I want to change the world! Really? Can we really change the world?  Well, maybe not the world, or at least the whole world. But the space we inhabit, the little corner of the world we call home? Absolutely.

When we reset spiritually, it affects so much of our lives. It should, at least. When you reset your phone or computer, you expect everything to be better. When you reset your body by a change in diet or exercise, you expect huge changes. It’s the same when we reset spiritually.

Jesus came to turn the world upside down. Over time, I think we got turned right side up again. The church has thought more like the world at different times in history. It started looking a lot like an earthly kingdom and a lot less like heaven. We need to reset. We need to go upside down again.

One way to get upside down is to take on the attitude of a humble servant. Humility and service. Those words don’t work too well in corporate America, on the campaign trail, or – let’s be honest – in our own hearts.

It’s not that no one is familiar with these concepts. The idea of “servant leadership” is everywhere. Websites. Seminars. Books. Whole cottage industries set up to guide Fortune 500 companies into a different way of doing business that focuses on employee well-being and retention as a key means of success

Humble. Servant. Sounds good as a business idea. It’s even nice to think of those who serve us, or who are our employees, should be humble servants. But when we’re the boss? It’s a whole different story.

For every blog post out there expounding the joys and success of servant leadership you’ll find another blog post proclaiming its defects and demise.

Now, maybe you’re thinking that you’re not a boss. You don’t own a company. If anything, you’re in middle management so you answer to others.

But the reality is this – we are all bosses somewhere. We all have times in our day when others answer to us. Or at least we think they should.

At a restaurant, we’re the boss of the waiter who better get our food to us quick.

In traffic, we’re the boss sitting in our car wondering why no one else wants to get anywhere today.

During a school conference, we’re the boss and that math teacher better listen to us and pass our kids.

At home, we’re the boss of the place. We’re the “King of the Castle.” Or queen, for that matter. We sit on our make believe throne and rule out judgments against everyone else in the cul-de-sac.

“Why don’t they rake their leaves?” we think as we walk past their messy yard.

Or…

“Why are they hassling me about raking my leaves,” as we hurry past our messy yard to get inside.

The point is this. We all have moments in our lives where we can be the boss. We can be humble. We can be servants. We can choose to adopt an attitude where we don’t think too highly or too lowly about ourselves. We can put others first, in small ways at small times.

It may not change the world. That’s okay. It can change your little corner of the world, though. And that may mean more than making the front page of the USA Today. It could mean a better life for your neighbor. And isn’t that what Jesus was all about? Loving our neighbors?

So this week, I want to challenge you to reset and think of ways to be a humble servant when you get to be the boss.

Loneliness is an epidemic. We either isolate ourselves or isolate others. It’s almost like a cycle. At the heart of it is a detachment we have for each other. A detachment that is heartbreaking because God created us for presence.

Being isolated is not just about being physically absent. Even when we’re with people we can be all alone. That’s because presence is so much more than just seeing or hearing or even touching someone else. It’s about acknowledging them.

God created us to know and be close to each other. To have relationship with each other. And because of that, he has made it possible for us to get close to his presence. That’s a tall order for a God that is relatively invisible to all of our physical senses.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament talk about the presence of God. It’s mentioned a lot! And for a God who is hard to feel sometimes, that may seem strange. Maybe not, though. Maybe God knows that we need to experience his presence. Since it’s not so easy, he does his own part. As you read about it, it’s almost like he wants us to work for it.

In Exodus 33 we learn about Moses’ personal relationship with God. At one point they are called friends, they talk to each other “face to face.” That’s just a saying. Don’t take it literally. In fact, later in the chapter, God says, “You can’t see my face.” Instead, he’s going to make Moses work for it. He’ll show him his goodness rather than his glory.

Moses wants a spiritual experience. God wants something else. He wants a transformative one. You can have a spiritual experience and yet remain the same. But when you get a glimpse of God’s goodness, it’s tough to live the way you’ve always lived.

