Our text was taken from Revelation 2:12-17, which lent itself to a fresh look at the Lord's Supper and other tools God has ordained to help us in our Christian journey.
Jesus speaks of himself as having "the sharp, double-edged sword" (Revelation 2:12). This is how he is revealed in Revelation 1:16: "Coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword."
It reflects the truth of Hebrews 4:12-13. "The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching, of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation." (SC # 89).
Preaching is the central means of grace. Without it, the other means are generally ineffective. What do we mean by the means of grace? They are tools God uses to draw us to Jesus and help us in our Christian journey. They are pathways to Jesus.
In Revelation 2:17 Jesus promises to give the believers who seek him the hidden manna, reflecting Exodus 16:31-34 and Hebrews 9:4, and taking us to John 6:31. Jesus himself is the manna; he is the bread of life; to come to him is to eat him; to believe in him is to drink him (John 6:32-35).
But the ability to come to Jesus and put our trust in him is a sovereign work of God (John 6:37, 44). The white stone is the Father's positive vote as over against the black stone of rejection and death. God not only casts the white stone for you, he has engraved that stone with your name (Revelation 2:7).
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
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