But the Lord is faithful...
2 Thessalonians 3:3
There are times when
we may doubt. There are times when what the Lord does is beyond our
understanding. But be assured - the Lord is faithful. In this passage, Paul has spoken of those who
are lacking in faith, especially when the hard times come and people are
against us. In sharp contrast is the fact of the Lord’s faithfulness and with
the fact comes the promise that ‘ he will strengthen and protect you from the
evil one.’
The Lord is faithful
to his promises. He does not back down on anything that he has said. Even when
we fail him, he remains faithful and true to his word. We may be tempted to put
our trust in people and things around us only to find things don’t work out as
planned. But the Lord is faithful and we can have confidence in him.
The Lord is faithful
in his forgiveness. Time and again we may fall and wonder if it is true that
the Lord will once again restore us as we confess our sin. But the Lord is ‘faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’
The Lord is faithful
in calling us. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul has prayed for the sanctification of
the believers and, perhaps being aware of what a huge job this is, reminds them
that the Lord, who called them, is faithful and will do that work in them. The
Lord is faithful to those who he has called.
In response to the
faithfulness of God to us, let’s determine to walk faithfully before him.
Wherever God has called you to be for now; whatever he has asked you to do at
this time; whoever you ‘rub shoulders’ with - remain faithful to the Lord just
as he is faithful to us. ?
“My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?”
Mark ch 15 vs 31-39
31 In the same way
the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.
"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32
Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that
we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on
him. 33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until
the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-- which means, "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of those
standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling
Elijah." 36 One man
ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take
him down," he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his
last. 38 The curtain of
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the
centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he
died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Did Jesus not know? Had no-one told him? Was it not
meant to end like this?
Unlike the other questions that Jesus asked, this one
was wrung out from the very depths of his being. Never before in all eternity
had Jesus experienced such intense loneliness. Never before had the Father
forsaken his Son. Never before had the curse of the cross been so fully
realised.
Jesus knew why he had come into this world (Lk 19:101).
He knew the road to the cross was already set and that suffering and anguish
were in store for him (cf Jn 10:152; Matt 20:283; Mk 9:124;
Lk 22:425). He knew that the penalty of sin meant separation from
God (Mk 96; Lk 167) and he had spoken of the horrors of
hell itself. But nothing had prepared him
for the intensity of this moment. What was happening in the heavenly realms
between Father and Son was felt on earth as cold darkness came over the land.
Never in all eternity has there been such a moment of anguish as the weight of
the world’s sin fell on Christ on the cross. What the eye could not see this
cry expressed.
Forsaken by his closest friends, now forsaken by his
Father.
The total despair and isolation of separation from God
is clearly seen in Christ on the cross. His friends had run away. Now his
Father turned away. He experienced for himself, for the one and only time, the
destructive results of sin on a relationship with Father God. The awful reality
of hell is seen and heard in this chilling cry.
The Greek word used to express the state Christ was in
is ‘enkataleip?’ which means to be left helpless, abandoned. It speaks of being
without hope and that’s how sin leaves us. To glimpse what it’s like to die
abandoned by God, look at Jesus on the cross. In Isaiah 53 the prophet had
spoken of Christ being
‘stricken by God, smitten...and afflicted… crushed
for our iniquities.’
He was abandoned on the cross but not abandoned in the
grave. Whilst Father God turned away from his Son as he hung on the cross,
three days later he turned again to raise Christ up triumphant over sin and
death. On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly declared that Christ was not left
abandoned in the grave. His resurrection has opened up a way for ‘prodigals’
like you and me to return home.
Forsaken by God, Christ experienced the horrors of
Hell.
He’d spoken about hell. He’d described the darkness,
thirst and loneliness (Lk 16:23-24)7. Now, before he died, Christ
experienced all three as he hung on the cross. This cry expresses the physical,
mental and spiritual torment of Hell.
What we see and hear in this cry from the heart of Jesus is underlining
the reality of Hell.
For those who make fun of hell; look at Jesus. For
those who depict a hedonistic pleasure-dome; look at Jesus. For those who say
we’ll be with others; look at Jesus. Salvation in Christ is offered so that we
might not experience the horrors of hell.
Forsaken by God so that we could be restored into a
relationship with him.
As a result of our sin, it’s us who should be forsaken
by God. It’s us who should go to hell. We have all done wrong and are guilty
before a holy God. We are not sinners because we sin, rather we sin because we
are sinners. The penalty for sin must be paid. There can be no excuses, no
exceptions. But this is amazing.
The Bible tells us that Christ became a sin-offering
for us (2 Cor 5:21)8. He had done no wrong; he was without sin; but
he hung in our place, took the guilt of our sin upon himself and suffered the
full wrath of a holy God.
Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!
Revelation 19:9
Here is the most
important invitation a person can ever receive.
Better than the Queen’s garden party, better than the Cannes film
festival, better than Royal Ascot, all of which the world might aspire to. Here’s the invitation that really counts for
all eternity. And it’s one that we can
have reserved for us now.
This blessing is
announced following the ‘roar of a great multitude’ in heaven as they shout
four Hallelujahs! This is the heavenly
equivalent to ‘three cheers’ - and what a roar!
No stadium in the world has ever resounded to such a cheer, as the fall
of Babylon is completed and the wedding of the Lamb has arrived. Interestingly it is the only place in the
Bible where the word Hallelujah is used, though some of the Psalms use a shortened
form - Hâlal which means ‘praise’. Each
of the cheers introduces a statement. the fourth of which declares that the
wedding of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. This is the moment that all heaven has been
waiting for. Whilst the supper itself
will follow for all eternity in the new heaven and earth, this is the start of
the celebration and the realisation of the Bible story - a Father looking for a
Bride for his Son. No wonder there’s a
roar!
Attendance at the
wedding supper is by invitation only.
There will be no room for gatecrashers here. Yet the invitation is available to all. It’s not about how big your bank balance is
or what position you hold. It’s not
about where you live or who you hang out with - but it is about who you know,
or rather who knows you. Jesus said “I
know my sheep and they know me” (John 10:14) and Paul, writing to Timothy,
quotes; ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’
Those invited will include all who know Christ as Saviour and Lord.
It’s no ordinary
supper party. It’s a one off and will
last for ever. There will be no repeat,
no annual event - just the one because it’s the wedding supper of all time and
eternity. Jesus will receive his bride
unto himself (Ephesians 5:27) having made her holy, blameless and clean from
sin. But notice the Bride’s part in
Revelation 19:7. She has made herself
ready. How? The analogy of dressing is used again to
express the truth of being clothed in His righteousness. The prophet Isaiah
speaks of this in chapter sixty-one and verse ten. So too Paul, writing to the Romans about
putting off the old self, finishes chapter thirteen with the encouragement
“rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ...” The righteous acts of the saints become the
wedding gown that makes the Bride ready.
Those acts done in the name of Christ, unrecognised by man, are noted by
the Lord and become the wedding garment of the Church.
The other thing to
notice is that the ‘guests’ at this wedding will be the angels, the twenty-four
elders and the four living creatures.
All the redeemed from the earth will make up the Bride! What joy - for those of us who have only been
grooms, or those of us who have not experienced being married. One day we will all be the Bride of Christ.
Finally we need to
realise that holding centre stage will be the Lamb of God. The image is not of some soft cuddly toy but
of the Passover male lamb - a 1 year old ram, in its prime. In chapter five, when John first sees the
Lamb he is standing in the centre of the throne and throughout the unfolding
drama he is at the centre of things, accepting the same praise as the One
seated on the throne. John the Baptist
declared “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Now we see that same Lamb, still bearing the
marks of the cross, but united with his Church for which he died. If we are to be invited to the wedding
supper of the Lamb, then that Lamb must have his rightful place in our lives
now. Let him be your Lord and Saviour.