Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 80

Guarding the Gospel of Grace

If it were not for a thunderstorm that struck Martin Luther with the fear of death, he was bound to become a lawyer. The parallel truths of his wretchedness and God’s holiness became etched into his mind, like a chisel into stone, which evoked torment within him.

Trying to reconcile these two truths nearly crushed him.

For, how could such a holy God peaceably accept anyone among a sinful and rebellious people?

Luther’s Turmoil over Lack of Grace

Momentarily, Luther tried to solve this problem by burdening himself further. He confessed every sin as if a single un-confessed sin would be his demise. Yet, this is not all. Luther also spent countless nights awake, and hours starving or freezing himself nearly to death.

He was not yet motivated to draw near to God in thanksgiving for the grace of God. Fear of condemnation motivated him to seek God. Luther’s efforts enslaved him; and he lived in dread of his Maker.

But Luther discovered Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” And God shone within his heart “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). God’s gracious revelation of the free gift of righteousness given in Jesus, freed Luther from his guilt and fueled his love for God.

The terror formerly erected in Luther’s soul slowly melted as his heart became gradually tender. Assurance, marked by unspeakable and glorious joy, unquenchable hope, and peace beyond understanding, replaced his fear. Such assurance was grounded in the free forgiveness of his trespasses through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross (Ephesians 1:7). Luther no longer stood on the sinking sand of his efforts, but on the Rock of Ages.

Paul’s Turmoil over the Desertion of Grace

Paul too relied upon his efforts to keep the law in order to be counted righteous before God, and even persecuted the Church for their belief in Jesus. But Jesus appeared before to him on the road to Damascus, revealing himself to Paul as our only hope of righteousness. Afterwards, Paul began preaching this good news.

In Galatians, Paul grieves the Church’s desertion of the grace of Christ: the distortion of the good new about Jesus that occurred in the Galatian church. His passion for the truth about Jesus burned to such an extent that Paul uttered by the Holy Spirit:

… if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed . As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9, emphasis added)

We need to be alert of anyone, whether it is an angel or a man, who preaches to us a gospel other than the truth about Jesus proclaimed by the apostles in God’s Word (Galatians 1:3-5).

Christ has the final say on our standing before God and he has said, “It is finished”.
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Discernment—the ability to differentiate truth from falsehood with the Word—is vital for the health of the Church. We need to judge all things with God’s Word. Wolves in sheeps’ clothing, guided by the darkness and folly in which they dwell, are daily attempting to spoil the message that Christ is our only way to be reconciled to God (John 14:6).

In his book, Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challies describes discernment “as the church’s immune system, protecting the body from false teaching” (Challies 184). Without it, the members of the body of Christ will suffer from false doctrine, just like Luther. Eternal lives may be lost for lack of discernment.

The True Grace of God

Both Paul and Martin Luther championed the truth about the grace of God revealed to humanity in Christ: the Word made flesh, the propitiation of our sins (John 1:14, 1 John 4:9-10).

Christian brother and sister, we too can find rest in the One who loved us so immensely that he did not spare His own Son to reconcile us to himself (Romans 8:32). Man’s charges against us—including our own—don’t matter, since God justifies (v.33). The condemnation of the devil or man is no weight, since our Lord Jesus died, rose from his grave, and ascended to his throne to intercede for us (v.34). Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (v.35). For Christ has the final say on our standing before God and he has said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

We have great comfort that we, who are guilty of sin and fall short of the glory of God, are now justified by his grace as a gift (Romans 3:23-24).

We have great joy that we are righteous in the sight of God through faith in Jesus Christ, despite our rebellion against him (Romans 3:22).

We are justified before God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, and to the glory of God alone (Martin Luther).

Guarding the Good News of Grace

God graciously revealed the good news of Jesus to Paul and then later to Martin Luther, and they guarded this good deposit by the Holy Spirit given to them (2 Timothy 1:14).

For this reason, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses onto the doors of Wittenberg Castle Church to challenge the practice and theology of works righteousness, which had reared its ugly head in the form of indulgences.

As we embark into another year, let’s continue defending the good news of grace bestowed on us in Jesus Christ from those who threaten to forsake and distort it, including ourselves.

Wage war against the deceitfulness of your heart, which whispers to you that your performance determines your standing before God. Replace the lie of performance with the truth of grace—that Christ’s righteousness determines our standing before God.

God calls us to daily introspection of our hearts asking:

What is the attitude of my heart as I approach the throne of my Heavenly Father? Is it thanksgiving and boldness stemming from faith that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)? Or fear, stemming from unbelief?
Am I keeping alert in what I listen to, judging what I hear preached by God’s Word?
Am I preaching to myself the true gospel of grace?

You are never beyond the reach, nor the need of God’s grace. (Jerry Bridges)

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The Ambition of Judas Iscariot

The following is an adaptation from Pastor Colin’s book Heaven, So Near—So Far: The Story of Judas Iscariot (Christian Focus Publications), from the perspective of Judas. Learn more about this story and purchase the book and audiobook!

From my earliest days, I wanted people to know who I was. Thousands of people live and die without being celebrated or remembered. I hated that. I didn’t want to be one of them.

I was ambitious. I wanted to make a name for myself. Yet, apart from an aptitude for numbers and an uncanny ability to calculate loans, debts, interest, and repayments, I did not possess any extraordinary gifts or talents. Intuitively, I realized that I needed to attach myself to something or someone. I needed to find a cause that would propel me, a movement that would be the making of me.

I thought I had found it when, at the age of 29, I first heard rumors about an eccentric prophet who was preaching up a storm in the desert. I was curious about him, and so I decided to go and see for myself.

Something Big

The man was dressed in camel’s hair, and he sustained himself for long stretches in the desert on a diet of locusts and honey. His message was simple: “Something that has never happened before in human history is about to take place: The Lord is coming!”

