New Mercies

Anytime we finish reading a book of the Bible, a good question to ask ourselves is, "What did I learn about or gain a new appreciation of regarding God's character?" After completing a study on Revelation (which once again made me realize that I am no expert when it comes to the end times!), the answer to this question for me was a deeper understanding that our Heavenly Father is a God of mercy.

Mercy is probably the last thing that people think about when reading the terrifying prophesies contained in the last book of Scripture. In fact, the horrific account of God's wrath against sinful and unrepentant mankind was never more clear to me in my most recent reading of Revelation. Yet even during the judgements that are revealed beginning in chapter 6, we still see a God that is able to reach the lost. John tells us that 144,000 Jews will be saved as well as a great multitude that no one could number (7:1-14).

In Chapter 11, we read that there will be two witnesses on Earth who will preach the truth and be protected for 1,260 days. Once again, another opportunity for those who have rejected Christ and already suffered some judgement to repent. Then finally, before the battle of Armageddon, God will send three angles; one to communicate the Gospel one last time to all remaining inhabitants of Earth (14:6-7).

Lamentations 3:23 reminds us that God's mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness. These mercies are evident even during a time that is far worse than anything we've ever seen, experienced or can imagine. To those who would question why a supposedly loving God would inflict such horrible punishment on his people as described in Revelation, our response should be that our Heavenly Father has been patient with us for thousands of years and even in his final judgement, He offers the opportunity to turn from sin and repent.

Torn in Two

As I remember Good Friday and reflect on the events told in Scripture that day, one keeps sticking out in my mind. As Jesus hung on the cross--paying our sin debt in full--darkness filled the earth for three hours as the Father turned away from his Only Begotten. Then when Jesus cried out "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46) and breathed his last breath, something very miraculous happened in the temple.

Matthew 27:51 says--And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom...This wasn't just any curtain. This was the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. No one was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain except the high priest, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:2-7) when sacrifices were offered to God for forgiveness of sins. The curtain itself was 60 feet high and 30 feet wide and was constructed of an elaborate weave of 72 twisted plaits of 24 threads each. Tearing this curtain was practically impossible from a physical standpoint. Yet at the very moment that Jesus' sacrificial death occurred, this seemingly indestructible curtain was torn in two.

The significance of the curtain being torn in two is the foundational benefit of our relationship with God. Through Jesus' perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for sins, there is no need for a mediator priest to enter into the Most Holy Place for us. Jesus is our high priest. He entered the Most Holy Place and secured our redemption. There is no longer a curtain between us and the Father. The sin that broke our perfect relationship with him is forgiven. Forever. We are clean and sinless in His eyes. The separation that existed between God and his people was removed. Permanently.

Jesus Christ secured our future and our eternal destiny on Calvary on the day we remember as Good Friday. Yet because the curtain is torn in two, we have unlimited, uninterrupted access to our Heavenly Father. Right here, right now. And that makes today a very Good Friday.

An Action Plan For Today

As we continue looking at Jesus' appraisal of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we've already seen areas where the Lord commended them and others where he rebuked them. Because he laid down his life for the church, it should come as no surprise that Jesus also had an action plan for the churches to succeed.

To the church at Ephesus--who had fallen out of love with God--he urged them to remember where they once were, repent and do the works that they did at first (2:5). To the church in Smyrna--who was enduring great tribulation--he urged them to remain faithful to the end (2:10). To the church in Pergamum--who had allowed false teaching--he commanded that they repent (2:16). To the church in Thyratira--who lack discernment--he urged them to hold fast to the teachings of Christ and keep doing good works (2:24-25).

To the church at Sardis--who appeared alive but were spiritually dead--he commanded them to wake up, repent and remember what they already knew (3:2-3). To the church in Laodicea--who Jesus rebuked for having lukewarm faith--he commanded them to buy material things that they would only be able to do by relying on God's provision; thus warming up their faith (3:18-19). And to the church in Philadelphia--the one who Jesus didn't rebuke--he urged them to hold fast to what they had (3:11) because judgement was coming and they would be spared.

Seek God first and love Him. Remain faithful regardless of circumstances. Confess and repent of sins. Search the Scriptures for truth and reject false teaching. Do good works. Stay on fire for the things of God. Hold on to the knowledge of truth. That was our Lord's action plan for the seven churches. And it's an action plan that still applies today.

How is the Church Doing?

