Author: Kerry

For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1 Thessalonians 4:14

Souls Already in Heaven

Daily Devotion – November 16, 2021

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 4:14

See series: Devotions

There are souls already in heaven. They trusted in Jesus for their salvation, and they have begun to enjoy eternity with him. Their bodies are still in the ground, but the souls are really enjoying paradise. It’s hard for us to picture the state of consciousness of a soul without a body, but the Bible encourages us to think of it like falling asleep.

At a certain point—only God knows when—those souls will return to earth to be reunited with their bodies. The Bible calls that the “second resurrection.” The first resurrection is when those souls came to faith in Jesus, but at the second resurrection, on Judgment Day, those souls will go back together with their original bodies. It doesn’t matter how much those bodies have disintegrated. God will raise them as glorified bodies.

Is that hard to believe? When we go to the graveyard, everything seems so permanent. But the soul of Jesus separated from his body, went to heaven, and then returned to his body. Jesus rose from the dead—body and soul—and appeared to many people to prove it. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, so we believe that we will die and rise again as well.

The resurrection of Jesus was dramatic, but the resurrection of people whose souls are already in heaven will be breathtaking. Jesus will be in the sky, and he will bring with him the souls of all of those people. They will reenter their glorified bodies. It’s going to be spectacular!

In the meantime, we wait with patience. We grieve the temporary loss of our loved ones in death, but we look forward to the resurrection of the dead.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank you that because of your promises of sins forgiven and eternal life I am able to look forward to your return with eager anticipation. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

You Will Know

Daily Devotion – November 15, 2021

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

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Every couple of years, someone new claims to be Jesus returned to earth. They’re always lying.

When Jesus returns to earth, you will know it. First, you will hear it. There will be a loud command coming from heaven, the voice of an angel, and the amazing sound of a trumpet—louder than the amber alert on your phone—that can be heard everywhere in the world.

Then in the middle of all that sound, you will see it. The Lord himself will come down from heaven. He will not sneak up to you on the street and tap you on the shoulder. He will not suddenly reveal himself in a church service. You will look up the heavens, and you will see him.

If there is any doubt in your mind that it is really Jesus, that doubt will disappear. You yourself will be caught up to meet him in the clouds. Jesus does not mean that to be scary. He means it to be encouraging. Those who trust in him will be with the Lord forever.

It’s hard to picture exactly what heaven will be like, but we have the guarantee that we will be with the Lord forever, and that’s enough. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, take away my uncertainties, and lead me to trust that you are coming soon. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
Matthew 9:32-34

The Perfect Cure

Daily Devotion – November 14, 2021

Devotion based on Matthew 9:32-34

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In the Old Testament, there is only one mention of demon possession: “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14). As God was allowing his people to be ruled by their first king, the devil threw some challenges at the man on the throne. King Saul proved unequal to the test.

In the New Testament, the devil pulls out every stop as Israel beholds the coming of the Heavenly King. It seems as if every kind of demon-possession imaginable fell across the path of Jesus, from the woman “who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years” (Luke 13:11) to the poor man in our text. Jesus showed himself to be up to every test.

Although some still doubted, such miracles showed Jesus’ power over what is unseen as well as what is seen. He is the absolute and perfect cure not only for demons and illnesses but for sin itself. He carried away what we could never hope to rid ourselves of.

Jesus showed his power over the devil with this miracle. And finally, with his perfect life and innocent death, Jesus won for us the ultimate victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, comfort me today with the reminder that you are all-powerful and can overcome every one of my enemies, even death itself. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”
Jeremiah 23:5,6

Beautiful People

Daily Devotion – November 13, 2021

Devotion based on Jeremiah 23:5,6

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In the days of Jeremiah, the prophet, about 600 years before the birth of Jesus, many people of God’s chosen nation had turned away from God into unbelief. They followed false teachers that led them into idolatry. However, there were some people who remained faithful to the true God. Through Jeremiah, God promised that he would gather all his faithful ones and bless them.

The Lord announced that glorious time, “The days are coming when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” With the word “branch,” God wants us to think of a shoot or sprout which grows out of a dying stump or from the ground where a tree stump is decaying. With this imagery, God pointed to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. His roots or ancestry were from the line of King David. But by the time of his arrival, the grandeur of the Davidic kingdom had died and decayed under David’s godless successors. The Messiah, however, came to reestablish the glory of David’s throne, although not in the same way as before.

Jesus Christ is a King, but his kingdom is new and different. His is a spiritual kingdom in which he benevolently rules over his people forever by faith.

God cares for his people, and he saves them. He sent Jesus to do what is “just and right in the land.” In contrast to the people who rejected God and lived in disobedience to his will, Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the will of God and was guiltless of any sin. He lived this way for our benefit. God charged the perfect righteousness of his Son to us. He is: THE LORD, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Covered with the pure holiness of Jesus Christ, we are beautiful people in God’s eyes and blessed by him now and forever.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 376)
Jesus, your blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:27,28

Two Judgment Days

Daily Devotion – November 12, 2021

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:27,28

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The Bible shows that the universe is steadily marching toward one big event: the Last Day. Because this is the day on which Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, it is also called judgment day.

But if all of history is leading to this final judgment, how can today’s Bible passage say that people are judged by God after they die? Does that mean that there are two judgment days?

Yes, in a certain respect, there are. The day that you die is your own personal judgment day. Your eternal destiny is determined the moment you die. Whoever dies with faith in Christ is given eternal life, and whoever dies in unbelief is condemned to eternal death.

When Jesus returns on the Last Day, all the dead will rise and stand before him for judgment. The verdict that he gives on judgment day will not be different from the one he gave when they died. Those who died in unbelief and went to hell will receive the same verdict, as will those who died in faith and went to heaven.

But if the verdict is the same, what is the point of judgement day? God wants to publicly announce the verdict that he has already given. Sinful humans have the nasty habit of questioning God’s justice and his love. So on the Last Day, God will assemble all people of all time and show them the justice of his judgments and the full extent of his love.

He will give evidence from the lives of unbelievers that they earned the judgment they have already received since their deaths. He will also show how those who died trusting in Jesus received enteral life as a gift, just like he promised. That is why Christ’s appearance on the Last Day is not something to be afraid of but to wait for!

Prayer:
Jesus Christ, give me faith to meet you when I die, and help me to wait expectantly for your salvation. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Nor did [Christ] enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 9:25,26

Once for Always

Daily Devotion – November 11, 2021

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:25,26

See series: Devotions

God is just. He has an absolutely perfect standard of right and wrong, and he judges according to that standard. God’s justice means that sin must be punished, and everything must be made right.

In the centuries before Jesus came, God had his people celebrate the Day of Atonement to balance the scales. On that day, the High Priest walked into the innermost room of the temple and stood before God with blood from animal sacrifices. That blood atoned for (that is, covered up) the sins of him and his people.

And the scales were balanced for a time. But every year, there was another Day of Atonement, and the high priest did the exact same thing that he had done the year before, over and over again for over a thousand years.

Why the repetition? Because God’s justice was not satisfied by killing animals. So why did God tell them to do it? Because the Day of Atonement was a picture of the one sacrifice that would balance the scales.

It pointed ahead to what Jesus would do. Jesus is our High Priest. He appeared for us in God’s presence, not with an animal sacrifice, but with the sacrifice of himself. And Jesus did not offer that sacrifice over and over again. He only offered it once.

And after Christ offered himself on the cross, God gave his verdict on Jesus’ sacrifice by raising him from the dead three days later. That was a clear indication of God’s verdict: sin has been taken away, forever! We do not need the yearly sacrifices of the Day of Atonement. We have been saved, once for always!

Prayer:
Lord, it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sins. But the blood of Jesus, your Son, purifies me from all sin. Thank you. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[Jesus said] “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”
John 5:28,29

Good Works on the Last Day

Daily Devotion – November 10, 2021

Devotion based on John 5:28,29

See series: Devotions

When the Lord Jesus returns on the Last Day, he will judge every single human being who has ever lived. Even the people who died before that day will come out of their graves and stand before him for judgment.

The Bible teaches that Jesus will judge people based on whether or not they have faith in him. The apostle Paul, for example, wrote, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

This teaching is so clear that you have to wonder what Jesus meant in today’s Bible passage. Jesus made it sound like people’s good works will be the basis for judgment, with those who have done good receiving eternal life and those who have done evil being condemned to hell.

But before you assume that the Bible teaches two contradictory ways to heaven, remember what Jesus was talking about here: judgment. When someone is being judged in a courtroom, the best evidence is visible evidence.

Faith in Christ is a matter of the heart and therefore invisible. But faith in Christ produces good works that can be seen. Good works do not save people, but Jesus will point them out at the last judgment because they are visible proofs of invisible faith.

That is why “those who have done evil” have a lot to fear on the Last Day. There is no greater evil than rejecting the Savior in unbelief. But “those who have done good” have nothing to fear. Only believers in Jesus can do works that God considers good. And on the Last Day, Jesus will use their good works to show the whole world that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, empower me to live a life filled with good works while I wait for the Last Day. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[Jesus said] “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
John 5:25

A Matter of Life and Death

Daily Devotion – November 9, 2021

Devotion based on John 5:25

See series: Devotions

This is a strange Bible verse. Jesus said that the dead would hear his voice, but how could the dead hear? And how could the dead come to life from hearing? Was Jesus telling a joke?

No, Jesus was dead serious. He even said, “Very truly I tell you.” He was telling the truth. Jesus wanted to be heard by the dead. He still does because listening to Jesus is a matter of life and death.

To understand Jesus’ Words, you need to understand what the Bible teaches about death. According to the Bible, there are three kinds of death: spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death. Jesus was talking about spiritual death.

By nature, every human being enters this world alive physically but dead spiritually. You were, by nature, dead in sin. You were born a physically living, breathing baby. But spiritually, you were a corpse that had no faith in God.

Fixing this condition is not just a matter of making better choices or trying harder. A corpse cannot make a choice or do anything to improve itself.

A corpse must be raised to life by a power outside of itself. This is what the words of Jesus are able to do. His words are able to create faith in his listeners. This is what Jesus meant when he said that the dead would hear the voice of the Son of God and live.

How important it is, then, for us to hear Jesus’ words! They are powerful enough to give spiritual and eternal life. Thank you, Jesus, for your powerful voice!

Prayer:
Son of God, give me life through your Word. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[Jesus said] “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.”
John 5:22,23

The Best Judge

Daily Devotion – November 8, 2021

Devotion based on John 5:22,23

See series: Devotions

Many people think that Christians make too big a deal out of Jesus. However, when it comes to Jesus, his importance cannot be emphasized enough. Why? Because Jesus is your judge.

Judges have the authority to decide if you are guilty or innocent, and they can punish the guilty. Jesus has the authority to do that for all people. His judgment determines where you spend eternity. There are only two possible outcomes—heaven or hell.

This is the judgment that God the Father has entrusted to his Son. So, do you understand why Christians make such a big deal out of Jesus? Everything hinges on him. He is the judge. The eternal destiny of all people who have lived, are living, or will live is bound up in their relationship to Jesus. Everyone will be judged by him.

That can be a scary thought. After all, like all people, you are guilty of breaking God’s law and deserve an eternity apart from God and his blessings.

But remember who your judge is! He is the judge who arranged for another trial, one where he stood in your place. One where he accepted the consequences of your actions—the nails, the cross, and a lot of shed blood. He endured the full wrath of God.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that the one who will judge you one day is the same one who already paid the price for all your sins? Because he did, you can be sure that on that day, he will look at you and say, “Not guilty.”

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for making your Son my judge. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The soldiers also came up and mocked [Jesus]. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
Luke 23:36,37

They Had It All Wrong

Daily Devotion – November 7, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 23:36,37

See series: Devotions

No one likes to admit they are wrong. It is embarrassing. It wounds our pride. Even worse is admitting that we have said or done something wrong. The truth is that we say and do what is wrong more than we want to admit. Our wrong words and actions violate the will of God, who demands that we never be wrong.

That is why the Bible says that we are not the perfect people that can join God in heaven eternally. By all our wrongs, we have separated ourselves from God and are unable to live up to his standard of perfection.

But oh, the wonderful love of God! He did for us what we could not do. He sent his Son, Jesus, to earth to live among us, to live the perfect life we could not. Jesus suffered and died, becoming our substitute, paying for the sins we committed against God’s perfect will. Because of Jesus’ perfection, God now sees us as perfect. Our eternal future is now with God because of Jesus.

So, when the Roman soldiers viewed the suffering Jesus on the cross and mockingly said, “save yourself,” they had it all wrong. Jesus wasn’t going to save himself from earthly death. He was saving us from eternal death!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, may your love in sending your Son to die for my sins be reflected in my love for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.