Who is Worthy?

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angelproclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

 

 

I don't know why this is so moving,  and perhaps not all of you find it so,  but I find it extremely affecting.

Why is John weeping and weeping?

Here is the throne,  and 'the one who sits on it' is holding in his right hand,  a scroll.

It's in his right hand for a reason. This is a royal imperative,  and John understands the significance.  Though he doesn't yet know what the scrolls contain,  he feels it's importance keenly.

The weight of importance is leant to it,  in no small part because of the question of the Angel.
Now remember what John has seen so far.  And then consider the fact that this angel invited the description of Mighty.

A mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice.

Not the reassuring 'fear not ' of many of the angelic visitations we are used to.  No.
This is a mighty angel powerfully and loudly proclaiming the question;

Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scrolls?

Spine tingling when you think about it.  We are not used to hearing things from the throne room but if we were we would know that God's word is to be obeyed.

And here this.  No one in heaven or earth,  past or present,  no one was worthy.

I just want to take a moment to reflect on the uniqueness of Jesus.

He and he alone.

There is no one like him.

No one else in history is worthy.  How holy must this imperative from the throne be?

So holy that no one in all heaven and earth is worthy.

Not Abraham.

Not Jacob.

Not Moses.

Not David.

Nor any of the prophets.

Not John the Baptist.

Not Peter.

Not Paul.

Not even Gabriel.

Not even the Angel who asks the question.

Only the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Only the son of man.

Only the Son of God.

Only the Lamb.

Only Jesus.

His is the only name under heaven by which people may be saved.

In no other name is there salvation.

And no one else could have saved you.

And least of all you.

You are not worthy.  Lost and hopeless without him.

But today brother or sister,  you have hope.

Do not weep.  See the Lion of Judah has triumphed.

The seals represent the future and things to come.

But do not fear.  Don't weep with concern over it. Jesus holds the future.  He is worthy.  He has opened the seals.

He has got this.

And now,  we have heard of the triumphant Lion,  the victorious one.

Step forward the Lamb who was slain and lives.

Yes. Jesus step forward.

Today.

Come into focus.
Come into centre stage.
Come into centre page.
And step from stage into the crowd.
Step out of the pages and into our rooms.
Come from the screen into the scene.

Lord Jesus,  this morning take your place in our lives.

You are so,  so worthy,

And we love you,
So, so much.

Amen.

Psychedelic Worship

³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’^[b]

who was, and is, and is to come.”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

So this is the part where we ask you to put on your 3-D glasses.

As a young dropout I partook of some hallucinogenic substances,  but let me tell you this is right up there. No doubt about it.  And this morning I am very grateful that I have distanced myself from eschatological interpretation.

But try not to let the incomprehensibility of it put you off.  This is awesome,  and awe inspiring stuff.

It is possible that the imagery we have in Revelation is in the form of code that would have been well understood by it's first readers,  meeting in secret,  in a way we can never know this side of Jesus'  return.

As I spoke of yesterday,  in order to enter into the text we must understand the context of the prophecy.

I hope I laid it out pretty clearly yesterday, the throne comes as a relief.  As Authority in the midst of the undermining of the church. As the seat of power in a time when many felt powerless.  This is the ultimate 'bigger picture '.

Let me break it down. 

The rainbow encircled throne from where thunder and lightning emanate. 

The twenty four crowned elders in white. 

The sevenfold Spirit. 

Four living,  all seeing creatures, lion,  Ox,  man and Eagle. 

All here for one purpose and one purpose only. 

The worship of God who sits on the throne. 

Wow.  Forget the bizarre imagery.  Whatever it represents and get the atmosphere. 

The four living creatures all saying ;

Holy. 

Holy. 

Holy.

The Lord GOD Almighty. 

Who was,  throughout all ages past.  From the beginning of time itself.  Almighty. 

Who is, even now,  in the midst of our chaos and confusion,  reigning.  Almighty. 

Who is to come, to dispel despair,  to end pain and suffering and to bring everlasting peace and joy, so sorrow and sighing do one,  and leg it.

Almighty. 

And whenever they do this,  which is all the time,  the poor old elders fall down and cast their crowns before the throne. 

I don't really pity them.  Their position is the most privileged of all humans. 

And then they say,  while they are down there;

"You are worthy,  our Lord and God, 

To receive glory and honour and power, 

For you created all things, 

And by your will they were created and have their being." 

It is this awesome sense of the holiness of God that much of our church life lacks. 

I don't understand how  in the light of such power we ever could be afraid of anything or anyone else.  Not if we truly get it.

