Listening to the Word

Lamentations 1- 2; Obadiah; Revelation 14 “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads…They follow the Lamb wherever he goes…” Revelation 14:1, 4 While the world is marked by the name of the beast, the followers of Jesus are marked by the name of the Father and the Son - the Lamb of God. Our testimony is clear when our identity is secure. Do we know who we are and whose we are? The tattoo of the name of God on our foreheads speaks to our unashamed, bold, and transparent allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. We give evidence of this allegiance through purity, humility, and selfless obedience to Jesus in his mission, that every nation would know his gospel and be given an opportunity to respond.   If our community around us could identify us, what would they say was tattooed on our foreheads? Are we known for our denomination, our buildings, or for our allegiance to the ...

  Jeremiah 42-44; Psalms 48; Revelation 13 “If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.” Jeremiah 42:10-12 This amazing statement of God’s love, mercy, and sovereignty was rejected by Israel’s remnant in favor of seeking protection from Pharaoh. The “I will” statements echo God’s promises to Moses and Israel in Exodus 3 when God first delivered Israel from the slavery of Egypt. Why do we, like Israel, think that the false security of our pension plans, our nations, or our jobs can replace fully surrendering our lives into the hands of God?” Amazingly enough, God promised to show his compassion to th...

2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12   “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy…The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16, 21 God’s judgment of sin is not impulsive, random, or unjust. He warned his people of the consequences of sin and allowed them to live under the tyranny of lust, pride, fear, and idolatry until they would humble themselves and repent. It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. When we despise God’s Word to us and repeatedly ignore him, we, too arouse Gods’ wrath against sin. Christ paid the penalty for o...

  Ezekiel 29-32; Revelation 11 “…I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Revelation 11:3, 4 Jesus promised his disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Why? The Lord of the earth, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, is on a mission through his Church to see every nation, tribe, tongue, and language reached with the gospel. The two witnesses in John’s Revelation were living this same mission under Christ’s authority. However, they were clear about the consequences of refusing Christ’s offer of mercy and forgiveness. Judgment belongs to the Lord. The Holy Spirit was sent to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If we are not convicted by the Holy Spirit in these ways...

Ezekiel 25-28, Revelation 10   “…’There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.’” Revelation 10:6, 7 The prophetic words concerning the Messiah bringing the fullness of God’s kingdom to earth will be fulfilled. The disciples asked Jesus when he would be bringing this kingdom to Israel in a manifest form (Acts 1:6). Christ’s reply acknowledged the coming kingdom on earth, but refocused the disciples on their Spirit-empowered assignment as witnesses of Jesus. These disciples did not anticipate two thousand years between Christ’s first and second coming. They did not understand the mystery of the kingdom which is both new and not yet. Like the disciples, we, too, live in anticipation of the fullness of Christ’s kingdom coming at his return. Are we spiritually awake, cooperating with Christ’s mission and anticipating his return? The time is no...

Ezekiel 22-24; Revelation 9   “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads….The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze,…Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:4, 20, 21 To be a disciple of Christ is to be set apart for Christ’s purposes. Disciples of Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto salvation. Disciples of Christ are quick to repent when they sin because they value pleasing God more than themselves. These disciples live on mission with Jesus because there is no other way to follow Jesus. As they proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, they share their own story of repentance from a life of self and sin and they call others to repent and follow Jesus in the same wa...

Ezekiel 20-21, Psalms 111; Revelation 8   “’For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them…I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord…You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake…’” Ezekiel 20:40-42, 44 God’s judgment of his people Israel, and then his fulfilled promise to restore his people and gather them again back to the land of Israel, is an astounding action in the sight of all nations displaying the holiness of God’s name and nature. Jesus taught us to begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Hallowed be your name”. The re-gathering of Israel back to the land where God will reveal himself to them is a hallowing of God’s name, just as h...