The LORD's Day, March 8, 2009

Great Things Are Up Ahead

Revelation 21.1-5

We don’t think often enough about heaven. We are generally too earthly minded.

This earth as we know it is passing away. It won’t be long until we are in Revelation 21 for real!

General Motors has warned that billions of dollars in government aid may not prevent it from running out of cash if vehicle sales do not improve soon.
STOCKS HIT 12-YEAR LOW...
12 pct. are behind on mortgage or in foreclosure...
FDIC: Insurance Fund Could Be Insolvent This Year...

When the LORD judges we are told in Revelation 20.11 that earth and sky will flee from His Presence. He is making everything new. There will be, as we read a few moments ago, a new heaven and a new earth.

With this new order of things, there are certain things that will be eliminated.

1. There will be no more death.

Death- the separation of the body and the spirit.

*For loved ones.
The most difficult times of our lives are when we lose people we love. I have spoken to a few people (and I understand this) who would gladly take the place of a suffering family member.

Our losses are not things we get over but rather things we learn to live with by God’s grace. But when we see Jesus, when He comes, when we rise....
I Corinthians 15.54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O grave, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
In heaven the sting of death will be taken away because we’ll be reunited with our loved ones and there will be no more death.

*No more death for people in the world. While we do not know people personally who die it affects us. Tragedy, accidents and wars will be no more!

*The animals and plants will have everlasting life. All of us who ever lost a pet know how that feels. I read recently that a dog’s only fault is that their lives are too short.
My neighbor told me that sometimes plants disappear. All of a sudden one year they are gone. Its true. Plants and animals die.

There will be no more death when Jesus comes because death is going to be swallowed up in victory. The Resurrection points to this wonderful time. Jesus rose again, the firstborn from the dead. We will follow!

And right along with death comes... mourning

2. There will be no more mourning.

Grief is a very difficult thing. The experience of it can be very strange. When C.S. Lewis wrote down the feelings and experiences of what he was going through after he lost his wife to cancer it struck a chord. His book A Grief Observed, became an all time best seller. Now over 45 years later it still is.

We were not create to grieve. We were created to live. Mourning or sorrow is a distasteful experience. Many times we are grieving alone. That is one of the things David rejoices in in the 23rd Psalm. He found out he would not walk the road of sorrow which leads to the Valley of the Shadow of Death alone. God is with us.

When we get to heaven however we will not need to concern ourselves with that path again! Hallelujah!

3. There will be no more crying.

I heard a missionary say, “What makes God cry... what makes me cry... when those two things move closer together Christian Maturity take place.”

Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse prayed this prayer and actually had it written on flyleaf of his Bible: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break your heart.” God answered that prayer and Bob Pierce was used by him but also broken as well. His daughter, Marilee wrote a book Days of Glory Seasons of Night. In it she chronicled the pain that came into his life and the tears to the whole family. It made me cry when I read it.

There are things we have cried over in our lives. There are things that are heart breaking today. Some of us relate to the song “In Your Loving Arms” or the new one we are doing Keep On Believing because we are crying these days.

In heaven there will be no more crying.

4. There will be no more pain.

This word can mean great trouble or physical pain. We know there will not be any death or dying. There will no longer be any sickness. No more cancer! Paul Harvey, the news commentator, died last week. He said that he wanted to live to report two great events: The cure for cancer and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
He didn’t get to do either one. I wonder if the two will be simultaneous!

Disabilities will end in heaven. Isaiah 35.5-6 No more disabilities and no more cancer! No more pain.

5. There will be a New Jerusalem.

The writer of Hebrews speak of Abraham in reference to this it : (11.10) he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

There will be a New Jerusalem. It will not have a temple. There will be no need of one! v.22 because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The Lamb has been slain, Our sins and all of those their in heaven have been atoned for and we are now like Christ- we have new bodies. No more sin.

6. The LORD and the church will be together. v.9

The marriage supper has taken place and now the church, the bride of Christ, is with the LORD, her husband. We are with Jesus!

We gather together on the LORD’s Day and throughout the week. The church is together. It is a good time, a blessed time. It is a foretaste of what is going to happen when we all get to heaven. We will be together forever. Let’s continue to love each other deeply now! Let’s not be like that verse:

To live above with saints we love, O that will be glory!
But to live below with saints we know, well that’s another story!

7. God will be with us.

He will wipe every tear from the eyes of His people.

He is with us now and we are so thankful for His Presence. He will be with us and we will be with Him and the reality of heaven is that the glass we see through darkly or dimly will be taken away and we will see face to face. Oh what a day that will be!

There are numbers of exhortations about heaven:

Hebrews 12.28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

I John 3.2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

The LORD's Day, March 1, 2009

Eternal Life Through Jesus

Revelation 20.6

People all around the world today need hope.

TARGET profit falls 41%...
MACY'S reports 59% drop...
OFFICE DEPOT shows $1.5B loss...
Home prices post record decline...sales sink to 12 year low.
Consumer Confidence Collapsed to Record Low in February...

We hope things will rebound. But we also hope that these times will be used by the LORD to Draw people to Him. II Chronicles 7.13-14

He is our hope. II Corinthians 1.10 On Him we have set our hope
Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus‘ blood and righteousness.

This section of Revelation speaks of The Millennium or 1,000 years reign of Jesus on the earth before the final judgement takes place. This will be a time when this earth gets what God intended from the beginning: peace, harmony and tranquility among other things.

Jesus will reign. Revelation never loses touch with the personal nature of salvation.

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The ones who have eternal life will be a part of that 1,000 years reign of Christ Jesus. We will reign with Him as priests. We are told it that those who are involved in this are:

1. Blessed

Those who have know Jesus as their Savior are blessed.

*They are blessed as they look back.
Spiritual Legacy- Seeing how the LORD worked in all of us to bring us to salvation. Our story. The people He had us meet. The family we were born into.

They are blessed now.
We have Hope. Our hope is built on Jesus not on the U.S. Economy or World’s
We have Faith. No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you
We have Love.

They are blessed forever II Samuel 7.29
With Jesus forever and ever. With Him in His Father’s House!
We’ll talk about this more the next few weeks. It is so wonderful!

The first resurrection is spoken about by Paul in his letter to the (I Thessalonians 4.13-18).

2. Holy

Eternal Life through Jesus is living a holy life. We cannot do it without Him.
Here is the fulfillment of Hebrews 12.14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Those around God’s throne in the end will be those who have been holy.

What about all the imperfections and places where I need to grow? When we see Christ we will be like Him I Corinthians 13.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

I John 3.2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Live as close to the LORD as you can now. Make every effort to be holy. Don’t be discouraged at the areas where you still need to grow. I read this week in Luke 6 that we are to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. I stopped reading. I prayed. I know I have a long long way to go. But that is it- I am on the way.
I’m not all I am going to be but thank God I am not what I used to be

I’m encouraged by Paul’s words in Philippians 3.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. I am in a race and I am going to finish victoriously All who have Jesus as their Savior have this hope. Holy living brings hope!


3. Life Eternal

Free from the power of death. Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of youth in Florida so a story goes. Life Eternal is not finding the fountain of youth. It is far better than that I was sent an e-mail that spoke this week of the Fountain of Youth in some pills you could take and it would restore your youthfulness. Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. People are trying to stay young. But Eternal life is much more than staying young in this life. Life Eternal is a quality as well as a quantity of life. It is the life of God coming into a human being.

The rich young ruler’s question was a deep one: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Mark 10.17

The Philippian Jailer asked the same question: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Acts 16.30

Life Eternal is something you get now-
I John 5.12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

And something you will inherit:
Ephesians 1.13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of His glory.

4. Priests

Revelation 5.9 and they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Exactly what the role of priests will be during this 1,000 years I am not sure. We are a royal priesthood (I Peter 2.9) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. It could just be referring to the praising that is spoken about here in this passage. At the very least it will be that. We could give the LORD the praise for our salvation for 1,000 years and just get started. We will praise Him in eternity.

5. Ruling and Reigning with Christ

This is the time the LORD will restore the kingdom to Israel. The disciples asked Him if He was going to do that back in Acts 1. He said it wasn’t for them to know the times or the dates. This is it

I Timothy 6.12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul is probably speaking of Timothy’s baptism here.

