October 14, 2010

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him." (2 Timothy 2: 11-12)

I've had my fair share of job interviews over the course of the past 10 years. And I don't know that I have ever been asked it in an actual interview, but one of the questions that inevitably shows up on all the "employment expert's" job interview question lists is this: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" The answer I have always had prepared had something to do with seeing myself in a position where I was continually challenged while having the opportunity to grow and learn, blah, blah, blah. The answer that co-existed in my head with the rehearsed answer is that I'm going to be in the exact place doing the exact thing that best serves my God's ultimate purposes. "[God] determined the times set for [men] and the exact places where they should live." "For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:26 and 28). While we all have plans and ideas, we don't really know exactly where we are going to be or exactly what we are going to be doing 5 years from now. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21) An easier question to answer - a question that is answered in the verses from our Epistle Lesson for this Sunday that we are looking at is this: "where do you see yourself in a hundred and five years from now?" The Psalmist tells us that, "the length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength," (Psalm 90:10), and then what? When our strength is up and we take our final breath - then the infinite possibilities that we had in our temporal future, suddenly are drastically limited to only two possibilities for our eternal future. We either spend our eternity in heaven living with and reigning with God, or we spend our eternity in hell wishing we were in heaven living with and reigning with the only true God - period. Because we "died with him," and because by the grace of God and because of His mercy - our faith "endures," in a hundred and five years from now, we can can be sure that we will "live with him" and "we will also reign with him."

Paul explains what he means by "dying with Him" in the book of Romans - and it has to do with baptism, "don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." (Romans 6:3-5, 8) We "died with him" when we were baptized which united us with Jesus and His death. Everything that Jesus won by his death is now ours - including the opportunity to live with Him forever!

But, just because we were baptized into life doesn't mean that we can't lose our opportunity for "life with Him" for eternity. The concept of "once saved, always saved" is one of the devil's lies. It stands to reason that it is likely that at one time Judas Iscariot had faith and was being saved, and yet just because he was once saved, in the end it appears his faith didn't endure, and he was lost to an eternity of "life without parole," and "life without Jesus." Judas let his sinful nature get the best of him. Our own sinful nature isn't completely dead until we shed it completely when we physically die. When we are baptized into Jesus' death, we would do well to remember to daily drown our Old Adam, because it will try to daily emerge and take over. Paul tells us in Galatians what to do with our sinful nature - we are to crucify it. "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24) We need to endure by daily tapping into the power of Jesus and His power to daily drown and to daily crucify our sinful nature before it gets out of control. Thankfully, God allows us to daily start out fresh. "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) We would also do well to daily pray like the Psalmist, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10) God, in His mercy answers David's prayer for every Christian every day with the ultimate result Jesus promised: "he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13b) When we stand firm and endure and are steadfast, we will not only be saved, but we will also reign with Him. The Holy Spirit through the pen of John writes, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelations 2:10) When we are enduring, being faithful, and standing firm we "we will also reign with him."

Where do you see yourself five years from now? We probably all have an idea of where we think we might be, but none of us knows for sure. We have more than just an idea and we can be absolutely sure and certain where we will be a hundred and five years from now. Because of what our Savior has done for us and what our Preserver continues to do for us on a daily basis which allows us to endure - we can count on living and reigning with God a hundred and five years from now right on through eternity. "If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him" May the "ifs" in the "trustworthy saying" turn into "becauses" for all of us. Amen!