From Hell to Heaven

Berean Baptist on February 19, 2018

Any preacher who has the privilege of preaching God’s word ought to relish the opportunity and thank God he has been chosen to proclaim the Great Sovereign’s message. This is the way I feel about the doctrine of hell. It is unpleasant because of the terrible consequences of unbelief, but hell, like all Bible doctrines, glorifies God when it is taught faithfully without compromise.

Sometimes we think hell is the forgotten Bible subject, but oddly enough there is very little preaching about heaven. With the affluence of our modern society and the pervasive preaching of the prosperity gospel, most people are content to stay here and enjoy their best life on this planet. The lack of suffering experienced by Christians in former times tends to dampen the zeal for heaven because we think we have little to escape. Things are not all that bad and with a little fixing we’ll be just fine. Nothing has destroyed the hope of heaven like the prosperity gospel.

We are also turned away from the doctrine of heaven by lack of understanding of its purpose. If the focus is on us and what we can get out of it, then certainly if we are satisfied with what we have now there is little desire to leave here for it. This is where we must learn that heaven is about Christ. The New Testament authors had little to say about what we will get. They were more concerned about who we will see—a face to face meeting with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

It is amazing that in many of the popular books about NDE (near death experience) so little is said about Christ in these supposed trips to heaven. One of the most popular books (written by a Baptist preacher!) says nothing about seeing Jesus. Apparently, this fellow was able to hang around the environs of heaven with no indication Jesus was there. How strange it is that many of them describe similar things like going through a tunnel and seeing a light at the end. I hope it’s a wide tunnel because Elijah rode his chariot through it!

I don’t think of these things when I think of heaven. The Bible describes it as brilliant light that surpasses the brightness of the sun. It is the magnificence of the glory of God that envelopes heaven. No one goes to heaven through the darkness of a tunnel. The light is not a pinhole at the distant end. To die in Christ is to immediately wake up into the glory of God into a place you will feel as comfortable as if you had been there a million years. Heaven will be home because it is our Father’s house.

Christians need hope revived and to learn what heaven is truly about. Paul said to depart and be with Christ is far better. It truly is, and no prosperity preacher can outdo it.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Can You Thank God for Everything?

Berean Baptist on January 8, 2018

Psalms 119:71

In Psalm 119, there is an unexpected blessing for which the psalmist gave thanks. He said in the 71st verse, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.” Could you see yourself writing this line? Most of us would never welcome hardships as a teaching method, so we are not likely to ask God to send us pain in order to teach us a lesson. It is only after the pain is endured and has yielded the benefit of bringing us closer to the Lord that we appreciate it.

This thought is expressed in Hebrews 12 regarding chastisement. The writer said chastisement is always grievous, but it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Even when chastisement is not the issue, suffering has great benefits for the soul because it teaches us to pray and depend on God. The Bible never tells us to ask God that we would never suffer and neither does it promise we will not. God knows how to bless in mysterious ways and this is the realization of the psalmist after considering his problems.

While preparing this article, I found another interesting perspective on suffering. J.R. Illingsworth wrote: ”The earliest form of trouble is for most of us physical pain, and our instinctive tendency is to view pain as an unmitigated evil. But such a view of pain is not in accordance with the facts of life. Pain is beyond question the great educator of the soul. Pain makes men real. It indurates their character. It endows them with spiritual insight. But, beyond all this, pain invests a man with a mysterious attractiveness for others. There is a heroism in the very fact of suffering which lifts the sufferer above us, and makes us feel that he is moving in a realm of being to us unknown, till our sympathy is hushed into something of awe-struck admiration, and from the blending of sympathy with awe comes love.”

I thought this was a truly sublime thought. Think of those you have seen endure pain for long periods of time. Do you admire them for their courage to suffer without complaint? Isn’t there something about them that causes you to lift them up as a model you think you could never attain?

I still remember a lady that passed away more than fifty years ago from cancer. My dad would go to visit her and many times I went along somewhat reluctantly because I did not like those kinds of visits. She suffered terribly, and yet her faith was firmly in God and she never complained that God had been unfair to her. What caused me to remember her when there are so many in my dad’s ministry I have forgotten? Pain etched her memory in my mind. Her ability to endure it left an indelible impression. Did this lady know her pain was for this purpose? She probably never imagined it. But, such things God knows. Blessings do not always seem to be blessings until they have yielded the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

Learn to bless God in the bad times as well as the good. Either way, God works all things for your good. Patient endurance of suffering may very well be the work that attends your entrance into heaven and causes others to rejoice with thanksgiving to God.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

For Sale: The Gospel: Are You Buying?

Berean Baptist on December 4, 2017

Our focus in this article is the real meaning of the gospel, which sadly is distorted and misunderstood by many. The gospel is the good news, but what particularly is this news?

Some say it is the news that God has a wonderful plan for your life. I believe this is far too simplistic even to the point of being almost heretical. There are many who have a very bad plan mapped for their lives because God has no dealings with them. To assume God has a good plan for them that might not happen is too have too little confidence that He is able to make any plan happen. On the other hand, for those who hear and believe, it is rare their lives include much good—at least not an attractive good that would cause them to come to Christ. Jesus said the lives of His people would be filled with suffering. They would be hated, ridiculed, and considered the scum of the earth.

As we know, God’s wonderful plan is for the afterlife which puts us in the position of enduring the world until this plan is realized. This is not to say a Christian cannot be happy and find peace and contentment in this life. The apostles suffered beatings for their preaching, and yet they rejoiced they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Most do not consider this their kind of joy.

Rarely do we find an honest approach with the gospel. Most feel they must sell the gospel as the most attractive offer you can get. If the pot is not sweetened enough, nobody will buy. However, the real gospel does not need to be sold. The Holy Spirit is not concerned whether people weigh the pros and cons of believing and decide accordingly. The Spirit convicts the heart and brings the person to Christ despite all his objections. He makes us willing to receive the gospel when before we were dead set against it. No matter how bad it looks, people will come to Christ because they have been made willing through His power (Psalms 110:3).

In the days of the apostles, it was impossible to hide the negative aspects of belief in Christ. People could see what it meant to follow Him. Christians lining the roads for miles on crosses was a pretty good indication what it meant to trust Christ. If this is what you were selling, they weren’t buying. In one interesting case in Acts 5, it wasn’t enemies that killed Christians—it was God. Two believers were struck dead for lying to God. In that passage, it says fear came on the people. Many wanted nothing to do with the apostles for fear they would be killed as well. Interestingly, those that were drawn to Christ continued to come and the church continued its rapid growth.

Is it necessary to resort to deceitful tactics and hide the truth? A gospel that is not radical and changes the lives of those who believe is no gospel at all. The good news is the saving power of Christ not a short, sweet version that involves little to no commitment. The gospel may cost your life. It declares the wrath of God against sin and the penalty in hell for those who commit them. It provides the alternative for eternal death by repentance from all sin, faith in Jesus Christ alone, and surrender to His Lordship over the life.

This kind of commitment is not good news for those looking for comfort. Christianity does not end life’s problems. It may very well create many more. You cannot sell this because nobody is buying. Tell the truth. The truth is used by the Holy Spirit to save no matter how difficult it is to believe.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Avoid the Path to Nowhere

Berean Baptist on August 27, 2017

A few weeks ago in this space, I wrote about spiritual thirst and how important it is to quench this thirst by often visiting God’s word. That article was prompted by my experience in the exercise routine of walking up Taylor Mountain. These walks have been very productive both physically and spiritually as I use the time to think on sermons and pray (yes, you can walk and pray at the same time—no extra coordination required). This past week I developed a sermon outline while walking and had nothing to write on, so I used my iPhone to dictate the points. Passersby must have been a little stunned to hear Exaltation! Encouragement! Equality! as I walked by.

Here is one of the thoughts that came to me on one of the trips last week. At Taylor Mountain, there are well-marked trails that are mapped and traveled by most. I have my own section I walk regularly because I know how long it will take, how difficult it will be, how many miles it covers, and how many calories it will burn. I stick to this section 90% of the time.

I noticed every time on every trip I pass a path off to the right that disappears into the trees. I often wondered where it went but I never took time to explore it. I just kept passing it over and over and kept on walking where I was supposed to. Finally, I decided I had to satisfy my curiosity. I took off down the trail with the lizards and ticks over a creek and up a rocky incline until it leveled off in a clearing. The path was well-worn and then abruptly stopped. There was no trace of it beyond that point.

