The Full Assurance of Hope - Jeremiah 46-47 and Hebrews 6
Israel was in a very difficult situation, so God comforted them and explained to them that He would save them from their bondage and return them to the Land. He wanted them to have assurance of their hope in Him in spite of everything that was going on around them. They had seen Jerusalem destroyed and burned, because of their sin. Many were taken to Babylon and others fled to Egypt against God's will. Now, God was destroying Egypt and Philistia. Soon, He would destroy Babylon, too. It must have seemed that the whole world was falling apart around them. However, God did not want Israel to be without hope. He wanted them to repent of their sins ans return to Him. In the process He wanted them to have the assurance that He would save them. That is what God wants for everyone. He does not want us to be without hope. He wants us to know that our hope comes from Him and that if we trust Him, our hope is sure. Therefore, He told the Jews not to be dismayed, but to know He would save them. He told them to have rest and to be at ease, knowing that He would correct them, but He would not make a complete end of them. His message was to give them the full assurance of hope. They could tell their children and others that God would save them and restore them to the Land.
The same is true for us as Christians. All around us are people who claim to be Christians, but they have no fruit in their lives. Their lives come crashing down because God brings destruction against them. It could make us wonder if we are saved, too. That is not what God wants to happen. He wants us to go on to perfection, which means maturity. He wants us to see the fruit of His Spirit in our lives and to be assured of our salvation. He does not want any Christian to say, "I hope I am saved." He wants each of us to know we are saved. (I John 5:13) In fact, if we don't have the assurance of our salvation, of our sure hope in Him, something is wrong, and we need to find out what it is. There are many people who think they have been saved by something they did. We can't save ourselves. Salvation is by grace. It is a gift. When God saves us, He gives us His Spirit, and our lives are different. There will be fruit produced by His Spirit. When we see that fruit we can be assured, He has come into our lives, and He will never let us go. We can know we have a sure hope of eternal life with Him. I pray that each of us has this full assurance of hope. If you don't have it, go to the Lord and make sure you know Him. Make that your number one priority, until you have the full assurance of hope.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 48-49 and Hebrews 7.
The same is true for us as Christians. All around us are people who claim to be Christians, but they have no fruit in their lives. Their lives come crashing down because God brings destruction against them. It could make us wonder if we are saved, too. That is not what God wants to happen. He wants us to go on to perfection, which means maturity. He wants us to see the fruit of His Spirit in our lives and to be assured of our salvation. He does not want any Christian to say, "I hope I am saved." He wants each of us to know we are saved. (I John 5:13) In fact, if we don't have the assurance of our salvation, of our sure hope in Him, something is wrong, and we need to find out what it is. There are many people who think they have been saved by something they did. We can't save ourselves. Salvation is by grace. It is a gift. When God saves us, He gives us His Spirit, and our lives are different. There will be fruit produced by His Spirit. When we see that fruit we can be assured, He has come into our lives, and He will never let us go. We can know we have a sure hope of eternal life with Him. I pray that each of us has this full assurance of hope. If you don't have it, go to the Lord and make sure you know Him. Make that your number one priority, until you have the full assurance of hope.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 48-49 and Hebrews 7.