Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him." (John 18:37-38) That mankind cannot be trusted to deal with this truth is quite obvious. Pilate found no fault with Jesus but had him crucified anyway.  What truth did Jesus come into the world to testify to? “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins…Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord….” (Ma...

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:13) To be honest, I sometimes doubt the gospel. And by gospel I mean the biblical good news that after I die, at some point Jesus will return to resurrect me to immortal, eternal life.  Is that bad? No, just common sense working in me questioning something that I have never personally seen. That is, I have never seen someone who has died and was later brought back to immortal, never ending life. Jesus is the only person who has done so according to the bible and that occurred 2000 years ago and he is no longer physically present to prove to us he is alive, or immortal. “…our Lord Jesus Christ…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can se...

“For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, since in the days to come both will be forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 2:16) Black Lives Matter – All Lives Matter – Blue Lives Matter Matter in what sense? Matter to Whom? Matter for how long? It has been my observation over 66 years that the only lives that actually matter to anyone are those they love, or are currently dependent upon. That is not a cynical view of life, but simply common sense reality. I have been to, or witnessed on TV, funerals where the house was packed, tears were abundant, and eulogies were long. But two weeks later, the deceased did not matter to anyone but those who had really loved them or had been dependent upon them. That is OK. That is life as most men understand it. Napoleon nailed it for most men when he said...  “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever” – Napoleon Bonaparte Do people really matter? I think so, but my hope will not be in Donald Trump or Hillary C...

“…the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." (Hebrews 7:18-19) The "better hope" that we have for becoming perfect is the Gospel of God. The Gospel is the good news that in Christ Jesus all will be “made alive” , all will be “changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye”  and all will become a “new creation in Christ Jesus” where God is “All in all” . “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…that God may be All in all…a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-52, 28; 2 Corinthians 5:17) Perfection is a promise from God which occurs for us when in His GRACE our salvation is complete. And that salvation does not occur as a result of any works or good decisions we make, but is the result of a decision God has made to save si...

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40) Let me make an observation. You, I nor anyone else who has ever lived, with the exception of Jesus Christ, love like this. Ergo, you, I and everyone else, with the exception of Jesus Christ, have broken the “Law and the Prophets” which makes us all SINNERS. “…there is none righteous, no not one…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. ” (Romans 3:10, 23) Furthermore, you, I nor anyone else who has ever lived, will ever love as set forth above in this life, even after we become believers of the “gospel of God” (the gospel which few seem to comprehend), even though some come much closer than others. But w...

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance...we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things.”  (Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Timothy 4:9-11) God's ultimate plan for mankind is to prosper us and not harm us. He will save all mankind.   We have been studying the book of Revelation in Sunday School and this past Sunday we ended that study with the following promise from God... "...and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away...Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:4-6) There is to be a consummation of God's purpose for those ages. At that point in time both friends and enemies, believers and unbelievers ...

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:28-31) I am reminded daily of my mortality through various aches and pains that were not there when I was a “youth” . And I am reminded in the Scripture that one day I must go “the way of all the earth” .  As King David's time to die drew near, he said to his son… "I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man….” (1 Kings 2:2) Good advice for our sons and grandsons.  And in the book of Hebrews the writer reminds each of us of our salvat...

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) One of the most successful TV commercials of all time says ''You only go around once in life, so you have to grab for all the gusto you can get!” That is a suitable moto for both the believer and unbeliever. God has given that life, so you might as well live it to its fullest potential. Nevertheless the truth of the Scripture is more in line with the title of the 1967 James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice”. All people will live twice. Once as a mortal where we experience the difference between good and evil and then die and give God an accounting as to how we lived it. I am convinced that perfect attendance in Church won’t count for much. I think that what will matter to God  is whether you left this “present evil age” (Galatians 1:4) a little better just because you lived in it. “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God…For the Son of Man is goin...

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11) Peter was speaking to dispersed Jews who were undergoing severe persecution. But the truth about suffering applies to all mankind in this age. However, GLORY follows the suffering. That is the good news of the Bible. I have become tired of religious doctrine which ignores the good news of the Bible in favor of the bad news of Greek mythology. All have sinned, it is true, and suffer death because of it, and that is by the design of God himself. But what follows the suffering is Glory for all creation. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us…for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope…for w...

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." (Romans 8:18-19) There is much suffering in this world. From the homeless in our country to the poor and starving in other parts of the world. Tender hearts are broken and their tears fall when they see such suffering. It all seems so futile and pointless. Why are those suffering...suffering? “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." (Romans 8:20-22) The Greek word translated “hope” above is “helpidi” and does NOT mean hope as we understand the word 2000 years later. We s...

