“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.” [1]
Reading the text before us this day, I cannot escape the understanding that the Court Prophet is telling readers that death is not an end. To our natural mind, that concept seems somehow to be in error. Though we struggle against allowing ourselves to dwell on our own death, at the last we are forced to admit that we are powerless to change the inevitable—death comes apace. How disturbing, and how very real, the poet’s observation:
“Come he slow, or come he fast,
It is but Death who comes at last.” [2]
Death is an impelling theme among the intelligentsia of our world. No less is the theme of death fascinating to the rest of mankind. Thus, we witness multiple quotes that address the theme of death, such as these:
• “Brief and powerless is man’s life; on him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark.” [3]
• “To himself everyone is an immortal: he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead.” [4]
• “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” [5]
It is the inevitability of death that makes Easter such a highly anticipated observance in the Christian calendar. Reading the Hebrew Letter, we come very early in the missive to a most encouraging statement that reads: “It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,
‘What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet.’
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,
‘I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.’
And again,
‘I will put my trust in him.’
And again,
‘Behold, I and the children God has given me.’
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” [HEBREWS 2:5-18].
Death is a constant theme of study for Christians, not because we are frightened by the dark spectre of death, but because we understand that we must set aside this decaying tent in order that we can be clothed with the new home promised by our Master. And He promises this based on His own conquest of death, for Jesus the Son of God gave His life as a sacrifice for sin, and then rose from the dead. Jesus our Saviour is alive, and because He lives, we are alive in Him.
I appreciate the view of death given by Tozer. He wrote, “For the Christian, death is a journey to the eternal world. It is a victory, a rest, a delight. I am sure my small amount of physical suffering in life has been mild compared with Paul’s. But I think I have some understanding of what he meant when he told the Philippians: ‘To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…’ [PHILIPPIANS 1:21, 23]. The more a Christian suffers in the body, the more he or she thinks about the triumph of going home to heaven. But we modern Christians seem to be a strange breed. We are so completely satisfied with the earthly things we have collected, and we so enjoy this age’s creature comforts, that we would rather stay here for a long, long time! Probably we do not tell God about that kind of desire when we pray. We know it would not be considered pious or spiritual if people knew we preferred our position here to the prospect of heaven.” [6]
We need to remember that we who have believed are living on enemy territory. We are being fitted for another world, that one which is glorious, that one which our Master is even now preparing for us. Remember how Jesus has promised, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” [JOHN 14:1-3].
Until He comes to take us home with Him, or until He is pleased to take us through the portals of death, we who walk with Him will continue living in foreign territory. This territory in which we now live is even hostile toward us who follow the Lord because we do not walk with them, but with the Saviour. This word is a desert place, and it is the presence of us who are twice born who live with hope and exude joy. We may not witness the transformation of this dry and desert world, but we are confident that this world will be transformed in God’s own time and according to His divine will.
THE DESERT — The world is a desert place, devoid of grace and mercy. Living within this world are good people who know the Saviour, people whose lives have been transformed through the second birth. And the presence of God’s people ensure that the Lord is still working in the midst of a dry and dusty environment. Nevertheless, it is still true that the world is a desert place, devoid of grace and mercy.
All one should need for verification of the arid condition of this world is to recall how wicked hands nailed the sinless Son of God to the Cross. Of course, I’m not speaking of the geologic or meteorologic condition of the earth; I’m speaking of the spiritual condition of the world. The old hymn is accurate in revealing the relationship of this world with the one who follows the Saviour.
This world is not my home I'm just a-passin’ through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore [7]
There is startling insight in the story Jesus told when speaking of demonic beings. Here is what Jesus said: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first” [LUKE 11:24-26].
Demonic entities do exist; and these foul spirits exert far more influence over the inhabitants of this fallen world than we could ever imagine. These are angels who joined in the rebellion Lucifer initiated in the heavenly places. When this dark angel was cast out of heaven, he drew with him one-third of the heavenly hosts. According to the Word of God, these beings were cast down to earth where they exert their malevolent influence, making the earth a desolate, dreary, spiritually destroyed place. Many of these malignant, malicious, baleful beings seek a body to inhabit. When this happens, we speak of the one who hosts such a being as being demonised.
Should the demonic entity be cast out through the gracious intervention of a representative of the Risen Son of God, the demonic presence then “passes through waterless places seeking rest.” Jesus observes that the demonic being, roaming through the earth is said to be wandering through arid places, because this world is spiritually desolate. If the one who has been freed from the demonic oppression does not allow herself or himself to be occupied by the Spirit of Christ, there is nothing to resist the evil entity should the fallen angel return, even bringing with it more of the same vile entities. What I especially want to emphasise is that the demonic entity, having left the host is forced to wander through waterless places. This world is a spiritually desolate place.
Death and ruin mark the world. We mortals are born dying, and because we are spiritually dead, it is not remarkable that we are at home in the world. The world is spiritually void of grace and we are at home here. However, having been born from above and into the Family of God, we find that we are not comfortable as we once were in this world. Now, in Christ, we are ambassadors for Christ, we are representatives of another world, and we speak often of a land we’ve never seen and of a King Whom we know intimately because He has caused His Spirit to take up residence in us.
I’m growing older, and I’ve now walked in the light of the Risen Lord of Glory for more than fifty years. I’m no longer a young man; I’m officially an elderly man. I realise there are more years behind me than there are years ahead. I think more frequently of home, and of those whom I have known whom Charon has ferried across that dark River Styx. Without question, I am confident that it isn’t that long until I will see the shores of Beulah Land. I think of death more frequently with each passing year, and I find I am more understanding of the words penned by the Apostles.
Recall how Peter has written, “I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” [2 PETER 1:13-15].
With Peter, I feel an urgency to speak of the brevity of life. The time for accomplishing the work Christ has assigned us is limited. Therefore, I am responsible to speak with gravity, to frame the issues facing us in a sensible and in a serious fashion, preparing my charges for the inevitable so that no one will be left unprepared.
I draw comfort from the revelation delivered by the Apostle to the Gentiles, whom you recall has written, “We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-4].
In light of these revelations, I can testify that I’m not frightened by the prospect of dying. I know that real life will have at last begun when I set aside this tent. There are times when I identify more strongly than I could have once thought possible with the old saint who wrote as he awaited execution, and I murmur, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” [2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8].
This world is a desert place, and we who walk with the Saviour are appointed to be wise, shining like the brightness of the firmament. We are to turn many to righteousness, shining like the stars forever and ever [see DANIEL 12:2-3]. In the midst of this darken, dismal, dreary world, we who are twice born reveal the glory of Christ the Lord. Remember how Jesus commanded His followers, including us who have believed, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” [MATTHEW 5:14-16].
Here we are, living in this desert world, and always transforming the landscape about us, just as the Apostle has said. “Having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” [2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-6].
Has not Jesus Himself spoken of the hostility of this world toward His followers? Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father” [JOHN 15:18-24].
We will exchange this present existence for the home that the Christ has prepared for us, and the change may be very soon. We are told what will take place at that time. The Apostle has written these informative words: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-17]. Oh, Lord, hasten the day!
And yet, until that day, believers in the Risen Saviour will be compelled to pass through the veil, setting aside the flesh as they are translated into the presence of the Lord. A favourite writer with great insight has written, “We share with other believers the hope that for many of us the return of Christ may circumvent death and project us into the Immaculate Presence without the necessity of dying. But if not, then let there be no gloomy faces among the few that gather to pay their last regards. We lived with the Resurrection in our heart and died in the Everlasting Arms. Hosanna! There is no room there for lamentation.
“‘I have observed,’ said the old historian, ‘that these Christians die well.’ A Christian can die well because he is the only one who dares to die at all. The lost man cannot afford to die, and that he must die is his infinite woe. A Christian dares to die because his Savior has died and risen. Let us renounce paganism at our funerals and die as we lived, like Christians.” [8] Amen.
I need to step aside from the message for a moment to speak to you who follow the Risen Lord of Glory. Until He returns, because we live in a desert, we who are redeemed will still find it necessary to pass through the chilling waters of death. We will attend the funeral services of those we love, many of whom will be fellow worshippers of the Son of God. Funerals are opportunities to measure ourselves by the same measure we use in measuring others. “She was a good woman; she mentored younger women in the church.” “He was a good dad and a loving husband.” In this respect, a funeral is an opportunity to reorient ourselves, to adjust our course in the days that still lie ahead.
Our culture has forgotten how to measure their days. Modern medicine and scientific investigation has taught us a great deal about death and how to forestall the inevitable; but the inevitable comes still. What our culture hasn’t done is to prepare people for the inevitable. It is the Faith of Christ the Lord that prepares people for the inevitable. A Christian funeral provides opportunity to remind people that we are a resurrection people—we aren’t living for death! We are preparing for resurrection! While our culture tries to hide the inevitability of death, we who follow Christ speak of the triumph of life! We teach people how to die well by teaching them of all that our Master has accomplished for us and what lies beyond this moment we call “now.” Saint Isaac the Syrian wrote, “Prepare your heart for your departure. If you are wise, you will expect it every hour.” Funerals should prepare our hearts for our departure.
Believers are called to live fearlessly, knowing what God has prepared. Don’t allow yourself to become overly enamoured of this present world. During the dark days known as the ‘sifting times’ in seventeenth-century Scotland, many of those Scots believers faced persecution, and many testified to their faith with their lives. Most of these followers of the Christ faced these trials without fear. The account is provided of two believers standing on the scaffold ready to die, when one Covenanter said to the other, ‘Brother, die well, it is the last act of faith you will ever be able to do.’ In another episode, two Covenanter pastors stood at the bottom of the steps that led to the scaffold and their execution. One turned to the other and said, ‘I have less fear climbing these steps than the steps of the pulpit.’ Believers, indeed, are to be firm, resolved, steadfast, and to bring glory to God, no matter what their circumstances, even unto death. May our prayer at the trial of death be: ‘O Lord, let me die well and let me die bringing glory and honour to your name.’ Let me live without fear of this world, and let me die fearless! [9]
And the courage to die well, testifying that this world is a desert place, is provided for us as followers of the Christ Who gave His life as a sacrifice because of our broken, helpless condition. Surely, this is the vision the Apostle held in his soul when he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [GALATIANS 2:20].
THE DESERT BLOSSOMING — I am told there are few spectacles more stunningly beautiful than the momentary blooming of flowers in the desert following one of the rare rains in that dry and arid region. And in a sense, our Saviour has caused the desert to blossom when He conquered death. We see this clearly presented as the Apostle to the Gentiles opens his missive to the Galatian churches. Paul writes, “Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen” [GALATIANS 1:3-5 NET BIBLE 2nd]. Amen, indeed!
We live in a fallen world. And this world groans in anticipation of being freed from the ruin which was imposed on it by the sin of our first parents. Again, we see this anticipation alluded to when the Apostle writes, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” [ROMANS 8:18-23].
Here are the means by which the world is transformed into a blossoming spectacle of joy, a beautiful place of hope. Christ the Lord rose from the dead on the third day, just as He said He would do. The women, coming to the tomb in hopes of anointing His body, found the tomb empty and the stone rolled away. Though they could not explain what they saw, hope was born in their hearts, and it glows brightly still in our hearts.
Doctor Luke relates a wonderful account of an encounter two men had with the Risen Saviour. Listen as I tell again that story of the encounter. “That very day [the day on which Jesus was raised from the dead] two [disciples] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ And he said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.’ And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
“So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” [LUKE 24:13-35].
What I will ask you to focus on in this message is the response of the disciples when they realise they have been in the presence of the Risen Saviour. As He spoke, praying and blessing their humble meal, they realised Who was with them. Suddenly, they spoke with one another, saying, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
That is the way it always is when we realise that we’ve been in the presence of the Master. When we finally realise that we have been in His presence we are astonished to discover that we have been blessed. Our hearts are aglow, our spirits are alive, and our lives are animated in a manner we could never believe. We have been in the presence of the Risen Saviour, the One Who hung the stars in place, He Who makes the dead come to life, the Healer Who fills desolate lives with hope, and the Master Who infuses fresh courage into the life of timid souls. Because we have been with Him, the desert blossoms and the dry land is refreshed. This is Jesus the Son of God.
THE DESERT SHALL BLOSSOM AGAIN — Jeff and Sherri Easter sing a beautiful, moving song, “Roses Will Bloom Again.” It is a bittersweet song with words that acknowledge grief tempered with hope. The song begins with somewhat innocuous lyrics, progressing to the deep sorrow that invades life, tempered by the hope that is ours in Christ the Lord. Christ Jesus, the precious Rose of Sharon, was crucified. He gave His life as a sacrifice because of our sin. He was certified as dead and buried in a borrowed tomb. Surely, that is a dark moment in the history of the world.
Nothing could be more wicked than the rejection of God’s own Son by the people He came to save. And yet, we read, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” [JOHN 1:11]. This is an incredibly dark verse that speaks of rejection, that speaks of the arrogance of mankind, that speaks of stupidity that exceeds all expectation.
What is fascinating about that dismal verse and all the negativity it conveys, is how the evil is transformed immediately when we read, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” [JOHN 1:12-14].
The sacrifice and resurrection of the Son of God has transformed this sere world, this arid environment, for all who accept Him as Master over life. Christian, we need to adopt the words of the Apostle as applicable to our own lives. Recall how the Apostle instructed a young protégé, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” [2 TIMOTHY 1:8-10].
You who have been obedient to the command of the Saviour have discovered that His resurrection has made all things new. When you were baptised, you confessed your confidence that Jesus died and was buried. Moreover, you openly confessed that you counted your old life as dead with Him, and you let all who witnessed your confession know that you counted yourself as risen with Him. You were confident that though you may put aside this dying body, burying it in the ground, you know that at His return you will be raised to life as He has promised.
We see this systematically laid out for us in ROMANS 6:3-11. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Life is new for us as followers of the Risen Lord of Glory. And the transformation of this fallen world has not yet been completed. We saw this earlier when I cited the words written at another place in this Letter to the Saints in Rome. In the eighth chapter of this Letter we read, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” [ROMANS 8:18-30].
Not only this broken world, but we who have received the Risen Saviour to reign over our lives will be transformed. We will be changed into His image, and the full adoption as sons of God will be complete. The Apostle of Love saw all this, writing, “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’” [REVELATION 21:5-7]. Let us be counted among those who conquer. Let us be known as those who are followers of the Risen Saviour.
I would be remiss if I failed to invite any who have yet to receive Christ as Master over life. The promise of God stands for all who will receive it, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10].
The promise is made more secure yet when God says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Amen!
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Walter Scott, Marmion (1808), https://kwize.com/Walter-Scott-quotes, accessed 13 April 2025
[3] Bertrand Russell, Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays (1910), https://kwize.com/Bertrand-Russell-quotes, accessed 13 April 2025.
[4] Samuel Butler, The Note-Books of Samuel Butler (1912), https://kwize.com/Samuel-Butler-quotes, accessed 13 April 2025
[5] J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), https://kwize.com/J.-R.-R.-Tolkien-quotes, accessed 13 April 2025
[6] A. W. Tozer and Ron Eggert, Jesus Is Victor (WingSpread, Camp Hill, PA 1989) pp. 140-141
[7] Roy Acuff, “This World Is Not My Home,” this world is not my home lyrics - Search, accessed 16 April 2025
[8] A. W. Tozer, The Price of Neglect (WingSpread, Camp Hill, PA 1991) pg. 11
[9] Adapted from John D. Currid, Strong and Courageous: Joshua Simply Explained, Welwyn Commentary Series (EP Books, Darlington, England; Carlisle, PA 2011) 61