It turns out the path was well-worn because the many people that traveled that way found out there was no gorgeous view like walking the right path. The path was beaten down because every person made an about face and traveled back the way they came. It occurred to me that the marked trail is the one you are supposed to follow and if you get off it you end up nowhere. This is much like the Christian life. God has the right way for your life marked out clearly in His word. There is a path that wastes no time, produces the right results, and leads straight to the proper destination.

We too easily give into the temptation to that which appears to be a more appealing path and we take a different direction only to find out it leads nowhere. Worse yet, if I had been in a wilderness area, this kind of foray could have led to bewilderment and a nasty fall from a cliff. Fortunately, it is hard to get lost on Taylor Mountain. Not so in life when you leave God’s path. When you are off His trail, there is no guidance. It’s a difficult walk and each step leads you farther and farther away from the one who can help.

The moral of this story is not to yield to the temptation of the new and exciting. The old path is good so don’t pick a new church, don’t pursue a new doctrine, don’t take a new job, don’t get with a new crowd unless you have evaluated each step to see if it is the right way. The reality is that you might be on the wrong path right now. You thought it was right but your faith is weak, your growth is stunted, and your contentment is suffering because you have been going the wrong way far too long.

The goal of Berean is to lead you in God’s path. We stay in God’s word to point you to the spiritual markers that give assurance of the right way. We promise every step will be backed by the scriptures—and with them, you will always end in the beautiful somewhere of God’s glory.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Unparalleled Sorrow

Berean Baptist on May 22, 2017

Psalm 88

Each week when I write on the Psalms, I begin in nearly the same way. I do a simple reading of the text to see if there is anything that stands out and speaks to me in a special way. Next, I go to commentaries to see what others have said and usually to pick up some historical background. When I finished reading this psalm, I said to myself, “Oh man, how sad and how so much like Christ!” I did not feel I needed to go further because it sounded so much like the agony of Christ as He went through the sorrows of the cross.

The psalm needs a comment on every verse, but I cannot do that here. As you read, the parallels to Jesus are so striking that you will not miss my commentary. Surprisingly though, after reading commentary, there were some commentators that made no connection to Christ. Since apparently it can be missed, let me point out just a few verses. Once you see the pattern, you can easily fill in the blanks.

Notice verse 4: “I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength.” In Jesus dwelled all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. All power belonged to Him, but as a man He subjected Himself to the weaknesses of the flesh. He was cruelly beaten until it was impossible for Him to lift His cross. He was a man with all strength taken away.

Verse 7: “Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou has afflicted me with all thy waves.” God poured out on Him the fury of hell because He had taken sin on Him. No one knows the extent of the pain and suffering. It was the equivalent of the infinite suffering of hell for those who would believe.

Verse 8: “Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou has made me an abomination unto them…” Who can help but think of Peter who cursed in his denial, “I do not know the man!”

Verse 11: “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?” Jesus knew the Father would raise Him. If He agreed to die, the Father would complete the plan. A dead and corrupted Christ in the grave would dishonor the Father. He must be raised to take on a glorified body. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection which ensures the Father would be glorified in our resurrection.

Verse 14: “LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?” Does this not sound like, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Verse 15: “I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up…” As just a boy, Jesus said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” As a young man He said, “For this cause came I into the world.” What cause? The cruel death of the cross. He lived with the view of where He was going from the time He was old enough to understand.

Someone wrote this is the saddest of all the psalms. Who cannot agree when it gives such a vivid picture of the sorrows of Christ? He went lower than anyone has ever gone. Here is our solace. To the bitterest of depths went Christ (v.6), but He arose triumphantly over the grave. Sin, Satan, death, and hell are defeated. His sorrow is your joy, for by believing in Him the dark night of the worst terrors is done.

 

Oh the grace of Christ the Sovereign to receive around His throne

Distant souls from every nation, once estranged, but now His own!

Bound by blood, we’ll stand together, unified by love’s great cost;

With one voice, we’ll sing forever, “Thank you, Jesus, for the cross!”

 

Blotted Out!

