DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 4.27.24

After We Die - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. �2 Corinthians 5:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/after-we-die/- Listen According to the Bible, there are two forms of existence beyond the grave. There are two resurrections. First, there is the resurrection of the just and the unjust. We wantto be a part of the first resurrection. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the first resurrection is the one that we�ll experience. It means that when we die, we immediately will go to Heaven. When Christians die, they go directly into God�s presence. They don�t go to a fictitious place called Purgatory. We don�t find that word or concept in the pages of the Bible. The moment believers die, they go into the presence of God. The apostle Paul wrote, �Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, forthen we will be at home with the Lord� (2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT). Paul was saying the moment Christians leave their bodies, they go to be with the Lord. In fact, on one occasion, Paul spoke about a personal dilemma. He said, �I�m torn betweentwo desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live� (Philippians 1:23�24 NLT). Notice that Paul didn�t say that he wanted to depart for a few thousand years in a state of suspended animation. Rather, he said that he wanted to depart and �be with Christ.� The moment believers die, they go to Heaven. And then, at the Rapture of the church, the remaining believers join them in Heaven. But what about those who become Christians after the Rapture? A great revival will break out during that time, and millions of people will believe. They won�t take the markof the Beast because God has told them not to. As a result, many of them will die the death of martyrs during the Tribulation (see Revelation 20:4). On the other hand, when nonbelievers die, they go to a place of torment called Hades. There is no escape. And ultimately, Hades will empty itself of its occupants at the GreatWhite Throne Judgment, where they�ll go from misery to greater misery. For those who wait until this time, it will be too late. The nail-scarred hand will scroll down the Book of Life, but their names won�t be found. They might say, �Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name! We did this or that in Yourname!� (see Matthew 7:22). And Jesus will sadly but firmly say, �I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God�s laws� (Matthew 7:23 NLT). Some people have a hard time with this. They think it�s unfair. But it isn�t. God gives us so many chances to believe. And those who end up in Hell will have no one to blameon that final day but themselves. Death is coming. Everyone will face it. There�s no getting around it. The question is whether you will face it as a believer or as a nonbeliever. ----------------------- FourCosmologies “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2Peter 3:13) The cosmos consists of “all things”—every system, every structure, every organism, every process, everything—in heaven and on Earth. Cosmology is the system and study of the whole cosmos. In his final epistle, the apostle Peter outlines four different cosmologies.One is false; the other three are each true but at different times in history. The false cosmology is that of evolutionary uniformitarianism, the doctrine taught by latter-day intellectuals who will scoff: “Where is the promise of his coming?...all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2Peter 3:4). But this is altogether wrong! The heavens and the earth that were “of old...the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2Peter 3:5-6) were the first cosmos. The primeval cosmos, in which “every thing that he had made...was very good” (Genesis1:31), was destroyed in the waters of the great Flood. The present cosmos is “the heavens and the earth, which are now...reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2Peter 3:7). This “present evil world” (Galatians1:4) was to last many a long year, but “the day of the Lord will come...in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise...the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2Peter 3:10). But then, out of the ashes of the old corrupt world, so to speak, God will make a new and incorruptible world. “We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2Peter 3:13). That cosmos will continue forever! “The new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD” (Isaiah66:22). HMM -------------------- ChristOur Passover “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I willpass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus12:13) The Jews of the world have been keeping their annual Feast of the Passover for almost 3,500 years, fulfilling the ancient prophecy: “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever” (Exodus12:24). This was the beginning of the nation of Israel, when they left Egyptian slavery behind and started their trek to the promised land. The lamb had been slain and eaten, its blood placed on the door posts, and the Lord had spared all their firstbornsons when the Destroyer passed through the land of Egypt. The feast was intended not only to