Broken Beyond Repair - Pt 1

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:3-5 ESV).

When Mary and I made our way through New England last fall we visited the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. We took the tour of the “factory.” It was an amazing and informative look at the history of this famous Teddy Bear. Their story started in 1981 when the founder opened a cart on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont and began selling Teddy Bears that he made in his garage. Thirty-five years later, these wonderful toys continue to be best friends, a part of the family and beloved heirlooms to thousands of children all over the world. The most amazing thing about Vermont Teddy Bears is that each one of the handcrafted toys is guaranteed for a lifetime. I know, the question is “what’s the catch?” Actually there is none. They have a Teddy Bear hospital for every contingency. Dr. Nancy is in charge of the Bear Hospital. As part of their commitment every Bear is guaranteed for life and can be sent into the Bear hospital anytime, for any reason. Our tour guide explained that included the most common “injuries” due to dog bites, wear-and-tear and sibling rivalry. Even in the worst of cases, those times when the repair is impossible, a new Bear is created and shipped to the owner. Wouldn’t it be nice if our lives came with the same guarantee? Well, the truth is they do! We’re going to begin a look into one of the most fascinating biographies in the Bible today. The prophecy of Jonah is a fascinating and dramatic true story, though many people today discredit it. According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah was the son of Amittai. His birthplace was Gath Hepher, a town of Galilee near Nazareth. The significant thing is that our Lord Jesus Christ set His seal upon this account, and used Jonah’s experience in connection with the whale as a foreshadowing of His own resurrection (cf. Matthew 12:39-41). It is a very solemn story with a solemn warning, but contains much encouragement for every believer. The wonderful truth throughout the book is that none of us is too far gone in the hands of our Creator. Paul says in our reading today, And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (v. 5). While sin is the irreparable condition of man (cf. Romans 3:23) and the result of that sin is death (cf. Romans 6:23), the work of Jesus is the solution to our brokenness. He paid the price we could never pay and died the death we deserved. Every believer comes with an eternal lifetime guarantee!