Category: Devotions

WEDNESDAY September 11^th

 

Revelation 19:9

‘And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’

 

Following on from our previous devotion, todays is intended to ask who those are who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

 

When Elaine and I got married, we weren’t the guests, but we invited guests. They were those who could witness our being joined together in holy matrimony and then afterwards could come and celebrate with us at the wedding reception. None of the guests could claim to be the bridegroom and none of the guests could claim to be the bride. They were invited guests.

 

I have done a lot of reading and research for this devotion, because sometimes when preparing devotions, I come to some verses where it needs a lot more time and effort to put them together. And strangely it is difficult to even find harmony with the various interpretations of this verse from various writers.

 

And the conclusion I have drawn is this: The bride is the Church, therefore it cannot be Israel, and it cannot also be the Old Testament saints, for they have not been a part of the Church. But it doesn’t mean that Israel who are God’s chosen people cannot be in heaven, (maybe the 144,000 we read of in Revelation is speaking of those from Israel who will be there) and it also doesn’t mean that the Old Testament saints cannot be in heaven, they will be, but they will have been included through the various covenants that God had put together for them and their obedience toward them. In fact, we read in Scripture that they, that is the Old Testament saints could not be made perfect until after God had fulfilled or brought to completion all he had provided for the Church (Hebrews 11:39-40).

 

So, they will be at the marriage supper, not as the bride but as the guests, looking on in wonder at what God had accomplished through Christ at Calvary! One writer also says that the guests will include those who came to faith during the time of the tribulation.

 

I suggest we cannot be 100% sure of the guest list, but we can be 100% sure of the bride and the bridegroom, and I want to be included, I want you to be included, and I want that if anyone is reading this devotion has not yet come to accept Jesus as Saviour that you do so, before it is too late. The bridegroom wants you to be his bride.

TUESDAY September 10^th

 

Revelation 19:9

‘And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’

 

One of the most abhorrent things that has taken place over the last decade or so has been the redefining of what a marriage is meant to be, and I clearly state here that I adhere to biblical truth that the only marriage that is acceptable and proper is that which takes place between a man and a woman.

 

In case you haven’t noticed, anything that is presented as God’s ideal has been or is being dismantled by our post-modern society and as a result, we are seeing a breakdown of what marriage is all about and of what a nuclear family should be, and the product is that we have a broken society.

 

Why has marriage been targeted? An obvious answer is to pamper to the perverted world in which we are living in, but I am going to make another statement, because it is an open rebellion against God and the beauty of what a proper marriage should be all about. Marriage in the eyes of God is such a beautiful and special union that it is used as a picture of the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Church.

 

Now this relationship comes about firstly, because of the sacrifice that Christ made for sinners to be able to redeem them, and then secondly by the sinner coming to accept what Christ has done on their behalf and believing on him and being clothed in the righteousness that comes from him. Therefore, it is a holy activity!

 

Therefore, marriage is holy and should not be made anything other than what God has ordained for it to be. And of importance to note is this, that not only should society not be allowed to re-interpret what marriage is all about we who have entered a marriage relationship should not disrespect what the marriage relationship is all about.

 

Now, our text speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb, that is the after-wedding party, dinner, or reception, or whatever modern title we would give to it.

 

The marriage supper is obviously to celebrate the joining together of two parties, the first being named here, is the Lamb and of course we know that throughout the New Testament the picture is given of Jesus as being the Lamb. The second party is the Church, which has become the bride of Christ. But then, there are obviously those who are invited to the supper, for the scripture says, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’, so who are the invited guests? Well, we will consider this in our next devotion. But for today some verses indicating the unique relationship that Jesus has for the Church which is to be his bride.

 

Paul illustrates it in his concern for the Corinthians believers in that he is seeking to prepare them spiritually to become as a pure virgin to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2). It is also clearly implied in the verses that Paul has written in Ephesians 5 ‘Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish’ (vv25-27) and also ‘“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church’ (vv31-32).

 

Perhaps we readily recall the Church as the body of Christ, but not enough concerning the church as becoming the bride of Christ, and just as we keep ourselves pure in our earthly wedding covenant, faithful to our husband or wife, so we should in our committal of marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ, keep ourselves pure and unspotted from the world.

MONDAY September 9^th

 

Revelation 16:15

(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

 

Now, the verse before us today which contains the third of the ‘blessed’ statements in the book of Revelation is bracketed in the ESV, but not in the KJV, NIV or NLT, so I have left the brackets in here.

 

By the time we get to this verse, we are getting toward the end of the vision that John has been given concerning the tribulation, and so its application is primarily again for those who somehow have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during that time and specifically for the people of Isael who will have suffered so much under the tyranny of those who rule during this period, the anti-Christ, the beast, the dragon, the false prophet. It is relating to the time when the armies of the world will begin to assemble at Armageddon (v16).

