Thursday, May 19, 2016

Revelation 19:11-16 (selected)

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns…

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

I don’t have a good history with horses. They are beautiful and powerful creatures, of course, but I just like them more from a distance! When I was about 8 years old or so my father had a friend at church who had a small farm or ranch in Ohio. One Sunday this friend invited our whole family over for the afternoon. After dinner he offered to take us boys for a ride on one of his horses. That sounded like great fun so off we went. But when my turn came, because I was the oldest boy I guess, he put me on the horse by myself. So there I was, perched precariously on the saddle, and the horse just started trotting off on his own. I had no idea how to steer the animal, so I just held on for dear life. That worked out for about 10 seconds. Then the saddle I was sitting on began to slip. Somehow it had come loose and as the horse bounced me along, the saddle was slipping and I was sliding over sideways until – plop – I dropped right out of the now upside-down saddle onto the ground.

So I have always been very aware of the strength and power of horses. Interestingly, a horse, of all things, is a powerful symbolic element of Biblical teaching on the second coming of Christ.

In the great book of Revelation, the Apostle John is given a vision into heaven itself. 

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns…

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

As mentioned in Monday's post, historians tell us that, in the ancient world, when a king or emperor came into a city riding on a donkey, he was coming in peace.

But if that same king or emperor came riding on a white horse, it meant he was coming to conquer, to destroy and to lay waste!

The next time we see him, the Bible says, Jesus will not be riding on a donkey, but, symbolically speaking, on a white horse, because he will be coming to conquer and to judge!

On that day Jesus will come with unimaginable power, authority and glory. He will come to judge all sin and wickedness; every wrong will be made right and his enemies will be completely destroyed. The Bible indicates that on that day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, because there will no longer be any doubt; there will no longer be any choice about who he is!

C.S. Lewis said it this way:

“God is going to invade…something so overwhelming that will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late to choose your side…Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side…”

From “Mere Christianity” – courtesy of Pastor Jeff Frazier

But, notice, that day does not have to be met with fear and trepidation! Those who have freely chosen Christ as savior and king will face that day with great comfort, peace and celebration! But those who have rejected him, who have refused his offer of forgiveness and grace, they will face that day with fear and regret, for they will face the judgment of the one who is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

Are you spiritually prepared for that day? As C.S. Lewis so eloquently put it, “Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side.”

I pray that you have chosen, perhaps even today, to receive Jesus into your heart as savior and king!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

There is a lot of speculation inside and outside of the church these days about the end of the world.  For Christians the debate always seems to come back to the question “when” it is all going to happen?

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

   KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS  - Revelation 19:11-16

This passage is a vivid description of what it will be like when Christ returns at the end of the world.  Far too many Christians are more concerned about when He will come than they are about the impact His coming should have on their daily lives.  Listen to what Jesus Himself had to say about this kind of speculation about the Last Day.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  – Matthew 24:36

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  - Matthew 24:42-44

I think C.S. Lewis captures well our present situation in regards to the End Times in a letter he wrote to an Italian friend…

The times we live in are, as you say, grave:  whether “graver than all others in history” I do not know.  But the evil that is closest always seems to be the most serious: for as with the eye so with the heart, it is a matter of one’s own perspective.  However, if our times are indeed the worst, if That Day is indeed now approaching, what remains but that we should rejoice because our redemption is now nearer and say with St. John:  “Amen; come quickly, Lord Jesus.”  Meanwhile, our only security is that The Day may find us working each one in his own station and especially (giving up dissensions) fulfilling that supreme command that we love each other. 

- From a letter to Don Giovanni Calabria, July 14, 1952

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Revelation 19:4-7

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne saying:

“Praise our God all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

I grew up in a pastor’s home, in church services three times a week: Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night.

I can remember, as a boy, it seemed like we sang through the entire hymnal every Sunday night! All that singing, plus what seemed like 2-hour sermons (I know now that my Dad only preached for 25 minutes, it only seemed like 2 hours to me) – all that gave me a pretty good idea what “eternal worship” would be like, and I wondered, is this what heaven will be like?

