December 11, 2018

Joy to the World!

The hymn-writer, Isaac Watts, had the words 100% correct when he wrote, “Joy to the world! The LORD is come!” Joy is gladness in our soul that radiates to every area of our life. The word “joy” appears at least 165 times in the Bible. Joy is an attribute of the Godhead (Psalm 16:11). It is a fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22. Jesus states in John 15:11, “these things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” And the last part of Nehemiah 8:10 proclaims, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Now go back to the popular phrase by penned by Mr. Watts, “Joy to the world! The LORD is come!” His theology of joy was found in the LORD.

People today are rightfully looking for joy. The problem is that it is possible to look for joy in the wrong places. This becomes apparent when our theology of joy is not built on the LORD. Psalms 16:11 states, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forever-more.” And when we connect that verse with the previous verse which proclaims: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption,” we see that joy is possible because of the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, the Lord has come, and He came into this world so that He could die on the cross for our sins. The angel proclaimed on the night that Jesus was born: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Praise the LORD that Jesus Christ was born to die, so that you and I might have “the way” (John 14:6) for our sins to be paid for and that we might be able to enter the presence of the LORD where there is fullness of joy. May our theology of joy both in thought and in practice be based upon the LORD and what He has done in providing salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!

If our theology of joy is not based on the LORD, we will miss out on the “fullness of joy.” And instead, we will settle for partial joy at best. Even at Christmas time, we can settle for partial joy. There are many joyful blessings of Christmas: being with loved ones and giving and receiving presents. But may I encourage you this Christmas that even if every present on your Christmas wish list comes true, don’t be content with that partial joy. If our joy is based on any-one other than the LORD, we will miss out on fullness of joy. So in the midst of the fullness of this season, remember the lyrics to the familiar Christmas carol, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”

November 6, 2018

Oh Give Thanks!

Have you ever thought about the radical reasons why Christians are to be the most thankful people in all of the world? So often, Christians fall into the trap that Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate rather than a discipline to practice every day. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with setting aside the fourth Thursday of the month of November to give thanks to the God of heaven for all that He has done. But the radical reasons for why it is good and right for us as a nation to set aside a day for thanksgiving are also the reasons why thanksgiving ought to be an identifying mark of every believer in Jesus Christ. The radical roots for why we give thanks have been practiced in America, but those roots originated in the Holy Scriptures.

One radical reason for why thanksgiving should be a regular habit of the believer’s life is the character of God. Psalm 105:1 is one of the many Scriptures that pro-claim, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures for-ever.” The verse is clear: give thanks be-cause the LORD is good! And the good character of God is seen in His mercy that endures forever. The logical result of considering and meditating on God’s goodness and mercy is thanksgiving. If you are seeking to become a more thankful person, get your eyes off of your changing circumstance and gaze on the unchanging character of God. As you delight in His goodness and mercy, your life will resound with thanksgiving to God.

This leads to another radical reason for Thanksgiving: the Son of God. You see, because God is a good and merciful God,He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world to die on the cross for our sins. The cross becomes a powerful dis-play of the goodness and mercy of God! Paul wrote about this great gift of God by saying, “for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor that you through His poverty might be-come rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). And then Paul concludes that section on giving with these words, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

A final radical reason to give thanks to the Lord is the will of God. “In every-thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The word “will” gives the idea of what one wishes or what one takes pleasure in. Consider for a moment that God’s desire for the believers’ life is for them to give thanks. And if we are not giving thanks in everything, then we are not fulfilling the will of God.

But notice the last two words of the verse describing who this principle applies to; It is the believers in Christ Jesus who are to be giving thanks. You see, it is believers who know that the character of God is good and mercy.  It is believers who know that the Son of God became poor so that we might become rich. So it is believers who can give thanks no matter the circumstances that they are facing. And as a result, they can fulfill the very will and pleasure of God. To fulfill the will of God is a radical reason to give thanks to the Lord.

October 9, 2018

Do Not Be Afraid!

John, the human author of the book entitled, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, had a shocking experience when He saw the Lord Jesus Christ. The experience was so shocking that John fell at Jesus’ feet as if he were dead (Revelation 1:17a). He saw Jesus who had eyes like a flame of fire (1:14), out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword (1:16), and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength (1:16). And when John saw Jesus in His glory he fell at Christ’s feet as dead!

John had every reason to be afraid. The image of Christ must have been blinding to him. And to see someone with a sharp two-edged sword would also be a reason to be afraid. But as John was lying at Jesus’ feet as dead, Jesus commanded him, “Do not be afraid.” So the question we want to ask is, ‘How can a person not be afraid when they are in the presence of the King of kings?’ This question is especially important as one continues through the book and sees the various judgments that the Lord will bring on the world, including when he comes in Revelation 19 and strikes the nations with the sharp double edged sword that is in His mouth. Some have commented that the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a scary book, and they are afraid to read it. Yet, the first command that Jesus gives to John after commanding Him to write the book and send it to the churches is, “Do not be afraid.”

For believers in Jesus Christ, called Christ’s servants in Revelation 1:1, the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ is not designed to fright-en. Rather, it is written to encourage believers to walk by faith even as they face tribulation that could lead to death (Revelation 2:10). It is a book that begins with grace and peace from Jesus Christ to His servants. You see the reason why believers do not need to fear is because Jesus Christ holds the keys of Hades and of death. In other words, Jesus is the judge and can sentence people to eternal death. Man can kill the body, but man does not have control over the eternal state of the soul (Matthew 10:28). So as the King of Kings, Jesus Christ is the final judge. He can sentence people to eternal hell! That is why Revelation 1:5 is so important for believers to understand as they consider meeting their Lord. This verse declares that Jesus “loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Jesus doesn’t just randomly send people to hell because He is a just judge. People will be sentenced to an eternal death because of their sins. But for believers in Jesus Christ, we have been washed from our sins by His own blood. In other words, we don’t need to fear because we stand before the Lord forgiven. Since Christ’s death satisfies the just demands of a holy God, Jesus doesn’t send the believer to hell. The believer is able to enter the eternal heavens because of the work of the Lamb of God (Revelation 22:3) on the cross and His victory over the grave (Revelation 1:18).

For those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, though, they ought to be greatly afraid at the coming judgment of God. This final judgment scene is found in Rev-elation 20:11-15, when the unbelievers stand before the Lord and the one who has the keys to Hades and death will cast them into the Lake of Fire. This takes place after the Lord comes and strikes the nations with the sharp sword that proceeds from His mouth (Revelation 19:15). The only hope for this world is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus came the first time the angel announced, “do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” For the one who has been washed in the blood of Christ, Revelation announces in a similar manner, “do not be afraid.”

September 11, 2018

What’s Next?

Anticipation of what’s to come has an amazing ability to impact our attitudes and actions in the present. Imagine all the possible responses for a student getting ready to go back to school. Some might be moved with great joy and excitement and others might fight despair as they say “goodbye” to summer vacation. One day this summer, our family had a special outing planned. The excitement was obvious with everyone’s demeanor. There was an extra sense of urgency to get the morning chores done and to help get the family packed up and ready to go. Everyone was anticipating a special day. They weren’t experiencing the special day yet, but just the anticipation of the special day was impacting their attitudes and actions in the present.

The last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, presents details concerning some future events. But these details are not given just so that we can have knowledge of what’s next, but rather so that our lives can be changed in the present as we anticipate what is yet to come! You see, most of us like to know what’s next. Whether it is the next work responsibility that we need to fulfill, or the next ride that we will ride at the amusement park, or the upcoming schedule for the next day, we have a tendency to like to know what is next! But knowing what is next is not what is most important. Rather, using the knowledge to help us prepare for what is next is extremely valuable. That is why in sports the ability of athletes to anticipate is vital to success. They know where the ball will be going, and they will be prepared to help their team succeed. In the book of Revelation, The Lord saw fit to tell us some important events that are coming as we move towards eternity. And He told us about these events long before they would happen. One of the reasons is so that we will live with the end in view. As we anticipate what is coming, we will be arranging our lives in the present so that we are prepared for what is coming down the road.

Knowledge of what is next helps us to anticipate. If you don’t know where you are going, it will be hard to be prepared when you get there. That is one reason we like to ask the question, “What’s next?” It also provides a reason to attend our Sunday Night Service as we start a new series on September 9th entitled, “What’s Next: Living with the End in View.” This will be an inductive study through the book of Revelation. Our lessons on Wednesday nights during LIFE Night (starting September 12th) will complement the Sunday night study. So make plans now to come and learn what the Lord teaches about what is next. And as you apply this study by anticipating what is to come, your attitudes and actions will be changed for the glory of God.

Also, if the Lord doesn’t return, there are many other enriching ministry and learning opportunities that you will see promoted on the Calendar.  I would encourage you to read them, and then anticipate their coming by preparing your heart and your schedule so that you can attend and be blessed!

July 10, 2018

A Great Summer

“I hope you have a great summer!” the man said as he was leaving. I began to think, “What does it mean to have a great summer?” I quickly came to the conclusion that there are probably as many answers to that question as there are people. Here is a quick list of possible answers that might cross people’s minds: 70 degree weather with no humidity, plenty of days at the beach, a successful baseball or soccer team, a profitable summer in business, vacation days, trips, amusement parks, hikes, and an endless number of other options. Since there are so many options for what a great
summer might look like, I went to the Scriptures to see if there were any objective criteria for determining what a great summer might look like.

I found an objective quality for greatness! The quality doesn’t necessarily describe the summer, but the person who is trying to have a great summer. Matthew 20:26 declares, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” One of the interesting points in that passage is the world and even followers of Jesus have different definitions of greatness compared to God’s definition. From the world’s perspective greatness is when you get to be the boss and call the shots, when you are able to exercise your authority, and when you do what you want to do. But from God’s perspective, greatness is becoming like Christ who, even though he was God, didn’t come into this world to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.

I have a suspicion that many people view a great summer through the lens of a vacation mentality. The vacation mindset says, “I get to do what I want to do when I want to do it.” But Matthew 20 suggests there is a better mindset, one of a servant; one who is not consumed with his or her own selfish desires, but rather desiring to give and to serve other people. If you want to have a great summer from God’s perspective, you ought to become a great servant, as you give yourself for the benefit of others.

Pursuing hospitality (Romans 12:13) is one example of how to have a great summer. Hospitality demands us to get our focus and attention off of ourselves and onto others. It also demands action that reaches out to other people. With the weather being a little nicer, and the daylight hours extending a little longer, take time to invite someone over to your house for a meal, to reach out to someone on the trip you are taking, or to invest in a believer’s life following a church service.

Another example of serving this summer is to practice helping! Instead of asking, “How can I do what I want to do?” ask, “How can I serve others by doing something that would be of benefit to them?” There are plenty of needs and opportunities whether with the saints, with the church buildings, with various ministries, or with the community to serve and to give yourself.

This leads to a final way to have a great summer: proclaim healing! By this I mean to proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Jesus came to give His life a ransom as He died on the cross for our sins. Whoever gives His life for Christ’s sake and the gospel will find it. The Apostle Paul speaks about the great joy he had when those he invested in trusted Christ, just like Jesus speaks about the great joy in heaven over the sinner who repents (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; Luke 15:7). Perhaps the greatest summer for a believer would be to see another person come to
Christ after investing in their lives by being hospitable, helpful and by proclaiming to them healing from their sins that is found in Jesus Christ.