Where Is Your Hope? :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: November 15, 2020 by RR7

Sometimes it’s hard to go on. We place our hope in “things” (jobs, cars, possessions) and in our fellow man, but too often those hopes are dashed. We petition God in prayer, and if His answer is something other than what we want, we lose hope or blame God for not caring. Even Paul came to the end of his rope at times.

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Fortunately, Paul and his companions survived the ordeal. There are many disappointments in life, and those times of testing make us stronger if we realize that our hope doesn’t depend upon situations or people. A Christian’s hope is in Jesus Christ.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

This beautiful hymn, “My Hope Is Built,” was written by Edward Mote, a cabinet maker and pastor. The words came to him as he wanted to write a hymn about the joy of Christianity. He wrote them down, then put them in his pocket. Later, he visited a friend whose wife was very ill and wanted to see Brother Mote. During the visit, the words were read to the woman, who took great comfort in them.

We never know what twists and turns life will take, but the hope we have in Jesus Christ makes every bad time easier to bear, and every good time even better.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

If you’ve placed your hope and faith in anything but Jesus Christ, then you have no hope. The worries of the world will overwhelm you with despair. Christians have hope of everlasting life, so no matter what befalls us today, our eternity is secure.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

Jesus is the light of the world, but troubles can sometimes blind us to His pure light. Jesus said “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).

His light never fades, but too often we are blind to His light because we allow the storms of life to make us forget that He is always with us. This isn’t a new problem for followers of Christ. Even the disciples allowed fear to get in their way of finding peace through Jesus. Once when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a violent storm suddenly came upon them. Jesus was sleeping peacefully, but His disciples were terrified. They hurried to Him and fearfully accused Him of not caring whether or not they sank.

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

The disciples were people just like us. They trusted Jesus completely when nothing was going wrong, but when a storm arose, they allowed their fear to muddle their thoughts… they were convinced He didn’t care. Satan will use every storm in life to put doubt into our minds. Jesus Christ is with us during peaceful times as well as when storms hit and we despair of life. Don’t allow doubt to muddle your thinking. Jesus loves each of us, and He is our hope during life’s storms. He is our anchor.

His oath, His covenant, His blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

When God makes a promise, He never goes back on it. He made a covenant with Abraham which gave Abraham the land of Canaan forever, as well as the promise that Abraham would be the father of nations. The evidence of that covenant is circumcision, which involves shedding a bit of blood.

“This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed” (Genesis 17:10-12).

The Old Covenant was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, God incarnate, who shed His blood and established the New Covenant. “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

The New Covenant is not only available to the seed of Abraham, but to Gentiles also. Placing your faith and hope in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God Almighty, makes you a part of that New Covenant, and nothing can break it.

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).

No matter what happens in this life, if you’ve accepted the blood of Christ for salvation, you can stand firmly upon the fact that your sins are forgiven and your true home is with Him eternally. If you’re facing overwhelming fear because of the happenings in the world, be of good courage. He is your hope. Maybe you’ve had some bad news about your health, or you’ve lost your job, or your marriage is in trouble. Whatever storm you’re facing, remember His promise to you.

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13).

If you believe in Him, then you’ve been adopted into His family. Don’t despair or feel overwhelmed with fear. Trust Jesus to see you through. Hope in Him is never misplaced.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

Are you listening for that trumpet? “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Many people die each day, and many of them had rejected Christ. They placed their hope in good works or some false god that cannot give everlasting life. Their hope was in vain. Only we who have accepted the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation have the hope and assurance of eternal life. Not everyone will die. Very soon we’ll hear the trumpet sound and find ourselves standing before our precious Redeemer who shed His blood for our salvation. Only righteous people can stand before God, but nobody is righteous. We are all sinners who are far from good, let alone righteous. It’s not our own righteousness that gives us the hope of eternal life.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26).

Only faith in Christ imparts His righteousness to you and to me. Only faith in Him will allow us into Heaven.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

Where have you placed your hope? Is it in a mere mortal man, is it in your own good works (which are nothing more than filthy rags in the eyes of God), or is your hope in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

I stand on Christ, the solid Rock. How about you?

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original scripture is “theopneustos” – God-breathed.

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What Comes from Persecution? :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: November 8, 2020 by RR7

Persecution is horrible. Nobody should have to live under persecution, but it’s been around a long, long time. The Jewish people have always been persecuted, but so have Christians. Jesus said it would happen.

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).

Persecution plagued Jesus all of His life. Jesus had begun His life among mankind humbly in a manger. Not exactly where one would expect to find the King of kings, but when the shepherds looked for Him, they knew exactly where to find Him. They had been given the good news by angels who told them where to find their Messiah. Later, Joseph moved the family to a house where the magi from the East paid a visit. They presented the Child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and those expensive gifts would support the family as they fled to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Christian persecution began early.

When Jesus began His ministry, He had a small band of Jewish followers. Those men saw many miracles and heard the Gospel from God’s own lips. Those first followers of Christ faced persecution. Life in the Jewish community revolved around the Temple, and the Pharisees had decreed that anyone who followed Jesus would be banned from the Temple. That meant business connections were severed, as well as friendships, family ties, and other necessities of their daily life. One Sabbath, Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. Rather than rejoicing over the healing, the Pharisees condemned the healing on the Sabbath and wouldn’t even believe the man was born blind. They called in his parents, who confirmed he had been born without sight.

“But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue” (John 9: 21-22). Persecution was growing.

Things continued to get worse after the Resurrection. Those who followed Christ and were absolutely sure that He was the Messiah wouldn’t deny Him. The persecution these people faced caused them to pull together. Since they were no longer welcome among their Jewish family, they drew close together and took care of each other.

“And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37).