People who heard him realized that if they were going to meet with God, they had better do some confessing and repenting first, and John the Baptist had a way in which they could respond to his message: a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

It was when I was with the crowds in the desert that I caught my first glimpse of Jesus. John was preaching as on any other day, when he saw someone coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

When John identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, he was saying that Jesus would be the substitute who would die in the place of others, and that he would be the sacrifice whose blood would be shed for the protection of his people.

This I understood, but it was what John said next that really got my attention: “This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” I knew something big was happening, and I wanted to be part of it.

John said that God’s reign and rule on earth was at hand. He had called people to prepare themselves by getting ready for the coming of the Lord. Now, he was pointing to Jesus and announcing that he had the ability to drench others in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If even a small part of this was true, the opportunity would be enormous. I felt sure that my moment had come.

Spectacular Miracles

In these early days, the first disciples were sometimes with Jesus, but at other times, they returned to their work on the boats. With the circle around Jesus still evolving, I wanted him to see me as the reliable one, the one on whom he could depend, so I made it my business to show up wherever Jesus went.

As Jesus moved from town to town, his pattern was to teach in the local synagogue. I would arrive early and sit where he would see me. And sure enough, it worked. When he looked at me, he gave me that knowing look that said, “So you are here again! I’m glad about that!”

One day after preaching Jesus performed a miracle so spectacular that his reputation began to spread far and wide.

As usual, I had arrived early and was sitting close to Jesus as he taught. By this time he knew me by name, and I could count on a knowing smile from him. That small gesture was huge for me. It made me feel that I might be someone on whom Jesus would choose to depend.

Teaching is never easy with the distraction of a large and restless crowd, but on this occasion, the chaos reached another level. While Jesus was speaking, I became aware of some noise above us, and guessed that some people had clambered up onto the roof. How many were there I wondered, and how long would the roof hold up?

Some dirt began to fall from the ceiling, and then more, until a hole opened, and, looking up, I could see four men who had dug through the roof with their hands. Then, to the astonishment of everyone in the room, they lowered a paralyzed man, lying on his bed, delivering him right in front of Jesus.

Now that’s ingenuity, I thought. Here are people who are committed, determined, and resolved: people who know what they want, and will do whatever it takes to overcome all that stands in their way.

The words Jesus spoke to the man on his bed were not what I had expected. “Son,” he said, “your sins are forgiven.”

Finding a Winner

Why did he say that? I wondered. Forgiveness of sins is important, but it did not seem to be the man’s most obvious need. It seemed as if, to Jesus, being forgiven by God mattered more than the ability to stand up and walk!

I don’t think I was the only one who questioned this. People all around the room became unsettled. They looked at Jesus as if to say, “Is that it? What about the fact that this man can’t walk?” Others were offended that Jesus had pronounced the man’s sins forgiven. Sins, by definition, are offenses committed against God, and God alone has the right and the authority to forgive them.

Jesus must have known this. He told the people that he wanted them to know that he had the authority to forgive sins, and for that reason, he said to the paralyzed man, “Rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

When the man did what Jesus said, the whole crowd was amazed, and I remember thinking, Never in my entire life have I seen anything even close to this.

Whoever Jesus was, his ministry was taking off, and, knowing that John had attracted huge crowds in the desert with his plain call to repentance, I figured there was no limit to what Jesus could do, propelled by his miraculous power.

I was ambitious. I had no interest in attaching myself to an obscure cause destined to failure. But I felt that, in Jesus, I had found a winner, and I became more determined than ever to find my way into his inner circle.

Getting In

With the crowds following Jesus growing by the day, and so much competition for his attention, it was clear to me that something would have to be done to establish a fixed circle of people who would give themselves full time to traveling with Jesus and supporting him in his ministry. With all my heart, I wanted to be one of them.

One day, we got word that after a whole night alone on a hillside praying to his Father, Jesus was ready to choose the disciples who would share most intimately in his life and ministry.

Word soon spread among his friends, and all of us made our way to join him on the mountain. He told us that he would appoint twelve, and that their calling would be first, to be with him; second, to preach; and third, to cast out demons. Knowing that a life-shaping moment had come, we were all silent as we waited to see who he had chosen.

Looking at the crowd in front of him, Jesus began calling out names:

“Simon Peter and Andrew,” he said, prompting the brothers who were first to follow Jesus to step forward from the crowd.

“James and John,” he continued, selecting the brothers he referred to as “Sons of Thunder.”

“Philip and Bartholomew.” So far, no surprises. Bartholomew I had first known as Nathaniel, and he, like the others, had been with Jesus from the beginning.

Six of the twelve had been chosen. Six more spots remained.

“Matthew!” Now that was a surprise. Matthew was a tax collector, which meant that he had sold out to the Romans, lining his pockets at the expense of his own people. Hardly a popular choice. Nor, as I saw it, a wise one. Why would Jesus trust himself to a man who had broken faith with his own people? Matthew was, to my mind, the kind of man who could easily turn out to be a traitor.

“Thomas!” Another strange choice, I thought. This man had followed Jesus faithfully, but he also asked a lot of questions. There was a certain hesitation about him, and I wondered if he would ever be able to overcome his many doubts.

“James, the son of Alpheus!” I had never heard of him, and frankly was never sure why he was chosen.

“Simon the Zealot!” Now that was a risky choice. Simon was known as the Zealot because of his involvement in radical politics. Seeing him stand with the other nine, I wondered how it would be possible for Simon and Matthew to get along, given their histories on opposite sides of the political divide.

Only two spots remained, and the tension of waiting was becoming unbearable. Then he called out my name: “Judas!” But he wasn’t looking at me. He was beckoning Thaddaeus, who brought all kinds of confusion because he was known by three names: Judas, Thaddaeus, and Lebbaeus.

