Tag: eternity

Categories
1 Peter

Because we don’t belong here

Traveler

Having lived in Japan for 20 years, I sometimes feel like a man without a country. Of course I am American, but having been out of country so long, I am totally out of touch with the culture there and how things have changed over the years.

On the other hand, even having been in Japan so long, I am in many ways still an outsider. Or as we say in Japanese, a “gaijin.”

But maybe that’s not such a bad thing, because I don’t belong to this world. Not really. And neither do you if you’re a Christian. Christ has purchased us at a great price, not with silver or gold, but with his own blood. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

And he bought us to be his own people.

Like I said before, one of the key words in I Peter is “exiles” or “strangers.” We don’t belong here. And Peter goes into great detail as to the implications of this.

He says,

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

In short, because we are exiles and strangers, prepare yourself for the things that are to come.

There will be hardships and even persecution for following Christ. But don’t falter because of that. Don’t look back longingly on your old life. Rather, set your hope on the grace you will receive when Christ comes back.

What grace? The grace of eternal life. Of things that will never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for you. (1:4)

And because of that hope we have, don’t conform yourself to the evil desires that would destroy you; conform yourself to God. Make it your goal to become more like him. To be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Our lives are so often broken because of sin. And by clinging to sin, our lives become even more broken. But when we let go of our sin and of doing things our way, and when we turn to God, doing things his way, our lives are made whole and complete.

And on the day of judgment, we will be rewarded.

So as Peter writes,

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. (1 Peter 1:17)

What does that mean to live as strangers here?

It means to live each day in faith, hope, and love. Faith and hope that God will do all that he has promised (1:21). And loving each other as he commanded us. (1:22)

It means to remember that the life that we have is something eternal. Life here on earth is short, but it is only preparation for what is to come after death. (1:23-25)

It means to get rid of the poisons that we drink in each day, poisons that the people of this world drink in daily, the poisons of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. (2:1)

These poisons and other sinful desires wage war against our souls and will destroy us if we continue to drink them in. (2:11)

Instead, we are to drink in the milk of God’s Word so that we can grow as his children. (2:2)

Most of all, it means to come to the One that this world has rejected.

To come to Jesus as people who belong to his house.

To be a part of that spiritual house he is building.

To be his priests, offering spiritual sacrifices to God in our speech, in our actions, in our lives. (2:4-8)

And as we do, we will shine his light to a world trapped in darkness. (2:9, 12)

So remember who you are.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Categories
Luke Luke 16

When we fail to prepare

Luke

This is one of the most graphic depictions of the afterlife, probably because it’s the most personal. In particular, it is a graphic picture of what hell will be like.

Many people think that this was an actual incident, the reason being that this is the only story Jesus tells which names a person.

Whether it is a true story or not, I don’t know, but it is a clear warning to those who fail to prepare for eternity.

It is, in fact, the bookend to this chapter, which starts with a story of a person who did prepare for his future albeit through shady means.

Jesus starts the story by talking about a rich man who lived in luxury. He had no needs or wants unfulfilled, and therefore never gave a thought to his future. Nor did he give a thought to the people around him.

There was a man named Lazarus that he passed by day by day. Lazarus was a beggar, and my guess is that it was through no fault of his own.

But through illness or perhaps some other problem beyond his control, he was reduced to begging for a living.

Lazarus longed just for the crumbs from this rich man’s table, but the rich man never gave him a moment’s notice.

And so they lived.

When their time came, Lazarus was escorted to Abraham’s side where he was comforted, but the rich man descended to hell where he was in torment.

And when he cried out for relief, Abraham responded,

Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. (Luke 16:25)

What was Abraham saying? This man had spent his whole life enjoying his life on earth. He accumulated wealth, he enjoyed pleasure, and generally did whatever he pleased. But he did not prepare for eternity.

Lazarus, on the other hand, though he had nothing on this earth, indeed, though he suffered greatly while on earth, nevertheless prepared himself for eternity.

And so when the time came, Lazarus received comfort, while the rich man suffered in agony.

The problem with the rich man was not his riches. The problem was that he had not prepared for eternity.

He had not, as Jesus put it, used the wealth he had been given in such a way that he would be welcomed into eternal dwellings with God. (Luke 16:9)

Let us not be foolish as this man was. Let us remember that this life is but a breath, and that we need to prepare for eternity. For if we don’t, we will suffer his fate.

How about you. Are you prepared for eternity?

Categories
Luke Luke 12

Parable of the rich fool: What this life is all about

Luke

What is this life all about?

So many people wander about lost because they don’t know. Often times they search for meaning in money, possessions, and things.

That’s what the man who asked Jesus to judge between he and his brother about their inheritance was worried about.

But Jesus told him,

A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15)

He then told all the people,

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. (Luke 12:22-23)

Why does he say this? For two reasons.

First, life is far more than food, clothes, or anything else you can buy in this world. These things are temporary. They are here one moment and gone the next.

And while buying these things may satisfy your stomach or your heart for a time, eventually, you start to hunger for more.

In other words, the things of this world will never truly satisfy. It always leaves you longing for more.

But second, God cares about you. He knows what you need, and if you will put him first, he will provide for you.

And if that’s the case, shouldn’t we put our priority on other things? What then is life about? God’s kingdom.

What is God’s kingdom? It’s people. People for whom Jesus died. People whom God desperately desires a relationship with. And that’s where our focus should be.

When we see people in physical need, we should do our best to meet those needs. To love these people more than our own money, giving generously as God gave to us, and in so doing, storing up a treasure in heaven that will never be exhausted.

But even more importantly, we need to see their spiritual needs and reach out to them with the love of Christ.

God has given us his kingdom. He’s given us his Son that our sins might be forgiven. He has adopted us as his children.

