Waiting for Jesus

“He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:20 ESV)

 

Life has always been full of problems and complications. Mankind has always faced struggles of one kind or another. In fact, as we read through history, it’s amazing to see what people have endured.

 

As believers, we are not exempt from this reality. We live in a world of sin. We live in bodies of sin. And, for this reason, we will experience the consequences of sin.

 

We look at everything going on in our world and around our nation, and we wonder how much longer we’ll have to endure. We would love to have God bring the problems that 2020 has brought to the table to an end. We would love to see things return to “normal.”

 

As we look at the book of Revelation, we see that, as the end approaches, there will be times of difficulty. This shouldn’t be unexpected. However, we also receive a wonderful hope.

 

We’re assured that Jesus is returning soon. We’re assured that he’s bringing his recompense with him. And we’re assured that those who wash their robes, who receive the cleansing provided by Jesus, will have the right to the tree of life and enter into the city, the new Jerusalem, by the gates (Revelation 20:12-14).

 

We must realize, as believers, that our hope is not in this world. It’s not in politicians. It’s not in military might. Nor is it in scientific insight and advancement.

 

We aren’t waiting for the world to get better. We aren’t waiting for people to straighten up. We aren’t waiting for the wise to eliminate the problems that we face. We are waiting for Jesus.

 

We are waiting for Jesus because, when he returns, all of these problems will become a thing of the past. When Jesus returns, the wicked will be removed from our presence. And our sin will become a thing of the past as we’re transformed into the image of Christ.

 

We’re awaiting the new creation, where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. We’re awaiting the new heavens and earth, where sin and its consequences are no more. We’re awaiting the eternal kingdom of God, in which we’ll forever dwell.

 

For this reason, as Jesus assures us that he’ll return soon, we can say, along with John: “Come, Lord Jesus!” We can look forward to his return with hope. We can anticipate his coming with a confident assurance.

 

This, in fact, is what we should do. Our only hope is Christ and his redemption. Our only hope is the deliverance he’s provided for us by his death on the cross.

The Overflow of Faith

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.”

(Colossians 1:3-5 ESV)

I’ve been actively involved in the church for most of my life. This was true also when I was not a pastor. And I’ve always enjoyed seeing and knowing those individuals, in the church, who genuinely love their fellow believers.

Their love for their fellow church members has been expressed in various ways. I’ve known those who cook and bake. And, whenever someone has a need, they are quick to show up at their door with a meal or a plate of cookies. There are the men who help others in the church with various work projects. Whenever someone needs something fixed, they are there with their tools to help. There are those who care for the elderly. They run them to the doctor, run errands for them, or simply visit with them. The examples of this are endless.

It begs the question: Why do they do the things that they do? Why do they give of themselves to bless others? Why do they inconvenience themselves to care for others?

After all, they usually get nothing out of these arrangements. And if offered payment, they typically refuse. They are simply there, with a joyful and willing heart, to love others.

What, then, is the source of this love? And what motivates this love? We see the answer to this question in the passage above.

Paul is speaking to the Colossian Church. He had not yet met these believers, but he had heard of them. He had heard of their faith in Christ and the love they possessed for the saints. And this led Paul pray for them. It led him to thank God for them.

However, as he mentions their faith, and as he mentions their love for the saints, he says that it results from the hope laid up for them in heaven. In other words, their belief and their hope were revealed in their acts of love. They were revealed in the acts of love performed for others.

Because of the great love demonstrated to them by God, they could not help sharing that love with others. Their love for the saints was the overflow of the love God had given them. The hope that they possessed, the hope of salvation and everlasting life in the kingdom of God, motivated their love for their fellow believers.

This is how it works in our life as well. Our hope in Christ, our hope in the gospel, both motivates and empowers our love of our fellow believers. As he has loved us, we love them. As he has blessed us so richly, we can’t help blessing others in return.

As we, then, better realize the greatness of God’s love, as we better realize the greatness of his blessing, it will result in our love of the saints. As we grow in faith, we will grow in the love we have for others. As our hope, as our assurance grows, it will overflow in acts of mercy.

A Faith that is Evident

“From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”

(Galatians 6:17-18 ESV)

 

People often question us concerning our faith. They sometimes question our faith itself, or they question the correctness of that faith. They question our actions, as we live in this faith. And they question our service of God.

 

This isn’t unique to us, nor is it unique to this point in history. Paul had been greatly troubled by the Judaizers, by Jewish believers who were promoting circumcision. And this wasn’t the full extent of his troubles. As we read through the book of Acts, we see the severity of the suffering he faced as he engaged in ministry.

 

I think of Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 11. Starting in verse 24, he says: “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

 

It seems clear that these are the marks of Jesus he refers to in the above passage. He literally bore scars that resulted from his faith and his service of Christ. And these marks were evidence of that faith and service.

 

They certified that no one could question his faith or his dedication to the Lord and the Church. This is why he pleaded that no one would cause him further trouble. It was his hope that his faith and ministry would be received by the people.

 

It’s safe to say that none of us, in the American Church, have suffered in this way. We have not suffered physically for our faith. We do not bear the scars of our faith and service on our flesh.

 

However, as people listen to us, and as they see us, do they see the evidence of our faith? Do they see the evidence of our service? Do they see in us clear indicators that would forbid them from questioning our sincerity?

 

I don’t know that we can ever stop the questions. And I don’t know that we will ever silence our critics. However, my prayer is that my faith and service will be clearly evident. My prayer is that, if my faith and service are challenged, none of the accusations will stick. I pray they will not stick because they will be clearly seen as baseless.

 

I pray the same for each of you, as well. I pray this for the members of Prince of Peace. I pray this for the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations. And I pray this for the American Church as a whole.

Our Only Boast

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:14-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As Christians, we naturally possess the same mindset as the world around us. We think there is something that we can do to attain salvation. We think there is something we must do.

Many of us think of the Christian Faith as a mere set of morals. If we live up to these moral standards, we think that we are deserving of salvation. If we largely follow these principles (recognizing that we can never do so perfectly), we think that we are entitled to God’s blessings.

The measure of these standards is different from person to person. For some, it’s embodied in the Ten Commandments. For others, the standard is love. And for still more, the standard is simply “do no harm.” But, whatever the standard may be, it’s in this way that we seek to attain salvation.

Many of us also depend upon ritual and ceremony. Even though Scripture tells us that we are saved through baptism, we view this not as a sacrament nor as a means of grace. We view it as our contribution to our salvation. And the same can be said of other practices of the church.

However, it all comes down to one thing. It comes down to us and the things we’ve done. And, for this reason, we boast in ourselves.

If we rightly understand the gospel, this cannot be. We realize that we can do nothing to contribute to our salvation in any way. And, for this reason, we cannot boast in ourselves.

The only thing we contribute to our salvation is our need to be saved. We are helpless. We are weak. We are incapable.

As Paul says, in the above passage, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything. The only thing that counts is a new creation. So, far be it from us to boast in ourselves.

Our salvation was accomplished by Christ alone. It was accomplished only in the cross of Christ. In him we are crucified to the world and the world is crucified to us. So, he alone is our reason to boast. And he is where peace and mercy are found.