Hell’s Not For Me

Jesus said to the sheep, “enter into the inheritance prepared for you from the foundations of the world.” To the goats he said, “Go away, you who are dedicated to destruction, to the place prepared for the devil and his angels, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I am intrigued by this passage because it gives us a glimpse of God’s original intent. I lean toward Calvinism (God choses those who will believe), and it is passages like this one that keep me from leaning all the way. If God had chosen them for destruction, would he not have also prepared a place for them? Unless he felt that the place prepared for the devil and his angels was sufficient, and there was no need for another place of horrific, eternal torment. I guess I answered my own question. But if that’s the case wouldn’t heaven, where the angels dwell with God, be sufficient for believers? Why create a whole new creation for believers, unless that was God’s intent all along, for all of his creation to inherit the coming kingdom. 

That begs the question, “didn’t God know about all of this ahead of time?” Thus the age old question elect or free will? It’s enough to blow your mind. So, the only thing to do is to hold tightly to what we know and loosely to what we don’t know. What do we know?

1. Humans live under God’s Judgement 

2. Jesus went to prepare a place for us.

3. That place was under construction since the foundation of the World.

4. Those who believe in Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins will inherit this new place.

5. Those who do not believe will be separated from God.

6. The place of separation is called the lake of fire, and has been prepared fo the devil and his angels.

It is a blessing to know that God thought enough of us to prepare a place where the sufferings of this life will dissipate into the new creation and sufering. Thank you Jesus, hell’s not for me.

              I’M MUST SAYING 

America and Apple Pie, I love them Both

I love apple pie. Especially, when it is slightly tart, and the crust is ever so flaky. But do you know when I don’t like apple pie? When the apples are mealy, or the crust is burnt or soggy. Just because I like Apple Pie doesn’t mean I like it all the time. There are good pies and bad pies, and pies where people will even disagree on whether it is good or not. Yet, when I come home and Rebecca is baking an apple pie, I don’t look back on all the pies gone bad. Instead I focus in the hope that is soon to come out of the oven.

The United States is a lot like apple pie. There are times when it is the the next thing to heaven, and times when hell lashes out in a chaotic storm. There are things I don’t like about the United States and things that I love. I love the sweet taste of freedom. The freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of religion, and the freedom to be who I want to be without repercussion. There are, however, things I don’t like, that come along with freedom. I don’t like the bickering of politics, or the intolerance of tolerance. I don’t like the atrocities of our past, or the blaming of everything on them. I don’t like prejudice or hatred, and I surely don’t like the entitlement system it has become. Yet, each morning I don’t look at the things that are tasteless, spoiled, or burnt, instead I focus on the hope of what the day will bring.  And here comes the tricky part. I love the United States like I love Apple Pie, but I don’t love the United States like I love my family.

Jesus said, “(ESV) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:24. In the context it’s a contrast between money and God, but the principle is the same. We cannot hold God in our heart and hold anything else at the same time, and since the family of God, in Christ, is an extension of Jesus and is described as his body, then to love the people of God is the same as loving God Himself. There is but one kingdom that we, as believers, can pledge our total and absolute loyalty, and that is the kingdom of God. Can, or should, Christians in The United States be patriotic?  My answer is yes and no. 

I was flipping through Facebook and saw several memes that extolled the virtue of the military against the back drop of many self induced tragedies. Memes aren’t meant to explore the depth of a topic, but highlight actual or perceived inequalities. I teared up as I thought of the men and women who have sacrificed life and limb to keep the U.S. safe and free. I am proud to have been born and raised here, a father who was in the military, and friends who have served faithfully. I believe, with all her faults, the U.S is still the greatest nation and place to live in the world (and I have traveled to many other places). Yes, we can list our faults, we can wail about what we can’t change, but as slow as it moves the U.S. is still the first choice of immigrants; legal and illegal.

However, but, on the other hand, when push comes to shove I am beholden to no country or king, but our Lord Jesus. My brothers and sisters in Christ come before borders, nationalism, and patriotism. That goes for the ones who are persecuted around the world, and the ones who might try to come across our borders illegally. There is great tension when we mix politics and faith, and I have good friends who are right in the middle. Knowing these men it’s there right and their calling. They too must wrestle with the conflict. I don’t believe the church is a place for political wrangling, because the Kingdom of God welcomes all political, economic, ethnic, cultural, and national peoples. When we reject people for any reason, we have ceased being the Kingdom of God and have placed something or someone else as our King. 

So, I went to the fireworks and celebrated our country’s beginning. I thank my friends who have served in the military, but To my brothers and sisters around the world, I stand with you in the cause of  Christ, so that we can bring about the kingdom of God on earth. Then and only then, will we know what true freedom is all about. I’m just saying.,,,

No Cockroaches In Heaven

I hate cockroaches. In Houston they grow as big as a bus, or at least they seem that big. Some friends from Wisconsin visited us, they had never seen cockroaches so big. We went for a walk right about dusk, and stopped at a manhole cover. Sure enough, little antini started poking out through the holes. I stomped my foot and predictably most of them retreated, but there were a few that ran straight for us. Made my friend squeal. No one likes cockroaches, unless you’re a researcher.

An article this morning highlighted research into robo roaches. Scientists have figured out how to attach electronics to the back of roaches and control their behavior. Their hope is that by attaching cameras, the robo roaches can get beneath rubble and help in search and rescue. Though, if I were laying under said rubble, and a cockroach approached my face and spoke to me, I would pass out if not have a heart attack. 

The other part of the story was the increased resistance of roaches to insecticides. They have become immune to most of the poison cocktails that professionals use to kill them, and they pass on that immunity to their offspring. With a typical female producing 2 to 300 new roaches in their short lifetime, the planet will be overrun by these silent monsters in no time. Good lesson in multiplication. The myth is that even a nuclear holacost would not kill them. Myth busters destroyed that myth saying, “Roaches can last longer in the radiation, but would eventually succumb to its deadly affects. And even if the were resistance to the radiation, the initial heat blast would incenerate them.”

So what kind of spiritual application is there for roaches? Here it is, “(ESV) 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” 2nd Peter 3:10. So there you have it. Our hope is the little critters will burn up with the rest of Creation, and we won’t have to endure them in heaven. Unless one or two of them slips into a suitcase at the rapture. I’m just saying...

Hell No!

Yesterday I preached on the common language different cultures use to describe the wicked’s fate in the afterlife. All had a place for the worse among us to spend an eternity in torment. Why is this? Simply it’s about fairness and justice. People are bent toward these attributes. Fairness is impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination. Justice is the administration of the law or authority in maintaining order. People want to be treated fairly and want others to be treated with justice. Fairness is the application of justice to everyone without prejudice.

I am going to speak on the topic this coming Sunday, but I want to address the idea of fairness. Sin separates us from God. Not the individual sins we commit everyday, but the sin nature that resides in us all. We are by nature sinful people. In a sense it is inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. As a result we are separated from God, and therefore all are subject to the punishment of our sin nature. Fairness states that we all are to be sperated from God, judged for our sin nature, and cast into the lake of fire.

God laid his justice on Jesus, and his sacrifice is sufficient to cover the debt owed by all humanity. The application of Jesus’ sacrifice is through our faith. Fairness isn’t the application of Jesus’ sacrifice on all people no matter what, but that God requires the application through faith to be given to people who believe, regardless of race, economic status, or previous religious affiliation. Unfair would be for God to say that salvation is by faith, and then at the last minute say, “just kidding everyone, no matter what they did in this life, can come into heaven.”

God is fair, and the rules apply to everyone. That’s good news to those who are being saved, but to those who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, it is bad news, because they experience, not the fairness of God’s goodness, but the fairness of His wrath. I’m just saying...

The End Is Here - So Take Cover

“A war involving Gog and Magog would basically trigger the apocalypse. Because the Bible was not precise in its predictions, Magog could be anyone or anything: Satan, Muslims, even (for Chirac, French President during th such Administration) a poorly executed soufflé.

Bush, however, had a much more precise interpretation in mind: Saddam Hussein was Gog, and the call had gone out to rally the forces of good for a grand showdown. Chirac, who confirmed the story in 2009, was taken aback at Bush’s religious fanaticism.

A number of U.S. officials around Bush, including diplomat Kurt Volker, have strenuously denied the story. But even if Bush himself didn’t indulge in such millenarian fantasies, there were plenty of evangelicals in his circles who did have an impact on U.S. foreign policy. Over the years, Washington has identified plenty of Magogs and set out to topple nearly as many Gogs, always with the certainty of having “God on our side.”

The tension with Iran and the potential for war breaking out in the gulf, the rumors of war have stirred discussions about the coming Armageddon. Interestingly enough, the new TV series “Good Omen” is about a demon and an angel who have been on earth for so long that they like it. Armageddon is about to take place and they set out to do whatever it takes to keep it from happening. Are these signs of the coming apocalypse? Jesus did say, “(ESV) 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” Luke 21:31. 

Of course, he also said, “(ESV) But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” Mark 13:32,33.  So how do you make sense of these events, and Jesus’ two statements? This fall I m going to preach through Daniel/Revelation and will attempt to answer a lot of questions.

The point of this passage is not the future, but the present. We know something is coming, therefore make sure that your life is in line with God’s will. It’s not scare tactics, but a reality that Christians often ignore. It’s too hard to keep it all straight. Not to worry, there are people who have studied these things, and whether now or in the future the end will come. For now, what are you doing to build the Kingdom. I’m just saying....

Beautiful Feet and Stubbed Toes

Parable of the sower: rocky soil, thorny soil, soil on the path, and good soil. When sharing the good news of Jesus, we are casting the seeds of God’s Word on one of these types of soil. Of course, we all wish the soil we are working with is good, but most of the time that is not the case. In my hard, I’ve been trying to plant grass seed where a trench was dug. When it was first shoveled and the the ground was wet it look good, and the prospect of heathy grass seed growing was high. Then the sun came up, days without rain and the once soft soil grew hard. There was more clay in the ground than good, rich topsoil. So far no grass has grown. Yet, the thorns and weeds seem to pop up without effort. Thank you Adam.

The equivalent of working with clay, is your beautiful feet in pain with stubbed toes. Appendages, black and blue from bumping up against rocky soil. If this happens too often it’s easy to find reasons to keep your feet out of harms way. Stubbed toes hurt, and so does rejection, even if that rejection is against the gospel. So what is the remedy to bruised and sore feet.

“(ESV) I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 2:6,7

“(ESV) As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Tim. 4:5.

“(ESV) And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Gal.6. 9-10

In my case it is about cultivating the ground of my brothers heart. The first thing Rebecca asked after I told her about the trip, “what is you plan?” Plan, wasn’t going down to Florida enough? How much do I care? So, my plan is to call my brothers once a month, and once a quarter email or message them the gospel, in different and creative ways. 

I spent a week stubbing my toes, but being refreshed among my family is far better than a pedicure. Thanks, all of you. I’m just saying...

Home

The smell of cinnamon rolls in the oven, a familiar song playing in the background, children laughing as they run through the house, the dog looking longingly for a small table scrap, and a long embrace after a tiring trip. These are the moments of home. The sweet taste of love that draws you back when you tire of the world’s adventures. Home, not a house, not a place, but people who fill your days with joy.

Not everyone is blessed with such a place, but for those of us who are, we have experienced a slice of heaven on earth. We also have a responsibility to extend an invitation to those without such a place, to join a larger family, where they can find rest, and experience family the way God intended. It is no accident that the church is referred to as the family of God. It’s not just about structure and headship but loyalty and love. Family fight with each and for each other. They are ready to lend a hand and have your back. The family of God isn’t perfect, but it is deep and meaningful, reaching out to give a hug when despair seeks to overwhelm the strongest and weakest among us. 

Home is the resting place after a long journey, an embrace that says welcome back you were missed, a kiss that lingers longer than usual, and a place of safety in the midst of a cruel world. Today I am going home, and there is not other place I would rather be. I’m just saying.