Did you ever wonder what heaven was going to be like, or at least look like? Our scripture today will give you a glimpse into that eternal city.

Revelation 21:10-12

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Now do you know what heaven will look like? Probably not. I have studied those verses and still have no confidence in telling you exactly what heaven will look like. 

Many years ago I read a fascinating story that seems relevant about this question. It told the story of a farmer from the middle of Kansas who went to New York City. None of his family had ever been to the big city and so went he got back, the family all gathered around. “Dad, did you see any skyscrapers?” He told them he had and they asked, “What did they look like?

Since they had never no reference for a skyscraper, he said, “Well, they are tall and skinny.” He paused, then continued, “You know that silo on the Mr. Jones farm? Well, it is just like that, only about 10 times as tall.”

The family felt that they understood what the skyscraper looked like, but you and I know they did not.

I’ve read the text, but I really, really don’t know what heaven will look like. But, it will be a wonderful surprise.

Lonnie Davis

I had a best friend who was the “baby” of his family. He knew he was, but still he did not enjoy being called the “baby” of his family. Fortunately for him, he was a baby only in the sense that he was the youngest of his family, but spiritually he was mature. It is not an insult to be the baby of the family, but we should not long be a “baby” in spirit. That is, never allow  yourself to be an “old baby.”

Are you a old baby in Christ? How would you know if you’re a baby in Christ? To answer that question, let’s read our text for today:

1 Corinthians 3:1-4
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

From tis text we can see 3 signs of Spiritual Immaturity

1. Spiritual Babies need to be taught the same things over and over.

Not only does Paul say that here, but it is also taught in Hebrews 5:12 – 

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you a gain the basic principles of the oracles of God.”

We are meant to grow up in our faith. We are always needing to be taught, but not the same things we should have already learned. 

2. Spiritual Babies are always comparing themselves to someone else AND getting jealous. Such a person will not admit to jealousy. They call it by some other name. Maybe it is just “there is something about them I don’t like.” Or perhaps you denigrate the other person – “they think they are better than everyone else.”

3. You choose up teams in the church. 

They are just dividers of people and always have a set of people that don’t get along with. Yes, have your own Peter, James, and John, but love the rest also. Get along with them.

If we love one another, it shows up. One lady used to tell me that her husband loved her and then would all, “He just doesn’t know how to show it.” Really? The truth is that love always shows.

So does spiritual maturity.

Lonnie Davis

Our Text today is Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

If y0u are ever driving down the road and see a car with a symbol of a dove on it, you can assume that you are seeing a car driven by someone who believes in Jesus. 

Where did the Dove symbol have its origin? According to Matthew 3:16, during the Baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and came to rest on Jesus. For this reason the dove became a symbol of the Holy Spirit and even of Christianity itself.

I respect that others see the dove in this way, but I have a different suggestion. Suppose instead of a dove, the symbol for Christianity was a butterfly. Why a butterfly, you might ask.

I had this thought the other day when I was again listening to the beautiful story of the caterpillar that changed into a butterfly. In the story, his friends find the old shell of the caterpillar and grieve. The butterfly soaring above wants to tell them he has become something even better. They cannot hear his words, but keep on grieving the loss of their friend.

The point of that story is that we don’t die, we just change to something better. Of course the butterfly dies again and that is where our change is much better. But still it has some obvious implications for a Christian.

These are words worth thinking about.

Lonnie Davis

What Would Jesus Do with Stress

Some days are harder than others. Well, some weeks or some months are especially difficult. I’ve known people fighting battles with illness whose goal was to make it through the year.

Our text today tells of Jesus’ response to a hard place in his life. He walked for days to get to the grave of his friend. When he got there, people he loved were crying. He raised his dead friend from the dead and the response of the powers that be was to seek to kill him.

Under these circumstances we come to our text which shows Jesus’ response to this stressful time.

John 11:54

Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

On this stressful day he did three things:

First: He took care of his needs. 

It is wonderful to take care of everyone else, but there is a time when you have to see to your own needs also.

Second: He retreated

to a place where the threat would not be so immediate. Of course Jesus was not afraid that someone might kill him. He knew that he was born for the cross. He retreated because it wasn’t yet time for the cross.

Third: He went to people who loved him. 

