the kingdom…

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:15-19 ESV)

We talk about the kingdom of God as a place we will go. It is a place away from here and now. But if you actually read Revelation it says that the kingdom of God comes to us!

This set of verses starts with “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The kingdom here and now has become the kingdom of God with the seventh trumpet blast! God’s kingdom is here, it will be here.We are not going to be caught up in the clouds and whisked off to some other place. God is going to make this His home with us…

He is already here with us and now we see in the mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face. Yes it will be much different, but it will be here…

So get ready for the kingdom of God to come to us, and spread the love He has given to you.

Who can stand?

But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. (Psalm 76:7-9 ESV)

When God’s anger is roused who among us can stand before Him?

Will we not all fall to our faces in humble subjection?

We will want to hide our faces from Him, like a child who knows they are in trouble. We all know when we have done something wrong, and we know when we are going to be punished. And the scary part to that is we all deserve to be punished for the things we have done. We all deserve eternal separation from God because we are all sinners and can not be in His presence. So when Hid anger is roused we had all better duck and run for cover. (as if that would help!)

But even in the few verses of this psalm there is grace, that God’s judgment was established to save all the humble of the earth. So all of the humble if the earth are saved. But that still does not keep them from fearing.

Fear is not a bad thing it keeps us from doing things we are afraid of, and sometimes it pushes us to do something to experience the rush…

Live in the awe inspiring fear of the Lord, knowing that He could judge you and separate you from Him, but trusting in His grace to keep you ever so close to Him. So fear with humbleness so you might be saved.

everlasting…

The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore. (Psalm 93 ESV)

When you think of everlasting what do you think of?

God comes to mind, but I have to admit one of the first things I think of is Willy Wonka and the everlasting gobstopper… “One is all you will ever need!” Can you image a candy you can suck and suck and it never get any smaller? That would be a wonderful invention but it would be the downfall of the candy industry. I mean people would only ever need one piece of candy. The sales would not be good, oh they would be great for a while, but then they would be nothing. Or you add one here and there for the new people born, but not like gobstoppers now, where I buy a bag and they are gone in 10 minutes and I need another bag, and another, and another…

But God is truly everlasting, He will never run out, go away, leave us alone. He will always be with us, and never forsake us. As Revelation 1:4 says God is “him who is and who was and who is to come”. We read this statement and think of Jesus, but Jesus is mentioned in verse 5, so here in verse 4 this is about God the Father. HE is always with us and is truly everlasting!

who receives the testimony?

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:31-36 ESV)

He who comes from Heaven is above all and He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives His testimony sets His seal to this, that God is true… Wait a minute. Didn’t John say that Jesus bears witness to everything He knows, yet no one receives the testimony, yet those who receive the testimony set the seal that God is truth. So does anyone get the testimony or not? First he says no one receives it, but then says what happens when someone does…

I’m a little confused, of course it is not the first time or the last time I will be confused by John, that is one reason I love the book, because it always keeps you on your toes and thinking. It seems clear cut, and then you read it again and something pops up you hadn’t seen or heard quite that way before and it shakes things loose and you wonder what he means.

It is like our faith. We get set in and think we have it all figured out, then something happens that shakes us and makes us rethink somethings. We have not lost our faith, but we wonder about somethings and how they impact our lives, and the way we saw things is not the same. This is not bad, it helps our faith to grow and surround us and envelope all of our lives. It makes us deepen those roots that are in Christ and to cling to Him all the more. For whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure, so believe in the son and the one who sent Him. The promise is real and you will have eternal life and abundance of love. You will be sheltered in your doubt and questioning by a love that will grow stronger and roots that will go deeper.

Live in your faith and doubt it, allowing God to nurture ad water you in the process as you grow closer to Him.

Rise of the Guardians…

Today my 10 year old and I went on a date. She wanted to see a movie and it was between Wreck it Ralph which looks cute and all or Rise of the Guardians. Timing worked out for us to see Rise of the Guardians…

I thought the previews looked pretty good, and it would be a great flick. And I was not disappointed. The company first of all was fantastic, and my daughter loved it. There was a lot in it for her and she had a great time and it is always fun to go out with one of my girls…

The movie was very interesting. It is a movie really about hope, and finding out who you are. Jack Frost is the main character of sorts and he finds out who he is, and why he is a guardian…

It is a movie filled with action, love, hope, darkness, and faith. I would put it up there with the original Tinker Bell movie of films that help us realize we are all made special and have a gift to bring.

I’m still not sure how I feel about a Santa who yields swords. My daughter was a little taken aback by the tattoos on Santa as well, I thought they were pretty cool! And I’m not sure about the Easter Bunny that uses boomerangs… But it was a great movie and very family friendly. A wonderful film about who we are and hope… And who among us doesn’t need more hope?

Restoration

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28 ESV)

Have you ever restored something? I have not, but I have seen things restored and it usually requires a lot of work, and stripping away of things that should not have been there.

I am reminded as I think of restoration of the last time I visited Gettysburg PA, and some organization was restoring the landscape to what it was when the battle of Gettysburg occurred. They had removed a lot of trees and the Peach orchard to replant the trees the way they would have been during the battle. Well some of the trees that were removed were very old and a lot of people were very upset by the removal of these trees. However to restore the landscape, stripping away has to be done…

Which probably has you asking, what does restoration and the lesson from 1 Corinthians above have in common… I’m glad you asked. The reading for today says, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” I asked myself as I read this what does this mean? That He, meaning Jesus, must reign until all his enemies have been put under His feet? That He must be standing on all who oppose Him? Probably not, but then that begs the question who opposes Him, because He did tell the disciples, whoever is not against us is for us, so then it would have to be someone in complete opposition to Jesus, and who is that?

I wonder if it does not have something to do with a post I put on Facebook a few days back. “Muslims and Jews both say I promised Jerusalem to them. Never occurs to them I might want them to coexist peacefully. @almightygod” Maybe Jesus is reigning until we all learn to get along, and He actually is king of all creation and everyone and thing is “under His feet” as in He has control. Jesus has to reign until restoration has happened with the human race. Just as death came through one man and we are separated  now restoration comes through one man, Jesus teaching us all to play nice and get along… And just as restoration of a landscape needs some ripping out and removal of items, and restoration of an antique piece of furniture needs stripping away of layers that do not belong, so must we strip away and remove all the unnecessary garbage out of our lives and communities and be restored to the relationship we had with God in the garden, until then Jesus must reign. So hunker in and get ready to be restored and be not surprised when a layer you thought was necessary goes away, because He is the master carpenter and He absolutely knows what he is doing!

 

Thankful!

The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore. (Psalm 93 ESV)

The Lord God reigns and rules over everything! No matter what in life is happening, whether it be good, or bad, nasty, or great God is in control. That does not mean that God causes the things to happen in your life, but it does mean that He is with you in the midst of whatever it is that you are going through. God is in control and will not let the flood waters over take you. He is mightier than the thundering seas, and anything you can come up with.

On this day of Thanksgiving be thankful for a creator who loves you enough to walk with you through the valleys and peaks of your life. He is with you and will give you strength. For this be thankful! And tell others of the wonderful love He has given you!

words to say…

“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:9-13 ESV)

 

Have you ever wondered how you would make it through a conversation that you knew would be incredibly hard? If you are like me the conversation came and went and you wonder how you made it through so easily… Well not everytime, but have you ever had a conversation where you said somethings and wondered where they came from?

God reminds us in this passage we do not need to worry before hand how we will respond to every question we will receive. First of all it is impossible to know all of the questions you will be asked, so how can you possibly rehearse what you will say to the question you do not know you will be asked?

God tells us the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say in the moment they need to be said. We can trust in the promises that God will always be with us and help us through everything we face.

True strength

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:32-39 ESV)

We are at the end of the church year and so we are talking about the end times, when everything falls apart and all hell breaks loose…

Is that only the end of times though? It seems like we all know someone whose life is falling apart. Maybe it is a brother or a sister, or another family member, maybe it is a friend, or maybe it is yourself…

All hell could be breaking out in your life and it seems like no one cares and that no one is there for you and God is as far from you as possible.

You see Hebrews reminds us that just because we are walking with God does not mean that it is all roses and cake, and sunshine and moon beams. Life is hard, and when we actually walk with God it gets harder, and we will be ridiculed for our thoughts and our actions. But that is the beauty of the moments of life that should make us throw up our hands and give up, God is there whispering in your ear, “We can do this!”

The world is yelling “You can’t do this!” and you know what they are right. You can’t and I can’t. On our own we are not going to make it. I have been looking for a call for 9 months plus and burning through our savings at a rate that will not last much longer. I have taken a job some would say is beneath my level, but is something I enjoy and allows me to be a father to my children and be there when they need me. It would be real easy for me to curl up in a fetal position and cry why have I been forsaken. But I will not do it. The world wants me to give up and give in and find something permanent and give up ministry. Those who worked against the ministry I am doing would love to see this happen, and the powers of evil in the world would love for me to give up, but it will not happen. Because as the picture says. “Anyone can give up.” But those of us who have the strength of God walking beside us to protect and shelter and empower us have true strength and endurance.

So do not shrink back and be destroyed but step out in faith and know that God will hold you up through whatever life may send your way.