You shall go out running like ... a running beagle after a bath!
Malachi 4:1-3
For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
Thanks to a good friend of mine named Jim, Kacey and I learned of a church down here in Springfield that is attempting to join the OPC - Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The congregation is fairly small; even smaller than the Sovereign Grace church in town or South Creek... and considerably smaller than Boulevard Baptist. But it is also full of people who love God... and who use the Trinity hymnal. ;-)
The sermon text today was from Malachi, as I have posted above. Though the text is largely concerning the first advent of Christ, it could also see fulfillment in the second coming... at least this portion of the chapter - not the last few verses of the book, which clearly find fulfillment in John the Baptizer. The text points to Christ's coming... and his judgement. For those who are enemies of God - that is, all of humanity apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit - it is a day to be mournful over. After all, this fallen world is as close as they will ever get to Heaven in their unrepentant state. Christ comes again and... well, it's all over.
We know from Matthew 25, the sheep - those who trust in Christ's saving work on the cross & his resurrection ALONE to save them - are to be with Christ; the goats - those who continue in their sin, refusing to turn from their sin and trust the saving gospel of God's glorious grace - they will hear the Lord utter these words that should cause all to tremble: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Christ continues, "And these will go away into eternal punishment..." This is really bad news for the goat.
But for the sheep? For the one redeemed by the shed blood of the lamb of God, who alone takes away sin? Christ assures the believer, "... but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." It will not be a day of sorrow... it will be a day of ... wow. My pathetic words cannot contain how full of awe that day will be for those who love God, the called according to his purpose! It will be a glorious day of rejoicing! What kind of rejoicing? "You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall." Now I was not raised on a farm, and the closest I have come to it is I have seen my girlfriend spend FAR too much time playing the Facebook waste of time known as FARMVILLE. But as the pastor began to describe what the text means concerning the calve... I was able to put it into a context I am quite familiar with in my own life. (As it turns out, the next thing the pastor spoke on was a similar example I thought of... only mine was better I think... hah!)
Our family dog, Katie, was recently put down, after living a life with us for approximately 14 years. As a beagle, she would get so filthy... oh gosh. Beagles, being hound dogs, feel the compulsion to roll around in their own poo, to smell like the outdoors to mask their scent, helping them sneak up on their prey better. As our dog never actually formally was a hunting dog, this was more of an annoyance than anything, considering she was an inside dog. After many muddy escapades, she would NEED a bath. Her feelings toward baths ranged from misery to tolerance through the years. Still, she often had this pathetic look in her eyes during the tub. But as she stood in that tub, taking her "tubbie"... and she would watch me place a towel or two down near the door for her to stand on that I can dry her off... she would hobble out of the tub and wait (VERY impatiently) for me to dry her off a bit.
But when I had dried her off as much as I thought I could... and that bathroom door opened... WOOOOSH!! Even at the age of 13 or 14, you'd think she was a pup of one year!! She would zoom around the house in an array of energy, jumping on furniture, running around in circles throughout the house... partly to dry off, and a larger part because she was THRILLED to no longer be in the tub! That little dogie had arthritis and a really bad leg. But after a tub, she thought she was the Flash Puppy! She was so thrilled she could nearly not contain herself. It was similar also when she knew my dad was carrying up her dog food for feeding time. She would be jumping around on her bad legs, howling only the way a beagle can howl... because she KNEW good things were coming and/or here!
Christian, THIS is how it will be when Christ returns for his church! This is comparable to what we will feel and how it will be for us! At Christ's return, we shall go out running like Katie after a bath!! For those of us who are in Christ... it will be an amazingly glorious day.
Maranatha.... come quickly, Lord Jesus!
For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
Thanks to a good friend of mine named Jim, Kacey and I learned of a church down here in Springfield that is attempting to join the OPC - Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The congregation is fairly small; even smaller than the Sovereign Grace church in town or South Creek... and considerably smaller than Boulevard Baptist. But it is also full of people who love God... and who use the Trinity hymnal. ;-)
The sermon text today was from Malachi, as I have posted above. Though the text is largely concerning the first advent of Christ, it could also see fulfillment in the second coming... at least this portion of the chapter - not the last few verses of the book, which clearly find fulfillment in John the Baptizer. The text points to Christ's coming... and his judgement. For those who are enemies of God - that is, all of humanity apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit - it is a day to be mournful over. After all, this fallen world is as close as they will ever get to Heaven in their unrepentant state. Christ comes again and... well, it's all over.
We know from Matthew 25, the sheep - those who trust in Christ's saving work on the cross & his resurrection ALONE to save them - are to be with Christ; the goats - those who continue in their sin, refusing to turn from their sin and trust the saving gospel of God's glorious grace - they will hear the Lord utter these words that should cause all to tremble: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Christ continues, "And these will go away into eternal punishment..." This is really bad news for the goat.
But for the sheep? For the one redeemed by the shed blood of the lamb of God, who alone takes away sin? Christ assures the believer, "... but the righteous [will go] into eternal life." It will not be a day of sorrow... it will be a day of ... wow. My pathetic words cannot contain how full of awe that day will be for those who love God, the called according to his purpose! It will be a glorious day of rejoicing! What kind of rejoicing? "You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall." Now I was not raised on a farm, and the closest I have come to it is I have seen my girlfriend spend FAR too much time playing the Facebook waste of time known as FARMVILLE. But as the pastor began to describe what the text means concerning the calve... I was able to put it into a context I am quite familiar with in my own life. (As it turns out, the next thing the pastor spoke on was a similar example I thought of... only mine was better I think... hah!)
Our family dog, Katie, was recently put down, after living a life with us for approximately 14 years. As a beagle, she would get so filthy... oh gosh. Beagles, being hound dogs, feel the compulsion to roll around in their own poo, to smell like the outdoors to mask their scent, helping them sneak up on their prey better. As our dog never actually formally was a hunting dog, this was more of an annoyance than anything, considering she was an inside dog. After many muddy escapades, she would NEED a bath. Her feelings toward baths ranged from misery to tolerance through the years. Still, she often had this pathetic look in her eyes during the tub. But as she stood in that tub, taking her "tubbie"... and she would watch me place a towel or two down near the door for her to stand on that I can dry her off... she would hobble out of the tub and wait (VERY impatiently) for me to dry her off a bit.
But when I had dried her off as much as I thought I could... and that bathroom door opened... WOOOOSH!! Even at the age of 13 or 14, you'd think she was a pup of one year!! She would zoom around the house in an array of energy, jumping on furniture, running around in circles throughout the house... partly to dry off, and a larger part because she was THRILLED to no longer be in the tub! That little dogie had arthritis and a really bad leg. But after a tub, she thought she was the Flash Puppy! She was so thrilled she could nearly not contain herself. It was similar also when she knew my dad was carrying up her dog food for feeding time. She would be jumping around on her bad legs, howling only the way a beagle can howl... because she KNEW good things were coming and/or here!
Christian, THIS is how it will be when Christ returns for his church! This is comparable to what we will feel and how it will be for us! At Christ's return, we shall go out running like Katie after a bath!! For those of us who are in Christ... it will be an amazingly glorious day.
Maranatha.... come quickly, Lord Jesus!
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