This is a sermon preview for the fourth week of our ONE: Unity Belongs to God series.
Visit FBCM’s Church Center Channel to view video live stream (live) or audio version of sermon (published week after).
“The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.” -excerpt from Psalm 93
I can’t hear the word “forever” without thinking about the movie The Sandlot. After Smalls hits his step-dad’s signed Babe Ruth baseball across the forbidden fence, he finds himself at a campout where his friends tell him the tale of the murderous Beast who lives behind the Sandlot. Small’s ball is gone, according to Squints, “FOR-EH-VER! FOR-EH-VER! FOR-EH-VER!” Even if Squints’ story of the Beast seems ridiculous, the timelessness of his warning has an eeriness about it. We struggle to imagine anything that lasts forever. And we worry that whatever we’re stuck with indefinitely will even be worth having.
But as Christians, forever should have a totally different connotation.
Psalm 95 is a short poem that embraces the hope that forever should bring for the Christian. God is so great that even the chaotic waters praise him. God is mightier than the storms at sea. And, most interestingly, the first and last thing the Psalmist points out is that God’s kingdom is forever.
IF our God was tyrannical, corruptible, cruel, or undependable like many leaders we see in the world, then this Psalm would be as eerie as Squint’s fireside warning. But for the Christian who knows the sound of the Good Shepherd’s voice, then forever beside the still waters and the green grass sound like a much-needed respite from the constant tensions we experience in the here and now.
As FBCM wraps up this month’s ONE series, the week of thanksgiving, let us give gratitude to God because division is temporary (no matter how long it may feel at the moment). Let us give gratitude fo God because the unity he promises to bring to his church is a unity which lasts forever. Let us give gratitude that when everything else fades away, one thing remains: love. That is a FOR-EH-VER that I think we can all get behind.
Reflection Questions
What do you imagine when you think about forever?
How does knowing that God’s kingdom is “firm and secure” give you peace during whatever you face today?
When you realize that God’s kingdom is forever, how does that change how you approach divisions in the current world?
What else are you grateful for about God’s kingdom this Thanksgiving?
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