2020 has been an interesting year for sure. We have asked the question, how long is this going to last, about a lot of things and situations. Have you ever noticed that when something good is going on it seems to pass really fast, but when we aren’t enjoying something it seems to drag on? We know that there are only 24 hours in a day, but some days just feel longer don’t they? Yet, as a child of God, we know that God is moving everything towards the end and that is a good thing. How will it end? It will end with the redeemed worshipping the Lord, and later even restoring all of creation to the way it was designed to be. We see this aspect of worship in Revelation 19:6, “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!'”
Our worship will focus on who Jesus is. In this case, we are praising Him because He is all-powerful. Despite everything that has happened, all the times when things have seemed out of control, and the times we have felt hopeless, there has been an all-powerful God on His throne the whole time. It will be this day in which God puts an end to the sinful systems of man. The plan that was formed by God before the foundation of the world, that began at Bethlehem, and the victory that was secured outside of Jerusalem with an empty tomb, will finally and fully be realized for the children of God! This worship precedes the bodily return of Jesus to earth to set up His kingdom on earth. On this day, the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6 when He said, “Your kingdom come, You will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, will be reality. The resurrection of Jesus makes this possible, and it makes it a certainty. But it all started back in Bethlehem. That is why we can’t celebrate Christmas without also looking forward to Easter. And the truth of Jesus’ resurrection is why we must also be prepared for His return, because it will be a day of reckoning for some, but it will also be a rejoicing for those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to close this edition of Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 with a challenge. When you gather for worship, worship the Lord as you will when He returns! Don’t make it about you, but remember that we worship is about Jesus. Sing as loud as you can to the all-powerful God who will one day put an end not only to COVID-19, but all sickness, pain, suffering, and death. Prepare for His return more diligently than you are preparing to celebrate His first coming!
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin