Slideshow image

Our World Belongs to God 55

We continue on this week with the "Contemporary Testimony: Our World Belongs to God." 

Paragraphs 1-6: Preamble (April 11-29)
Paragraphs 7-12: Creation (April 30-May 8)
Paragraphs 13-17: Fall (May 11-15)
Paragraphs 18-22: Redemption (May 18-22)
Paragraphs 23-27: Jesus Christ (May 25-29)
Paragraphs 28-30: Holy Spirit (June 1-2, 5)
Paragraphs 31-33: Revelation (June 8-10)
Paragraphs 34-40: God's New People (June 11-19)
Paragraphs 41-54 The Mission of God's People (June 23-Oct. 16)
Paragraphs 55-58 New Creation (Nov. 3-)

Paragraph 55 (Today)
Our hope for a new creation is not tied
to what humans can do,
for we believe that one day
every challenge to God’s rule
will be crushed.
His kingdom will fully come,
and the Lord will rule.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

[On this hope, see 1 Peter 1:3-12, 2 Peter 3:3-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, and Revelation 11:15.]

Let me begin by saying, I did not intentionally wait until today to comment on this paragraph which says, "Our hope for a new creation is not tied to what humans can do, for we believe that one day every challenge to God’s rule will be crushed." But it does seem appropriate on this particular day.  So many of us are here in Canada, watching a foreign election more closely perhaps than we watch our own. We are likely hoping for a specific outcome. We are praying for the US today, that somehow they may put aside their divisions. But we fear for them, too.

All the while, however, we know that whatever happens in the US today, it is temporary. It is not the new creation in the making. And it is not our destiny. Rather, whatever our earlthy allegiance and citizenship, we say with Paul, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."

What we long for is God's reign fully come. God is good, and so is his reign.

These biblical references provided with Paragraph 55 express so beautifully our Christian hope.  For anyone (all of us) who have lost  a loved one, we hold them as firm promises in our hearts.  1 Thessalonians 4:17, "And so we will be with the Lord forever," is written on my mother's gravestone, and is also written in my heart.  Maranatha!  We long for the day of Christ's forever rule!

Our song for today is No Longer A Slave to Fear by Julian King.

Go with this blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you shalom.

Pastor Mark

PS - Tomorrow at 12:30pm, I am leading an open session to discuss the results of the US Election. This will be an unstructured time to simply give voice to yourimpressi ons and hear the voices of your church family. You can join by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/75589153376?pwd=QnNrc0R3Y0RWMXZ0OXFRWG0vTWtFZz09.

 

Ministries
Teaching Ministry
Comments for this post are now off.