It has certainly been a week to remember for celebrities deaths: Ed McMahan; Farrah Fawcett; Michael Jackson; Billy Mays (“infomercial” guy). Of course Michael Jackson has dominated the news.
What was not reported in the news was that in the same week-long period, 43,197 other individuals died in the United States (US Census). Read that again: FORTY-THREE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN people stepped into eternity… just in the United States.
This is where everyone is put on the same playing field. At the moment those 43,197 hearts stopped beating (including Michael Jackson’s), they stepped into eternity. At that moment only one question was paramount. NOT how did they die? How much money did they leave behind? How many records did they sell? Were they famous or not? Where did they live? And so on and so on. Only ONE question mattered. The one question that determines everything… what did they do with JESUS?
The answer was revealed instantly. When the answer was revealed, there was great rejoicing or great moaning – instantly. There was great joy or great fear – instantly. There was uncontrollable laughter or wailing and weeping – instantly. There was rejoicing in heaven or the darkness of hell – instantly. There was a great reunion with other believers or an eternal loneliness – instantly. There was dancing on streets of gold or gnashing of teeth – instantly. There was heaven or hell – instantly.
Was there a second chance? NEVER!
Jesus said it this way – “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” Mark 8:36 (NLT)
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment… Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)
One of those 43,197 was one of our own. On Sunday afternoon, Ella Jane Reed Blake (Larry Mixson’s mother) stepped into eternity. Because of her public confession, I know that she instantly was with Jesus Christ. She was filled with rejoicing, great joy, and contagious laughter – instantly! She is dancing on streets of gold. She is surrounded by believers she knew in this life who are already in heaven. She is surrounded by people of the Bible that she has read about her entire life. She is celebrating! We will join her at the marriage ceremony with Jesus.
Are you destined for the throne? Are you ready to step into eternity? It will not matter what anyone thinks of you in this world. It will only matter what God thinks.
Was Michael Jackson a believer? Based on his past confession, he was not. However, I don’t know of any recent decisions he may have made. But what I can say without reservation that he is a believer now. You see, once you step into eternity, you will know instantly that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and Savior of the Universe. Even if you are in hell, you will worship Him.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (hell), and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Destined for the Throne – Part Three
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:28-30 (NLT)
Look at the progression in these verses:
- He chose us to become like his Son
- He called us to come to him
- He gave us right standing with himself
- He gave us his glory
As believers, there is a time coming that God is going to give us HIS GLORY! WOW!!! Can you fathom that? Can you wrap your mind around that? We are truly destined for his throne to share in his glory!
So what is God up to in our lives while here on earth? Is he telling us, “just have a good time and I will see you when you get home?” Or, “I trust you to make good decisions and I will let you know when you mess up?” I don’t think so. It seems obvious that God is up to something very specific in our lives --- to make us like his Son. In order to prepare for our queenly role, he wants us to be like Jesus.
I’m sure I heard this in some sermon illustration long ago. There was a sculptor chiseling a large piece of stone into a sculpture of a man. When asked “how do you know where to chisel?” he responded, “I see the finished man and chisel away anything that does not look like him.” Well, maybe that’s not exactly what he said, but you get the point.
God is looking at the finished product when he looks at us. What he sees is his son Jesus. His agenda in my life is to remove anything that does not look like Jesus! Sometimes he has to knock large chunks off, like when we have a sin in our life that has gripped us or when we have filled our lives with just stuff. Sometimes he chisels away small pieces in our lives, like when we have an attitude that is not honoring to Jesus.
Sometimes he uses very fine sandpaper to smooth away a few blemishes. I am looking forward to the very fine sandpaper because I am still getting whacked with a HUGE chisel!!! Sometimes I feel like God is going to chisel away at me until there is nothing left of me… oh wait… that’s the whole point!
He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. John 3:30
God is not trying to make me a better man. God is sculpting me into the very nature and image of his perfect Son.
Are you destined for the Throne? If so, then what is being chiseled from your life today?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Destined for the Throne – Part Two
Imagine – sharing the throne of the universe with the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder God’s goal for me is to be transformed into the image of his son.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:28-30 (NLT)
One of the basic truths that you need to understand is God's purpose for your life. Once you understand what God is doing in your life, you'll understand why He allows difficult circumstances in your life.
R. A. Torrey called Romans 8:28 "The soft pillow for a heavy heart.”
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Rom. 8:28
Just as a reminder, there are few things that this verse does NOT say. It does not say all things are good. It does not say all things work out the way you want. It does not say all things have a happy ending here on earth.
One of my high school friends lived in the next city over from High Point. His dad was a surgeon. I remember going to Mark’s house (his big house) one day. I walked into the kitchen where we usually sat and talked. His dad was sitting at the kitchen table… and he was doing a needlepoint! That’s right, needlepoint. A distinguished, well-known surgeon was doing needlepoint. (And this was back before needlepoint was popular.) I guess he sensed my inquisitive reaction. Actually I was looking intently at him not knowing what to say. He finally spoke up, “Don, this is how I keep my fingers nimble in order to perform delicate surgical procedures.” Okay, it made sense.
Here is what I remember about the needlepoint. On the top of the needlepoint there was a beautiful picture with bright colors and detailed images. But if you flipped it over there was nothing but jumbled threads and knots.
We are God’s needlepoint… or a better word would be tapestry. A lot of times in God's tapestry we only see the underside -- just a jumble of threads and knots. But God sees the beautiful picture that He's creating in our lives. He's working it all together. He is working it all together for our good. He is making us into the image of His son. We will probably not see the right side of our tapestry until we enter into His kingdom. It is a journey of faith to trust the one doing the stitching.
She (the church) must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7.)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:28-30 (NLT)
One of the basic truths that you need to understand is God's purpose for your life. Once you understand what God is doing in your life, you'll understand why He allows difficult circumstances in your life.
R. A. Torrey called Romans 8:28 "The soft pillow for a heavy heart.”
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Rom. 8:28
Just as a reminder, there are few things that this verse does NOT say. It does not say all things are good. It does not say all things work out the way you want. It does not say all things have a happy ending here on earth.
One of my high school friends lived in the next city over from High Point. His dad was a surgeon. I remember going to Mark’s house (his big house) one day. I walked into the kitchen where we usually sat and talked. His dad was sitting at the kitchen table… and he was doing a needlepoint! That’s right, needlepoint. A distinguished, well-known surgeon was doing needlepoint. (And this was back before needlepoint was popular.) I guess he sensed my inquisitive reaction. Actually I was looking intently at him not knowing what to say. He finally spoke up, “Don, this is how I keep my fingers nimble in order to perform delicate surgical procedures.” Okay, it made sense.
Here is what I remember about the needlepoint. On the top of the needlepoint there was a beautiful picture with bright colors and detailed images. But if you flipped it over there was nothing but jumbled threads and knots.
We are God’s needlepoint… or a better word would be tapestry. A lot of times in God's tapestry we only see the underside -- just a jumble of threads and knots. But God sees the beautiful picture that He's creating in our lives. He's working it all together. He is working it all together for our good. He is making us into the image of His son. We will probably not see the right side of our tapestry until we enter into His kingdom. It is a journey of faith to trust the one doing the stitching.
She (the church) must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7.)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Destined for the Throne – Part One
I remember everything about my wedding day… the church was packed thirty minutes prior to the ceremony. I was the youth minister at Lawndale Baptist in Greensboro, NC and Mary grew up in the church, so everyone came. I even had a long-time friend there who had to hitchhike from Washington, DC because his car broke down on the interstate. My life has never been the same. Here is a picture of us leaving the church for our honeymoon. (Yes, I had hair and yes -- I was a stud.)
It’s been a great adventure ever since. In fact, as I walked out of the church on that Saturday afternoon on July 2, 1977, I really had no idea of the fantastic life Mary and I would have. I had no idea of the blessing of Katie and Mack. I had no idea of the exciting years of ministering together… traveling the world… touching, and being touched by many lives.
Now, knowing what a great adventure my earthly wedding and married life has been, I can not begin to imagine my eternal marriage with Jesus. My vocabulary is insufficient to express my thoughts.
Near the beginning of our marriage, I read a short little book called Destined for the Throne. It was one of those books that had a huge impact on me personally. It brought about a clearer understanding of the BIG picture. I mean the ULTIMATE picture. It caused me to think differently about EVERYTHING. Here is the main quote that caused me to rethink my life and my future:
. . . the one purpose of the universe from all eternity is the production and preparation of an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. Since she is to share the throne of the universe with her Divine Lover and Lord as a judicial equal, she must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. . .if one wants to know the meaning and purpose of history, he must look at the end, the final outcome, the net result. Since prophecy is history written in advance, we have history's final chapter in the Book of Revelation. . . the final and ultimate outcome and goal of events from eternity to eternity, the finished product of all the ages, is the spotless Bride of Christ, united with Him in wedded bliss at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and seated with her heavenly Bridegroom upon the throne of the universe--ruling and reigning with Him over an ever increasing and expanding Kingdom. . . (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7f.)
You and I as believers are going to be eternal companions for Jesus! What a mind-boggling thought!
Join me as we walk through this incredible concept together over the next few blogs.
It’s been a great adventure ever since. In fact, as I walked out of the church on that Saturday afternoon on July 2, 1977, I really had no idea of the fantastic life Mary and I would have. I had no idea of the blessing of Katie and Mack. I had no idea of the exciting years of ministering together… traveling the world… touching, and being touched by many lives.
Now, knowing what a great adventure my earthly wedding and married life has been, I can not begin to imagine my eternal marriage with Jesus. My vocabulary is insufficient to express my thoughts.
Near the beginning of our marriage, I read a short little book called Destined for the Throne. It was one of those books that had a huge impact on me personally. It brought about a clearer understanding of the BIG picture. I mean the ULTIMATE picture. It caused me to think differently about EVERYTHING. Here is the main quote that caused me to rethink my life and my future:
. . . the one purpose of the universe from all eternity is the production and preparation of an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. Since she is to share the throne of the universe with her Divine Lover and Lord as a judicial equal, she must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. . .if one wants to know the meaning and purpose of history, he must look at the end, the final outcome, the net result. Since prophecy is history written in advance, we have history's final chapter in the Book of Revelation. . . the final and ultimate outcome and goal of events from eternity to eternity, the finished product of all the ages, is the spotless Bride of Christ, united with Him in wedded bliss at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and seated with her heavenly Bridegroom upon the throne of the universe--ruling and reigning with Him over an ever increasing and expanding Kingdom. . . (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7f.)
You and I as believers are going to be eternal companions for Jesus! What a mind-boggling thought!
Join me as we walk through this incredible concept together over the next few blogs.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday Thoughts…
- Barry’s solo in the first service was heart stirring.
- Worship was great in all three services.
- I’m enjoying our sermon series on the Church as we explore God’s Word about His purpose for the church.
- I’m looking forward to GBC becoming a dangerous church for the Lord!
- Our keyboardist in the 2nd and 3rd service, Stephen Rutland, served his last Sunday with us. He is going to be part of a church plant in the upstate. We are excited for him. Pray for him. Great job Stephen in leading the Solemn Assembly worship.
- I love seeing so many new faces at GBC. Even though we have had some friends depart from GBC, our growth has been great.
- Our Solemn Assembly was a blessing. It’s ALWAYS a great time when God’s people get together to pray!
- Ken Cox's testimony at the Solemn Assembly was moving. Did you get your mustard seed?
- I’m reminded that Satan hates us and will seek to discourage us at ever turn.
- I’m reminded that God loves us more and we are on the winning team!
- I’m reminded that I love being your pastor! Thanks for encouraging me.
- I want to finish the race that God has before me. I want to finish the race with you!
Continue to pray for our Children’s Ministry Sports Camp. We had a great first day.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Rules of the Blog
I had put off doing a blog for a long time. There were several reasons. One was the time required. I did not want to start something only to quickly end it. Two, I wasn’t sure I had anything to say that was worth reading.
So I set out some rules for my blog:
- My intent is to keep most everything in my own words. If I use another person’s words, I will quote and cite the work. (If you find something that is not original to me, call me out on it and I will give credit)
- There will be some ideas that come from someone that I may have read a long time ago and have forgotten the source. So give me a break… I’m not sure any of us have truly original thoughts.
- I will be as honest as possible without violating a confidence.
- All first hand stories will be truthful and as accurate as possible, although I may change some information to protect a confidence.
- Your comments are welcome. You are free to disagree. But I am free to disagree back. I will not promise a detailed response to your emails.
- You are free to pass along to others anything I write. Just make sure you keep the words in context.
- Although I am seminary trained, attended Oxford University and have an earned doctorate, I am NOT an intellect or an academian… so don’t expect it. I have never considered myself to be a deep thinker, but I do think… at least I think I do.
- If you find a grammatical error… git over it. If the error becomes your focus that u no longer sea the statemint… well, it’s your rabit to chace.
- My first and foremost purpose is to honor God and lift up Jesus.
- My second purpose is to build up the Bride of Christ… his church… and in my case the Gateway family.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
What’s the deal with fear? – Part 6
Warning: The following may be hazardous to your sense of self-righteousness.
One last thought on fear. If I am going to fear God by seeing things the way He sees, I need to know what he loves and what he hates.
So what does God hate?
There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)
I would strongly suggest that if you find anything in the list that is apparent in your life… you have something to fear. You need to fear the discipline from the hand of a Holy God.
When my kids were young, they loved to have their friends over to play. No matter how much you like your friends, if you spend time together you are going to have disagreements, arguments, and maybe even a fight or two. When incidents like this occurred with our children and their friends, we would send the friends home and discipline our own children if warranted. We never disciplined our neighbor’s child. That was not our job. We only disciplined our own children.
God disciplines his children.
SOBERING THOUGHT: If you have never felt the discipline from the hand of your heavenly father, maybe it is because you aren’t one of his children… hmmmmm.
More to the point: I love Gateway… God’s church. I love the family of Gateway… God’s family. So I have a jealous heart for God’s family. I would even call it a righteous jealousy. And when it comes to protecting God’s family, I have a righteous anger when someone causes discord or dissention. A righteous anger is hating what God hates. But even deeper than that, I have a great fear for the person who is the source of the discord and disunity in the family of God. I fear for my brother or sister in Christ who is about to face discipline from the hand of a holy God. It will not be pretty. It never is.
What does the discipline of God look like? It might be a loss of ministry… loss of influence… loss of reputation… loss of treasure in heaven… a loss of spiritual giftedness. It may even result in God putting you on the shelf for the rest of your time here on earth. Even worse, God may discipline you by removing his hand from you. We see this in scripture. What would your life be like if God completely removed his hand?
If, through your disunity and discord, you cause a younger brother or sister to fall or lose trust in God or in their church, guess what? God holds you responsible. VERY SERIOUS.
Once in a church, a staff member was confronted for telling lies about the pastor. During a meeting with the deacons, one deacon said, “You robbed me of my being able to trust my pastor.”
Have you repeated a rumor? Have you shared a piece of juicy gossip? Have you said something that robs a person the ability to trust their church? Their pastor? Have you caused someone to question God’s church? Well, get ready… discipline is on its way.
By the way, there is a difference between disunity and disagreement. There is a proper way in which to express a disagreement or a concern. In the parking lot of the church is not one of them.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 1 John 4:20 (NLT)
Regardless of where you attend church, if you are the source of disunity or discord in the family of God… you need to repent… you need to confess… you need to ask for forgiveness of your heavenly father and your church family. You need to have a fear of God.
