When Peter wrote, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15) he was not necessarly saying that we need to be able to answer all the difficult questions non-believers ask. Rather, we are to explain why we can have hope when everything looks bleak. Faith in the unseen realities of Christ are a powerful witness to a world that has lost hope. The second coming of Jesus is a promise we hold dear to our hearts. It enables us to live right now in the kingdom of God that can only been seen by faith. One day soon, however, it will be revealed and made known to all. That will be the day of Christ's appearing. "Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight." Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
(If you want to meditate on this message of good news turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 1 Peter 1:3-12; and 1 John 2:28-3:3.)
2 comments:
I too loved the verses at the end. The coming, revealing, and appearing of Christ. I often find myself wary of lessons that hope around books and verses, but this morning I was reminded if the beautiful harmony that scripture plays in the grand symphony of God's story of saving grace.
What a powerful sermon brother! There was no doubt of the Spirits work among us yesterday morning. I've pondered this question myself, if we are indeed looking forward to the hereafter. Your first picture of two souls in the clouds asking, "What now?" is spot on, I think.
Here are some thoughts I wrote back in Jan under the post "Institutionalized."
At some point we have forgotten how to place our hope in God. Where is our treasure? Are we really devoted God or are we devoted to money? This question may be more difficult to answer then we think. If asked outright, sure, of course we love God. But if we look at our behaviors (where we place and spend our money), seeing our “love” in action, well…it becomes a different story altogether doesnt it?
We’re in an unhealthy trend of helping ourselves instead of helping neighbor. Evidence for this can be found in how we treat our earthly home. We consume to the point of excess and by comparison only give mere pennies back to our communities and neighbors and natural world. There are industries in the United States that are making huge profits from bottling the most abundant resource on the planet, water, and selling it back to us! Yet there are other people in the world who are facing extreme dehydration, sickness, and death on a daily basis because of a lack of fresh water. Only 1% of the world’s water is drinkable…and we’re selling it to a nation whose tap water is perfectly safe to consume. Not to mention polluting our world (home) with production of harmful petrochemicals (crude oil and natural gas products).
I've been bothered by thoughts such as these. What can we do? I believe more than ever that faith changes everything. The induction of faith sets in motion things that cannot be stopped. It is easy to get wraped up in whats wrong with the world. Rather though, for now, i'd perfer the gentle company of the Spirit and allow Him to change me and have faith that likewise others are being changed as well.
Thank you for sharing the verses for meditation. Let us sing together, "Amen, come Lord Jesus, come."
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