Life Eternal with Jesus means that we will rule and reign with Him on the earth.

Batman in the 60's Stay tuned- the worst is yet to come
For the believer keep on believing- the best is yet to come
Maranatha, Come LORD Jesus!

The LORD's Day, February 22, 2009

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19.1-10

Jesus often spoke of the kingdom of heaven in terms of a huge banquet, a large feast. Here we see the literal one He was referring to

There is much we do not know about the experiences of heaven- for instance how will we know each other if we have new bodies? How will you recognize me with all the thick wavy hair I’ll have? What will we be doing? Some have said we will work, others have said we will rest. I say probably both in some wonderful form.

We have more than enough information about eternity with Christ Jesus in that we are always learning while we are in this body.

Heaven is a literal place. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14... I was with my grandmother, a real saint of God, hours before she left to go there.. She had her hand raised for several days. She told my uncle, “God’s work is done. (in my life) God’s work is complete.” I read John 14 to her. I go to prepare a place ... the she kept repeating the phrase, “the place, the place, the place...” Finally I said to her “Nanny, can you see the place?” She nodded and within a few hours she left that hospital bed in Clewiston, Florida to be with the LORD.

I Thessalonians 4.13-18

The gathering of the church to Christ is something that is all throughout the scriptures.

1. The Church is the Bride of Christ Ephesians 5.22-33

*Christ is the head of the church.

*Jesus loves the church. He died for her.
To cleanse her and make her holy
Hebrews 13.12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

*The church and Christ are one flesh. It is a profound mystery
Profound= megas - great in mass and weight, spacious, highly esteemed for its excellence, splendid
Mystery= hidden thing, secret

*Marriage can be the closest thing to heaven on earth or it can be the closest thing to hell on earth.

*Marriage will be fulfilled in eternity as Jesus and His Church are together.
Mark 12.25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

2. Jesus is the Bridegroom. Matthew 25.1-13

Right after Jesus had spoken about the signs of His Second Coming He gave the disciples this parable.

The invitation is out now.

One day the door will be shut.

Matthew 22.1-14

This is a picture of the time when Jesus was here on earth right up until the time He comes back.

The clothes here in verse eleven and twelve correspond to Revelation 19.8

Heaven is the home of righteousness. II Peter 3.13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Heaven- Jesus with His Bride, the Church, and no more sin No more evil.


3. The Jewish Wedding was a symbol chosen to describe Jesus’ coming.

The bridegroom took the initiative and traveled from his father’s house to the home of the prospective bride. (John 3.16)

The father of the woman then negotiated with the prospective bridegroom the price that must be paid to secure his bride (I Corinthians 6.19-20)

When the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established. At that point, the man and the woman were regarded to be husband and wife, even though no physical union had taken place. This is the point at which Mary was at when she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

The moment the covenant was established, the bride was declared to be set apart exclusively for the bridegroom. The groom and the bride then drank from a cup over which the betrothal benediction had been pronounced. This symbolized that the covenant relationship had been established(I Corinthians 11.25).

After the marriage covenant was in effect, the groom left the home of the bride and returned to his father’s house. He remained there for a period of twelve months separated from his bride.
During this period of separation, the bride gathered her wardrobe and prepared for married. The groom prepared living accommodations in his father’s house for his bride. (John 14.1-3)
After this period of separation, the groom, best man, and other male escorts left the house of the groom’s father, usually at night, and conducted a torch-light procession to the house of the bride.

The bride was expecting her groom to come for her; however, she did not know the exact time. Thus, the groom’s arrival was preceded by a shout.

The groom received the bride with her female attendants and returned to his father’s house.

The bride and the groom then entered the bridal chamber and, in the privacy of that place, entered into physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage. Then a great celebration took place The Wedding Feast


4. There is a Great Day coming

The bride and the bridegroom at the wedding... the marriage... together at last... together forever Weddings are times of anticipation. My daughter Theresa’s wedding was an interesting one... on the beach... rode in the limo... friends singing Going To The Chapel... a few said as we pulled off the Robert Moses Causeway, “This is your chance to jump out and not go through with it ” ... I remember walking her down and then turning around and performing the ceremony. What a day it was

I read this week that pastors are the first to see the bride as she comes down. This is true. What a sight it is

I watched video of Princess Diane and Prince Charles’ wedding recently. The excitement was incredible. Of course not only did the fairytale like marriage end but the life of Diane as well tragically. Sad.

But there is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb coming What a day it will be when my Jesus I will see. What a time of celebration We will be with all who have believed on Jesus for salvation and patiently endured until the end. No sadness

We are on the way to a wedding It will surpass our wildest imaginations. The Bridegroom is coming for His Bride- you and me


5. Let go invite people to the wedding

Matthew 22.9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

It Will Be Worth It All
# 257 When we See Christ

The LORD's Day February 15, 2009

Followers of the LORD Jesus

Revelation 17.14

I love how in the end when God’s judgement is being poured in full measure there will be His people shining forth through His power within them. We see this in Noah’s day. Worldwide judgement but then there is the ark and the 8 people God saved who were faithful to Him in a time of horrendous wickedness.

When God judges the earth there will be those who have remained faithful to Him and they will shine as the final war is made.

These are the followers of the LORD Jesus Christ.

What is a follower?
1. A person that follows.
2. A person who follows another in regard to his or her ideas or belief; disciple or One who subscribes to the teachings of another; an adherent
3. A person who imitates, copies, or takes as a model or ideal. A fan; an enthusiast
4. An attendant, servant,.
5. A subordinate
6. Machinery. a part receiving motion from or following the movements of another part, esp. a cam.
7.Engineering, Building Trades. a concrete form attached to the head of a timber pile to permit casting of a concrete cap or pier.

There are three words the LORD has John write down in reference to what a follower of Jesus Christ is:


1. Called
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6.44
no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12.3

We cannot call a soul. That is the work of God. Many have tried and failed utterly.

We can cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

We should seek to do that. God is working on someone right now in my life. None of you know him, but God is calling. I am watching and listening. This is after much prayer has gone up for him. Family has been praying a long time. Pray and don’t give up.

The point we need to see here today as followers of Jesus Christ is that we were first called before we followed Him.
Read the early parts of the Gospels and you find these words by Jesus to His disciples before they became disciples, “Follow Me.”

2. Chosen

Jesus’ words are both comforting and perplexing,
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask
in My Name. John 15.16

chosen= picked out, elect, select, the best- applying to certain individual Christians

God chose you. You received Christ. This shows you are one of His chosen ones.
Luke 18.7-8 And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.

There are those who are strong Christians. We are told in Romans 15.1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

strong= able, powerful, mighty in influence
strong in soul- they are not easily led astray.
to bear calamities and trials with fortitude and patience. Some believers amaze me how they handle things that are overwhelming... some of you here this morning.
strong in Christian virtue - they have the fruit of the Holy Spirit coming out of their lives in great measure.
excelling

We have all been chosen by the LORD. That is why we are following Him today.
If you tend to look down on other Christians because of their weaknesses- Stop We need to bear with them. The idea here is not tolerance. It is much more than that.
It means to actually carry them if necessary. It means to sustain them, uphold them and support them. It means to put their burdens on us and carry them. Sharing our faith can mean two things- with unbelievers and with believers whose faith is weak. Build up those who weak by bearing their burdens.

Strength is not getting my will done. Strength is surrendering to His will and letting Him work it out in me.

I love that verse Isaiah prophesied concerning Jesus. Matthew 12.20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory. As we follow Jesus, as His chosen, we will take special care of the weak. It is not survival of the fittest. It is helping each other get to heaven and for those who struggle we make special allowances for.

3. Faithful
Faithful is He Who called you... following Him means a measure of faith is working in my life.

Faithful during times of great tribulation

When the stresses are on and the easier days are in the past and in the future, the times of testing come, then the true followers of the LORD are revealed. In fact it will not be until that time when we know for certain all who have believed. Some have fooled me. You cannot fool God.

*Worthy of trust

Luke 16.10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Our faithfulness to the LORD begins with small things. How we handle the money He blesses us with reveals how faithful we are. If we are faithful with it then we can be trusted with true riches- spiritual riches.

Are you giving to the LORD faithfully? This is part of being worthy of trust.