Surely you have people who love you even when the world seems to be against you. Those are the people who when you have hard days, you find comfort by just being around them.

When you find yourself in stress, it means that  you are human. We all get it. These words are a reminder of how Jesus handled stress.

Lonnie Davis

I Was a Lost Sheep

Well, I wasn’t a lost sheep as much as I felt like a lost sheep. I’ll explain after the Bible reading.

Luke 15: 3-6

So He told them this parable, saying, 

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 

“When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 

Here is my story of  my time as a lost sheep.

My favorite toy as a youth, was my marine style BB-gun. It wasn’t powerful, but to me it was an army rifle. When I was in the fourth grade, two of my friends and I went hunting in the Big Thicket forest around Porter, TX. 

We walked back and forth around the trail in the woods. After a couple of hours of hunting with our bb-guns, we decided we needed to go back home. Since the trail we were on wound around like a Christmas ribbon candy, we took the short cut, left the known trail, and just cut through the forest. Bad mistake! Within 20 minutes we were lost and darkness was falling. I remember that we had the good sense to save some of our ammunition (bb’s) just in case a mountain lion were to attack us. (I don’t know where any mountain lions can be found in east Texas woods).

Lost and afraid, we walked and prayed for another two hours. Finally we came upon a lighted house in the woods. We knocked on the door and the man drove us back home.

We soon found out that there were search parties out hunting us.

Later I reflected on this event and realized a few things.

1. When you mess up, do your best to help yourself, but as soon as possible ask somebody for help. Thanks to the unknown man who lived in the woods.

2. When you are lost and confused, prayer is a wonderful source to lean on. One might say that we didn’t need prayer because we found the man in the house. But, how do we know whether we found the man because we prayed.

3. When you are struggling, don’t do stupid things. We knew we needed to save our precious ammunition (bb’s) for a possible mountain lion. At least do the best you know to do.

4. Don’t quit! When you are struggling, just keep on trying. There is help waiting for you that you don’t even know about, i.e. The man in the house in the woods and search parties.

Lonnie Davis

Our text today is from the story of Noah and the Ark and is a reading from Genesis 7:7-9 and Genesis 8:14-16

The Bible says

Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

Later in the story, we read…

In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

Look at the story. He was in that boat for a long time. 

Noah and his family were in the ark, living with the animals for more than a year! That is a long time to be traveling on a  boat filled with elephants, snakes, bats, dogs and every other animal you can imagine. 

 Noah and his family were on the ark for 377 days. 

A wise man once said, “No pain is wasted if you learn from it.” 

If we could ask Noah what lessons he learned from life on the Ark, what do you think he might say?

 I can think of many possible lessons, but let me share 5 of my favorites.

1. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. While the Bible does not specifically say how long it took him to build that boat, we know from Genesis 6 that it took at least 100 years. That is serious planning ahead.

2. Listen to God.

He gave specific instructions on how to build the boat. When God tells you how something should be done, follow his instructions. The Father knows best. 

3. Obey God now!

The flood was on the way. Noah didn’t work on the boat someday. Once you know what God wants, then nothing should cause you to delay.

4. If you can’t fight or flee – float!

Modern psychology tell us that we have a fight or flight response to life. When we feel threatened, then we either run or fight. Well sometimes we can’t do either. Some times we just have to float.

5. Don’t forget that we’re all in the same boat.

One bonus lesson.

6.  No matter how bad things look, there’s always a rainbow on the other side.

Lonnie Davis

Political correctness drives nearly everything today.  Did you know it was like that in the days when Jesus lived on earth. When the religious leaders were confronted with doing what is right and scary or doing what is politically correct and safe, they chose to do what was politically safe. Let’s read our text and it will be obvious. Our story begins after the resurrection of Lazarus.

Text: John 11:47-48

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Did you see it? When confronted with doing the right thing or doing the wrong, but politically correct thing, they ignored right. If you doubt this, notice how this story ends.

John 11:53 says, 

“So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”

There were points to be made for being politically cautious. They feared that if Jesus were allowed to teach unchecked, he would build a great following and that might upset the Romans who would destroy them. They couldn’t have that so they decided to kill Jesus. It is hard to believe that they would make that kind of decision, but that did!

To choose righteousness when it scares us is a hard thing to do. It was then and it is now!

Truth must always be more important than fear.

Lonnie Davis

One more lesson from the great story of the resurrection of Lazarus. Today as we come to that graveside near Jerusalem, Jesus weeps for his friend and tells them to remove the stone. Here is what happens next in John 11:41-44

So they removed the stone.

 Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. 

Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:41-44)

From this amazing text we can see an important lesson on prayer.

Prayer must be prayed with confidence and boldness.

Jesus prayed for what was about to happen, as though God had already done it. He loudly prayed “I thank you Father” for something that had not yet happened. He wanted all the people around him to hear that God would answer his prayer. 

That is the way to pray. Pray asking and then know that God will do what was asked.

Our lack of confidence can make our prayer life weak. 

The story is told of a little west Texas farming community that was going through a great drought. Their fields were drying up and their crops were dying. As a last ditch effort the little community decided to get together at 8 PM at the local church and  prayer for rain. 

At 8 o’clock the church was full.  

The last person to enter the building was a little 7-year-old girl. As she walked down the aisle she was carrying an umbrella. As she walked past some of the older folks, someone said, “Isn’t she cute? She thinks it is going to rain.”

In our story today, Jesus knew that God would raise Lazarus from the dead and so he shouted with a loud voice for all to hear.

You and I need to use a loud voice with our prayers. I admit that the answer might sometimes be “No,” or “Not yet” or maybe “Here is something even better.” But the answer is often a simple “Yes.” 

Matthew 7:7, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.” 

When you pray, pray loudly and bring your umbrella. God answers prayers.

Lonnie Davis

Our text today is taken from John 11:39-44. In this story we see that Jesus loved Lazarus, the bother of Mary and Martha. We know Jesus loved him because when Lazarus got sick, they simply told Jesus, “The one you love is sick.” Jesus knew who that was. In John 11, Jesus stands at the 4-day-old tomb of his dead friend. Standing and weeping beside the grave, Jesus told them, 

“Take away the stone,”

“But, Lord,” said Martha, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

There is something special in this story. More than anything, Martha wanted her brother back, but he was dead. Not only dead, but dead so long that by now he stunk. She remind Jesus of this. Did she think Jesus didn’t know?

Sometimes there is a little of Martha in all of us. We want God to do something, but it just seems to big to ask. Even when God says he will do something, we seem reluctant to think that he is up to the task.  Instead of reminding God of how big the task is, we just don’t ask. By the way, Martha didn’t ask either. 

This calls to mind Ephesians 3:20 where God is identified as the one who “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” Sometimes we don’t ask or think. James told us, “You have not because you ask not.”

Jesus didn’t chide her for her faith failure, he just preformed the miracle of raising a four-day-old dead man. Our text continues.

“Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The world and worldly Christians may doubt the ability and power of God, but we must never doubt. 

As Jeremiah wrote of God,  “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

He is not only faithful to you, but great is his faithfulness.

Lonnie Davis

Our Scripture for today is Psalm 102:25-27.

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.

These are encouraging words. They tell us about the nature of God. God does not change.

The God who met with Moses at the burning bush, knows us. 

The One who led Israel in the wilderness with a pillar of fire by night, leads us with his light.

The One who sent the angel to lead Peter by the hand out of a midnight prison, still leads us.

He has not changed. 

In this crazy world of change, it is wonderful to have something that stays the same. It is even more wonderful to know that something is God.

The world has changed a lot in the last 100 years. 100 years ago, the life expectancy for men was 47 years. There were only 8.000 cars in America and 114 miles of paved roads. If you were lucky enough to have one of those cars, you bought your fuel at the drug store. 

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Sounds good until you learn that the average wage was only 22 cents per hour.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. My granddad lived in Beaumont, TX and had one of those cars. He told me that people called him, “That reckless McCain kid who drives through town at 15 miles per hour.”

Only 6% of all adults were high school graduates. Most doctors had no college degree. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

So if the world has changed that much in the last 100 years, how much will it change in the next 100 years. Don’t dismiss that as unimportant because many of our children’s children will live in that world.

The only reason I do not fear for that time is because I know the God who knew Adam and Moses and Paul and me, will still be around for them. I do not know what the world will be like in 100 years, but I know what God will be like.

As Isaiah wrote, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary.” (Isaiah 40:28).

Lonnie Davis