Day of Praise

Tu, 03/18/14, "Day of Praise"

Revelation 5:9 - "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"

My son asked me about his savings bonds, so I went to the firesafe in my closet to pull out his bonds. It won't open. I can hear a clicking when I insert the key, but somehow the lock has broken though the safe's been sitting idly in my closet since Christmas, when I last added some bonds. I need someone who's able to restore access to our earthly treasure. Otherwise, it's clear that we're not getting into the safe.

And so it is with our spiritual treasure, which is also your spiritual treasure, which is our fellowship with God and our eternal blessings from God. It is literally in a firesafe. Nothing's going to destroy it, but the lock is broken. It won't open. We need someone who's able to restore access to our heavenly treasure. Otherwise, it's clear that we're not getting to our treasure.

But praise be to God for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is worthy "to take the scroll and to open its seals." (Revelation 5:9) Jesus and Jesus alone can give us access to the inaccessible treasure. That's what this season of Lent, which is the time before Easter, is for. It's a time for us to slow down and stop and reflect on the miracle of the eternal, spiritual treasure in our lives: God's mercy, God's forgiveness, God's grace, God's fellowship, God's heaven.

How do we have what we don't deserve? How do we have what we can't attain by our own work? How do we have what is locked away and otherwise inaccessible to us? We have it through faith in the Lamb who was slain on the cross but who death couldn't hold because he had no sin. And the Lamb who is Jesus is alive in our midst, and through faith in Jesus and his saving work we have access to the inaccessible.

Think about it. And give thanks!

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson