Tag Archives: Glory

The Three – Worship… Him Who Made

26 Thursday Dec 2013

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I’ve been sharing some thoughts concerning the last message of warning given to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. Although this message is for “those who dwell on the earth,” people who are not in a relationship with God and don’t give God glory, the last part of the first angel’s message speaks to all of us: “Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Everyone needs to hear the call to worship him who made because human hearts are idol factories. With no effort at all we often look to people and things for what only God can give. We regularly turn good things into ultimate things.

Our idols are not easy to spot because they are entrenched in our lives; it’s to the point we like to pretend they’re not there. Sure we can pick on what we idolize culturally – sports teams, musicians, and TV stars. Sometimes we will rail against the big three idols of the world – Power, Money, and Sex. But the deeper we go, the less we like to talk about our idols and the harder they become to see. Family, traditions, nationalism like Jonah, our careers, certainty, and prosperity can all be idols to us. We can even make idols in our faith experiences such as the idol of successful ministry, the idol of correct doctrine, and the idol of moral performance.

How can we discover where are idols are so they can be rooted out? Try out these questions:

Is there anything in my life where I am saying: “If only I could _____________ then I’ll be happy” or “If only I had more ______ then I would be good to go; able to handle anything”?
Is there something I am pursuing at all costs; is there something I have been sacrificing the really important things to?
What do I daydream about? I don’t mean you dream about being on a beach somewhere warm when it gets cold. I’m talking about habitually daydreaming about having something that will certainly complete your joy.
How am I spending my money? Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. “Your money will also flow effortlessly towards your greatest love.”
When I pray for something and I don’t get it, how do I react? Do I experience anger or deep despair?

Anything coming to mind? If so, take it to God right now and ask if it’s an idol to you. If it is, it needs to be uprooted and smashed; it’s sucking the life out of you. However, that’s not enough. You must plant something else in it’s place: The love of God. Meditate on it, daily receive it, give it out to others; let it saturate your being.

(I would like to give a nod to Timothy Keller whose perspectives on idols have been life changing for me.)

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 Three – Beyond Our Imagination

03 Thursday Oct 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.

In my last post, I wanted to let you know that the message of the three angels isn’t for people who have put their life into God’s hands; those who are in an intimate, trusting, obedient relationship with our Creator. The message is for those who dwell on the earth, a phrase that the apostle John uses to describe those who have turned away from God. These are the people with blood on their hands; these are the people who love themselves and the world more than they love others and the kingdom of God.

Think of it this way. Recently, the news was filled with wildfires raging in California. Imagine there are people in the path of that fire and they are not moving. God comes racing ahead of the blaze with a loud voice – he has to use a loud voice because the roar of the fire is deafening – and he cries out – the fire is upon you, the time has come to take my hand, trust me and I will be able to save you.

A man-made God would say something like – I died to save you, you rejected me and my salvation, get lost! Isn’t that how we usually are in our relationships when things go bad? Haven’t you written off some friends and family because they got on your bad side?

But the true God, the living God, is beyond our imaginations; he loves with everything he’s got to the very end.

The Three – Earthlings

30 Monday Sep 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.

Who is this message for?

In a sense, this is a message for all people because we all need to meditate on where our hearts are resting; we need to ask ourselves – Where does my heart lie; who has my allegiance and all my best efforts? However, when John uses the phrase “those who dwell on the earth” it’s code and it’s not talking about the church – he’s not speaking about those who put their trust in Jesus Christ. “Those who dwell on the earth” is John’s way of talking about those who are being deceived by or have even decided to worship the beast.

Check out: Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 11:10, 13:14, and 17:8.

Do you get the picture? These are the people who have turned away from God; these are the people with blood on their hands; these are the people who love themselves and the world more than they love others and the kingdom of God. These are the kind of people we write off – they have betrayed, lied, or simply made your life miserable.

To the people who hate God and you for loving him, Jesus is making a final appeal: came back to me, come back to safety, let me save you from what’s coming.

Now that’s a God I want to know more about!

The Three – Context Part 2

19 Thursday Sep 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 this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

The message of the three angels in Revelation 14, is a response to what has been revealed in Revelation 12 and 13. In these chapters we are told about a dragon, a sea beast and a land beast. These aren’t real creatures but symbolic images that represent powerful agencies active in the world today. We do this today – the USA is an eagle, Russia is the bear.

Because of the evidence in the text, we can see that these creatures make up a satanic anti-trinity: the dragon counterfeits God the Father, the sea beast counterfeits God the Son, and the land beast counterfeits God the Holy Spirit. The sole purpose of the anti-trinity is to steal away the hearts and minds of all people from God’s love. This is their last ditch appeal to the human race to embrace self – either for gain or out of fear.

Most of Revelation 14 reveals God’s equally intense appeal to the human race to find their hope and life in his grace. It’s urgent; choose NOW – today – before it’s too late! It’s God’s invitation to be among the faithful remnant described in the first five verse of chapter 14.

The intensity of the appeal is due to it being the last message to a dying world. How do we know? The very next scene is Christ’s second coming. The message of the three angels is the writing on the wall; God’s heartfelt cry to deliver people from the clutches of Satan.

So the question today is, which appeal is for you?

The Three – Introduction

11 Wednesday Sep 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 this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This passage has it all: angels, the entire world, fear and glory, judgment, worship, Babylon, adultery, beasts, wrath, and more. It ends with the dire message:

“There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

We already have some questions: What’s going on here? Why is this message in the Bible? Why do some parts sound horrific? Who is this message for and why is it being given?

Would you be willing to come along with me over the next few weeks as we seek the answers to these questions?