From the Janitor's Closet

[dwmoeller]

Heaven

Maybe, we speak of heaven too little. Perhaps, it is not enough just to use the word ‘heaven’ in one little sentence and just to make a minor point in a series of other points. Perhaps, it is time for us to put the word ‘Heaven’ on a gigantic banner to wave above our heads like the American flag waves above Perkins restaurant!

Think of how the lives of Christians would change if we could drink deeply of the meaning of heaven... if we could focus well upon the things unseen, rather than giving so much attention to what is seen! II Corinthians 4:17-18 says “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

The Scriptures do suggest some things about heaven. Heaven is paradise. To be sure we will have bodies, but the place into which the glorified body is placed will be so beyond what we can see within the dark glass, that human language will and must fail at any attempt to capture the greatness of the glory to be revealed. Reading from Revelation 22:1, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The glory of heaven is so beyond the experience of any human being, that it is not easy to describe. Heaven, in Hebrew, is “gal-gal'' which means literally “rolling cloud”. Revelation 21:3-4 says, “3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Heaven, the “rolling cloud,” is where all the evil and pain and misfortune is completely and forever banished.

We will be with Christ. John 14:1-3 says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Some versions translate “many “rooms” instead of “many mansions”. I like the word mansions better. To me, it richly describes the beauty of heaven, the special place Jesus has prepared for us. A special place filled with love, peace, and joy that will never end.

All to the glory of Him--the Lord Jesus Christ, who was slain that we might wear the robe of righteousness in heaven. To Him whom angels praise and adore--be glory now and forever. Amen.

[dwmoeller]

God’s Word

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 11:18.

Are you enjoying life? The Lord reminds us as Moses spoke to the children Israel and to us today, of the enjoyment of life found really in the presence of God and in the power of God’s Word. To enjoy God’s blessings in His Word the Lord tells us to hear and read God’s Word and to study and live God’s Word. This should be very easy for us because we have easy access to it. Bibles are very plentiful and inexpensive.

What seems easy can become hard because of what is in us by birth. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:17, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want"

Doesn’t that describe us in our life? It seems we can’t do what we want. We don’t have time to read God’s Word. We are just too busy. We don’t have time to study God’s Word. We are just too busy. Or worst of all, we don’t have time to hear God’s Word. We are just too busy. That is our sinful nature making excuses for us.

The importance of hearing God’s Word, Moses stresses to the children of Israel and to us, that it is by hearing that the power of God’s Word is planted in our hearts and springs up and bears abundant fruit. The Lord reminds us of the privilege we have today of hearing God’s Word and reading God’s Word and being able to study God’s Word and live God’s Word.

Luke 11:28 tells us, "He (Jesus) replied, ’Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it”. Enjoy God’s blessings in His Word by hearing it, reading it, studying it, and living it; and it will go well with you, not just here on earth, but at last forever in heaven. Amen.

[dwmoeller]

The Utmost Importance

1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

What is important in your life, and why? We all have priorities. The way we live our lives tells people what our priorities are. Our families are a high priority. We put a great deal of energy and effort into making sure our families are well-cared for. Our jobs are a high priority. We work toward promotions. We strive for recognition and advancement. We put a great deal of effort and energy into our jobs. Now, where does Jesus Christ fit in? Obviously, He must have some degree of importance, or you wouldn’t be reading this. Is the Lord, your worship of Him, and your attention to His Gospel message--is that a high priority? The highest priority? When St. Paul visited the Greek city of Corinth, he proclaimed the resurrection of Christ to them. He recalled his visit when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance." What Paul proclaimed centuries ago is no less important today. The Easter message is of utmost importance. The Scriptures foretold it. The Apostles witnessed it. Jesus fulfilled it. We are saved by it.

What other solutions are there for our sin? Try harder? Do better? Try to be better than others? None achieves the holiness that God demands. No solution takes away the sins that we have already committed. But Jesus Christ does. The Bible reminds us, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ, who is true God, came to earth to receive the wages of our sins for us and received the sentence for our sins. He endured the punishment for our sin and died for our sins on the cross. Jesus rose again on Easter Sunday guaranteeing eternal life for all who believe.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, He is a fraud. Either He is risen from the dead or He is not. If He is not, we have no forgiveness from God and are on our way to hell. But Christ truly is risen! Our sins are forgiven! Death has no power over us! We too will rise from our graves to go to heaven! Eternal life is ours--won by Christ and given to us by God’s grace! The Easter message is indeed of the utmost importance.

[dwmoeller]

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

Matthew 1: 1-17 points to the fact that the writer of the gospel of Matthew was interested in Jesus' genealogy. It seems funny that God would start the most important story in history with a boring genealogy. Who cares who Jesus' great - great - great - grandparents were? Well, apparently God does. He knows those people. He knows you and me too. When God sent His Son into the world to become part of the human race, He did it for every single individual—for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for Rahab and Ruth; for you and me. Jesus suffered, died, and rose again for those people and He did it for you and me.

Matthew wanted to link Jesus to his Jewish heritage. He also wanted to affirm Jesus’ connection with the dynasty of David. God had made a covenant with King David that an heir of David’s would always sit on Israel’s throne. Jesus’ lineage is traced directly back to King David. Jesus, as a descendant of David and as the Messiah, is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David and the promise He gave to all of Israel.

If you have done any research into your family’s history, you have probably discovered a few unsavory ancestors. It’s the same with Jesus. Some women listed in Jesus’ genealogy have both strong and sordid sides. Rahab is listed in the “Hebrews Hall of Faith” for her heroism in hiding Israelite spies before the fall of Jericho. Yet, Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was the Moabite alien who was the model of loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi. They were not saints, but Matthew never calls them sinners. They were all used by God to fulfill God’s purpose and promises.

Today we can celebrate who we are—who our ancestors were. We rejoice that God uses us today, just like He used Jesus’ ancestors, to bring forward God’s purpose, promises, and His kingdom.

[dwmoeller]

Mother’s Day is May 14th! Pentecost is on May 28th!

Mother’s Day is celebrated once a year on the second Sunday in May. Today, Americans will spend a total of $31.7 billion: $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts—such as spa, another $68 million on greeting cards, it amounts to almost 10% of the US jewelry business, and we will spend $3.51 billion on dining out alone. Don’t get me wrong, mothers are worth every cent, but should we not extend the holiday to every single day of the year? Not the commercial aspect of it, we would go broke. But by living the way our mothers desire. In other words, the honoring aspect of the day and living our lives every day in a way that makes our mother proud.

Pentecost Sunday may be one of the most neglected of the church calendar. Pentecost means 50th day—the 50th day following Easter. It is a day to celebrate hope. Hope that someday, because of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit and through the work of Christ Jesus, we may live the way God desires. Forgiving all debts, returning what is owed, forgiving all sins, and giving our “first fruits” in thanksgiving. In other words, living our lives every day in a way that will make our heavenly Father proud.

Mother’s Day and Pentecost are special days in which both our mothers and the Holy Spirit of God are honored one day out of the year. My plea to you today is to celebrate both of these gifts each and every single day of the year and start to live our lives the way that makes our earthly mother and our heavenly Father proud.