Never Alone

 

Little children, I (Jesus) am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 13:33, BSB)

If we read only this verse from the passage in John, how would we feel? I would experience exclusion or grief. I would have no purpose in life. My reason for living would be gone. The power in life would cease. The world would devolve into chaos. Anarchy would occur. People would search for God aimlessly, with no purpose.

Jesus said this to fishermen, a tax collector, a thief, a doubter, and his closest of friends—Peter, John, and James. How would it impact you if your friend, teacher, mentor, and brother expressed he would not see or spend time with you anymore?

These men would not see Jesus in the immediate future. Jesus had planned to put their relationship on the ultimate level. He was not ending his relationship with them, but changing it. Jesus was changing it to be an everlasting relationship.

“To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Are you seeking God? He said you will find Him if you seek for Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus said if you seek me, you will find me (Matthew 7:7).

Yes, Jesus went away, but then he returned after his resurrection from death. He never leaves us. Even when Jesus ascended to heaven, he did not utterly and permanently leave. He put his Holy Spirit within each believer and gave us the promise of his return.

At that time, Jesus was going to endure torture, crucifixion, and death. It surpassed even that. Death did not end his story. He arose from death in the tomb and returned to life. Nobody could go there and do that. Jesus made promises to always be with us, never leaving or forsaking humanity.

Where do you stand? Do you sense God has forsaken you to struggle through life? Are you burdened by sins and sense a significant weight on your heart and spirit? Do you sense anything except for loneliness? The glorious victory and truth are we are never alone. Jesus is as close as our next breath, our next heartbeat, or our next thought. Breathe out saying YAH—breathe in saying WEH. His name means I AM.

God is always. He has always been present, before and during time. And there never will be a time when you are alone. You are not alone. Breathe again and call him again. He is waiting for you. Seek him. All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and never be alone (Romans 10:13).

Laugh Aloud

 

“During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.” (Hebrews 5:7)

Jesus cried and prayed for people lost in a sinful world.

He cried and prayed because He understood the pain His human form would endure because of dying to save these lost people.

The Father heard Jesus’ prayers and provided the way to save people from the chaos of lostness. The death of Jesus’ human form.

He heard Jesus’ prayers and provided a quick end to Jesus’ suffering while hanging on the cross. The death of Jesus’ human form.

People could have been left in the world’s chaos and Satan’s endless torment. They would understand they would never have the chance to get God’s help once they died. But God, in His love and mercy, made the way for people to receive His forgiveness and cleansing from their sins—-because of His love. By the death of Jesus’ human form.

Jesus could have hung on the cross alive for a day and suffered the agony of suffocation, pain, and thirst. But because of the Father’s love and mercy, He caused Jesus’ suffering in human form to end quickly. Jesus’ human form died.

God’s hearing and intervening in both situations occurred because of His love and mercy, since He is Sovereign and omnipotent.

Look back at the intended bleakness and torment that Satan intended, and LAUGH. Laugh at Satan’s impotence when faced with God’s omnipotence. Laugh at Satan’s small claims of importance when faced with God’s sovereignty.

Laugh because God loves you and has saved you if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior. Satan does not win; God wins in your life because you have believed in Jesus. Because Jesus’ human form died as the necessary sacrifice for the sins of each person and Jesus’ human form arose from death because He is God incarnate. Victor over sin and death. For YOU. For ALL who will believe in Jesus, the Son of God.

Know GOD HEARS you when you pray.

GOD ANSWERS your prayers.

And GOD WINS in the end.

LAUGH

Absolute Trust

“Still I am certain to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

— Psalms 27:13

 

Do you firmly trust you will see God’s goodness in heaven? That’s what David alluded to in verse thirteen. Yes, he had faith God would protect and keep him alive. David also firmly believed he’d experience God’s goodness by His keeping him from hell. David alluded to his belief in God’s promises that he would see God in heaven.

 

Do you have faith like David? Do you know for certain—with absolute trust—that you will be there? 

 

Sins (wrongdoings) keep people from being good enough to enter heaven and God’s presence. Jesus, God’s holy Son, who has never sinned, died a sinner’s death and was separated three days from His Father until His resurrection. He did this so whoever believes in Him will have their sins wiped away from their name and that they will be righteous (John 3:16). Only when a person believes in Jesus and is made righteous by Him can that person enter heaven to live with God forever. 

 

Do you have faith like David? Will you see God’s goodness in the land of the living—eternal life with God?

Focus

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:12-15 [NASB])

Becoming a Christian isn't about getting a better life here on earth-no pain, more things, better people in life. Becoming a Christian isn't about being able to stand-out in a group as one holier than others.

Becoming a Christian means being so identified with Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection that we do not take notice of ourselves, but only of Him.

Our sole purpose as Christians is to bring glory to God. Our foundation is Jesus Christ and a personal devotion to Him. If we are truly identified with Christ, we will continually seek God, His presence, and His will and will strive with our whole being and His power to obey Him.

Nothing about being a Christian is about ourselves. It's all about God, bringing Him glory no matter the cost to ourselves.

What have you let become your focus in life? Job, car, family, status, or the way people look at you? All those things will fall away and you will eventually die.

Our focus should always be God and doing His will to bring Him glory. God lasts forever. Nothing else will.

Be honest, what is your focus now, this Christmas, and for the next year?

Justice Demanded

Justice, people seek, demanding for them.

Railing, begging, striving, and bribing for their suit.

Claiming validity, for their “just” sake.

Unjust they be, though supposed claiming the truth.

Justice is my right, people declare.

Seeking to obtain it for themselves is their claim.

Wanting the profit and advantage from its reaping,

Shouting for justice, requiring, demanding it be made.

Justice, we seek, when we are unjust.

Claiming to be weakened, received harm from a hand.

Obtained unjust actions and words that have harmed,

We cry for justice for us; it’s for what we demand.

Seeking justice when we’re unjust seems unbalanced, untrue.

Why do we seek for our purpose that which we don’t bestow?

Striving always to be ahead, caring not for other’s lives now;

Wanting what we can get, uncaring what they are owed.

Justice we seek, we cry for, we plead.

Justice is not what we give, what we think, or what we heed.

Justice requires a person to be just, an impossible human task.

No one is always just, always right, sin makes sure of that.

Justness, rightness, can’t be defined by humanity;

God’s character defines it, the always righteous Holy One.

Humanity strives but fails to do what is right;

Weakness, temptation, sin separates and makes alone.

For this reason, humanity’s sin and God’s great love,

The Father sent the Son to live as man yet sinless to be the One.

The One who lived to die so sins may be cleansed,

The One who died so God would make righteous, just, everyone.

Justice we seek as if we’re the most important person alive.

Christ came and loved to show each His love and make right.

Nothing we can give nor anything we can do

Gives the salvation Christ gives, and, with it, eternal life.

Come as a child, nothing to give, no way to earn;

Righteousness from God comes by belief in Christ alone.

Jesus taught belief in Him alone, God’s love justifies;

What God asks of you is belief, for His grace makes you whole.

Justice we demand, yet justice we don’t give.

God demanded nothing for your sins to be cleansed.

He provided everything needed for you to be justified;

You pay Him nothing for the redemption price of your sins.

Though you owe God everything since your sins caused your death,

He paid the whole price, redeemed you, now you are fully cleansed.

Once you believe in Jesus as the Redeemer for your sins,

God’s grace and His cost are fully repaid as He welcomes you in.

As one of His children, cleansed, saved, redeemed,

Your only requirement is to answer the “Follow Me” of Christ’s beckoning.

“Follow Me with your life, with your actions, words, and thought.

Love Me, love your neighbor with your whole being, your whole heart.

Sell all you have, give to the hurt, lost, and needy;

Give your right to yourself to serve Me and others to eternity.”

These things Jesus taught as He spoke to the faithful, rich man.

The utmost he wouldn’t give though he followed the law of the land.

All that’s written cannot give you righteousness and peace;

Only through God’s gift, Jesus’ sacrifice, can we be justified, find justice, and all we need.

This all that God gives is eternal life and relationship with Him;

It’s better than all we can think, ever want, demand, or conceive.

It’s the ultimate of God, the source for all good things.

The definer of truth, justice, and giver of everything we need.

Justice we demanded and justice God gave.

At the cost of His Son by Whom we received His grace.

The power of death held no sway over His mighty power;

He rose from the grave and gave us cleansing and victory for every hour.

Jesus calls to us as we called to the judge;

“Justice,” I give, “with mercy and love.”

“Seek Me and find Me, I wait for you to come.

Believe in Me and receive from the depths of My love.”

Come to the Savior, Who for your life He died.

Come see the cross where He was crucified.

Give Him your life, your heart, everything,

And He will give you grace, justification, love, and all you need.

“For it is My Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40 [NLT])

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63 [NLT])

Note: Read Luke 18 and John 6 for more understanding of Jesus’ teaching as referred to in this poem.

Cleansed Conscience

I remember the first time I came across Hebrews 10:2. I had been a Christian for just a little while and understood Jesus died my sin penalty because of His love for me so I could live with Him in heaven. I remember how excited I was about being a Christian, to be able to live forever in heaven with the One who loves me. What joy this gives to a child’s heart! What joy it should give to everyone who believes in Jesus. I thought life just couldn’t get any better than that.

And yet, I remembered things I had done wrong. You know what mischief a child can get into–lying, disobeying, swearing. The child thinks these are not big things. I won’t have to go to jail for these so why not do them, everyone else does? Still, after I gave my life to Christ, I felt pangs of conscience. I felt remorse and fear. What, over lying and swearing? Yes, because God instills in us a conscience when He creates us. That conscience is the moral code from God Himself about what is right and wrong. Whether we want to admit it, even these little things are sins. Why? Because they were disobedience and disrespect to God and my parents. Remember those commandments in the Ten Commandments?

So, one day not long after becoming a Christian, I read Hebrews 10:1-2. It says,

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?”

Now, two things can happen when one reads this passage. The first response to this reality is, “Hallelujah!” When a person fully repents of all his or her sins, God removes the guilt of those sins from His judgment book because Jesus paid the price. He removed the burden of guilt from the person’s conscience, too. That means it no longer holds a sting from the sin, the sting of guilt. You realize by now the possible other reaction from reading this passage. The second possible reaction to reading this verse is surprise and then repentance. When a person sins before or after becoming a Christian, he or she must repent of each sin to receive forgiveness and cleansing of heart, mind, and soul. That is the cleansing from the stain and guilt of sin. This is of what Hebrews 10:2 speaks. The worshiper, once he or she received God’s forgiveness and cleansing, no longer has consciousness of sin. The guilt of that sin in the conscience does not linger and cause further pain like a sliver Satan might put under your fingernail to remind you constantly of how sinful you are. That power of the sin to cause guilt is gone. Jesus paid it all, and that covers the stain and guilt/consciousness of sin.

Before the writer of Hebrews arrived at this point in his teaching, he spent chapter 9 leading to it. Let me briefly outline for you what he taught before and after Hebrews 10:2 about conscience and consciousness of sin.

With Hebrews 9:9, the writer of Hebrews said the gifts/offerings and sacrifices established as rites of worship by God under the first covenant cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper. That means it cannot make a person perfect, totally clean. This means he or she cannot be in the presence of the Lord eternally.

