THE REAL PICTURE…GET THE PICTURE?
WORD FROM THE CENTER: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023
Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections from His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s verses are Revelation 7:9-10 where the Apostle John tells us,
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
THE REAL PICTURE…GET THE PICTURE?
It’s November in America and this is the month people focus on politics and elections, even when they are still a year away. This “politics all the time” attitude is not good because the best things in life aren’t political. (In fact, one of the big reasons we are in D.C. is to try to take politics out of many things so that we can best serve each other as neighbors.) Nonetheless, here we are. So, have you been watching the debates? Are you listening to the picture that each side is trying to paint for your future, if you would just vote for them? There are political prognosticators everywhere telling you not only how things might be, but how things will be if their vision is followed. Amazing. We’ll see.
The problem with our prognostications is that they often forget that God has already painted a picture that envisions a future beyond our expectations and imaginations. It’s beyond the best “e pluribus unum” that any nation could devise. In fact, it unifies people of all nations, ethnicities, and languages in a way no law, policy, or principle ever could. You see, what God wants you to envision is your future with Him by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.
In the Bible there are two major events that depict the unity of humanity. One is the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The people of that time were unifying around a compelling idea. They were a people of one language with one project and one purpose, ultimately seeking to do something magnificent, but in their way with sinful pride. They even dedicated their work to making a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). They sought to live life on their terms, rather than to worship the Lord who gave them life, to glorify Him, and to serve others in His Name. Their rebellion was unifying, but it was a toxic togetherness. The text says that God Himself smashed their unity for their own good (Genesis 11:7-8). Wow! We need to understand that sinful human beings can unify around the wrong things. And that unity can drive us away from God. Yes, it can drive us to momentary human heights, but they will eventually come crashing down under the weight of our sin and God’s judgment. That is a chaotic and catastrophic picture.
Then there’s another picture painted for us in Acts 2. It’s a unity that holds. It’s a unity enjoyed partially now, but it will come to fruition in the picture of our text from Revelation 7. In Acts 2 the Apostles speak about the “mighty works of God” and people from nations around the world hear these words in their own language (Acts 2:5-11). Unlike the Tower of Babel, God creates a unifying message centered in His gracious work for all people in the person of Jesus (see Acts 2:14-36). Christ’s cross and resurrection are the center of a diversity that holds. God’s work through the Good News of His Gospel received through His gifts of the Word and Sacraments binds us first to Him by grace through faith, and then it also holds us together with the bonds of His love to us and, through us, to one another. What a wonderful picture!
That’s the point today. Even if all the “right” people win elections, there’s no human policy or provision in this world that can ultimately hold us together. Give thanks, then, if our elections simply maintain earthly freedoms and return our culture to civility. But never think that our earthly elections can do what only the love of God in Jesus Christ can do. When all is said and done, Revelation 7 is the real picture that holds us together. “Acts 2 explains the means to that glorious end as it calls us to repent of our sin, be baptized (or remember our Baptism) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, and continue to trust in him by the power of the Spirit (see Acts 2:37-39).” So even if the whole world were to unite around a common human goal or purpose, it wouldn’t matter in the end because the problem is in every one of our hearts. Even our best can’t last if we fail to see Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). That’s what matters most of all. Whatever happens now and in the future, don’t forget the big picture of Revelation 7. It assures us of a real and enduring future for all of those united in Christ. Get the picture?
PRAYER – Dear Lord Jesus, we pray for wisdom to elect those who would enact what “good” earthly government should do. We pray that through all of the political blather, our leaders would especially have the wisdom to protect the free proclamation of the truths of the Bible for life and salvation for all. No matter what happens, may we be faithful to Your calling in our lives and eager to be gathered around Your throne when that time comes. AMEN.
In his younger days, Bob Barker, former host of the television show, “The Price is Right,” hosted another show called “Truth or Consequences.” On this program contestants were asked questions and if they gave incorrect answers, there were consequences. There was a penalty for getting things “wrong.” Now the consequences weren’t life threatening. They involved comical stunts which may have been a bit embarrassing, but were endured as good-natured fun. At the close of every program, Barker signed off saying, “Good night, hoping all your consequences are happy ones.” It was an instant and enduring hit from the 1940s through Barker’s time with the show in the 1960s.
In All’s Well that Ends Well, William Shakespeare wrote, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” The Beatles remind us of the same idea in their song, “All You Need Is Love.” But is it really that easy? If love is all we need, if love alone matters, and if love works, then what’s the problem? Why are we as a country at each other’s throats? Why are divorce rates so high? Why are so many people not even getting married at all? Why are children growing up in increasingly broken homes? Why aren’t people loving each other if that is all we need to do? Good question
Many people come to Washington, D.C., because they want to make a difference. They want their lives to matter, to mean something. Who doesn’t? Unfortunately, politics tends to promise what it can’t deliver. In fact, a truly meaningful life is more than politics, more than the accumulation of wealth or influence, and more than one’s vocational skills and abilities can produce. Ironically, the key to a purposeful life isn’t primarily about your works at all. It’s not about “who” you are or what you do, but about “whose” you are. Jesus reminds us that He is the Vine, the source for real, lasting life. We are like branches.
The following saying is often wrongly attributed to G.K. Chesterton: “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing — they believe in anything.” He actually said that if we stop believing in God we lose our common sense.1 For many, that’s that same thing. When you deny the one who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), and who calls Himself the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), you don’t replace Him with nothing. Instead, you tend to replace Him with the most absurd “other things.”
What a Bible study it must have been that day! On the road to Emmaus, Jesus ROOTED those disciples in the firm promises of the Bible that had come to fruition in Him. Even more, Jesus set their hearts on fire by anchoring their faith in Him in all things (verse 32). That’s a fire which comes from God’s love and grace through faith in the Son of God.
Is seeing believing? Or are there things that are very real, even very true, that we cannot see with our eyes? Our garage doors open by unseen forces at the touch of a button. We put our food and drinks into little rectangular devices and hit the button believing that, absent a heating element or a flame of any sort, microwaves will make our food or beverages piping hot. Even the most empirical of scientists has things which he/she believes long before they are tested or visible to human eyes.
Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! But there’s even more good news for those who believe in Him. He clearly says, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Wow! What a statement. In the midst of wars, rumors of wars, fears, violence, and the growing cultural pressures to jettison biblical truth for public acceptance, in the midst of it all, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus call all people to an everlasting life of repentance and faith that the world can never take away. It calls believers to a confident hope that comes from knowing that even death itself has been conquered by the One who created and redeemed us.
Mindsets matter. I remember back in my playing days how important my “frame of mind” was on the day before a big race or a big game. If I was confident in my training, confident in the game plan, and physically and emotionally focused, my mindset often gave me an edge when the contest began. Search the internet and you’ll find all kinds of “mindset” programs and seminars that will help prepare you for the big game, as well as for the big presentation, investment, or promotion. Mindsets matter.
There is no such thing as “generic” servant leadership. Or is there? Whenever I read this passage of Scripture, all the servant leadership programs in our world today immediately come to my mind. And it’s not just Christian colleges or businesses who espouse such things. Evidently, there’s an eastern and a western philosophical view of servant leadership. They both call for leaders to be empathetic and active listeners who serve their employees rather than just boss them around.
An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword with these words beneath it: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, you have to earn the right to be called a Marine through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. In this world, there are jobs that only Marines can handle. There are even efforts that demand special forces like the Navy Seals. When it comes to maintaining law and order in this world, there have to be people who say, “This far and no farther,” so that we can all live in relative peace. But here’s the problem.
When did greed, coveting, promiscuity, character assassination, violence, and even intimidation become our “cultural values?” When did things like these even become entertaining to some? When did “virtue” become such a dirty word? Indeed, it seems that all too often vices have become virtues and virtues have been turned into vices. Look, I realize that all of us are sinful and broken. I also know that it’s hard to have these conversations because the finger points back at each one of us. Furthermore, we must all admit that even our best efforts at living morally and virtuously fall short, often when we needed to be at our best.
What are your deepest hurts and your grandest hopes? Do you have worries and fears, or great dreams and expectations? What happens when an ugly reality seems to rear its head no matter your planning or provision? What then? Does answering any of these questions really matter in the end?
Yes! The great preacher Charles Spurgeon was right, "We have great needs, but we have a great Christ for our needs!" And the living Christ is here for you in His word to offer you His life and His salvation as a gift. There is one question that engulfs all other questions in this life. The question comes from Jesus himself, “Who do you say that I am?” Another question springs from it, “Who then are you IN HIM?”
Now is the time of God’s favor? Really? Now?
Sometimes larger circumstances can overcome the reality of a specific situation. In other words, the things that are happening all around us are better viewed in terms of other, more significant events with even more far-reaching consequences. That’s what it was like for some of the people fighting in World War II. The ceremonial surrender of the Japanese government and the “Victory over Japan” proclamation (VJ Day) did indeed mean that the second major, worldwide conflict of the 20th century was officially over. But that did not stop the fighting of many Japanese infantrymen against U.S. Marines in the South Pacific. Some fought for many months, even though their defeat was assured, inevitable, and even officially admitted. As the website “Military History Now” notes:
I’m becoming more and more convinced that all of our modern technologies are actually making us more ignorant, rather than more informed; they also make us more prone to be isolated, rather than connected with each other. Because of our sinful rebelliousness against the moral truths of God, human beings also seem to be more clueless than ever about how to live their lives in this world meaningfully and joyfully. That’s true even amidst all the advances of science and technology. As I get older, I see this more clearly than ever. Evil truly does exist in the world and evil exists in every human heart. Unfortunately, there is no easy religious, secular, or scientific fix for this DEADLY virus. The great scientist Albert Einstein said, “It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.”
I’m not much of a poker player. When I was growing up, my family tended not to be card players (though the occasional, raucous game of “May I” could be cited as evidence to the contrary). But I do know the meaning of the phrase, “all-in.” How about you? In cards, and especially in the game Texas Hold-Em, “all-in” is when a player decides to put all of his chips on the table. At that moment, he/she bets all they have to either win or lose everything. Back in the days of the Wild West, they called it ''betting the ranch.'' This was not just putting all that you had that night into the pot but, risking everything you owned. That’s an “all-in” commitment in a game! What about an “all-in” commitment in life?
In a Charlie Brown cartoon, little brother Linus is looking very forlorn. He asks big sister Lucy, “Why are you always so anxious to criticize me?” Lucy, looking very self-righteous, replies, “I just think I have a knack for seeing other people’s faults.” Linus turns indignant. “What about your own faults?” he asks. “I have a knack for overlooking them,” says Lucy.
Someone said that the medicine of modern life is the “joy of not knowing where you’re going, the confidence of not knowing how to get there so that you can have the peace of not worrying about when you’ll arrive.” Well, the God who became man in the Babe laid in the manger seeks to shake us from such doldrums and give us the gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation on His terms alone.
The baptism of Jesus is one of those events in the Bible that will help you come to grips with who Jesus is, who you are without him, and who you are by grace through faith in Him alone. Baptisms, as a rule, are for people who are dirty and need to get clean. Yet religious washings tend to be about more than outward personal hygiene.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are a time when our culture looks back and then looks forward. It’s a time when we try to come to grips with the failures and successes of the year that is passing away so as to be ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the year to come.
Who could refuse this offer: “Peace that lasts, forgiveness that holds, and life abundant now and forever because God is with us.” Well, many do. Why? Because as sinful, rebellious people by nature, we tend to settle for counterfeits instead of the real thing.
The amazing proclamation of the Bible is that the person and work of Jesus in history stands as the concrete expression of the will of God the Father for all people. Out of His love for us, He sent His Son into this sinful world to save it.
That is a prayer of repentance to God for His gracious forgiveness. It sounds like something that John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, might call us to say. Repentance, the God-induced sorrow for our sins in response to His Law, also causes us to fall at the feet of Jesus seeking the forgiveness for our sins that only He can grant.
Those who attend churches that follow a commonly used series of Sunday readings probably heard 1st Corinthians 1:3-9 in worship yesterday.
The last few years have witnessed incredible Novembers, haven’t they? Even when it was Thanksgiving, it seemed like we were always under siege, whether it was the virus, our jobs, the economy, or chaos in our cities.
Morale soared that day. It was a day of failure, but it was a day when those who were rotting in one of the worst prisons in Vietnam suddenly realized that they had not been forgotten.
“We’re not exactly sure what was troubling the Thessalonian Christians. But one thing is clear. They were confused about the Second Coming of Chris.”
“It’s November in America and this is the month people focus on politics and elections, even when they are still a year away. “
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
22:18-21, where the Bible says,
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius,