Catching the Vision
Isaiah 6(NRSV) 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
I have always been drawn to Isaiah’s description of God. He is not just holy, but holy times three! He does not occupy a small place in a small room, but His presence fills the Temple. And Isaiah, when confronted by a holy God, comes face to face with his sin. He has the only response imaginable—he accepts salvation and follows God.
But as I read Isaiah’s description of the holiness of God, I wonder how many understand the importance of holiness. And, I wonder how we in the 21st century can catch the vision of holiness.
Holiness is not discussed much in today’s world, nor is it a much sought after quality. What is holiness? Simply put, holiness is being set apart. Jesus’ example taught us that while we live in this world, we are not to become a part of this world. The last prayer Jesus prayed over His disciples was this: John 17(NRSV) 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
Yet, the lines between holiness and worldliness seem to have blurred. How do we recapture the vision? Allow me to remind you that sin entered the world through disobedience. What caused Eve to give in to the temptation of sin? Eve lingered in the vicinity of the tree with the forbidden fruit. She could have chosen to bypass the tree, but the more that she saw the fruit was good, the stronger her urge was to consume the fruit.
What if we made the decision to seek after holiness by lingering in the presence of God? What if we, the Church, committed to being intentional in following and living like the Christ? What if we neither gave in to the allure of sin, nor rejoiced in pronouncing judgment over those who do so, but instead we sought after a holy God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?
There is a vision that each one of us can catch. It is a vision of the most high God exemplifying holiness and inviting us to come along, to linger in His presence, to be set apart.
Psalm 27(NRSV) 4 One thing I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.
In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Tell me the Story of Jesus
The Old Rugged Cross
By George Benard
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
It’s shame and reproach gladly bear
Then he’ll call me some day to my home far away
Where his glory forever I’ll share
And I’ll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
Till my trophies at last I lay down
And I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Do you recall the first gospel hymn you ever memorized? I do. My twin sister and I memorized “The Old Rugged Cross” when we were nine years old. We had sung many hymns by that time in our young lives, but it was this song that grabbed our hearts and we sang it over and over while gently swaying on the front porch swing.
Music was always important in our family. Our grandparents sang “Farther Along” and “The Lifeboat.” We sat by our aunts in church and sang “Higher Ground” and “I’ll Fly Away.” There was something about those songs of our youth that just connected us with our God, and just as we learned these songs extolling the praises of our Creator and our Savior, we began to form our understanding of Who God was and who we were in Him. And just as we learned these great old hymns, we began to learn Scripture. At that time, the only translation of God’s Word was the King James Bible, so to this day when I quote Scripture from memory it is from that translation.
As I grew older and my faith developed and strengthened, my soul was stirred over and over again by the songs of the church—Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, and Great is Thy Faithfulness. I find myself wondering, Areany of the songs so dear to me still heard by little girls today? Will they memorize these songs, leading them to memorize Holy Scripture?
I Know it in my Knower
Matt 16 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
People have demanded proof of Jesus’ divinity for over 2000 years. Books have been written proclaiming who He is, and just as many books have been written disavowing Jesus as the Messiah. So what is the foundation of our faith? What inspires us to believe?
The Holy Scriptures form the foundation of our belief. Inspired by God Himself, the canon of our faith informs us of who Jesus is in every book from Genesis to the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We are told of who he was before he became incarnate. We are given his lineage, the circumstances of his birth. We are told of signs and wonders, of miracles and healing. We hear His words of comfort and peace. And we see the story of redemption.
Years ago I read of a woman whose faith was strong and whose prayer life was legendary. When asked what made her sure that Jesus was the Messiah, she tapped her chest and said, “I know it in my knower.”
I can tell you I know, understand and believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God, I believe He existed from the foundation of the world, I believe He was born of a virgin, I believe He is the second part of the Trinity, I believe he bore our sins on Calvary, rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and He is on his way back to judge the living and the dead.
Why do I know these things? Because the Bible tells me so, because the Holy Spirit both forms and informs my understanding, and because I know it in my knower.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Returns to Galilee
John 4:43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.
Jesus Heals an Official’s Son
46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capern-a-um. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
My favorite gospel is the gospel of John. Matthew’s gospel was written to convince the Jews that Jesus was king. To me the highlights of Matthew was the Beatitudes, and of course the foretelling of the return of Jesus. Mark was written primarily to a Roman audience unfamiliar with Jewish customs. Mark was written in short, concise sentences because Mark’s primary concern was ensuring Jesus’ story was told. Luke was written to Gentiles and my favorite part is the Christmas story. The synoptic gospels shared parables that served to teach us how to follow Christ and live with our fellow man. But John, written by the disciple Jesus loved the best, showed us from the very first verse that Jesus is eternal. It is a personal gospel and includes 7 “I Am” statements and 7 miracles pre-resurrection and one, the gathering of 153 fish, post-resurrection.
The miracle of the healing of the official’s son was the second miracle recorded in John and, like the turning of the water into wine, also occurred in Cana.
46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum (Capern-a-um). Capernaum was about one day’s walk from Cana.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” Strongs Dictionary translates this phrase unless you see to unless you people see. Jesus was aware that many people were following him solely for signs and wonders, and he knew that miracles did not lead to salvation. But it seems a little less harsh to me to hear that Jesus was directing comment not to this grieving father, but instead to really a generation of people.
49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.
There are two important ideas here. The first is that the official, being a day away from his son, believed Jesus was limited by time and place. He could not understand how a miracle could occur unless Jesus was in the child’s presence to lay hands upon the boy.
