Continuing in the book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, we are still finding God's call for people to repent. That place of the first step.
Midway through the seven years of judgment / Tribulation, we read "the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." Rev 9:20,21.
People just kept right on living lives of debauchery and egotism. No relenting. No turning. No repenting despite God's judgment bearing down on them. Even right up to the final judgment of the people on earth, we read that God is looking for repentance. So important is this one action that God will tighten every last screw on the life of a person to, if possible, bring them to the point of repentance. Man, woman, child. him or her. me or you.
Seal, trumpet and bowl judgments have been cascading down upon the people of earth throughout Revelation. By the very end, with only 4 judgments remaining, we hear the familiar refrain.
"Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over the these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory." Rev 16:8,9
"Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds." Rev 16:10,11
Five verses later, we read of an angel pouring out the final bowl saying, "It is done!" Judgments have their conclusion also. The end of this last judgment finds the heart of those remaining on the earth unchanging. There is nothing further to do. They did not repent even when given such evidence of their need and their opportunity. God has been patient for thousands of years. God has been merciful. God has been faithful. God has been persistent. God has been beyond accusation. God.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Chest Pain
The revelation of Jesus Christ will occur in the future. Exactly when it will happen is not known. But it will happen. He will return to the earth. He has made known to us what some of the events surrounding His return will be. Revelation 1:1 says that the revelation - the uncovering - of Jesus Christ is preceded by things that must shortly take place. This means that the time is near. According to Revelation 1:7, Jesus is "coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. " The word mourn means "to beat one's breast as a strong expression of grief." The entire planet will finally see this One and it will produce a reaction of extreme pain in the heart. Interestingly this does not happen in Revelation until chapter 19 - after the seven year period known as the Tribulation. The Tribulation is a time of intense suffering and judgment unleashed on a world that has refused to turn to God. A world that has refused to repent.
The judgments coming to the earth are, in part, for man's good. At first reading it may appear that God is merely an angry being lashing out at people who just didn't know any better. However, this is not the case. God has been reaching out to a sinful world that has rejected Him from the very beginning. He absolutely does not want anyone to perish and has revealed Himself to every person on the planet in some way. Romans 1 tells us that every person has received some level of awareness of God - whether in their thoughts or through the visible world around them. These are two great witnesses to all human beings - their conscience and the creation.
In our study, we find that even during the Tribulation God is hoping for repentance. God is hoping that people will turn to Him. However, by the end of it, many will not. The evidence forced upon their conscience and the judgments on creation will be so obvious that those who do not repent will have no excuse. They will be judged forever based on their own lives instead of receiving the gracious offer of forgiveness that God has provided for them. It will be too late to avoid the consequences. Time's up. Their fists will bruise their chests.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
It Is Time To Repent
The exploration of repentance began while we were studying the book of Revelation with a young men's discipleship group. The word "repent" is found in Revelation more than any other Bible book. Twelve times it is written. If you take into account the various forms of the word, the top three books are Luke, Revelation and Acts, in that order. At its root, repent means "to perceive afterward, with the implication of being too late to avoid consequences."(Wuest) This is very instructive for us. It is after an action or a way of living or a way of speaking that one recognizes in his heart that it was wrong. His mind about that event changes. It seemed ok at the time or at least without consequence but now he recognizes that it was wrong. He perceived afterward. As a result, repentance is often defined as "to change one's mind."
God has given each one of us a conscience. This conscience is like firmware in your computer - it comes with it. It is part of the programming. This conscience gives us a general sense of right and wrong. All peoples in every society have a general sense of right and wrong - of rule, of law. Ultimately, our greatest need is to find that our wrong actions/words not only offend our own conscience but God Himself. We are all accountable to Him. He made us. It's His universe we live in. He set the whole thing in motion and the rules that govern it. Our problem is that sin has corrupted us and we don't want Him to rule. We don't want Him to rule us. We are the problem. The sin in us shows itself in our sinning. Our sins display to us that we are sinners. Yup.
The consequence of sin is death - a forever separation from God and all things good. That means all humanity is heading to forever sorrow, forever weakness, forever guilt, forever shame, forever inadequacy, forever pain, forever anger, forever and ever etc when they die. Where is the way? Where is the way out? God's way out begins with repentance. It is agreeing with God about the problem - our sin. Once this occurs, we find forgiveness only in Jesus and we are set free. It is time to repent.
