“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise of none effect.
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before Him Whom he believed, eve God, Who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken: so shall thy seed be”…ROMANS 4:13-18.
“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant”……….JOB 14:7-9.
One of the greatest shortcomings of this church, and this is world-wide, is the inability of most folks in church to hold on to God till the end. There is a lot of half-way believers. The best we have are those who are careful enough to go “almost to the end” with God.
We are quitters, as some would describe this unwholesome attitude of believing folks - always submitting to the will of nature and of satan – even in the face of the overwhelming power of God at our beck and calling.
We have become that generation that have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.
Brethren, it is required of every believer to endure hardship even as a soldier of Christ. And our Lord Jesus Christ would not have said so just for saying sake - He never did.
Every true Christian journey is full of seemingly insurmountable trials and temptations, even in the midst of all the good things of this life.
Why? Because no living can stumble into heaven, none. We all, must, through much trembling, make heaven at last. Those who try to jump into it always end up in the bottomless pit.
For the Father has ordained it that whosoever must make heaven at last must pay some price for it. Yes, heaven is for sale, and the price is daily righteous and holy living.
Some pleasure seekers amongst us have defaced the face of Christianity by painting a picture of endless pleasure and bliss for all who come to Christ. How wrong they are even with the attendant eternal consequences.
Brethren of the Lord, true and enduring joy and bliss can only be found in heaven. As far as we are in what Apostle Peter calls our earthly tabernacle, we cannot speak of bliss and joy unspeakable. We will continue to grown until we put it off.
Yes, indeed we may have all that this life offers, yet when we begin to draw lasting joy and pleasure from them, we loose sight of the glory that lies ahead - eternal glory.
Every true believer is a pilgrim on earth. Those who refuse to live as such will continue to .
Apostle Paul once painted a perfect picture of what the future holds for those believers who live here in wantonness and reveling. According to him, if we have come to God for all that this life offers, then we are all folks most miserable.
Sadly, this is the state of many in the church of today who bask in the glory of this life – living in deep spiritual misery while at the same time seemingly enjoying the pleasures of this life. This is one of the mysteries of godliness.
We that are saved are people of hope: saved by hope and unto hope - the hope that maketh not ashamed. We believe in the invisible Father, the Creator of the ends of the earth. We have received His only begotten Son as our Lord and personal Savior. And we have His Holy Spirit Who has made us the mobile house of the living God.
We believe that we are children of the living God. We believe that heaven and hell fire are as real as life and death. And we have hope that at the end of life here we all will be with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, to live life to the utmost.
But there is this phrase that the world is very good at; which has also crept into the church. It says that “it is not over until it is over”.
Whenever folks use that phrase, they would appear to be willing and ready to go on as long as it would take. Yet they do give up – and readily too, even without catching a glimpse of the end.
Humanity, by some curious and collective agreement, has carved out a point to give up – a point called hopeless: the point when all hopes are deemed lost – when seemingly nothing can be done any more.
It is that point when we have done all that we consider humanly possible: when our only seeming option is to hopelessly submit to the invisible hands of “fate” - it is the point where human weaknesses and limitations are hopelessly exposed.
But I am sent by the Holy Ghost to announce to the world, and particularly to His Church on earth, that the word “hopeless” is only found in the dictionary of men. That as far as heaven is concerned , there is always hope – endless hope, the hope that makes not ashamed.
And why does the scripture describe this hope as that which makes not ashamed? Is it not because those who must follow such hope are often derided and mocked by those around them. They are often associated with some form of mental collapse. They are always the laughing stock of the world.
Yet they always end up pleasing the Father – that is, if they continue till the end.
Yes, whosoever chooses to walk with God in hope must not be ashamed of that stand. He or she must be willing and ready to go on, even when the boldest and wisest of men and women have given up. They must be ready to forever lean, not on their own understanding, but on the living word of God, which never fails.
Brethren, as far as heaven is concerned, the life a man or woman has only ended when that man or woman has entered heaven or hell fire. Before then, revival is still possible.
According to the Holy Ghost, no matter the state of a man or woman, so long as his or her spirit has not reached heaven or hell fire, life can still be restored.
Even when one has entered into any of these two realms, revival is still possible. But that matter belongs entirely to the Father and we cannot even peep into it..
Brethren, I am writing about what we call death. As far as heaven is concerned, so long as the spirit is still here on earth, even outside our body, there is still hope for the revival of the dead.
To the world, death occurs when one is said to be clinically dead. But to heaven, death occurs only when one as made it either to heaven or to hell fire.
There is yet more to come. Till then, keep running even with renewed hope.
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