Tag: disciple

Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical2 Comments

America is a hard working nation. The average workweek is no longer 40 hours a week, but 50, 60, or even 70 hours a week. Why do we work so hard and for so long? We have been told no one is going to do it for us and so we operate under the mentality that we have to go out there and earn it ourselves. While that is partly true in the secular world, it is not true when it comes to salvation found in Christ.

Sadly, many have applied this concept of ‘earning it yourself’ to Christian life. They live by the motto ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ If we do our part, then God will do his part. Even though that may sound right to our ears and in our culture, it is not true.

What Does Living By This Motto Mean?

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:2-4)

Paul is saying that if we believe we need to do something other than have faith in Christ for salvation, we do not understand the gospel. Instead of understanding Christ we have rejected him and are obligated to keep the whole law, which cannot be done.

So then, by thinking we can add works or merit to the gospel we will earn acceptance with God, we, in fact, do the opposite. We do not gain the acceptance from God for which we were hoping. God doesn’t help those who help themselves.  God helps those who can’t help themselves. That may come as a shock, but that is what Scripture tells us.

By thinking we have to do our part, we prove we don’t believe Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient; we believe we have to make up for something that it lacks.

Christ’s sacrifice, however, lacks nothing. His work on the cross sufficiently paid the price for our sins – past, present, and future. We do not need to do anything to earn or pay God back for our salvation. Christ paid it all and earned it all for us.

How Do We Try To Earn God’s Acceptance?

Even though the Bible tells us that we are accepted and made righteous because of Christ’s work–not because of our works–we still have a tendency to try and earn God’s acceptance. Why do we do this knowing it doesn’t work? The temptation of moralism is powerful. It fits within the framework of our society.

Moralism is the idea that we can earn righteousness, or acceptance through our works, and it is inherent in our DNA; it is natural to us.

For example, if you do well in school, you will be rewarded with recognition or accepted into an elite program. If you do well at work, you will be acknowledged and promoted. This is how our society works, but it isn’t how the gospel works.

In order to combat something so natural to us, we must know what things we typically add to the gospel. If we know some of the things we add to the gospel, we can watch out for them and seek to rid them from our lives.

What Are The Things We Add To The Gospel?

Before we get into it, let me first say, we should do all of the following, but for different reasons. The reason we do them is because Christ has made us righteous, not in order to gain acceptance or righteousness.

What are the things we may add to the gospel, thinking we become more righteous by doing them?

A Quiet Time – Some believe that if they miss their quiet time they will loose God’s acceptance and things will go bad for them. It is almost as if they treat their quiet time like Karma. However, the reason we do a quiet time is to commune with God, learn more about him, and how he would have us live in his kingdom, not so that things will go well for us.

Church Attendance – There are those in the Church who think themselves superior to others and more accepted by God because they come to church every time the doors are open. Yes, we should attend church services. The reason we attend should be to fellowship with, encourage, and serve other believers; worship the Lord; and learn more about our Savior, not to make ourselves more righteous or acceptable to God.

Holding to a Certain Political View – In the South, I think we have this false notion that being a Republican is the same as being a Christian. Well, not necessarily. There are some who genuinely follow Christ who politically identify with Democrats or Independents. In order to come to Christ, you don’t have to change your political affiliation; you only have to believe in Jesus as your savior. That doesn’t mean; however, all believers should not hold to their party affiliations without biblical discernment.

Social Justice – It is right and good to fight and provide for the needs of others. Scripture calls us to love our neighbor, take care of widows and orphans, and provide for the poor and needy. All these things, however, are the result of the gospel melting our heart of stone into hearts of flesh. In other words, we do them because we have been made righteous, not to gain righteousness.

Being on Mission – Our God is a God of mission. He both calls us and uses us to accomplish His mission. While it is true a large number of Christians avoid, or half-heartedly accept God’s call to mission, those who actively take it up are not more righteous than those who do not. I need to be careful here because I do not want to discount the necessity to be on God’s mission. I do, however, want to make sure those who label themselves as missional do not create a false sense of superiority, or believe they are more accepted for their labors. We are on God’s mission because He has called us to it, not to puff ourselves up or gain greater acceptance from God.

