April 16:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS PRONOUNCEMENT.
"Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."--John 20:29

More than two decades ago, I was working in the business world.  I was sharing Bible studies with a coworker when I realized how difficult it is for the human mind to believe that which can't be seen.  We got to the study of the virgin birth of Jesus, and he said something like: "Really...who is going to believe that?"  Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, which means that God has left quite a bit of room for faith: "the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, Thomas wasn't present at that reunion (John 20:24).  The other disciples were excited to tell him, "We have seen the Lord!" (verse 25), but Thomas was skeptical.  He was a loyal but pessimistic disciple (see John 11:16; 14:5).  To him, the cross was only what he had expected (John 11:16).  Now he is demanding visual and kinesthetic proof (Luke 20:25); he will believe only when he can see and touch Jesus.  No one in the entire New Testament makes a greater demand in order to believe.  This is why Thomas became the epitome of unbelief.  Sight, not faith!  One of the great drawbacks of unbelief is that our joy is delayed!  Thomas could have been rejoicing with the rest; but, because he refused to believe, he had to wait.  Eight days later Jesus appears again and says to Thomas: "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing" (verse 27).  Wow!  Thomas must have been speechless for a while before he said, "My Lord and my God!" (verse 28).  This is the most profound confession in all four Gospels; nobody had ever addressed Jesus like this.  Thomas made a leap of faith and came to believe that Jesus was God (John 1:1).  Jesus responded with His last beatitude: "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (Luke 20:29).  Jesus pronounced a blessing upon us!  Believing because of seeing would no longer be available; faith would be the only way because Jesus was ascending to heaven.  Remember that God always leaves room for faith and blesses us when we believe!

My Response:_____________________________________________________________

April 15:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS APPEARANCE.
He showed them both His hands and His side.  The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.--John 20:20

I keep a cherished photo on my iPhone.  When my mom realized that the end of her life was approaching, she wanted to go buy her "final property," as she called it.  So, my parents and I headed to the cemetery.  They found a spot, and I took the photo that I now cherish.  She passed away two weeks later.  I can't imagine the joy that I will experience when I see them again, completely restored, with their cancer-free and glorified bodies.

I can't start to fathom the rejoicing of the disciples that day.  Some of them had witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus.  They saw His agony, the nails puncturing His hands and feet,, and the spear piercing His side.  On the evening of the resurrection day, Jesus miraculously appeared to His disciples.  John observes that, on that occasion, the doors were shut for fear of the Jews.  "Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you' " (John 20:19).  Even though this is still a common Jewish greeting today, on that occasion it carried all the weight of Jesus' promise of His peace (see John 14:27).  Which is quite remarkable, taking into consideration that they all had abandoned Him and were worthy of reproach and condemnation.  Instead, Jesus greets them with His peace, and shows them His hands and His side.  When they recognized Him, the disciples were flabbergasted, beside themselves with joy!  Jesus had prophesied this moment: "Therefore you too have grief now; But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you" (John 16:22).  Now they were beholding their risen Lord, and no one could take their joy away!  For a second time, Jesus pronounced His blessing of peace upon them and then commissioned them, giving them the Holy Spirit (see John 20:21, 22).  Jesus was the Firstborn of the dead (Revelation 1:5), which guarantees that our loved ones, who died in Him, will rise too.  On that day, our grief will be turned into indescribable joy!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

April 14:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS WORDS.
And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things.--Luke 24:8, 9

I still have my preaching notes for the eighteenth anniversary of the Alhambra SDA Church in California.  The title of the sermon was "Remember the Future."  It is so important to reflect about how God has guided us in the past because that's where we find assurance for what is to come.  When we look at our own lives, we become aware of how God has been with us all along.  And when it comes to our salvation, we find certainty for the future only when we look back to the Cross.

The women came to the tomb early on Sunday.  The stone that covered the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away, and they did not find Jesus' body (Luke 24:1-3).  They were bewildered, especially because they had seen, with their own eyes, how the body of Jesus was laid in the tomb (see Luke 23:55).  As they were confused and perplexed, two angels came to them (Luke 24:4, 23) and announced that Jesus was alive!  "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?  He is not here, but He has risen.  Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (verses 5-7).  The angels told them that they should pause and look back to what Jesus had spoken to them (see Luke 9:22, 44), "and they [the women] remembered His words" (Luke 24:8).  They recalled Jesus' prophecies about His own death and resurrection.  The women went from perplexity to clarity by remembering Jesus' words.  Remembering Christ's words is a heavenly remedy for anxiety and worry.  The same Jesus who foretold His own death and resurrection, also prophesied His own victory (Luke 21:27; 22:69).  Whenever we become bewildered by circumstances that we don't understand, recalling Jesus' words brings insight and peace.  If you ever become anxious about your salvation or the end of the world, remember His words on the cross to the thief who asked to be remembered in His kingdom: "You shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).

My Response:________________________________________________________

April 13:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
"Go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.' "--John 20:17


Visiting Magdala was one of the most impactful experiences of my life.  We visited this ancient site, including the oldest excavated synagogue in Galilee.  Aside from the archeological park, the location includes the Magdalena Institute, which was inspired by the encounter of Mary Magdalene with Jesus.  One of the many objects of the Institute is to support women who are seeking spiritual healing and renewal.  This center of applied archeology made a profound impact on me.

Luke mentions that seven demons went out of Mary of Magdala, and that she became part of the group of women who were with Jesus (see Luke 8:1-3).  The Gospels place her at the crucifixion scene.  On resurrection morning, she came to the tomb, and when she saw that the stone had been rolled away, she went to get Peter and John (see John 20:1-18).  She stood outside of the tomb weeping, as she had not heard the news of Jesus' resurrection.  When asked about the reason for her weeping, she said, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid Him" (verse 13).  She wanted the body of her Lord to be appropriately taken care of!  This was her Lord, who had healed and restored her!  Through her tears she saw a man and, thinking He was the gardener, asked him about the location of the body.  Then she heard Jesus calling her name: "Mary!" (verse 16).  Can you imagine the tenderness of His voice and the joy of her heart?!  She appears to have been the first person to see the risen Christ, perhaps because she needed Him most!  Jesus commissioned her to take a message to His disciples, and that's why she has been called the apostle to the apostles.  His announcement contains a reference to Him going to the Father and Jesus' personal identification with His disciples as His brothers: "I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God" (verse 17).  Mary joyfully announced to them; "I have seen the Lord!" (verse 18).  Jesus is always close to us, in all places and situations.  In our grief, He reveals Himself to us as the risen Christ!  And He knows each one of us by name!

My Response:_______________________________________________________

April 12:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS RESURRECTION.
"He is not here, for He is risen, just as He said."--Matthew 28:6


It was Easter weekend worship service and it was time for the children's story.  Many children went up to the platform, and the children's pastor handed each of them a plastic Easter egg, but they were not to open it until she told them to.  I was wondering what the lesson was about. When she gave the signal, all the children expectantly opened their eggs at the same time.  I could see confusion and disappointment in their faces.  "Are you surprised?" she asked and then added, "They are empty!  And so was the tomb of Jesus!"  I never forgot that visual aid.


When the two Marys came to the tomb, they were surprised!  They must have been terrified, because the first thing the angel said to them was "Do not be afraid" (Matthew 28:5), and then he added "I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified" (verse 5).  "The One who was crucified" would forever become the identity of Jesus, yet the crucified One had risen from the dead!  "He is not here, for He is risen" (verse 6).  Amazing news!  That the tomb was empty would become a core proclamation of the Christian church.  Two elements are present in the explanation that follows: "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  Come, see the place where He was lying" (verse 6).  First, Jesus had risen, as He had told them ahead of time; He had made specific predictions about His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; see also 26:32), but His disciples had not understood.  Second, the angel invited the women to see the place where He had been lying, which is significant because these two women had been present when the body of Jesus was placed inside the tomb and the large stone was rolled against its entrance (Matthew 27:59-61).  Following this, the angel commissions these women as the first proclaimers of the astonishing news of resurrection.  They are to tell the disciples that He is risen and let them know that He will meet with them in Galilee (Matthew 28:7), just as He said ahead of time (see Matthew 26:32).  Yes!  Our God was wounded for our transgressions, dying for our sins.  But He is now alive and is coming soon to take us with Him (Matthew 24:30, 31), just as He said!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

April 11:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS CULMINATION.
He said, "It is finished!"  And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.--John 19:30

My dissertation supervisor, Professor Andrew Lincoln, was the president of the British New Testament Society and continues to be a prominent New Testament scholar.  At his suggestion, I attended conferences in the United Kingdom and have distinct memories of different sessions and distinguished scholars that I met during those meetings.  I particularly remember one plenary session because it ended in a most unusual way.  The last slide of the PowerPoint presentation had one single word on the screen: tetelestai, which in Greek means "it is finished!"  It was clear that the presentation had concluded.


Yet when it comes to our salvation, for some reason, we seem to be less sure about what this phrase means.  John tells us that Jesus knew, at His dying moment, that all the things He had come to do were accomplished, His work on earth was finished, and His mission was fulfilled.  The Greek word expressing completion is, you guessed it, tetelestai.  Jesus was dying, "knowing that all things had already been accomplished [tetelestai]"  (John 19:28).  Jesus then uttered the loud cry that would pronounce His mission completed.  It was not a victim's agonizing cry of pain; it was a Victor's shout of triumph: "It is finished" (verse 30).  And yes, in Greek it is that word: tetelestai.  Jesus was announcing it to the whole universe: It is done!  It is accomplished!  It is finished!  It is completed!  In the mediating role that Jesus would fulfill in heaven, He would be presenting His shed blood on our behalf; His sacrifice, as our ransom, had been accomplished.  "It is finished" contains the same root word as the one utilized in Genesis, when the creation was completed (see Genesis 2:2; LXX).  There is nothing that we must add to complete our redemption.  It is finished and perfect.  No "and," "but, or "plus" to be added.  We are saved by His blood plus nothing.  The redemption of the human race was accomplished two thousand years ago.  This is how Christians are to spell redemption: d-o-n-e.  Oh my soul, rejoice!  Tetelestai!


My Response:___________________________________________________________

April 10:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS ABANDONMENT.
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"--Matthew 27:46

Throughout my life, I was assured of the ever-present help of my parents.  I was on a personal retreat, with other ministers, in one of the National Parks of the United States.  Something went terribly wrong, and I experienced food or water poisoning that turned life-threatening within two hours.  After the paramedics came to that beautiful and remote hotel, they told me that I had to remain there for a few days to regain my strength.  Everyone in my group was leaving and I would have to stay there alone.  Within a few minutes, my parents had packed and were on their way to me and stayed with me until I was strong enough to travel.  I never felt abandoned by them, not even in the darkest and most difficult circumstances.

As close as our human relationships may be, it is impossible for us to fully understand the intimacy that exists between Jesus and His Heavenly Father.  This is why the crucifixion narrative, found in Matthew 27:46, in which Jesus asks why God had abandoned Him, seems such a mystery to us.  About the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.), which was the time of the evening sacrifice, Jesus cried out the words recorded in Psalm 22:1.  I am absolutely amazed that He who was called Immanuel (Matthew 22:1), "God with us," was now agonizing about why God had abandoned Him.  The "El" in Immanu-El, is the same God as in "Eli, Eli...My God, My God" (Matthew 27:46).  It is striking that Jesus had such a deep awareness of the loss of God's intimate presence in His hour of darkness, that He called Him "God" (the only time in Matthew), instead of "Father" as He regularly did.  Furthermore, I am amazed that Jesus, in His time of utter distress and in the midst of His desolation, used the first-person possessive pronoun, "my God," still holding on to His trust in God.  Jesus was the Sin Bearer, the Representative and Substitute of the human race.  He felt the abandonment of His Father as our sin was placed upon Him.  If you ever wonder if God has forsaken you due to wrong choices and sin, remember that Jesus was abandoned in your place so that you may never be.  God will never cast you out!  He will never leave you, nor forsake you!

My Response:___________________________________________________________

April 9:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS PROMPTNESS.
"Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him."--Luke 15:22

Something that touches my heart, in the parable of the prodigal son and the loving father (Luke 15:11-32), is the immediacy with which the father covers the son's shamefulness.  He doesn't say "I told you so," nor does he expect to hear a list of deeds the son plans to do to atone for himself.  No!  The father gives the order to act swiftly and immediately: "Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him" (verse 22).  Wouldn't you do the same for your wayward child?

Likewise, during His dialogue with the real-life prodigal (Luke 23:40-43), Jesus answers with the eagerness of a parent responding to a desperate child.  But, unlike the father of the prodigal, Jesus couldn't run to meet the evildoer and embrace him; He could only speak to him because His hands and feet were nailed to the cross.  This undeserving son had requested Jesus to remember him in His kingdom (Luke 23:42).  In today's devotional, we will look at the two other words in Jesus' answer: "today," and "paradise."  "Truly I say to you, today..." (verse 43).  Jesus didn't want this man to wait until His Coming to find out what his fate would be.  The evildoer could have the assurance of salvation that day. at that very instant.  No anxiety or uncertainty; just assurance.  Can you imagine that?  In Luke, the word today highlights the immediacy of the assurance of salvation (see Luke 4:21; 19:9).  Jesus was saying: "Quickly, bring out the robe of My righteousness and put it on him!  Today!"  And what was this immediate assurance about? "...with Me you will be in paradise" (verse 43). *  Paradise!  The place where God had created His children!  The same place they had lost beck in Genesis 3!  This is the only instance that Jesus utters the word paradise (same Greek word as in Genesis 2 and 3 in the LXX).  At this very moment, Jesus was opening up a way back home for His children.  Neither He nor the thief would go to paradise that day, but the thief was given the ultimate assurance.  Jesus was responding immediately, promising paradise to His undeserving son!  If you utter the same prayer, making the request that the thief made, you will receive the same assurance.  And you will receive it today!

My Response:_______________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev. ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).

April 8:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS QUALIFICATION.
"Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise."--Luke 23:43*


A preacher was accompanying a celebrity on a trip to the Middle East.  On arrival, the security was tight as the bodyguards surrounded the luminary.  At one point the preacher had fallen behind and tried to rejoin the group.  He explained to the guards that he was part of the group, but to no avail.  Then, from a distance, the celebrity noticed that the preacher was missing and turned around, announcing in a loud voice, "He is with me!"  Immediately the tight circle of security parted, and the preacher was able to walk in, just because he was with him.

The shocking response of Jesus to the thief on the cross applies to each one of us.  The above rendition of Scripture reflects the original Greek word order.  Let's notice four elements in our text: "today," "you will be," "paradise," and "with Me."  In this devotional, we will look at the second and fourth elements, while tomorrow we will address the first and third.  You will be.  The assurance Jesus gives to the evildoer is in the second person singular and in the future tense, and it is a sure promise.  It's not you might be, but you will be.  This man was totally undeserving, yet there was a future for him.  His presence with Jesus in His kingdom was not a possibility but a reality.  This is the radical difference that separates the biblical gospel  from a pseudo gospel.  The false gospel offers the possibility of salvation; but the real gospel gives the assurance.  Yet this man does not qualify!  Why would he be there?  That's where the other element comes in. With Me.  In Greek, the weight of the content is in the middle of the sentence, and "with Me" is in that spot, at the very center.  Jesus was saying to him, "You will be in Paradise because you are with Me.  I am the One who qualifies!  And you get in with Me!"  If you know yourself unqualified for heaven, cling to this promise of Jesus to the thief on the cross.  I like to imagine myself one day walking the streets of gold, and other people objecting to me being there.  "What are you doing here?" they will wonder.  Well...I can't wait for Jesus to turn around and in a sweet but thunderous voice announce, "She is with Me!"

My Response:___________________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev. ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).

April 7:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS INHERITANCE.
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"--Luke 23:42

Have you ever seen a person suddenly become a millionaire?  It is hard to explain the emotions that instant wealth brings to a person.  I watched on TV as a woman won one million dollars and I witnessed the instantaneous flamboyant celebration that followed.  Can you imagine the thoughts and feelings of a person who goes from poor to rich in a matter of seconds?  But something even greater happened to the thief on the cross.

Just when we thought that the story of the prodigal son was only a parable (Luke 15:11-32), we find a real-life prodigal, an undeserving evildoer, who will request his share of the inheritance.  He is being crucified next to Jesus, and Luke records his shocking request: May I have part of the inheritance?  In other words: "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" (Luke 23:42).  On what basis should Jesus remember him in His kingdom, and give him an inheritance?  First of all, the criminal calls Christ by His name: Jesus.  He did not call Him "Rabbi" or "Lord" like most people did during His ministry.  He called Him "Jesus," a name that recalls "Yahweh saves" (see Matthew 1:21).  The second part of the request is, "remember me."  In the Jewish Scripture this type of request was usually addressed to Yahweh.  When the Lord remembered somebody, it was about acting on behalf of them within the framework of His covenant.  (see Judges 16:28; 1 Samuel 1:11).  This is about Jesus acting on his behalf.  Thirdly, the sentence "when You come in Your kingdom," shows that this criminal had come to believe that the Crucifixion was not the end of Jesus; there was His kingdom beyond the cross.  The charge against Jesus placed on the cross was a fulfillment of prophecy.  But would Jesus even hear this prodigal son's shocking request for an inheritance?  Jesus answered: "Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise" (Luke 23:43, Greek-English Interlinear NT).  On the spot, Jesus assured him of a heavenly inheritance, which at that moment He was securing for him.  We can live with the same assurance of eternal life, which is our inheritance in Christ! (Hebrews 9:15).

My Response:____________________________________________________________