2003-10-17
Good Morning Treasured Ones,
When a person has true faith in God and in His Son, God is so pleased that He could stand up and cheer. That’s because He created us for His own pleasure; His purpose is that we should obey His will. RO 8: 28, that familiar verse so important to all who believe bears repeating. “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.” God, through His Son, models His special brand of love, called “agape” love-a love which is unconditional. One way that He shows us His love is to give us an amazingly detailed picture of the Eternal City along with His invitation for us to join Him there for eternity. Since He knows that the choices we must make in our lives to go there are not always easy, He outlines them in His word, making them clear to us. And yes, the lifestyle Christ discusses in the Sermon on the Mount [MT 5-7] is one each one of us can choose to live.
Last week, I was led to begin writing about the description of the Eternal City given in REV 21: 1-22: 5, getting through REV 21: 4. Now, let’s continue with REV 21: 5-8. “Then the One Who sits on the throne said,’ And now I make all things new!’ He also said to me, ‘Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.’ And He said, ‘It is done! I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. To anyone who is thirsty I will give the right to drink from the spring of the water of life without paying for it. Whoever wins the victory will receive this from Me: I will be His God, and He will be My son. But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars-the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’” From the very first sentence in this passage, we are reminded of the awesome power that our God has. This is not to frighten us, because all with true faith know that His power is only used for righteous, good, just, and loving reasons. No other entity in the universe has the power to make all things new, except God. It also implies our need to approach our Deity with the utmost reverence. He deserves nothing less from us. One very practical way that He “makes all things new” for us is through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, and our faith in Him. We have seen that repeatedly in the ways that God can cause believers to see things from His perspective. Of course, in the context above, the phrase “all things new” refers to the coming on the scene of the new Jerusalem, the Eternal City.
Many versions of the Bible refer to God as “the Alpha and the Omega,” another way of saying “the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” RO 1: 18-20 begins a passage which describes why God unleashes His wrath at certain people. God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God Himself made it plain. Ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!” What this is saying is that all people have: 1) a God-consciousness, the knowledge that some “Higher Power” exists, and 2) the ability to perceive what God has created. So, no one has an excuse for rejecting God. Repeatedly all over the Scriptures, God has said His great desire for mankind is that they understand that He is their God and they are His people. His laws should be written in their hearts [JER 31: 33-34 et al].
Believers, through their faith, recognize a thirst for God’s word and the knowledge/practice of His lifestyle that will lead to life eternal in the Eternal City with Him. It’s why David prayed in PS 42: 1-2, “As the deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God. When can I go and worship in Your presence?” It is why John wrote of Christ’s words in JN 7: 37b-38, “Whoever is thirsty should come to Me and drink. As the Scriptures [EZK 47:1; ZECH 14: 8] say, ‘Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart.’” Yes, Dear Ones, the lifestyle that Christ gives us in the Sermon on the Mount is one which will lead to eternal life with the Father, and it is one which we can practice right now today! Persisting in making the choices for righteousness that God has given us may cause us some pain and suffering here on earth, but it will lead to “winning the victory” to which John referred in REV 21: 7. When the Lord gave us true faith through the Holy Spirit, He opened to us the possibility, crafted by His death on the cross, that we could enjoy an eternal life of bliss, fellowship, and fulfillment with the Father. His Atonement and our faith in Him means that we can have an alternative to the filthy, perverted, evil lifestyle that a man-centered belief system encourages. More importantly, it means that we are no longer locked into an eternity of conscious torment in the lake of fire and sulfur. As for being victors, it means that we can do our part in Christ’s ultimate victory in wresting dominion over earth from the hands of the defeated devil and place it where it has always belonged-in God’s hands!
PRAYER: O Lord, what a great privilege it will be to worship in Your presence! You created us for Your pleasure, to worship and adore You forever. You deserve nothing less from us, and give us a thirst for Your eternal fellowship. You have not only forgiven our sins, which we confess to you, but You have also forgotten them. Our imperfections and limited ability to perceive do not stop us from wanting to seek You out, understanding our utter dependence on You, and desiring to repent of the sin that is still in us. You have given us the ability to study Your word and allow it to change our choices to conform to Your will. Your will is made clear in one of my favorite passages, RO 12: 1-2. “So then, my brothers, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect.” To help us understand Your word and Your will, You have given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. You call us to step out of the old, familiar and sinful ways, to demonstrate to us capabilities to serve that You have built into us. PS 139: 13-14, “You created every part of me; You put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because we are so fearfully and wonderfully made.” You never ask us to do anything without first equipping us to do it. That is how fair and just You are. We are eager not only to serve You, but also to be Your friends. RO 5: 10-11 make it clear that You have made us Your friends through Christ’s death on the cross. We open our hearts to You and to the guidance You give. We open our arms to You in the embrace of prayer, using that wonderful way of communication with You to listen first and then to speak with You. Indeed, You are our God, and we are Your adoring people. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will pick up with REV 21: 9, and I’m led to continue sharing the description of God’s Eternal City, the new Jerusalem. We will come to know through our study of His word, just how much being there means to each of us. The words I use to describe God’s marvelous attributes are not nearly as wonderful as He really is. Without ever having been there yet, we can already know that being with Him in His eternal city is definitely worth the pain, suffering, sorrow, and loss we must endure here on earth first. We must heed God’s words through Paul in RO 8: 18, “I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” Over the past five years, Peter and I have endured financial jeopardy, almost losing our lives due to serious health problems, and the loss of what was once, earthly terms, a rather comfortable lifestyle. We have chosen to endure in our faith and will continue to try to do so. God has shown us His love through allowing our home to sell after 1 ½ years of trying, bringing us both back from near physical death, providing the support of a wonderful congregation, making a small home available to us right here in Woodbury, MN, enabling my ministry to continue, and showing us how to be better believers by the examples set by our loving, faithful friends. Our story is only one out of countless, even more dramatic ones which reveal God’s love for His children. The song, “When The Saints Come Marching In,” has a line that says, “I want to one in their number.” That expresses the heart attitude we should each have! It’s the one which pleases God.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn