Real Reality

(All Saints Sunday) November 03, 2013

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Ephe ian 1:11-23 !"#e $:20-31

Have you seen the phenomenon that Hollywood calls reality television? You would have to be a hermit living in the mountains to have missed all of the reality shows that bombard us every day !irst there was Survivor" but then there was #ig #rother" and now there are shows li$e %een &om" 'ersey Shore" %he Ama(ing )ace" *awn Stars" American )estoration" +ounting +ars" !ast ,- .oud" /eadliest +atch" 0ce )oad %ruc$ers" Swamp *eople" /uc$ /ynasty" and many others 0f you watch them" it doesn-t ta$e too long to figure out that much of what happens on these shows is anything but reality A few are better in that regard than others" but it is often obvious that much of the interaction is scripted" staged and1or fabricated As much as these shows pretend to be reality television" the reality they depict doesn-t loo$ anything li$e the day2in and day2out reality that we live in 3ur reality is generally much more boring than the ones they show on %4" but occasionally our lives are more complicated" more painful" and have more conflict 0 admit that we see the characters on television wrestle with pain and conflict from time to time" but what we are allowed to see often seems to have simple solutions and both conflict and pain are resolved at the end of the half2hour show 5e all $now that real conflict and real pain aren-t that simple and don-t get fi6ed in a half2hour 5e all $now reality" and it doesn-t loo$ li$e the thing they call reality on television Yes" we all $now what reality loo$s li$e7 or do we? 0n our scripture passages today we are reminded that 8od is the author of reality and that the world we live in is not really reality at all" but only a poor reflection of the world that is our ultimate reality 5e begin in Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18" where the prophet /aniel" a captive in #abylon" and an advisor in the court of the $ing of #abylon" has a dream" not an ordinary dream" but a dream which is a message from 8od7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
2

Daniel said !In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. " #our great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
$%

!I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. $& I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. !'o he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things $( )*he four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. $+ But the holy people of the ,ost High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever-yes, for ever and ever.. 5hat /aniel saw was four beasts" a lion" a bear" a leopard" and something much worse that /aniel couldn-t name" a beast that had iron teeth and ten horns After /aniel had seen these things he did not understand them and so he as$ed someone who was there" to e6plain what it all meant and the e6planation that he got" changes the way we thin$ about reality /aniel was told that each of the four beasts represented $ings of the earth that would rule over $ingdoms that would be seen in the world %hese $ings were the reality of the future" but over and above this reality" /aniel discovered" was yet another reality" a real reality 0n that 9

reality" an eternal reality" there is only one $ing" one $ingdom" and one people 0n this real reality" a reality that lasts forever" 8od-s people are given the $eys to the $ingdom and will live in it forever 0n *aul-s letter to the church in :phesus %Ephe ian 1:11-23&" he clearly points to this same $ind of larger reality as he e6plains that 8od had a plan for our lives from before the beginning of time7
$$

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, $2 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in /hrist, might be for the praise of his glory. $" 0nd you also were included in /hrist when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 1hen you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy 'pirit, $2 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are 3od.s possession-to the praise of his glory.
$% $&

#or this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the 4ord 5esus and your love for all 3od.s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. $( I keep asking that the 3od of our 4ord 5esus /hrist, the glorious #ather, may give you the 'pirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. $+ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, $6 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. *hat power is the same as the mighty strength 27 he e8erted when he raised /hrist from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 2$ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 0nd 3od placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 2" which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. *aul says that we were chosen" that 8od had a choice and we were a part of 8od-s choosing because he $new that we would choose to follow him 5hen 'esus sent the Spirit of 8od to earth on the day of *entecost" the gift of the Spirit was a down payment" a deposit" upon the inheritance that we have been promised when we reach past this reality and grasp hold of our real reality in eternity 'esus" *aul says" is seated" even now" at the right hand of 8od in heaven so that he can rule in this present age" but also in the age to come 'esus is the ruler" not ;ust of the now" but both now and forever *aul understood that our reality is not all that there is" that our reality" as we understand it" is incomplete" and not completely real 0nstead there is a larger" deeper" bigger" more real" reality that we are now unable to fully see or understand 'esus $new this and we see it clearly in his Sermon on the &ount in !"#e $:20-31" when7
27

4ooking at his disciples, he said

!Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of 3od. 2$ Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they e8clude you and insult you and re9ect your name as evil, because of the 'on of ,an.

<

2"

!:e9oice in that day and leap for 9oy, because great is your reward in heaven. #or that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
22

!But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 2% 1oe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. 1oe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 2& 1oe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
2(

!But to you who are listening I say 4ove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 2+ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 26 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. "7 3ive to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. "$ Do to others as you would have them do to you. !rom the beginning" 'esus is clear in describing a world that is not the reality we $now 0f you are poor" you have no $ingdom" and yet 'esus says that you have a place in 8od-s $ingdom 0f you are hungry" you certainly are not satisfied" and yet 'esus says that you will be satisfied 0f you weep" the last thing you probably feel li$e doing is laughing" but 'esus says that you will 'esus says that in all of these sufferings we $now that we will re;oice = in that day = because our reward when we arrive in heaven will be great 'esus says that our reality isn-t the only one that there is 0t isn-t that our reality isn-t real" we aren-t a part of someone else-s imagination" but what we e6perience as reality is not all that there is 3ur reality is a small part of a larger reality" our world a small part of a larger world Here we are poor" and hungry" e6perience suffering" here we weep and mourn for those whom we have lost" but in the larger reality" in the $ingdom of 8od" in the real reality" things are very different 0n 8od-s real reality our loved ones are still with us even though we cannot yet see them" but a time is coming when we will ;oin them and they will be fully restored to us 3n that day we will no longer live in the $ingdoms of men" but completely in the $ingdom of 8od 3n that day we will no longer be poor" or hungry" or suffering" and on that day our weeping will be transformed into laughter as we are reunited with all of those who have gone before us And so" on this All Saints /ay in which we remember those of our church" our family" and our friends whom we have lost" let us also remember that what has been lost to us" while real in this world" is not lost to us forever 3ne day" what has been lost in this world" will be restored to us And on that day" when we enter into the >ingdom of 8od" we will finally see this larger reality and e6perience 8od-s real reality

You have been reading a message presented at %rinity @nited &ethodist +hurch on the date noted at the top of the first page )ev 'ohn *artridge is the pastor at %rinity of *erry heights in &assillon" 3hio /uplication of this message is a part of our &edia ministry" if you have received a blessing in this way" we would love to hear from you .etters and donations in support of the &edia ministry or any of our other pro;ects may be sent to %rinity @nited &ethodist +hurch" ?ABA .incoln 5ay : " &assillon" 3hio CCDCD %hese messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership You may subscribe to these messages" in print or electronic formats" by writing to the address noted" or by contacting us at subscribeEtrinityperryheights org 0f you have Fuestions" you can as$ them in our discussion forum on !aceboo$ (search for *astor 'ohn 3nline) %hese messages can also be found online at httpG11www scribd com1*astor 'ohn *artridge All Scripture references are from the ,ew 0nternational 4ersion unless otherwise noted