Series on Revelation

I just finished a five week sermon series on Revelation which addressed not all, but some of the key scripture passages in the book.  One section I did not cover was the number of the antiChrist, which is 666.  As a kid it always fascinted me and I used to go around with thoughts of what kind of machine would punch a number of your forehead?  We probably have such a machine today, but that is not how you interpret the Revelation to John.  It is filled with apocalyptic writings and must be interpreted symbolically.  Of course, as an adult we know the number 666 was code for the Roman Emperor, Nero.  Bruce Metzger's book, Breaking the Code, written 20 years ago in 1993 accurately identified the number in saying, "Among the names and titles that have been proposed to solve the cryptogram, the most probably candidate is the Emperor Nero.  If we add the numerical values in the Hebrew spelling of the name Neron Caesar we obtain 666; on the other hand, since  his name can equally well be spelled without the last N, if we omit the final N, the total will be 616.  The fact that some ancient manuscripts of the book of Revelation give the number as 616, instead of 666; there does not appaer to be any other name, or a name with a title, that satisfies both 666 and 616."

Well, there have been many Nero's who have ruled different lands since the fall of the Roman Empire.  Only only has to consider the latter half of the last century and look at Germany's HItler, or Cambodia's Pol Pot, to see how history often repeats itself.  You can probably name some 21st century rulers who fit this image.  Nevertheless, what does this say to the church today?  We are born with an innate need to worship, and if we do not worship the true God, then we will create some god to worship, even if it is ourselves!  Such distortion only leads to further distortion, and this leads to all kinds of injustices.  

Most of us will not lead the life of a sadistic dictator, but we can still live as if we are our own God who can control our own destiny.  Perhaps it would be better to humble ourselves and remember who we are, and who God is who created heaven and earth.  As we approach Pentecost, let us remember where our real power comes from - not from ourselves - but from the one true God who loves us and calls us to love one another.  Let us open ourselves once again to receive the Holy Spirit that unites people (Pentecost) as opposed to the spirit of sin that divides people (Tower of Babel).  Let God rule in you.

Hence, the number 7, which is the number for God.  Let us strive to be that perfect 7, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.  (Matthew 5:48)  We strive for this perfection not because we can attain it, but because the striving for it is making perfect our faith.  (Hebrews 12:2)  Anything less, always falls short of what God wants us to desire, leaving us as little more than a number repeating itself ... 666666666 - something to think about.

- Dennis

God Loves You! It's More than Words

Robert Schuller, a great voice of American Protestantism in the 20th century once wrote, "Have you ever been in a church where the minister scolds the people?  He rebukes them, slaps his hands and pounds his fist, verbally crucifying those listening to him.  I have attended churches like that.  And the amazing thing is that the people go out and tell the preacher, "Oh, that was a great sermon, Reverend.  These people enjoy being verbally spanked.  They do not understand what the grace of God means."

I think Schuller got it right.  Too many people think they need to be yelled at in order to bring them to repentance or keep themselves in line:  but what lies behind such behavior is the false theology of people seeking to earn God's forgiveness by living lives, worthy of his love.  The truth is, you will never be good enough to earn Gods's love:  but the gospel says you don't have to be good enough.  What matters is how much you open your heart to the Lord, and an obedient heart is never powered by all our human effort!  Only God's love can make the difference for you.

Schuller writes, My message of grace to you is that God knows and he still loves you."

Today, why don't you stop trying to show God how good you can be for him, and instead let God show you how good God can be for you.  It wasn't until John Wesley realized that God loved him, even him; that he found the power that transformed his very own life.

Dennis

A Way to Pray

Many know what they want, but few know what they need.  This is a common expression your hear today, and in a society like the United States where everything you want can be purchased with the swipe of plastic - provided you have the credit - we have become a society of demanding, complaining consumers who believe life is all about consumption of stuff.  Unfortunately, that mindset invades the prayer life of many Christian people who spend their time in prayer complaining to God about all that ails them and evil injustices done to them, while also demanding answers in ways that will satisfy their own agendas!  Such prayers do little to build our trust in God, let alone a relationship with him.  In his book, Praying Like Jesus, author James Mulholland writes about this condition, but he also shows us the better way of Jesus in saying, "When I come before God with my complaints and demands, when I ask for what I think will satisfy, seek what I hope will fill my void, and knock at doors I want to be opened, I am like a distrustful child.  In those moments, my Father in heaven scoops me into his arms and says, - 'Peace.  Be still.  Trust me.' - When I finally quiet myself and relax in his presence, I discover mly complaints were selfish and my demands unnecessary.  I am provided with exactly what I need - his love."  Today let yourself be loved.  Fina a quiet place where you can let go of all the complaints and demands that stress your heart.  Empty your heart of these things, and let God fill your heart with his love.  It's a heart warming experience that can rescue you from yourself.  Yes, there is so much we want out of life, but only God's love can give us what we need!

- Dennis

Boat Stories

I call them boat stories, those stories in the gospels where Jesus calms the storm that threatens the lives of the disciples while they are in the boat travelling across water.  There is one particular story told in three of the gospels - Matthew, Mark and John.  It is the story when Jesus sent his disciples to the other side in a boat while he goes into the mountains to pray alone.  It is in the fourth watch of the night, which is sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. that the disciples find themselves on a boat, alone, in a storm.  Suddenly Jesus appears to them, walking on the water.  The disciples were afraid fearing that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus says to them, "Take Courage.  It is I.  Don't be Afraid."  Then Jesus enters the boat and calms the storm.  When you compare the three stories, Matthew provides one addition - the conversation between Jesus and Peter when Peter says, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water."  Jesus said, "Come."  Peter started walking on the water, until he saw the wind, then became afraid, and he began to drown.  He cried out, "Lord, save me."  Jesus did reach out his hand and pulled Peter to safety.  Then Jesus said, "You of little faith.  Why did you doubt?"

It's one thing to walk on a boat that shifts with the flow of the water below it.  There is a cadence you have to develop to walk on water, even when you are on a ship.  One can only imagine the spiritual cadence you have to develop to walk with Jesus on nothing but water itself.  Well, perhaps Jesus doesn't call us to walk on water literally, but he does call us to follow him, and to walk with him in faith can feel as uncertain and frightening as walking on water by itself.  You can't control the wind and the waves against you.  Life has many uncontrollabe events that frighten us, and we can spiritually drown in all of life's fear.  How do we overcome?

Keep  your eyes on Jesus, and as Matthew reminds us, when we begin to sink in our fear and uncertainty, and we will from time to time, reach out for his hand to pull you out.

This week, as you continue your journey toward the cross and the truth behind the empty tomb, your walk will take you across the water.  Yes, swinging bridges, small boats - all can feel unsteady and uncertain, just like faith.  Just keep your eyes on Jesus, and reach out for his hand when you begin to sink.  He will keep you on the Lenten journey.

Dennis

Luke 19:28 - "He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem."

During my Lenten Journey I have taken time to reread parts of Huston Smith's classic work, The Soul of Christianity.  On page 65 he writes that during the first Lenten journey taken by Jesus, Jesus came to his last Passover season where he "steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem."  Huston writes, "the word 'steadfastly' here is well chosen; it registers the determination he needed to face what was in store for him."  For Jesus, the week we now call "Holy Week" became a defining moment along his journey to the cross and the empty tomb.

What are some of the defning moments in your life along your journey with the Lord?  Often, for us, we see these moments in hindsight rather than foresight; but there come those moments in everyone's journey when we steadfastly set ourselves about the task that requires our best determination to face what is in store for us.  The determination to finish a college degree, change career directions, or make sacrificial lifestyle changes to help your children or grandchildren achieve their goals in life, requires a steadfastness to stay the course even in the midst of what you know will be hard and uncertain times.  There will be a cross to bear along the way, and you don't know who will always benefit from your sacrifice; but one thing is certain.  Those who stay the course will discover the truth behind the empty tomb that lies on the other side of the cross.

When you come to that defining moment along the way when you set your face steadfastly with Jesus in the direction of the cross, I pray you will feel him walking with you, giving you the strength and determination you need to stay on the course. 

Dennis

The More Excellent Way

The author of Hebrews 11:1 writes, "faith is the substance of things hoped for."  He uses the words faith and hope in the same sentence suggesting a cause and effect relationship.  What this means is that faith inspires hope.  The apostle Paul also uses these same two words, faith and hope, in one sentence found in I Corinthians 13:13 when he writes, "faith, hope, love abide, but the greatest of these is love."  What is implied here is more than cause and effect.  Paul is telling us that love is the very engine by which faith and hope empower our lives.

Think of it like this . . . Faith, without love, grows cold leaving us with little more than theological postulates to debate and argue.  Hope, without love, grows dim leaving us with no vision for God's promises that are yet to be realized.  Faith and hope need love in order to survive.  What Paul wanted the Church at Corinth to learn is what all Christians of any denominational church must learn ... that faith and hope are nothing more than empty words if they are not empowered by a love that calls us to love God, be loved by God, love ourselves and neighbor as self.  It is little wonder Jesus called loving God, self and neighbor he two greatest commandments.  Love teaches us how to value others, even those who do not share our same worldviews on life.

Today, when you are tempted to judge another person for their wrong views, do remember the more excellent way.  This does not mean that you cannot hold views opposite than those who sit across the conference table, or living room table, from you.  What it does mean is that love should inspire the way we have conversations of difference.  Our goal should never be to prove our own righteousness, but to show that we can make life work, in spite of our differences.  To do this requires both respect and an appreciation for what makes us different from each other.

Maybe someday, those who serve our nation in Washington D.C. will follow the more excellent way.  We can always pray, can't we? - I Thessalonians 5:16 - 18

Dennis

Hope and Prayer

C.S. Lewis in his book, Mere Christianity, wrote in his chapter on Hope - "Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in: aim at earth and you will get neither."  The point Lewis made is that most people will do little more than survive day to day living unless there is a hope grounded in something larger than their current reality.  In fact, Lewis states that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those "who thought most of the next."  Perhaps motivation may have come from the Lord's prayer they learned saying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Because they had a vision that God wanted this world to become they worked to help make this world a reflection of God's kingdom in heaven. 

The early Christians had a hope for a better world because they aimed for a way of living that transcended the disappointments of their earth.  Think about people you know this week who have had lives rippled by disappointments on this earth; the disappointment of an unexpected loss, the disappointment of broken family ties, the disappointment of friends gone astray.  In moments like this we need to remember the words of the hymn - "what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer."  The words of this hymn serve to remind us that there is a difference we can make in the lives of others when we pray for them.  Prayer is one of the ways we extend hope, even when we cannot see hope in the circumstance.

This week, aim for heaven by praying that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Do remember, it's a prayer; and even when  we face situations that are beyond our control, we can always pray.  Prayer is powerful and your prayers can help instill hope in another person, not because you tell them you are praying for them, but because you pray for them.  How does that work?  I don't know.  I just know that prayer calls us to look beyond the trials of this earth and into the hope that lies on the other side of prayer.  The hope of heaven is established in prayer, as we pray for a better world.  Perhaps James is right when he writes, "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."  - James 5:16     Let us pray so that others will have hope.

Dennis