The Joy of Glory

*I have enjoyed writing the Lenten devotionals for 2018 and appreciate all the encouraging emails people have sent to tell me about how God has been at work in their lives through his Word. I encourage you to keep on reading Scripture daily that you may find ever-increasing joy in the glory of God. Grace and Peace, Jonathan

Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Reflection
Holy Saturday… a day of waiting.

Imagine if you had been amongst Christ’s disciples the day after his crucifixion. That had to be the most hopeless of Sabbaths. A day they had grown up observing as the most hope-filled day of the week… a day that recalled God’s perfect creation and looked forward to the day he would redeem and restore it all to the way he created it to be… that day had become the most hopeless day of their lives.

At least that is how it seemed… but if only they could see…

If only they could see that they were merely a day away from the in-breaking of everything they had ever hoped for! The reversal of sin and its darkest effect… death… this would soon begin with the resurrection of him… Jesus Christ!

Oh… if they could’ve seen that! How might it have revolutionized their waiting? If only they could’ve seen resurrection was on its way… just a day away!

Now come back to today… come back to this moment… to this Holy Saturday… a day in which we wait much like those first disciples… not for the resurrection, but for the completion of redemption! The completion of what Christ’s resurrection began… the reversal of sin and death!

And we wait with eyes wide open… we wait as those who have seen the resurrected Christ with the eyes of faith! And, his resurrection guarantees the completion of redemption! Our waiting is not devoid of hope but filled with it!

We know that Easter will have its final effect! Redemption will be complete! All things will be made knew!

So, on this Holy Saturday we wait in expectation as a people filled with hope and proclaiming hope to the world… the one who rose on Easter will return! His resurrection will finish what it began… the reversal of sin and death.

Redemption will be brought to completion. Easter will have its final effect!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Revelation 12:7-12 (click here)
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10-11)

Reflection
Good Friday.

Good…

What makes this Friday good?

The Friday of the crucifixion was the day in which the sinless son of God was ruthlessly murdered. The evilest, vilest act that has ever been committed took place on that day… and we dare to call it “good?”

Good Friday?

What makes this Friday good?

Look harder… look closer at the cross… look underneath the evil to see the sovereign love of God subverting it, turning it to good. Look and see God beat evil with its own actions… good! Look and see God defeat death with death… good! Look and see Christ conquer in the very moment he appears to be conquered… good!

O’ this Friday is good, for our sovereign God ruled over the evilest, vilest act for the most glorious, gracious purpose! Through Christ being slain our salvation was accomplished! Satan was defeated! Sin, evil, and death itself died! Through Christ’s sacrifice we have overcome all!

Yes… we still live awaiting the final completion of redemption. Yes… that means we still fight sin, evil, and we may even have to face death… but it has all been conquered and the final day of salvation will come and prove that to be true!

The day will come when what Christ accomplished on the cross will be brought to completion and have its final effect! On that day it will be said of us that we have conquered by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! For we faced all of life, sin, suffering, and even our deaths with a confidence in Christ’s victory!

What makes this Friday good?

Christ’s conquering cross!

Truly, this is GOOD Friday.
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Jude 17-25 (click here)
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

Reflection
How are you going to make it?

How are you going to make it all the way through life, to the end, faithful to the Lord, never falling away? How will you endure? How will you overcome?

Jude closes his small epistle with a massive exclamation… “Now to HIM who is able to keep YOU from stumbling…”

How are you going to make it? God is going to keep you! How will you endure? God is going to keep you! How will you overcome? God is going to keep you!

God is able to keep you from falling away, able to bring you all the way home to himself, able to complete the good work he began in you and make you blameless! He is able to bring you all the way through life, overcoming all, and finally standing in the presence of his great glory!

How? How is he able to do this?

He is able because he is the only God who has worked his gloriously majestic salvation through his Son Jesus Christ! He is able because has sovereign dominion over all, complete authority over all, he has always had it and he always will!

This sovereign God with all dominion and authority for all time is able to keep and has promised to do so through Christ! And what is the result for you and me? Great joy! The greatest joy! Complete joy! Eternal joy!

Full joy forever!

Let this promise sustain you today! The God who has all power and authority for all time is working in you today, sustaining you today, so that you will make it all the way through life, overcoming all by his power so that in the end you get him in all his glory as your joy forever!

How are you going to make it? God is going to keep you! He is keeping you! Right now… today!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.