Tag: Word of God Speak

So, I Am Pondering the Revelation of God. Guess What? Even from the Very Beginning of All Things, God Attracts

Yesterday, we took a brief glimpse at chapter 5 of The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Biblical Canon. To try to encourage individual thought, give an answer to those who have been asking the question: “Is Jesus Worthy of being my Lord and Savior?” An important question with eternal implications. “What If I were to confess His worthiness to be # 1 with my whole heart, soul?” It is an incredibly hopeful, impactful life transforming decision with big implications!

But to make such an impactful decision simply based on one chapter of the last book of the biblical canon, leaves us with a vast chasm of complete emptiness. We do not have begun to build that necessary foundational context upon which such decisions are, and must by greatest necessity, be permanently grounded. Our faith, our hopes and our love must be built up over time to stay steadfast. No one should have to say to another person, life is a rose bush with big thorns.

So, today, we will begin from the beginning – the Book of Genesis, to hopefully, prayerfully begin to edify ourselves, each other “Jesus Christ is our ONLY #1!” We will begin to sort out just what makes God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit so much more attractive to us than the vast temptations from the world around us. If I am deciding whom I am willingly giving my life to, I want to know: “WHY?”

Genesis 1:1-5 HCSB

The Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a]

2 Now the earth was[b] formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Each of us began life as a baby, and we were unaware of what was going on around us or what the world was like. But as we grew older, we started to take note of the world—the sky, the sea, the winds, the birds, the flowers, the animals, the trees, and all of life around us. As we became aware of the world, we inevitably asked some questions about it. Those questions are the ones answered for us in brief compass here in the opening words of Genesis 1:1.

What are the questions? First, we ask ourselves, What is the attraction of all this? Driven by an insatiable curiosity, humans have been attempting to answer that question ever since they first appeared on earth. They seek to explore the limitless depths of the universe, finite depths of the world in which they live.

Second, we ask, How did it begin? This question is the emphasis of science. Then we ask, When did it all start? How long has the world been going on like this? Finally, we come to the great philosophical question, Who is behind it? Who is back of these strange and remarkable processes? These questions are answered in this verse, and thus it serves as a tremendous introduction to the great themes of the Bible.

Take the first question, the one most obvious to us—the wonder of the universe itself. In the beginning, we read, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Someone has said that this phrase is the beginning of true science, because a fundamental part of the task of science is to observe and study and research and classify all that can be observed in the makeup of the world of nature. Here is an early attempt at classification. What do you see around you? You see two great classes of things—the heavens and the earth.

One of the marvels of the Bible is that it uses language that communicates with people of the most primitive and limited understanding, while at the same time it still has significance and inexhaustible meaning for the most erudite and learned scholars. It addresses itself with equal ease to all classes of humanity. That is the beauty of Bible language. Now, it seems we are losing our regard for what it says and what it teaches, how it inspires, how it empowers all our lives.

The popular teaching is that we can disregard, refuse, or reject God because we make a decision, we think, we say, we declare it to be so and just choose to do it.

Is it right to say, then, that our human freedom to choose would move us to prefer not to minimize value or shun away what we know to be so admirable?

God’s Word shows, however, that those who are not attracted to God had failed actually to behold fully His Excellence! They are actually ignorant of Him.

Because of the erroneous concept of God, or ignorance of His Glory, men perceive sin to be more pleasurable than God, the ways of Satan or of this world are more attractive, and personal ambition is more desirable to be cherished.

The design of the Bible is not to tell us how the heavens go, but rather how to go to heaven.

Our physical eyes and other human faculties tend to perceive only the wonder of the physical creation or what could be appreciated by our physical senses. But, even from the beginning, if we have the spiritual eyes to see, we can already admire so much the Splendour of God!

What is the beauty and the attraction of Biblical Language which makes it so -inspiring, so thoroughly encompassing drawing the most insatiably curious?

The opening sentence in God’s Word states:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

God can create.