One spot left: God, please let it be me!

Jesus paused, and then, looking directly at me with intensity and compassion in his eyes said, “Judas Iscariot!”

I was in!

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post The Ambition of Judas Iscariot appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Key Connections (February 23, 2018)

At Home in Wakanda (Greg Morse, Desiring God)

In God’s coming Wakanda, he offers something even greater than the world of Black Panther: a unity made perfect through diversity. The different colors will complete the painting. The different notes will strike the chord. The eye will join with the nose and the arm to make the body whole. In that place, union — not uniformity — will be the greater light.

Running from Skeletons (Jake Allstaedt, Christ Hold Fast)

That’s why, in our baptism, Jesus scrubbed our consciences in His blood. By putting away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus allows us to confidently stand before our Heavenly Father with a clean conscience. Our sins really are forgiven. “No condemnation” really does mean “no condemnation.”

The Joy of an Unaccomplished Life (Chad Bird, The Gospel Coalition)

Make it your ambition not to be ambitious, the apostle says, tongue in cheek. Stand out by wearing the camouflage of humility. Dream big about living small. In other words, make it your ambition not to let personal glory bedazzle your bio, guide your relationships, declare your importance, or lead you in discerning where God is to be found. Make it your ambition not to drink that cultural Kool-Aid.

Billy Graham on Eternal Life (Billy Graham, The Gospel Coalition)

Have you ever looked out on the sea and watched how restless it is —its coming an its going? The Bible says that’s the heart of the person that doesn’t know Christ, thats the way his heart is, aways restless.

Tolerance is the Noblest Virtue (Cameron Buettel, Grace to You)

Righteousness is not negotiable. And as the world’s perspectives and preferences continue to veer further and further away from biblical morality, God’s people must be prepared to be declared intolerant for their adherence to His righteous standard.

The Good News of the Ascension of Jesus (Ryan Higginbottom, Unlocking the Bible)

Don’t miss the fact that Jesus’ ascension was a bodily ascension. This matters! It means that in the incarnation Jesus took on and identified with the human body for all time. It also means that, as the head of the new humanity, Jesus shows us the destination of the redeemed: to be with God, bodily, forever (see Revelation 21:3).

The post Key Connections (February 23, 2018) appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Heaven, So Near – So Far: Q&A with Author Colin Smith

The following is an adaptation of the Postscript from Pastor Colin’s book Heaven, So Near—So Far: The Story of Judas Iscariot (Christian Focus Publications). Learn more about this story and purchase the book and audiobook !
Q1: Why did you write this book?

I wrote this book for people who are moving away from the faith they once professed. Their number is growing fast. In 1990, about 8% of Americans did not identify with any religion. By 2008, that number had doubled to 15%, and just four years later, it had risen to 20%. Dubbed the “nones,” these people, when asked if they were Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, or Lutheran, or, more broadly, Christian, Muslim, or Hindu, answered “none of the above.”

Behind this astonishing rise in people professing no religious affiliation is a growing trend of people who had at one time identified themselves as “Christian” giving up on the faith they once professed in Jesus Christ. But I have been moved to write by faces rather than numbers:

The face of a young person brought up in a Christian home who now has little interest in the faith he once professed
The face of one who extended herself in Christian ministry but was disappointed and now is close to leaving the church
The face of one for whom life has brought pain and perplexity to the point where, having once given testimony to God’s grace, he now wonders why he should believe in Christ at all

I wrote this book to plead with you not to walk away from Jesus Christ.

Q2: If Judas is in hell, why would he be telling us the truth about Jesus?

My thinking about how Judas might tell his story has been guided by our Lord’s story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man had a clear memory of the events of his life, and so I have assumed that Judas could accurately recall what he saw, heard, and felt throughout his years as a follower of Jesus. Judas knew the truth even if, in the end, he did not believe or obey it.

I have also given weight to the request of the rich man that a message be sent to his brothers to warn them, lest they also come to the place of torment. This has led me to conclude that a person in hell might have some desire that others would be saved from the plight they experience. Hell involves weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12), which indicates sorrow, regret, self-recrimination, and self-condemnation over decisions made and opportunities missed. In light of this, I think it is likely that Judas would have some wistfulness in recalling happier days of his life, along with the misery of reflecting on the path he ultimately chose.

Q3: Don’t you think that Judas might be in heaven?

The thought behind this frequently asked question is that Judas may have repented at the last moment of his life and that, if he did, he would have been forgiven. That he would have been forgiven is undoubtedly true. God’s grace is sufficient to cover every sin, even the sin of betraying Christ. God offers this grace to every person, and Christ’s forgiveness can be received at any time, even the last moment of a person’s life.

This wonderful truth may allow some room for hope for those who grieve over loved ones who lived without evidence of either love or loyalty toward Jesus Christ. But in the case of Judas, the words of Jesus point in a different direction. Jesus repeatedly distinguished between Judas and the other disciples:

“Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil,” he said.
John explains that, “He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him” (John 6:70-71).
Then, in the upper room, Jesus said to the twelve, “You are clean, but not every one of you,” and again, John explains that he said, “For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘Not all of you are clean’” (John 13:10-11).

The distinction between Judas and the other disciples is most clear in the prayer of Jesus for his disciples, where he said to the Father, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: (John 17:12). Christ kept and guarded the disciples, whom he describes as having been “given” to him by the Father.

But our Lord distinguishes Judas from the other disciples. While they were kept, guarded, and given, Judas, according to the word of Jesus, was “lost.”

Q4: Is there any hope for a person who took his or her own life?

There might be. The answer to this question is complicated by the fact that the last act of a person who takes his own life, as Judas did, was a sin. The giving and taking of life belongs to God, and taking one’s own life is an act of treachery that defies God by taking into our own hands what belongs to him.

But people enter heaven, not because they are without sin, but because their sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, with whom they are united as one through the bond of faith. So, the ultimate question is always, “Did the person who died belong to Jesus Christ?” Responding to the widespread belief that people who take their own lives are thereby lost, Martin Luther once said,

I don’t share the opinion that suicides are certainly to be damned. My reason is that they do not wish to kill themselves but are overcome by the power of the devil. They are like a man who is murdered in the woods by a robber.

The analogy of being assaulted in the woods is helpful. People suffering from mental illness or other dire circumstances may find themselves so overwhelmed by darkness that they think and act in ways that they would not normally contemplate. In these circumstances, Paul’s counsel to Timothy is especially helpful: God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

God knows who belongs to him, and that allows us to leave the future of our loved ones in his hands. At the same time, the evidence that a person belongs to the Lord is that they turn from sin. Knowing this should act as a restraint to anyone who contemplates taking their own life.

Q5: What about eternal security?

Our Lord said of his sheep, “They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). But the sheep of whom he said this are those who hear his voice and follow him (v. 27). Christ’s sheep are the ones who follow him. Those who do not follow Christ are not his sheep. So, although Judas followed Jesus and was involved in ministry for a time, we have to conclude from his continued defection that he was not among the people to whom Christ’s great promise of security is given.

The sad fact that some people turn back from a faith they once professed should not surprise us, because the Scriptures lead us to expect it:

In the parable of the sower, the seed that sprang up quickly (but was choked) and the seed in shallow ground (that was scorched) both point to professions of faith that do not last (Mark 4:5-7; 16-19).
The Gospels give us specific examples of temporary professions of faith. John tells us that many in Jerusalem believed in Jesus’ name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus, for his part, “did not entrust himself to them” (John 2:23-24).
Later, John tells us that “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (6:66).
Taking up this theme, the book of Hebrews makes clear that it is possible for a person to know the truth, to enjoy great blessing, and even to serve fruitfully in ministry and then to abandon the faith they once professed (Hebrews 6:4-6).
The apostle John gets to the heart of this issue when he speaks of those who “went out from us because they were not of us,” and then adds, “if they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 John 2:19).

The evidence that a person truly belongs to Christ is that they persevere. Though, like Peter, they fail in many ways, their sins and follies lead them back to Christ in the end, knowing that they are his and that he will never let them go. This perseverance is the sure evidence of saving faith.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post Heaven, So Near – So Far: Q&A with Author Colin Smith appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

The Good News of the Ascension of Jesus

“Do not cling to me.”

This can’t be the reception Mary Magdalene was expecting when she encountered the resurrected Jesus.

Mary had been weeping outside Jesus’ tomb. You can imagine her distress, having just watched her dear friend suffer a humiliating, grisly death. Now his body was missing.

Jesus walked up to her while she investigated the empty tomb. Mary initially thought he was the gardener, but when Jesus spoke her name, she recognized him! She called out, in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (John 20:16).

But instead of an embrace or some other warm gesture, Jesus was much more direct:

“Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)

Read in the wrong light, this sounds cold, almost cruel. But in this statement, Jesus reveals his focus on his Father and also provides hope for Mary and the other disciples.

Jesus Longed for His Ascension

As you read through the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John, you’ll find that Jesus focused much more on his ascension than we do. By “ascension,” I’m referring to Jesus’ bodily return to heaven after his resurrection (see Luke 24:50–51 and Acts 1:9–11).

In John 20, Jesus didn’t want Mary to think he’d be on earth forever. He didn’t want her to get attached to his resurrected form. There was still work to do.

We think of Jesus’ work for us in three distinct categories: his life, death, and resurrection. But Jesus would have us add his ascension as a fourth category. And there’s no doubt this was his most anticipated work.

The Ascension Is Relational

Jesus loved his Father and longed for a reunion.

Jesus says to his disciples, “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).
“I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:28).
Jesus prays to his Father, “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:11).

Before his incarnation, Jesus enjoyed perfect fellowship in the immediate presence of God the Father. This is what he longed to reclaim, and it’s one reason the ascension was so important to him.

He is preparing a place for us. He will come again. He will take us to be with him.
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In his ascension, he would experience the unbroken presence of his Father.

Don’t miss the fact that Jesus’ ascension was a bodily ascension. This matters! It means that in the incarnation Jesus took on and identified with the human body for all time. It also means that, as the head of the new humanity, Jesus shows us the destination of the redeemed: to be with God, bodily, forever (see Revelation 21:3).

This destination should shape our longings. When our aspirations or goals are dashed, when we experience pain in body or soul, we can lift our eyes to our final home. The new heavens and the new earth await, and we will dwell with God!

The Ascension Is Functional

Though Jesus wanted the heavenly reunion that his ascension would accomplish, he also had work to do. In his ascension, Jesus accomplished and began several vital tasks for our salvation.

Jesus is coronated as King.

Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). The Old Testament background for the title “Son of God” (see Psalm 2 and 2 Samuel 7) makes it clear that this title has a royal meaning. By his resurrection, Jesus was declared to be the king!

If the resurrection declared Jesus to be King, then the ascension functions as his coronation ceremony. It was important that his disciples saw him depart, ascending to his throne, knowing he would return in the same fashion.

For more support of this function of the ascension, note the following:

Jesus has conquered and sat down with his Father on his throne (Revelation 3:21), where he is praised (Revelation 5:6–14).
Peter says that God made Jesus Lord, sitting at his right hand until his enemies are his footstool (Acts 2:34–36). This is the language of a king.
Paul writes that Jesus must reign (like a king!) until he has put all enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit.

