Life This Side of Heaven

Matthew tells us that that when the women saw our risen Savior, alive before them, “They clasped His feet and worshipped Him.” With all that was taking place this detail may sound incidental but it’s not. It tells us a lot about what it means that you and I have a risen Savior, how we worship Him, and even gives us a glimpse of something to which you and I can now look forward.

“Why are you crying?” What a remarkable question! It’s the first thing that our risen Savior said as He greeted Mary on Easter morning. Tears are an important part of this narrative. However, this first question finds its focus with the follow-up question that came next, "Who is it you are looking for?” Episode Art: Giuseppe Calì, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Happy Easter! Yesterday, in church, you and I also heard the wonderful news. Unlike the disciples, we have the blessing of knowing what the disciples would soon discover. Jesus had risen from the dead. Nevertheless, staring into the empty tomb, they didn’t fully appreciate the magnitude of what it meant that the tomb was empty. But, as remarkable as it may sound, neither do a many Christians today. And they're missing out on tremendous comfort that our Savior wants us all to have. It's makes all the difference when you visit the cemetery. With sins forgiven and death defeated we have everlasting life with God right now. But there's more, much more! And Jesus wants you to know it.

Last Christmas, we celebrated the birth of our Savior. We rejoice to confess that “For us, and for our salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.” In other words, Jesus, the royal Son of God, put on the uniform of our flesh and blood and joined our ranks. And in all the events that followed, culminating with His crucifixion for us on Good Friday, you see not only the reason for it and what He accomplished, but also His unmistakable love for you.

False claims, that Jesus never said He is God, get repeated in the media every year in the lead up to Easter. Coincidence? I don’t think so. You can be sure the adversary wants you to believe this is all just one big April Fool’s joke. But, if Jesus was just another man, another prophet, you can be sure that no one, let alone the ruling council before whom Jesus appeared, wouldn’t have been worked up about it. And if Jesus was just another wise teacher then there would no reason to celebrate Easter at all this coming weekend. But the great joy that’s ours is that God Himself has come down from heaven, to redeem us from our sins and bring us eternal life. Episode Art from VideoBible.com as distributed under Creative Commons via FreeBibleImages.com)

Can you tell the difference between a parade and a protest? That question may sound silly. Even small children can tell one from the other. Were there some among the crowd who misunderstood this truth? Sure, just as there are those today who seek to co-op the message of the Gospel and turn it into little more than a political statement. But this was a festal parade! This was worship. And on this day, we join with that happy throng that greeted Jesus knowing that God had sent Him to rescue them from their sins.

It’s an unexpected scene that comes at the end of a movie … the very end. It comes after all of the credits have rolled. All of a sudden, the screen lights up and there’s one more scene. And in that scene is the set up for a future story line, a sequel, an eye-opening glimpse of what’s coming next. With the raising of Lazarus, God gave Martha, and us, a joyous glimpse of what's to come.

In a criminal trial, the jury is charged with determining a defendant's guilt or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s the kind of trial made famous by such characters as Perry Mason on TV. It’s the type of trial where the judge then asks the foreman of the jury, “Have you reached a verdict?” Here in Romans, a verdict is about to be read. However, in this case, we’re not seated on the jury. We’re the one whose life hangs in the balance. But before we get to that, let’s back up and review the case. Episode Art: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Having shown Ezekiel a vision of a valley filled with bones, God explained, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’" And then He asked, "Can these bones live?" And when you and are crushed with guilt for things that we’ve said or done our redemption comes down to a matter of will. However, it's not your will or mine that brings it about. It's God who describes for us His gracious and merciful will.

If sin was something that simply overshadows our life, we could fix it. We could revise our plans, pick ourselves up, make adjustments and move on. It's a whole different matter, though, if you find yourself in the cemetery. And that’s Paul’s point. Take another look at the beautiful phrase, a gracious invitation, that the apostle uses to describe the light and life God has given to us in His Son.

It’s always fun sharing this account, of Jesus’ healing the blind man, with small children. Once you get to the part where Jesus made some mud with saliva, they immediately recoil, scrunch their faces and exclaim, “Ewwww!” And, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that some of you may be thinking the same thing. So, why did Jesus spit onto the dust, make mud and rub it the man’s eyes? Episode Art: Francesco de Mura, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If you've ever stood in the delivery room at the moment of childbirth, you'll recall that the one giving birth cried out. And shortly after, the one who is born cries out. Here in Isaiah, God uses this colorful image to describe His promise to restore righteousness and bring salvation to His fallen and sinful people. And with joy, you and I know behold the result.

Chances are good that you and I often struggle under guilt, shame and depression deep within. And no matter how hard we try to keep it buried, it tends to well up to the surface and show itself in our lives in tears, pain and grief. Jesus assures you that His mercy is ever deeper. It flows into our lives through faith in the salvation He has accomplished for us at the cross. It lifts us up, spills over and never runs out.

When we're facing struggles, it's encouraging to hear a friend say, “Hang in there. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.” It’s a means of encouraging hope. But there’s still that little voice of doubt that tends to linger. What if things don’t get better? What if they get worse? What if that light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train? Here in Romans, Paul extols God's gift to us of hope. But it’s not just wishful thinking. It’s the joy of knowing the One who is with us right now, in the midst of even our darkest days, and having His assurance of what awaits us.

Like the Israelites, we’re on our way to the Promised Land. I just doesn’t feel that way sometimes. And when the events in our lives get rough we may wonder if God hears our prayers or is even aware of our distress. In a medical crisis, family trouble, or difficulties at work, we may throw up our hands and ask “Is the Lord among us or not?”

There’s a growing number of people who look around the mess we've made of this world, condemn humankind and wish that there were no people at all. If anyone has reason to feel that way it should be God. So here's what makes these well-known words of our Savior, then so astonishing. God, who has every right to hate this world, doesn’t. In fact, He assures us that God loves this world. He assures you that God loves you.

Have you ever taken a shower and found that the hot and cold taps were reversed? Sometimes this happens when the supply lines are reversed. Here in Romans, Paul takes great care in revealing the source of our righteousness. He’s particularly careful to make sure we know what to expect when it comes to our works and to faith in Christ.

Who is the least likely person you could imagine will one day will be in heaven? Who is the unlikeliest person I would ever picture in paradise? Okay, let’s reverse that question. Who is the person, living right now, that you’re confident will one day be in heaven? This second person may be a far cry from the wretched individual that came to mind when I asked that first question. But, for how many of you did the same person come to mind?

I wasn’t even there! Why should I get blamed for somebody else’s sin? It’s tempting to stamp our feet and get angry at Adam for getting us into this mess. After all, as Paul points out, “as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men.” If you have ever felt this way, or even wondered about it, then you won’t want to miss what the apostle has to say next. Episode art Creative Commons via Wikimedia

Have you noticed that in our culture, rich deserts are sometimes labeled as “tempting” or “sinfully delicious”? It’s easy to blur the definition of sin and decide for ourselves what is right or wrong based on how it makes us feel. The adversary is very good at tempting us to believe that sin isn’t really that bad, it’s just a guilty pleasure. And here’s why he’s often successful in tempting you and me into sin. But listen to what God says in His Word and the Good News of what Jesus, in love for you, has done about it.

As you and I consider the guilt and shame of our sins it's hard not to want to run and hide. So, listen to the wonderful words which came next after Adam tried to conceal himself from God’s sight. They tell us a lot about the incredible love God also has for you and me.

With the cloud of God’s glory enveloping them, as Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, the disciples heard the voice of the Father declare “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” And, although it doesn’t always show up in English translations, this part of the event is also prefaced with the word, “Behold.” But, as you hear that word, have a listen to what it includes and what took place next. When it was all done there was still something else that God wants us to behold. The disciples looked up and "saw no one except Jesus."

In our last devotion, we heard why Jesus took Peter, James and John to witness as He was transfigured before them. If it was simply to see Jesus revealed to them in glory, the glory that was His from all eternity, the could have waited. After all, the day would come when the rest of the disciples would also Jesus in glory. And so will you and I. But on this occasion, as the time would soon come for Jesus to suffer and die on the cross, it was important for them to realize that this would not be the result of unforeseen events. This would help them look back, and witness the unfolding of God’s eternal plan. And now, they would behold, God’s Promise.

Behold! In the short space of nine verses this word is heard, not once but, three times. It’s like a trumpet blast heralding what comes next to catch your full attention. What comes next will not simply leave your jaw open and fill you with awe. It signals that something so spiritually significant is about to take place that it’s crucial to understanding everything which follows. Over the course of this week, we’re going to take a closer look at our Savior’s transfiguration, as Matthew has described it for us, and why it’s introduced with this word.

You may not have heard of it. It’s based on artificial intelligence. And although it sounds new, the desire behind it can be seen going back as far as the Old Testament. It’s the attempt to talk with those who have died. In this case, it uses sophisticated computer algorithms and it’s called “Digital Immortality.” As Christians, we can rejoice that instead of settling for this, God Himself has given us something so much better. In Christ, He has given us the real thing!

As remarkable as it sounds, there were many in Isaiah’s day who looked to God the way we might look at a vending machine. Isaiah records their muttering for us. “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’” Instead of kicking a vending machine they were shaking their fist at God. They felt cheated. Now think of how easy it is for us, in our worship, to do the same. But take a look at the remarkable reminder that God shared with them next. Jesus, who is "very God of very God" is so much more than a vending machine.

Mankind has been chipping away at the commandments from the very day God Himself carved them onto stone tablets and presented them to Moses. And the results are obvious. Among a growing number of professed-Christians they’re often regarded as antiquated relics of the past. It's tempting to look at them as no big deal. But Jesus reminds us that they are a big deal. And that's what makes what our Savior has done for us in love such a very big deal, indeed!

You could almost imagine the disciples shaking their heads when Jesus looked over the crowd, saw the same faces they saw, and described them as “Blessed.” In fact, it’s the very first word that came from our Savior’s lips. And He would repeat it again an again. Blessed! They must have been wondering, “What does Jesus see that I’m missing?”

“You have been served.” You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh, oh. This doesn’t sound good.” To be served means that you’ve just received formal notification of legal action. Here in Micah, the prophet presented formal notification to Israel. God has brought a charge against the nation. But, instead of repenting for their sins, and looking to Him for mercy, they were interested only in a quick settlement. As if whipping out their checkbook they asked Him to name a price. When you and I consider our sins, we may be tempted in vain to do the same. But God, who calls us to repentance and faith, announces Good News: You have been served!

It’s popular today to hear people describe being a Christian as a matter of choosing Jesus. Sometimes the matter of that decision is held up as the assurance of their salvation. But if that was the case then the matter of our eternal salvation would be little different than choosing up sides for basketball. But here’s some good news – really Good News! You and I didn’t choose God. He has chosen us.

As astonishing as it sounds today, this message was once considered to be foolishness. In dismissing it, many perished as a result. Now this message is credited with saving lives. You and I have a similar message and it saves lives for eternity. We have good reason to be bold in sharing it. (This is presentation aired originally on January 25, 2023.)

Christianity without Christ? Many today make the mistake of assuming that the purpose of religion is simply to help people become moral and feel good. And if that’s the case then Jesus isn’t necessary. It reduces Christianity to a pamphlet instead of a person. However, if you notice, when Jesus called the disciples, He didn’t say, “Follow this lifestyle.” He said, “Follow Me.” (This is an encore presentation which was aired originally on January 27, 2023)

Nothing that travels faster than the Holy Spirit’s Good News of our salvation on the lips of those whom God has rescued. Here in Isaiah, the prophet recorded words that have become famous. And they're a great reminder of how nothing could stay Jesus from completing the work of your salvation and mine. Episode Art: Jim.Henderson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An article published not too long ago explained what you should do if you won a lottery jackpot. As the odds of you winning the grand prize for either is 1 in 290 million, I’m guessing that this isn’t a question that keeps you up at night. However, it may stir your imagination. Announcing our Savior, John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This includes your sins and mine. All of them! Talk about receiving a life-changing prize! So, now what?

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to base your eternal hope on you –your strength, your resolve – instead of on your Savior? Just like failed New Year's resolutions it can lead to real frustration and discouragement. What a great time of the year it is to hear God's wonderful Good News that Paul announces here in 1 Corinthians!

Here in Isaiah, God reveals something that can only be described as breathtaking. And He does it by using this brilliant phrase, “The Servant of the Lord.” And like a science teacher, he holds it up –like a prism– to reveal that it refers not just to one servant, but to three of them! And wait until you hear how He shines the bright beam of His mercy to you and through you.