Reassurance

Yesterday my anxiety for unsaved souls was overwhelming. This included those closest to me as well as people that I don’t know personally, just know their struggles and situations. I was praying, but feeling beat up.

Last night God surprised me. A dear Christian friend, one of those people who knows when others are troubled without words being said, showed up with supper for us. She brought a pot of stew, dinner rolls and butter, and an apple pie! No one has ever done that before. She said, “The Lord told me to do it.”

This morning I prayed asking God for another surprise. In less than an hour, He delivered two of them. One was a call from a cousin. I’ve not talked to her for a long time. Our conversation was positive and she put a smile on my face.

The second surprise came with the verses and words from today’s devotional. Fortner summed it up by saying, “This is our assurance and security in Christ. We do not in any way trust in ourselves. But we do trust the Lord our God. The faithfulness of God, the blood of Christ, the intercession of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit assure us that none of Christ’s sheep will ever perish.”

However, my take on the verses he referred to focused more about His power to save others since I’m already certain of eternal life for myself because of Jesus Christ. My deepest desire is that family, friends, and others have the same assurance. God speaks of His power to make that a reality:

“Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jeremiah 32:37–41)

He is talking about Israel, but also His power to give people the heart and the attitudes they need to be in awe of Him and not turn from Him. It is God’s desire to do them good and make them His own, His faithful people.

God also shares the wonderful provision and care He has for His people, and promises to take care of their families as well:

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.’” (Isaiah 43:1–7)

God blesses me with assurance of His great power to save people, then says these words to affirm that nothing can stop Him or undo what He has done or will do:

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 43:10–13)

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I’d like to rest in these words for the rest of today and longer. I know that You have given these assurances to me before. Forgive me for letting them get away from me, and for letting worry and fear replace Your peace. More than ever, I know how much I need You. You are my Savior, and every day I need saving from something, often from myself and that tendency to walk in fear because of what is going on instead of in faith and full assurance that You are walking with me.

Surety means I have all that God promises . . .

The term ‘surety’ is not in my regular vocabulary, but it is in today’s devotional reading. The dictionary says a surety is “security against loss or damage or for the fulfillment of an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.; a pledge, guaranty, or bond, but it is also a person who has made himself or herself responsible for another, as a sponsor, godparent, or bondsman” — or as a Savior.

In the Old Testament, God promised His people an everlasting covenant with Him. He said . . .

“Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jeremiah 32:37–40)

This covenant was not characterized by ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do that’ He describes what it is like . . .

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:10–12)

This new covenant began and was guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. Through Him, sin is forgiven and cleansed. Through Him, eternal life is given and Jesus is assurance that this life from God is mine forever because Lord Jesus Christ is the Surety of the covenant. God entrusted His glory, grace and His redeemed people to His Son who agreed to assume full responsibility for them, including me. Like a shepherd trust with the owner’s sheep, Christ drew near to God for me and put Himself under obligation to God for my eternal well-being. He voluntarily took this obligation as a Servant-Savior and agreed to be responsible to His Father for my righteousness. As my Surety, He will present me to God as holy and without blame. This is His obligation and because He is who He is, there will be no failure.

Jesus, what is there to say? I shake my head in wonder at the plan of salvation and the fact that it is accomplished. Nothing can stand in the way or prevent it; I am Your child and You are my Savior, my righteousness, my surety.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)

Praise Your Name!

Nothing is impossible for Christ

For those who know their shortfall and are willing to admit their needs, God has answers. The Word of the Lord is not only for those who believe it, but for those outside the house of faith, those who have never learned about Jesus Christ.

In the economy of God, His first priority is love for His Son, and then through Him, love for all mankind. Most know John 3:16… “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son….” And to this Son He also gave…

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)

For Christ to satisfy human desires, even the desires and objections of those outside His kingdom, He must have everything. Many do not realize that all that is desirable is in Him, including wisdom. As the Bible says, in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Wisdom is needed to know my condition, just as it is needed for those who don’t know Christ. Otherwise, they do not realize they are wandering far from God, or even think about it. To these, Jesus says, “I am the way…. I am the light of the world.” For guilt, He is the Lord our righteousness, the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. If dejected, He promises to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. For those who need direction, He is the wonderful Counselor, and says…

I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

Christ is the answer to all objections. If anyone says, “I am lost,” He says, “I came to seek and to save what was lost.” If anyone objects because their sin is too great, Christ says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13) They may cry that they cannot stop sinning, but it is the work of Christ “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).

Not only that, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29) and promises, “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them” (Hosea 14:4).

Nothing is too hard for God. He gave Christ all things that He might answer the tough issues, remedy the impossible situations, and fully satisfy the greatest desires.

To Live is Christ — staying out of the dirt

The word “unclean” can have many connotations. It could be me after digging potatoes or a boy after scrubbing an off-road vehicle. It could be the condition of that perfect strawberry that falls into a mud puddle. It could be a leper’s cry in New Testament times as a warning that others should not come near. It is the way a woman feels after she is raped. It could be some foods forbidden in the Old Testament. In the following context, it is none of those.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14–18)

In the dictionary of God, unclean is thinking and acting contrary to His will, including the worship of idols. I’ve heard the expression, “He has a dirty mind” or “He has a dirty mouth” referring to illicit sexual desires and saying bad words. Nevertheless, God says all sin is unclean, thoughts, words, and actions.

In this context, as in the rest of the Bible, unbelief is also sin, as are the plans and activities of those who are not motivated by faith. In fact, Paul wrote in a passage about eating food offered to idols, “whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

The implications of this are huge. It means that a great deal of life could be “unclean” and not acceptable, not because it is gross sin like idolatry or murder, but because it is done my way, with self-centered motivations, not thinking about God or what He might want in each situation. One definition of sin is “falling short of the mark.” I do that — often.

Theologians talk about sin as “total depravity” which means that sin affects my total being. Every aspect of my life is touched by sin. Nothing is pure — apart from the work of God to forgive and cleanse sin from my life. (See more)

When I was a new Christian, my first mentor gave me an exercise. She told me to define sin and use the entire Bible to do it. When I was finished, if I’d had any thoughts that I could earn or deserve my salvation, they were gone. I realized just how much I needed mercy and a Savior to rescue me from sin.

Being willing to have sin exposed so it can be confessed and cleansed by God is a blessing from Him. I don’t enjoy the process, but these devotional verses from 2 Corinthians remind me once again how important it is. God wants me clean and pure. He wants me to stay away from anything that has a corrupting influence.

The purification process is God’s design. He uses the blood of Christ in a legal sense, and the power of the Holy Spirit in a practical sense. When I agree with Him about sin, He somehow washes it away, not just the guilt of it, but also the desire to do it. The process can be instant, or it can take some time. Either way, He is thorough and effective. He knows how to remove the dirt and change my life. My part is to stay out of the dirt.

Christ came to save sinners

For some people, sin is the big stuff like murder, adultery and grand theft auto. Think Hitler, serial killers and so on. Those who do these things may suppose that their sins are too great and that they are beyond salvation.

For others, their sins seem so slight (in their minds) that salvation is not necessary. They compare themselves to the Hitlers of this world and believe that they have no need for repentance and salvation.

Both ends of the spectrum and a lot of people in the middle fail to understand the nature of sin. For us, sin is by degrees, but in the mind of God, sin is sin. A small lie labels a sinner  just as a far more serious (in our minds) act. In fact, the Bible reveals that God is a black and white thinker when it comes to evil.

This diagram helps me understand the nature of sin: 

pure evil < < < human good † reborn/godly > > > like Jesus

To explain, all human beings fall short of the glory of God. Sin separates them from God, one sin or many. That puts all humanity on the left side of the Cross. This includes “good” people by human standards, and “evil” people by anyone’s standards.

Those who are saved by grace through faith and given new life in Christ are moved by God to the other side of the cross. They have been given the life of Christ, become godly in His sight, and are changed and being changed so to be like Jesus. This is the “one way” that Jesus talked about. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Human goodness can look something like fresh reborn godliness, sometimes even better, but it is not the same. Human effort cannot save anyone from sin because it is external. The heart remains the same (selfish and separated from God) and only Jesus Christ and regeneration can change the heart, human nature, and a sinner’s standing before Almighty God.

This is the message of Christmas. Of course God didn’t need a diagram to know that whatever end of the scale a person is on, humanly good or outright evil, each of us needs a Savior. So He sent One.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

No one is beyond the saving power of Jesus. The person who thinks he cannot be forgiven can be born again. Jesus died for whatever sins that person has done. The person who thinks she is good enough, or that her goodness will save her also needs forgiveness, for her pride if nothing else, and that person can be born again.

Whatever anyone has done (or not done), the good news of Christmas is the same as the good news of Easter: “Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).