The Royal Wedding Celebration That You are Invited To Attend

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was an impressive event. The pomp, ceremony, and grandeur was unequalled; certainly beyond the means of what the average bride and groom could ever expect. While millions of people were able to watch the Royal Wedding yesterday on television and on large screens, only a select few were important enough that they were able to personally attend the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey and enjoy the wedding party afterward.

The scriptures tell us that there will be a Royal wedding celebration someday that every believer in Christ will have the privilege of attending. This ceremony is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and will be grand and glorious beyond anything that humans could ever imagine; since it is being hosted by the Lord Himself. The Apostle John was given a glimpse of this celebration; Revelation 19: 6-9 describes it:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"—
   

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."


The invitation to the greatest celebration that will ever exist is open to you today, if you confess and believe in Christ.

Bible quote from the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible.

10 Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

1.       A public execution ensured His death. Jesus’ execution was witnessed by hundreds of people. There was no question that he died an agonizing death in the presence of those who condemned him, those who loved him, and at the hands of professional executioners.

2.       A high official secured the grave site. Joseph of Arimathea offered his own grave site for Jesus’ body. Joseph was one of Counsel of Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus to death.

3.       In spite of guards, the grave was found empty. Jesus’ grave was guarded by Roman Legionaries, professional soldiers of the time, who knew that to fail in their job as a guard was to die.

4.       His apostles were dramatically changed. Doubters, deniers, and apostles who were fearful of death became fearless proclaimers of the risen Christ, who were now willing to suffer and die.

5.       Many people claimed to have seen Him alive. The Apostles John and Paul indicate when they wrote their letters that many people still alive then had seen the risen Christ.

6.       Jewish believers changed their day of worship. The Friday evening/Saturday Sabbath was a foundation of Jewish culture. To set this practice aside to instead, worship on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, was no small thing.

7.       Witnesses were willing to die for their faith. People may die unknowingly for a lie, but no one dies for something they know is a lie. The Christians were willing to die for what they knew was true.

8.       Although it was unexpected, it was clearly predicted. Not only was Jesus’ death predicted by the Hebrew Prophets, but Jesus himself predicted his own death and resurrection in all four Gospel accounts.

9.       It was a fitting climax to a miraculous life. Not only was it a fitting climax for someone who, even according to non-Christian accounts, demonstrated miraculous powers and healings. It was also a fitting climax to someone who claimed to be the divine Son of God, was put to death for alleged blasphemy, and the resurrection is God’s affirmation of Jesus Christ’s status.

10.   It fits the experience of those who trust him. The resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead has transformed the lives of countless people, and is something we can experience today.

Bibliography:

Day of Discovery: 10 Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Christ video. 1992. RBC Ministries. Grand Rapids MI.

See His Love

On Good Friday, we remember what Jesus Christ did for us by dying on the cross for our sins. The video below reminds us what His love looks like.



Jesus Heals the Leper

Mark 1: 40-45: “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.  Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:  “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the Law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him. (NLT Bible)

Lepers were the outcasts of ancient society, forced to live away from the general population. They were regarded then as some people with AIDS are regarded today. Furthermore, the Jewish religious customs prevented lepers from even joining into community with others of the same faith.

Leprosy is a terrible disease. It attacks the central nervous system, destroying the nerve endings, and can cause severe disfigurement through skin lesions.  A cure for leprosy was unknown. Death was certain.

Sin is a lot like leprosy. It infects all people and is incurable. Our sin is the reason we are deteriorating. Our sin is also what is causing what is wrong in the world. The ugliness of our sin separates us from a holy and righteous God. As time goes on, we get worse and it eventually leads to our death. Like the leper, we are hopeless and helpless in our condition; we cannot heal ourselves.

The good news is that God has other plans for lepers and sinners. Jesus showed compassion towards the leper. Hearing his cry for help, Jesus unhesitatingly and without fear of religious or societal protocols, reached out and touched the leper, healing him.

God knows our sinful condition and has compassion for us as well. Though our morbid sinful state is repulsive in his sight, God has also reached out to us through Jesus. Instead of simply touching us with just his hand, our sin required that Jesus give himself up to be crucified on a cross, so that by the shedding of his blood, an atonement for our sin could be made. When Jesus declared from the cross “It is finished,” our sin dept was paid in full.

Not only does Jesus death on the cross make atonement for our sin, but Jesus resurrection from the dead proves that He has conquered death and hell. Jesus promised his believers that he was going to make a place for them in heaven.

The question for us today is: Like the leper, do we have the faith to come out from the shadows of our sinful state and the worry about what others may think, and boldly ask Jesus to heal us?

If you have faith that Jesus death paid the sacrifice for your sin, and you repent and believe, you can be healed of your sin like the leper was healed of leprosy. You can have a relationship with the Living God and have hope for the future in Eternity. Ask Jesus to heal you today.

Like the leper, it would not be surprising if you told others of your great joy in being healed. Please contact me if you would like to tell someone, or you have any questions or would like to discuss this Good News.

Dave

How to Know God

In this video, Greg Laurie explains how you can know God.

Read Greg's article entitled "How to Know You're A Christian" at the link below:

http://www.billygraham.org/articlepage.asp?articleid=6315

False Prophet?

Harold Camping is the president of Family Radio, who has a network of Christian radio stations around the country. About 17 years ago, Camping wrote a book entitled “1994?” in which Mr. Camping predicted that the second coming of Jesus would occur in 1994. Camping was unapologetic in this wrong prediction then, and afterward. Recently, Camping has been posting billboards around the country like the one shown above. Camping has also come out with several publications announcing the exact date of Jesus return is May 21, 2011.

In Matthew 24: 36-37, Jesus specifically tells us who is the only one that knows the day of his return:

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Camping is ignoring our Lord’s instruction in this matter. Camping joins a host of many previous prognosticators who have falsely predicted Jesus’ return (like the Jehovah’s Witnesses numerous times, and the Millerites in 1844, just to name a few). The Bible also warns us in various places that false teaching would come from within the church. Therefore, we are to especially be on our guard against any teaching that originates from within the church that does not agree with scripture. While most of the people and programs contained on Family Radio may be alright, it is clear that Mr. Camping’s teaching is not alright.

If Mr. Camping will not heed the Lord’s statement that we would not know the day nor hour of his return, I suspect that Camping will have to answer for the results of his false predictions to the Lord himself someday.

Dr. W. Robert Godfrey of Westminster Seminary in California has a more detailed series on Harold Camping’s personal history at the link below:

http://wscal.edu/blog/entry/the-end-of-the-world-according-to-harold-camping-part-1
http://wscal.edu/blog/entry/the-end-of-the-world-according-to-harold-camping-part-2
http://wscal.edu/blog/entry/harold-camping-and-the-end-of-the-word-part-3
http://wscal.edu/blog/entry/harold-camping-and-the-end-of-the-word-part-4
http://wscal.edu/blog/entry/harold-camping-and-the-end-of-the-word-part-5

Pray Without Ceasing

Ephesians 6:18: “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..”

After the Apostle Paul tells us that we can stand against Satan, and that God has given us Spiritual Armor to use in our fight against Satan, we are told to pray at all times and to keep alert. In my mind, prayer is the trump card we have in our spiritual arsenal against Satan. Maybe Paul didn’t have a military analogy in mind regarding prayer, but I think there is a modern day one: the air strike. The modern air strike is probably the most potent weapon of modern warfare. As I am writing this, our country has Special Forces troops in the nations of Libya and Afghanistan, who are acting as forward air controllers, spotting targets of the enemy, and calling in air strikes to destroy the targets. Prayer is our ultimate spiritual airstrike, to call upon the power of God to intervene for us in ways we cannot imagine. The difference between a real airstrike and prayer is that an airstrike can only hit one target at a time. God is infinite and our prayers are far reaching without boundaries.

Spiritual Armor Part 2

Ephesians 6: 14-17: “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”

God equips believers to stand against Satan and his schemes. We already looked at the Belt of Truth, the Body Armor of Righteousness, and the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. The remaining pieces of our armor are:

The Shield of Faith. Roman shields were designed to protect the entire side of Roman Legionary while he wielded a sword in the right hand. The shield was large and square, and designed so that when other Legionaries were fighting in a tight formation, the shields could interlock and form an impenetrable barrier, protecting the whole group. The Shield of Faith protects the believer in the same way as the Legionary. Our faith in Christ helps us defend against the enemy’s attacks. Dropping the shield exposes one to attack. Don’t drop the shield (as I have done, getting wounded in the process).  Also, when we are standing with other believers together in a community of faith, we are much like the Legionaries in the photo below, who have locked their shields together in an all around defensive formation called a Testudo.

Helmet of Salvation. The helmet protects the head from a fatal blow. Our assurance of salvation in Christ protects us from the attacks of the enemy, who may try to go right for the head. With the assurance of salvation, we have the ability to face into death itself.

Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Roman Legionaries wouldn’t just stand in place behind their shield and armor. When the enemy got close enough to strike, the Legionary was always waiting to strike a fatal blow of his own, with his short, swift sword. The believer’s sword and offensive weapon is God’s Word, the Scriptures. We use it to strike against Satan and his lies and attacks, just as Jesus used scripture against Satan in the wilderness.  As my pastor says, don't be a "Sword Collector;" use and understand the Word of God.

Spiritual Armor Part 1

Ephesians 6: 13-15 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God,  that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

Paul describes the different pieces of the armor that believers are to put on. While writing this letter, Paul was in a Roman prison and was well acquainted with the Roman Legionary Soldier, who were the best trained fighters of the time. Paul may have had the armor of a Legionary in mind when he was describing the spiritual armor believers should wear.

Below is a picture of a Roman Legionary, just to give a visual to what Paul was familiar with:

The pieces of the armor believers should wear are:

The Belt of Truth. A belt is what holds everything together. Truth corresponds with doctrine, Biblical doctrine found in the Word of God. We can resist the devil when we guard truth in our hearts and do not capitulate to this age where truth is relative. If we compromise on the truth, everything falls apart.

Body Armor (or Breastplate) of Righteousness. Roman body armor could be chainmail clothing, segmented pieces of overlapping steel or thick leather, or a breastplate made in a single large piece of metal which formed itself around the chest. This kind of body armor was designed to protect the heart, lungs, and chest from a fatal wound. Satan attacks our hearts, our emotions, and trust. Righteousness is God’s holiness, imputed to believers through Jesus’ death on the cross. Understanding our position in Christ as believers, standing for righteousness and resisting sin prevents a fatal wound.

Shoes of the Peace of the Gospel. Shoes allowed one to move faster and minimize the chance of wounding the feet in rough ground. Believers should put on their spiritual “shoes,” and be prepared to go where they are needed to share the Gospel of Peace. Sharing the Gospel not only fulfills the Lord's command in the Great Commission, but strengthens us spiritually as we are reminded of the Gospel that saves us.

Standing Firm

My pastor has been preaching in Ephesians the last few months. Last week and this week, he is preaching on Ephesians 6:10-19, where Paul tells believers that we are in a war, a spiritual war against Satan and his minions. I will be posting some thoughts on these verses, which are some of my favorite. There is a military theme in these verses which is applicable to our struggle against Satan.

Ephesians 6:11-14a states: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore……”

The emphasis here is standing firm, which the Apostle Paul repeats several times. This requires facing the enemy and standing firm without wavering against their attack. In warfare, if the soldier turns away or flees in the face of the enemy, the flanks are exposed and the enemy can strike where the soldier is not protected. Standing firm in the face of the attack obliges the enemy to attack the soldier at their strongest point. In ancient warfare (of which the Apostle Paul was familiar), two armies that were locked in combat suffered relatively few casualties until one side wavered and no longer stood firm. Their opponent would then have the initiative and begin to inflict huge casualties, which resulted in the lopsided victories that are reported in ancient battles.

Like a soldier, standing firm is what we are to do against Satan and his schemes. Below is a great film clip that shows vastly outnumbered soldiers standing firm against their determined enemies, taken from one of my favorite war movies: Zulu.