Behold the Lamb!

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Pete

Often we Christians will talk of what it will be like to behold Christ in heaven. We try to imagine what it will be like when we no longer “see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1Cor.13:12). Sometimes we’ll close our eyes and ask the Spirit to place but a drop of heaven upon our tongues so that we might taste, here and now, something of the reality that awaits us there and then. What will it be like to look upon Jesus? What will we see? How will we process it? How will we respond? Will we see the King? Will we bow before the Light? Will we hear in “real time” the Shepherds voice? I’m thinkin’. But, if the Revelation to John makes any thing clear, it’s that we will behold the Lamb.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain . . .   
                                                                              (Revelation 5:5-6a ESV)

The One introduced as the Lion of tribe of Judah . . . the One who is identified as the Root of David . . . the foundation and substance of the royal line . . . He who is King of Kings . . . when this One was beheld by John’s eyes, John saw a Lamb . . . a Lamb as though it had been slain.

Isn’t that kind of remarkable? In the vision John had of Christ when he was on the island, he saw the Ancient of Days . . . he beheld the glory of the Sovereign Judge . . . his senses tried to process the majestic sight of Him who walks among the churches. But when John is transported beyond earthly realms and escorted through the portal of heaven and encounters the risen Christ again, he sees a Lamb.

Don’t quote me on this . . . but doing some quick math with my handy-dandy Bible concordance it looks like Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb” or “a Lamb” some 32 times in the ESV New Testament. Only 5 of those references are outside the book of the Revelation to John. So that leaves 27 references to the risen Christ as the Lamb as John encounters heaven and is given a vision of concerning what is to come. It seems like, for eternity, we will never be far removed from the cross and One who paid the price for our redemption.

Oh the wonder of the Triune God. That they, in their Sovereign determination, would determine, before time began, that the Son would be the Lamb. That Jesus would play a role for just 33 years . . . 33 years is not even drop in the ocean of eternity . . . a role with which He will be identified forevermore. That the greatest event to ever occur on the earth will be immortalized for eternity in heaven. The Lamb, a continual memorial of the sacrifice . . . the Lamb, a forever tribute to the love of God . . . the Lamb, a never ending catalyst for awe and worship.

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”    (Revelation 5:11-12 ESV)

O’ that we might renew, or for some, that they might start, this heavenly activity of beholding the Lamb of God. That we would behold the Lamb even as we look upon the manger . . . that we would behold the Lamb even as we give and receive gifts . . . that we would behold the Lamb as we experience the joy . . . that we would behold the Lamb, the One who was slain . . . that men and women believing, might be possessors of eternal life.

Behold the Lamb . . . by His grace . . . for His glory!

Posted in Revelation | Leave a comment

The Rhythm of Heaven

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Pete

Trying to follow along with John the Revelator as he is caught up to heaven by the Spirit (Rev. 4). Through the Word, and with the help of my resident Teacher, I’m trying to see what he saw . . . to take in what he took in . . . to behold what he beheld . . . perhaps, in some small measure, respond as he must have responded. And one thing that captured my attention is that I don’t think heaven will ever go silent . . . that there will always be a continual rumble creating a type of ambient sound that will just be there . . . that there will be a 24/7 (though in heaven there is no 24 nor any 7) background chorus that our ears will become attuned to. but never tired of . . . that there will be, pulsating for all eternity, the rhythm of heaven.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”   (Revelation 4:6b-8 ESV)

The first thing that catches John’s eye as he enters the door of heaven by the Spirit of God is a throne and the One seated on the throne. The appearance of the One who inhabits the throne is more light and color than it is features and form. And, it seems, there is constant activity about the throne . . . flashes of lightning . . . rumblings and peals of thunder . . . torches burning . . . and twenty-four elders moving back and forth between sitting on thrones they inhabit and going facedown in worship before the One in their midst. And around the throne, on each of its four sides, there are four magnificent creatures. Six-winged angelic beings . . . and theirs is to sustain this rhythm of heaven.

