Christmas – December 25

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Isaiah 9:2-7       Eternal King

Psalm 96        The Lord Reigns!

Titus 2:11-14      Our God and Savior

Luke 2:1-20      The Birth of Jesus

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” Isaiah 9:2). The Lord has multiplied the people of his kingdom, he has increased their joy. Their joy is like joy at the harvest, or when conquerors divide the spoils.

The Lord has delivered his people from their oppressors and bondage, as in the day of Midian (when Gideon and a few hundred men completely defeated a vastly more numerous army of Midianites by obedient faith in God; Judges 7:15-25). The enemies of God who have attacked and shed blood will be burned as fuel for eternal fire.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). His government and the peace he establishes will never end. He will establish his kingdom upon the throne of David and will uphold it with justice and righteousness for evermore. This will be accomplished because it is the Lord’s fervent commitment.

Let us sing a new song to the Lord, all the earth. Bless his name and tell of his salvation every day. Let us declare his glory and mighty works to all people and nations. The Lord is great and worthy of great praise! He is to be feared (having proper respect for his power and authority) above all gods, because all other “gods” are merely idols (the creation of humans), but the Lord is the Creator of the universe! His character is honor and majesty; in his sanctuary are strength and beauty.

Let everyone on earth acknowledge the Lord’s glory and strength. Give him the glory due his name; bring an offering into his courts. Come to worship him with cleansed garments (see Exodus 19:10-11). Let all the earth fear him.

Declare to all nations that the Lord reigns! He rules over the entire world, and his rule cannot be overthrown. He will govern with justice and fairness. Let all heaven and earth rejoice. Let earth and sea and everything in them exalt; let all nature rejoice at the coming of the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world and all people with truth and righteousness.

The grace (unmerited favor; free gift) of God has appeared for the salvation of all people, so that we might turn from unbelief and the pursuit of earthly desires, so instead we might live sober, godly, righteous lives in this world as we wait the fulfillment of our great hope in the glorious return of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus gave himself for us, to redeem (pay the penalty for) us from all our sin (disobedience of God’s Word), “and to purify for himself a people of his own, who are zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14).

In about 6-5 B.C.,* Caesar Augustus (27 B.C. to 14 A.D.*) decreed that a census should be recorded throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first such census, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Every head of the house was to return to the city of his birth, and Joseph went with Mary, his betrothed, who was pregnant, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, in Judea, since Joseph was a descendant of David. While in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and delivered her first-born, a son. They were in a stable, because the inn was full, and Mary wrapped the child with swaddling cloths and used a manger for the child’s crib (consider Isaiah 1:3)

In a field nearby, shepherds were watching over their flocks during the night, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them transforming the darkness with the radiant light of God’s glory, and the shepherds were afraid. The angel told them not to be afraid, because the angel had a message of good news and great joy for them and all people. The angel announced that a Savior, Christ the Lord, had been born that day in the city of David (Bethlehem). The Angel told the shepherds that they would find an infant wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly there were a multitude of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

When the angels left, the shepherds decided to go and see the child which the angels had announced, and they found Joseph and Mary and the child as the angels had told them. Then they made known what the angels had said, and all who heard wondered about what the shepherds had told them. Mary kept thinking about what the shepherds had said. The shepherds returned to the field praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as the angel had told them.

In the era long before city streetlights, the shepherds were out in a field in vast darkness. The announcement of Christ’s birth by the angel was intended to be a graphic illustration of the fulfillment of God’s Word through Isaiah (Isaiah 9:2). God’s kingdom of light (righteousness) has appeared in the dark night (of sin) of this world. 

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior, who saves God’s people from sin, eternal condemnation and destruction. Jesus is the promised Messiah (“Christ;” both mean “anointed” in Hebrew and Greek, respectively), the promised eternal king and heir to the throne of David, the great shepherd-king of Israel.

Jesus is the Savior who gives us victory over our spiritual enemy, Satan, as God gave Gideon over the Midianites. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross paid the price of our redemption from the penalty of our sin. Jesus’ blood cleanses us of sin and provides the holy garments we need to enter into God’s presence and worship him in spirit and truth.

Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible for us to be cleansed and made holy so that we could receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9),  and so that we could personally know and have fellowship with God our Father and Jesus our Lord and Savior. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, within us who have been “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The shepherds trusted and acted upon God’s Word delivered by the angel, and they experienced for themselves the truth of God’s Word and the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. Having experienced God’s salvation for themselves, they told everyone what God had revealed to them, praising and glorifying God.

Jesus is the “bread of (eternal) life” (John 6:33-35, 48, 51). Jesus’ placement in the manger was the fulfillment of God’s Word through Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 1:3). An ox knows its owner, and an ass knows its source of food is the manger its master provides, but the people of Israel do not know or acknowledge their master or his providence.

Jesus has appeared for the salvation of all people, but that salvation must be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of the Universe. He reigns now and eternally. Only individually can we choose whether or not to allow him to reign over us, now, in this lifetime.

Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment, to judge the living and the dead (in both the physical and spiritual senses; 1 Peter 4:5). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in God’s kingdom in paradise;  but those who have rejected Jesus and refused to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal destruction in Hell with all evil (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Those who have been “born-again” will pray for, work for and rejoice at Christ’s return, but those who have rejected Jesus will be fainting with fear  (Luke 21:26) and trying to hide from the wrath of God.

Are you ready for Christ’s Second Coming? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Luke 2:1n, p. 1242, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

Christmas – December 26

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Psalm 111        Praise the Lord!

In the congregation of the righteous I will praise the Lord with my whole heart. The works of the Lord are great and studied by those who delight in them. He does everything with honor and majesty and his righteousness will endure for ever. His wonderful works will not ever be forgotten.

The Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him. He is faithful to his covenant. He reveals to his people the power of his works, and has given them the wealth of nations. All his works are faithful and just and his teaching is trustworthy. His Word will endure forever, to be carried out with faithfulness and righteousness.

He has given redemption to his people. His covenant is established forever. Let his name be reverenced and feared. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it. His praise endures for ever” (Psalm 111:10).

God has been progressively revealing himself, first through the goodness of Creation, then through the history of his dealing with Israel recorded in the Bible, in the physical manifestation of Jesus Christ, and ultimately, individually and personally in the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit.

The meaning and purpose of this lifetime is to seek, find and come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27). God wants us to trust and obey his Word, so that we can learn that he is powerful and faithful to do what he promises, and that his will is good and our very best interest.  

As we trust and begin to act in faith upon his Word in our daily lives we will grow in faith as we experience his power and faithfulness. We will begin to know, study and remember what he has done for us, and we will want to praise and glorify him in worship in the congregation of his people. We will want to study his teachings so that we can live the fullness of life that he wants us to have.

We cannot begin to know anything about ourselves and life in this world until we realize that God exists, that he is much greater than ourselves, and that he has the power and authority of eternal life or death over us. He is Lord, whether we acknowledge him or not.

Creation has been moving toward the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, Jesus Christ, from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). Nothing reveals the power and wisdom of God more clearly than Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). Christ’s birth is the central moment in history, and since that moment has been moving toward its conclusion at Christ’s return on the Day of Judgment.

Jesus is the one and only Redeemer God promised (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the mediator of the eternal covenant between God and his people (John 14:6; Matthew 26:26-28; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Each one of us will experience Christ’s return either personally and individually through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17), or at the end of our physical lifetime at the throne of judgment. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). This lifetime is our only opportunity to be “re-born” (John 3:3, 5-8) to spiritual, eternal life.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Christmas – December 27

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Isaiah 63:7-9       Abundant Steadfast Love

Let us remember and declare the steadfast love of the Lord and give him praise, according to all that he has given us. With great goodness and mercy he has dealt with Israel, in accordance with his abundant steadfast love. He acknowledged them as his people, treated them as trusted sons, and became their Savior. He bore their affliction, “and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).

The Bible contains the historical record of God’s abundant steadfast love for his people. In one sense we are all God’s people, because he is our Creator, but in another sense, Christians are the “New Israel.”

God has intended from the very beginning to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him. He designed Creation to allow the possibility for sin in order for us to have freedom of choice, and he built the Savior, Jesus Christ into the very structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).

God loves us and has demonstrated great steadfast love mercy and faithfulness to us. He has come into the world in human flesh in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:8-9) to be our Savior; to bear our affliction in our place, and to redeem us from (pay the penalty for) sin (disobedience of God’s Word; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

God has been progressively revealing himself and his purpose throughout history, and the coming of the Messiah is the central point in history. God has designed Creation so that we all need forgiveness, and that forgiveness is a free gift to all those who trust and obey God’s one and only Savior, Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6) 

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, is the “angel” of his presence. “Angel” can be understood to mean “Spirit” (consider Acts 12:12-15; Revelation 1:1; 22:16). Only Jesus gives the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Jesus came to save us from sin and eternal condemnation by making it possible for us to be spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, his presence within us to lift, empower and guide us.  

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Christmas –December 28

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Galatians 4:4-7       Spirit and Sonship

Paul compared the Law of Moses to guardianship of a minor. God’s people were heirs of God’s estate and eternal life, but under control by the Law until the time set by God for them to receive the inheritance.

In the perfect timing of God, God sent his Son, born of a human mother, born into Israel and Judaism, under the Law, so that he could redeem those under the Law, so that they could become God’s adopted children.

It is by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we receive adoption. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God’s Son, within us, through whom we can call God our Father, and who testifies that we are his sons and daughters. So, through God, by the sacrifice of his Son on the Cross, we receive adoption as sons and daughters by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who we received through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are heirs of God’s kingdom and eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).  

It is by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are freed from bondage and condemnation under the Law (Romans 8:1-9). Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

Jesus won’t give the gift of the Holy Spirit until we make an earnest commitment to trust and obey Jesus. When we make that commitment, he will give us the Holy Spirit so that we can trust and obey God’s Word as we were unable to under the Law.

God’s Law, God’s Word, the Bible, and the “living Word,” Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word lived out in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14), were given to Israel and through Israel to the world.

The world did not have a covenant to trust and obey God’s Word as Israel did, but we are all ultimately accountable to God and will be judged by the standard of his Word. Jesus is the ultimate standard of God’s Word. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven, but those who have rejected Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and eternal destruction in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; John 3:16-19).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Christmas –December 29

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Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23     Escape into Egypt

After the visit by the Magi (“wise men”), an angel of the Lord warned Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus, because Herod the Great was about to order the male infants in the region under two years old to be killed, in an attempt to destroy the Messiah, Jesus (Matthew 2:16). Joseph left with Mary and the child in the night and went to Egypt, as the Lord had told him, and they remained there until Herod died. The prophecy of Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I have called my son,” was thus fulfilled.

When Herod had died, an angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream that it was safe to return to Israel, because those who had tried to kill the child were dead. Joseph returned to Israel with Mary and Jesus, but when he heard that Herod Archelaus (son of Herod the Great) reigned in Judea, they returned and dwelt in Nazareth of Galilee (the northern province of Israel, separated from the southern province of Judah by Samaria). So another prophecy was fulfilled: Nazareth means “shoot” or “sprout” from which came Jesus, the righteous “shoot”  and “branch” from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1).

Nazareth was where Joseph and Mary were living when the angel announced Jesus’ conception to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Bethlehem, the city of David, was the birthplace prophesied by scripture, and was fulfilled by the necessity of the Roman census, which required Joseph to return to the city of David, since Joseph was a descendant of David (Luke 2:1-7).

Jesus was the promised Messiah (God’s “anointed” Savior and eternal King). David was the great “shepherd-king,” and Jesus was the “Good Shepherd” and eternal King, the “son of David,” who inherited David’s throne as God had promised (2 Samuel 7:5-13; Psalm 89:20-29).

God was able to fulfill his promise in every detail, and was able to protect Jesus until God’s purpose was fulfilled. God’s promise was fulfilled in God’s perfect timing, in every detail, when all the events were aligned: the Roman census, crucifixion (which was the Roman form of execution), and the circumstances which led Joseph to return to Nazareth.

God’s will and purpose for Creation has always been to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. He has designed this creation with the possibility of sin (disobedience of God’s Word) so that we can have free choice whether or not to trust and obey God, but he has set a time-limit on this creation and on our lifetimes. God’s eternal Savior and King, the Messiah, Jesus Christ is God’s one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation and destruction (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus Christ has been designed into the very structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).

God’s will and purpose will be accomplished whether we cooperate with it or not. Herod the Great tried unsuccessfully to prevent Jesus from fulfilling God’s purpose. The Jewish religious leaders tried unsuccessfully to prevent Jesus’ fulfillment by having him crucified, but their rejection of Jesus actually fulfilled God’s purpose. Judas rejected and betrayed Jesus, but only accomplished God’s purpose (1 Corinthians 2:6-8; Acts 13:27). But their rejection cost their eternal lives in the kingdom of God in Heaven.

God’s will and purpose will be accomplished whether we cooperate with it or not, but our choice will have personal, eternal consequences. Mary and Joseph trusted and obeyed God’s Word, became part of the fulfillment of God’s plan and received the blessing of its fulfillment. Are we willing to cooperate with God’s plan, or do we expect God to cooperate with our plans and our agenda?

Christmas –December 31

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Hebrews 2:9-16       Suffering of Christ

Luke 2:22-32      Light of Revelation

Citing the prophecy of Psalm 8:4-6, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy. Jesus was for a time made lower than angels, but now has been crowned with glory and honor because he was willing to suffer death for us (he died for our sins so that we would not have to die eternally for them ourselves).

Jesus is the one for whom and by whom all things exist (Matthew 28:18; John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus is the “pioneer” (the one to show us the way) of our salvation, who has been made “perfect” (spiritually mature) through suffering. The sanctifier (Jesus; one who purifies and consecrates to God’s service) and those who are sanctified [who receive salvation through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus] have the same origin: God the Father. So Jesus can unashamedly call us brethren, in fulfillment of Psalm 22:22. Jesus has proclaimed God’s name to his brethren and has glorified God’s name in the midst of God’s people. Jesus has trusted in God to the point of death on the Cross, and his disciples are the “children” God has given him (Isaiah 8:17c-18a).

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus’ ministry was not to angels, but to mortal humans.

Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple for the rite of purification of Mary and the Child, according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12:2-8), to present Jesus to the Lord (because every first-born male is holy to the Lord), and to offer the required sacrifice. There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout, who was looking for the coming consolation of Israel (the Messiah), “and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25c). The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would see the Christ (“anointed;” Messiah; Savior) of God before Simeon died.

Led by the Spirit, Simeon entered the temple, and when Mary and Joseph presented the young Jesus, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word, lived out in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is fully God and fully human (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28). Jesus set his divine nature aside and became obedient to God (Philippians 2:8-11).

Jesus is God’s promised, “anointed” eternal Savior and King. He was attendant at Creation, and everything in Creation was made by him and for him (John 1:1-5, 14).

This Creation has been designed by God to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. This lifetime is our only opportunity to learn by trial and error to trust and obey God, to seek and come to know personally God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Jesus came to be the only sacrifice, once for all time and all people, which is acceptable to God for the forgiveness of sin, salvation from eternal condemnation, and restoration to fellowship with God and eternal life in his heavenly kingdom (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Jesus came to show us, by word and example, how to be God’s children. He came to show us the way to eternal life in God’s kingdom in heaven. He came to make it possible for us to be cleansed and consecrated so that we could be “anointed” with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He came to make it possible for us to be spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. By his Resurrection, he demonstrated that there is existence beyond physical death! He came to free us from the fear of physical death. Jesus came to free us from slavery to sin and eternal condemnation.

Simeon was one of only a few people before Jesus’ coming who was “anointed” (filled with) the Holy Spirit. He prefigures the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

Simeon believed God’s Word promising the Messiah and had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would witness the birth of the Messiah. He trusted and obeyed the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. Simeon praised God by the Holy Spirit, and was unafraid of, and accepting of physical death.

As we believe and obey God’s Word, revealed through Jesus Christ, Jesus will reveal himself to us (John 14:21) and will make God the Father known to us (John 14:23; John 14:8-11; Luke 10:22). We will know with certainty that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

We are called to trust and obey Jesus and to follow his example and teaching, to seek the fulfillment of the promises of God’s Word, and to grow to spiritual maturity by the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?