Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

With high expectation and anticipation for the one about to appear in concert; we with thousands of other people suddenly gasp as we hold our breaths.  It happens as we catch a glimpse of the beginning of the appearance of the one we have been waiting.  Interestingly, a concerted hush of silence falls over the entire arena a nano second before the one appears!  We hear, “Let the concert begin!”  Then cheers and applause erupt in waves over the stadium.

A similar hush fell over heaven when the Lamb of God stepped up to open the seventh seal.  Imagine all of heaven stopping the music of glorious praise for thirty minutes in anticipation for what will happen next…

Revelation 8, The Message

When the Lamb ripped off the seventh seal, Heaven fell quiet—complete silence for about half an hour.

Blowing the Trumpets

^2-4 I saw the Seven Angels who are always in readiness before God handed seven trumpets. Then another Angel, carrying a gold censer, came and stood at the Altar. He was given a great quantity of incense so that he could offer up the prayers of all the holy people of God on the Golden Altar before the Throne. Smoke billowed up from the incense-laced prayers of the holy ones, rose before God from the hand of the Angel.

⁵ Then the Angel filled the censer with fire from the Altar and heaved it to earth. It set off thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake.

^6-7 The Seven Angels with the trumpets got ready to blow them. At the first trumpet blast, hail and fire mixed with blood were dumped on earth. A third of the earth was scorched, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass—burned to a crisp.

^8-9 The second Angel trumpeted. Something like a huge mountain blazing with fire was flung into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living sea creatures died, and a third of the ships sank.

^10-11 The third Angel trumpeted. A huge Star, blazing like a torch, fell from Heaven, wiping out a third of the rivers and a third of the springs. The Star’s name was Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from the poisoned water.

¹² The fourth Angel trumpeted. A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were hit, blacked out by a third, both day and night in one-third blackout.

¹³ I looked hard; I heard a lone eagle, flying through Middle-Heaven, crying out ominously, “Doom! Doom! Doom to everyone left on earth! There are three more Angels about to blow their trumpets. Doom is on its way!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The sound of a trumpet was used over the ages as a signal call to get ready for battle.  Although God disciplined his own people, they refused to repent.  John’s vision now includes trumpet calls to signal the battle charge for the final war waged between God’s and Satan’s forces.  Doom is coming to those who refused believing in the Son of God, therefore rejecting God, while refusing to accept eternal life.

We recall another moment of silence in heaven as the Jesus, Son of God, looked up once last time then bowed his head in excruciating pain as the Son of Man.  The crown of thorns had resulted in oozing lines blood that poured over his unrecognizable face from the beatings.  Jesus’ last words, “It is finished” prompted the hush of angels.  “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (John 19:30; Luke 23:46) Jesus’ last words caused all of heaven to grow silent at the words of the Savior.

The skies grew dark as the Light of the world went out—but only for a little while.  As Jesus gasped His final breath, the earth suddenly stirred and shook.  Then the earth grew quiet, the mocking stopped for there was no one to mock.  A believer with influence and means was given the body to be placed in a new tomb.  A huge stone was rolled in front to keep Jesus body in and the disciples out because “they might steal the body to prove what Jesus said about rising from the dead.”

Soldiers guarded the tomb until God’s created earth shook once more and rolled the stone away!  God’s messenger descended heaven with the Good News of Hope—Jesus defeated death and in God’s resurrection power, a power beyond all other powers, brough Jesus from death to life—forever defeating the Enemy!  The scars of torture remained but the body of Jesus whole again.

Meanwhile, everyone else went about their normal business in the city of trading, buying and selling, while Jesus’ beloved mourned Him. No, we wouldn’t have written the drama of redemption in this way. But, we weren’t asked to, because the redemption plan can only be brought about by God. The players and props were heaven picked and God ordained. We were not asked to design the hour, the place, or the outcome.  And I’m glad!

But we have been asked to respond to God’s Plan to save us from all our sins!

Have you heard the Good News that Jesus died to save us and set us free from ALL sins—to be removed and remembered no more?  We only need to acknowledge and confess our sins to Him.

With a resolved mind and sincere heart, express your love and ask Jesus;  “Jesus I need you, I’m tired of doing life by myself. Jesus, forgive me.  Cleanse my heart, renew mind, and come into my life to stay.  Transform me with the power of your Holy Spirit to be more like you as I relate to you and to others.”

Give your life to God as an offering of worship to Him.  (Romans 12)

Then go tell someone about Jesus and what He has done for you and in you today because He is for everyone who comes to Him!  “Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” –Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20

Lord,

Thank you for the warnings, revealing the outcomes of rejecting you.  I trust you with my life.  I lean on your understanding and wisdom.  Thank you for saving us and setting us free to live, grow, expand and extend your love to others because of your love living in us.  When I fall for temptation, you quickly come to rescue me and give me the power to resist the attacks of evil.  You lift me up in my thinking.  You teach me your Word that is the stored treasure for my soul.  Thank you for who you are and what you do for us every day.  May we realize the full extent of your love for us and intentionally love others like you love us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Listen for the trumpet of Jesus…

Wait, who is a servant of God?  Is it a pastor of a church who is sold out to Jesus?  Is it the one who plays an instrument?  Is the sincere one who leads in worship to God each week?  Is it the leader of a small group or the ones who teach and nurture kids?  Are these the ones whose hearts are given completely and resolutely to Jesus with a even greater desire to learn from Him with others?  YES! YES! YES!

But there’s so much more than who we see upfront.  Servants of God are also people who quietly take a meal, provide clothes, and give encouragement to someone in need.  Servants willingly stop their lives to listen, without judgment, to a hurting soul who has lost their way, felt betrayed, or broken by others.  A servant of God offers a kind word when least expected in a tenuous situation.  A servant of God seeks wisdom and discernment from God.  A servant loves God and seeks Him first before beginning each new day.  Servants pause to give thanks to God then listen closely for what He wants them to be and do next.  Servants desire God will as they seek His purpose for their lives.

Servants stand in loving awe, watching for the nod of the King of kings and Lord of lords ready to jump at the invitation by God to serve Him.  They know that serving is helping others know Him, too.  Servants leap at the opportunity to go in Jesus Name, led by the Holy Spirit who lives within them, to do whatever God says to do. 

