This message was preached by Dr. Earl Johnson, Jr. at Grace Bible Baptist Church. We are located at 1518 N. Rolling Road, Catonsville, Maryland 21228 (410-788-6132). Everyone is welcome to attend all services and events. We also invite you to view our weekly television program, The Everliving Story, Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. on Channel 54 and Cable Channel 14. For more information, log on to www.GraceBibleBaptist.org.
Authentic Worship "So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God" - A.W. Tozer The Knowledge of the Holy 1. Our highest priority is God Himself Genesis 1:1 (NIV84) Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV84) Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV84)
2. Disobedience breeds contempt towards God Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV84) Malachi 1:10-11 (NIV84) 3. Those who fear The LORD "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him..." Romans 12:1 (NIV84) Acts 2:42 (NIV84) Psalm 25:14 (NIV84) Malachi 3:16-18 (NIV84)
The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. A paradox is a set of two claims that are both true even though they appear to contradict one another. (e.g. Jesus is both 100% human and 100% divine, the cross is a place of both death and life, etc.). The All Saints Sunday readings reveal another paradox of Christianity. The promise of heaven is “now and not yet”. (An illustration of this would be my son’s waking up on the day of his birthday asking, “Is it my birthday yet?” “Yes, it is!” I said. “Do I get to eat my cake and open my presents now?” he asked. ”Not quite yet,” I answered.) Every Christian is in a similar situation with regard to heaven. Your name has been enrolled there even now. In your baptism, the Holy Spirit has sealed you for eternal life even now. Still, the time when you can enjoy the full experience of heavenly glory has not yet come. For now, we are not the saints of Revelation 7; we are the saints of Matthew 5, still awaiting God’s final blessing. Now and not yet. It’s a paradox. And to be sure paradoxes are not always comfortable places to live. But we have the certainty that God will one day resolve this “inbetween” way of life, and the glory of heaven will be fully and finally ours!
The Daily Pulse (Friday, November 1, 2013): He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25 (NIV)
Salem Media, our partners, and affiliates use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, personalize site content, and deliver relevant video recommendations. By using this website and continuing to navigate, you consent to our use of such technologies and the sharing of video viewing activity with third-party partners in accordance with the Video Privacy Protection Act and other privacy laws.Privacy Policy
