The Return of Jesus, Although Unpredictable, is Certain!
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:27 ESV)
Suddenly.
Growing up in Tampa, Florida I came to know the power and beauty of lightning. Storms were a normal part of life there. During certain times of the year it was not unusual to have a daily thunderstorm roll through, complete with thunder and lightning.
Generally, storms could be anticipated. Dark clouds would begin to accumulate, the wind would pick up, and the old-timers would have that certain “feeling” in their bones that a storm was brewing.
Although we could typically see that a storm was approaching, no one could precisely predict when or where lightning would strike.
The signs of the storms warned us of impending lightning, yet the lightning itself could not be foretold with any degree of accuracy.
So it is with the coming of Jesus Christ to receive His church. We can see the signs, and the storm is certainly brewing! But no man knows exactly when. He will come.
Let me explain why Jesus’ return is so important to me:
1. Jesus’ return reminds me that it is important how I live my life. Although my righteousness doesn’t come from my actions, they do matter. I want to be found faithful.
2. Jesus’ return keeps me focused on my mission as a believer – to seek and save the lost. Life isn’t about me and my happiness; it’s about serving others, in order that they may receive the hope and love of Jesus.
3. Jesus’ return gives me hope for eternity. In this world I will endure many tribulations and difficulties, but I will soon be with my Savior forever; and it will be worth it all to see Him.
Believer – be reminded today of the fact that Jesus is coming …soon!
Seeker – Jesus already came once. He lived a perfect life – one that you couldn’t live on your own. Then He took on the responsibility for all of your sins, faults, fears, and failures. He gave His life on your behalf.
Despite being often misrepresented, Jesus truly is the Son of God who became the Son of Man, so that the sons of men could become the sons of God.
Salvation is not predicated on your perfection; nor is it mere behavior modification.
Salvation is the miraculous inner transformation whereby Jesus Christ redeems you and gives you new life in Him.
Jesus loves you and He is coming again for you. Be ready. Trust Him. Have hope!
Father,
May Your church live with our eyes open in anticipation of Jesus’ soon return.
May those who don’t yet know you recognize Your love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
What do you do when following God leads you straight to the devil?
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1 ESV)
What do you do when following God leads you straight to the devil?
Having just been baptized in the Jordan River, Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to restore God’s kingdom rule on earth “just as it is in heaven.”
But the first place the Spirit of God led Jesus was to the wilderness to confront the devil himself. Not quite the utopian “Eden” so often proclaimed today – “Give your life to God and your problems will disappear!”
Although God has indeed promised us “heaven on earth,” the truth is we will also confront “hell on earth.”
The wilderness, in Scripture, always indicates a demanding journey during which our faith is tried and tested.
The children of Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness.
David lived in the wilderness being pursued by a mad king Saul.
As “the voice crying in the wilderness,” John was a forerunner for Jesus, but an outcast.
The wilderness is a place of temptation and testing. But it’s also a place of triumph!
God doesn’t want you to ignore the devil, or run from him. He wants to take you right up to the devil’s territory, confront your fears, temptations, and battles. God wants you to defeat the devil!
If you are experiencing the wilderness of life, perhaps you’re not out of the will of God at all! Perhaps that’s right where He wants you to be.
On the other side of the wilderness the children of Israel entered the promised land.
On the other side of the wilderness David became a king after God’s heart.
On the other side of the wilderness John recognized “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
The wilderness is not your place of demise; it’s your place of destiny.
Father,
For all of those who are in the wilderness I declare victory and triumph in their day of testing.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
When Truth Contradicts Belief
But when [God]… was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. (Galatians 1:15-18 ESV)
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. (Galatians 2:1 ESV)
Paul, originally known as Saul, was one of the most educated and respected Jewish men of his day. He had the ideal pedigree, the best instructors, and the greatest potential.
So when he turned from the traditions of his ancestors and was converted to what was then considered by many to be a “cult” of believers who proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, Paul found himself, on one hand, no longer accepted by family and friends who believed he had gone off the deep end; and, on the other hand, not yet embraced by Jesus’ followers who feared that he was feigning his conversion to lure them into a deadly trap.
But Jesus was there.
Jesus drew Paul to Himself and began to reveal Himself to Paul. For three years Paul downloaded divine revelation from Jesus Christ, discovering the Person of Jesus hidden within the very Law he had studied for his entire life.
Paul had knowledge.
What he needed was revelation.
Knowledge is our search, our quest for understanding. It is both admirable and biblical to “seek” and “search” for understanding, but knowledge alone is not sufficient. In fact, knowledge “puffs us up” and leads to pride – we end up thinking we have things figured out.
Paul, for years of his life, sincerely believed that he was a faithful, loyal servant of God – yet he was persecuting the very God he longed to honor.
What Paul needed, and what will truly set us free, is revelation from God. If knowledge is our searching and seeking for truth, revelation is the unveiling of truth to us. It is the “lightbulb” moment, when we suddenly “get it!”
Many people are convinced of their beliefs. So much so that no one can tell them otherwise. No one except Jesus.
Jesus has a way of opening our eyes to see what previously we have been blinded to. We must come to the point of laying down our beliefs in order to embrace the truth. Out beliefs will not bring us freedom; but when we know the truth, we will be set free.
