Making All Things New

Posted by Chris on July 23, 2006 under Sermons

        Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
        He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
        He said to me: “It is done. I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
        One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
        The Angel speaking with me had a gold measuring stick to measure the City, its gates, and its wall. The City was laid out in a perfect square. He measured the City with the measuring stick: twelve thousand stadia, its length, width, and height all equal. Using the standard measure, the Angel measured the thickness of its wall: 144 cubits. The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl.
        I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
        Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

Not all of Revelation is a vision of what is to come. Much of Revelation describes what is and what has been. But this last vision is truly a preview of what is to come. We might say that this is a vision of heaven, but to be accurate that might be too limiting. John has described heaven already. He described the throne room of God and the drama of the Lamb opening the scrolls. That was his glimpse through the open door to heaven. Heaven, according to John, is where God is at. And this final vision is a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. A new city. A new reality! God is there – and so are the saints. God and us together as he always intended it.

… the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Here is the second to last proclamation of the book. It is a vision intended to inspire hope and encouragement. There’s even a brief architectural survey of the new city complete with engineering notes on the type of materials used in construction. But don’t let that grab all your attention. Notice what’s different about this new heaven and new earth age. …

There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain …

Did you notice that the new reality is described in negative terms? We are even told that there will be no more sea and no more night. Sea and night for the ancients represented fear and terror, also separation and loneliness. Notice then that this inspiring, hopeful, encouraging vision is described by telling us what it is NOT. And as good as that is, when you think about it you realize that we are still in the old order and we do indeed know that THERE IS …

Loneliness, separation, fear, terror, pain, crying, mourning, and death.

Why remind us of that? It seems cruel to remind us of the pain and suffering of the old order. Why remind us that we are afraid, lonely, hurting, crying, sad, and dying – or hurting because of the death of those we love? How is this hope? How is this encouragement? Why am I bringing this up? Isn’t the sermon supposed to lift us up?

I want to bring in a ten dollar word: eschatology. Eschatology is a fancy term for “the end.” Our eschatology is our view of the future. How it all ends. Everyone has some sort of eschatology even if they don’t believe in God. We have a need to know how things will end. We seek closure.

Christians need to know their eschatology. That’s why the Revelation is given: not just to give us a sense of where we’ve been and how we got here, and why bad things are happening, but also to give us a sense of where it’s all going — eschatology!

Unfortunately, our eschatology has not always been what it should to be. We live in a here and now culture that lives for the pleasure of the moment. And when it comes to our spiritual future, Americans are heirs of the revivals of the great frontier that has rooted within us an eschatology that amounts to little more than “turn or burn.”

“Turn or burn” isn’t invalid, it is just so unfortunately incomplete. There’s more to eschatology, the end, than escaping the big trap door that leads to hell. I know it is difficult to challenge this since it is so strong in our culture and our spiritual DNA. Better people than me have preached on this for ages, it’s what we’ve always heard, and I am certainly not denying that there is hell and punishment awaiting the wicked and sinful who will not repent (Revelation says something about that too) … but I just want to point out that God has a bit of an opinion on how things are going to end up and I think we ought to listen to his “two cents.”

You see, just when we think we have reached our limit with the hell on earth that comes in the form of fear, loss, pain, crying, mourning, and death, … right as we begin to question God and ask him why this is happening (and there’s nothing wrong with that). God speaks. It’s only one of two times in Revelation that God himself speaks. [The other time is 1:8 and God gives us his credentials – “I am the A and Z [alpha and omega], the beginning and the end, the one who was, and is, and is to come, I am the Almighty.”] God told us who he is, now he tells us what he is doing …

“I am making everything new!”

Really, you can sum up everything we need to know about eschatology in this single phrase.

How is it hope and encouragement to remind us of the old order? To remind us that there is death, mourning, crying, pain? To remind us that we still live in a world with the darkness of night and the turmoil and separation of the sea?

It is hope when we see that our life now is just a letter in the alphabet. But God who was with us at A is waiting for us at Z. And hasn’t left us along the way, but he is teaching us our alphabet. He is making all things new. He knows that we are afraid, he knows that we are sad, he knows that we mourn, he knows that we hurt, and he knows that we are fragile and we die – but if he has anything to say about it – this will not be the last word!

God will wipe away the tears. God will cast out the darkness with the light. God will raise the dead. God will make everything – all things – new! Those who overcome the old order of things will inherit this new order. He will be our God and we will be his children.

