Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I'm entitled.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Jessep: You can't handle the truth!
What a memorable stand-off between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in the film, "A Few Good Men." Where do YOU stand on truth? Do you want to know the truth? Do you believe you could handle the truth if it were given to you? Do you believe that the truth can be known? Post-modern philosophies state that truth cannot be known for sure; our senses are too unreliable, our minds are too limited, and so truth is something we can never hope to capture completely.
Perhaps the post-modern dilemma stems from the assumption that truth is a set of data; some stagnant pool of information that can be probed to a degree but never comprehended. What if we change our approach and start from Scripture's assertion that Truth is a Person? Then Truth is not a lifeless list of digits, but the sum of reality which can actively, wisely and clearly make itself known, in ways that CAN be absorbed by us in its self-distributed doses and comprehended in its refined revelations.
What our text for today reminds us of is that the One who is True will allow all that exists to play itself out. Conquest, war, greed, death, persecution and cataclysm are realities, and their true consequences will be allowed to unwind. But what is also true is that the True One is still on the throne, stilll in control. Truth IS, Truth is about destroying destruction and letting life live. Truth stands against evil and is greater than all evil. So even though evil spins itself all the way out as A truth that becomes fully, awfully known, it cannot triumph over THE Truth. In this way, we come to understand judgment not as some arbitrary despotic punishment, but a discerning sorting out of all things truly valuable and worthless. Death will be brought to death, hunger will be starved, war will be conquered, evil will be eliminated! Goodness will reign victorious.
The take home is, don't wait until later to align yourselves with Truth as the person of God. If there is anything at all in us like violence, domination, avarice, hatred - anything evil or destructive - its time now to distance ourselves from it. Judge it now yourself and ask the Good and True to help you purge it from your character.
Cling to Christ, the Lamb on the throne. He is the Way of Truth unto Life.
Pray: Lord, help me to understand that I can know truth, and also The Truth, in spite of my limited ability to comprehend the universe. You ARE the Truth and You can make yourself known to me. I want to know you. I want to be like you. When all things become truly revealed and judged in truth, let me be found aligned with You and not with evil. By the grace of your gift of Jesus, may I escape your judgment and live in the glory of your truth forever.
Revelation 5:1-14 - Worthy of All Worship and Fits In a Manger
Tonight will be the first Christmas Eve in seventeen years that I have not led a Christmas Eve service at my church . I am very blessed to have my son-in-law and his family hosting us this year, because they love the Lord Jesus Christ and took us all out to their Christmas Eve service at Desert Springs Community. Celebrating with the Mendez family, I am able to have my wife, my two daughters, my two granddaughters and all our Mendez family together all at once! And this year, that meant that instead of leading the service, I would be worshipping the birth of the Savior with my four-month old grandchild sleeping in my arms.
"Sleep in heavenly peace ..." "What child is this who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping ..." "The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay..." How sweet and powerful it is to sing those lyrics and consider the fleshly reality of Immanuel with a baby warm and cooing in your arms!
I'm glad I broke the string. Seventeen years in a row is good enough. And Isabella Grace in my arms on Christmas Eve is better.
And then I read today's verses from Revelation 5 and I am blown away, because the seven-horned Lamb who is both slain and sovereign and worthy of the chant of a hundred million angels - "power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” - this Lion, this Root, this Victor is the One wrapped in stable rags and staring up at Mary, like the daughter of my daughter gazing up at me!
My prayer for you this Christmas is this - along with the fun of family and the joy of tradition and the blessing of giving and receiving, may you encounter a moment in which the deep meaning of God in human flesh breaks through to your soul; a fresh moment of 'sore afraidness' and 'In Excelsis Deo.' But not with the sound of a thousand angels, but the sound of a single voice, your own voice, declaring with wonder and pure certainty from the center of your being - "It's true. It's true. It's true."
"Sleep in heavenly peace ..." "What child is this who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping ..." "The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay..." How sweet and powerful it is to sing those lyrics and consider the fleshly reality of Immanuel with a baby warm and cooing in your arms!
I'm glad I broke the string. Seventeen years in a row is good enough. And Isabella Grace in my arms on Christmas Eve is better.
And then I read today's verses from Revelation 5 and I am blown away, because the seven-horned Lamb who is both slain and sovereign and worthy of the chant of a hundred million angels - "power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” - this Lion, this Root, this Victor is the One wrapped in stable rags and staring up at Mary, like the daughter of my daughter gazing up at me!
My prayer for you this Christmas is this - along with the fun of family and the joy of tradition and the blessing of giving and receiving, may you encounter a moment in which the deep meaning of God in human flesh breaks through to your soul; a fresh moment of 'sore afraidness' and 'In Excelsis Deo.' But not with the sound of a thousand angels, but the sound of a single voice, your own voice, declaring with wonder and pure certainty from the center of your being - "It's true. It's true. It's true."
Revelation 4:1-11 - I Exist Because of a Perfect, Powerful, Eternal Master
'Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.” ' v. 8
"Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh
Adonai, Elohim Tzevaoth
Asher hayah V'hoveh v'yavo" (hebrew)
Ought we not to do the same, and live lives of worship?
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.” ' v. 8
"Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh
Adonai, Elohim Tzevaoth
Asher hayah V'hoveh v'yavo" (hebrew)
Ought we not to do the same, and live lives of worship?
Revelation 3:7-22 - Held Up and Held Close
 |
| In a Times Square, NY subway station |
Have you ever pictured Jesus as a graffiti artist? I was surfing the 'net images of pillars painted with street art and the work is amazing. Then I came across the one above. Nothing like the spray can Picassos that surely must have taken days to produce. This artist was done in about 37 seconds. And unlike the other municipal masterpieces, this one got me thinking about the Lord and Revelation. Today's verses include the last two letters Jesus dictated to John, one for the church at Philadelphia and one for the folks at Laodicea. I think we can use the pillar motif to tie the two together.
The Philadelphian letter is unique among the seven, because Jesus doesn't identify any sin in this church. He says that they have "little strength" and probably this means strength of numbers or of social influence. These would not be moral or spiritual shortcomings, so this church stands alone as the one Christ does not have to rebuke. They have actually shown their strength of character in persevering in the faith. Jesus says He will make their enemies bow down to them (Jesus is going to flex HIS strength on their behalf!) and make the enemy acknowledge that God loves the Philadelphians. If this little church continues to overcome and hold up under trial, Jesus is going to install them as pillars in the eternal temple of God! And He will write on them. I wonder if He will use spray paint, or a Sharpie marker? Maybe they'll look like the pillar at the Times Square train station.
The Laodicean letter stands in stark contrast to the former. Jesus rebukes them; calls them to repent. He attempts to shake them out of their blindness, their denial. "you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" "I am about to spit you out of my mouth" Whoa! Jesus means business. How did this community of believers get so far from what they ought to be. Yes - FAR is the answer. Jesus calls them lukewarm. The city of Laodicea was famous for a lot of cool stuff, but they were also known for their lousy water. It was famously lukewarm. The pillars of Laodicea were the ones that held up the aqueduct, and man was that ever a long aqueduct. By the time the water ran down from a remote southern source, it was wretched. Nauseating.
Being far from the source is the key to comprehension here. The Laodiceans had gotten into their self-deceived, adverse position with Christ because they had wandered off. They were far from intimate with their God. They did not hold Him near. Perhaps they would hold up under His discipline. It was a loving discipline. "I'm knocking at your door. Let Me in and we'll dine together!" "If you'll repent and overcome, I'll sit you on my throne beside Me."
Are you of little 'strength' in this world, but mighty in Christian character? Then you are a pillar of the Lord. Are you self-sufficient, self-satisfied and so, have wandered away from God? Pride and possessions can insulate us from intimacy with Him if we're not careful.
One appeared weak, but they were wonderful. The other appeared powerful, but they were pitiful. Christ saw them aright, and named them accurately. I think I'll let Jesus label me; with Krylon, Sharpie, whatever ...
Pray: Hold me up and hold me close, Lord. I don't want to get discouraged in the fight of faith, and I don't want to get self-deceived that I'm all that in You. help me to estimate myself accurately. I want to be an overcomer.
Revelation 2:18-3:6 - How Wide are Your Tolerances?
Remember the 1993 Nissan Altima commercial with the ball bearing? The announcer says that Nissan got the idea from Lexus engineers, who used a ball bearing to test the tight tolerances of their craftsmanship. Careful, high quality manufacturing allows for tighter fitting parts and narrower openings between sections like doors and frames, and hoods and fenders. Yes, in some cases it's good for tolerances to be narrow.
Stan Gaede wrote the book, "When Tolerance is No Virtue," and describes how the idea of tolerance as a virtue is really an unfinished thought. To say that someone is tolerant is much like saying that someone is "very." Very what? you ask. "Exactly," Dr. Gaede would reply. Tolerance must also have a modifier. Tolerant of what? With a little exploration we can quickly see that some things can be tolerated and others can not. It's OK to crate my dog overnight. It's not OK to leave him there for days. The one is comforting; the other is cruel.
Today's text in Revelation contains two more of the letters Jesus dictated to John. Both letters appear to have an inappropriate tolerance at their center. In the letter to Thyatira, the church is told not to tolerate a self-proclaimed prophetess nicknamed "Jezebel." She is teaching in a way that is leading people into idolatry and sexual immorality. These are clearly anti-Christian and should not be tolerated.
The letter to the church at Sardis identifies a more subtle tolerance. There, the congregation was tolerating unfinished ministry. On the surface they looked like a fine, upstanding church - alive. But Jesus sees beneath the facade - 'you're dead.' The call to fight the good fight, and keep the faith, and finish the race - that's the call they have fallen asleep on. "Wake up!" Jesus cries. He says that those who have succumbed to carelessness have "soiled their clothes." It is sin both to do the wrong thing, as in Thyatira, and to not do the right thing, as in Sardis.
So, break out the ball bearing on a regular basis. Test your tolerances. Are you permitting something in your life that ought not to be there? What sort of sin is sliding through the wider cracks of our overly tolerant consciences? Tolerance is a virtue only when it permits that which is edifying and prevents that which is destructive. And the micrometer for that is the righteous character of Christ. Let's see if we can re-calibrate and engineer lives that are truly Christian.
Pray: Jesus, this same John to whom you dictated the seven letters is the one who described you as "full of grace and truth." Help me to be like that; like You. Help me with grace to tolerate the unfinished nature of my self, my neighbors and the world. And with truth, assist me to stay narrow and focused on what is right and good, intolerant of sin in all its forms.
Stan Gaede wrote the book, "When Tolerance is No Virtue," and describes how the idea of tolerance as a virtue is really an unfinished thought. To say that someone is tolerant is much like saying that someone is "very." Very what? you ask. "Exactly," Dr. Gaede would reply. Tolerance must also have a modifier. Tolerant of what? With a little exploration we can quickly see that some things can be tolerated and others can not. It's OK to crate my dog overnight. It's not OK to leave him there for days. The one is comforting; the other is cruel.
Today's text in Revelation contains two more of the letters Jesus dictated to John. Both letters appear to have an inappropriate tolerance at their center. In the letter to Thyatira, the church is told not to tolerate a self-proclaimed prophetess nicknamed "Jezebel." She is teaching in a way that is leading people into idolatry and sexual immorality. These are clearly anti-Christian and should not be tolerated.
The letter to the church at Sardis identifies a more subtle tolerance. There, the congregation was tolerating unfinished ministry. On the surface they looked like a fine, upstanding church - alive. But Jesus sees beneath the facade - 'you're dead.' The call to fight the good fight, and keep the faith, and finish the race - that's the call they have fallen asleep on. "Wake up!" Jesus cries. He says that those who have succumbed to carelessness have "soiled their clothes." It is sin both to do the wrong thing, as in Thyatira, and to not do the right thing, as in Sardis.
So, break out the ball bearing on a regular basis. Test your tolerances. Are you permitting something in your life that ought not to be there? What sort of sin is sliding through the wider cracks of our overly tolerant consciences? Tolerance is a virtue only when it permits that which is edifying and prevents that which is destructive. And the micrometer for that is the righteous character of Christ. Let's see if we can re-calibrate and engineer lives that are truly Christian.
Pray: Jesus, this same John to whom you dictated the seven letters is the one who described you as "full of grace and truth." Help me to be like that; like You. Help me with grace to tolerate the unfinished nature of my self, my neighbors and the world. And with truth, assist me to stay narrow and focused on what is right and good, intolerant of sin in all its forms.
Revelation 2:1-17 - Got Your Ears On?
I have to thank the CB radio craze of the mid '70s for helping me to do what few married men are able to do. After 32 years of marriage I still have not forgotten the date I asked Sandie to marry me. That's right, guys, I am not talking about remembering the wedding anniversary (which, even that, some husbands have difficulty recalling.) I'm talkin' engagement anniversary; popping-the-question anniversary! On October 4th, 1977 at the Liberty Diner on Middle Country Road, I asked, ring in hand, "Will you marry me?" And she said, "Yes, I will." So what do CB radios have to do with this? October 4th is also 10-4, which is the CB code for 'OK, message received.' She got my message and I got hers; that was a big 10-4, good buddy!
I think Jesus would have enjoyed citizen's band radio. At the end of each of the seven letters he dictated in the book of Revelation, he states, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying ..." Sounds much like, "Got your ears on?" CB slang for 'are you on the air and listening?' Since the word for Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek is "breath, wind or air," it all seems to fit together. So let's get our ears on; let's listen and hear what the Air of God is broadcasting.
Separate blog entries could be written about each of the letters to the seven churches, but there are three such letters in today's One Year Bible passage. Let's compare them and see what they have in common:
1 Each one is written to the "angel" of the church, or "messenger" of the church. That would be the preacher, the one who brings the message from the Lord. God speaks through the leader to engage the whole group. This also makes the leader accountable.
2 Each one has a special description of Jesus, the author of the letter - "These are the words of Him who ..." Watch how the unique description fits in with the thrust of the body of the letter.
3 Each one reveals that Jesus is familiar with the churches and their circumstances. "I know ..."
4 Each letter has an imperative from the Lord - "Repent; Be faithful; Repent."
5 Each one has a call to focus on the message - "Whoever has ears let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Implicit is the encouragement to take what they hear seriously and act upon it.
6 Each one has a reward offered for persevering to the end - "To the one who is victorious," or "To the one who overcomes ..."
There are more CB 10-codes than just 10-4. Jesus would have used them here with His seven letters. 10-44: I have a message for you. 10-17: Urgent business! 10-67: All units comply. Then in the end, He could tx a big 10-99: Mission completed, all units secure.
Pray: Thank you, Jesus, for being a God who communicates. May your Spirit in me continue to speak to my soul and guide my thoughts, delivering wisdom just when I need it. Keep reminding me of who you are, and what you know, what I need to do, and what I can hope to receive.
I think Jesus would have enjoyed citizen's band radio. At the end of each of the seven letters he dictated in the book of Revelation, he states, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying ..." Sounds much like, "Got your ears on?" CB slang for 'are you on the air and listening?' Since the word for Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek is "breath, wind or air," it all seems to fit together. So let's get our ears on; let's listen and hear what the Air of God is broadcasting.
Separate blog entries could be written about each of the letters to the seven churches, but there are three such letters in today's One Year Bible passage. Let's compare them and see what they have in common:
1 Each one is written to the "angel" of the church, or "messenger" of the church. That would be the preacher, the one who brings the message from the Lord. God speaks through the leader to engage the whole group. This also makes the leader accountable.
2 Each one has a special description of Jesus, the author of the letter - "These are the words of Him who ..." Watch how the unique description fits in with the thrust of the body of the letter.
3 Each one reveals that Jesus is familiar with the churches and their circumstances. "I know ..."
4 Each letter has an imperative from the Lord - "Repent; Be faithful; Repent."
5 Each one has a call to focus on the message - "Whoever has ears let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Implicit is the encouragement to take what they hear seriously and act upon it.
6 Each one has a reward offered for persevering to the end - "To the one who is victorious," or "To the one who overcomes ..."
There are more CB 10-codes than just 10-4. Jesus would have used them here with His seven letters. 10-44: I have a message for you. 10-17: Urgent business! 10-67: All units comply. Then in the end, He could tx a big 10-99: Mission completed, all units secure.
Pray: Thank you, Jesus, for being a God who communicates. May your Spirit in me continue to speak to my soul and guide my thoughts, delivering wisdom just when I need it. Keep reminding me of who you are, and what you know, what I need to do, and what I can hope to receive.
Revelation 1:1-20 - Don't Miss the Forest for the Trees
A journey into the book of Revelation can transform us all into those suddenly befuddled seniors who stop short and ask themselves, "Why did I come in here?" It is so easy to get caught up in the details, and the symbolism, the fantastic imagery and the speculations about meanings and timetables and historical parallels, that we lose sight of what the book is actually intending to communicate. We forget that the title of the book is 'Revelation,' which means an unveiling, a making plain, a throwing back of the curtains, showing us what's really going on. So let's just look at the words and absorb what they are revealing to us, and not plunge headlong into trying to unpack the mystery hidden in a riddle wrapped in an enigma.
"The revelation from Jesus Christ, ... that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads ... blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it ..."
"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!"
"... with a golden sash around
His chest. The hair on
His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and
His eyes were like blazing fire.
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and
His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In
His right hand He held seven stars, and coming out of
His mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.
His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance...
He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!"
Just let that wash over you.
Jesus is being revealed.
Look at Him. LOOK at Him!
Behold.
Your God.
"The revelation from Jesus Christ, ... that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads ... blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it ..."
"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!"
"... with a golden sash around
His chest. The hair on
His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and
His eyes were like blazing fire.
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and
His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In
His right hand He held seven stars, and coming out of
His mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.
His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance...
He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!"
Just let that wash over you.
Jesus is being revealed.
Look at Him. LOOK at Him!
Behold.
Your God.
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