The Perfect Church

The past two weeks we studied the letters to the seven churches, written with pen and ink by the Apostle John, just as Jesus told him to write them.  Some of it was not a pretty sight.  

The seven were:  Backslidden, Rich, Called, Polluted, Proud, Positioned, and Passe’. 

Frankly, it was tough to get through some of that; it hurts a pastor’s heart to think of a church – any church – as being less than what Jesus called us to be. 

But today we are focusing on a different view – a church that is perfectly what God wants.  And that view begs a question we have all pondered:

I wonder what Heaven is like?

Perhaps your child has asked you that question.  Maybe when you visited the doctor and he said he’d like to do more tests, you began to think…what if it’s cancer, or my heart?  Maybe someone left a pamphlet about the afterlife on your front door.  Somebody started the question moving within you.  Today we’re going to investigate it; we are going to look at what’s going on in Heaven.

Revelation 4:1-11
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast.  The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”  And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.  The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.  Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them.  They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder.  And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames.  This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.  In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.  In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.  The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.  Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out.  Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”  Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever).  And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” 

Some folks will only come to church to be baptized, married, and buried.  Dr. Adrian Rogers calls it hatched, matched, and dispatched.  (The first time they throw water on you, the second time rice, and the last time, dirt!) 

They have the same attitude as Dolly in that comic strip, The Family Circus.   The family is sitting in church, and Dolly, with a bored expression on her face, asks her mom:  How much longer till we goeth home?

Friend, when you come to stand in the presence of holy God, the transcendent, King of glory, the resurrected LORD of all, somehow the thought of how long it's going to take, or if the Baptists will beat us out to the cafeteria; these things ought not to be. 

So…let’s dig-in to what John saw in this unveiling of Jesus Christ, the answer to our question, what is Heaven like?

Heaven is a Holy Place

When Isaiah had his eyes opened to see the glory of God filling the temple, he saw the angels flying back and forth, crying Holy, holy, holy.  Isaiah's reaction was to shrink away.  Isaiah knew himself.  He said, I'm a man of unclean lips -- I can't say what I'm seeing here.  God is different from man; He is beyond description.  And, like Isaiah, we know ourselves; we wonder how God will deal with we (who are unholy) in His holy place.  But this wonder, even trembling and fear, prepares us for standing in a holy place.  Standing before Almighty God will change your perspective on life! 

Paul recorded ^{(2 Corinthians 12:4-5)} that he'd been lifted-up to the third heaven.  Like John, Paul couldn't utter appropriate words to describe what he'd seen.  How unspeakable, how wonderful, words cannot say. 

Marco Polo went to the far east in the thirteenth century.  The reports of his discoveries were not believed by everyone.  On his deathbed he was urged by some to recant, and withdraw the tales he'd told about the wonders of China.  But his reply was, I have not told half of what I saw.   How can you tell the wonder of God's holiness in mere words?  You cannot.  You simply let your song lift your heart to Him.

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Heaven is a Holy Place Full of Majesty

The crowns and beasts speak of the royal nature of our God. 

·       The lion represents nobility.

·       The calf is strength. 

·       The man indicates wisdom, and

·       The eagle speaks of grace and speed. 

·       The twenty-four elders are the leaders of worship in every age. 

In Old Testament times there were twelve tribes of the Jewish nations.  Added to this group are the twelve apostles of the New Testament.  These elders, leaders of the worshipping community in every age, take off their own crowns, symbols of authority, and, along with the angels, bow down to the only truly majestic one in the bunch, King Jesus.

If you are Billy Graham, or a murderer on death row who is converted at the last hour, there will come a time when we will all bow before the throne to worship.  ALL the saints adore Him, but, saint or hardened sinner, Scripture declares every soul will bow before Jesus someday.

For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”  Romans 14:11

It is not a wrong thought to begin to practice that here.  Our worship ought to include bowing before God.  Sometimes I think we Methodists don't do much of that because the Catholics are doing it!  In heaven, therefore, the Catholic saints will be way ahead of us!

Holy, holy, holy!  all the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Heaven is a One-of-a-Kind Place

This is a dark world.  On every hand the evil that is prevalent in our day attempts to push Jesus to the side , to trivialize the Gospel.  When John looked at the throne, one thing he noticed was that there was only ONE SEAT.  This is a solitary seat because there is only one Jesus! 

Many have tried to include Jesus in their life.  They try to make room for Him among all the other stuff, people, and interests we have.  The reality is that Jesus IS life.  When it comes to living or not, you don't make room for breathing; it happens, or you don't!  It’s the same with Jesus…you have life in Him, or not.

There is another, lesser throne.  It is the one in each of our hearts.  And on that throne there is also room for only one.  It is more than important who is sitting on that throne – it is that way because the choice determines everything about where you will spend eternity.  The problem with sitting on that throne yourself is that the responsibility is too big.  It is so big, that the shadow it casts blocks out any view of God.  And anything that gets in-between you and God separates you from His loving care.  You embrace Him fully, or you go it alone.  He has given us that choice; it’s called free-will.

The Old Testament story of Jacob illustrates this.  Jacob was second in line to his father's estate, so he decided to take matters into his own hand.  He sat on the throne, he decided he wanted to be in charge.  Eventually, he messed up and had to leave the very place he'd called home. 

Twenty years later Jacob came back home, but not until he wrestled with this issue of who's in charge.  One night he wrestled with the angel of the Lord, and Jacob finally said, I'm not leaving this place, or letting go of you until the matter of who's going to sit on the throne of my heart is settled.  In that pre-dawn struggle, Jacob got himself off the throne of his heart, and allowed God control.  It was a life-or-death matter, and once Jacob got out of the way, he could see the glory of the Lord. 

With our hearts and voices as one, put away the sinful eye of man and see that there is none but Jesus Who should sit on the throne of your heart!  He is a one-of-a-kind, unique God, who inhabits a one-of-a-kind, unique place called Heaven.

Holy, holy, holy!  tho' the darkness hide Thee,

Tho' the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

Heaven (above all else) is a Place of God’s Mercy

Only mercy can evoke true praise. 

It is only the saved sinner who can look back and see that he deserved Hell, and was handed Heaven! 

What has God been merciful over?

·       Creation was an act of mercy

·       God's patience over sin is an act of mercy

·       God's Word which reveals Himself is an act of mercy and

·       the CROSS was the supreme act of mercy.

What shall we do about His mercy?

Praise!

If the God of all mercy chose to come to earth, die, go to Hell, and suffer the penalty for all our sins, what an incredibly small thing it is for us to return praise.

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Joni Eareckson Tada is the beautiful young woman who became a quadriplegic through a diving accident when she was seventeen.  Once, according to a magazine article she was in a worship service where everyone was asked to kneel in prayer.  She was unable to do so, and began to cry silently because she really did want to kneel before her Lord.  Through her tears she prayed, Lord Jesus, I can't wait for the day when I will rise up on resurrected legs.  The first thing I will then do is to drop on grateful, glorified knees and worship You. 

This, then, is the real test of worship; does it -- whatever we do, and however we do it -- does it come from the heart?  Do we recognize that it can never be enough?  Do we offer our best, despite the inadequacies of our human condition?  Are we in the worship service to be pleased by a fine choir, soloist, neatly constructed and cleverly presented sermon?  Are we in the worship for the entertainment value?  Or are we there (here) to please God, bow before Him, and cry Holy, Holy, Holy?  This is why God placed the “wonder” in your soul about what Heaven (the place of God) is like.  And He placed more than wonder there…you also have want.  It is undeniable…give people a choice between Heaven and Hell…Heaven wins every time!

A test

What are you going to DO about what you have experienced here today? 

Will there be any difference about the way you spend this week? 

Paul Rees said:  

If you can leave your church on Sunday with no feeling of discomfort, of conviction, of brokenness, of challenge, then for you the hour of worship has not been as dangerous as it should have been.

