"They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
'Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your Name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.'" (Revelation 15:3, 4)
There was an older woman in our church service this past Sunday who lives right across the street from our building. She had never been in one of our meetings. She told one of our members that the shootings in the synagogue of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, so filled her with anxiety that she had to try to find some consolation. Think of that. Someone instinctively finding her way into a meeting of Followers of Jesus. I preached that morning and felt that the message was exactly what she needed. I know; sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't. Pray with me that she comes to Jesus and surrenders her life to Him.
Our text proclaims, "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!" Even after this past weekend? Yes. The Bible tells us that, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men." I am not going to attempt an "exegesis" of this verse, but there is a theological truth here. Jesus, "The Word of God," spoke, "In the beginning," and the Earth was created. He told Adam to take care of it. It is as though the Living Triune God said, "Here is is. What will you now do with it?"
History reveals how terribly we have failed. We failed because of disobedience. And when, "[Jesus] came to His own, but His own did not received Him," it was as though a further "plague" was released. Again, there is so much to say here perhaps, but my illustration which I have used many times of humanity in the large river of history, flowing in various currents, backwashes, and eddies, yet always guided and kept in the framework of the "banks" of that river, applies likewise to the tragedy of last weekend. Beware, those who "blame God." Beware, further, the statement, "God has everything under control." I come back to, "....but the earth He has given to the children of men." Man controlled last weekend; Jesus did not. It was man guiding his own little boat down that river of history, doing whatever he wished, "....but the earth He has given to the children of men."
Sorry for the length today, and perhaps opening a discussion which should be best conducted in a "seminar" environment. But I really pray we realize that you and I, and all of humanity have been entrusted with this life on this planet. What are we going to do with the time we have left? For the day is coming, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him...."
Father, in Jesus' Name, help my friend and me to understand what we are able to understand. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
