October 31
John 15:18-17:26
On his deathbed, these were the final words of Dwight L. Moody, "Earth recedes. Heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go." Then Moody's son said, "No, no, Father. You're dreaming. And Moody replied, "I am not dreaming. I have been within the gates. This is my triumph; this is my coronation day! It is glorious!" We spend our whole lives trying to assimilate, trying to fit into a world, that as believers in Christ, we should not be able to fit in with. During these increasingly evil and divided times, we, as believers should look different, must look different. Dwight L. Moody sprinted to the finish line, since he rightly saw his citizenship in heaven. Brothers, and sisters, we are only pilgrims here. It is time that we not only state this among each other but model it to those who have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Fear makes perfect sense among unbelievers. After all, if this earth is all you have, and all of your hope is wrapped in it, of course you will fear the evil that is becoming more rampant. But, as believers, our hope is in Jesus Christ, and our destiny is heaven. Both our hope and our destiny have no risk of being altered by current events. So, please, don't forget who you are. Don't let distractions overtake you.
We get a beautiful portrait of the Son opening up in pure communication with the Father in Jesus' prayer in John 17. We read in John 17:14-18, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." Jesus, speaking about His disciples, states clearly that they are in the world, but not of the world. So must we be. The two roads do not run side by side, but are increasingly divergent. You cannot navigate both simultaneously. Then Jesus turns His attention from those disciples who were actually walking with Him at the present time, to those of us in the future who would walk with Him, though He now sits at the right hand of the Father, in John 17:20-21, "“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
We are either aligned with the world, or the outcasts of the world. This does not mean that we go out of our way to offend others. It means that we look different, act different, see things differently. It means that our hope is not resting on the next political candidate or social movement. Jesus did not leave us His Great Commission in order to accentuate the things of the world. He came and died for us. He offers the only way of hope and salvation. C.S. Lewis said, "What do we invest our time and mind on? Everything on earth is temporary. Everything in heaven is permanent." The truth is those in Christ will one day experience full fellowship with God in heaven, while unbelievers will one day experience eternal separation from the Father, which Jesus described as a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth." Yes, our world is getting worse, but were we not promised this prophetically in the Scriptures? So, why are we shocked? Peace in the face of fear and conflict must define us. These are the times for believers to be seen as the sanctified, or set apart children of God that we are.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: