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Over the years, I have officiated at more than a few weddings. A big part of weddings is family gathering together. It is one of the times when a large number of people related to each other will gather for a happy event, a celebration. Many times at such events I will hear someone say, “We should get together more often.”

I remember one wedding I attended over twenty years ago. Both the bride and the groom came from large families. Throughout the service and the reception, family was mentioned quite a bit. The bride was welcomed into the groom’s family and the groom was welcomed into the bride’s family. They talked about being part of the same family.

As I considered all of this, I was thinking about how a person becomes part of a family. The natural way is to be born into a family. But how do you become part of a family if you were not born into it? There are two ways: you marry into the family, or you are adopted into the family. And it hit me: the Bible uses both of those images to speak of how we become part of God’s family. We marry into it, since the church is called the bride of Christ. And we are adopted into it, God graciously choosing us to be His own.

Due to the problem of sin, we are not rightfully a part of God’s family. In fact, the Bible tells us that we are by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). But God wanted to get us into His family where we belong, so He did everything necessary to make that happen. He promised to do it and He kept that promise.

Romans 9:8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Galatians 3:7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

1 John 3:1-2 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Ephesians 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

The Father promised to make us His children and did it by sending His only begotten Son to be the one to pay for sin and conquer death. When we hear and believe His promise, we get the benefit of everything Jesus did. We have forgiveness. We have life now and forever. We have the certainty of God with us now and us with God forever.

What a great family. We should get together and celebrate more often.

Singing has always been part of my life. God blessed me with a strong, deep voice, and I love to sing. I don’t claim to be a great singer, but it is something I thoroughly enjoy. While I sometimes sing by myself, I prefer to do it with others. The blending of voices is sweet music to my ears.

Most of the singing I have done in my life has been to praise God. It is a natural part of my life as a follower of Jesus. We have so much for which to be grateful, especially the gift of salvation that Jesus earned for us, so we want to offer our thanks and praise to Him. We should praise God with our entire being, and singing is a big part of that praise. Scripture speaks of it often.

A while back I compiled a collection of Scripture passages that encourage us to praise God with singing. It doesn’t matter if it is a brand new song or an ancient hymn. Use your voices to sing God’s praise. Take some time today to read through these passages.

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.

1 Samuel 18:6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.

1 Chronicles 15:16  David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

Psalm 33:1-3 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 149:1 Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Ephesians 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

James 5:13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

Revelation 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

It doesn’t matter who does the singing. When it reaches God’s ears, all He hears is our praise. Sing to the Lord!

Psalm 13:6 I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

My mom’s dear friend Lois died this past week. They were both widowed and each other’s companion for many years. I know this is a difficult time for mom and the family of her friend. But they do not grieve as those who have no hope. Lois was a fellow believer, a follower of Jesus, one who knew that Jesus lived and died and rose for her. We have confidence that she has received the crown of life that Jesus won for her. But it still hurts.

I was thinking about that, I read Psalm 118.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

There is a lot of hope and comfort in there. I’d like to highlight a few of the promises we have from God in this psalm.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

Fear is natural when we think about death, when we think about life going on without a loved one with us any longer. It will be different. There will be tears. It will be lonely. But there will also be smiles and laughter as we remember. And even though that loved one is gone, God is not. He remains. He is constant. He is with us every step of the way, no matter what. To the very end of the age.

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation

We need strength in our lives. There are so many things going wrong all the time. There is always some “wrong” that causes stress and demands our attention. That is why you need to draw on the strength of the one who said He would never leave you or forsake you. You don’t have the power to face the problems that come your way. But God does, and He makes it available to you. That is why we sing His praises. eHe

God became your salvation by keeping His promise. He said He would provide the solution to our sin, our separation from Him, and He did that by coming down here Himself. When Jesus was born of Mary as one of us, He came for the expressed purpose of saving. He would live without sinning and offer His life of perfection on the altar of the cross as payment for the sins of the world. He declared His work accomplished as He died by proclaiming “It is finished.” He died and was buried. But wait, there’s more. He rose from death on the third day to share His victory over death with everyone who believes in Him. He has become our salvation.

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

Every believer needs this confidence: I will not die but live! That is what Jesus did for the world. That means He did it for each of you. And that is too good to keep to yourself. We need to tell others what the Lord has done.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is true even when someone dies. The message of Easter does not change. Because He lives, we will live also. And this confidence we have in Jesus allows us to acknowledge that He is always in control, He is always with us, and He will one day welcome us into His presence in heaven.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Numbers 6:22-27 The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, `This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ` “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ‘ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

You have heard these words hundreds if not thousands of times, most often in the context of the end of the worship service. Many of you look forward to hearing those words so you can go eat lunch or get home in time for the kickoff. Let’s think about the significance of this blessing, hopefully strengthening the impact these words have on you each time you hear them.

A phrase that catches my attention when I study this passage is So they will put my name on the Israelites. That is something we normally associate with baptism. God’s name is put on you when you are baptized, and each worship services begin with a reminder of those words: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But according to this passage, the blessing that Aaron and his sons are to speak is another way of putting God’s name on you. So each week we begin and end worship putting God’s name on those assembled. It is a reminder of who you are.

And think about that name. When you think about God, you usually think of Him as God, or you may think in terms of Father, Son and Spirit. In the Old Testament, He told Moses He had a name, I AM, a name that is usually translated in English as LORD, as it appears in today’s passage. That name that was to be kept holy. The Jews revered that name so highly that they were afraid to say it aloud, lest they speak it carelessly and break the commandment that forbids speaking His name in vain. That attitude is vastly different from people today who rattle off “Oh my God!” time after time without ever thinking about what they just said.

That name that is to be kept holy is used in this passage three times. A three-fold reference in Hebrew was a common way of emphasizing your point. But I am convinced it was no accident that God referred to Himself three times. I believe He was giving man a glimpse of how He would reveal Himself to be Triune, three persons, one God, Father, Son and Spirit.

The LORD bless you: God’s Name is who He is. Since God is the only source of blessing, His Name placed upon you is an indication of blessing. The concept of bless has to do with giving you something good. A good and full life comes from the loving and faithful nature of our God, and there is no blessing apart from being in a relationship with the one true God. God is the one who gives life.

and keep you: The word used for keep means “watch over” or “exercise great care.” The LORD, who is the source of all life, will also preserve and take care of that life. His watchful and vigilant eye is on you. He is looking out for you and your best interests.

the LORD make his face shine upon you: A literal translation of make his face shine upon you could be “The Lord’s face light you up!” A shining face was a way of speaking about favor and good will. Divine protection is ours because God does not frown upon us, but let’s His light shine. God was recognized as being the source of all light throughout the Old Testament, as in this passage from Isaiah: The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light. (Isaiah 60:19)

and be gracious to you: God’s grace is His choosing to be kind to people who don’t deserve it. God’s grace led Him to allow Adam and Eve to live outside the Garden even though they were deserving of death. God’s grace spared Cain after he had killed his brother. God’s grace picked sinful Noah as the instrument to preserve His creation. His grace chose sinful Abraham to be the father of the chosen people. His grace chose sinful Paul, changing him from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the Good News. His grace to YOU led you to faith and gives you what Jesus earned for you so that you will not have to be punished eternally for you sins. His grace includes all other good things He gives, but it is primarily that He chooses undeserving sinners to be His people.

the LORD turn his face toward you: This part of the verse has been translated a number of different ways. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you or The LORD look upon you with favor. It is very similar to the previous verse. “Countenance” and “face” are synonyms, and the Hebrew word is the same in both verses. The most literal translation here would be “The LORD lift up His face to you.” This would be the opposite of turning His face away from you and rejecting you. Instead, the LORD accepts you, He looks upon you with favor. Another way to think of this is that God is smiling on you.

and give you peace: God puts His peace on you. The word for peace is SHALOM, which does not mean peace as in the absence of war, but inner peace. It is speaking of the tranquillity that comes from being in a proper relationship with God, the one who places His name upon you.

May you take to heart the tremendous blessing you have each time you hear these words, each time His name is put on you.

One more story from our recent trip to Virginia. One day we took a day trip to our nation’s capital to see the Museum of the Bible. The couple traveling with us, Larry and Sally Krueger, are friends with the Chief Curatorial Officer of that Museum, Jeffrey Kloha. I knew who he was but had never met him. He agreed to meet us and spent over an hour giving us a personal tour. He took us through the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel exhibit, and then took us to the fourth floor, the History of the Bible, a display of everything from ancient to modern texts and a plethora of things in between. He pointed out things we would never have noticed on our own. It was very informative. After he left us, we spent a few more hours wandering around on our own, which was not enough time to take it all in.  www.museumofthebible.org

However, this being only the second time I was in D.C. (the last time was more than 50 years ago), we wanted to see other things, too. We walked to the National Mall, saw the Capitol and the White House from a distance, walked to the WWII and Korean War memorials. We also walked to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. The memorials to these leaders were special to me because all of these men were people who shared Scriptural truth as part of their message. Much of that was pointed out at the Museum of the Bible earlier in the day. Some of it was etched in stone at their memorials.

I know each of those men were sinners like me. I know there are arguments about their beliefs and their actions. But listen to how they used their platform to share the truth of God’s Word.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”  George Washington

“You do well to wish to learn … above all, the religion of Jesus Christ [in our schools].” George Washington

“I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better husbands, and better fathers.”  Thomas Jefferson

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”  Abraham Lincoln

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”  Abraham Lincoln

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.

I pray that our nation will continue to be a place where we can freely share the message of the Savior of the world. People seem to be getting further away from the values and truth of God’s Word. They all need to hear about and be shown the love of God in Christ, which rescues from sin and death and the devil. Pray for this to happen in our nation and throughout the world. And be an instrument of God to make it happen.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(LSB575, first stanza)

Do you know where you stand? Hopefully, you agree with the hymn verse above: On Christ, the solid rock I stand! The only reason we can be sure and certain of standing is because we are based on the solid foundation of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Unfortunately, too many people base their confidence on themselves and their own abilities. In Barna Trends 2017, people were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: The best way to find yourself is by looking in yourself. 91 % of US Adults agreed with that statement.  But what about Christians? How did they respond. 76% of practicing Christians agree. This is a problem. Inward reflection can be useful, but it will not give you the answers you need in life. Those are found only in Christ.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

The answers we need are not found in us, but in Christ.

Romans 7:24–25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He has given us the help we need. He rescued us from sin and death and condemnation. By virtue of our confidence in Him, we have the assurance of forgiveness for all sins. That is why we can Stand firm: we stand on the rock solid foundation of  Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

We have had the message passed down to us by faithful witnesses. We need to continue to share that message with the world so that future generations will also hear, and by the Spirit’s power, come to faith in Jesus.

On a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia with some great friends, we spent an afternoon in Smithfield walking through their historic district, admiring the homes and looking through the shoppes. One shoppe was a Christmas store. It was filled with bows and Santas, trees and ornaments, plaques and a wide variety of other decorations. It even had sections for Autumn and Halloween decorations. When I got to the very back of the store, tucked away in one tiny corner, I finally discovered a few nativity scenes and wise men and angels. My guess would be that less than 5% of the items in that store had anything to do with why we have Christmas to begin with.

That seems to be the reality in today’s world. Any day now you will start to see (if you haven’t already) the Christmas decorations in the big box stores, grocery stores, gas stations and other places of business. While it is easy to bemoan the marketing of what the world has come to identify as Christmas, I want to challenge you to something else this year. As the world tries to reidentify Christmas as something other than what it is, don’t let that be the reality in your life. As you see the lights and trees and decorations and wrapping paper and lights, let those be your reminder of why we have Christmas in the first place.

Luke 2:8-14 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

This announcement was world shaking. The one born that day was the Promised Messiah. He would fulfill God’s promise to redeem not just the chosen nation of Israel, but everyone. The good news was for “all the people.”  And it was not just a baby boy, but Christ (Messiah) the LORD.  God Himself took on flesh to be our Savior. He would live without sin and then pay for our sin. He would die bearing our punishment. And He would rise in victory to give us entry into life with Him now and life with Him forever.

That is what I’m going to try to remember each time I see a Christmas decoration this year. That is the message I will try to share with others as they speak to me about Christmas decorations. I invite you to do the same. The world needs to be pointed to Jesus, now more than ever.

Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.     Selah    God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the  nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

Why is it that some things are perfectly acceptable for us to do as Christians, as long as we don’t do them in church? That could open up a pretty big can of worms, couldn’t it? We could talk about any number of things here, but let me narrow it down for you a bit. What I want you to think about today is something mentioned at the beginning of the Psalm: Clapping!

Like many of you, I was raised in a congregation that taught us it was not proper to clap in church. I remember being told that “applause” was not appropriate because it was praising people rather than God. I will admit I sometimes still feel a little twinge when there is applause in worship – and I know some of you feel more strongly than that.

But is clapping inappropriate for worship? Not according to Scripture. Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. It is altogether appropriate for us to clap for God. In retirement I have visited over 50 different congregations. In most of those, including those with traditional worship, applause is a regular occurrence. When someone sings an anthem praising God, why not show our approval and agreement with their message by applauding. We have so many reasons to cheer for our God. Let’s think about some of them in today’s Psalm.

He has conquered our enemies. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. Originally, that meant victory over their national enemies. For us, those words from the psalmist mean victory over our enemies, the powers of darkness, death and hell, victory over every evil power that attacks us from birth to burial. We have this victory through Jesus Christ! When He breathed His last He declared “It is finished! I have won! I have defeated and overthrown Satan, sin, sorrow, death, hell and the grave. And to prove it, I will rise from my tomb on the third day.” And he did! So now the victory is ours. All appearances and evidence to the contrary, all sick, sad, suffering, lifeless, confined bodies to the contrary, the victory is ours. In Jesus Christ we have won! And that’s why God deserves a round of applause.

Second, we clap our hands because Christ has gone up with a shout. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. He ascended from the grave, but He also went up on that Ascension Thursday to the right hand of the Father. From that position of power and authority the Ascended Lord is doing three things for you.

1. He is preparing a place for you. From there he is also preparing you and your heart to enter the joy of your heavenly home. Everything that happens to you, the joys and the sorrows, the glad and the sad, is a part of the Christ-controlled, Christ-guided preparation for you to join Jesus in heaven.
2. The ascended Christ prays for you. He does what some of us so seldom, so irregularly do for others and for ourselves–he prays for us and for them. He prays for your welfare and courage and commitment and blessing and faith and hope and love and faithfulness. How could the Father ever ignore or refuse such prayers, when he looks at the nail scars in the Savior’s praying hands?
3. Jesus rules for you. That is the central thought and theme of the 47th Psalm. The One who has gone up is the king of the universe. What comfort and hope that gives, to know that things are not as they appear and seem with us and our world, to know and believe that cancer and war and violence and hate and sorrow and death are not in control. They do not rule. Jesus does. Our crucified, risen, ascended Lamb sits on the throne. He rules, bringing joy out of sorrow, good out of evil, victory out of defeat, life out of death. He rules, bringing us through the chaos and calamities of the present to an eternal future of peace, joy and love. And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

The Psalmist reminds us that He sits on His throne, in peace and calm and quiet and majesty. It’s all under control, folks, our world, our destinies, your life and mine. Christ rules. Christ guides. Christ governs. Christ bring us and our world at last to the divinely intended goal and fulfillment. Then the present nonsense will make sense, the mysteries will be solved, the plan will become clear, the joy will be made complete, perfect and eternal.  Because of this, God deserves our applause.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure can be found at the link below.

https://www.revmattil.org/footsteps-of-paul/

If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

We see division in our lives every day. It may be loyalty to one sports team vs. another. It may be pride in the state or nation in which you live that looks down on others. It shows up in political affiliations. It is a reality in belief systems. Division is part of the sinful, fallen world in which we live. Not just in our society, but everywhere in the world. And the God of creation is aware of the situation. In fact, you can even say He is the cause of division.

Luke 12:49–53  “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus came to bring division? That doesn’t sound right, does it? Didn’t He have the attitude of “Can’t we all just get along?” Wasn’t His birth supposed to bring peace to the world? Was Jesus really advocating divisiveness?

Yes and no. God certainly wants unity. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). But He also knew that not everyone would believe in Him and His plan of salvation for the whole world. Jesus said He would bring fire to the earth, hearkening back to the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says: “Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Fire is the work of the Law, to expose, judge and punish the sin and transgression that separates people from each other. Part of the message Jesus came to proclaim to fallen mankind was the Law. But He also came as the very embodiment of the Gospel promises. Bearing the sin of everyone on the cross, he was consumed by the fire of the Law in our place, giving us a clean slate. That is why He could say, “How I wish it were already kindled.” He wants the suffering to be done and the rescue to be complete!

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  

Jesus knew that to accomplish the world’s salvation, He must proclaim the Law so that we can understand just how bad things are without Him. Then He would fulfill the Law for everyone with His perfect life. He was and is the only one who can save and rescue us from our deserved punishment. He did that by taking our place in punishment so that we could be forgiven. He wants you to put your faith in Him.

Yet there is the division. It is difficult to think of the one we know as the Prince of Peace saying: Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. We are divided by faith. Either you believe that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself or you don’t. And that has eternal consequences. Jesus spoke of the division that would take place on the Last Day, when His judgment would be announced.

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  

This is what will happen to those who do not believe that He is God’s Son and the Savior of all.

There was a similar dividing in the Old Testament at Mt. Sinai when Moses came down and found God’s people worshipping a Golden Calf. There was a division so that not all of them would be destroyed by God’s fire. Moses called the faithful to repent and return to the Lord. Some did. Others did not and suffered the consequences (Exodus 32).

God wants everyone to be saved. Those of us who have been led to faith know that. He is still calling those who do not believe to come and do so. And that is why we need to share the Good News of Jesus with those who have not yet believed.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure can be found at the link below.

https://www.revmattil.org/footsteps-of-paul/

If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.