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“No More Tears” – Revelation 21.3

Revelation 21.3 – “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

I must admit that I don’t watch the news very often. I find it depressing. It is filled with tales of kidnapped and abused children, drug busts, robberies, rapes, murders, corrupt government officials, war, disease, and death. We live in a fallen world. The evening news is simply a daily reminder of that. The creation itself groans as it awaits its liberation from bondage to decay (Romans 8.21). We also groan as we wait.

The day is coming, though. One day God will dwell with us. He will be our God and we will be His people. He will wipe away every tear. If there was an “evening news” in heaven, all it would consist of would be the ongoing report that God’s people are worshiping Him in the splendor of His holiness. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain. God will make all things new. The “old order,” the world corrupted by sin and death, will have passed away.

God’s love letter to us closes with the greatest promise and hope we can be given. That hope is that we will live with God. We will live in His presence forever worshiping Him and basking in His light. Living here on earth, it is hard to imagine a world with no tears, pain, suffering, or death. Yet, it is true and it is coming. We long for and look forward to that day. “He who overcomes will inherit all this” (Revelation 21.7a). All pain and suffering will be gone. There will be only joy and peace. What an eternity it will be when there are no more tears!

“Wrath” – Revelation 16.1

Revelation 16.1 – “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’”

Wrath is the meting out of deserved punishment for sins committed against God. We do not like to think of our God as a God of wrath. We prefer to think of Him as loving, comforting, forgiving, merciful, and gracious. He is all of these things. However, He is also a God of wrath. It is not contradictory for Him to be all these things at the same time. He is just and offenses against Him must be punished.

This is why the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, came. Isaiah 53.5 sums it up well where it says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” He took our punishment upon Himself, but for those who are unwilling to accept His sacrifice on their behalf, only wrath awaits. Ephesians 2.3 says that before we were made alive in Christ, “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”

God’s wrath should not cause us to recoil in horror at what is coming on those who refuse Him. It should not cause us to doubt the God we serve. It should motivate us to do all we can to help others avoid His wrath. God through Christ has done all that is needed for each person to avoid His wrath and enjoy eternity in His presence. As His disciples, we need to do all we can to let everyone know the good news that they do not have to remain objects of His wrath because as described in Revelation, His wrath is coming and when it does, it will be fully satisfied.

“Every Nation, Tribe, People and Language” – Revelation 7.9-10

Revelation 7.9-10 – “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

We live in a world filled with national, racial, and ethnic tensions. If someone is not “one of us,” they are viewed with suspicion and often looked down upon. We are a world of nations with walls and guarded borders. Even within nations, we divide ourselves based on race, religion, ethnicity, and ancestry. This is not God’s will or plan.

One day, there will be no more “us” and “them.” John was given a glimpse of heaven and what he saw was a great multitude “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” These were those who had come out of the great tribulation. They’re robes had been washed white in the blood of the Lamb (7.14). There was no division among them despite their differing backgrounds, nationalities, and languages. They had one thing in common and this one thing is the only thing that matters. They worshiped the Lord and this one commonality overcomes all differences.

As God’s called out people, we must set an example of how to get along and love each other despite our differences. One day we will worship next to those who have different skin colors, languages, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds. On that day, nothing should matter except that we all love the Lord. Why should things be any different now? We should be preparing for eternity in heaven with our brothers and sisters now. God is no respecter of persons and neither should we be. Let’s allow Christ to unite us in Him.

“Watch Out!” – 2 John 8-9

2 John 8-9 – “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

Have you ever been in a church service or been watching a television preacher and just felt like something was “off”? You felt like something was missing. The message just seemed a little off or perhaps something in the preacher’s style or personality made you ill at ease. Perhaps there was a large crowd there in person or watching on television, so there must be something redeeming and worthwhile about what is going on there, right?

I once heard a man tell about teaching a seminary class. He told the class he was going to talk about the basics of Christianity, but intentionally leave something very important out. He wanted them to try to guess at the end what he had left out. He got to the end of his description of the basics of Christianity and asked the class what was missing. No one could come up with the correct answer despite the fact that the thing that was missing was Jesus Christ! He never mentioned Jesus and this class full of Christian seminary students never caught it.

Some of the teaching that is out there today sounds really good, but is missing one very key ingredient. The message may be helpful. It may sound nice and have good stories. It may be delivered with passion, entertainment, and eloquence, but be missing what matters most – Jesus.