“I will not show you my face but I will show you my goodness.” That’s what we need to be looking for – not some evidence of God’s existence but the proof of God’s goodness.

And that’s what we get when we live in his presence. So, the big question now…How can I live in God’s presence?. First, we need to reset by rediscovering awe. Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of greatness. And there is nothing greater than the goodness of God. Maybe there is something numbing our awe?

Second, we need to develop practices that create awareness of God’s presence. They include being quiet, remembering God’s work, gathering together and praying for each other. When we do this, it positions us to notice God.

What is keeping us from noticing God? What roadblocks are out there in our everyday lives that keep us from experiencing his presence? I want to share a few ideas about this.

First of all, I think busyness is a big distraction from the presence of God. We wear our busyness like a badge. It used to be that we would ask someone, “How are you doing?” They would say, “Good, you?” Now we all say… “Busy!” It’s like we’re trying to score points by how cluttered our schedules are. And that busyness keeps us from doing the things that position us to experience presence.

When we aren’t busy, we make ourselves busy. The second roadblock is technology. We are surrounded by it and we make ourselves think that we use it to make life easier. Instead, we end up using it to distract us. We get busy and stay busy, and when we aren’t busy we zone out on our iPhones, laptops, TVs, you name it!

We get busy, we get lost in technology, and then we get bored. The third roadblock is boredom. And listen, I get it. The pathway to God’s presence is prayer. But I’ll be the first one to admit that prayer can be hard some days. You get tired, your mind wanders…you may even fall asleep!

The answer is not to start cutting our busy schedules (or maybe it is) or to cut the cord to our devices (God knows I need that sometimes) or even to cut through our boredom. We just need to recognize these roadblocks and leverage those times and those emotions to notice God.

I look at my calendar this week and it’s stacked. I’m busy! “God, I’m going to need to feel you this week to get through this.”

I find myself scrolling social media a bit too much. I stop. “God, please make sure my heart is safe right now. What am I missing?”

I go through the routine and get bored. I look around me. “God, show up in the mundane so that I know you’re there.”

These are simple things. Not life-changing, seismic shifts. Just a few little adjustments to get a better look at the goodness of God.

I have been a Pastor since 1997. Over the course of those years, a phrase has emerged that drives the thinking and philosophy of church work: “Healthy things grow”. That phrase is well-intentioned but has left us with a confusing narrative. The implication is that the health or growth of a church is similar to a healthy tree. A growing tree is healthy and a dying tree is bad. Using biology in this example is reasonable. Yet, this is not the full picture.  I am 5′ 9 1/2″ tall (yes I add the 1/2 inch, don’t judge me). Biologically, I will never grow any taller and will probably even shrink a little. The only growth I can expect to have will be around my waist, unhealthy growth from eating too much. I can try and try and try, I will never be six feet tall.

When we are children we look forward to growing taller and stronger, to being a big kid.  Our physicians measure our growth, parents measure our growth with the little line and age on the frame of a door. As an adult, I talk in terms of health, not growth. I try to manage what I eat, exercise regularly, stand more than I sit, all in an attempt to live a healthy thriving life. The question of physical growth is not one that ever enters into the equation.

I am not writing this from the cheap seats of an envious critic, in 9 years the church I pastor grew 77%. Numbers mean an expansion of God’s kingdom, for that I am grateful. The question that has been circling in my head is “have we put so much emphasis on growth that we have diminished the value of health?” I have seen too many great but discouraged pastors give up because their church was not “growing”, yet they were making a significant impact on the lives of people.

