Yesterday, before travelling to Te Anau, where I took this photo, we went to the local Grace Presbyterian Church. The sermon was about how we should be overflowing with joy, and why we are not. One of the points that was made is that any of us, with some introspection, will count themselves as among those who are not qualified to be in this kingdom of God.
We will count ourselves with the sinners. But for Christ. He died for those who would be cast out. Not for any good we have done, but for his grace and so that we will be seen, through him, as forgiven.
Our salvation is sure, for it is in Christ. If it was in us, we would fail.
22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25Its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. 26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Within the kingdom of God will be people from all nations, and all nations shall honour God in that time. But not now. Now we are in a time when the world is against us. Because they see that there could be a kingdom, and they will not be in it.
Coming back to the sermon, at one point the preacher noted that there are happy moralists — who think that they are so fantastic that of course they will be in the kingdom. Cue spontaneous laughter from the congregation. We all know our sin.
And we are not liberals, who think there is no sin. Nor following the therapeutic gospel, where we do not mention sin, for that might make us feel icky.
Part of us not being in this world is having a few things the world now lacks.
Joy. We have been forgiven. Christ has redeemed us.
Trust. We can keep our word. We do not need the elaborate oaths that the pagans (and neo-pagans) swear, nor the regulations, for we have set up systems that mean the evil among us do not get opportunities to prey (again, a role of both fathers and mothers), and we can take people at their word, for Christ is taken at his word.
Contentment. As Paul said, if we have food and clothing, it is enough. We do not need to be scrabbling after more stuff, and this may lead to us closing doors that should be open, such as working less and spending more time with the children.
Or we can let our spirit get disquieted, forget about salvation, chase a therapeutic “spirituality” that does not exist, and cover our disquiet by buying more stuff or more social status, as the world does.
But we are not of the world, and in that lies death. Choose life.
BTW, Chris, is this the church you mentioned near your place, nearer than your usual one?
About the same distance: one is on the hill above me, one in the valley below. The Grace Presbyterian Book of Order is fairly good: very reformed.
And they don’t have women as office-bearers?
Maybe you should consider making them, a more faithful church, your new church home!
Let your conscience, guided by the Spirit, tell you what is best.