This week's text came from Revelation 4 and spoke of heavenly worship. But before we dove into the text, I mentioned that the book of Revelation is a particular type of literature (like poetry) called Apocalyptic. This type of literature (Apocalyptic) has certain rules that it follows, including using numbers, animals, and various other things to symbolically represent something else. This simply means that not everything in the book of Revelation is what it appears to be.
I mentioned that many people get excited when they find this fact out, and begin to ask questions about everything they read in the text. Some popular ones from chapter four include the 24 elders and the four living creatures. Just in case you're curious, many scholars will interpret the 24 elders as being representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, therefore being symbolic for the entirety of the people of God (although the below post offers another interpretation of their meaning). The four living creatures, are said to have eyes all over them, both inside and out! For many people this is difficult to imagine (just think of a giant eyeball monster!), but the truth is much easier to grasp. Just as your mother or grandmother used to tell you she had eyes in the back of her head, and you didn't literally believe she did, so we are to understand that these four creatures are not covered in eyes, but rather see everything.
Continuing this thought process, that many things in Revelation are not necessarily what they appear, I set about trying to "unlock" the heavenly worship described in chapter four. What is described is that the four creatures utter a phrase day and night without ceasing and whenever they do, the 24 elders (representative of all people of God) respond with a phrase of their own, praising God. I must confess that one of my fears in life is getting to heaven and finding out that all we do is praise God all of the time. Imagine church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! This notion of heaven is what I was hoping to dispell in this week's sermon. But I ran into a few problems along the way.
First I couldn't for the life of me figure a way around the understanding that chapter four basically is showing worship in heaven and that it basically amounts to praising God all day and all night forever! Second I got quite sick this week. It started with a sore throat, quickly added a fever, then a sore ear and before I was done both eyes were bothering me as well. When I went to the doctor I was informed that I was running a fever of 103, I had a sinus infection, I had an ear infection, and that I had pink eye in both eyes. I was given medicine and told to go home. I spent Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the better part of Wednesday basically in bed miserable. I was freezing cold (due to the fever) most of the time, but enjoyed brief moments where the tables would be turned and I would awake covered in sweat. I also got to experience the joys of being openly ridiculed by the few people who happened to catch me out during the week. Both at Wal-Mart and at the Post Office I was informed that I looked "terrible" and needed to get some rest.
If this wasn't bad enough, as I began to finally get back to a more normal state, our 2 year old daughter, Hannah began to show many of the same symptoms. She had a fever that we could not seem to bring down, and was complaining of a sore throat and ear. She also had trouble trying to sleep at night, with the fever and the difficulty breathing that comes along with a sinus/ear infection. On Thursday night I lay in bed listening to my little girl snort, gurgle, and struggle to breathe while she tossed and turned in bed next to me. Every time she touched her arm to mine, I was instantly reminded that she had an incredibly high fever that wouldn't go away with medicine, baths, or drinks. I lay there and found myself pleading with God, bargaining and trying to make a deal. I proposed that if God would make her better (or just take away her fever) I would gladly take on her symptoms. It was at that moment, while I was asking God to make me sick (after I had just begun to get better) so my child could be well, that I unlocked Revelation 4!
I realized that as a parent I wanted my little girl to get better, and that I was willing to endure anything myself in order to make that a reality for her. I also realized that as our Perfect Parent, God too wanted us to be well, and was willing to go to any length to ensure our wellness, including dying on a cross for our sins and for our salvation. We remember Jesus' coming as Christmas and his death and resurrection as Easter, but for me both moments were instantly transformed into a parent lying beside a sick child, willing to take away that child's sickness and suffer it himself.
It is in light of this reality that I present Revelation 4, the picture of Heavenly Worship, to you. It is a portrait of children signing praise to their loving Parent upon fully realizing what that Parent has done for them! Heavenly Worship, rightly understood is about God, whereas earthly worship (and all earthly life) is often too much about us. I invite you to take a moment to think about and realize what God has done for you. How has God taken your sin and sickness so that you might be well? Now take a moment and give thanks to God your loving Parent for what he has done for you!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
December 7th Sermon Capsule - Live Holy or Repent: Part 2
The final three churches, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, formed the foundation for our discussion this week. We began with Philadelphia, a small, poor city, recently destroyed by earthquakes, moved on to Sardis, a church whose reputation is greater than its reality and finished with Laodicea, the big, rich city whose lukewarm tendencies made God sick.
