Hello, friends! When you get a moment, here is a video recorded at my church this morning (Sunday).
My daughter, Katie, starts off the video, then I preach.
Category Archives: salvation
“One Man’s Sunset; Another Man’s Dawn”+31
Over a two-week period, just over 31 years ago, things started to get a little weird.
I can’t recall all of the moments that led up to me concluding something bad was going to happen, but a couple stand out above the rest.
The Revival Service
It was in June of 1991. The church that I attended was having a week-long series of meetings. My mother and father did not attend the same church as I did, but on the last night of the revival, which was a Friday, my dad came. The evangelist preached on heaven that night and said something that hit me like a brick. He said, “Heaven will never be real to you until there is someone there you want to go see.”
The Movie
In that very same week, my family went to see a movie. It was a new animated film called An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. In one particular scene, an old hound dog, the retiring sheriff, sat watching a sunset with the little mouse, Fievel. The legendary actor, Jimmy Stewart, speaking as Wylie Burp, said to Fievel,
“Just remember, Fievel – one man’s sunset is another man’s dawn. I don’t know what’s out there beyond those hills. But if you ride yonder… head up, eyes steady, heart open… I think one day you’ll find that you’re the hero you’ve been looking for.” – Wylie Burp
The moment he said, “one man’s sunset is another man’s dawn,” I felt a chill and a heaviness that took my breath. I knew my dawn was coming.
Sunset
Early on Monday morning, June 11, 1991, while working 3rd shift as a security guard in a high-security nuclear facility, my dad felt sick. He asked a cleaning person which bathroom was clean, then went in, took off his gun belt, bent over a sink, and died.
It had only been since Friday the 8th that I had heard that message about heaven. That Monday was when heaven became more real than I could have ever imagined. My dad, Terry L. Baker, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He surrendered his badge, took off his gun belt, and laid down – literally.
Dawn
As the sun rose over the horizon, I sped my Datsun 280Z toward the hospital. When I got there, I asked for my dad, but was led to a room where my mother was sitting. In a sobbing cry, she looked up to me and held out a little plastic bag containing my father’s personal items. She said, “This is all I have left…” That was the exact moment when I found out. That was the exact moment it became dawn.
It may have been my dawn, but it was one of the darkest moments in my life. My dad and I were terribly close. We worked together, played together, worshiped together, and preached together. In the week before my daddy died, I went up to him and told him that I really felt like something was going to happen. He told me that he would outlive my grandchildren. But in case he didn’t, I had to make sure of one thing – would I preach his funeral?
The Funeral
Some people could not understand how I did it, but I did preach my dad’s funeral. You see, I was 24, but I had accepted the call to preach when I was 16. My dad had been a pastor, a lay preacher for years. It may have been just guy talk at the time, but in a moment of male-bonding, my dad and I agreed that whoever died first, for whatever reason, the other would preach the funeral. That is why I asked my dad that question. I needed to be sure he was serious. His response was, “Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” So, I did.
My dad presided over a lot of funerals, and he even carried in his Bible a sermon that he used more often than not. The title of the sermon was “The Times I Need Him Most.” So, from his own Bible, from his own outline, I preached his funeral. And unlike I usually do today, I even gave an altar call. Believe it or not, right there to my left, beside the casket, a friend of the family came down to the altar and asked Jesus to come into his life. Never once had my dad led a person to the Lord when he preached a funeral sermon, but this time was different.
The Family Car
There will always be those who think the following is crazy; only coincidence: but God showed up in the limousine as we went to the graveyard. As soon as I got into the car, I asked the driver, who was a Christian friend, to turn the radio on. I wanted to hear some encouraging music. When he did, the DJ on WAY FM out of Nashville played a song by Wayne Watson, The Ultimate Healing. Right after that, the DJ came on the air and said, “I know we usually have songs pre-planned according to a particular format, but I just really feel led by God to play this next song – I don’t know why.” The song was Where There is Faith, by 4Him. The second verse goes like this:
There’s a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There’s a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of Cadillacs
Daddy’s not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe
CHORUS
Where there is faith
There is a voice calling, keep walking
You’re not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith
Today
Today, my mother’s body is now resting beside my dad’s, but I am comforted with the knowledge that one day I will see both of them again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In the meantime, I must carry on in the task that I have been called to do.
