Grace Presbyterian Church

Martin Luther believed that the essence of the Christian faith was freedom. This was the key meaning of salvation that he encountered in his studies of the apostle Paul (Rom. 5:15-17; 8:2, 21; I Cor. 9:19-23; II Cor. 3:17; Gal. 2:4; 5:1-13). Paul had to work hard to resist the temptation to fall back into a dependence on the law. Luther fought the same battle. Without freedom the Gospel loses its powers to change lives.

The apostle Paul in his own words was a Pharisee of the Pharisees (Acts 26:4-5).  He followed the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments and all the other related commandments.  Yet Paul came to the realization that neither he nor anyone else could truly keep God’s law.  The law brought only the knowledge of sin […]

Peter faced opposition to the gospel on a regular basis, beginning with Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Questioned about his relationship to Christ, Peter lied three times denying that he even knew Jesus. Even after defending the gospel at the church council in Jerusalem Peter compromised his faith (Gal. 2:11-14). Peter learned a powerful lesson from those experiences. He would never again deny Christ despite the intimidation and threats he faced. Martin Luther followed Peter’s example. Five hundred years later Luther still presents a model for Christians everywhere.

The final chapters of Revelation provide answers to questions that humans have asked throughout the ages. What is heaven like? Can we have confidence in the future? What about the problem of evil? What will happen when Christ returns? Will we see loved ones who have died? John answers these questions not with predictions or a forecast of the future but rather with visions which enable us to God’s ultimate purpose. Death and mourning and crying will be no more. God will be present with us and we will see his face (Rev. 22:1-4).

This is one of the most dramatic and hopeful pictures in scripture. Jesus will return. He will come in “great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). We don’t know when he will come but we are called to be alert and ready (Mark 13:32-37). His coming will accomplish three things. He will fulfill the promises of his first coming. Evil and all its destructive power and influence will be finally exposed, judged and destroyed. Second, his Word will complete his salvation and, in its creative power, create a new world. Finally, Jesus will rule in all of creation. We therefore should be confident, active and joyful in his service.

Evil remains the most disturbing and challenging problem in life.  The Book of Revelation faces the issue of evil head on.  It does so by the use of key symbols and images.  These have an initial reference to the situation in which the book was written.  Yet as symbols they point beyond their immediate context to the challenges faced by the church of Jesus Christ throughout the ages.  To quote from the prophet Jeremiah the images of Revelation are designed to give us the promise of “a future with hope” (Jer. 29:11).

The last of the seven seals is now opened. Surprisingly it leads to a period of silence. The silence symbolizes a number of things including rest, testing and judgment. The silence however is comparatively short (a symbolic half hour). A special angel then receives the prayers of “all the saints.” These prayers rise directly to the throne of God and then result in thunder, lightning and earthquakes on the earth. We can never underestimate the power of prayer.

“The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (John 4:9) “RESOLVED, That we denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as of the devil;” – resolution passed at the Southern Baptist Convention, June 13-14, 2017 Theme John weeps bitterly because no one is able to open the scrolls that reveal God’s final plan for humanity and creation itself. One of the elders however tells him not to weep. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered and he can open the scrolls. Our nation is still reeling from the events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia last week. These events reveal a crisis that is not only political, racial and social but is finally spiritual. On the streets of Charlottesville two diametrically opposing views of Jesus Christ confronted each other. Our future as a nation depends on which one prevails.

Worship in Spirit and in Truth The issue is not whether we will worship, but what. Even better, whom and how. On this Sunday, as many of us ready ourselves for corporate worship, perhaps the most significant single biblical text for guiding the essence of what we’re pursuing together when we gather is Jesus’s words in John 4:23–24. “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

We live in a world that prizes tolerance virtually above everything else. It is best not to discuss religion or politics. We don’t want to offend anyone. There is no one right way we are told. In many cases it is easiest to remain neutral, to have an open mind. The church of Laodicea had accepted these principles. They had adapted themselves to their surroundings. They were neither offensive nor controversial. They fit in. Yet Jesus says they make him sick. They are neither hot nor cold. They are innocuous. Jesus however does not give up on them. He doesn’t give up on us either.

Jesus has very positive words for the church in Philadelphia. He acknowledges that they have “but little power.” Their city was threatened by earthquakes and frequent tremors. Jesus acknowledges that the same kind of upheaval can happen to us in our life of faith. The church was being targeted by what Jesus calls a “synagogue of Satan” which put the church at risk. Jesus however has set before them “an open door” so they, like Job in the Old Testament, can maintain “patient endurance” in the midst of trials. We need this same patient endurance.

Jesus has harsh words for the church in Sardis. He actually says that they are dead. They are facing no external threat such as persecution. Like the church in Thyatria they are probably well off economically. They have become complacent and even indifferent. Neglecting Christ can be worse than denying him. The same danger faces us as well. Jesus calls us to wake up!

The church in Thyatira is living a contradiction. On one side they have been an example of “love, faith, service and patient endurance.” However, they are tolerating a woman prophet who is identified with the notorious Jezebel who corrupted Israel and opposed the prophet Elijah. She represents “the deep things of Satan.” Jesus gives both a word of warning and encouragement. The church of Thyatira is caught in a contradiction that they cannot survive. Jesus will not condone this duplicity. We need to keep a clear focus on him so that we can avoid the extremes that would undermine our faith.

The city of Pergamum was the major center of idolatry in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. It was the first city to erect a statue to the “divine Augustus.” Its temple of Zeus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was also the city from which the supreme goddess, Cybele, the “Great Mother” of Rome had originated. The warning against idolatry is stronger here than in any of the other seven cities. The sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God is our ultimate defense against the idolatry of our own time.

The challenges facing the ancient church of Smyrna are still with us today. There are two conflicting realities of the Christian life. Yet both are essential. The first represents the cross in suffering and indeed persecution (Mark 15:34). The second represents the other side of the cross, the victory revealed in the Resurrection (Col. 2:13-15). Christians are called to struggle in the world with trials that are both internal and external. Yet we are assured that in Christ we will conquer the world (John 16:33; I John 5:4).

Jesus is so much more than what we think. The description of the risen, ascended and glorified Christ in this passage goes beyond anything we can fully picture or imagine. It is a picture that is more spiritual than literal. The churches of John’s time were small struggling groups threatened by persecution. Before Jesus gives his message to the seven churches he assures them that he alone has complete power, even the power over Death and Hades. We can therefore truly take hold of the command, “Do not be afraid.”