 

It is a verse that contains words that will encourage those who are looking for the Lord Jesus Christ to come as I mentioned a few devotions ago to the Mount of Olivet, which is the second aspect of his second coming, the first aspect being when the Church was raptured seven years earlier. Those who will have followed Judaism, that is the practising Jew will know the Old Testament scriptures concerning the coming of Jesus, and although they failed to recognise him when he came as the babe in Bethlehem, they will now be longing for him to come, to establish peace and righteousness upon the earth. And Jesus speaking here, during these awful years of tribulation says, ‘Behold I am coming quickly’ they are words that will remind those waiting that the trouble is nearly over, I am on my way, then Jesus says, ‘Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and exposed’. It is a word of encouragement, hold on, I am coming and if you stay ready and prepared you will be blessed.

 

Now, beside the application that is for the context of these verses, it is also an encouragement to us today, that as we see the state of our nation, and far wider the nations of the world, we need to look up, for our redemption is drawing near. That aspect of his coming that we are waiting for is near, the rapture and resurrection of the saints, in the words of the song:

 

 

Soon the skies will unfold,

Preparing his entrance,

The stars shall applaud him,

With thunders of praise,

The sweet light in his eyes,

Shall enhance those awaiting

And we shall behold him, then face to face.

 

We shall behold him,

We shall behold him,

Face to face in all his glory,

O we shall behold him,

Yes, we shall behold him,

Face to face, our Saviour and Lord.

 

The angels shall sound

The sound of his coming

The sleeping shall rise

From there slumbering place

and those who remain

shall be changed in a moment

and we shall behold him, then face to face.

 

I cannot leave this devotion without the words from the apostle Paul: ‘For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord’ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

 

But Lord, ‘tis for thee, for thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave is our goal:

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope! Blessed rest of my soul.

 

It is well. It is well with my soul.

FRIDAY September 6^th

 

Revelation 14:13

‘And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!”’

 

I mentioned previously that I would return to these verses again, for although my personal belief is that they are referring to those who die in the Lord during the tribulation, they also hold truth that is applicable to those who die in the Lord prior to the time of the second coming of the lord Jesus. Simply put we will be ‘blessed’ and at rest.

 

As I think back to everyone I have known that had put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus and yet have died, the one thing that has helped me, in particular when thinking of those who have been close to me, such as my grand-parents, my parents and others, is the fact that they have now rested from their labours, the struggles of life are over and although their bodies are awaiting the day of the resurrection, their souls have gone into the presence of their Saviour.

 

What a comfort our faith in Jesus is to us. We are not only saved in the here and the now, but as we remain faithful to him, we will be saved for eternity. We truly are a ‘blessed’ people even before we get to see and receive all the wonderful blessings that have been prepared for us in heaven.

 

I am simply going to leave this devotion with a challenge to all. Firstly, to those who have come to faith, where do you stand regarding the living out your life changing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you really living your Christian life to your full potential. When the time comes to leave this world, will the verdict given be well done or will you (and I challenge myself as well) stand before him ashamed that we failed to live as we truly should have lived.

 

Secondly to any that may never have given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, first to you, there is no other way by which you can be saved and come to know forgiveness of sins and eternal life, second, in failing to come to faith, you will not be welcomed into the presence of Jesus, you will never know what it is to know what it is to be ‘blessed’ in his eternal home, but instead you will hear the words ‘Depart from me, I never knew you’. The choice is yours, for God has made the way of salvation available to all who believe, by rejecting, you are making your own choice. Today choose Jesus, choose life.

THURSDAY September 5^th

 

Revelation 14:13

‘And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!”’

 

As we come to our verses today, because we are looking at the seven ‘blessed’ statements in the book of Revelation, it means that we have jumped very quickly from the first in chapter 1:3 through 13 chapters to arrive at chapter 14. And a lot has happened, or when it all takes place will have happened!

 

Now, I suppose it is important for me to make clear the angle from which I look at the book of Revelation, and to suggest that if you look at it from a different angle, then you agree to disagree with me. I am one who holds to the view of the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, the moment when Jesus comes to the clouds to call the waiting Church to himself. This involves also the resurrection of the those who have died in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Then, sometime after that, it may be very swift, will be the time of the tribulation upon the earth, where much of what we read in the book of Revelation will take place (chapters 6-18). Then after this period of tribulation, about 7 years, Jesus will return to the earth, his arrival being at Mount Olivet where he will destroy the armies of the world at what we call the battle of Armageddon and then he will establish his kingdom on earth for a period of 1000 years, what we call the Millennial Kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-9). After that will be the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) and the dissolving of the heavens and the earth and the creating from out of them the new heavens and earth wherein shall eternally dwell righteousness (Revelation 21:1). Now that is in a nutshell.

