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Tweets from Revelation 16

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In late May, I began 202 days of journaling through the 404 verses of the final book of the Bible, Revelation.  To go along with my personal study and preparation to preach through this book in 2013, I’m trying to tweet something from every verse.  Today I finished chapter 16.  Here’s a compilation of my tweets followed by the reference.

Revelation 1 | Revelation 2 | Revelation 3 | Revelation 4 | Revelation 5 | Revelation 6 | Revelation 7 | Revelation 8 | Revelation 9 | Revelation 10 | Revelation 11 | Revelation 12 |Revelation 13 | Revelation 14 | Revelation 15

God’s wrath comes from a display of His holiness. (Revelation 16:1)
God’s wrath is surely coming on all those who refuse to rightly worship God. (Revelation 16:2)
Even creation will be subjected to God’s wrath. (Revelation 16:3)
God’s wrath, in the end, mimics the plagues on Egypt in the Exodus. (Revelation 16:4)
Angels dispensing God’s just wrath can’t help but praise Him. (Revelation 16:5)
Angels see how just and true God’s punishment of sin is. (Revelation 16:6)
Even an altar speaks that God’s ways are just and true. (Revelation 16:7)
God’s wrath affects people in horrendous ways. (Revelation 16:8)
Sad truth: even under God’s judgment, sinners refuse to turn to God. (Revelation 16:9)
God’s wrath will also be on all evil forces who oppose Him. (Revelation 16:10)
Rather than repenting, sinners choose to blame God for their lives. (Revelation 16:11)
God’s wrath prepares for final judgement in the end. (Revelation 16:12)
All the forces of evil together unite to oppose God. (Revelation 16:13)
These evil forces even deceive people into thinking that opposing God is good and wise. (Revelation 16:14)
God calls His people to WAKE UP and be prepared to endure until the end. (Revelation 16:15)
God is preparing for a final victory over evil. (Revelation 16:16)
The final victory of God is sure and fixed. (Revelation 16:17)
A great earthquake points to God’s final judgment and victory. (Revelation 16:18)
God’s wrath will one day finally break the powers of evil fully. (Revelation 16:19)
And God’s breaking of evil will affect creation. (Revelation 16:20)
Again, people respond to God with cursing, not repentance. (Revelation 16:21)

Weekend Recap – God’s Mission

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We were privileged to have Matthew Ellison from 16:15 with us yesterday.  In the morning, he brought a great exposition of Matthew 28:16-20 entitled God’s Triumphant Mission.  He encouraged us with the truth that the Great Commission can’t be stopped.  Therefore, we should either, 1) join God in history’s greatest moment or 2) miss out.  We were encouraged, in light of God’s greatness and glory, to join in the spreading of God’s fame in the world.  All Nations Must Hear was his first point.  He spoke about the unfinished task and how God might be strategically positioning us as a people to advance the Gospel.  This work, is helped along by 2 promises: 1) All Authority Belongs To Christ and 2) ALL-ways Christ is with us.  In light of this, we were urged to respond.  It was a great morning in the Word.

In the evening, Matthew led our Elders, Missions Committee and other people in a discovery workshop to assess what we currently do as a church and how our current situation propels and ignites a vision for the future.  This was a time-consuming night, but very fruitful.

All in all, we enjoyed a great Lord’s day.  I hope you did as well.

Leadership Email: RGIII, Managing Self and the Leader

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Here’s my email to leaders in Reno County from Monday, 10/8/12:

I was searching for some inspiration this morning on how to best encourage all the fabulous leaders in Reno County and was mindlessly hearing SportsCenter recap the NFL happenings (specifically the Washington Redskins game), when I heard it: “For RGIII to be the leader he needs to be on the field, he’s going to have to learn to manage himself better.”  Oddly familiar isn’t it?  There are many things that are consistently on our minds as leaders.  One of the core leadership principles is that “It starts with you and must engage others.”  Further, in the leadership competencies we have this idea of managing self.  Now, sure, we would expect that a highly touted quarterback making millions would need to manage himself to best serve the organization.  For him, this means knowing when to put down his head and plow into a cornerback or when to hand the ball off or throw it away.  But, our leadership opportunities are just as serious and vital to our progress in this community.

