The Next World

The Scriptures tell us that after Christ was raised from the dead that the Father “set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21; emphasis added).  It is fascinating, engaging, and somewhat overwhelming to take note of the truth that there is another world yet to come!  We have only a brief exposure to it in the word of God, but there is enough there to convince us of its reality and a beauty that far surpasses our meager understanding or imagination.

One would expect it to be beyond our comprehension, and rightly so, because God himself dwells there (Revelation 21:3).  It will be characterized by righteousness because the Lord reigns there (Zechariah 14:9).  It will be a place of unsurpassable glory because God is all-glorious (Revelation 5:13).  It is a world that we aspire unto though we have not seen it. It is a place that our hearts long for because Christ himself is there and where Christ is there is righteousness, peace and joy unspeakable.  This sounds almost too good to be true were it not for the promise of Christ himself.  “I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).  Yes, friend, there is another world to come.  It is real; it is unimaginably joyful; and, it is forever!

We could spend more time filling in some gaps in our expectations about this world to come from what has been revealed to us in God’s word.  But the point of this writing it this – there is a whole new world coming after this one has expended its strength and vigor on wickedness.  Christ is coming again and when he does there will be peace and righteousness (Micah 4:3-4).  Truth and holiness will be the key characteristics of this new world order.  Note the contrast to this present world.

Our world is full of lies, unbridled wickedness (or so it seems), selfishness, hatred and every form of impurity the mind can conjure.  Would anyone debate that?  Do we really need convinced of man’s intrinsic wickedness and rebellion against God?  But when Christ comes he shall put down every resistance, silence every foe, root out and vanquish all wickedness (Revelation 19:11-21).  The inauguration of his kingdom shall be glorious indeed! Even so, not everyone will enjoy the benefits of this coming world.  It is a prepared place for a prepared people.  Only those who have washed their sins in the blood of the Lamb and are dressed in his righteousness will be able to participate.  The Apostle John tells us that “there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).  Is your name there?

Vanity of Vanities

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecc. 1:3).  He wrote this from the vantage point of what he called “under the sun,” reflecting on his pursuits and relating their summation to his audience.  His pursuits, as king in Jerusalem, were limited only by his imagination.  He used his position and vast wealth to pursue whatever his heart desired, whether it was building great cities, enjoying the pleasures that life offered, or even exploring the benefits of wisdom and knowledge.  His conclusion – life’s pursuits as lived out under the sun offer no substantive value or gain.  Rather, they are fleeting and unsatisfying.

One important key to understanding the message of this inspired book is that phrase “under the sun.” The Preacher (as Solomon calls himself) sees life as the natural man sees life, i.e. human existence without the presence and overriding influence of God.  Man is born; he lives and pursues life in an unchanging and impersonal world; he strives for those things he believes will bring endurance and satisfaction; then he dies.  There is “nothing new under the sun.”  These fundamental features of life have been the same since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Some have more and some have less, but all die.

Life’s pursuits and achievements without God are indeed vain.  They are empty, elusive, unsatisfying and require unrelenting, tireless, repetitive labor.  These labors are for our own benefits and comforts.  Yet those benefits and comforts do not last.  We work for our food, clothing, and housing.  But food needs replenished, clothing wears out, houses need maintenance and repairs.  We hope for small vacations, escapes from the routine of our labors.  But they are just that – small.  We work hard so we can send our children to college that they might carry out these pursuits of their own, but on a grander scale.  And all the while this path is peppered with sickness, disappointments, griefs, and a myriad of other frustrations.

When sin entered the world, it brought chaos, confusion, difficulty, hardship, and consequent suffering.  Sin brings darkness for light, disorder for order, falsehood for truth, and ultimately death for life.  Truly, from this vantage point, there is nothing new under the sun.  But Christ has broken that paradigm.  He brings hope for despair, peace for anxiety, strength for trouble, and life for death – for where sin abounds grace much more abounds (Romans 5:20).  Christ brings a new covenant by which a man or woman can experience the new birth and become a new creation.  In so doing, we rise above the confines of life “under the sun” as the Preacher related to a life under the Son as Christ has promised.  He brings meaning to a life otherwise characterized as “vanity of vanities.”

Take Time to Reflect

This pandemic has been characterized often by weeks of confinement, restricted gatherings, and social isolation. This is hard on all of us to one degree or another.  After all, we are by design and nature creatures of community.  But even more so, we are creatures of activity and engagement.  The silence that accompanies our inactivity is foreign to us.  We are often not comfortable with our own thoughts.  Consequently, we wear our headsets, turn on our televisions, search the internet, and scroll through Facebook.  Busy-ness becomes us.

