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:________________________________________________________
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:________________________________________________________
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