If we really believe that leadership is an activity in which it starts with us and must engage others, then being aware of ourselves, managing ourselves, will indeed have ramifications in our leadership in this community.  Let me remind you of some of the aspects of managing self:

  • Know your strengths, vulnerabilities and triggers
  • Know the story others tell about you
  • Choose among competing values
  • Get used to uncertainty and conflict
  • Experiment beyond your comfort zone
  • Take care of yourself

Managing self is important to our acts of leadership.  Today, then, just like an NFL quarterback, learn to manage yourself and see if we don’t make progress on this issues we care about so deeply.

Weekend Recap – Eternally Saving Savior

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My 10/7/12AM sermon, Eternal Jesus, Eternally Saving from Hebrews 13:7-12 is online.  The big point of the sermon was how we need to keep committed to the truth of the Gospel.  The Gospel of grace is a message that doesn’t change.  We must continually hold before us what God has done for us in Christ and it is through that truth that our hearts are strengthened.  We have a singular access to God in Christ.  And, Jesus’ work to save has changed us.  These truths were what we reveled in yesterday.

In the evening, we gathered for a church picnic.  Always a fun time of fellowship.

Hope you had a great Lord’s Day.

Weekend Preview – Committed To the Gospel

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This Sunday, Lord willing, I hope to dive into Hebrews 13:7-12.  We keep making our way closer and closer to the end of this great book.  And, this book is ending in an amazing way.

In Hebrews 13:1-3, we’ve seen that our love is to be towards other believers, towards strangers and towards the needy.

In Hebrews 13:4, we were reminded that God does care about what marriage is and desires to be honored in it.

In Hebrews 13:5-6, we saw that God is enough.  We should keep ourselves free from coveting and the allurements for “more” and find rest in God, who will never leave us or forsake us.  The content soul in God is able to confess from a heart of faith: The Lord is my Helper, I don’t have to be paralyzed by fear, and there’s nothing the world will throw at me that will change this.

In Hebrews 13:7-12, we are drawn back to the Gospel, that established these Hebrew Christians (13:7), is a message about an unchanging eternal Savior (13:8), is consistently challenged (13:9), is based on a singular access to God (13:10) and has the effect of changing all of those who believe its truth (13:11-12). This message calls for our commitment.  I hope you’ll be with us in worship to dive deep into these truths.

Your Marriage Needs The Gospel

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The Gospel Transforms Marriage.  I loved this post over at DG and as I’m working through some pre-martial sessions, I was confronted with these glorious truths again.  Here’s a quote of 9 ways the Gospel transforms marriage:

In their book, Love That Lasts, Gary and Betsy Ricucci list out nine ways that the gospel directly affects marriage (and so much more).

  1. Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, in our marriage, our past does not define us, confine us, or determine our future.
  2. Because of the gospel, we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). Therefore we can live free of all guilt and condemnation for every sin, and we can trust that God, in his mercy, will be gracious to us.
  3. Because of the gospel we can forgive, just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). Nothing done against us compares to our sin against God. Therefore all offenses, hostility, and bitterness between Christians can be completely forgiven and removed.
  4. Because of the gospel, we are accepted by God (Romans 15:7). Therefore we are not dependent on a spouse for who we are or what we need.
  5. Because of the gospel, sin’s ruling power over us is broken (Romans 6:6, 14). Therefore we can truly obey all that God calls us to do in our marriage, regardless of any circumstance or situation.
  6. Because of the gospel, we have access to God through Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Therefore we can at any time take any need in our marriage to the One who can do all things.
  7. Because of the gospel, we have hope (Romans 5:1-4). Therefore we can endure any marital difficulty, hardship, or suffering, with the assurance that God is working all to our greatest good (Romans 8:28).
  8. Because of the gospel, Christ dwells in us by his Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:13-14). Therefore we are confident that God is always with us and is always at work in our marriage, even when progress is imperceptible (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
  9. Because of the gospel, we have power to fight and overcome remaining sin , which continues to dwell and war within us (Romans 7:19-21, 24-25; Galatians 5:16-17). This indwelling enemy represents the essence of what is called the doctrine of sin.
Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Crossway, 2006), 22–23, numbering added.

Tweets from Revelation 15

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In late May, I began 202 days of journaling through the 404 verses of the final book of the Bible, Revelation.  To go along with my personal study and preparation to preach through this book in 2013, I’m trying to tweet something from every verse.  Today I finished chapter 15.  Here’s a compilation of my tweets followed by the reference.

Revelation 1 | Revelation 2 | Revelation 3 | Revelation 4 | Revelation 5 | Revelation 6 | Revelation 7 | Revelation 8 | Revelation 9 | Revelation 10 | Revelation 11 | Revelation 12 |Revelation 13 | Revelation 14

God sends a complete # of angels with a complete # of plagues to complete His wrath. (Revelation 15:1)
Tribulation and trials may come for a season, believer, but eternal praise will be your employment. (Revelation 15:2)
The song of Moses & the Lamb extols God as true King of all nations, marveling @ His great, amazing, just, true works. (Revelation 15:3)
God’s holiness demands fear…His righteous acts provoke worship from all. (Revelation 15:4)
In heaven, we can anticipate intimate fellowship with God Himself. (Revelation 15:5)
From God comes perfect wrath. (Revelation 15:6)
An eternal God dispatches agents of wrath to the world. (Revelation 15:7)
God’s unfolding wrath causes His eternal glories to shine all the more glorious. (Revelation 15:8)

God’s Word Is True…

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Every Word of God proves true; He is shield to those who take refuge in Him. (Proverbs 30:5)

We live in a day and age that is increasingly hostile to the truth claims of the Bible, which is some ways is to be expected.  A panel from SBTS was recently assembled to Revisit Inerrancy.  I hope you find this video helpful.  You can also download it.

Here’s the video:

I was also helped on this topic by a Piper sermon online: Thank God For An Inspired Bible.

Leadership Email – Diagnosing the Problem of Yourself…

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Here’s my weekly email to leaders in Reno County from October 1:

Greeting Fellow Leaders of Reno County and Happy October.

I love the resources provided from the Kansas Leadership Center.  I just opened my snail mail box on Friday to find a postcard from them entitled “Take Care of Yourself.”  I want to include its contents here for those of you who might not get the mailings.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
A resource for Managing Self created by Kansas Leadership Center alumni
“Leadership is risky.  You stand a better chance of succeeding when you’re at your best.”  This resource is designed to help you engage in civic leadership more effectively.  It is based on experiences shared by KLC alumni in a September 5, 2012 “On the Balcony” conference call, hosted by KLC President & CEO Ed O’Malley.
WHAT DOES TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF MEAN?
·         Recognizing when you need to take care of yourself.
·         Finding what balances you.  Personal projects, quiet time for self, physical activity.
·         Having kindness and compassion for yourself and the work you’re doing.
WHY IS TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF NECESSARY FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP?
·         When we neglect to take care of ourselves, we can’t bring our best selves to work.  If we can’t bring our best selves, we’re less likely able to engage in leadership effectively.
THREE WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF:
1.       Take quiet time for yourself: Prayer, reflection, meditation.
2.       Care for your physical needs: get enough sleep and exercise regularly.
3.       Ask for what you want or need.
WHY DON’T WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES MORE?
·         Competing values.  We choose to make managing work and family more important than taking care of ourselves.
·         It’s risky.  We fear job loss, income loss, and the perception that we’re selfish.
·         Caring for ourselves is not valued enough culturally.
WARNING SIGNS THAT INDICATE YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF:
·         You become restless, irritable and discontent.
·         You can no longer meet people where they are.
·         You start forgetting things.
·         You become physically sick.
·         You take things personally that were meant as constructive criticism.
I know I’ve bombarded you with a lot to think about here, but mull it over and consider how you might better take care of yourself and make progress as an effective leader.
Until next time…

Weekend Recap – Content in God

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My 9/30/12AM sermon, Contentment, from Hebrews 13:5-6 is now online.  The big idea of the sermon is that we should be content in God, our Helper, and flee the love of money, look to Him and be confident that He will provide for our needs.  The confession of a contented soul flows in v.6, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?”  As we rest in God’s promise to never leave or forsake us, we find our souls revived to rest in Him alone.  This is contentment.  The music for our morning pointed to this and to Christ’s finished work on the cross.  Is there a better way to boost contentment than to gather at the Lord’s table together and reflect on what God’s done for us in Christ?  This was our morning yesterday.  It was such a blessing to be a part of it.

In the evening, equally blessed were those who attended a time of corporate prayer for needs that are all around us.  Casting our cares on the Lord freed us from the burdens we came with.  It was truly a marvelous Lord’s Day.  I hope yours was filled with grace as well.