Day and night . . . without ceasing . . . without intermission . . . not needing to catch their breath from time to time . . . with no thought of “changing it up” so that it doesn’t become stale . . . they set the backdrop for life around the throne . . . their focus is singular . . . their message is simple . . . their declaration never growing common place . . . their voices never becoming hoarse . . . as they cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Can you hear the rhythm of heaven? It’s not “white noise” intended to go unnoticed in the background . . . but I imagine it is the heartbeat of life in the presence of God. Underlying all the activity amidst the throne . . . creating the perfect backdrop for worship before the throne . . . in perfect harmony with all the songs being directed towards the throne . . . the rhythm of heaven sustains an ever-present, majestic rumbling worthy of Him who sits on the throne.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” . . . it is the character of God . . . it is the context of heaven . . . it is the call to worship.

O that I might hear the rhythm of heaven. That I might be even more attuned to it this busy, busy season. That I might hear it in the stable as I gaze in wonder, with the shepherds, upon the Christ child. That it might reverberate as I remember that the babe in the manger became the Carpenter on the Cross such that the Holy, Holy, Holy God of heaven might atone for the sin that separates the defiled from His presence. That the rhythm would peak to crescendo as I consider that He who came once in humble flesh will one day come again in magnificent glory to reign forever.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty . . . Who was . . . Who is . . . and Who is to come!

Can you hear the rhythm of heaven?

Posted in Revelation | Leave a comment

The Living Dead

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Pete

Zombies . . . the living dead . . . I understand that, in some circles, it’s all the rage. I haven’t really paid much attention to “the genre” . . . but even without knowing anything about the movies and games, to talk of “the living dead” has a way of conjuring up kind of disgusting images and unpleasant implications. Not a term we would necessarily connect with the church. But that’s exactly what I read this morning in Revelation 3:1-5.

Jesus tells John to write to “the angel of the church in Sardis”. And this letter doesn’t start off with “Hi, how are you?” It doesn’t even start the way some of the other letters to the churches do with some form of commendation for the good stuff that’s happening in their midst. Instead, Jesus gets right to the point . . .

“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”    (Revelation 3:1b-2 ESV)

It seems that people who encountered the church at Sardis came away with an impression that this was a “happening church” . . . that things were alive in their meetings . . . that this must be what Christianity is about. But Jesus . . . “He who has the seven Spirits of God” . . . He who knows all things . . . the Head of the church says, I know your works . . . I know what’s keeping you busy . . . you are dead.”

What a tragedy!!! For a fellowship of Christians to be so busy, yet so dying from the inside-out. Maintaining the good show . . . feeding their reputation as an alive Church . . . but under the covers there’s decay and death . . . their reputation is a sham before the living Word, the Discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). It’s not about how others assess how “good” our church is . . . it’s all about how our Lord assesses our gathering.

Sometimes we can get “so fancy” with what we think our meeting together needs to encompass that we forget what really defines us and what the “One who walks among the churches” is really interested in. It’s not just about what we’re doing but how we’re doing it. It’s about the heart behind the programs . . . the reality behind the messages . . . the motives behind the motions. Openness . . . honesty . . . that’s what God’s people need before His Son, the Great Shepherd of the flock . . . a candid assessment against the Word of God . . . and, if and as necessary, repentance.

In contrast to Sardis, I then read about the church at Philadelphia in 3:7-13. No rebuke here . . . only encouragement to keep on keeping on even though they are being hammered by those who say they are Jews but are really of “the synagogue of Satan” (v.9). This is a group with “little strength” but who have kept Jesus’ word and have not denied His name (v.8). Faithful . . . that’s what marks Philadelphia . . . Faking It . . . that’s what marks Sardis.

How do I want my Christian life to be assessed . . . as putting on a good show . . . or as putting on a real faith?

And so, the risen Lord says to the living dead, “Wake up!” He can say that . . . and for those who have ears to hear, stuff happens. Dead come alive . . . truly alive . . . fully alive . . . more alive than when they were alive. He is the Resurrection and the Life . . . He is the Raiser of the Dead . . . even of those who maybe have been going through the motions . . . playing church . . . putting on a good show but with little substance. He will give life . . . ours is to return to the Life Giver.

O’ to be an alive church . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory. Amen?

Posted in Revelation | Leave a comment

Let It Rain!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Pete

There’s a principle that runs throughout Scripture which Paul states clearly in Galatians 6:7, “whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” It’s the law of the harvest . . . it’s the way of action and reaction . . . of cause and effect. The principle jumped off the page in my reading in Hosea this morning. Israel was reaping the result of their spiritual adultery as their cheating on God resulted in increased depravity and hardness of heart. Though God was willing to take back his “unfaithful wife”, even prepared to buy her back from the market of sin’s slavery, she persistently rejected the call and continued to sell herself to others. And so she invites the wrath of God . . . the bad fruit she has already born not to be compared with the coming “reaction” of heaven as a result of her actions on earth. But even in this, God’s desire is to discipline such that there is a coming to the senses and a return to their first love.

As I’m reading in chapter 10, Hosea, the one who has known first-hand the heart-wrenching disappointment and grief of an unfaithful wife, is moved by the Spirit to call out that Ephraim (Israel) is reaping injustice because they have plowed fields of iniquity . . . they have bought into the “fruit of lies” . . . trusted in their own ways . . . and are about to know terrible destruction because of their evil (10:13-15). But God says that even with this yoke of judgment upon them, He would have them return . . . that they would respond to the yoke and plow new ground . . . ground that will invite the Father’s blessing . . . ground that would once again bear much fruit.

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.   (Hosea 10:12 ESV)

Break up the hard ground . . . dig in and overturn the fruitless ground . . . and sow seeds of righteousness. Seek the LORD . . . and there will be a harvest . . . there will be reaping of the steadfast love of God . . . of the loyal mercies of the One who longs for His children to pursue the abiding fellowship of God in their midst. God calls to repentance and offers renewal. God desires their face to be turned again toward His, that His face might again shine upon them. And when they do . . . He will come . . . and rain righteousness upon them . . . O’ let it rain!

O the pursuit of God for His people . . . O the desire of God that His people would pursue Him. And though our efforts are feeble . . . our righteousness is a filthy rags . . . the response of heaven to the seeking of the LORD is to rain down righteousness. The outpouring is the the righteousness of Another . . . the righteousness of the perfect and spotless Lamb of God . . . He who came to take away the sin of the world . . . He whose perfection is rained down upon all who believe, upon those who pursue, through the Holy Spirit . . . yeah, let it rain!

It is time to seek the LORD . . .

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion . . . “   (Hebrews 3:7-8a ESV)

Plow up the hard heart . . . dig deep . . . break up the fallow ground . . . that is might be ready to receive the seeds of renewal and revival . . . that it might receive the rain of righteousness . . . the outpouring of Christ’s very nature.

Let it rain . . . by His grace . . . for His glory. Amen?

Posted in Hosea | Leave a comment

A White Stone

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Pete

When reading the letters to the seven churches written by John in the Revelation he received, I’m always drawn to that which is promised to “the one who conquers.” As part of each of the letters, found in Revelation 2 & 3, there is an encouragement by the Lord, who walks among the seven churches, to some form of action . . . and for those who are obedient, to the one who conquers, there is a pledged outcome. This morning I’m hovering over the promise given to those who are conquerors in the church of Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17) . . . I’m thinking about a white stone.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.    (Revelation 2:17 ESV)

Apparently there is a variety of opinions among commentators as to what exactly the white stone symbolizes. One explanation I’ve come across is that “in the ancient courts of justice the accused were condemned by black pebbles and acquitted by white” . . . another is that in some athletic games, a white stone was given to the victor . . . another is that it had come to symbolize a token of favor. All fit . . .

But I’m less concerned about what the stone symbolizes than I am intrigued by the unique and individual nature of the gift from the Head of the Church. The stone is one of a kind in that it has a “new name” written on it that is known only by the One who writes the name and the one who receives the stone. In the giving of the stone and the receiving of it there is a “secret bond” formed . . . a very personal interaction between Savior and saint.

