But Now Brought Near Eph. 2:13

What a horrible and hopeless condition the heathens in before being called by the gospel.  They did not have Christ, where all spiritual blessings and forgiveness of sin are found, (Eph. 1:3) nor did they have the Law that would lead them to Him. The Jews were also lacking the fullness of these blessings, but they had the hope of the expected Messiah. The Gentiles were excluded from both the blessings and the hope. The Messiah was coming through the nation of Israel and very few Gentiles had even heard of it.  

They were “strangers to the covenant of promise.” Abraham was promised a descendant who would be a blessing to all nations. Moses promised a prophet like him that all should listen to. The prophets promised the Messiah. The Jews had a school master preparing and bringing men to Christ. But the Gentiles were ignorant of all of this and excluded from the hope. The whole Gentile world was outside of these promises and blessings. They had nothing to look forward to, just as they no conciliation in this life. 

Without God, the heathens had no hope, only blind groping because what witness God had given them was ignored or forgotten.  God was still there, but their lives did not reflect it. Paul described the gloominess of this spiritual “blind man’s bluff” search for God to the Athenians: “that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”  (Acts 17:27) 

But then, thanks be to God, Christ came and offered His blessings to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13) Reconciliations and forgiveness were found in Christ form them too.

Jesus’ Love, Sickness, Death and Hope

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”  Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  (John 11:1-5)

Even though the Lord loved Him, He still was sick. Righteousness protects the soul — not the body from all infirmity. Yes, even though Jesus loved him — he still became sick and died. This is not what the love of Jesus protects of from. This is what the love of Jesus gets us through.

So never think that sickness and death mean that Jesus doesn’t love you — know in the comfort of the hope of the resurrection that Jesus l loves you!

Jesus went to His grieving friends. He cried with them at the cemetery. Then He made a great hopeful promise that all believers ever since have shared:

Jesus said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world. (Jn. 11:23-27)

And then He raised His friend from the dead. 

Ps. 6 A Troubled Soul Prays To God In Anguish And Hope

Ps. 6:1:1“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Thine anger, Nor chasten me in Thy wrath.

2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.

3And my soul is greatly dismayed; But Thou, O LORD--how long?

Yet again David is greatly troubled. He pleads with the Lord as one who recognizes his unworthiness to come before God. David recognized his failings in this way and called out with complete dependence on God’s grace. David’s own strength was failing and he was greatly troubled, so he recognized his need and waited on the Lord. However long that was. 

8Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

9The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer.

10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they shall suddenly be ashamed.”

Sinners be warned: leave this righteous man alone. Will they? Probably not until they are totally consumed by the Lord, but David is still renewed. Confidence has returned because he has assurance πthe Lord has “heard and received” his prayers. All who strive to live faithfully have this same promise (2 Pet. 3:10-12).

Consider Jesus: Our Hope

Let us continue to “consider Jesus.” (Heb. 3:1) 

People viscerally know that earthly existence is ultimately unsatisfying and that true contentment and fulfillment escape us even when worldly circumstances are favorable. Those without faith, and a worldview diminished by selfishness, look to a change of fortune or circumstances to find fulfillment. Others have a spiritual hope, but false spiritual hopes, such as reincarnation or universalism, are weak and unsatisfactory. 

Compared to this is the great bright hope of Christianity believing in “God our Savior, and…Christ Jesus, who is our hope.” (1 Tim. 1:1)

Such hope was present in the Old Testament, “For Thou art my hope; O Lord GOD, Thou art my confidence from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5) And “I have hope in Him.” (Lam. 3:24) Now this “hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” (Tit. 1:2) is realized in Jesus. 

Jesus, the embodiment of our hope, is the one who came from Heaven to show us the way back there by reconciled us to God and our brothers along the way. This is much better than hoping in riches (1 Tim. 6:17) or any of the vain things of this world.

This hope enlivens everything we do 1 Tim. 4:10 “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”, knowing that it will all go well for us if we do. “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Tit. 2:13) 

So “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:13)