Community – Since we are made in the image of God, community is in our DNA. The Trinity has existed in community for all eternity, serving, loving, and glorifying one another. We are called to reflect or image that community here on earth as those redeemed by Christ. By God’s grace some reflect that relationship better than others. Where I believe some go wrong is to believe better community equals greater acceptance from God. The only reason, however, we can exist in community with one another is because the gospel has changed our heart. Better community then does not equal greater acceptance from God. Better community is the result of God’s work in the gospel.

Other things we may have a tendency to add to the gospel are:

  • Prayer
  • Community service
  • Adoption
  • Home schooling
  • Baptism
  • Giving
  • Eating organic

Again, all these things are right and good, but none of these things make us more acceptable to God. We are justified by faith alone. You see, in Christ, we are as accepted as we will ever be. We can do nothing to make ourselves more acceptable. Nor do we need to do anything. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is sufficient.

Attempting to gain acceptance outside of Christ, will merit us nothing but exhaustion, because our work will never be done. Exhaustion will turn into anxiety because we never know if God accepts us or not. Exhaustion and anxiety will turn into distress, and finally disappointment as we realize we cannot be made righteous through our own work.

In addition, by adding these things to the gospel message we functionally prove we don’t believe Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient. Rather, we prove we actually believe we have to make up for something that it lacks. But what Paul is telling us, and why this message is so important, is that if we think we must add to the gospel in order to be saved, or to maintain our righteousness, even though we say we believe in Christ as our Savior, we may not be saved.

So as Christians, we have to examine our hearts. We have to ask ourselves why we do the things we do. Is it because Christ has saved us and the Holy Spirit is working in us to produce the fruits of righteousness through the means of grace? Or is it because we think we have to do these things in order to either gain or maintain our acceptance with God? Your answer will be telling of your understanding of the gospel.

God Helps Those Who Humble Themselves

God does not help those who help themselves; God helps those who humble themselves. He helps those who completely and utterly depend on Him for salvation. He helps those who see Christ’s sacrifice as sufficient and who do not attempt to earn his acceptance through their work.

God wants us to depend on him completely and to trust that Jesus’ sacrifice is all we need for salvation. If we are trying to help ourselves, then we do not really understand the gospel. We do not really know what it means to accept God’s free grace for our sins. We do not understand that all our works are like filthy rags and they are not able to merit us even one ounce of God’s acceptance.

We are saved by God’s grace through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, which means we must stop laboring for God’s acceptance. We must stop laboring for our salvation. We must trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation! Once we realize our salvation doesn’t come through our labors but Christ’s, we can then labor for the right reason. We can labor because we have been accepted, not for acceptance.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you thought in the past that you need to earn your acceptance with God?
  2. Do you believe you need to pay God back for your salvation?
  3. How freeing was it for you when you realized that salvation was by faith alone?
  4. If we do not earn salvation from God through our works, why do we work?
  5. What or whom empowers us to work?

Resources

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This post was also posted at Gospel Centered Discipleship. Click here to view my post there. You can also download a PDF copy if you are interested. While you are at it, check out some of their other work.

6 Qualities a Congregation Should Expect of Their Pastor

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Pastoral, Practical8 Comments

Country Church

It is not too much to say a congregation places a lot of expectations on their pastor. To give you an idea of some of the expectations churches have, I recently googled: congregations expectation of a pastor. I found that most congregations expect their pastor to be:

  • A great preacher who accurately and dynamically proclaims God’s Word, while meeting their needs and inspiring them to live for Christ.
  • A wise leader who studies God’s Word diligently, spends hours each week in prayer, is involved in the community and denomination, while at the same time they are a faithful family man, someone who is always available for counseling, and home and hospital visits.
  • A man who knows how to best meet the needs of every age group; is biblically faithful, yet never offends anyone by calling them to repent; and can rescue and revive a dying church without changing anything.

That list is just the tip of the iceberg of what congregations all across America expect of their pastor. But are these expectations realistic? Can a pastor really be all these things? Should he be all these things? More importantly: What does God’s Word tell a congregation they should expect of their pastor?

Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 lays out six qualities a congregation should expect of their pastor.

6 Qualities a Congregation Should Expect of Their Pastor

(1) A Pastor should be a servant of Christ 

Paul begins chapter 4 by saying,

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ.” (1 Cor. 4:1a)

By using the word “servant” Paul tells us pastors are subordinates who are cater to the needs of their boss; they are helpers, assistants, servants.

Who are pastors to primarily serve?

Paul tells us pastors are first and foremost to serve Christ. I think that is an important point because it means the pastor’s primary job is to carry out the will of Jesus and not the will of the church. That’s not to say a pastor shouldn’t serve his church. That is not it at all. Pastors should certainly serve their church. But as one commentator puts it,

“When I serve Christ, I will best serve His people. When I serve His people, I may not serve Him.” — John MacArthur

What MacArthur means is that when we focus first on serving the needs of the church, we may give them what they want instead of what Jesus wants for them. While it might be easier for the pastor to give the church what they want, that is not always the biblical thing to do, nor is it always what’s best for the church.

(2) A Pastor should be a steward of God’s Word 

Look at verse 1 again. Paul starts by saying,

“This is how one should regard us, [first] as servants of Christ [to that he adds] and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. 4:1)

The second image Paul paints for us is that of a household steward. A household steward is someone who manages and dispenses goods to the household at the request of the owner.

Pastors are household stewards because they have specifically been tasked to manage and dispense to the congregation “the mysteries of God” or God’s gospel.

Pastors are to steward God’s gospel by making sure it is faithful taught in their church. As well as they are to dispense God’s gospel, His Word to His people.

Pastors are not to stand in the pulpit and dispense: Public opinion, or philosophical teachings; they aren’t there to give a political speech, an inspirational feel good message, or even their own opinions about how this world should operate. Pastors are not to do any of those things. Instead they are to dispense God’s Word to God’s people.

It is for this reason that I primarily preach through books of the Bible. I believe that a diet of consistent consecutive exposition is what is best for the church because it best exposes them to God’s Word, instead of my opinions or my soap boxes.

Preaching then isn’t me telling you what I know, or what you want to hear. It is instead me exposing you to what God wants you to hear – His Word.

(3) A Pastor should be a faithful worker for God

Looking again at 1 Corinthians 4, in verse 2 Paul says,

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Cor. 4:2)

Someone who is faithful is someone who can be trusted to do what is asked of them. That’s what God wants and what a congregation should expect – pastors who are faithful to proclaim God’s Word to His people week in and week out.

In order for a pastor to be a faithful steward of God’s Word, his greater allegiance has to be to God, not to the church. That’s because there will be times when God’s message is needed but is not popular.

(4) A Pastor should be content with what God has given him.

Pastors, and all Christians for that matter, should not allow what they don’t have or what they are experiencing to get them down.

While it is easy to say we should be content, it is not always easy to practice, especially given that Paul tells us we will:

“hunger and thirst..[be] poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless…[we will be] reviled…persecuted…slandered” (1 Cor. 4:11-13).

Even though we will experience those things, we can be content knowing God is sovereign and that He has a plan for each and everyone of our lives.

As well as contentment in the worst of situations comes by looking forward to Jesus’ return, knowing He will defeat our enemies one day. When that times comes, we will not only be vindicated for our beliefs, but we will also live in a perfect world with our Savior for all eternity.

(5) A Pastor should be one others can Imitate 

Paul tells the Corinthians they are to imitate him, to mimic him (1 Cor. 4:16). He doesn’t tell them that because he wants them to get on his nerves by playing an indefinite game of copy cat. He tells them to imitate him because he knows by them imitating his speech and actions, as well as his heart for God and others, they will better follow Christ. Just like Paul, pastors should be those others can imitate.

In order to be imitatable, we have to take following Jesus seriously. When Jesus called us to be His disciples, He didn’t just call us to believe in Him. He also called us to follow Him, to live as He lives, to allow Him to direct and guide our lives. So if we want others to imitate us, we must allow the One we are to imitate to guide and direct our lives.

(6) A Pastor should provide guidance and discipline, if necessary

Pastors are given as gifts of God to teach and lovingly guide their congregations in the truth of God’s Word with patience and long-suffering (Eph. 4:11-12). They are also given to rebuke and discipline those who are unwilling to repent (1 Cor. 4:18-21).

When I say pastors are to rebuke and discipline, I do not mean pastors have the right to be heavy handed or domineering. Pastors, even when they must rebuke or discipline, must do so with love, care, patient, and compassion, just as Christ does.

Conclusion

So these are the qualities the Bible tells congregations they should expect from their pastors. They should expect them to be men who are faithful servants and stewards of the Word of God, who are content, imitatable, and ready to guide and discipline with love and patience, if necessary.

Question for Reflection

  1. Are these the qualities you expect of your pastor?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon: What should a congregation expect of their pastor?

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Leave Everything and Go Wherever

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical3 Comments

Traveling Bone

Abraham is a prime example of someone whom God asked to leave everything and go wherever. In Genesis 12:1, we read,

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1b)

Leave Everything

God asks Abraham to leave behind all he has ever known – his idol worship, his family, his inheritance, his safety, and his culture. We may not see this as a big deal because we live in a transient society. A lot of us leave home and strike out on our own. But as one commentator says,

“To leave home and to break ancestral bonds was to expect of ancient men almost the impossible.” [1]

Go Wherever

On top of asking Abraham to leave everything behind, God also asks him to follow Him wherever He leads. It is one thing to leave behind what you have knowing something better awaits. Think about all those immigrating to the United States. Many of them leave behind everything they have ever known for what they believe to be a better life in the States.

Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes for a moment. Imagine God asking you to leave your home for a place you know nothing about. You don’t know what kind of life you will lead there, if it will be safe, or if you will have an opportunity to provide for your family. Thinking about it like that, we see just how tough of a decision Abraham had to make.

Jesus’ Disciples Should Leave Everything and Go Wherever

Abraham, however, isn’t the only one God asks to leave everything and go wherever. He also asks us – Jesus’ disciples – to do the same.

A couple of years ago my friend John (not his real name) and his wife left family, friends, and all that is familiar to them to move halfway across the world to live in Africa as missionaries. While they were willing to answer God’s call, they didn’t have a complete picture of what was in store for them. They didn’t know they would move several times, suffer several illnesses, or be robbed and extorted for money on multiple occasions, nor did they know the extent of the heartache they would experience. Even though they were in the dark about these things, they went anyways. As far as I know, they don’t regret answering God’s call, and they aren’t planning to come home.

While God certainly asks missionaries to pick up their life, leave everything, and go wherever, His call on His disciple’s lives doesn’t end there. In other words,

God doesn’t just ask missionaries to leave everything and go wherever, He asks us all to give up everything and go wherever He leads.

Sure, God may not ask most of us to move halfway around the world, but He does ask us to give up our life – our will, our desires, our wants, our safety, our family, all that is comfortable to us – and go wherever He leads.

Question for Reflection

  1. Are you ready to answer God’s call to give up everything and go wherever He leads?

Resources

Post developed from the sermon: God’s Reclamation Project

[1] Von Rad, Genesis, 161 via Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Genesis, 151.

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What are the Barriers to Making Disciples?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral5 Comments

Disciples

Even though we are commanded to make disciples and Jesus gives us a simple three step method to follow, we have trouble following His command. We have trouble because we encounter barriers. The list of barriers we encounter can be a mile long. There are a lot of things that hinder us from making disciples. I can’t cover all of them, nor do I know all of them, so let me offer you five.

Barriers to Making Disciples

(1) Busyness

Let’s be honest, we all have a lot going on – work, church, kids and grandkids sporting events, school, friends, family – are just a few things that compete for our time on a weekly basis. With all these things going on, we might think we don’t have the time to make disciples.

But here is the problem with that line of thinking, Jesus commands us to make disciples. In Matthew 28 Jesus says,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28)

So Jesus commands us to make making disciples a priority in our lives, which means we have to do it.

Reading those words, you are probably thinking: “Great, one more thing to had to my schedule.” But what if I told you making disciples doesn’t have to be another thing you add to you schedule. Remember Jesus’ idea of “go” is “as you are going” you are to be making disciples. If we do that, if we focus on making disciples as we are going, it won’t be something extra to add to our schedule because it would be apart of the natural rhythm of our lives. So while you are at the football game or the school play, or whatever else it is that you are doing, you can be making disciples. You can be meeting others with the intention of building a relationship and speaking the truth of God’s Word into their lives.