One last thought on fear. If I am going to fear God by seeing things the way He sees, I need to know what he loves and what he hates.
So what does God hate?
There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)
I would strongly suggest that if you find anything in the list that is apparent in your life… you have something to fear. You need to fear the discipline from the hand of a Holy God.
When my kids were young, they loved to have their friends over to play. No matter how much you like your friends, if you spend time together you are going to have disagreements, arguments, and maybe even a fight or two. When incidents like this occurred with our children and their friends, we would send the friends home and discipline our own children if warranted. We never disciplined our neighbor’s child. That was not our job. We only disciplined our own children.
God disciplines his children.
SOBERING THOUGHT: If you have never felt the discipline from the hand of your heavenly father, maybe it is because you aren’t one of his children… hmmmmm.
More to the point: I love Gateway… God’s church. I love the family of Gateway… God’s family. So I have a jealous heart for God’s family. I would even call it a righteous jealousy. And when it comes to protecting God’s family, I have a righteous anger when someone causes discord or dissention. A righteous anger is hating what God hates. But even deeper than that, I have a great fear for the person who is the source of the discord and disunity in the family of God. I fear for my brother or sister in Christ who is about to face discipline from the hand of a holy God. It will not be pretty. It never is.
What does the discipline of God look like? It might be a loss of ministry… loss of influence… loss of reputation… loss of treasure in heaven… a loss of spiritual giftedness. It may even result in God putting you on the shelf for the rest of your time here on earth. Even worse, God may discipline you by removing his hand from you. We see this in scripture. What would your life be like if God completely removed his hand?
If, through your disunity and discord, you cause a younger brother or sister to fall or lose trust in God or in their church, guess what? God holds you responsible. VERY SERIOUS.
Once in a church, a staff member was confronted for telling lies about the pastor. During a meeting with the deacons, one deacon said, “You robbed me of my being able to trust my pastor.”
Have you repeated a rumor? Have you shared a piece of juicy gossip? Have you said something that robs a person the ability to trust their church? Their pastor? Have you caused someone to question God’s church? Well, get ready… discipline is on its way.
By the way, there is a difference between disunity and disagreement. There is a proper way in which to express a disagreement or a concern. In the parking lot of the church is not one of them.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 1 John 4:20 (NLT)
Regardless of where you attend church, if you are the source of disunity or discord in the family of God… you need to repent… you need to confess… you need to ask for forgiveness of your heavenly father and your church family. You need to have a fear of God.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
What’s the deal with fear? – Part 5
Warning: The following may be hazardous to your sense of self-righteousness.
As we’ve studied fear, we’ve concentrated on fear as a result of a lack of faith. We’ve looked at replacing our fear with faith.
Here is a different take on fear: Sometimes we are not afraid but we should be. The Bible tells us that there is only one appropriate fear – the fear of God. If you did a quick search of the Bible for phrases such as “fear God” or “fear of the Lord” you would be convinced that it is an appropriate fear.
Jesus said it this way:
“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” Luke 12:4-5 (NLT)
Now the great news for the believer is God is not throwing us into hell. He is going to welcome us into his kingdom as a joint-heir with his son Jesus. PRAISE GOD!!!!
But that does not eliminate my fear of God. I must have the utmost respect and sense of awe when it comes to God. The point of this passage is that we should fear God because of his awesomeness.
I must take him very serious… very, very serious. So how do I do that? For starters, I need to see things the way he sees things. I should love what he loves and hate what he hates. God loves people and God hates sin.
One day, as a believer, I will give an accounting to God for my actions, my attitude, my words, and even my thoughts. This is the one we think of most often and most of us can understand the concept that we are accountable for what we “do.” But what about this one -- I will give an accounting for my lack of action. I will give an accounting of how I used, misused or never used my spiritual gifts, material possession, and time.
Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
We have a promise of our salvation… we can not lose it. But we can “suffer great loss.” What does “great loss” look like? It includes lost opportunity; lost time. It includes the times we lived for ourselves: our wants; our greed; our selfishness. It even includes thinking that church and life is all about me.
Ultimately it is a loss of eternal investment. Instead, we invest in the temporary. We invest in the self-serving.
It is very easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature as believers.
What about that phrase “The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”? What does that look like?
Remember when smoking was allowed almost everywhere? Even on airplanes? When I was growing up, smoking was not allowed in our home. However, many of my relatives and neighbors smoked. I was around it all the time so I didn’t think about it. Today, however, someone can be 2 blocks away when they light up and you immediately smell it.
When Mack and Mary had the doc sommers band, they played everywhere. Sometimes they played in venues where smoking was allowed. I remember going with them to the New Brookland Tavern. Even though we did not smoke there was plenty in the room. By the end of the concert, our clothes reeked of smoke. I even had a smoky taste on my tongue! I had to step outside many times that night just to get a breath of fresh air. Then we packed into the van to head home… yep… it reeked of smoky clothes. We couldn’t wash them fast enough.
Maybe that is what it will be like for those who “barely escaping through a wall of flames.” They get into heaven because of Jesus, but they smell as if they ran through hell to get there. They aren’t burned, or even singed, but they reek of the smells of hell.
Don’t let that be you.
As we’ve studied fear, we’ve concentrated on fear as a result of a lack of faith. We’ve looked at replacing our fear with faith.
Here is a different take on fear: Sometimes we are not afraid but we should be. The Bible tells us that there is only one appropriate fear – the fear of God. If you did a quick search of the Bible for phrases such as “fear God” or “fear of the Lord” you would be convinced that it is an appropriate fear.
Jesus said it this way:
“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” Luke 12:4-5 (NLT)
Now the great news for the believer is God is not throwing us into hell. He is going to welcome us into his kingdom as a joint-heir with his son Jesus. PRAISE GOD!!!!
But that does not eliminate my fear of God. I must have the utmost respect and sense of awe when it comes to God. The point of this passage is that we should fear God because of his awesomeness.
I must take him very serious… very, very serious. So how do I do that? For starters, I need to see things the way he sees things. I should love what he loves and hate what he hates. God loves people and God hates sin.
One day, as a believer, I will give an accounting to God for my actions, my attitude, my words, and even my thoughts. This is the one we think of most often and most of us can understand the concept that we are accountable for what we “do.” But what about this one -- I will give an accounting for my lack of action. I will give an accounting of how I used, misused or never used my spiritual gifts, material possession, and time.
Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
We have a promise of our salvation… we can not lose it. But we can “suffer great loss.” What does “great loss” look like? It includes lost opportunity; lost time. It includes the times we lived for ourselves: our wants; our greed; our selfishness. It even includes thinking that church and life is all about me.
Ultimately it is a loss of eternal investment. Instead, we invest in the temporary. We invest in the self-serving.
It is very easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature as believers.
What about that phrase “The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”? What does that look like?
Remember when smoking was allowed almost everywhere? Even on airplanes? When I was growing up, smoking was not allowed in our home. However, many of my relatives and neighbors smoked. I was around it all the time so I didn’t think about it. Today, however, someone can be 2 blocks away when they light up and you immediately smell it.
When Mack and Mary had the doc sommers band, they played everywhere. Sometimes they played in venues where smoking was allowed. I remember going with them to the New Brookland Tavern. Even though we did not smoke there was plenty in the room. By the end of the concert, our clothes reeked of smoke. I even had a smoky taste on my tongue! I had to step outside many times that night just to get a breath of fresh air. Then we packed into the van to head home… yep… it reeked of smoky clothes. We couldn’t wash them fast enough.
Maybe that is what it will be like for those who “barely escaping through a wall of flames.” They get into heaven because of Jesus, but they smell as if they ran through hell to get there. They aren’t burned, or even singed, but they reek of the smells of hell.
Don’t let that be you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)