April 2 - The Whole Point

Revelation 1:7-8

You know those times when God has a funny way of dropping bunch of small things in your path that all seem to connect to each other, all seem to point to him in the same way? And you know they're not coincidences, but it's pretty crazy that you're hearing that one scripture so many times in one week or that one person has been brought up and you know you should do something about it?

Well for me, this passage was the cherry on top of one of those experiences. As the Director of Middle School Ministry here at UALC, I've been working to provide online content for my middle schoolers during this time. I've been filming a devotional every week studying the stories leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. Just this week I studied the passage from John 19 where Jesus is crucified. I chose this gospel in particular because it references several prophecies fulfilled, I wanted to talk about metanarrative.

The metanarrative of the Bible is God's big story. When we read the Bible, we don't just think about each individual story, but how all of the Bible tells the larger story of Jesus, and how it even continues today with us through the Holy Spirit. In the stories of Jesus last few days on earth, several prophesies from the Old Testament were fulfilled, such as soldiers casting lots for his clothing, Jesus not speaking before Pilate, and the wine-soaked sponge. 

So what does all of this have to do with Revelation 1:7-8? Well, this scripture is also all about metanarrative. Looking deeper into this passage, I saw references to both Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10. Both of those Old Testament passages are prophesies about Jesus' second coming. The Daniel verses in particular caught my attention: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven...He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14).

This reminded me of another well-known passage that speaks of Jesus' authority: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders...Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end." (Isaiah 9:7-8). It amazes me that, throughout the Bible, even over hundreds and hundreds of years, Jesus is still the center of it all. The whole Bible is just one big story that points to Jesus. Jesus is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story, of our story. 

So no matter what story you're living right now, Jesus is in it. Jesus is your beginning, your middle, and your end. He is the whole point of the story, and we have hope because of him.

The Meaning of Life

by Tom Denegre

In 2017, 47,173 suicides occurred in the United States which was twice as many as murders (19,510). Sadly, suicide is also the 2nd leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 years.¹ A tragic and terrible statistic of life.

Where is the meaning of life for these people? I discovered there is a two-sided coin to the meaning of life. We all experienced the duality in life; light versus darkness, goodness versus evil, love versus hatred, and truth versus falsehood.

Today’s reading in the Book of Revelation becomes insightful to the meaning of life, for a part of it reads;

Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation….Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing….And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. Rev 5:8-13

Like all things with a dual nature, one cannot appreciate the light until we observe the darkness; or the absence of light.  Take for example Adolf Hitler.  After suffering the defeat of WWI and its economic collapse, Hitler offered a new hope for the country sold under a great lie.  The people bought the lie and suffered an horrific outcome.

There was Jim Jones the cult leader who took his Christian congregation from San Francisco to South America.  He too fed a false hope to his people. Sadly, the entire congregation drank the poison and perished.

Today we are taught a worse lie whereby 60 million Americans were murdered or aborted in the name of women’s health. 

St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote, “justice without mercy is cruel, and mercy without justice is dissolution.” We all know in our hearts none of us are righteous nor good compared to the standards of God.  No matter how hard we try to be good we can never measure up. In our hearts we desire mercy, but we deserve justice. We know a false hope brings destruction, darkness brings death, and unrighteousness separates us from God. How do we reconcile the purpose in our lives when life appears so dark? Are we doomed?  

Thank God we are saved! For worthy is the lamb that saved us, for no one else could do it. In this Revelation passage all the angels, saints, heavenly hosts, and living creatures acknowledged Jesus as the worthy lamb who could break the seven seals while being blessed seven times in recognition of his divine nature. There is no greater love than a sacrificial love which purchased our freedom from sin with a price. No longer are we doomed by the darkness, but saved by the light. When we accept Jesus, all of life, goodness, power, wisdom, honor, glory, and blessings become our inheritance.  The creator of all life enters our heart, mind, and spirit where we live in life-union with Jesus.  Through this life-union pours the streaming rivers of life thus making us partners to save others in the world and to co-labor in his mission.  We have joined the family business of God.  The truth has set us free and blessed us with a mighty and purposeful meaning of life.

1. (National Institute of Mental Health) https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml

Waiting … Anticipating … Rejoicing

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 2:10-13

Zechariah penned these words inspired by the Holy Spirit an estimated 470-480 years before the coming of the Messiah. If I were Zechariah, I think I would’ve asked a few follow-up questions, maybe tried to pin God down on a date for the fulfillment of all these promises.

Wouldn’t you?

“Will you marry me?” A high-pitched squeal. “Oh, of course, you hunky stud! This is the happiest day of my life!” Six months go by. “When are we getting married?” “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven …” (O the trials of the bride of Christ!)

And so we wait. And wait. And wait. For the fulfillment of promises. For the return of Christ. For the marriage supper of the Lamb. For the perfection of Heaven. 

But here’s the interesting thing about this text: It tells us to shout and be glad (present tense - now!) because he is coming and will live among us (future tense). The wait God gives us is not one of drudgery, but one of anticipation and excitement.  

So shout for joy, my friend! For you are loved by the God who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them! You are the bride of Christ, and he is coming for you! Every tear shall be wiped from your eye, every provision shall be made for you, and you will dwell in the presence of God forever!

Rejoice today in your tomorrow!

Why, God? Why?

 

READ: Ezekiel 20:8-13, 30-36

As a young man, I had great difficulty reconciling the God who sacrificed his only son for the sins of the world with the God who judged his chosen people through exile, slavery, rape, and execution. I much preferred the former and oft asked of the latter, “Why, God? Why?”

Why did you hand the people you created over to such cruelty and suffering? Would you do the same to me or to the people I love?

I thought he would, and perhaps justifiably so. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

I have done evil by breaking God’s commandments, as have my loved ones, as had God’s chosen people. In fact, Romans 3:12 says, “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Do we then deserve to be spared from the evil of others if we ourselves do not do good?

Perhaps, then, we should question not the God who judges, but the God who shows mercy.

Did God not drown the world in the time of Noah? Burn to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Has he not reserved the present heavens and earth for destruction by fire? (2 Peter 2:4-6, 3:10-11)

Why, then, should Jesus come into the world that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life? (John 3:16)

Because we’re sorry? Because we repented? Because we’re going to try harder and do better?

No. The Lord says, “But for the sake of my name …” (Ezekiel 20:9)

The name (or reputation) of God. That’s why the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, that’s why they were returned from exile in Babylon, and that’s why Christ died for the sins of the world. Because God’s name is synonymous with love, mercy, and grace.

In Ephesians 2:4-5, Paul puts it like this: “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Victory in a Broken World!

Revelation 19:1-8

We live in a broken world!

·         In 2017 Columbus had a record setting number of homicides of 143.

·         Opioid addiction has become an epidemic in the United States.

·         Virtually every day in the news there’s a new revelation about a sex scandal. Most recently, it involved a world renowned doctor who sexually abused young girls.

 This is a very short list of headliner examples of our broken world. Sometimes we don’t even need to go any further than our front door for an example. Is the world any worse today than the first century when women and children were considered property, temple prostitutes were common place and Christians were martyred?

 John wrote Revelation from the island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony. While there God spoke to him through an angel in a highly symbolic style. 

“Praise the Lord!
    Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
² His judgments are true and just.
    He has punished the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
    He has avenged the murder of his servants.”           NLT

 The “great prostitute” that John refers to is symbolic for Babylon which was the political, commercial and religious center of its day. It was also the center of moral decay and decadence. Today, we have our own version of the Great Prostitute still seducing people to do evil.

“Hallelujah!” which means “Praise the Lord”, is written four times in these eight verses. Why? Into this broken world, God sent His only son as an innocent baby. How ironic. His son brought the Good News. He brought hope and a future. He brought forgiveness and redemption. Therefore, let us…

⁶ …”Praise the Lord!
    For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. NLT

Hallelujah! The Almighty reigns!

We Believe

Revelation 22:1-6

When I was in college and had a big test looming in front of me, I would play a mind game to help me get through the difficult time of studying. I just kept telling myself, “Don’t think about the test. Think about when the test will be over.” I don’t know that this helped my grades any, but it did help relieve the stress.

 John wrote Revelation from the island of Patmos which was likely a Roman penal colony. He was sent there because of his Christian beliefs and witness. In fact, during those days, many Christians were being persecuted because they refused to worship Caesar as Lord. Those were very difficult times for believers.

In part, Revelation was written as an encouragement to those believers experiencing first-hand the wrath of the Roman authorities. John pointed them to what lay beyond the persecution; beyond the test of life on earth. For believers today, he points to the Tree of Life; to Eden restored.

If you think of it, what John did was similar to what I did in college; to look beyond the

pain and suffering of the here and now. Clearly, there is no comparison between the pain and suffering that the first century believers endured and me taking a test. But the principle is the same; look past the immediate trials to the end.

You may not be going through persecution or taking a test, but you may be experiencing other trials. Maybe a loved one has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer; maybe you didn’t get the promotion you deserved or you were fired or the daily grind of work is a burden; maybe you struggle with an addiction or someone in your family does; maybe you deal with depression or a mental illness.  

Whatever your struggle is, John is telling you that ultimately, victory is waiting for you. The New Eden is at the end of the road, where living in His presence and seeing the face of God will be your daily reward.

In 2013, the Newsboys released a song titled, We Believe. The final words of the song are, “We believe he’s coming back again”. That’s what John wrote to the believers in the first century, and to us in the 21^st century.

 If you have a moment, listen to the song and see if it doesn’t give you the Hope to make it through your temporal trials.

Revelation 14:1-5

The True Judge

When looking up synonyms for the word revelation, I found the following;

Exposure

Disclosure

Admission

Surprise

Shock

When the world as we know it comes to an end, will I be one of the 144,000 who will be redeemed from the earth? Will my family and friends be included? Will the Grace of God include a sinner such as me who has repented on a regular basis because of my humanness?

How can anyone on this earth be “pure” and “blameless” as to be offered as first fruits to God except innocent babies and children who have not yet been exposed to worldly corruption?

Revelation has always raised more questions than answers for me.

The thought of exposure and disclosure can be frightening, especially for those of us who hide behind a veil of goodness and make assumptions of our brothers and sisters based on their behavior. The fact is the Lord knows our hearts no matter how we perceive or are perceived by others.

Our judgment of the behaviors of those in our lives is not biblical, as we are told to leave judgment to our God many places within the Word. This passage in Romans is one example of warning for the day of Revelation:

Romans 14:10-12 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

Heaven forbid the Lord judge us as we judge others.

Read/Listen to Revelation 14:1-5

It’s All Good

The Tree of Life

Revelation 22:1-5

 

“It’s all good”, is a popular response nowadays that means, nothing is bad. But the irony is that some things are bad, painful, irreversible and even life-changing. Is it all good after having a still born baby or when a family member dies unexpectedly? Is it all good when you get fired from your job of 30 years? Is it all good when a relationship is irreconcilable? Is it all good when life feels like there’s no hope?

 

At the time when John wrote the book of Revelation, the believers in Asia Minor were on the verge of suffering sever persecution for being a follower of Jesus. The Roman authorities were beginning to enforce emperor worship which would be unacceptable for a Christian.  What could this persecution mean for an individual?

 

“Nero was quite insane, and is reported to have tortured Christians with great cruelties for his own enjoyment. According to the Roman historian Tacitus:

Besides being put to death they [the Christians] were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed.”

 

“It’s all good”, would seem like a hollow response at best.

 

In the Book of Revelation, John gave the persecuted church a future with eternal hope through these words:

 

“And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, ² coursing down the center of the main street. On each

side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. ³ There shall be nothing in the city that is evil; for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.”          TLB

 

For the first century believers, as well as for us, these words bring great hope. It’s not that “it’s all good”, but we can have faith in a loving sovereign God that He has a future for us without pain and suffering. In other words, evil and pain do not have the last word… God does.

 

Now THAT IS all good.

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2022%3A1-5&version=NIV;TLB
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Rev.22.1-Rev.22.5


 

 

Tom Izzo is Mr. March

Revelation 20:1-15

 

 

If you don’t know it by now, I’m a huge Michigan State sports fan. Not surprisingly, I believe that Tom Izzo is one of the best college basketball coaches active today. What is his secret to success? Accountability.

 

At the beginning of every school year he has all of his players write down their goals – individual, team, academic and off court. He then collects those goals and during the year if he sees that a player isn’t working towards his goals, Izzo will pull him aside and talk to him about it.

 

Consider Revelation 20. God keeps us all accountable. First, the angel bound Satan for a thousand years. Then after being released for a little while, Satan is thrown into the lake of fire. Finally, anyone whose name isn’t found in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire.

 

Some of the images in this chapter could come right out of a Stephen King novel. But let’s think about this, not in a literal sense, but as a piece of the big picture of the Bible. If we don’t get bogged down in the details of it, what can we learn about our Heavenly Father? I would suggest these three things.

 

First, He is just; and He is true to His character. His yes is yes and His no is no. What this means is that He must judge evil. He must judge the unrighteous. He must judge us. He must keep us accountable. I don’t particular care for this lesson, but it’s there, and it’s true. However, there is Good News to go with this.

 

Because He is just, our sins have to be paid for. He did this by using the sacrificial system as a metaphor to show the Israelites in a tangible way the need for a sacrifice; the need for atonement; the need for redemption. The only way to pay for our sins was with a pure lamb, a spotless lamb – His son Jesus.

 

Therefore, the second lesson from this chapter is that God loves us so much that he sacrificed His one and only son so that we might know Him; so that we might not be thrown into the lake of fire; so that we might spend eternity with Him.

 

The final lesson is that God wins! He wins over Satan; over evil; over death. He wins in the end! Why is that important for us? Consider what John wrote in his first letter: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world”. Ultimately, there is victory for us. Jesus will return.

 

Tom Izzo is known as Mr. March because of his record during March Madness. He knows how to win when it counts. He builds his team on accountability to help them be better; to help them win when it counts. God does the same thing for us. He keeps us accountable and paid the price for our sins. Because He wins, we win too.

 

So, who’s keeping you accountable?

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2020%3A1-15&version=NIV;TLB
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Rev.20.1-Rev.20.15

 

 

 

Revelation 7: 9-12

 Go to People Nothing Like You

Chapter 7 tells of two groups of believers; First the 144,000 representatives of the Godly remnant of Israel. Second, the great multitude of martyred people from every nation who died rather than deny their faith. Saints who knew the power and glory of our God. These saints are people who walked his earth like you and I.

As we make our way through Revelation, and attempt to wrap our heads around what will be, I am brought back to today. There are those who boldly and confidently profess the word of God, and their value is priceless. There are others who quietly believe but also make an impact, by living the gospel, supporting those in need, and gently nudging others toward the Lord. Their lives are challenging, difficult, and often painful as was Jesus' life on this planet. Despite their struggles, they forge ahead in the name of the Lord. 

Verse 9: After this I, John, looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. 

On that final day, it will not matter what color we are or from where we came. As we embrace the vastness and welcome of God's open door for us, we are to offer the same to others, even if it pushes us beyond comfort. The Lord is pleased as he views our struggle to go where he leads us. 

No matter where we are on the belief spectrum, we are called to go..... across the room, the street, the office, the world. Though it may feel safe to stay within our own little Christian bubble, pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone grows us. As we grow, so do the lives of those we reach, and God's family is greater than before! 

Read/Listen to Revelation 7: 9-12

Revelation 21: 1-7

Our Future-The New Jerusalem

This is the promise I wrote of last Sunday from 2Corinthians:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eye. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away."

John, follower of Jesus is the author of this book of Revelation. He writes of several essential points we can only imagine because they seem too good to be true, and we were told as children that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Well these promises do not fall into that category. John’s prophesy is the ultimate guarantee; the promise of a lifetime….

John proclaims:

-The world as we know it will come to an end.

-Jesus Christ will return to the earth to make all things new.

-At the end of human history, evil will be judged and contained forever.

-Those who trust in Christ for their salvation will enjoy eternal life with Him.

What will heaven be like? The bible uses symbolic terminology filled with inviting images so we can sense a glimpse of its majesty, yet our minds fall short of being able truly to comprehend what is yet to come. Just the thought of being able to dwell with The Lord, be near Him, and be at peace with Him and all the universe is unimaginable.  I pray I will meet you all there.

Read/Listen to Revelation 21: 1-7

A Party in Heaven - Revelation 7:9-12

“Amen! 
Praise and glory 
and wisdom and thanks and honor 
and power and strength 
be to our God for ever and ever. 
Amen!” (Revelation 7:12)

Returning from my first short term mission trip to Honduras over ten years ago, I was seated next to a man who told me had been in leadership of the Mormon church, but recently he stepped down, as he had some doubts.  He had started reading the Christian Bible and at this point in his life he wasn't sure about much of anything.  

I was new in my own 'relationship with Jesus Christ' and wanted to switch seats with a pastor, as I was sure he would be able to tell this seeker all about Jesus.  I shot up a quick prayer asking for wisdom and proceeded to talk with him.

He told me that one of his biggest obstacles to the Christian idea of heaven was the thought of standing around, singing and praising God all day and night. This sounded boring and he could not imagine himself doing this for eternity.  We talked the entire flight and at the end I asked if I could be praying for him and he agreed.

When I read from the book of Revelation I am reminded of a party in Heaven—a party God is throwing for all His people.  This party is reward for a job well done, and we, the recipients respond by offering praise and worship; perfect praise and worship. Sounds like fun to me!

To read the Scripture text for to click here. 

Jesus' letters to the Church -- Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22

Have you ever feared the mailman? Have you ever wondered what bad news the letter carrier might be putting in your mailbox today? During the difficult financial times we are currently facing, many of us fear the Over Due notices which arrive too often. We expect these letters, we know we are late with some payment and we are struggling to keep afloat.

The seven churches referred to in the book of Revelation received some unpleasant mail. The Church in Sardis, which had compromised with its pagan surroundings, was told to “…repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” (Revelation 3:3).

The church in Laodicea had become self-sufficient, forgetting their need for a Savior. “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16). Those in Laodicea were right and powerful, not faithful and true.

When reading Revelation, I get the feeling we are experiencing Déjà vu. Déjà vu, meaning "already seen" in French) is the experience of feeling sure that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously. Could either of the two churches cited in our reading for today, Sardis and Laodicea, be mistaken for a church near you?

Heavenly Father, teach us to listen to your Word, to heed your warnings and to repent.

To read the complete text for today click here .  To return to this posting hit the back arrow.