“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
When we are brought to trust in Jesus, we are born again to a living hope. Because Jesus died for our sins and then was raised up to life on the third day, we are assured that God will also raise us up from our graves to an eternal inheritance in heaven that will never be corrupted or fade away. And the same God who brought us to hear and believe His promises will, through the hearing of His Word, preserve and keep us trusting in Jesus until we receive the promised salvation at the end of this world.
Thank You, O God, for graciously bringing me to faith in Jesus and giving me the certain hope of everlasting life with You in heaven for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:9-10
As David prophesied in Psalm 16, Jesus’ soul was not left in hell, nor did His body decay in the grave. He made full atonement for our sins by His sufferings and death on the cross and was raised from the dead on the third day in victory over sin and death, so that all who look to Him and His cross in faith can rest in that same hope of being raised up unto life everlasting with Jesus, our Savior.
O gracious and merciful God, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son and for His glorious resurrection that we might rest in our graves with the hope and promise that He will raise us from the dead, along with all who trust in Him, and grant us life everlasting with You in heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30
The English “It is finished” is one word in the Greek New Testament: “tetelestai.” And that one word, reflecting what Jesus said when He died on the cross, says it all! Not only were His horrific sufferings and death on the cross finished, but the price of our redemption was paid. By His death on the cross, atonement for the sins of the world was made. God’s wrath against our sins was satisfied, and our salvation was won. By trusting in Jesus and His finished work of redemption, we are justified, pardoned, forgiven, and given everlasting life.
Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for bearing on the cross the just punishment for our sins and winning for us salvation. Grant us faith in Your perfect sacrifice that we might receive the forgiveness and life You won for us. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19-20
Though many think they can please God and be acceptable to Him by keeping His commandments, an honest look at our lives in the light of God’s Word reveals our utter sinfulness and inability to please God or be accepted by Him. The only way to be accepted and justified by God is through faith in Christ Jesus, God the Son, and His perfect obedience to God’s commandments and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for our sins.
Your law shows my sins and failures, O Lord. It condemns me to death and hell. Grant that I hear and believe Your gospel promises of forgiveness and life eternal through faith alone in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for my sins. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Proverbs 3:33
Though most are blind to this truth, the curse and condemnation of the LORD rest upon those who do not fear, love, and trust in the LORD God, who both created and redeemed them. But the blessing of the LORD is upon the house of those who repent of their sinful ways and look to God for mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Grant that I repent of my evil ways, O LORD, and look to You for mercy in the atoning sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. In His name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
