Living for the Future
New Years Eve
December
31st, 2007
F-Faith
“Look to the rock from which you were
cut and the quarry from which you were hewn: look to Abraham, your Father”.
Isaiah 51:1-2
You’ve got to believe in something
beyond yourself, you’ve got to have faith. Christians wouldn’t disagree with
this statement, yet it is just as important for us to ask the next question
“Faith in who”? Our bible verses says look to quarry from which you were hewn,
…meaning…look to Abraham. Why? He is the great O.T. example of faith. Here
are just a few examples from his life. The almighty God almighty called him
out of pagan life, and he went to a place he had never been. God had him look
at stars, and said these would be his descendents. Abraham was going to
sacrifice his son in faith, but instead by faith sacrificed the ram God provided
for him. Abraham died having been promised the promised land as his own, but
only owning his wife’s burial plot. His faith, not his perfect holy life,
rested in a God who broke into history with a whole bunch of promises that he
would fulfill in the living Jesus. This isn’t just believing in something, but
rather trusting in the God who gave a future to Abraham, and the same God who
will sustain us. Our future begins with true faith.
U-Utterances
The resurrected Jesus said this to his
disciples after his resurrection “This is what I told you while I was still with
you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses,
the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44
“We can learn from those in the
past”. After all isn’t this why we study history, isn’t this why we have
sayings from great men of history. The bible, like any number of ancient books
can provide wisdom for our life. While wisdom is part of the bible, there is
so much more. Paul writes in 2 Timothy all scripture is “God breathed’, in
other words it is living and active, it does something to the reader, hearer,
and partaker of that word. Ultimately it doesn’t give us just words to live by;
ultimately the written Word shows us the death, resurrection of Jesus Christ for
all people. Every section of the bible Old and New Testament is pointed in his
direction. In other words we read and hear it, not just for a little
encouragement, but to encounter the living Savior who calls us to repentance and
forgiveness. May our future be filled with the utterances of the living
God from his written Word.
Now is the T- Time.
“I tell you now is the time of God’s
favor, now is the day of salvation”. 2 Cor. 6:2
In 1989 there was a movie titled “Dead
Poet Society” in which Robin Williams starred. In this movie the phrase “Carpe
Diem” or “seize the day” became quite popular. “Seize the day, live each day
to the fullest” sounds like a good way to live life. While this isn’t all
bad, there is something far better. Jesus words “now is the time of God’s
favor”. What a blessing that in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to wait to wonder
what God thinks of us. Our text says now is the day of God’s favor. Live
each day confident that as a baptized believer you are literally in the good
graces of God. How do we know this? The written word says “God made him who
had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God. God doesn’t say “I’ll wait until the end of the world, the end of your
life and then I’ll let you know how you did” He lets us know right now, that
his favor is for us, and through faith we can be assured right now both of his
forgiveness and love. To really live in the future, is to live in the now ness
of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we really can seize the
day.
U- Unafraid
“Do not be afraid little flock, for
the Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32
Franklin Roosevelt in his first
inaugural address said “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself”. This is a
nice catchy phrase that has endured and inspired many. Yet, it seems that there
is much that can go wrong in this world, much that can make us afraid. Anything
from international conflicts, to individual trauma’s of all sorts. We know
from the bible that the devil is real and is very influential as he roams the
earth. We know that we live in a fallen world, and even in our own heart is
something called sin. The reality is there is much that can go wrong, and so
naturally there is much to fear. Jesus says “Do not be afraid, little flock,
for the Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom”. Not only has he
given us the kingdom, but he also provides out of his mercy our daily food, our
clothing. If he cares for the lilies and the birds, how much more will he care
for you. The world is fearful that it will come up short in the end. Short on
all the things it needs, so it strives and frets and worries. Our God says
we will not come up short. Oh we may be sheep that are not smart enough to
know that the one who cares for the flowers and the birds will in so many more
ways provide for us. Have no fear, not because there isn’t anything to be
afraid of, but rather because you have a God who provides protection and relief
from all those fearful realities. The devil, the world, and our sinful flesh
don’t stand a chance where our gracious Jesus is present. Our future is one
that can be lived unafraid, because we have one who destroyed all that which can
harm us on the cross. Have no fear little flock.
R-Repentance
“God is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to Repentance” 2 Peter 3:9
Get right with the Lord. This is one
way of saying that before we die it is important to get things straight with
God. Again, this is true, but how exactly does this happen. In an interview
with Muhammad Ali’s present wife a few years back, she said that he is trying to
do as many good things as he can in order to assure his spot in heaven. To get
things right with the Lord according to many means to straighten out ones life.
The question is, who does the straightening? For many the Lord may be involved,
but in the end its up to us to get our act together. In 2 Peter, it says that
“God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
“Repentance”. Rather than us straightened out our life, God wants us to be
honest with him in terms of our sinful life. That before we can say I
believe, we first are to say “I can’t”. To repent is also to trust that he has
taken care of all that which isn’t right about our life. This is repentance,
an acknowledgement that we simply cannot in any way shape or form straighten our
life in God’s eyes. He has to do it all, and he has done it all in Jesus. When
encountering this Jesus whether we have 50 years or a couple of days left we are
to do this in repentance. In the book of Romans “Paul says “God’s kindness
leads us to repentance.”. Getting right with God starts and ends with
repentance. Thanks be to God he uses this to bring us to himself, and it is
through his gift of repentance both now and in our future we are right with
God.
E-Eternal Life
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.” John 3:16
“Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow
we die”. The sad part of the statement is not so much the eat drink and be
merry, but that tomorrow we die. Understood correctly Christians could say
“eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we live”. How about this phrase
“you only go around once”. Next time you heart this, you may want to respond in
this fashion. “You only live forever”. Eternal life is in our future, it is
in our tomorrow, but it is also in our today. When we first were given the gift
of faith, eternal life started. While it is ours now by faith, it will be ours
by sight when we go to heaven. We live in a world that assumes eternal life is
theirs simply because they have been created by God. However, our text says
something different. It gives the picture of a world of all sorts of natural
dangers. Rebellion by God’s people meant snakes in the desert, of people dying
left and right. In John 3:16 it says that without Jesus we perish. In John
3:17 it speaks of condemnation. These things are not just wished away. It
takes someone perfect, and someone righteous, and someone more loving than any
of us to rescue us from the snakes of this sinful world, from perishing, and yes
from condemnation. God’s love did this, and it led to action by sending Jesus
Christ. Looking to him alone means that our eternal life is ours both now and
forevermore. Amen.