Jump Start # 2716

Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last’”

  Here we are in November and the pandemic continues on. I expect most of us thought by now that this would only be a bad memory that we’d like to forget. But, here it is. Still wearing masks. Still dealing with social distancing. So many things have been cancelled. Many are just tired of all this stuff. We are ready for a massive mask burning party.

But in other times, people may have felt the same about wars. When will it end? When will our boys be coming home? Yet, the war lingered on. And, when we run thin on patience, we tend to get snappy and short with each other.

All of this brings us to our verse today. John saw the Lord in a vision. The Lord displayed His glory and majesty. Remember, John had been with Jesus for three years. He’d walked with Jesus. He had eaten with Jesus. He saw the miracles. He heard the words. He was standing at the Cross when Jesus died. He saw the Lord resurrected. He saw the Lord ascend into Heaven. But that was years ago. More than sixty years have passed. John is old. He hasn’t seen Jesus in a long, long time. Now, in this divine vision, he sees the Lord again. John falls as a dead man, the text states. Then Jesus does two things.

He speaks and assures John. He tells John not to be afraid. He reminds John of who the Lord is. But, a second thing He does is touch John. “He placed His right hand on me.” It is remarkable how many times Jesus did things like this. Jesus took the hand of Jairus’ daughter who had just died. Life came back to her. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind. He touched the lepers. Jesus touched the coffin of the dead man heading  to the cemetery to be buried. The touch of Jesus’ hand.

There comes with a touch, compassion, warmth, and reassurance. We like handshakes, hugs and pats on the back. But in this season of “touchless” social distancing, how do we reaffirm our affection, devotion and compassion to one another? Some are doing fist bumps. Some are bumping elbows. Some ignore all warnings and hug anyway.

Here are a few ways to “touch” without touching:

• Send a personal note, email or text to someone.
• Call someone and have a great conversation with that person.
• Tell someone that you are saying their name to Heaven tonight.
• A simple gift or gift card shows others that you are thinking of them and have gone out of your way for them
• Engage in conversations and let others know that you are there to help them

It is important that within a congregation the expressions of love, joy and compassion continue to be demonstrated. One of the strengths of a congregation is the connections and love that people have for each other. And, when there are challenges, such as these touchless times, we have to put on our thinking caps and find ways to express, connect and share our love for each other.

Becoming disconnected from each other is an opportunity for us to float off and to float away. We are like a bunch of balloons are tied together. Our strings are wrapped around each other and it is nearly impossible to just pull one away from the others. That’s the way fellowship ought to be. Connect. Strong. United.

It is much easily to lose our focus upon the Lord when we are away from each other. When we see each other we are reminded. When we are with each other hope comes alive. But disconnected and apart, we become easy target for the lion who prowls about. Stay close to each other. Stay focused. Watch out for each other. That’s what these times calls for.

Touching in a touchless season—it’s tough, but it can be done.

Roger

Jump Start # 1280

Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”

  My friend, John, sent me a link recently in which atheist Stephen Fry was asked what he would say if he met God. What the interview revealed was an arrogant, ungodly attack upon the Holy God. It is amazing that some folks with PhD’s can really be dumb. Frey’s response was the typical why do the innocent suffer? He blames God for what man has done and what Satan is doing. His concept of what God ought to do is to make earth Heaven. It isn’t. There is a Heaven. Heaven is what Fry is looking for on earth. Peace. No evil. No disease. No sickness. No death. Why doesn’t God do that? He has. It started in Eden, but Satan and man messed it up. It will be in the eternal Heaven.

But a deeper concern to me, is the total misunderstanding and disrespect for the God of Heaven and Earth. The apostle John, who wrote our passage today through inspiration, saw Jesus. The image of Jesus was different than the Jesus he had known on earth. He spent three years with that Jesus. It was different than the transfigured Jesus. He had seen that. This Revelation Jesus was so glorious and astounding that John fell like a dead man. He passed out. He fainted. He was stunned. No words. No hugs. No dancing. No pointed fingers. No conversations. One look and John was gone. Incredible.

What is missing in John’s encounter with Jesus is a demanding, finger pointing, accusation as Fry believes he would dish out if he ever met God face to face. How wrong he is. When Job wondered and questioned things, God answered. God thundered from Heaven. A series of sixty questions stream down from Heaven. Job was baffled. He was overwhelmed. He couldn’t answer the first of the questions. He then repented and declared that he spoke out of turn. God doesn’t owe us answers. We don’t have the right to demand a “Why, God?” from the Holy One.

Fry, like so many, have no concept or belief in the Biblical God. They view God as an equal. They think God answers to us. How terribly wrong they are and how stunned they will be when they actually do meet God someday.

