This post is ONLY for Christians, those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you haven’t, you are missing out. Please see Becoming a Child of God.

The enormous, stunning, unfathomable good news is that Christians can and should have a confident expectation of righteousness. Biblical hope is a sure thing.

For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. (Galatians 5:5)

Whoa!

God promises. And His promises always are fulfilled, always come true.

God tells us we will stand before him holy and blameless.

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  (Ephesians 1:4)

God tell us He will glorify us.

These whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

You were saved to be glorified!

Growing righteousness here and now

And that trial you are in right now? That trial is making you more like Christ. God is making you more righteous.

We are to be:

rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer. (Romans 12:12)

The best is yet to come

In heaven we will be totally freed from sin. We will have NO sin nature. Nor will anyone else in heaven. I cannot imagine it. Me, with absolutely no tendency to sin. Me! I can’t wait.

Jesus Christ was lifted up from earth and entered heaven (See Jesus Christ the Exalted Lord). He was given back the glory He had from eternity, enthroned, given eternal dominion over all, and seated at the right hand of the Father.

What is Jesus Christ doing now?

He upholds all things by the word of His power. (Hebrews 1:3) All things came into being through Him (John 1:3), and now He upholds what He created.

He is Sovereign Ruler. The Father gave Him the name that is above every name: Lord, that is, sovereign ruler. (Philippians 2:9). “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” (Ephesians 1:22) The Father gave Jesus Christ the title deed to the earth (Revelation 5:7)

He is Judge. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.” (John 5:22)

He sends the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. (John 16:7; Acts 2:33)

He intercedes for those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (Hebrews 7:25)

He is giving us gifts. (Ephesians 4:7-8)

He is preparing a place for us, and will come get us so we can be with Him. (John 14:2-3)

He is our all-powerful assurance. He is our hope. (Colossians 1:27; 1 Timothy 1:1)

And more—of course.

Worship Jesus Christ! Praise Him!

Let’s meditate on the enormity of what Jesus Christ is doing. Let’s worship Him. Let’s praise Him. Let’s trust Him.

40 days after Easter, Jesus Christ was lifted up to heaven while the apostles watched. This year, 40 days after Easter was May 14, Ascension Day.

From the Apostles’ (Earth) point of view, the Bible records only this:

He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9)

Two men in white clothing stood beside them and said: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)

From heaven’s point of view, both Daniel and Revelation record the momentous event.

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13–14)

A cloud received Jesus Christ when He left earth and with the clouds of heaven He arrived.

John’s vision, as recorded in Revelation, showed John in the Almighty’s throne room weeping because no one was worthy to open a book. Then: “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)

And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book … He was worshipped … And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:6–10)

The Enthroned Jesus Christ — Now and Forever

When Jesus Christ was lifted up from earth, He entered heaven, given back the glory He had from eternity, enthroned, given eternal dominion over all, and seated at the right hand of God the Father.

He was named Lord. Lord of all.

at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11)

Praise Him!

And for us here and now?

We, those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, love Him. And He, the glorious Lord of all, loves us!

There are a number of verses showing us what He is doing now, but stay tuned!

In the meantime, let’s meditate on our glorious Lord, who saved us, is living for us, and loves us.

The title of this blog is “Pressing on Together.” My welcome note in July 2014 said: This website is dedicated to pressing on: finding hope ahead, forgetting past sins and victories, overcoming barriers, learning how. And moving forward together. My hope was and is that we can help each other energetically pursue Christlikeness, challenging ourselves and each other, learning from each other, encouraging each other.

I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12–14)

Like Paul, we know we haven’t become perfect (!). Dissatisfaction with our current spiritual “health,” the state of our daily lives, is motivation to press on.

We are called to a daily, focused, energetic pursuit of Christlikeness. We are called to press on.

Let’s work on this ourselves and encourage others to do so.

I’m thankful for you, and rejoice at the Lord’s blessings to us.

I’ve lived in tornado alley, and perhaps you have, or you are! Many have a secure room to shelter from the storm.

For Christians, day to day, our safe place is Almighty God.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold … His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (Psalm 18:2, 30)

This is a fact. Learning actually to take refuge in God is a process.

In Psalm 142, David was very low, had strong persecutors, was overwhelmed, and saw no escape. Here’s what he did:

Cried out to the Lord

TO THE LORD David cried aloud, made supplication, poured out his complaint, declared his trouble.

Reminded himself

David reminded himself that God is his refuge, that God is his portion in the land of the living.

Asked the Lord for help

David asked that the God give heed to his cry, for God to deliver him.

Trusted God

David looked ahead: The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me. (Psalm 142: 7)

These are steps for us as well.

One: Go to God

God, in fact, is the refuge for His redeemed. We need to go to Him. TO HIM.

We must not trust in horses or anything or anyone else:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! (Isaiah 31:1)

Two: Remind ourselves

We must remind ourselves of who God is, and who we are to Him. He loves us with an eternal, infinite, faithful, awesome love. He is making us more and more like Christ. He will glorify us and take us to heaven. (Romans 8:28-30)

Three: Pray for help

Pray to the Sovereign God who loves you. Ask for help.

Christians have confident access to God in the Holy Spirit through our faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:18, 3:12)

Four: Trust God

Believe that God hears you, knows your trouble, and is at work. He is present. He is for you.

God’s answer may be, probably will be, different than instant resolution. But He has heard us and He will bring good out of whatever is happening. He will.

PRESS ON !

Are you some shade of miserable, scared, stressed, depressed? In despair?

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You …  (Psalm 42:5-6)

When we are “disturbed,” Psalm 42 gives us three steps to get back on track:

1. Hope in God
2. Praise God
3. Remember God

HOPE

God makes many promises to His redeemed. God cannot lie, and He is totally in control. His promises to His believers are guaranteed.

Find one or more of His promises and focus on them. Focus on Jesus Christ, your hope. (Colossians 1:27)

This blog has a number of posts about hope. For example, Rejoice in Hope, but from this web site you can search and find others. However, going directly to God’s word is always best.

PRAISE

God is worthy of all praise. (Psalm 96:4)

Here are some ideas for starting points: Praise A to Z, Volume 1, Volume 2.

REMEMBER

God is always at work. Remember what He has done, what He is doing, and what God’s word tells us about what is coming.

The Bible contains numerous calls and commands to remember.

Results

Through these actions, we switch tracks, replace negative thoughts, and focus on our loving, sovereign God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He is our refuge. He is our very present help in time of trouble.

The better we know God, the better we know His Word, the more readily we’ll get back on track.

Press on!

God is Sovereign. Period. We are responsible, but God is sovereign. (See When Storms Come.)

God’s sovereignty is immense, awesome, totally good news. And yes, scary!

For Christians, God is our loving Father. We are in Christ, and the Father looks at us knowing that we belong to His beloved Son. Whatever, WHATEVER, happens is used by God for our good, making us more into the image of His Son, and preparing us for heaven.

You’ve most likely sung this hymn. Perhaps you’ve sung it so often you have memorized all or part of it.

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world,
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world.
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Don’t miss the last stanza! God is sovereign over the bad times also. There is evil in the world, but remember that God is the ruler yet. We know He is working His holy plan, that His redeemed will be in heaven, and that God wins.

Continue to sing This is My Father’s world. Continue to praise almighty God.

Press on.

~~~

“This is My Father’s World” was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, published in 1901.

“Hope is hearing the music of the future and Faith is dancing to it now.”  (Source unknown)

Hope

Biblical hope is looking forward with absolute certainty that God’s promises will come to pass.

[Since] it is impossible for God to lie, we … have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil … (Hebrews 6:18–19)

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:25)

Know for certain that … (Genesis 15:13)

Hope is faith, directed towards the future.

God is the source of hope, and is the One who secures hope. He never changes. He never fails.

God makes many promises to believers. Seek out His promises. They are guaranteed.

Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Through faith we take hold of the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:18)

Through faith, we accept/appropriate God’s promises, enabling us to act now on the reality of His promises to be fulfilled.

Faith transforms hope into action.

Joy

Rejoice in hope (Romans 12:12).

The richer our hope becomes, the more we know His promises, the greater our rejoicing.

Live now, rejoice now, because of what you know God will do in the future.

The hope of the righteous is gladness. (Proverbs 10:28)

Rejoice and live now with the future in mind

God promised. His promises are coming.

~~~

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

On Good Friday, Christ died for those who will believe (John 3:15).

Today we celebrate His resurrection, which proves that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4).

Hope

Easter brings hope, not only for eternity, but also for now.

Hope is a settled, realistic, eager anticipation that God will do what He promises. It is based on Almighty God’s character. (See HOPE for a contrast of Biblical hope and secular hope)

Biblical hope is not wishful thinking, it is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19)

Salvation

Salvation is in three tenses: We (the redeemed, Christians) were saved in the past; Christians are being saved in the present from the power of sin (sanctification); In the future, Christians will be saved from the presence of sin (glorification/heaven).

Easter proves the redeemed have hope in the present, for the future, and for eternity.

Hope Now – we have help being saved from the power of sin (sanctification)  

Christ is alive! Because He lives, we live (John 14:19). We are in Christ and Christ is in us. He will never leave us or forsake us.

God is working in us (Philippians 2:13) He has given everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature … (2 Peter 1:4)

He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

We have hope, hope not only for eternity, but for here and now. We have hope in the land of the living.

Hope of being saved from the presence of sin (glorification/heaven)

We (believers) are promised heaven, and God never lies.  We are promised to be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4). We are fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

We can and must know His “precious and magnificent” promises are guaranteed.

BUT

If you haven’t repented and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you haven’t died with Christ, His resurrection is not meaningful for you.

Please turn to God in repentance, asking for forgiveness, and declaring belief in Christ. (See Becoming a Child of God)

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Growing spiritually, becoming more in the image of Christ, developing holiness, being sanctified, is our goal.

Growth is our responsibility PLUS God is at work in us. (See Our Battle + God’s Work)

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may … fulfill every resolve for good …  (2 Thessalonians 1:11 ESV)

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will fulfill every desire for goodness  …  (2 Thessalonians 1:11 NASB)

Our responsibility

We must develop a firm, consistent, steadfast resolve for righteous behavior, which is probably always harder than it sounds.

However, the desire itself is from God who works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

Our responsibility, then, is to firmly resolve to live righteously, and, specifically, to bring a specific thought/word/behavior into His way. 

And it is our responsibility to pray that God will fulfill our desire, our resolve, for righteousness.

God’s work

God is working us to want to live righteously, and God is working in us to actually live righteously.

That is stupendous, wonderful news!

So … Pray!

God tells us He is working in us, but also pray about His giving and strengthening our desires for righteous living, and specifically for that particular issue nagging us. And then praying for our actually living that way.

Here is Paul’s entire prayer. Pray this for your Christian loved ones. Pray for me!

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12, ESV)

Praise God that He is working in us!

Christians are headed to glorification, a guaranteed, unimaginable eternity!