John warns “the chosen lady” and us to “watch out” for those who run ahead and do not continue in the teaching of Christ. Such a person “does not have God.” They may have the form and appearance of one who has authority and knowledge, but if they don’t have Christ, they have nothing. False teachers and deceivers are out there. We must be discerning. It’s all about Jesus. Let’s not ever forget that.

“Faithful and Just” – 1 John 1.8-9

1 John 1.8-9 – “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God is just. This means that His decisions are always right and perfect. Therefore, in regard to sin, God is justified in punishing sin. We have all sinned and we still sin even after we put our faith in Jesus. This is why John says that we deceive ourselves if we claim to be without sin. So, it seems odd at first glance that John would describe God as just when talking about our sins because God’s justice demands that we be punished for our sins.

This is where His faithfulness comes in. Those who are faithful are “firm in adherence to promises.” God never breaks His promises. He has promised to forgive. God says in Jeremiah 31.34, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” So, while God’s justice demands punishment, Jesus has taken that punishment for us. God has proven faithful to His promise to forgive us.

1 John 1.9 provides yet another promise of forgiveness. Too many people fail to realize that if they confess their sins, they are forgiven and no longer need to carry around the burden of sin. They doubt God’s promise of forgiveness. We must doubt no longer. If we have confessed our sins with sincerity, they are gone. We are forgiven. God is faithful and just to remove them from us. Jesus has done all the work. All that is left for us is to receive the benefits of His sacrifice. Let’s receive His forgiveness with thankfulness without doubting the One who never breaks His promises.

“Consider Him” – Hebrews 12.1-3

Hebrews 12.1-3 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

I am a huge sports fan and I love using sports as a metaphor for life. The author of Hebrews draws on athletic imagery for this beautiful exhortation at the beginning of Hebrews 12. After looking back in time to commend those who are members of the “faith hall of fame,” the author reminds us that this “great cloud of witnesses” surrounds us. They are spectators, or witnesses, in a couple of different ways. First, they are there to cheer us on as we run the race of life. We are running with their encouragement and we run hoping for their approval. Secondly, they are examples to us of how to run the race.

As we run, we must not let anything hinder us. Ancient Roman athletes ran in the nude. They did so in order to run unencumbered. Clothing got in the way. In the same way, sin hinders our race. It causes us to stumble and fall. We can’t run well with sin wrapped around our legs. We must throw off everything that slows us down and sin is the primary hindrance.

We must run with perseverance because the race is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It won’t be short or easy. Perseverance is essential. Our forerunner, Jesus, has marked out the race but it will take endurance to complete it. However, if we keep our eyes on Him, just as a good runner keeps their eyes ahead on the finish line, we can do it. He ran perfectly. He endured to the point of death on the cross and as a result of His perseverance and endurance He now sits at the Father’s right hand.

If we consider all those who have come before us who have run well and are enthusiastically cheering us on and showing us the way, we can complete the race running well. As we consider Him who endured so much yet finished the race, our race becomes much easier. He has shown us the way. He lives in us giving us the strength to keep running. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and consider Him “so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.”

“Our Great High Priest” – Hebrews 10.11-14

Hebrews 10.11-14 – “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Much of Hebrews deals with comparing and contrasting the priests of the old covenant with Jesus, the high priest of the new covenant. Below are a few examples of the significant similarities and differences:

There were many old covenant priests and their term was temporary because they died and had to be replaced. There was only one new covenant priest and He serves forever because He lives forever (7.23-24). Human priests of the old covenant first had to offer sacrifices for themselves because they sinned. Jesus did not have to offer sacrifices for Himself because He never sinned (9.7). The old covenant priests offered the blood of goats and bulls (9.13). Jesus “offered himself unblemished to God” (9.14). The old covenant priests had to offer sacrifices day after day and these sacrifices served as a constant reminder of sin. Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” then “sat down at the right hand of God” because He had no more priestly work to accomplish.

I can only imagine what it was like to have to regularly and continually bring and offer animal sacrifices for sins committed. The blood of goats and bulls covered over sin, but the sacrifices would have to be made over and over because people sinned again. It was a messy, bloody reminder of sin. A priest’s work was never done. No one sacrifice could ever cover over all sins until Jesus came. However, Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins.” This is why He could sit down while the old covenant priests had to stand day after day.

Jesus’ one sacrifice of Himself was all that was needed. He was the sinless Lamb of God. His blood covers all sins. No more sacrifices are needed. His sacrifice has “made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Thousands upon thousands of animal sacrifices over the years pointed toward the once and final sacrifice to be made by the great high priest who would offer Himself as the final offering for sin.

We should thank Jesus every day that He has opened the way for us into the very presence of God. Because we have been cleansed from sin, we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (10.22). What a great high priest we have!

“Security” – Hebrews 6.4-6

Hebrews 6.4-6 – “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

Scholars and theologians have for centuries debated whether it is possible for a person to lose their salvation. Some say it is possible for a person to be a genuine believer in Christ and later turn away from the faith. They have their proof texts to support their belief. Others say that we cannot be snatched out of God’s hand and if anyone seems to have “lost” their salvation it is only because they were never really saved at all. This camp has their proof texts too.

Hebrews 6.4-6 talks about people who have been “enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age.” They sound like believers. Yet, it says that such people can fall away. If they do, it is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance because they have already trampled on and disgraced Christ by their rejection of what He did for them. What are we to make of this?

We must remember that the intent of the writer of Hebrews was not to write a theological treatise on eternal security. His purpose was to encourage struggling and harassed Christians to hold onto their faith. He was not above scaring them into it. He offers several warnings to those who might otherwise fall away or fail to pay attention to Christ’s message. His purpose is not to answer the question of whether one could lose their salvation, but to encourage followers of Christ to make theirs more secure.

When people ask me if I think a person can lose their salvation, I always say, “I don’t know, but I’m not going to try!” I think sometimes when Christians ask that question, they want to know how far they can go in regard to flirting with sin and still remain “saved.” They want to know what they can get away with and still remain “in the fold.” This should not be the attitude of a follower of Christ. The author of Hebrews encourages us to show “diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope secure” (4.11). Is your hope secure?

“The Crown” – 2 Timothy 4.6-8

2 Timothy 4.6-8 – “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

I must admit that I am not a very good runner. In fact, I hardly run anymore even though I keep telling myself I am going to take up jogging again and get back in shape. I never ran competitively except for a few races. When I ran those races, each time I went out too fast and tired quickly. I would be the one dragging at the end of the line halfway through the race. It felt like I was never going to reach the finish line and wondered how I could make it.

However, each time I did make it to the finish line and I even made it without walking at any point during the race. I had determined in my mind that I would not walk at all and even though I went out too fast, I finished upright and running. I never won a prize for any of the races I ran, but I was very satisfied in just finishing well and not quitting or walking.

Paul is near the end of his life when he writes this letter to his son in the faith, Timothy. Paul says he is “being poured out like a drink offering.” The time of his departure is near. He does not despair of this. Instead he takes joy in the fact that he has “fought the good fight,” “finished the race,” and “kept the faith.” He knew that the prize awaited him because he had finished and finished well. The crown of righteousness awaited Paul and all those who long for His coming and who also finish their race well.

This life of faith we run is not a sprint. It is a marathon. Too often we begin so strongly and so well, only to fade as the race wears on. Some never even finish the race. They veer off course or quit altogether. The crown awaits only those who finish the race. How are you running? Are you keeping a good pace? Are you tempted to quit? Keep running even if it is slowly. Just keep running. There is also in store for you a crown of righteousness when you finish and don’t give up.

“Slowness” – 2 Peter 3.8-9

2 Peter 3.8-9 – “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Apparently, even people who lived just thirty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection were wondering why it was taking Him so long to return. Already people were saying, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” (3.4). Every generation since the time of Christ has thought that they would be the one that would see Christ’s return. Yet, here we sit nearly two thousand years after He died, rose, and said He would come again and we are still waiting. Many today also say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?”

First of all, God doesn’t keep track of time the same way we do. To us, a year seems like a long time. On the other hand, God is outside of time. He is eternal. To Him, “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” God is not tapping His foot impatiently waiting for the right time to send Jesus back to earth. He is patient and one of the reasons for His patience is that He wants to give us more time. The longer He waits to send Jesus, the more people will come to faith and be saved. He wants all people to come to repentance and is willing to wait because of His love for mankind.

While we wait, we can help hasten His return. 2 Peter 3.11-12 says, “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” How do we “speed its coming”? We fulfill God’s purposes and do the work of reaping a spiritual harvest by bringing people into the kingdom. Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24.14). We can bring back the King by getting the word out to all nations.

No matter what we do, though, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3.10). If someone tells you they know when Jesus will return, they are lying. However, we must always be ready with our lamps lit (see Matthew 25.1-13). We must thank God for His patience and use the time He has given us to bring people to repentance. Thank God today for His loving patience.

“Be Prepared” – 1 Peter 3.15

1 Peter 3.15 – “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

The Boy Scout motto is “be prepared.” Someone once asked the founder of the Boy Scouts Robert Baden-Powell, “Be prepared for what?” Baden-Powell answered, “Why, for any old thing.” The training Boy Scouts receive is meant to help them live up to the Scout motto.

Disciples of Jesus are also called to be prepared, but not for any old thing. We are called to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have. A few things are required to be prepared in this way.

First, we have to have hope. We must live as if we believe what we say we believe, looking forward to the blessed hope of eternity with Christ. Secondly, the hope we have must be evident in our lives. If no one sees this hope in us, they will never ask us why we have it. Third, we must have an answer. We must know what we believe and why we believe it. I think we would be amazed at how many Christians would look like “deer in the headlights” if we asked them to give an answer for the hope they have. Finally, we should expect people to ask and have an answer ready when they do.

We must also always do this “with gentleness and respect.” Don’t say, “Because I’m not going to hell like you are!” What a turnoff that would be! We must always answer with love, sensitivity and respect. We must never be demeaning or condescending. Remember, you get more flies with sugar than with vinegar. This does not mean we sugarcoat the truth or water down the gospel, but we must always answer with love, gentleness, and respect.

Unlike the Boy Scouts, we aren’t called to “be prepared” for everything. We are only called to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have. Do you have hope? Does it show? Are you prepared to tell others why you have it?

“Set an Example” – Titus 2.7-8

Titus 2.7-8 – “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

Do you know someone who seems too good to be true? They always seem to have it all together. They are never frazzled. They are always kind, happy, generous, thoughtful, and friendly. They are the kind of person that one has a hard time saying anything negative about. If anything, they might be criticized for being “too sweet”!

We know that no one is perfect. People that seem too good to be true usually are. However, Paul tells Titus (and us) that we should live in such a way that no one has anything bad to say about us. Even if they dig for dirt, even if they go over our life with a fine-toothed comb, they should not be able to find anything bad to say about us.

This seems unrealistic. As I said before, no one is perfect; but God doesn’t call for us to be perfect. He simply calls us to be an example. We are to live in such a way that God would be pleased for others to live as we do. Paul wrote the Corinthians saying, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11.1). If we let Jesus live through us, no one will be able to say anything bad about us unless it is a lie.

What kind of example are you setting for those around you? Would you be pleased to have others live as you do? Is it easy for people to find something bad to say about you or would they come up empty in their search for “dirt” on you? Let’s all set an example by doing what is good so that others will see Christ in us and be drawn to Him.

“Contentment” – 1 Timothy 6.6-10a

1 Timothy 6.6-10a – “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into may foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

“Contentment” is defined as “the state of feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation.” Those who are content don’t want any more stuff than the stuff they have. It takes different things to make different people content. Some people are content with very little. Others need quite a lot to feel content. Still others will never be content regardless of what they accumulate.

Paul writes Timothy saying, “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Do you know anyone who would be content with only food and clothing? I don’t. We think we also need a large home (at least a thousand square feet per person!), the best clothing, the nicest toys, a few cars in the garage, a boat, four-wheelers, regular vacations, etc. Without all these things, some people would be depressed.

However, Paul reminds us that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” If only we all could be more like Job who when it seemed everything had been taken away from him for no good reason said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1.21).

Are you content with what you have or are you always seeking more? Remember that people who want to get rich fall into all kinds of troubles. Do you love money and things more than God? Which would you more easily give up if you had to choose? We are called to seek godliness over wealth because “godliness with contentment is great gain.” May we trust in the Lord and not things and money.

“Rubbish” – Philippians 3.8-9

Philippians 3.8-9 – “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

There was one thing that mattered to Paul above all else. This one thing was knowing Christ. Paul was willing to give everything else up. The word that is translated “rubbish” here literally means excrement, or dung. So, what Paul is saying here is that everything is vile refuse compared to knowing Jesus. Knowing Jesus was his consuming passion.

Paul did not just want to know Christ in the sense of knowing all that there is to know about Him, but he wanted to know Him in an intimate way. He wanted to be “found in Him.” Paul wanted to experience union with Christ so that Christ lived through him. When we experience such an intimate and personal connection, Christ becomes our righteousness through faith. We will look differently and sound differently from the world when we know Him and are found in Him.

Nothing compares with knowing Jesus. Paul was willing to give up everything in exchange for knowing Jesus. Are we willing to do the same? Would you be able to honestly say that you consider everything a loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus your Lord? What have you placed before Him? It’s all rubbish. Do your priorities need to change? Let’s together seek Jesus and be found in Him.