We begin to learn what the ascension means when we consider what we would lose if it never happened. Here’s a huge implication: If Jesus never ascended, his followers would never have received the Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

Let’s not underestimate the sending of the Spirit! Because of the Spirit, we have the conversions at Pentecost, the growth and expansion of the early church, and the Bible. If the Spirit were not sent, you and I would not be Christians!

Jesus is our heavenly high priest.

Jesus’ ascension also takes him to a place of great importance. He is now at the Father’s right hand, and his ongoing work there is vital.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true high priest for his people. He “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus brings his people to God for true deliverance and salvation.
Jesus is also our heavenly advocate. He reminds his Father of his sacrifice for sin and holds our status as sons and daughters before God. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Jesus transcended physical limitations in his ascension. Though he keeps his human body forever, Jesus is now able to listen, rule, and heal without the familiar time and space restrictions we know.

What the Ascension Means for Us

The ascension of Jesus is a glorious fact that has scores of implications for his people. Here are a few:

Assurance

As our high priest, Jesus sat down at God’s right hand, indicating that his work of sacrifice is done (Hebrews 10:11–12). Our standing with God doesn’t depend on our actions or our emotions, but on the finished work of Christ.

Confidence

The enthroned king has been given all power to rule, and this power is his to dispense to his church (see Ephesians 1:15–23). Nothing can stand in the way of God’s purposes, and he will accomplish them with power, often through us.

Hope

When Jesus spoke to his disciples about his departure from earth, the note was joyous, not mournful. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). In this one verse, Jesus gives at least three reasons for hope.

He is preparing a place for us. He will come again. He will take us to be with him.

This is the destiny for those who, by God’s grace, call on Jesus in faith.

Note: I benefited greatly from reading these three articles in researching this topic: Why Is the Ascension So Important?, Four Reasons Jesus’ Ascension Matters, More Than an Afterthought: Six Reasons Jesus’s Ascension Matters.]
[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post The Good News of the Ascension of Jesus appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

God Never Slumbers or Sleeps

I recently came across a tweet by Matt Smethurst, Managing Editor of The Gospel Coalition, quoting Mary Crowley: “Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if Crowley’s words are based on Psalm 121:3-4. The psalmist writes,“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Psalm 121 is a bold word for the weary. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” the writer declares at the outset (v.1).

While every follower of Jesus can turn to this short song for clarity and strength in times of uncertainty, it takes on fresh significance for new parents who find sleep elusive and fatigue as commonplace as dirty diapers.

Three hopeful observations about God’s character emerge from Psalm 121.

Three Observations About God’s Character from Psalm 121
1. He’s an Able Helper

The psalmist says that our help is from the one “who made heaven and earth” (v.2). God is able. God is capable; and he is waiting for us to let go of the prideful urge to “go at it” alone, and call out to him in prayer for strength.

But how does God practically help us? Supernatural aid comes from the intercession of the Holy Spirit. He prays for us to faithfully endure during seasons of weakness (Romans 8:26-27). Help also comes from a spouse dealing with their own exhaustion, who is willing to strengthen their marriage by serving their beloved through sacrificial love (I Corinthians 16:14, 1 Corinthians 13:7, 1 John 3:16). And it comes from from family members and friends who graciously offer to babysit so lethargic parents can recoup some lost shuteye.

In short, between the holy Trinity, a spouse, and family and friends, this collective cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) surrounding new parents is substantial help delivered down from God on high.

2. He’s Eternally Awake; Limitless in Strength.

God never slumbers nor sleeps. He’s eternally alert. Think about that statement for a moment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults sleep for seven or more hours per night. For parents of newborns, infants, and toddlers, seven uninterrupted hours of sleep is only a dream now.

But the God “who keeps you” (v. 3) will not doze off at 10 pm watching the latest show on Netflix or scrolling through notifications on a smartphone. He doesn’t need the recommended seven-to-nine hours of rest before he’s rejuvenated to begin the next day. No, he’s available every minute of every day for the entirety of our lives and into eternity.

Our mortal supply of strength is not an eternal reservoir like the Almighty’s. He doesn’t faint.
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The prophet Isaiah says that those who wait on the Lord will find renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31).  God alone renews our strength to parent another day. Our earthly, mortal supply of strength is not an eternal reservoir like the Almighty’s. We need rest for the body and the mind, but “He does not faint or grow weary” (Isaiah 40:38).

And if we go to the Lord asking for rest, he has promised that very thing. “For he gives to his beloved sleep,” he says in his Word (Psalm 127:2).

God is always awake for our sake.

3. He’s our Loving Keeper.

“The Lord will keep your going out and coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (v. 8). Parents’ love for their children is deep, but it’s a shadow of the infinite love God has for his children. Psalm 121 is anchored in affection. Every verse is one more promise of God’s loving provision and blessed assurance that he will “keep your life” (v. 7).

The Lord keeps us from evil through his salvation.

Speaking of which, God is our keeper. As a parent physically “keeps” (watches over) their children throughout the day, so God the Father keeps us “from all evil” (v. 7). by the continuous intercession of his Son, Jesus, for those who have repented and believed in him (Romans 8:34). Through the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection, God has kept us from the greatest evil; that is, separation from him for eternity because of sin. Paul writes about God’s divine proximity through Christ’s reconciliation: “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

The Lord keeps us from evil through loving discipline.

As adults, we’re still prone to stumbling in sin as we begin the hard process of raising our kids. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” Paul writes to the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 6:4). As we parent our children and discipline them according to the Scriptures, we too should earnestly look to our heavenly Father to correct our own mistakes through his Spirit’s conviction. For Solomon writes by God’s Spirit, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

As the father of a seven-month-old, I can fully attest to the lack of sleep that everyone told me about in the months preceding his birth. I’ll further confess that uninterrupted sleep has brought strain into my marriage. Two parents who don’t sleep well will become short with one another. However, we must acknowledge our sin, take ownership of it in repentance, and fight for a loving marriage that’s been forever altered in the best way by the addition of a child. For “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward,” (Psalm 127:3).