I don't understand how we could wallow in and play with sins when this almighty one is the one we serve. 

I don't understand how in the light of holiness we would ever deem to place a 'human right ' over God's command and relegate his word to a guideline. 

I don't understand how, if we are truly viewing God in this way we can ever be indifferent again. 

I sometimes think even the demons have more respect for God than we do. 

James says,  you believe in God? Good.  So do the demons.... And tremble. 

I  sometimes think we could use a whole lot more trembling. 

This Holy and all powerful Sovereign is the one we worship.  Worthy of all we have,  and able to keep us entirely. 

Can we say today,  with Paul.;

I know whom I have believed,  and am convinced that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him until that day. 

And he is the one,  who is to come. 

No sacrifice is wasted.  

Everything is noted. 

Every word. 

Every deed.

Every hair. 

Every single breath.

All for you Lord,  who was and is,  and is to come.

You are worthy to receive glory and honour and power, 

Amen.

The Throne

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

 

As I have previously stated,  in these devotional blogs,  I am just wandering through the prophecy,  like someone would wander through a garden, noticing certain fragrances and flowers and pointing them out to a friend.

 

This is in no way meant to be a theological or contextual exegesis.  There is so much inspiration in here,  and it can so easily be missed because of the bigger picture. I just want to notice some detail for once.

 

But I can't help but see the relevance to our current situation. Revelation was written to encourage and warn the church under some extreme circumstances and trials.

 

And though our post referendum blues could potentially be placed into the camp of first world problems,  as extreme as they seem to us, these words are still a trumpet call to rally the troops,  none the less.

Get these words, 'After this '.

 

After the letters to the churches in their various states of turmoil and persecution.  After the speech of survival and holding on,  and being spat out,

 

After this,  he says,  after this I looked.

 

After we have let the smoke clear and the passion settle,  after this,  where are we looking?

We need to look heavenward.  Not to things on earth,  where treasures perish and people die,  but to heaven,  where we are seated with Christ. Where our hope lies,  and from where our hope comes.

And look.  We see an open door. 
 

Revelation is full of those,  it would seem.
 

Hard times.  In earthly terms; final nails.  But in heavenly perspective;  open doors.

And we have an invitation,  from the voice that first called to us,  to 'come up here'.

How wonderful.  How marvellous.  How inviting.  Come up here.
 

In the spirit,  you are summoned.  Not to dwell on fearful futures.  Not to stare at the storm. But to come up here,  where God is.
 

And the invitation.  "I will show you what must take place after this."
 

There is two senses in which this is relevant right now.
 

Firstly,  that what's takes place in Revelation,  the establishment of God's throne and the new Jesrusalem,  and the coming reign of Christ on earth,  these things forge our hope. 

What better way to bolster yourself to face trials than the thought of the great reward at the end of them.  If they do not stir us,  we have to ask why we are in this faith-life at all.
 

And secondly,  that we seek God,  in as much as possible,  to understand the times we live in and what is God's plan in the midst of them.
 

If your blueprint is coming from any other source,  you're ill equipped indeed.

But if you have a sense of God's hand on and in it all.... Then you can really face the future with hope in your heart.
 

And when we come at his invitation,  and we find ourselves,  out of the trouble and fearful climate of our situation and in the Spirit,  what do we see?
 

Hallelujah.
 

We see a throne.
 

And there is someone in it.
 

Someone is ruling and reigning in the midst of all of this.
 

It is this King we serve.
 

It is this throne we bow before.
 

From this throne comes all authority.  No authority on earth would ever be given over us if it were not first permitted by this throne.

And the one who sits on it?
 

Well, we will look some more at that in other blogs,  but it is sufficient for now to say that he is the King of Love.
 

And he works in all things.  Works them together for the good of those that love him,  and are called according to his purposes.

He has got this.
 

Look.
 

Come up.
 

See the throne.
 

Amen.

Lukewarm

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodiceawrite:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds,that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.²² Whoever has ears, let them hearwhat the Spirit says to the churches.”

Reading this,  I am more convinced than ever of the razor sharp relevance of the letters to the churches for us now. Especially in the UK.

How long has the church been lukewarm and largely indifferent to the gospel?

Don't get me wrong,  there are plenty of passionate saints in the UK.  Without a doubt.  Some doing amazing things for God. There is much to be hopefull about.

But I am talking in broader terms than that.  I am talking about church culture.  Sacrifice is so far from us.  We are,  on the whole,  affluent,  comfortable and complacent.

As Keith Green used to say,  the church is sleepwalking in the light.

I believe,  unless we as a church are refined,  our Gold tested by fire, we remain in serious danger of being spat out.