But all of this is the second to the last word in Revelation, because we need one final encouragement to give us the courage and the hope to make it through the old order. “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

When you know that there’s something new waiting on us we can endure the old. But there’s even more than that – When you know that God is on his way, you can be hopeful and be comforted. When a parent teaches a child to walk they stand ahead of them and beckon. “Come to me! Come to Daddy, Come to Mommy!” But as soon as that child stumbles and gets scared the parent reacts immediately and says, “I’m coming!”

        ¹²“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. ¹³I am the A and the Z, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
        ¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
        ¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
        ²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
        ²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Can You See Too Much?

Posted by David on July 20, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

The context of the above statement is fascinating. Jesus called the Pharisees and the scribes’ attention to the fact that their positions nullified one of God’s Ten Commandments given to Israel in Exodus 20. The Pharisees and scribes’ reasoning seemed to be this. God commanded us to take care of our elderly parents. However, the temple is a national institution built to honor God. It is more important [spiritual] to support the temple that serves God through sacrificial worship and prayer than it is to take care of parents. Thus if you commit something to support the temple that should be used to meet your parents’ need, you are excused from caring for your parents.

Jesus made this statement to illustrate they actually did what they accused him of doing by violating the tradition of the Jewish elders. Jesus also declared their hearts did not belong to God and their worship was useless.

Please remember the Pharisees and scribes existed as a significant spiritual influence and scriptural authority in Israel. Even to Jesus’ disciples, the Pharisees and scribes’ feelings mattered. At that moment, the disciples could not fathom Jesus’ insensitivity to the Pharisees and scribes’ feelings and reactions.

This is the point to note now: Jesus “saw” a reality that not even the twelve “saw.” In fact, the only person who “saw” this reality was Jesus. What Jesus “saw” was a fairly simple truth: we honor God by valuing what He values, not by honoring what we value.

It was Israel that considered the temple as more significant than parents. It was Israel that regarded worship at the national temple as more significant than a command from God Himself. Do you give God the greatest honor by offering a sacrifice at the temple, or by obeying God?

Was what Jesus “saw” true? Yes! Was what he “saw” significant? Absolutely! Did what he “saw” direct people away from God? Certainly! Did what he “saw” cause spiritual people to substitute their values for God’s values? Without question! Did what Jesus “saw” make him popular or appreciated? No!

As we spiritually mature, we “see” things we never “saw” before. More times than not, those around us do not “see” what we “see.” Blessed is the Christian who refuses to stop “seeing” because he/she develops spiritually. Blessed is the Christian who leads as he or she “sees” rather than destroys as he or she “sees.” Read Matthew 15:13-20.

Matthew 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ?I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

Rider on the White Horse

Posted by Chris on July 16, 2006 under Sermons

[As the congregation sang “I Will Call Upon the Lord,” children were asked to come up to the stage to “help out” with the sermon.]

[“I Will Call Upon the Lord” was again sung while the children walked to Children’s Worship.]

Heroes aren’t just for kids. We may not want to admit it, but we need heroes too. We need heroic stories. Why?

Maybe it’s because heroes protect us and save us from evil. They slay dragons. They defeat the evildoers.

Maybe it’s because heroes remind us of what really matters. They are noble. They do the right thing even when it is difficult.

Maybe it’s because heroes make us believe that good does win out over evil; because if evil wins, then none of us win. But when the hero wins we are all saved.

Maybe we need heroic stories because they draw us closer to God. Yes, they do. God is good. God is love. And God is heroic. Our God is on a mission to overcome sin and evil and restore his creation. All of the people we consider “heroes” of the Bible aren’t the main heroes — God is!

When we come together in worship we remember and celebrate a heroic story – the gospel. It is the story of God’s son. He came to save us and he came to show us the way to the Father. But the enemy – the Dragon – was threatened by the son of God and he and his beastly followers killed the hero. Not because they were more powerful, but because our hero, the son of God, allowed it. He died for us.

And sometimes we end the story there: a noble sacrifice. And so we come every Sunday to a memorial for a fallen hero. But the noble and loving sacrifice of Jesus is only half the story. It is an important half, but it is only half. Sometimes when we gather around the table we assume that the focus is on death. Death is there, but that’s not all that’s there. Sometimes when we are baptized we think that it is all about death. Death is there, but that’s not all that’s there. The gospel is good news. It’s a heroic story. Death is swallowed up in victory. Death is taken captive and made to serve the hero, not the enemy.

Christ is not a fallen hero. He is Lord of Lord and King of Kings. And the fact that he still lives and rules with power makes a huge difference for all of us. You see, the story isn’t over yet. You and I are living in it and we are waiting for the final act when the hero who sacrificed himself nobly returns. You get a taste of his heroic return in Revelation 19. [Read Revelation 19:11f]

The beast will be taken down. The dragon will be defeated. The hero will come riding in on his white horse. And while we meditate on this image of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, here’s some heroic thoughts for us …

1. Heroes are often known for their “weapons.” It often tells you what sort of hero they are. Luke Skywalker wields a lightsaber. Thor carries a hammer. Indiana Jones has a whip. King Arthur has Excalibur. But that’s just fantasy. Well, Jonas Salk had a vaccine. Thomas Jefferson had a declaration. Abraham Lincoln had a proclamation. Martin Luther King had a dream. They had their weapons, too. The Rider on the White Horse doesn’t have a gun, or a bomb, not even a sword – well not one like most knights. His sword is his word. With his words and with the truth he defeats the enemies of God. Violence isn’t going to win this war. Superior firepower isn’t going to give us any advantage in the real struggles of the world. What will make a difference is the truth. “Faithfulness and Truth” won the battle of the cross. It will win the war also.
   1. Words can be weapons of mass destruction. They can create pain and suffering. They can be quite violent. But words of truth spoken in love are words that only the enemy should fear. The words of Christ convict and save.
   2. We do not fight with our own words – rather we trust in the power of the words of Christ. He is faithful and true. He has won the battle with his own right arm. The help of his faithful followers is not needed to win the war. Like a true hero, he saves the day all by himself!

2. The world seems to be at the mercy of the Dragon and the Beast every day. There’s a lot of tension in the world. Whenever Israel goes to war there’s always a bit of concern. The fact that the Jews are going to war in the Holy Land seems to magnify the conflict beyond politics and culture and make it religious and spiritual at the same time. It seems very modern but also very “biblical” for some reason. The war in the Holy Land is spiritual. Heaven is paying attention to that war. It’s bad. But it’s just as bad as the injustices and evil embodied in wars and conflicts in other, less “biblical” locations: God view of the world is not limited to the Middle East. He sees the atrocities in Sudan and the conflicts in Indonesia. Even the smaller injustices and fighting that don’t make it on the news. Turmoil in Central America, or open fighting on the streets of our cities.
   1. All of these stir God to action. His wrath against evil is building up and the Rider on the White Horse is the one who treads the winepress of God’s wrath. As far back as Isaiah, the winepress is a symbol of God’s vengeance against evil. God is patient and merciful, but his justice demands that he do something about the evil and sin that hurts people.
   2. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow- so great is their wickedness!” (Joel 3:13)To understand why God waits, the prophets used the image of the winepress. When the grapes are ripe, they are harvested and crushed. It is not an outburst of anger, but a final solution to evil and injustice.
   3. Our hero is the one who executes God’s final judgment. He alone treads the winepress of God’s wrath. How often do you have the same feeling that the prophet expressed? The vats of the winepress are overflowing as the wickedness of humanity heaps up. How long until the Lord makes the enemy drink the fermented wine of wickedness?
   4. This calls for endurance on the part of the saints, but be assured that the day of the Lord is coming. There will be a great banquet on that day. A feast! Are you ready for the banquet? Have you responded to the hero’s invitation to his wedding supper?

The Goodness of God

Posted by David on July 13, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

God is to be accepted and praised rather than measured by human values and understanding. When Paul wrote the letter to Christians in Rome [we know as the book of Romans in the New Testament], he wrote to Jewish Christians who questioned gentile Christian procedures, and gentile Christians who resented Jewish Christians. He wrote to a situation that harbored more brotherly resentment than brotherly love!

Gentile Christians resented the arrogance of Jewish Christians, and Jewish Christians questioned the legitimacy of the gentiles’ salvation. In the presence of all this ill will in the Christian community at Rome, Paul discussed some astounding principles in salvation. He discussed the fact that Abraham was justified by faith just as we are (4:1-5). He used David to prove there was a relationship with God in which God ignores sin (4:6-8). He declared the Christian can be at peace with God because of the trust he/she places in God (5:1). He said the Christian deliberately died to sin [rather than continuing to do sinful things] in order to be alive to God through Christ (6). He said the Christian chose to live in the release of God’s Spirit rather than the defeating slavery of legalistic human behavior (7, 8). He declared God could pursue His own purposes without being unjust even if humans did not grasp His choices (9:14-33). He affirmed that God was not trying to destroy the Jewish people in offering salvation to gentile people (11).

Jewish Christians could have easily reacted by saying, “God would not pursue salvation in that manner!” Gentile Christians could have easily reacted by saying, “God loves us more than He loves you!” Paul said to both groups, “Do not go there! If you do, you miss the primary point of God’s salvation!” As Paul explained in 12-15, appreciation of God’s salvation is to be seen in Christian behavior, not in a human evaluation of God’s actions.

Paul ended his inspired insights into God’s work in salvation with our opening scripture. In essence, Paul declared, “When I consider all God did for us in our salvation through Jesus Christ, I am overwhelmed! I want to praise the God deserving of all glory! I want to declare He is beyond our understanding and worthy of our glorification! God is God-and we will never be His equal!”

Does your life declare every day that God is God and we are not? Is your life a continuing worship of God? When you gather with others in Christ, are you filled with a desire to praise and glorify God in appreciation for all He has done in making forgiveness and relationship with Him possible? Does your faith depend on your understanding, or does your understanding depend on your faith?

In No Way Could God Be At Work In This!

Posted by David on July 11, 2006 under Sermons

Life is often confusing. We are constantly trying to figure life out. Quite often we think we have succeeded. About the time we think we have life figured out, something occurs that makes us realize we still do not have life figured out.

God is often confusing. We are constantly trying to figure God out. On occasion we conclude that we have succeeded in figuring God out. Just as we come to that conclusion, something occurs that makes us realize we have not even come close to figuring God out.

Consider some thoughts today that hopefully will challenge you to realize that this confusion is not new and will never be resolved.

1. "When I walked with Jesus as one of the twelve, many people called me Didymus, my Greek name which means Twin (John 11:16).

1. "I became one of the select twelve men to follow Jesus when, up on a mountain, he called us out from a larger group of disciples (Mark 3:13-19).
2. "We were supposed to be with him daily to follow him and teach/preach with him.
3. "Eleven of us were Jesus’ apostles after Jesus’ crucifixion.
4. "Only Judas was not with us following Jesus’ crucifixion–he was so overcome with guilt because he betrayed Jesus that he committed suicide (Matthew 27:3-5)
5. "But, I am getting ahead of myself.

1. "Most of these people lived in Jerusalem; Jerusalem was their power base.
2. "When Jesus’ popularity kept growing, they become increasing aggressive and hostile.
3. "In time everything became quite tense when Jesus visited Jerusalem.
   1. "Every time he came (near the time of his death), people expected a confrontation.
   2. "The hostility and anger were enormous–Jesus’ presence divided the city every time he was there.

2. "When Jesus preached his ‘bread of life’ sermon, the situation became dangerous (John 6:22-7:1).

1. "Even all Jesus’ disciples, except for us twelve, were so upset they left never to return.
2. "He even asked us if we also were going to leave him.
3. "When we went back to Galilee, he refused to return to Judea because he knew the powerful people would kill him.

3. "Later, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus secretly returned to Jerusalem (John 7).

1. "After he arrived, he went to the temple area and began to publicly preach.
2. "The religious leaders who controlled the city and temple area sent some officers to arrest him.
1. "The officers returned without him.
2. "When asked why, the officers responded, ‘We never heard a man speak as he does.’"
3. "Later in the same visit, Jesus preached that God was his Father and was at work in him (John 8).
1. "Those who rejected his identity picked up stones to throw at him.
2. "Jesus hid, and slipped out of the temple area.

4. "Still later on a visit at the Feast of Dedication, Jesus’ enemies openly challenged him in a manner designed to turn people against him (John 10:22-42).
    
   1. "They said, ‘Don’t keep us in suspense any longer; tell us plainly if you are the Christ.
   2. "Jesus said he had told them, and they did not believe.
   3. "Again, he declared God was his Father.
   4. "Again, they picked up rocks to stone him.
   5. "When they tried to seize him, Jesus slipped away through the crowd.
   6. "This time things were so tense we had to go across the Jordan River into the wilderness area where John the baptizer began his work.
      

Sermon

Words fall short of describing the full majesty of God enthroned in heaven. John uses what he knows – he uses what we know – to describe the glory of God. He appeals to our imagination. He mentions the brilliance and gleam of gemstones to describe the holiness of God and the justice of God that burns against evil. He also uses the symbol of the rainbow to remind us of God’s mercy.

Other old scriptures are called into service to remind us of God’s power. The thunder and lightning accompanied God when he descended on Mt. Sinai. And so did the pavement of glass.

God is honored in heaven. John uses words to describe 24 elders – men of wisdom and honor – decked out in their authority with thrones and crowns. But they do not sit on their thrones because they are on their knees and they have cast their crowns before the only one who is worthy of honor.

John uses words and appeals to our imagination to describe the awesome creatures that surround the throne. These are the cherubim that the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah witnessed in their visions of the throne of heaven. Cherubim are not cuddly babies. They are more like God’s special forces among angels. They are God’s agents who extend his almighty rule over all the earth. They cover the four directions of the earth. They are equipped with wings and are full of eyes, so they see everything and they can move quickly. They resemble creatures of earth who are the noblest, the strongest, the wisest, and the swiftest of all creatures. They represent the eternal power and glory of the one who was, and is, and is to come.

And in heaven there is constant worship before God as the cherubim and elders declare his praises – not because they have to, but because God is worthy of it and they can do nothing else in the presence of the holy creator.

This is the setting and now John unfolds the drama … There is a scroll in the hand of the one who sits on the throne. This is his decree, an edict to be carried out. It is the will of God. It has seven official seals on it. Seven – when John uses that number he means that something is complete. There won’t be an eighth. So the decree of God is truly sealed. Only one who is truly worthy can open the decree and put it into action. But who? The 24 elders? No. Perhaps God’s special agents, the cherubim? No.

Can you see why John weeps? There is God in all of his majesty and glory – all of his eternal power. And there is no one worthy of putting his will into action! Who can enact his will on earth as it is in heaven?

The Messiah! The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. There’s our hero. He is the root of David. We have waited so long for our hero king to stride onto the stage of history. And we wait for the Lion to roar … but all we get is a lamb. And a lamb that looks like it has been slain.

We would be disappointed except that the lamb slain is able to take the scroll and open it. He is worthy. And John again appeals to our imagination to inform us that this is no ordinary lamb – it has seven horns and seven eyes. He may be slain, but he has complete strength and authority. Nothing escapes his sight. Doesn’t this remind us of the vision of the Risen Christ – who was dead and yet still lives. Whose eyes shine like fire and who feet are like burnished bronze. He is worthy to enact the will of God and the praise that belongs to God is also due to the lamb that was slain.

What is being said? John presses our spiritual imagination into service to encourage Christians – especially those who may be fearful or disappointed. We might expect a mighty champion who comes like a roaring lion, but instead we get a lamb that looks as if it had been slain. What is being said?

First, the will of God is not carried out through violence. We live in a world that labors under the illusion of redemptive violence. If you strike us, we will strike you – but harder. In fact, we may just do unto you before you do unto us. But didn’t God in the OT allow for an “eye for an eye.” Sure! And that was an attempt to put a limit on violence because God knew how bad we tend to escalate violence. We take a life for an eye. Cain killed his brother because of an argument in worship. The will of God is carried out through sacrificial love.

Second, the one who is worthy to carry out God’s will is not just the strongest guy on the block. Rather, it is the one who is so obedient to God that he will go to his death before forsaking God’s will. Humanity used its greatest power – the power to create death, in an attempt to resist God’s power to save. Why, because we wanted to be God. (It’s the problem that created this whole mess). But God used his great power to create life. To create, to sustain, and to resurrect.

Third, Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David – but he is also the Lamb that was Slain. And yet he lives. He does not hurt other, but he takes upon himself the hurt of others. He suffers with those who resist violence and remain obedient to God though it costs them dearly.

The way of violence and force can only make people fear enough not to disobey, but it cannot make people obey to the point that they would lay down their lives in love. The way of violence and force only creates rebels and more violence, but the way of the Lamb, the will of God, redeems us and calls us to live our lives for God. The way of violence and force creates borders and makes enemies of people. But the way of the Lamb, the will of God, is that people from every tribe and nation should become one in his kingdom. People everywhere are united by the blood of the lamb to be priests who serve God. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, the Lamb, Jesus Christ, has purchased your redemption with his blood.

You are invited to join with the chorus in heaven that sings the new song: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

But What Is Inside You?

Posted by David on June 29, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 15:8 (Isaiah 29:13) “This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.”

Matthew 15:16-20 “Are you still lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Matthew 22:37 (Deuteronomy 6:5) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

As we grow more spiritually mature, our perspective on spirituality changes. When we are first converted, we commonly link spirituality totally with behavior. Most of those links are with ?what we do not do.’ Quite often righteousness is defined in terms of ?what we are not.’ For example, “We don’t drink! We don’t lust! We don’t curse! We don’t steal!” [Certainly, these thoughts in no way encourage drunkenness, lusting, cursing, or stealing!] It is all about the Christian controlling his/her behavior and the community of Christians controlling the behavior of all in it. Faithfulness is reduced to (1) identifying the correct hurdles and (2) jumping over them. If we are not careful, this concept of control extends from the individual to the congregation, from the congregation to our segment of society, from our segment of society to our entire culture, and from our entire culture to the whole world.

At some point in the spiritual maturing process, we hopefully realize that the foundation of spiritual maturity is a deep faith in God. The companion awareness is that one can yield to human control without any faith in God. Thus if one ?does’ the expected routines, he/she is ?in’. He/she does not have to have an abiding faith in God. He/she just has to conform to human external controls.

Thus when serious sickness attacks the family, or financial reverses visit the person, or any form of hardship befalls him/her, life falls apart. Confidence was in a routine, not in God. Hope was in protection from adversity, not in the strength to face adversity. That which threatens life or makes us physically miserable becomes a desperate clinging to the physical rather than a transition to a superior eternal. The comfort was in conformity, not in God who gave us Jesus Christ.

Spiritual maturity is found in expressing faith through behavior, not in substituting behavior for faith. Does the way you live reveal your faith?

Which Is Easier for Jesus?

Posted by David on June 27, 2006 under Sermons

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to hold thoughts and opinions on the same subject that appear to be in total contradiction? We can be both confident and pessimistic about the same matter. We can feel both encouraged and discouraged about the same situation. We can look at circumstances and express a real sense of hope, and moments later declare feelings of profound hopelessness about the same circumstances. According to us, a situation may provide real opportunity and no opportunity at all, or real advantages and no advantages. Have you ever noticed others doing that? Have you ever noticed yourself doing that?

Consider a specific example. Think about Jesus’ amazing power. Have you ever been impressed with the reality of Jesus’ power? Have you witnessed or experienced things that unquestionably happened because of Jesus’ power? If you have been sensitive and observant, I have no doubt that you have been impressed in specific instances by Jesus’ power. How many times have you witnessed a Christian in a hard, lingering, demanding, exhausting, punishing crisis endure, continue to live, and continue to function in unbelievable ways? How many times have you witnessed a Christian suffer enormous tragedy, endure the tragedy, and come through the tragedy as a stronger, better, more thankful person? How many times have you witnessed someone with a terrible problem develop a relationship with Jesus that totally changed his/her life (the "before" and "after" person were in complete contrast)? Have you ever observed an insecure, ‘do nothing’ Christian build a relationship of faith with Jesus and become a powerful servant?

I have seen all of that and more. I have been astounded, amazed, and said, "Lord, help me have more confidence!" It would surprise me if you have not had the same experiences.

Now, honestly change your perspective. Consider all the situations in which you thought there was nothing the Lord could do. Are there not problems in which you considered the Lord powerless? Are there not situations in which you wondered if it was appropriate to pray about the matter? You just felt certain nothing could improve the situation. You could see no way to improve the situation so you concluded the situation was beyond improvement. Have you ever felt that way about yourself or about someone else?

If we are honest with ourselves, I think we would admit that there are some things we consider easy for the Lord to do, and some things we consider difficult for the Lord to do. Quite often that is more a matter of our personal judgment than it is the Lord’s ability.

1. The context of the incident:

1. Jesus just returned from the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee where he cast demons out of the man who lived in tombs.

2. He return to Capernaum, the center of his Galilean activities during his ministry.

3. Some people brought Jesus a paralyzed man to be healed.
1. The man was taken to Jesus on a stretcher.
2. He was completely helpless–can you imagine the situation?
3. We do not even know if the man was there due to his desire or due to the desire of his friends.
1. That looks like a hopeless situation!
2. To many of them, it looked wastefully hopeless.
4. Jesus was impressed by the faith of the men who brought the paralyzed man.

1. They wanted to so something to help the man.
2. They came with confidence and expectation.

2. Jesus then did something completely unexpected by many.

1. He said to the man, "Son [literally, child"], be happy! Your sins are forgiven."

1. His friends brought him for healing, not for the forgiveness of sins.
2. Jesus gave the man something more important than healing [though I wonder if the man or his friends realized that.].
3. The typical view of the day was that people experienced horrible ordeals as a result of sins–they were being punished for wrong-doing.
4. In that view, what Jesus said was more significant than a healing.