God has given each one of us a conscience. This conscience is like firmware in your computer - it comes with it. It is part of the programming. This conscience gives us a general sense of right and wrong. All peoples in every society have a general sense of right and wrong - of rule, of law. Ultimately, our greatest need is to find that our wrong actions/words not only offend our own conscience but God Himself. We are all accountable to Him. He made us. It's His universe we live in. He set the whole thing in motion and the rules that govern it. Our problem is that sin has corrupted us and we don't want Him to rule. We don't want Him to rule us. We are the problem. The sin in us shows itself in our sinning. Our sins display to us that we are sinners. Yup.
The consequence of sin is death - a forever separation from God and all things good. That means all humanity is heading to forever sorrow, forever weakness, forever guilt, forever shame, forever inadequacy, forever pain, forever anger, forever and ever etc when they die. Where is the way? Where is the way out? God's way out begins with repentance. It is agreeing with God about the problem - our sin. Once this occurs, we find forgiveness only in Jesus and we are set free. It is time to repent.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
One Small Step
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, we read of the many works that God has performed on our behalf - all kinds of works. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (1:3), chose us in Him that we should be holy and blameless (1:4), predestined us to be in His special family because He wanted to (1:5), redeemed us through His blood (1:7), forgiven us of our sins (1:7), made known to us His hidden plans (1:9), predestined us for an inheritance (1:11) - can you imagine what kind of inheritance comes from God?! - sealed us for His ownership (1:13), made us alive (2:1,4), raised us up (2:6), made us sit together in heaven (1:6), brought us near (2:13), gave us access to God (2:18), made us fellow citizens (2:19), building us together with other Christians for a place for God to dwell (2:22), and made us heirs (3:6). Ephesians chapters 1-3 can simply be called "God's work". What work has been done on our behalf! All of these things belong forever to those who are "in Him".
Now in Chapter 4, Paul brings all of this truth to bear on each one of us individually. Chapters 4-6 can simply be called "Our walk". We arrive at the first verse in chapter 4 - "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called." The word worthy means bringing up the other beam of the scales / equivalent / same weight. We can see it now in our mind's eye - one side of the scales holding a weight that is frankly so heavy that it is not measurable. A bulging, overflowing mass of beauty and perfection - the very work of God Himself living, dying, resurrecting and giving all things inexhaustibly to all who would receive Him - because He loves us! The other side . . . well . . . it is our walk. Our response to this gift of salvation. And, according to Paul, it is to have the same weight. Our walk is to balance the scale. It is to be of equal weight, power, effect, gravity, force, etc. So it is with astonishment when we read the first word to describe our walk that is to bring up the other beam of the scale. What is the flagship word to describe our walk?! Lowliness. A voluntary submission. Essentially, humility. And not just lowliness, but all lowliness. All kinds of lowliness. From this starting point - this one - Paul takes us step by step into the Christian's walk.
Now in Chapter 4, Paul brings all of this truth to bear on each one of us individually. Chapters 4-6 can simply be called "Our walk". We arrive at the first verse in chapter 4 - "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called." The word worthy means bringing up the other beam of the scales / equivalent / same weight. We can see it now in our mind's eye - one side of the scales holding a weight that is frankly so heavy that it is not measurable. A bulging, overflowing mass of beauty and perfection - the very work of God Himself living, dying, resurrecting and giving all things inexhaustibly to all who would receive Him - because He loves us! The other side . . . well . . . it is our walk. Our response to this gift of salvation. And, according to Paul, it is to have the same weight. Our walk is to balance the scale. It is to be of equal weight, power, effect, gravity, force, etc. So it is with astonishment when we read the first word to describe our walk that is to bring up the other beam of the scale. What is the flagship word to describe our walk?! Lowliness. A voluntary submission. Essentially, humility. And not just lowliness, but all lowliness. All kinds of lowliness. From this starting point - this one - Paul takes us step by step into the Christian's walk.
Friday, June 21, 2019
The Famous One
In Chapter 2, Paul tells us how bad things really were before we came to know Christ. We were dead - incapable of moving in God's direction - because we lived our days in the realm of sin. Our lives were a continuous display of missing the mark. Whether by much or by little, we deviated from what we knew to be the right way to live. Every one of us lived in this way - also known as the way of the world. We walked according to the subtle but powerful influence of man's thoughts, ideas, theories, philosophies etc that have no root in God. Satan himself is the origin of this worldly spirit that influences/controls men who are living apart from God. We did whatever the flesh and the thoughts wished to do. God's judgment was bearing down upon all of us. We were in shackles with no key to be found.
Now, God could not help but move in our direction. Verse 4 is breathtaking. God is very wealthy, specifically having an overabundance of mercy. A good definition of mercy is "kindness or goodwill towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them." (ie: Ps 146:5-9) We were certainly miserable and afflicted. It is God's very nature to move toward people like this and benefit them. This is an extreme comfort to us. He truly is a VERY present help in time of need. This is the heart of God. It is who He is. Paul points out that all of this mercy is born from God's agape love - the kind of love that blesses others while expecting nothing in return. It is when we were dead that we heard God knocking on our hearts! Dead!!!! This makes perfect sense. What mercy! He made us alive, raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. What a blessing. All creation will pause . . . forever. We will look upon Him in wonder for all eternity. Whatever age comes. So much grace, so much mercy, so much kindness.
This is the context of 2:8,9 - those famous verses. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Salvation is a gift. Its source is not out of ourselves, nor is its source out of our works. It is by grace.
The Christian is now given the opportunity to walk in good works designed just for us by God Himself. Our walk is different now.
Now, God could not help but move in our direction. Verse 4 is breathtaking. God is very wealthy, specifically having an overabundance of mercy. A good definition of mercy is "kindness or goodwill towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them." (ie: Ps 146:5-9) We were certainly miserable and afflicted. It is God's very nature to move toward people like this and benefit them. This is an extreme comfort to us. He truly is a VERY present help in time of need. This is the heart of God. It is who He is. Paul points out that all of this mercy is born from God's agape love - the kind of love that blesses others while expecting nothing in return. It is when we were dead that we heard God knocking on our hearts! Dead!!!! This makes perfect sense. What mercy! He made us alive, raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. What a blessing. All creation will pause . . . forever. We will look upon Him in wonder for all eternity. Whatever age comes. So much grace, so much mercy, so much kindness.
This is the context of 2:8,9 - those famous verses. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Salvation is a gift. Its source is not out of ourselves, nor is its source out of our works. It is by grace.
The Christian is now given the opportunity to walk in good works designed just for us by God Himself. Our walk is different now.
Monday, May 27, 2019
All Done
The substance of the letter starts at such a lofty height (1:3) that it is difficult to appreciate what it really means. God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." "Every" is certainly an all-encompassing word. One note here is that the action of blessing occurred in the past. It is in the aorist tense which means that the action or event is seen without regard to its duration. Moulton comments: "an event as a single whole, without regarding the time taken in its accomplishment." The action is seen as a completed event. Though it may take place over time, it is already a done deal in the divine mind. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In God's mind, all of this has taken place already.
It is good for us to also see in this passage that these blessings all flow to those "in Christ". This cannot be overstated. Someone may read this passage and tire of the repetition. This cannot be for the seasoned Christian. Every time we read this short phrase, "in Christ" or "in Him", we are settled and strengthened in our walks. Those who are in Christ will be "holy and blameless before Him." They also become adult sons in God's family. They have redemption. They have forgiveness of sins. They know the mystery of His will. They have an inheritance. They were sealed by the Holy Spirit. These are the things that God wanted to give to those who believe. Notice how the choosing and predestining (1:4 and 1:5 and 1:11) are really not focusing on salvation at all. These are statements that focus on the blessings that flow to those "in Christ". Wuest comments: "the emphasis is on the choosing, not on the unchosen, and that the chosen of God were to attain the object stated." These facts are true of the "in-Christ-ians".
One of the beauties of this passage is that the action words here are ALL in the aorist tense. They are all done deals in the divine mind. So, all of these blessings are ours in full, right now. If they are completed actions in His mind, then they should be so in ours. We who are in Christ.