memorialize the ancient deliverance but also to anticipate the coming day when the “Lamb of God” would take “away the sin of the world” (John1:29). The night before Christ was crucified, He told His disciples, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke22:15-16). Thereupon, the Lord established His Supper, which Christians will continue to observe to “shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1Corinthians 11:26). He fulfilled all that the Passover prophesied when He shed His blood on the cross, “for even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast,...with...sincerity and truth” (1Corinthians 5:7-8). Now we look forward to an even greater supper when Christ returns, for the promise is this to all who believe: “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation19:9). HMM ------------------ LoveThy Neighbor “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” (Luke10:29) This question was asked Jesus by a “lawyer” (one who specialized in the interpretation and application of the more than 600 commandments of the Old Testament) in response to Jesus’ affirmation that the greatest commandments of the law were, first, to love God,and second, to love “thy neighbour as thyself” (Luke10:27; Matthew 22:39). The Lord Jesus answered his question by telling the famous story of the good Samaritan, concluding by saying: “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke10:37). From this parable are derived several important principles concerning neighbors and what it means to love them. In the first place, a neighbor is not necessarily someone whose home is near ours, or even one who is an acquaintance. The Samaritan had never met the traveler who had been robbed and wounded, nor was he even a fellow countryman. However, there were three criteria that, in the mind of Christ, did make him a neighbor: (1) he was someone whose path had crossed that of the Samaritan; (2) he had a real need; and (3) the Samaritan had the ability to meet that need. Since all three criteriawere satisfied, then there was such an obligation, and the Lord has told us to do likewise. It is such an action that is involved in “loving” one’s neighbor in the same way we love ourselves. It is doing what we would want to have done for us if the roles were reversed. However, there is still something more to it than that: the “love” of which theLord spoke here is the well-known agape love that describes an unselfish love—one that serves the best interests of the recipient without regard to any benefit for the one who loves. In the highest sense, therefore, a genuine love for one’s neighborwould mean seeking the will of God in and for the one who is loved. HMM --------------------- HiddenRocks “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear.” (Jude1:12) The “spots” that the translators chose for this description by Jude may be better understood as “hidden rocks” just below a lake’s surface or covered over by shallow sand in a pathway. Spilas is the Greek word, not used elsewhere in the New Testament. The feasts that Jude refers to are somewhat difficult to describe biblically since this is the only time the word agape is used in the plural. There is some evidence that the early churches were extending the time of celebration of the Lord’s Supper improperly (1Corinthians 11:20-21), and it is probable that his warning would apply to churches that are indifferent to maintaining purity (1Corinthians 11:27-29). But the imagery also appears to express the danger that the “spots” present amidst the loving environment of most churches. Jude gives several insights about the character of those who would resist “the faith.” These people have established themselves as theyfeast and are “feeding themselves without fear.” The word choices are powerful. The spots are suneuocheo (feeding with) and getting along very well with the rest of the church, shepherding themselves (poimaino) boldly (aphobos). This is bad! These evil men have become so entrenched that they lead their own factionwith no fear of resistance or confrontation. The Lord Jesus has stern words to speak to those churches that allow biblical error to establish itself through false teachers and unconcerned leaders (Revelation2–3). Peter describes such people as “spots...and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you...that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls” (2Peter 2:13-14). Not a pretty picture. God does not tolerate such ungodly behavior, and neither should we. HMM III --------------------------- RadioSilence - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. �Isaiah 55:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/radio-silence/- Listen During World War II, a fleet of US ships was patrolling the waters in the Northern Atlantic in search of German U-boats. One night, some American pilots took off from an aircraftcarrier and were ordered to return by a certain hour. But the pilots thought that with a little more time, they could find the enemy and score an impressive hit. So, they stayed out a bit longer. And as the sun set, German shipsentered the area. What the pilots didn�t know was that the Americans had ordered radio silence between the ships and the aircraft so the enemy wouldn�t find them. And the pilots who hadn�treturned on time were running out of fuel. They desperately were trying to find the aircraft carrier, but all the ships had gone dark. The Americans had to make a decision. They could either save the lives of several American pilots or lose hundreds, maybe thousands, of American sailors. So, to the shockand horror of those onboard the ships, the planes crashed into the icy waters of the Atlantic. In the same way, there are people who repeatedly reject God�s call. They keep resisting the urging of the Holy Spirit. But one day, God will order radio silence, so to speak.God said, �My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh� (Genesis 6:3 NLT). Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God also said, �Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near� (Isaiah 55:6 NLT). Most people become Christians by the age of eighteen. That�s because when we�re young, we are open. We�re flexible. By nature, young people thrive on adventure. In contrast,when you get older, you become set in your ways. Older people like routine, predictability, and stability. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, understood this. John�s Gospel tells us his story. He was getting on in years. And when he was talking with Jesus, he had enough spiritual perceptionto realize that he had to act on what Jesus was saying. Jesus had told him, �Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God� (John 3:3 NLT). From the original language, we could translate the term �born again� as �born from above.� This is not evolution but revolution. It is not reincarnation but a spiritual birth. That�s because apart from Christ, we are dead in our sins (see Ephesians 2:1). Here�s what Jesus was saying: �Nicodemus, although you�re a moral guy and a religious guy, it isn�t enough. The fact that you are at the top of the heap in your religion meansnothing. It hasn�t brought you any closer to Heaven. You need to be born again.� There are a lot of people like Nicodemus out there. When someone tells them, �You need Jesus,� they say, �It�s okay. I�m already a churchgoer.� The question is, Are they born again? Either you are or you aren�t. We must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. ---------------------------------- The Danger of Indecision - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. �John 3:20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-danger-of-indecision/- Listen How do you tell the difference between a skeptic who is actually searching spiritually and someone who really isn�t? When you tell them the truth, they will respond. For example, when you answer the questions of a skeptic who is seeking spiritual truth, they are willing to hear your answers. But when you answer the question of someonewho isn�t interested in hearing the truth, they will interrupt you while you�re answering their question. And then they�ll interrupt you again with another question. This is a tactic to get you off track. They want you to go away. But if they�re open, they�ll respond to the truth. When Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus, he had honest questions that Jesus directly answered. Jesus said to him, �All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so otherscan see that they are doing what God wants� (John 3:20�21 NLT). We wonder if there is one thing, one secret statement, that we can say to make a person believe. No such thing exists. Instead, we are to proclaim the simple gospel messageand pray that God will open their spiritual eyes. All the clever arguments in the world will not open a person�s eyes. No matter what happens, it must be the work of the Spirit. Some would assert that no one seeks God and no one is interested in God. However, the Bible teaches that God gives each person enough faith, enough light, to take a firststep. Referring to Jesus, the Gospel of John tells us, �The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world� (1:9 NLT). If they have a little light and respond, then God will give them more light and ultimately bring them to Himself. The Bible also tells us that God �has planted eternity in the human heart� (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). This simply means that every individual has an awareness there is somethingmore�Someone more. There are people who, although they�re living in sin, are not happy there. They don�t feel comfortable or happy in the parties they go to. They�re tired of the backbiting,the games, and the selfishness of others. And they question whether their friends really are their friends. They�re miserable. They don�t want to be in darkness, but they don�t know the way out. The good news is that someone like you can go into their world and say, �God loved you so much that He sent His only Son. And if you will believe in Him, you will not perishbut have everlasting life.� If they�re true seekers, then they�ll have enough light to know that what they�re doing is wrong. They just don�t know what to do next. God reaches people through people, and someone must tell them. At the same time, there will come a moment of decision in their lives. And every time they put that decisionoff, their hearts will get a little harder. ----------------------- FruitlessTrees �Woe unto them!...trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.� (Jude1:11-12) Many illustrations in Scripture compare the responsibility of trees to bear fruit and the responsibility of Christians to produce righteousness. The reason for the frequent comparisons is that �a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupttree bring forth good fruit� (Luke6:43). It is easy to tell what kind a tree is because �every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes� (Luke6:44). Jude is making the point, however, that there are �trees� planted amidst the orchard of God�s kingdom churches that have withering �fruit� or have already been rooted up as worthless, fruitless, and twice-dead. These trees have absolutely no place among thehealthy trees. At best they scar and mar the beauty of the orchard, and at worst they spread their decay and rot throughout it. Another very important point is that trees that have withered or cannot produce good fruit are not salvageable. All of nature demonstrates and reinforces the eternal principle that �every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forthevil fruit� (Matthew7:17). Such dead, fruitless trees are to be �hewn down, and cast into the fire� (Matthew3:10). The common thread in all of these several pictures by Jude is the damage that can be done by ungodly �tares� among the wheat (Matthew13:24-30), fig trees that should be providing nourishment but do not (Luke13:6-9), and plants that are choked by �cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches� (Mark4:19). All of these can spread the �leaven� through the whole �lump� and undermine the work of God (Galatians5:9). HMM III -------------------------------------------- WaterlessClouds �Woe unto them!...clouds they are without water, carried about of winds.� (Jude1:11-12) This appears to be the only reference in the Bible that compares clouds to people. Several references use cloud imagery to depict the presence of God directing Israel (Exodus13:21), speaking to Moses (Exodus16:10-11), anointing the tabernacle (Exodus40:34-38) and the temple (1Kings 8:10-11), and speaking to the apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew17:5). Our Lord Jesus was taken up to heaven in a cloud (Acts1:9) and will return in a cloud as well (Luke21:27). Here, however, Jude applies a strong negative imagery. Those who introduce evil into the Lord�s churches may seem to represent the presence of God, but their misty vapor holds no �water��it will only obscure the brilliance of light and obfuscate the real �temperature� of the environment. In an agrarian-based economy, clouds were hopeful signs of rain to refresh the land. Some of that positive view has been lost by urban societies, which often see rain as an inconvenience. New Testament imagery connects water with life-giving properties emanatingfrom the Holy Spirit and with the cleansing value of the words of Scripture (John4:14; Ephesians 5:26). Paul warned Pastor Titus about many �unruly and vain talkers and deceivers� who must be stopped so that �good men� would become �sound in the faith� (Titus1:8-13). Thus, Jude compares those who hinder �the faith� to those who appear to represent godly pursuits and character but are empty of the refreshing and guiding power of the Holy Spirit and void of biblical wisdom and insight. They are �tossed to and fro, and carriedabout with every wind of doctrine� (Ephesians4:14) and �serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple� (Romans16:18). HMM III ---------------------------------- HeDoth Devise Means �For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neitherdoth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.� (2Samuel 14:14) These words of the �wise woman of Tekoah,� spoken to King David concerning Absalom, his son, were wiser than she knew, for they reflect a principle of human experience that affects us all. Human life must eventually deteriorate and die; this declension cannotbe reversed any more than water poured down on the ground can be �un-poured� up into the cup again. This principle is the famous law of entropy (�in-turning�). Physical systems wear out; biological organisms get old and die; societies and empires fall and vanish. All these phenomena are local expressions of God�s universal curse on man and all his dominion(Genesis3:14-19). It applies to everything, without exception. However, the very existence of the law of entropy points to a Creator because systems that are wearing out must first have been made new, and beings that die must first have been given life. The very idea of a universal naturalistic evolution of all thingsinto more complex systems is contrary to all real scientific data and is contradicted by all human experience. Nevertheless, the God who created all things can surely �devise means� by which the law of decay can be set aside. Solar energy and the hydrologic cycle can raise the spilled water; the sinful life can be purified by God�s grace and the blood of Christ; andthe dead can be revived by the resurrection life of Christ. Someday the Curse itself will be removed when God creates new heavens and a new earth, and the whole creation �shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the childrenof God� (Romans8:21). HMM