Several years ago, I went to the grave, and even though I knew my dad was not there, I read Proverbs 4 aloud. What better words could have been said in remembrance of a committed, consistent, caring, God-fearing, humble father? They were words that I wanted to say out loud because they were being fulfilled.
“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” – Prov. 4:4-5
“Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. … Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. … My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. … Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:10-11, 14, 20-21, 25-27
Dad (and Momma), I just want you to know that I am still in the fight. I haven’t given up and I haven’t compromised. I wasn’t a fly-by-night wannabe, but a real man of God. My Sword is still sharp. My aim is still true. I even have some “arrows” that used to be in my quiver; you will meet one day.
Don’t worry, even though I know you won’t. I will keep pressing on and fighting the good fight until the time of my own sunset. Then, when this life is over, I hope I can stand there beside you when Jesus says to you, “Well done.” You did good, Daddy. I’ll make you proud.
Tell Mom we all miss her, too.
Your loving son,
Rev. Dr. Anthony C. Baker
Filed under Family, Future, Life/Death, Preaching, Relationships and Family, salvation
6 Arguments that Support the Doctrine of Eternal Security
My Outline
The following is an outline for a sermon I have preached a few times. It starts off with some arguments against the “once-saved-always-saved” position. The next part lists six basic arguments in favor of the eternal security of the believer.
Please keep something in mind as you consider the outline: evidence is cumulative. In the legal world it is called the “preponderance of evidence.” In other words, one bit of evidence might not convict, but the collection of evidence pointing in that direction, when overwhelming, leaves little other choice.
Of course, this is only an outline, not the sermon. However, take what I am giving you and print it off, do your own study, and then let me know your thoughts.
“Eternal Security”
Arguments Against “Once Saved, Always Saved”
- Observational – How people live that believe it.
- Free Will – We are created with a will; we’re not slaves.
- Scriptural* (Hebrews 6; 1 John 3:9; 5:18) *These passages, when used against the doctrine of eternal security, are most often themselves misunderstood or taken out of context.
Arguments FOR “Eternal Security”
- Creational Argument: We are New Creations (2 Cor. 5:17)
- It took a supernatural act to change us
- We can’t act supernaturally to change us back
- New Birth Argument: We are Born Again (John 3:7,16)
- By the Spirit – Jn 3:6
- By the Word of God – 1 Peter 1:23
- We are not God, so we must remain “born again”
- Children of God Argument
- Born that way – 1 John 5:1; 1 Peter 1:23
- Adopted – Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5
- Abba – Gal. 4:1-7
- The Possession Argument – We belong to Christ
- Purchased – 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 7:23 (Bought with a Price)
- Given by the Father – Jn. 6:37-40; 10:28-30
- Will never be separated – Rom. 8:35-39
- Romans 14:8 – For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
- He can keep what is His – 2 Tim. 1:12 “…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” See also: 2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
- The Marriage Argument
- Ephesians 5:25-28, 31-32 – Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church…This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
- He is faithful, even when we are not.
- 2 Timothy 2:11-13 “…if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful…”
- He is God, not man! – Hosea 11:7-9
- It’s a Gift
- 2:8-9 Gift of God, by grace
- Romans 11:29 KJV – For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance (irrevocable)
Filed under Bible Study, Preaching, salvation
The Day After Christmas Is Proof We Need to Be Redeemed
I know that the title was a little long, but don’t let it intimidate you. Yes, for some of you what you are about to read will be profound – it may even hurt your head.
Yet, despite how much you’ve endured this week, please take just a minute or two, read on, and consider the following thought:
The feelings we have after Christmas point to the fact that we have not been fully redeemed. Our bodies are still waiting for that final transformation.
[We] also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. – Romans 8:23b CSB
What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. – 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 CSB
What does this have to do with “after Christmas“?
Celebrating Christmas has completely worn me out. I’m tired of carols, smiles, joy, and jingle bells… even eggnog. I need a break.
So, just imagine how difficult it would be to survive heaven for more than a day or two?
Not only will we need new bodies that never grow old, get weak, or want to go to bed before sundown, but we will need to be set free from all the chains of this mortal flesh! In other words, everything that turns an elf into a Grinch around December 26th or 27th.
Last year I conducted a funeral service for the wife of a dear friend. I spoke of her death as a process we all must go through: a process of putting off this mortal, corruptible body and putting on an immortal one. I spoke of how we would either all have to die or be changed in the “twinkling of an eye,” but none of us are ready for heaven as is.
Our corruptible minds and bodies must be exchanged for that which is incorruptible, else we won’t be able to endure the celebration that is to come!
Without being changed, heaven would be full of worn-out billion-year-olds leaving the dirty dishes for the angels to deal with.
Heaven will be a celebration of the Redeemer by the redeemed.
If the corruptible got in, it wouldn’t be long before they felt like hell.
Filed under Apologetics, Christmas, clothing, salvation, the future, worship
“With” or “As,” That Is the Question
If you are old enough to have any memory of 1993, and if you were living anywhere in the Southeast at the time, “Storm of the Century” means something to you.
Like when Kennedy was shot, when Elvis died, or when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Superstorm of 1993 was one that left people remembering where they were, who they were with, and how long they were cooped up.
For some of you, snow is no big deal. Heck, you’ve even got shoes to wear in it. But in the South, where an inch of snow can shut everything down, 19-21 inches of the white stuff practically cataclysmic! And that’s what we got when the “Storm of the Century” came through.
But wherever you get snow, especially if it’s just enough to cover everything with a blanket of white, for a little while everything is so pretty, isn’t it? Even the trashiest places in your neighborhood (like the guy’s yard with all the car parts strewn around the lawn, or the grimy streets of some major, liberal-run city) can momentarily appear sanitary and safe.
Unfortunately, what covers up something doesn’t necessarily make it better, fix the problems, or make it any safer than it was before.
Back in March of ’93, when the snow in my yard was 21 inches deep, we had a blast jumping and falling into it. We had no fear of falling backwards, forwards, or any direction because the snow was just so deep that we would never hit anything hard.
However, what we never considered was that as we did the same thing around the neighborhood the risk of injury was much greater. We never stopped to think that just under the surface of that soft blanket of white could lie a broken bottle, a board with a nail sticking through it, or a pitchfork.
In Psalm 52 we read King David’s sorrowful prayer of repentance following his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Throughout the psalm we sense how dirty he felt, begging God to “wash,” “cleanse,” and “purge” him. Then, in verse seven David mentions snow.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7
Notice, David was wanting his unrighteousness to be washed away so that he would be white AS snow, not covered with it.
The prophet Isaiah also mentioned snow in this context.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18
Snow is the adjective, not the object. The desire is to be as clean and white as freshly fallen snow, not covered with it.
David knew the difference between works and grace. He knew there was nothing he could do to cleanse himself; only God could do that. Yet so many today simply try to cover up their sin with the snow of good deeds, appropriate associations, philanthropy, and religiosity. Sadly, all they really end up with are “whitewashed tombs” full of dead men’s bones.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers [tombs], which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Jesus – Matthew 23:27 (KJV)
Have you ever asked yourself why it is that a snow-blanketed landscape is so beautiful? What about it appeals to us, especially when underneath the white are myriads of color, even if only multiple shades of brown and gray? Could it be that within humanity is desire to be clean? To be free from guilt? To be forgiven? To be “white as snow.”
Could it be that the beauty of fallen snow is more innate than perceived? Could it be that there’s more to it than simple aesthetic beauty, but a spiritual longing?
What is your desire? Don’t try hiding your mess with the snow! May snow itself lie and wish to be as white as the soul redeemed with the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
Filed under Christianity, grace, salvation
The Deadliest Vaccine Comes from Christians
First, a Rant
We are living in unprecedented times. The moment we think we have seen it all, something new comes around and throws everybody into a crazed frenzy. Most of those unprecedented things are the ripples in the sea of our society (actually, more like crashing waves) caused by COVID-19.
What started out as a virus that took off in China and spread around the world has gone from a “We’re in this together” event to brother-against-brother infighting, borderline-economic collapse, and governmental tyranny.
Yeah, we’re still in this together, but a lot of us are ready to get out. We are tired of our freedoms being assaulted by everyone from presidents, prime ministers, and politicians to governors, mayors, business owners, and even the run-of-the-mill Karen.
A year ago the most respected and honored citizens among us were our first responders. Nowadays they are being threatened, demeaned, and terminated for conscientiously objecting to being vaccinated. Heck, they’ve survived THIS long, so what’s the problem? You think they may get sick and die? Well, you’re essentially reaping the same consequence by firing them!
By the way, whatever happened to the mantra from the left, “My body, my choice”?
I Digress
Now that I’ve blown off a little steam, let’s move on to the subject in the title of this article: “The Deadliest Vaccine Comes from Christians.”
Everybody from the piously religious to the angry atheists have had something to say about COVID vaccines. However, regardless whether the disease kills you or one of the vaccines turns you or your children into three-legged frogs, there’s a MUCH WORSE vaccine running rampant . . . and it’s being developed and dispersed by Christians.
What is it?
Christians are inoculating unbelievers to the Gospel!
You do know how vaccines have traditionally worked, don’t you? They inject a dead version of a virus into a person so that his own body will develop antibodies to the live virus. That way, should the person ever come in contact with the real thing, his natural defenses will fight it off.
I want you to read the following words from the Apostle James:
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).
Listen, the world is going to hell in a handbasket and the majority of Christians either don’t think it’s appropriate to share their faith with others, or the “faith” that they are sharing doesn’t consist of a biblical worldview! This was shown in recent surveys published by Probe.org and an article in The Christian Post which covers the story. Unbelievably, as the title of the article in The Christian Post describes, “Nearly 70% of born-again Christians say other religions can lead to Heaven“!
But where the inoculation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ comes into play is when the average Christian (or the person who THINKS he is a Christian) lives a life around unbelievers with no evidence supporting his claim. Acting just like the unbelievers . . . engaging in the same behavior and enjoying the same things they enjoy . . . injects a dead faith (James 2:26) in them which inoculates them to the real thing.
The worst thing you can do, if you want to win your unbelieving friend to Christ, is to enjoy the sinful pleasures of the world with them while claiming to be a Christian. Whenever you finally make the bold move to show you actually care about their eternal soul, their natural defenses will fight you off with mocking laughs. Your “faith without works,” your “dead faith,” will have given them the ultimate antibody . . . .”Why? We’re no different from you!”
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Jesus (Matt. 5:16)
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, salvation
What Is Salvation, Exactly?
Sunday Sermon
This past Sunday I preached a sermon on salvation. It wasn’t a sermon calling people to salvation, although that was certainly a part of it; it was a sermon explaining what salvation actually is.
To help the congregation, I provided my notes with the intent to keep things moving along and to give everyone something to take with them. That’s what I’m providing for you in this post.
More than 5
As I told my congregation, there’s a lot more to what salvation is than what I could cover in only five points. However, the five points I do share in this outline are pretty important and worth noting.
When you get to the comment section, feel free to add more things that salvation is. As we who are saved know, the depths are limitless.
Opening Text: Acts 16:30 – . . . and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
(Speak to the context of the Philippian jailor’s question)
But there are other questions people ask, like:
- Does God still love me after what I did?
- If I was really a Christian, why did I do what I did?
- If I am a Christian, why can’t I stop sinning?
- Can I still go to heaven?
First, Let Us Ask: What Is Salvation?
1. It’s a Legal Transaction
We must understand that a crime was committed, and a verdict has been issued: Sin is breaking of God’s Law, and judgment for that is the DEATH PENALTY.
- Romans 5:12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
- Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
- Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
BUT! Romans 5:6 – For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
2. It’s an Appeasement of God’s Wrath: Propitiation
1 John 4:10 – Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
Before we go any further, we need to understand something else: God is Love, but He’s also a God of wrath.
- John 3:36 – He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
- Romans 1:18 – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Of course, his anger is not an irrational lack of self-control as it so often is with humans. His anger [His wrath] is the … opposition of his holy nature to everything that is evil.[1] To turn away the wrath, the anger of God, will take more than a wave of the hand or any amount of apologizing on our part. On the contrary, Hebrews 9:22 – And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
(Propitiation: Turning away of anger by the offering of a gift.)
1 John 4:10 – … [He] loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
3. It Is Redemption
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
- Galatians 3:13 – Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
- Hebrews 9:12 – Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 – Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
4. It Is a New Birth
- John 3:3, 7 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
- 1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
5. It is a Limited Time Offer
- Genesis 6:3 – And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man …
- 2 Corinthians 6:2 – . . . behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)
So then, what is the answer to the original question?
What must I do to be saved?
Is it simply believing there is a God? Answer: No.
James 2:19 tells us: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.“
Is it doing good, or at least more good than bad? Answer: No.
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; – Titus 3:5 KJV
All one needs to do is …
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved …”
Romans 10:9, 13 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
John 10:28-30 – And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand. I and [my] Father are one.
[1] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Propitiation,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1784.
Filed under Bethlehem Baptist Church, Christianity, salvation
Good Morning!
Photo by Lisa on Pexels.com
Good Morning?
How often do you say that? How often do you hear it said to you? “Good morning!”
Funny thing is that those same two words can be spoken in so many ways. How many of the following do you think express the true meaning of the salutation?
- “Good morning.” – as spoken by a husband to his wife after waking up sore, sleep-deprived, and just slightly damp after a night camping under the stars.
- “Good morning!” – as expressed through the sinister grin of a drill seargent on the first morning after arriving at boot camp.
- “Good morning.” – growled by a teenager the morning after being threatened with the loss of her cell phone if one more disrespectful word spewed from her lips.
- “Good morning!!” – as exclaimed by a “Karen” the first morning on the job after being hired as a quality control manager with the business at which she had recently voiced her disapproval of employees’ customer service.
Correct, none of the above examples express the intended (or at least commonly understood) meaning of the greeting.
So, what is saying “Good morning!” supposed to mean?
Unless I’m sorely mistaken, when you say “Good morning” to someone, what you are doing is one of two things:
- a) stating a fact; or
- b) wishing for, or blessing another with a desire that their morning actually be a good one.
Based on the above definition, I want to wish you a “Good morning!” I also want to say that it IS a “Good morning!” This is the day that the Lord has made, remember? Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Sure, I know you might have aches and pains, but you woke up! You’ve been given another day to do something with those talents God has intrusted to you. Invest them!
Yes, you may have lost everything in a bankruptcy, a divorce, or a tragedy of some kind. But you survived! You’re alive! Now’s the moment when you can start seeing the miraculous hand of God work! You might have been so caught up in other things that you failed to see how good God is, but now you can better focus on the grace and mercy of the One who clothes the flowers and really does care about you!
The Bible says that “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning”! This is a brand new day. You may have really, without a doubt, messed up yesterday. But, you know what? If you are a born-again, blood-washed, redeemed child of God, the Cross means that what Jesus did has already atoned for your mess up. You’re forgiven! Now, walk in forgiveness and grace while giving God the glory!
Instead of reading this, you COULD be in eternal torment, separated from the loving presence of God. begging for just a single drop of water to cool your tongue, but you’re not! It’s not a matter of luck; there’s a reason.
So, I’d say, without a doubt, no matter who you are, it is … and I bless you with these words …
Good morning!
Filed under Christianity, Depression, Divorce, Life Lessons, salvation, Thanksgiving, worship
The Day After Christmas Is Proof We Need to Be Redeemed
I know that the title was a little long, but don’t let it intimidate you. Yes, for some of you what you are about to read will be profound – it may even hurt your head.
Yet, despite how much you’ve endured this week, please take just a minute or two, read on, and consider the following thought:
The feelings we have after Christmas point to the fact that we have not been fully redeemed. Our bodies are still waiting for that final transformation.
[We] also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. – Romans 8:23b CSB
What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. – 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 CSB
What does this have to do with “after Christmas“?
Celebrating Christmas has completely worn me out. I’m tired of carols, smiles, joy, and jingle bells… even eggnog. I need a break.
So, just imagine how difficult it would be to survive heaven for more than a day or two?
Not only will we need new bodies that never grow old, get weak, or want to go to bed before sundown, but we will need to be set free from all the chains of this mortal flesh! In other words, everything that turns an elf into a Grinch around December 26th or 27th.
Last week I conducted a funeral service for the wife of a dear friend. I spoke of her death as a process we all must go through: a process of putting off this mortal, corruptible body and putting on an immortal one. I spoke of how we would either all have to die or be changed in the “twinkling of an eye,” but none of us are ready for heaven as is.
Our corruptible minds and bodies must be exchanged for that which is incorruptible, else we won’t be able to endure the celebration that is to come.
Without being changed, heaven would be full of worn-out billion-year-olds leaving the dirty dishes for the angels to deal with.
Heaven will be a celebration of the Redeemer by the redeemed.
If the corruptible got in, it wouldn’t be long before they felt like hell.
Filed under Apologetics, Christmas, clothing, salvation, the future, worship
The Recovering Legalist 