Monthly Archives: November 2013

Hope for Judgment

25 Monday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This is a message for those who dwell on the earth. Remember that’s a technical term the author John uses to speak about those who are hostile to God and the people who love God; they are angry and violent, deceived, enslaved and self-destructing. For those who dwell on the earth the judgment announcement is a wake up call. What is it for those who are already in a respectful and repentant relationship with their Creator; people who live to give God glory? In this case, the call is a signal that things are wrapping up according to plan. All over the Bible, there is a progression that is reveals key historical events:

The Cross.
The spread of the Good News.
Satanic deceptions meant to disrupt the Good News.
Corruptions of the church creating religious confusion and then persecution.
The announcement of judgment.
The second coming, the end of sin and death, and the restoration of all things.

We are living on the other side of the judgment’s announcement. That only leaves the second coming! And yet, as exciting as that realization is, there’s something even more deeper to it. Have you ever stood back and taken a look at the world? There are lots of blessings out there but if you look long enough your heart has probably started to ache. Have you ever wanted to cry out, “How long, O Lord?”

How long will the children be sold into slavery?
How long will the factories be deathtraps for the workers?
How long will the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?
How long will cancer be allowed to take our loved ones?
How long will families be disaster zones spraying brokenness like deadly shrapnel into the world?
How long will our communities suffer under the weight of addictions, abuse and adultery?

Within each of us is a recognition that we live in a broken world that we are powerless to fix. That doesn’t mean we give up in defeat; we still do our part even though it’s like trying to hold back a tidal wave with your hands. We press on because we have a life giving hope that there is a restoration plan in place that will actually work and that it will be truly fair and equitable. While we take our stand, our hearts still ache; our cry, “How long, O Lord?” is a desire for the one true judge to do what needs to be done.

Hear what the Psalmist declared:
But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9)

Did you hear the connection between the hearts desire to see the true judge of all the earth and knowing that he is a refuge for the oppressed? It’s good news when the judge takes the throne. It’s the message that the war is almost over, freedom and love will at long last be the order of the day.

The Hour of Judgment

21 Thursday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This is a message for those who dwell on the earth. Remember that’s a technical term the author John uses to speak about those who are hostile to God and the people who love God; they are angry and violent, deceived, enslaved and self-destructing. It’s a beautiful message because it reveals a God so loving that he goes to extreme lengths to rescue them and, if we’re honest, we can acknowledge that at one time or another, all of us resemble those who dwell on the earth.

I’ve asked you to consider the first angel’s message:
Fear God: In other words, God’s love and grace leads us to respect him; have reverence for him as Creator, King, and Redeemer, and that in turn leads to a healing relationship with him that has been described as intimately as a marriage.
Give him Glory: the way of God, his commandments, the principles of his kingdom all based on love must be our life – 24×7.

And why, should a person fear God and give him glory? Because the hour of his judgment has come.

There are a lot of facets to judgment in the Bible. I just want to share with you that the loud cry that judgment has come is a two sided alarm bell. Let’s say you’re a little fast and loose with your driving – roll through stop signs, don’t watch your speed, and so on. You know you could get caught one day, you may have to face the judge some day but you’re busy and no one’s getting hurt.

What happens when the day comes when those colourful lights appear in your rearview mirror? Suddenly you are awake; you instantly become aware of all the stupid behaviour you’ve ever done. The hour of judgment has come!

The larger context is that all the things other than God that we put upon all our hopes, dreams, and desires are self-destructing. The next angel tells us that Babylon is fallen! For those who dwell on the earth, the loud cry that the judgment has come is a wake up call, like a siren blast, saying: The time has run out, it’s time to fear God and give him glory; take his hand so he can rescue you from the destruction that’s coming.

Knowing this, can you see how loving this loud cry is? It’s really Good News. We don’t know when time will run out. We can see a sign here or there but the Bible makes it clear that the end will come suddenly; it will be surprising to most people. When the time comes the world will be turned upside down and inside out. God’s intention is that no one will be caught in the destruction.

I needed that wake up call. Do you need a wake up call today?

The Three – Glory to Obey

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

What does it mean to give God glory?

Several commentators have noted that John pulls a great deal of content from the Old Testament so he can give context to and describe the visions he is given. When it comes to glory and it’s relationship to respecting God (what is often translated as “fear God”) it looks like John was thinking of Moses’ appeal to the Israelites as they were about to enter Canaan.

Here’s one example: Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Repeatedly, Moses connects being in a close relationship with God with keeping the commandments, obeying him, walking in his ways. This is the promise repeated throughout the Bible: When we are in a relationship with God he transforms us into people who don’t make things into little gods in our lives, we let our yes be yes and our no be no, we rest in him as Creator and Redeemer, we become respectful towards others and we release contempt and our desire to destroy others, we become faithful, don’t take what’s not ours, live with honesty, and be content with what we have.

In other words, when we allow God to transform us and restore his image in us, we give glory to God: who he is, what he is like, and what he can do.

If you’ve been around Christian communities for a while, I likely haven’t told you something you don’t know. And yet, just making this a matter of doing some things right is not seeing just how deep giving glory to God really goes.

The Three – God Gets The Glory

07 Thursday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

As we consider the loud cry of the first angel, we hear the invitation: Give glory to God.

If you hang around Christians long enough you are going to hear the word glory more than a few times. One of the problems that comes when we use a word a lot is, it kind of loses it’s meaning and power.

A pastor friend of mine tells of a time when he was standing at the front door of the sanctuary and he could see a family driving up to the building. The parents were obviously upset with the kids and each other; he could see them shouting at each other. Then they parked and got out of the car, doors slamming, walked into the building muttering their irritation and impatience at each other. When the pastor met them he asked, “How are you this morning?” The father replied, “Wonderful, pastor, wonderful, all glory to God.”

Is that what the loud shout is calling people to do – simply add the phrase “Glory to God” into sentences? Is there something more? What difference does it make?

Artist Chris Medina wrote a song his fiancé who was terribly injured before they were married. The song, “What are Words” is about living the words we speak. The chorus goes:

“What are words
If you really don’t mean them
When you say them?
What are words
If they’re only for good times
Then they don’t?
When it’s love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we’re gone.”

Would you like to discover what it really means to give God glory?

The Three – Glory!

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

As we consider the loud cry of the first angel, we hear the invitation: Give glory to God. Giving glory flows from giving God respect.

Why should we respect God? Because he said so: God said it so I believe it! Does God want blind obedience? He’s God and that demands respect but can you demand respect? The thing is these characteristics are part of Satan’s methods. God forces no one to love or worship him.

In the Bible, there is what I like to call the lovingkindness principle. God initiates a relationship with us by demonstrating his lovingkindness for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. What do we do? We respond by loving him back and in that love there is respect, reverence, and repentance. What happens when we love God back? We’ve engaged with him so he is able to pour out even more lovingkindness on us which inspires us to respond even more and so on.

When we embrace God’s love and begin to live in his grace – we are respecting him – giving glory will flow out from us naturally, almost unconsciously. The irony is, trying to give God glory without being completely grounded in God’s love and grace will eventually degrade into works righteousness – a position that makes us think God owes us.

Are you living in the stream of God’s lovingkindness?