 

So, in coming to the verses today, they are not specifically speaking about you and me, the believers who are living today, for by the time the prophetic clock reaches this point we will have been delivered from the wrath that is to come, we will be in the presence of our wonderful Saviour (BUT, and I will turn to this again in the next devotion for I also see an application for us today).

 

So, who are these which it is referring to? Notice it says ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on’ that is from this point of time on. It is those who will refuse to take the mark of the beast, possibly, if it happens in the next dozen years or so, those who we know today who have heard the gospel, and yet have refused to believe it, but when the day of God’s wrath is poured out will begin to realise how true the gospel was and will cry out to God for his mercy and for his help, there will be those who will have heard the two witnesses calling out for the nation of Israel to repent, but even though some, maybe many will turn to the Lord, it will not be easy for them, many will be killed, and therefore in this prophetic vision the call is given for them to endure, and to keep their faith in Jesus. Yes, I do believe that there will be those who will come to faith in Jesus during the time of the great tribulation, but if it is hard come to him now and to live for him now, it will be even harder then! And it is those who do endure, those who do persevere, those who maybe lose their lives will be the ones who are referred here as to being ‘blessed’.

 

But why write a devotion on a verse that we may feel doesn’t then matter to us. Well, it does, for it should prompt us to make sure that we are right with Christ now, today! To be ready for the moment when he comes to call the waiting church home, for once the awful time of tribulation comes upon this earth, I suggest that if you have failed to believe now, that there will be an even slighter chance of you coming to believe then, when the time of trouble comes on the world, it will be easier to be drawn with the crowd than it is now, than to choose Jesus.  

WEDNESDAY September 4^th

 

Revelation 1:3

‘Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.’

I am staying in the first chapter again, because in mentioning some of the verses in our previous devotion, I didn’t take us to the verses that show to us the vison that John had received of the risen Lord Jesus which caused him to fall at his feet as though dead (v17).

 

Here is what is written in verses 12-16

 

‘Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.’

 

I recall speaking on these verses when I first started pastoring the church in Sudbury, Suffolk and a little while afterwards a lady in the church gave me a picture to look at. She had gone home and had drawn on paper what she saw depicted here in these verses. Now, I don’t know what happened to the drawing, but it was evident that as I had opened the Scripture that evening something was activated in her life concerning something of the wonder of who Jesus really is.

 

And as we look briefly at some of the verses linked to the seven ‘blessed’ statements here in Revelation, it should lead each one of us to a fresh wonder concerning Jesus and a fresh longing or desire for more of Jesus. Now, thankfully as I spoke on that occasion the lady concerned didn’t fall down in the Church as though dead, but I do know that it caused her to make sure that what needed to be put to death in her life was put to death, because seeing something of Jesus in a fresh way caused her to want to live more for Jesus and less for herself.

 

I wonder if we today need to have a fresh vision, revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we too will put to death once and for all those things that are not conducive to living for Jesus. I ended our previous devotion by taking us to the fifth chapter and quoted the words that declare ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain’, and these words too came after John had had another vison of Jesus, it is in verse 6 where he says ‘I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. . .’

 

Remember the initial verse is all about being ‘blessed’. What tremendous blessing is available to all who allow their eyes to be opened to see Jesus. We may not see him in the same dramatic ways that John did here in these incredible visons, but we need to see him as the only one who has been given to this world to be the Saviour of the world.

 

I will quote the words of a hymn.

 

Give me a sight, O Saviour,

Of thy wondrous love to me;

Of the love that brought thee down to earth,

To die on Calvary.

 

Oh, make me understand it,

Help me to take it in;

What it meant for thee, the holy one,

To bear away my sin.

TUESDAY September 3^rd

Revelation 1:3

‘Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.’

As I was preparing these devotions, I felt that I couldn’t move on without reminding us of some of the wonderful truth that is found in this first chapter. For tit reminds us that we have a living and powerful Saviour! Yes, he died, but the wonder of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is that after being buried and sealed in a tomb he rose again triumphantly. Now, I am jumping ahead a few verses here, but after John had his incredible vision of Jesus, it says that John fell at his feet as though dead (v17), but Jesus spoke to him these words ‘“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”’

What does this say to us? Well, beside the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead and is still very much alive and is for eternity, it tells us that he has triumphed victoriously, and therefore as the mighty victor, the powerful conqueror, he is in charge! He holds control over all things, my life, your life is in his hands, this world and its future is in his hands and the powers of darkness as powerful as they may seem to sometimes be, are under his control. He has defeated death, he has defeated the devil, he has broken the power of sin. He holds the keys!

But before these verses, we read these words from verse 5-6 ‘To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.’

What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus!

What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!