So let us not waste time chasing things that are temporal. Let us chase what is eternal. Let us pursue our relationship with the God who loves us, and reach out with his love to those around us that they may know him too.

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Setting our sights

The gospels

I talked briefly yesterday about how if we set our sights on the sins we want to avoid, saying constantly to ourselves “I have to stay away from this,” we are actually more likely to fall to temptation.

A better way to fight temptation is to set our sights on God and follow him.

But this is true not only in temptation. It’s true in every aspect of our lives.

Jesus here talks about where we set our sights in everyday life, saying,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

He then says,

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)

So the question is, “Where are we setting our sights?”

For many people, they set their sights on what is temporary; on money, on things.

But Jesus warns us that these things will not last. That we are to set our hearts on that which is eternal. What is eternal?

Only two things: Our relationship with God, and our relationships with those who put their faith in Jesus.

There is nothing else on this earth that we can take with us into heaven.

And so this is what we need to be setting our sights on here on earth: Developing our relationship with God. Sharing the gospel with those who don’t know Christ. And developing our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

By doing this, we earn for ourselves treasures in heaven. For what greater treasure is there than a relationship with the God who loves us and with those we love?

But so many people, even Christians, set their hearts on money. On the things of this world.

Jesus warns that we can’t do this. God doesn’t accept half-hearted service. Either we serve money or we serve him.

Jesus asks in this passage what kind of eyes we have. Do we have eyes that see things as they really are? Do we have eyes that see what’s truly important?

He says that if we do, our life will be filled with light. We’ll live a life worth living, the kind of life God intended for us. A life centered around relationships.

But if we don’t, our life will be filled with darkness.

We’ll be stumbling around unfulfilled and never knowing why. We’ll constantly be grasping for money and other things that ultimately leave us empty if we make them our life’s pursuit.

And he laments that if what we think is “light” is truly darkness, how great that darkness truly is. So he warns in Luke 11:35,

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

How about you? What are your eyes set on?

Categories
Luke Luke 6

The problem with self-satisfaction

Luke

After Jesus talked about God’s blessings on those who were poor, he turned his attention on those who were rich and self-satisfied, saying,

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:24-26)

Pretty harsh words. But just as verses 17-21 were not a blanket statement of blessing for the poor, neither is this a blanket statement that condemns the rich.

Rather they were words to people who were self-satisfied. People who were so comfortable, that they gave little if any thought to God, simply because they didn’t feel they needed him.

But for people who feel like that, the time will come when they will realize that all their wealth, all their food, all their comforts, and all their pleasures are fleeting.

One day, they will stand naked before God and he will ask them, “What did you do with my Son?”

And if they have rejected him in this life, they will be condemned for all eternity.

And so will you.

How about you? Do you feel like you don’t really need God. That you have enough to make your life a happy one?

Remember that this life is only 70 or 80 years, if we’re lucky. But after that, we will face eternity, either in heaven, or in hell. And all that you enjoyed here will mean nothing if you have rejected God here on earth.

If you have rejected God here on earth, he will reject you for all eternity in the life to come.

But if you make room in your heart for him, if you give him the throne of your life and make him king, then not only will you have life in heaven someday. You’ll find true life here on earth. For as Jesus said,

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Where do you find your satisfaction? In yourself? In your possessions? Or in having a relationship with the one who loves you and died for you?

Categories
Genesis

Something queer is going on here

Genesis

It’s often said that there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.

But that wasn’t always true. Taxes certainly were not always around. And neither was death.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were created as eternal beings. People say death is a natural thing. But it wasn’t always so.

As I look at this passage, it’s truly fascinating (to me anyway) how the life span of humans went down after the flood.

It’s also fascinating to see who was alive when others were alive. Noah’s son Shem, if I’m calculating correctly, lived all the way until the time of Jacob. Abraham died before Shem did.

You’ve got to wonder how Shem felt seeing his descendants dying one by one before he did.

He must’ve been wondering, “What’s going on here? Why is everyone dying before I am? Why has life become so short? Something queer is going on here.”

And there certainly was. Somehow, something had happened to people’s genetic structure that greatly shortened their life spans until we have the current lifespans of today.

Nobody likes the idea of death. It’s hard to believe that I’m nearing 40, and could very well be halfway through this life.

I already know of two guys from my high school that have passed away. Neither of them were particularly close friends, but I did know them personally. One died of a heart attack, which is especially stunning to me.

Some people try to console themselves saying it’s just a part of life. That it’s just the nature of things. But if that’s so, then why do we find ourselves rebelling against the thought?

Solomon wrote,

[God] has set eternity in the hearts of men. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

And it is so true. Try as we might, we can’t help but fight the feeling that there should be something more. That death cannot be the end. And it’s not.

Someone once said that life is like driving a car. Eventually, the car gets old and conks out. But that doesn’t mean you stop living. It just means you start living in a different reality. You’re walking instead of driving.

Well the bodies we are in are just like that car. Eventually, it’s going to get old and conk out. But that doesn’t mean you stop living. It just means you start living in a different reality.

There’s an old song that says, “If I know Jesus, I’ll live forever. If I know Jesus, I’ll never die.”

Well the truth is, it doesn’t matter if you know Jesus or not. You’re never going to die. All of us are eternal beings. The question isn’t if we’ll live forever, but where.

Are we set for eternity when our time comes? The apostle John sets forth the key to the question:

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11–12)

But not only do we need to ask this of ourselves, it’s a question we need to ask about our loved ones as well. Where will they go when their bodies go? And what are we doing to make sure that we’re all going to the same place?

As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And how can they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15)

Sooner or later, death comes to us all. Are your family and loved ones ready for it? Are you?