*Believes God’s Word easily- not great struggles
There is something about faith and God’s Word - we are built up in our faith as we read it. The more we read it the more our faith in God and in it grows. There are some things we cannot explain in it but we will see more and more the things we can understand and our faith will grow so we will take what we read as true without great struggles.

*Can be relied upon. Being faithful means you can be relied upon.
How are you doing with what God has entrusted you with?
Children
Grandchildren
Great Grandchildren

Talents, Spiritual Gifts

How about blessings- are you a consumer or a servant?

Followers of the LORD - consider your calling, be humbled He chose you. Serve the LORD fully.

I Corinthians 15.58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The LORD's Day February 8, 2009

Be Ready For Jesus To Come

Revelation 16.15

The next great event on God’s calendar of human history is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. All that has be written about our LORD and His work has been fulfilled except for that. He was born. He died. He rose again. He ascended... now we wait.

I was reading this week in Luke 1 about Zechariah. His prayer had been heard. I think this was a very old prayer, dating back to his early days of being married to Elizabeth. They didn’t have children and he asked the LORD to give them a son. When the announcement came he didn’t fully believe. He was old and it appears he had given up any hope of having a child.

The church is warned not to have such an attitude like that in reference to the LORD’s Return.

II Peter 3.8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Let’s not grow weary in waiting or forget what Jesus said about His Return.

What are the clothes in Revelation 16.15? :

1. Faith

The question Jesus asks in Luke 18. When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?

Of course this is first of belief and trust in Jesus. That is basic to faith.
It is also working for and serving Him based on that faith. It is yielding to His Spirit so that the works He prepared in advance for us to do are coming through us for is glory.

Think about this in the context of the last days. Jesus spoke about it Luke 21.34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. We are being told by Jesus that there will be great excesses and great pressures at the time just prior to His return and the time leading up to it. We are being told not to allow ourselves to become weighed down by amusements, the excessive drinking of liquor. We are to guard against wasteful expenditures and consumption. Indulgence and allowing small things to waste time or distract attention from following Jesus are to be avoided.

Being people of faith means relying on the LORD. We are to lift up the shield of faith to extinguish all the fiery darts or flaming arrows of the evil one. Doubts, worries, cares, anxieties, fear and all the rest of Satan’s arsenal can be taken care of by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ in these last days. We can put them out by faith so they never harm us.

2. Grace is another part of our spiritual clothing.

Grace needs to be given and received.

We need to give it to those around us who fall short of God’s glory. Those who sin need grace and we must be in the line of giving it so we don’t harbor unforgiveness in our hearts.

We need to receive it when we fall short. We need God’s grace each day. It should be part of what we are known by. People of grace and mercy.


3. Holiness

II Peter 3. 10-12 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

In light of Jesus’ soon return we ought to be living holy lives, lives dedicated to Him. We ought to be seeking to be free from the snares of sin and leading others in the same way. Clothe yourselves with holiness.

Jude 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

4. God’s Word

Be ready for Jesus to come by staying in His Word. Remain in His Word. Abide in His Word.

Milk
Meat
Manna

5. Prayer

Be ready for Jesus to come by praying. Praying and the Word of God go together.
John 15.7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Receiving answers to prayer by remaining in God’s Word is part of being ready for Jesus to come. This is wonderful beahvior for these last days.


6. Watch

Be on your guard. Keep a look out for the coming of Jesus.



7. Stay Awake

Don’t fall asleep on your watch. Those who guarded the walls had to be careful that they didn’t fall asleep allowing a breach in the security around Jerusalem. It was then a life and death issue for them and those they were guarding.

There are people who are watching us. There are people who would be greatly disappointed if we dozed off and allowed sin into our lives.

Lulled by life’s riches
May God keep us free from the love of money May we be satisfied and content with what we have.

Lied to by the Enemy
Satan is the father of lies. He has children who are going around today. They are false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Lost in worry and anxiety
We can be lost in wonder, love and praise or we can be lost in worry and anxiety. We re warned about that in God’s Word. We already looked at the passage in Luke. Be on your guard about taking on your future and fretting over it. God will take care of you

The LORD's Day, February 1, 2009

Songs in Heaven

Revelation 15.1-4

Singing is the language of the soul. We are singing all the time in our hearts. When we get still enough we can hear the music we are making. What we are singing tells our spiritual condition. Songs in our soul can range from praise to God to lament over ourselves and our condition. Songs help us remember. For instance the Star Spangled Banner reminds me of those who fought for my freedom. Amazing Grace reminds me that my salvation from beginning to eternity is about God’s Grace. How Great Thou Art brings many thoughts to my soul.

