Dear Next Generation – I think this includes Gen X,Y,Z and the Millenials,

I am writing this to you all with great aspirations for your future. Nevertheless I perceive that presently, many of you are disenchanted, burdened, and distracted. There is a destiny for your generation that I hope to do my part in propelling you toward. It is with this intent that I write these things to you.

Currently many of you are subject to:

Dissipation – frivolous amusements that squander your time and scatter your strength.

Drunkenness – over-indulgence of substances, experiences, material comforts meant to satisfy.

Distraction – due to devices that give you constant access to information, entertainment and social content.

Depersonalization – anonymity and isolation that come from the ability to conduct almost every aspect of life virtually.

Drivenness – constant pressure to keep busy with all the things that you are told are essential for a fulfilling life.

Divorce – parents and loved ones who shattered your world in pursuit of their own. (sometimes necessary)

Distance – from family, from real friendships and from simple satisfaction found in working, serving and living.

Demands – placed upon you and in turn which you place upon others to be or do more than what is possible.

Deception – misleading messages from media, consumer corporations, cultural icons, politicians, religious institutions.

Divergence – from common sense and conscience in pursuit of what makes for happiness and wholeness.

Distortion – a warped lens through which life and truth are viewed.

Division – due to staunchly held positions that deny others the right to differing views, thereby severing relationships.

Please forgive us. Many of the things that you have been subjected to are because of my generation. We have modeled our own versions of dissipation and drunkenness, frivolously wasting time, money, energy and over-indulging ourselves in our pursuit of the good life. You have watched us and learned from us. We have worked hard to provide you with stuff and in so doing, withheld ourselves. We have pushed you to perform out of a need to make ourselves feel successful. We have not taught you right and wrong by our words, but even worse, by words only that are not backed up by example. We have pursued our own happiness at the expense of your security. We have told you that our highest goal for you is to be happy and have launched you into life to find what we ourselves have failed to attain. We have failed you. Please forgive us. 

But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day comes upon you suddenly like a trap. Lk.21:34

 Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the Lord. Jer. 9:5,6 

 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Isa.5:20

As a result, you have experienced:

Disappointment – displeasure that things are not working out as planned or promised.

Disillusionment – the feeling that what was promoted and the results promised were an unfulfillable illusion.

Discouragement – becoming deprived of courage to keep pursuing what you have believed.

Disgrace – the loss of self respect or the respect of others for continuing to miss the mark.

Doubt – a growing lack of trust, belief, certainty or conviction about what is true.

Distress – anxiety that the responsibility for missed outcomes and world survival rests squarely on your shoulders.

Dread – fear over the loss of certainty, capability and control.

Desperation– adopting extreme, excessive, urgent, even reckless behavior to regain control, happiness or meaning.

Desolation – grief that comes from feeling hopeless and alone.

Depression – a sunken condition of dejection and withdrawal. 

Look at what is happening to you! You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! Haggai 1:5,6 (NLT)

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless, like chasing the wind. Eccl.1:14 NLT

And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. Lk.21:25,26

Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man. The land mourns and languishes. Isa.33:7-9

As a result some find themselves in:

Deep Darkness – there is no light.

A Dungeon – there is no escape.

Drowning – you feel overwhelmed, as if you are sinking.

Destruction – tormented by a voice that whispers, “You are useless, a failure, utterly and hopelessly defeated.”

Death – life is no longer tolerable or valuable, so it must end.

These two things have happened to you – who will console you? – devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you? Isa.51:19

We hope for light and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes. Isa.59:9,10

Save me, O God! for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. Ps.69:1,2

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…Jn.10:10

This is a people plundered and looted;

They are all of them trapped in holes and hidden in prisons;

They have become plunder with none to rescue, 

spoil with none to say, “Restore”. Isa.42:22

But now, thus says the Lord;

He who created you, He who formed you,

fear not for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name, you are mine. Isa.43:1

So because GOD is:

Real – He is the One who was and is and is to come, the Almighty.

The One who Reigns – He is sovereign; there is nothing outside of His control or too difficult for Him.

A Rock – He is the solid, unwavering, unchanging foundation upon whom we can securely build our lives.

The Righteous One – He is the perfect One who took our sin upon Himself; in Him we become righteous before God.

Redeemer – He collects what is otherwise worthless and makes it His treasure.

Rescuer – He finds us and holds out His hand to lift us up out of that from which we cannot escape.

Ransom Payer – He visits those in bondage because He paid the price to set captives free.

Revealer – He opens blind eyes and deaf ears to see and hear what was hidden and what is true.

The Resurrection and the Life – He who was dead and brought back to life, offers the same victorious hope.

Regenerator – He breathes on those who appear to be dead so that new life emerges .

Renewer – He restores those who are worn out by reviving hope and revealing purpose.

Repairer – He gathers up those who are broken and broken hearted to begin to make them whole. 

Reconciler – He takes those who are at enmity with each other and with God and makes peace possible.

Recompenser – He generously grants us true and lasting treasures in place of cheap, temporal toys.

Rewarder – He looks for faith and obedience and blesses it.

Our Refuge – He provides our souls with shelter amidst life’s storms. 

Our Rest – He carries the burdens we were never meant to carry alone, so we can find rest for our souls.

Refresher – He restores our vigor as we spend time in His presence.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Ps. 90:2 

God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. Ps.47:8

 For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mk.10:45

 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:4,5

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Rom.5:10

 Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt 11:28-30

Repent therefore and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19,20

Relationship with this One is restored by repentance. We have not only been deceived, we have chosen to reject His rule, His right to be our Lord and His relevance to us, the people that He created. The way back to the Father is through the Son who came into our mess to show us the Father’s character, to teach us the Father’s truth, to demonstrate the Father’s compassion and to satisfy the Father’s justice. His death as the substitute on our behalf has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Father; God the Son died in our place so that we might live forever with Him. As much as our generation has sinned against you, we all have sinned against holy God and no amount of “good” stuff balances the scales. Will we admit that we have messed up? Can we believe that what Jesus has done is available to us today? Will we cast ourselves at the feet of this One, Jesus, and say “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner?” 

When we do, we receive from Him:

Pardon – Our penalty is paid, our sentence is canceled and our record is cleared. 

Purity – Though our sins were crimson, because of the blood of the Son on our behalf, we are white as the purest snow.

Position – We are adopted  by Father God as His own children and welcomed into His presence.

Perspective – As children of God, lies and deception are exposed and truth can be recognized.

Peace – We can enter a deep and abiding soul rest that comes from being accepted by God, belonging to Him.

Protection – As His children, we are guarded and kept under his oath to be with us always till the close of the age.

The Pleasure of God – We bring delight to the heart of Almighty Father God as we love Him and obey Him.

Parenting – God our Father disciplines us for our good so that we become who he created us to be, for His glory.

Purpose – We are swept up into an eternal plan of God to restore what humanity has lost.

Promises – God’s word offers enduring truth about Who He is, what He does and will do and who we are to Him.

Provision – God promises to provide all that He knows we need, not necessarily all we think we deserve.

A Path – Our Savior is also our shepherd who leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Power – The Holy Spirit, God in us, empowers us to walk out of the old way of thinking and living and into the new.

               Who is a God like you pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression? Micah 7:18

 He gave Himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to Him alone and are eager to do good. Titus 2:14 (GNT) 

 Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom.5:1

 And because of His glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2Pet. 1:4NLT

Because they hold fast to me, I will deliver them; I will protect them, because they know my name. When they call, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. Ps.91:14,15

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses…Acts 1:8

Because of all we have received from Him, we want to:

Praise – Our hearts overflow. We can’t help exulting in and exalting God’s magnificent character.

Pray – We want to talk to Him, expressing our adoration, telling Him we are sorry, asking Him to work in the world.

Proclaim – We seek to share His wisdom and good news with others. We were lost, but now we are found.

Prepare the way – We long to do our part to bring the loving presence of God into more and more of the world.

Participate – We choose to join with others as a community of His people to reveal His image to all creation.

Preach – We express Jesus Christ as our Lord and us as His willing servants in how we live and in what we say.

Persevere – We endure hardship with hope because of our eternal, unbreakable relationship with God and His prevailingly good purpose.

Press On – As long as we are alive, we seek to become more like Christ, bring glory to Him and advance His Kingdom

I will extol you my God and my King and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Ps.145:1,2

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Ps.116:1,2

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance , character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Rom.5:3-5

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as you servants for Jesus sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2Cor.4:5, 6

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Phil.3:12

Does this make your heart swell with longing? Is there not something deep within our souls that recognizes that this is what we are made for? We are made by God and for God, to be with God forever. We are all subject to a dissonance in our spirits as we live life according to the ways of this world – something is off, out of tune and we try and try to bring this dissonance into harmony in so many ways over the course of our short journey here. But we cannot. There are moments, glimpses but they quickly slip away and the static resumes. Sin is in the world, a separation from God’s created order and intent, and all of creation feels its consequences: natural disasters, diseases, pandemics, exploitation of nature and of people, selfishness, greed, hatred, warfare, evil, death… Isaiah 59:2 tells us that our sins have separated us from God and hidden his face from us. The rest of this chapter describes in detail what sin is, what sin does and how it looks to a pure and holy God. Sin is in me. But then in Isa. 59:16 God intervenes. “He (God) couldn’t believe what He saw, not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So He did it Himself, He took on the work of salvation fueled by His own righteousness.”(The Message) 

 God did what man didn’t and couldn’t. God died for man, for me, for you. God took the penalty His own justice demanded to pay for our sin so that we would have a way out of the dissonance, the way into a right standing relationship with our Father.  Psalm 40 depicts what God offers for those who turn back to Him and believe that Jesus is the restorer of relationship to the Father. “He draws us up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog and sets our feet upon a rock, making our steps secure. He puts a new song in our mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” 

Younger generation, He patiently and persistently reaches out His hand to you to draw you up out of the mire of purposeless, hopeless, helpless living and to set your feet securely on the Rock. He Himself is the rock, unwavering, unshakable and eternal. Then begins the new song: the vertical song of praise and celebration and the horizontal song of proclamation. Forty-five years after being lifted up out of my own pit, I can attest that the words that I have written and to the scriptures that I have cited, are real and true. Though the salvation I received through Christ is a free gift, the path of following my Savior has been very costly. Jesus gave full disclosure that to follow Him would mean to lose our lives according to the ways of the world, but in doing so we would actually gain it. What I gained is what I was seeking all along that the world could never give.

 I appeal to you to search out for yourselves the things that I have written. Ask God if these things are so. If upon examining these words, you are convinced that they are true, do not hesitate to respond. “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion” Heb.3:15  By saying no more to sin and self and yes to Jesus, you gain access to all the R’s and P’s. You become both a partaker and participant in God’s eternal love story of redemption.

 This has already been a lengthy closure but let me close with one last “P”, place. Just before the crucifixion, Jesus told his distressed and confused disciples, “And since I am going away to prepare a place for you, I will come back again and welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am.” Jn.14:3(ISV) He has gone ahead to prepare a place so that when this life ends, we enter into that eternal place alongside the One we have loved and lived for here on earth.

Acts 1:1-14

Matthew 26:36-46

1 Thess. 5:14-24

Ephesians 6:10-18

2 Kings 6

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what way do the passages describe prayer as integral to our being alert to God’s presence and work?

What actions regarding prayer accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

What is the Spirit showing us about the Church or ourselves regarding our need to live awake and pray without ceasing?

Prayer is both the means to awakening and the response of the awakened soul. It is a bit like breathing. We pray to be awake; we pray because we are awake. The verses in this study give us both instruction and examples of prayer or in one case prayerlessness. I appreciate the pithy exhortations that Paul writes to the Thessalonians. He had only a few weeks with these new believers and in this letter he does his best to encourage them and establish them in their new found faith. He closes his letter with bullet points on what he knows is critical to their growing faith: prayer.

• Rejoice always
• Pray without ceasing
• Give thanks in all circumstances
• Do not quench the Spirit
• Do not despise prophecies
• Test everything
• Hold fast to what is good
• Abstain from evil

In an abbreviated way, Paul is describing a full orbed prayer life. Prayer is all of these. Here’s how I would add to these bullets with descriptions of what these types of prayer might be.

Rejoice always is the prayer of praise and worship. We rejoice in who God is no matter what. He does not change, His character is utterly dependable and that is a cause for constant rejoicing. As Paul says elsewhere, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”

Pray without ceasing describes our access to continual communion with the Lord in our heart. Sometimes it involves words and conscious thought, sometimes it is merely the groans and sighs of our hearts, too deep for words. Pray without ceasing is less a command and more an invitation that we will never wear out our welcome.  

Giving thanks in all circumstances is the prayer of gratitude. It certainly is acknowledging God as the generous giver of good gifts, food, family, safety, answers to prayer, provision, guidance. It is also the harder prayer of thanks, in, not for the difficulties that inevitably come. This prayer is sacrificial because this prayer comes hard. It acknowledges His promise that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil because He is with us.

Do not quench the Spirit is the prayer that invites the Holy Spirit to help us and direct us as we pray. I don’t know what to pray, often. By asking the Spirit to pray through me what He desires rather than praying what I think is best, I invite His intercession which is powerful and effective.

Do not despise prophecies refers to the things that God may show us as we pray: a picture, a word or phrase, a word of knowledge, a scripture.  Prayer is communion and just as one would expect a conversation to be two way, so too prophecies, words, scriptures, pictures can be God’s communication back to us as His response to our praying.

Test everything is the prayer of discernment. This prayer involves holding those things that we have seen or heard up to the Lord and asking Him to sort out what is truly from Him and what is the product of my overactive imagination. This may also require asking others to pray with me to discern together what is from God and what is not.

Hold fast to what is good is prayer with perseverance. Once we know that we are agreeing with God’s desires and asking according to His will, we hold fast and persevere. In this way, we obey Jesus’s instruction to keep on seeking, keep on asking and keep on knocking.

Abstain from evil is the prayer of resistance and deliverance. Lead me not into temptation and deliver me from evil. We summon God’s help and protection through prayer when evil threatens from without or within. 

Prayer is not just asking God for things. In these simple yet profound words, Paul invited the Thessalonians to a life as awake, alert followers of Jesus. Prayer is our means of being in a responsive relationship with the God who speaks and the God who listens to the praises, the cries, the desires, and the groanings of our hearts. An awakened person is a prayerful person

1 Thes. 5:1-11

Ephesians 1:15-23

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Romans 15:4-6, 12-13

Romans 5:1-5

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what ways do the passages describe the need to be ready?

What actions accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

In what ways does hope fuel these actions?

What is the Spirit showing the Church or ourselves regarding our need to live awake and embrace the hope of our calling?

Last study we considered that the reality of Christ’s resurrection and the acceptance of His sacrifice on our behalf are the foundation of our hope. This week we are considering how we can experience hope in our daily lives.

Let’s look at Romans 15:13.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

The promise in this verse is outrageous hope, abundant hope from the God of hope.  This verse is not just describing human optimism. It is supernatural hope that is available  now. But I ask how? 

Here again we see the role that the Holy Spirit plays as the trusted servant between the God of hope and us. He brings the things of God to earth and imparts them to those who believe. It is that word, believe, or in other translations, trust, which is the connector in this verse. The God of all hope awaits to fill with joy and peace. The Holy Spirit comes in power to release abundant hope. The fulcrum upon which this transaction pivots is our belief or trust in Him. 

So what does belief and trust actually mean? It is clearly not just an intellectual understanding that Paul has in mind as the trigger.  I will borrow from the Bible commentator MacClaren who broke belief down even further as TRUST, CONSENT and DESIRE. 

I trust God is who He says He is and I trust that what He says is true.

I consent to my life and circumstances looking His way not mine; I submit to His will.

I desire His glory more than my comfort, happiness, or success.

We could also look at these three words in this manner:

I trust that God is who He says He is and that His word is true, even when my circumstances may indicate otherwise.

I consent to HIs will not mine, even when it conflicts with my agenda for my life.

I desire His glory more than my comfort and happiness, and am willing to pay the cost.

When we position ourselves in this way, MacClaren goes on to say that we release “no shrunken stream, no painful trickle but a great exuberance [of hope] which will pass into your inner nature in the measure of your capacity to trust and desire.”

If we insert those words into Romans 15:13, we get a fuller and I would say more costly picture; “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in His character, consent to His will and desire His glory, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” 

I love the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her main character, Tom, is a slave whose belief and trust and consent and desire are stretched to unimaginable limits by the cruelty of slavery. It is under the savagery of slave owner Simon Legree that Tom, whose hope and faith in Christ were steadfast marks of his character, is crushed to the point of utter despair. How could Romans 15:13 be true now as despondency and despair blocked out any glimmer of hope? Let me share a lengthy quote from this beautiful book,

“The atheistic taunts of his cruel master sank his dejected soul to the lowest ebb; and though the hand of faith still held to the eternal rock, it was with a numb and despairing grasp. Tom sat like one stunned at the fire. Suddenly everything around him seemed to fade, and a vision rose before him of one crowned with thorns, buffeted and bleeding. Tom gazed in awe and wonder at the majestic patience of the face; the deep pathetic eyes thrilled him to his innermost heart; his soul woke as, with floods of emotion he stretched out his hands and fell upon his knees, – when gradually, the vision changed: the sharp thorns became rays of glory; and in a splendor inconceivable, he saw that same face bending compassionately toward him, and a voice said, ’He that overcomes shall sit down with me on my throne, even as I overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne.’ 

How long Tom lay there, he knew not…. But the dread soul crisis was past, and, in the joy that filled him, he no longer felt hunger, cold, degradation, disappointment, wretchedness. From his deepest soul, he that hour loosed and parted from every hope that is in the life that is now, and offered his own will an unquestioning sacrifice to the Infinite [God of all hope].”

Tom trusted God, even when his grip was slipping due to the wretchedness of the life that God seemed unwilling to free him from. Tom consented to surrender to God’s will, not his own, though he could see no purpose for his life in his evil engulfed world, and Tom’s desire was for God to receive glory though his body, mind and emotions were drained of their capability to lift themselves in praise. Upon the fulcrum of patient, persistent albeit imperfect belief, was the tipping point for the Holy Spirit to pour out overflowing hope. 

God, the God whose ways and thoughts are higher, is the God of hope. May He give you hope for your journey as you trust in, submit to and glorify Him.

Titus 2:11-14

Romans 8:18-39

1 Peter 1:3-9

Hebrews 10:23-25

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what ways do the passages describe the need to be ready?

What actions accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

In what ways does hope fuel these actions?

What is the Spirit showing the Church or ourselves regarding our need to live awake and embrace the hope of our calling?

It is easy to misunderstand hope. It is also easy to misplace hope. We often lose hope when a desired outcome does not occur. The disciples on the road to Emmaus give us one glimpse in scripture of those who, like us, have wrestled with misunderstood, misplaced hope. We read the account of their conversation in Luke 24:13-27 as they walk on the road accompanied by the unrecognized, risen Christ. As they recount to their companion all that had occured, how Jesus was delivered up to death by the chief priests and rulers, they sadly add, “we had hoped that he was the one to deliver Israel.” Even though they had received the report from the women and the disciples of an empty tomb, they are nevertheless crestfallen that what they had hoped for was not fulfilled. Jesus then takes them on a journey through scripture; “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

One of the scriptures that I am sure he shared with them was in Daniel 7:9-14. The scene that is portrayed in these verses is of a heavenly courtroom with the Ancient of Days seated on his flaming throne. “The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” Before Him were those to be judged, ten thousand times ten thousand standing before the awesome magistrate. But just then the courtroom door bursts open. Another enters in, one like a son of man, who approaches the Ancient of Days just as his books open to begin to render judgments. The son of man presents himself before the Ancient of Days. What is it that he presents?

To answer that question, let’s look at Hebrews 9:24-28 where we read, “For Christ has entered not into a holy place made with hands … but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” And what did he offer on our behalf? Picture if you will, an altar of sacrifice at the entrance of the courtroom. “He entered once for all into the holy place by means of his own blood” in order to “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” I believe the son of man, in Daniel 7, paused as he entered to present his own lifeblood on that altar, so that when the books of judgment are read, for all those who have put their faith in the Son, their record is completely cleared. Paid in full.

So returning to the men on the road to Emmaus, after Jesus tells them about himself in the scriptures and joins them at their home, blessing the bread and giving it to them, he vanishes. Suddenly their hope is revived and properly placed upon the crux of lasting hope, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They return immediately back to Jerusalem to share with the disciples their new found hope, “The Lord has risen indeed!”

   The apostle Peter writes to the suffering, persecuted saints in Turkey to remind them that they have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The words of this old hymn capture the same sentiment:

Our hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.

The resurrected Lord Jesus, presented the offering of Himself on behalf of all those who would surely have been found guilty according to the deeds that were recorded in the book of judgment. His sacrifice was acceptable to the Ancient of Days for all people for all time. He was then given dominion, glory and a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. He invites all those who believe in Him by faith to be participants in His everlasting kingdom. 

These are the unshakable pillars of our hope.

Rev. 22:10-14

Isaiah 32:9-18

Rev. 3:1-6

Rev. 3:14-22

Acts 3:17-21

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what ways do the passages describe the need to be ready?

What actions regarding repentance accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

What is the Spirit showing us about the Church or about ourselves regarding our need to live awake and repent?

A fitting response to God’s mercy in showing us our spots is to repent. “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned” as the prodigal said to his father. But repentance is more than confession, it is more than being sorry or sad. Repentance seems to come when we are at the end of ourselves – no more excuses, no more rationalizations, no more vain attempts to get our act together and do better. Repentance comes when we are cut to the heart and laid bare by God’s merciful conviction. What results is a holy disgust for our own sin mingled with a holy sadness for grieving the heart of God which drives us to our knees. “I choose to turn away from that thing that has grieved You and to turn to you. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit to flee and turn, as you work in me to will and work for your pleasure.”

The well known passage of 2 Chronicles 7:15 presents a prayerful pathway of repentance.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

We are a people called by His name. My behavior and my attitudes reflect upon the name I bear. My sin does not just hurt me or others, it also sullies His name.

Humility precedes repentance. True humility takes off all masks, refuses to blame or justify. As Isaiah 66:2 states, “This is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and contrite and trembles at my word.” 

Prayer is the cry of the penitent heart to a merciful God. “Father, I don’t want this anymore. Father, I am sorry for disobeying, I am sorry for dishonoring You. Please help me to turn.  I trust You, Holy Spirit, that by your leading and power, I have all that I need to forsake my old ways and walk with You. Jesus, thank you for your beautiful and powerful blood that cleanses me. Please forgive me, Jesus.” The simple cries of the contrite heart are heard and received. A broken heart, godly grief, a cry for mercy and strength, God will not despise.

We seek His face, not just His blessings. Repentance is not merely an avenue to garner God’s blessings. It is a pathway for restored relationship and intimacy with Him. It is possible to use repentance, if we can call it that, as a means of manipulating the Almighty. God called the Israelites who were in exile out on this behavior in Zechariah 7. “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and the seventh month for these 70 years, was it for me that you fasted?” This penetrating question cuts to the heart. God saw through their religious behaviors as being a means for God to give them what they wanted rather than for God to give them renewed hearts to love Him. We are called upon to seek His face simply because we love Him.

As we recognize whose name we represent, as we humble ourselves before His gaze, as we pray the simple cries of the heart to be forgiven and set free and as we seek His face alone, then we are in the proper position to turn, to repent of our wicked ways.   And He will hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.

2 Peter 3:1-18

1 Peter 1:13-21

1 Thess. 4:1-8, 13-18

Luke 21:34-36

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what way do the passages describe the need to be ready?

What actions regarding living a life that honors the Lord accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

What is the Spirit showing us about the Church or ourselves regarding our need to live awake and be holy?

We continue to look at God’s call to be a holy, sanctified people. Those who are awake are taking this call seriously while also recognizing that spot recognition and removal are a process. 1 Thessalonians 4 speaks to this:

“Finally brothers and sisters we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more…for this is the will of God, your sanctification…For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

If we go back to the illustration of the light in the lantern, God’s desire is that we walk with Him in a manner that pleases Him more and more, but to do that, we have got to get the junk out of the lantern case so that the light within can shine. Sanctification is God’s will for His people. The Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God within to lead us in this process. One of the motivations to submit to the process of spot removal is so that the light of the presence of Christ can shine outward through us to the world around us. We are called to be the light of the world, a city set on a hill. Another motivation to engage with the Lord in cleaning out our junk is so that our light shines upward to please and honor the One whom we love, like a bride preparing to meet her groom.

In Ephesians 5, Paul gives us this picture of sanctification likening it to a bride being prepared for her husband.

“Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” In Hebrew culture this translates to Jesus paying the bride price for the people he loves. The price was His blood, His life, to have the church as His beautiful bride.

“That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” This describes the period of preparation for the bride to cleanse and purify herself before marrying her husband. This corresponds to the Jewish custom of the betrothal period.

“So that he might present the church to himself in radiance, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish before him.” (Eph.5:25-27) Here is the wedding, where a purified and radiant people are united at long last with the One who loved them and gave Himself for them.

A story in Genesis that beautifully depicts this process of a bride being prepared for her husband is the story of Rebekah and Isaac. In Genesis 24 Abraham calls his oldest servant who had charge of all that he had, Eliezer, to go back to the land of Mesopotamia from which they had come to get a wife for his son, Isaac. He takes ten camels and choice gifts and embarks on the 520 mile journey.

 Eliezer finally arrives at the well outside the city and prays, asking God to show him who Isaac’s prospective bride might be. He prays specifically that a young woman would come to the well, who when asked, might be willing to not only give him a drink but would also  provide water for all ten of his thirsty camels – that would be about 500 gallons of water! Rebekah comes to the well and not only gives Eliezer a drink but volunteers to draw water for his camels until they are done drinking. What a girl! 

Eliezer then asks to stay with her family and he is welcomed into their home with traditional Middle Eastern hospitality. Eliezer then tells all that his master Abraham has sent him to do; find a bride for their kinsman Isaac. As well he tells them all about his specific prayer for God’s leading being answered by his interaction with Rebekah at the well. Rebekah’s father and brother discern that this encounter is God’s doing and they consent to give Rebekah to become Isaac’s wife. Eliezer then presents them with the choice gifts that he had brought as the bride price. He tells the family that he intends to begin his return journey the next day. So soon? Rebekah’s family suggests that she stay behind for 10 additional days and begin her journey then, but are willing to let Rebekah decide. “Will you go with this man?”, they ask. She replies, “I will go.” So the next day Rebekah and a few companions mount the camels to begin the 21 day 520 mile journey back to Canaan. 

 As I think about this story, I get the sense that this account is a depiction of a bigger story, even our story. Could Abraham be a type of God the Father who is seeking a bride for his one and only Son. Could Eliezer the servant, whose name means, the God who helps, be a depiction of the Holy Spirit, whose work is to find and prepare those who choose the Son. Could Isaac be a representation of Jesus, the unseen bridegroom who pays the bride price. Could Rebekah be us, those who have said yes to the Holy Spirit, to leave behind life as we knew it, in order to believe in and belong to the unseen Son? 

Rebekah then travels through a wilderness guided only by the servant. I would imagine that Rebekah had a lot of questions for Eliezer as they traveled, “What is my husband-to-be like? Describe him for me. What is his character like? Tell me the truth about him.” And so he helped Rebekah to get to know Isaac and how wonderful he is, so that without having seen him, she grew to love him. But the journey was a long, bumpy, dirty, rough trek. Camel riding is not a luxury ride and camels are particularly surly animals. Once we have said yes to become a follower of Christ by believing that He has paid the bride price for us, we commence our own difficult wilderness journey to meet Him. But we do not travel alone. We are accompanied by the God who helps, the Holy Spirit, who is continually guiding us and preparing us by removing our spots, wrinkles, blemishes to be radiant for the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

  The story of Eliezer bringing Rebekah to Isaac ends in Genesis 24:63 – 66

“Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening, He lifted up his eyes and behold, there were camels coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel and said to the servant, ‘Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant said, ‘This is my master.’ And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done [and that she had done] …she became his wife and he loved her.”

“Right now the Holy Spirit [the God who helps] is poking at the dying embers of your love for Jesus. [Perhaps you are tired of this camel ride and have lost sight of who it is that you are preparing to meet.] It is because he desires to set your heart on fire with love for him! Are you allowing the Spirit of God to convict you of sin and unbelief? If so, rejoice! He wants you to be cleansed from every spot, every wrinkle on that day when you [finally dismount the camel] meet him [your bridegroom] face to face. So yield to His leading. Let Him do His [sanctifying] work in you completely – and you will truly know what it means to walk in the Spirit.” (worldchallenge.org May 14,2021)

The call to holy living has a purpose. It is preparation to meet our Savior. Just as a bride wouldn’t dream of showing up for her wedding in a disheveled and dirty condition, so we who belong to Him can let the Holy Spirit do His sanctifying work in us as we ready ourselves to be united with Him.

Titus 2:11-14

Romans 13:11-13

Isaiah 52:1-2, 7-11

1 John 3:1-7

What do these verses tell us about the return of Christ?

In what way do the passages describe the need to be ready?

What actions regarding living a life that honors the Lord accompany those who believe in and are preparing for His coming?

What is the Spirit showing us about the Church or ourselves regarding our need to live awake and be holy?

Those who are awakening and becoming more and more aware of His return are characterized by a seriousness about obeying Jesus’ call that we be holy as He is holy. However the more we are made aware of His perfection, the more we recognize our faults and how unlike him we are. We see our spots.

Years ago I cared for my mom as her encroaching dementia became increasingly evident. She needed cataract surgery and since she still enjoyed looking at the newspaper, we thought this surgery would be beneficial. After her first successful surgery, she returned to her apartment to spend the night. In the morning when I arrived to check on her, she was in a state of fury. When I asked her what had made her so angry, she pointed to her face and said, “Look at me. Do you see them all over my face?”  Puzzled, I meekly asked, “What?” “The spots!!! They weren’t on my face yesterday. Someone must have come into my room and put them all over my face! Who would do such a horrible thing?” As you realize, no one had put the spots on her face; they were there but because of her cataracts, she couldn’t see them. But now that she was “awakened” by her surgery, she could, to her own horror, see clearly what she didn’t know was there all along. This is similar for us as we draw closer to the Lord, to walk with Him. Our spots, that we may not have seen before, become more evident and also more distressing. 

So how do we deal with the spots? Over the next two studies as we study holy living, we will talk about the necessity of walking with the Holy Spirit in His ministry of spot removal which in scripture is called sanctification. 

We begin our lives as a child of God by faith in Jesus’ perfect and complete sacrifice for our sin. Isaiah reminds us that though our sins were red as scarlet, He has washed us white as snow. Because of the power and efficacy of Jesus’ blood to completely blot out our record of wrong, we are now seen by God as holy. It is because of this cleansing that the Spirit of God, who is Holy, can now reside within. 2 Cor. 6;19 states, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your bodies.”

An illustration that helped me to understand the complete cleansing that God speaks of became clear one snowy day as I was looking out at the trees in the front yard. It was a sticky snow that completely covered the tops of each and every branch and twig; a perfect blanket of uninterrupted whiteness, that is if one looked at the tree from above. From below, the rough bark with all of its blemishes and imperfections could still be seen. Suddenly it became clear to me that God the Father views me from above, while I view myself from below where the rough underside of the branches are visible. Indeed from His view, we who have received Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf are white as snow.

Though this is true in God’s economy, He calls us to pursue holiness in our daily experience.This is where the rubber meets the road.  Another picture that can depict this is that of a lantern. I have a battery operated lantern that sits in a glass enclosed case. When we become a child of God, the light within the lantern case is lit, that light representing the Holy Spirit of God who now resides within. However the lantern case is often filled with junk that obscures the light. In my lantern case there was pride, shame, over-eating, lying, selfishness, anger, jealousy, bitterness, fear… I could go on and on, lots and lots of spots. So again I ask, how do we deal with the spots? How do I get the junk out of my lantern case so that the light within can shine more and more brightly? First let me say what doesn’t work. Trying my hardest to be good doesn’t work. Feeling guilty and punishing myself for failing doesn’t work. How often have I gotten on the hamster wheel of sinning, feeling shame and guilt, doing some kind of penance, resolving to never do it again, and then failing, only to repeat the cycle. Those who are awakening to their spots and their need for sanctification can depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit to do what our flesh cannot. 

“To set the mind on the flesh (to remove our spots) is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God for it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God…. If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Rom. 8:6,7,11)

It is the Holy Spirit’s job as it were to lead us into victorious spot removal. Philippians 2;12,13 tells us to, “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God (the Holy Spirit) who works in you both to will and work for His good pleasure.” There is an engagement between us and God’s Spirit who is at work within us both to desire holiness and to direct and empower our pursuit of holy living. This is God’s gift, His promise and with Him is the power to do what we cannot do. As children of God, we trust that we are in truth the temple of the Holy Spirit within us, we yield to doing the work of sanctification in His way and we depend on His supernatural power to work this out. We trust, we yield, we depend. Our willingness to change and our appeal for His help are met by His power and often this is a working out process over time. But this process is done in relationship with God whose desire for us is to shine brightly with the light of His Spirit. 

“The choice to stop sinning and start depending is not a willpower issue; it is an interpersonal issue. It is human resistance to the empowering, transformational presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the refusal to receive the Spirit’s loving presence and leading and instead putting confidence in my own ability to change myself. Learning to trust, love and draw life from the Spirit is difficult.”(D.A.Carson) But may I add, is possible and once we experience the difference between the mind set on the flesh, which feels like death – and the mind that is set on the Spirit which brings life and peace, we are less and less likely to refuse the Spirit’s help.

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but because of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our savior. (Titus 3:4)

More on this next week, but take heart, God is patient as we take His hand and let Him lead us as we pursue holy living.