Isaiah 51:1-23

Eternity is a very difficult concept for us to grasp.  We are so accustomed to counting down the hours of our work day, the months of the year and the years of our lives that it is hard for us to imagine a life in which time will not be in short supply.  Eternity is not a state of timelessness but it is a reality in which we will experience time without end.  When we consider the mathematics of this truth it seems blatantly obvious that the more or less one-hundred years we will live our earthly lives are of such small significance when compared with the hundreds of billions of years times hundreds of billions of years without end that will be our eternal life.  We must constantly remind ourselves of this truth because it is so easy for us to focus on this earth-bound life.  However, we can also find great comfort in the fact that God is still in control of our earthly lives and that they are important to Him.  He does not abandon His children on earth and just tell them to look to the future, but He promises to help them in their current circumstances as well.

THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE ETERNAL HOPE: Those who walk in righteousness and the fear of the Lord have wonderful promises from God.  We are encouraged to look to the Lord who has created us.  Israel was reminded to look to God’s gracious and powerful treatment of Abraham.  God has promised to give comfort, peace, prosperity and joy to those who trust Him, fear Him and follow His commands.  His Word must be the focus of our attention because it reminds us of His eternal promises and the hope He has given to all who trust Him.  He calls us to look at the heavens and the earth and recognize they are both passing away just like our bodies.  However God’s salvation is eternal.  This should bring great hope to all who love the Lord.  We have no need to fear men who are passing away but we should love righteousness and God’s salvation because they are eternal.  God has demonstrated Himself to be trustworthy throughout the history of the world, so we can certainly trust in His eternal care.  In Christ we have eternal hope.


THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE EARTHLY HELP: Our lives on this planet are real and they are important.  We must not look to the future promises of God in a way that would cause us to neglect our present responsibilities to the Lord and His Word.  God does care about the present and He does care for us in the present.  We are not left to fend for ourselves on earth while God prepares heaven for our future.  God is fully engaged in our current life situations.  He has consistently demonstrated His care for His children through His constant provision.  He gives comfort in our times of distress.  We need not fear men because God is in control of all that takes place on this planet.  He is in control of the storms of the sea but He also places His hand of protection over His children.  He may allow His children to experience discipline because of their disobedience to the point of great affliction and captivity.  God’s wrath on sin is very real, but His grace is also very real.  He will set His children free and turn His judgment on those who have mercilessly oppressed His children.  God will torment the tormentors and set His children free.  Our hope is not only pie in the sky in the sweet by and by; in Christ we have earthly help.  

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