We might act the same in our prayers to God. We may think that God owes us an answer. He doesn’t. We might think that God has to tell us all things. He doesn’t. We might think that we know what God ought to do. We don’t.

The majesty of God is special. God is not like us. His ways are higher, Isaiah tells us. He is purer than we are. He sees things that we do not. He knows things that we do not. Folks like Stephen Fry want to blame God for all the bad things in the world today. Do they want to compliment God for all the good things? The reality, their misunderstanding of suffering, sin and Satan has become an easy and convenient excuse for them to dismiss God. If they can take God out of the picture, so goes the Bible, a moral standard, Heaven and Hell, and the need for a church. Fry’s way, would have us left to our own. He blames a cruel God for allowing a child to die with cancer. This is reason enough for him to claim that God doesn’t exist. However, can evolution explain why that same child died from cancer? Why haven’t we evolved past cancer? Heart disease? Diabetes? What is evolution’s answer for terrorism, hatred and prejudice? Why haven’t we gotten past those things? Not enough time? Removing God from the mainline thought hasn’t improved society. We are more selfish, more addicted, more prone to worry, fear and mental issues than ever before. We live longer but not better. Just a couple of generations ago, neighbors were truly neighbors, people pitched in and helped each other, crime was lower, and there was a sense of helping one another out. We’re not there today. Now, it’s every one for himself. Where is the progression that evolution ought to be leading us to?

God is amazing. He is awesome. He is holy. Spending time with His word, helps us to understand that our world is broken. Sin has brought disease and death upon us. The world is cursed. Satan, not God, dominates most lives today. But in the end, goodness will prevail. In the end, justice will be served. In the end, God wins. He always does.

Someday, we shall stand before God. His presence will drive out the arrogance within us. We won’t be demanding answers from Him. We won’t be blaming Him. We’ll fall to our knees, asking for mercy.

I thought about the interviewers question to Fry. What would I say WHEN I meet God. (There is not “if” to this). I hope I would say, “Thank you.”  Thank you for being there all those years. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for surrounding me with a great family and powerful friends who have made a difference. Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for forgiving me so many times. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for all those thousands of blessings, many which I never thanked you at the time. Thank you for Heaven. Thank you for green grass, white snow, soft babies, chocolate, sunsets, smiles, hymns and hearing my prayers. Thank you for always loving me. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you for being my God.

Thank you.

Roger

Jump Start # 1254

Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last”

  As the Revelation letter opens, the apostle John hears a voice talking to him. He turns to see who it is. Described in magnificent and glorious terms is the Lord. Our verse follows. John falls. He falls like a dead man. I’ve see dead people, but I’ve never seen someone fall dead. In the movies, they simply fall down. I don’t know if John passed out or fainted.

There are three interesting thoughts here:

First, John’s reaction is not what many boast and claim that they would do. You here people claiming to ask God, demand of God, look Him in the eye and all sorts of false and dumb ideas. When God spoke to Job, he realized that he had been talking out of turn with God. When John sees the glorious Jesus, he falls as a dead man. It’s hard for us to grasp nor imagine the glory of God.

Second, John fell. I find this fascinating. This is what I would expect my reaction would be, but not John’s. John was one of the apostles. He saw Jesus walking on the water. He saw Jesus heal. He saw Jesus transformed. He saw Jesus even upon the cross. The words of Jesus sank deeply into his heart. For three years he has been with Jesus constantly. He traveled, ate, listened, asked questions and witnessed this glorious Savior on earth. Now, possibly sixty years later, John sees Jesus one more time in a vision. He falls. He falls as a dead man. John is in his eighties or nineties at this point. When an elderly person falls, it usually means bad news. The first thing we’d think is a  broken hip. Today, that would be a delicate and complicated problem for someone that age. Back then, without surgery, it meant being confined to bed for the rest of his life. John knew Jesus. We’d think, if anyone would have stood and raced toward Jesus, it would have been John. They had a glorious history together. John had taken care of Mary. But at this vision, even John fell as a dead man. The glories of Heaven are overwhelming, even for someone that knew Jesus. When Jesus returns, He will return in all His glory. That will be something to see, if we haven’t passed out and fainted.

Third, Jesus placed His right hand on John. Jesus touched. The touch of Heaven. He did that so often. He touched Jairus’ daughter after she had passed away. She came back to life. Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man and he saw. He touched lepers. He touched the coffin of a young man who was on the way to the cemetery. He arose from the dead. When Peter tried to walk on the water and started to sink, Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him. Those hands turned over the money tables in the Temple and drove out the livestock and those making profit. It was those hands that were stretched out by Roman guards and a nail was driven through them. It was those hands that Thomas would later inspect and declare that Jesus is the Lord and God. Jesus reached out for John.

What a powerful thought. John was most likely the last remaining apostle. He’s an old man. He fell. And Jesus was there to help him up. Jesus was there to extend His hand to him. Those simple words are the very words of comfort and hope for you and I. We don’t see it, but the very thing happens to us over and over. We fall and Jesus is there to pick us up. We fall in fear. Bad news overwhelms us. A loss of a job. Trouble in the family. Heartache in the congregation. A death. A divorce. Crippling news. We fall. We crumble under the weight of pressure, burden and stress. We feel that this is it for us. We feel that we will never get over this. We feel that we are defeated. And then, there is a hand stretched out for us. It’s not literal, but it’s there. It’s the hand of Jesus. He’s there. He’s there to lift us up. He’s there to dry our tears. He’s there to dust us off and put us back on the path. Now, He doesn’t do this against our will. He doesn’t do this without our faith. But He’s there. Person after person can tell us of troubling and terrible experiences in their lives, yet they stand today. They stand because of God. Forgiveness, hope, peace and faith have given them an extended hand. Heaven was there. Fear was conquered. Questions answered. Doubt driven away. Jesus reached down and touched.

Jesus wasn’t through with John. There was a message he had to see and then record. The suffering saints needed the words that John was told to write. They need to know that Jesus is victorious. They needed to hear good news. Christ is bigger than Caesar. God can do what no one can. The fallen John, got up and wrote a magnificent book that has given hope to generations of people. It’s God’s final message. It’s the last words of inspiration. It’s a picture of God’s people, wrapped in white robes, standing victoriously around the throne of God in Heaven. They won. They won because Christ won. Where is the sting of death? The victory belongs to Christ.

Get up John and write this message. My people need to know. In a similar way, God wants us up. Get up and share the word. Get up and encourage those who are defeated. Get up and show the world that He is still alive.

John fell…Jesus touched…a story was told. Those simple words are our words. We fall. Jesus touches. A story is told. Not our story, but His story.

Someday, we too will see this glorious Savior. The words of a contemporary song asks, Will I bow, will I dance…John fell.

Roger

Jump Start # 198

Revelation 1:17  “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades.”

  Revelation is a visionary book. It is not intended to be confusing nor scary, but comforting. It shows that those who remain steadfast with Jesus will win. We win!

  As the book opens, John hears a voice. He turns to see who is speaking. Without saying it is Jesus, we know it is Jesus. Four verses are used to describe the one who was speaking. His eyes were like fire. His feet were like bronze. His hair was white. His face was shinning like the sun. A sword came out of his mouth. There is no one in history that fits this description other than Jesus. Our verses confirm this.

  I am interested in two thoughts from our verses. First, when John saw Jesus, he fell at the feet of Jesus like a dead man. He dropped. John had seen Jesus before. He was one of the apostles. He was one of the witnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus. He was in the room when the resurrected Jesus was present. John had a long history with Jesus. But here he falls. There is something of reverence and devotion implied in those words. Too many lack that today. The way you hear some talk, they’d high five Jesus and say, “what’s up, Dude?” They don’t know what they are talking about. They don’t know Jesus. He became like one of us but He is not one of us. He is God. Bowing is the proper position before Jesus. John knew that he was standing before the Holy One of Heaven and earth. Reverence is an attitude that is demonstrated in the way we talk, the way we worship and the way we view the Bible. Holy is God. Be done with taking the name of God in vain, saying the name “God” as an emotional outburst of joy or anger. God deserves better than that. Hallowed be His name is what Jesus said. Reverence is displayed by taking God’s word seriously and obeying what God says.

  John fell as a dead man. I’m glad that’s in the Bible. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes we treat God so much like a friend that we forget that He is God. John fell.

  The second thought: Jesus touched John with His right hand. Jesus was always touching. Have you noticed that? Lepers, he touched. Blind people, He touched. Dead, He touched. There is something about a touch or a hug. It invites acceptance and love. It shows what the other person thinks. In so many of the miracles, Jesus could have said, “Be healed” from a distance, but instead, He reached out and touched. John was sacred. What do kids do when they are scared? They run to Mom & Dad’s bed and climb in. Why? It’s the presence that assures. The storm may still be howling outside, but the presence of Mom and Dad makes the storm easier to tolerate. Jesus touched. He wanted John to know that everything was fine. He was there.

  Reverence and assurance. They are found together in this passage and they are found together in faith. Without reverence there can not be assurance. But when they are together what a wonderful relationship they make. They both help us. Reverence keeps us God focused. Assurance keeps us going. We need both.

  I like to think when we are all done with this life that we will fall at the feet of Jesus. I expect that Jesus will put His right hand upon our shoulder and even have a smile on His face.  He tends to do things like that, doesn’t He?

Roger