Philadelphia was a city that had not only recently been destroyed by a massive earthquake, but was still troubled by earthquakes to the extent that most people did not live within the city out of fear. Philadelphia was little and poor. Despite this God gives the church in Philadelphia praise for being faithful. Philadelphia is each and every one of us, when we think we have no power, when we think we are unimportant, when we think it doesn't matter if we do right or wrong, and yet we still do the right thing.
Sardis was a church with a great reputation for being alive, but they are warned that their reality is the exact opposite. I told a story about myself when I was in 6th grade. At that time I was asked to be in an advanced math class. I had a reputation among my peers for being very good at math. Unfortunately the reality was not so. In the class, we would receive our tests back in the order that we performed on them, the best in the class gettings theirs back first. I always got my tests back last. Except for one time, when my name was called first! Unfortunately, the teacher had reversed the order this week, and so again mine was the lowest score in the class. I even moved down to the regular math class, later that year, when it was clear I was not succeeding in the advanced class. My reputation was still good with my fellow classmates (those who weren't in the advanced class) and many still believed me to be good at math. I suggested that I was just "too cool" for that advanced math class, but when we received our first test back, and again mine was one of the lowest grades, I began to realize that I could not merely believe the hype, and live in the unreality that I was effortlessly good at math. I needed to take the advice God gave to the church in Sardis and remember what I received and heard; obey it and repent. Sardis is all of us when we buy into the false reputation that others give us (good or bad) and stop living in the reality of who we really are (forgiven children of the living God).
Laodicea was a rich and powerful city. One that was also destroyed by the same earthquake that destroyed Philadelphia. When the Roman government came to offer assistance in rebuilding the city, the Laodiceans rejected the help, boasting that their city was rich enough to rebuild on its own. Laodicea was also a city that attempted to have hot water brought into the city from hot springs via aqueduct. Unfortunately by the time the water reached the city, it was no longer hot, and not quite cold, but rather a tepid lukewarm. It is almost certainly this particular misshap that is being used to chastize the church in Laodicea when they are said to be lukewarm. This lukewarmness is also referencing an aspect of their spiritual lives. It could either mean that they are not passionate enough for God, or that they are guilty of worshipping other gods (hedging their bets if you will). I choose to believe the latter, and therefore see them as the "Thanksgiving Dinner" church. Think of it this way, on Thanksgiving we have so many wonderful foods, and when many of us sit down to eat it, we MUST have a little of everything. A little stuffing, a little mashed potatoes, a little squash, a little gravy, a few rolls, a little bit of the cranberry sauce, a little bit of the coleslaw, etc, etc, etc. When you get done you no longer have a little of anything, but a whole plate full of food, its only then that you realize you forgot to get a little bit of the turkey. By the time the Thanksgiving meal is over, many of us are stuffed and overstuffed! But wait, we haven't had desert yet, you must have a little apple pie, and a little pumpkin pie, and don't forget a little strawberry rubarb pie. If we aren't careful our tendency to have a little bit of everything will make us sick, and send us running to the nearest bathroom! I believe this is exactly what's going on in Laodicea. The people are worshipping this god on Monday, and this one on Wednesday, and another on Thursday, and yet another on Saturday, and their attempts to please everyone have only served to make the one true God sick to his stomach and threaten to vomit them out! Laodicea is us when we try to do too much, when we try to hedge our bets, please everyone, and in the end forget who's really important (God).
With the conclusion of the 7 letters to the 7 churches, we have been given glimpses of 7 real churches that existed nearly 2,000 years ago, and their struggles living in a world that's not always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. At the same time we've been given glimpses into our own lives and our own struggles living in a world that still isn't always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. The one piece of advice given throughout is to REPENT. Simply put, when we find ourselves in the midst of doing wrong, we are called to stop what we're doing, and say we're sorry (or repent).
