With Whom Would You Like To Spend Eternity?
Good Morning Friends,
Jesus says that he will go and provide a place for us so where we are going to spend eternity is an important question but a much more relevant one is this: With Whom Would You Like To Spend Eternity?
Scripture: Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
John 10:11-18 (NRSV)
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NRSV)
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”
I Corinthians 2:9 (NRSV)
Message: Perhaps you have heard someone say that a group was or was not our kind of people. This kind of verbiage engenders both an exclusivity and strange sense of belonging and a bit of disgust all at the same time. Of course, there are sheep and goats. And for the chosen race, Israel, or those who mistakenly think they can be a substitute for them, who is in and who is out is important in this life. Ask any immigrant. But more important is what is happening now to form the nature of our life in the next…what is being done to form Holy History. Friends, there is a sea change going on that makes me concerned and hopeful. Sure, I trust God but I also trust, as history is my witness, that people can muck it up. Part of me realizes that eternity starts now but in the sweet bye and bye it may be just as jampacked with diversity as we can imagine. And yes, we may be surprised at who gets in. There is strength in diversity and a tension. But what makes us great now in this environment is not the political power or wealth or even the number of churches. It is something much simpler. It is whether we can love others. The inhabitants of Israel during Jesus’ day walking the earth had a similar problem identifying the means of salvation. They had the wrong idea. It was not so much about the place as the people and so they rejected Jesus for a false sense of power and control. Today’s message tackles this issue in a surprising way. We are invited to walk in the grace of God following the Shepherd for when Jesus leads that mean all kinds of people can be saved no matter where they live and what they eat. And so here change is evoked and the disenfranchised empowered and other communities engaged so the great commission can be realized throughout the world.
Pray we realize that Christ is our Shepherd King. Pray we become as sheep together. Pray we are not only smart sheep but also good sheep. Pray that we are ready when God puts opportunities before us. Pray that we live life beyond ourselves. Pray we lead as we dare to care for others not like ourselves. Pray that we have a heart for the lost sheep. Pray that we discover we are ministering to Christ when we respond to those in need with the dignity, intimacy and knowledge that we are serving…suffering with Christ himself. Pray we walk in grace and live in the love of Shepherd so that others might follow as well. Pray we do something about the love we have received. Pray we love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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