Verse for Today - Hebrews 9:27-28 "EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM?"

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

Biblegateway.com Hebrews 9:27-28

Biblegateway.com Hebrews chapter 9

This is an important verse.  For a long time I have understood it as primarily focusing on the fact that men live and die once... And that after this living-and-dying-once it is too late to change one's spiritual state or future.

As I reflect on this passage today... it does teach what I always thought, but there's two additional points to be made by what follows.

1. Christ's atoning death is a once and done event.  It was and is a wholly sufficient payment for all the sins of His people (those who hope in and receive God's grace).

2. His people are then described as "those who eagerly wait for Him."

I guess this is the part that intrigued me... Do we eagerly wait for Him? What does, or what should, that look like?  As Chapter 9 concludes and Chapter 10begins, it is clear that we should trust in Christ's perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.  

Verses 19-25 are worth a careful reading.  Look for the words: "faith," "hope," and "love."

Then notice his final exhortation.  "...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some..."  Wonder why?  Short answer: God says so and we can trust He knows what we need.

Verse for Today - Psalm 18:1 How We Ought to Think of God

"I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

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Read all of Psalm 18

Psalm 18 begins with this preface... which is part of the inspired text: 

"To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:...."

In other words the Psalm is a memorial to his escape from his enemies.  Notice he doesn't give himself the credit... his cunning, speed, agility or strength.   Even though he may have had those, he gives credit to God.

He begins with words of affection... even love. "I love you, LORD, my strength."   His words are (as are ours) a reflection of his heart.  He recognizes that God's grace has brought him safe thus far and rightly says so.

This leads into a string of affirmations that further describes David's understand of God.  This is valuable for us to think about, because God doesn't change.  As He was David's God, He has become our God.  Just think... He is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer.  Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we find protection and a sure place of safety.  Nothing in all creation can loosen His grip upon those who come to Him with sincere faith.  In Christ, the promise has become reality.  

Remember Romans 8:38,39   "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Amen.

Verse for Today - James 1:2-3 (click to read)

James 1:2-3

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." Read at Bible Gateway Read all of James 1

I was looking over all the Verse for Today verses I've not written about or forwarded and was caught by this one.  Consider if pure joy... not just joy, but PURE joy when you face trials of many kinds.

Why is that?  Well, the author (James) provides the answer in Verse 3, "because you know...."   We're supposed to know more than just the unpleasantness of going through trials.  We're supposed to recognize that we're going through them for a beneficial reason.  That our faith is being tested, tempered, tried... so that it will produce perseverance.   

And what is perseverance and why should we want it?  It is longevity in the faith... endurance to the end.  Without it we would fall short or lose interest.  Trials cause us to rely wholly upon the LORD... and that is what we're supposed to do all the time.  Hence, God's word to Paul and us all:  "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9)."

Verse for Today - 2 Corinthians 13:14 (click for mini-blog)

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. "

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Read all of  2 Corinthians 13

This is perhaps the most common New Testament benediction.  And what, you might ask is a benediction?  Well, it literally means "to speak well of."  It is a pronouncement of blessing or favor toward another.   It is sometimes (and I might add should be) spoken by parents to their children and by grandparents to their  grandchildren, but perhaps most commonly pronounced at the end of a church worship service.  We should never underestimate the affect of our words on those who hear them.  

In Today's Verse, the words are spoken by the Apostle Paul to the believers in ancient Corinth and with official authority.   That is to say, while the Apostle Paul is speaking, he is really speaking with "Apostolic" authority.   He is declaring that those who come to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are really and truly the recipients of this "grace," "love" and "communion" with the Triune God. 

While we might might hear such a blessing, and even take it for granted, it is really a remarkable thing.   The God of all grace, who from all eternity determined to save a people for himself through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has in the present time extended His grace and mercy to us.

The Grace of Christ is the extension of God's undeserved favor in Christ to guilty sinners.  The Love of God is the embrace and acceptance of those purchased by Him.  The Communion of the Holy Spirit is incorporation of those who were lost into the fellowship of His own special people-- His Church.  Pretty remarkable.  Amen?  Amen!

Verse for Today - Ephesians 2:19,20 (Click for mini-blog)

Ephesians 2:19,20

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

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Read all of Ephesians 2

These two verse from Ephesians 2 are important.  They anchor a number of essential truths that affect how we're supposed to think about ourselves, the Church, and the Scriptures.

1. Ourselves.  The Book of Ephesians is written to essentially a "Gentile" church.  Most of the members were not of Hebrew or Jewish descent.  They are no longer "strangers and foreigners" but "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."   In other words, they are not second class citizens, but are fully on par with other members.  While this might not sound like that big a deal, it really is.  It identifies believers (regardless of race) as belonging to God... as those who have been bought and paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The Church.  The Church is composed of individual believers who become inter-related with each other..."fellow citizens and members of God's household" or family.  Pretty remarkable.  These words describe the core of our identity.  We really, truly, and genuinely become co-heirs with each other through the Gospel of grace in Christ.

3. The Scriptures.  Here's the zinger.  1 and 2 are amazing, but don't yet distinguish those who assume they are the Church from those who actually are.  3. The Scriptures are the only foundation on which the Church is built.  "The Foundation of the apostles and prophets" is the objective standard of the Word of God, such that our relationship to them determines our relationship to God.

Not everything that calls itself the Church is.  Only those who hold to the Scriptures and its message are true.  Paul affirms this in Ephesians 4:4f "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism...." And with earnestness in Galatians 1:8 when he says, "But even  if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."    

So be like the Bereans in Acts 17 and search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so.  :)

Verse for Today - Luke 12:6-7 (click to read mini-blog)

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

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Read all of Luke 12

This is one of those verses that no matter how many times you read it, it's almost too amazing to grasp.  

Note, first:  God is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing).  This is pretty amazing too.  How can God know everything about everything?  Not sure, but these are some of the words Jesus spoke, so they must be true.  (How could Jesus have been a good teacher or a great man and not be telling the truth?)  This is part of why we as humans have a hard time comprehending the greatness of God.  It is completely beyond us, or as Job 36 says: "How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out."  

OK, so how much does God know?  Two particulars are noted:  1. He knows all the insignificant sparrows (little birds) on the planet.  2. He knows the number of hairs on your head.  In other words, God has exhaustive knowledge.

What's the point?  Well, it's a logical relationship of the lesser to the greater.  If God knows those little details, don't you suppose he also knows and understands everything bigger?  The doubts, struggles, fears and questions that you have?  Of course he does.  AND (here's the kicker) He cares for you.  

Seems to me that if you have struggles, He's the One to whom you should go.   :)

Verse for Today - Isaiah 12:4

Isaiah 12:4

"In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted."

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Read all of Isaiah 12

This verse from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah looks forward to the time after the First Coming of Christ (His Incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection) and especially after His Second Coming.  In the previous Chapter (11), the anticipation of the great Son of David, "the Branch of Jesse", is announced.  

His coming will usher in a day when all that is broken will be fixed, all that is sick shall be healed.  We're told in Romans 8 that the whole Creation groans in travail awaiting for the fulfilment of redemption.  Well, after the final coming of Christ, all struggle, hardship and pain will be over.  Listen to the words used to describe this remarkable time (Isaiah 11:6-9):

"The wolf will live with the lamb, 

    the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

    and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear,

    their young will lie down together, 

and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

 and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy 

on all my holy mountain, 

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

Already now, we have the privilege and responsibility of proclaiming the rightful worship and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of all the Earth!  

Verse for Today - Ephesians 3:17b-19 (click to read mini-blog)

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Ephesians 3

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This out-of-place benediction is found in the middle of Ephesians 3.  The Apostle Paul has been expounding the outworking of the God's redemptive plan.  From the beginning He was planning to extend his transforming grace to people of every race, language and location around the world.  For a time, the Nation of Israel (the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) were THE covenant people of God... but now through the Gospel of Christ, the People of God has been expanded to include believers from every race and place.  Those of Hebrew descent are now just a part (albeit the root) of God's cosmopolitan global congregation, His Church.

This is the MYSTERY we read about at several points in the Book of Ephesians (1:9, 3:3, 3:4, and 3:9)... The Creator of all, is the Lord of all, and the God of all... and by His Sovereign grace calls them (and brings them) to Himself through His Son, the Savior Jesus Christ. 

I don't know a better way to conclude that with the verses just preceding Today's Verse:  

^"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;"  Ephesians 3:14-17

 This is my prayer for you too.