What is hope?

2 Corinthians 5:1

What hope is there in this life? Why do we get out of bed each day and do the things we do? What drives you to keep on? Money? Fame? Good looks? You will get old, your money will get spent, and your fame will get passed to someone younger and new. So what then drives you? What will give you hope as you lie on a hospital bed a few inches from death?

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. God who before the mountains were formed purposed to send his son for you, wants you to know that there is hope. He promised that all those who come to him will find peace and rest. He promised that He will go before us and make a place not built with human hands, a place that cannot be destroyed, a place that cannot be described for its magnitude and wonder is beyond our imagination. This place he says we can one day come to if we will but believe.

There are times in our life when all seems dark and gray. Those days when we have failed again, when we have let our loved ones down, or when we have lost something dear to us. Yet, we have a friend who will be there for us. A friend who cannot die, and a friend who brings us life. When we walk through these valleys we need not be afraid if he is with us. His hands are strong and there is none on earth or in heaven that can take us away from him.

One day we will stand before him. On that day we will give account for our lives. If we have believed HE, he himself will welcome us home.

Happy Easter!

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

Happy Easter. In yesterdays post I talked about sin and focused on what Jesus bore on the cross. Today however let's look at what this means for us.

If we are guilty of breaking God's law and are going to be damned to Hell for eternity, we need help. Hell we are told is a horrible place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place where we will forever reap the payment for our sins.

But, God in his mercy has made a way for us to be freed from this punishment. Instead of eternity in Hell he offers eternity in Heaven. Heaven is described as the new city of Jerusalem, a wonderful and awesome place beyond our comprehension.

How then do we get this mercy and enter into Heaven? Jesus bore our sins on the cross and there he died paying once for all the penalty for our sins. His death payed the debt we owed.
Jesus came to earth with the purpose of freeing us from our sins. He knew from the beginning that his life on earth would end in his taking our place on the cross, shedding his blood to free us from Hell. He willingly laid down his life so that we could live.

Imagine for a moment that you owed 200 million dollars to someone. The money was theirs and you took it by some illegal means. Your punishment was to pay them back while in jail, and you would not be released until it was paid in full. It would be impossible for you to pay that debt back. Your hope of ever seeing another free day would be gone.

That is exactly how we stand before God. The Bible tells us that if we break just one of God's laws it is as if we broke all of them. In this state then we are hopelessly condemned and deserving of Hell. We have no ground upon which to argue our case. The law states that we are guilty and only mercy can set us free.

Now imagine that your 200 million dollar debt was paid by someone. The guards come and release you from prison. You ask them how this can be since you have only paid a few dollars back and they tell you that John Smith paid your debt.

This is what Jesus has done for us. God's law clearly condemned us to death. But Jesus came to earth perfectly kept God's laws and then died in our place to pay the debt we owed. Best of all, he not only died, but rose again from the dead conquering sin so that we may live in righteousness.

Our debt is paid. Our sins forgiven. All we have to do is repent and believe. Do you believe? Come to Jesus this Easter day and celebrate, truly celebrate what he has done for you.

What is a Christian? Does it even matter?

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

What is a Christian? I think the first question is why does it even matter? Do we need to be saved, and if so from what?

The verse above tell us that He (Jesus) bore our sins. So lets start with that. What are our sins? Sin is simply defined as any breaking off from God's law, whether by deed or by thought.

Many of can say we keep God's law outwardly. That is, we don't kill people and we don't do drugs. But what of this idea that our thoughts even condemn us? We are told by Jesus that if we just lust after a woman in our minds we are guilty of adultery, or if we are angry with another without good cause, we are guilty of murder.

Let's expand on this concept. Have you ever been driving down the road and been cut off by someone? What was your reaction? Did you respond kindly in word and deed? What about in thought? Yes, they cut you off and that is rude, but what was your response? Did you kill them with your mind?

Now let's consider our outward deeds. Do you know any of the 10 commandments? Here are a few:

1. You shall have no other God's before me.
4. Remember the Sabaath and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.

Of these three which have you broken? Where were you last Sunday? Church? Football game? Sleeping? Working? If Sunday is now the Lord's Day, then what should be done on that day?
What about your parents? Have you ever talked back to them? I am willing to bet that all of us at some point have disobeyed our parents. Think back to highschool.....

So, we are guilty of breaking God's laws. If not in deed at least in thought. And if we are guilty then God tells us that the punishment is eternal punishment in Hell. Since we are guilty of breaking his laws, then we are deserving of the punishment that he tells us will come to those who break his commands.