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Be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 The book of Hebrews was written to people who believed in and trusted Jesus Christ. It tells us what is true of us when we are in Christ. In chapter 12, the writer recalls the scene from Exodus 19, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and he says: You have not come to... a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them... So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (12:18–21) He is telling us that the terror of entering the presence of God without a sacrifice is not our position. What is our position then if we are in Jesus Christ? You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (12:22–24) The contrast is not between heaven and hell, it is between standing before God without a mediator and standing before God with Jesus and His shed blood applied to our lives. With Christ, death will be entering into celebration: “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Cor. 5:14). Jesus entered the death that you would have died, so that when death comes for you it will not be a passing into condemnation but an entrance into celebration. In your own words, how would you describe the difference between these two positions?

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this... 2 Corinthians 5:14 Now Paul is going to give us one conclusion, and when your mind believes this, the love of Christ will control your heart. Here it is: “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (5:14). To understand this, it is important to remember that death can be one of two things: a passing into condemnation, or an entrance into celebration. Passing into condemnation is pictured for us in the story of how God came down to Mount Sinai to give the Ten Commandments: “The Lord will come down on Mount Sinai... You shall set limits for the people all around, saying ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death’” (Ex. 19:11-12). Imagine a million people gathered at the foot of the mountain, “There were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled” (19:16). No one said, “I’m not impressed!” or “I don’t believe.” Then we are told: “Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly... The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain” (19:18, 20). Mount Sinai is about 7,500 feet tall. That means God came 7,500 feet away from them. That’s more than six times the height of The Shard in London and nearly twice the height of Ben Nevis. And the people were trembling. This is what the presence of a holy God will be like for sinners without Christ—sheer terror. When you die, you do not want to find yourself at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Have you ever imagined how amazing it would be to be in the presence of a holy God?

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded... 2 Corinthians 5:14 Would you like to experience more of Jesus’ love? Here are some common Christian approaches: If I want to have a deeper experience of Jesus’ love... These are all good things, but notice Paul is not telling us to do anything. He is telling us where a deeper experience of Jesus’ love is found: “the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded...” (5:14). Then Paul tells us two settled conclusions about the death of Christ. But before we get to these conclusions, notice Paul is telling us something very important about the connection between what we think and what we feel. Christians sometimes say, “I believe that God loves me (in my head), but I don’t feel it in my heart.” And when the love of Christ is missing from a person’s heart, and you probe further, you will often find that the settled convictions that Paul talks about here are usually missing in the mind. Whatever grips your mind controls your heart. That’s why Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). That’s where it starts. Your heart is a follower more than a leader. Heart follows mind. That’s why on the road to Emmaus Jesus first opened up the Scriptures and taught the disciples, and afterward their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:32). Imagine a woman saying, “I used to think like this: When I have a husband, I’ll feel loved. When I have kids, I’ll feel needed. When I have a job, I’ll feel important. Then I got them—the husband, the kids, and the job—and I still wasn’t happy.” Do you see what she’s saying? “My heart was set on a husband, kids, and job, because I thought [there’s the settled conviction that is driving the heart] this would bring me more worth.” Do you see how your thinking drives your feelings?

The love of Christ controls us. 2 Corinthians 5:14 What does the apostle Paul mean when he says that Christians are controlled by the love of Christ? Here are some words (in order) that describe how we might experience the love of Christ. Each one is deeper, richer, and fuller than the ones before it. 1. Hear: Many of us have heard about the love of Jesus. Maybe you’ve heard that Christ loves you since you were very young. 2. Believe: Do you believe that Jesus loves you? Maybe you can even remember when you first came to believe this. 3. Receive: Is the love of Christ more than something out there for you, more than something you chose to believe in? Has this love been poured into your heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5)? Maybe you are not sure, and you sometimes wonder, Is this true of me? 4. Fill: Paul prays that we would have strength to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:18). Then he prays for us to be filled (3:19). How marvellous would that be? To relate to the love of Christ in such a way that your empty tank is filled with the love of Christ. But the next word Paul uses–control–goes beyond even being filled. 5. Control: To be controlled by the love of Christ means to be energised, moved into action, and directed by this love. To be filled with the love of Christ would mean that you enjoy this love. But to be controlled by the love of Christ means that others are touched by this love through you. Reflect on your experience of Christ’s love considering each of these five words.

Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:9 We will glorify Christ forever in heaven, and our great purpose in life is to get started now. Here are ten things you can only do during your short time in this life: prayingbelievingcourageresisting of sintrustshinepatiencebearing witnesscomfortcompassionsacrifice, giving,labour What two or three opportunities are you not taking full advantage of?

“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:4, 6, 18 Jesus said these words three times—in reference to our giving, our prayers, and our fasting. He spoke very clearly about the rewards of faithful service. In the parable of the talents, Jesus told a story about a man who entrusted his property to servants. To the servants who were faithful, he said, “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Mat. 25:21, 23). Imagine a construction site with houses going up, and the builders using different materials. Gold and silver are placed in the decor. Precious stones are set into the walls. But some holes are covered with wood, hay, or stubble. Then one day there’s a fire. The wood, hay, and stubble go up in smoke, but the gold, silver, and precious stones remain: Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved. (1 Cor. 3:13–15) Paul may have had these words in mind when he said: “We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). The word translated ‘evil’ can also be translated ‘worthless.’ Like the wood, hay, and stubble—it proved to be of no lasting value. Are you living your Christian life with the rewards Jesus spoke about in mind?

Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12 Imagine a university student named John, eating in the cafeteria. He hears about a new course that all first years are required to take: “It sounds like a lot of work!” “Don’t worry,” says Bill, a second year student, “It’s one of those non-examinable courses. It doesn’t count toward your degree. Just sign in occasionally to show you were there.” So, John goes to class the first day and begins taking notes, but something inside him says, Why bother? It doesn’t really count. So, the rest of the week John shows up late and only hears the second half of each lecture. After that he doesn’t show up at all; he sleeps in instead. On the last day of class, the teacher announces: “Please submit all the notes you’ve taken for this class. They will be placed in your file as samples of the quality of your work, along with your reference, for the consideration of future employers.” John browsed his notes for the ten-week course: Only one full page of notes and four half pages. He realises that his shoddy work will be the first thing seen by a potential employer, so John rushes to the teacher, “This isn’t fair! If I knew it mattered, I would have done better work.” “This course doesn’t count toward your degree,” said the teacher, “but your mistake was to conclude that it doesn’t count for anything.” Have you flirted with the idea that since your Christian life doesn’t count toward your salvation that it doesn’t count for anything at all?

There is... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 Every person, including every Christian, will stand before the judgement seat of Christ. But what can we expect to happen when that day actually comes? Some Christians lack confidence at this point, because they lack clarity about their own position. But the apostle Paul does not mince words. He is very clear about the position of believers on the day of judgement: “Everyone who believes in [Christ] will not be put to shame” (10:11). The other New Testament writers are equally clear about the status of Christians in the judgement: “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). If you are in Christ, you will stand before the Lord as His redeemed child. The Christian will never know or experience the wrath of God. Christ entered hell on the cross for you so that you should never know what that is like. Your home in heaven was not built with human hands. That means it cannot be dismantled by the failure of human hands. A person in Christ cannot lose his or her salvation at the judgement seat of Christ. It cannot happen and it will not happen. That’s why Paul can say plainly, “There is... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). How confident are you about your own salvation? Are you afraid that you could lose it? How much clarity and certainty do you have about this today?

We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 The Christian has one life in two parts, and each part has an opportunity and a challenge. It’s easy to see the challenges we have now: You are living in the tent, and you walk by faith, not by sight. And it’s easy to see the opportunities we’ll have then: You will be with Christ and see the King in His beauty, and faith will be turned to sight. But there is another side to the story: the challenge of our life then in the presence of the Lord. And we need to be reminded of this, especially while we are living. You may wonder, What challenge could there ever be when we are at home with the Lord? We will all appear before the judgement seat of Christ (5:10). If you are a Christian, here are three things you need to know about this judgement: 1. You will not be condemned There is... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1) The Christian will never know or experience the wrath of God. 2. You will give an account Each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Rom. 14:12) You will not be condemned, but you will give an account. 3. You may be rewarded “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mat. 6:4) Our Lord spoke very clearly about the rewards of faithful service like prayer, giving, and fasting. Which of these do you find most surprising or encouraging?

