4,3,2,1

 

Online people are having fun posting the ‘countdown’ that is tomorrow’s date.  4, 3, 2, 1.  With all of the chaos that is life these days there is more talk about the Second Coming, the ‘Last Days.’ I do not know if these are the days foretold by prophecy, but I do know this – Jesus did promise to return! 

Even if His return does not happen in my lifetime, I know a second thing – Life passes quickly!  That I am looking at retiring after 45 years of pastoral ministry is like a revelation of the flow of time. That I have grandchildren who are entering adulthood – shocking – well, maybe not shocking, but certainly a reminder that the gray-bearded man in the mirror is growing older.

Be you 18 or 81, may you never forget to keep your heart right with God and prepared to enter His Presence, be it by way of the grave or at His Return.

In my ongoing readings in Matthew, this morning I came to Jesus’ words about the End of the age.  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:36-39, NIV)  

He followed that with a story about 10 women who were going to a wedding. Five were prepared for a long wait, bringing reserve oil for their lamps. Five were not.  The summation of that parable - “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:13, NIV)

Most sobering is the next teaching story about 3 servants whose master left them each to care for a treasure appropriate to their abilities – 1 receiving a 10 fold amount, 1 a 5 fold amount, and 1 a single unit. Two were diligent, working and investing and they doubled their treasure. The one with the single unit took it home and buried in the backyard.

Here’s how Jesus explained His story. “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ”‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory." (Matthew 25:26-31, NIV)

4, 3, 2, 1 –
are you prepared to give an account to God for the way you have invested the life He’s given to you?

That question need not stir up fear in us, IF faith in Christ Jesus owns us – body, mind, and soul.  Neither the flow of time nor life’s outcomes are within our control. But, we can choose to respond with faith to the invitation of Jesus, finding security in the message of His grace. 

Today (Good Friday) we walk to the Cross and ‘see’ the Savior Who died to save us, Whose sacrificed opened the way back to our Father’s house.  On Sunday, (Easter) we will celebrate the King Who overcame sin, death, and Hell on our behalf. That Resurrection power is ours today and if we will live in it, through faith and devotion, when He comes – He will find us ready.

Here is a word from the Word.
May the Lord help us to know the joy of those redeemed.

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:17-21, NIV)  

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV)

4,3,2,1 – Because of His loving gift of grace I’m ready!  Are you?

__________________

Is He Worthy

(Take 5 minutes and listen. Worship and take hope!)

Do you feel the world is broken

We do

Do you feel the shadows deepen

We do

But do you know that all the dark

Won't stop the light from getting through

We do

Do you wish that you could see it all made new

We do

 

Is all creation groaning

It is

Is a new creation coming

It is

Is the glory of the Lord

To be the light within our midst

It is

Is it good that we remind ourselves of this

It is

 

Is anyone worthy

Is anyone whole

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll

The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave

He is David's Root

And the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

Is He worthy

Is He worthy

Of all blessing and honor and glory

Is He worthy of this

He is

 

Does the Father truly love us

He does

Does the Spirit move among us

He does

And does Jesus our Messiah

Hold forever those He loves

He does

Does our God intend to dwell again with us

He does

 

Is anyone worthy

Is anyone whole

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll

The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave

He is David's Root

And the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

From ev'ry people and tribe every nation and tongue

He has made us a kingdom and priests

To God to reign with the Son

 

Is He worthy

Is He worthy

Of all blessing and honor and glory

Is He worthy

Is He worthy

Is He worthy of this

He is

 

Is He worthy

Is He worthy

He is

He is

 

 

Andrew Peterson | Ben Shive

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More than Science

 

I am grateful for science. Getting into a hot shower with water pumped into my home, waking to a climate-controlled home in comfort, having an automobile to drive me to work, understanding more about the working of my body so I can enjoy longer life and better health – all these things are the result of scientific inquiry and the development of knowledge! But, I do not worship science because at the limit of human knowledge, there is God, Who is greater, God, the Creator, and Giver of Life.

In my walk with Jesus through the closing chapters of Matthew I came to the story of His encounter with the Sadducees. These men were elites of the day, holding power and wealth. They had a ‘form of godliness while denying His power.’  

 Here is a part of the text. "That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” (Matthew 22:23-28, NIV)   

 They came to mock the Rabbi Jesus, to poke holes in His message of hope. These leading men just ‘knew’ that Resurrection life was not possible, that the realm of angels and spirits did not exist. After all, they were enlightened.

But they were wrong because they made a wrong assumption at the beginning of their argument – that life after death is just an extension of the present reality.  They were not alone in that error. Many people make fanciful claims about Heaven even today, because they cannot grasp the amazingly wonderful life beyond this temporal one. 

Here is how Jesus answered them: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together." (Matthew 22:29-34, NIV)

My point today is not to try to explain Heaven. I want to ask you, as we approach this holy weekend, to pray for faith, to ask God to give you eyes to see His reality.

Many Christians today are much like the Sadducees having discarded the supernatural, the mystery, the unexplainable, for a ‘faith’ that is subject to the limit of their mind’s ability to reason. They just ‘know’ that certain things could not possibly be true because the god of science has ruled out such things. 

It is increasingly popular among Christians to say “I just believe the ‘red letters’” which is a way of saying that they only accept the words of Jesus (which are printed in red letters in some Bibles) as authoritative, discarding large parts of the Scripture.   In this claim, they slip into error, and worse, rob their faith of power, of hope, of the compelling truth that God meant for us.  It is a tragically misplaced worship of human knowledge that makes God secondary, which is idolatry.

Please know that I am making no brief for ignorance. Many stupid things have been done in the name of ‘faith.’  Some have let their mind rot because they are afraid of rigorous inquiry or too lazy to care about the questions. God is greater than our questions, His Truth able to meet our honest desire to know. IF, however, we come to Him proudly thinking that we can make Him fit into the box we create with our present knowledge, we lose in the end.

I stand humbly before God, first, and before science as well. There are things I do not yet know – either because He has not revealed them to me or because my knowledge is incomplete.  So, I allow for the mystery, desiring to know Him, desiring to understand my world, always a disciple and a student.

Will you come to the Cross to gaze on the mystery of Redemption with me?
How can God become flesh and die for our sins?  I believe Him.

Will you hear the story of His Resurrection, and allow the wonder of the event,confirmed by many eye witnesses, to cause you to worship in hope? I believe Him.  

The word from the Word is a song of worship. Join in, won’t you?

" For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8, NIV)

_________________

 

So Will I (100 Billion X)
(An amazing song of worship. Listen!)

God of creation
There at the start before the beginning of time
With no point of ref'rence
You spoke to the dark
And fleshed out the wonder of light

And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapour of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship so will I
I can see Your heart in ev'rything You've made
Ev'ry burning star a signal fire of grace
If creation sings Your praises so will I

God of Your promise
You don't speak in vain no syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice

And as You speak
A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what You said
If it all reveals Your nature so will I
I can see Your heart in ev'rything You say
Ev'ry painted sky a canvas of Your grace

If creation still obeys You so will I
So will I
So will I

If the stars were made to worship so will I
If the mountains bow in rev'rence so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I
For if ev'rything exists to lift You high so will I

If the wind goes where You send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence so will I
If the sum of all our praises still falls shy
Then we'll sing again a hundred billion times

God of salvation
You chased down my heart
Through all of my failure and pride
On a hill You created the light of the world
Abandoned in darkness to die

And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in ev'rything You've done
Ev'ry part designed in a work of art called love

If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart eight billion diff'rent ways
Ev'ry precious one a child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

 

Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You're the One who never leaves the one behind

 

Benjamin Hastings | Joel Houston | Michael Fatkin

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The Big Religion Show

In my Scripture readings this Holy Week I am ‘walking with Jesus’ in the final chapters of Matthew. These passages are not among the most enjoyable in the Gospels, to be sure. They are full of challenge, confrontation, and conflict. Today’s reading in chapter 23 are Jesus’ words of scathing condemnation for the religious leaders of His time. He did not talk about sexual scandals, nor did He mention their salaries, which are favorite targets for church critics in our time. 

He challenged their habit of ‘putting on’ a big religion show. They were very, very good at it. They knew how to look holy, dress holy, and walk among ‘ordinary’ sinners without even being touched.  Many lived in awe of them, thinking that they were amazingly godly. Jesus didn’t!

These are some of the kinder things He said. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes." (Matthew 23:5, NLT)  “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!" (Matthew 23:25, NLT)

So what’s the big deal? Why is Jesus concerned with these pious frauds?   Jesus explains that their big religion show is not just ridiculous. They keep people from knowing God’s grace and power. “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and you won’t go in yourselves." (Matthew 23:13, NLT)

Puttin’ on a show, having a religious ‘life’ that is inauthentic and mostly words, has been a sin problem for eons.  Centuries before the time of Christ Jesus, Isaiah saw it Jerusalem. The Spirit of God moved him to write this - “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  (29:13) 

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about a practice of prayer that accomplishes nothing - “babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”  (Matthew 6:7)  He plainly says that our most intimate moments with the Lord will be found in our prayer closet, not in public places. “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. … "“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." (Matthew 6:1, 6, The Message)

Regular practice of spiritual disciplines – worship, Scripture intake, meditation, prayer, confession, giving, service – are good. We should do these things even when we do not feel like it not because we impress God or worse, other people, but because these are a means of opening up our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit. 

Authenticity is not the same thing as spontaneity. As much as I love those moments when God’s Presence finds me and moves me, I do not wait for them to worship. However, we must take care not to just be content to go through the motions of daily worship without our heart engaged.  IF the only reason we pray, or show up at church, or talk about the Bible is to keep up appearances, we are hypocrites who offend God and look ridiculous.

Perhaps your conscience is hurting as you read this. (Mine was as I wrote it!)  You’re realizing how often you just slip into the ‘religion show.’
You sing songs you don’t understand or mean.
You write a tithe check to your church without praying for the ministries you support.
You open your Bible and read words you can’t remember even a minute after you put it away.
You pray prayers that fall from your lips out of habit but leave the basic issues of your heart untouched. 

Jesus reminds us that the answer is NOT just to try harder!  Curiously that is what we think we ought to do. He invites us to change our focus, to raise our eyes to Him. A first step is to admit – to yourself, to God – in real confession those areas in your faith practices where there is a yawning gap between your words and your reality.  I find that the discipline of silence is a good place to start. When I turn off the music, get on my face before the Lord, and just listen – I begin to get real.  Get honest and tell Him you’re sick of saying the same old words. 

Tell Him about the uncertainties you’re hiding inside. Confess your love for things of this world that contribute to your lack of desire for godly things. In your private prayers, how about admitting, out loud, that you would rather go golfing than to church, that you like others to serve you more than your like serving them, that Heaven seems far away and the pleasures of the moment are alluring.  Yes, it’s hard!  

“But, Jerry, I can’t admit to those things.”  Why not?  He knows your heart better than you do!  Humility and confession allow us to grow, to find the Spirit’s transformation that is inside out. 

Real faith is not a matter of doing religion better; it’s about loving Jesus, focusing on Him.

He makes a wonderful promise to us about meeting us where we are. The word from the Word is His invitation.  "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)

So, ready to be real?

______________

At The Cross (Love Ran Red)

(a song of focus to turn our hearts to Him)

 

There's a place

Where mercy reigns and never dies

There's a place

Where streams of grace flow deep and wide

Where all the love I've ever found

Comes like a flood comes flowing down

 

At the cross at the cross

I surrender my life

I'm in awe of You I'm in awe of You

Where Your love ran red and my sin washed white

I owe all to You I owe all to You (Jesus)

 

There's a place

Where sin and shame are powerless

Where my heart

Has peace with God and forgiveness

Where all the love I've ever found

Comes like a flood comes flowing down

 

Here my hope is found

Here on holy ground

Here I bow down here I bow down

Here arms open wide

Here You saved my life

Here I bow down here I bow (down)

 

Chris Tomlin | Ed Cash | Jonas Myrin | Matt Armstrong | Matt Redman

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