Revelation Recap

We’ve been working our way through The Revelation to John on Sunday mornings.  I’ll be recapping some of what we’ve looked at here, and putting in some extra material that we don’t have time for on Sundays. 

First, the book carries two main messages:  1) all this is coming to an end (or, “Bridge Out Ahead,” as I like to put it); and 2) Jesus wins.  A key component of the book is a reminder to people of faith to keep our eyes on Jesus.  In Revelation 1, we learn that Jesus is the one who receives this revelation from the Father, and Jesus is in turn passing the information on to John (referred to in John’s gospel as the disciple whom Jesus loved).  Jesus is going to address some things that are, and some things that are going to be — in other words, things that pertain to the life of the church, and things that pertain to the end of this world system.  In giving this revelation to John, Jesus reveals Himself to John in His glorified state.  Every element of the description of Jesus is significant, and we would do well to spend time meditating on this description with a sanctified imagination.  Let the Holy Spirit bring this image to life for you.  

Now here’s a clue:  when Jesus explains an image in Revelation, you don’t have to keep wondering what that image means.  Example number one and two are the lamp stands and the seven stars in Jesus’ right hand.  He tells us that the seven lamp stands are the seven churches to which He will be writing.  He explains that the seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches.  No further speculation is required! 

Chapters 2 and 3 record Jesus’ instructions to seven churches.  These are real, historical churches that are also representative of churches in every age of history.  What Jesus says to these churches is relevant to us and our churches.  He provides constructive criticism to each church, and follows a basic format in each of His seven letters:  1) From — He emphasizes a particular aspect of Himself that is pertinent to that church; 2) the “Upside” – He commends their strengths; 3) the “Downside” – He identifies their weaknesses; 4) He gives them counsel; 5) He gives the consequences of failing to follow His counsel; 6) the promise to overcomers - He emphasizes a particular aspect of the reward for overcomers. 

It occurred to me as I pondered these seven letters that He is not speaking only to churches, but also to each believer.  What kind of church do you want to have?  The kind of church you have depends on the kind of Christian you are.  What kind of Christian will you be? 

In the next installments, we’ll focus on the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.

 

2010 – This is the day!

2 Corinthians 6:2  Behold, now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation. 

This is the day for you to rejoice.  This is the day the Lord has made.  This is the day for you to receive His help in overcoming the challenges in your life.  This is the day to receive His victory over the sin that has plagued you, the addiction that has frustrated you, and the debt that has depressed you. 

The Lord stirred three scriptures in me for this year.  The first is above; the second is James 1:2-4 in the New Living Translation:  

Dear brothers and sisters, when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything! 

If you expect God’s help in every moment of your life, you can face every challenge with joy, knowing that He is giving you an opportunity to develop strength of character.

The third scripture is Proverbs 10:4:  “He that deals with a slack hand tends to poverty, but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”  If you see an area of poverty in your life, chances are that it is because you have dealt with a slack hand.  The successful business man has been diligent in business and has become rich; but if he has not tended his family with similar diligence, his family relationships will tend to poverty.   If there is poverty in your spiritual life, it may be because you have been slack in your spiritual walk.  This is a year for diligence.  This doesn’t mean it’s a year for you to do more stuff — rather, it’s a year for you to cooperate in what He wants to do in your life.

The Lord also gave me three confessional statements for this year:

1. I will not let my yesterday determine my today or my tomorrow; my circumstances will not determine my responses.
2. Today I will choose the hard right and reject the easy wrong.
3. I realize that I cannot fail with Him as long as I am trusting Him.

I expect this to be a year of purification, where the Lord cleanses you from the inside out.  I expect this to be a year of answers, with solutions to long-standing problems being revealed in your life.  And I expect this to be a year of completion.

 

Jesus May Be Meek, But He Is Not Mild

So says J. B. Phillips in Your God Is Too Small.  He pours cold water on the idea of a limp-wristed, namby-pamby, milquetoast Jesus: 

(“Mild”conjures up a) picture of someone who wouldn’t say “boo” to the proverbial goose; someone who would let sleeping dogs lie and avoid trouble wherever possible; someone of a placid temperament who is almost a stranger to the passions of red-blooded humanity. . . uninspired and uninspiring.