Don’t start gathering stones, I still get excited when our church has a numerical increase. However, what happens when it’s not growing? In the past when growth lagged, I found myself falling down the hill named success into the valley of depression and the pit of despair (see Princess Bride). The numbers at times determined my mood and the way I behaved at home. Let’s just be honest, the success elephant has taken all the space in the room leaving us deformed and disfigured. In the church world, success is defined as a large growing church, preferably with multiple locations. Think of any church conference you have ever been to where the speakers are pastors whose churches started in a basement and now have 10,000 people and 27 campuses across the galaxy. Why not the pastor who has faithfully served his “small” church for 45 years relying on God’s wisdom to navigate the challenges of leading a faith community without the resources of a larger church.

This past year we have been experiencing a plateau and we have been asking “why?”. This leads to questions about strategy, bell curves, hiring consultants (not opposed to that), in an attempt to jump-start the engine of growth. Are we missing an opportunity in our plateaus, to rediscover the weightier eternal matters of life and faith. Using this time to focusing on growing in spiritual disciplines, kindness, justice, compassion and becoming like Christ. I am not diametrically opposed to words like strategy, entrepreneurship, and metrics, however, I fear we are in danger of making them an idol. Most of us would say “of course not”, but if we look closely into the hidden places of our hearts, what would we find?

I had an experience some time ago. I was driving home from my office and I heard, as best as I can explain and understand, the voice of God, saying “you worship numbers and they are your god”. It was terrifying and I needed to repent. At that moment my heart and perspective began to change. Of course, I would like our church to grow numerically, I would be lying if I denied that. From that experience, I have gotten in touch with a deeper pastoral calling. To love the people I serve and the community I live in with the love Christ modeled.

May we seek God’s wisdom, guidance, and heart.  Let’s celebrate the small-town pastor who loves his people and community as much as the megastar pastor in a major metropolitan area with 10 campuses.  After all, both have accepted a weighty calling to care for people and that is what matters most.

Like the restoration of a famous painting that has collected centuries of dirt and grime, our own faith needs a reset now and then. The reason we often have to reset is that we’ve added layers and layers to something that was always meant to be simple.

But resets can be messy. Take your garage for instance. To reset your garage and really get it clean you have to roll your sleeves up and get to work. Get dusty and dirty. Get sweaty. Get messy.

Our faith can get messy when we go through a reset. But what you end up with on the other side is always worth the work and risk. Because you’ll always get to the essence of that faith.

John, in his gospel, used two words to describe the essence of Jesus – grace and truth. In other words, when you flake away the layers and layers of culture and debate and study and doctrine, at the heart of it Jesus’ mission can be described with these two simple words.

He came to give us grace.

He came to give us truth.

Why is it, then, that we are so stubborn to receive them? Let’s look at what each of those words mean. For a moment, put away all the layers that you’ve built on top of those two words and try to get to the heart of each of them.

Grace, or charis in the Greek, means favor. It’s the same word that would be used to describe a gift, something unearned but given anyway. It’s a kindness. The important thing to understand here is that it is not earned.

Truth, or alitheia in the Greek, means the way things are. It’s a confirmation of an external reality. Again, the important thing to understand here is that is it not subjective.

At his very core, Jesus is grace and truth. He doesn’t just offer them to us without strings attached. He is grace and truth. If you know Jesus, then you know grace and truth.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

John 14:6

So if we want to know God’s truth, we need to know God’s Son – Jesus. And if we want to experience his grace, then we need to get close to Jesus.

But in rejecting grace and truth, we end up reject Jesus. We would never do that, right? John 1:11 says that we have. “He came to his own, but his own did not receive him.” You could say it this way – “He came to give grace and truth to those who needed it most, but they rejected them both.” Why? I struggle to understand this.

I think the key is that as important as grace and truth are, they require us to do something very difficult. We have to admit that we are not enough and that we are wrong.

The reason we reject grace is that it means we have to admit that we aren’t able on our own to save ourselves. And that’s hard to do. The American spirit? You can do anything you put your mind to. The Instagram lifestyle? You’re good enough on your own and you don’t need anyone else’s help. The DIY mentality? You’ve got this all by yourself.

But the concept of grace refuses to believe any of that. It’s the exact opposite. You need someone else to help you out of your situation. That’s grace.

The reason we reject truth is pretty much the same. We have to admit we are wrong, and no one wants that. In the “post-truth” society we live in, we see error as weakness. To be strong means that we never make a mistake. No red pen marks on our ledger.

But the concept of truth is not about correcting wrongs. It’s about embracing the reality that is all around us. Not only the harsh ones, but the great truth of God’s love for us.

Grace and truth. Hard pills to swallow. But both necessary if we want to be closer to Jesus.

Most of us seem to lean one way or the other. We either come down hard on truth in raising our kids, leaving no room for grace. Or we go soft on the other person, denying the wrongs that stare us in the face.

What is amazing is that God doesn’t choose one over the other. Grace and truth are never an either/or proposition. They work together, in tandem. When we accept the truth about ourselves, we can lead others into that same truth. When we receive grace in our lives, we are ready to offer it to others when they fail.

The first key to resetting our lives in the same mold as Jesus is to accept grace and truth for ourselves. Once we’ve done that, we can start spreading it around. It’s not just about a reset for the sake of our own faith. It’s about being able to extend it to others.

We all need a reset now and then. In fact, almost everything in our lives need a reset from time to time. Those plants you forgot to water? Give them a drink and they’ll come back to full bloom. A fresh coat of paint or a deep cleaning will reset your house. And every kid is hoping for a reset in the new school year, a blank slate and a chance to get better grades.

There’s one thing we all have (or almost all of us) that needs a reset from time to time. Your smartphone. Depending on  your model and version you may need to force quit your apps. You might need to uninstall it and reinstall if it’s really bad. And when it just doesn’t seem to work at all? That’s when you reset to factory settings.

I don’t know this because I’m an electronics expert. I know this because my parents think I’m an electronic expert. Within fifteen minutes of meeting them they are bound to say, “Here, my phone doesn’t work. Can you fix it?” Of course I can’t, but I bet you already know what I tell them.

“Try turning it off and on again.”

We all need a reset in our lives. A turning off of the things that just don’t seem to be working anymore. A turning on of the paths and disciplines that led us closer to Christ in our past. It’s normal and natural, actually. Just like the world goes through seasons, our soul goes through times of growth and warmth until we hit moments of decline and cold.

It’s not a sign of sin and rebellion, that we’ve lost our salvation. It merely signals us to return to what matters most. That’s a bold statement. Who gets to decide what matters most to us? Down deep within all of us there is a witness, a part of our soul that testifies to what is right and what has gone wrong.

That’s the sure sign that a reset is needed. That things aren’t going right anymore. Or at least they aren’t going as right as they once did. What causes that decline or delay? Think about that computer or electronic component that needs a rest. Think of your overgrown garden or messy garage. It’s because we’ve added layers of stuff – programs that slow down computing speed or boxes that take up too much space.

In our souls, we may have added layers of stuff that require us to reset. When you feel that tug in your heart that things just aren’t going right, you have to ask. “Have I added layers of stuff, culture, preferences, interpretations, rules, expectations, traditions to my faith? And in doing so, am I darkening the vision of my creator, changing the original vision of the heavenly artist?”

Jesus came at a time in history when a major reset was needed. He scraped away the layers of religion that had clouded their understanding of just who God was and is. We need that reset today I think.

We have gotten lost in the grime and pollution of our own legalism and misguided traditions. We have lost sight of the goodness of God. We need to reset and clear out some clutter.

But what clutter? That’s a great question. I can’t answer it for you. But let me help you.

Before we go on in this series, it may be helpful to take a look at your life and see what needs to be cleared out. What major area of your life is in need of resetting?

• Is it a constantly busy schedule?

• Is it a relationship that has been wounded for so long you’re just numb to it now?

• Maybe it could be a health problem or a mental strain?

• Perhaps you’re loaded down with too much responsibility?

• How is your attitude towards others?

• How is your perception of yourself?

There are so many things that need to be cleared out, canceled and reset. We can only take them one at a time. But we can all take them with the same goal in mind – the goodness of God. Not living in a way to avoid hell or judgment, but in a way that embraces our true lives in him, in heaven. Here on earth. Let’s reset with goodness and move forward with hope.

This week we began our series called “Encouraged.” We’re going to be looking at a few doxologies of the New Testament. Doxology may sound like a big, complicated word. It may kind of sound like a dry, boring word too. But it’s really not either of those things.

A doxology is simply a way to shift your perspective from discouraged to encouraged by focusing on God. It’s just that easy!

I think encouragement is a lost art in the world today. The headlines seem to focus exclusively on discouraging news. I guess that’s what sells. Social media videos that go viral with encouraging info seem to be rare. Maybe we need to change that.

Encouragement – or really discouragement for that matter – is cultivated by what we allow to inhabit our mind. What we think about, occupy ourselves with, mull over in our head will in many ways determine what we become. What we pay attention to is what we will get out of life.

So, shouldn’t we pay attention to good things?

That’s what a doxology does. It allows us to go beyond what is already in our minds to give us something better to focus on. And the very first doxology we read gets right to the heart of it.

Ephesians 3:20

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…”

In other words, the God who is able to more than what you can keep right there in your head. He is able to more than anything you could come up with on your own. No one could think it would be this good!

I’m talking about the Milwaukee Bucks now. Did you ever imagine this could happen? That they would be just a couple of wins from going to the NBA finals? They’ve already topped their best season result since 2000. And very few of us can think back to the last time they were on top of the world, in 1970 when they won it all.

Of course their record in recent years have given us all small expectations. It’s kept us from imagining anything great from them. It’s left us discouraged.

But what we’re seeing now is encouraging. It’s great! In fact, we could even use the word miracle.

I know the word miracle gets used a lot. And when we apply it to God, some theologians get nervous. “Wait a minute. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Does God really work miracles today?” And that’s probably because of our view on miracles. God parting the Red Sea, making it rain down manna, multiplying a few fish and loaves to feed thousands. These are miracles. And when was the last time we saw anything on that scale?

But maybe we need to rethink this whole idea of miracle. In two ways. First of all, what if we just used Ephesians 3:20 as our definition. In other words, what if we just said that a miracle was when God does something beyond what we could ask or imagine. That means that when you just got the worst news and you don’t think you could ever feel joy again, but God shows up and reassures you – that’s a miracle. When you get that encouraging call from an old friend that you hadn’t though about in years – that’s a miracle. Any time it’s dark and God shines light when you least expect it – that’s a miracle.

The other way we need to rethink a miracle is in what it does for us. It’s not about multiplying some financial investment, breaking the laws of physics for our convenience, or supernaturally stirring people. Let’s look at the reason that God does miracles. He does them to share his glory with us, first of all. But he also does it to encourage us.

So anything that happens to you today that brings you encouragement, could that be a miracle? Why not! If it’s also bringing God glory, then it would be hard not to call it a miracle. And here is where it gets real practical. Because you can be a miracle. You can be the one to share an encouraging word with another person, help them when they are down, brighten up their darkest day. And when you do that, you are glorifying God while also encouraging those around you. You’re a miracle. Going beyond what others are asking and thinking. And that’s the best kind of doxology there is.

 Each day we wake up and look in the mirror. Let’s admit it, we all don’t love what we see first thing. For us men, it’s an unshaven beard, bags under our eyes, hair going in every direction – if we still do have hair. For women…well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks. I’m not going to.

But when you look in that mirror, what do you tell yourself? Before you’ve showered, shaved, had your coffee…what state of mind are you in? What’s going through your mind?

Do you celebrate what you see? Do you praise God for what he’s made?

Or do you feel overwhelmed with regrets? Wish you were someone else? Get stuck in a game of comparisons?