We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord... We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 The life of a Christian is in two parts, and both of them are described as being at home. Right now you are at home in the body. That’s a description of life in this world. As long as you’re in the body, you’ll experience many pressures and struggles because this body is only a tent. Your body may sag, it will wear out, and eventually, it will be taken down. And when that happens, you will be at home with the Lord. You will move from living “in Christ” and “by faith” to living “with Christ” and “by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). These two parts of a Christian’s life (life in the body and life with the Lord), are very unequal. To be with the Lord is better by far; it is incomparably better and unimaginably longer. Imagine having a home in two places—two cities, two states, or two different countries. Although you have one life, that life is lived out in two very different places, and there is a continuity of memory and experience. The same is true of your life as a Christian. You have one life. Your life begins here where you are at home in the body, and it will continue when you are at home with the Lord. You will know yourself to be there as much as you know yourself to be here. Are you beginning to grasp the reality of having one life in two parts?

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Christian brother or sister, God has prepared you for this translation from the tent to the building. He did this by sending His Son into the world to prepare a place in heaven for you. And He sent His Spirit into your heart to prepare you for your place in heaven. The One “who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (5:5). When the Old Testament describes the tabernacle, which was a tent, we are told that the cloud of God’s presence came into the tent (Ex. 33:8–10). Now Paul says that your body is a tent, and the Holy Spirit of God comes down to dwell in this tent with you. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Christ lives in you. He is with you in the tent! God makes His home with you in the tent, until the day when you make your home with Him in the house that is eternal in the heavens. This marvellous revelation about the Christian’s life in heaven is a gift from God. He did not need to tell us anything about life beyond the tent. He could have said, “Trust me. Wait and see.” But God did not do that. God pulled back the curtain so that believers can say, “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” (2 Cor. 5:1). And when you find yourself groaning, knowing this will keep you from losing heart. What does it mean to you that God has told us about life beyond the tent?

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. 2 Corinthians 5:1 The home you are living in now is a temporary one—canvas, ropes, and pegs. But you have another home that is more enduring, more substantial. The date for moving into your new home has not yet been given, but it is already known to God. The apostle Paul is answering the question, What happens when a Christian dies? What happens the moment after a Christian closes his or her eyes in death? His answer is: To be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord (5:8)! The home Paul is referring to here is heaven itself. The Bible sometimes speaks about heaven as a building, a house, or a city: “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?” (John 14:2) He [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Heb. 11:10) A Christian is a person who has two homes for the soul. The first home is your body, which is like a tent. When this home is pulled down, you will move into your other home, which is in heaven. Heaven is the home into which your soul will enter when its present home is destroyed. The contrast between the two homes could hardly be greater: The tent is fragile, and it will be destroyed; the building is enduring and eternal. In the earthly tent there’s groaning, but in the “house not made with hands” mortal things are “swallowed up by life” (2 Cor. 5:1, 4). If you are a Christian today, are you factoring in your second home?

We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed... 2 Corinthians 5:1 Destroying the tent is a description of death. The tent will be taken down. One day, God Himself will slacken the ropes, pull out the pegs, and the house God has given you will be destroyed. Paul says, “If the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed…” Why does he say ‘if’? Because there was always the possibility that the Lord Jesus might return in glory while he was still alive. Christ may come before your tent is taken down. But that does not keep Paul from facing the reality that has been the experience of every Christian believer for 2,000 years. At some point, the tent gets taken down. If you start out in the Christian life thinking, it is going to be heaven on earth, you will not follow Jesus Christ for long. You will go round in circles wondering, Why am I suffering? Why is there so much evil in the world? Why is my life so hard? Jesus described the Christian life like this: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). He did not say, “Follow me and I will give you everything you ever wanted.” It is really hard to be a Christian if you get following Jesus confused with a life of comfort and success. People who do that live in perpetual disappointment. They are always losing heart. Does the Christian life seem harder? Easier? Or about what you expected?

While we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened. 2 Corinthians 5:4 Maybe you are an enthusiastic camper. Forget the fancy hotel or renting a motorhome; your idea of a good time is to put up your tent, build a fire, and roast some marshmallows. Paul was a tentmaker, which is likely why God brought this image to mind. There is a great deal of joy in camping. But you are probably not doing it all year round. If you did, you would soon be groaning. The difficulties of life in the body are part of the Christian life, and becoming more godly does not take away our groaning. Perhaps you know what it’s like to groan because of a frailty of the body. Or maybe you groan because of the circumstances of your life and all that’s happened to you. Maybe you even wonder, if I prayed more, would it be like this? If I had more faith, would I be in this position? Not many people have prayed more, believed more, or lived godlier lives than the apostle Paul did, so if he groaned in his tent, then none of us should be surprised when we find ourselves groaning in ours. If you think living a better Christian life will prevent pain or difficulty with your body, then you will be tempted to lose heart when these troubles inevitably come. You need to know that there will be seasons in all of our lives when we groan because of our bodies. All Christians groan under some frailty that arises from the body. We carry that burden. Do you ever wonder, “If I prayed more (or had more faith), would I have less pain and difficulty with my body?”

We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God. 2 Corinthians 5:1 When the apostle Paul talks about “the tent that is our earthly home,” he is talking about your body. Notice, Paul does not say that your body is like a fort, or a castle, or a battleship. He says it is like a tent with canvas, ropes, and pegs. It is a fragile structure, adequate housing for the time being, but never intended to be your final home. Think about your body: It’s made of strong ropes; it has tough canvas. It can endure some heavy weather, but it’s only canvas. The ropes can fray; they have a breaking point. Your nerves are like ropes that can fray; there are limits to what your body can take. The delicate chemical balance in your brain is like a canvas that can very easily tear. Your central nervous system can carry a certain load, but the ropes have a breaking point. Once you see this, it will not surprise you that sometimes the children of godly parents struggle with unimaginable conditions and disorders. Their bodies are only tents. And it will not surprise you to discover that a missionary is on antidepressants, or that a respected Christian leader has to step back from ministry because of the strain that has come on his family. It is easy to lose heart if we’ve imagined that, since we’re Christians, we must be like forts or battleships. But Paul says, “No, your body is like a tent.” Are you being realistic about your body? Or are you telling yourself that it is indestructible, like a castle or a battleship?

We do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:16 You might read these words and think, Really? How am I supposed to live in a world like this and not lose heart? How can I face the pressures all around me and not be discouraged? The answer is previewed for us at the end of chapter 4 and delivered in full in chapter 5. The apostle Paul’s headline is delivered in three contrasts: outer selfinner selfpresent afflictioneternal gloryseenunseen What are we dealing with? All the pressures that are part of life in this body (our outer self), and all the circumstances of life that bring pressure to bear on us (our present afflictions). We’re also facing the discouragement of the world in conflict and the church in compromise (what is seen). Put all that together and it’s not surprising that so many get discouraged. But Paul says, “We do not lose heart”! How? We endure by fixing our eyes on the renewal of our inner self, and the eternal weight of glory that will far outweigh all that can be seen. What are your eyes fixed on today?

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31 We have been talking about how to avoid a plunge to disaster. Here is a true story from the awful Titanic disaster back in April of 1912. There was a pastor on the Titanic by the name of John Harper. He was pastor of a church in Glasgow, which is now called the Harper Memorial Church. Harper was travelling on the Titanic to come and speak at Moody Church in Chicago. When the Titanic went down, Harper spent his last moments in those icy waters urging people to put their trust in Jesus Christ. At one point he found himself clinging to a board alongside another man. Harper asked the man, “Are you saved?” The man said, “No.” “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. Harper managed to swim toward others, and he spoke to them in the same way. He came back to the man. “Are you trusting Jesus Christ?” “No,” the man said. “Others are turning to Him and being saved. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” A few moments later, Harper’s strength was exhausted, and the icy waters took his life. How do we know this story? Sometime later a man stood up in a church in Canada and told his story. “I am John Harper’s last convert,” he said. Can you put your hope in Christ right now? This is God’s desire for you!

