By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
SABBATH
THEME: LIFE BEYOND OUR SUFFERINGS: THE PROMISE OF GOD
SCRIPTURE: 1 John 2:25
“And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”
REFLECTIONS
The Bible has fantastic promises, inspiring hope, and glorious expectations. From Genesis to Revelation, we face Jesus Christ, offering life to mortal humans. Jesus, God’s gift to humanity and mankind’s life-giver, has consistently demonstrated His unconditional love towards us. Christ became the ladder that connects us to our Father when sin created today’s void. He is our reason for existence. So, Acts 17:28 acknowledges, “for in Him we live and move and have our being.” The meaning of life is found in Jesus Christ as John 14:6 records, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” To be reconciled to the Father, Jesus is the way; to know the Father and His salvation, Jesus is the truth, and to have life eternal beyond our common death, Jesus is the life.
The apostles declared in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” John 1:4 asserts, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Regardless of your experience and how you have lived, you have abundant life in Christ. To heighten our hope and expectations, Jesus in John 16:33 remarked: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” In a world filled with evil, in an environment where wickedness abounds and lousy news catches attention, Jesus extends salvation and hope to us.
That Jesus has overcome the world is good news for us to trust and wait for Him. Despite our struggles, God’s intentions for us are fixed. In 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, Paul said, “[11]To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, beaten, and homeless. [12]And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; [13]being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.” He reminds us that we may endure difficult situations but can trust Jesus Christ to deliver us. Even the decision to follow Jesus comes with its threats and perils.
Paul reminds us of 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 – “[7]But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. [8]We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9]persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—[10]always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. [11]For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
Even in our most bizarre and hopeless situations and encounters, God’s promise for us is life – nothing that we will gain in this life will be anywhere close to the precious value of the life God promises us. Therefore, with Paul, we say, “If God is for us, who can be against us? [35]Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [37]Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. [38]For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, [39]nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31,35,37-39. Please treasure and hold, with utmost care, the promise of life from the Lord Jesus.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 442 – “How Sweet Are the Tidings” – Rendered by the Advent King’s Chorale
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for the promise of life; thank God for His grace that gives you hope; pray for strength to remain faithful to the Lord;
– Pray for at least five people you want God to save into His kingdom; pray for those who are suffering or being persecuted for their faith in Christ; pray for Christian homes that are facing challenges;
– Pray for missionaries, evangelists, Bible Teachers, and others who witness to others about Christ; pray for Christians in key positions to live and exemplify the character of Christ;
– Pray for the peace of the nation, security personnel, safety within our borders, and a God-fearing citizenry; pray for families that are grieving, the sick, the homeless, and displaced people.