It is good for us to also see in this passage that these blessings all flow to those "in Christ". This cannot be overstated. Someone may read this passage and tire of the repetition. This cannot be for the seasoned Christian. Every time we read this short phrase, "in Christ" or "in Him", we are settled and strengthened in our walks. Those who are in Christ will be "holy and blameless before Him." They also become adult sons in God's family. They have redemption. They have forgiveness of sins. They know the mystery of His will. They have an inheritance. They were sealed by the Holy Spirit. These are the things that God wanted to give to those who believe. Notice how the choosing and predestining (1:4 and 1:5 and 1:11) are really not focusing on salvation at all. These are statements that focus on the blessings that flow to those "in Christ". Wuest comments: "the emphasis is on the choosing, not on the unchosen, and that the chosen of God were to attain the object stated." These facts are true of the "in-Christ-ians".
One of the beauties of this passage is that the action words here are ALL in the aorist tense. They are all done deals in the divine mind. So, all of these blessings are ours in full, right now. If they are completed actions in His mind, then they should be so in ours. We who are in Christ.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Heaven on earth
We are starting in Ephesians in our home group. This is truly a heavenly book. Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church around AD60 while he was in prison. Paul had visited Ephesus several years earlier (Acts 18:19). That visit would mark the beginning of a deep and long relationship that Paul would have with the church. Much of Acts 19 and 20 focus on Ephesus. Timothy would also become the pastor of the church which in time gave us First and Second Timothy. John wrote about Ephesus also in Revelation 3, being the church that he likely died among. It would do us well to study this group of people. As is widely known, Ephesians is divided into two parts. Chapters 1-3 reveal God's heavenly work. Chapters 4-6 reveal our heavenly walk.
The letter introduces us to Paul "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God." Apostle means 'one sent forth with orders.' Very important here to note 'with orders'. Further, the sending was by God's will. He wanted to send him. God had something to say. Can you imagine that? God had something to say to people! And, He has something to say to us. God wants us to know something. And it's a lot.
The letter was written to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus. This greeting alone would give us good footing to see that this letter was written directly to us who are "faithful in Christ Jesus."
The classic greeting from Paul ensues - "Grace to you and peace from God . . " Grace means unmerited favor, though her a better reading would be 'divine enablement'. Paul saw the people who make up His church as living their day to day lives - working, providing for their families, talking, fearing, hurting, eating, sleeping etc. All the hallmarks of the daily human experience. It is here, in this down to earth living, that this comment is made. You, you saint, right where you are in your day, be divinely enabled to walk through your moment with God's enablement - whatever enablement is needed. Hope, courage, power, patience, peace, love etc.
Furthermore, have peace in that moment - your moment. Peace means tranquility, having a heart that is exempt from the rage/havoc of war. A state of untroubled or undisturbed well-being. Right where you are. So, Paul wants the believers to have God's enablement to live their daily lives, every day, and to have God's peace govern their hearts as they live them.
You see, we walk in the world immersed among the earthly masses. God wrote this book to help us see that we are actually a heavenly outpost here on earth. Our life is heavenly - bearing the marks of heaven. Even, right where you are.
The letter introduces us to Paul "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God." Apostle means 'one sent forth with orders.' Very important here to note 'with orders'. Further, the sending was by God's will. He wanted to send him. God had something to say. Can you imagine that? God had something to say to people! And, He has something to say to us. God wants us to know something. And it's a lot.
The letter was written to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus. This greeting alone would give us good footing to see that this letter was written directly to us who are "faithful in Christ Jesus."
The classic greeting from Paul ensues - "Grace to you and peace from God . . " Grace means unmerited favor, though her a better reading would be 'divine enablement'. Paul saw the people who make up His church as living their day to day lives - working, providing for their families, talking, fearing, hurting, eating, sleeping etc. All the hallmarks of the daily human experience. It is here, in this down to earth living, that this comment is made. You, you saint, right where you are in your day, be divinely enabled to walk through your moment with God's enablement - whatever enablement is needed. Hope, courage, power, patience, peace, love etc.
Furthermore, have peace in that moment - your moment. Peace means tranquility, having a heart that is exempt from the rage/havoc of war. A state of untroubled or undisturbed well-being. Right where you are. So, Paul wants the believers to have God's enablement to live their daily lives, every day, and to have God's peace govern their hearts as they live them.
You see, we walk in the world immersed among the earthly masses. God wrote this book to help us see that we are actually a heavenly outpost here on earth. Our life is heavenly - bearing the marks of heaven. Even, right where you are.
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