He created the heavens and the earth, as we also read In Isaiah 45:18,

“For thus says the LORD,

Who created the heavens,

Who is God,

Who formed the earth and made it,

Who has established it,

Who did not create it in vain,

Who formed it to be inhabited:

‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’”

Should our interest or attention would not be caught by Him who can make something out of nothing?

Should we not be in awe of God and admire Him exceedingly?

And He could also create a new heaven and a new earth.

We read in Isaiah 65:17-18

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,

And her people a joy.”

God created not only the heavens and the earth.

We read in Amos 4:13,

“For behold,

He who forms mountains,

And creates the wind,

Who declares to man what his thought is,

And makes the morning darkness,

Who treads the high places of the earth —

The LORD God of hosts is His name.“

Also, He declared in Isaiah 45:7,

“I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and create calamity;

I, the LORD, do all these things.“

In fact, He created all things, as we read:

“You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

What overwhelming Power He has!

And if we are not attracted to Him, He can give us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) or even create a clean heart in us – a heart that can appreciate Divine Beauty!

David prayed:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Let’s proceed to the next verse of Genesis chapter 1:

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

Should not this verse make God also attractive to us?

Why?

Could we not realize though our life seemed “without form, and void” – we are not really alone? Though we are in the “seemingly endless tunnel of darkness” – we could also say confidently, like David:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

God is also watching over us. He does not leave us all alone.

If His Spirit “was hovering over…” us before, He is now dwelling in the believers today.

You could also admire God in Genesis 1:3. It says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

Notice that what God had said became a reality! He “said…” and “there was…”

We read also in Genesis 1:6, “Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’”

Notice very well the following verse: “Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; AND IT WAS SO” (verse 7).

You will notice the same sequence in verses 9, 11, 14-15 and 24 — “God said… and it was so.” When God would say something, it could be made or created.

So awesome and attractive is God, even in His Words! He declared:

“As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-12).

And consider what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Should we not be attracted to Him, because of His Words?

Unless, we are spiritually deaf or spiritually unconscious, our respond to God’s Call would be just like what Peter did: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

Besides, His work is beyond reproach.

Those who find fault with His work are those who measure His Goodness with human standard. They could not grasp His Divine Goodness.

But we read in the first part of verse:4, “And God saw the light, that it was good…”

After God created the light, God’s Word states, He “saw the light, that it was good…” His Word declared repeatedly, whatever He had created “God saw that it was good” (verses 10, 12, 18, 21 & 25).

And it was emphasized in verse 31: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good…”

Not only what He did is good, He Himself is Good. David said in Psalm 119:68:

“You are good, and do good;

Teach me Your statutes.”

In fact, according to God’s Word, “No one is good but One, that is, God” (Mark 10:18). And the goodness of what He made transcends the excellence of any human accomplishment!

Now, let’s focus on the last part of Genesis 1:4, “… God divided the light from the darkness.”

Other translations render it, “God SEPARATED the light from the darkness” as we read also in the New International Version.

God divides or separates. He does not mix the light with darkness. John 1:1-5

In Genesis 1:5, we read:

“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

After God separated the light from the darkness, He did not just stop there.

He distinguished them by naming them. He called the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.”

We also read in verse 7 and early part of verse 8:

“Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. God called the firmament Heaven…”

And verse 10 tells us that “God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas.”

But apart from His Glorious Name, God called the believers the wonderful name:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1).

He called them His children.

Contrary to the teaching of others, God did not call everyone His children. As we read in John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

God “gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Should we not be so thankful to God and draw closer to Him in admiration for calling us “Children of God”?

If Creator God will make Himself known to us, we will surely admire Him and be hopelessly attracted to Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, then no one would ever need to convince or force us even to worship and to follow Him.

For He is Supremely Attractive even in the beginning… He can make things out of nothing. Bring everything from nothing, Bring order from chaos. He does not only hover over, but even dwells in His people. His Word has Life and Power. He is echelons beyond Good and He excels in exactly everything. He separates the “light” from the “darkness.” He called sinners out, and believers His children.

And this is just the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, the very Beginning!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Creator and Creating God,
As we are made in Your image, we give You thanks for the seed of creativity You planted within each person. We thank you for creating order from chaos and then telling us the story that we should, through it, be attracted only to You!

Thank you for giving us Your Holy Scriptures. Help us surely, truly, to live in a deepening appreciative awe of the creativity that you have planted within. Give us the patience and courage to nourish, from beginning to end, that creativity, and the strength and persistence to express it. In Your name we pray, Amen

So, I Am Pondering the Revelation of God. I Am Deciding if Jesus is Worthy.

How many times in a single day, do we just wish that we knew the ‘right’ thing to do? We might be faced with a decision on where to shop for food, what is most healthy for us to eat and drink, what career paths do we follow, where to go to school, who to date, or which sport to play this year. All of these decisions have consequences and you wish that someone would just tell you what to do.

When it comes to making decisions, it’s often easy to ignore what relevant Bible verses tells us about seeking a wisdom greater than our own. It says the Bible is a lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path. This verse tells us that when we do not know what the right first choice is, we should rely on God’s word for our help. God’s word can be the answer to your questions. It can be the light to show you which path to take. The key is to spend time in God’s word and get to know what God says. God’s word will bring light and help you make the right decision.

If we spend time reading the Bible and getting to know Jesus, we find that often the decision we are to make seems much clearer. So the next time we are faced with a tough decision, do what this Bible verse says. Spend some time in God’s word, let them reveal Jesus to you. let it guide you into making good decisions. The revelation of Jesus, the image of that revelation, is what is most impactful.

But, what about the revelation, the vision of Jesus, will help us make the final decision to follow him with the entirety of our lives, If we are to be choosing what we hope and pray are the right career paths, the right relational paths, the healthiest paths, what image or vision of Jesus projected upon our hearts and our souls will “click on the light at the end of our tunnels,” illuminating paths of worthiness, towards steadfastly believing; “I’m on exactly the right track?”

Revelation 5:1-14 (NKJV)

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [a]and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and [b]to loose its seven seals.”

6 And I looked, [c]and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Worthy Is the Lamb

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made [d]us kings[e] and priests to our God;
And [f]we shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and [g]ever!”

14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the [h]twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped [i]Him who lives forever and ever.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

A preacher was showing a child a painting of Jesus. Trying to explain that we didn’t really know what Jesus looked like he said: “It’s not really Jesus. It’s just an artist’s conception of him.”

The child looked long and hard at the picture and said; “Well, it sure looks like him,”

(Dick Van Dyke Readers Digest 2/71 p. 232)

Most people already have a picture or a vision in their mind of what Jesus is supposed to have looked like. But – if they saw a picture of what John describes Jesus to be in Revelation 5 – that wouldn’t be precisely what they’d imagine.

At the beginning of this chapter, John is weeping because it seemed no one could be found who was worthy to open the mighty book. Then one of the elders said to him,

“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

Now I can get into Jesus being the Lion of Judah.

Lions are regal, powerful, majestic. They’re cool!

But when John looks around… he doesn’t see a Lion does he?

What does John see? (a lamb)

“… between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Revelation 5:6

Now take a look at the lamb in the image above.

Notice anything different about the image from what you would usually expect to see in any farmers field?

That Lamb doesn’t look in the least bit normal does it?

It doesn’t look in the least like how I would picture Jesus.

So… is this really how Jesus looks?

Well… yes.

And no.

You see, Revelation is a book of imagery.

Most of what it tells us is not meant to be taken literally.

Now there are scholars, teachers of Revelation who try to teach that practically everything in Revelation is literal. And if you were to suggest to them that some part of Revelation should be seen as a spiritual picture God was painting… those prophetic teachers would try to ridicule, criticize you before “correcting” you.

But this is definitely not a literal snapshot of how Jesus actually would look in heaven. For no such snapshot exists or is ever likely to exist absent photoshop.

This is a spiritual portrait of WHO Jesus is.

How many of you have ever been to the fair and seen one of those artists who will make a drawing of you for $5 or so. Have you ever had your portrait done?

Does it look exactly like you?

No, it doesn’t does it?

It’s called a “Caricature .”

What the artist does is take one of your physical characteristics, magnifing it.

If you have bushy eyebrows… they are larger than life.

If you have a strong chin… they give you a BIG chin.

If you have toothy smile… they give LOTS of teeth.

And it’s all in the spirit of family and fun and almost everybody will take it home, frame it and put it on the wall someplace and later boast like crazy .

Now, what we have here in Revelation 5 is a portrait of Christ where the artist is essentially making the TRUTHS about Jesus to be larger than life.

Notice – He is the Lamb that was slain.

This is a repeated image of Christ in the Scriptures

In John 1:29 we’re told that John the Baptist “…saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the LAMB of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

In Isaiah 53:7 which goes into great detail describing the coming Messiah, we’re told:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a LAMB before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.”

And throughout Revelation… Jesus is repeatedly referred to as THE LAMB

• Revelation 7:10 “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

• Revelation 7:17 “… the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd…

• Revelation 12:11 “… (Christians) have conquered (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb…”

• Revelation 19:7 “…the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready”

• Revelation 21:27 tells us that the only ones who will enter heaven will be “… those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

This is the IMAGE that God wants to BURN into our minds when we are trying to make a deeply personal decision – “Is Jesus worthy to be my Lord and Savior?”

When we see Jesus in heaven he’s NOT going to be a literal LAMB.

But that is the picture of WHO Jesus really is to us.

He is the Lamb of God who took away our sins.

Now I can grasp that.

But then we get to this 7 horns and 7 eyes thing… that’s a little too much like mega-super duper-ultra overload to wrap my all too finite mind around.

Look at the image of the Lamb again.

What’s this all about?

Well, let’s take this one step at a time.

First, Let us consider the horns.

Most scholars will teach you that a HORN in the pages of scripture stands for divine kingly power or authority.

Several times in prophecy a King and his power is symbolized by a horn.

So the horns on the lamb symbolize the power and authority that Jesus has.

Then there’s the EYES.

We’re told that these are “…the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

Now, I am not seminary trained and I’m going to be honest with you… I have not got a clue what that “7 spirits” thing is all about/ what it means. And most of the commentaries I’ve read didn’t seem have a good explanation of it either.

This is the best I can do right now to give some study material for Verse 6: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/rev/5/6/t_conc_1172006

I encourage you to break it down for yourselves to see what God reveals.

But I do know what an EYE does.

Do you know what an eye does? (it lets you see)

And this Lamb doesn’t just have just 1 or 2 eyes… He has 7 over them.

That would seem to symbolize the fact that Jesus can see much more than you or I can.

Then there’s the consistent mention of the NUMBER 7,

There are SEVEN horns and SEVEN eyes.

Most scholars tell you SEVEN is one of the numbers that’s tied to who God is

ILLUS: SIX is considered the number of MAN because man was created on 6th day. But SEVEN seems to be God’s number because God rested created the world in 6 days and then rested… on the 7TH DAY.

SEVEN is also considered to be the number of completeness and perfection

So essentially – the 7 horns and the 7 eyes on the Lamb of God are meant to symbolize the divinity, the power and omniscience of our King, Savior Jesus.

This Lamb Is All About Who Jesus Is.

He is the Lamb of God who was slain for our sins.

He is God in the flesh.

He is ALL POWERFUL.

And He is ALL SEEING.

But it does not stop there.

This picture is of Jesus is that He is WORTHY of our worship and praise.

We’re told that the 24 elders and the 4 Living Creatures who stood around the throne all fell down before Jesus … and they sang a new song,

“WORTHY are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “WORTHY is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:9-13

Everybody in heaven and on earth, and under the earth and in the seas…

Men and Angels, and Creatures of every kind …

are singing and shouting praises to the Lamb of God.

Everywhere you look there is worship and rejoicing OF Jesus!

HE IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE!!!

HE IS WORTHY TO BE OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!!!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen?

Now, why is that important?

Revelation 5 focuses on Jesus, because Jesus is the focus of Revelation.

He is the pivot point of everything else that’s going on here.

Revelation is all about Jesus.

