Can I hear an “Amen” out there?

Last night Nancy and I took a walk around the neighborhood. As we came around to the home stretch my wife stopped to meet a lady we hadn’t yet. We chatted for a few moments with this elderly lady and then her husband came out and just stood there about twenty feet away from us. I thought it a little odd he didn’t come up but his wife quickly mentioned he is starting to have the signs of Alzheimer’s. Eventually he came over and joined in the conversation.  They spoke some about a daughter they had who had passed away, she had Down’s Sydrome.  And then the wife commented that one day she would like to see her again in heaven and the husband chimed in that he hoped he’d get there too.

What’s my point? Well aside for being grateful for another opportunity to share the gospel isn’t it also gratifying that as believers we have the peace of mind that goes beyond a hope that’s unsure?!   Our hope is different and vastly so, our hope is a lock !  How can I say that? Well, we have the infallible Word, for one, but we also have the evidence that each person who truly gets saved experiences.  Remember what John wrote in 1Jn.5:13?  “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life. . .”   I quoted that verse once to a dying uncle and you could almost see the “light bulb” turn on over his head as the verse made sense to him. In minutes he was praying to ask Christ to forgive his sins and to be his Savior !

But the evidence in 1 John is overwhelming and encouraging of the telltale signs that you are headed to heaven if certain things are apparent in your life. Like,  “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jn.2:15).  We understand that to mean that the true believer is no longer as attached to this world system as before he was saved. His affection is more toward the Creator not the creation.   I’ve seen many converts adjust from being very worldly to very godly due to the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God and a whole new and better set of desires. They shift in their goals to not live so much for things or prestige here but rather for Him !

How about this one: “He that committeth sin is of the devil. . . whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin”  (3:8,9)  Oops, busted, right?  The Greek stresses that a person who typically commits sin as opposed to the sinner saved by grace who still does but is repentant  about it are two different critters ! One is saved the other, eh, not so much.    Aren’t you glad, as child of God, as a person who has understood that I needed to ask God’s forgiveness for being a sinner and receive Hi Am as my Savior rather than trust my good works will get me to heaven, that you can rest your head on the pillow at night in peace?  That if you contract a devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s, that your mind may soon go but one day your mind and body will be everlastingly fine !   That your loved ones who have been saved will one day join you FOREVER  with nor more pain, sorrow, or sin?!!!  Somewhere along the line we may have stopped saying “Amen”, maybe we just take for granted what we have as believers in Jesus Christ !  Well, its a great day to start !!  Amen !!!