And a voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" (Matthew 21:33-40)
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down...he is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring-- those who obey God's commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (see Revelation 12:10-17)
In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us that we are unwilling participants in a vicious battle that we did not start. It is not about our personal attempts at wellness and wholeness. It is not about who we love or where we work. It is not about our children or our landlords or our professors. Our pastor noted that the fight we are engaged in is not really about us, nor "them": it is about the intense anger and hatred that Satan, the evil one, harbors against God. Scripture asserts that Satan has already been defeated: the accuser has been hurled down (Revelation 12:10). The evil one cannot hurt God; but, he is very effective in bringing defeat and destruction into human lives. As Pastor Sam noted, the devil and his minions attempt to hurt God by hurting the people of God.
The hurt and the pain is real. I have felt it. Perhaps you have experienced this pain too. What is a Christian to do?
We have hope! Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:10-11) We are reminded again, as some of our pastors have said: The Triune God broke up the Godhead for our sake. Jesus, the Christ, was sent to this earth. He lived, loved, died, and is risen. Because of His completed work, we are able to stand.
On Sunday Pastor Sam referenced the first section of Zechariah's song (Luke 1:67-75). Zechariah yearned to see a Deliver arrive who would free the people of God from the oppression they were suffering. What happened? The Deliverer showed up, but the oppression continued. Rather than an external wiping out of the enemy, Jesus came to teach His people how to experience His peace even in the face of opposition and domination. Jesus teaches us to be victorious on the inside.
After Sunday night's The Key service I had the privilege of chatting with Pastor Sam for a few minutes about the persecution experiences of Paul, Silas, and Stephen. (I am still wrestling with the implications of our discourse.)
-Stephen, how it is that you could pray such a loving prayer while that crowd pelted you with rocks and called you a blasphemer, just because you had a profound encounter with God?
-Paul and Silas, how were you able to sing in the face of being whipped and thrown into a dank, dark, unsanitary prison cell, your ankles and wrists bound into stocks, just because you healed someone?
Let's be real: some of us are desperate for external change. But I wonder if we love Jesus enough to bask in His peace, even though it's sometimes accompanied by incredibly painful external circumstances. Scripture asserts that it is possible: Stephen and Paul and Silas reached this level of faith and grace. How about us?
Let us stand, faithful, though the flames of consumerism devour our livelihoods.
Let us stand, faithful, though the subtle serpent wrecks relationships.
Let us stand, faithful, though our children are co-opted by the world.
Let us stand faithful: and, by the miracle of Christ's coming, let us rejoice and rest in Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment