The Mother of all What-If's....

Several weeks ago, around Easter time, I was preaching on the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The text was from the book of Luke. During that sermon, one of the points I made was that Jesus had entered Jerusalem, just as the Old Testament foretold. The people who said they wanted Messiah to come were now witnessing the arrival of the Messiah, but they didn't recognize it because they were Spiritually blind. Because Jerusalem had failed to receive the Messiah, electing rather to turn Him over to the Romans to be crucified, the city was condemned to total destruction, which happened some 35 years later in AD 70. The city could have received its promised Messiah, but instead rejected Him and chose destruction.

Following church that day, my wife asked me, "What would have happened had they received Him? What about His death for our sins on the cross?"

The simple answer to that would be that God knew that Jerusalem would reject Christ, so He worked it into His perfect plan of redemption. That's the answer I gave, and that's how we left it.

Still, does that mean that Jerusalem was doomed from the start? Was there a way they could've received the Messiah, and for the plan of Redemption to go forward? I mean after all, Jesus Himself said in Luke 19:42, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."

Jesus said "If thou hadst known," indicating possibility. If Jerusalem would've been worshiping and serving God, and thus would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, things would've turned out different for Jerusalem. AD 70 would've never happened, and the Temple would still stand today because the Messiah would've defeated the Romans. But, what about redemption? Salvation was purchased by the death of Christ on the cross. So, if the Jewish leaders didn't turn Him over to the Romans to be crucified, how would we have salvation today?

Granted, this is a big what-if scenario, and this is all conjecture, but it could be that God would've worked the plan of redemption into Jerusalem's acceptance and obedience. Consider the following possibility:

Jesus enters Jerusalem to the cheer of the crowd. The religious leaders open their Bibles, read the scriptures that Jesus was in the process of fulfilling, and realize that the Messiah has arrived. They proudly and victoriously announce that Christ has indeed come, as God promised in the scriptures, and proclaim that God's Kingdom has once again been restored. Christ arrives in Jerusalem, where a coronation ceremony is held and He is crowned King.

The Romans would not have just accepted that. The Roman army would've marched on Jerusalem, just as they had in previous insurrections, taken the leadership, and crucified them. The result: Christ would've been crucified anyway, and still would've paid for the sins of the world. Once He rose again on the third day, He would've destroyed the Roman army and restored the Kingdom once and for all. Salvation would then have been extended to the Gentiles based on whether they accepted Him or rejected Him. 

Granted, there are holes in that theory. But instead of going into deep theological debates as to how God would've completed the plan of redemption if Jerusalem would have accepted Jesus, let's just be glad we have an all-powerful God who completes His plan no matter what man does, and that His plan called for our redemption, salvation, and inclusion into His Kingdom. Praise the Lord!

Restoring Hope: Why Being Heavenly Minded is not a Bad Thing

You've probably heard the phrase, "Don't be so Heavenly-minded that you are no Earthly good." It's a philosophy that my generation has fully embraced. To talk to a 20 or 30-something year old Christian is to learn that Heaven is great, we look forward to getting there someday, but our lives are to be about the hear-and-now!

It's not that we are trying to live worldly, it's just that we see it as our responsibility to make the biggest impact we can on this world for Christ. That is why foster care and adoption are becoming more popular among young Christians... why seminary students dream of planting churches in large cities as opposed to accepting the pastorate at a rural church. It's why the younger generation's worst nightmare is settling into a middle-class job for 20 years, and living in a mid-sized town somewhere in the Midwest. We have dreams, we want to leave our mark, and young Christians want to make sure they have done something extraordinary to impact the world for Christ.

Lost in all this is our hope for where we will be in eternity. We believe we are going to Heaven, we just don't think about it that much. This lost hope can result in discouragement when the ventures and efforts of the superChristian aren't panning out.

So, there I am... a foster parent, and a father to three of my own children... working to plant a church in Brownwood, Texas (not exactly the big city, but I love it anyway), and doing everything I can to preach the Gospel publicly, and to support my community through the local chamber of commerce.

How's it going? The church's finances are in the red. My personal finances are tight. I can't remember the last real date I had with my wife (actually, I can. We ate out and spent time together during a Weekend To Remember Retreat in the Woodlands). Still, if My wife and I suddenly had a night alone together, I'm not sure I'd know what to do. So, all this stuff has been weighing on my mind. What am I doing wrong? Why won't God bless my efforts?

Then, my beautiful daughter jumps in my car, and rides shotgun on the way home from an outing in Abilene. She pops in my Brad Paisley "5th Gear" CD, and his rendition of "When We All Get To Heaven" comes on. That peaceful, reassuring hymn reminded me that God has it all in the palm of His hand. Sunday night, on the way home from church, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" came on KHBW (KHCB) radio. These two experiences reminded me that, despite all the battles of the day, and despite all the challenges I face, God is still on His throne. He will return. He will establish His Kingdom on Earth, and He will receive me into that Kindgom, and not because of anything I have done. My entry into that Kingdom is not contingent on my success. My entry into that Kingdom is due to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and He rose again to give me eternal life.

After this "Revelation," my heart rate slowed a bit, and my blood pressure dropped. God has it all in His hands, I need only be obedient during my time here on Earth. Following my time here on Earth, I will be received into His Kingdom, where He will wipe away my every tear and give me an eternal home.

So, the next time you visit a church, and they get out the "Heavenly Highway Hymns," don't roll your eyes. Use that time as an opportunity to remember your hope, your confident expectation that God has already secured the victory, and you will be received into Heaven. Knowing that should remind you that He is in control of all things, and thus will conquer whatever you face on your behalf.

I'll close with a quote from a famous philosopher who has recently passed away, "Keep looking up, because that's where it all is."