Later, in verse 14, the writer said the blood of Christ offered to God without blemish through the eternal Spirit purifies our conscience from dead works.  Now, that’s a big jump to make. Why is Jesus’ sacrifice better than those set up by God with the first covenant? The writer explains this in verses 11 and 12. He said, Christ came as a high priest of the good things, those things that originate with God, and He entered the holy places, those not made with human hands, once for all by His own blood, not that of animals. By doing so, He secured eternal redemption from slavery to sin for everyone. That’s a lot to take in, so go read it for yourself. Since Jesus did this, He is the Mediator of a new covenant for those who answer God’s call and receive the promised eternal life. Anyone who answers this call of God gets eternal life because Jesus’ death redeemed them from transgressions committed under the first covenant. The writer of Hebrews spends the next thirteen verses explaining this to us, his readers. He tells of three things Jesus did.

·       He has entered heaven to appear in the presence of God on our behalf    (vs 9:24). This is a past tense action. He never has to do this again    because Jesus died once for all.

·       Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (vs. 9:26). This is also a past action with a future assurance.

·       Jesus will appear a second time to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him (vs. 9:28). This is a future action.

The next point the writer of Hebrews made about consciousness of sin comes in the first verses I mentioned above, in 10:1-2. He said, the law, which is just a shadow of the good things that come from God, can never clean consciences of sin. If they could, there would be no need for continual offerings every year as established in the rites of worship God gave the Israelites in the first covenant. The writer went onto say these yearly sacrifices remind the people of their sins, instead of removing them from their consciences. He said Christ came to do the will of God (vs7). Jesus did away with the first covenant to establish the second covenant. Through the offering of the body of Christ, we receive sanctification once for all (vs. 9-10). With Jesus’ single sacrificial offering, He perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (vs. 14). God says, “I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more (vs 17).

Listen carefully to what the writer of Hebrews says in the next six verses. Since we have this confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, what are we to do? Being cleansed isn’t just a receiving transaction. Covenanting is a two-way promise, a bond. The writers said next, with your hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water (vs. 22), you must do three things.

·       Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of your faith (vs 22). This is for you now and in the future. It is a present action with a future benefit. Note it is not just present tense, but present continuous. Draw near and keep drawing near. This command benefits you.

·       Hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering because He who promised is faithful (vs. 23). Once again this is a present continuous verb that carries on into your future. Hold and keep holding fast. This command benefits you.

·       Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another (vs 24). Notice this command benefits you and other believers as you congregate together to worship, pray, and fellowship. It is a command that holds a communal aspect. Recognize this command also is present continuous. Consider and keep on considering how to stir up one another to love and good works.

These commands are not just things on your to-do list you get to cross off once you’ve done them. They are to stay on your daily list. Why? Because God calls you to relationship with Him because of His love. His love showed itself with the ultimate sacrifice of His Only Son, Jesus, for your sin penalty so you could be with Him in an eternal relationship. Your love for God will show in your obedience of His commands and laws. Your obedience to His commands and laws will show itself in love to other people. The three commands at the end of Hebrews 10 are an extension of loving God and people. You will do these because you are growing in relationship with God.

Now, to get back to Hebrews 10:1-2. When I first saw this passage, I received such vast relief. The burden of the guilt of sin I had carried, I realized, was for the first time off my back. Still, I realized I had not repented of all my sins and I had sinned since I became a Christian. I wanted the cleansing from the stain of my sins and the guilt of my sins. Jesus’ is the way to have that. No other way exists to remove the consciousness of sin. Only through Jesus’ death and resurrection can a person gain the removal of the stain and guilt of sins from him- or herself. All the ways people devise to remove the stain of sin reminds them of their guilt. The trying of these other means allows Satan to push that sliver deeper under your fingernail. You experience that guilt continually. Daily come before the Lord repenting of your sins so you will receive forgiveness and cleansing from the stains and guilty conscience of your sins. Hear the words of the writer of Hebrews again.

“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 [NASB]

Lord, God Almighty, lead me to recognize Your great love for me and the cost You paid to redeem me from sin. Forgive me of my sins, I pray. Thank You for removing the stain and the guilt of my sin. Thank You for removing the burden of guilt. Help me to love You more and grow closer to You daily. Help me show You how much I love You by my obedience to You. Amen.