We have seen a number of songs being sung so far in the Book of Revelation. This final bookis full of songs.

There is the song of the Four Living Creatures in chapter 4, verse eight.

In the same chapter in verse 11 there is the song of the 24 elders.

There is the new song of the Four Living Creatures and the 24 elders in chapter 5, verse 9-10

The song of the multitude of the angels in verse 12 and the song all the creatures everywhere sing in v.13

We saw the song of the 144,000 last week in 14.3-4, The song of redemption.

Now there are 2 more songs we are told about in our scripture reading this morning. They are the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.

All of these songs are worshiping the LORD, extolling Him, praising our God.

These two songs that we just read about are speaking of God’s actions in the Old and the New Testaments or Covenants. Moses is another name for the law. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth to set up the New Covenant, the Covenant of Love... for God so loved...


1. There is great singing in heaven, going on right now.

We just looked at these songs. There may be more than we are being told. There are a lot of things about heaven that we will need to wait to see what it is like.

We know enough.

We know there is a place called heaven. Jesus said if it were not so He would have told us. (John 14.2)

We know the way to get there. There is only one way and Jesus is the Way (John 14.6)

We know He we will be with Him and all who have loved Him forever (I Thessalonians 4.17)

We know that there is great singing going on right now. It is worship and it all points to the LORD.


2. We have a new song in our hearts on the way to heaven.

Psalm 40.3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Many times the cares of the day, the stresses of life and the pressure we live under can smother the song in our hearts. We need to sing.

There actually was a song a while ago called, “Singing I Go”
Singing I go along life’s road,
Praising the Lord, praising the Lord,
Singing I go along life’s road,
For Jesus has lifted my load.

Eliza Hewitt wrote it. She lived in Philadelphia all her life. After graduation from school, Eliza began teaching. However, her career was cut short by a serious spinal problem. She partially recovered, but was an invalid most of her life. She then turned to hymn writing and wrote many hymns. Among them:
More about Jesus
Sunshine in My Soul
and perhaps her best known one “When We All Get to Heaven”

We ought to be singing as we go to heaven. God gave us a new song to sing

We have something to sing about Jesus has redeemed us He has written our name down in heaven. He is with us on the journey And what a journey it is
Everyday the LORD Himself is near me with a special mercy for each trial We sang this morning, written by another lady who went through very difficult times but emerged with a song of joy in her heart.

He can do the same for you He wants to fill your journey with joy. Joy is not getting everything we want, having everything our way. You know people like that. They are not fun to be with. They are miserable actually. Some people fight to have things go their way. Manipulators are not joy filled people. On the contrary they are people who work very hard to make sure things go the way they want it. Pity their victims.


Our song is one of thanking God for blessings. Sometimes in difficult times. We don’t understand at times but God gives a song in the night season and all the day long

Job 2.10 Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? There will be unexplainable things that happen in our lives. Adversity comes to everyone. We can still sing of those times of God’s faithfulness.


3. We will sing when we get there.

One of the songs we will sing will be the song of the Redeemed.

Angels cannot sing it. It is for those of us whom Jesus takes to heaven.


4. Singing will be part of eternity.

Here we see Moses’ song and the Song of the Lamb.

Moses Song in Exodus 15. Let’s look at it.

This is song of praise for God’s deliverance. The enemy was overcome by God’s power as he pursued the people of God, Israel. The LORD drowned Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea after bringing the children of Israel through on dry ground.

The Song of the Lamb is praising God for His powerful acts throughout the ages.

Those who remain faithful to Jesus will be delivered from the enemy and be brought safely to heaven.

We will be praising God for bringing us there... it will be wonderful beyond words or what we are able to imagine right now.

So we go on singing on our journey. We don’t know what is ahead but we know Whom we have believed. He knows what up is ahead and is preparing us for it. He knows the way we take. We never know where life may take us. This we do know: If we are following Jesus He will be with us. In the darkest valleys and on the mountain peaks, He is there. And he gives us a song in both of those places as we sang about this morning and all the places in between.

Our goal is heaven. Revelation is telling us about it. When We all Get to Heaven there will be great rejoicing and praising God. What a day that will be. Let’s sing about it before we go this morning.

When We All Get To Heaven

The LORD's Day January 25, 2009

Following the Lamb

Revelation 14.1-5

We see Jesus standing here with those who followed Him. The anti Christ has been doing his work (in the previous chapter) of forcing the world to worship him. Here we see Jesus with those who followed Him because they loved Him.

Am I following the Lamb, Jesus Christ?

What does it mean to follow Him?

Follow-
*Follow the One Who Precedes
*Join Him as His attendant, accompany Him, to join one as a disciple, become or be His disciple
*Side with his party.


John 8.31 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”


1. Those Who follow the Lamb Keep Themselves Pure.

We are called to be holy just as God is holy.

II Timothy 2.22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Outwardly
Psalm 24.3- 5
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

Inwardly
Matthew 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Pure motives, motives of love.
I Timothy 1.5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Matthew 5.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven...
Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving others as ourselves, loving others as Jesus loves them is following the Lamb and keeping yourself pure.

James 1.27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 8 million Christmas shoe boxes to children in over 100 countries around the world.


2. Those Who Follow the Lamb follow Him wherever He goes.

They sing as they go. I like this. Look at verse three They are full of joy and praising God.

They always made following Jesus Wherever He goes sound like suffering. Following Him must be to the worst place and great sacrifice. Sometimes God calls people to some desperate situations and those who follow Him there are filled with joy serving Him. He leads us besides still waters. He makes us lie down in green pastures.

There is a cross to bear- speak about that in a moment.

But there is a fellowship in following. We need to first see that. We are with Him and He is with us!

What a fellowship! We all need to continue to cultivate this fellowship with the Master. That should be something we treasure deeply. Seeing the LORD in all of life brings great joy and comfort to our souls.

With the Lamb. This fellowship with Jesus is with the Lamb of God. We see His wrath in this chapter but it is against those who refuse to repent. We who are following the Lamb have a treasure (eternal life) and part of it manifests itself in walking with Him daily. He is the Lamb of God. Gentle Shepherd, He is meek and humble. He cares for us.

Friendship With Jesus

We have fellowship with one another as we follow Jesus I John 1.7 If we walk in the loght as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son purifies us from all sin.”

With the Church around the corner and around the country and around world.

I love the Christian Connections! We experience them all the time, locally. I ran into a number of Christians this week in my goings out. Some encouraged me others I encouraged.


Wherever we go in this land in which we live there are other believers who are our brothers and sisters. Beach House in Laguna Beach, California.

Go to the other side of the world. Go to China as I have done. There is a church there filled with believers and while there may be a language barrier there is no love barrier! We have fellowship with people who we can’t even speak to because we and they are following the Lamb!


3. Those Who Follow the Lamb Offer Themselves as Living Sacrifices

Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? A hymn.

Romans 12.1

They do what their Master did. He gave Himself up for us. So we also ought to lay down our loves for each other.

Do we all die a martyr’s death? No, but we all must die to ourselves.

That means putting others before yourself. The most miserable people I know are the self centered ones. Selfishness is a pathway to misery.

On the other hand the most joyful are the most giving. Here LORD I give myself away tis all that I can do!

God has given each of you certain gifts to use in His Kingdom. Your life will be the most joyful when you are using those gifts for Him.



4. Those Who Follow the Lamb Tell the Truth.

Lying is becoming a thing to be admired (if you can get away with it) in our culture. But what God says is wrong is wrong!

We are following the Truth and speak the truth in love. Jesus was and is the Truth. If you are following the Lamb then your life will be marked by certain things:

They keep their word. Their word is good.

They keep their oath even when it hurts.

Following the Lamb is not complicated. It is not possible without belonging to Jesus.
Let’s keep ourselves pure for Him, follow Him wherever He goes, offer ourselves as living sacrifices, keep ourselves from falsehood, Let’s be people of the Truth!