"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT OUR FUTURE IN HEAVEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT OUR FUTURE IN HEAVEN"

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:

1. David the King, wrote this Psalm about the King of Kings and the future of all believers in heaven. 

2. But, before getting into any detail about heaven, David talks about two things that follow believers here on earth, while we wait to go to heaven.

(1) Goodness is one of the blessings of God that follows us while here on earth. The word goodness, also translated good, better, best, merry, prosperity, favour. It has the idea of that which is good, pleasant and agreeable. It speaks of benefit, welfare, and moral good. So, as a believer, take a moment please and look back behind you, and thank God for the "Goodness" that has followed you. And, take a moment to think about the fact that tomorrow, you will be able to look back on today, and know that "Goodness" was with you. It's following you all the days of your life.

(2) Mercy. This is the other blessing from God that follows you. God is the God of mercies, and it's by His mercy that He saved You. He was merciful to even keep you alive before you were saved, and then while you were dead in your sins and trespasses, by His mercies He made you alive with Christ. And, that mercy has been right behind you day by day. What does mercy mean? It means kindness, lovingkindness, kindly, faithfulness. And, by the way, His mercies are new every morning. So, tomorrow, You will have new mercies from God to start your day with, and then at the end of the day, Mercy will have followed you all day long. 

3. God is Good, and God is merciful. And He is with you each moment of your life. He will not abandon You, and nothing can separate you from His love for you. 

4. David then makes this wonderful statement about the future. In fact, it actually has two part to it.
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

(1) All the days of my life. That's what David said. He was speaking of his life, but it applies to Your life as a follower of Jesus Christ. Imagine that, all the days. No day's off. No missed days, No lapses, but a consistent flow of God's Goodness, and Mercy following you all the days of your life. Here's how it reads in the NLT Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. These blessings of Goodness and Mercy will pursue you all the days of Your life. 

(2) Here's the clincher. David said, He would dwell or live in the house of the LORD forever. That's heaven, God's house. And, that's where followers of Jesus are going and will stay there forever, and forever. That's our future. With God forever, with a trail of Goodness and Mercy following us all the way till we step through the gate into heaven to be with the Lord. 

A prayer:

Father, How Good You are to us. We were without You, and we were found by You. You came and gave us mercy, and gave us life in Christ. And, You have been with us for every second since. And, You promise to never leave us or forsake us. And, eventually, even at any moment we could begin our time in Your house, in heaven forever. What a glorious hope. Please help us to rejoice in Hope of Glory. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier. 

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE ARE AFRAID OF FAILURE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE ARE AFRAID OF FAILURE"

Deut 31:8 “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” NKJV

Deut 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you.” NLT

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:

1. These are the Words of God through Moses to the Children of Israel as they were getting ready to go into the promised land, after 40 years of wandering around in the circles because of the unbelief of their forefathers. 

2. Please notice the very first thing that is said to them. "Do not be afraid or discouraged" This statement by God to "not be afraid" or something similar, like, "do not fear" or "fear not" is repeated in Scripture literally, hundreds, and hundreds of times. 

3. So, these are two things that God said to the people. These two truths from God are of course very helpful, in light of the failures of the past. As they were preparing for the future, they must have been experiencing fear and discouragement, or the all knowing, gracious, comfort giving, strengthener of souls, would not have said, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

4. What do these these two things mean? 

(1) Do not be afraid, means, terrible, dreadful, to terrify, to shoot. 

(2) Discouraged, or dismayed, means, to break in pieces, to be shattered. To be broken. 

5. But why? Or how can we not be afraid or discouraged and dismayed. Well, God tells us right here in the verse. Let's take one more look at it. 

Deut 31:8 “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” NKJV

Please notice, that there are four specific things/truths, that God says about Himself, that are the basis of His counsel to them, to not be afraid of failure. 

(1) He is the one who goes before you.

(2) He will be with you.

(3) He will not leave you. 

(4) He will not forsake you. 

