Good afternoon everyone. Please open your Bibles with me to Genesis chapter 35. We will read verses 16 to 29. In 2020, we have witnessed tragedies over tragedies countless deaths and the most used phrase during that time was “sobra ka na 2020.” 2021 2022 came. Whenever there are deaths, the phrase “sobra ka na 2021” “sobra ka na 2022” is still used. It was to show the evil of death, the tragedies, how ruthless the effect of the curse is in this world, right. Talagang, sobra nga naman, right. I wonder though if ever the phrase existed in the time of Jacob. I would imply that Jacob could have said ‘sobra ka na 1600 BC’ parang ganun.. sobra ka na. That is of course because of the many tragedies that happened to him. Especially in the later chapters of his life, specifically chapter 35.
We can say that he has truly experienced a continued succession of evils. So I will read verses 11 to 29 of Genesis chapter 35.
And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel
shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
The grass withers the flower fades and the word of our God will stand forever.
So Jacob was in the city of Shechem and we all know what happened when he stayed there. Dinah, his daughter was defiled. An evil act done by Shechem. And then his sons responded to that tragedy by killing the Shechemites. Again an evil act done by Simeon and Levi. Now when he came to Bethel verse 8 tells us that the nurse of his mother Rebecca, Deborah died. And then when he left Bethel on his way to his parents Isaac and Rebecca, his wife Rachel died as well. And then the next scene is his firstborn son Reuben laying with his concubine Bilhah. That was an act of rebellion by the way of Reuben; him wanting to usurp the authority of his father which is again an evil act done by his son. And at the end of the chapter, his Father Isaac passed away. That’s three deaths, right, in one chapter. Mind you, death is evil. Ang kamatayan ay masama.The Bible calls it an enemy. It is not a friend to us. It is the last enemy. Sabi is a First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 26, Paul says it is the last enemy to be destroyed, death.
And so you have all of these events in Jacob’s life. And we might say that it’s something that doesn’t happen to us. Defilement, murder, but death, I mean it happens to us, we experience, we have loved ones. That’s the truth. It does, these things happen to us. Yung mga nangyari kay Jacob, there is death, we experience the death of a family member as well, we experience tragedies, we can and will experience these things, and we have an answer why these things happen in the first place. Bakit nangyayari ito kay Jacob sa chapter na ‘to. It’s because we are living in a cursed world. ‘Di pa dumadating yung Mesias sa time ni Jacob dito. We still live in a world that that was plunged into a curse because Adam, the first man sinned against the holy God. The darkness of evil at the time when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, ganun pa rin nung time ni Jacob. And we can definitely say the intensity of evil in Jacob’s time ay probably nga mas greater pa ng time natin ngayon. That is the truth. It is something that is inevitable In our lifetime, evil that is, just as we are able to experience good.
We’re able to experience good, yes. We are also able to experience the opposite of good and that is what happened to Jacob and his family.
That is my message this afternoon. Evil is the, sakto sa message Evil Is The Inescapable Reality As A Result Of The Curse. Evil is the inescapable reality. It is a reality that you and I cannot escape as a result of the curse brought by man. I have two points in this afternoon. Knowing that this is something inescapable, Jacob wasn’t able to escape such evil in his time, such tragedies. What Our Hope Is that is my first point and Who Our Hope Is is my last point.
Let’s consider the first point What Our Hope Is. While Jacob was in his journey to Bethel, God was reassuring Jacob of what He has told Abraham and Isaac. Papunta pa lang si Jacob doon sa Bethel, in-assure na siya ng ating Panginoon, ang hilig mag-assure ng Panginoon. Kasi ang hilig ding makalimot ng tao. Ang Panginoon sinabi kay Jacob, Jacob you will be fruitful, you will have many descendants, Jacob, you will have this land, although there will be enemies, Jacob. Because there are still inhabitants in this land. I will give this to you. You will have rest from your enemies Jacob. Jacob, you will have all the resources found in this land. I promise you that. You will prosper. It is actually a promise of prosperity for Jacob. He will have land, he will have all the resources in that land. And it will be owned by Jacob and all of his descendants. A promise of prosperity for him, right. This is the land, the facts that is..the words that is used is land of milk and honey, right. You will be full Jacob and descendants. It was a great promise. That should encourage Jacob, that should encourage Jacob whose daughter was defiled. It should encourage Jacob whose sons became murderers. That should encourage Jacob whose son became a usurper of authority. That’s exactly what happened basically. He was encouraged by it. You see there in the text. It is seen in his response, verse 14, Jacob set up a pillar, worship, thanksgiving, right.. encouraged by the promise of God. Yun yung pinanghahawakan ni Jacob. That’s what he has on his way to Bethel and that’s what he has on his way from Bethel to his parents. Yun yung dala-dala niya, ang pangako ng Panginoon. At yun ay dapat ay sapat na sa kanya na talagang mag- encourage sa kanya at mag-edify si Jacob.
And so he journeyed from Bethel in order to get to Isaac and Rebekah. As they journeyed, again, there comes an inescapable evil that he will experience. The death of his beloved wife. In fact this is the wife that he loves the most.
Remember this is the woman that he wants. He got Leah, he got Bilhah, he got Zilpah. What he wants is Rachel, and yet she died. And then followed this by the sexual immorality of his son, Reuben. The point here is that even though he is a child of God, even though he was a recipient of the promises of God, he wasn’t able to escape the evils in this world. You and I will experience tragedies as a result of the curse. But here is my question to all of you: what would give strength to you? Anong nagbigay ng encouragement kay Jacob? Anong nagbigay ng kalakasan kay Jacob noong mga panahong nae-experience niya ang inescapable reality of evil: death, sins in the family, his own sins, tragedies What was that encouraging thing that he has, in fact he only had.
What is it? It is the promises of God. It is the promises of God. Yun lang ang pinanghahawakan lang ni Jacob..yan lamang. Yung mga binitawang salita ng Panginoon lamang ang panghahawakan ni Jacob. That is his hope that even though his daughter was
defiled, even though his sons became murderers, even though his most beloved wife died, even though his firstborn became rebellious. What he had were the promises of God. Promises that tells him you are my child, you will be protected, you are loved by your God. For Jacob, that was enough for him to set up a pillar and worship God in thanksgiving. But most importantly, these promises point to the provision of the solution of such tragedies.
These point to God’s provision of solution, these promises point to the provision of of remedy that will come from God. Remedy to the problem of evil, and that remedy will come from his line. The one who will be the source of blessing for all the nations, the one who crush the head of the serpent. Eto talaga ang laman ng mga promise at pangako ng Panginoon. Pangako Niyang magkakaroon ng land, magkakaroon ng madaming tao, madaming anak si Jacob. Bakit? Kasi manggagaling sa kanyang mga anak ang susugpo, ang tatalo ng kasamaan, ng kanyang pinaghihirapan ngayon, ng kanyang nararanasan ngayon. Yun ang meron si Jacob. Yung promise ng Panginoon and ultimately, Jesus Christ will come from his line. That is why God’s promise to Jacob was Jacob’s Only Hope and brothers and sisters, friends, this is the same hope that you and I have… that there is an inevitable, inescapable reality that you will experience evil in life, whatever that is, you may experience death in the family, tragedies or even your own sin which is evil also in any form and yet you have the promise of God in the gospel.
The gospel tells you there is an end to all evil. Hindi ba’t yun ang iniiyak mo sa Panginoon pag nagp-pray ka Lord, hirap na hirap na ako sa kasalanan ko.
Hirap na hirap na ako sa relationship ko ngayon sa pamilya ko, hindi kami nagkakaayos. Hirap na hirap na ako sa nangyayari sa akin ngayon. Ang sagot diyan, yes, kasi namumuhay ka pa sa cursed world na ito. Pero alam mo kung ano’ng meron ka? Pangako ng Diyos na may katapusan yang mga bagay na yan. That’s what you have.
Let’s compare ourselves to Jacob. Jacob is faithful despite of the small bits of information that he has about Christ. You and I know who Christ is. That’s what you have. Jesus Christ who came for you, to die for you, and the promises, you are forgiven of your sins. There will be sins no more. The ones that you are struggling with, mawawala yan kapatid. Lahat ng mga trahedya, even kamatayan, mawawala ang kamatayan. It is inescapable. You and I will die..pero pagdating ng Panginoon, wala nang kamatayan. At oh, wala na itong sting sa atin. Hindi na tayo mananatili sa realm of the dead. Diretso tayo kay Kristo pag tayo’y mamatay. Dahil yun sa gawa ng Panginoon. Yun ang meron tayo kapatid. Mayroong restoration na nangyari, na nangyayari ngayon pa lang. Yung kasamaan na nakikita natin paunti-unti..yes, totoo na nagg-grow ang kasamaan pero mind you, nagg-grow din ang kabutihan. Nagsimula yan sa kamatayan ni Kristo. It began, the restoration of this cursed world began in the death of Christ.
Yun nga yung sinasabi ni John Owen. That’s what he says in the title of his writing di ba? The Death Of The Death In The Death Of Christ. Ang kamatayan ng kamatayan nung namatay si Kristo. But we can also say that that is that the death of sin in the death of Christ. We can also say that that is the death of Satan in the death of Christ, right. Because on the cross, evil was punished. On the cross, we
see perfect justice. And because Christ is the perfect sacrifice, wala Siyang kasalanan, God’s wrath towards sin was satisfied. Kung tayo man ang mamatay dun sa cross, hindi naman satisfied yung galit ng Diyos heh. Kahit na sabihin natin na ako dapat yun heh. Ako dapat yung pinako Lord, kaya ko naman buhatin
yun heh, malaki naman ang katawan ko, kaya kong buhatin yung krus na yun. Kaya ko siguro mag-endure ng ilang oras doon. Pero mind you, makasalanan ka,,hindi mo katulad si Kristo na walang kasalanan. Never masa-satisfy ng buhay mo ang galit ng Diyos. Si Kristo lamang makaka-satisfy niyan. Kaya nga hindi mo kayang iligtas ang sarili mo. Hindi natin kayang iligtas ang ating mga sarili. He is the perfect sacrifice.
And to show that there’s really an end to death, alam mo ginawa ni Kristo?
He rose from the dead. That puts an end to death. That puts an end to the argument that when you die, you will remain dead and you will never ever rise again. Oh you will rise again if you are in Christ. Rise in eternal communion with God. Ang tanong dito, the question is will death have its sting on you? Will you experience eternal death or do you have faith that Christ already died and received the punishment for your sins? That’s why the Bible calls everyone to repent of their sins and come to faith In God’s provision of solution, God’s provision of remedy to the problem of evil, the solution, the remedy is none other than Christ Himself.
So the gospel reminds us that restoration of this world has already commenced. So challenge na pini-present sa atin mga kapatid knowing that it is only in the gospel. It is only in the gospel where we see the restoration of this cursed world so that we will see the..yung pag-destroy nung sins, pag-destroy ng death and ni satan, sa gospel lang natin yun makikita. And so therefore ang aking challenge ay to find hope in the gospel in the midst of this cursed world. You will be like Jacob. You will experience or you probably experience, you’re probably experiencing tragedies, evils in this world in whatever way, in whatever shape or form, even sa sins mo, sa sins ng mga kaibigan mo, kapamilya mo, may kamatayan kayong na-experience. Yun ang mga evil of this world. Mararanasan at mararanasan natin ito. Pero ang assurance sa atin ng gospel ay hindi tinatapos ng kamatayan, hindi tinatapos ng kasalanan. Ang gospel ang magtatanggal ng mga bagay na ito.
Just as Jacob found hope, just as Jacob found encouragement in the promises of God, we too shall find hope, we too shall find encouragement in the gospel that all evil has an end. And it’s only because of Christ. What an assurance that is that there’s an end. There’s an end to all sufferings, there’s an end to all afflictions, there’s a name to all evils in this world. Whatever tragedies we have now in our own families, mawawala, may katapusan yan kapatid. This is why the Lord reminds us always of His work in the gospel. That Christ removed evil, that Christ is removing evil, that Christ will finally remove such evil when He returns.
You know sometimes we have this view that other things can put an end to evil. And we put our faith in those other things. Naalala nyo nung nakaraang eleksyon? Ang tingin natin parang ang gobyerno, kung sino man ang ie-elect mo, parang, ang ating demeanor during that time, ang behaviour natin parang saviour ang dumating kung sino man yan. Kung sino man ang gusto mong iboto, it’s as if, kayang-kaya niyang baguhin at tanggalin ang lahat ng kasamaan. Pwede siyang gamitin ng Panginoon in some way pero si Kristo lang ang may kayang gumawa niyan. At anong sama pa noon, yung faith natin nandoon, nandoon sa tao lamang. Or worse, mamaya, ang faith mo nasa sarili mo, in yourselves because of our works, because of my goodness. Friends, brethren, you are not the saviour of yourself. Jesus Christ puts an end to all evil. There’s death; the gospel reminds you that death is not the end.
I know it’s so easy to say na although when we are in that situation, I know there’s grief, and we should grieve. But we are not like those who don’t have hope sabi ni Paul sa Thessalonians. We grieve, but we grieve having in mind there is hope. You know why there’s hope? Because Christ puts an end to such evil, such evil like death. There’s sin, the gospel reminds you that there is an end to it. You may have remaining sins now, you may be struggling with sins now, but a time will come when sin will be no more and what a promise that is? The sorrow brought to us by the curse is remedied by the gospel that brings hope in us now. A time will come when tears were wiped away. The time of groaning will end. Brethren there is an end to all the difficulties of life and you know the solution is not us becoming just you know neutral, meaning, alam mo yun, wala nang sin; kumbaga there will be a time yes, wala nang kasalanan but it’s not like neutral like, o, wala na tayong kasalanan. Hindi ganun! But there’s joy! I mean that should be the antithesis of sin and sorrow…JOY! Kung walang sin, ano’n implication noon? There is an ending eternal joy! This is what it means when the Bible says yung tears natin will be wiped away. It’s not like wala na tayong luha and then neutral, wala tayong pakiramdam, hindi! Kaya walang luha kasi punung- puno tayo ng kasayahan, kaligayahan sa Panginoong Hesukristo…dahil walang kasalanan. It’s like we’re always celebrating the victory of Christ. Wow! Sin has been defeated! Death has been defeated. That is what heaven will be like. It’s not like wala na tayong luha, then neutral, no! There is JOY! Yes, Christ puts an end to it, replaces it with joy.
Maganda yung sinabi ni Mark Jones sa kanyang book na God Is. He said: “In this world when we suffer, time seems to stand still. Even waiting in traffic or in a doctor’s office, time crawls. We become more sensitive to the seconds. Those in heaven will experience something entirely different because they resemble Christ possessing joy, unspeakable. Time flies when you’re having fun. Imagine how time will seem to evaporate in heaven because of the joy we will experience. In the former, like hell, a second feels like a year. In the latter, like heaven, a year feels like a second.” Just imagine, pag sumasaya ka, parang bitin ang oras, ang saya! It’s as if ganun yung pakiramdam sa langit kasi sobrang saya, bitin ka lagi. Pero assurance mo, hindi ka mabibitin. Because it is unending. And you what? Add to it, it’s not just unending, it is also a growing Joy. I mean just imagine it, what you have now, the joy that you have now, oh multiply it when you get to heaven. And when you get to heaven you know what? You will not fully know God, you will forever know God. Your knowledge of him will grow and so imagine even as you know more, as you know God more, the joy, the response to that knowledge, would also grow. Hence, we can say: “tears will be wiped away.” Because there will be such joy. Have you imagined, have you imagined that the temporary joys we have in this world are glimpses of the unspeakable, unending growing joy that we will have. Have you imagined that the temporary evils in this world that we encounter, that we experience, that the sins that make us sorrow will be gone in eternity. That even the memories of such will probably be forgotten because of the overflowing joy we have in Jesus Christ. And think about the worst tragedy that you’ve had in this lifetime, and think about maybe not maybe forgetting about that because you’re so joyful in the Lord already.
Because being with the Lord is not comparable to whatever Joy you have now here on Earth.
May we be like Paul who says in Romans chapter 8 verse 18 ..consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. In fact, yan din yung mga sinabi ko ngayon that does not compare to what we will have. In fails in comparison. Marahil, how I tried to illustrate it oh you get a picture of it, pero wala pa yun sa katiting ng kung ano man ating mae-experience pag kasama Siya.
Are you tired and are you weary because of sin? Because of all the evil in this world that affects you, affects your family. Let me encourage you. You can find hope in the gospel. And you know what? The realities that we will have in heaven are already true now, totoo, assured ka na. Yung mga pinag-usapan natin kanina na makukuha natin, oh sure yun kapatid. Kung ikaw ay kay Kristo, mangyayari yun sa ‘yo. Totoo na yun sa ‘yo. Mayroon ka nang joy na maaaring nailagay na sa puso mo ng Panginoon; present na yun sa ‘yo. There is an already but there’s also a not yet. We are waiting for Christ to return. Oh yes, it’s much greater there, but know that these are true now. Find hope then put all your hope in the gospel.
My last point is Who Our Hope Is. So we can be so sure that the death of Rachel made a big impact on Jacob’s life. Because he loved her so dearly but see even in death, immediately Jacob experienced that glimpse of hope. They have another child; that’s a glimpse of hope. This is a glimpse of hope because even after the evil of death, there is life, there is mourning and there is joy. Benjamin was a sign of assurance that God is indeed faithful to His promise. That God will truly give him sons despite of the death of his loved one. God is faithful in His promise to provide a son, that is a glimpse of hope. And you know what? Grabe rin ang writer ng Genesis na si Moses.
He wants us, he showcases to us yung faithfulness ng Diyos kasi right after the tragedies, Moses, the writer, shows us the faithfulness of God. That God would continue to give life, that God was faithful and He fulfilled His promises . Pinapakita doon yung genealogy pa ni Jacob, pinakita pa sa atin. Again, that is a showcase of God’s faithfulness to His promises. Hindi lang yung si Benjamin being a glimpse of hope. And now we are seeing what God has done in Jacob’s life. His faithfulness, we have his list of sons. It’s like saying, look that’s what I did, that’s what God did to Jacob. Look Benjamin, despite of death, despite of the evil of death, there is life. And there you have what I did, your sons, the list of your sons. See, that despite of the sins of Reuben, again, the next passage presents to us the faithfulness of God. That all the evils that happen, all the sins committed did not stop the fulfillment of God’s promises. Kahit na naging murderers si Simeon and Levi, kahit na na-defile si Dinah, kahit na nag-deceive ng ilang beses si Jacob, kahit na maraming evil of death that happened, God will be true to His promises. God will give Jacob and his sons the blessing He promised, He will be true.
And isn’t that true for us as well? That God is faithful as He blessed us by giving to us our Saviour. And He continues to do that despite of our sins.
Kumbaga, the presence of sin, the presence of evil does not annul the blessings of God given to us in Christ. That’s what happened to Jacob, he received the blessings despite of his sins. It did not annul what God has said: I will give this to you, I will give this to you, and God indeed gave them to Jacob and his descendants despite of their sins. It did not annul the blessings given by God to them in Christ. Christ is the Blessed Hope that we have, that we indeed are truly recipients of the blessings of God and that nothing can stop God from bestowing such blessings to us. Our assurance is Jesus Christ and His work.
Sure yun! Totoo na yes, meron tayong remaining sins, and es, it may affect just like in the sermon this morning. It will affect our fellowship with the Lord, that’s true, And it was explained as well it does not although annul the judicial forgiveness. It does not allow the blessings that we have in Christ. Ibig sabihin, He will continue to sanctify us. Ibig sabihin, despite of our sins, we are still justified in His eyes. Ibig sabihin even though tayo ay rebellious children, He is still our Father. It does not annul the blessings we have already in Christ.
Now if you are not in Jesus Christ, this is what you are missing. You are missing this opportunity to have a Father. You’re missing the opportunity to be forgiven of your sins, na kahit may kasalanan ka ngayon, pinatawad ka ng Panginoon, you’re missing that. That is what His people have. If you are not in Christ, again, repent of your sins and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
See, when Jacob witnessed both the death of his wife and the birth of his son, there was assurance that life will go on. That God is faithful to His promise of descendants. In the same way also brethren, on the cross we witness death. On the cross we witness life. We are assured of spiritual blessings because on the cross, we see the death of evil and the eternal life given. That Christ’s death and resurrection shows us that death does not truly terminate life. In fact, the death of Christ, in the death of Christ, true life began for us. See how that is an assurance of the blessings we have despite of our sins. Yes, true life have begun in the death of Christ. See kung papaano tayo naa-assure noon, of the blessings we have despite of our sins. Despite of the evils in this world that again, the presence of sin and evil does not annul the blessings of God and it is not because of you. Hindi dahil sa ‘yo, hindi dahil sa akin, hindi dahil sa atin kaya hindi naa-annul ito. It is because of God, because He is faithful. We have a faithful God, if He said it He will do it! Lalo na tayo. Kung sinabi ng Panginoon na kung ikaw ay na kay Kristo, pinatawad ka ng Panginoon, bakit ka nagd-doubt?
Why do you worry? Kung sinabi sa iyo ng Panginoon na ikaw ay sina-sanctify Niya para maging kawangis ng Kanyang Anak, bakit inaayawan mo yung mga trials sa buhay mo? Well in fact yun yung means ng Panginoon para ma-sanctify ka! It will happen kahit despite of your sins, God will sanctify you in any way. Your sins will not annul the blessings of God. You know why? Because God is faithful in His words. Yun ang challenge ko sa lahat. Be Assured Of That That God Is Truly Faithful Despite Of So Much Evil In This World.
What he said for us are benefits because of what Christ has accomplished.
Oh He will do it. He is doing it. Be assured in that truth brethren. Be assured that that truth is what you need. Be assured that in times of grief caused by tragedies God is faithful and He blesses us spiritually. Yes, even while we are still sinners.
The problem is that we are weak in our faith.
When something bad happens, we forget who we are in Christ. We forget of how the promises of God applies to us. You know, that’s what happened to Israel. Because of their sins they were expelled from the land, and yet God promised them that they will be prosper. They will prosper and they will be back. And yet some of them have forgotten the faithfulness of God. They thought that since they have continuously rebelled against God, wala na rin naman heh. Mags-stay na lang kami dito sa Babylon. His promise for them to return will not happen anymore. Ganun ang thinking ng Israel.
Let us not be like them. Whatever evil that may come, may it be death or any tragedy or sin committed. It does not annul the love that God has for us. Nothing can separate us from His love may it be death or life. Whatever happens to us that may be caused by the curse of this world, it does not annul the fact that God is the provider, the deliverer of His own people. Mawalan ka man ng kung ano’ng mawala sa ‘yo, hindi ibig sabihin nun na hindi provider ang Panginoon. Provider pa rin ang Panginoon. Whatever sin that you may be struggling with now it does not annul the fact that God is sanctifying you and that you have been forgiven of your sins.
And so who is our hope? It is God. It is Christ. Why do we have such assurance that the work of Christ does not annul such blessings we have? Because great is the faithfulness of the Lord. Do you think you have been defeated by sin? God is faithful. Sin does not annul God’s love for us. Do you think death is the end? God is faithful. Death does not annul the love of God. Do you easily forget how faithful God is? Mga kapatid, be assured that God is faithful despite of so much evil in this world. And again, you may experience a succession of evils in your lifetime, but that one single Christ event is your assurance and hope of an eternal blessedness with Him. May the word of God enrich our knowledge of Him and may it stir us to live in light of these truths.
Let us pray. Great God and gracious Father, thank You Lord for Your grace and for Your mercy in the person and work of Christ. Thank You Lord that He is our assurance, that the restoration of this cursed world, this world, this cursed world that gives sorrow to our hearts, that wearies our souls has an end. What an assurance that is. Thank You for Christ’s work. Lord I pray that we would find Hope in what He has done. We will find Hope in His person. He is the only remedy, He is only, He is the only solution to our sins, to all the problems of evil in this world. And Lord it is our prayer that our assurance in Your faithfulness would also grow. That we will not be blinded by the evils of this world. That we will always be dwelt in your word so that we will be so reminded of the gospel and Your faithfulness. So Lord we praise you in His Name. Amen.