"For all the promises of God find their Yes in (Jesus). That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory." -2 Corinthians 1:20
So I am reading Future Grace by Piper and he brought up this passage and it made me stop and re-read a few times. Then I pulled out my Bible to read the section. Then I read his section on it again. All the promises God made and we see in the Bible, they have their Yes in Christ. So the way we can be sure of all that God promises is Christ. The way we know that God truly is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called is because of Christ. The reason we are assured that Christ will lose none from those who the Father has given Him is Christ. The reason for all our hope and our life is Christ. He is the eternal Yes to all the promises in scripture. And this is why we can say Amen. Amen means "so be it" or "verily" and so it is because of Christ and the assurance of the promises of God that we can say "So be it" to whatever God wills. It is how we can say "Verily" which means 'in truth/truly' about God.
I don't know, maybe this is something simple I ought to have realized a long time ago. But today I read this and was quite amazed. God is sweet.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Affliction
This one is mind blowing:
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you...So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:18
Okay, Paul was awesome, there is no question about that. But here he says something that I think we have all read and thought "yeah right" about. These are also two verses I cling to. We are going to suffer. But we need to keep an eternal perspective to these trials. Even if I live 100 years full of pain and suffering, that is nothing but a blip compared to eternity of glory with God. This is what Paul means. None of the things on Earth are worth mentioning in the same breath as those things above. When God speaks to Ananias about going to find Paul (Saul at the time), he says to him "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. FOR I WILL SHOW HIM HOW MUCH HE MUST SUFFER FOR MY NAME'S SAKE." -Acts 9:15-16 God does not say "I will use him to author 2/3 of the New Testament." He does not proclaim any glory on him as a missionary and devout follower. No. He says that Paul will see how much he must suffer for the Lord. And he did. He was beaten, tortured, despised, and ultimately killed. He faced such persecution that he said about himself and Timothy: "For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death." -2 Corinthians 1:8-9.
Paul's entire life was suffering for the sake of the Lord. And he called this life of pain "Slight, momentary affliction," and that is insane! Paul had the right view. The affliction, life, was momentary, eternity is not. The pain of life is slight, but the weight of glory is immense! And none of it is comparable to the great glory that is yet to come!
This is the Word of God assuring us that no amount of pain we face, no trials, no hatred or persecution, nothing at all, should deter us from following and serving with our whole lives. This world is slight and momentary, it is nothing. The Lord is eternal, serving him is all that matters. That is the absolute truth, and that is amazing!
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you...So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:18
Okay, Paul was awesome, there is no question about that. But here he says something that I think we have all read and thought "yeah right" about. These are also two verses I cling to. We are going to suffer. But we need to keep an eternal perspective to these trials. Even if I live 100 years full of pain and suffering, that is nothing but a blip compared to eternity of glory with God. This is what Paul means. None of the things on Earth are worth mentioning in the same breath as those things above. When God speaks to Ananias about going to find Paul (Saul at the time), he says to him "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. FOR I WILL SHOW HIM HOW MUCH HE MUST SUFFER FOR MY NAME'S SAKE." -Acts 9:15-16 God does not say "I will use him to author 2/3 of the New Testament." He does not proclaim any glory on him as a missionary and devout follower. No. He says that Paul will see how much he must suffer for the Lord. And he did. He was beaten, tortured, despised, and ultimately killed. He faced such persecution that he said about himself and Timothy: "For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death." -2 Corinthians 1:8-9.
Paul's entire life was suffering for the sake of the Lord. And he called this life of pain "Slight, momentary affliction," and that is insane! Paul had the right view. The affliction, life, was momentary, eternity is not. The pain of life is slight, but the weight of glory is immense! And none of it is comparable to the great glory that is yet to come!
This is the Word of God assuring us that no amount of pain we face, no trials, no hatred or persecution, nothing at all, should deter us from following and serving with our whole lives. This world is slight and momentary, it is nothing. The Lord is eternal, serving him is all that matters. That is the absolute truth, and that is amazing!
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