The Table...
Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Luke 24:30
The table has been for centuries a place to gather, a place for nourishment, a place for fellowship, to talk through difficulties, and for family and friends to come together to relax and enjoy time in each other's company. All too often today, the table is relegated to a gathering place for mail, car keys, unfinished projects, etc., and has in many ways lost its importance. I would like this webpage to be a "table" of sorts- a place to gather together, to relax and reflect, and I pray, perhaps, to be challenged...
This week, we are looking at 1 Peter 1:20-25- and I would like us to see the contrast between the glory of man and the glory of God. Peter addresses this and quotes from Isaiah to make his point.
In 1 Peter 1:20-21, Peter says that Jesus was foreordained before the beginnings of creation, but in these last times has been manifest. Peter then says…
1 Peter 1:21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him glory- the glory of God. This is not what is said of mankind, and this is a reminder that we are not to have our hope in the “glory of man”. Peter addresses this by quoting from Isaiah 40, in which we find…
Isaiah 40:5-7 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." The voice said, "Cry out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
We see a clear contrast here between the glory of man and the glory of God. The distinction is evident- God is the one who has brought about eternal life for us- we, who are humanly speaking, as frail as the flower of the field. We, who are spiritually speaking, as frail as grass…
Earlier this spring (and into the summer), we experienced some very dry conditions here in Maine. It did not take long for the grass that had been mowed to begin to turn brown. In areas where the top soil is shallow, it becomes almost black, and crunches under foot. When the rains come, grass will green up once again, and the delicate wild flowers will blossom once more. Yet these are temporary, for we know (in the state of Maine, anyway) what is coming in a short time- the dead of winter. While these flowers and grasses look beautiful for a time, it is but temporary.
Such is the “glory” of mankind. We are, from a physical sense, temporary, as Moses noted…
Psalm 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
What has done this? Sin! Our life in this present world is short in duration, compared with eternity, and yet, mankind chases after the glories of this life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). We who are “the called-out ones”, the church, are to seek the glory of God, and recognize that the end of our faith in Him is the salvation of our souls…
1Corinthians 15:47-49 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
I asked these questions last week- How does the world see us as believers? Do they recognize anything different- the transforming power of God in our lives, and our response to it?
The world is passing away, and as people all around us grasp for their “pot of gold”, and get all they can in this life, may we be of a different heart and mindset, and may those around us recognize it, and may they have that eternal change of heart so they too would seek the glory of God and the salvation of their souls.
With that in mind, we need to ask of ourselves…
Have we considered the horrors of what would await us had God not determined to send His Son to die for our sin- and are we holding fast to that faith and hope in Him?
I would like to thank everyone who has come onto this webpage over the past few months. I pray it has been a challenge and encouragement in some way. When I started this webpage, We, (my wife and I) were out west to be available to assist family. I wanted this extra connection with the church family while we were there. Now that we have come back to Maine, we have that personal connection once again, although perhaps there are those who read this that are not a part of the church family here in Garland.
I say all this because this will be the last installment of this webpage, at least for now. The website itself is not going anywhere, just this page called “The Table”. Perhaps I will bring it back at some point, but for now, I say thank you, and stay strong in Him, His word, and one another.
By God's grace... Pastor Scott
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.