Servants know to be still in God Presence, letting go of all that might hinder them in their relationship with God, before doing anything of significance for God.  Servants of God don’t “age out” or retire out of service.  As long as they live, servants of God carry on in whatever capacity He calls them to be and do in Jesus Name.  Servants know they are loved greatly and faithfully. In fact, the more servants realize the depth and breadth of God’s love; the more these servants love and serve others.  Their desire to serve grows exponentially and becomes their way of life! They believe without a doubt that when they serve someone else, they are serving Jesus who is our perfect example of serving.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”—Jesus, Mark 10:45

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”       –Jesus, showing His love, bent down to wash the feet of His disciples—even Judas who He knew was going to betray Him!  See John 13:1-17.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” –Jesus, Matthew 25:40

Servants of God also bear the brunt of the attacks of the Enemy of God—just like Jesus did! This enemy is sly and cunning in his attacks with attempts to distract us from God, deceive us with lies about God, with the sole intent to destroy our relationship with God.  Those who say no to evil and remain faithful to Jesus know what the enemy hates—servants who worship of Jesus while falling to their knees, crying out in the Name of Jesus.  Jesus hears and is ready to help and to shepherd us through it, while reminding us that His power is always greater than the enemy:

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” –Jesus, John 15:4

Be sure to read to the end—This revelation passage reflects the love of God with a promise to His servants:

“The One on the Throne will pitch his tent there for them: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat. The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them, will lead them to spring waters of Life. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes.”

(I’m not crying, you’re crying—okay, we’re both crying—tears of joy!)

Servants!  Read and rejoice!

Revelation 7, The Message

The Servants of God

Immediately I saw Four Angels standing at the four corners of earth, standing steady with a firm grip on the four winds so no wind would blow on earth or sea, not even rustle a tree.

^2-3 Then I saw another Angel rising from where the sun rose, carrying the seal of the Living God. He thundered to the Four Angels assigned the task of hurting earth and sea, “Don’t hurt the earth! Don’t hurt the sea! Don’t so much as hurt a tree until I’ve sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!”

^4-8 I heard the count of those who were sealed: 144,000! They were sealed out of every Tribe of Israel: 12,000 sealed from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, 12,000 from Asher, 12,000 from Naphtali, 12,000 from Manasseh, 12,000 from Simeon, 12,000 from Levi, 12,000 from Issachar, 12,000 from Zebulun, 12,000 from Joseph, 12,000 sealed from Benjamin.

* * *

^9-12 I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

Salvation to our God on his Throne!
Salvation to the Lamb!

All who were standing around the Throne—Angels, Elders, Animals—fell on their faces before the Throne and worshiped God, singing:

Oh, Yes!
The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving,
The honor and power and strength,
To our God forever and ever and ever!
Oh, Yes!

^13-14 Just then one of the Elders addressed me: “Who are these dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?” Taken aback, I said, “O Sir, I have no idea—but you must know.”

^14-17 Then he told me, “These are those who come from the great tribulation, and they’ve washed their robes, scrubbed them clean in the blood of the Lamb. That’s why they’re standing before God’s Throne. They serve him day and night in his Temple. The One on the Throne will pitch his tent there for them: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat. The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them, will lead them to spring waters of Life. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes.”

Lord,

Thank you for your encouraging words of love, mercy, and grace. Thank you for reminding us that you win in the end with power beyond our enemy, beyond our circumstances when we call on Your Name. Thank you for trials that show your power and glory at work.  Thank you for peace that comes in the middle of pain and suffering. Thank you for helping us walk through the fires. Most of all thank you for daily cleansing our hearts as we seek you first each morning. Thank you for forgiving us as we forgive others. Thank you for shepherding us to places and people who need to know you more. Thank you for inviting us to your work. Thank you for renewing our minds by your Word. Thank you for refreshing our souls! Thank you for restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us with the promise of “no more tears” of hurt and despair.  Thank you for paying the debt of all sin and redeeming us forever.

In Jesus Name, Amen

… These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the word of the Lord
And these are the days of Your servant Moses
Righteousness being restored

… And though these days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

… Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee                                                                             Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes…

(Days of Elijah, Songwriter: Francis Robert Mark)

Ahh, these days!  We sigh deeply when we hear and observe, (mostly from a distance) of wars, rumors of wars, political scheming with slander to win more power for all the wrong reasons, love used and abused as a desire to control another, relationships tenuous at best because of seeking self-satisfaction, being easily offended, assuming the worst in each other.  But are these days as bad as the days of Noah—where only a few people believed God and did what He said? Sometimes we wonder and make judgments based on comparisons—a human thing we do often.  Sometimes pray out loud, “How long, O Lord, will you put up with this—and us?” 

Could it be we cry out when our faith begins to waver and wonder if God knows what is going on?  Maybe it’s not what is going on around us but in us.

Revelation 6, The Message

Unsealing the Scroll

^1-2 I watched while the Lamb ripped off the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the Animals roar, “Come out!” I looked—I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and was given a victory garland. He rode off victorious, conquering right and left.

^3-4 When the Lamb ripped off the second seal, I heard the second Animal cry, “Come out!” Another horse appeared, this one red. Its rider was off to take peace from the earth, setting people at each other’s throats, killing one another. He was given a huge sword.

^5-6 When he ripped off the third seal, I heard the third Animal cry, “Come out!” I looked. A black horse this time. Its rider carried a set of scales in his hand. I heard a message (it seemed to issue from the Four Animals): “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, or three quarts of barley, but don’t lay even a finger on the oil and wine.”

^7-8 When he ripped off the fourth seal, I heard the fourth Animal cry, “Come out!” I looked. A colorless horse, sickly pale. Its rider was Death, and Hell was close on its heels. They were given power to destroy a fourth of the earth by war, famine, disease, and wild beasts.

^9-11 When he ripped off the fifth seal, I saw the souls of those killed because they had held firm in their witness to the Word of God. They were gathered under the Altar, and cried out in loud prayers, “How long, Strong God, Holy and True? How long before you step in and avenge our murders?” Then each martyr was given a white robe and told to sit back and wait until the full number of martyrs was filled from among their servant companions and friends in the faith.

^12-17 I watched while he ripped off the sixth seal: a bone-jarring earthquake, sun turned black as ink, moon all bloody, stars falling out of the sky like figs shaken from a tree in a high wind, sky snapped shut like a book, islands and mountains sliding this way and that. And then pandemonium, everyone and his dog running for cover—kings, princes, generals, rich and strong, along with every commoner, slave or free. They hid in mountain caves and rocky dens, calling out to mountains and rocks, “Refuge! Hide us from the One Seated on the Throne and the wrath of the Lamb! The great Day of their wrath has come—who can stand it?”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Will it get worse before it’s gets better? 

As Jesus opens the seals, we imagine it will based on John’s vision of things to come when Jesus comes.  But if we hold on and never let go of who God is and what He promised we will be safe.  If we who have decided to believe in Jesus, His Son and follow what He taught; we will not perish.  Jesus warned his disciples and us—

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. ^‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.’”—Jesus, Matthew 24:6-1

HOLD ON to these words of Jesus as we continue…

Our times—

Where we live, work, and raise our families, people are harassing and slandering each other and sometimes killing each other to impress their peers so they can fit in and belong. What people really seek is acceptance of anyone who will notice them—but at a very high cost—they must take a life to have life in the group.  Groups like these are formed in the darkness by humans who have not seen, heard, or experienced the Light of Day.  Some have heard, but have rejected the Message. 

But we must realize we all fall for dark deeds of self-fulfillment easily.  It is our “fallen nature” to constantly seek to fill that emptiness in our souls first with all that is not God.  Since the fall of Adam and Eve, when the sin of self was introduced by the Tempter, we fall.  The Tempter, then and now, seeks to distract us from God, deceive us with lies about God with the ultimate goal to destroy our relationships with God.  (Genesis 3)

Oh how God loved to walk with His “created in His image” humans in the garden, but when they were enticed to “be God” (like the fallen angel did), the relationship was severed; but His love for them was not.  God had a Plan to restore this broken relationship. God knew. God loved. How great is our God?

The real Enemy of God (and we who believe God) is still at work to empty our souls of God.  Jesus came to earth to fulfil the Plan of God to reconcile us to God, redeem us from all sin, and give us a new beginning with God.  Jesus came to fill the empty place within us with all that is God.  How merciful is our God?

When we say Yes to Jesus, God’s Holy Spirt comes to live in all who believe with constant attention and holy transformation to our thinking that prompts our behaviors!  God’s Holy Spirit fills us to overflowing proportions of what was once empty inside us.  God meets and surpasses all our needs for love, acceptance, belonging, joy, and peace with the promise of life forever with Him—all because Jesus gave His life for ours.  Oh what a Savior, isn’t He wonderful!

God loves and accepts us the way we are as we come to Him; but God also loves us enough to grow us to be more like Him since we were “made in His image.”  His Holy Spirit works daily to comfort, convict, correct, and compel us to be more like Him in every way while loving us unconditionally with every step along the way.  His love never ends, never gives up on us, and never changes.  His love is deeper, wider, broader, and forever true.  God is relentlessly faithful to us—even when our faith fails for a time.  How awesome is God? 

So, maybe we have been asking the wrong questions as we judge our times.  Maybe better questions are;

Who do I know that needs love and acceptance from me as a believer in Jesus?

Do I look at others the way Jesus looks at me?

Do I love or do I judge? 

Do I help or hinder God’s plan and desire that no one perish but believe and have life forever?

Lord,

I’m praying the prayer of Paul who sat in a prison cell asking others to pray with him—

…that You may open a door for Your message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, no matter the circumstances of our own lives. I ask that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. I pray to be wise in the way I act toward outsiders; making the most of every opportunity. I pray that our conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone.  (See Colossians 4:2-6) 

In Jesus Name, Amen

And these are the days of the harvest, yes Lord
The fields are as white in Your world
And we are the laborers in Your vineyard
Declaring the Word of the Lord

… Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet’s call
So, lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes…

As we continue our walk into heaven’s majesty and beauty through the vision John saw and experienced; we are beginning to learn true worship from God’s perspective of His Son.  Jesus, given to God’s created so that we who believe could walk into boldly and courageously into heaven with humble, grateful hearts of praise to Him who sits on the throne!  I am reminded of the honor God gave to Jesus, His Son because of His willing obedience to death on the cross for our sins.  Paul writes;

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:9-11

Notice ALL will bow before Jesus, the Lamb of God.  EVERY person will humbly fall to their knees as they bow before Him who died and rose again defeating death forever!  EVERY tongue will praise and acknowledge that Jesus is indeed King of kings and LORD of lords!  Jesus is at the center of worship, honor, and praise!  It’s not about us, but all about Jesus!

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my redeemer lives…

(My Redeemer Lives, by Nicole Mullen)

This song of praise plays in the background of my mind this morning as we read and imagine what heaven will be like for us.

Revelation 5, The Message

The Lion Is a Lamb

5 ^1-2 I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One Seated on the Throne. It was written on both sides, fastened with seven seals. I also saw a powerful Angel, calling out in a voice like thunder, “Is there anyone who can open the scroll, who can break its seals?”

³ There was no one—no one in Heaven, no one on earth, no one from the underworld—able to break open the scroll and read it.

^4-5 I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, “Don’t weep. Look—the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David’s Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip through the seven seals.”

^6-10 So I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came to the One Seated on the Throne and took the scroll from his right hand. The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. And they sang a new song:

Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals.
Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women,
Bought them back from all over the earth,
Bought them back for God.
Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God,
Priest-kings to rule over the earth.

^11-14 I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders—ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand in full song:

The slain Lamb is worthy!
Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength!
Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:

To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
For age after age after age.

The Four Animals called out, “Oh, Yes!” The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We immediately respond in grateful praise with all of heaven’s inhabitants! 

ALL glory to God!  ALL praise to Jesus Christ!

And we sing…

To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever

To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever

To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever (blessing)
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever (we praise You, oh, Lord)
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever (forevermore, You’re worthy)
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever

We give You blessing
Oh, we bless Your name, Lord
We bless You, Lord
We magnify Your holy name
Thanks God
Thank You, Lord God
We love You, God
Thank You, Lord

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory and Honor, Amen

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk by Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes would see
When Your face is before me
I can only imagine…

(I Can Only Imagine, by Bart Millard, Mercy Me)

While at worship, John is given tremendously more than human imagining for a privileged look past the confines of earth as he peered through the doors of Heaven.  Through the Doors, John is awed first by worship in heave!  Yes, there are blended colors and hues never before seen displayed in precious stones and powerful creatures protecting the throne; but he is “caught up at once in deep worship”. Hold that thought as we read on…

Revelation 4, The Message

A Door into Heaven

4 Then I looked, and, oh!—a door open into Heaven. The trumpet-voice, the first voice in my vision, called out, “Ascend and enter. I’ll show you what happens next.”

^2-6 I was caught up at once in deep worship and, oh!—a Throne set in Heaven with One Seated on the Throne, suffused in gem hues of amber and flame with a nimbus of emerald. Twenty-four thrones circled the Throne, with Twenty-four Elders seated, white-robed, gold-crowned. Lightning flash and thunder crash pulsed from the Throne. Seven fire-blazing torches fronted the Throne (these are the Sevenfold Spirit of God). Before the Throne it was like a clear crystal sea.

^6-8 Prowling around the Throne were Four Animals, all eyes. Eyes to look ahead, eyes to look behind. The first Animal like a lion, the second like an ox, the third with a human face, the fourth like an eagle in flight. The Four Animals were winged, each with six wings. They were all eyes, seeing around and within. And they chanted night and day, never taking a break:

Holy, holy, holy
Is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong,
The Was, The Is, The Coming.

^9-11 Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne—the age-after-age Living One—the Twenty-four Elders would fall prostrate before the One Seated on the Throne. They worshiped the age-after-age Living One. They threw their crowns at the foot of the Throne, chanting,

Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God!
Take the glory! the honor! the power!
You created it all;
It was created because you wanted it.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

If worship is our lifestyle here on earth to the King of kings and Lord of lords, it won’t be too hard to imagine worshiping Him forever in His Presence as we gather around the Throne of God!  In true worship of Jesus, nothing but Jesus matters.  Our stuff we have accumulated, the ending balance at the bank, our positions or rank on earth, our fears and anxieties over losses on earth—just will not matter—so why does it matter now? 

We fall down, we lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the Lamb…

(We Fall Down by Kyle David Matthews)

CONSIDER THIS…

“Is it difficult to imagine Jesus as an active being before his birth on earth? If so, let me challenge you to widen your imagination. Remember, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). ‘He was chosen before the creation of the world’ (1Peter 1:20). The normal restrictions of time and place do not apply to him. We would be wrong to limit his corporal ministry to 33 years in Palestine. Long before Jesus ate with Zacchaeus in Jericho, he shared a moment with Joshua near Jericho.

And what a moment it was. ‘As commander of the army of the LORD I have now come,’ Jesus declared (see Joshua 5:14). The human eye saw two armies: the Canaanites and the Israelites. Actually, there was a third. The Lord’s army, God’s angels. This is the heavenly host referred to in Psalm 103:20–21: ‘Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.’”—Max Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” –Jesus, Matthew 26:53  We must remember Jesus, while on the cross, could have called legions (thousands upon thousands) of these angels to rescue him from His mission to save us—but he did not.  I’m humble by the thought, aren’t you?

John, the beloved disciple, a witness to Jesus’ excruciating pain, who vowed to take care of Mary as his own mother, years later, on the island of Patmos now joins the worship in heaven with all creatures surrounding  the throne of God with Jesus sitting as His right—just as He said. 

Lord,

Thank you for reminding us once again who you are and what you did to save us. Thank you for the power of you living in us that prompts our praise of You, The One and Only who saves, heals, protects, provides, comforts, convicts, corrects, and compels us to love like you love us as worship to you! Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors by Your power, refresh our souls with your mercy and grace, and continually restore the joy of you in us and us in you—this is worship.  I offer myself to you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine…

All this and more!  It’s not about us—it’s about Jesus!

Doors.  Doors are openings to our homes, businesses, churches, park buildings, and our vehicles. Everything needs an opening to get inside from the outside.  The dictionary definition of a door is “a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard.”  We lock most of these doors for our protection.  We carry keys that unlock doors used to protect us, our family, and our stuff.  Doors are also used to measure distance.  “She lived three doors down from me.” 

There are all kinds of doors.  In fact, there are so many that successful businesses have been built solely on the design and installation of doors and windows.  Doors that have great “curb appeal” professionals say, are designed to be friendly and welcoming.  However, some doors are built as secure, ominous barriers meant to keep others away from entering.  I personally love glass doors on the front of a church, without clutter around them, so people can see other people with smiles before walking in from the outside.  Glass doors represent openness with invitation to “come and see” while elevating fears and anxiety.  By the way, visitors evaluate whether they will come back as they make their way from the “streets to their seats” and back again.  Who and what do we (as doors to Christ) represent?

Revelation 3, the Message

To Sardis

3 Write this to Sardis, to the Angel of the church. The One holding the Seven Spirits of God in one hand, a firm grip on the Seven Stars with the other, speaks:

“I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead.

^2-3 “Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God.

“If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.

⁴ “You still have a few followers of Jesus in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth!

⁵ “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels.

⁶ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

To Philadelphia

⁷ Write this to Philadelphia, to the Angel of the church. The Holy, the True—David’s key in his hand, opening doors no one can lock, locking doors no one can open—speaks:

⁸ “I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough.

⁹ “And watch as I take those who call themselves true believers but are nothing of the kind, pretenders whose true membership is in the club of Satan—watch as I strip off their pretensions and they’re forced to acknowledge it’s you that I’ve loved.

¹⁰ “Because you kept my Word in passionate patience, I’ll keep you safe in the time of testing that will be here soon, and all over the earth, every man, woman, and child put to the test.

¹¹ “I’m on my way; I’ll be there soon. Keep a tight grip on what you have so no one distracts you and steals your crown.

¹² “I’ll make each conqueror a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, a permanent position of honor. Then I’ll write names on you, the pillars: the Name of my God, the Name of God’s City—the new Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven—and my new Name.

¹³ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

To Laodicea

¹⁴ Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says:

^15-17 “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.

¹⁸ “Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.

¹⁹ “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!

^20-21 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!

²² “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

John’s vision continues with evaluations of three more churches in need of a “faith-lift” by Jesus Christ as LORD of their lives.  The Cornerstone of Church, Jesus Christ, had been covered over with tangled vines of the sins of self-importance,  arrogance or just don’t care complacent attitudes of apathy.  The doors to their churches have been shut tight, rarely opened to outsiders.  Those inside were dying from lack of Living Water and Bread of Life as they relied only on what they had to feed themselves. 

Some churches stayed busy inside, patting themselves on the back for being so busy while doing church work that satisfied their feelings of self-worth; but their hearts had turn to stone, hardened by closing the door to the wide open spaces of what God created them to be with what He wants to do through them—to go and tell others about His saving grace!  Love others like I love you.  Extend hospitality.  With humility and grateful hearts, welcome strangers, realizing we are merely beggars, telling other beggars where to find the Bread of Life and Living Water ! 

“Be the church, don’t do church” is the message.

Jesus tells John the Message of the Open Door:

When you see Me standing outside, knocking on the closed doors of your hearts, minds, and souls; Open the door and let Me in! –Jesus I want to be with you, eat and drink with you, commune with you, and tell you of my love for you. 

How can we turn down the King of kings and Lord of lords?

Who are we to turn down the gift He brings to us—redemption and an intimate, loving relationship with Him now and forever?

OPEN THE DOOR!

Lord,

Sometimes we think the busier we are at doing church is the measure of our holiness. What false thinking that is!  Thank you for reminding us it’s all about you!  You in us and us in you being who you created us to be.  Cleanse, soften and shape our hearts into a heart like yours that is full of compassion and unconditional love.  Renew and remodel our minds as we open and let you in.  Transform our behaviors to be more like you who loves everyone and accepts all who believe, while recognizing our need of you every hour of every day!  We are not much without you.  You are our everything!  Lord, Redeemer, Savior, and Friend for Life!  Refresh and feed our souls with your Bread of Life and Living Water.  Restore the unending joy of your continual work of salvation within us.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen! Yes, and  Amen

“In the beginning God…” Genesis 1:1

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:5b

From Genesis to the Revelation, beginning to end, the message from God is clear:  God loves us and wants us to love Him back with a loving, intimate, relationship with his created humans.  It began with Adam and Eve, His first created, showing how much God enjoyed walking and talking with them in the garden created by Him for their enjoyment.  God didn’t want a forced, robotic, love; but a love returned that was in response to who He was—the Giver of Life! 

God who is Love, wanted us to love Him back as a decided choice not an obligation.  Adam and Eve were the first to make the wrong choice by yielding to God’s enemy, the fallen angel, who distracted them from God’s good and perfect loving relationship to deceive them by distorting the truth while presenting the idea that they could “have even more” by taking God’s place.  Sound familiar?

We still think we can be God and worship all that is not God as we live for self.  Like Adam and Eve, but we still fall for the Deceiver who distracts us from God with continued attempts to destroy our relationship with God.

Revelation 2, The Message

To Ephesus

2 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights’ circle, speaks:

^2-3 “I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.

^4-5 “But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall!

“Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I’m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.

⁶ “You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too.

⁷ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I’m about to call each conqueror to dinner. I’m spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God’s orchard.”

To Smyrna

⁸ Write this to Smyrna, to the Angel of the church. The Beginning and Ending, the First and Final One, the Once Dead and Then Come Alive, speaks:

⁹ “I can see your pain and poverty—constant pain, dire poverty—but I also see your wealth. And I hear the lie in the claims of those who pretend to be good Jews, who in fact belong to Satan’s crowd.

¹⁰ “Fear nothing in the things you’re about to suffer—but stay on guard! Fear nothing! The Devil is about to throw you in jail for a time of testing—ten days. It won’t last forever.

“Don’t quit, even if it costs you your life. Stay there believing. I have a Life-Crown sized and ready for you.

¹¹ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. Christ-conquerors are safe from Devil-death.”

To Pergamum

¹² Write this to Pergamum, to the Angel of the church. The One with the sharp-biting sword draws from the sheath of his mouth—out come the sword words:

¹³ “I see where you live, right under the shadow of Satan’s throne. But you continue boldly in my Name; you never once denied my Name, even when the pressure was worst, when they martyred Antipas, my witness who stayed faithful to me on Satan’s turf.

^14-15 “But why do you indulge that Balaam crowd? Don’t you remember that Balaam was an enemy agent, seducing Balak and sabotaging Israel’s holy pilgrimage by throwing unholy parties? And why do you put up with the Nicolaitans, who do the same thing?

¹⁶ “Enough! Don’t give in to them; I’ll be with you soon. I’m fed up and about to cut them to pieces with my sword-sharp words.

¹⁷ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I’ll give the sacred manna to every conqueror; I’ll also give a clear, smooth stone inscribed with your new name, your secret new name.”

To Thyatira

¹⁸ Write this to Thyatira, to the Angel of the church. God’s Son, eyes pouring fire-blaze, standing on feet of furnace-fired bronze, says this:

¹⁹ “I see everything you’re doing for me. Impressive! The love and the faith, the service and persistence. Yes, very impressive! You get better at it every day.

^20-23 “But why do you let that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet mislead my dear servants into Cross-denying, self-indulging religion? I gave her a chance to change her ways, but she has no intention of giving up a career in the god-business. I’m about to lay her low, along with her partners, as they play their sex-and-religion games. The bastard offspring of their idol-whoring I’ll kill. Then every church will know that appearances don’t impress me. I x-ray every motive and make sure you get what’s coming to you.

^24-25 “The rest of you Thyatirans, who have nothing to do with this outrage, who scorn this playing around with the Devil that gets paraded as profundity, be assured I’ll not make life any harder for you than it already is. Hold on to the truth you have until I get there.

^26-28 “Here’s the reward I have for every conqueror, everyone who keeps at it, refusing to give up: You’ll rule the nations, your Shepherd-King rule as firm as an iron staff, their resistance fragile as clay pots. This was the gift my Father gave me; I pass it along to you—and with it, the Morning Star!

²⁹ “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus came to John via God’s Messenger Angel in a vision reminding us of God’s Love, with a recap of who we are and where we stand in our loving relationship with God.  By the time of John’s revelation, believers in Jesus had been doing what was started in Peter.  “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell (also translated death) will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18 

However, since church is made up of imperfect humans, it is revealed to John the deviations some have made from God will along with solutions to human problems created. “Listen!” is a repeated warning.  The vision includes evaluation reports of seven churches.  We can all learn from the sinful mistakes made, the apparent misdirection by deceivers, along with self-importance attempts followed by loss of love for God.  But because God so loved, we are reminded of how to be restored in Jesus Name for His glory! 

HERE’S THE RECAP IF YOU’RE JUST TUNING IN:

God’s One and Only Son, Jesus was sent to earth to save us from ourselves!  Jesus was sent to reconcile (reconnect) us back to the God who knows. This plan was designed from the beginning proven by The Word that points us to Jesus as the One who saves us! 