Later in Revelation we find there’s a beast and there’s a whore of Babylon, and there is also all kinds of enemies and villains that will attempt to destroy God’s church.

This is an echo of what Jesus told His disciples:

“In this world you will have trouble…”

But do you remember the rest of what Jesus said:

“But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

That’s essentially what Revelation is saying to every church, in every age, in every nation.

You and I will absolutely have trouble of every manner, every conceivable kind .

There will be circumstances too much for you and me to overcome alone.

There will be forces in this world you and I will NOT be able to control.

You and I will face persecution.

You and I might spend some time in prison.

You and I might even lose your possessions – or even our lives – because you and I belong to Jesus.

There’s pictures in Revelation of Christians who become martyrs for their faith.

God is not pulling any punches in painting this picture for us.

But before God introduces us to the difficulties we will face, He takes us into His throne room and introduces you to the Lamb who was slain for our sins.

Why?

Because Revelation is declaring: TAKE HEART!

God is on His throne.

Jesus has stepped up.

And all the forces of Heaven are in play on our behalf.

We are NOT on the losing side – even though there will be times it will seem that way.

The problem is… too many Christians think that Jesus came into their lives so that they’d be assured of a “good” life where they’d have all the money they need in their 401K, a beautiful family, a wonderful home, and that great car.

But it doesn’t always work out that way.

Revelation says that life may not always been easy and comfortable.

In fact, Revelation’s message is that: this isn’t about having an easy life.

This is all about being part of something that’s bigger than you are

You see – there’s a spiritual war going on for our hearts and our souls, folks.

And war is never pleasant.

We are called to be the soldiers of the King.

And we have an enemy – his name is Satan.

We have a task at hand – storming the gates of Hell – we are taking back the people Satan has enslaved to do his will.

If you think Satan is going to roll over play dead for you… you got another thing coming.

But the promise is this:

Revelation 12:10-12 NKJV

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath,  because he knows that he has a short time.”

Satan is the big bad bully on the block.

His intention is to take you out, beat you up, and then demand your lunch money.

But Revelation’s message is that no matter how big and bad Satan may be.

Revelation’s vision of Jesus is echelons beyond bigger, and better and bolder.

And you are on the winning team.

No matter what happens to you in this earthly life you will come away the winner in this contest because YOU HAVE JESUS FOREVER on your side!

And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.— Revelation 5:9

Worthy! What a beautiful word! For those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we know of only one who is truly worthy. He is worthy to open the scroll and reveal the future. He is worthy of praise and adoration. Why? Because even though he was holy, perfect and heavenly, his death on the cross to purchase our pardon, forgiveness, and salvation made him worthy. And he did it not just for us, but also for people of all races and languages and cultures. Jesus, you are worthy!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us come and Pray;

Holy Lamb of God, you are worthy! You are worthy of my adoration and love. You are worthy of my worship and my devotion. And Holy Father, I thank you for your plan to send him to save me. Because of your grace in Jesus, I want to live my life in devotion to you and your will. Please forgive me for the times I’ve gotten side tracked. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to return to you. In the name of Jesus, your holy Lamb slain for my sins, I offer my love. Amen.

For Whatever was Written in Former Days ….. Part 2: Through Endurance, Through Encouragement, We Might Reap and Sow Hope from the Ruins!

The question I have for each of us today is this: Are we an optimist, or are we a pessimist? Are we a glass half-empty person, or are we a glass half-full person?

Do we complain that rose bushes have thorns, or do we rejoice because thorns have roses? Do we see the storm clouds, or do you see the silver lining coming?

There are various activities and things in life that can show us whether we are either optimistic, or pessimistic. There are many things from life’s experiences that can pull this trait out. Perhaps, the thing that does this best is gardening.

The pessimist surely says, “Why plant anything if nothing results because birds, bunnies, insects, deer, weeds, creeping Charlie, blight, the hail, or bad weather can and truly ruin and kill what I’m trying to grow?! What is the point? Why take the risk and waste the time? Why expend the energy, spend money?”

The optimist, despite potential failure, plants. Why? Because there is a good possibility that both New Life, Good Food and Fresh Hope will eventually emerge from the untilled ground. A good farmer, or an avid gardener, lives in the confident hope of a rewarding harvest. Not every seed will produce, but enough effort will make it worth all the while. That is the parable of the Sower.

Today’s devotional looks at the hope and promise of sowing God’s Word. It deals with the failures, but also the joys that we can experience with this! It reaches back to Isaiah’s words and goes through Jesus’ parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:1-9 NASB

Jesus Teaches in Parables

13 On that day Jesus had gone out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell [a]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. 9 The one who has ears, [b]let him hear.”

Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus compares sharing God’s Word to planting a field. He uses worldly realism that alert us to the potential failures, but He still calls us to faith and to action which leads us to potential success. He promises and teaches, that “If you are willing to work hard at it, to plant it, it will grow.” Our goal is to sow and grow in faith that produces the fruit of the Spirit, including the desire to be tillers of all types of ground, planters of the seed of God’s Word.

Except, we each have our own individually unique life experiences, whether we consider ourselves optimists or pessimists, what is it which will give us a secure and certain enough foundation to risk taking that very first step into the fields? We know what will move us forward without hesitation, but we all know what will give each and everyone of us the greatest rationales and reasons to pause. So, where can we place our confidence, our trust in the surety of our first step?

I suggest we all direct our faith unto the ancient words of God’s Prophet Isaiah;

Isaiah 55:10-13 New American Standard Bible

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with joy
And be led in peace;
The mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,
And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
And [a]it will be a [b]memorial to the Lord,
An everlasting sign which will not be eliminated.”

From Isaiah’s ancient text, we read Isaiah’s testimony, we witness the sure foundation and confidence for such a promise, “if you plant it, it will grow.”

God starts by using a simile to introduce His promise.

He says, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,”.

Before the rain and snow are taken back up into the sky (as mist), they achieve the purpose for which they are sent. God then makes His point and gives His promise. “…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s living Word (Hebrews 4:12) will do the same! Whether we are either an optimist or a pessimist or perhaps somewhere in between, His living Word both accomplishes and will accomplish that task which God alone sends it out for!

It is an all-powerful word He sends forth! His Word spoke all of creation into existence. “Let there be…and there was….” This powerful word tears down and make alive, it strengthens, sustains, pardons, justifies, enlightens, and guides.

In Matthew, Jesus’ word brings people to faith, forgives sins, heals diseases, casts out demons, calms a storm, multiplies bread and fish, and calms anxious hearts. It is a word that does exactly what it says! This is no ordinary Word! This all-powerful Word will accomplish what it is sent out to do. Plant the Word, and it will grow! To teach this point, Rabbi Jesus gives us the Parable of the Sower.

Jesus says the Sower goes out to sow, and he throws seeds everywhere! Some seed fell alongside the path. The birds then came, and they picked and pecked that path clean. Not a single seed remained to be found. Jesus says that these people hear the Word, but they do not exercise a choice: to listen to the Word.

Jesus says the devil, the evil one, snatches away that seed, that word. “Snatch” evokes a powerful image. It is an overpowering, a wrestling away, a show of force. It is a ripping out of someone’s hands. It is a disregard for someone else.

I envision a bully ripping something out of the hand of a weaker individual. It is never a pleasant experience to have something maliciously snatched from you.

Sad to say, there are too many things in our modern culture that provide open ground for the devil, our sinful flesh, and our evil world, to rob people of the Gospel message before it ever takes root. It gets snatched from them, and with deadly consequence. But, the sower continues on. He still spreads that seed.

Jesus says some seed fell on rocky ground.

Believe it or not, soil can be quite rocky. Growing up, my father had a corner lot on a busy thoroughfare. For several years, we would have family gardens there. The first year we set the boundaries of our garden. The ground had never been tilled prior to this effort. So with my garden shovel in hand, I set to working in the hardened unworked soil. Almost immediately, I struck rocks – big rocks just underneath the surface of the grass. My garden shovel just stopped right there.

It took a whole lot more effort and a bigger shovel and still I had little success. We borrowed a rototiller from a neighbor to see what progress we could make. The only reward for me was a sore chin when those handles crashed upwards. It became an all hands on deck effort – two with shovels, one rock mover and me! We were all anxious and excited to see what success our first efforts will bring. So, we just kept right at it until virtually our whole front yard became a garden.

Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil. The seed quickly sprouted, but since there wasn’t much depth, it withered away once the sun hit it. Jesus says these people will hear and listen to the Word, but only for a while.

Their faith blossoms quickly, but then just as fast wilts and withers, often when under pressure. When my father was in and out of the hospital, I remember my Mom commenting, “You see a lot of people searching and calling out for Jesus, here.” She was right. You would see many people praying or talking about faith.

But, I often wondered, how many people continued to do so once they left! Once their crisis passes, faith can disappear. Once the need is gone, they have no need for Jesus. Their seed withers away. But, despite of this, the sower continues on.

Jesus says some seed fell among thorns. To the sower, this seemed like good ground. The perennial thorn roots weren’t visible. Initially, it looked promising. But, once the seed sprouted up, the thorns grew faster and grew first, and they eventually, inevitably choked the seed, limiting it, killing it. It was unfruitful.

Jesus says these people hear and listen to the Word, but imagine that God does not somehow and in some way continue to need their undivided attention and devotion. Jesus presents the challenge of faith in good times, as well as the bad.

Notice the word He uses: “choke.” It is a brutal and violent word. Being choked is a slow process, where you lose all power, life, awareness, and ability to resist.

It is where you tense and shrivel up. Jesus does not mince words here. What is it that chokes? The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of pride. Jesus says these things can slowly choke and kill off that seed, kill that Word. This is the context we find ourselves in. This is the soil of too great degree of our world!

With the lack of success so far, it is enough to make this optimistic sower a truly pessimistic one! It is enough to make anyone go home, throw the bag of seeds, and say, “What is the use? It seems pointless! Nothing is working!” But, hold on. The harvest is to be expected. All is not lost. This Word does that for which it is sent. Work the ground! Plant the seed (Word), and it will grow. God promises!

The harvest is to be expected! Be the optimistic gardener! Some seed fell on good ground, and it produced an extravagant harvest! It produces 100x, 60x, 30x, what was sown. The sower’s work wasn’t in vain. Jesus says these are those who keep on hearing and listening to the Word. They grow in their faith and sanctification. The Gospel always bears fruit. It will always make a harvest.

This Word makes a harvest within us. God’s Word does not come back empty or void; it does exactly what it is sent to do. This word delivers Jesus Christ. It gives all that He has and all He is: His righteousness, His works, and His merits. It gives us all what Jesus gives and does: His grace, forgiveness, life, salvation, won at the cross, confirmed at the Tomb. Jesus comes in that Word through baptism and His Supper. Jesus comes in that Word that is spoken and read. This Word, this Gospel message, always produces a harvest. It always bears fruit.

What does this look like? Paul gives us this picture in Galatians 5:22-25.

Galatians 5:22-25 AKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit produces this fruit, this harvest in us through the Word. He also produces another fruit, too, good works.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the sheep, the elect, some of their good works.

He says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me….as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Talk about difficult places to both plant and sow seeds. Talk about difficult places to work the hardest soils beneath your feet. Talk about a harvest! God produces a harvest in others through us, through His Word, by the Spirit.

Work the ground. Plant the Word, Sow the seeds of God’s truth and it will surely grow. This promise and reality encourages, emboldens, and also empowers us! It encourages us to be patient sowers, so others can enjoy the same harvest, too.

Let’s all now contemplate the Word of God as it has now been planted and sown within us. Let us move that much closer to Jesus Christ – our ONLY living HOPE!

Holy God, you are the wisest teacher. I pray that through your living Word you will instruct me in such a way that I show wisdom to others. I pray to ask for patience so that I can understand information and not get defensive. Help my words to matter. Help them to plant seeds in the hearts of other people. Work in the hearts and minds of them so that wisdom grows in them. Alleluia! Amen.