PENTECOST • 23

How do we live in light of Jesus second coming? How do we live if the resurrection is real?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

Eternally righteous God,

merciful judge of all the living,

in your love you called us

to share the glory of Christ.

Strengthen our hearts in every good work and word,

that we may be steadfast in your ways

and always believe your truth. Amen.

reading for: Tuesday Night, 1 November

Luke 20:27-38

The Future Resurrection Makes Our Earthly Life Matter

  • READ

    Do our earthly actions and decisions matter in heaven? To what extent does it matter and what will life be like after?

    The Sadducees were a religious sect in the Jewish society and though they believed in God, didn’t believe in the resurrection. In other words, they thought that there would be no life after death (v. 27). Everything ends at death. So with that background, you can see why they were trying to trap Jesus with their question - if we follow Moses’ instruction in the law for a brother to marry his dead brother’s wife, what happens in heaven? Whose wife will she belong to (v. 33)?

    To appreciate God’s law through Moses (Deut 25:5-10), we have to understand God’s heart. Back then, only males had power in society. And a woman without a husband, or a woman whose husband had died, would be utterly powerless in society. And no one would want to marry a widow. Hence God’s instruction for the brother to not only take care of his dead brother’s wife, but continue his lineage (Deut 25:6). Without which, the brother’s wife would not only be condemned in society, but his brother’s name would also cease forever.

    Yet the importance of this action wasn’t just for the time on earth. The reason for God’s call to “love our neighbour” expressed in this way was so that we would be counted to be “worthy of being raised from the dead” for the age to come (v. 35). Raised to be sons of God and sons of the resurrection (v. 36). For God isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living (v. 38).

    In other words, there is some continuity between our current life on earth (this age) and our future life (next age). Even though marriages and our marriage relationships (husband and wife) will cease after this age, it is actually meant to point to the kind of intimate and beautiful relationships we’ll continue to have in the next age, as Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-33). And the way we live now, the decisions we make now, not only points to a future hope of beautiful relationships we’ll have, but it also bears significance for us if we have lived a life worthy for the next age.

  • REFLECT

    Just the other night over dinner with 2 other married couples we had the privilege of considering what life after death, life in heaven would look like. Some of the thoughts were that we would be “floating white sheets” like Casper the friendly ghost and our only words would be “holy, holy, holy”! Of course, we would be floating and singing to the tune of a harp. If that were true, life with God for eternity wouldn’t be worth looking forward and living for. In fact, life in earth sounds so much better! Plus if that were the case, all of our current actions and decisions would only matter for the sake of proving our worth for a sad afterlife.

    To anchor our thinking on “heavenly life”, we just need to have Genesis 1-2 and Revelations 21-22 in mind. The garden (of Eden) picture that God created first, and the garden city (New Jerusalem) picture that John paints out for us. To be sure, there are no clouds and floating sheets represents human beings. Its a new city with the fullness of God’s presence, with the river of life (Rev 22) flowing through. And that is where those who are counted as worthy will live. It is where those who are found to be faithfully praying (Luke 18:8), those who receive the kingdom of God like a child (18:17) will be. Where those who have given up everything to follow Jesus in their earthly life time, will receive many times more (Luke 18:29-30).

    Is there a significant decision that you must undertake this week? Instead of just looking at it from a purely human perspective, can you consider it from God’s perspective? How will your decision have impact on the lives of people? How will that decision have an impact on your family? How will it impact the families of those involved?

    What would it look like to “love your neighbour” in that situation? How will your decision reflect the faith like the persistent widow who was hopeful of the resurrection life?

reading for: Wednesday Night, 2 November

Job 19:23-27a

The Tangible Hope of Resurrection

  • READ

Job is a well-known character in the bible who basically loses everything, his family, his assets and his health (Job 1-2). In Job 19, Job is responding to his friends who have been trying to comfort him by explaining why he is in such a sad state. But their well meaning efforts only inflict more pain and isolation (Job 19:19). Finally, in desperation, Job pleads for his friends to have mercy on him and spare him more agony and pain that he’s already feeling (v. 21). To stop persecuting and adding guilt and pain to him (v. 22).

But in a moment of revelation, out of the depths of his conviction of the hope he has in such terrible times, he is suddenly caught by the realisation that his God is not dead. And that his Redeemer lives (v. 25) and He will one day come back and stand victorious.

He is able to realise that though his skin (a symbol of his earthly physical health) will be destroyed, he will be able to one day in his flesh (a symbol of his future embodied physical being) see God (v. 26).

In fact, Job’s confidence that he will see God is so sure, that he says again, that he will witness it one day himself, with his own eyes (v. 27).

Job’s confidence of the tangible hope of resurrection is quite similar to the apostle Paul, for he too longed to see and be with Christ (Philippians 1:23). And the prize and reward for his faithfulness was clear to him even as he neared the end of his life (2 Tim 4:8). Finally, like Paul who was sure of God’s final vindication and revenge (Romans 12:19), Job also knew that one day, God would finally vindicate him and punish his enemies (v. 23-24).

Job’s hope of His Redeemer was so clear and tangible despite his crazily difficult circumstances. His eyes and heart was able to focus on His redeemer who would one day stand victorious (v. 25).

  • REFLECT

    None of us today can certainly compare ourselves and our challenges to Job’s. Some of us might have lost our family, or find ourselves so poor but we might still have our health. Yet how many of us have the same tangible hope of God as our Redeemer? How many of us in our dark times are able to look forward to the soon return of Jesus?

    This kind of hope isn’t attained overnight, it is born and nurtured through life’s ups and downs. And as Paul says in Romans 3:3-5,

    We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

    What if we had a different view of our challenges and problems that we face so often in our daily lives? What if we were to see them as opportunities to grow to trust in our Redeemer? Or times where it reveals our blindness towards God? But through it all, an invitation to place our hope and trust in the Redeemer who will one day come and stand upon the earth?

    Pray and ask the Lord to nurture the kind of hope that comes from a character that has endured through the trails in life. For God has already given you His spirit and started a new work of filling and transforming your life in love.

reading for: Thursday Night, 3 November

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Living Sensibly Waiting the Resurrection

  • READ

    In the Thessalonica church, they had wrongly assumed that the day of the Lord had already come (v. 2). The day of the Lord basically meant that Jesus had returned for the second time and would bring a finality to His work. It was a deception no less and was a key warning Paul had to write to the Thessalonian church to stand guard against (v. 3). Paul then details that the rebellion and man of lawlessness must first come before that day (v. 4).

    Why did Paul have to warn them against this? Suppose I told you that you only had to live 1 more day. After which you would die and meet God your Judge. Basically life as you know it today, would end. What would you do in your last 24 hours? In light of your earthly life ending in 24 hours, what would matter to you?

    Although we’re not told what the Thessalonians did, church history has recorded for us the crazy things people would do if they thought Jesus was coming back tomorrow. Many false prophets and teachers have managed to convince people in this way. Stopping the good work they were doing, making them sell all their belongings and wait on a hill. And of course, history has shown us too that they were deceived.

    We have been chosen as the firstfruits of God’s salvific work on earth. We have been called to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus and are called to proclaim and bear witness to this love and hope (v. 13-16). Through our actions and decisions, our life on earth we are to bear witness to Jesus (v. 17). Our lives, sensibly and strongly lived out in the teachings of apostles, are meant to point to the day of the Lord. Rather than wasting our time in guessing when that is, or falsely believing that Jesus will not return or will return tomorrow, we need to stand firm and live out His word in our lives. We need to live sensibly and by the Spirit, bearing witness that Jesus will come again. We are to continue doing good (2 Thes 3:13).

  • REFLECT

    Unlike the Thessalonian church who were deceived that Jesus was returning tomorrow, I think many of us are deceived and think that Jesus will not return at all. Or at least, the idea and thought of Jesus second coming is so strange and unnecessary to many of us. We live in a manner that is caught up in our daily affairs and activities, as if only our work matters so much. We live in a “YOLO” (You Live Only Once) way and make decisions in our life as if we will not one day stand before Jesus in judgment.

    Or much like what Ps Terence mentioned a few weeks back, we are “Practical Atheists”. Christians who say we believe in Jesus and follow him, but practically in our lives, live as if there is no God. Like the Thessalonians, we too can be deceived into another lie. Rather than standing firm on what has been taught to us through the scriptures and church for 2000 years, we are actually standing on sand.

    Take time to reflect and allow the Spirit to show you how you might living out of a false belief. Has there been an important decision you recently made this week? What did that say about what you really believe about Jesus’ second coming?

reading for: Friday Night, 4 November

Psalm 17:1-9

A Prayer for Us Waiting on God

  • READ

    Although we don’t know in what context exactly David writes and prays this Psalm, we can be assured that it is a prayer for someone learning to wait on God. Someone learning to wait for God’s answer, someone learning to wait and live in light of God.

    The first 2 verses are an immediate cry towards God for help and justice. That the LORD would hear his cry and plea for help. That God who seems so far away now, would pay attention and hear his prayer. (Don’t we all wish and long for our prayers to be heard?)

    In this same breath, there is also a plea for innocence. A plea for God’s vindication and action to be done on (Don’t we all long for God’s justice and action?)

    The next 3 verses are a confession. First on what God has done in his life, the testing and examination which the LORD has done even in the night. And a confession of David that he has done all he can to remain pure, following the commands of God and staying on God’s paths (How many of us can have such confidence and live with such openness towards God?)

    The final 4 verses then are a continual plea towards God. Having first cried out to Him, having laid his own heart and life bare before God, he now stands confident that God will answer and listen. And asks to see His unfailing love acted out in his life, defeating his enemies, guarding and protecting him from the wickedness and enemies that surround him.

    This Psalm shows us a way in which we can learn to come before the LORD, even as we wait on Him to answer.

  • REFLECT

    Quite often in our prayers, we merely take the first step of crying out and making our pleas to Him. We plead that He would hear our prayer and plead for our innocence and justice around us. But do we come to the place of confession? Allowing our hearts and lives to be so open to His examination? And in that place of examination, acknowledge our failure and sin before Him and ask that He re-direct our ways and hearts according to His ways?

    From that place of repentance and confession, that place of having received God’s forgiveness and embrace, then we are able to stand confidently before Him. Assured that He hears us. Do we then have that same boldness to ask for our enemies to be defeated and for His unfailing love to come forth so strongly around us?

    This is how the Psalmist prayed. Can we be quiet and wait on God so that we too can learn to pray like David did?

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