Continuing to see the words to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we get somewhat of a performance appraisal on the early churches. And once again, we see that the book of the Bible that people usually turn to for answers to the future gives us sound advice for the hear and now. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us there is nothing new under the sun. Could it be that the problems that faced the early church are still problems it faces today?

Jesus starts by telling the church at Ephasus that they have lost their first love--their love for God and for others (2.4). The fact that they worked hard, didn't fall for false doctrine and patiently endured couldn't compensate for falling out of love for God. To the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira, he takes issue with allowing false teaching and relaxed morality (2:14-15, 20-21). He rebukes the church in Sardis for appearing to be alive but in reality being spiritually dead (3:1-2). Jesus' words for the church in Laodicea are even harsher--wretched, pitiable, poor, blind (3:17)---because the are neither hot or cold in their faith (3:15-16).

Now that we've heard directly from the Lord regarding the condition of the early churches, the big question is--How are we doing? Have we lost our love for God and for others? Do we tolerate watered-down doctrine rather than holding fast to Biblical truth? Do we condone sinful behavior to fit in to today's sliding moral standards? Do we just go through the motions and play church as if it is just another activity in our over-crowded schedule?

Knowing that Jesus loves the church so much that he went to the cross and died for it should makes us take this self-appraisal seriously. Would Jesus praise our church like he did with the church in Philadelphia (3:7-13); finding that we have kept his Word, patiently endured and not denied Him? Our Lord did his part. Let's make sure we do ours.

Prophecy For Right Now

With all of the recent natural disasters throughout the world, I can just imagine more and more people diving into the book of Revelation for answers. Yet if we blow past the letters to the seven churches in search of prophecy of the things that are yet to come, we miss out on a wealth of knowledge that would serve us well as we fight through our daily battles and prepare for Christ's glorious return.

Revelation 2 and 3 comprise the letters to the seven churches. In these chapters, we find things the churches were commended for and things for which the Lord rebuked them. We find solutions for the problems they faced and encouragement for their faithfulness. But before we dive into all of this, it is important to take note of the things that these letters reveal about the One whose return is promised. The One who gives us present hope; the One who secured our future.

In the letters to the seven churches, we find out a great deal about our Savior. Jesus know us personally; he knows our works and he knows the difficulties we have faced (2:2-3). He hates those who spread false doctrine and false prophecy (v.6). He is the One who existed from the beginning and will last until the end; the One who defeated death and came to life (v.8). He promises reward to those who persevere (v.10) He is the One who holds the truth that cuts through the lies of the enemy (v.12). He is patient with sinners, but will ultimately punish the unrepentant (v. 20-23). The Lord also sees through our vain attempts to look spiritual (3:1-3) and is actually even more appalled by lukewarm faith, than no faith at all (v.15-17).

To the faithful, he promises everlasting life and promises to be our advocate to the Father (v.5). He promises the faithful will be spared from future judgment (v.10). He urges us to repent of our sins and he will shape us into his image (v.19). But best of all, our Lord promises that if we respond to him, He will have a personal relationship with us and allow us to share in his Kingdom rule (v.20-21).

The Truest Words Ever Spoken

We live in a world where the lines between truth and fiction are so often blurred. And while we know that the Bible is the one source of absolute truth, how often do we hear things that people incorrectly refer to as Biblical truth (eg. "God helps those who help themselves"--not in Scripture, completely untrue!)? Immersing ourselves in God's Word certainly helps us build foundational truth in our lives. In fact, we can make the cornerstone of our foundation the most fundamental truth in all of Scripture---Jesus is Lord!

Those three words are without a doubt the truest words ever spoken. Philippians 2:9-11 tells us that because of his sacrificial death on the cross, God exalted his Son with the name above all names and that one day everyone will bow before Jesus and confess that he is Lord. Even the vilest people throughout history will bow before the King of Kings. But only those who have accepted Him as Savior; those who in their hearts have declared that Jesus is Lord, will share in His eternal glory.

In the time we have here on earth, we should continually declare the truest words ever spoken. In our thoughts, our words and our actions. If we look at his letters, the Apostle Paul urged others to believe in the Lord, trust in the Lord, love in the Lord, be faithful in the Lord, stand firm in the Lord, be strong in the Lord, hope in the Lord, work hard in the Lord, boast in the Lord and rejoice in the Lord. Allowing Jesus to be Lord in our lives enables his light to shine in us and through us to impact a lost and dying world.

Let it be said of each and every one of us that we have spoken the words of life; beginning with the truest words ever spoken. Jesus is Lord!