God knows our hearts because He made us!  God knows us inside out and loves us still.  God sent Jesus to demonstrate His love clearly and decisively to us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 

From the beginning, God sent prophets to speak for Him who preached the message God wanted people to hear with listening ears of faith believing.  The Message:  I love you with an everlasting love.  I am your God, the One who made you.  Love me with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul. (Deuteronomy 6) And love others like your love yourself.  The two greatest of the top ten commandments is to love God and love each other like God loves us, according to Jesus.  With God’s love in us to transform our thinking and behaviors; we will become more like the image of Him He created us to be.

Jesus suffered torture and then died a human, physical death.  But death did not defeat Him.  By God’s Power, He raised Jesus from death to life, scars, and all, defeating God’s Enemy, The Deceiver, once and for all time!  Since Jesus overcame the enemy, so shall we who truly believe!  This same power lives in us!  By the power of His Holy Spirit, we are more than conquerors with Jesus!  (See Romans 8)

Jesus remained on earth for a few weeks to encourage believing followers still in shock by what they saw Jesus do for them.  Jesus restored and gave needed sinew for their faith muscles to help these committed men and woman who would carry on the work of reconciling people to God in Jesus Name. His parting words before ascending in the heaven to return to His Father and ours as King of kings and Lord of lords were:

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

REALIGNMENT OF PURPOSE FOR THE SEVEN CHURCHES:

1. Return to our first love—God and His Son, Jesus Christ who saved us.
2. Don’t fall for the Deceiver, especially the ones in “church clothes”!
3. Be the Light of Jesus who affects society and the culture around us instead of allowing society to affect, deceive, and distract us. Jesus plus nothing more equals everything! A divided heart distracts us from pure worship of God alone.  Avoid the idols of our age and of our own making.
4. We are only be made right by Jesus.  “No one comes to the Father except through Me”—Jesus.  Be made right with Jesus who forgive us all our sins; then model His loving, compassionate behaviors with a desire to be more like Him. His Holy Spirit helps us for we cannot do this alone—we aren’t that powerful.  “I see what you’re doing, says Jesus to this church; but “every church will know that appearances don’t impress me. I x-ray every motive.”  “Hold on to the truth you have until I get there.”

Three more lessons to learn tomorrow…we must pause to take in what we have learned today.  What better messenger than John, His Beloved Disciple, to pass on the revelation of who we are in Christ while revealing what will come to those who remain in His love!

Lord,

Thank you for revealing who you are and what you desire from us who love you back.  From beginning to end—You are God and we are not.  Thank you, Jesus, for reconciling us to God by your work on earth. Thank you, Three-in-One, for loving us and helping us the way you do.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

After a decade of dreaming about it; we finally did it!  We remodeled our kitchen on a slim budget.  We stripped off the old and painted the cabinets a clean, bright white.  But, knowing our limited abilities, we hired a guy who was gifted and meticulous in tiling and countertop installing to pull out the old and put in the new.  We left for a week while he did his part as soon as the paint dried on the cabinets.  We also had to remove all the contents of collected stuff in the cabinets which was a chore but worth it.  We got rid of  tons of stuff we did not need or would want in our new dream kitchen work area.

We waited with intense excitement for the “big reveal.” We learned that our guy who had become our new friend in the process was as excited as we were! The day finally came!  We walked into the kitchen to see a beautiful, clean, durable backsplash, countertop, and new sink!  It was much more than we imagined it would be. The new sink that replaced the old stained sink was a perfect fit.  The prayers, planning, sacrificing financially, measuring many times, and prework preparation all came together as our dream was realized. It was worth all the work of gathering what was needed, getting rid of what we didn’t need, patiently waiting through delays, and the sore muscles and joints to see this dream realized! 

Jesus blessed John with a Big Reveal of unimaginable proportions!  Jesus gave John a glimpse of what eternal life with Him in God’s Kingdom will look like. While John was at worship, the reveal given in a glorious vision.  Since this same John was one invited to see Jesus transfigured on the mountain top that one day, John is ready for more.  He knows Who is talking to him while showing these great signs of things to come. 

The gates of heaven were pulled back to reveal what lies ahead for those who remain firm in faith and truly believe all that God said about eternal life found in His Son, Jesus.  John, the Beloved disciple who encouraged many churches in the Name of Jesus was given the privilege to see with the command to write down all that saw of the Big Reveal so future readers of the reveal will know God as Truth and Love.  Only Jesus, without sin, who died for our sins, is qualified to be the final judge. 

Hang on, the reading for understanding might blow our minds through the metaphors, but will reveal to us the importance of staying true to our “first love”—Jesus.  Come let us worship God in Jesus Name as we read…

Revelation 1, The Message

^1-2 A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God’s Word—the witness of Jesus Christ!

³ How blessed the reader! How blessed the hearers and keepers of these oracle words, all the words written in this book!

Time is just about up.

His Eyes Pouring Fire-Blaze

^4-7 I, John, am writing this to the seven churches in Asia province: All the best to you from The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive, and from the Seven Spirits assembled before his throne, and from Jesus Christ—Loyal Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler of all earthly kings.

Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us,
    who blood-washed our sins from our lives,
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father,
    forever—and yes, he’s on his way!
Riding the clouds, he’ll be seen by every eye,
    those who mocked and killed him will see him,
People from all nations and all times
    will tear their clothes in lament.
        Oh, Yes.

⁸ The Master declares, “I’m A to Z. I’m The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive. I’m the Sovereign-Strong.”

^9-17 I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God’s Word, the witness of Jesus. It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing: “Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.” I turned and saw the voice.

I saw a gold menorah
    with seven branches,
And in the center, the Son of Man,
    in a robe and gold breastplate,
    hair a blizzard of white,
Eyes pouring fire-blaze,
    both feet furnace-fired bronze,
His voice a roar,
    right hand holding the Seven Stars,
His mouth a sharp-biting sword,
    his face a blinding sun.

I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me:

^17-20 “Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates. Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be. The Seven Stars you saw in my right hand and the seven-branched gold menorah—do you want to know what’s behind them? The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches; the menorah’s seven branches are the seven churches.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Come to Jesus with hearts, minds, and souls opened to trust and obey.  May Love lead the way.

Pray without ceasing. 

Worship God as a lifestyle of communion, two-way conversations daily of talking and listening, with laying our lives before Him as an offering to Him.  This is our spiritual act of worship.  (Romans 12:1-2) It is through worship of God in Jesus Name that He reveals Himself to us.

Caution:  Avoid wondering in “the weeds” of what we do not understand now.  Let us apply to our lives what we do understand—because there is plenty!

In his introduction of Revelation, The Message Bible, Eugene Peterson prepares us with words of worship we can grasp and hold on to God with a believing heart, renewed mind, and a soul given to Jesus—

“The Bible ends with a flourish; vision and song, doom and deliverance, terror and triumph.  The rush of color and sound, image and energy, leaves us reeling.  But if we persist through the initial confusion and read on, we begin to pick up the rhythms, realize the connections, and find ourselves enlisted as participants in a multi-dimensional act of Christian worship. 

John of Patmos, a pastor of the late first century, has worship on his mind, is preeminently concerned with worship.  The vision, which is THE REVELATION, comes to him while he is at worship on a certain Sunday on the Mediterranean island of Patmos.  He is responsible for a circuit of churches on the mainland whose primary task is worship.  Worship shapes the human community in response to the living God.  If worship is neglected or perverted, our communities fall into chaos or under tyranny. 

Our times are not propitious for worship. The times never are. The world is hostile to worship. The Devil hates worship.  As The Revelation makes clear, worship must be carried out under conditions decidedly uncongenial to it.  Some Christians even get killed because they worship.

John’s Revelation is not easy reading.  Besides being a pastor, John is a poet, found of metaphor and symbol, image and allusion, passionate in his desire to bring us into the presence of Jesus believing and adoring.  But the demand he makes on our intelligence and imagination are well rewarded, for in keeping company with John, our worship of God will almost certainly deepen in urgency and joy.” –Peterson

Lord,

I worship you with all that is in me. There is none like you!  You saved me and restored me.  You reconciled me to you.  You are provider, healer, protector, to all who believe.  Your Holy Spirit comforts, convicts, challenges and compels us to be more like you.  Thank you for giving us a glimpse of things to come.  May all I think, say, and do today be worship of you.  Continue your remodeling work in me!

In Jesus Name, Amen

“A redwood tree fell in a California forest. Four hundred years old.  It wasn’t destroyed by lightning. Storms had come and gone, but the tree stood. It wasn’t felled by winds. Bent by their force, but never uprooted. The tree didn’t fall to fire. It had stood when others collapsed.

What destroyed the redwood?

Insects. Termites devoured it from within. It had stood for four centuries against the elements from without, but collapsed because of an attack within.

Jude warns that the same can happen to the church.  He wanted to write ‘about the salvation we share’.  But he felt compelled to address a more somber issue—the danger of false teachers.

Apparently, some had entered the church. They were not students of the Word but, rather, promoters of sexual sin. They used God’s grace as a license for passion. The only solution? “I . . . urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people”.

Jude is urgent in his warning. What destroyed the redwood can destroy a church. But he is equally urgent in his encouragement. ‘To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior.’

Can God really keep you from falling? To answer that, go to another tree on a barren hill. A tree older than time. A tree that covers the mistakes of your past and the problems of your future. Be assured—that tree will never fall.”—Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible

Everything is gonna be all right…(I bet you sang that instead of reading it.)

Jude, The Message

^1-2 I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!

Fight with All You Have in You

^3-4 Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

Lost Stars in Outer Space

^5-7 I’m laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn’t need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. And you know the story of the angels who didn’t stick to their post, abandoning it for other, darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great Judgment Day. Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning.

⁸ This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.

^9-11 The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn’t have dared level him with a blasphemous curse, but said simply, “No you don’t. God will take care of you!” But these people sneer at anything they can’t understand, and by doing whatever they feel like doing—living by animal instinct only—they participate in their own destruction. I’m fed up with them! They’ve gone down Cain’s road; they’ve been sucked into Balaam’s error by greed; they’re canceled out in Korah’s rebellion.

^12-13 These people are eyesores at your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They’re giving you a black eye—carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down. They’re—

Puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind;
    late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit,
Doubly dead, pulled up by the roots;
    wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach
    but the foam of their shame;
Lost stars in outer space
    on their way to the black hole.

^14-16 Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: “Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth.” These are the complainers, the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.

^17-19 But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!

* * *

^20-21 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

^22-23 Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.

^24-25 And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God loves the world of His created people.  We learned from John’s passionate writings that God IS love.  He loves us so much he designed a plan to save us before we were born.  God knows us.  And he still loves us.  We say, “but if you only knew my thoughts you would not love me.”  God says, “I love you with an everlasting love.”  There is nothing you will do that will cause God to stop loving you.

Through the Old and New Testament, the Writers were inspired by God and filled with God so that we may know and love God ourselves.  But the really big news that I pray saturates our hearts this morning is the realization about God is not that we love God back but that God loves us!  Our names are written on the palm of His hands.  We are always on His mind!  There is nothing about us that God does not notice.  We cannot escape from His sight or flee from His Presence.  God He see the worst of us and loves us still!  Nothing we think, say, or do surprises Him.  He is God!  He knows us better than we know ourselves—and He decided to love us still. 

In fact, the greatest discovery in the universe is the greatest love in the universe—God’s love. “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love,” Paul declared with confidence. (Romans 8:29) Think about what these words mean. You may be separated from your spouse, from your folks, from your kids, from your hair, from your job; but you are not and never will be separated from the love of God. Ever.

“We love Him because He first loved us,” declares John, the Beloved. 

Broken hearts, confused minds, and dried up parched souls crave this Love.  Taking in only a sip only satisfies for a nano second.  Drinking unceasingly from the ever flowing well of God’s Love not only sustains us but invigorates and excites us to go bring others to the well.  I’m reminded of the Samaritan women that Jesus met, on purpose, for a purpose—to seek and to save the lost—while demonstrating this real, everlasting love to someone who everyone knew as a prostitute but is now the proclaimer of God’s love and salvation!  “Come and see the man who knew…and loved.”  Out of all people in the world, the first person that Jesus chose to reveal himself to was a woman who was a person who came from a people that the Jewish people rejected. That speaks volumes about the message he brought to the world than any other. (See John 4 for the complete story!)  https://youtu.be/ordhsDeAt60?si=wrhFp1kdKxbVKFrM

While we walked in the darkness, groping for a way out, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the One and Only who had the power and passion to present and demonstrate His Father’s love to humanity.  Mankind is interested and impressed by this love that is like no other love, but not fully convinced until they accept the gift of love, mercy, and grace, delivered to us from the cross of Jesus who paid for our sins.  Yes, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Jude warns believers of those who are only impressed by Jesus but will not accept this gift of redemption from sins not his love expressed by laying His life down for theirs.  Evil still has a hold on them.  Evil hates everything about God and will constantly attempt to distract and deceive us while trying to destroy our relationship with God. 

