SERMONS - BIBLE TEACHING - SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY - REVELATION
No Hope for Salvation
February 4, 2024
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Brothers and sisters, as it says, All hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
No small tempest, no sun nor stars. Violent wind laying against them, signifying a spiritual resistance; no sun to warm their hearts - the Sun of righteousness, and no stars declaring the heavenly, the Father.
But then came Paul with a revelation from the angel of God:
21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
If Paul died and did not make it to Rome, your faith in Christ Jesus would be in vain, because in Acts 23:11, a personal promise was made to Paul by the Lord Jesus, who stood by him and said: Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome (Acts 23:11). But Paul did not die and he made it to Rome as we see in Acts 28. Amen.
16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
The Lord is faithful and perfect in his promises and delivers his own. Be not in despair that your situation looks distressing, with no hope; rather be certain that when you are of God's, Christ's, he will never forsake you.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
Eye has not seen
February 25, 2024
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Brothers and sisters, in verse 9, we are being drawn by Paul to the Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah 64:4, which says:
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee,
what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
This beautiful promise of what God prepared for his people is fulfilled with us, as Paul says in verse 10 that "God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit." Oh, hear, those who have ears, it is not time to have blind faith, but we are able to see by his grace through faith. This is a spiritual seeing, not a sight at the street corner or such, but we have the mind of Christ, which enables us to see things of God, the deep things of God.
So again, note in verse 9:
… Eye has not seen
And verse 10:
But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit.
Reveal is to show (verse 10) what was unknown before (verse 9). This is so beautiful how Paul leads us there, from verse 9 to 10, from not being able to see to revelation by the Spirit of God. That is for us, verse 10. It was not so, as verse 9 indicates, but now we are able to see the things God has prepared for his people.
From saying, "I see," when you read and understood the word of God, to visions and revelations, God reveals to his children the things of God, even himself. To each, what he got to know and "see", as purposed by God and ministered by the Spirit of God.
Do you not see it? Do you think that you came blind to a faith and are left blind in the faith? Was not Jesus Christ revealed to you?
Compare also these two verses, again one from Isaiah and another from Paul's epistle:
Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord,
or being his counsellor hath taught him?
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
See, we have the mind of Christ. We are able to see, once we believe on the Son of God, Christ Jesus.
We see through a glass, for now darkly, but nevertheless seeing the things of God.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
Source: Webster's Dictionary 1828