Yet times like these are genuinely good for us.  They teach us to wait and give opportunity to reflect earnestly on our direction, our pursuits, and our priorities.  Solomon wrote, “Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established.”  (Proverbs 4:26)  To ponder means to think about something seriously.  Important things demand serious considerations.  The direction of our life, our pursuits in life, and the priorities we establish are important matters worthy of pondering.

But such pondering will only be as good as the value system employed to evaluate such matters.  Moses taught us that life is fleeting and, consequently, not only demands such considerations, but that such considerations require us to appeal unto true wisdom.  Listen to his inspired testimony from Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”   He (Moses) acknowledges that this ability to both soberly and profitably examine our lives comes from God for he says, “teach us.”

It is God Who teaches us what things are truly worthy of our consideration and embrace.  It is God Who gives direction to our path and strength to our steps that we may pursue those things.  And, it is God Who enables us to discern our priorities among the many choices that confront us each day and to follow after them.  Conversely, many men (and women) have climbed the ladder of success as they defined success only to find their ladder was leaning against the wrong building. 

Take the opportunity that this “down” time has provided to give earnest consideration to things that really matter.  I commend to your reading as part of this endeavor the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12.  Read through it thoughtfully and reflect not only on the passage, but on your own life as well.  I leave you with these words by Christ as he concluded (what we know as) the Sermon on the Mount.  “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24).  Then we shall apply our hearts unto wisdom!

The God of Peace

The unpredictability of life can oftentimes put us on “edge,” making us hesitant, cautious, and even fearful.  When we don’t know how things will turn out, our imagination, however rooted in education and experience, works to create alternate “endings” to the current chapter in our lives.  Generally, these only contribute to our angst. 

We are living in uncertain times, unpredictable times, perhaps, even dangerous times.  There seems to be little help as we survey our surroundings.  Surely, truth is a rare commodity and confusion seems to have its way with our society.  We ask ourselves where is this leading and how will it leave us.  Is instability, uncertainty, and their resulting strife and anxiety the new normal?

Augustine, one of the early church fathers, asserted that “Man shall never find rest until he rests in Jehovah.”  The plain truth is that man was made to be satisfied with God and Him alone.  In our society we have looked to our jobs, our houses, our credit scores, our families, our schools, government, and even our churches.  But, our current events highlight plainly that such things cannot bring about tranquility.  Man is incapable of creating his own peace. 

Only God gives peace.  Job tells us that “man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).  Experience teaches us that life is full of storms, but we can weather them all in quietness of soul if God is our refuge.  But to know and enjoy the peace of God, we must first have peace with God.

Since Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, man has been at war with God by virtue of his sin.  Man’s sin is an affront to a holy God.  The Psalmist relates, “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee” (Psalm 5:4).  But God, who is rich in mercy, sent his Son, Jesus, to redeem us from sin and reconcile us to God.  Christ did this by dying for us on the cross and shedding his blood in payment for our sin.  It is through this blood-bought redemption that we have the forgiveness of sins and, consequently, peace with God.

As we see, this peace with God comes at a great price though not a price exacted upon us, but upon God himself, i.e. the death of his Son.  His word declares, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8-10).

This peace purchased by the blood of Christ is available to all, but it is only granted to them that believe. Put your faith in Christ.  Know peace with God and “the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means.  The Lord be with you all” (I Thessalonians 3:16).    

We Need Truth

Over 2,700 years ago Isaiah, the prophet, wrote “judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off:  for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14).  The foundation of any and every civilized society is truth.  Relationships require truth to prosper and society is nothing more than the collective reflection of those relationships.  Without truth there is nothing but chaos and confusion.  Without truth we call evil good and good evil.  Without truth every man does what is right in his (or her) own eyes and we become our own judges of what is or is not truth.  That is, if it suits my purpose or interest then it is truth to me and what is truth to me may not be truth to someone else.

We need truth today as much as in any time.  It is interesting to note that Isaiah lamented the rarity of this precious commodity in his day.  Yet fallen man has always despised, rejected, and suppressed truth.  Is it any wonder that Paul declared “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).  Man’s resistance to truth is rooted in his rebellion against God for God is “a God of truth” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

In spite of the willful blindness of his own heart, man is not far from truth.  Jesus Christ confessed before Pilate that “for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37).  What then is the truth?  It is this – man’s sin has separated him from a holy God.  That is truth.  Christ suffered the wrath of God on the cross in full payment for that sin.  That is truth.  All who believe upon him will know the forgiveness of sin and be reconciled to God.  That is truth.  And, finally, we cannot be reconciled to one another until we are rightly reconciled to God.  That is truth.  All other truth begins and ends there.

Truth, indeed, is fallen in the street.  But, it still speaks to those who will listen for it and submit to it.  This truth is not an easy truth to embrace, but it is needful for our healing.  Just as a doctor’s unwelcome diagnosis must first be known and accepted before treatment can begin, so it is with this truth.  Listen to the God of truth for it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).  And this truth He speaks in love for our good.

The Test of a Man’s Character

Someone wisely said, “The test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him.”  Life is full of challenges, difficulties, frustrations, disappointments, and setbacks.  Such things are woven into the fabric of our very existence.  No one is exempt from these trials and tribulations – great or small.  They inevitably, regularly, and frequently cross each one’s path.  Yet it is in how we respond to the hard things of life that makes all the difference in shaping our character and defining our success in this thing we call life.

Those who have a sense of duty to their daily walk are keen to feel the winds of resistance that color their circumstances.  Who hasn’t gotten up in the morning, dressed themselves to go to work knowing that a difficulty of some nature and degree awaits them and moved on with only a sigh?  Life is hard and it takes courage and perseverance to make something of it.  The longer we live the more we recognize that our desires are visited with disappointment, goals are aborted by our circumstances, and success as we define it seems further from our reach by the hardships we face.

Return to the opening statement.  “The test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him.”  For the Christian, God uses all the events of our lives – both good and bad – to shape our character into that image of Jesus Christ.  His image in us is what glorifies God and is the true measure of success.  So, believer, take heart for God’s purpose in making you like unto his dear Son shall not fail.  Rather, in the often overwhelming circumstances of life, rest in this truth: “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Perhaps you do not know this God who is the sovereign God over all of life’s circumstances.  Listen to his voice as he speaks to you in the midst of your difficulties.  “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:1-2).  

The Simple Message of the Gospel

Paul had instructed the Corinthian believers how that the world, i.e. unregenerate mankind, could never find God by its own wisdom (I Corinthians 1:21).  God had ordained it so.  The knowledge of God begins with receiving the testimony concerning his Son, Jesus Christ.  And so, Paul writes “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Corinthians 1:21, emphasis added).  To know God one must believe his message and trust in him. 

It is from this vantage point that Paul ministered to the Corinthians when he was among them at the first.  He tells them plainly that he “determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2).  Avoiding the “enticing words of man’s wisdom” (I Corinthians 2:3), he kept his message simple and focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This was done that the faith of the Corinthian believers would “not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (I Corinthians 2:4).

Faith finds its object in a Person – nothing else – and this Person is Christ Jesus, God’s Son.  It was his resurrection that demonstrated the power of God spoken of here by Paul.  He wrote to the believers in Rome about this very truth when he wrote “concerning his (God’s) Son…which was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4, emphasis added).  His prayer for the Ephesians reflected his desire that they may know “the exceeding greatness of his (God’s) power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:18-20, emphasis added).

Paul did not want the message of the gospel which is bound up in Jesus Christ and which finds its zenith in his resurrection to be muddied up by extraneous fluff.  The person of Christ is inseparable from the gospel of Christ.  His work on the cross, i.e. suffering death for every man (Hebrews 2:9) and offering his shed blood for the redemption of our sins (Ephesians 1:7) is forever united with his identify as God’s only begotten Son.  To preach the gospel is to preach Christ and to preach Christ is to preach the gospel.

So many churches have today abandoned this simple message.  But in so doing these churches have lost their relevance.  They have nothing to offer a lost and dying world burdened by sin and filled with despair.  The gospel alone gives hope and peace and life. It is the message God has given us and it is the only message worth sharing.  What message does your church preach?  If Christ is not the central theme; if the gospel has become nothing more than a community supper; if your worship is empty of gratitude for sins forgiven, then, my friend, you are going to the wrong church and listening to a dead message.

Is the LORD Among Us?

Not long after God had delivered his earthly people, the Jews, from Egypt by his great power and led them by Moses through the parted waters of the Red Sea and after He had sweetened the waters at Marah and provided manna for them in the wilderness to eat daily, the people once more became thirsty and complained against the LORD.  In fact, Moses records for us the exact nature of their sin, “They tempted the LORD, saying, is the LORD among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7).  To put it succinctly, the people looked at their circumstances and doubted God’s promises to them (Exodus 6:1-8).  They wanted more than his promise.  They wanted to see evidence of his working on their behalf.  Looking back at this event, the author of Hebrews relates that this behavior “grieved” the LORD (Hebrews 3:10). 

God’s people today are oftentimes not much different in their conduct.  The Lord himself has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).  Yet, somehow his promise is not sufficient, even though in all things we are taught otherwise.  The Scriptures pervasively teach that his presence is provision enough.  His loving care directed by infinite wisdom and executed by sovereign omnipotence is ever at work.    But when our circumstances do not somehow fit our expectations, we question God’s presence rather than trust his promise.  In essence, as the Jews of old we too question, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Perhaps, the greater problem to address is that these expectations by which we interpret our circumstances are shaped by our own desires.  In essence what we really want is for God to conform to our expectations and desires rather than us choosing to conform our expectations to him and to his will.  Understand this, that peace and contentment will never be ours by the former – only by the latter!  The Psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  That is, he speaks of knowing God’s presence by ceasing from his own agenda. 

The pursuit of our own desires blinds us to God’s presence and resists the exercise of faith in his promises. David had an answer for this care.  He exhorted himself, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him” (Psalm 62:5).  God determined and controlled the unfolding of the events in David’s life and David trained his soul to wait and to rest in the care of his God.  May we do likewise.  Let me encourage you with a few stanzas from an old hymn of the faith, “Be Still, My Soul:”

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;

With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as he has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

There is a God!

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  Many of us would recognize that this is the first verse in the Bible.  That is, this is how the Scriptures open or begin.  It is interesting to note that the Bible does not begin by arguing for the existence of God.  In fact, nowhere in the Scriptures will one find such an argument or proof text.  The fact that He exists is a presupposition to His revelation.  The Scriptures are written from this perspective, i.e. that those reading them understand and accept that He just is.

There is a God.  This we know and that truth, settled in our hearts, need not be shaken in our minds by questions we cannot answer.  After all, what kind of God would he be if we understood his ways?  He would be a god of our own making – one that we could change to suit our purpose as each circumstance required or feeling dictated.  Pathetically, he would be no greater than our own limitations.  Thankfully, this is not the case.    The Scriptures declare, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).  This God – our God – is infinite.

Yet he has chosen to make himself known to us.  Through his word and by his Son he has declared himself and invites all to know him.  Take that in – he wants us to know him and has made it possible for us to do so.  This great God who, the Scriptures tell us, “inhabits eternity” willingly chooses to dwell with” those of a contrite and humble spirit” (Isaiah 57:15).  But we live our lives from day to day scarcely acknowledging his presence.  We live in his world and enjoy his benefits often with ungrateful hearts.  We ignore David’s admonishment, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

We ignore him at our own peril.  Rather, may we acknowledge his presence, submit to his purpose, and embrace his person.  Knowing him begins with coming to him on his terms (not ours) by his Son.  That requires faith.  Those who so come will not be disappointed.  The author of Hebrews relates to his readers, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). 

Follow Truth!

Over 2,500 years ago God sent Isaiah the prophet to his people to condemn them for their hypocritical worship and disobedience to his covenant.  The people had out of convenience spurned God’s truth and followed their own pernicious ways.  On one occasion of censoring Israel’s impudent self-righteousness, Isaiah proclaimed woe on their wicked posturing. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Isaiah 5: 20-23)

Those who despise truth will suffer the consequences.  Israel’s sin led to their destruction and captivity by the invading Assyrian armies in 722 B.C.  The danger in rejecting truth is real though, perhaps, not immediate.  God does not settle his accounts at the end of every day, but neither will he be patient with a man’s sins forever.  “Be not deceived.  God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)  The law of the harvest is both sure and trustworthy.

Our nation is in the throes of great confusion.  Isaiah could have spoken his message of woe today.  As a people we’ve exchanged God’s truth for convenient relativism while ignoring, even scoffing at the examples of history and the warnings of his messengers.  Be assured, there is no safety when truth is abandoned and folly is embraced.

But let’s make this teaching more personal and, consequently, something that each of us can lay hold of.  Let’s set aside our contemplations of the nation to considering our own behavior.  After all, the footprint of a nation is made from the paths of each individual.  What is your view of truth?  Is it something that you determine or is it something you discover?  There is a vast difference.  To determine one’s own truth is to be one’s own god.  When I consider that my own heart is, as Jeremiah tells us, “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,” to serve as my own god is truly a frightening posture.

On the other hand, to recognize that truth is external to ourselves and declared unto us by the God of truth prepares us to follow a path that is trustworthy and safe.  That path is not one necessarily that will never encounter danger nor does following it make us exempt from the difficulties common to man. But as Christ said in his sermon on the mount, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)  Follow his truth – not our own folly!