When Good Kids Make Bad Friends

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When Good Kids Make Bad Friends

John 15:9-17

Dr. Jim Denison

Last weekend our family visited Janet’s parents in the Ozarks of north Arkansas. And so I got to do my favorite thing: floating down the White River, fishing for trout. I have never seen clearer, purer water than is in that river. I could even see the log in the river I hung three hooks on.

What a contrast from the fishing hole I used to visit growing up in Houston. You had to climb over barbed wire to get to it. There were beer cans and bottles scattered everywhere, the bank was all mud and rocks, and the water was so thick you could walk on it. But it was my fishing hole—at least until the day the owner saw me and chased me out with a shotgun.

The difference between the White River and my old fishing hole? The sources of the water—Ozark streams and Houston rain.

What sources determine who and what we are today? The direction our lives will take, the people we will become?

Two weeks ago I reported some sobering facts about teenagers today. Among them: nearly half drink alcohol weekly; 45% have used illegal drugs; 100,000 take a gun to school every day; 2,000 commit suicide daily; 40% say they are sexually active; 20.1% of teenage girls will have had an abortion by the time they reach 20 years of age. What is the source of these self-destructive decisions?

Not their parents, we can assume. What parents want their children to abuse drugs or alcohol, to commit sexual sin or suicide? Popular culture has its role in glamorizing such behavior, to be sure. But as we’ll discover today, the most formative single influence on our youth is the friends they choose. And that influence remains with us for the rest of our lives.

So any series dealing with our key relationships must focus on friendships. How do we choose good friends? What do we do when good kids make bad friends? On this subject, I need to be very simple and very direct. We’ll look to Jesus for the crucial and practical guidance we all need today.

First, how do we choose good friends?

As though your future depends on them, because it does

First, choose them as though your future depends on them, because it does.

In our text, Jesus called these disciples his “friends.” He promised that he would “lay down his life for his friends” (v. 13). He says that he will not call them servants but friends (v. 15). Now, how did he choose them?

It is an interesting fact that our Lord prayed all night long only once in recorded Scripture. How significant must an issue be for Jesus to pray over it all night? Here was the decision facing him: who would his disciples be? Whom would he choose for his closest followers, his best friends?

About this crucial issue, “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles” (Luke 6:12-13). These are the very men Jesus addresses in our text as his “friends” (John 15:15). He knew that the future and ultimate success of his life and work would depend on them. So should we.

Psychologists know that in adolescence, peers typically replace the family as the center of the person’s social life. Adolescents become more physically and psychologically distant from their parents, and friends move to the center of their relational world.

Then, as peers become more dominant, they shape our identity and life purpose, the very decisions which are formative for our lives and futures.

And these peer relationships are especially influential in introducing adolescents to problem behaviors such as substance abuse and sexual immorality. As we determine who and what we will be, our friends play the crucial role.

Note that Jesus prayed about this issue. He didn’t just think hard or reflect well—he prayed to his Father. He knew that God has a will for us in this matter.

So allow me the question: have you prayed about your friends? Have you consulted your all-knowing, all-loving Father on this issue? Choose your friends as though your future depends on them, because it does.

By your values

Second, choose your friends by your values, not your values by your friends.

Jesus chose for his friends some unusual candidates, to say the least: fishermen, tax collectors, and poor peasants. Not the rabbis, priests, or officials we would expect him to select. Why? Because Jesus knew these men would be teachable and leadable; they would depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and not their own abilities. He knew his purpose for them, and the values he wanted them to live by.

He says so plainly in our text: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (v. 16). Jewish students typically chose their rabbi, but this rabbi chose his students. He chose his friends to “bear fruit,” to fulfill his purpose for their lives and ministries. Jesus chose his friends according to his values, not his values according to his friends.

How often we are shocked at the “good kids” who are arrested for drug possession, or become pregnant, or get abortions. The simple fact is: they didn’t choose their friends according to their values, and in time their friends’ values became their own.

Bad lowers good far more often than good raises bad. Apart from a miracle of God’s power, you cannot change your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your friends. When the tide goes out, every boat in the harbor sinks lower.

In 1921, Norman Vincent Peale saw Henry Ford standing beside his car in front of a railroad station. He approached Ford, introduced himself, and told him how much he admired him.

Ford responded with a strange question: “Who is your best friend?” Without waiting for an answer, he scribbled on a piece of paper these words: “Your best friend is the person who brings out the best that is within you.” He signed it, “Henry Ford.” Then he said to the young Norman Vincent Peale, “Think about that and always associate yourself with the best men you know.”

Decide to follow Jesus fully, to obey his call to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then choose your friends according to your values, or they will choose your values for you.

Pray for your friends constantly

So we have chosen our friends according to God’s will and our godly values. Now, pray for your friends—constantly and consistently.

Jesus prayed about his friends, then he prayed for them all through the rest of his earthly ministry. He prayed for them the very night he would be arrested, and he prayed for them from his cross. This very moment Jesus is “at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). He chose his friends according to his Father’s will and his own values, but still he knew he must pray for them constantly. So must we.

We pray to God about our problems, our health, our finances, our family. When last did you pray for your friends? Not just those with problems, but each of those who are close to you?

The wise Dr. Johnson said, “A man should keep his friendships in constant repair.” Theirs is the crucial, formative influence on your life and future. It is only a wise investment to pray for them every day.

Trust those who earn your trust

Last, trust those who earn your trust.

Jesus loved each of his disciples and friends, but he trusted only those he could. And he trusted them with responsibilities appropriate for them. He trusted Mary to John, not Peter—but he trusted Pentecost to Peter, not John. And he trusted nothing about the future of their ministry to Judas.

This was a new insight for me as I prepared this message. We typically trust our friends until they show us that we cannot. But we pay a price for that strategy—sometimes a very high one. How much pain have you experienced because you trusted a friend you couldn’t?

As Jesus chose his friends according to God’s will and his values, and prayed for them constantly, he learned who and what he could trust. So can we.

At the end of World War II, a group of soldiers was released from a prison camp. One boat was leaving for home, with not nearly enough room for all the soldiers. Two dear friends were standing side by side. They had gotten each other through the worst circumstances we can imagine.

Sadly, one of these soldiers was chosen to go, the other told to stay. Those allowed to board the boat were told they could bring only their most important piece of luggage. So the first soldier emptied his duffel bag, told his friend to get in, and carried his most valuable possession onto the boat.

A friend who has earned your trust may be your most valuable possession today.

Conclusion

Now, what if good kids have made bad friends? What if you or someone you care about has strayed from Jesus’ example and teaching? What then? How do these principles help us?

If this is your situation, it’s not too late to make some crucial changes.

Realize that bad friends will damage your life, for your future depends significantly on them. While driving back from Arkansas this week I saw a church sign with an instructive thought: “Don’t give the devil a ride—he always wants to drive.”

Decide today that you will live by Jesus’ values, whatever your friends say. If they abandon you because you won’t abandon your Lord, they were not your friends, anyway.

Pray for them continually. You cannot change their hearts or character. But God can.

As you pray for them, trust only those who have earned your trust. And begin adding good friends to your life, as God leads you.

If this situation describes your children, you can teach them these principles. And you can take some additional, very practical steps.

Make your home and family a place your kids want their friends to visit. Then you can know their friends and encourage them.

Know the parents of your children’s friends.

Don’t push too hard to break up a friendship you don’t approve of—this can backfire and draw your child even more strongly to the person.

On rare occasions, you may have to set boundaries with your kids, limiting or banning them from certain friends who have a negative influence on them.

Find ways to minister to your children’s friends. Invite them to church. Pray for them.

Model choosing good friends. Parents are still a dominant influence in the lives of their children, even in adolescence.

No matter what your children do, stay in relationship with them. Keep your door open. Never give up on them. Pray constantly for them. Ask God to do what you cannot.

Above all, for all of us, make Jesus your best friend. He died for you, proving his sacrificial love for you. He wants to be your friend. He wants you to be his.

I’ve been a Christian since 1973. For years I saw Jesus as my Savior, the one who rescued me from hell for heaven. Then I began more and more to turn my life over to him as my Lord. For the last several years I have tried to follow him as my guide and teacher. But only recently have I begun to view him as my friend—as my best friend.

And this changes everything. You talk to your friend out of joy, not obligation. You read what he has written out of delight, not duty. You serve his best interest out of love, not legalism.

The Savior and Lord of the world wants to be your friend. And help you choose your other friends. He’s waiting for your reply to his invitation, right now.

When It’s Hard to Say No

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When It’s Hard to Say No

Studies in the Book of Revelation

Dr. Jim Denison

Revelation 2:12-17

Jesus’ letters are addressed in a circular route. From Smyrna, the road north followed the coastline some 40 miles before turning in a northeastern direction up the valley of the Caicus River. About 10 miles from the Aegean Sea stood the city of Pergamum.

Pliny, the Roman governor of the area, said Pergamum was “by far the most distinguished city in Asia” (Historia naturalis 5.30). For more than 300 years she was the capitol city for the entire region.

Built on a cone-shaped hill a thousand feet in elevation, Pergamum dominated the valley below. From this height the inhabitants of the city could see the Mediterranean Sea 15 miles away. “Pergamum” in Greek means “citadel,” an appropriate description of the city.

Her history began 400 years before Christ, and was a story of constant warfare. Attalus III (ca. 170-133) bequeathed his entire empire to Rome, so that Asia Minor became a Roman province with Pergamum as its capitol. The city retained this status until AD 130.

Pergamum was Rome’s capitol in the region; it was Satan’s as well: “I know where you live–where Satan has his throne” (v. 13). His temptations were three in number.

First: cultural possessions. Pergamum had an outstanding school of art; and was best known for its library, second in size only to the famed library at Alexandria, Egypt, with some 200,000 volumes.

Parchment (animal skin used as writing material) was invented in Pergamum, in conjunction with its library. And when scholars in Pergamum found their parchments difficult to store as scrolls, they invented the “codex,” or book, to bind them together. The stadium of the city is well preserved and stunning as well. And sculpture was highly developed in Pergamum and famous for its quality.

This cultural prosperity may explain why the cult of the Nicolaitans thrived in Pergamum. The sophistication of the society made this heresy very attractive and persuasive.

Second: religious performance. Gigantic altars to the pagan gods stood at every corner. The most famous was the altar to Zeus. Forty feet high, it rested like a throne 800 feet up Pergamum’s canonical hill. All day long it smoked with sacrifices offered to Zeus. Carved around its base was one of the greatest sculptures of the ancient world, a frieze of the Battle of the Giants which proclaimed the victory of the Greek gods over the barbarian giants. These ruins are still visible to visitors today.

The shrine to Athena was important as well. This is the first site a visitor to Pergamum sees today. A third shrine was dedicated to Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing. Sufferers from around the world flocked to it. As a result, medical wards, schools, and priests made their headquarters in Pergamum. Galen, second only to Hippocrates in ancient medical significance, was born in Pergamum and made its medical practice even more famous.

As we will see, there are very clear parallels between the pagan worship of the city and the Balaamite heresy so prevalent in the church.

Third: political power. This was the official center in Asia Minor for the imperial cult. In 29 BC Emperor Augustus gave permission for a temple to be erected in Pergamum to “the divine Augustus and the goddess Roma” (Tacitus, Annals 3.37). This was the first temple in all of Asia built to the worship of a living ruler. Soon the people added a second and third temple as well.

The ruins of the temple of Trajan are still visible today, a reminder of the idolatry of the city and its constant pressure on the Christian church.

Faithful but flawed

As his letter to the Pergamum Christians begins, Jesus speaks a word of hearty commendation: “you remain true to my name” (v. 13). The Greek says, “You are holding onto my name”–“holding” means to grasp tightly onto a treasured possession. Jesus’ “name” denotes his character or person. These Christians are honoring the third commandment in a city which breaks it daily.

Then Jesus describes their courage in another way: “You did not deny my faith.” They have held his name by refusing to deny their faith. And this refusal has come at great cost: “even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city–where Satan lives.”

Antipas is the only person named specifically in any of Jesus’ seven letters to his churches. His name means “against all,” a reputation he fulfilled to the death. He refused to bow the knee to Caesar or proclaim him lord, and paid the price of faithfulness with his life. Every Christian in Pergamum could expect the same consequences for keeping the faith.

Satan cannot defeat the church by a frontal assault, so he attempts an insidious strategy: idolatry, then heresy. First he uses idolatry: “You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality” (v. 14).

Here’s the story in brief. Balak, the king of Moab, tried to entice Balaam the Hebrew prophet to curse Israel, but Balaam refused. However, he did even worse. He arranged a plan whereby the daughters of the Moabites seduced the men of Israel. Then these men led the Israelites to sacrifice to the pagan god of Moab and worship him (Numbers 22-25). From then to now, Balaam stands for the deception of idolatry.

And so Satan attempts a successful, strong church in the same way, enticing us to worship things or people other than God.

Second, Satan employs heresy: “Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v. 15). We met this heretical group in Ephesus. Apparently they practiced a kind of Gnosticism, an early heresy which taught in part that physical actions do not bear on our spiritual lives.

In the letter to Ephesus we learned that Jesus “hates” this heresy. Unfortunately, the Christians in Pergamum did not.

A pivotal choice

Now these Christians are confronted with a monumental decision: “Repent, therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (v. 16). Jesus began his letter to Pergamum with the same image: “These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (v. 12).

This is the same sword which came “out of his mouth” in his earlier vision to John (1.16). This is an image for the word of God which is “sharper than any two-edged sword’ and “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4.12). With the sharp sword of his mouth, Jesus will conquer all nations (Revelation 19.15) and will cleanse his church in Satan’s capitol.

Those who repent and return to Jesus will have the “hidden manna” (v. 17a). The Jews believed that when the Messiah comes, he will bring with him more of the wilderness manna first given to Israel in the days of Moses. Here Jesus promises to replace the food they’ve sacrificed to idols with the feast of the Messiah.

And they will also receive “a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it” (v. 17b). This probably refers to the tessera, invitation stones on which were engraved the names of people invited to special feats and functions.

Jesus promises that his people, restored to doctrinal purity, will have a new name. This promise fulfills the prediction of old: “You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow” (Isaiah 62.2).

We will suffer for our faith. But Jesus promises that the results of our faithfulness will always be worth their price.

The church at Pergamum illustrates the fact that idolatry is a constant temptation for believers. We learn here also that heresy is a perennial enemy of the faith. And we discover that God rewards faithfulness beyond all that it costs.

When It’s Not Your Fault

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When It’s Not Your Fault

Revelation 2:8-11

Dr. Jim Denison

I read this week about two men who tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the panel off the machine, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home, leaving the chain attached to the machine, the bumper attached to the chain, and their truck’s license plate attached to the bumper.

Did you hear about the man trapped in a vat of chocolate last week? The 21-year-old worker got into the vat to unplug it and became trapped waist deep in the chocolate. Co-workers, police, and firefighters were unable to free him until they thinned the chocolate. The man was treated at a local hospital for sore ankles and minor injuries, and released. There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Sometimes our problems are the result of our stupidity, and we leave our license plate as proof. Sometimes we’re just stuck in the chocolate and it’s not our fault. When that happens, when we’re trapped in Smyrna with no apparent way out, we wonder where our loving and powerful God is. And why he doesn’t help us.

Where has God disappointed you? What pain has he not healed? What problem has he not solved? What burden has he not lifted? What has brought you to Smyrna today?

Background–living in the city called Bitter

Today we visit the second of the seven churches of Revelation and location of the modern-day city of Izmir. “Smyrna” is translated elsewhere in the NT as “myrrh.” Myrrh was a gum resin used to make perfume, oil, and embalming fluid. It was extremely bitter. This city was so named because myrrh was one of the products often traded through its port. For Christians living in ancient Smyrna, “myrrh” or bitterness was not just a name, but a reality.

Smyrna was a beautiful city. She owned a famous stadium and library, and boasted the largest public theater in Asia. The city also claimed to be the birthplace of Homer, with a famous monument dedicated to the poet. By contrast, the Christians living in Smyrna struggled for survival and lived in the most basic simplicity. They experienced none of her beauty and grandeur.

She was a wealthy city. The city lay on the eastern shore of the Aegean Sea and boasted an excellent harbor. While impoverished Christians struggled to support their families and earn the barest of essentials, the rest of their city lived in remarkable wealth and opulence.

She was a heathen city. She boasted temples to Apollo, Asklepios, Aphrodite, and Zeus. In 196 BC she became the first city in the world to erect a temple to the worship of Rome. In contrast, the Christians of this city met in humble, obscure places of worship, in the midst of some of the most stunning temples and religious shrines in the Roman world.

And she was a proud city. Smyrna was known as the proudest city in Asia Minor. She claimed to be the first in beauty, first in Caesar worship, and the birthplace of Homer. She was the center of all that was glorious and great. And so her people looked in utter contempt on the poor and humble Christians in their mist.

Facing the problem

Now, it’s not supposed to be that way. If we are right with God, good things are supposed to happen to us. When they don’t, we wonder why we should trust him.

If vandals broke into our new Community Life Center and our alarm system didn’t go off, we’d replace it. It didn’t protect us as it was supposed to. We didn’t get what we paid for.

Why be faithful to God when such things happen? Why not go along to get along? Why stand up to the emperor worship and pagan practices of the culture, if this is the thanks we get? Why be faithful to a God who doesn’t seem to be faithful to us?

We question God’s love, or we question his power. Surrounded by the opulent wealth of Rome, we wonder if the God worshiped by our fledgling band of Christians is so great. It’s hard to trust a power you cannot see or even prove exists, when the powers you can see are so enormous.

I’ve been reading David Marion Wilkinson’s novel, Not Between Brothers. It’s an epic narrative of the settling of Texas in the years up to and following the Alamo. I learned that the greatest problem Anglo settlers faced was the Cherokee. The reason we won the land was simple: the revolver. The Indians could match our single-shot rifles with their arrows, but they had no defense against the repeating pistol, the “fire that lasts forever,” as they called it. With no other recourse, they appealed to their Great Spirit to defeat this enemy, but our guns conquered their religion.

That’s how the Empire saw the faith of these first Christians. They prayed to an unseen God, while the Romans trusted the army and wealth they could measure. Why keep faith in a Lord you cannot prove exists, especially when it seems that such faith is losing the war?

Facts which help

Five facts may help. One: God hurts as we hurt.

He claims: “These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” (v. 8). He has already defeated our greatest enemy, so we have nothing to fear when we follow him.

He knows our “affliction.” This word translates thlipsis, meaning “pressure,” a terrible burden which presses down and grinds us up. Jesus knows the burden we are bearing today. He knows our “poverty” as well. This is the word ptocheia, which means the person who has nothing at all. Jesus knows our financial needs, whatever they are.

He knows our “slander.” The word is literally “blasphemy.” The Jewish leaders hated Christians and slandered them in terrible ways. And he knows our pain. When he says “I know” (v. 9), he means that he feels their pain deeply. He has been wherever we are today.

Two: God knows our present, and he controls our future.

He flatly states, “The devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (v. 10). He knows what will happen to them in the future, but promises a reward far greater than their present sufferings.

“Ten days” means a hard time of limited duration. God will never let us suffer beyond what we can stand: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

When we are faithful unto death, we will receive the “crown of life.” This is the stephanos, the wreath of victory given at the Olympic Games to the victorious. God will give us great reward when we have served him faithfully.

And so, “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death” (v. 11) in hell. Rather, our faith will be rewarded eternally.

So God feels our pain and redeems our future. But I still wish the world wasn’t the way it is. I wish I didn’t have to visit Smyrna so often. So do most of you. Why doesn’t he simply remove innocent suffering and be done with it? Why doesn’t he perform a miracle to prevent natural disasters whenever they threaten us? Why doesn’t he step in to prevent our suffering from the sins of others?

A third fact may help: freedom requires consequences.

If God were to intervene every time our misused freedom were about to cause suffering, we would not be truly free. There is no freedom without consequences. If fast food restaurants displayed the same menus but began serving only fat free yogurt, our freedom would be only apparent and not real. Not to mention distasteful.

If God were to intervene every time a natural disaster were about to bring innocent suffering, the natural order would no longer exist. The same gravity which enables me to stand on this platform would cause me to sprain my ankle if I fell off of it. Baseball fans curse the same rain which the farmer welcomes with joy.

There are consequences to freedom, or we’re not free. Since God made us to worship him, and worship requires a choice, he’ll not remove our ability to choose. He could insulate us from the results of our choices, but that’s tantamount to removing our freedom. And that’s something he’ll never do.

Four: we don’t know what is best

If Joseph’s brothers hadn’t sold him into slavery, he could never have saved their lives and future nation. If Pharaoh had not sought the death of all Hebrew baby boys, Moses’ mother would not have left him to be adopted by Pharaoh’s own daughter. If Nebuchadnezzar had not required that the nation pray to him alone, Daniel would never have proven God’s power over a lion.

What if King George had been more lenient toward his subjects in the Colonies? If Mexican dictator Santa Anna had honored the Constitution of 1824 instead of declaring himself the Napoleon of the West and inciting the Texians to revolt, I might be delivering this message in Spanish today.

It is impossible for me to see the future consequences of present occurrences. What seems a tragedy of unredeemable proportion may lead to future good I cannot begin to comprehend in my grief. And good on earth cannot compare with good in heaven. I have absolutely no way of knowing how God is using present suffering for spiritual and eternal advance.

But I can believe that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). And that the God who sees tomorrow better than I can see today knows what is best for both.

Five: God is required to use all he permits

God never wastes a hurt. He can be trusted to redeem all he permits. Romans 8:28 reminds us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” He will use anything he allows for his glory and our good.

In fact, his holiness requires him to. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” He is holy at all times, in all ways.

And so God must always do the right thing. Everything he causes must achieve a perfect and holy purpose. And everything he permits must do the same. He must use even our misused freedom for his larger glory and Kingdom’s good. Joseph’s brothers thought they were rid of him, but God used their rejection to save their family. Satan thought he won the battle when Jesus died, but that was the very moment when he lost the war.

The holy God of the universe is required by his own character to redeem all he permits. You and I may not see such good until we’re in glory, but we will see it there. We will be permitted to know all the ways God used and blessed our pain and sacrifice, our suffering and loss. We will understand why he allowed our loved one to die, our family to face such adversity, our service to encounter such opposition. He will always transform loss into gain. We may not understand how or why he is using bad for good, any more than we see the sun on a cloudy day. But we can see everything else in its light.

Conclusion

We have wrestled today with one of the greatest challenges Christianity faces. Know that God knows your pain and redeems your future. In the meanwhile, he must allow the consequences of freedom while using them for present and future good we cannot imagine. His holiness requires him to do so.

Now, where do you need these facts today? What problem has brought you to Smyrna?

When Life Makes No Sense

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When Life Makes No Sense

Studies in the Book of Revelation

Dr. Jim Denison

Revelation 2:1-7

Ephesus was the greatest city in Asia Minor and was often called Lumen Asiae, “the light of Asia.” It was the wealthiest city in Asia Minor and had the greatest harbor in that part of the world. Three lucrative trade routes led to her shores, bringing wealth from across the Empire. And so she grew to a population of a quarter-million people, a giant metropolis for her day. Her ruins are spectacular still today.

Ephesus was the most religious city in Asia as well. Her money had built the greatest temples and shrines in the ancient world. Her chief claim to fame was the Temple of Diana. It had the following characteristics:

425 feet long by 225 feet wide.

127 columns, each 60 feet high and the gift of a king.

36 of the columns were covered with gold, jewels, and carvings.

The entire temple was made of cypress wood.

The Greeks said, “The sun sees nothing finer in his course than Diana’s Temple.”

Emperor worship was very significant in the city as well, with shrines to the emperors on every major street. Greek mystery cults had followers here as well, and the Jewish contingent was strong.

Visiting the Ephesian church

By popular consent, the Ephesian church was the most accomplished Christian congregation in the world.

The church was probably founded jointly by Aquila and Priscilla; they were later joined by Paul, who preached there for more than 2 years (Acts 18.18-19; 19.1-10). Timothy succeeded Paul here, as did Apollos. John the Beloved Disciple pastored in Ephesus as well; tradition says that Mary lived and died in the city also. Church councils would be held here in later centuries, bringing Christians from across the world.

In our letter, Jesus commends the church with wonderful praise. First, he commends their actions (v. 2):

He knows their “deeds” (ergon, activities).

And their “hard works” (kopos, to toil or work hard).

He notes their perseverence. The word is hupomone, which means to endure with steadfast courage despite all opposition. Jesus commends them: “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” (v. 3).

He commends their integrity: “how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false” (v. 2).

Later he repeats his approval: “this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (v. 6). Nicolaitans are mentioned only here and in 2.15: “You also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

Irenaeus attributed the movement to Nicolas, one of the Seven (Acts 6.5) and said, “They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence” (Against Heresies 1.26.3). Clement of Alexandria described them as “abandoning themselves to pleasure like goats, as if insulting the body, lead a life of self-indulgence…while their soul is buried in the mire of vice” (Miscellanies 2.20).

Victorinus of Pettau, the first commentator on Revelation, refers to them as “false and troublesome men, who, as ministers under the name of nicolaus, had made for themselves a heresy, to the effect that what had been offered to idols might be exorcized and eaten, and that whatever should have committed fornication might receive peace on the eighth day” (Commentary on the Apocalypse 2.6).

Perhaps the reason more is not known about them is that their sect lasted for only “a very short time,” according to Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.29).They were obviously a doctrinal threat to the church, for Jesus says that he “hates” them (2.6). And the Ephesian Christians agree.

So we begin our tour of the seven churches with the most attractive one of all. Their actions, courage, and doctrine are above reproach. They appear successful in every way. But appearances are usually deceptive.

Solving the Ephesian problem

Their problem is simple, and disastrous: “I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love” (v. 4). “First” means “first in time.” The person a Christian loves first in coming to faith in Jesus himself. Put simply, the Ephesian Christians have forgotten Jesus. In doing the work of the church, they have forsaken the Lord of the church.

They have lost their sense of purpose, their direction in life. They are so busy doing, they have forgotten being. Their lives and faith makes no sense, as they are consumed in the busyness of “success.”

Now they must return to him, or he will “remove your lampstand from its place” (v. 5). The lampstand symbolizes their church (1.20). As the “light of the world” (Matthew 5.14), their church exists to shine the candle of God’s love into a very dark world. But this lampstand is in Jesus’ hand, and it is about to go out. They are perilously close to losing their church. They must “Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first” (v. 5).

We must “remember” the time when we loved Jesus first and most of all and “repent,” change our minds and lives about our priorities now. Then we must “do the works we did at first,” acting ourselves into a new way of feeling about the Lord Jesus.

Do not assume that you can make this decision later. Today Ephesus is no more, their church gone, their city in ruins. The Temple of Diana is a metaphor for her greatness and fall: the once magnificent temple today has only one column standing amidst the ruins.

So it is with any church or Christian who forsakes Jesus. But you and I have this day to return to him. Does your life make sense? Would Jesus say that he is your first love, your first priority? What practical step does he intend you to take, today?

When Success Isn’t Enough

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When Success Isn’t Enough

Studies in the Book of Revelation

Dr. Jim Denison

Revelation 3:14-22

Laodicea stood 43 miles southeast of Philadelphia, on the Lycus River at the border of Phrygia, six miles south of Hierapolis and ten miles from Colossae. The city occupied an almost square plateau several hundred feet high with mountains to the south rising to more than 8,000 feet. The city was founded in the mid-third century BC by Antiochus II, who named it after his wife Laodice (meaning “justice of the people”).

The Laodicean Christians received two letters from Paul: one letter sent first to Colossae and a second (now lost) sent directly to Laodicea (see Colossians 4.16). The church at Laodicea was probably founded by Epaphras (Colossians 4.12-13) during Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 19.10). There is no evidence that Paul ever visited Laodicea, although his letter to Colossae reflects his concern for the church.

The enormous wealth of Laodicea was derived in large measure from her location. She stood at the intersection of two great trade routes: one going from Ephesus to the east and the other heading south from Pergamum to the Mediterranean Sea. Five of the seven cities in Revelation lay on the latter route: Laodicea, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia.

Laodicea was also the site of large manufacturing and banking operations and was known for fine woolen carpets and clothing. The city served as the center for the worship of Asklepios and the seat of a medical school. Cicero lived there and wrote many of his letters at the provincial court located in the city.

How we get to Laodicea

The city’s great material success did not translate into spiritual significance. In fact, Laodicea is the only church in Revelation to receive no praise whatsoever from Jesus. Let’s see why, and how the same problem can exist in our spiritual lives. Ask yourself three questions.

First, is my faith routine? Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” (v. 15). Why does he use this metaphor for their souls?

Laodicea had every natural resource except one–water. The city’s location had been determined by the road system, not by water sources. Water had to be transported through stone pipes which were three feet in diameter. This aqueduct was an engineering marvel (many parts still exist), but the water it supplied was adequate at best.

Pipes were laid to two sources, each six miles from Laodicea. One was located to the south at Denizli. This water source was fed by snows from the mountains and started the journey to Laodicea at near freezing temperature. By the time it had traveled six miles through sun-warmed stone pipes the water temperature became lukewarm.

The other source was the hot springs at Hierapolis to the north. These are still stunningly beautiful and are a major tourist attraction. The ruins show how wealthy and prosperous the city once was. The springs arise from within the city, flow across a wide plateau, and then spill over a broad cliff 300 feet high and a mile wide. At its source, this spring is near boiling temperature with steam rising from its surface. It felt like a sauna to my touch when I visited it. However, by the time the water was piped six miles to Laodicea, it, too, became lukewarm.

The people of Laodicea knew all about lukewarm water. Unfortunately, their souls had come to the same state. Their worship had become boring, routine, comfortable. The newness of their faith had worn off in the 40 years since their church had been founded, and their relationship with Jesus had become a religion about him. Faith was just one part of their lives. They had lost their joy, zeal, and passion. Their hearts were as lukewarm as the water they drank.

How long has it been since you were excited about coming to church to worship Jesus Christ? When was the last time you were overjoyed to read God’s word, or thrilled to be with him in prayer? Do you share your faith with zeal? Do you give your money to God gratefully? If your faith is lukewarm, it’s certain that Jesus is standing outside your life today. He continues knocking to get your attention.

Second, am I self-sufficient? Prime land contributed to Laodicea’s wealth. The fertile ground of the Lycus Valley provided great agricultural prosperity. The sheep bred in this area provided a soft, glossy black wool that was in demand across the Empire. Clothing from Laodicea was even mentioned in an edict by Emperor Diocletian.

The city’s location brought trade from across the world to her merchants. Her bank was famous across Asia; in fact, Cicero wrote of cashing his treasury bills of exchange there. Although most cities had only one theater, Laodicea possessed two.

The most striking proof of Laodicea’s wealth occurred in AD 60, when an earthquake devastated the region. Without financial aid from Rome, the people rebuilt their opulent city. Tacitus, the most famous of all ancient historians, paid tribute to their wealth: “Laodice arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us” (Annals 14.27).

Against the backdrop of such affluence, Jesus quotes his church: “You say, I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing” (v. 17a). They thought their future was secure and their resources sufficient for any crisis. But self-reliant people are always wrong. Circumstances eventually will force us to recognize that we each need the protection and power only Jesus can give.

Today the formerly beautiful Laodicea lies in ruins, mostly unexcavated. A large mound of dirt covers the place where this proud city once stood. These Christians and their city were self-sufficient, until they were gone.

In the same way, it is easy for prosperous Christians to become self-sufficient, blind to our need for Jesus Christ. And so we become lukewarm in our faith, and lose all passion for our Lord.

Third, am I spiritually satisfied? The Laodicean Christians were satisfied with their material wealth and lifestyles. Jesus had to shout to them from behind their locked hearts: “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” (v 17b).

This spiritual condition was truly ironic. The Laodiceans possessed the greatest bank in their region, yet they were “poor,” the Greek word for someone as destitute as a beggar. Their city was famous for an eye salve known as kollyrion, yet the people are “blind.” They were known for a wool they manufactured, but their souls were “naked.” They were satisfied with their spiritual lives, and didn’t realize how “wretched” and “pitiful” they were.

Whenever we are comfortable with our spiritual lives and progress, we’re in Laodicea.

How to leave Laodicea

And so Jesus must knock persistently on the locked door of their hearts and souls. Here is his answer to their spiritual malaise: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline” (v. 19). They are still loved by their Lord. How can they return to him? How do we?

First, seek God with passion. Jesus says to lukewarm Laodiceans, “Be earnest” (v. 19). The words in the Greek mean “be zealous, excited, passionate.” This is a command, not an option; it is in the present tense, and should be translated, “Be continuously passionate.”

Passion is the cure for a lukewarm spirit. Drive, energy, and devotion should characterize our quest to know God. Note that passion is a decision before it is an emotion. Feeling follows action. We must choose to seek God earnestly, to read Scripture avidly, to pray without ceasing, to worship God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. We can choose to replace our staid religion with a living relationship. In doing so, we will open the door to the very One we seek.

Second, pay the spiritual price. Jesus continues: “Be earnest, and repent” (v. 19). He calls Laodicean Christians to admit our sins and failures, and to reject them. Turn from them, once and for all. He knows that the more our passion for him grows, the more we will reject sin and temptation. A spiritual inventory is never more essential than when we are in Laodicea.

Third, welcome the Savior. When we return to our passion for Jesus and repent of our lukewarm hearts, Jesus will come through the door we open to him. He guarantees it: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (v. 20).

In Jesus’ day, dinner was a long meal and time for fellowship. Here Jesus promises a time of personal fellowship and relationship to anyone who truly wants it.

And we will be in this relationship forever: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (v. 21). We will share in the feast of the Messiah for all eternity, as we rule with him (cf. Mt 19.28; Lk 22.29-30; 1 Cor 6.2-3; Rev 22.1-5; 2 Tim 2.11-12; Mk 10.40).

Any Christian can be in Laodicea, but prosperity makes this condition even more likely. The first step to leaving spiritual Laodicea is to admit the problem. Next, we spend intentional time alone with our Father. And we choose daily to walk with our Savior.

Jesus is still knocking at the door of our hearts. What is your answer today?

When the Bombs Fall

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When the Bombs Fall

Galatians 5:22-23

Dr. Jim Denison

Someone recently sent me this statement: if you have the inner strength to start the day without caffeine, be cheerful and ignore aches and pains, resist complaining about your troubles, understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time, overlook the times when loved ones take things out on you, take criticism and blame without resentment, face the world without lies and deceit, and conquer tension without medication … then you are most likely the family dog.

These are hard days for us all. The normal stress of life is greater than most people or counselors remember it ever being. And of course our military response in the war on terrorism has begun. In fact, in what is far more providence than coincidence, our soldiers began the engagement just as Christians across the nation were praying in church services for them.

In these stress-filled days, we need the filling and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit. We’ve learned how to be filled with the Spirit. Now let’s see why this daily experience is so crucial. God wants you to know what his Spirit can do for every person who is yielded to him. But there’s a catch.

The life of the law

Paul wrote the letter we call Galatians to a specific group of churches he founded during his first missionary journey. It was my privilege to tour this central part of modern-day Turkey a few years ago. I’d like to take you there for a few moments, so you can see why our text is still so relevant to our lives today.

Paul and Barnabas set out from Antioch of Syria in AD 47. They sailed southwest to the island of Cyprus, then north to the seaport of Perga. Then they walked northward to Pisidian Antioch.

Here Paul preached in the Jewish synagogue, then to the Gentile community, many were saved, and “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (v. 52).

Next they traveled east to Iconium, where they preached and did “miraculous signs and wonders” (14.3). But again the legal authorities drove them out.

Now they came further east to Lystra. The crowds called them gods, then changed their minds and stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city, and left him for dead. But in one of the great acts of spiritual courage in the Scriptures, the Apostle got up, went back into the city, and kept preaching to them.

Next they went still further east to Derbe, where “they preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples” (v. 21). See what happens when the Spirit fills and empowers God’s people?

All was well, they thought. But Paul had no sooner returned to Antioch of Syria than he learned of a problem which would trouble him for the rest of his life and ministry.

The “Judaizers” were Jewish Christians who believed that Gentiles had to become Jews before they could come to Christ. And so they sought to impose kosher dietary laws, circumcision, Sabbath regulations, and the rest of their legalism on these new believers in Galatia.

At risk was the very nature of the Christian gospel: Are we saved by grace or works? Are we justified by what we can do, or solely by what Jesus has done? Galatians is Paul’s response—his most passionate letter, and a triumphant defense of salvation by grace alone.

Let me show you why we need this life of grace so much in hard times. We’ve learned how to be filled with the Spirit—confess your sins, yield your life to God’s will, ask the Spirit to empower you, and believe that he has. Now God wants you to understand the two reasons you need this experience every day. Two reasons to refuse legalism for grace. Especially when bombs are falling in your world and in your life.

Find help with grief

In 1962, Granger E. Westberg published a little booklet which has since become a classic. Entitled Good Grief, it gives an excellent description of the stages of grief. Here’s a brief survey—see where you are in this process.

The first response to grief is shock—this cannot truly be happening. We’re in denial. We keep waiting to wake up, to get back to September 10, to see New York City with her Twin Towers. I went to a movie last weekend which was set in New York City; the producers had to remove the towers digitally from the skyline. It was surreal. Part of us wants to deny that this has really happened to our world.

Next we begin to express emotion. Tears, trembling hands, quivering voices, words of outrage.

Sometimes we feel loneliness and depression, numbness and despair, a feeling that no one knows our pain or truly cares about our sorrow.

Some people experience physical symptoms or distress, especially if they are still denying their grief. The Buddhists have a saying: the body weeps tears the eyes refuse to shed.

Some people feel panic—no way out, drowning with grief.

Many people feel guilt—what more could I have done? How is this my fault?

Next, nearly all people are filled with anger and resentment. This is actually a healthy stage of grief, for it shows that we are dealing honestly with our suffering as it is.

Then finally hope begins to dawn. We realize that it will not always be this hard, our emotions this raw, our pain this sharp.

So we are able to affirm reality at last. We begin to live our lives as they must be. While things will never be what they were, they can be good in a new way. The World Trade Center Towers may never stand again, but their city will. And so will we.

Here’s the point: you and I cannot deal with grief and suffering alone. We weren’t meant to. The Psalmist could say: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). He could add: “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (v. 5).

When we walk with God, our heart in his hands, our spirit with his Spirit, we can “fear no evil.” Even in the presence of enemies, our host prepares a table for us and our cup overflows with his goodness and blessing. So long as we keep our cup clean, yielded to him, close enough that he can fill it, he will. We can be “filled” with his Spirit even in the deepest grief of life.

I’ve watched Spirit-filled Christians walk through such valleys and eat with such enemies. A family who lost their little girl in the hospital, then prayed with their doctors and the parents of other sick children before they left. A woman dying of breast cancer who called Sunday school prospects from her bed until the week she died. A friend who lost his job recently and is excited about a chance to find work in an office where his witness can be greater. A student who lost his wife and four children but could tell our class, “God is still on his throne.”

When the bombs fall, you need the power of God’s Spirit. Don’t try to handle your grief and worry and fear alone. Ask his Spirit to help. He’s waiting to answer that prayer, right now.

Live the life of the Spirit

Here’s the other reason we need the daily filling of the Spirit: then we can experience his results, his “fruit” in our lives. We want to live the abundant, overflowing, empowered life of the Spirit even in the hardest times. And you can. But only when you are filled with his power.

Our Bible study literature is studying each of the fruit of the Spirit in coming weeks, in detail. Let’s overview these nine symptoms of the Spirit-filled life, very briefly.

The first three are fruit of the mind, our attitudes and temperament. “Love” means unconditional commitment. “Joy” means happiness despite circumstances. “Peace” means inner tranquility which transcends circumstances.

Ask yourself: does your love for others depend on their love for you? Are your happiness and peace affected by the stock market, your popularity at school, your health today? In the Spirit, you can be filled with unconditional, transcendent love, joy, and peace today.

The next three are fruit of our relationships with others.

“Patience” means to be gracious with people, even when they are not gracious with you. “Kindness” means to give more than you receive. “Goodness” means to find ways to help people, whether they deserve that help or not.

Does your patience, kindness, and goodness depend on receiving the same from the people in your life? Or do you look for ways to serve, to help, to be kind, even and especially when others do not? In the Spirit, you can have a servant heart no matter whether others serve you.

The last three are fruit of our personal conduct and character.

“Faithfulness” means to be consistent and trustworthy. “Gentleness” means strength under control. “Self-control” means to be godly with our passions and especially our sexual morals.

Your character is what you are when no one is looking. Are you the same person in private as in public? In thoughts as in actions? In the Spirit, your personal conduct can be godly and good.

Don’t you want your life to be characterized by these “fruit”? But fruit come only when the tree is healthy. Ask the Spirit to fill and control you life every day, and his fruit will be his reward for your obedient faithfulness.

Conclusion

In these hard times and days of grief and worry, you can choose the life of the law or the life of the Spirit. In the Spirit you can face grief and suffering, and you can experience abundant life worth living. The choice is yours.

A friend recently sent me this parable. A mountain climber, proud and self-reliant, set out on a hard climb. As night fell, he refused to make camp but continued his trek. There was no moon, and the stars were covered by the clouds.

As he was climbing a ridge about 100 meters from the top, he slipped and fell. Careening rapidly he could see only blotches of darkness as he felt the terrible sensation of gravity sucking him to the earth. He was certain he would die.

But then he felt a jolt which almost tore him in half. Like any good mountain climber, he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist. In those moments of stillness, in the blackness of the dark night, suspended in the air, this self-reliant, self-made man had no choice to but shout into the air, “God, please help me!”

Suddenly he heard a deep voice from heaven: “What do you want me to do?” “Save me!” said the climber. “Do you really think that I can save you?” God asked. “Yes!” the climber replied. “Then cut the rope that is holding you up,” God directed.

There was silence and stillness. The man held tighter and tighter still to his rope. The rescue team says that the next day they found a frozen mountain climber holding strongly to a rope, three feet off the ground.

Let go of your rope, and cling to the Spirit. Today.

When The Lights Go Out

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When the Lights Go Out

Matthew 7:28-29

Dr. Jim Denison

The flashlight can be the most valuable possession in your home.

In 1896, Mr. David Misell invented a device which connected the just-created “D” cell battery to a bulb. The bulb and batteries were so inefficient they could not provide a steady stream of light, so the device was called the “flash light.”

On Thursday, August 14, you could have sold Mr. Misell’s invention to 50 million people. The worst power outage in world history has cost New York City alone as much as $750 million dollars in lost income, taxes, and overtime costs.

No one thinks about a flashlight until the lights go out. And they often do. Last Sunday’s and Tuesday’s storms left thousands in Dallas without power, many through the night. Mr. Misell’s invention is what we need most.

It is a fact that you and I live in a world which is absolutely pitch-black with regard to the future. We do not know when the next power outage will occur. In fact, we don’t know what will happen an hour from now, or whether we’ll even be alive to witness it. Not a single human being knows with certainty what will happen tomorrow. Of all we don’t know, our greatest ignorance regards the next minute.

When the lights go out and all is dark, we have three options. We can feel our way alone; we can follow others who are just as blind as are we; or we can listen to the only One who sees the way, who is already where we want to be.

The psalmist chose wisely: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Let’s make the same decision.

Live by God’s word

When Jesus finished the discourse we have studied for more than a year, Matthew says that “the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” “Amazed” translates a word which means to be beside yourself with astonishment, to be spell-bound, literally “struck out of themselves.”

Why? Because “he taught as one who had authority.”

“Authority” means literally “out of your own being.” It is power which you possess, which no one need confer on you. I have authority to call a staff meeting, but not a special session of the Texas Legislature. You have authority to do some things, but not others.

Jesus had “authority” to speak these words.

“Not as their teachers of the law.”

The prophets typically began, “Thus says the Lord.” Jesus never did, because he was and is the Lord.

The priests and professors quoted the Law, the Prophets, and writings about both. They collected verse-by-verse commentaries (Midrah), topical commentaries (Mishna), commentary on legal matters in Scripture (Halakah) and devotional applications (Haggadah). Then they made commentary on the earlier commentary (Gemara), and collected it all into their Talmud.

A rabbi would quote a rabbi, who quoted a rabbi. If my sermon today were to quote Barclay quoting Bruce citing the Greek New Testament, I would teach as their “teachers of the law.”

Not so with Jesus. Twelve times in this Sermon he says, “I say unto you.” No rabbi in Jewish history had ever done this. His words were the word of God.

They will be so forever: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8); “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

They lead us to salvation: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

They keep us from sin: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11); “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

They instruct and guide our lives: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Choose now to live by the word of God.

What decision is facing you today? Decide that you will consult Scripture before making it and live by the light of God’s word.

What actions or attitudes in your life are unbiblical? Where is there bitterness toward another person, coveting toward a possession, lust of eye or mind, pride of heart? Decide that you will confess it and live by the light of God’s word.

You face a future which is dark. Trust the only light you own.

Listen to God’s word

Now, listen to this, the greatest Sermon ever preached.

See the Galilean hillside, sloping gently down to the Sea of Galilee. Hear its waters as they lap the shore; listen to the calls of the birds as they circle overhead. Smell the flowers and grasses of the spring fields. Feel the sun on your face, the wind in your hair.

Join the crowds as they jostle together for a closer look at the One who is speaking. Close your eyes if you wish. Travel back 20 centuries. Join the first hearers of Jesus’ first sermon. Hear it again, for the very first time. And choose to live under the authority of these words, today and for the rest of your life.

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.   Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 5-7)

Which house is yours? Let us pray.

When Will Jesus Return?

Written by

When Will Jesus Return?

Acts 1:6-11

Dr. Jim Denison

At one time Martin Luther thought the Pope was the Antichrist, and expected Jesus’ return during his lifetime. Christopher Columbus thought the world would end in 1656, and that his explorations would lead a Christian army in the final crusade to convert the world. Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, predicted the rapture in 1910 and the end of the world in 1914.

Closer to home, Harold Camping wrote the bestseller 1994? in which he predicted the end would come on September 6, 1994. Edgar Whisenant published Eighty-eight Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, and sold thousands of copies. Trinity Broadcasting Network president Paul Crouch predicted an apocalyptic event for June 9, 1994.

We have multiple end-times theories being taught and believed today. Preterists think Revelation has mostly been fulfilled already. The Continuous-Historical school thinks different verses have been fulfilled at different times in church history. The Symbolic school sees the book as entirely symbolic, with no reference to literal history. The Postmillennialists say the church will bring in the millennium, then Jesus will return; the Amillennialists expect neither a literal tribulation nor millennium. The Historic Premillennialists expect Jesus’ second coming and then the millennium; the Dispensationalists expect a rapture, seven-year tribulation, then Jesus’ coming and the millennium.

Each position is held by conservative, Bible-believing scholars.

I am a “pan-millennialist” myself—it will all pan out in the end. What are you?

In our Yearning 2 Know series we’ve looked at death, heaven, hell, judgment, and suffering. We close with the most urgent question of all: when will Jesus return? And, how does the answer affect your life today?

The perennial question (6-7)

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples “over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God” (v. 3). He then promised them the Holy Spirit (v. 5). They knew that the coming of the Spirit and the coming of the Kingdom were related. So in response, they asked the question Christians have been asking ever since: “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6).

Their question was logical, but wrong. Calvin said, “There are as many errors in this question as words.”

Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (v. 7). “Times or dates” refers to specific dates as well as years.

“Not for you” refers to Jesus’ first and closest disciples—Peter, James, John, the others, and even Mary and his brothers. If Jesus wouldn’t tell them when he would return, will he tell you and me?

If discovering the time of his return was possible by scriptural exegesis, or spiritual commitment, would they not have determined it? To say that I know what Peter, James, John, and Mary did not know is egotism, to say the least.

The Father has placed this decision in his authority alone. Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:32-33).

Paul said Jesus’ coming would be as surprising and unanticipated as a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1). Peter made the same prediction (1 Peter 3:10).

Listen to Jesus’ warning: “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him….It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12:35-36, 38-40).

No one but God knows when Jesus will return. We must be ready every day, for it could be any day. This is the clear teaching of God’s word.

The practical response (8)

Why, then, does the Second Coming matter? Jesus makes clear the practical response to our perennial question: “You will be my witnesses.”

The Bible is not a speculative book. We ask rational, philosophical questions. We want to know about creation and the end-times, two subjects about which we can do nothing.

But God’s word was not written in the western, Greek, rational tradition. It is a Hebrew book, written from the Hebrew present-tense, practical world view. It seldom tells us all we want to know, but it tells us more than we can do.

And it is clear: “You will be my witnesses.” No one knows when Jesus will return, so everyone must be ready. You and I must be ready. Then we must help other people to be ready.

And we have only today to do so. The early Christians were sure about this. And so they lived in the daily expectation of Jesus’ imminent return. They wanted to be found doing what they would be doing if they knew Jesus were coming back that day. They wanted everyone they knew to be right with God, today. They had a passion for missions and evangelism, for they knew the time was short.

And they were right. Jesus may come back for us all today. Or you and I may go to him. Either way, the time is short.

Listen to the word of God:

Romans 13:11-13: “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime.” Are you living in the “daytime”?

2 Peter 3:11-12: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Are you looking forward to his return?

John 9:4: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no man can work.” Are you doing his works while you can?

1 John 2:28: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” If it were today, would you be “confident and unashamed before him”?

Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Are you awake? Are you ready?

Revelation 22:12: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

If right now you’re thinking, “I have plenty of time, this doesn’t apply to me,” know that you are deceived and wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard the old story about the time the devil had a meeting of his demons to decide how best to deceive men and women. One said, “Let’s tell them there’s no heaven,” but the devil said that wouldn’t work, that God has put heaven in every heart and we know it’s real. Another said, “Let’s tell them there’s no hell,” but the devil said that people know wrong must be punished, so that won’t work. Finally a third said, “Let’s tell them there’s no hurry.” And they did. And they still do.

The glorious promise (9-11)

So we are not to speculate about Jesus’ return, but work hard to be ready for it. Then one day, it will come. Just as he rose to heaven, so he will come again one day to earth.

Jesus’ ascension is no literary invention, but a real fact of history. Seven times the New Testament speaks of it, and its importance (cf. 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 2:32-33; Luke 24:50-53; John 6:62; John 20:17; Ephesians 1:18-23).

His ascension tells us much that matters. It tells us what happened to Jesus. He’s not “Missing in Action”—we know where he is. It says that he accomplished what he came to do, or he would not have returned to heaven. It says that he is truly divine, for he is in heaven where he belongs. It says that he now rules the world from his place of power in glory. And it says that the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through his church, is the best way to build his Kingdom on earth. The ascension is real and relevant.

And his return will be just as real. Buddha never made this promise, or Mohammad, or Confucius, or Joseph Smith. But Jesus did.

He told his disciples, “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:27-28).

He told the high priest, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).

He said, “Men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens” (Mark 13:26-27).

Revelation 1:7 shouts, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”

Conclusion

So I must ask you, are you ready to see him? If it were today, would you mourn or rejoice? If you knew he were coming back today, would you change your life? How?

The tragedy in Fort Worth made one fact clear: no one is promised tomorrow. No place can guarantee your safety. He may come for us, or you may go to him. Today.

So witnessing is urgent. Next week John will introduce the Seed Initiative to us again. For now, please begin praying for four lost people to come to Christ. Urgently. Write their names down. Commit their salvation to God. Pledge to do all you can to make it so. Know that the time is short.

Dwight Moody gave the gospel one Sunday, then told his vast congregation to go home and think about it. The next Sunday he would give an invitation, and he would expect them to come to Jesus. But that night the Great Chicago Fire began. 18,000 buildings were destroyed; $200 million was lost, a third of the entire city’s value. No one knows how many died, but some estimates range as high as 15,000 casualties, many of whom had been in Moody’s service. He never waited again.

Nor should we.

When Will Jesus Return?

Written by

When will Jesus return?

Dr. Jim Denison

Martin Luther thought the Pope was the Antichrist, and expected Jesus’ return during his lifetime. Christopher Columbus thought the world would end in 1656, and that his explorations would lead a Christian army in the final crusade to convert the world. Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, predicted the rapture in 1910 and the end of the world in 1914.

Closer to home, Harold Camping wrote the bestseller 1994? in which he predicted the end would come on September 6, 1994. Edgar Whisenant published Eighty-eight Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, and sold thousands of copies. Trinity Broadcasting Network president Paul Crouch predicted an apocalyptic event for June 9, 1994.

We have multiple end-times theories being taught and believed today. Preterists think the book of Revelation has mostly been fulfilled already; the Continuous-Historical school thinks different verses have been fulfilled at different times in church history; the Symbolic school sees the book as entirely symbolic, with no reference to literal history; the Postmillennialists say the church will bring in the millennium, then Jesus will return; the Amillennialists expect neither a literal tribulation nor millennium; the Historic Premillennialists expect Jesus’ second coming and then the millennium; the Dispensationalists expect a rapture, seven-year tribulation, then Jesus’ coming and the millennium. Each position is held by conservative, Bible-believing scholars.

I am a “pan-millennialist” myself—it will all pan out in the end. What are you? What position should you hold? Why does any of this matter to your life this morning?

The perennial question

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples “over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). He then promised them the Holy Spirit (v. 5). They knew that the coming of the Spirit and the coming of the Kingdom were related. So in response, they asked the question Christians have been asking ever since: “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6).

Their question was logical, but wrong. Calvin said, “There are as many errors in this question as words” (Institutes 1.29).

Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (v. 7). “Times or dates” refers to specific dates as well as years. “Not for you” refers to Jesus’ first and closest disciples—Peter, James, John, the others, and even Mary and his brothers. If Jesus wouldn’t tell them when he would return, will he tell you and me?

If discovering the time of his return was possible by scriptural exegesis, or spiritual commitment, would they not have determined it? To say that I know what Peter, James, John, and Mary didn’t is egotism, to say the least.

But the Father has placed this decision in his authority alone. Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:32-33). Paul told us that Jesus’ coming would be as surprising and unanticipated as a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Peter made the same prediction (2 Peter 3:10).

Listen to Jesus’ warning: “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him…It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12:35-36, 38-40).

No one but God knows when Jesus will return. We must be ready every day, for it could be any day. This is the clear teaching of God’s word.

The practical response

Why, then, does the Second Coming matter? Jesus makes clear the practical response to our perennial question: “You will be my witnesses.”

The Bible is not a speculative book. We ask rational, philosophical questions. We want to know about creation and the end-times, two subjects about which we can do nothing. But God’s word was not written in the western, Greek, rational tradition. It is a Hebrew book, written from the Hebrew present-tense, practical world view. It seldom tells us all we want to know, but it tells us more than we can do.

And it is clear: “You will be my witnesses.” No one knows when Jesus will return, so everyone must be ready. You and I must be ready. Then we must help other people to be ready.

And we have only today to do so. The early Christians were sure about this. And so they lived in the daily expectation of Jesus’ imminent return. They wanted to be found doing what they would be doing if they knew Jesus were coming back that day. They wanted everyone they knew to be right with God, today. They had a passion for missions and evangelism, for they knew the time was short.

They were right. Jesus may come back for us all today. Or you and I may go to him. Either way, the time is short.

Listen to the word of God:

• Romans 13:11-13: “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime.” Are you living in the “daytime”?

• 2 Peter 3:11-12: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Are you looking forward to his return?

• John 9:4: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no man can work.” Are you doing his works while you can?

• 1 John 2:28: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” If it were today, would you be “confident and unashamed before him”?

• Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Are you awake? Are you ready?

• Rev. 22:12: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

If right now you’re thinking, “I have plenty of time, this doesn’t apply to me,” know that you are deceived and wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard the old story about the time the devil had a meeting of his demons to decide how best to deceive men and women. One said, “Let’s tell them there’s no heaven,” but the devil said that wouldn’t work, that God has put heaven in every heart and we know it’s real. Another said, “Let’s tell them there’s no hell,” but the devil said that people know wrong must be punished, so that won’t work. Finally a third said, “Let’s tell them there’s no hurry.” And they did. And they still do.

The glorious promise

So we are not to speculate about Jesus’ return, but work hard to be ready for it. Then one day, it will come. Just as he rose to heaven, so he will come again one day to earth.

Jesus’ ascension is no literary invention, but a real fact of history. Seven times the New Testament speaks of it, and its importance (cf. 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 2:32-33; Luke 24:50-53; John 6:62; John 20:17; Ephesians 1:18-23).

His ascension tells us much that matters. It tells us what happened to Jesus. He’s not “Missing in Action”–we know where he is. It says that he accomplished what he came to do, or he would not have returned to heaven. It says that he is truly divine, for he is in heaven where he belongs. It says that he now rules the world from his place of power in glory. And it says that the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through his church, is the best way to build his Kingdom on earth. The ascension is real and relevant.

And his return will be just as real. Buddha never made this promise, or Mohammad, or Confucius, or Joseph Smith. But Jesus did. He told his disciples, “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:27-28).

He told the high priest, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). He said, “Men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens” (Mark 13:26-27). Revelation 1:7 shouts, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”

Conclusion

I must ask you, are you ready to see him? If it were today, would you mourn or rejoice? If you knew he were coming back today, would you change your life? How?

Dwight Moody presented the gospel one Sunday, then told his vast congregation to go home and think about it. The next Sunday he would give an invitation, and he would expect them to come to Jesus. But that night the Great Chicago Fire began. 18,000 buildings were destroyed; $200 million was lost, a third of the entire city’s value. No one knows how many died, but some estimates range as high as 15,000 casualties, many of whom had been in Moody’s service. He never waited again.

Nor should we.

When You Cannot See His Hand, Trust His Heart

Written by

When You Cannot See His Hand, Trust His Heart

John 11:1-45

Dr. Jim Denison

I hate to fly. I don’t just dislike flying, with all the security hassles, long waits, and cramped seats. I actually don’t mind all of that so much. The part of flying I hate is flying–that moment when the bus packed like sardines and weighing a gazillion tons leaves the ground. I sit on the aisle, as though four feet from the fuselage will help. I read a book, as though not thinking about my plight will make it disappear. And I stay in denial until the wheels touch the ground again.

You see, I don’t really understand heavier-than-air flight. If I had been one of the Wright brothers, we’d all be grounded today. I don’t see how something that weighs more than this building can fly when I can’t. When I was a young boy I wanted nothing more than to be Superman, flying up there in clouds. So one day I tried. I cut out some cardboard wings, strapped them to my arms, climbed to the roof our house, and jumped. With predictable results. I haven’t liked flying since.

The hardest part for me is turbulence. When the airplane starts to shake, I grip the armrests instinctively. I don’t have any idea why. I know that my armrests will not help much if we plummet 30,000 feet to the ground. But I can’t help it.

The only thing that helps me is hearing the pilot in his soothing voice telling me I have nothing to worry about. If he’s on the same plane and he’s not worried, I am less worried. Or so I tell myself.

Where has your airplane encountered turbulence today? Where is there unresolved guilt in your past or fear for your future? Who needs your forgiveness? Whose forgiveness do you need? What pain in your marriage or family or relationships is hurting your heart this morning? You can grip your pew hard, but it won’t help much. Trusting your captain is the only way to make it through the flight. But it’s hard to do that when he’s the one who flew your plane into this storm.

Let’s talk about that issue today. If Jesus could raise Lazarus, there’s nothing he cannot do. But he didn’t do what you want and need him to do. He didn’t answer your prayer the way you wanted. He has flown your airplane directly into a storm. In such turbulence, how can you trust your pilot today?

Believe that God has a plan (vs. 1-16)

Apart from the crucifixion accounts, this is the longest continuous narrative in all the gospels. The story comes just days before Jesus’ last Passover and his crucifixion. He has returned to Judea, where his enemies tried earlier to take his life (John 10:39). His actions will lead to the authorities’ plot to kill him (John 11:45-53). Mary and Martha have no way to know that Jesus’ timing regarding their brother’s illness will directly affect his atoning mission. There is always more to God’s plan than we can see.

Our story begins: “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha” (John 11.1). “Lazarus” means “God is my help.” His name would be fulfilled in this remarkable miracle.

His hometown was located about two miles east of Jerusalem, situated on the southeastern slopes of the Mount of Olives. It was Jesus’ home whenever he traveled to Jerusalem or Judea, and became his headquarters for the last week of his life.

Jesus had no closer friends on earth than Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. So the sisters sent word about their brother to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick” (v. 3). They did not ask him to come–they assumed that he would. As he had turned water into wine, healed a nobleman’s son, fed 5,000 families and opened blind eyes, surely he would heal his man whose family had been his family.

But he did not. His reply was strange indeed: “When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it'” (v. 4).

Jesus’ timing was not theirs. He saw Lazarus’ sickness as an opportunity to glorify the Father. He sees every storm we encounter in the same way–as a chance to bring glory to the Lord. And so, even though he loved Lazarus and his sisters (v. 5), “when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days” (v. 6).

It seems that Jesus received the news that Lazarus was sick, had time to travel to Bethany to heal him, but chose not to do so. But this is not true. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days (v. 39). Jesus was in Perea, a day’s travel from Bethany. The messenger left when Lazarus was alive and traveled a day. Jesus waited two days; then he traveled a day to find Lazarus dead for four days. Doing the math, we can determine that Lazarus died when the messenger was on his way. If Jesus had left immediately, he would have found his friend dead for two days already.

But why wait the additional two days? Because people in the ancient world believed that the soul hovers around its body for three days, hoping to be reunited with its flesh. And so they mourned for those three days with the loudest and most emotional tears and cries, in case the soul of the deceased was watching their grief. This is the reason Jesus delayed his return for two days: by the time he came to Lazarus, his friend was “really” dead. There was no possibility of his resuscitation. No one could claim that the man had been merely comatose, or pretending his death. Four days without food or water, wrapped in air-tight burial clothing, would have resulted in anyone’s death.

So Jesus waited the right amount of time to do the greatest miracle, to do what was to Lazarus’s greatest good, God’s greatest glory, and our greatest spiritual growth. He always does. Even though we sometimes don’t know it.

Where in your life are you frustrated or confused about God’s timing? What prayer has he not yet answered? What need has apparently gone unmet? Where is he in Perea and not in Bethany? Believe that God has a plan. Rest in the fact that the will of God never leads where the grace of God cannot sustain. Trust his plan and purpose and timing, and one day you will know that you were right.

Trust what you cannot see (vs. 17-41)

Upon his arrival, Jesus found a family and friends still in agonizing grief. During the first seven days after death, mourners were forbidden to wear shoes, engage in any kind of study or business, or even wash their bodies. All the chairs and couches in the house were reversed, and the mourners sat on the ground on a low stool.

Word preceded Jesus’ arrival. Martha left her crowded home to meet him (v. 20). And so she heard one of the most significant statements in human history: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (vs. 25-26a, emphasis added).

Jesus is the resurrection and the life, right now. Not just at the end of history, but in this moment of time. He “is” the resurrection and the life–apart from him there is neither. When we believe in him we will “never die.” His promise can be translated literally, “every single one of the ones living and believing in me not never shall he die unto the age.”

Jesus would soon explain that his Father’s house contains many “rooms” (John 14.2, translated “mansions” in the KJV). This word originally meant the destination at the end of a journey. The picture is clear: our lives are but a pilgrimage, a destination. Our bodies are the “vehicles” for that journey. One day we arrive home. We step out of the car and go into the house. Others on the road see the vehicle left behind. They cannot see into the house. But we are nonetheless home. We never die. The person who is alive spiritually will never die spiritually. We are immortal.

But death has not become life just yet. Jesus saw these sisters’ grief, and that of those who mourned with them, and was “deeply moved in spirit” (v. 33). In stark contrast to the gods of the world’s religions, who stood apathetic and distant from human emotion, God incarnate felt every pain we endure, every sorrow we grieve (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15). No deity in any other religion across human history has ever cried. But Jesus did: when he saw the place of his friend’s burial, “Jesus wept” (v. 35). This is the shortest verse in the Bible, but the most powerful two words in all of literature.

Now Jesus enacted all he has been preparing across these four days. “Once more deeply moved,” he came to Lazarus’ tomb (v. 38).

There was an entrance, followed by a chamber which was six feet long, nine feet wide, and ten feet high. There were eight shelves cut in the rock—three on each side and two on the wall facing the entrance. The bodies were placed on these. The tomb had no door–in front of the opening ran a groove in which was set a large stone. This stone was rolled across the entrance to seal the tomb and keep wild beasts out. I’ve seen the tomb which is shown to tourists as “Lazarus’ grave,” but no one is certain if it is the authentic location of this miracle.

Here eternity lay in the balance. If Jesus failed with what he did next, his every claim to be the Messiah would be hopelessly discredited and his movement would end. If he succeeded, the rulers would become so threatened by that movement that they would kill him. By ending this man’s death, he would ensure his own.

Our Lord never hesitated: “Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!'” (v. 43). His words literally shouted, “Lazarus! Here! Outside!” And the dead man obeyed (v. 44a), as we all will one day (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52; John 5:28-29).

As a result, many Jews “put their faith in him” (v. 45). But others went to the Pharisees with the story. The Sanhedrin met (v. 47), and “from that day on they plotted to take his life” (v. 53). One day soon they would succeed.

Conclusion

Our story forces us to confront the issue most of us face in suffering and grief: why? Why did God allow this? Why did Jesus not answer my prayers, or heal my brother, or solve my problem? If he could raise Lazarus, there’s nothing he cannot do. But he didn’t do it for you. Why?

The answer is that his plan is seldom ours. His timing is beyond our understanding. Had Jesus healed Lazarus before he died, we would never know that he can heal us after we die. Had Lazarus not gone to his grave, we would never know that Jesus will come to our grave. Had his sisters not walked through the valley of the shadow of death, we would never know that life waits on the other side.

Aren’t you grateful that Jesus dealt with Lazarus as he did? Who will be grateful that Jesus dealt with you as he does?

Either God is Lord or he is not. Either he has a plan in the midst of our pain, a way to use our turbulence, or he does not. Either he will redeem all that he permits or causes, or he will not. In ways we can see, and most often in ways we cannot. Not yet.

It’s human nature to reject those who reject us. If you let me down, it’s hard for me to trust you again. If Jesus didn’t come when I call or heal my brother before he died, why should I believe his plan and trust his help now?

God is redeeming all he permits or causes. We can share in that redemption and providential purpose, or we can miss it. We can choose to believe that God has a plan, and we can choose to trust what we cannot see. You can choose to allow him to use and redeem your pain for your greatest good, his greatest glory, and our greatest growth. Or you can miss all the ways his weeping compassion wants to encourage you and his resurrecting power wants to help you. When he comes to visit you in your grief you can turn to him, or not. The choice is always yours.

We are living between Lazarus’s death and his resurrection. Your child is dead; your marriage ended years ago; your job is done; your future is hard. Jesus has not yet called your pain from its tomb to be transformed into life and glory and joy. But he will. One day he will.

In the meanwhile, as the songwriter says, “God is too wise to be mistaken; God is too good to be unkind. So when you don’t understand–when you don’t see his plan–when you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.”

The harder that is to do, the more we need to do it. Let’s ask Jesus to raise Lazarus again, right now.