Berean Baptist on December 12, 2016

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalms 69:28)

In last week’s article, we noted that Psalm 69 describes the agony of the suffering of Christ related to the events of the cross. This psalm shows the humiliation of Christ and the utter rejection of those who were His kindred in Israel. Of all the people who were complicit in His death, none was as sinister as Caiaphas, the high priest. Caiaphas was a Roman appointee as were all in the succession of high priests since Rome conquered Israel. Though he was not necessarily a full-fledged supporter of Rome, he was cooperative which helped him hold on to his position longer than any of his predecessors.

Despite the need to help sustain the Pax Romana (Roman peace), he still represented the sacred institution of the priesthood. As the highest religious authority, he had the responsibility of upholding God’s commandments. However, like the rest of the priesthood, scribes, and elders of Israel, he helped distort the Law so that it was an overwhelming burden that no one could bear. Jesus described this group of corrupt teachers as being willing to heap burdens on others, but unwilling to help lift the burdens. They broke their own laws with clever manipulation and in the process declared themselves righteous.

Practically to a man, all of these leaders were self-righteous hypocrites, and yet all of them believed they were as right for heaven as humanly possible. In their eyes, they were good enough and heaven should clap to hail their arrival. Psalm 69:28 is Christ’s strongest indictment against them.

This verse gives many a great deal of trouble. What is meant by the book of the living, and what do we make of blotting names out of it? First let me say the scriptures are clear that God has a book containing the names of all those who were predestined to eternal life. Their names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world. Since God is omniscient, this is no trouble for Him. To think God would not have this information and plan for the salvation of the elect is to bring Him down to the level of man’s ignorance.

The second observation is that God is immutable. He does not write names and subsequently erase them. His omniscience supports His immutability as all God’s attributes work seamlessly together. How then can names be blotted out of God’s book? The key to the answer is found in Luke 8:18:  “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” Caiaphas and the other leaders believed they possessed everything necessary to eternal life. As far as they were concerned, their names were recorded and I am sure many others thought so as well. When Christ said, “Blot out their names,” He means the same as He said in Luke. What they seem to have will be taken away and the truth will be made known that their names were never there.

Many professed believers suffer under the same delusion. Their hope is their trip down the aisle of a church, and/or a prayer they prayed in which they made their “decision.” Because of this, they believe they are safe and secure. Sadly, their activities of life and the absence of Christian graces belie their confession. At the judgment, what they seem to have will be taken away. The books will be opened and their names will not be found—their names were never written.

These matters are too high for us as this verse is a conversation between the Father and the Son. We cannot pretend to resolve the paradoxes because we are too feeble to understand the wisdom of God. There is only one way we can be sure Psalm 69:28 is not about us. We must repent of all our sins, trust Christ with all our heart, and surrender to Him as Lord. This is the definition of saving faith. Saving faith is also living faith that reproduces the life of Christ in us. If this is what you have, your name is there. Praise God Psalm 69:28 will never be said about you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

Do You Hate Him?

Berean Baptist on December 5, 2016

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. (Psalms 69:4)

When commentators comment or preachers preach on the death of the cross, they write and speak with an outsider’s view. We speak without personal experience because we have not been through the great pain and suffering the Saviour endured. In this psalm, the story is not told from a commentator’s view, but from the mind of the precious Saviour Himself. This is one of the fascinating pre-manifestations of Christ as He speaks personally through the pen of David. His story concerns the terrible anguish He must endure.

The psalm begins with the analogy of a flood. Calvary is the place where the torrent of God’s judgment was unleashed upon Christ. Like a flood that completely overwhelms, the Saviour was engulfed with both the sins of the world and God’s’ wrath against it. I can imagine these statements may well have been a part of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane as He contemplated the death of the cross. Luke records His anguish was so great that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood. The mental anguish was so great that capillaries burst pouring blood into His sweat as it beaded and fell to the ground.

There is much to consider in this psalm, but today I am drawn to verse 4 and this phrase: “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head…” Jesus quoted this verse in John 15:25:  “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.” They hated Him without cause is probably the most perplexing statement ever spoken. For what good reason should we turn our backs on the one who offers forgiveness, who saves us from certain destruction, and who promises the unfathomable blessings of heaven? Why are we not rather lost in wonders of ceaseless praise? And yet, we are not—none of us would have saved Jesus from the cross because we also hated Him without cause.

In the Lord’s Supper, we picture what men did to Christ. The bread is broken to symbolize the beating of His body. The cup is poured to reflect the blood pouring from the wounds in His head, His back, His hands, and His feet. As we solemnly partake of the symbols, we no longer hate Him. We are reconciled to Him by the cross, and the one we hated becomes precious. The contrast of the before and after picture is demonstrated by Peter: Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

We are humbled by the marvelous grace of our loving Lord who has made us partakers of the divine nature. Our sins are the cause of His torturous death, and His love is the cause of His triumphant redemption. The agony of Psalm 69 leaves us no excuse for any longer hating Him. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

Which side of the psalm are you on? Have you trusted Him? If not, you hate Him without a cause. If you are not with Him, you are against Him (Matt. 12:30). I sincerely hope you will trust Him today. The only way to find out why He is truly precious is to see Him from the safety of His mercy, love, and grace.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

“Fear not I am with thee…”

Berean Baptist on May 16, 2016

Psalm 44

Have you ever felt that God has abandoned you and you have no real discernible reason why? Have you examined your heart for sin and found you are doing your best to serve God, and yet despite your best efforts it seems God is nowhere to be found? If this is how you feel, you have just hit upon the gist of this psalm.

We do not know the author of the psalm although we do know he was a descendant of Korah. This means it could have been written anytime over a period of 1400 years. Apparently, Israel had just suffered a stunning military defeat and the psalmist did not understand why God had not come to their aid. There were times in the past when it was very clear why Israel had been defeated. Those times were connected to obvious sins, usually the sin of idolatry when Israel fell into the worship of false gods. This was not one of those times which makes the defeat all the more puzzling.

The psalm is divided into three time periods. The first eight verses are about the past as the psalmist remembers the stories told by his forefathers about the miraculous deliverances from their enemies by the Almighty God. This section ends with the admission that each victory won was because of God, not because of Israel’s military might.

The next section (vv. 9-22) is about the present. This is the psalmist’s lament as he tries to understand why they were defeated and why it seemed God did not care. The third section (vv. 23-26) is about the future as the psalmist is sure that God had not forgotten them. He cries out for God to awaken from sleep—a metaphor for God’s supposed inattention. How much this reminds us of that fearful night when the disciples were tossed about by the boisterous waves on the Sea of Galilee. While they rowed and worried, Jesus was asleep in the boat. The tumult of the sea did not bother Him. He was awakened to the disciples’ pleas for help. A hymnist expressed their words this way: “Carest thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?” There was no trouble for Jesus. He awoke and said, “Peace be still.”

The explanation for God’s refusal to help Israel is not given in this psalm. However, we know the character of God. He said He would never leave us or forsake us. If it appears He has, we know it must be for His divine purposes. Sometimes trials come upon us simply because we have been called upon to suffer for Christ. Peter wrote: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).  Paul also often mentions the sufferings of Christians, even his own as the divine providence of God. This is often hard for us to understand just as it was for Christians in the early centuries that suffered so much persecution. We notice, however, they always held on. They were firm and steadfast and waited for God’s deliverance. Sometimes the deliverance was death—but death is no problem when the destination is the glories of heaven.

Christians today need to do what the psalmist did. Look back to the past and remember the victories you have won in Christ. Examine yourself in the present to make sure sin is not your problem. Consider the future because you know God will never abandon you. When it seems God is not there, be sure He is. He is closer to you than in your boat—He is in your heart. Peace comes when you are fully dependent upon Him. Another hymnist related the sentiments of God’s heart: “Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Tough Love

Berean Baptist on March 31, 2016

Psalm 38

Have you ever been so sick and felt so miserable that you thought you might not recover? I think most of us have been there more than once and what we really want in those times is for someone to offer a little sympathy. Recovery is nice and we look forward to it, but when we are in our weakest moments we really desire for someone to care.

The 38th Psalm is an interesting study because if we did not know better we would think it was written by Job. At least the physical suffering expressed in the psalm makes us think of him; but we are quickly tuned out of those thoughts because it is evident much of this suffering is mental and due to sin. Job was genuinely afflicted both physically and mentally but his problem was not sin. He was so upright that God used Him as a test case of true faith in His divine providence.