The church is either lazy or fully complacent in the sinfulness of the world.  Taking on its terminology,  advancing it's agenda and drifting away from the mission of Loving one another and spreading the Gospel. And I believe,  unless we are repentant and returning to our first love,  we only have decline to look forward to. 

We have thought ourselves rich,  and not needing anything 

. In our own eyes,  content and smug. But in reality we are poor, blind and naked. 

So the coming times of uncertainty for us here in Britain offer us an actual hope. They offer us a chance of repentance.  A chance to put Jesus mission and honour at the heart of our priorities. 

Better to be spiritually rich than materially. 

Better to be able to see the danger and do something,  than it is to be happy but ignorant in our blindness. 

Better to be clothed in purity,  and have your shame covered,  than to be naked. 

Jesus rebukes the church for her lukewarmness and complacency but that is because he loves her (19). And those he loves,  he disciplines. 

Be earnest and repent,  we are told. 

Trust me,  the chance to repent is the greatest gift you can ever have. 

Remember, and shudder when you do,  Esau,  who was not granted repentance,  though he sought the blessing with tears. 

Let us repent of our lukewarmness, while we may. 

Be earnest and repent. 

To the one who is victorious through the hardest of times,  he will give the right to sit with him on his throne. 

If you hear his voice,  open the door.  He himself will enter in and eat with you. 

Amen. 

The Door, The Key and The Keyholder.

Revelation 3

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


I read this text on Friday morning, 24th of June 2016. I was waking up to the terrible shock announcement of the UK's decision to leave the European Union.

Here in the UK right now tempers and emotions are high. There is a sense of panic and uncertainty . The political landscape is changing fast. Sometimes landscapes change gradually through years of erosion and development, or sometimes, as in the event of an earthquake or a volcano eruption, they can change in an instant. The kind of change we are seeing here is of the latter type. And there will be aftershocks. We are only just getting started.

Jesus said that the house build on a poor foundation would fall quickly in a flood, but the house on the rock would stand firm.

I think this is a time for Christians to reassess and realise just how much they have been building on the sand, and how much they are standing on the rock.

In Hebrews 12, the author speaks of the shaking of what may be shaken, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain.

These are going to be turbulent times for us here in Britain, and perhaps there will be more shaking, even throughout the world.

That is certainly my instinct.

But, here in this letter to the Philadelphians, yet another of the churches under persecution, Jesus paints himself as the Holder of the Key of David, and the opener and closer of doors.

And I do not know what the outcome from this trying time will be. But I do know this. If Jesus has closed the door on the EU for Britain, then it will stay closed. And that is both scary and reassuring.

We have our Monarchs, Prime-ministers,  Generals and Presidents  but Jesus is in charge. No power would be granted to any of these people or governing bodies unless it was allowed by him. He is the doorway of Salvation, and while he holds it open, then nothing can stop you from being saved. But once he shuts it, that is it. We must face judgement.
And the door shut on the UK's membership with the EU, is a door opened for opportunity to redefine and reshape a nation, however scary that currently looks. And in that , the church has a new and unique opportunity to speak with a prophetic voice, and to hold out the Hope Jesus offers in a world falling apart.

And the falling away of all kinds of scaffolds that propped us up, will expose the true strength of the structure of all our building.

And that is a useful discipline. God disciplines those he loves. they are his children. I say we take this opportunity, to wake up, survey the damage from the storm and start to strengthen the things that remain.

And do not fear.

Jesus has got this. He holds the key. He stands at the door. He invites us to step through into a new phase of trust and faith, like we have never experienced before.

Amen.


 

Wakey Wakey.

Revelation 3 (NIV)

To the Church in Sardis

3 “To the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


I know your deeds....
 

How comforting.
How alarming.

Unlike the other people in our spheres, Jesus is not only not fooled by our projections, carefully crafted images or reputations but he sees the entirety of us. Other people in our spheres may be suspicious that there may be more than meets the eye, some may even have direct insights into the reality behind the mask, but Jesus knows the first from last.

There is no where to hide.

I think Jesus' words here are amongst the most unsettling in the prophecy.

You have a reputation of being alive but you are dead.

Have you ever been to a church where these words seem to apply?

Sometimes froth can look like life, but it is lacking in a solid, breathing and active body.
How scary that we might even fall into the trap of believing our own press, but some how miss the very essence of a life of faith, of generous giving and sacrificial worship. Of love that costs as well as rewards, of holiness which shuns sinful immorality and of truth which stands against the lies of evil.
Jesus has some very sobering words for such people.

Two of them.

WAKE UP!
But there is comfort here. Although the body is pronounced dead, he says next, strengthen what remains and is ABOUT to die.
So there is still a chance.
I feel like the Sardisians are one step further down the road from the thyatirans. The Thyatirans have been told to hold on to what they have, to guard what Christ has done in them, but the Sardians are told that what they have.... Is about to die.
This is CPR. This is the paddle of a difubulator. 1 2 3 Clear.
WAKE UP!!
That we may never be so self deceived that we think we are alive when are clinging on to survival, sleep walking towards a precipice.

Are we truly alive in him?  Oh that nothing should hinder us. Wash your hands you sinners, Purify your hearts you double minded. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
I often comfort myself in failure that although God knows my deeds, he also knows my heart. And ;
1 John 3:19-21New International Version (NIV)
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.
I think we take this as an opportunity to ensure we are not caught up in the froth.
Lord Jesus, may we live fully awake in the daylight of your love and truth,
This day,
And all days,
Amen

Hold On

  Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.



Iwould have included the whole portion of the letter, for your reference, but having dealt with rebuke yesterday, (and in the letter toThyatira, as in to Pergamum, there is a good deal of that here) today I would like to focus on Jesus words to those not caught up in all this immorality and adultery.

It is worth noting that Jesus' pronouncement of coming judgements on Jezebel and her followers are even more explicit and disturbing than they were to those in error in Pergamum, but he turns to address the more faithful segment of his Church in Thyatira with a far more conciliatory tone .
He says;

‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

I think, it sounds to me, given the age and area they are living in, that they have more than enough on their plate already.
And in the midst of this, they have not given way to the false teaching or the debauched lifestyle.
I feel like we are in danger of taking these words of Jesus in the context of a siege mentality. Just hang on in there till Jesus comes.

And of course there is an element of that. But regardless of what John or the Thyatirans may have thought, Jesus return was not quite as immanent as they expected.
We live in a tumultuous time when speculation about end times is rife. I know people who will link our decision in the UK today, to the creation of some sort of 'United States of Humanitarianism'. From which a potential anti-Christ could arise.

And times are tumultuous indeed. The middle east in a mess. Iran is going nuclear. Donald Trump is running for the Whitehouse. Russia is becoming ever more militant.
It is easy to speculate, regardless of your eschatology. And I do. I do it all the time.
But whatever the fires to come, if we have faith in Jesus, they will only prove to be the refining fires.

And in a sense, world events are irrelevant. God is Sovereign over all, working together all things, for the good of those that love him, according to his will and purpose.

To 'hold on to what you have' is to retain the purity of the gold. Everything else can be surrendered to the heat of the furnace, whatever furnace that may be.

Paul says in Ephesians 6, in the context of this spiritual battle that we should;

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

And some days, simply standing in itself is a victory. Not retreating, even though not advancing is a triumph.

Stand firm then.

And the reality is that Jesus will return, and regardless of when, it is a reality that should fill us with hope.

• If we are living, then we must be ready, living in such a way that would be to our credit if we came face to face with him.
• And if we are asleep. then we will be caught up to be with him, and be finally changed into his likeness.

Retaining the purity and shedding the sin. That is of such value in our lives. I know I need more of that.

In my recent studies in 1 John, whilst preparing for my sermon, I came across these verses, and they seem to have stayed with me.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Doesn't this thrill your heart. At his revealing, we will be changed. Hallelujah.
But this revelation does not simply hold out hope for our future improvement. It means something now. The very next sentence says;
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

This Journey towards Transformation, is more than clinging on for dear life, to the cliff edge of faith, whilst the world around us crashes into the abyss.
Holding on to what we have, means that our faith is doing it's job, and our sanctification is being made complete. In a sense, that IS the journey.

And there is a reward coming. To the politically powerless Church (at the time) he says

26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lord Jesus, as we hold to this hope of transformation, to become like you, give us the grace, power and will to refine ourselves through your Spirit, to be more and more like you, in any and all circumstances,

Amen.

The Double Edged Sword

To the Church in Pergamum

¹² “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ¹³ I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

¹⁴ Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. ¹⁵ Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
¹⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
 

In each of these letters it is always significant in the way it begins. It really gives you the key to understanding the letter.

For example to the Ephesians, who are given a corrective appraisal, he is represented as 'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven Gold Lampstands '. He is the one in absolute Authority and he is surveying his churches.

To the church in Smyrna who are being asked to face potential martyrdom, he is represented as 'Him who died and came to life again'.

And so to the church in Pergamum, caught up in immorality and dangerous misleading teaching, leading to idolatry and sexual immorality, he portrays himself thus;
"Him who has the sharp double edged sword "

He gives them grace to repent but threatens, if they do not, he will come and fight them with the sword of his mouth.

Prophecy is always for edification and building up. But sometimes that comes in the form of a challenge or a rebuke.

The most famous verse about the word of God is possibly Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
We are often compelled to the Hebrews verse by the Verses in Fphesians which call the word of God 'the sword of the spirit '.


God's word is prophetic, always. Whether it comes to us from a direct word, delivered through a prophet or whether it comes from reading The Word.

And sometimes we don't want the challenge. The image of Jesus fighting us with the sword of his mouth is, if we really think on it, a terrifying thing. The one who speaks love and acceptance and peace, coming to rebuke us. I shudder.

But the passage in Hebrews, so often lifted from its setting, comes in the context of a rebuke. 

Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. ~ Heb 4:7

I think we often need a rebuke, far more than encouragement. And culturally, we are unlikely to get it. But a righteous and compassionate rebuke, is not something to be feared. One that is heeded leads to life!

And we have a duty to assess ourselves by bringing our lives under the word, understanding by the spirit, and making the changes we need to. to align ourselves with God's ways and Kingship. And we will blessed.

My favourite story of Jesus is from John 8. The woman caught in adultery.

Who is without sin cast the first stone.
Judge not, we think... Lest we be judged.

But once the crowd is gone Jesus turns to her,

Where are they that accuse you?
There are none, my Lord
Then neither do I accuse you.

And in the midst of a pluralist, liberal and hedonistic society.....neither does Jesus accuse us.
Ah, there is grace. Praise God.

But then....there is the need for purity.

Now go, and leave your life of Sin.

Lord Jesus, keep us pure and keep us as yours. Untainted, and holding out the word of life. In this dark universe... Shining like stars.
Amen.

The First and the Last

To the Church in Smyrna
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, 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 life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.~ Revelations 2:8-11

What The Lord has to say to the church in Smyrna is pretty succinct.
I know you are suffering and poor, but the spiritual reality is that you are rich.
Worse suffering is coming but hang on, even if that means death. The reward you will receive is far, far greater.

I don't think this in itself needs expounding.

I am reminded, regardless of what is coming for us, personally or in the unfolding of world events, that Jesus was clear from the start.
I don't know where all of you are at, or what phase life is taking you through, blessed with peace or with challenges, but Jesus assured us all;
In this world you will have trouble.

It's a simple fact.

The murder of Jo Cox has touched me deeply as I am sure it has some of you, and it reminds me of the kind of world we live in, particularly in the West.

She was a successful middle class woman, enjoying a certain amount of affluence. But she was not a selfish individual (let me side step the theological for a moment). She represents in many ways, the best of humanity. She was outward looking and generous tirelessly working on behalf of her community and in particular the disenfranchised, the refugees and the vulnerable.
And in the middle of that she got tragically caught up in the most ugly expression of the human experience.

In the midst of life we are in death. We all are.

This world is a screwed up world where war forces families to flee, and fear stops some from extending help to them. The kind of world where sometimes a 'good' life can be brought to a senseless and brutal end. A world where children from Syria or from Yorkshire can be orphaned in a heart beat.

Yeah. In this world, follower of Christ or not, you will have trouble.

But as this letter to the Smyrna church starts, these words, these encouragements to face trouble with confidence of a glorious final outcome, are spoken by him who is the first and last. The words of the one who died already, but came to life again. He knows the beginning from the end.
If we had known the outcome more often, aren't there many occasions where our performance might have been more vigorous and determined.

But we do know the final outcome. Those who trust in him are victorious over the second death.
Hallelujah.
So in this life, it is far better to hang on to your principles and integrity, in the way a certain Yorkshire MP seemed to. Better to go down fighting than to flee from trouble and find yourself with nothing worth saving.

Yes in this world, perhaps even this week, you will have trouble.

But be of good cheer, says Jesus. I have overcome the world.

Amen.

Stock Check

Revelation 2

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶ But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

So for a bit now, I am going to be taking a wander through Revelation. This will not be a thorough examination of all things eschatological but rather a seeking of inspiration from some of the powerful charges and images we find there.
In this first letter, to the Ephesians, the apocalyptic version of Jesus that appears to John in his vision  walking amongst the seven lampstands of the churches and holding the seven stars (Angels) in his hand, is one who is passing judgement. Not the final judgement but an assessment of where they stand. 
 

This is, if you like, their appraisal.

It is good to take stock and honestly assess where you are at.

I am an ostrich. I haven't looked at my bank balance for nearly two weeks now, because I know it's bad.
How many of you know this is foolishness?
If you look and it is bad, you can address the situation and do some damage limitations. You may even be able to recover the situation entirely. Perhaps it is not actually as bad as you think and you can save yourself a lot of worry.
Either way, an honest look at where you are at is a helpful thing.
We should keep short accounts and not allow a wander on the dunes of worry to become a trek across the desert of prayerlessness.
And Jesus knows it all anyway.
We should not be afraid to face him.
He says; I know your deeds.

And in Ephesus he finds a church in the midst of all kinds of debauchery. And he praises them for their abstinence from such things, And even their intolerance of them.
They are committed. Perhaps even militant in their commitment to the cause. They even have a long history of perseverance, but he holds this one thing against them...

That they have forsaken their first love.

It is so easy to just keep on keeping on. Well perhaps not easy, but it can become default.
 If we are not careful we can forget why we are keeping on at all.
We are only left to speculate as to what those things they did at first were.
Bur if the charge is that they have left that first love... Then I can only encourage you to look to how you were impacted and behaving when you first believed. Giddy love for the Lord. Unjaded enthusiasm in your worship and evangelism. And you felt like you would hold nothing back from the Lord.
In our stock taking, may we find and rekindle that first love, when forgiveness was fresh, and hope was tangible and when our view of the saviour was so clear.
Come let us return unto The Lord.
Amen

How great IS our God?

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,  and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and 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.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
Then he placed his right hand on me, and said ;
Do not be afraid. ...
I am the First and Last
I am the Living One
I was dead but look, I am alive forever and ever.
And I hold the keys of death and Hades. ~ Revelation 1:12-18

I have been listening to the sermons of Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones recently. And I listened to him talk about the verse from John, 'for as many as those who believe, to them he gave the power to become children of God.'
In this sermon in particular he starts to address the subject of The Fatherhood of God.
He is a man from a different era but in some ways ahead of his time.
He talked of how He, God, is referred to as the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliberately so that people will know that he is not like Their own father, because the image of some people's fathers does not summon the response of love.
And he speaks of the warmth and affection of God as a Father..... But he ties it in with respect and reverent fear.
He speaks in a way that makes it clear to me that since his day we have lost this aspect of parenting and culturally lost out on an understanding of this aspect of God.
He is to be feared.
And the strength and authority he commands are, at once fearful to us, but also our source of protection. His fierceness against our enemy is a thoroughly reassuring thing, provided we are on the right side of him.
And we see John's response to this terrifying vision of Christ, with Blazing eyes and a sword protruding from his mouth. John falls down as though slain.
But what Jesus does is so touching and so reassuring.
He places his right hand on him. Affirming him. It is a kind hand bestowing favour.
And he tells him not to be afraid.
And that he is omnipotent, conquering death, earth, time and hell.
The only one who should be truly feared, offers us security.
How powerful is that?
I need some perspective on my life on earth and this provides it in spades.

A friend whilst at bible college once told me of a vision he had of Jesus, standing in the cosmos, the earth literally his foot stool. And this vision really added to him a sense of perspective and security! I have never forgotten the retelling of that.

Don't ask today, 'how big are my problems? ' Or ' How great is my faith? '
Ask this.
How big and how great is my Lord?
Sing with me
How great is our God,
And all will see,
How great,
How great is our God?
Amen.

Great Grace

And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. ~Acts 4:33-34


I love this. The text almost resonates with a gasp. SO powerfully that people even looked after each other!!
It is something when God raises Christ from the dead, and it is something else when Peter and John heal a paraplegic, but yet the fact that believers live together like this, taking care of each other's every need. That is worthy of emphasis amongst such other miracles.

And tell me, where else in scripture does this occur?

The spirit moves in the Bible in many wonderful ways, but this is unprecedented.
And revival has been described as a community saturated with God.
And I believe this is the evidence of it.
God is love. And by this shall the world know you belong to Jesus. That you love one another.
And that brings me back to the verse in 1 John that I wrote about a few weeks back...
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
The love of God finds expression like this. It manifests itself. It can do no other. Love is not an onlooker. Love is an action. Genuine love may start as an emotion but it will always find expression.

And we see that in no better light than in the manifestation of God's love in Jesus.
For God SO loved the world that he sent his only son.
God knew the need and he met it, in the most perfect way possible.
Love cannot sit on it's hands.
Some very strong warnings exist in scripture for those who turn away from the need of their family members.
And yet here we see a community of people not all related expressing this familial love to one another and it is a thing of wonder.
For this love we must first understand and experience God's love for us, as he 'sheds abroad in our hearts his love, by the holy spirit '.
We do not love first but we are first loved.
And that love has an overflow. It saturates communities.
Love God. Love yourself. Love your neighbour.
But you see, in reality, there are no punctuation marks. Love is seamless. To love God is to understand his love and the overflow is not an effort.
Therefore we do not stand in condemnation. It is not to say, 'oh no. You didn't help that person. You bad Christian. Are you sure you are saved because God's love clearly isn't in you. '
No.

It is not about effort.

We have to be full of love and mercy for it to be able to overflow.
Like the parable of the unforgiving servant illustrates, mercy flows down.
And he who is forgiven much, loves much.
Dear family.
We are loved with an everlasting love.
Fill your heart with that today.....
And let it overflow.
Amen.

Vival

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.~ Acts 4:32-35

 

I love that the first thing the spirit seems to bring is worship. Nothing else is quite fitting, as the Apostles and believers declare the praises of God, (and the onlookers hear them in their own language). And they are also impassioned and speak boldly without fear. Oh Lord, do we need some of that.

But the point of my focus today is on something that is not always emphasised. At least not in my experience.
This passage, and the first four chapters of Acts concerning the birth of the church, are often held up, and rightly so, as the model for church, in harmony with God, fellow believers and the surrounding community, as they move in the power of the spirit, bringing the kingdom of God with social action, worship and preaching and healing.
And this kind of revival church is what many of us aspire to. Except that this is not revival. Because it is the first time on earth that the body of Christ has been in operation like this, it could more accurately be described, not as revival, but as 'vival'!
And I have often longed for the radical sense of community that Acts-church seems to offer. Growing up in the seventies renewal movement, my church was a whole lot closer to this model than anything I have seen since. I will perhaps touch on this later in the week. But I want to say, once you have tasted the manifest passion for Jesus, expressed in living in loving community, nothing else quite hits the mark. It feels like a hole in your church experience. A void which, as an adult, I have yet to see filled. Our individualistic society is so at odds with it. And some quarters of the church are too, to it's detriment.
But it starts with a move of (and a response to) the spirit. And once the initial explosion of worship and proclamation has ebbed, what then is the next effect of the Spirit?
It is simple. One word can some it up. It is the correct response to the Spirits moving.
That word;
Devotion.
To the word/teaching. That can never be overestimated...... or understated.
I'm taking that as a given.
But the part I want us to think about today is this Devotion to fellowship.
Christianity is a faith that lives through community. We do not thrive in isolation. We thrive and grow together.
I'm not saying solitude is a bad thing. It can be essential. But for seasons and moments. But isolation is not good. It's Ice-olation. Out alone in the cold.
Scripture says that God places the lonely in families.
And to love God is to love people. And particularly, the people of God.
Let us devote ourselves to fellowship,
As we fellowship with God.
Amen.

Bearing Burdens

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.~ Galatians 6:2-5

I find it fascinating that Paul instructs us to carry each other's burdens and yet finishes by saying we should all carry our own load.

At the time of writing this, I was due to be preaching in a few weeks time on the subject of giving. The verse that inspired this is from 1 John (3:17). If you have material possessions and see a brother in need, but do not help them, how can the love of God be in you?

And then I started thinking about the early church. How they sold all they had and gave to all as they have need.
One could argue, an early form of the benefits system!

In my church there are a lot of conservatives and thinking about how to present this to them, as a socialist, made me consider their approach to individual freedom and responsibilities. A tory friend, yes I do have them, pointed out to me that as Christians it's is our individual responsibility to look after the poor through acts of charity. And I concede, there are two major drawbacks to the benefits system.

1. Those who receive them can often become dependant on them and lose the incentive to work. Not all, but some, for sure.

2. That those who should be engaging in charitable work can ignore the problem because the state is doing that already, and 'that is why I pay my taxes'.

Now I could go into this extensively but I really want to point to the way Paul puts both of these things into juxtaposition.
We cannot ignore the need around us. It is not good for us to do so, both individually and corporately as a church.

 I believe charity does begin at home within the church, but it extends beyond that. But there is no putting a value, spiritually speaking, on what helping others does for us. The love of God is abiding in us and being expressed through us. What a joy.

And we are shown here that individually we are to take responsibility for our own burden also. Not being too proud to accept help but not to be complacent about the help we receive. To honour God in all aspects of our lives.

Elsewhere we are told he who will not work should not eat.
Vastly open to misinterpretation but all the same, essential to hear. We are not to be leeches.
It's primarily about a culture of honour. That is the kingdom of God.
It comes down to this. Love God, respect God. Love and respect others as you love and respect yourselves.

