PRESSING ON TOWARD THE GOAL

Our pastor, David Sunday, is preaching though the book of Philippians. His text this morning was Philippians 3:12-21. He focused on seven steps to pressing on in knowing Christ. Step #7 is : Eagerly wait for the return of Christ.

What does that involve? Note the answers given in the text.

• Focusing on our citizenship in heaven, 3:19-20.
• Remembering that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, 3:20.
• Centering your thoughts on the truth of the transformation of our bodies, 3:21.

So we press ahead in these areas. We reflect on them and let them motivate our actions and decisions. Or, to state it another way, we stop letting the following matters determine what we do, what we say, and how we approach life:

1. Our appetites and lusts, 3:19.
2. Delighting in things that should shame us, 3:19.
3. Focusing only on the here and now, 3:19.

Take some time and consider these important questions. What motivates and drives you? Do you focus on a "freedom" that lets you do as you please or do you press ahead in pleasing Christ? Do you play fast and loose with morality or do seek to bring everything under the control of Christ?

GETTING THINGS IN FOCUS

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 contains an encouraging prayer,

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

G.K. Beale offers these remarks,

"The focus here is not on what God does to his people at the end of history but on God's work in the lives of his people until they share Christ's glory at his final coming. The further development of holiness in 4:1-8 also places the emphasis on the believer's growth in godliness in the present life, and living in such a holy manner ensures that one will not be caught off guard when Christ unexpectedly returns (5:1-11)"(1-2 Thessalonians, 111).

Where are you when it comes to growth in godliness?

• Is it a focus of your life?
• What practical steps have you taken to ensure such growth?
• Are you concerned about it for others?
• Do you pray for your growth and the growth of others?

Look at 1 Thessalonians 4 and see how its importance is stressed in 4:1, 4:3, and 4:7-8. Have your focused on the future by focusing on growth in godliness in the present?

HOW LONG

This week many Christians around the world are focusing on the persecuted church. I encourage you to do that. The following is designed to help in that process.

Revelation 6:9-11 gives us a picture we easily forget in the rush of life,

I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

Now click here and watch a brief video about what is happening around the world. Then spend some time in prayer about these matters

HE IS HERE WHO WILL DO THE TASK

The title of this post is what John Fleck, a friend of Martin Luther's, said to his monks when he first heard Luther's 95 Theses. Today, October 31st, is the day they were nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517.

We now know that Luther's intention was not to start a withdrawal from the Roman Catholic Church. He was calling for a debate on the subject of indulgences. The contest never took place even though he sent letters of invitation to various people. Two main reasons are usually given for why the public dispute never took place:

1. Those in Wittenberg did not want to debate Luther.
2. Others did not want to get caught up in something that might put them under the eye of the Church.

The debate took place on a much larger scale than Luther ever dreamed. The new printing press was used to spread the 95 Theses far and wide. The rest, as they say, is history. The danger we face today is relegating it to the past as something that has little importance for us today. The Reformation,as it came to be called, is very applicable to us today. The issues dealt with then still face us today. One can see this by looking at the 95 Theses themselves. Note the first and last of them.

• When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said "Repent" (Matt. 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. In one stroke Luther got to the heart of the matter. The common way of speaking of repentance in his day was "doing penitence". The key to getting right with God then and now is seeing that it's not some act we do to earn God's favor. We must confess our sin and turn from it to God.

• The last two affirm, Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their head, through penalties, death, and hell; and thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22). We face the danger of false security or false hope. If hardships and troubles cause us to denounce or forsake Christ our true relationship has been revealed. The key is faithfulness to him in the midst of trying circumstances and not trusting in some act we did. Our trust is in Christ not some paper or form from someone that "indulges" or gratifies our desires - no matter how good or noble they are.

Luther was faithful to Christ in his day. The question is: Will we be faithful to Christ today?

PART OF THE AUDIENCE

C.S. Lewis made this profound observation in The Problem of Pain,

"A recovery of the old sense of sin is essential to Christianity. Christ takes it for granted that men are bad. Until we really feel this assumption of His to be true, though we are part of the world He came to save, we are not part of the audience to whom His words are addressed. We lack the first condition for understanding what He is talking about"(p. 50).

Think for a moment on this statement in the context of the book of Revelation. If there is no such thing as sin answer the following questions.

• Why did Christ have to die in order to purchase people for God, 5:9-10?
• Why do we have all the judgments recorded in chapters 6 - 16?
• Why is there the great conflict in this world between the followers of the Beast and followers of the Lamb (chapters 17-19)?
• Why is there a great white throne judgment in chapter 20?
• Why is there a new heaven and a new earth in chapters 21 - 22 where sin is excluded?
• Why the great appeal in 22:17?

Sin is real. Evil is real. Are you in the audience that hears and receives the message of Christ?

IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE

I started studying 1 Thessalonians a short time ago. One of its major themes is the second coming of Christ. It's important to note how the subject is developed. The first three chapters conclude with statements about the return of Jesus,

• For they themselves (believers in Macedonia and Achaia) report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, who he raised from from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath (1:9-10).
• For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and crown (2:19-20).
• May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with his holy ones (3:13).

Notice the emphasis is on 1) waiting by serving, 2) joy, and 3) holiness. All of these are tied together in the main point found in 4:13-5:11. Here we are told:

1. Don't be ignorant about those who die in the Lord (4:13).
2. "Encourage each other with these words"(4:18).
3. Don't stumble around in the dark about the Lord's return (5:4).

The same point is made here that is made in Revelation: There's no need need for ignorance about the Lord's return. God has revealed what is ahead and how we are to live in light of what is ahead. If you are not:

• encouraged
• serving
• hopeful
• concerned about holiness

Then you don't understand this great truth the way God intends it to be understood. Meditate on these passages for awhile. Let them direct you action and thinking.

4 ROUTES THROUGH REVELATION

Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary edited by Steve Gregg is a unique book. He states his approach in these terms,

I have limited my task in this volume to comparing four views that interpret Revelation as predictive prophecy - since the book claims that it is revealing "things that must shortly take place"(1:1). The commentaries that fit this description align themselves under four basic approaches (p. 2).

Here is one book where you must read the 49 page introduction carefully. Why? In these pages the author answers these questions,

1. What practical issue caused him to adopt this approach when teaching Revelation?
2. How does he define and use the different views?
3. What writers and commentaries are in each camp?
4. How should you read his commentary?

My focus on this commentary flows out of my last post. There I said, "Open the windows of your mind to other views and perspectives on the book of Revelation." Here is a practical way you can do that. It allows you to study the 4 traditional interpretations of the last book of the Bible. As you do you may very will discover,

• Views that offer such a challenge to you that you have to explore Revelation further.
• Views that have been around longer than yours.
• Views with strengths you come to appreciate.
• A view of Revelation that causes you to respect believers who take a different approach.

Good reading!