Revelation 1:1-8: Get On The Train

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

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

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:1-8

This is the start of a letter. A letter from God to us.  One messenger (an angel) passes on the message to another messenger (John). Neither claims responsibility for anything more than having delivered it and affirming its contents are genuine. There are three authors: the Father, the Spirit(s) and the Son. In this section we get the summary: God the Father, who rules forever, will reveal Jesus to the world and glorify him.  This is the second advent of Jesus the messiah, but this time he will not arrive as a baby but as a king over all. In his role as king, he will subdue all enemies, establish his kingdom and dispense justice. It is a train: you can be on the train, you can watch the train pass you by or you can get hit by the train, but the train will come. This is why in the last chapter of Revelation, when Jesus says, 'I am coming soon' the author responds: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. John has chosen to get on the train.

For us, I think this involves us watching for Jesus' arrival and moving when he moves, not when we feel it is convenient.

Mark 13:1-13, 24-37: Are We There Yet or Do We Care?

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

“But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

“At that time people 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.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, 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. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” - Mark 13:1-13, 24-37

 This passage reminds me of the other parables of the ten maidens and the basic import is the same: watch because Jesus will move and it will be on God's timetable and our job is to be productive and ready. There is a tension between the being productive and the being ready. Fall off on either side and you can either be so caught up in the pursuit of this world's goals or you can be so caught up in watching fortress like for the coming. We mustn't fall off on either side.

The disciples were in danger of considering the temple as the sign that it had already happened, so Jesus lets them know that the temple itself wasn't permanent or a good indicator. What are the indicators? Wars, persecution, false Messiahs. Looking back over 2,000+ years of history, I would say that we are in danger of falling off on the "world" side of the fence because there have been plenty of wars, plenty of persecutions, plenty of people offering salvation of one kind or another and we get "eschatology fatigue"

So sometimes we stop looking. We stop looking because we've stopped longing. We figure that we just need to do the best we can with what we've got and that distant return of Jesus, while acknowledged, fades in our consciousness. That lack of longing, that lack of desire for Jesus to come and fix the things, is the attitude that Jesus is warning against. So try to cultivate the longing. Translate the injustice and sorrow and incompleteness of this world into a desire for the kingdom come and me, to be prepared as its citizen.

Titus 2:10b: Firmware Just Boots and That's OK

...so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. - Titus 2:10b 

My job is to write firmware. This software is attached to the motherboard of about 200 different new models of PCs. Those new PCs are used by millions of computer users each year to do their jobs, play their games,  write their e-mails, create their PowerPoint slides, etc. That software comes from over 2 million lines of source code. But my daughter, when asked if she wanted to do the type of job that I do, said that she didn't because all we get to say when our product works is: it boots. 

In fact, you don't want to see our product, called BIOS. If you see our product it usually means that something has gone wrong: the computer's hardware has failed, the firmware has been corrupted, etc. Now, I am quite proud of the craft that goes into our firmware. Well-written code is an art and I and my colleagues have spent years writing and fine-tuning the code. But the highest complement that you can pay to our art is that you don't see it. It seamlessly creates the environment where Windows or macOS can load so that other people can be productive. If it draws attention to itself, it is failing. 

A lot of what goes into church work is like that. The end result should always be for someone else's growth and God's glory. If a worship team or a pastor makes you leave the service thinking, "What a great guitarist that worship band has!" or "What a great guy that speaker is!" it is a fail, because the goal of the worship service is in the changed lives of the congregants and the glorification of the God who inspired it all. 

A lot of what goes into life is like that. The end result should always be for someone else's growth and God's glory. When I draw attention to myself--when everyone leaves thinking, "What a smart and compassionate guy Tim is!"-it is a fail because the goal of life is the changed lives of others and the glorification of the God who inspired it all.

It would be like an art gallery where the painting was ignored and the picture frames became the star of the exhibition. Our lives frame the love and goodness of God and the changed lives he brings, bringing those into clear focus. Those frames can be well crafted, sturdy and artful but they are never the point.

