Good Morning Friends,
All Christian believers are to submit to one another…much like the church submitting to Christ. But there is a problem for there are many false teachers and even for those blessed to hear the Word, it takes much more character to submit to the will of God than most think. We are to build healthy relationships through mutual submission out of reverence for Christ in a world that has both dark and light, good and evil. But what if we are going in the wrong direction to avoid confrontation? If our world does not acknowledge the ongoing formation and hope of the oneness of Christ and believers….and the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in service to Christ’s love and purpose it is a bit pointless. So, given all we have gone through the last few years, Can You Hear The Groans Of Creation For The Kingdom Of God?
Scripture: He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Luke 13:18-21 (NRSV)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25 (NRSV)
Then all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the festival of booths.
Zechariah 14:16 (NRSV)
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:21-33 (NRSV)
Message: The Christian faith calls us to believe nothing that contradicts reason and yet it summons us to a reality beyond sight and beyond scientific proof. Regardless, if once experienced a current victory because of the grace of Christ’s gift, most believers would rather cling to it than all the proof the world might offer as an alternative. A lot has been written about the final victory in the coming of the kingdom and how we as Gentiles and Jews will be judged but honestly if not called to action in the coming of the Kingdom of God, we may well have followed a false teacher. Zechariah prophesied of a day when all Jews and Gentiles who have been saved would worship and feast together in Jerusalem. This has yet to happen but may be a closer reality than we currently think possible. One of the unique things about history is being able to look back and to see the moments and turning points in which, everything changed. We see it in the events of 9/11…of Hitler invading Poland and in the dropping of the Atomic Bomb and in the post pandemic and political process we now experience. And yet it is fascinating to see how some of the smallest, and seemingly unimportant events, at a certain moment in time, have had a bigger significance than anyone would have ever imagined. And some of these events, perhaps in times of worship and confession, also have a marked importance that ripples over into the Kingdom. Who would have thought that the unfortunate acts of Adam and Eve in the Garden would have such a ripple effect in a negative way? It was only a piece of fruit one might think but there was a lie in the tasting of it. Thankfully Christ is giving birth to a solution and to a hope in our very lives that also has a ripple effect that cancels out the curse. Here the seed of our existence must change, and we must avoid the lies of the world. The image of the thorns and the fruit must take on new meaning as we too change in the hope of the Apocalyptic Kingdom to come as well as the commonwealth of Israel joining with gentile believers with one voice. You see, on All Hallows Eve we must face our fears and the lies of the world we are told. For there is an internal and external history that plays out in turning points. We see it in the events in the garden and creation itself. Everything was fine until we as humans were tempted to be like God. Here a turning point happened with consequences of pain to follow. Even today we struggle with the stresses that come with life, like worries about making ends meet, or even our own futures. And the effect expanded for as Adam and Eve fell, so did creation, whether it deserved to or not. Because of this sin, creation has come under God’s judgment too. It is no longer able to fulfill God’s purposes. Instead of producing fruit and flowers, it produces thorns and thistles. It longs for the completion of our redemption at the last day so that it too will be renewed, restored, and free. Paul says it is like the whole of creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth. And not only the creation groans, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly too as we wait eagerly for the resolution. With creation, we long for that final day when Jesus will make all things new. We long for the completion of our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Fortunately, Paul is a man who knows his history, and he points to a second turning point in the history of the world…the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this event in Jesus Christ, the Creator came to reclaim and restore His entire creation. On the cross, Jesus bore our sin and its curse. At the tomb, His victory is announced, and His resurrection signals that creation itself will also be made new. As people who live in this hope, we enjoy the blessings and effects of that turning point that happened at Jesus’ cross and tomb. We are saved and are at peace with God now, but unfortunately, we will still have to wait for the completion of that salvation at the last day. We will have to endure the difficulties of living in a sinful and fallen world. We will have to face our fears. However, we have God’s Spirit that helps us endure this waiting and these circumstances little bit by little bit. Indeed, the first beginnings of the work of grace in a sinner are generally exceedingly small. It is like the mixture of leaven with a lump of dough. A single sentence in a devotional, or a single verse of Holy Scripture…a small thing such as an act of kindness. Here in these nudges of our conscience the leaven of grace begins to work in our hearts to create in us something new. Here the power of God’s kingdom comes alive from within.
And So, God overcomes evil with good, and we too are to fight this same way for the Kingdom. In today’s scripture from Romans Paul contrasts our life in this world with our hope to live eternally in the next. We think it is about faith in the sweet by and by but there is something we have to do now to fight the weight of physical, moral, and spiritual evil. And we groan in the process. The goal here is not to be impassive but find Jesus and with the gift of the Holy Spirit overcome the noises associated with earthquakes, raging fires and floods, but also the moans of the hungry, the victims of war and other violence. We are to be of one voice in response to the least of the world’s people and provide outreach to those persecuted including Jews. So, don’t be a goat. Reduce the moaning of others in this life in anticipation of Christ’s rule and a time when there will be no more moaning.
Pray for a tipping point in people so that they might not just experience the love of God but also be deployed for a heavenly purpose. Pray we do not overemphasize prosperity as a form of personal salvation. Pray we do not have a poison like view of an exaggerated grace that lets us believe there are no ultimate consequences. Pray we do not challenge the authority of Christ…the Word made flesh. Pray we do not reject the signs of the Kingdom. Pray we submit to God our all in Christian love. Pray we get clear about getting clean…. searching, obeying, applying, and pursuing God in love. Pray the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words when the loving gets tough. Pray we realize that Jesus was the first born of a new creation and that we must wait for the Spirit who helps us to endure suffering in our own rebirth. Pray we realize that we were always intended to be used for a purpose by God. Pray with thanks that God in all wisdom has already foreseen what would transpire and laid plans for a wonderful solution through His Son Jesus Christ, not just for us but for all of creation. Pray we too submit to a process of planting and seeding. Pray we realize that small things can make a big impact. Pray we have faith even though we cannot see what is happening. Pray we realize that God’s creation is waiting to birth in us the hope of something new if we are willing to suffer through the solution God has purposed for us from the beginning. Pray we believe and not lose hope. Pray we realize that sanctification is a lifelong process. Pray we trust enough and believe enough to keep reforming and keep serving.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 