Jude also encourages believers that false teacher will be revealed along with their sins.  Jude also give us how to stay encouraged and to “stay on our feet” in faith;

• Know and believe that we are loved by God and kept safe by Jesus.
• “Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!”  Jesus IS coming back to claim His own.  Jesus is the Victor and has already won the war against evil, our real enemy.  The battles we face are mere skirmishes with evil and our own self-guided foolishness that attempts to draw us away from obedience to God.  But God’s love never fails.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
• Fight for the faith of God to remain within us so others will know God because of our faith.  Always point the Way to Jesus Christ—not ourselves.  Jesus saves.  We are ambassadors of His love, as one beggar to another, starved for the Bread of Life!
• Carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
• It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

Lord,

Your Word to Jude speaks volumes to us this morning.  I’m overwhelmed right now by your unending love, undeserved mercy, and amazing grace to me.  I am humbled by your love that loves me no matter what—even when I don’t love myself and am ashamed by my behavior.  Thank you for loving us the way you do that goes beyond all human love.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors, refresh our souls with living water and the bread of life.  Restore continually the joy and peace of your salvation at work within all who believe.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Hospitality defined is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.  Hospitality is serving the needs of others, putting your own desire to be served aside.  In our current world, it is now deemed the Hospitality Industry where trained professionals offer services in all kinds of ways to meet the needs of a guest to their establishment. It has become a business in and of itself of providing food, drink, and accommodations for customers of restaurants, airports, as well as guests at hotels as they travel to and from destinations while conducting their own business.  Catering to business, family, and school gatherings are other ways to provide hospitality services. What is most important is how you make the one you serve feel.  The food, drink and accommodations come second.

The church could learn a lot from the training given in the hospitality industry.  I know of one pastor who took the training so he could teach the church!  I applaud him! We sometimes forget how to put aside our interests in being served and miss the real joy in serving others. Instead, we think demanding thoughts with out loud complaints that shout “serve me or I won’t come back” when we miss helping others feel noticed, accepted, cherished and loved.   In a former work, we visited many churches.  Some were overwhelmingly friendly until they learned you were only a visitor passing through then they moved on to other people who might “be good” for their church.  It was comical at first but then it hurt our hearts. 

As a church, hospitality demonstrates our love of God to others seeking to be loved.  Caring and serving others, not because of what it will do for us but merely because we love from the center of who we are is “modeling the good”—as John explains.

3 John, The Message

The Pastor, to my good friend Gaius: How truly I love you! We’re the best of friends, and I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health—that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul! I was most happy when some friends arrived and brought the news that you persist in following the way of Truth. Nothing could make me happier than getting reports that my children continue diligently in the way of Truth!

Model the Good

^5-8 Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.

^9-10 Earlier I wrote something along this line to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves being in charge, denigrates my counsel. If I come, you can be sure I’ll hold him to account for spreading vicious rumors about us.

As if that weren’t bad enough, he not only refuses hospitality to traveling Christians but tries to stop others from welcoming them. Worse yet, instead of inviting them in he throws them out.

¹¹ Friend, don’t go along with evil. Model the good. The person who does good does God’s work. The person who does evil falsifies God, doesn’t know the first thing about God.

¹² Everyone has a good word for Demetrius—the Truth itself stands up for Demetrius! We concur, and you know we don’t hand out endorsements lightly.

^13-14 I have a lot more things to tell you, but I’d rather not use pen and ink. I hope to be there soon in person and have a heart-to-heart talk.

Peace to you. The friends here say hello. Greet our friends there by name.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

For some people, hospitality is a lifestyle. Serving others in this way flows naturally and easily.  For others, ways of being hospitable are learned traits.  Either way, John says to show hospitality to others, especially strangers, because that demonstrates what is in our hearts.  Faith is “visible” when we serve others.  (John learned this from Jesus!)

Jesus taught and demonstrated hospitality to John, as well as the other disciples and followers, many times.  God is love and truth that never changes. Jesus is Truth and Love embodied and expressed on earth to mankind.  As we learned earlier, Love and Truth go hand in hand.  Our faith in God and belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives is expressed by His love in us for others.  Our hearts, minds, and souls are transformed from being served to serving others.

Need evidence?  Here’s what Jesus said—

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”—Jesus, Mark 10:45

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”—Jesus, Luke 6:31, ESV

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”—Jesus, John 15:12

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:31

In our relationship with God, the more we realize the depth and breadth of God’s love for us the more we love each other no matter who they are or where they come from because the more we know God, we know Love, and we simply love.  Our inner desire to love develops into serving others by His love that has taken up residence in our hearts.  Love and Truth becomes who we are as His children. (See 1 John 4:7-8)

Later James will write; “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? … James 2:1-13, ESV

Jesus taught that when we show hospitality to others, it is the same as showing hospitality to HIM!  Hospitality begins and extends with our love for Jesus and others!  Friends, neighbors and even our enemies are included, no one left out!

“‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”—Jesus, Matthew 25:34-40

What if we do not show hospitality and only center our thoughts on ourselves, our comfort, tending to our own needs as a lifestyle?  Jesus responds—

“…He (Jesus as King) will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” –Jesus, Matthew 25:41-46

Serious hospitality, Kingdom of God hospitality, must become our habit and lifestyle if we truly love God!  Jesus commands it!

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”—Jesus, John 13:34-35

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”—Jesus, Luke 6:35-36

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”  1 John 3:18

Paul agrees and writes:
For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.  Galatians 5:6, MSG    Paul teaches us be like Christ in every way.  “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 (read the whole chapter for the way Jesus loved and served us!

Lord,

I lay my life before you as an offering.  Guide me to love and serve as a way of life in You, expecting nothing in return for myself, but for the sole desire to please you with my life.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen