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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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"A Hopeless End vs. An Endless Hope?" Are you heading for a hopeless end or do you have an endless hope? Paul, noting the plight of the Ephesians before they became Christians, wrote: "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh … that at that time you were without Christ, … having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:11-12 NKJV). Without
Christ, one has NO HOPE!
Without Christ, one is destined for a hopeless
end. Paul went on to remind the Christians in Ephesus of the hope they enjoyed in Christ: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). Because Jesus shed His blood on the cross as a payment for sin, and because these Ephesians had come in contact with the cleansing blood of Christ through faith, repentance, and baptism, they NOW had hope. With
Christ, one has an endless hope. Peter also reminded some suffering Christians of their hope in Christ: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). Peter’s audience had been “begotten” (or born) again when they were born of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5) in baptism. Theirs was a living hope because it was based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christians have a living hope because the Savior lives! With Christ, one may proclaim along with the writer of the book of Hebrews: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast" (Hebrews 6:19). An anchor is used to provide stability, even in the times of storm. In the same way, one’s hope in Christ gives stability in the storms that life brings. Lives are often tragically ended in this world today. There is, however, a greater tragedy: to die without Christ, having NO hope. As Gilbert Beenken has well stated, “Other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.” Do you see a "hopeless end" or are you rejoicing in an "endless hope"? God
bless you. To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchsearch.org Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org |