Not only is the name a secret . . . but it is a new name . . . a new kind of name . . . a never before used name . . . an unprecedented name. I imagine that receiving the stone and beholding this new name will evoke awe . . . wonder . . . and worship. I imagine that it forms a unique intimate bond which will be remembered throughout eternity.

And while I’m not sure whether the bounds of interpretation and application permit me to “claim the promise” for myself and anticipate such a stone, it is a reminder of the nature of the White Stone Giver.

It’s a reminder of the personal and unique relationship Jesus has sought with this sinner saved by grace. He knows my name . . . and my new name if He has one for me. He knows my struggles . . . He knows the areas that I need to, by His power and grace, be a conqueror over.

Though there will be a sea of the redeemed before the throne, I’m thinking there will be a very individualized interaction between the Redeemer and and each of His redeemed . . . some meaningful one-on-one between the Shepherd and His sheep . . . an intimate conversation known only between the glorious King and each subject who has conquered by His blood and by His grace.

A white stone for me? I don’t know.

A one of a kind encounter with my Lord? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Posted in Revelation | Leave a comment

Treasure Up . . . and Ponder Anew!

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Pete

Kind of an interesting juxtaposition this morning . . . I’m reading the first chapter of the Revelation to John . . . and, in the background, are Christmas hymns being wonderfully played on a piano. I’m reading John’s record of the vision he had of the Son of Man as I’m reminded of the picture portrayed at the birth of the Son of God.

In John’s vision, “one like the Son of Man” stood in the midst of seven golden lampstands, an indication of His authority over the church . . . in the hymn I’m listening to, the son of Mary is lying in a manger in the midst, we imagine, of various animals. John saw the risen Christ clothed with a regal long flowing robe and with a golden sash around his chest declaring His kingly majesty . . . Mary tried to keep the baby Jesus warm with swaddling clothes, a stark reminder of the humility he was born into.

John beheld King Jesus as glorious Judge . . . the hairs of His head white like wool . . . His eyes like a flame of fire . . . His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace. But the shepherds gathered around on that first Christmas night to behold a Savior . . . One who had come to rescue people from judgment . . . One who would give Himself to pay the price due for sin, that all who might would be fully and completely redeemed from slavery to sin . . . that the born again sons and daughters of Adam might experience worshiping the Judge without fear of the judgment.

And when John heard His voice, it was like the roar of many waters . . . His authority beyond question . . . His power beyond imagination . . . but all that was masked on that night in Bethlehem . . . deity was shrouded in humanity . . . power was contained in meekness . . . the voice of heaven was heard as a baby’s cry in a stable.

What a contrast! What love shown by Almighty God to sin corrupted people! Immanuel . . . God with us!

When John saw the risen Christ he fell at His feet as though he were dead . . . the heaven-sent vision overpowering His earth-bound senses . . . his knees instinctively knowing that buckling was the right thing to do in the presence of such Majesty . . . his eyes slamming shut for fear the light of glory might overpower the retinas ability to transport the sight to his brain . . . the heart exploding in worship before the risen, glorious King.

And Mary? Well Mary sought to take in the all happenings of that holy night . . . the birth . . . the meager surroundings . . . the visitation by the shepherds . . . their story of close encounters with the angelic kind . . . the expressions of awe and wonder upon their face. Mary treasured up all these things . . . “pondering them in her heart.” She brought it all together and tried to process it all . . . and, I wonder, if she too didn’t worship a bit.

That’s kind of what I’m doing this morning . . . processing . . . worshiping . . . as I read Revelation 1 and am reminded of Luke 2 by the music playing in the background.

What Child is this? This is Christ the King!

O’, that the incarnation might fill my imagination this Christmas season. That John’s vision might be brought to mind often as I consider the shepherd’s visitation. That I might, with Mary, treasure up these things in my heart and ponder anew the depths of their implications . .. so that I might, with John, worship afresh at the feet of the risen glorious Christ.

O, Come Let Us Adore Him! Amen?

Posted in Luke, Revelation | Leave a comment

What a House! . . . What a Savior!

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Pete

Sometimes it’s those verses we are the most familiar with that we are quickest to skim over . . . “Yeah, yeah,” we say in effect, “Been there . . . read that . . . let’s move on.” But really, isn’t the fact that we know these verses so well . . . that we’ve heard them so many times . . . an indicator right there that they are the diamonds. They are the elite of Scripture . . . of all the verses we could remember or have memorized . . . these are the few . . . and so, just as a master jeweler appreciates fine diamonds and will pull them out just to gaze at them and appreciate afresh their beauty, we too, when we come across these jewels of Scripture in our leather bound jewelry boxes, should pull them out . . . pause . . . gaze at them . . . and be moved again with their magnificence. No skimming over John 14:2-3 this morning . . .

In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.   – Jesus
(John 14:2-3 ESV)

What a house! The Father’s house. The abode of the Almighty Himself. It is the place where He who dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16) lives. A magnificent structure . . . constructed with materials and techniques unknown on earth. Huge . . . it defines heaven . . . heaven defines it. And in this house are many rooms . . . literally many dwellings . . . many places to abide. The Master Builder has constructed His house such that it might receive many guests . . . no, not guests . . . He has built His house such that all His children can come home. If it were not so, Jesus wouldn’t be telling us it was so.

Yes, in this house are no guest rooms . . . there are only rooms custom prepared for each child of God. Personally designed by the Creator . . . handcrafted by the Carpenter of Nazareth. An abiding place really beyond speculation . . . beyond earthly senses to imagine . . . something that is, quite literally, out of this world. Keith Green captured it well, I think, when he said that if God created the earth, and all its beauty and grandeur, in 7 days . . . and now Jesus has been preparing a place for us for 2,000 years . . . then “we’re livin’ in a garbage can compared to what’s going on up there!” Can’t wait to see my room!

But really when I get there, as amazing as the room will be . . . as awestruck as I will be by the beauty of the surroundings . . . what I’ll really be looking for is the One who went to prepare that place for me . . . the One who purchased for the place. And see Him I will! . . . He promised . . . “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” My room will be ready when it’s time for me to go home . . . and, as amazing as that abiding place will be, it will be secondary to the wonder of the reality of just being where Jesus is. The Lord of lords and King of kings says that He, Himself, will receive Me . . . will welcome me . . . will settle me in . . . and, will let me be with Him.

To be with Jesus . . . face to face . . . or, I guessing, probably face to feet. What will that be? Welcomed into the courts of my King . . . ushered into His presence . . . looking up and seeing the scars in His hands and His feet . . . remembering that the preparation for my dwelling place began on the cross . . . knowing that the entrance to my room was formed through the shed blood of the spotless Lamb of God . . . recalling that I didn’t seek Him, but that He sought me — as a Shepherd seeks lost sheep . . . . as my chest, feeling like it will burst, swells up with a heart overflowing in love and adoration, reminded that I love Him because He first loved me. What will that be?

What a house awaits me . . . a dwelling place being custom prepared for me. What a Savior who, having rescued me, is now preparing a place for me, and one day will come and get me and receive me to Himself . . . that I might abide with Him forever.

To Him be all glory . . .

Posted in John | Leave a comment

Man Greatly Loved

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Pete

Wrapping up Daniel this morning. You gotta like this guy. As a young man witnessed the destruction of his nation . . . was taken from his family (if they had survived) to a foreign land . . . and there determined not to defile himself with the ways of the new land he was ordered to learn about and participate in. The hand of God was on him from the beginning . . . special gifting . . . special calling . . . resulting in a meteoric rise to the top. A seat in the government . . . and not just through one administration, but through decades under various rulers . . . and yet always in touch and submitted to THE RULER. And as I read this final vision given to Daniel, it’s not the prophecy revealed that catches my attention . . . but rather how the prophet is addressed.

And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you” . . . And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.”   (Daniel 10:11, 19 ESV)

Man greatly loved . . . that was Daniel. And the sense here is not “greatly loved” in that God had always loved Him as evidenced by the manner in which God had worked in and through him . . . but that God was crazy in love with this man because of how Daniel had allowed God to work through him. The idea of the word “greatly loved” is that of being delighted with . . . of being regarded of value and beauty . . . of being precious to someone (NLT) . . . of being highly esteemed (NIV).