So, the next time your child is leaving you dreadfully weary and unable to fall back asleep at 2:30 am, like my son has, pray for strength to the one who is able, awake, and full of love for you, his child.

He’s going to be up all night anyway.

[Photo Credit: Lightstock]

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The post God Never Slumbers or Sleeps appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

The 3-5 Method: Studying God’s Word When You’re Tired and Busy

If you clicked on this article, you’re likely struggling with consistent time in God’s Word.

In any given season, a myriad of factors can keep us from reading the Bible: limited time, guilt, a lack of discipline, a lack of desire, unrealistic expectations of what time in the Word should look like, a lack of mental energy, or utter exhaustion.

What is it for you?

Maybe you’ve never really read the Bible, and the idea of starting is intimidating.
Maybe you’re a young adult transitioning out of a flexible season, and your former Bible study method isn’t working anymore.
Maybe you’re a young mom whose mental energy and time are limited by a lack of sleep and an unpredictable schedule.
Maybe your New Year’s resolutions included completing a Bible reading plan that you now feel completely overwhelmed by.
Maybe you are grieving or hurting and feel like you can only swallow Scripture in small doses.

Whoever and wherever you are, be encouraged, my weary friend, that the Word of God has something for you in this season and your unique circumstances and limited abilities don’t disqualify you from accessing it. Regardless of the amount of time and energy you have or the amount of guilt or shame you feel, you can consistently engage with and be nourished by the Bible.

The 3-5 Method

The method below is one that I’ve found to be practical, doable, and sustainable during seasons where my time and mental energy have been scant. My prayer is that it might help you open God’s Word consistently and grow in your faith and knowledge, even though that may currently feel like an impossibility to you. I call it “The 3-5 Method.”

Let go of your expectations.

While we may be fully aware of our need for God’s Word, some us are guilty of pursuing an ideal image of what we believe engagement with the Bible should look like, rather than seeking God himself within it. At best, clinging to this ideal with leave us frustrated with ourselves and with any interruptions we experience as we approach Scripture; at worst, we will walk away from Bible study altogether because it can’t look the way we want it to.

You don’t need an hour alone, a journal, a micron pen, and a steaming pourover coffee in an Anthropology mug to grow in your knowledge of Scripture. God will meet you where you are as you seek him with what you have.

Let go of your guilt.

Your right standing with God is not obtained by how deeply, how consistently, or how slowly you study the Bible. Christ offered himself as a sacrifice on the cross and rose from the dead to be your righteousness.

Your failure to observe your own quiet time standards does not disqualify you from meeting with him or enjoying his Word. He doesn’t need you to read the Bible to justify yourself. Don’t diminish his sacrifice by letting your guilt keep you from meeting with him and letting his words dwell in you.

Choose a book of the Bible.

Learn the context, author, and audience of this book. This way, all of the verses you study using this method will be read within that framework.

I recommend starting with one of the Gospels or an Epistle (because, let’s be honest, if you’re using this method it’s probably not the season to dive into Numbers or Leviticus).

Find 3-5 minutes.

Find a time in your day (and maybe some back-ups) where you can expect to have 3-5 available minutes. If you have trouble identifying a time, think about when you usually scroll through social media, or set aside 3-5 minutes before an activity you do every day (like taking a shower, reading the news, exercising, eating lunch, driving home, or getting ready for bed).

God will meet you where you are as you seek him with what you have.
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It may be a good idea to set a timer if you’d like to ensure your focus for this small chunk of time, especially if you’re doubting that you do indeed have the time.

Pray.

Begin this 3-5 minutes with a simple prayer that God would bless your time in his Word. Pray for the ability to focus, and that the Holy Spirit would give you wisdom, understanding, and patience. 

Start with context.

Use the first day to study the context, author, intended audience, and themes of the book you’ve chosen. You can use a study Bible to do this, download a version of the Logos app for free, or watch The Bible Project video for your chosen book of the Bible.

Study 3-5 verses for 3-5 minutes.

After the initial day, devote this 3-5 minutes to the reading and study of 3-5 verses at a time. If it needs to be two or six, that’s okay. This isn’t meant to be rigid, just realistic.

It may be helpful to re-read the verses from the day before for context. If you are having trouble focusing, simply read the same verses again.

Go deeper.

Look up words you don’t know or read a different translation using Bible Gateway if something seems confusing. Jot down any questions you might have or things you want to think about more. 

Observe. Make observations about what you’ve read. Try to comprehend what the verses are saying.
Interpret. Try to interpret what the verse means within its context. What did the original author intend to communicate? How would the original audience have heard it?
Apply. Then apply what this collection of verses reveals about God, humanity, or the subject it addresses to your own life.

You can use a commentary, study Bible, or the Logos app to learn more or delve deeper if you have extra time.

Savor.

When your 3-5 minutes are up, you can go about your day, having nourished your soul and gleaned something to chew and meditate on. If another pocket of time emerges, feel free to do another 3-5 minutes and 3-5 more verses.

A True Place of Rest

Focusing on smaller chunks of Scripture at a time can actually be just as fruitful, if not more fruitful, than studying a chapter or longer passage in one sitting. In fact, not only did my time using “The 3-5 Method” lead to more concentrated meditation and poignant application, but it inadvertently gave way to a great deal of Scripture memorization.

I hope that you, like me, will find this method to be a practical, possible, and sustainable approach to the study of God’s Word so that the Bible might become a true place of rest for you, rather than another place you feel behind or overwhelmed.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post The 3-5 Method: Studying God’s Word When You’re Tired and Busy appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Key Connections (February 16, 2018)

Your Last First Date (Marshall Segal, Desiring God)

God’s idea of marriage is the only vision big enough, strong enough, and worth enough for all the risks we take in dating. Nothing else is worth all the risk we take when we begin to share our hearts with someone else.

