Coffee With The Lord

Every year, regardless of what has happened it seems, we greet one another with “Happy New Year” and celebrate with a certain sense of optimism, hope and best wishes. And the truth is, things may get better, and yet they may not – in fact they may get worse. Regardless of that, tomorrow night at midnight, we’ll wish one another, “Happy New Year!”

This morning though, for devoted followers of Jesus, I read about a “Happy New Year” that tops them all! It won’t simply be numbered or limited by a set number of days… It will last forever – eternal – it will never end! All things will be new! Everything will be right and supremely “good”! Here’s the reliable report about it from God Himself, in the Bible…

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘BEHOLD, I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW!’” (From Revelation 21:1–5 ESV… and you really need to read the entire description in Revelation 21:1 – 22:5!)

Think about it – every aspect of God’s promised, fabulous future for those who trust him, love Him and follow Him! Gonna be “par excellence”! That’s a New “Year” to top ‘em all! I’m looking forward to that one with great anticipation!

Some events we experience are glorious and wonderful… others are frightening – even disastrous! In my Bible reading today, I read the following in the book of Revelation about something wonderful that takes place at the end of time called “the first resurrection.” In the same chapter, however, it was contrasted with something terrible, called “the second death.”

Here’s what the Bible says about the two events…

“I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… THIS IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such THE SECOND DEATH has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years…

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it… And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (From Revelation 20:5-6 and 11-15)

Two events that will take place at the end of time… I jotted this in my Bible this morning after reading it… “I don’t know when ‘the first resurrection’ will happen, but I want to be a part of it! Though God’s grace and my trust in Christ Jesus as my Savior I believe I will be! The second event – ‘the second death’ – I want to avoid at all costs! I want to be sure that my name is clearly written in ‘the Book of Life!’ (cp. Revelation 13:8 and 21:7) And because I have trusted Jesus as my Savior I believe it is!”

Listen, I hope and pray you can claim that you’ll be a part of “the first resurrection” and that you name is clearly written in “the Book of Life!” Trusting Jesus to save you from your sin and give you eternal life is the key!

Sometimes circumstances and situations are significant enough – grave enough – that you can’t talk about what you’d like to…

It was like that for Jude when He wrote his little letter of concern to fellow Christians in the 1^st century…

He really wanted to write about the wonderful, salvation through Christ Jesus that Christians shared!  He desired to reflect on the abundant, freely provided, grace of God that brought salvation and every other blessing God freely provides to guilty sinners…

Grace… God’s grace; what is it anyway?  It’s God’s enablement provided in our weakness!  It’s God’s forgiveness and imparted righteousness in the face of our sinfulness!  It’s God’s ability replacing our inability.  It’s not only God giving us what we don’t deserve – It’s God freely giving us everything we need to please Him and do His will through Christ Jesus!

But he felt he had to address the distortion of God’s grace rampant in the Church and its evil collateral destructive impact!

He said, “although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints [those who had been saved from sin by God’s grace]… For certainly people have crept in… ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality [excusing immoral behavior in the name of ‘grace’] and denying our only Master the Lord, Jesus Christ [where all such distorted teaching ultimately leads]!” (From Jude 3-4)

It’s a tragic thing – a dangerous doctrine – a disgusting distortion, to turn the wonderful “grace of God” and turn it into an excuse for living in sin!  That is a situation that must be addressed and dealt with!  And the sad fact is, it’s a distortion of doctrine that is still rampant in “Christianity” today… Excusing sinful, immoral behavior in the name of “God’s grace!”  Jude’s warning is still relevant and needs to be heeded!  If this disgusting, destructive teaching is not addressed it will ultimately lead to the “denial of our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ!”

Although, at the close of this calendar year, it would be desirable to discuss only the positive aspects of God’s grace expressed in our salvation, a warning about the distortion of God’s grace in our time and culture is necessary!  May we never be guilty of distorting it!  Instead may we always be careful to defend and protect what “grace” really is!