Another pastor wrote:

If worship does not change us, it has not been worship.

·       Are you challenged to live in worship this week? 

·       Are you different because you've been here? 

·       What will you do in response to the mercy of a holy, majestic, unique God?

This church is not perfect because you are here…and I am here…and neither of us is perfect, or worships perfectly.  But what makes this a holy, majestic, one-of-a-kind place of mercy, perfect in power, love, and purity, is Jesus, Who is also here.

What is over-the-top incredible is that the reason Jesus is here is because of you.  And me.  He is waiting for us to break out in joyful worship, lifting our hands in praise, ready to charge the gates of Hell with the Good News that Jesus saves, and nobody is too good or too bad to come to this altar and offer Him that worship.

·       You can do that right now as we sing. 

·       You can come offer praise by bringing your offering, or bringing your commitment to join with us here as a member of this church, in its prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. 

·       You can come in any need you have to be prayed for, loved, and welcomed. 

·       You can come here because you are not perfect, and you need to be forgiven and have treasure in Heaven, God’s holy, majestic, one-of-a-kind place of mercy, perfect in power, love, and purity. 

·       You can come because Jesus said so!

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

Some images in public domain The Scripture Says, Joshua Washington website

Sources:

The Holman Bible Dictionary,  Trent C. Butler, Gen Ed.,  (Nashville, Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 1421

Moody Monthly,  (March 1993), 32

Adrian Rogers, Our Worship: The Church in the 21st Century, (1992 Southern Baptist                Pastor's Conference, Prestonwood Baptist Church)

The Unveiling of Jesus Christ - The Letters to the Seven Churches - Part 2

 

We are continuing with our study through the Book of the Unveiling of Jesus Christ, John’s letter, The Revelation.  We’ve looked at three of the letters to the churches, and today we come to the last four letters.

The POLLUTED Church in Thyatira

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira.  This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: “I know all the things you do.  I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.  And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.  “But I have this complaint against you.  You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray.  She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.  I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.  “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.  I will strike her children dead.  Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person.  And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.  “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually).  I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.  To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations.  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 2:18-29

Jesus told the folks at the Thyatira congregation; I know all the things you do.  I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.  You know this phrase “patient endurance”.  It pops up in the Bible every so often…it’s hupomone in Greek, and it means cheerful endurance.  It means when the times got tough, they didn’t stop doing their works.  As a matter of fact it says the folks at Thyatira increased their works. 

There’s a message in that for people who have just come through Covid-19 troubles in the 21^st century.

Now here's a church that has all sorts of commendation from Christ.  He says, I know your works and charity...you reach out into the community.  I know your service and your faith...you minister to one another.  I know your patience, your super-abundant patience; and you’re doing more now than ever.  I know you're being progressive in serving Christ, but I have this against you...in your heart of hearts, you're moving away from serving Christ as a priority, because you’ve decided to include being worldly, but still trying to be part of the church.  This church was making compromises in their hearts over their Christianity.  That never works!

When we come to the Lord's Supper Table, what is it that we see about the bread.  You cannot break any part of that bread, without breaking all of it?  You can’t drink any of that cup representing the blood of Christ without spilling some of it?  Why?  Because the “one” is the “whole”. 

The church at Thyatira was being condemned by Jesus because their hearts were not pure – not all together under the one body and blood of the Savior; they vacillated between being Christ’s disciples, and the culture’s citizens. 

Jesus demands a choice; you cannot have one foot in the church and the other in the world. 

Their hearts were absent from the work.  They may have met for the worship; they may have had some pretty good programs going on; it may even have been exciting…it may have been a pretty good place to be.  As a matter of fact, they may have had every seat filled in their church.  But all that amounts to is popularity, and that is entirely possible when serving your own preferences and agenda…but not serving God.  The only problem is it won’t please God at all!

The church at Sardis was dying amid a flurry of church activities, and it was because they were letting Jezebel teach false doctrine.

The PROUD Church in Sardis

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis.  This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.  Wake up!  Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.  I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.  Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly.  Repent and turn to me again.  If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.  “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil.  They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.  All who are victorious will be clothed in white.  I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 3:1-6

The city of Sardis was built on the top of a  90° cliff that was totally inaccessible from three sides.  There was only one gateway into the city.  The residents felt safe.  They were prosperous, and lived in an impregnable fortress.  However, the city was conquered and destroyed twice in its history. 

In BC 549 the Medes under Cyrus came right through the front gate while the guards slept.  The very same thing happened in BC 218.  Antiochus the Great caught the guards napping, and waltzed right in the front door.

This ancient city had a reputation for being impregnable to military conquest, but it went to sleep, and the fall was more than costly! 

In the same way, Jesus speaks to the fellowship of Christians at Sardis, a group without financial hardship, or persecution, a church of successful people, and he says, Your reputation is that of being strong, impregnable – you are badly mistaken, and you’d better wake up!

If you have ever "pulled guard duty" in the Army, you know it requires considerable effort to keep the eyelids in the function position for the whole four hours.  There's just something about someone saying Stay awake that just makes you want to immediately go to sleep.

The sense of the message to the church at Sardis was that their ongoing vital ministry on the hilltop had waned;  it was fading fast, and would soon die altogether.  Jesus cautions to shake out of that lukewarmness, and turn around.  If you had a missionary zeal, rekindle the fire!  If you were evangelistic and soul-winners, get busy in the neighborhood knocking on doors.  Don't let the ministry die! 

It is a scary thing to envision a large, powerful, affluent church with all the latest techniques and technology, and only a few saved people in the bunch with enough heart for God to work while the masses were sound asleep. 

What does that look like in our day?  With over 90% of churches in America plateaued or declining in membership and attendance, there is example after example of this kind of problem…hardly anyone cares enough to do what it takes to win the lost to Christ. 

The kind of wake-up call Jesus was talking about includes a response of gratitude for what God has done for us.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  Psalm 103:2
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.   2 Corinthians 9:15

It is amazing what being thankful will produce.  When Carrie, our youngest daughter was in 2nd grade, I accompanied her class on a field trip to a nature preserve.  It was a rugged experience.  As a chaperone group leader I had charge over six eight-year-olds.  (In Charge?  Really?  Who am I kidding?) 

One of the children was a little girl named Phinnie.  Phinnie was my shadow; she talked without ceasing.  The week after the trip she wrote me the following note:

Dear Mr. Brownworth,  Thank you for coming with us to Camp Crystal.  I really enjoyed having you with us.  I'm sorry you had to walk in the mud.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Your friend, Phinnie

Mud or not, to this day Phinnie could have anything she wants from me.  I appreciated her thankfulness.  God appreciates our thanksgiving, (worship) too.  We may not be any better at expressing it than Phinnie was, but we can get better at it.  If there is anything that will shake us from lukewarmness, it will be expressing warm praise and worship to God.

The POSITIONED Church in Philadelphia

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.  This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David.  What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:   “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close.  You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.  Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.  “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.  I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.  All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it.  And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God.  And I will also write on them my new name.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 3:7-13

The word here is an open door.  In Greek it’s always entryway (never an exit)!  And the door, Jesus says, cannot be shut.  This is an invitation if ever I heard one!  What does Jesus want?  He wants us to walk through.  How do you do that?  What is required?  There are three things Jesus is waiting for in any church:

1.    Allegiance – Jesus wants His followers to "come out of the closet." We simply need to declare our allegiance.

2.    Diligence –John Calvin said, our faith alone saves us, but faith that saves is never alone!  We are to diligently put our time, talent, and treasures to work for Him.

3.    Willingness – Walking through open doors is a matter of lifestyle. You must want to do it, or you won't do it.  The invitation to follow Christ through open doors is a simple trust that He will open them, and He wants you to walk through them. 

Imagine for a moment a homeless man living on the streets.  He is hanging out near the mall.  He sleeps on one of the benches near a bush.  On a January evening the temperature dips to 28° with wind-chill down to ten below.  He is freezing to death.  He is miserable. 

