The pains of childbirth/Hold fast what you have

This is the first opportunity for me to put to pen that which I discern to be God's will for us as a church family specifically at this present moment in time, and that in view of His Word preached to us, as His people, this Lord's Day.

This morning I preached from Romans 8:18-25 and my message was entitled 'Assurance of Glorification' (part 3), subtitled 'The Pains of Childbirth'.

The gist of the matter was that our present sufferings (all inclusive sufferings in that) are, albeit real and at times significantly difficult to bear up under, not worth comparing to our ultimate state of salvation, namely our glorification.

That said, Christ however most definitely sympathises with us in our sufferings and loves and comforts us in and through all our traumas and tragedies. He is a High Priest who knows the depth of pain and agony...indeed the suffering of hell itself (on the cross).

Paul too is no 'ivory tower' theologian. His intense heartaches are recorded in the 11th chapter of 2nd Corinthians and verses 24-29.

This is said so as to affirm the fact that our pain is both real to God and that He is not saying to us 'build a bridge and get over it'...on the contrary, he is calling us to, in the full view of our most painful plights, ‘zoom out’, as it were, and see the big picture...the heavenly perspective! Don’t think this world promises health, wealth and comfort on every turn...if you do you will be horribly disappointed.

God promises pain! He doesn’t allow it, no ways! (Who is writing the book anyway?) He ordains it! Everything in the most absolute sense of the word is from His own sovereign hand and is for our ultimate good and His absolute glory!

'I don't know what God is doing, but I know that God is doing, and that God is good!'

There is purpose in our pain, Hebrews 12:3ff affirms this to the hilt..."that we may share in His holiness".

This evening I unpacked Revelation 3:7-13. 'The Letter to the Pastor of the Church in Philadelphia', subtitled 'Hold fast what you have'.

The thrust of the matter could be put forth as follows: This church was made up of sincere, genuine saints and Christ has no rebuke for them. This in no way says they were perfect...but highlights the fact that Jesus isn’t ‘nit picking' at every little blemish. He affirms their genuineness and expresses His love for them. He says their enemies, who, although claiming to be Jews, are in fact spiritual Gentiles and will, through the open door He has provided (having the key of David), prove this by coming to them and bowing down at their feet - referencing Isaiah 45:14; 60:14 etc. They will know that the church is the fulfilment of Israel's promises and, while not replacing 'national Israel' is Israel 'through the cross'! He tells them that He is going to sustain them through the coming trial. He calls them to hold fast what they have or they could lose it.

What does this mean for us in a nut-shell? Basically, we are, many of us - like those in Philadelphia, sincerely seeking to honour Him in our lives and service. And so we, if that be the case, can extract real encouragement from His words. But this not so as to ‘sit back and chill out’! Rather to heed His challenge to ‘hold fast what we have received from Him’ till the end!

And so, God is saying, without sounding too prophetic, I hope, that we as a church family (KBC) must expect trials and embrace them as God's loving, 'hand maidens' to the end of our Christ-likeness, and with that to cling tenaciously to what He has given to us...until we see Him ‘face to face’!

God bless and keep you all!