Dear Family,
By God’s providence this year we are starting our preaching schedule in Matthew 25. In this chapter of the first gospel, Jesus is preparing the hearts of his disciples to prepare for his return. He does it by teaching a series of parables and the startling reality of these parables is that being prepared for the return of Jesus is a crucial part of our Christian lives. The way each of us prepare for Jesus says something about the authenticity of our faith in him. We see this in the first parable of Matthew 25 where five unprepared, foolish virgins are shut out from the wedding celebrations of the groom and told that they are not even known to him. Matthew 25:11-12 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
As we look into a new year ahead, it’s a great time to think about our priorities. What is at the top of our most desired outcomes for 2022? There are so many wonderful goals we could have as a church body. We might desire to grow. We might want to send missionaries. We might want to expand ministry. We might want to have closer unity and fellowship with one another. All of these are wonderful goals for a church to have on their list, but in contemplating the words of the groom in Jesus’ parable there is a priority goal above all others. We must all be ready in a way that we are known by Jesus on the day of his return.
There are two types of people in this world. The people who will hear, “enter into my rest,” and the people who will hear, “I do not know you.” The difference between the two is having faith in Christ as we live in union with Christ, and it is lived out as we wait for Christ. We wait with Jesus as our hope, our joy and our satisfaction and there is no other priority relationship above him. He is our Savior, our Lord, and our King. He is our God. We long for his return and we live for his return because he has already covered our debt for the day of judgment. We know him and love him because he first loved us. We know him and love him because there is nothing else that matters more on that final day than him identifying us as being known by him. Our focus is and must be the person and work of Christ.
Once again, like a broken record, I put it to you my dear family that our priority goal this year is to know and love Jesus more. To point each other to him. To elevate and exalt the person of Christ. And while I know that comes with preaching accurate theological truth and conforming our words and actions to the truth of his word, it must first come through a trust in and affection for him as our Savior and Lord. We will do what we do this year because Jesus is our heart’s focus. We must point each other to him as the foundation of our faith, the object of our faith and the vision of our hope. If whatever we are doing or saying doesn’t help us to exalt and love him more, then let’s not do it or say it.
Why? Because the only important thing in life is being known by him. We live for him - right up to the day we see him coming in the clouds. And then we live with and for him eternally.
2022 – It really is all about Jesus. Let’s help each other live that reality every day.
With all sincerity,
Steve.