The Worst Thing About Hell

As God's men, we probably don't think about hell as much as we should. On some level, we might think, "I'm saved and I'm not going there" or "It's just too terrible a place to dwell on". We certainly have all the reason to praise God for his mercy and grace in allowing Jesus to pay our sin debt and save us from this worst possible place.

Scripture tells us that hell is an eternal lake of fire and sulfur where those there are tormented forever (Revelation 20:10). It is the second death and those who haven't accept Christ and whose names are not found in the book of life will be cast there (20:14-15). That's certainly enough of a description to make it a place to avoid; yet consider what is truly the worst thing about hell. Because God cannot tolerate sin in His presence, hell is a place that is completely, totally and permanently separated from the presence of God. Even the angels in Heaven who rebelled against God were not spared but cast into hell (2 Peter 2:4) and away from His presence.

A place without God is a place without love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A place without God is a place that is void of every blessing that comes from His hand. A place without God is a place that is without the majesty and splendor of His creation. Just the mere thought of being apart from God, even for just a few hours, caused Jesus to literally sweat drops of blood as he prayed in Gethsemane prior to his arrest and crucifixion (Luke 22:44).

Knowing what we know about hell, knowing that God's desire is that all would be saved and come to knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4) and knowing that hell cannot prevail against Christ's church (Matthew 16:18) should give us confidence, courage and a sense of urgency to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. So that no one has to experience the worst.

Joy Over One

April 2 is a date I will always remember. On that date in 1982, my grandfather went home to be with the Lord. Pap-paw was a tremendous man who loved God and loved people (hmm, there's that Great Commandment again!). He never met a stranger, he loved to talk to everybody. Even well into his 70s, he would still cut grass and run errands for others who were unable to do these things themselves. He called those he helped "his old people" even though he was older than some of them.

I love baseball because of him. We would sit together and listen to Phillies games out on his porch or go inside and watch on TV. Other times, we would go for rides in the country that would invariably lead to a trip to the local dairy for some teaberry ice cream. He had six grandchildren and I was his youngest and his favorite. I love him, I miss him and I can't wait to see him in Heaven.

April 2 became an even more special day for me this year. My seven-year-old daughter Amanda was born into God's family on the same date that Pap-paw went home. Luke 15:10 tells us that there is joy before the angels of God when one sinner repents. As my wife Cheryl and I cried tears of joy as Amanda asked Jesus into her heart to be her Savior, I recalled this verse and thought about the celebration that was going on in Heaven over her decision. As a parent, I can't imagine a greater moment of joy than knowing your beloved child is going to spend eternity with you--made possible through faith alone because of God's grace and Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Knowing the joy in Heaven over one sinner coming to repentance should, if nothing else, motivate us to share the Good News; starting with our children and our unsaved family members. As thrilled as I am in Amanda's decision to accept Christ, I'm just as glad that I'll never feel the regret of failing to lead her to the Savior. As God's men, we are called to spiritually lead our families. And there's plenty of joy waiting!

Prayer From the Righteous

The book of James--filled with rich, spiritual instruction--concludes with the subject of faithfulness in prayer. We all know how important prayer is, we all know that prayer is our primary communication with God, we all know that we need to pray for others and we all know how difficult it can be to keep a consistent prayer life.

James 5:16 gives us a needed boost of encouragement to maintain this crucial spiritual discipline: ...The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. We have the promise from God's Word that if we are righteous, then our prayers are powerful and effective. Being righteous means having a right relationship with God. It means we acknowledge who He is--holy, perfect, loving, almighty and just--and who we are--sinful, imperfect, selfish, powerless and partial. Righteousness is our key to unlock the wealth of blessings that our Heavenly Father stands ready to pour out on us.

We are called to pray when we are suffering and sing praises when He blesses us (James 5:13). We are to seek prayer for when we are sick (v.14) and are reminded that prayer heals both physically and spiritually (v.15). Because the prayer of the righteous is so powerful and healing, we are called to pray for one another and to confess our sins to one another and reap the benefit that God so graciously supplies. As a ministry leader, I am comforted to know that there are many righteous sons and daughters of the Kingdom who pray for me daily and their prayers are powerful.

Being powerful and effective certainly resonates with God's men and so should our desire to prayerfully seek Him. Because God, above all else, desires a relationship with those He created; it shouldn't be surprising how much value Scripture puts on prayer. Our relationship with Him can't live without it.