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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Worship-like
Cheers Explode It all began on a nice warm Florida
February morning. The
anticipatory vibes of success were everywhere, and that despite the rough
road ahead with its daily battles to be fought.
There'd be joyous victories and discouraging defeats.
A frustrating injury or the possibility of being replaced by
someone better would lurk around every corner on the road to October.
The final pitch has now
been thrown. The throng of
thousands explode in deafening, earth-shaking, worship-like cheers of
victory. Ignoring over-used,
pain-riddled bodies, the team jumps around with ecstatic joy.
The above scenario
reminds me of the long and winding road that is the Christian life.
It has its painful pot-holes, up days and down days, along with
victories and defeats. It's
all par for the life of a Christian. Jesus
never promised a problem free life. That
comes in the heavenly reality in the next life.
Until then, there are battles to be fought and victories to
celebrate as we serve our Lord. According
to Jesus "the one who stands firm to the end will
be saved"
(Mark 13:13). Remember what
Jesus told Christians in Smyrna. "Be
faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your
victor's crown" (Revelation 2:10).
When it's all said and
done, there are glorious victories to celebrate, one of which we read in
Revelation 7:9 through 12. "After this I
looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm
branches in their hands. And
they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb.' All
the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the
four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, saying: 'Amen!
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be
to our God for ever and ever. Amen!'" I joined all of Canada
in October 1992 and 1993 as we all watched our Toronto Blue Jays celebrate
their two World Series victories. As
exciting as they were, they pale in comparison to the celebratory victories
yet to be experienced, Revelation 7 being one.
Until then, I take 1 Peter 1:7 seriously as I travel the long and
winding road of my Christian life. "These [trials]
have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth
than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in
praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
Christians experience
the trials of life just like everyone else.
We, along with all of creation fight our battles against bondage to
decay (Roman 8:20 - 21). As a
matter of fact, we fight a battle that others don't fight.
It's the battle between our humanity and God's Spirit (Galatians
5:17).
Be assured, the battle will end with an explosive worship-filled
celebration of Jesus' victory.
Postscript
The specific people
celebrating in Revelation 7 are those "who have come out of the great
tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14). Scripture
References Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh
desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and
the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever
you want." Romans 8:20 - 21 "For the creation
was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of
the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be
liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory
of the children of God."
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