It’s so easy to fall into that second category. I get it. Over and over again in the Scriptures God tells us he loves us. Unconditionally. With that flab you’ve always promised you’d work on but is still hanging around. With those gray hairs. With that crippling self-doubt. With that bank account that doesn’t match your neighbor’s. With that job you feel like is a dead-end.

In all of that, God loves you. He loves what you are and what you’ve made of yourself. He’s happy!

But many times, we aren’t.

This weekend we looked at what it means to welcome ourselves. That’s tough. We are around ourselves 24/7. We can’t escape it! We know every mistake we’ve made, every thought that’s gone astray, every decision we wish we could take back. How can we really welcome ourselves in that atmosphere?

To answer that, we took a deep dive into Psalm 139. It’s a great psalm. Go read it for yourself right now if you want to get acquainted with how amazing God thinks you are.

You are awe-inspiring and amazing!

You are ordained to do something great!

You are known by him!

You are all of those things and more. But we don’t always feel that way. In fact, some of us get so down that we feel hopeless and helpless. We start to think that there’s only one way out – a path through self-harm that leads to suicide. That’s a tough word, but for those of us who face this type of depression we need to face it.

What do we do when we start to feel that way? I am not a counselor, so I can’t give professional help. But if you are feeling like the only way out is death then here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Reach Out

Find someone to talk to who will listen. If that next person doesn’t seem to care, please find someone else. Pick up the phone, shoot out a text, call someone close. Let them know you are hurting.

2. Do What You Love

Get involved in a hobby or activity that feeds you. This isn’t to ignore the problem or hope it goes away. It’s to feed your soul. To give you life through what you love.

3. Put Around Others

These lies we tell ourselves only grow in isolation. I understand if you feel like you’re an introvert, but even those of us who are “homebodies” still need someone close.

4. Get Help

Call a help hotline. Sign up for counseling. Go to the hospital. Understand that the problem may be bigger than you, but that there are others who would love to help you. Seek that help and accept it.

You are more loved than you can ever imagine. Your life matters – to me, to us, and to God. Sometimes the first step in welcoming yourself is admitting you don’t have it all together. The next step is starting to get it together by getting help.

This week’s message was a tough one. Not from a theological or biblical studies stand point. Some times the text is difficult to translate, has meanings that are hard to interpret. Maybe there are even cultural disconnects that we have to learn in order to apply the text.

Those messages are difficult because they require a lot of study.

This message was difficult because of how it stared us in the face. The text was plain. The meaning was obvious. The application was hard.

It was also a difficult message because of how many of us could disagree with it, have difficulties with the other side’s opinion, or because it touched a nerve within us of injustice.

We come from different backgrounds, perspectives, and political persuasions. But we come together. That’s what family does. We have a rule in our house that no matter what is said, you don’t leave the table. You’ll always be part of the family. I hope that rule applies at Northbrook.

On the topic of immigration and loving the stranger, I shared with you a lot on the idea but left a lot on the table for you. If you want something more, I would recommend Welcoming the Stranger, a book you can find here: [Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Welcoming-Stranger-Justice-Compassion-Immigration/dp/0830845399/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=welcoming+the+stranger&qid=1557240324&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 – Mike, is this the book? It’s by Matthew Soerens, et al]

I don’t want to reopen the debate or rehash the ideas. You can go back and listen to my message again, or for the first time if you missed it. No, I want to talk about something else. Something in the vein of our idea of “Welcome.”

Do you welcome the opinions of others? Do you welcome debate and discussion? Do you welcome ideas that you may disagree with? If not, why not?

In this media-centric culture, it’s so easy to find a corner where everyone agrees with you and you agree with everyone else. And in that corner, your words bounce off the walls and come right back to you. We call it an echo chamber. It only works to reinforce whatever ideas you have.

But when we lock ourselves in an echo chamber, it can become increasingly difficult to hear God’s voice. You probably know you’re hearing God when what he says makes you feel uncomfortable, it uncovers that last 10% of truth, or it doesn’t lineup exactly with all of your preconceived ideas.

