Get lost

34 “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. 36  Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.” 37 Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, but he spent each night on the Mount of Olives. 38 All the people rose early in the morning to hear him in the temple area. (Luke 21:34-38, CEB)

We need to not get lost in the fear and anxiety of this world so we give in to the downward spiral of the world. We must stay above board and focus our lives on Jesus. Do not let yourself be caught up in the fear and hate of this world that you lose sight of what is coming to us in a manger in 23 days.

Christ our savior came to us and gave us the understanding of loving the world, but not being a part of it.

Follow after Christ and do not live in fear, but share God’s love.

Love over fear

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was filled with light because of his glory. 2 He called out with a loud voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons and a lair for every unclean spirit. She is a lair for every unclean bird, and a lair for every unclean and disgusting beast 3 because all the nations have fallen due to the wine of her lustful passion. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth became rich from the power of her loose and extravagant ways.” 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say, “Come out of her, my people, so that you don’t take part in her sins and don’t receive any of her plagues. 5 Her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God remembered her unjust acts. 6 Give her what she has given to others. Give her back twice as much for what she has done. In the cup that she has poured, pour her twice as much. 7 To the extent that she glorified herself and indulged her loose and extravagant ways, give her pain and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit like a queen! I’m not a widow. I’ll never see grief.’ 8 This is why her plagues will come in a single day—deadly disease, grief, and hunger. She will be consumed by fire because the Lord God who judges her is powerful. 9 “The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and shared her loose and extravagant ways, will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. 10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of the pain she suffers, and they will say, ‘Oh, the horror! Babylon, you great city, you powerful city! In a single hour your judgment has come.’ (Revelation 18:1-10, CEB)

Fear is pervasive in our society. And it is easy to get caught into it if we look into ourselves and only worry about what is best for us.

We can easily get caught up in the need for our own desires and pleasures, that we lose sight of others and their needs.

But we are in the season of Advent, where we wait for Jesus to be born to us as our savior on Christmas. And in that act, God stepped down from the throne and came to tent with us here. To dwell with us and to know our pains and suffering, to show us how to live. By loving everyone where they are. Loving them as they were created.

And yet when we focus on ourselves then the fear creeps in.

Do not dwell in the fear, but dwell with Christ.

Love over comes fear. Share the love of the coming savior.

who won’t fear…

Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues—and these are the last, for with them God’s anger is brought to an end. 2 Then I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who gained victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing by the glass sea, holding harps from God. 3 They sing the song of Moses, God’s servant, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, king of the nations. 4 Who won’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? You alone are holy. All nations will come and fall down in worship before you, for your acts of justice have been revealed.” 5 After this I looked, and the temple in heaven—that is, the tent of witness—was opened. 6 The seven angels, who have the seven plagues, came out of the temple. They were clothed in pure bright linen and had gold sashes around their waists. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the anger of the God who lives forever and always. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven last angels were brought to an end. (Revelation 15:1-8, CEB)

Who won’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name?

With all of these things that are coming for those who are not marked by God, who won’t fear you?

Is that the God that saves? Is this a loving God, a God we have to fear and wonder if we are truly a part of the kingdom that we won’t be smitten?

But is that what we need this season while we wait for the coming of the savior of the world? Do we need to up the fear and worry in the world?

The sentence before who wouldn’t fear you is “Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, king of the nations.” Great and awe-inspiring are your works and your ways are just and true. God makes us stand in awe of the works that are done and how just the way God acts. That will cast the fear away and we will fear/awe God.

So let us be in awe of God and follow where God is leading by loving God and loving others as we await the best gift all of us have ever been given!

Hope over fear!

24 “In those days, after the suffering of that time, the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. 25 The stars will fall from the sky, and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken.26 Then they will see the Human One coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. 27 Then he will send the angels and gather together his chosen people from the four corners of the earth, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven. 28 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’s near, at the door. 30 I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.  32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows.  33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming.  34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert.  35 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!” (Mark 13:24-37, CEB)

The world is a scary place, and before it gets better it will get worse.

And there is already a lot of fear in the world and if things are going to get worse the fear will increase. But we do not have to live in fear even when we don’t know what will happen. We can know and have the promise that hope is greater than fear and the hope we have is in God, and will cover any fear and any thing that comes our way.

So live in hope over fear, and know that the coming baby in the manger is the hope we have and need and will always be with us.

hype

15 “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing that Daniel talked about standing in the holy place (the reader should understand this), 16 then those in Judea must escape to the mountains.17 Those on the roof shouldn’t come down to grab things from their houses. 18 Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. 19 How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. 20 Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21 There will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. 22 If that time weren’t shortened, nobody would be rescued. But for the sake of the ones whom God chose, that time will be cut short. 23 “Then if somebody says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ,’ or ‘He’s over here,’ don’t believe it. 24 False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25 Look, I’ve told you ahead of time. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Look, he’s in the desert,’ don’t go out. And if they say, ‘Look, he’s in the rooms deep inside the house,’ don’t believe it. 27 Just as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, so it will be with the coming of the Human One. 28 The vultures gather wherever there’s a dead body. 29 “Now immediately after the suffering of that time the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Human One will appear in the sky. At that time all the tribes of the earth will be full of sadness, and they will see the Human One coming in the heavenly clouds with power and great splendor. 31 He will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of the sky to the other.(Matthew 24:15-31, CEB)

When the Human One comes again it will not be good. But do not fear and follow after every person who says the Human One is coming.

We will know when the Human One is coming. Don’t believe the hype or buy into the fear people are projecting in this. It will be clear as the sign to the shepherds and the wise men.

Do not spread the fear, be calm and steadfast in the Lord, and know the baby we wait for is the one we await the return of and we will know.

Live in Jesus’ love and stop the spread of fear.

Spread Love

So then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to keep living the way you already are and even do better in how you live and please God—just as you learned from us.2 You know the instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 God’s will is that your lives are dedicated to him. This means that you stay away from sexual immorality 4 and learn how to control your own body in a pure and respectable way. 5 Don’t be controlled by your sexual urges like the Gentiles who don’t know God. 6 No one should mistreat or take advantage of their brother or sister in this issue. The Lord punishes people for all these things, as we told you before and sternly warned you. 7 God didn’t call us to be immoral but to be dedicated to him. 8 Therefore, whoever rejects these instructions isn’t rejecting a human authority. They are rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 You don’t need us to write about loving your brothers and sisters because God has already taught you to love each other. 10 In fact, you are doing loving deeds for all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. Now we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do so even more. 11 Aim to live quietly, mind your own business, and earn your own living, just as I told you. 12 That way you’ll behave appropriately toward outsiders, and you won’t be in need. 13 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about people who have died so that you won’t mourn like others who don’t have any hope. 14 Since we believe that Jesus died and rose, so we also believe that God will bring with him those who have died in Jesus. 15 What we are saying is a message from the Lord: we who are alive and still around at the Lord’s coming definitely won’t go ahead of those who have died. 16 This is because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with the signal of a shout by the head angel and a blast on God’s trumpet. First, those who are dead in Christ will rise.17 Then, we who are living and still around will be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet with the Lord in the air. That way we will always be with the Lord. 18 So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-18, CEB)

So encourage each other with these words…

Do not beat each other up over the mistakes that you make but Love each other as God has loved you. There is enough fear in the world without us saying that if those around us do not live the same way we do they will not be loved or accepted by God.

So as we wait for Jesus to come to us as a baby in a manger, let us work on not spreading fear, but spreading love.

Fear God???

6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead with eternal good news to proclaim to those who live on earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” 8 Another angel, a second one, followed and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She made all the nations drink the wine of her lustful passion.” 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them and said in a loud voice, “If any worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or their hands, 10 they themselves will also drink the wine of God’s passionate anger, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will suffer the pain of fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their painful suffering goes up forever and always. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and those who receive the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Favored are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their labors, because their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:6-13, CEB)

Don’t we have enough fear in the world do I really need to fear God? That is a question I know I have heard and answered more times than I want to admit. Fear is something we see as bad and we try not to have, but why do we fear?

It has to be an emotion we need or God would not have created us with it. Fear is a way to help us know that things could be bad and we should be on alert. We should be prepared for what is coming.

Fear God is also have awe for God, but be aware of what God is doing and alert to where God is moving.

Fear is an emotion we need and God is always there to help us move forward.

Witnesses to Jesus

19 Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders, “I assure you that the Son can’t do anything by himself except what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does. He will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. 21 As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so too does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. 22 The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son 23 so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him. 24 “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and won’t come under judgment but has passed from death into life. 25 “I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live. 26 Just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 He gives the Son authority to judge, because he is the Human One. 28 Don’t be surprised by this, because the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. 29 Those who did good things will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who did wicked things into the resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony isn’t true. 32 There is someone else who testifies about me, and I know his testimony about me is true. 33 You sent a delegation to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 Although I don’t accept human testimony, I say these things so that you can be saved. 35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and, at least for a while, you were willing to celebrate in his light. 36 “I have a witness greater than John’s testimony. The Father has given me works to do so that I might complete them. These works I do testify about me that the Father sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me testifies about me. You have never even heard his voice or seen his form,38 and you don’t have his word dwelling with you because you don’t believe the one whom he has sent. 39 Examine the scriptures, since you think that in them you have eternal life. They also testify about me, 40 yet you don’t want to come to me so that you can have life. (John 5:19-40, CEB)

Jesus can’t do anything of his own will and has to be in one accord with the Father.

How do we live life? Is it whatever we want to do with no regard for anyone else? We can do what we want but all actions have consequences.

So do we live in the will of the Father and only do what the Father leads us to do or are we lone rangers doing whatever brings us joy?

We should live as Jesus does, connected to the Father and getting our life from God.

Celebration

After this I heard what sounded like a huge crowd in heaven. They said, “Hallelujah! The salvation and glory and power of our God! 2 His judgments are true and just, because he judged the great prostitute, who ruined the earth by her whoring, and he exacted the penalty for the blood of his servants from her hand.” 3 Then they said a second time, “Hallelujah! Smoke goes up from her forever and always.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who is seated on the throne, and they said, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice went out from the throne and said, “Praise our God, all you his servants, and you who fear him, both small and great.” 6 And I heard something that sounded like a huge crowd, like rushing water and powerful thunder. They said, “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, exercised his royal power! 7 Let us rejoice and celebrate, and give him the glory, for the wedding day of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 She was given fine, pure white linen to wear, for the fine linen is the saints’ acts of justice.” 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Favored are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.” He said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:1-9, CEB)

When the end comes and all the powers of evil have been destroyed there will be a celebration like no other!

God’s kingdom will be in full capacity and we will all be with and see God face to face!

There will be no more tears or pain or anything that takes us from the presence of God.

Amen! Hallelujah!

Died together

8 Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and descended from David. This is my good news. 9 This is the reason I’m suffering to the point that I’m in prison like a common criminal. But God’s word cannot be imprisoned. 10 This is why I endure everything for the sake of those who are chosen by God so that they too may experience salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 This saying is reliable: “If we have died together, we will also live together. 12 If we endure, we will also rule together. If we deny him, he will also deny us. 13 If we are disloyal, he stays faithful” because he can’t be anything else than what he is. (2 Timothy 2:8-13, CEB)

Christ is always faithful because he can’t be anything than what he is.

No matter how disloyal we are and how many times we walk away, Christ will always be there because Christ is faithful.

And because Christ is faithful, Christ died for us and we have died with Christ and also will be raised with Christ.

So know you are a new creation and go into the world to share Christ’s Love.