Daniel had gone through it all . . . had spoken what need to be spoken . . . had stood fast when standing fast was required . . . had endured what needed to be endured . . . such that king after king recognized that Daniel’s God was the God above all gods . . . that Daniel’s God was the establisher of thrones and the Sovereign over every rule. Talk about living to the glory of God . . . and as such he was a man greatly loved by God.

You know, my tendency so often is to take the great characters like Daniel and project myself into their lives . . . to set them up as examples for how I should live. But I was challenged recently to see these great servants of God in the Old Testament as being foreshadows of the greater Servant, Jesus. Jesus is the greater Moses . . . Jesus is the greater David . . . and I’m thinking this morning of how Jesus is the greater Daniel.

Sent from heaven’s glories to earth’s darkness to be light. Divested of the “clothing” of His heavenly home and instead robed in flesh . . . the Creator taking on the form of the creation . . . and in essence submitting Himself as a servant. In the world, but determined not to be of the world . . . amidst the defilement but with spot . . . eating with publicans and sinners yet never participating in the way of publicans and sinners. Walking the dusty paths of earth yet never detached from heaven . . . just as Daniel prayed three times a day, so the Son of Man would find time alone to commune with the Father. Standing before the thrones of those with earthly power . . . revealing truth . . . yet thrown in the lion’s den. But unlike Daniel, He did not emerge without a scratch . . . instead He bore the stripes for my sin . . . He endured the suffering to atone for my shame . . . He suffered death that I might not fear it. And though He suffered, yet, like Daniel who emerged from the lions den, my Savior rose from the grave . . . left behind the grave clothes . . . was resurrected in glorious power.

My Lord and Savior, Jesus the Son of God, is a man greatly loved . . . by the Father . . . and by this sinner saved through wondrous grace.

To Him be glory alone . . . amen?

Posted in Daniel | Leave a comment

Love Being in the Love of God!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Pete

I love being bilingual . . . I can do Thanksgiving in two languages . . . Canadian and American . . . gotta’ love it. Sleep in a bit . . . move around a little slower in the morning . . . linger a little longer over the Word and the One from whom all blessings flow. How good is our God? Really good! Amen? Not just in the easy times . . . but in the not so easy, as well . . . He is always good . . . always faithful . . . and this morning He gave me a command to obey which is a delight and a joy . . .

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.   (Jude 20, 21 ESV)

“Keep yourselves in the love of God” . . . how’s that for a command to obey? Who’s in?

Guard . . . take care of . . . attend to carefully . . . your position enveloped in the agape of Theos ! Ok, I will! . . . how?

It’s right there . . . build . . . pray . . . wait.

I keep myself in the love of God when I’m attending to building up my most holy faith. How do I do that? Feed on His word, saint. It is the word of the life . . . it is the food of the faithful . . . it is the living, inspired, Word of God. To be be built up in the things of God requires feeding on the food of God. Consistently being in the Word keeps things fresh . . . keeps things real . . . and, my experience has been, keeps things growing. The Book is a dynamic, living Book. Not that it changes . . . not that is means something different today than yesterday . . . but that it contains the mind of God. And if “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9) . . . then why would it be surprising that we cannot tap the depths of His revealed Word in this lifetime (or because the next) . . . why would we not expect that as long as we continue feeding and drinking on the Word that the Word will satisfy and that we will be built up in our most holy faith?

Secondly, in order to keep myself in the love of God, I am to be praying in the Holy Spirit. Mine is to, by His grace, cultivate ears to hear the voice the Spirit . . . and to walk in the Spirit . . . that my prayers might be orchestrated by the Spirit. The God of heaven living in me through His Spirit would have my heart tuned to the things of heaven . . . and His ways on earth . . . such that when I pray, I’m not the one leading the dance, but instead following the lead of the Spirit infused within me . . . that when I pray, I pray according to His will . . . that when I pray, I desire His glory alone.

