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Why Measure It?

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Ezekiel 40-41; Psalms 128; Revelation 21 “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.” Revelation 21:15, 16 Why did the angel who showed John the Holy City of Jerusalem, measure it? God’s kingdom is not a metaphor; it is concrete and real. Just because we cannot see the kingdom of God now, does not mean it doesn’t exist. Paul spoke of the kingdom of God as “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. These qualities define the lives of those who live in the kingdom of God. However, this kingdom will one day be our only reality. No longer will we be living in both the physical and spiritual realm at the same time. Those who by faith seek first the kingdom of God now, will one day live within its walls as sons and daughters of the King. “Lord Jesus, I...
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The Book of Life

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Ezekiel 38-39; Psalms 145; Revelation 20 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books…If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12, 15 It’s a sobering thought that our lives are being recorded in books, and all our deeds are known by God. There will be no ambiguity in what we deserve as we stand before the throne of God. However, there is another book, the book of life, in which are recorded the names of those who have trusted Christ with their lives and by faith have received his sacrifice for their sin. This book supersedes all other books and is one in which we want our names to be listed. It doesn’t matter whether we are ‘great’ or ‘small’, wealthy or poor, educated or not. What matters is whether we received the gift of eternal life through ...
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Alive by the Spirit

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Ezekiel 36-37; Psalms 110; Revelation 19   “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy son of man, say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet – a vast army.’” Ezekiel 37:9, 10 “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…” Revelation 19:14, 15 It is the breath of God, his ‘ruah’, which gives life. Ezekiel prophesied to the breath and the Spirit of God entered the dry bones with life so they became a vast army. In the spiritual battle for the lives of multitudes and destiny of nations, the Lord Jesus is leading his army, filled with his Spirit, the sword of his Spirit, and his Word in their mouths. Many in the Church are seemingly asleep to t...
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What to Measure?

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Ezekiel 33-35, Revelation 18   “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.” Ezekiel 33:31, 32 This is probably how many pastors feel each week. Measuring how many people come to listen to our sermons is quite different than measuring whether our listeners put into practice what they are hearing. Listening to the Word is not enough. We must “obey all that Christ has commanded us” (Matthew 28:20). For those who regularly speak and preach the Word of God, these are humbling words God spoke to Ezekiel. We acknowledge that man looks at the outward appearance; but, the Lord looks at the heart. Just because people flatter us and give compliments does...
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Honey from the Rock

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Daniel 3- 4; Psalms 81; Revelation 17   “’Hear, O my people, and I will warn you – if you would only listen to me, O Israel!...I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it…But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. Psalm 81:8, 10, 16 “’…none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the Spirit of the holy gods is in you.’” Daniel 4:18 Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the Spirit of God was in Daniel enabling him to be filled with wisdom and revelation. Daniel lived in daily communion with God. He taught his friends to do the same. Daily, Daniel opened his mouth and God fed him with his Word. Because Daniels’ mouth was open to eat God’s Word, it strengthened and fortified him and his friends for the opposition and testing they faced. “Honey from the rock” satisfied Daniel as God revealed to him mysteries and revelation hidden to others. How much more s...
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Whose Kingdom are we Serving?

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Daniel 1-2; Revelation 16   “…’Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.’ …’In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.’” Daniel 2:20, 21, 44 Do we believe these words? Do we believe that Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth? Do we believe that God changes the times and seasons of earthly kingdoms and leaders? Do we believe it was the kingdom of God which crushed the Roman Empire? Do we believe any of our modern empires will suffer any other fate? When we embrace nationalism and exceptionalism, we set ourselves against the kingdom of God. Those who know God and submit to Jesus Christ as Lord understand the ultimate reality is the...
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His Compassions Never Fail

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Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15   “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22-26 Jeremiah understood that only God could deliver him. He could not save himself. There is great freedom when we come to that place of full surrender. Because we know the compassion, mercy, and love of the Lord, we, too, can declare that the Lord is our portion; therefore, we, too, will wait for him and on him. Waiting on the Lord is not passive, resigned faith; but rather, an attitude of humility which seeks the Lord and places our hope fully in him. Jeremiah waited patiently for the salvation of the Lord from the intense persecution he was experiencing from the Jewish community. Ironi...
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