Across the way people are walking up to the Main entrance, and pop - the door opens – automatically!  The people walk in; some walk out.  Others approach, pop goes the door!  In and out, open and shut go the doors.  Outside are cold, misery, and hunger.  Inside there is warmth, laughter, and food. 

A passerby says to the man, Hey buddy, go on inside – warm up – here's $5, get yourself a burger. 

The man says, No, I can't.  The doors are shut.  I can't get in. 

The stranger pleads, Just go near the door, it'll open.  It opens for everybody who goes near! 

Do you see?  Jesus wants willing disciples who will come out of the closet, get off the sidelines, get near the doors and believe Jesus will open those doors.

We have some open doors in this town.  There is no law against sharing the Gospel.  There is that reality that the Gospel is true.  Even when people criticize Christians for witnessing, the testimony of God's Word still rings true.  There is something deep down – in even the demons, who tremble – there is something that reverberates with the truth of the Gospel.  That is an open door! 

Our church faces multiple open doors in this community.  There are hundreds of unchurched children who would respond to the kind of ministry we can do here.  And many of them are from homes devastated by drugs, divorces, and the diverse problems of our hostile society.  All Christ wants is for us to go near these open doors of ministry, and be ready to walk through. 

What is it like to walk through doors?  It means that someone will see the door standing open and sound the alarm. 

·       People who see children hurting and without Christ will figure a way to walk through that door. 

·       People who see the homeless will figure out a way. 

·       People who have known the devastating effects of substance abuse will walk through open doors to minister to the recovering addicts. 

·       Those whom Christ has healed from nasty divorces will find ways to minister through the open doors. 

Our church has physical doors with empty rooms.  We have people with hearts filled with the compassion of Christ.  We can find ways to walk through the open doors of opportunity in this neighborhood.  Just go near them, and pop, they'll open like the automatic doors in the mall.

The PASSE’ Church in Laodicea

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea.  This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:  “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich.  I have everything I want.  I don’t need a thing!’  And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire.  Then you will be rich.  Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love.  So be diligent and turn from your indifference.  “Look! I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”  Revelation 3:14-22

The self-sufficient church at Laodicea takes no stand (they’re not worried about anything), and it receives the strongest rebuke for not doing anything, either for or against Christ. 

The problem with a church or a person imagining everything is OK because the budget is met, programs are running, and life is arranged to suit us, is that being all about us; it’s not what a disciple’s life is designed to be.  These imagined strong points, financial independence, smooth sailing, will be at the very center of what causes that so-called “life” to crumble and come apart like a house of cards. 

A disciple, by very definition, learns from a Master in order to serve the Master’s wishes, not create a comfortable life for the student.  Complacency, and a lack of commitment to something greater than pleasing our own preferences is a death sentence to genuine life.

Bottom Line

Seven letters to seven churches, and only two of them receive no bad grades on the report card – the poor church, and the persecuted church.  But it wasn’t because of their circumstances…it was because they kept faithful in everything no matter how the circumstances changed.

Today Jesus still calls softly and tenderly to be like Philadelphia and Smyrna, loving and faithful.  We should heed that calling.

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  

 

Come Apart!

 

Monday, July 19, 2021

O God, listen to my cry!  Hear my prayer!  From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.  Psalm 61:1-2a

I’m not entirely certain who was speaking the first time I heard it; it was one of those sayings understood by most people.  You hardly have to explain this one.

If memory serves, the first time I heard this was in seminary.  It was a caution thrown-out to the fledgling preachers who were sitting at the knees of professor Jerry Breazeale, who was holding-forth on how to be like Jesus.  Only he said, people…remember this…there was only ONE Jesus…and you’re not Him! 

Dr. Breazeale then reminded us how Jesus often was found early in the morning not being found.  He was alone somewhere, praying, regrouping, gathering his strength for the day by being with His Father.  The point was well-taken, if the divine Son of God could feel the boards of life coming apart, we also must pay attention to the way we’re put together; nobody’s indestructible.

As I write, the sun has been up for an hour or so.  My desk faces our deck, which has seen better days.  

The wood has dried-out, paint is peeling, and the nails are surfacing like microwave popcorn making noise in the kitchen. 

The old deck, if not given some major TLC (tender loving care with hammer, sander, and paint-brush), is going to come apart. 

I have been putting this off, because fixing the deck means getting down on my knees, (something else that’s coming apart in my life).  It will be painstaking, time-consuming, and a little costly…but the alternative is to step on the deck some day and find myself in the backyard under a crumbling wood pile.

The same is true of each of us who are children of Adam and Eve.  Our bodies, minds, and souls need spiritual attention.  We need to come apart from the rigors of dealing with life in the 21^st century, and get alone with our Father.  The alternative is to find oursleves with neatly arranged lives of self-sufficiency, only doing the next thing on the task list our smart phone dictates.  And, by the way, that’s not such a neat arrangement!  The purpose for why you do what you do can get major-lost in the flurry of a list of tasks.  And life without purpose is the description of death.

For You Today (and me)

It’s time to take a break.  Get alone with the Father and a cup of coffee, or a walk in the woods, or whatever else gives your schedule the layer of dust it needs. 

For me, that will mean putting the computer on hold for a block of time.  That means you won’t find me in your inbox for a bit, but the plan is to come back to it fresh, renewed, and – having come apart – I hope to be like my deck should be shortly, put back together, sanded, with a fresh coat of paint.  I hope to see you looking refreshed also.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

Hiding From God

 

Thursday, July 15, 2021

I have found my servant David.  I have anointed him with my holy oil.  I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.  His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.  I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.  My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.  I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.  And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’  I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth.  I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end.  I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.  But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating.  But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him.  No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.
 I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun.  It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!”  Psalm 89:20-37

The one story I heard over and again while in seminary it was, I ran from God.  The most loved (and probably most despised) text for a day’s study was Jonah, the reluctant prophet who ran from God, and was subsequently treated to a submarine ride in the belly of a great fish, right back to where he was called to be in the first place.  It seems hiding from God just won’t do! 

But, what’s a God-called person to do when he’s afraid to answer the call? 

Short answer, read Psalm 89. 

But, read it looking at how God sees the call.  God had chosen David as the next king of Israel to replace the faithless Saul.  The call covers the width, breadth, and depth of how that call would be worked-out by God, with promises for David’s protection, strength, and growing authority, infused with an unending measure of God’s lovingkindness.  Even if the inhabitants of the kingdom were to refuse to cooperate, God gave David an assurance that his reign was going to endure as long as the stars, even as long and as sure as the mighty name of JHWH.

If a person, called by God to serve, is certain of God’s character and promises, there seems to be little to hold one back from responding to the call.  Except there is that one little reality – so many in history resisted the call.  Peter resisted it, telling Jesus to leave him be; Peter was a sinful man and was, in effect, saying, Lord, you don’t want someone like me…you’re holy, and I’m not.[1] 

With Peter it wasn’t a matter of doubting God’s ability; Peter questioned how Peter could ever be up to being God’s man.  And this is the fly-in-the-ointment of any calling.  We may not doubt God’s calling in the generic sense, that God has chosen to use even flawed human beings to accomplish His will.  We doubt God’s specific choice to use me.  Doesn’t the Lord remember this about me…or the time I did that?  Like Jonah, we just can’t see it, and we want to find a little dark place to crawl-in, and hide from God. 

(Isn’t it ironic how God allows that?  Just think of the 3 days Jonah was allowed to hide in a small, dark, and rather smelly fish’s belly to think about his choice!) 

For You Today

So, are you still hiding from God these days? 

Go back and look at the promises God makes to those He calls to serve him.  He may be calling you to serve by preaching, or sharing your faith with a neighbor, but when He calls, remember the promises…put your name at the end of each one.  He’s always been faithful…and that won’t change.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

---

[1] See Luke 5:8