A Sharp Edge

 This week we begin worship with:

John 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

When spoken, these words were not readily received.  In fact, the whole passage was meant to be divisive, because Jesus was separating and sifting his disciples.

John 6:66

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Today we celebrate the Reformation, which likewise divided the church.

Luther's conversion came late one night reading:

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

That night, he came to understand what Christ had so divisively said "the flesh is no help at all".  It was the "righteousness of God" that was revealed in the Gospel and never our own.  Our righteous acts are never enough and it is by faith we put on the righteousness of Christ.

It is against this sharp edge of the Word of God that the church has been divided.

Deepest Thought

 This week we begin our worship with this foundation:

Hebrews 3:4

 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

It is a parenthetical statement that forms the foundation of the surrounding argument, where the writer of Hebrews is making the case that Jesus is greater than Moses.  

When building a house or an argument, there is nothing deeper than its foundation.  Let's find it . . .

Some attempt to use science to eliminate the builder.  While man cannot breed a new species, many place their hope on the process of reproduction and chance as the origin of all species.  But go deeper and you will see the need for a perfectly designed reproductive process used by all species that replicates their design.

Genesis 1:24

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

But to truly eliminate the builder, they must go deeper.  Their hope is built on the ultimate chaotic event, popularly called the "Big Bang", an explosive event so massive that its energy produced all matter in the universe following Einstein's famous formula E=mc2.

But go deeper and you will see the need for that small letter "c" in the formula.  It is the speed of light.

Genesis 1:3

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

There must be a builder.

It is our deepest thought.  It is the foundation.

Outside the gate

 Today we start worship with:

Hebrews 13:12

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.

There were five types of offerings and sacrifices in the Levitical system (Leviticus 1-7).  Three were designed for worship, one for restitution, and one for atonement.  Our verse this morning speaks of the later.

Unlike the others, in this sacrifice the body of the animal was not eaten or offered to God.  It was burned outside the camp.  Our Lord Jesus Christ was that sacrifice. 

The writer of Hebrews goes on to invite us to replace the other four sacrifices.

First vertically:

Hebrews 13:15

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Then horizontally:

Hebrews 13:16 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Let us do likewise this morning and all through the week. 

Wash, rinse, and repeat . . . daily.

 This morning we begin worship with:

Revelation 7:13-14

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation un-scrolls a celestial view of events.  It speaks of our historic events from a perspective not governed by our history.  Translators struggle, as do I, to speak of them together.  It suffices to say that John witnessed that celestial view and it is out of that great tribulation we will come.

Before the throne we will then be dressed for the occasion in white robes.  But notice please they were not always white.  They have to be made white.

Notice too, who must make them white and how.  Yes, we must wash them in the blood of the Lamb to make them white.

We often take too passive a role in our salvation.  For it is easy and yes proper to rest in the accomplished work of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  But this verse reminds us that it is a daily activity to apply His forgiveness.

Matthew 6:9-13

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.