 

He has loved us, with such an incredible, powerful love, he has freed us from our sins by his blood, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’, he has made us a kingdom, we have become priest to his God and Father, therefore as we wonder concerning our wonderful salvation, we say ‘to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.’

 

Now literally as I was writing the previous paragraph, I heard a song that I had never heard before which tied in so well with what these verses are all about, here are the words.

I’m the Lamb that was slain

And my blood washes you clean

I’m the pure sacrifice

Let my life give you life

I’m the Lamb

We cry, worthy, we cry, worthy,

We cry, worthy is the Lamb of God

You’re the Lamb that was slain

And your blood washes us clean

You’re the pure sacrifice

Let your life give us life

You’re the Lamb

You’re the Lamb

 

It causes us to jump ahead (well me anyway) to Revelation chapter 5 and verses 12 and 13

 

‘“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing! . . . To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!”

MONDAY September 2^nd

Revelation 1:3

‘Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.’

What we call the book of Revelation, is a Revelation of Jesus Christ, (See 1:1) it is a book that is all about Jesus and the things that are to happen in the last days.

The future, that which is yet to happen in God’s programme for this world is a continuing programme of all that he is unveiling and doing in relation to his programme of salvation which is only to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 1:2 we read that in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son. So, God spoke 2000 years through his Son, and in the 2000 years that have followed, God is still speaking through his Son, and in the final days, the days that we read of in this book of Revelation, God will still be speaking to the world through his Son.

At Calvary he spoke to the world in love, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’, and God is still speaking through his Son, his love is still available to all who are willing to come and accept him. But when we get to the book of Revelation, we see how God is speaking his judgment upon this world through his Son.

Now, I wonder how often we turn to the book of Revelation, I wonder how often we may avoid it because it seems to be ‘too complicated’, or maybe because we have heard so many different interpretations of what it contains that we find it ‘too confusing’. Put all that to one side for a moment and then reset your mind to see it as a book that is a revelation of Jesus Christ, the incredible revelation has been given to us to help us to ensure that we are ready for whatever is next in God’s programme which he is working out through the plan of salvation that is available only through a personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is important, reading and keeping what is found in this revelation, will bring to us  blessing! ‘Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.’

It would indicate a present blessing, that is as we heed the words we ensure that we apply it to our lives now and will be blessed, and as we keep the words, it implies as we remain faithful we will be blessed as what is written comes to pass, and I personally believe that it also points to our being eternally blessed for we will be safe in the presence of Jesus as the wrath of God which we read of in this book is poured out upon the world that has rejected both God the Father and Jesus his Son.

FRIDAY August 30^th

I think it would be fair to say that we are all aware of the ‘Blessed’ statement which we call the beatitudes in the gospel of Matthew and chapter 5, even if we were unable to recite them all by heart. There are 9 of them altogether, and here they are, and I have kept the verse numbers in.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

But are you aware that there are seven ‘Blessed’ statements in the book of Revelation? We truly are blessed people as we come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, Jesus talks of the possibility of persecution as we stand up for the sake of righteousness, but the reward for doing so is out of this world, we are assured of access into the kingdom of heaven. The ‘blessed’ statements in Revelation are all attached in some way to our being faithful and our being willing to persevere in this life as we head toward that which is to come. And so next week I will begin to take us through the seven statements in Revelation, but to whet your appetite, if you want a preview of the verses, here are the references.

Revelation 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14.

THURSDAY August 29^th

2 Chronicles 7:17–20

‘And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.’

Following on from the previous devotion, I decided to read on down through the passage from 2 Chronicles 7 and as I looked at these verses, the LORD God gave a challenge which was two-fold, 1) ‘If you will walk before me’, then there would be blessing, compared to 2) ‘But if you turn aside and forsake’, there will be consequences, even to the point of being cast out of God’s sight.

We cannot play fast and loose with God. We must either choose to live all out for him or not at all! I mentioned it a few times awhile back, that the Lord Jesus cannot accept lukewarmness, we are either for him or against him. (Revelation 3:16)

I guess that most who make an initial commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ have every intention of living all out for Jesus, but too often, and so easily we can get distracted, we can take our focus off him and lose something of the initial desire and love for him and all that he demands from us. But the consequences of taking our eyes off Jesus and of our deliberately forsaking his ways are serious, therefore we need to keep focused, as we are reminded by the Hebrew author,  ‘. . . let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God’,  Hebrews 12:1–2

Maybe someone is reading this devotion today, and sometime in the past you gave your life to the Lord Jesus Christ but you are only really following him from a distance, you are more focused on what this world has to offer, you are easily distracted by all the pleasure and that which the devil has made look attractive to your eyes, spend some time redirecting your focus, not on the transient things of this world, but on the eternal promise and the eternal hope which is for all who remain faithful and steadfast.

‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified’, 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.