Eternally Earthly!

Beautiful Places

Treasure Chest

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Looking to Jesus

Jesus is boring. Summer is dry. My walk with Christ is not worthy. I need encouragement.

REASONS TO REMEMBER

verse 1 - God is speaking and has spoken to us now through Jesus

There are many ways God spoke in the Old Testament. He spoke through a burning bush, showed writing on the wall with a visible hand, raised up shepherds, men, and women. God used a variety of ways to speak, but in these last days He’s doing something different.

He has met and spoken by His Son Jesus. This means all other options were not adequate for God’s desire to speak and reveal Himself to us. ALL of Christ satisfied God’s mouthpiece to open our ears, close our ears, and speak to us.

Remember, God didn’t meet with us like this. Here’s why this is different:

Can God be seen face to face (; ) or not (; ; )?

Relevant passages:

verse 5 - You are my Son, today I have begotten you

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

No one has seen God at any time.

At first, one might think this is among the greatest of alleged contradictions

Usually, when I see two verses allegedly in contradiction so close together in context, e.g. and , then the context will be significant in helping us reveal there is a different time or relationship, hence not in contradiction. And this is exactly the case here. Between and , Moses and the Lord are speaking, but a change in relationship occurs in verses 18 and 19. The greater context of this is shown:

17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

verse 5 - You are my Son, today I have begotten you

19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

At this point, the relationship has changed to signify that Moses asked to see the Lord in His glory! Not the typical face to face as revealed to sinful humans and as had already been revealed to Moses. Then, the Lord informed Moses that if any man saw Him face to face (in His glory), then they would die (see also ).

The context of reveals a similar situation of God in His glory:

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John discusses God’s fullness (hence, His glory) in verse 16 and points out that no one has seen God (in this fullness), but Christ, who declares Him (who was God in humbled flesh, according to and the earlier context of ). The verse in restates John’s previous statement and is, thus, not in contradiction, but consistent as well.

Hence, there is no contradiction, as God can speak face to face with men, but not while in all His glory; otherwise, sinful man would die.

verse 5 - You are my Son, today I have begotten you

this is the same word that is used for identifying the parent of someone

In the book of Hebrews, the author wrote to a church struggling through trial and the anchor of this letter is Christ.

The measure of unbelief is found in the boredom or incapacity to treasure Christ above all.

To not know Christ is to not understand the depth and measure of your sin.

Beautiful Places

Well I’m so encouraged to have y’all here tonight. It’s been a good summer we’re just about halfway through it! So there’s still plenty of time to have vacations, all nighters, and go see or do some exciting things while not in the grind of homework, teachers, and peers. For some of you, I know you got practices or work, but there IS still time for a vacation, trip, or something new and exciting.

So speaking of vacations and cool trips! I want to talk y’all about some cool places as we prepare for the message tonight.

I took some time and looked up the top 25 MUST visit places in the world. Honestly, we could camp out on all 25 and appreciate them, but I picked out a few and what I believe to be the best place to escape and seek rest or a break. It’s an experience though!

Within this experience I’m going to share some facts that some of you, if not all of you, have indeed already experienced. You could call it a REMINDer or a refresher.

Whether it’s the everyday grind of homework, sport practices, drama rehearsals, choir concerts, band recitals, or necessary family trips....there is always the tendency to anticipate the next thing, or be to

So let’s check these places out...

#1 Maroon Bells, USA

Located only about 10 miles from Aspen, Colorado, the Maroon Bells are two 14,000-foot peaks in the Elk Mountains that are reflected in crystal-clear Maroon Lake, snuggled in a glacial valley. They are the crown jewels of the Rocky Mountains and by far one of the most photographed scenes in the country.

#2 Grand Canyon, USA

The Grand Canyon is a steep, 1-mile-deep, and up to 18-mile-wide gash in the fabric of the world, an immense gorge carved by the Colorado River over the last 5,000 years. Its sheer size is breathtaking and although you can see only a small portion of it even from the best vantage point, its geology and its age fire the imagination. The layers of colorful rock show the passage of time and some of the rocks at the bottom are 1,8 billion years old.

#3 Blue Ridge Mountains, USA

Located in the eastern United States and part of the massive Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Mountains stretch from their southernmost end in Georgia all the way northward to Pennsylvania. Between the Blue Ridge and the rest of the Appalachians lies the Great Appalachian Valley. When seen from a distance, the Blue Ridge Mountains appear blue – the trees that release a gas called isoprene are responsible for the bluish color and thus the mountains’ name.

#4 Moraine Lake, Canada

Located in the remote Valley of the Ten Peaks in the Canadian Rockies, Moraine Lake is an emerald beauty, a small, cold glacier-fed jewel surrounded by towering mountains, immense waterfalls, and ancient rock piles, so beautiful it takes breath away. As the glaciers melt, the water in the lake rises and changes its color.

It might take away some of its magic to know that the color is affected by the sediment brought by the glacial waters. The whole area is crossed by scenic hiking trails that offer different perspectives of the lake depending on your elevation or location. You can also enjoy its beauty from a kayak or canoe, or just by sitting on a rock at its bank.

Take it all in, no photograph will ever give it justice.

#5 Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, aptly named Mosi-oa-Tunya – the Smoke that Thunders – by locals is a breathtaking spectacle of incomparable beauty and majesty. The largest water curtain in the world, this enormous waterfall on the Zambezi River on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe can be heard from 40 kilometers away, as the waters of the normally placid Zambezi river plummet over the edge of the wide basalt cliff into the magnificent gorge 100 meters below.

The spray of the water can be seen from 50 km away as it rises 400 meters in the air, creating permanent clouds and endless rainbows. Across the falls is a basalt wall of the same height covered with dense jungle, offering magnificent views of the main falls and the number of continuous falls as the water zigzags through the series of gorges.

These places are BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately we have to view through a screen that only allows certain quality to show. We can’t feel the cooler weather, take in the nature, or embrace the simplistic silence and roaring beauty of these places.

As I checked out some of the facts on these places, it was cool to notice something quoted throughout all of them. These beautiful, real life adventures all have scenic trails (not just regular trails) options to canoe/kayak, and are inaccessible for motor vehicles. But the quote didn’t stop there it suggested multiple perspectives for these spots but it encouraged to....

Take it all in, because no photograph will ever give it justice.

That means -

We CAN experience these awesome places in their fullness.

We HAVE to be present.

Reminding, remembering, or refreshing will only take us so far.

We HAVE to experience it.

Our walk with Christ is extremely similar to these beautiful places on Earth. The hidden secret with Christ is that He’s greater than anything we’ll ever experience, able to satisfy us while at the same time leaving us wanting and needing more of Him.

The only way to know this is to experience it.

I want us to hear from this book and learn from it tonight. I believe we’ll learn to experience Christ by being present, believing we can, brushing off the dust on our memory.

So let’s dig in!

Turn to

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

CONTEXT

A book that has surveyed all of life under the sun before God and in the heart of man.

ETERNITY into the EARTHLY…

Never ending craving for God to do it again, satisfy us…is found here. That desire is right and true, but is there on purpose.

Turn to

Ephesians 3:11 ESV

11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013), .