Faith Matters Podcast

#654 - Pray Through Uncertainty; Day 2

Have you ever felt stuck? Like you were meant to move forward, grab life by the horns, and crush your goals—but your circumstances close in on you and you just can’t get ahead?Maybe you’ve wondered, “God, is there a plan?” Maybe day after day, week after week, month after month, your dreams get deferred—and you decide to bury the dream because there is no clear answer and no clear timeline.If you’re trapped in a state of limbo, you’re in good company.In Scripture, we read about Joseph. He was a young guy, full of promise, blessed with skills, and intellect, and integrity. But he finds himself thrown into prison for no fault of his own. For more than a decade, Joseph, who had been deftly climbing the leadership ladder, was held prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit. More than ten years of not knowing when his time would come to be released from prison into all God had in store for him.But God had a unique plan and purpose for Joseph's life which He unfolded according to His timetable. At the perfect time, the pieces fell into place. Joseph left prison to become Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Today, as you face dead-end circumstances, know that God has not forgotten you. Maybe you don’t have the blueprint—but God does. He will fulfill His plan for your life. Your pit, your prison, your seemingly dead-end circumstances can become the training ground that readies you for what’s ahead.Let’s pray:Father God, Whether I’m in the pit or in the prison, I’m not alone. You are with me. In those valley situations, Your rod and Your staff comfort me. Father, my way is not hidden from you. You are El Roi—the God who sees. So, Lord, even though I don’t know when You’ll lead me out of this valley, I trust that You have the perfect timetable and that Your plan cannot be thwarted. Father, even when things feel like they are in limbo and answers feel up in the air, would you enable me to live with purpose and integrity, glorifying You exactly where You’ve placed me for now. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

#653 - Pray Through Uncertainty; Day 1

When we think of Bible heroes and heroines who faced uncertain situations, one person who may immediately spring to mind is Ruth.Ruth, a Moabitess, had lost her husband and had decided to leave her hometown and follow her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem. As a young widow, Ruth’s situation was incredibly difficult, especially given the cultural and historical context where women, particularly widows, were looked down on. Her safer bet would have been to bid her mother-in-law goodbye and head back to the familiar setting of her hometown. But Ruth decisively chooses to stay with Naomi, saying: Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1: 16)Sometimes, we grow so accustomed to Bible stories that we forget that there were real people behind them with real feelings. I wonder what Ruth was going through as she made her way to Bethlehem. Was her mind riddled with questions? Questions and concerns like: Will we have enough to eat? Will they accept a foreigner like me? What if they ridicule and reject me there? What if I’m unable to support Naomi? Will I ever get to be a mother? Taking a brave decision didn’t automatically shield Ruth from wondering. Uncertainty still loomed up ahead. But Ruth didn’t stay stuck in self-pity or in fear. She put one foot in front of the other. She walked in the light she'd been given. The Bible says that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths. When you face a mountain of questions and don’t know what lies ahead, pray for His Word to illuminate the path so you can take one step at a time.We don’t know the next chapter, or even the next page, in our lives. But we do know the Author who is crafting incredible storylines that our minds cannot grasp.Ruth went on to live a blessed life, marrying Boaz and later giving birth to a son who would be an ancestor to David. Ruth was included in the family line of Jesus—something she never would have foreseen or even understood when she decided to go along with Naomi, pledging her allegiance to the one true God. Just like for Ruth, all the days ordained for us are written in His book. We are called to trust and obey, to put our hands in His, and walk on the paths that He has planned for us.Let’s pray:Father God, You are sovereign and You are good and You are wise and You are all-knowing. I trust You to write every chapter and every page and every word of my life. Those who look to You will never be put to shame. You will work all things out for the good of those who love You, who have been called according to Your purpose. So, Father, would You teach me to put my hand in Yours and trust You to write an incredible story through my life for Your glory and Your honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

#649 - Faith Matters; Book of Signs - Ch 15 Judgement Seat

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi HaleThe Book of Signs by Dr. David Jeremiah. This is the Judgement Set of Christ, Chapter 15There is a lot of pretending going on. Many people love to pretend they are Christians when deep down in their hearts they know better. They have never truly had a life-changing experience of salvation. But one day, all this make-believe will be unmasked.The judgment seat of Christ is a sobering reminder to every Christian that a day of testing is coming and the day of pretending will be over. Right now, God is giving us opportunities, and He is saying to us that at the coming of His Son we will be both glad and sorry - glad we used the opportunities that we did and sorry we did not use more.

#648 - Joys of Heaven; Day 5

Heaven on Earth (Part 2)Revelation 21 and 22 are packed with details about the new heaven and the new earth, but one striking feature is the repeated notation of things that are not present. The absence of things with which we are familiar in this world helps us better understand the wonder of existence in the renewed creation.One of the first things that is mentioned as missing is the sea (21:1). In Hebrew poetry, the sea is consistently used as a metaphor for trouble and distress. Whether or not there will be oceans and beaches in the new earth is unclear, but there is no doubt that all dangers and trials will be banished. Also missing will be tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain. God will soothe away our heartaches, comfort us in our sorrows, gently dry our tears, and ease away our hurts. The joy of dwelling in His presence will far outweigh the distant memories of hard circumstances. There will be no temple there either (21:22); none will be needed, for the ancient temple symbolized the presence of God with His people, and now God actually will be with them, and He and the Lamb will be the temple.John also tells us “the city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it” (21:23), a fulfillment of Isaiah 60:19–20. Indeed, even if the sun and moon still exist, the glory of God will outshine them. With the refulgence of God glowing everlastingly, there will be no night (21:25). And there will be nothing there “that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie” (21:27). This will be a place of truth, beauty, and goodness. Finally, there will be no curse (22:3). With spirits and bodies renewed and at last made unable to sin and provoke God’s wrath, His people will exist in a state of perpetual blessedness.What will be there? These rich chapters list far more features than can be discussed in this limited space, but one thing bears mentioning: the tree of life (22:2). It originally grew in the midst of Eden, but following the fall God expelled man from the garden and placed cherubim there to prevent him from eating its fruit. Now the tree stands beside the river of water of life and “in the middle of [the city’s] street,” where it is easily accessible to all the inhabitants. The abundant life experienced by Adam and Eve before their fall will be known for all eternity by all of God’s people.CORAM DEO Living before the face of GodHas today’s study whetted your appetite for heaven? What are you looking forward to leaving behind in this life? Looking to God for help, make use of all His means of grace to resist temptation to sin and to experience the abundant life to the fullest extent possible even now. Ask God to make you increasingly fit for your heavenly home.

#647 - Joys of Heaven; Day 4

Heaven on Earth (Part 1)At the conclusion of the book of Revelation, John relates an awesome vision. He gazes upon “a new heaven and a new earth,” which, he says, replace the original of each, which have passed away. Other passages in Scripture indicate that this heaven and earth are not entirely new but are renovations of the originals (Isa. 65:17–25; Rom. 8:21–23), renewed much as believers’ bodies will be transformed.Coming down from the new heaven into this new earth, John sees “the holy city, New Jerusalem.” It is, he tells us, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Later in this chapter John mentions this city again, telling of an angel who refers to it as “ ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’ ” (21:9–10). Scripture elsewhere makes clear that the bride of Christ (the Lamb) is the church, the people of God (Isa. 54:5–8; Eph. 5:25–27; Rev. 19:7). Thus, John is seeing the entire body of believers from every time and place, made new in the consummation of all things, being placed back on the physical earth to live for eternity in their physical bodies.There are many features to this new earth to elicit our wonder and praise, and we will look at a number of them in tomorrow’s study. Today, however, we will focus on one, the most wonderful feature of all. John tells us that he hears a voice declaring, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”During the time of Israel’s desert wandering, the sign of God’s presence with His people was the tabernacle pitched in the center of the camp. There, in the holy of holies, the presence of God was said to reside. Much later, the apostle John began his gospel by noting that Christ “dwelt [literally “tabernacled”] among us” (John 1:14). Those, however, were essentially “temporary stays.” What John sees is the establishment of God’s permanent residence among His people. In fulfillment of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:7–8), as well as the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 31:33), God settles with His people, to be God to them. As in Eden of old, men and women walk with God in the cool of the day. Here we find the highest blessing man can know—intimate fellowship between creature and Creator. This is truly heaven on earth.CORAM DEO Living before the face of GodThe hints in Genesis about life in the Garden of Eden before the fall are heartbreakingly poignant, especially compared with Scripture’s accounts of the terror that fallen man experiences when he encounters God. By God’s renewing work, we shall be able to live as Adam and Eve did. Praise God for the beauty of His unfolding redemptive plan.

#646 - Joys of Heaven; Day 3

The Final State of ManChristians sometimes imagine themselves spending eternity in an ethereal, spiritual place where they will exist as disembodied souls. Heaven may indeed be like this, but we will not be spending eternity there. Rather, we will live in a place that resembles the earth in bodies that will have significant identification with those we possess now.The Bible makes clear that a separation occurs at death. The body dies, is placed in the grave, and decays. However, the spirit of the person continues to exist. The spirit of a believer goes immediately to the presence of God in heaven: to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). However, the spirit of an unbeliever is immediately cast into hell (Luke 16:22–23). But this is not the final state; instead, it is what theologians call “the intermediate state.” For a believer, being present in spirit in heaven is simply an advancement in the new life he or she began to live at the time of regeneration (John 5:24). In a very real sense, a Christian begins to live the life of heaven even before dying (Eph. 2:5–6). When death does come, his soul is made perfect in holiness, fitting him for the presence of God. Later in time, however, when Christ returns to earth, He will cause the bodies of all those who have died to be raised and reunited with their souls. Then will come the final judgment, when the unrighteous will be cast, soul and body, back into hell (John 5:28–29; Acts 24:15), while the righteous will be placed in the new earth, their souls reunited to their now-perfected bodies (Phil. 3:21).It is the resurrection of the righteous that Paul is addressing in 1 Corinthians 15. To explain it, he uses the analogy of a seed. In order to produce a plant, we place a seed in the ground and apply water to make it rot. In effect, we kill the seed that a new life might come forth. So it is with our bodies, which go into the ground and decay. When they are renewed by God, they will become like the plant that sprouts from the seed. They will be the same bodies we once inhabited, similar in many ways. But they will be incorruptible. They will be like the body of Christ following His resurrection; perfected and glorified, fitting us for existence in the new earth.What will that existence be like? We will examine that question in our next two studies.CORAM DEO Living before the face of GodIs the idea that you will spend eternity in a physical world in a physical body strange to you? If this seems undesirable, remember that it will differ from your present existence in one monumental way—your spirit and body will be perfect and sin will be gone. As you finish this study, ask God to give you understanding of these things.