I am reminded of what Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, said when Jesus arrived seemingly too late to save Lazarus from death. She said, if only you had been here my brother would not have died, and then Martha repeated the same sentiment. And do you remember what Jesus said?. (NRSV)John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.“
They simply could not understand that Jesus had no such limitations as time and place.
50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.
So remember the first idea was that the man thought Jesus was limited by time and place. But the second important idea is that, in a startling turnaround, the official believed and began his return journey.
In each miracle we have studied, we have seen that the people in need required just enough faith to ask for help. Jesus did not seek after those who needed a miracle. Why? Because Jesus was here to seek and save the lost. Yet, he was available to many who needed a miracle, and as is recorded in the last verse of John 21:25 (NRSV) 25 But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Signs and wonders from God are obviously good things, but they should not form the foundation of our faith. We should not depend on them to prove God to us. In themselves, signs and wonders cannot change the heart; Israel saw incredible signs at Mount Sinai and even heard the very voice of God (Exodus 19:16-20:1), yet a short time later they worshipped a gold calf (Exodus 32:1-6).
Notice the nobleman did not ask for Jesus’ help on the basis of his station in life. Instead, he was asking for mercy because of the child’s great need. And when Jesus said “your child is healed”, the father did not require any further proof. The father’s belief spread throughout the entire household. I love that. The faith of the father was so strong that he was able to share that faith with his family and those who worked in the household to the point that they all received salvation.
I’ve heard it said the man ran to Cana in fear, but he walked back to Capernaum in faith. May we each walk in the same faith every day of our lives.
One Minute to Midnight
Matthew 25:1-13 (ESV) Ten Virgins
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The church age began with Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon 120 people all gathered in one place. You all know the story—Jesus told his followers to stay in Jerusalem to watch and pray, because he was leaving a comforter, a Guide, a friend who would be with the Church until He came back again.
It is through the Holy spirit that the church was built, grew, and it is the Holy Spirit who will remain with us until that moment when Jesus comes back to catch us up in the clouds, to pluck us out of this present darkness, and into his marvelous light. Some people call this gathering together the Rapture, which comes from the Greek word Harpazo. Others refer to it as the Second Coming, but we will learn today that these two events are separate in nature and in time.
Today’s scripture is the parable of the ten virgins. To understand this parable, you must understand the Jewish wedding of Jesus’s time. Marriages were arranged between the fathers of the bride and groom. When an agreement was reached it was called the marriage covenant or the Betrothal. The Groom would return to the father’s home and he would begin building the house for the couple. When the father said the time had come, the groom took his wedding party and marched to the bride’s home. They made a lot of noise so that the bride and her wedding party would know it was time. In fact, people on the streets would respond to the noise by yelling out, Behold, the bridegroom cometh! It was at night, and everyone in the wedding party was required to have a light. Each virgin had to be sure her lamp was filled with oil before she went to sleep. The wise virgin carried extra oil, the foolish did not.
Why was extra oil needed? Because no one knew the day nor the hour when the groom would come, and the light had to remain lit until they arrived home. In our parable the foolish virgins let their oil burn out, and when they arrived at the gate, they were turned away with the most chilling words they would ever hear. I never knew you.
Oil represents the Holy Spirit, and we live in the age of grace where we have been so blessed to be able to have the Holy Spirit reside within us. He has always been with us. It is the Holy Spirit who urges us to receive the grace that saves us from our sins. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us to grow in sanctifying grace. In order to keep our lamps trimmed and burning, we must pay attention to them. In order for Christ followers to remain ready for Jesus’s return, we must maintain a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is this relationship that provides the light that is needed for the journey home.
Jesus is coming soon. How can we know we are ready? Saving faith in Jesus Christ will manifest itself in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) will begin to show. A desire for greater holiness and less sin will be apparent. And a consistent looking for His coming will mark our lives. One of the best passages articulating what saving grace and faith look like in a believer’s life is Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Preachers have spouted false doctrine for years, but the time to sort out the truth from the lie is almost at an end. I’ve told you before if you do not believe the words we speak in the Apostle’s Creed then you are not a believer. Preachers today are teaching falsehoods that are so antithetical to the gospel that if I were them I would be afraid God would strike me dead just like Ananias and Sapphire when they hid their money from the Lord.
Some preach Jesus was not born of a virgin. This preaching is not new—it began roughly 100 years after Christ died. But it is not the gospel, never has been, never will be. Others preach Jesus was not resurrected. It is not the gospel. Others preach that the Bible was written for a different time, a different culture, and we who preach that God’s Word is forever faithful and forever true are not keeping up with the times, and if we would just listen to the Holy Spirit, He would (or they refer to Him as “it”) show us he is creating a new movement. If someone says that to me one more time I am going to throw up in my mouth.
I know a little bit about the movements of the Holy Spirit, and there have been several over the past few hundred years. Do you know what each of these movements had in common? They were not bringing a new understanding of the Holy Scriptures to the world, No, instead, they were movements of divine grace to bring people out of the dark world of sin, and into the light. Each and every time.
Regarding the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming, in the Rapture the Church is caught up to be with Christ. We go to be with Him. In the Second Coming Jesus comes to establish His kingdom on this earth. He comes to be with us. With the Rapture there will be a shout and the sound of the trumpet and those who believe will be caught up. With the Second Coming the Eastern sky will split in two and every person shall see Jesus, descending on a cloud because that is the way he left. He will step onto the Mount of Olive’s and that mountain will be divided into two.
The time for playing church is over. It is one minute until midnight, and Jesus is coming soon. I have given many altar calls since I have been here, but none so important as this one. I can’t tell you when Jesus is coming, but I can tell you he is. I can’t tell you if you are ready. Only God knows your heart.
