It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the
LORD
shall be established as the highest of the
mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and
say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many
peoples;
and they shall decide disputes for many
peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against
nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD.
I think many in the church today have convinced themselves that God has given up.
The story, as some see it, goes something like this (in outline form):
I. The beginning.
A. God creates everything.
B. Man rebels against God.
C. Things get worse and worse until God gives up and decides to kill everyone.
II. The second beginning.
A. God starts over with Noah.
B. Things get worse and worse until God gives up and decides to scatter everyone.
III. The third beginning.
A. God starts over with Abraham.
B. God forms a nation to show everyone how they're supposed to live.
C. The nation rebels against God.
i. God gives them another chance.
a. The nation rebels against God.
1. God gives them another chance.
ia. The nation rebels against God.
1a. God gives them another chance.
1ia. (repeat many times over...)
D. Things get worse and worse until God gives up and decides to divorce his people.
IV. The fourth beginning.
A. God starts over with Jesus.
B. Jesus presents the Kingdom of God.
C. People kill Jesus.
D. People rejected Jesus' presentation of the Kingdom of God so God gives up and
decides to withdraw His Kingdom idea until a later time.
V. The fifth beginning.
A. God starts preparing everyone for the end of the world.
B. Things will only get worse and worse because God has once and for all given up and
now we will destroy ourselves to a certain point and then God will finish the job
Himself. There will be fire. There will be flood. There will be disease. There will be
war. And oh yes, there will be blood, rivers of it, an ocean of it, and then it will all be
done.
VI. The sixth beginning.
A. God starts all over again with a comparably few, now perfect souls who couldn't rebel
against Him even if they wanted too, because now, everything is perfect. God is tired
of the mess we have made of things over and over again, and this time, we simply
won't be able to...
But what if God has never given up? What if God's dream of Isaiah 5 is still very much alive in His heart? What if this has been His dream from the beginning and throughout all time? What if God is ever patient in His love and in His plan for us to participate with Him in this dream? What if this is exactly what Jesus was talking about when He taught His disciples (and us) to pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in the heavens."
What if when we settle for the idea that God has given up and is looking forward to the destruction of all things, we settle for hell on earth?
Paul said in Romans 8:19-24,
"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."
So which should our prayer be:
1. "God, please keep me pure and holy from this evil world until the end so I can one day live in Your Kingdom."
or...
2. "Father, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth just as it is in the heavens; and please start with me. Give me Your strength, wisdom and courage, to follow Your guidance and live with Your overflowing love to be salt and light in this world as an agent of Your great Kingdom, longing to see the whole of Your creative goodness restored to Your beautiful vision."
Can you tell which I am in favor of? Would you pray with me....?
No comments:
Post a Comment