This word “mild” is apparently deliberately used to describe a man who did not hesitate to challenge and expose the hypocrisies of the religious people of His day: a man who had such “personality” that He walked unscathed through a murderous crowd; a man so far from being a nonentity that He was regarded by the authorities as a public danger; a man who could be moved to violent anger by shameless exploitation or by smug complacent orthodoxy; a man of such courage that He deliberately walked to what He knew meant death, despite the earnest pleas of well-meaning friends!  Mild!  What a word to use for a personality whose challenge and strange attractiveness nineteen centuries have by no means exhausted.  Jesus Christ might well be called “meek,” in the sense of being selfless and humble and utterly devoted to what He considered right, whatever the personal cost; but “mild,” never!

Why does the idea of a mild Jesus pose a problem for us today?  Phillips points out two problems.  First, it suggests to us a Jesus who is all sweet sentimentality and who is devoid of real passion.  To properly understand who He is and what He did, we must understand that He had the full range of human emotions.  He was not on some sort of heavenly qualudes.  An intelligent reading of the gospels will show the depth of His emotional experiences! 

Second, since God is love, a view of Jesus as sweet and sentimental can hinder an understanding of the awesomeness of the love of God; and this misunderstanding of the nature of love robs us of our ability to truly love.  Real love is always ready to speak the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.  But the idea of this overly sentimental love causes us to hold our tongues when we ought to speak. 

Phillips closes the chapter with this:  “He was love in action, but He was not meek and mild.”

 

Building Update

Great news!  We had the opportunity to pick up about $2000 worth of hardiplank siding for $450.  The materials have been delivered, and we expect to have a group from MWOA come in early October to help us get the siding on and to complete the electrical work. 

There is still lots to be done, and a long way to go in terms of fund raising; but, thanks be to God, we are moving forward.  Please continue to pray and see if the Lord would have you get involved with our project.

 

Sunday Sermons Posted

From August – “Tongues for Today” on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of tongues.

From September 13, 2009 – “Are Your Words Just, Or Are They Just Words?”

Be blessed!

 

Strong Stuff For The Soul

I recently began reading “Your God Is Too Small” by J. B. Phillips.  Phillips was an Anglican priest who, during World War II, began working on a modern translation of the  New Testament.  In “Your God Is Too Small” he says some things that strike me as true, but which may be hard for some Christians to accept.  So, here goes — from the introduction:

“If (Christians who hold to a childish view of God) are not strenuously defending an outgrown conception of God, then they are cherishing a hothouse God who could only exist between the pages of the Bible or inside the four walls of a Church.  Therefore to join in with the worship of a Church would be to become a party to a piece of mass-hypocrisy and to buy a sense of security at the price of the sense of truth, and many men of goodwill will not consent to such a transaction.”

His thesis is that many Christians lack a sufficient view of the greatness of the God they profess, and he sets about destroying many of the false ideas we have in order to replace them with truth.  He was writing in the 1950’s, but even then he warned the church about the potential damage to evangelism if believers held a flawed and childish view of God, a God who is “too small”. 

I’ll be sharing more thoughts in the coming days.

 

Sunday Sermon for 8/16/09

Got a self-image problem?  You shouldn’t!  If Jesus is Lord of your life, and God is your Father, then you are created in His image.  Take a good look into what James calls “The Law of Liberty” (the law that sets you free!) and see what kind of person you REALLY are. 

The Image of God

 

A Week Of Worship – August 5 to August 8

We have set aside Wednesday through Sunday of this week for an extended season of seeking God’s presence.  We are calling it “A Week of Worship.”  Our only agenda is to worship Him.  We expect to sing spontaneous songs of praise, to have extended seasons of prayer, and for the Holy Spirit to be present to do that which only He can do.  We believe this is the leading of the Lord, and that all who come will walk away refreshed and strengthened.

We will begin nightly at 7:00 p.m. and will continue until the Lord is through.  For more information, see 1 Corinthians 14:26-33.

 

Sunday Sermon for 7/20/09

Sunday’s message, a teaching on God’s gifts in Ephesians 4, can be found here:  http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=9c54ed33b50c4957d2db6fb9a8902bda

 

I Come To Praise Dad, Not To Bury Him

After running off without my voice recorder, I preached what is now one of my favorite messages.  I can’t duplicate it here, but I just want to hit some important points about fathers, in this belated Fathers Day post.

Mothers Day is a day to congratulate and celebrate mothers, but Fathers Day has become a day to chastise men for their shortcomings as fathers.  Wake up, folks!  Not all mothers are perfect; neither are all fathers!   But there are a vast number of men who are doing everything within their power to be good fathers.  It’s time for us to realize that fathers are indispensable to the well-being of the family, and it’s time for us to tell fathers, “Thank you!”  Here is my personal thanks to all the fathers out there who are working hard for their families.  Thank you for not quitting!  Yes, you’ve made mistakes, some of them very serious; but you didn’t quit!  Thank you for being a man, sticking around, loving your kids and loving your wife!  Those other guys, the quitters — they are the exception.  You are the rule.

Fathers have been given a bum rap.  Murphy Brown / Candace Bergen had a famous feud with a certain vice president over the necessity of having a father in the household.  The feminist movement quipped that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.  Our culture is doing everything it can to feminize men and turn fathers into buffoons, perverts, or worse.   You, sir, are the defender at the breach; you are the proof that Murphy Brown was wrong. 

You have a tough job, dad.  Your God-given role is to be the primary provider for your family.  You are intended to be the strong disciplinarian.  You can play with your children in ways that their mother can’t or won’t, which will teach them important things about themselves and how to relate to the world around them.  And for good or ill, you give them their primary image of who God is as our Heavenly Father.  You impart to your sons an understanding of how to relate to women, and you teach your daughters how to relate to men.  You convey a sense of destiny and identity to your children. 

You have a massive impact on your children’s well-being.  It’s a big responsibility, but you are not in it alone.  God is on your side to accomplish what you cannot, and you have brothers in faith to stand alongside you in this most important of missions.  I hope you had a father like mine, who set a great example.  Even now, after over 50 years of parenting experience, he has not quit being a father.  Thanks, God, for giving us men like him!  Thanks, Heavenly Father, for your gift of godly fathers!

And thank you, dads. for not quitting!

 

Sunday Sermon 6-28-09

Why the Devil Hates Your Family from Sunday, June 28, 2009. 

Over the past few months I have encountered family after family that is enduring the most unbelievable satanic attacks.  Why are families experiencing such strong attacks?  Because the devil H A T E S your family.  Click the link above to hear why he hates your family and why you should be glad about that.

 

Receiving Your Victory In Christ

Is there anything more exciting than a come-from-behind victory, seeing victory snatched from the jaws of defeat?  How thrilling it is when everything seems bleak and hopeless to suddenly have the unexpected score shift the momentum of the game, or to see Rocky come off the ropes to deliver the knockout punch to Apollo Creed!  From The Sands of Iwo Jima to  Return of the Jedi, we love seeing the heroes overcome impossible odds. 

Exodus 17:8 – 16 tells of such a battle.  The Amalekites attack the Israelites at Rephidim in the desert wilderness of Sinai.  Moses instructs Joshua to lead the battle, while Moses ascends the nearby mountain and lifts up the rod of God to ensure victory.  As Joshua contends with Israel’s enemies in pitched battle, he can look to the mountain and see, silhouetted against the sky, the figure of Moses, holding aloft the wooden rod, with Aaron and Hur helping keep his arms held high.  Following the battle, Moses erects and altar and calls it “Jehovah Nissi”, “The LORD (I AM) our Banner.” 

Joshua was a type of Christ, who fights the battle against the enemies of our soul.  Moses was a type of Christ who ascended the mount, wooden cross laid across His shoulders, until He was lifted up from the earth upon it.  As our spiritual eyes look up to behold the cross, we discover the victory that Christ has won for us over our enemies.   

The Lord is our Banner of Victory.  In battle in those days, warriors could be lost in the confusion of battle and separated from their comrades.  To be separated from your comrades was to be surrounded by the enemy.  (What do you call a baby gazelle separated from the herd?  Lunch!)  A banner would be lifted up so that the soldiers could find their rallying point.  The banner flying high meant security, a place of safety, and confidence that the battle was not lost.  We have such a banner! 

Is 11:1-2,10,12  1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:  2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. . . 10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. . . 12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Is 59:19  9So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Songs 2:4  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.  

Jesus is that standard, that banner, that victory and He is the love of God for you!  He is God’s banner over you.  

Notice that Jesus appeared to have failed miserably.  He was betrayed by one disciple and deserted by all but one.  As the Light of the World hung dying on a cross, we are told that darkness fell across the whole land.  It certainly appeared that it was all over.  But as the disciples beheld his hands nailed up to that piece of wood, an unseen battle was taking place.  Soon the shame of the cross would be swallowed up by the victory of the empty tomb.  What part of your life appears to be failing miserably?  Look up and see the victory God makes available to you!

 

When You Have A Chance

Check out my pastor’s new blog, with pictures from his recent mission trip to the Philippines, at www.nash2thenations.wordpress.com.

 

Sunday Sermon 6/7/09 – The God Kind of Love

Primary Text:  John 3:16-18

God’s love is a decision.  We have the mistaken belief that love is primarily a feeling.  We too often confuse love with lust. There ARE feelings that follow love, but love is primarily an act of the will.  God did not look at the cursed earth and fallen mankind and say, “Look how beautiful they are, how kind, how gentle, how perfect for Me!  I’ve got to have them!”  He was not drawn to save you because you were being so wonderful for Him.  If you were so very wonderful, you wouldn’t need to be saved.  God decided to make Adam and Eve, knowing what lay ahead.  He decided to bring you into the world, knowing every good and bad decision you would make.  He decided to love you — if He so loves the world, then He so loves YOU. 

God’s love is a commitment.  Okay, so He’s decided to love me.  But I’ve been pretty bad?  What if He changes His mind?  You see, we humans “fall in love” and just as quickly we fall out again.  Our kind of love comes and goes.  A man makes a vow to a woman, saying, “Until death do us part.”  Then his feelings change and he decides that the vow was really, “Until Divorce Court do us part.”  NOT SO WITH GOD!!!  God does not “fall” for us — He lay down His life for us.  Jesus gave all to save you and to express God’s love for you.  He was fully committed while you were totally uncommitted.  “God commendeth His love toward us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  We are told in 1 Corinthians 13 that “Love never fails.”  God speaks to us from Hebrews 13:5 saying, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Did you catch the commitment there?  His love will not run out on you, even when you run out on Him.  He has engraved you in the palm of His hand! (Isaiah 49:6)

God’s love takes action.  The scriptures says that God so loved. . . that he gave!  He didn’t send a check, He took on your form and your weaknesses.  He exercised the discipline you and I fail to exercise.  He showed the self-restraint you and I fail to show.  He did what you and I are powerless to do, using only the same resources you and I have available to us.  He didn’t look at us from a distance (thank you Bette Midler), He got up close and personal; He knocks on the door of our hearts still today.  “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:13)  Then Jesus lay down His life for His enemies. 

In laying down His life for you, we should discover that though we counted Him our enemy, He counted us His friends.  He saw you as His friend because He decided to love you; He committed to love you; and so He acts in love toward you.  All you can do is receive this love by faith, because this kind of love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)

 

An Instructive Tale of Government Intrusion Into Private Life.

From Genesis 47, beginning in verse 13, we read the story of a famine that struck the Middle East. Joseph, with great foresight, was able to prepare the Kingdom of Egypt to survive the economic and cultural crisis. Take a careful look at the last few verses (emphasis added).

There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. WHEN THE MONEY OF THE PEOPLE of Egypt and Canaan WAS GONE, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up.”
“THEN BRING YOUR LIVESTOCK,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that SINCE OUR MONEY IS GONE AND OUR LIVESTOCK BELONGS TO YOU, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR OUR LORD EXCEPT OUR BODIES AND OUR LAND. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? BUY US AND OUR LAND IN EXCHANGE FOR FOOD, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
SO JOSEPH BOUGHT ALL THE LAND IN EGYPT FOR PHAROAH. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. THE LAND BECAME PHAROAH’S, and Joseph REDUCED THE PEOPLE TO SERVITUDE, from one end of Egypt to the other.

Joseph’s goverment began a large scale “bail out” of citizens, and ended up owning them and their property. When government “invests” in private enterprises, it also “invests” its opinions about how the enterprise should operate and who it should or should not serve. In other words, investment becomes interference. Some interference can be good, just as Joseph helped keep the Egyptians alive. Nevertheless, there is a point at which healthy government interference becomes unhealthy government control.

If the government can control business decisions of a private company it controls, we are then dependent upon the wisdom and self-restraint of government officials to restrain their own power. Perhaps today we are dealing with a wise and benevolent government that respects the checks and balances provided in our Constitution. Perhaps tomorrow, we’ll be dealing with ambitious and unprincipled leaders who wish to remake America in their vision of a socialist paradise.

Am I saying I believe we’re there now? Not really. Am I saying we’re on a slippery slope?

NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!