Faithful Obedience (Dave Jenkins, Servants of Grace)

Anyone can be faithful when life is going well. True persevering faith exhibits itself when we stand fast under trial. If we truly love the Word of God, then, like the author of Psalm 119, we will not abandon the Lord’s revelation when it is unpopular to keep His law.

Do You Suffer from ‘Bible Anorexia?’ (Keri Folmar, 9Marks)

God calls his Word bread, milk and honey. He has graciously given it to us to keep us alive and enable growth. Second Peter 1:3 says, “[God’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Notice that God’s divine power works through knowledge of Christ. This is why the Bible is the main course on our spiritual menu.

What to Do With Guilt After Saying Yes to Sin (Moriah Simonowich, The Rebelution)

Repentance means believing you haven’t broken rules, but rather God’s heart. Instead of feeling the prick of pride that your perfectionism was faulty and upset about the consequences of sin, feel the woundedness.

The Proactive Pursuit of Humility (Laura Booz, Revive Our Hearts)

Over and over again throughout Scripture, we are told to intentionally, proactively humble ourselves. Of course, we rely on God for the faith to humble ourselves, but these Scriptures seem to imply that we can take ourselves by the collar and pull ourselves to our knees or look at our prideful selves in the mirror and intentionally cover over our shameful haughtiness with humility.

Five Questions to Ask About Entertainment (Judy Allen, Unlocking the Bible)

God’s Word gives us some guidelines for choosing entertainment wisely…That’s a pretty high bar for entertainment choices. Your definition of what is excellent and praiseworthy may be different from mine, but we must submit our ideas of what is appropriate to God’s Word.

The post Key Connections (February 16, 2018) appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Five Questions to Ask About Entertainment

Entertainment is often an expression of God’s gifts of creativity, storytelling, and beauty. But it can also provide mindless amusement, or damage our souls. How should Christians handle rapidly multiplying entertainment options in a God-honoring way?

Here are five questions to ask about your entertainment choices:

1. What purpose does entertainment serve?

The other night I came home from work, Costco, and the grocery store, put away the food, cleaned the bathroom, did a load of wash, and started dinner. After dinner, I was done. I just wanted to zone out in front of television.

It wasn’t wrong to watch television, but it wasn’t helpful either. I needed to rest. I needed God to revive me. Instead, I turned to the television.

Contrast that scenario with the following: my husband and I are going to dinner and a play in Chicago in a couple weeks. We are looking forward to the art and shared experience.

Entertainment serves completely different desires in these cases. In the first, entertainment is escapism, allowing  me to turn off my brain and retreat from the responsibilities of life. In the second event, entertainment is engaging with life, art, and people.

God wants us to enjoy life, and I don’t think he is opposed to good entertainment. Entertainment should be life-giving—a means of engaging with our world rather than retreating from it. Entertainment should not be a substitute for life.

Before you turn on the television or retreat to your iPad, ask yourself what you are seeking. To engage life in enjoyment or to escape?

2. How much time do you spend with entertainment?

Years ago, I wrote down the number of hours I spent watching television every day for a week, and I was surprised by the total. I hadn’t thought that I watched too much—just a show now and then—but it added up to a fair amount.

This is a worthwhile exercise. 

Compare your time spent with entertainment to your time spent with spiritual input in your life. A couple hours at church on Sunday, maybe a small group meeting, and fifteen to twenty minutes reading your Bible, or a devotional every morning, might be normal for you. Maybe you invest more; maybe less. Let’s say we average five to eight hours per week receiving solid biblical input.

According to a Nielsen Company Audience Report (CNN article), the average American adult spends over 10 hours a day in front of a screen and about four and a half hours a day watching television or movies. Using these averages, entertainment consumes 32 of our hours per week.

Of course, those are averages, and entertainment is not always devoid of positive or godly influences, but those numbers give me pause. Ephesians 5:15-16 offers helpful guidance when examining your time:  

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

How much time are you giving to entertainment? Are you making the best use of your time?

3. Is what I’m watching true, honorable and commendable? Is the novel I’m reading excellent, praiseworthy?

God’s Word gives us some guidelines for choosing entertainment wisely. These qualities are taken directly from Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

That’s a pretty high bar for entertainment choices. Your definition of what is excellent and praiseworthy may be different from mine, but we must submit our ideas of what is appropriate to God’s Word.

What we allow into our eyes and ears affects our heart and soul, probably more than we know.
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I memorized this passage years ago, and I found it helpful when evaluating television or movies for my children and for myself.

My husband and I look for story lines of redemption, transformation, and truth. We don’t like watching stories that make evil look good and good look evil, and we have rejected a number of series because, in my husband’s words, they are not good for our souls.

Take some time to examine your entertainment choices considering God’s Word to us in Philippians 4:8, and establish some criteria that your family will use when choosing entertainment.

4. How is this affecting my heart?

What we allow into our eyes and ears affects our heart and soul, probably more than we know. And what we allow to influence our hearts will direct our lives, as Proverbs 4:23 points out:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Jesus also said that what our eyes take in will affect the rest of us:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew 6:21-23)

These verses are preceded by the command to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven; and, they are followed by the caution that we can serve only one master. Right in between are these verses about our eye being the determining factor of the light or darkness in our bodies—and our hearts.

God’s Word gives us some guidelines for choosing entertainment wisely.
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If our hearts are the wellspring of life, and if our eyes allow either light or darkness to fill our hearts and influence our loyalty, then it is important to pay attention to what we permit our eyes to absorb. If we watch enough television we will find ourselves adopting unspoken—but very clear—messages of worldly loyalty.