2 Peter 3:8-15: Renewal Implies Not Clinging To The Status Quo

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

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. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. - 2 Peter 3:8-15

 Peter told believers who were toughing it out that in the world that In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7) The timing and the language at the start of this first letter is very similar to the timing and language at the end of the second letter of Peter.  There is a period of time, Jesus is revealed, the world is stripped back to its essentials. The degenerative effects of sin that scar God's people and his creation and they can be renewed in the new heaven and the new earth. 

Peter implies that God's timetable for all this happening is less about dates and more about the readiness of his people to receive him. We should live "holy and godly lives" will "speed its [the day of the Lord] coming." The contrast is with the world which is being destroyed. The implication is that if we are so attached to this world and the way things are now then we will not long for the renewal that God plans.  If God doesn't find that his own people do not long for his return, then he will wait. 

Isaiah 62: Living Up to Our Name

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;  but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”

Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. 

The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’” They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted. - Isaiah 62

The central idea revolves around Israel getting a new future. Her defeat and shame in the eyes of the people around her has been what has defined her, as shown by the names she was given and the labels that she wore: Deserted and Desolate. Hard to be impressive when the city is stripped. But God promises a new identity, so much so that her name is changed from Desolate to My Delight and from Deserted to Married. 

It is strange that the change in a name can change the opinion that people hold about themselves. Israel needed someone strong and powerful and respected to assign her a new identity and then she could live up to that new identity. That was hope. That was me seeing the results of my hard work. It is not a "believe in yourself and you can do it" gospel, it is a "God believes he can do it and he makes space for you to join him" gospel. When he gives us the new, hopeful name, he is creating that space. We can waste it or thrive in it.

Colossians 1:9-23: Four Results of Living in God's Will

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. - Colossians 1:9-23

We want to do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons. Knowing the right thing isn't something that we are born with or even that we are inclined to because of our limited perspective and our inherent selfishness. So when Paul and his colleagues pray for the people in Colossae, they start out with knowing God's will. 

If we are living in God's will, the result will be worthy and pleasing to God. But what does that look like? 1) bearing fruit of good works, 2) growing in knowledge of God, 3) growing in strength so that you can have patience and endure and 4) be joyful. 

The reason is that we are no longer in the dominion of darkness, we are in the kingdom of light, so we should act like it. It is the kingdom where Jesus reigns in us just as he does as king of the universe. We are the creatures who can be enemies of God because we can choose against Christ. In a way, that sort of life is a life out of touch with reality. It tries to replace Jesus at the center of creation, who has the preeminence, with ourselves. It is a pleasant fantasy, but reality shows us that Jesus does a much better job than we do in the center.

Matthew 3: Repentance Over Broken Relationship

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3

Before Jesus, there was John. When Acts says that Apollos knew only the teaching of John about the Messiah, this message was all that he knew: repent because the Messiah is coming. I think that the idea of repentance had been twisted in the popular belief of the day and that twisting had been mastered by the Pharisees. There was a basic desire to be holy, to be righteous and to find favor with God. But the way you became holy, more righteous and find favor with God was to try to obey the laws and rules with even greater fanaticism. So repentance became an exercise in returning to the stricter and stricter observation of the law. By extension, the reason that the Jews were currently oppressed was because, as a people, they didn't obey the laws with enough precision. If only enough of them would obey the law correctly, God would restore his favor on them as a country. 

But repentance doesn't have to do with laws, it had to do with relationship. We must turn our back on the self-centered worldview that, if it includes God in it, includes him solely for our own purposes. The Pharisees saw obedience as a way of coercing God's favor or placating God's anger. But God was already predisposed to love them, if they would forsake using him for their own goals. They had lost the desire to know God, perhaps even thinking that the law showed how difficult it was to have a relationship with God. So they substituted rule-following for relationship. 

"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Jesus' entire ministry was a reflection of the love of the Father for him. We, who are in Christ, can hear the same emotional response from God, our Father: "This is my child, whom I love, with him or her I am well please." Our life should be a reflection of the Father's love for us.