Worship Devotional CVI

Jan 22

Originally posted to the Facebook group on 1/22/2022.

By Faith In Christ — Life Without Fear Of Death

Worship Devotional for 1/23/22

Many have pondered the age-old question, "What is the meaning of life?" We are constantly searching for meaning in the various aspects of our lives, whether it be in our relationships and families, our work or hobbies or recreational activities, our entertainment or media influences, the things we say, religious activities, or anything else we do. The problem is that all those things will end. Even if we leave a legacy when we die that lives on, we are no longer here to enjoy the fruits of our labor. For those who set their hope on the things of this life and of this world, life is found to be meaningless. This futility of life is due to the reign of death, for everything under the sun must come to an end. It just as Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 tells us:

"'Absolute futility,' says the Teacher. 'Absolute futility. Everything is futile.' What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?"

But now we have something that is not of this world, something that has been given to us from above. Jesus our Savior, the way and the truth and the life, descended from heaven down to earth that He might offer Himself as an acceptable sacrifice for our sins, which had resulted in death's reign over this world. The Son of God and Son of Man lived a righteous and blameless life on the earth, then took the punishment for our sins upon Himself by suffering and dying on a criminal's cross, so that our debt to God would be paid in full by His shed blood. Then God raised Him from the dead according to the Scriptures, so that now death has been defeated and no longer has any claim on Him. Our God has conquered the enemy of death once and for all. This act of sacrificial love means salvation is offered freely to the one who simply believes, who trusts, who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. By putting our faith in Him, we receive His full forgiveness of all our sins, justification in God's sight, sanctification by the Holy Spirit so that we might become pure and blameless and holy children of God, and the guaranteed promise of eternal life!

Romans 6:23:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Since God has given us these wonderful gifts by His grace, we no longer need to fear death. Life is no longer meaningless for the believer, because it has been redefined according to what is from above, and not according to the things of this world. We now know the secret, the answer, the meaning and purpose of life. God has revealed to us in His word what life is and how we are to live it. It begins with faith, for we know from Hebrews 11:6:

"Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him."

This faith was defined for us back in verse 1:

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen."

2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we live by faith and not by sight. Faith is about trusting in God and being obedient to His commands no matter what we see in our present circumstances. That's why to be faithful is to be consistent and steadfast and true to character despite outward appearances. God is always faithful, even when things appear difficult or confusing or uncertain. He calls us to be like Him, so we should aspire to be faithful at all times, including when things are hard, painful, or even seemingly impossible, for Jesus tells us in Mark 9:23 that nothing is impossible for those who believe. The secret to life is faith! Romans 1:16-17, with reference to Habakkuk 2:4, says:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

There is a lie which many of the Jews had bought into and which we are all prone to believing: that righteousness is something that can be earned by works — more specifically, by keeping the law. Of course, the problem is that no one can truly keep the law, for we all fail not just at one point in our lives, but all the time. That is why Christ had to come to redeem us by His blood; we could never save ourselves or make ourselves righteous in God's sight by our own strength or by our works. We could never earn the right to eternal life, for we all deserve death and judgment because we are all guilty of sin and lawlessness against God. Paul warned the church in Galatia about the destructive deception of trying to keep the law to earn God's favor. That kind of view of God, being false, doesn't lead to life, but rather to fear and hopelessness and ultimately death. Instead, Paul reminds us what life really is for us as believers in Galatians 2:18-21, and how we are not to go back to what was never meant to give us life:

"If I rebuild the system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing."

We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. So living by faith means a new life that is only found in Christ. It means letting go of ourselves and our old way of life — which was ultimately meaningless and could only lead to death — and being made new in the hope of eternal life. The way we live out our new identity as children of God, redeemed for eternity, yet who are still here on this earth for a short time, is by faith in Christ. As Philippians 1:21 says:

"For me, living is Christ and dying is gain."

And Colossians 3:1-4:

"So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."

We know that while we are still in these temporary bodies of flesh, we must wrestle and struggle with sin, for:

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41b).

We know that we must face many trials and temptations and hardships and struggles in this life. But we also know from 1 John 5:1-5:

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. This is how we know that we love God's children when we love God and obey His commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

And from Galatians 5:16-26:

"I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance — as I told you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

And from Hebrews 2:14-18:

"Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the Devil — and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham's offspring. Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested."

We know from James 2:14-26 that faith without works is dead. Faith is what justifies us before God, not works. But a true and living faith, by which we live out the righteousness God has bestowed upon us, is proven to exist within us by the fruit it produces in our lives, that is, the works which flow from it. As we seek to worship God in spirit and truth, giving Him honor and praise by the way we live our lives on this earth, let us pray that He may give us true faith so that we may live for eternity, glorifying the true and eternal God by our love and good deeds. May we love God with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength, and love each other earnestly, in keeping with what God has commanded us in 1 Peter 1:22-23:

"By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again — not of perishable seed but of imperishable — through the living and enduring word of God."

May we be doers of the word and not hearers only (James. 1:22). And may we keep Christ always in focus by faith according to Hebrews 12:1-2:

"Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne."

This is what is means to truly live. We are the ones who know the secret of life, who have received life in abundance even for all eternity, and who live without fear of death. To truly live, to live without fear, is to live by faith in Christ.

Songs: