I Have Loved You

"'I have loved you,' says the LORD. But you say, 'How have you loved us?'" - Malachi 1:2

"I have loved you," says the Creator of the universe.

Did you know that God loves you? Did you know that He cares about you? Did you know that He has not abandoned you? Nor has He turned away from the death that so engulfs our world today from Syria to Kenya to Pakistan.

"I have loved you," says Jesus Christ on the cross.

Did you know that He wants you? Did you know that He put Himself through excruciating torture for you? Did you know He has died for you?

"I have loved you..."

Christian, please don't forget this love. Non-Christians, please don't doubt this love as the people in Malachi's days did. Do you want to be loved? That's what it means to be Christian. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ. You won't just receive forgiveness. You'll also receive love, wonderful, amazing love.

When Zechariah Looked at the Cross

"When they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn." - Zechariah 12:10

This is clearly a picture of Jesus. God is speaking here, and He says, "look on ME". Jesus is God! He is the one whom WE have pierced, the "only Son" (John 3:16) of God, the "firstborn of all creation" (Col 1:15). We weep because He died for us, because He was "pierced for our transgressions" (Isa 53:5a), because it was our sin that held Him there at that cross... because we know how much He loves us and how little we love Him...

"On that day there shall be a fountain opened... to cleanse them from sin and uncleaness." - Zechariah 13:1

That day has come on Apr 3, 33AD. And that day will come in final fulfillment when all Israel recognizes Jesus as the Messiah. Our sins ARE forgiven. "With his wounds we are healed" (Isa 53:5b). Christians, live like it, sin no more. Weep over your sin, weep over His grace. "Look on me" He says. Look, look at our bloodied savior, the crucified Lord, the risen Christ... Look at the cross. And NEVER for one moment take your eyes off it, off Him.

Non-Christians, repent and taste this free forgiveness, "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psa 34:8)! Taste freedom (cf. Gal 5:1)!

The Trumpet's Blast

A very short sermon on Numbers 10:1-10 on trumpets that I made a few months ago but never delivered, written down now because I was asked to. Read Numbers 10 first, then prepared to be blown away. Get it? Blown away. Haha...

First, in any Bible study, we must remember what it meant for the people back then. The trumpets were very effective tools used to summon the people either to war (v9) or to move out (v2). It was a loud way to worship God (v10) and to be "a reminder...: I am the Lord your God" (v10). Even back in the day, each time the trumpets sounded, the Israelites would be reminded that God is calling them, summoning them to something. They would also be reminded that they are not alone in this desert, something much needed in their forty years of wandering. But as important as this historical usage was, there is a deeper significance. We know what that "something" God was calling them to back then, but what is the "something" God is calling us to today? We'll get to that soon.

This imagery of the trumpets continues all throughout the Bible, even to Revelation. Rev 8 talks about the seven trumpets, each bringing about judgement, death, and destruction. That's what the trumpets signified back in Numbers too: war, death, and destruction. Rev 8:7 tells us that "in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled." What is this mystery? We know this mystery! Rom 16:25-26 says "according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed". Rev 11:15 tells us "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.'" It doesn't get any better than this! GOD WILL REIGN!

That is what the last blowing of the trumpet will bring about: the consummation of God's kingdom! Imagine, no more death, no more suffering, no more sin, just peace and worship of a beautiful God. The Israelites worshipped when the trumpet was blown in Num 10:10, and that is what we will be doing for all eternity too when this final trumpet is blown. Look forward to that day, that final trumpet, as you continue in your journey through this wilderness that is the fallen world. The promised land is near, don't miss that final blast of the trumpet, listen for it, wait for its sound.

And yes, in fact we are not listening or waiting for a trumpet, but for Christ himself. 1 Thess 4:16 says "The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God." Yes, Jesus has descended once and will again, "coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt 26:64). It is the same cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness, the same cloud that is associated with divine presence, the same cloud that would have set Jesus on the same level as God. Oh don't miss it, don't miss the imagery here, don't miss the sound of Jesus' voice. John said in Rev 1:10 that "I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet". Whose voice was that? Why was it like a trumpet? That voice was Jesus Christ! The trumpets calling the Israelites to war and to worship was in fact Christ!

The calling in our lives to fight sin and to battle for souls is also a call from Christ! His call IS the trumpet in Num 10. His voice IS the trumpet in Rev 1:10. His presence IS the promised land that is waiting for us! Brothers, sisters, don't miss that sound. "Be sober-minded; be watchful." (1 Pet 5:8) Furthermore, in your every day lives, "blow the trumpet and warn the people" (Eze 33:3). Tell them of the gospel of Jesus Christ or the blood will be on your hands (cf. Eze 33:6)! If you do not know Christ, don't miss his call. Can you not hear the many trumpets that have already been sounded? Can you not hear my Master beckoning you to come? Repent and join me in the worship of my God and my king.

Acts 16:31

I was challenged on the interpretation on a verse today, and I am happy. I'm also proud of the person who challenged me, and thankful too. We teachers should be held accountable and if we are wrong, we better be corrected! Now... about the verse:

Acts 16:31
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

You're right in saying that Paul was more talking about the fact that the jailer's family can get in on this whole salvation business too. And I do think it's more of a localized promise rather than something general that is "do A to get B". However, I think we CAN apply this directly. When a person believes, he will show change in his life. Change should be so apparent that non-Christians should not be able to ignore it. And for one's family, the ones who are in contact with the person the most, they are going to feel the impact of the change the most. In addition, that person should not be able to shut up about God. That person, if truly saved, will most definitely want the same thing for his family too. A changed life combined with a passionate desire for others to experience Jesus the same way equals power, power to move the hearts of those close by.

Yes, ultimately it is still God who saves. But if God asked us to be laborers for the lost (Matt 9:37) and even uses us to reach lost souls (Rom 10:14), it only makes sense that a Christian can quite likely influence his family for Christ. On a more personal note, I've seen this for my dad. My Dad! But not for my grandpa, who has already passed away. So I guess I was a bit misleading. Though the fact remains that we are powerful tools in the hands of God, tools to reach our family. This verse, even if it doesn't promise that, reaffirms that through example.