Picture
of fear and terror in the life of Felix the paranoid cat
beloved?
safe? terrified?
biblical
tension
law
gospel
saint
sinner
have
nothing have everything
joy
sorrow
Here
in Revelation 7 we have saints who have come from the great
tribulation. They are people a lot like you and me. They are people a
lot like the people whose funerals I’ve conducted this year. In
fact, I guess those people are here in Revelation 7. Marlan Bruens,
Marian Harms, Don Theesfeld, Lafe Milar, Marylyn St. Germain.
Whenever I do something like that I’m always afraid I missed
someone. I hope I didn’t.
These
people, all who have died in Christ, have come out of the great
tribulation. That’s another piece of biblical tension.
We’re
in the tribulation.
time
of suffering
time
when people are killed for their faith
time
when some people simply die in Christ
time
when people die apart from Christ, which is the truly terrible thing
in all of this
At
the same time the we see we are in a millennial period.
Christ
is ruling in his kingdom.
Sins
are forgiven.
The
Holy Spirit is saving people.
The
Church of God goes forth to destroy the works of the devil.
Counter
example - Left
Behind
series
- tries to draw a picture of a future time of tribulation, tries to
create a millennial reign of Christ but can’t work out the details.
We can talk about that in Bible class if we need to. It doesn’t
work. Throughout history the picture has been consistent. Jesus
reigns in the lives of all believers. We are in a millennium, a
thousand-year reign of peace, that time that is so big and wonderful
we can’t count it. We’re in that time. At the same time, we’re
in a world that is cursed by sin. We’re in a period of tribulation.
The seven years suggests completion. It is a time when we endure
hardship, even death, for the cause of Christ. We’re in both at
once. Don’t look at popular attempts at writing a Christian
thriller with a teaching point that says you have to believe well
enough. That’s man-centered, works salvation. The Bible never gives
us that.
We
look around ourselves. Just like the Bible pictures it, we’re
dying, one by one, day by day. And if the Lord waits for another
hundred years, there’s not a one of us who will be here.
surrounded
by tribulation
surrounded
by trials
tired
of wrestling
tired
of losing
tired
of loneliness
tired
of pain
What
will we do?
The
day is coming, it will be at a different time for different people,
when we are ushered out of this life, out of this life that’s full
of joy and full of pain, this life that’s at the same time in the
millennium and in the tribulation, into eternity.
For
those who trust that Jesus is their savior . . .
robes
of white washed in the blood of the lamb
we
have given our lives to Jesus
we
have given our lives for Jesus
we
have confessed our sin
he
has given us his righteousness
we
have given filthy rags
he
has cleansed us and clothed us for eternity
Unlike
the people who have to trust on how well they believe, we have true
good news.
Are
we scared sometimes? Discouraged sometimes? Yes. And no doubt, just
like the differences between Felix the cat and myself, we’re
bothered by different events. The way we view the world and our life
is different. But the troubles are just as real for Felix as they are
for me. The fear of ruin is just as great, maybe greater, for him,
than for me.
Do
we trust ourselves? If we do, we’d better run and hide somewhere.
Do
we trust Jesus? His perfect love casts out all fear.
Jesus
has accomplished salvation on our behalf. We trust on what he has
done, not on how well we believe. He has taken care of our salvation.
Trusting in him we will stand before his throne.
come
weak
come
weary
come
last, lost, least
Trust
that Jesus is your redeemer. Know that he will deliver you from your
tribulation. He will wipe every tear from your eye. He will present
you before his throne.
Jesus
has given himself - body and blood, life and all, for you.
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