Each should bear their own burden. But we should bear each other's burdens also.

And the love of God be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Night I Unintentionally Saved a Girl's Life.

So this post, as you will be able to surmise from the title, paints me in rather a good light. And, for once, I want to hold up my actions as exemplary. I did save a girls life. But I didn't perform a death defying rescue. I simply made a phone call. Not a 999 call under emergency circumstances. I simply invited a girl to a party and, In the click-bait language of social media...."YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!"


It was new years eve, 1992. I was 19 and I was home for the Christmas period from a year long residential course I was on, training me to be a missionary/church-worker. Some of my church friends were having a get together, as we had done on the previous few years. As there were only a handful of us around, (And although it was not my party to invite people too) I started trying to think of some of our youth who were perhaps a bit younger than my contemporaries.  Soon we had broadened out the guest list to make about a dozen or so of us. And I was quite pleased with myself. I had kind of made this party happen!

It wasn't until I was at the hosts house, and the party was underway, that I realised I had left someone out.

"A" was a girl of about 15. She was quiet, a little shy, friendly and, it seemed to me, quite a sociable young lady. She had kind brown eyes and always had a big smile.

She and her family had really joined the church during my first years away, so I didn't know them very well. Her older sister was a similar age to me, and I knew her a little, socially though parties and the like, but not "A". However "A" and I had bonded a little at after-church coffee  over our shared enjoyment of metal music.

So when I looked at our little gathering and realised that "A" was not there, I could not begin to think why I had not invited her...other than the fact that it was not my party, but that had not stopped me inviting everyone else!

And, when I suggested it to the rest of the merry-makers, I realised that, apart from a couple of the younger ones, most people in this group did not seem to have a great connection with her, as more than a couple of voices were slightly disparaging about the idea.

And, being my outspoken self (at least amongst this group of friends) I argued them (The disparaging ones) round  and eventually they agreed that I could invite "A".

Her mother answered the call, when I phoned from the phone attached to the wall under my friends staircase. We got on very well, (the mother and I) and she seemed delighted that someone had called for her slightly reclusive daughter.

"She's in her room, Matthew" she said in a rather jaunty sing song voice, "I'll just go and get her".

I had, at that point, never been to their house, and didn't know how long it would take for her to reach her daughter's bedroom, but I knew it wasn't so big that it took the 5 mins or so it took A's mother to return to the phone.

When she did return, her voice was drained of all jauntiness.

I wasn't offered an explanation. I was told very simply,

"Matthew. Something's happened. I have to go".


It wasn't until a few days later that I found out what that something was.

"A" had attempted to take her own life.



She had taken an overdose of some kind of pills and my last minute invitation had caused her unconscious body to be discovered. Thank God. They managed to save her.

I am writing this blog because I had almost lost all memory of this event when, out of the blue, just a few days ago, I started to think of  "A".

A few years back her parents, who have long since left the area, came back for a trip down memory lane and had wandered into our church bookshop, where I was working as a volunteer that day.

I naturally asked after their daughters who I had not seen for the best part of twenty years.

And, what surprised me was that "A" was not only okay......but positively thriving. It seems she is living today in America and is happily married with kids and living on a gorgeous ranch which they own. I saw the photos, and it was gorgeous. Not that it is important but I don't think they are short of a bob or two, let's put it that way.

And, as I remember gazing at those photos, I am amazed that I should have been instrumental in the saving of her life. I am even more amazed that such a confident, beautiful and successful woman had ever even contemplated ending her life, let alone taken action to ensure it.


There are a few lessons.

I cant tell you why she did it, or how it came to that state of affairs, but I know "A"s sense of loneliness and worthlessness was not only a misconception, but it was also  a lie. I also know she had allowed herself to be isolated and that her sense of misery and worthlessness was compounded by that.  Which in turn propelled the isolation.
There were a number of people who cared about her, but she was not in a place to hear those voices. She had disconnected and as a result, reality was distorted and pain amplified.

And here is a lesson for us as a wider society. A little bit of care goes a long way.
I was not burdened with any sort of supernatural sense that "A" needed help. I merely thought that she should not be left out. And I reached out.

There are so many nights where I might have been more self-absorbed and would not even have thought of "A".

Thank God, New year's eve 1992 was not one of those nights.


I think we need to be looking out for those who are withdrawing and disconnecting. We never know what they are going through.

And I think we should be more willing to reach out to one another. To go the extra mile. To carry someone's load. Or even, (and tragically, sometimes this is all it takes) to take an interest. Just a simple act of kindness or friendship  could save someone's life.