This psalm was not written by Job but by David. An examination of the psalm yields no proof as to the nature of David’s sin, and neither is there any record in David’s life elsewhere that describes this intense physical sickness that accompanied it. We might not think a missing record of sickness would be too strange since these types of illnesses were probably more common among the ancients than among us. Today with vaccines and preventative medicines we do not have to go through the myriads of diseases they experienced.

There is a type of sickness, however, that has not changed and neither does it have a new remedy. It is apparent that as a believer David had entered some sin that overly taxed his mental abilities and the burden was tearing him apart. He said, “Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (v. 4). We certainly feel for David and our first thoughts may be what a terrible misfortune to be so miserable. But is it really? Would it be better for David to skip and hop through his sin with no care for what he had done? No! In His divine providence God will not allow us to be happy in sin. Sin prevents the showers of His blessings. Sin prevents closeness of fellowship with Him. Sin separates us from God, so God wants to separate us from sin as quickly as possible. Chastisement is a blessing from the Lord because it shows He cares. Hebrews says: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6). David was blessed to know the way out of his troubles. In that bleak moment, somebody cared! God loved him and was kind enough to send him painful trouble to bring him to his senses.

I know this may be a very strange thing for a pastor to say, but if you have sin in your life and God is running you through the ringer, I am glad. I am not happy for your sin, but I am happy that you are His child and He will lay the stripes on you until like David you come to your senses. Too many claim to be sons without chastisement for their sins. They go on unaffected. What a dangerous place to be! I would be much more fearful for your soul if you prosper in your sin.

The Bible says, “In everything give thanks.” Maybe it is time for you to thank Him for taking a little hide off your backside when you step out of line. When He does, turn around and go back to the path where He leads. God never stops loving us—He just has some odd ways of showing it.

 

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

Hope for Discouraged Christians

Berean Baptist on July 25, 2015

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29)

This passage in Matthew is most helpful for discouraged Christians. Jesus knew the exact time to give His disciples encouragement because there were many negative overtones to His teachings. It was necessary for Him to deal with the sinful nature of men and to issue warnings of the wrath to come; and indeed we find much of the Bible is concerned with the destruction of the flesh, the downfall of the world’s systems, and the final punishment in hell for all that do not receive Christ as Saviour. It is also necessary for us to deal with these doctrines because a person must know of his sinful condition and the consequences of it before he can repent of his sins and trust Christ. After this information is given, we must further instruct those that believe concerning the hardships of living the Christian life. Unsuspecting new converts can be shattered unless they know it is not unusual to experience pain and suffering because of their faith. This is an inevitable result of following Christ. As Jesus said, the world will hate us because it hated Him. You can see from this that much of the Bible’s teachings must be negative because we live in a fallen, sinful world.

With so many negatives, is there anything positive? The disciples wondered this as they were being trained because they were graphically living out the negative aspects of following Christ. When Jesus perceived the weight of their present problems was becoming extremely burdensome, He broke through the negatives in scriptures such as Matthew 19:28-29. This is the promise of a glorious future in which He will come to sit on the throne of David and will rule the world in perfect peace and righteousness. This is a wonderful prospect which is far more than they could expect. Just to live in a holy kingdom without pain, suffering, hunger, and the constant attacks of Satan is more than they could ask. These factors alone are great encouragement.

However, in this scripture, Jesus steps beyond His personal ruling authority to let His disciples know they will also have their part ruling in the Kingdom. This is what they hoped for all along even though they did not fully understand what it would take to occupy their places of authority. They would become great in the Kingdom by first becoming the lowly servants of others. But still, without this full understanding, these verses came when they surely needed encouragement. They were on their way to Jerusalem for the last days of Jesus’ life when it would seem discouragement was all that was in store.

One of the great truths of this passage is to teach us not to always focus on our present circumstances. When our thoughts are too much on the present, they spoil the ability the future has to give us hope when needed. Christ taught the disciples in this place to look beyond their current hardships to their glorious future. The coming Kingdom would prove that everything they gave up for Him would be more than equally compensated; it would be exponentially increased with eternal rather than temporal value.

This is the same hope we are to look forward to in this promise made by Christ. These disciples are typical of all disciples—it will be worth it all for all of us. Never doubt the reality of His precious future promises. It will make all the difference in the world of how you are able face life’s challenges.

Pastor V. Mark Smith