Instead, it pushes you to love more, to care more, to see more. It pushes you out of your comfort zone. It pushes you to lay your own life down – including your opinions – and see how you can serve others.

Living in the echo chamber is living for Jesus “on my terms.” Instead of listening and obeying, we tell Jesus “Shhh…I’ve got this.” And we live however we want. Echo chamber living can be dangerous!

But living for Jesus means we see culture around us differently. Not through the lens of CNN or Fox News, through right/left or Republican/Democrat lenses. But through the lens of scripture.

What does the Bible say? How does it want us to live?

The best way to encounter that better way is through community. And any community will involve a difference – a different set of backgrounds, viewpoints, and opinions.

Do we welcome those differences?

We need a more thoughtful informed understanding that is better than a screaming match by advocates of either side of the debate. We need a better conversation than the small percentage of loud voices on either side of the extremes. We need to welcome the discussion, not the destructive rhetoric.

What happens when we welcome the differences? Life and peace.

We are better for our differences. We are better when we work together. We are better when we can see things through other people’s point of view. We are better when we get in their shoes and walk around for a while.

Notice I didn’t way we are better when we agree? Sure, there are some things we should agree on – like Jesus’ death and resurrection, the supremacy of the scriptures, or the importance of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. But when it comes to almost everything else, we are better when we disagree.

Because it pushes us.

Because it shapes us.

Because it sharpens us.

Because it allows us to love what is not automatically loveable for us. You know, we weren’t always loveable to God. But he loved us anyway. And he put us in his family. So let’s start acting – and reacting – like family. Let’s love each other and honor the disagreement at the table. Then let’s get up together and go love a world who needs it more than ever.

Most of us spend half our time reading the book of Revelation scratching our head. Bowls of wrath? What are those? All those creatures in heaven? What are they doing there? And a dragon with seven heads and ten horns…how does that even work?

I completely get it. If you give up by chapter 6, I understand. It seems strange and mysterious – hidden, almost. Which is a shame, because the word “Revelation” literally means unhidden, uncovered, revealed.

The question should be asked, what is being revealed?

The inner workings of the spiritual realm? Maybe.

The final destination for believers and unbelievers? That’s in there.

The end of the world? Sure does sound like it.

But more than anything, the book of revelation is Jesus Christ revealed. The whole book is about Jesus. And if you’ve tried to read it and shut the book and put it away, can I challenge you to take another try at it? This time, remember that it’s all about Jesus. Try to see him peeking through the pages at you. What does he want you to see?

John the Revelator saw Jesus. And in chapter 7, as we talked about this week, we see one of the most amazing things that he saw.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count.” (Revelation 7:9)

We talked about how this verse – and the ones just after it – reveal something about those who belong to the body of Christ, including us! It changes how we live our lives. It affects how we see our neighbor, how we see those who are different than us. And maybe it changes how we view heaven.

I want to back up a few verses in chapter 7. I think there’s something going on at the beginning of verse 9 that is interesting. John says, “After this…” Well, after what? Let’s look.

“I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4)

He’s counting. Or rather, an angel is counting and he’s writing down the numbers. 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel. Do the math…carry the one…you get 12,000 from each tribe. Nice, round number. There’s a lot of numbers in Revelation. Until there aren’t any at all.

And that’s what happens in verse 9. The perfectly numbered, the carefully counted, the select few, become a sea of people that John can’t count. It’s as if the angel is making a record of all the people invited into heaven. He’s numbering them one by one as John writes them down…and then John turns around. He sees this vast multitude and he just gives up.

“I can’t count that high! There are too many of them!”

He tosses his pen aside in frustration. The sea of people coming into heaven appears to be endless!

The best estimates for the population of the world when Revelation was written are just under 200 million. And the church was anywhere from 40,000 to 320,000 by this time. Those numbers are small in comparison to the current population and worldwide estimates for the number of Christians.

Their world was smaller than ours. About forty times smaller. But their view of heaven? Multitudes. Vast. Every tribe, tongue, and nation. No number.

I wonder if we have too small of a view of the church? I wonder if we’re guilty of thinking too little about God’s kingdom, Jesus’ church? I wonder if we need to take on a wider perspective?

This is the part of the book where we get a sneak peek at heaven. Like the curtains have been pulled aside and we get a glimpse of it. A snapshot. So many that we can’t even count.

But I know some Christians – too many, actually – who are glad to keep that number down. You don’t agree with me on one of my pet doctrines? You’re out! You voted for that person? Gone! You go to a church that I don’t like? See ya later!

Instead of dwindling down more and more, the church is alive and active and growing. Even in the places where it’s under the most pressure, the church is seeing amazing numbers of new believers. Why? Because heaven’s door is wide open, accepting more people than you can imagine or ever count. Let’s get a wide angle view of what it means to be a believer. Let’s allow God to increase our numbers, not keep them down. And let’s do everything we can to live out that reality by truly embracing our neighbors – both the saved and the unsaved.

Heaven. What’s it mean to you? What do you think about when you think about heaven?

Most of us think of heaven as the place we go when we die. It’s the afterlife. It’s eternity with God. Maybe you imagine floating on a cloud with a toga and a harp. Or streets of gold. Or some other vision of delight. Like retirement but with unlimited funds.

But is that what heaven really is?

The word “heaven” shows up in the Bible a lot. In fact, it’s right there at the beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Basically, the heavens are everything that isn’t earth. The sky? That’s heaven. Clouds? Heaven. The stars and sun and moon and all the outer space you can see through the Hubble Telescope? That’s what the Bible means when it first talks about heaven.

And what do the heavens do?

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.

Romans 1:20

So the heavens above, as part of God’s creation, glorify him and testify to his existence, his character, his holiness and righteousness and grace. When we look up at the skies at night, we are reminded of God’s vast love for us. Or at least we can.

But what else about heaven? Is it just the naturally created space…up there? It’s more than that. In the Hebrew Bible especially heaven is the place where God dwells. Solomon proclaims this in 1 Kings 8:49, but a couple dozen verses earlier he makes it clear that “the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you” (v. 27). And Jesus even tells us the same, that we should pray to “our father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).

So heaven is the literal, physical realm of the skies. It’s also where God lives, whether that is an actual space, another reality, or just an interpretation of how God is not contained by the same boundaries of science that we are.

Jesus once told his disciples that he would go away and prepare a place for us (John 14:3). That means that we will one day live with God forever, and it seems that means it will be in heaven. Of course heaven and earth will pass away and be made new (Revelation 21:1). The place Jesus is preparing for us is brand new!

But more than that, heaven is a place where holiness and righteousness rule. Where sin has no place. Where everything is perfect.

And here’s the kicker. When we talk about heaven, and when we think about how great it is, we usually think about a time in the future, someday, if we’re good enough, where we get to live. But Jesus doesn’t want you to think of heaven like that. He wants us to believe that it’s a reality for us right now!

Right in the middle of the Lord’s prayer you’ll see it. “On earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, don’t wait! Bring heaven down here! Start living like you’re already living in heaven. Start treating others how you would treat them in heaven. Start acting like you would act if everything were righteous, if every person was caring and loving, if every decision was made with a holy intent.

Don’t wait. Do it now!

The message of Christ making all things new is one of those “already but not yet” things. He has already done it. There’s not another thing we are waiting for. But it hasn’t happened fully, not yet. One day it will. But until then, we need to live like it already has.

That’s the tension we hold as followers of Jesus. This world is old and dying. Our bodies may be wasting away. And one day we will be rescued from death. But until that day…we live like it’s already happened. We pray like it’s already happened. We live heaven now.