The Bible tells about a very patient man whose name was Job. Job endured incredibly difficult trials. He lost all of the oxen, sheep, camels, and she asses that he owned. When all of his children died, he experienced great grief. Soon after these trials came upon him, he was stricken with very bad boils that covered his body from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. His wife urged him to curse God and die; his “friends” made false accusations against him; and he lost his position of leadership and respect in the community.
In spite of all these terrible hardships, Job continued to trust in God. In Job 19:25-27, Job described his Sure Foundation of Hope, saying, “25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)
Job had no doubts. He knew he would die and that his body would be consumed by worms, but he was sure that he would live again. Job believed in a bodily resurrection, for he was certain that in his flesh he would see God, and with his eyes he would behold God for himself. Sickness did not cause Job to lose his trust, and death did not frighten him because he had hope of eternal life.
Do you have this hope? Do you have the confidence that you will see God? Do you have this assurance of eternal life?
The Bible teaches that we can know that we are saved, that we can have assurance of this hope. I John 5:13 says, “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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Have you believed on the name of the Son of God? Who is the Son of God? Do you know Him?
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The earth God created was beautiful. He created the land, the sea, the sky, the birds, and the animals. Then God created something very special, something that He made in His own image. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” God lovingly made people in His own image.
For this man and woman that God had created, He made a special garden, the Garden of Eden. They could live in the garden and enjoy all the wonderful fruits that grew there. Out of the ground in the Garden of Eden “made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9) Adam and Eve were allowed to freely eat of every tree of the garden. The only tree they could not eat from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)
Adam and Eve knew what God said, but they did not obey. Satan appeared to Eve and told her that they would not die if they ate the fruit but would rather become wise. Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan and ate it. Immediately they were ashamed. They understood that they were naked and tried to cover themselves.
Adam and Eve were also afraid. When God came to talk to them in the garden in the cool of the day, they tried to hide.
Death came upon Adam and Eve as well. Spiritual death came immediately as they were cut off from their relationship with God. They also began to die physically. Sickness, sorrow, and pain would now be a part of their lives. The earth was cursed because of their sin, and it brought forth thorns and thistles, making man’s work very hard. Once, it was a pleasure to Adam to keep the garden and enjoy the wonderful fruits it bore. Now, he would have to eat “in the sweat of his face,” because he had chosen to disobey God. (See Genesis 3:19)
One day Adam and Eve would die physically and return unto the dust, “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 2:19b) All fear, shame, sorrow, sickness, pain, and death in the world today are a result of Adam’s choice to disobey God. Romans 5:12 explains, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Because of Adam’s sin, every person born into this world after Adam inherited his nature and was born a sinner. The Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
The good news is that God did not leave Adam and Eve without hope. He promised to send them a Deliverer who would redeem them from their sin.
Satan had entered into a serpent when he came to deceive Eve and convince her to disobey God. Now Satan is known as “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan.” (See Revelation 12:9) When God pronounced the curses after Adam and Eve sinned, He said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) This was a prophecy, and it was fulfilled when God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on Calvary.
At Calvary, “…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” After that, “He was buried, and… he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (See I Corinthians 15:3,4) At Calvary, the prince of the world, Satan, was judged, and Jesus showed His authority over the powers of the world by making a show of them openly and triumphing over them in it. The Bible says that Jesus spoiled principalities and powers on the cross. That means He broke their yoke of oppression from us so that we no longer have to be in bondage to them. (See John 16:11 and Colossians 2:15)
God triumphed over Satan, sin, death, and hell at the cross. Not only did He triumph over Satan but also over all the principalities and powers that serve him. They have no power to keep our souls. Jesus became our Redeemer to save us from the power of sin and Satan.
At Calvary, Jesus was “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Colossians 2:14) Jesus took our condemnation for sin and nailed it to His cross when He died. There is nothing left for us to do. Jesus paid it all. He purchased for us the gift of eternal life. He laid for us our Sure Foundation of Hope.
How can we receive this gift of eternal life? We have simply to repent, to turn from our idols (our sin) to serve the living God. (See I Thessalonians 1:9) We do this by admitting we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. We look to Jesus to save. Our desire is to go His way and no longer depend on our own good works to save us. Instead, we trust in Jesus’ work which He did on the cross.
Jesus was lifted up on the cross to draw you to Himself. (See John 12:32) He died and was buried and rose again the third day that He might redeem you from your sin and give you everlasting life. Won’t you believe on Jesus today? The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) This is God’s promise and our Sure Foundation of Hope, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.” (Hebrews 6:19a)
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