Like me as a young boy, I fear many of us hold somewhat shallow and uninformed view of what Heaven will be like.

In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells the story of an English vicar was asked by a colleague what he expected after death. The vicar replied, “Well, if it comes to that, I suppose I shall enter into eternal bliss, but I really wish you wouldn’t bring up such depressing subjects.”

Theologian Peter Kreeft writes:

“Our pictures of heaven with fluffy clouds, harps and metal halos and of God as a vague grandfatherly benevolence or a senile philanthropist are dull, platitudinous and syrupy…

We have lost our hope of heaven because we have lost our love of heaven; we have lost our love of heaven because we have lost a sense of heaven’s glory…”

Read again the words of Revelation 19:4-7:

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne saying:

“Praise our God all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

Picture if you can the images John uses to describe Heaven:

First, he sees a “great multitude” – people of every nation, tribe, tongue and language gathered millions upon millions strong to celebrate before God.

Then he hears a “roar like that of rushing waters.” Have you ever visited Niagara Falls? Have you stood in awe listening to the awesome sound of thundering water? That will be something like the sound of worship in heaven!

He hears “noise like loud peals of thunder” and then the sound of shouting. Let me ask you; when was the last time you felt such joy that you shouted out loud without shame or embarrassment?

Strangely, as I read these words again, I thought of the Super Bowl! The Super Bowl can be seen as perhaps the greatest example of mass celebration in modern Western culture. Estimates are that close to 200 million people watch the Super Bowl and all of the images of Revelation could be used to describe the event:

A great multitude…

A roar like rushing waters…

Sound like loud peals of thunder…

And shouting…

But all our efforts to celebrate a cultural event will pale in comparison to the celebration of Heaven! Heaven will make the Super Bowl look like a 2^ndgraders birthday party by comparison!

Are you worried about being bored in heaven? There’s going to be nothing boring about heaven, because there’s nothing boring about God! God is the exact opposite of boring!

What will we do?

We will celebrate!

We will feast!

We will reign with him!

We will serve!

We will never cease to discover the beauty, adventure and joy our God intended for us from the beginning of creation!

Ask God to grow your love for Heaven by growing your appreciation for Heaven’s glory!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, May 16, 2016

Revelation 1:1-3; 9-11

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

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit and I heard behind me aloud voice like a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches; to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

One of the most common misconceptions of the last book of the Bible, the book called “Revelation,” is that it reveals to us how the world will end.

Now, in fairness, the book does include fantastic apocalyptic images of beasts and dragons; wars and plagues; fire and destruction. Revelation does clearly indicate that the world as we know it is temporary when set against the eternal world for which we were created. But the author begins by saying quite clearly the intent of the book:

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.

This opening sentence can be understood in two ways.

First, we can read it as saying that Jesus is going to reveal to us what is going to happen as God brings about the end of this world and the inauguration of his eternal kingdom. And that is true, although not in the sense many assume.

The second way to understand what John is saying is to see the whole book of Revelation as being, first and foremost, about revealing Jesus; who he is; and the role he will play in the drama that will be the consummation and judgment of all things.

I think it’s a mistake to focus on what Revelation may say or not say about how history will end. It’s much more important to focus on what Revelation says about Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:17-18

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 the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

John is telling us Jesus Christ is the eternal One.

Revelation 4:11-12

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

John is affirming that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Revelation 19:11-16

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Here John sees Jesus as the conquering king of heaven who will come to judge all things.

Years ago I heard a speaker point out that in the ancient world a king would often ride into a conquered city on a white horse as a symbol of his power and strength. The Bible tells us that when Jesus entered Jerusalem before his arrest and crucifixion he rode on a donkey, which was the symbol of humility. The book of Revelation tells us that the next time we see Jesus he will come not on a donkey, but a white horse; he will be coming not in humility but in his triumphant glory.