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Philadelphia was a city that had not only recently been destroyed by a massive earthquake, but was still troubled by earthquakes to the extent that most people did not live within the city out of fear. Philadelphia was little and poor. Despite this God gives the church in Philadelphia praise for being faithful. Philadelphia is each and every one of us, when we think we have no power, when we think we are unimportant, when we think it doesn't matter if we do right or wrong, and yet we still do the right thing.
Sardis was a church with a great reputation for being alive, but they are warned that their reality is the exact opposite. I told a story about myself when I was in 6th grade. At that time I was asked to be in an advanced math class. I had a reputation among my peers for being very good at math. Unfortunately the reality was not so. In the class, we would receive our tests back in the order that we performed on them, the best in the class gettings theirs back first. I always got my tests back last. Except for one time, when my name was called first! Unfortunately, the teacher had reversed the order this week, and so again mine was the lowest score in the class. I even moved down to the regular math class, later that year, when it was clear I was not succeeding in the advanced class. My reputation was still good with my fellow classmates (those who weren't in the advanced class) and many still believed me to be good at math. I suggested that I was just "too cool" for that advanced math class, but when we received our first test back, and again mine was one of the lowest grades, I began to realize that I could not merely believe the hype, and live in the unreality that I was effortlessly good at math. I needed to take the advice God gave to the church in Sardis and remember what I received and heard; obey it and repent. Sardis is all of us when we buy into the false reputation that others give us (good or bad) and stop living in the reality of who we really are (forgiven children of the living God).
Laodicea was a rich and powerful city. One that was also destroyed by the same earthquake that destroyed Philadelphia. When the Roman government came to offer assistance in rebuilding the city, the Laodiceans rejected the help, boasting that their city was rich enough to rebuild on its own. Laodicea was also a city that attempted to have hot water brought into the city from hot springs via aqueduct. Unfortunately by the time the water reached the city, it was no longer hot, and not quite cold, but rather a tepid lukewarm. It is almost certainly this particular misshap that is being used to chastize the church in Laodicea when they are said to be lukewarm. This lukewarmness is also referencing an aspect of their spiritual lives. It could either mean that they are not passionate enough for God, or that they are guilty of worshipping other gods (hedging their bets if you will). I choose to believe the latter, and therefore see them as the "Thanksgiving Dinner" church. Think of it this way, on Thanksgiving we have so many wonderful foods, and when many of us sit down to eat it, we MUST have a little of everything. A little stuffing, a little mashed potatoes, a little squash, a little gravy, a few rolls, a little bit of the cranberry sauce, a little bit of the coleslaw, etc, etc, etc. When you get done you no longer have a little of anything, but a whole plate full of food, its only then that you realize you forgot to get a little bit of the turkey. By the time the Thanksgiving meal is over, many of us are stuffed and overstuffed! But wait, we haven't had desert yet, you must have a little apple pie, and a little pumpkin pie, and don't forget a little strawberry rubarb pie. If we aren't careful our tendency to have a little bit of everything will make us sick, and send us running to the nearest bathroom! I believe this is exactly what's going on in Laodicea. The people are worshipping this god on Monday, and this one on Wednesday, and another on Thursday, and yet another on Saturday, and their attempts to please everyone have only served to make the one true God sick to his stomach and threaten to vomit them out! Laodicea is us when we try to do too much, when we try to hedge our bets, please everyone, and in the end forget who's really important (God).
With the conclusion of the 7 letters to the 7 churches, we have been given glimpses of 7 real churches that existed nearly 2,000 years ago, and their struggles living in a world that's not always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. At the same time we've been given glimpses into our own lives and our own struggles living in a world that still isn't always the most friendly to Christians and Christianity. The one piece of advice given throughout is to REPENT. Simply put, when we find ourselves in the midst of doing wrong, we are called to stop what we're doing, and say we're sorry (or repent).
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
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