HoHum:
I love dogs. Several things in this last chapter could have talked about (such as vs. 11) but this one just got under my craw. Grew up on a farm and we had outside dogs. Insisted that our dogs be outside. Had Rex and Roxie, lab mixes, who were accomplished escape artists. They found a way to dig out under the fence, even when we put wire fencing into the ground under the fence. Moved to the city and tried invisible fence, they found a way to outsmart even that. After many calls from McDonald’s telling us that our dogs were begging from customers, we shipped them off to Maine. What do we do now? Crystal and the boys wanted a dog so along came Cricket, a Boston Terrier. This dog was inside and I guess Cricket could sense my uncomfortableness with the situation so we had a love to hate relationship. Thankfully, after many years, when we moved to Tennessee, Cricket and I buried the hatchet. Loved coming home in the evening and Cricket would snarl, growl and bark like she was going to rip my leg off. She never touched me, it was just an act. Cricket died in April. Miss that dog. Now we have Fozzie, a 6 month old miniature poodle. Even though he is still a puppy, I walked him for an hour the other day. This is something that Cricket would never do. I think this dog will fit right in.
WBTU:
Finishing the series, Famous Last Words from Revelation, with the last chapter of Revelation. This one is called Famous Last Words Period. Read Revelation 22:7-21. Going to focus on vs. 14-15 today. The New Testament world had a different concept of dogs than we do. In NT no one had inside dogs (Oh, the rich and elites of the day might have inside dogs but they were more like guard dogs). Dogs were unclean scavengers who would have to fend for themselves. Dogs would have to feed on scraps, food that was thrown out, roadkill. Dogs in the NT were nasty, mangy, often carried fleas, ticks, and diseases. In some countries even today, if a dog goes past, people will throw sticks and stones to keep the dog away. For us we have cuddly, playful, fluffy, friendly, faithful, loyal companions in dogs. Much different descriptions in the NT.
Thesis: Inside, outside, and the way inside
For instances:
I. Inside- May go through the gates into the city
Those inside the gates of the New Jerusalem are blessed. Remember talking about Nehemiah and how important it was for the city to have a wall with gates. Open the gates in the morning and close the gates at night. Keep the gates closed if enemies approaching. The enemies are gone now but the gates here are permanently closed to the New Jerusalem. Those inside are in heaven. Love Southern Gospel music especially the Gaithers series. Notice how many of those songs talk about heaven. Eastern Gate- Oh, the joys of that glad meeting, With the saints who for us wait! What a blessed, happy meeting, Just inside the Eastern Gate. I will meet you, Just inside the Eastern Gate over there; I will meet you in the morning over there. Vs. 14 is the last of the 7 beatitudes in Revelation. Read the first 6 earlier in the service. To be blessed is often equated with happiness. That definition can be abused today with the health and wealth gospel. Blessed abundantly with stuff. No, I like the Vine’s Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words that says blessed is to cause to prosper. We can be blessed in the Lord without luxuries, without material things of life. Yes, in Revelation many things about heaven are described in earthly terms to help us understand but heaven goes even beyond these descriptions. 1 Corinthians 2:9: As it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him”. Heaven is a blissful state of happiness. Happiness can be lost in this world because of external circumstances but a heavenly state of mind will never cease to be blessed. Heaven is a place where things are constant, never changing. A person once said, “The only constant is change.” When changes have confronted me unbidden, I’ve often been thrown off kilter. Heaven will not be this way because we will be near God, and our God is unchanging. Malachi 3:6: “I the LORD do not change.”
Wash their robes- keep plenty of detergent on hand. Yes, this begins with the act of baptism where we are washed as white as the snow but also need a continual washing- regular repentance and renewal- the detergent is the blood of the Lamb. 1 John 1:7: “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Sin after becoming a Christian has been challenge- in the days of the 3rd century many put off baptism until the end so that they would not be able to sin after baptism. Let me say this, 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Does my confession save me? no, the blood of Jesus saves me but must constantly be washed in the blood of the Lamb
Have the right to the tree of life- interesting that much of Revelation is grounded in Genesis. The Bible is all one story, first chapter is Genesis and the last chapter is Revelation. After the fall, Genesis 3:22-24 says: And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” That is so mean of God- no, it is good because who wants to live here until the end of time. In heaven we will be able to live forever because have access to the tree of life. Last verse of Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
II. Outside…
Outside are the dogs- remember David and Goliath and as David approached Goliath we find in 1 Samuel 17:43: Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” The Jews referred to the Gentiles as dogs. Jesus even got into the act (to prove a point). Jesus said to the Canaanite woman who wanted her daughter to be healed (Matthew 15:26-27), “Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Noticed this in Cricket, always begging, always sniffing out the crumbs under the table. Really, everyone outside of Christ are described as being a dog. A dog will return to its vomit (to their sins)- 2 Peter 2:22. Those who practice magic arts- Had someone from WICCA lately who came to Christ- this is no longer fun and games, it is serious stuff. She talked about blood used and not the blood of Lamb
The sexually immoral- Dogs are not loyal to one partner unless they are forced. One of the dogs that we got (an outside dog) was named Roxie. She was to be a purebred dog but the mother dog got with a neighborhood dog before they could breed her with the purebred male dog. Many people live like dogs. It is just a physical act and nothing more. For a human it is more than a physical act. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” The murderers- could have had the puppies aborted but choose to deliver and give them away. Humans today do this to their young, have them aborted. Need to love and support the mothers but more abortions in a year now that before the Supreme Court decision. Cricket was bad off and so had her euthanized. This is what some want to do to humans who are in poor health. God will decide for a human. Job 1:21: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” The nature of dogs is to bite. Little puppy constantly nips but a dog that is cornered will bite. That was the position of the Judaisers. Listen to Philippians 3:2: “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.” Slightly different slant but some people want to be treated like a dog. Bob Barker always said, “Don’t forget to have your pets spade or neutered.” Some are in favor of having people mutilated. Now wait a minute, they want to change their sex and that’s different, not talking about dogs here. How much unnecessary trouble do people go through to change their sex! In heaven sex or gender will be unimportant. Notice what Jesus said in Mark 12:25: “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” Oh, let’s go to something else. Yes, Psalm 22 is a description of the cross. 22:16 says, “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.” Jesus died for those dogs who put him on the cross. A dog cannot change their inner being but a human can through the power of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
III. The way inside
Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The early church was often called the Way (several times in Acts). Yes, the Way back to the Father but also the Way inside those pearly gates. May more people have this experience as talked about in Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”” Imagine Noah and family are on the ark, the Lord is about to close the door, what will you do? 1 Peter 3:20-21: “In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.” The gates of heaven are closing soon. Notice that 3 times in this chapter Jesus says, “I am coming soon.” Can you say, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) What is holding you back?
