October 18th 2020
Are You Ready To Go With Jesus To Your New Home He Created For You?
Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ came into this cursed world and died for your sins? Do you believe the Biblical accounts about Jesus are true? Do you believe that Jesus created this earth to be a place for mankind to live? Do you believe that this earth was the first thing that Jesus created from nothing? Do you believe that mankind was a special creation, and that Adam and Eve were created as members of mankind from the beginning? Do you believe that Jesus will create a new earth, where mankind, who choose to follow Him, are destined to go when it is created? Do you believe that all members of mankind who do not choose to follow Jesus in this life will go to hell for eternity?
As the selected verses tell us “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Our hope must be based on the stuff we do not see, everything we see is temporary, as this earth and everything we see is destined to be destroyed by fire! However, the real places we cannot see hold our eternal future! Our chore in this life is for us to overcome this world’s attractions that separate us from following Jesus Christ. John wrote about this conundrum of having to live in this world but to be looking forward to the future, as being more important. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5). You see the most important chore in this life is to obey the commands given us by God and not to become enamored by this cursed world and what it has to offer.
Our hope as expressed above is not based on wishful thinking it must be based on believing God’s Word given to us through the Bible. We must study it to gain an understanding of how and why God created the original earth, and how sin has changed it. Sin has caused it to be cursed and set for destruction at some time in the future. Remember, when we die and leave behind our mortal body, we can take nothing from this earth with us. Those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are promised to be given the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible, but more importantly the Spirit aids us when we pray, so that we know what and how to pray! The writer of Hebrews tells us that when we pray, we must first believe that God exists. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).
James wrote about how believers can ask God to grant them wisdom, but again James also says we must believe that God is willing to fulfill our request. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6). This is a big order here because to receive gifts from God we must believe He exists before our request will be honored by God. I can remember a time when I prayed and refereed to God by says something like if you are truly there please grant my desire! Have you ever prayed that way? I believe that God hears such a prayer, and then God allows you to see evidence that He exists, and then sets up circumstances that will allow you recognize the reality of His existence.
God then allows you to either accept the evidence of His existence or to refuse to believe the obvious evidence. This is how people can see the miracle of birth, but still be atheists! Clinging to the faith they have in the theory of evolution to replace the obvious truth that there is a higher power that is in control of this universe. This allows such people to believe there is no hereafter that they are trying desperately to deny. Believing this allows them the freedom to not be concerned with anything outside of this life. They are okay to believe that when they die that is the end, there is no hereafter, and thus they can live however they want and not worry about offending a perfect God. Their destiny is in their control and they do not have to obey and rules except those they make up. Such people are compelled to rewrite history to exclude any evidence of control and supernatural events that makes God’s control obvious to a believer. They cannot allow any evidence to point to control via a higher power. They change miraculous events to be just circumstantial occurrences.
This type of an outlook on this life is so limited that it causes a great amount of personal pride and a purely worldly existence, it requiring placing all of your hope to be limited to this lifetime and can be a sad lifestyle, because your happiness is dependent only to your current situation, there cannot be a silver lining on any dark cloud in your life. The Christian can deflect current struggles to be a minor struggle, but it does not diminish the pure joy of working on becoming more Christ-like and knowing there will be much better times coming in your future. Jesus Himself is preparing a place for you in what I like to call the Paradise of God! Let us read this promise as His disciples as we are one body of believers. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)
Are you ready to go with Jesus to your new home? He created it for you, and He will back and take you to where He is, when He decides in is your time to come home? What a friend we have in Jesus!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ came into this cursed world and died for your sins? Do you believe the Biblical accounts about Jesus are true? Do you believe that Jesus created this earth to be a place for mankind to live? Do you believe that this earth was the first thing that Jesus created from nothing? Do you believe that mankind was a special creation, and that Adam and Eve were created as members of mankind from the beginning? Do you believe that Jesus will create a new earth, where mankind, who choose to follow Him, are destined to go when it is created? Do you believe that all members of mankind who do not choose to follow Jesus in this life will go to hell for eternity?
As the selected verses tell us “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Our hope must be based on the stuff we do not see, everything we see is temporary, as this earth and everything we see is destined to be destroyed by fire! However, the real places we cannot see hold our eternal future! Our chore in this life is for us to overcome this world’s attractions that separate us from following Jesus Christ. John wrote about this conundrum of having to live in this world but to be looking forward to the future, as being more important. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5). You see the most important chore in this life is to obey the commands given us by God and not to become enamored by this cursed world and what it has to offer.
Our hope as expressed above is not based on wishful thinking it must be based on believing God’s Word given to us through the Bible. We must study it to gain an understanding of how and why God created the original earth, and how sin has changed it. Sin has caused it to be cursed and set for destruction at some time in the future. Remember, when we die and leave behind our mortal body, we can take nothing from this earth with us. Those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are promised to be given the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible, but more importantly the Spirit aids us when we pray, so that we know what and how to pray! The writer of Hebrews tells us that when we pray, we must first believe that God exists. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).
James wrote about how believers can ask God to grant them wisdom, but again James also says we must believe that God is willing to fulfill our request. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6). This is a big order here because to receive gifts from God we must believe He exists before our request will be honored by God. I can remember a time when I prayed and refereed to God by says something like if you are truly there please grant my desire! Have you ever prayed that way? I believe that God hears such a prayer, and then God allows you to see evidence that He exists, and then sets up circumstances that will allow you recognize the reality of His existence.
God then allows you to either accept the evidence of His existence or to refuse to believe the obvious evidence. This is how people can see the miracle of birth, but still be atheists! Clinging to the faith they have in the theory of evolution to replace the obvious truth that there is a higher power that is in control of this universe. This allows such people to believe there is no hereafter that they are trying desperately to deny. Believing this allows them the freedom to not be concerned with anything outside of this life. They are okay to believe that when they die that is the end, there is no hereafter, and thus they can live however they want and not worry about offending a perfect God. Their destiny is in their control and they do not have to obey and rules except those they make up. Such people are compelled to rewrite history to exclude any evidence of control and supernatural events that makes God’s control obvious to a believer. They cannot allow any evidence to point to control via a higher power. They change miraculous events to be just circumstantial occurrences.
This type of an outlook on this life is so limited that it causes a great amount of personal pride and a purely worldly existence, it requiring placing all of your hope to be limited to this lifetime and can be a sad lifestyle, because your happiness is dependent only to your current situation, there cannot be a silver lining on any dark cloud in your life. The Christian can deflect current struggles to be a minor struggle, but it does not diminish the pure joy of working on becoming more Christ-like and knowing there will be much better times coming in your future. Jesus Himself is preparing a place for you in what I like to call the Paradise of God! Let us read this promise as His disciples as we are one body of believers. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)
Are you ready to go with Jesus to your new home? He created it for you, and He will back and take you to where He is, when He decides in is your time to come home? What a friend we have in Jesus!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
|
|
|