Paul wanted to be judged by Jesus; not because he thought he had been good enough to be saved, but because he knew Jesus would vindicate him that he truly was a faithful servant of Christ.
Paul knew that in his previous life of persecuting the church, he had become the “foremost” sinner (1 Timothy 1:15). He knew he did not deserve to be justified in God’s sight. He knew it was a gift of God that he had been saved and that his right standing before God had nothing to do with his good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
But he also knew that he was telling the truth about being an apostle. He knew he was hiding nothing. He knew he was deceiving no one. He knew he was being faithful to his calling. And he knew that on the Day of Judgement, Jesus would make all of that clear.
He also knew his wicked and deceitful critics would be judged. He knew that all of their scheming and manipulation would be brought to light by Christ.
Questions in 2 Kings
1:3
But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
1:5
And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?”
Psalm 3:3
But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. —
My dad would never let me walk slouched over with my head down. "Remember son, you are a Ware. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Even on your worst day you are still my son and a child of God!" God is our protector and our proud Father. He gives us glory because he loves us. Because he is our Father who gives us such gracious gifts, we don't walk with our head bowed low and our spirits slumped over.
He gives us ultimate victory! Even on those dark days when victory is hard to find, we are still God's children. Our Father paints the sunsets and holds the stars in their orbits. He guarantees our future. How can we walk dejectedly when we remember this?
[Message No: 7008]
Paul knew that in his previous life of persecuting the church, he had become the “foremost” sinner (1 Timothy 1:15). He knew he did not deserve to be justified in God’s sight. He knew it was a gift of God that he had been saved and that his right standing before God had nothing to do with his good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
But he also knew that he was telling the truth about being an apostle. He knew he was hiding nothing. He knew he was deceiving no one. He knew he was being faithful to his calling. And he knew that on the Day of Judgement, Jesus would make all of that clear.
He also knew his wicked and deceitful critics would be judged. He knew that all of their scheming and manipulation would be brought to light by Christ.
Questions in 2 Kings
1:3
But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
1:5
And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?”
Psalm 3:3
But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. —
My dad would never let me walk slouched over with my head down. "Remember son, you are a Ware. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Even on your worst day you are still my son and a child of God!" God is our protector and our proud Father. He gives us glory because he loves us. Because he is our Father who gives us such gracious gifts, we don't walk with our head bowed low and our spirits slumped over.
He gives us ultimate victory! Even on those dark days when victory is hard to find, we are still God's children. Our Father paints the sunsets and holds the stars in their orbits. He guarantees our future. How can we walk dejectedly when we remember this?
[Message No: 7008]
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