“…we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things.” (1 Timothy 4:10) I can imagine being asked by a defensive church leader. Robert, assuming that the above verse is true (as if the Bible might not be true) and God is actually the Savior of all men and does so, what exactly are we to do, close all the churches, seminaries and missionary organizations? I would bow my head in prayer and ask the Father for permission to say YES  – but before I did he would go on to ask: Doesn’t obeying the 10 commandments, repenting when we sin, joining a church, sacrificially giving, getting baptized, reading the bible, winning people to Jesus, getting involved in AWANA, fighting abortion, bashing Obama for his love of Islam and attending and supporting the local church please God? So I would swallow my pride and humbly say. I don’t know but it will sure please 20% of the Christians I know who need some help in doing t...

The gospel (good news) is for every person and it is really simple. Intellectual religious types stumble over its simplicity and twist it to try to control behavior by bringing guilt and shame. Take the following verses in Hebrews… “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) SIMPLE EXPLANATION: The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the Savior of the world and the Great High Priest of Israel. He is the AUTHOR of our faith that God will save mankind and that God will FINISH what He promised. We have a great cloud of witnesses that died without having experienced what they had been promised. All those promises wi...

"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:8-9) What or whom is your hope in? Mankind has generally depended on the wisdom of men and women. Solomon was the wisest man who had ever lived in his day...yet he found that the wisdom and reason of men cannot change the fact that both good and wicked men have the same fate...death. Utopian ideas of wise men have all been failures. Whether it has been based on democracy or autocracy...philosophy or theology...capitalism or statism. So what is the alternative to trusting in the reason and wisdom of mankind? FAITH in God it seems to me. Faith that there is a good God is a sure foundatio...

“…we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance character; and character, hope…” (Romans 5:2-4) When I was very young I had regular migraine headaches. I remember them to be so awful that at times I would tell Mom that I wanted to die as she would lovingly rub my temples with my head in her lap. The doctor prescribed a medication for me at the time that would gradually put me to sleep. And when I woke up the headache would be gone and I was glad I did not die. Over time I learned to focus, not AT the pain, but THROUGH it to the time when it would be gone. Faith that it would subside in time gave me hope and allowed me to endure the pain. I think that is what Paul is talking about above when he says we can boast in our “sufferings” which produces hope of a better life to come when we are glorified in our resurrection. “When the perishable has been clothed with the im...

“For if the dead are not raised…your faith is worthless…Then those also who have fallen asleep…have perished…. If we have hope in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19) People are born and live with various problems…ALL have problems. You’re particular problem does not dictate you are more to be pitied than someone else. Many Christians deal with their mental and physical state by seeking and hoping for some miracle from God to cure them….and some get temporary relief and attribute it to prayer …but we all will eventually check out of this present evil age! Some can’t deal with their problems…so they check out early. Don’t feel sorry for them, and don’t condemn them. They just play the hand that was dealt to them. I have found that there is only one thing that gives HOPE…the biblical promise of life after death, where there is no more tears, pain, sorrow... or pity. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the fir...

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3). Above is a clear statement of the good news from Peter. As a result of God’s MERCY, mankind will be “begotten again” . This living hope is instilled in us when we both hear and believe… "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24). Those of us who have heard and believed in this life have the joy of the HOPE of everlasting life. However, most of mankind die before they hear and believe, so they die without the HOPE of everlasting life. But just as all mankind die as a result of Adam’s sin, so shall all mankind be freely give...

Faith that there is a God is my foundation for hope. I find in the Bible that He loves me and all others...and that because of this love, and His Grace, mankind cannot miss His goal of perfecting us, regardless of how much we fail in this age. I would not trade this faith I now have in God for anything...it sustains me in the midst of an... "...unbelieving and perverse generation..." (Matthew 17:17)

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) Sometimes I wonder how many Christians actually believe what the Bible teaches. God has promised to save the world. Is that too hard for Him? “…God our Savior; Who WILL have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom FOR ALL, to be testified in due time.” (1 Timothy 2:1-7 KJV) How is it that those who claim to believe in Him do not believe what He says? Regardless of what men have taught for 2000 years, I prefer to believe God and hold fast to my hope without wavering. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

”And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14) Wouldn’t that be great…or would it? Ever prayed that your favorite football team would win the game? Well there is someone on the other team praying the same thing. Ever prayed for rain? Well there was probably someone praying it won't rain that day due to something they felt was important. And how about war…we sure want our side to win? Or how about praying for our favorite political party or politician who is going to stand up for what we believe in and want? Get the picture? Obviously Jesus did not mean we could ask and get anything we want. Thank goodness! What he did say was anything we ask in prayer that is in agreement with what the Father WILLS and who knows what is in our best interest, we will have it. Ask all you want but God is only going to give you want HE wants. So try praying for what HE wants……like t...