non-impossibilities

​

For nothing will be impossible with God.

Luke 1:37

A virgin

told she’d have a son

Savior of the world

Who would forever reign

no end to her son’s kingdom

It puzzled her.

“How will this be?”

It seemed impossible.

Impossible she’d conceive.

Impossible the Son of God would be hers as well.

Impossible her old cousin was pregnant.

Impossible that Israel would have a new King.

But she believed

“I am the servant of the Lord.”

“Let it be to me

according to your word.”

I too

have small impossibilities

facing me today

but He now reigns

and has me in His Kingdom

I lament pain.

“Why must this be?”

It seems impossible.

Impossible restoration.

Impossible to see things made right.

Impossible life provision.

Impossible for this world to submit to a King.

But I will believe.

“I will serve the Lord.”

“Your will be done,

Your kingdom come…

on earth as it is in heaven.”

the last verse

​

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Revelation 22:21

In the end

when we stand

no longer accursed

remember this last verse

we will see His face

be in His grace

no more night

for Jesus is our light

reigning forever

crying never

His grace with us all. Amen

We took a look

at prophecy in this book

we did not add

to what we read

nor take away

from what He would say

coming for us soon

now singing His tune

we have testified

and live sanctified

the grace of the Lord Jesus with all. Amen

this makes it heaven

​The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:7

What makes heaven… well… heaven? Will it be gold streets, a crystal river, walls built of solid gemstones? Will it be the sights and sounds of the redeemed in a glorious life beyond imagination, forever happy and free from the pain of living? All that certainly is worth looking forward to, but I think a powerful reality is what will make heaven truly paradise. It will be that finally “the dwelling pace of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3). We will be His people, free from sin and living as we were first created, and He will be our God. We will all live at peace with God in His beautiful presence.

That is why comfort will be present, all tears gone as a former life is eclipsed with no regrets in the Almighty presence of God. All things new… forever… will be the experience our hearts have always longed to know. We will live as we truly have always hoped to live.

This is the heritage of the redeemed who are faithful in following Jesus. He is our God. We are His children. We are at home, finally! And knowing and loving an eternal God will be the thrilling joy of our lives forever in a New Heaven and a New Earth. It is right to long for that hope. It is really what I am living for!

truly blessed

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

who fears the LORD.

Psalm 128:4

Here is the blessed life for one rooted in fearing God and walking in His ways. God blesses ordinary life: fruitful work, provision, marriage, family, generations, and the joy of home. The source of blessing is God Himself. It is not found in the gifts that are the blessings, but in the Giver of them. Blessing is not wealth, or an easy, painless life. Blessing is lived reverently before the Lord, receiving all His good gifts and presence with a grateful heart.

The psalm starts at home but then widens to the nation: “The LORD bless you from Zion!” It extends generationally: “your children’s children”. It rejoices in the flourishing of an entire community over time in covenant with God. The blessed life is God-centered, fruitful, relational, and generational. It comes as people fear the Lord, walk in His ways, enjoy His good gifts, and seek His blessing to spread to all who love the Lord.

All blessings point to Jesus Himself. In Christ we are brought into God’s family, given a deeper inheritance than any we can have now and are blessed in a vast community of His redeemed for eternity.

Sayonara Satan!

And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years…

Revelation 20:2

The devil has an end. He knows it because he reads the Bible. We know Satan reads scripture because he twists scripture in his temptations of people. He did so with Eve. He did so with Jesus. He will try to do so with us. But the devil has to cringe when he reads Revelation 20! He is bound in a bottomless pit, falling for a thousand years. Then he will be defeated after a brief release and thrown into eternal torment in the lake of fire. Goodbye Satan! Not nice knowing ya! Your doom is forever sealed.

Satan fights against the fate he knows is coming. And that is one reason why we see evil magnified as humanity expands across the earth. The dragon is roaming over more souls, destroying as much good as he possibly can, defiling God’s creation wherever possible, and lying about how evil is good and good is evil. He deceives billions daily now through false information, false religion, false science, false entertainment, and false philosophy. He manipulates with riches and wealth, with poverty and want, with contentment and apathy, with activism, and with war and ruin. He is an equal opportunity destroyer bent on ruining all that God has made that is good.

The devil however is doomed. Keep that in mind, Christian! Jesus has already won. Satan has limited options, on a limited scale, for a limited time, and will eventually be bound in a burning lake of fire forevermore. Jesus has defeated all evil by His death and resurrection. Trust in the One Who tosses Satan into the fire like the garbage that the devil truly is.

good to all

​The LORD is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalm 145:9

The Lord is good to all

He answers when we call

He blesses those who yield to Him

He cares for all in need of Him

The Lord is good to everyone

to this world He gave His Son

Who died so those who call may live

and forgiveness and eternal life He’ll give

The Lord’s mercy is over all He’s made

so we may find grace unafraid

We call to Him Who cares for us so

All His grace we now may know

God is good to rule us all

His mercy pours out to those who fall

Surrender to His Lordship and praise

His great name we will lift and raise

God is good… this we believe

We know His grace as we receive

the saving grace and rule of Jesus

His love and grace always will free us

enemies on a leash

​

So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 38:23

A terrifying coalition of hate rises up to threaten God’s people in Ezekiel 38 and 39. But a striking truth keeps perspective on God: The Lord is never for one second in panic over these fearsome circumstances. Even as Gog (the enemy here) gathers armies, the Lord calmly decrees: “I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws” (Ezekiel 38:4). The enemy threatens evil and destruction, but he cannot move beyond the sovereign boundaries that God has set. What appears to be the advance of unstoppable opposition is ultimately directed by God so that He displays His holiness, justice, and power.

This truth gives God’s people courage when the opposition seems overwhelming. Those who oppose God are limited. They are “powerful” only by His permission. God alone is sovereign. He restrains them, redirects them, and reduces them to rubble in His judgment. We are called away from fear to confident trust in the One Who declares “I will show my greatness and holiness.”

History is not moving toward the triumph of secularism over Christianity. No, quite the opposite! God, the Christian gospel, and Christians in community are all destined to triumph spectacularly. We need not cower when proclaiming this. Our enemies are on God’s tight leash. No enemy is operating outside God’s firm grip of control. No threat surprises Him. Nothing prevents His purposes from full accomplishment. All will know that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen!

the song, the triumph, and the wedding supper

​And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.”

Revelation 19:5

And what is the occasion for angels to call all the righteous in heaven and earth to cease what they are doing and bring unified praise to God? It is the invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The vast throng that responds sounds like the roar of many waters or the thunder rolling in a storm. All the saints are primed to celebrate for “his Bride has made herself ready” clothed with “fine linen, bright and pure.”

The Bride is clothed in her righteous deeds. But the Groom (Jesus) arrives dressed in royal robes and armed for one final battle. His description is fierce (Revelation 19:11-16). He takes the scene with flaming eyes, wearing many crowns. His royal robes are dipped in blood. And the armies of heaven mounted on horses follow Him into a final battle.

The Battle-Bridegroom slays His enemies merely by the word of His mouth. He speaks and all opposition is trodden in the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. The final opposition is captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the last wedding gift that Jesus gives His Bride. And then in His peace, the joy of being forever with Him begins. That’s quite a wedding!

King, Priest, and Judge

​He will drink from the brook by the way;

therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 110:7

• The King Who Sits at God’s Right Hand
  

Psalm 110 begins with an invitation for David’s Lord to sit at God’s right hand until His enemies are destroyed. Jesus applies this royal imagery to Himself (Matthew 22:41-46), showing us that the Messiah is greater than David. His divine authority rules in the eventual defeat of all who oppose Him.

• The Priest Who Reigns Forever
  

The Messiah is not only King but also “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). His priesthood is superior to Aaron’s… it never ends. Jesus is identified as this eternal Priest Who offers the final, sufficient sacrifice for all sins (Hebrews 7:17-27).

• The Victor Over All the Nations
  

Psalm 110 ends with the Messiah triumphing over every enemy and judging all the nations. Jesus, Who presently reigns and intercedes will ultimately conquer and decide the fate of all people for all time forever (Revelation 19:15-16).

Psalm 110 presents Christ as our reigning king, eternal priest, and victorious judge — the only One in Whom we can confidently find salvation, grace, and refuge.

Restoration begins with God.

​And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 36:11

This hope comes in the middle of God’s promise to restore a land and a people once devastated by deserved judgment. Israel’s sin had rightly brought them ruin, scattering, and shame. Yet God declares firmly in restorative grace, “I will do more good to you than ever before.” Why? Not because they deserved it. Not because they were worthy. God’s motive: “Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Their restoration would not come because they earned a second chance. God makes it clear: “It is not for your sakes that I will act” (Ezekiel 36:22). Restoration begins with God. It is HIS sovereign purpose to renew and restore. His holy name and gracious decisions make the ruined flourish anew. God justly disciplines and graciously replenishes.

God does for helpless sinners what they can never do for themselves. In Ezekiel 36 the promises reach beyond mere physical need with restored fields and cities. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). That grace finds its fullest expression in Christ’s redemption of sinners. God doesn’t merely improve sinners. In Jesus He forgives, cleanses, renews, makes holy, and fills them with His Spirit! Sin left wreckage that gave us all no hope of self-recovery. There is nothing we can do. But a sovereign God delights in doing the restoration! And in Christ’s salvation we also exclaim: “Then you will know that I am the LORD”!

Alas! Alas! Babylon.

They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! You great city,

you mighty city, Babylon!

For in a single hour your judgment has come.”​

Revelation 18:10

All who see God’s justice fall

Look at His power appalled

All those judged find no reprieve

Suffering for rejecting the One they refused to receive

A sentence revealed from God on high

Lightning and thunder, revulsion and fright

All who deserve wrath and pain

Sink beneath His pelting rain

Before such justice is served

A chance for mercy withholds what is deserved

Before death, a chance for life

Yearning for repentance to end sin’s strife

Look to the cross where penalty is paid

Only in Jesus is there any escape

No sin is unpunished: judgment falls either on sinner or substitute.