Author: Daryl Pint

If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.

–2 Timothy 2:11–12

We can experience real, radical transformation in our lives right now because we have participated in both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as He died and was raised to new life, so we, too, have died to our old way of living and have been raised to a new way of living. The third reason we can be transformed now rather than later is that we are also participating in the glorification of Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Just as He will be glorified and rewarded by God, we, too, will be glorified and rewarded by God.

Any losses we experience or pleasures we give up by saying no to our old sin nature will be more than compensated for when Jesus Christ returns. On that day, “every knee will bow, . . . and . . . every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11). Those of us who are in Christ will return with Him. And if we follow Him in this life, then the rewards that God gives His Son for His obedience will be ours as well. That’s why Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”

To receive those rewards, we have to say no to sin. I’ve heard preachers say, “Sin is so distasteful. It just makes you miserable!” But notice what the Bible says about sin. Hebrews 11:24–26 says, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” The writer didn’t say Moses chose to endure ill-treatment rather than enjoy the emptiness of sin. No, the writer said sin is pleasurable–for a season. Moses was willing to say no to the pleasures and treasures of this world because he was looking forward to a greater reward.

That’s the decision we have to make. If we say no to sin right now, God will more than compensate us for that choice in the future. We may be misunderstood, ridiculed, and even persecuted by this world. But one day, when Jesus Christ returns and we return with Him, the entire world will understand why we chose to say no to sin because we will share in the riches of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

–James 3:17

When people think about heaven, they imagine different things. When my daughters were young, they thought heaven would be an endless supply of toys. For many senior adults and people with chronic illness, heaven means an end to physical suffering. For people who are grieving, heaven means a reunion with lost loved ones. Heaven means different things to different people.

But when Paul said, “Keep seeking the things above” (Colossians 3:1), he was not talking about imagining what heaven might be like or the people who will be awaiting us there. He continued, “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” To be seated at the right hand of God means to have a position of power. Psalm 110:1 says, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” God promised His Son that the entire world would be subjected to Him. So when we think about “the things above,” we are to concentrate on Jesus Christ’s position, His power, and most of all, His entire life. We’re to concentrate on the character qualities that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, that’s what it means to be heavenly minded: to conform our everyday actions, attitudes, and affections to those of Christ.

What qualities characterized Christ’s life? In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul referred to these qualities as the fruit of the Spirit. He wrote, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” James, the half brother of Jesus, also wrote about these qualities. He said, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (3:17). To be heavenly minded means to concentrate on the characteristics of Christ and to become like Him in our lives.

One of the greatest misunderstandings about the Christian life is the idea that while we’re on earth, we’re just sinful people who have no control over our actions or attitudes. No, the Bible says you and I can experience the good life now. We don’t have to wait until we die to become like Christ; we can enjoy the great life He enjoyed while we’re still on earth. In other words, we can experience real, radical transformation of every part of our lives.

Matthew 6:13

“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

This request comes at the close of the Lord’s Prayer, perhaps better called the Disciples’ Prayer. Several English translations render the final phrase “deliver us from evil” rather than “deliver us from the evil one.”⁶The Greek could mean either. While it’s possible that deliverance from evil in general is Jesus’ primary meaning, protection from the author of evil is a suitable request for disciples learning to pray.

“Do not bring us into temptation” does not imply “don’t bring us to the place of temptation,” or even “don’t allow us to be tempted.” Jesus already endured temptation at the hands of the evil one after the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness following his baptism (Matt. 4:1). It cannot mean “don’t tempt us,” either, for God does not tempt us with evil (Jas. 1:13).

Rather, as Craig Blomberg points out, these words seem best taken as “don’t let us succumb to temptation” or “don’t abandon us to temptation.” At times, of course, we do give in to temptation, but it’s not God’s fault, for he always provides us with an avenue of escape (1 Cor. 10:13).

This leads naturally to our request that God deliver us from the evil one, from whom all evil ultimately proceeds. The emphasis in this verse is on our human vulnerability and, thus, our utter dependence upon God, who is the only one capable of conquering Satan, sin, and death through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Only “the Holy One of God” breaks the curse of the evil one (Mark 1:24).

Matthew 13:19

“When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.”

Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9) to his disciples. In this familiar story, the Lord prepares his disciples for opposition to the gospel. Further, he encourages them to persevere in sowing the message of God’s kingdom wherever they go, for a harvest is certain (cf. Matt. 13:24-30; 28:19-20). Clearly, Jesus is the sower, the seed is “the word about the kingdom” (13:18), and the various types of soil are those who hear the message. By extension, Jesus’ followers are sowers who are to experience a wide range of responses to the gospel.

Jesus describes four different types of soil, depicting four different states of human readiness to receive the message of God’s kingdom. The sower scatters his seed indiscriminately, just as the gospel message goes out to the entire world. Some seeds fall on hard-packed footpaths, where birds snatch them away. Some seeds fall on shallow, rocky soil, where the sun scorches them as soon as they sprout. Some seeds fall on thorny ground, where weeds smother the tender shoots and prevent maturity. Finally, some seeds fall on fertile ground, resulting in varying degrees of fruitfulness.

Jesus ties these four types of soil to four conditions of the human heart. In the first case, he likens the footpath to persons who don’t “understand” the word of the kingdom. These are careless hearers. They are not necessarily hostile to the message. In fact, they may recognize the truth in it. But they don’t act. The Greek verb rendered “understand” is syniemi. It means “to put together;” that is, mentally, “to comprehend.” By implication, it means “to act piously: consider, understand, be wise.”

While this type of understanding sometimes is depicted as a gift from God, such as the understanding Jesus’ disciples receive from him (Matt. 16:12; 17:13; Luke 24:45), syniemi also may be used to describe a lack of understanding due to sin or hard-heartedness (Mark 6:52). That’s the meaning in Jesus’ parable.

Hard-heartedness makes hearers of the gospel easy pickings for the evil one. Like a bird swooping down from the sky to pluck seeds on the ground, Satan snatches away what is sown in unbelieving hearts. Jesus clearly has Satan in mind here, for the Gospel writers who record this parable identify him as “the evil one” (Matt. 13:19), “Satan” (Mark 4:15), and “the devil” (Luke 8:12).

Jesus graphically describes Satan’s work as “snatching away” the word. The verb harpazo generally connotes a forceful or violent seizing. The word is used of burglary (Matt. 12:29), mob action (John 6:15); animal attacks (John 10:12); and arrests (Acts 23:10). However, harpazo also appears as the forceful proclamation of sound doctrine (Jude 23); Paul’s visit to heaven (2 Cor. 12:2); and the catching up of believers to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17).

In the case of this parable, of course, Jesus has in mind a sudden and violent ripping out of what has been sown – the saving message of Christ and his kingdom. We should note that Satan’s work runs concurrently with the work of Jesus and his followers. Just as birds don’t wait for the farmer to leave his field before snatching seeds from the footpaths, the evil one descends immediately on hardened hearts to keep them from truly hearing and thus being saved.

Jesus goes on to describe three other types of listeners. And make no mistake: the evil one actively pursues them. The “rocky ground” represents those who enthusiastically receive the message. However, because their faith is shallow, they abandon the gospel when “distress or persecution … because of the word” confronts them (13:21). In essence, they succumb to Satan’s convincing argument, “You didn’t sign up for this.”

The thorny soil depicts those who hang on a little longer, but eventually “the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word” (13:22). Their loyalties are divided, and the devil succeeds in wooing them into legitimate worldly concerns, which morph into various forms of idolatry. “You have to take care of yourself first,” he whispers. “Just think of all the good you can do if you rise in the ranks of your organization.” “Think of the noble causes you can advance if you pursue those financial opportunities.” “Remember how gifted God made you; you can’t limit what he’s given you to this small rural church.” And on it goes.

Lastly, however, there is great hope. The message of the kingdom takes root in the “good ground,” ​those who hear and understand the word and yield a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what is sown (13:23). The evil one is present here as well. He viciously attacks God’s people, and Jesus has another parable to illustrate that: the parable of the wheat and weeds, which follows immediately (Matt. 13:24-30; 36-43).

Even so, as followers of Jesus invest their spiritual gifts, time, talents, and other resources in the kingdom of God, the Lord of the harvest produces much fruit through them and rewards them for their faithfulness (Matt. 24:45-51; 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).

Craig Blomberg writes:

This parable provides a sober reminder that even the most enthusiastic outward response to the gospel offers no guarantee that one is a true disciple. Only the tests of time, perseverance under difficult circumstances, the avoidance of the idolatries of wealth and anxiety over earthly concerns, and above all the presence of appropriate fruit (consistent obedience to God’s will) can prove a profession genuine.

John 8:12. Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

The human psyche is naturally drawn to light, but more than that, we need it. The marble caverns known as the Oregon Caves underscore this in a dramatic way. Once inside, a park ranger guides visitors along the path until they reach a certain point. Then he shuts off the cavern’s lights. The photometer he’s holding reads the presence of light in the vicinity. It’s zero. This isn’t a problem at first, but eventually, the absolute darkness—the total absence of light—will create instability in your mind. Stay longer, and it will render you unable to detect right from left and up from down. Disoriented, you lose your way.

Tragically, our world is stumbling about in spiritual darkness today. Confused by what they see, hear, and experience, many feel unsure or unable to navigate the surrounding evils. Yet you, dear believer, never need to grope about.

He alone exposes and dispels the effects of darkness. Jesus says, “Follow close beside Me, into your heart and mind. I am the source of the light you need, and that light, I will give to you.” The God who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16) promises to lead you by His Word into the light of truth and thus avoid every dangerous path.

When life seems out of control, and you’re perplexed about what to do next, step into the light of God’s presence. Allow His Word to illuminate the darkness—it will bring peace to your soul and surety to your way.

The song of Moses. We will look at this in more depth but for now let the words of this song occupy your mind.  

Deu 32:1-47  “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you? Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

 But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape. “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth. “The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. “‘And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them; they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured by plague and poisonous pestilence; I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with the venom of things that crawl in the dust.

 Outdoors the sword shall bereave, and indoors terror, for young man and woman alike, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs. I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces; I will wipe them from human memory,” had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should misunderstand, lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant, it was not the LORD who did all this.”’  “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end! How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves. For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter; their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps.  “‘Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries?

  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection! “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever, if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’ “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.” Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)

God did something special when He called Abram (later named Abraham) out of Ur of the Chaldees and promised Abram all of Canaan. But when Abram brought his nephew Lot with him into the land, it wasn’t long until there was conflict. Abram and Lot each had big herds of livestock, and their workers fought over the better grazing lands.

Abram and Lot each claimed to serve Yahweh as God instead of the local Canaanite idols, and their conflict made them look like hypocrites. The logical solution was to separate the flocks and take them to different grazing lands. But who would go where? That is when Abram used his right to lay down his rights.

Abram said to his nephew, If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. Abram was the eldest and God promised the land to Abram (not to Lot), this was pure generosity.

This was true generosity, not weakness. Abram could fight when it was the right thing to do (Genesis 14). He didn’t yield to Lot out of weakness but out of love and trust in God. Because Abram lived with an eternal perspective, a few acres of grazing land didn’t seem worth fighting for.

The giving up of rights is a theme throughout the Bible. God was glorified when Jesus, out of love, waived his right to an existence that knew no human suffering or trial by experience (Philippians 2:5-11). God was glorified when Paul, out of love, waived his right to be supported by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14-18). In Genesis 13, Abram fulfilled the New Testament principle of love: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

But if we give up our rights, who will look out for us? Abram could do this because he learned that God would provide for him, and so Abram did not have to worry about being too generous. In this case, Abram was willing to let God look out for his interests. Right or left, it didn’t matter to Abram, because God would be there.

There are times to stand on principle and claim a right – the Bible also gives examples of this. Sometimes doing this is good for others and not only for us. Yet we are grateful for the generosity God shows to us, and we seek to show that to others.

We can do what is right by committing our rights to God.

We make decisions every day. Most decisions are trivial, ike what to eat for lunch. Some decisions are more important, such as which vocation to pursue. And some decisions are life-altering, such as whether or not to get married. But you and I both know the most important decision we will ever make is where to spend eternity.

In Matthew 25:46, Jesus described the two eternal destinations: “[The unrighteous] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” After death, everybody will live forever in either heaven or hell. There’s no third alternative, which makes this the most consequential decision of your life.

At some point, you chose to follow Jesus Christ and spend eternity in heaven. But what about the people you know and love? They also must decide their eternal destination before it’s too late. How can you help them choose eternity in heaven?

In Matthew 7, Jesus used three sharp contrasts that illustrate this crucial choice:

1. There are two paths: one leads to life; the other leads to destruction. Jesus said, “The gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (vv. 13–14).

The fact that every person who isn’t a Christian is on the wide path leading to hell is difficult, especially if that includes our friends or family. That’s why most people today—including over 60% of evangelical Christians—embrace Satan’s lie that there are valid ways to heaven other than faith in Christ alone.

But Jesus was clear: few people will enter heaven, while many will enter hell. The only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). There are two paths, Jesus said, but only one leads to heaven.

2. There are two followers: one obeys God; the other pays God lip service. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father … will enter” (v. 21).

Simply saying Jesus is Lord doesn’t necessarily make somebody a Christian. It’s possible to profess faith in Christ but not possess faith in Christ. So who will enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus said it’s the person who does God’s will.

In John 6:40, Jesus said, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life.” God’s will is that you trust in Christ alone for salvation—but that’s not the end of it. There’s an inseparable connection in the Bible between belief and obedience. Good works don’t produce eternal life, but they prove that there is eternal life.

3. There are two houses: one is built on rock; the other is built on sand. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. … Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:24–27).

When storms come into our lives, they reveal the true nature of our faith. For those who build their lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, the hope of heaven stands secure. But those who chose to build their lives on any other foundation don’t have that hope, so when storms come, they are swept away.

These examples from Scripture can help people understand the enormous choice before them: heaven or hell. There’s no time to lose. Our friends, family, and neighbors must make this decision about eternity, so let’s help them choose heaven!