6. So, if you are afraid today of failure, of failing, may I encourage you to read this verse, think about what God says, pray about what God says, thank Him for what He has said to You, and then step out in faith and move forward. Because You have a promise from God who cannot lie.

A prayer:

Father, we thank You first of all, that You make promises, and that You cannot lie. Therefore we know that we can trust You. You are faithful, You are dependable, You do what You say You will do. You never fail, we do, but You do not. And, we can find strength to face our own fear of failure by looking to You, and believing You, and acting upon Your Word. Thank You Lord, In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHEN CHRISTIANS GO TO HEAVEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHEN CHRISTIANS GO TO HEAVEN"

Php 1:23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
2nd Cor 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:

1. Paul in talking about heaven, and his own desire towards going there makes it very clear, that when a christians dies, they do not go into some mysterious soul sleep, and then later are received into heaven by the Lord, to be with Him.

2. But, rather, Paul states without any equivocation, that when a christian dies they go immediately into the presence of the Lord, or to put it another way, the Christians's last breath on earth, is followed by their first breath in heaven. Christians, go right to heaven, the moment their bodies can no longer contain their souls, because their bodies cease to function, their bodies die as it were, but their saved soul goes to heaven.

3. Let's look again at what Paul says.........

Php 1:23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

And, then again in another place he says..........

2nd Cor 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

4. In the NLT the above verses read this way.....

Php 1:23 I’m torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me,

2nd Cor 5:8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

5. You will notice as you look at these verses, that Paul says things like, "depart ( body dies ) and be with Christ". Simply, and clearly meaning, that the departure out of this body, means, that one is with Christ, Immediately is the idea.
And, then in 2nd Cor 5:8, he says, "to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

6. One last thing, Paul says, in Php 1:23, "which is far better" No other way to understand this, then to know it means, it's much better to be with the Lord then it is to be here in these bodies. So, two things about Christians, and going to heaven.

(1) The Christian, will go immediately to heaven upon their last breath here on earth. When the Doctor says on his chart, Time of death, it's at that very moment, that the patients soul has now arrived in heaven.

(2) It's far better to be in heaven then to be here in these bodies on earth. Why? Well, here's what we are told about being in heaven from Rev 22, and the focus of these verses, is what will not be in heaven, and they are the things that are with us now here on earth. But, there is also much said about what is not with us now, but will be with us in heaven. 

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Rev 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Rev 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

A prayer:

Father, You are the one who has saved us, and given us the sure steadfast hope of being with You in heaven. We are like Paul and desire to be with you, and we know that being with You in heaven will be far better. We look forward to seeing Your face. It's truly impossible for us to know what that blessed moment will be like, but we will find out one day. Also, we do not know what Your voice will sound like, but we will hear it, and we will know once we arrive in heaven. And, Lord, we look forward to what You will say to us, the very first words we hear from You. Thank You for the glorious hope we have. We love You Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia. 

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE REGARDING BITTERNESS"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE REGARDING BITTERNESS"

Heb 12:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:

1. The author of this letter is dealing with the issue, subject, the thing to watch out for called, Bitterness, or a bitter root.
And, what he does is to issue a warning here about it. He warns against allowing it to take place in your life, and then explains what would happen as a result.

2. The first thing he actually talks about is missing God's grace. Notice how he puts it. " looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;". Another version, says it this way. " Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God." So, we are to look out, or watch carefully lest we fall short of having God's grace in our lives, or missing out on God's grace in our lives because of bitterness. Implied in Heb 12:15 is that one can avoid bitterness, if they are careful, but they must be careful.

3. What does it mean to be "looking carefully?" It has the idea of looking out for and after each other. It means to be careful that none of you fails to respond to the grace which God gives to us. And, it means, as the Amp Version says, " Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing)" So, bitterness can come about if we are not walking in Grace, and we are to be careful not to miss out on God's grace in our lives.

4. The second thing he says, is also a warning, and it goes directly at the issue of bitterness, or a bitter root, Here's what the Bible says. "lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;" Bitterness can spring up, and cause trouble and by it, many, can become defiled. There are some serious consequences that can come about. Trouble and others becoming defiled.

5. A quick look at some of the meanings of these words. Bitterness itself means, a bitter spirit, resentment, hatred, rancor, bitter gall, bitter hatred. Bitterness, comes from a word meaning, sharp, or piercing. Bitterness, can be like a disease or poison, with very severe and harmful in it's effects. It can spread and hurt you like a virus can. The word trouble means, to excite, to disturb, to trouble and annoy. And, the word defile, or defiled, means, corrupted, contaminated.

6. So, when might bitterness be a danger, and what can we do about it, to avoid it. Here's what Dr David Jeremiah said about it. "Amid persecution and the temptation to give up, Christians are responsible for each other's spiritual well being. Thus the writer of Hebrews is challenging believers to examine their own ranks-not to find fault, but to act like a physician who is interested in his or her patients health.

Believers should look for the symptoms of disease, bitterness, sexual immorality, and unbelief to help bring fellow believers to spiritual health." He goes on to say, "This root of bitterness refers to people whose attitudes poison and divide the church. Such people have an evil heart of unbelief that rejects Christ and the gospel."

Let's pray:

Father, thank You for Your grace, Your unmerited, undeserved favor towards us. Lord, help us to be careful not to fall short of Your grace, to miss it in our lives, by allowing attitudes to spring up in our lives. Father, we need to be especially careful during certain times, times of trouble, difficulties that have come upon us, times of persecution, that we are careful as to how we are going to react.

Keep us from sin and temptation Lord. Help us Lord to care for others and to try and help them if they are having trouble in this area as well. We love You Lord. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

“SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT NOT DOING WHAT YOUR SINFUL NATURE CRAVES"

“SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT NOT DOING WHAT YOUR SINFUL NATURE CRAVES"

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

1. Paul was helping the Christians in the greek city of Galatia, and for all who read the NT, and seek to follow Jesus Christ, and live for Him. Paul was specifically helping them understand, God's way for them to deal with the natural sinful desires they have.
The good news Paul shares is for each believer in Jesus Christ. So, let's take a look at what God says in regard to not doing what your sinful nature wants to do, ( and what You don't want to do either )

2. Here's the verse again, Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

(1) First of all, we are told how to live, we are to "walk in the Spirit" What does this statement mean? It simply means to live according to your new life in the person of the Holy Spirit. Or to conduct your life day by day, as the new person You are, and do to it, by "walking in the Spirit" Or surrendering yourself day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute you might say, or just throughout the day, give yourself to God, that's how to live your life. Walk in the Spirit.

(2) To walk in the Spirit, is in the present tense, indicating a way of life. To walk in the Spirit is to have daily habit of continual obedience. Paul is challenging the Galatians and us, to keep moving in the enabling power and work of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Holy Spirit is a person who Jesus called the "Helper", and He is God, and He lives inside of You, and He wants to help you in so many ways. And, by Your daily surrender to Him, He will take your hand as it were and lead you in the way of Victory over sin. He surely is not going to lead you into sin, and He surely has the power to help you not to sin. We need Him, and He is right here with us to help us each and every day. But, God calls for our obedience to Him. Give Him your life day by day.

(3) The promise is right in the verse.  Here it is again, only this time in the NLT Gal 5:16 So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Two things are said here. Number one, we are being given God's instruction to live a certain way, "according to your new life in the Holy Spirit" again, that means, to surrender to Him, and let Him control your life, go the way He leads you. And, secondly, the promise from God who does not, and cannot lie.
"Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves" You might say the Holy Spirit helps us escape what our natural, or sinful natures want us to do. And, He leads us into what our new natures want to do, and what God wants us to do. Beautiful isn't it. And, praise God it's true.

3. So, in closing, this is a wonderful truthful promise from God to help us live by day in our new lives, and not live the way we use to live, and the way our flesh, or our sinful nature wants us to live. So, let's take God's Word to heart, and yield ourselves this day, and everyday to the wonderful and powerful ( more powerful then our sinful natures ) Holy Spirit and not do what our sinful natures desire. We are to live with God's help. That's one of the reasons the Holy Spirit lives in us, and why there is so much teaching in the Bible about the Holy Spirit.

A prayer:

Father, thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit. We are grateful to You for providing us with a live in Helper. He delights to do the Will of God, and He delights to help us do the will of God. Help us Lord to develop a mind and heart set of yielding to Him, and not just living on our own. We this very moment would like to pause and ask that the Holy Spirit fills us with Himself, and that He takes control of our lives as we yield to Him, and that He teaches us day by day to walk or live our lives in Him. In Jesus name, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN"

Matt 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matt 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matt 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

1. This is as mentioned a very gracious command,  and personal invitation from Jesus. And, as you read the verses above, You can see that there are three basic parts to this command/invitation. Let's look at them one by one, and be encouraged.

(1) Come to me. This of course is not hard to understand, it's Jesus inviting people to come to Him. However, it's a command, that means, "Come now" Do it now, don't waste anytime, respond now, and come to Jesus.

(2) "All who labor and are heavy laden" The "all" here does not leave anyone out. If you fall into this category then this command/invitation is for you.

(3) Who is Jesus talking about when He uses these words "labor and heavy laden?" Whom do they describe?
Labor, means, "to grow weary" It's speaking to those who are not only weary, but to those who are oppressed, by routine, monotony, overwork, responsibility and tension.

(4) Heavy laden, on the other hand, means "to endure something that is laid on them from an outside source, and in today's language we would call it burnout"

2. Now, after the command/invitation, we see a promise, some instruction, and personal self description of Jesus, and an two-fold explanation of what His yoke is like.

(1) Jesus makes a promise to those who will come to Him. "I will give you rest" Or I will "rest your souls" That's of course exactly what a laboring, heavy laden, burned out person needs. Rest. It means, rejuvenation, to refresh, to take ease, to recover and collect one's strength, to refresh, to keep quiet, and of calm and patient expectation.

(2) Jesus now gives another command/instruction by saying "take My yoke upon you" To take a yoke, Jesus's yoke, speaks of coming under that person's leadership, and walking in that person's footsteps. In a very real sense, it's not any different from saying "Follow Me" Come to me, and follow Me" Allow Me to lead you, and come My way" Place yourself under my leadership, and let's move forward.

(3) He also says, to "learn of Me" To be taught by Him, to receive instruction from Him. Or as the NLT says, "let Me teach you"

So, we can see here, that in addition to the invitation, and promise once a person comes to comes to Jesus, there is this instruction as to what do once we come to Him.

To allow Him to lead, surrender yourself to Him. And, let the Lord teach you what He wants to teach You. All of these things by the way, are what bring about this rest in a person's soul. Submission to Jesus, and learning from Jesus.

(4) Jesus gives us some very detailed self description about Himself and His yoke. He says two things here. "I am gentle and lowly in heart" and "My yoke is easy an my burden is light. Or "I am humble and gentle, and My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. How delightfully encouraging are these words and description about Jesus. And, of course, they are all true.

3. In closing here, when believers take Jesus's yoke, they place themselves under His dominion. Only then do His followers enjoy the day to day release from stress that God intended. Are you as Jesus described, burned out?

Then come to Him, and surrender to Him afresh, let Him lead you, and study His Word, read it, and apply it, and you will find Him giving you the rest your soul desires.
Jesus is the great "soul rester" He is the "great teacher" He is the one with the light burden, and the easy yoke..

A prayer:

Father, thank You for teaching us what do to when we are in this condition. It's a condition that we often find ourselves in. And, thank You that You provide the way for us to deal with it. It's You Jesus. All that we need for life and Godliness are found in You.

And, You are so willing to take us and to teach us to affect our souls with rest and ease. You want us to come to You, or You would not have asked us to do so. You are truly great, wonderful, and worthy of all the praise and honor that we can give to You.
We love You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.