Personally, that is why I spend a lot of time at Starbucks. I am going to prepare sermons every week, so why not do that in place where I can meet people, build relationships with them, and either encourage them in their Christian walk, or share the gospel with them. I have to tell you, I have had a lot of conversations with people through the years at Starbucks.

So while busyness can be a barrier to making disciples, it does not have to be, if we incorporate making disciples into the natural rhythm of our lives.

(2) Fear

One fear you might have is that you won’t know what to say. While that is a real fear, we don’t have to let it keep us from making disciples. You see, Jesus hasn’t left us alone. At the end of verse 20 in Matthew 28, He says,

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Mt 28:20b)

So as we are going about our day, Jesus is with us and He will give us what we need to make disciples.

Another fear you might have is that someone will respond negatively to your message. While that is a real fear, a fear I personally have, research tells us that only about 5% of people in the States will be hostile to the message of the gospel.

You know, I think that is true. Even though I am afraid of how people will react, personally I have never had anyone outright attack me because I talked with them about the gospel and only a few people have been rude. For the most part, everyone I have ever engaged in a gospel conversation has been respectful.

So while fear can be a real barrier to us making disciples, it doesn’t have to be because Jesus promises He will be with us and most people we engage will be receptive and polite.

(3) A loss of your first love

What I mean by that is that something else has captured your attention. Something has become more important to you, more exciting. You see, we talk about that which we are excited. That which we love. Think about your favorite restaurant or vacation spot. You share those things with people because they excite you.

But if you think about it, what is more exciting than the gospel? What is more exciting than knowing Jesus has willingly died in your place so that you might have life? If we are truly a believer, nothing should be more exciting than that.

So if you have lost your first love, if something has become more exciting than the gospel to you, then you need to meditate on the gospel. You need to preach the gospel to yourself until that excitement returns and you want to share that with other people.

(4) I need to get my life right first

But here is the thing, if we wait to get our life right before we make disciples, we are never going to make disciples because our life is never going to be completely right. Becoming a fully mature disciple of Christ is a process; a process that takes a lifetime.

Plus, Jesus never said we need to get our life right first before we can make disciples. Remember, His idea of “go” is “as you are going” As you are going through life. As you are growing in your Christian walk, you should be making disciples. You should be bringing others along on the journey with you to be more like Christ.

(5) I am just a sinner saved by grace, what right do I have to speak into another person’s life. 

That is true — you are a sinner saved by grace. But you have been given a commandment by Jesus to make disciples. And as Jesus’ disciple you are an ambassador of Jesus.

You know what Ambassadors do? They speak on behalf of another. Nations have Ambassadors. The United States has ambassadors. When they go to another country, they have the right to speak on behalf of our country. That is the same for us. As Christians we are Ambassadors of Jesus and we have the right to speak on behalf of Him.

Now when we speak to others we don’t do it harshly. We are sinners saved by grace so we need to exercise grace and mercy when we speak to others.

But the point is we have the right to speak to others. We have the right to make disciples and we have been given that right by Jesus.

So those are some of the barriers to making disciples. Admittedly, those can be difficult for us to overcome. They can take a lot of work for us to overcome. So why?

Why should we fight to Overcome These Barriers?

Fighting to overcome these barriers and making disciples is the only way our country is going to turn around. As well as if we don’t do it — if we don’t make disciples — no one else will. You see, we are God’s plan. God uses disciples to make disciples. So if we don’t do it, no one else is going to do it.

Question for Reflection

  1. What barriers have you faced in making disciples? How did you overcome them?

Resources

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Post adapted from the sermon: Disciples Make Disciples

How Do We Make Disciples?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Pastoral2 Comments

Disciples

A lot of folks think making disciples is a complicated and difficult task. One that requires a lot of training and time. But that is not true. Training is helpful, but you don’t have to have a PHD in Biblical Studies to start making disciples. Jesus didn’t set it up that way. Instead Jesus gave us an easy to follow three-step method to making disciples. What are those steps?

(1) We are to go

In verse 19 of Matthew 28, Jesus says,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” (Mt 28:19a)

We aren’t to sit stagnant. We aren’t to just let folks come to us. Instead we are to go. We are to go and find folks to tell the good news.

When Jesus tells us to go, He doesn’t just mean for us to go on a mission trip, or go and be a missionary in another country. Those things are necessary and we should do them, but that is not all of what Jesus means when He tells us to go. Instead He means that we are to make disciples as we are going about our day. So whether we are living Africa, China, or Decatur, we are to make disciples, as we are going about our day.

So the first thing Jesus tells us that we are to do is — Go — to go to our communities and the world with the intention of spreading the gospel and making disciples.

(2) We are to Baptize those who believe the gospel

Look what Jesus says in the remainder of verse 19,

 “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Mt 28:19a)

I believe Jesus’ second step to making disciples give us hope, because as we are going, as we are sharing the gospel with others in our life, as we take trips to other countries, people will believe the message we are sharing with them.

When they do that — when they believe — Jesus tells us we are to baptize them.

Now, you have to know that Jesus doesn’t tell us to do that because baptism saves them. Instead, He tells us to baptize because Baptism shows a person’s commitment to God. It shows that they are aligning themselves with Jesus. We don’t baptize folks in order to save them, or to complete the salvation process.

We baptize people because it is an outward expression of an inward reality.

So that is the second thing we are to do — Baptize those who believe the gospel.

(3) We are to teach those who believe the gospel to obey all God’s has commanded in His Word

Look at the beginning of verse 20,

“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”” (Mt 28:20a)

Jesus’ command doesn’t just apply to Pastors. It applies to every disciple, all believers are to teach others to obey all God has commanded in His Word.

Teaching people God’s Word might occur in a formal setting like a church service or a Bible study, or it might occur in some other way. The point being you don’t have to be an official teacher to teach.

You can teach in a number of ways:

  • Most of us have families that we can teach. Again, that doesn’t mean we have to prepare a formal Bible Study. All we really need to do is sit down and read the Bible together, or share what God is teaching us, or share what we read in God’s Word that morning.
  • Participate in a men’s Bible study. My church has one every Friday morning. We meet at IHOP and discuss one chapter in God’s Word.
  • Participate in a Women’s group. We also have a Bible study for women similar to the men’s breakfast, but it is more missions focused. They do missions work in the community.
  • Disciple new believers. This can be done by getting together with a new believer and answering their questions about God’s Word.
  • Joining in on the discussion in Sunday School class, Community Groups, or Bible study.
  • Everyday conversations. Talking to people throughout your day about God’s Word and what you have learned is another good way to make disciples.

As you can see there are a number of ways we can teach and help others grow into fully mature disciples of Jesus, we just need to do it.

So that is the last thing we are to do — teach others to obey all Jesus has commanded.

Question for Reflection

  1. What part of making disciples do you find to be the hardest?

Resource

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Post adapted from the sermon: Disciples Make Disciples

The Gospel and the Christian Life – Part 7

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, The Gospel and the Christian LifeLeave a comment

The Gospel and the Christian Life

Over the next several weeks we are going to follow the story line of Scripture from Creation to Jesus’ return in an effort to deepen our understanding of the Gospel and how Christians are to live after they have professed Christ as Lord and Savior. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6)

Did you know Jesus is coming back?

The story wouldn’t be complete if everything that was destroyed by sin wasn’t made new.

At the return of Jesus Christ, all creation will be restored (Is 65; Daniel 9; Rev 21-22). The world will be recreated and man’s relationship with God will be restored. As well as our relationship with each other will be perfect, and God and man’s relationship with creation will be redeemed and made right as well (Isa. 65).

Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead accomplished much more than giving us eternal life; it redeems all creation, so that man and creation are able to accomplish their God-given purpose, which is to glorify God (Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11).

So while Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the garden plunged the world into sin, Jesus Christ will pull it out of sin and restore everything to its original state when He returns. Heaven then isn’t a city in the sky where we float on soft pillowy clouds for all eternity. Instead, heaven will consist of a recreated world where we will all live in perfect harmony with God, each other, and God’s creation.

Reflect

  1. Where in God’s Word does it talk about God’s New Creation (Is 65; Daniel 9; Rev 21-22)? Read those chapters now. As you do, imagine what a perfect world will be like.
  2. Who will be able to enjoy God’s new creation?
  3. What is our God given purpose?
  4. How can you glorify God with your life?

Resources

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Some posts’ structure influenced by Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware