“The Trumpet Sound” – Revelation 11:15

Revelation 11:15

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Have you ever been so sure of something that it was like it already happened?  I remember feeling this way when I played basketball and was losing by 50 points with 5 minutes left in the game.  Coach set us down and said, “Welp boys, we are going to lose, but you keep playing hard til the end.” Fantastic night!  Well, the verb tense in this text says the future event is so certain that it can be spoken as if it has already happened.

What is this event? It is the prophetic declaration that one day, a trumpet will sound and heaven will declare that the kingdom of the world is now the Kingdom of Christ. We know that God is sovereign over all creation, but this is a promise that Christ will physically take over the kingdom of the world. Jesus will literally be the President of the USA, King of England, Pope, and monarch of every country all at once.

The earth has crowned thousands of monarchs, 260 popes, hundreds of Imams, and billions of individual kings and queens.  But only Jesus is the rightful King.  The latter verses state that He will rule with power and with stability.  He will cleanse the world of sin. Jesus Christ is and will be the rightful King to rule in grace and justice forever. 

The cool thing is there will be no election, because Jesus purchased the crown with His blood and given the throne by God Himself.   

C. W. Boot once noted that there is a statue of Emperor Fredrick in Vienna, standing with arm uplifted, and at the tip of his extended fingers are the five vowels, being interpreted, “Austria will conquer the world.” Yet, on the hearts of every believer and in the pages of Scripture writes, “Jesus has conquered the world.”* 

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following question: 
  • Does the coming of Christ bring you comfort or anxiety? Why?  
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Pastor Stephen Williams




*The Biblical Illustrator, Commentary on Revelation, ed. Joseph Excell (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House), pg. 430. 

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“His Name Shall Be” – Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

In the midst of political uncertainty and unrest, we are blessed to be approaching the Christmas season, a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ over 2000 years ago and all that would transpire through His coming. 

We are reminded through Isaiah’s prophecy, uttered some 700 years prior to Jesus’ birth that God would give us a divine and perfect ruler, His son. He would come as a child but would take upon himself a rule without equal – a son, while also the Mighty God. Jesus has no need for a cabinet, his only counsel is the rest of the Godhead. His rule will be regarded as one of peace, stability and fatherly protection and guidance. The peace, love and Joy that the season contains is in the comforting fact that our God reigns! 

While using the HEAR method, dig into the meaning of each of Jesus’ titles given in this verse. 
Which of these titles speaks most to you? Answer in the comments below. 
Jesus is the King of Kings, but is the king of your life? Have you given your concession speech? 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond? 






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“The Best Made Plans” – Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25
 
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
 
There’s an old joke, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” This isn’t because we shouldn’t plan for the future. It’s because there’s only so much control that we have of it. We should be wise in planning ahead, setting goals and thinking of the future. But we should do so understanding that much of our plans will be left on the cutting room floor as unforeseen variables and events pop up to scramble our options.
 
Joseph had a plan, and it was a plan that followed the rules and honored God. But things went sideways when he found out that his bride was pregnant. To his credit, Joseph pivoted in a way that continued to honor God and would protect Mary, but that’s not the main story here. Until he was clued in by the angel, Joseph had no idea that God would turn this seemingly monumental disaster into something that would stun kings, delight children, inspire artists and change the way we reference history.
 
God’s ways are not our ways. His plans are profoundly greater than ours. We should make plans that honor Him, and be ready to give up those plans (while still trusting and honoring Him) when life knocks our blocks down. In Joseph’s case, God took the small but faithful plans of a carpenter and shifted them into the greatest story ever told!
 

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:

  • Are you a planner? Do you like to set goals and prepare for the future?
  • If so, how do you respond when your plans no longer fit the unforeseen changes in your day, week or year?
  • Can you think of a time when your plans were ruined but God redeemed the broken pieces into something even better?
  • Consider committing today to make plans but hold them loosely allowing God to have ultimate control of your future.

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you?
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond? 

Jon Price
 
 

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“The Spirituality of Margin”

When there’s a disparity between what we want to do for others and what we actually can, we’re looking at an issue of margin. We know that there’s need in our church, in our community and in our world. However, if we’re tapped out on our resources – our time, money and talents because we’ve been pushing the needle to the red, it might be time to re-evaluate and re-prioritize. 

Dr Richard Swenson, author of “Margin,” defines margin as “the space between our load and our limits. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.” 

In Christian terms, margin is the space where God has wiggle room to work in and through us. We’ve discussed what a blessing it is to be invited into the process as agents of God’s Kingdom. We get to carry the message and be the hands and feet of God! But if our hands are already full, and our schedules crammed to capacity, what can we do when we are shown an opportunity? It’s not enough to simply see the need. We are called to be a people of action, a people of change. We are called to be heroes, living distinctly different from those tied up with their own distractions and ambitions.  

In my favorite Pink Floyd song, David Gilmore writes: 

“On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand

“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away”

It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known…
 
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside

Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?” “On The Turning Away”

This season, let’s think of ways we can create margin in our lives, space to move when God shows us an opportunity. Let’s free up some of our resources so we can invest in others, and in the eternal. 

Jon Price

 

 

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“A Recipe for Thanksgiving” – 2 Corinthians 9:11

2 Corinthians 9:11

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”
 
I enjoy cooking at home. In fact, most of the time I prefer it to eating out. So I’m always looking up recipes to dishes I’m interested in making. And when I’m eating at a restaurant and try something that I’d like to make at home, it’s usually not long before I’m online comparing recipes for the perfect replication. Not all recipes are created equal so I typically look at reviews and compare ingredients. And just as in cuisine, there are recipes we can gather and implement to yield a full and savory life. So, what is the best recipe for thanksgiving?  
 
Let’s admit it. 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year in many ways. How are we supposed to be thankful during a time of fear, sickness, isolation, and political and cultural polarization? According to Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, the best recipe for thanksgiving is generosity – generosity that reflects God’s generosity towards us. When we recognize how much God has blessed us, and use that to bless others, we receive the added blessing of being part of His transforming grace. 
 
When we were down in Guatemala last week, each time we shared and prayed with families in their homes, our translators would hand us the bags of food to present to the families. They gave us the honor of blessing them. It was a tangible reminder that I was a part of something bigger than myself, a part of something that was giving others hope and joy and sustenance. I was being included in a generous process, that ultimately I had little to do with. And I was so grateful for the opportunity. 
 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following question:  
  • What are some ways that you can pass along the generosity that you’ve received? 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jon Price
 
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

 

 

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“Cornucopia” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

2 Corinthians 9:8

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
 
One of the most popular symbols of Thanksgiving is the cornucopia, the woven horn filled with food and flowers. The word translated from the latin, “horn of plenty” represents abundance, and from our earliest roots as a nation we have celebrated the plenty that we’ve been given by a great and generous God. It’s a holiday that brings people together and a time of pausing to appreciate all that we have.  
 
We know that everything we have is from God, and one the names we have for Him is “Jehovah Jireh” meaning “the Lord who provides.” As we see in the scripture above, God’s providence is described as abounding and sufficient. “Abound” means in excess, more than enough. And “sufficient” means that we have all that we need to accomplish what we’ve been called to do. And we are called to be God’s two-legged distribution centers for love and grace. 
 
As believers, we aren’t to worry about scarcity, but to give with peace and confidence knowing that like a magician with a never-ending scarf, God has the resources to take care of us as we take care of others. Consider these two quotes: 
 
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Solomon (Proverbs 11:24)
 
“God is able to provide for his people whatever it is they need in order to provide for others. Giving to others is simply what trusting in God’s promises looks like in a different dress.” S. J. Hafemann
 
We wish you and our entire Belmont community a Happy Thanksgiving. May you celebrate the bounty that God has blessed you with and in return, bless others as you live and love like Jesus. 
 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:  
  • What are some ways that God has been abundant in your life? Take a moment to list several. 
  • Has someone impacted your life because of their generosity? Share in the comments below how you were impacted. 
  • Would you be willing to take a one-month generosity experiment? Shift some things around in your time and finances to be more generous to others and to the Kingdom of God. Journal through the experience, noting the results of your willingness to be abundant in your abundance. 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jon Price

 
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