Here’s the Lord’s wonderful, gracious assurance to a very wayward people, suffering for their sin…
“I will betroth you to Me forever! Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy! I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord! … I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy! I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are My God!’” (From Hosea 2:19-23 NKJV)
Oh, Praise the Lord – “His mercy endures forever!”
It really matters who gives a word of assurance or authenticates something!
This morning during my time of “Coffee with the Lord” I read something spoken by Someone who stands at the pinnacle of authority… Jesus, the Christ – “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords” … Someone who functioned as Creator (John 1:1-5, 10-14) who came to earth in human flesh, was crucified, buried, and conquered death through the resurrection – and “lives forevermore!”
He is the “authority” who declared what I read this morning (now think about that for a moment!)…
Here’s what He said…
“Most assuredly I say to you, ‘If anyone keeps My wordHE SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH!” (John 8:51 NKJV)
Now I’m going to share a bit of “Bartel’s theology” and understanding of that verse in the context of that passage and the rest of Scripture (and I might also say, a view and conviction shared by many Bible scholars and theologians with a high view of Scripture”…
For a Christian (an authentic believer in and follower of Jesus) the moment of death IS SIMPLY A STEP from life here on earth (“etenal life” here and now) to “eternal life” to be enjoyed forever!
What a wonderful “HOPE” – for a Christian a “confident expectation!”
The Bible – the uniquely “Divinely inspired” book – good “From cradle to grave (and everything in between)!” …”My all-sufficient guide for all of life and my relationship with God!”
“FROM CHILDHOOD you have been acquainted with THE SCRIPTURES, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus! ALL SCRIPTURE is breathed out by God [i.e. “inspired”] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (or woman) of God may be COMPLETE, EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.” (From 2 Timothy 3:15–17)
Coffee With The Lord 