December 20
Haggai 1:1-2:23 | PS 139:1-24 | Prov 30:15-16 | Rev 11:1-19
The fear of death is probably the strongest and most widespread fear. In Revelation 11, we meet the "Two Witnesses". Though one seems to definitely be Elijah, there are a number of theories as to the identity of the other (my vote is for Moses). More important than their identity was their mission. For 3 1/2 years they are literally indestructible as they fulfill their mission in proclaiming God's message of salvation during very dark times. Then they are killed and left out for 3 1/2 days, only to be filled with the breath of life from God, and before the eyes of the whole world, in a loud voice everyone hears, "Come up here" (11:12), where they enjoy eternity with God. In the same way, our fear of death, for the believer, does not make sense. We, too, are indestructible, until we are finished with our testimony on earth. Nothing can harm us, until our Sovereign God allows it to. When we are finished in our mission field, we, too, will hear God say, "Come up here", and we will enjoy eternity with God. In Psalm 139:16, we read, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." Yes, God gave us all a birth date, and He already knows our death date.
Those who are in Christ know that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). While on earth, we seek places to worship God in, our churches. We should spend little time looking at the aesthetics of the actual building. The questions which must be asked when choosing where to worship are these: Is the Holy Spirit present? Is the Word of God upheld in its entirety? Is God glorified? I have been to many of the most beautiful and ornate cathedrals in Europe, and have not felt God's presence in many of them, as many of them have become more art museums than places of worship. The world is filled with house churches, where God's presence is strong. There are countless stories where church buildings have been burnt down, vandalized, etc., only to see the congregation gather and worship God in the rubble and ashes. Solomon's Temple was amazing, but was destroyed by the Babylonians. Many caught up in the rebuilding effort of the second temple were despondent over its lack of aesthetic splendor, but God encouraged the people through the prophet in Haggai 2:3-5, "‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’"
God is sovereign and unchanging. We are not going anywhere until God says that we do. We need not fear over our health or our lives, for they are now and always have been in God's hands. Those who are not in a relationship with God have every right to fear. If you reject God's invitation and payment for your sins, then you are standing on your own two feet, and that is not a good foundation to stand upon. Seek God. Repent and submit to His Lordship. Allow His Spirit to direct your lives. Then allow His timing for each aspect of your earthly lives, even your death. In His hands, always. That is the foundation which will never crack.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: