God Loves You!

If you are a Christian, then you know and understand that this world is not your home.

As Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20 – 21: “But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Wow! Read that again.  Our “lowly bodies” (have you seen a 50-year-old man in Bermuda shorts?) are going to be “like Jesus’ glorious resurrected body”. That is no small thing.

During the forty days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared and disappeared to and from the presence of His followers many times.  In 1 Corinthians 15:4 – 6, Paul tells us that Jesus “was buried, that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living…”

Paul then goes on to tell us that every believer in Christ (past, present, and future) will be raised from the dead to receive a body which is designed and equipped to live forever.  Paul put it this way, “If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body… The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual…  And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man (Adam and Eve), so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven (Jesus the Christ).” 1 Corinthians 15:45 – 49

Paul tells the Corinthian church that every Christian is going to live forever. And, the Bible tells us that our eternal life does not begin after we die. No! Our eternal life begins the very moment that we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Because we have eternal life (both in this world and in the world to come), Christians can and should live each day filled with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit of God as we “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

In fact, Paul goes on to say in Philippians 3:15, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” So, assuming that you are spiritually “mature” (which I hope is a reasonable assumption.  After all, a person who is as good-looking, talented, and as wise as you must be spiritually mature. 😊), your focus is no longer on the things of this world (which are passing away) but on the things of the new world which is going to last forever (when Christ creates the new heaven and the new earth which will be the eternal home of all who believe).

When we accept our position in God’s eternal family and in the eternal kingdom of Christ (see John 1:12 – 13 and 2 Timothy 2:12), an on-going spiritual transformation begins to occur in our earthly lives.  From that time onward, we no longer live for the things of this world “which are passing away”.  Instead, our lives are now dedicated to the advancement of the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Paul explains our spiritual transformation this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 – 21

“Nick, you have gone mad! What do all of those Bible verses have to do with us?”

“Well, um.  Nothing if you are not a Christian!  But – everything, if you are a Christian!”

“Please explain yourself.”

“Okay, I will.”

Right now, God is speaking very loudly and very clearly to the inhabitants of planet earth.  Never before in human history has the entire planet been placed under lock-down as we are today.

This is incredible!  Think about it.  No Major League Baseball!  No NCAA basketball March Madness!  No NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.  No golf Masters Tournament.  No vacations.  No interstate travel.  America has come to a virtual standstill.  More than 20,000,000 Americans are out of work.  And, people are staying in their homes.  Why?  Because of COVID-19!

While these strange events are taking place on planet earth, “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”  Psalm 43:2

If you believe in the God of the Bible, then you should be able to see that God is using the coronavirus to draw our attention to Him and to His Son Jesus the Christ.

No, this is not the end of the world.  No, this is not the beginning of the final seven years of man’s reign on earth as prophesied by the prophet Daniel.  But, make no mistake about it, this is a wake-up call for the inhabitants of planet earth.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne; the earth is my footstool.’” Isaiah 66:1

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” Acts 17:24 – 28

God is all powerful, all knowing, and present in all places at all times.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  At the appointed time (which has already been chosen by God), He will make all things new.  And, in the meantime, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”  2 Peter 3:9 – 13

The current lock-down of planet earth is child’s play compared to the human devastation and the wrath of God which will be experienced during the seven years which immediately precede the return of Jesus to planet earth.

God is not mocked.  Nor will God be mocked.  So, please, for your own sake, do not mock what is written in these paragraphs.  God is lovingly calling you to avoid the coming wrath which is meant for (a) the devil and the devil’s demons and (b) all humans who reject the love of God.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  John 3:16 – 18

Read those verses again.  Read them slowly.  Study them.  Analyze what God is saying to every man, woman, and child on planet earth.  God loves you!  God sends nobody to hell.  But, you will send yourself to hell if you refuse God’s forgiveness which is made possible only by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.

Tell your neighbors!  Tell your friends!  Tell your family!  Believe on the person and name of Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

God is giving to our nation (and to the entire world) a “time-out” so that we can hear, read, and meditate on the Word of God.  Turn off the news!  Turn off the entertainment.  Open God’s Word.  Listen to good solid Bible teaching on the radio, television, and internet.  Pray to Jesus.  Ask Him to give you wisdom and insight into the understanding of the Bible.

And, if you have not yet received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, please do so now!

Pray this prayer:

Jesus you died upon a cross; and rose again to save the lost.
Forgive me now of all my sin.  Come be my Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Change my life and make it new.  And, help me Lord, to live for You.

If you prayed that prayer and you sincerely mean it, then you are now a child of God and you will live forever.  The next step is to start attending a Bible-believing church so that you may “grow up in your salvation” and become the person that God created you to be.

Welcome to God’s family!

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

Yours in Christ,

Nick

April 21, 2020

 

© 2020 Nicholas Cook