Devotionals @ The Mount Church

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.  First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  Then we will be with the Lord forever.  So encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Whenever our family is expecting company, the main front door to our house remains open, allowing the storm door window to provide a clear view of someone’s arrival.  This has been our practice for almost a decade and a half, and it has a two-fold purpose:  First, we want to be able to look out at a glance and see when our anticipated guests have arrived, and second, we want them to feel the welcome of our home the moment they drive up, seeing that the door is open, ready for their entrance.

There have been many occasions that I have stood at that storm door, looking, watching, waiting for various relatives and friends to bless us with their presence.  Sometimes I’m standing there awaiting dinner guests as the aroma of my spouse’s culinary artistry wafts over our home.  Other times I’ve been glancing towards the road as Christmas lights twinkle on our tree and the December stars dance in the sky.  There have been dozens of times that I’ve stood by that open door, thrilled at the hope of imminent arrivals.

There is something exciting about the anticipation of pending company’s arrival.  The date has been set, the hour has been decided, the preparations have been made, and soon you’ll be together, enjoying each other’s presence for dinner, for the night, for the weekend, or perhaps longer.  We all can probably relate to that feeling physically speaking, but how about spiritually speaking?

Is your front door open, waiting for the imminent arrival of the King?  Do you live in daily anticipation of Christ’s return?  Are you thrilled at the hope of spending eternity with Him forever in heaven, at the place He’s preparing for you?  Does that sound more like a fairy tale than a reality to you?  I hope not, because Jesus is coming back, you can count on it!  In Jesus’ very own words we’re given the promise: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”  (John 14:1-3)

Jesus has promised to return, to “come and get us” when everything is ready.  We can confidently expect and have faith that He will return.  We can believe and place our hope in that truth without doubt or speculation.  We do not know how long it will be before He arrives, but we can rest assured that He’s coming back!  He said He would, so He will!

I remember as a young child leaving our home in Ohio to travel to a revival meeting in Kentucky that our pastor was conducting.  Our pastor and his family had gone on ahead to prepare for the meetings and our family was coming along later to support him during the event.  Though Ohio and Kentucky aren’t geographically that distant, to a child, it seemed as though we’d been in the car for days by the time we reached the state line.  And to make matters worse, the church where the revival was being conducted was not on the beaten path.  It was way up in the hill country of Kentucky and getting there was almost better achieved by pack mule rather than automobile.  Leaving the main interstate and paved roads slowed our travel, and as the sun continued its journey across the sky, the hour for the revival meeting was rapidly approaching and we still weren’t there yet.  My Dad was watching the road snaking in front of him while intermittently casting a nervous look at the clock too.  Would we make it in time?

After a long and nerve-wracking odyssey, we finally crested a hill and saw the little country church sitting down below in a valley on the opposite side of a mountain stream.  There was a small crowd of worshippers gathered outside, getting ready to enter the building for the service and my Dad recognized one of the group members as our pastor.  My Dad brought the car to a stop and rolled down the window to shout out across the canyon, “Rev. Beattie, don’t start without us!  I told you we’d be there for the service, and I’m a man of my word.  We drove all the way here to worship with you, so hang on a few more minutes and we’ll be down there to join you.”  Of course they waited, delighted to see we’d made it, and that story has been a part of my family’s lore for generations now.  We drove our car through the stream, parked it with the others, and had a memorable time with the Lord and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ there in the Bluegrass State.

I learned from that experience that my Dad was a man of his word.  Distance, time, expense, none of those were going to prevent my dad from keeping his promise.  And if he can be trusted to keep his promises, then why should I expect anything less from Almighty God?  I believe that Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven, a place where I will be with him for all of eternity.  I put my hope in that promise, and I, in fact, base my entire life on it.  Everything I am and stand for revolves around that hope.  My King is coming back to get me someday and I want to be standing at the front door with a big smile on my face ready to embrace Him upon His arrival.  I hope you do too!

Reading through Old Testament prophecies is always a bit confusing.  Unless you are a history buff, the description of the kingdoms and impending conquests blur together, and imagery of gold, bronze, mud, statues, and trees make little sense.  To further complicate the matter, the prophets who recorded these visions were generally not given a time frame to accompany the things to come.  They simply recorded what they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to record.  Some but not all things written in the Old Testament have been fulfilled, and others are in process of being fulfilled.  As a result, we find ourselves in a period of time that one of my professors wisely termed the “already-not yet”.  It is a tension that we live in, a partial but not yet complete fulfillment, a shadow of what is to come.  This is especially true concerning the Old Testament prophecies of the coming King, for Christ has come, and will come-He is already and not yet.  And so as we look at these prophecies, we can rest in confident assurance in what has been fulfilled, and rejoice in hopeful expectation for what is to come.

Zechariah

Read Zechariah 9:9-13.  What of this passage is “already”? (hint: see also Matthew 21:5)

What is the “not yet”?

Matthew specifically points out that “this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…” (21:4), demonstrating clearly that Christ is the fulfillment of these prophecies.  Not only is He the fulfillment, but this aspect of the prophecy has been fulfilled.  Bear with me, for I know this seems obvious and basic.  Why is it important to know that Christ is the fulfillment?  In all prophecies in the Old Testament, concerning a king, He is never referred to as Jesus, as Christ.  Matthew directly links this specific person as being the fulfillment, and no one else, leaving no room for doubt.  The fact that this aspect of the prophecy has been fulfilled is the basis for hope.  It is God’s thumb-print on the situation–a sign that this is specifically and purposefully of God, not coincidence, but planned.  And if He has been faithful to fulfill specific details as to what Christ would ride into Jerusalem, how much more so will He be faithful to fulfill the rest of His plan?  There is confident assurance that what He has said will come to pass.

Jeremiah

Read Jeremiah 23:5-6.  How is Christ described here?

What are the characteristics of His reign?

Christ here is seen as fulfillment of a promise made to David–that his throne would never end.  Ever.  He is described as the righteous Branch–fully perfect and holy, whose reign will continue to grow and strengthen and bear fruit.  Two aspects that Jeremiah highlights are His justice and righteousness.  This prophecy is found in between prophetical condemnation of the shepherds and the lying prophets.  When God’s own people refuse to do His will, the flock suffers, and yet the Lord is very aware and very in control.  Here is a promise of hope for the flock.  He sees.  And with His coming reign, He will execute justice (for He alone is righteous and can rightly judge).  There is hope for justice, the “not yet”.  Note too the “already” aspect of this prophecy–the name attributed to Christ is “the Lord is our righteousness” (v. 6).  With His death and resurrection, we already have this righteousness, this salvation and justification.  And in this we can rest.

Ezekiel

Read Ezekiel 37:15-28.  Who is acting in this prophecy?

There are 2 major aspects of this prophecy, major promises–what are they?

What aspect of this prophecy gives you greatest joy?

At this time in Israel’s history the nation was divided and captivity ensued.  The first major aspect of the prophecy is God’s promise of unity, a promise of restoration.  In a sense this part has had some fulfillment, an “already” aspect, for even today there is one nation of Israel.  However, this promise is repeated both in Jeremiah 31, and again in Mark 13:27, where the Lord gathers His people from the ends of the earth and once again unites them.  Israel is again one (and you and I are a part of this-we are the grafted branches-see Romans 11).  The second major aspect of this prophecy is the promise that He will again dwell among His people.  Through Christ there is a covenant of peace between us and God (v.24-26), His dwelling place is in our midst, with us (v. 26-27), and we are sanctified (v. 28).  This final aspect of the kingly prophecy most clearly depicts the “already-not yet” in which we now live.  As Christians, we are no longer enemies of God but instead His children, there is that covenant of peace through Christ, and yet while on this earth, our fellowship with Him can still be broken through sin.  Our relationship is secure permanently, but with sin fellowship can still be broken.  And in the same way, we are sanctified, and are being sanctified more and more each day.  It is the process of becoming more like Christ, and now on this earth, we are still sinful, we still struggle.  Then we will be made fully perfect.  And now we have the Holy Spirit in us, God himself dwelling among us just as promised, and yet as Paul dwells on life after this earth he writes, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then i shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).  There is much “not-yet” to still hope for.

Do you remember your first day of school? Looking around and hoping that someone, anyone would recognize you or smile or give you a friendly nod. Anything that would give you the slightest hint that you would be accepted into the new, strange, and exciting place you have found yourself.

Do you remember the first time you were the new person at work? You may have blundered your way through your first real task or heard someone give you directions for a task that sounded like Greek. For most of the day, you probably kept looking around and looking for that one warm smile, the encouraging nod to let you know you were catching on and some sign that you would one day be familiar with your surroundings.

How about going to college and meeting your first roommate. For 17+ years you have been living with your family and they know all of your quirks and loves and hates. Suddenly you find yourself in a room with a stranger that you are instantly supposed to somehow connect with and live with for at least the next semester. They don’t listen to the same music or wear the same clothes, perhaps they even speak a different language. You look around your crowded small space and wonder “How on earth is this going to work?”

Sometimes we feel like strangers in the world we are living in and yet for the most part, we are all looking for similar things; love, acceptance and a place to call our own. Perhaps the old show Cheers said it best “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.” The best part of this struggle is that God understood our need for acceptance. Our need to not be strangers in the world but an integral part of the world we are living in. He saw our need so well that He sent Jesus to become an ultimate sacrifice for us so that we could be accepted into His kingdom and never have to worry about being alone or if we would “fit in” for the rest of eternity.

Not only did Jesus come and die for us, but also he lived among us and he experienced our life with us. We are not strangers to Jesus because he saw our hurts, our disappointments, our joy, our disgrace, our pride, and our humility. He saw the greatest people our world had to offer and the worst that our world had to offer and he loved them all equally. He sat with Pharisees that were only concerned with the rules and regulations. He ate among the tax collectors that were robbing the people they collected from on a regular basis. He chose simple fishermen and other commoners to walk with him everyday and experience life with him.

That all sounds great for that time, but what about the here and now. What does this mean for me? When Jesus died, he left with us the Holy Spirit to fill us in his absence. When we become believers we are granted this gift. We are never alone when we are believers, God is always waiting to hear from us and have us consult him on our day – no matter how big or small a problem or joy is that we are experiencing. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:19-22 - So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

We have been given citizenship in the kingdom of God and it is up to us to help other believers to not feel like strangers in his kingdom. The next time you are in church and you see that person with the glazed over stare, or the look of confusion and bewilderment in their face – take the time to go and invest in their lives. They are citizens of the kingdom of God with us and Jesus is building up His church to do His work through them. We know how it feels to be strangers and to walk into a new place with new vocabulary and customs to learn. We have been there and we should be eager to help the next person transition from stranger to friend, especially within the church. As cliché as it might sound – what would Jesus do is an excellent question. Well, I’m not sure what his opening line would be, but I am sure that he would greet that person with open arms and say something like “friend, let me show you where the donuts are and you can sit by me during the service, I always have an extra seat beside me. After the service, we can go grab a bite to eat and I have an amazing story about love and grace that you just have to hear!”

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to a little community in Michigan where I lived when I was a child.  My father was the pastor of a local church there and I have many fond memories of the time we spent there when I was eleven and twelve years old.  A quarter of a century has passed since I last was there, so when my travels this summer found me in that vicinity, I just had to stop and see how the old church and parsonage looked today.

As my family and I approached the city limits on the two-lane rural road, I felt my heart beginning to race with the anticipation of being reunited with my past and getting to see how much had changed, and how much was still the same.  On the right hand side of the main thoroughfare was the old “Shoney’s” restaurant where my family often went after church on Sunday nights with families from the congregation.  It was amazing to still see it there and it brought a smile to my face as I reminisced!  Built up all around it though were other stores and restaurants and gas stations that reflected how modernity has altered the town in my absence.  Things had really developed a lot in the last 25 years!

The church where my family served and the house we lived in were also on that main drag, so I knew we were getting close.  I remembered there being an old A&W Root Beer Drive-In directly across the street from the church, so I had my eyes peeled for that…just in case it was still there!  As it would turn out, the gas gauge in our car was nearing empty, so before we reached the part of town where I remembered the church being, I pulled into a service station and we filled up.  As I was pumping gas, I looked across the road and saw a street sign that read, “Sunset Avenue.”  I knew that is the street we lived on, right next door to the church, so I thought, “We must be closer to the church than I thought!  In fact, I should be able to see it from here!”  But, looking in every direction, I couldn’t see the church.  So, after we finished at the gas station, we drove across the street and turned onto Sunset Ave. and there, to my extreme bewilderment I discovered the affects that time had made on my childhood memories.  It all came into view in an instant, and as the present collided with the past in my mind, a wave of emotions flooded over me.

You see, I recognized immediately the house where we used to live.  It was still standing there, looking much as it did when we left there in 1982.  The white siding was still the same and the driveway that ran between it and the church was still there, just as I remembered it.  But, the house was no longer standing next to a church.  There where the Tecumseh, Michigan “First Church of the Nazarene” used to stand was a “Coldwell Real Estate” firm.  The church was no longer a church.  It had been converted into a business.  The front of the building that faced the main road was altered so much that I didn’t even recognize it when I was pumping gas right across the street!  The foyer to the church had been totally changed to create the entrance to the new business.  Large trees completely camouflaged the entire building out front to where you couldn’t even see what used to be the church.  Only the rear of the church looked the same, and it was only when I saw it right there next to the house I knew had been our home that I understood, the church was no longer the same.

For a moment I was sad.  It never occurred to me that the church would be gone.  This was a part of my family’s history, a testimony to the service we and many others had given to the Lord there, and seeing that our former place of worship was now a place of commerce was a bit jarring.  But, I was only sad for a moment, because that building is just that, a building.  Regardless of whether or not that collection of brick and mortar is still used as a gathering place for worship does not change the fact that I and my family are still THE church.

Ephesians 2:20-21 says, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.  And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”  You and I and every other follower of Jesus Christ comprise the dwelling place of God.  Joined together, we form the temple of God, a temple that has Jesus as its Cornerstone.

Though time has the ability to invoke change on earthly dwellings, it has no power over the eternal residence of God within us.  We who are members of God’s family can rest assured that as God’s Spirit abides in us, time will never prevail upon us as God’s holy temple.  God’s true dwelling is eternal, timeless, ageless, forever!

We need not get too attached to the walls that make up our houses our our churches or schools, etc., because they are just temporary fortifications.  They are made with human hands and therefore will all pass away.  But, as we who are the dwelling place of Almighty God set our sights on heaven, our eternal destiny, we can be certain that moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal that which God has ordained to last for eternity.  (Matthew 6:19-21)

God’s eternal dwelling is standing rock solid on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ and the salvation He delivered to the world through His death and resurrection.  Nothing in the universe can imperil that foundation and as Jesus lives and breathes in each one of us as His children, we too, can never be shaken from the moorings we have as His holy temple.  You, as God’s child, are the dwelling place of God, His temple, His bride, THE CHURCH, and nothing will ever change that!  Be encouraged today in that knowledge and in the understanding that you don’t have to go somewhere special to be with God; He is there with you now, right where you are, because your heart is His home!

application

The next time you drive by a construction site, thank the Lord for the reminder that though the scenery may change around you here on earth, His permanent, eternal dwelling place is with you.  Thank Him for allowing you to be a part of His church and ask Him to help you reach others who have yet to make their hearts His home.

Read through Ephesians 2:11-22

During the One Prayer series this summer, we at The Mount learned about what it might look like if, not only individual churches were unified to the singular purpose of reaching the world for Christ, but if the Church as a whole were unified for that purpose.

In this passage, we read from Paul that, indeed, Christ has already broken down the dividing line that separates people. Here, Paul is literally referring to the traditional division in biblical times between Gentiles and Jews. But in verse 21, Paul envisions the kind of church oneness referred to in the summer series.

If we allow him, Satan will put in front of us numerous points of possible contention, which may serve only to divide and drum up hostility. Some of them include: race, political affilation and differences in biblical doctrine.

But a church body fully devoted to emulating Christ, both personally and corporately, won’t fall prey to such designs, for our designer has set in motion a bright, multi-faceted world of people enveloped under his governance so that, regardless of international conflict, disease or personal strife, we have the assurance in knowing he is, not just the bringer of peace, but peace itself.

For he himself is our peace who has made the two (Jews and Gentiles) one, and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.

Ephesians 2:14-15

Thus, in the midst of personal trials or difficulties in relationships, we should pray, not that Christ would give us strength and peace, but that he would BE our strength and peace.

One of the most stark images of peace and tranquility in the midst of trials is found in Psalm 42, where David writes:

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

And in verse 5, we read:

Why are you so downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God

for I will yet praise him, my Savior, my God.

Throughout history, we find the God of the universe winnowing the good wheat from the bad, plucking out that which divides and raising up those who serve to unify his church. And when he returns, the entire world will know that the winnowing fork is, and always has been, in his hands. Ultimately, we will some day be fully one church, unified with him in Glory.

For now, take heart in knowing that, if you feel fractured inside, if your relationships are a mess or if you feel incomplete, Jesus seeks to make you whole. He can truly be your strength and your peace if you will let him work in you.

application

Read through the rest of Psalm 42 and praise him for the work he is about to do in your life.