Yesterday we allowed ourselves to be taken into The Hole in order to acknowledge that life can be (and often is) messy, dark, painful and frightening. Today I want us to travel in the opposite direction and ascend The Hill. What joy comes to us when we retain the assurance that, no matter the haunting depths we may experience in life, the end result for the followers of Christ is that we are journeying on a path that will ultimately take us upward…up as high as one might possibly go.
Above the white clouds, beyond the blackened stellar regions of comets, stars, moons and planets, moving past the estimated hundreds of billions of galaxies in the cosmos, exceeding the bounds of measurable space and time, we will one day enter into a realm known in Scripture simply as Heaven. There in God’s paradise we will witness scenes described in scripture as being full of otherworldly light, bedecked in the purest of gold, ornamented in the most resplendent of jewels, occupied with the holiest of angels, filled with perpetual anthems of praise to God sung by the redeemed of all the ages. Anything we might hazard to imagine or describe will come woefully short of the reality of this mysterious place. It is too good to be known in precision down here. In the midst of this paradise, exalted above everything else in existence is a throne occupied by the Supreme King of the ages, before whom every knee will finally bow as every tongue eventually confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is our Heaven.
And the bible declares that this is the place where we are hidden in eternal bliss and security. We are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. We have moved from The Hole to His Hill.
“Send out Your light and your truth;let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill.” -Psalm 43:3
What an awestriking paradox is the life of faith! Believers in Jesus Christ have been graciously pardoned through our confidence that Jesus has merited our salvation via His sinless life and substitutionary death on the cross. He has paid the full price and we have no fear of the threat of destruction to come. Our sins are so expunged that our record in Heaven is as clear and clean as that of Christ Himself. Were this not the case we could never even hope to see Glory – but it is absolutely true because we are fully justified through Him! God found us in The Hole of our deserved condemnation and, in immeasurable love and grace, chose us, sought us, awakened us, broke us, saved us, welcomed us, shepherds us and will safely deposit us in the place prepared for us. This is the upward calling of each of us who have been brought to faith in Christ. We are in utter safety through Him!
No matter what ills find us today, we must commit to joyfully resting in our undeniable outcome. Overcomers we are. Triumphant in Christ. Objects of unassailable grace. Forgiven…forgiven…forgiven. Lavished and treasured and beloved and accepted. What threatened to destroy us in The Hole is forgotten on The Hill. It is upon God’s Hill that we may narrowly look upon what once troubled us in this life and boldly shout it down. Yes, one little word shall cause it all to dissolve, and that word is pardoned. The devil cannot argue with this word! Your flesh cannot have the last say against this verdict on your behalf! Hell’s authority against you freezes over when it hears that you have been justified! As you take hold of this grand truth and follow it all the way up The Hill, to it’s place of rest then you will know the depths of peace and certainty that every human soul longs for. You are safe, my friend, if you are in Christ. Lift up your eyes to His Hill from which your help arrives. Your God is near and listening and active on your behalf. He must win the battle and – yes! – He already has. The victory march is drawing near so press on. Press on. We are very close. Press on.
Amen!!!thanks you my lord.
Dear Mr. Jeff:
Because of GOD’s Trinity being present on August the 4th, of 1994; I witness the message from GOD on Fear, Courage, and Faith, this morning that you delivered. Which renewed my faith with joy and thanksgivings for saving me on March the 23, of 2003; and because prays are answered many souls have been saved from hell, AMEN!
Lastly, I pray that we able to fellowship together in the near future, B4LeavngEarth, if not, I will see you in HEAVEN.
Grateful in CHRIST,
W.E.S, 2nd