Indeed, the apocalyptic images of Revelation seem to point to the world falling into terrible turmoil before the end comes. But we need not fear all of that because the one revealed to us in Revelation the One who is the first and the last; the One who is sovereign king of heaven and earth; the One who will judge the living and the dead; and the One who was slain so that we can know the hope of his salvation in the New Heaven and New Earth.

The One revealed in the book of Revelation is Jesus Christ.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, May 13, 2016

We have spent this week reflecting on the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22.  Take a moment to read the entire parable again one more time.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” 

- Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus told this parable to the religious leaders of His day.  These were the men who were already quite convinced of their place at God’s table.  They were so certain of their own spiritual status, that they missed the primary point Jesus was driving home in this story.  While there are many interesting cultural and historical details in this story, there is really just one penetrating theme.  The story is really not about the guests who rejected the King, nor is it about those who accepted Him.  The central theme of this parable is the amazing grace of the King!

I think we have a very shallow understanding of grace today because we do not fully understand our desperate need for it.  We do not like to think of ourselves as unacceptable to God.  We like to think that while we may not be perfect, we deserve at least a little credit for the good things we’ve done.  Let me close out our week of reflection by telling you the story of a man who was utterly transformed by the amazing grace of the King.

John Newton was born in 1725 in London. His mother, who was a godly woman and who taught him to pray as a child, died when he was only seven years old.  He had only two years at school, and at the age of eleven, his father, who was a Sea Captain, took him out to sea for the first time.  His sea-faring life is well known, and includes becoming the captain of a slave-trade ship.  Newton spent many years buying, selling, and transporting human beings as slaves.  On one such slaving trip, Newton was shipwrecked on a remote island off of the African coast.  He was rescued by a friend of his father who was a ship's captain as well.  Newton lit a fire of driftwood on the shore to attract the attention of any passing ship.  In the providence of God, this friend of his father, who was searching for him, sent a long-boat ashore to investigate, and John was rescued.  He was on this ship returning across the Atlantic when it encountered a great storm which was threatening to destroy it and everyone on board.

This took place on March 10, 1748. `That tenth of March', writes Newton, "is a day much to be remembered by me, and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748.  For on that day the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters."

The storm was terrible.  When the ship went plunging down into the trough of the sea, few on board expected it to rise up again. The hold was rapidly filling with water.  As Newton hurried to his place at the pumps, he said to the captain, "If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!"  His own words startled him.  "Mercy!" he said to himself in astonishment, "Mercy!  Mercy!  What mercy can there be for me?  This was the first desire I had breathed for mercy for many years!"  At about midnight the hold was free from water, and then came a gleam of hope. "I thought I saw the hand of God displayed in our favor.  I began to pray.  I could not utter the prayer of faith.  I could not draw near to a reconciled God and call him Father.  My prayer for mercy was like the cry of the ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear."  "In the gospel," says Newton, "I saw at least a chance of hope but on every other side I was surrounded with black, unfathomable despair."  On this glimmer of hope Newton staked everything.  He sought mercy and found the amazing grace of God. 

It was this same John Newton who would later write these immortal lines to one of the greatest hymns ever written:
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,that saved a wretch like me.I once was lost, but now am found,was blind, but now I see."
Pastor Jeff Frazier

Thursday, May 12, 2016

In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a story about a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.  But those who were initially invited by the King rejected his gracious invitation.  So this amazing king sent more of his servants out into the towns and villages to invite anyone and everyone to come to the feast. 

Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

- Matthew 22:10

When you read the entire parable, it almost sounds like this should be the end of the story.  The wedding hall was filled and everybody lived happily ever after.  The end.

But this is not the end.  Jesus gives us another chapter, which at first seems to kind of ruin the nice happy ending in verse 10.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

- Matthew 22:11-14

This part of the parable actually poses quite a problem for us.  On the one hand we see here (and in many other places in Scripture) that God’s grace is available to all people regardless of race, or gender, or social status.  Nobody is beyond the reach of the grace and mercy of the King!  On the other hand we have this man who is thrown out of the banquet hall.  Do you see the conundrum here?  If God’s grace is available to all, then why does this fellow get tossed out?  This question is so perplexing that there have been some who have proposed that that this part of the story was a later addition and Jesus did not really say this at all.  However, just because something in the Bible is difficult for us to understand, does not mean that we can ignore it or explain it away.  The fact is that Jesus said quite a few hard and difficult things.

The key to understanding this part of the story is in the clothing.  This man was not wearing the proper wedding clothes.  Now nobody likes to be grossly under-dressed, but we don’t imagine someone getting tied up and thrown out of a party for it (although I was once refused entry to a restaurant because I didn’t have a jacket on).  In Jesus’ day, nobody would dare show up to a King’s feast without the proper clothes.  There are really only two reasons that you would not have wedding clothes on: either you didn’t own any because you were poor, or you did not have time to go and change before the banquet.  These guests were late invitees to the party and were from all levels of society (“both good and bad”).  Though Jesus does not explicitly state this, the implication is that the King must have provided wedding clothes for his guests.  This is really a beautiful picture; there are no social classes or distinctions of earthly rank at this party because everyone has been dressed by the King!

But Jesus is not talking about social etiquette here.  He is talking about a very deep spiritual reality.  In this parable, the clothing really represents righteousness.  This man had only his own righteousness covering him in the presence of the king; he had not been clothed by the king.  The New Testament speaks repeatedly about what it means to be clothed in Christ.

Galatians 3:27 - For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Romans 13:14 - Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Revelation 19:7-8 - Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

The man without the wedding clothes is tossed out because on his own, dressed in his own righteousness, he is unacceptable.  Ah, but here is the real point.  On our own, we are all unacceptable.  We are all just beggars in filthy rags before the King of kings.  This is why the King must clothe us if we are to be at His feast!  At the end of this parable, Jesus makes a surprising statement.  He says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  I have known many people who don’t like this idea of only a few being chosen.  It sounds like God is intentionally leaving some people out of His Kingdom.  However, Jesus is simply stating for us the reality illustrated in His parable; God’s gracious invitation or call is open to all, but only those who receive His call will be clothed in Christ, and therefore only those few will be chosen. 

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

- Matthew 22:1-10

The king in this story showed incredible mercy and kindness even toward those that had initially rejected his invitation. "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'  He did not want them to misunderstand.  The king was not asking his guests to prepare the feast.  He had prepared it.  He was not asking them to come to a feast that lacked preparations. This was no potluck supper! Everything necessary for the royal banquet had been set forth.  Nothing was neglected or left undone.  All they had to do was show up!

But nobody came.  Those fortunate people who were invited to the king’s feast ended up rejecting Him.  To reject a royal invitation was a serious offense; it was an insult to the king.  In our culture, we don’t see it quite that way.  We value the rights of the individual to make his or her own decisions.  We think, “Well, what does it matter to God if I do not want to follow Jesus Christ? Can He not just leave me to my own decision and life?”  I suppose that would be the normal logic, and that might be the case if we were dealing with mere men. But we are not dealing with a normal human king; we are talking about the Creator and Sovereign Lord of the universe. 

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  – Colossians 1:16-17

Stop and think about that for just a minute.  This is not a human king or the president of a country.  This King is the Lord of heaven and earth.  This is King is the one who created and rules over every planet, in every solar system, in every galaxy, in all the universe.  And He rules over every molecule in every cell of your body as well!  If this is the kind of King we are talking about, then you don’t respond to Him when you get around to it!  You don’t put Him off until you’ve had time to weight your options.  You don’t tell Him that you will come to Him after you have had a chance to live it up a little.  You don’t come to Him on your terms.  You come to Him when He calls/invites you, or you don’t come at all.  This is the truly amazing thing about this King.  Although He is Lord of all creation, He is also so patient, and so gracious, and so loving that He continually extends His invitation out to all people, even to those who will ignore and reject His offer. 

Pastor Jeff Frazier