These first believers cared about each other during this time when persecution was taking away jobs and fellow Christians needed food. Their agape love was evident as they supported their fellow Christians. The persecution that was meant to break Christianity only strengthened the bond.

Then persecution became deadly. It began when Stephen was arrested on a false charge of blasphemy. Stephen was a man who had strong faith and didn’t hide it.

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:8).

Wouldn’t it be marvelous if every Christian could be described in such a manner? That’s exactly what got him in trouble with the Jewish authorities. Stephen defended himself by giving a history lesson which showed how the Jewish people had always missed God’s work the first time. Stephen was about to tell them they had missed their Messiah on His first coming when, in a frenzy, the Sanhedrin stoned him. It was an ugly scene, and a young man named Saul held their cloaks.

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1).

The persecution in Jerusalem was the catalyst which began to spread the Good News from Jerusalem into the world. The strong bonds of brotherhood that were formed in the first days of Christianity weren’t broken but were strengthened because of the persecution. When the Christians fled, they found themselves in faraway places such as Damascus where they began reaching out to others and witnessing for Christ. At first, they sought other Jewish groups. Instead of turning their backs on Christ, they witnessed to those Jewish men and women, and Christianity began to spread. It was the persecution that gave them the push, but the Holy Spirit led them.

Saul wasn’t satisfied with just stoning Stephen, and his desire to persecute any Jewish person who embraced Christ was strong. So, he went after those who had fled from Jerusalem.

“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).

Persecution was growing stronger against Christians, but God had other plans. On the way to Damascus, Saul was confronted by Jesus. There was a bright light that surrounded him and a voice was heard.

“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me?” (Acts 9:4).

Jesus got to the heart of the matter. It wasn’t the people who were being persecuted, but it was Jesus. People like Saul saw the Christian faith as the problem instead of seeing Christ as the solution. Because of the mercy of God, Saul repented and his life was totally changed. Instead of persecuting Christians, Paul (Saul) became a powerful missionary who spread the Gospel far and wide.

Brothers and sisters, persecution is coming to America very soon. Remember, it’s not us they hate. They hate Jesus. Somehow, we need to show His love to the lost.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).

Jesus says that we need to love those who persecute us. That settles it.

You might believe persecution couldn’t happen in America. After all, we have a Constitution which guarantees us the right to assemble peacefully and speak freely. It seems that those rights only protect the liberals of today who embrace Satan’s lies. It seems as if it’s perfectly within the constitutional rights to riot and destroy property but not to meet in church and sing. We can read and hear liberal news and posts on social media, but just try to promote conservative views and you’ll be banned from Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Satan has successfully gagged preachers, stopping them from teaching God’s view of homosexuality and other government-sanctioned sins by giving tax exemptions to those who are willingly silenced.

Today there’s a virus that Satan is using to separate Christians and silence us. That evil creature is successfully closing our places of worship and stopping us from publicly praising our Lord. This virus blindsided Christians who willingly isolate, refuse to shake hands, and won’t greet each other with a warm embrace even though Scripture directs us to just that. Christians need to listen to the words of Peter, who was told not to preach in the name of Jesus, or face prison.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

True believers will honor God, even in the face of persecution. It’s becoming harder and harder to tell true believers from those who are just pew-warmers. Scripture tells us to greet each other with a holy kiss…or a handshake and a hug. Scripture says not to stop assembling together. Scripture tells us that when we are sick to call for the elders to lay hands on us and pray. Have you done any of those things lately, or are you cowering in fear?

God never changes. Jesus existed before the beginning of creation and He will be the same through eternity.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

People haven’t changed, what with our fallen nature, our selfish desires, and our pitiful way of twisting God’s truth to fit Satan’s lies. Many Christians mimic the fallen world and embrace sin, so only God knows if their faith is real.

“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33).

You might avoid persecution by espousing the ways of the world, but in doing so, you deny God. If you’re travelling the same direction as Satan, he won’t bother you; so if you don’t feel persecuted, then perhaps you need to pick up your Bible and start applying it to your life. Many Christians around the world face persecution and the very real threat against their lives because of their faith. If Christians in America don’t start standing on God’s truth and speaking up, we will become as persecuted as those in other nations. Peter and the other Apostles wouldn’t be silenced. They had no fear of what man would do but had faith in what God had done. In spite of persecution, they would not be silenced.

Brothers and sisters, if you study your Bible, you know that we are rapidly approaching the end of days. Daniel’s 70^th week will hold many horrors that have never been seen before. What is restraining the evil from being unleashed? Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and His supernatural power within us restrains the supernatural evil of Satan. Christians quench the power of the Holy Spirit by ignoring Him and embracing the ways of the world. That might keep you from being persecuted, but it denies God. God has not weakened, but there are fewer people who are willing to face persecution rather than deny God.

One day very soon, all Christians will be Raptured. That’s when literally all hell will break loose. Satan will no longer be restrained, and his evil will permeate all of mankind.

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8).

The Greek word “katecho” is translated “withholdeth” and “letteth” and means to “hold back, restrain… that which hinders the Antichrist from making his appearance.” When Christians are Raptured, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be no more. The Holy Spirit will still work during those final seven years, and it will still be possible to accept Christ for salvation, but if you aren’t willing to face persecution for Him today, you certainly won’t be willing to be beheaded for your faith then. Don’t live in a “gray area.” Put full trust in Jesus today.

Persecution isn’t new, but it does separate true believers from those who just give lip-service to Christ. In times past it forged unbreakable bonds between Christians and served to spread the Gospel. What will it do today? That’s up to each Christian. Will you stand upon God’s word in spite of persecution, or will you hide your faith under a cloak of fear? Be sure your choice is the Biblical choice.