So . . .I build up my faith through the Father’s abiding Word . . . I engage with heaven as I pray in the Spirit’s enabling power . . . and lastly, according to Jude, I anticipate the ultimate outpouring of mercy as I wait for the Son’s imminent return. Jesus is coming soon. As I get older that I may know His coming through “the valley” or might witness it as He comes in “the sky” doesn’t really matter . . . it’s getting closer. That’s the “home run” for me . . . to know in a raised, immortal body the full experience of the eternal life I know possess by faith. To be translated from this corrupted foreshadow of all the Creator desires for His creation and be delivered in a place, and before a Person, that will be my delight for eternity. How does not anticipating the prize not keep us in the love of God?

Keep yourselves in the love of God! Keep building up your faith through My blessed Word . . . keep yourself aligned to who you are in Christ as you pray in My Holy Spirit . . . keep your eye focused on the hope before you when you will behold My blessed Son! Yes, LORD . . . and again, Yes!!!

Don’t you love being in the love of God?

Posted in Jude | Leave a comment

The Living God

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Pete

Kind of surprised me. I would have thought the term would have been found more often in the Scriptures. Found 13 times in the New Testament, only 15 times in all of the Old Testament. This morning I encountered it twice as I continued my reading in the book of Daniel. Get out the blue colored pencil . . . underline it . . . my God is THE LIVING GOD!

Not quite sure why it jumped off the page as I was reading Daniel 6 . . . perhaps because of the contrast to the gods being worshiped in Daniel 5. In chapter 5 the worshipper is King Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth. He puts on a big party . . . invites a thousand people . . . and the only thing bigger than the feast he’s hosting is his ego. He starts in on the wine and then gets an idea, “Bring me the vessels of gold and of silver that my dad took from the temple in Jerusalem . . . it’s fitting that I should be drinking from the cups made for the God of Israel.” And so he drinks from the consecrated vessels . . . and he passes them around to his lords, his wives, and his concubines to drink from. And as they drink from the holy cups made to be used in service before the holy God, they instead “praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (5:4). Or as Paul might say, “they worshiped and served created things instead of the the Creator” (Rom. 1:25 NLT).

Real live people praising inanimate objects. Kind of has a way of boosting the old self-esteem when you can hold the god of gold in your hands . . . when you can command the god of silver to be used to satisfy the intoxicating desires of your over-inflated sense of self-worth. When your god is something you can control, it makes you bigger than the god. But Belshazzar is called out by “the Most High God” who “rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom He will” (5:21) . . . “the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways” (5:23). In lifting up the god of gold, this brash king was lifting up himself “against the Lord of heaven” (5:23) . . . the living God . . . bad move!

Cue Darius the Mede . . . successor to Belshazzar the dead. You don’t get the sense that Darius has too much ego . . . just not enough smarts. He’s tricked into throwing his highest held official, Daniel, into a den of lions. This Daniel who Darius knew to be “faithful, and no error or fault was found in him” (6:4) . . . this Daniel who God knew to be faithful as he had served under three pagan kings in a foreign land in a way that was true to the King of his homeland . . . this Daniel who was condemned to die because he relentlessly sought, faithfully trusted, and continually served the living God.

And the morning after the night before when he has Daniel deposited with the carnivores, Darius rushes to the lions and den and in anguish cries out, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” You know the answer . . . Yup!

But what gets me is Darius’ recognition of the nature of Daniel’s God . . . that He is a living God!

Gold and silver make lousy gods. But the living God is the God who delivers from destruction. He is not a god that we can manipulate at will to satisfy our cravings, but He is the Sovereign God . . . omniscient . . . omnipresent . . . omnipotent. He is the King of all kings . . . He is the Lord of all lords.

. . . for He is the living God,
             enduring forever;
     His kingdom shall never be destroyed,
             and His dominion shall be to the end.
    He delivers and rescues;
    He works signs and wonders
             in heaven and on earth . . . (Daniel 6:26b-27a ESV)

To Him be all glory . . . forever and ever . . . amen!

Posted in Daniel | Leave a comment