2 Reminders From Melting Snow

Seeing the last of the melting snow reminded me of a song we sang Sunday morning.  "The earth shall soon melt like snow" indeed 1Peter 3:10 says, "elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works in it will be burned up."  yes, the melting snow can remind us of the coming judgment of God on those who don't believe.

But the melting snow also reminds us that the new life of Spring is almost here.  The new life of spring can remind us of the new heaven and earth that God promises for believers in vs. 13!

Where have you placed your hope? In Jesus Christ?

Our Hope - the Resurrection

Romans 1:1–3 (NKJV)

¹Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God  ²which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, ³concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

We recently learned of the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, the Christ-child; but many have never considered that the proclaiming of these prophecies was preaching the gospel.  Yet that is exactly what Paul tells us in Galatians 3:7–9 (NKJV), “⁷Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ ⁹So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” 

The faith in this blessing which would come through the promised messiah was the hope of Abraham and those who believed with him.  Likewise, those who put faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and trust in Him for atonement, the cleansing of their sin, will be justified.  To be justified is to be declared righteous before a Holy and Righteous God.  It is faith that brings this blessing and hope in eternal life.

It is Christ’s resurrection that gives these justified individuals the hope of their own resurrection.  1 Corinthians 15:12–23 (NKJV) says, “¹²Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. ²⁰But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

Jesus Christ demonstrated his power over death by rising again.  In this resurrection all those who were the “blessed” that were promised to Abraham have the promise of a future resurrection as well.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton   FW # 53

God's Rewarding Grace: Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11–14 (NKJV) ¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹²teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

In this passage there are a few aspects of God’s grace: His redeeming Grace, His reforming Grace, and His rewarding Grace.

In this edition we will take the time to look at God’s rewarding Grace.

God loved us enough to send Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sin.  This was God’s redeeming Grace.  Yet he does not just leave us to ourselves after salvation.  He begins to conform us to the image of his son, that is His reforming grace.

¹³looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

For those who know Christ as Savior as who escape physical death their great hope is the reward of Jesus Christ’s return.     This is further explained in 1 Thessalonians 4:14–17 (ESV)  ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

The privilege of being in the presence of our God and Savior Jesus Christ is only a hope for those who have placed their trust in his shed blood for salvation.  For those who have never asked forgiveness of their sin believing that their sin can be cleansed only by Christ’s blood to see Christ will not be a hope.  It will be a fear as they face the judgment of the king of kings and Lord of Lords.

My hope is that each one who has a chance to hear this will put their faith in Christ that they may one day experience this blessed hope as Jesus Christ returns.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflitteton  FW #31