But I confess this to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law and that is written in the prophets. I have a hope in God (a hope that these men themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Acts 24:14-15 NET
Acts 24:14-15 NET
What are you hoping for from faith? As a pastor, I talk with a lot of different people about faith. Actually, most conversations I have are about faith. It's interesting to me to see what people are looking for from faith. Sometimes it has something to do with guilt. We do things we know we shouldn't do; then, we feel guilty. We want our guilt to be absolved, so we look to faith. Most of the time it is about family. Someone has come to a crisis: a struggling marriage or rebellious teenager. They turn to faith for an answer to their family crisis.
What I usually find as I talk with people about ethical problems like guilt or family is that they have made a series of bad decisions that lead to bad habits that lead to broken relationships. They come to me asking for 6 easy steps to restoring a relationship or being a better spouse or a better parent. My struggle is that the Bible addresses a problem deeper than marriage or raising teenagers. The Bible's message beats continually with the sound of our imminent foe: death. The Bible begins with the story of how death entered the human race and ends with its ultimate defeat. Every page in between tells the story of how humanity has tried for thousands of years to cheat death and yet died. Then, there was Jesus.
Many people I talk to come to the Bible looking for healing because in the pages of the New Testament Jesus healed people. Many people I talk to come to the Bible looking for advice because Jesus imparted great wisdom during his time on earth. A couple years ago, I talked with a man who was literally on his death bed. He didn't ask me what the Bible says about fixing his marriage. He didn't ask me what the Bible says about raising kids. He asked how I know he can have confidence that when his body quits breathing, that won't be the end. Then, I shared the real hope, the Big Hope of the Bible. I told him that he can have confidence because Jesus' life did not end in death. He died, but he was resurrected as the first among many who put their hope in him. This is the Big Hope. This Hope frees us. This Hope transforms our lives. This Hope makes our hearts beat with the desire to share this Hope with others.
What I usually find as I talk with people about ethical problems like guilt or family is that they have made a series of bad decisions that lead to bad habits that lead to broken relationships. They come to me asking for 6 easy steps to restoring a relationship or being a better spouse or a better parent. My struggle is that the Bible addresses a problem deeper than marriage or raising teenagers. The Bible's message beats continually with the sound of our imminent foe: death. The Bible begins with the story of how death entered the human race and ends with its ultimate defeat. Every page in between tells the story of how humanity has tried for thousands of years to cheat death and yet died. Then, there was Jesus.
Many people I talk to come to the Bible looking for healing because in the pages of the New Testament Jesus healed people. Many people I talk to come to the Bible looking for advice because Jesus imparted great wisdom during his time on earth. A couple years ago, I talked with a man who was literally on his death bed. He didn't ask me what the Bible says about fixing his marriage. He didn't ask me what the Bible says about raising kids. He asked how I know he can have confidence that when his body quits breathing, that won't be the end. Then, I shared the real hope, the Big Hope of the Bible. I told him that he can have confidence because Jesus' life did not end in death. He died, but he was resurrected as the first among many who put their hope in him. This is the Big Hope. This Hope frees us. This Hope transforms our lives. This Hope makes our hearts beat with the desire to share this Hope with others.
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