civil law. Remember, that’s fulfilled in Jesus. But we do still have his will for how we live and love towards him and those around us. That’s summarized in the Ten Commandments. That’s the moral law. As those who know how Jesus fulfilled the law for us, won heaven for us. It’s our privilege, it’s our joy to live lives of thanks by living according to his will, by showing love to him and to all those around us, so that they might know the hope, the fulfillment of the law that we have in Jesus.

May God bless us as we live in the love that we know. Amen.

Job 19:26-27, 2 Corinthians 12:10

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To God be the glory. We sometimes hear Christians say that when they accomplish a personal achievement, when they reach a goal, when their team wins the championship, and that’s a good thing. We want to recognize God as the giver of all that is good. We want to glorify his name.

And it’s easy to an extent when good things are happening. But what about when they’re not? What about when life is difficult? What about when you get that health diagnosis? You might have a permanent disability. What’s interesting is the story of the hymn writer of the Hymn to God be the Glory, Fanny Crosby. She had a difficult life. At six weeks of age she developed inflammation in her eyes and underwent a procedure that left her permanently blind. At six months, her father passed away. She was raised by her mother and grandmother. Who did raise her in the Christian faith. And so she became a hymn writer.

Her best known hymns are Take the World, but Give Me Jesus and To God Be the Glory. How could she write to God be the glory in the midst of such a difficult life? Having to deal with a permanent disability? Well, I think she answers that well in the first verse of her hymn.

To God be the glory great things He has done. He so loved the world that He gave us his Son, who yielded his life in Atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may come in.

Fanny Crosby knew the eternal hope that we have waiting for us because of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. And so she was focused on that future glory. She once commented that when her eyesight was restored, when she was in heaven, that the first thing she would see would be her Savior’s face. You and I have that same joy that we can look forward to. We think about the words of Job in Job 19 beginning at verse 26.

Then even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh, I will see God. I myself will see Him. My own eyes will see him and not as a stranger. My emotions are in turmoil within me. (Job 19:26-27)

Others translate it “how my heart yearns within me.” No matter how good or bad our eyesight is in this life, we will see our Savior with our own eyes. And what about the difficulties of life that we have to endure as Jesus leads us to our heavenly home? Well, they keep us focused on what really matters. It’s interesting, Crosby also once commented that if she could have her eyesight restored, she would not take it. She said I think that if I could see, I would be too distracted by all the beautiful and interesting things about me, and I would not have become a hymn writer and written the hymn to God Be the Glory.

Our hardships, our struggles, our disabilities, they keep us focused on the grace of our God. As Paul writes, the Apostle Paul in second Corinthians 12, verse ten.

That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships and persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then my strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

May we always see past the hardships and distractions of our life. May we always focus on the grace of our God. And may we always say and sing to God be the glory. Amen.

Psalm 32:8

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One of the most distinctive experiences from my visit to Hyderabad, India, was the chaotic traffic. Hyderabad is a city of about 10 million people, densely packed, and the traffic is unreal. In many places, it’s one big traffic jam. There is no coherence, no unified direction. It’s every man for himself. Cars are cutting each other off. All you hear is cars honking at one another. It’s tough to even make sense of what’s going on.

That’s a pretty good picture of life in this world sometimes. It can be a chaotic mess. People are scrambling to push past one another, to climb over one another, to get ahead in life. We’re stressed at home. We’re stressed at work. Tragedy strikes. It’s tough to make sense of what’s even going on sometimes. And that’s why Jesus came to this world. So that we might have peace in the chaotic traffic and mess of life.

He was born as one of us in this chaotic world 2000 years ago. But he never fell into the traps of the chaos. He never scrambled to get ahead of others. He lived a perfect life of loving service toward all those around him living in perfect peace with all those around him, even to the point of giving up his life on the cross. So that through faith in him, you might have peace in the midst of the chaos of this world so that you might know you are forgiven. So that you might have the way opened up to you, to heaven.

He is the way, the truth and the life. He continues to guide us on that way as he carries us to the heavenly home that he won for us as he shines his word on our path. We read in Psalm 32, verse eight.

I will make you wise. I will instruct you in the way that you should go. I will guide you, keeping my eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)

Through his word, he guides us through the chaotic mess of this life to the perfect pastures of peace waiting for us in heaven. Praise be to the one who is the way, the truth and the life. Praise be to the one who gives us peace in the chaos of this world. May this peace be yours as his word shines a light on your path as he leads you to your heavenly home. Amen.

Ephesians 6:12-13, 16-17

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Who is your enemy? Maybe when you heard that you thought about a person, maybe it’s that coworker that always seems to get under your skin. Maybe it’s that neighbor or acquaintance that is always trying to outdo you. Maybe it’s that politician who seems bent on turning this nation upside down and opposing God.

And they have opposed God, all of them. But then again, so have we. Right? Because we’re lost and broken. And that’s what they are as well. And those people that we consider sometimes to be enemies, they’re those that need to know Jesus as their Savior. They’re the ones that need to know the hope that we have in him. And to treat them as enemies could be counterproductive and push them away from Christianity.

So who are our enemies? Well, Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians Chapter six, he writes

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

The devil, the world, our flesh. These are enemies. The forces of darkness. Spiritual forces of darkness. And they are defeated. Jesus defeated them on the cross by his death, by his glorious resurrection. But they’re still allowed to haunt us and tempt us.

What’s our defense? Well, Paul writes in verse 13.

For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

And then in verse 16.

At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16-17)

We take up the word, this is our defense. This is our weapon against our true enemies, against the devil, the world in our flesh. And those people around us sometimes seem like our enemies. They’re the lost and the wounded. Our calling is to love them and share with them the hope that we have in Jesus. May God bless us as we do. Amen.

Romans 3:23-24

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You ever served on jury duty? I think back to when I was summoned and selected to serve on the jury. And I think back to the instructions that the judge gave to us. And he said, your job is not to determine if the defendant is guilty. Your job is to determine if the prosecution has successfully proven him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. And he may very well be guilty. But if they have not proven that beyond a reasonable doubt, you have to find him not guilty.

That’s a pretty good picture, pretty good illustration, of what the Bible calls justification. We know God’s standard for us. He is a holy, holy, holy God. And He demands that we be holy, holy, holy. And we know that we have fallen short of the standard. As Paul writes in Romans 3:23.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

We know we are guilty. But the very next verse reads

and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24)

That word, justified, it means to be declared not guilty. We know what we’ve done, what we’ve said. But Jesus took those sins upon himself on the cross and died there. Through faith in him, we are declared to be not guilty. He has taken the punishment for our sins. And so there is no more punishment to be carried out on us. You can know that no matter what your sins are, no matter how many. You are forgiven in Christ Jesus and declared to be not guilty. May God bless us as we live lives of thanks and praise. Amen.

Colossians 4:5-6

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Do you ever feel like you’re being watched? Like your every move is being observed? Well, I can assure you you’re not going crazy. You are being watched. And so am I. And so are all Christians.

I’m not talking about some big government conspiracy, talking about the fact that the world, the unbelievers, are watching us as Christians. They’re monitoring what we say, what we do, how we respond to difficulties in our lives. And they’re making some judgments about Christianity.

I’ve heard from some unbelieving friends that one of the biggest turn offs to Christianity is hypocrisy of Christians not practicing what we preach. They are watching us. And we know that we failed. We failed in representing Jesus and our Christian faith.

That’s why it’s such a comfort to know that Jesus did not fail. Jesus lived a perfect life of love in thought, word, and deed. And they gave up that life on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. Yours and mine. He rose again on the third day so you can know you are forgiven. As those who are forgiven, we recommit ourselves to representing him in everything that we do. To living in love toward those around us.

We follow the directive of our Lord given through the Apostle Paul in Colossians 4, where he writes,

Walk in wisdom in the way you act toward those on the outside, making the most of your opportunity. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you are to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Are we being watched? Yes. But what an opportunity to show and to share Christ’s love. May God bless us as we do. Amen.