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 Maybe you are struggling to live with the guilt of what you have done. You cannot forgive yourself. You do not see how God could forgive you either. That’s where Judas was. Come to the cross. Jesus has a crown of thorns pressed into His head. His hands and feet are nailed to the wooden beams. And as that cross is lifted up, He says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (23:34). There is hope in Jesus Christ. If you want to avoid a plunge to disaster, never give up hope. The cross is big enough to cover your sin. The blood of Jesus is rich enough to cleanse your guilt. The love of Jesus is strong enough to reach out to you, to embrace you in your darkness, and to bring you into a new life. Believe Him, come to Him, and put your hope in Him. The enemy of your soul says, “What you have done is too bad to be forgiven. It’s too late to do anything about it.” That’s what Judas thought. Jesus will be crucified. My chance is gone. Maybe you are reading this in a hospital bed. You have lived sixty, seventy, eighty years without God and without Christ, and you are thinking, It’s too late for me to come to Christ. Come to the cross. Jesus is dying, and next to Him there is a thief, who is in the last hour of his life. He sees his own need, he believes in Jesus, and he asks God to save him. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (23:42–43). Never give up hope. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save you! He stands ready to welcome you. He calls you to believe in Him. He invites you to trust in His death. He offers you everlasting life. Believe Him. Trust Him. Turn to Him. In this moment ask Him to save you. What are you waiting for?

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 While Peter was standing outside the house of the high priest, someone identified him as a follower of Jesus. Peter must have been terrified that he would also be arrested and tortured. He denied Jesus three times, and then “he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man’” (Mat. 26:74). Then Peter went out and wept bitterly. On the day that Jesus died, there were two men surrounded by darkness—Judas who betrayed Him, and Peter who denied Him. But there was a great difference between them. Judas was filled with remorse, while Peter was filled with repentance. Remorse looks inside and says, “I wasted my life.” Repentance looks to Christ and says, “I give You my life.” Judas was sorry, but he was not repentant. Repentance is more than being sorry. It is more than wishing you could go and undo what you did. Repentance is turning to Jesus Christ. “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Cor. 7:10). Peter repented, and two days later Jesus rose from the dead. He was reconciled with Jesus. Judas despaired, and he took his own life. He was only two days away from hope, but he never lived to see it. If you want to avoid a plunge to disaster, never give up hope. Maybe that’s your battle right now. You feel surrounded by darkness. You’re loaded down with failure and guilt. You cannot see any way out of the situation you’re in. Are you going to be like Peter or like Judas? They were two days away from the miracle of the resurrection. Two days! No matter how great the darkness, there is always hope in Jesus Christ. If you believe there is even a spark of hope for you, don’t panic. Ask God to help you do what Peter did.

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. Matthew 27:1-3 Some people would say Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was the greatest sin ever committed. How could anything be worse than that? Well, there is something worse than that. After he betrayed Jesus, Judas gave up hope, and that was his greatest plunge to disaster. After he betrayed Jesus, Judas made this remarkable confession: “I have sinned,” he said, “by betraying innocent blood” (27:4). You can’t get a more direct confession than that. There are no excuses. This is a full confession. He was saying, in effect, “I’m guilty.” Notice that Judas says he has betrayed “innocent” blood. He believes Jesus is innocent, and he wants to save Him. Judas hopes that if he returns the money, and testifies to Jesus’ innocence, maybe he can put things right. But the chief priests aren’t interested. “What is that to us?” they replied. “See to it yourself” (27:4). “Too late, Judas,” they say. “The deed is done. You made your choice, now you have to live with it. There’s nothing you can do about it now.” Despair comes in on this desperate man. Judas knows he has committed a terrible crime, and he cannot live with himself, so “throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself” (27:5). This is Judas’ greatest plunge to disaster. Not that he betrayed Jesus, not even that he took his own life, but that in his darkness he gave up hope. Are you in a desperate place? Do you feel like giving up? Read tomorrow’s reflection. You will find real help.