Take an honest diagnosis of what you allow into your eyes and ears and ask the Lord to help you discern how it is affecting your heart.

5. Jesus, will you help me?

Jesus came to save us from the darkness of our sin. He is our light and he offers us life that is truly life (John 8:12, John 10:10, 1 Timothy 6:18-19). He submitted to the punishment of death that was ours because of sin, and offers us his resurrection life when repent and believe in him. Only by the grace of God can we believe that Jesus would do that out of his great love for us.

Once we repent and believe, God begins the process of transforming us into the likeness of Christ. Years ago, when I surrendered to him, he started changing my interests and desires, and they are still undergoing metamorphosis. Suddenly what once looked like light, now looks dark.

When we need the Lord’s help to make godly entertainment choices, he is ready and waiting to assist us. Jesus couldn’t watch television, but he knows that we are in a constant battle to choose our entertainment wisely. We’re told in Hebrews 4:15-16 that Jesus will help us:

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Talk to Jesus about your entertainment choices, and ask these questions:

What am I seeking from my entertainment?

How much time am I investing in it?

Is it true, honorable, and praiseworthy?

Does what I read, watch, or do fill my heart with light or darkness?

Ultimately, ask the Lord to direct your choices; He will.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post Five Questions to Ask About Entertainment appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Turn God’s Promises Into Prayer

“And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.” (2 Samuel 7:25)

David’s words “do as you have spoken” get us to the heart of prayer. When we pray, we ask God to do what he has promised. David repeatedly turns God’s promise into prayer. Out of the word that God has spoken comes David’s prayer: “Lord, what I am asking is what you have already said. Do as you have spoken!”

How Prayer Works

“For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.” (v. 27)

How does David have the courage to pray this? If God had not spoken, David would not have had the courage. “Lord, if you had not said this, I would not have asked it, but your promise has given me courage to ask this of you.”

“You have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you” (vv. 28-29). Faith takes what God has said—God’s promise—and turns it into prayer: “Do as you have spoken” (v. 25).

Now why would you pray for something God has already promised? Because prayer is how God’s promises are delivered. Prayer is standing in the gap between what God has said and what you experience, and bringing them together. “I need what you have said.”

That’s how prayer works!

Keeping Your Prayers Fresh

Here is another reason for praying with an open Bible: What God says in his Word will suggest to you, day by day, fresh things that you can pray for someone you love. How can you pray for people you love year after year without sliding into vain repetition? “Lord, bless them! Lord, bless them! Lord, bless them!” And that’s only the first three days! How are you going to pray for them for 25 years?

If you pray with an open Bible, you will often find that the Bible suggests something you can pray for yourself or for another person, and when you pray for something God has said, you can pray with great confidence.

I’m reading in the Psalms at the moment, so here is one week’s worth of turning God’s promises into prayer:

Psalm 20: May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans (20:4). That suggests prayer for a person who has a deep longing for something good that has not yet come to pass.


Psalm 21: You make him glad with the joy of your presence (21:6). That prompts me to pray that someone I love will be deeply aware of the joy of the presence of God with them today, and the confidence that comes with that joy.


Psalm 22: From you comes my praise in the great congregation (22:25). That suggests prayer for someone who suffers, that the outcome will bring praise to God and strength to others.


Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures (23:1-2). Here is a promise I can pray for someone who is hard-pressed, hungry, thirsty, and needs to be renewed, nourished, and fed.


Psalm 24: Who shall ascend the hill of Lord?…He who has clean hands and a pure heart…He will receive blessing from the Lord (24:3, 4, 5). Scripture is suggesting that I pray for the cleansing of my heart and hands, and to pray the same for others, so they may be guarded and know the Lord’s blessing.


Psalm 25: O my God, in you I trust (25:2). Scripture is suggesting that I pray for strong, unwavering faith, and to have a steadfast eye on the Lord for myself and those I love.

If you pray with an open Bible, you will always have something fresh to ask of the Lord, and you will be able to pray with confidence because you are saying to God, “Do as you have spoken!”

Praying with Confidence

Years ago, I came across a sermon preached by C. H. Spurgeon called Order and Argument in Prayer based on Job’s words: “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments” (Job 23:3-4).

Job suggests that we pray to God in the same way as a lawyer presents his or her case in a court of law. What does a lawyer do in a court of law? The lawyer presents arguments. He gives reasons. She quotes legal precedent for a particular verdict. If your lawyer says, “Well, we’ll just go into court and ask the judge for what we want and see what he says,” it’s time for you to get another lawyer! A good lawyer presents a case.

Prayer is how God’s promises are delivered.
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You may say, “We don’t come to God as Judge. We come to him as Father.” But if you listen to children, you will find that they do exactly the same thing: “Dad, can I have an ice cream, because you said…?”

What is the clinching argument with God? The great and clinching argument in all our prayers is the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. His name always carries weight with God. You may already be in the habit of laying your case before God and presenting Jesus Christ as your clinching argument without realizing what you are doing.

At the end of your prayer you say, “For Jesus’ sake. Amen.” Why did you say, “For Jesus’ sake”? Because, intuitively, you know God is committed to do whatever glorifies the person of Jesus and advances the work of Jesus. When you pray “in the name of Jesus,” you always have the ear of the Father.

Yes and Amen

This is why our Lord said, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16:23). Asking in the name of Jesus means submitting what you ask to the will of Jesus; but coming to God in the name of Jesus, and basing your prayers on what he has promised, will give you courage when you ask.

Jesus Christ is the clinching argument for every person who draws near to God in his name. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

How can you be sure of God’s promises? How can you know that what God promises is actually yours? Look to Jesus Christ. Put your faith and your trust in him, and everything God has ever promised will be “yes” for you!

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post Turn God’s Promises Into Prayer appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.