I believe that revelation comes to those who diligently seek to know the Truth – that is, Jesus, who is The Truth. Certainly we have the responsibility of seeking and searching for understanding; but more than that, we must depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth of Jesus to us, the truth we would never otherwise recognize.
Some may view this season of Paul’s life and mistakenly conclude that we don’t need other people at all, that the church is unnecessary as long as you have Jesus. Paul was not a renegade. In fact, the word clearly tells us of Paul’s honor of, and submission to the spiritual authority found within the body of Christ.
Still, we cannot solely depend on human relationships to provide what only God can give.
When it comes to truth, knowledge whets the appetite; but revelation satisfies the hunger.
Paul’s learning curve – his discipleship process – took time. Three years… then another fourteen years. Some of it “alone with God” and some of it serving in the local church. All of it was valuable.
Father,
Today I seek for truth. I search for wisdom. I commit myself to the diligent discipline that I must exercise; but I know that truth is hidden in the Person of Jesus Christ. So I ask for divine revelation.
I lay down my beliefs in order to brace Your Truth!
Show me things I do not yet know.
Reveal Yourself to me.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Double Blessing Comes from Double Obedience
And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10 NKJV)
Job’s character is evidenced neither by his material wealth, nor his suffering, both of which he had in abundance.
There are those who believe that wealth is a sure sign of God’s favor on a person’s life; and, although it is true that. God desires to bless His people, one’s wealth is not necessarily proof of their integrity.
On the other hand, there are people who believe that suffering and sorrow are marks of true godliness. These people often disdain and discredit anyone who is blessed more than they are.
Job’s character was proven by his humility, repentance, and willingness to forgive. It had nothing to do with how much, or how little he had. The Apostle Paul would echo this truth many generations later by saying, “Whether I have much or little, I have learned to be content.”
A significant breakthrough for Job took place when he humbled himself before God, and repented for his sin. Some have mistakenly taught that Job was perfectly sinless throughout his terrible suffering. Although Job showed great depth of character, he was, by his own admission, guilty of sinning. God confronted Job with his sin, and Job repented. That’s a man of character.
But beyond repentance, There was another step that God required of Job – a difficult one for anyone with any element of pride at all. God required job to forgive his friends and to pray for them.
These were the guys who slandered Job and questioned his character. God clearly pointed out that they were wrong, and Job knew it! Still, God said, “Forgive.” So Job forgave.
It is no coincidence that Job’s act of forgiveness and prayer is immediately followed by an outpouring of God’s blessings in his life. Double blessing came to Job, because of his double-obedience, first to repent of his own sin, and second, to forgive other people of their sin.
There is JOY in receiving forgiveness.
But there is also JOY in giving forgiveness.
Freely you have received, now freely give.
The Unforgivable Sin
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:28-30 ESV)
I have had many people come to me with sincere concern over friends and family members whom they feared had committed the “unpardonable sin” of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
One summer my brother spent some time with some of our cousins. Late one night the three teenage boys were talking, and this subject of the unforgivable sin came up. When one of them attempted to give an example of what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit meant, the other two gasped and said, “I can’t believe you just said that! It’s too late now- you just committed the unforgivable sin!” They let him sweat it out for a while before they relieved him of his fear of eternal torment. (Sick humor, I know, but we all got a laugh out of it.)
Humor aside, the subject is one to be understood and taken seriously. What exactly does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and is it really unforgivable?
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, according to Jesus’ words, is attributing the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit to satan and his demons.
When Jesus performed miracles and cast out demons the Pharisees accused Him of being motivated by demons. Jesus responded by saying: “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Then He gave this warning about blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees were not speaking out of ignorance, but out of arrogance. They knew better, but intentionally refused the truth.
Those who intentionally resist the truth revealed by the Holy Spirit will never experience that truth’s freedom.
Think about this:
No one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ, His Son. And no one can come to Jesus except that the Holy Spirit draw (or convince) him to do so.
Therefore, if one rejects and resists the ministry and voice of the Holy Spirit, he is rejecting the opportunity to know the Salvation that comes from the Father through Jesus.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, therefore, is not casual, but calculated. People don’t accidentally commit this sin, they willfully, rebelliously, and repeatedly reject the truth and the Person of the Holy Spirit. And as a result, they condemn themselves.
God never gives up on anyone. There is no one too far from His grace and mercy that He cannot rescue them. His Spirit speaks. His Spirit works. His Spirit convinces and gives hope. But we must receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit if we are to know forgiveness and freedom.
Yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit and He will draw you close to Jesus, who in turn will welcome you to a renewed relationship with Your Father.
Sin is not what sends people to hell. Jesus already paid the price for sin on the cross, and declared “Father, forgive them!” It is the rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior that condemns a person. And the only way to the Savior is through the Spirit.
Father,
I pray today for those who have become blinded to, and deafened from your Spirit. Open their eyes. Open their ears. Transform their hearts, and draw them to Jesus.
Father, make me more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in my daily life. Help me to hear His whispers, to follow His direction, and to walk in the freedom of his truth.
Fill me with Your Spirit.
Lead me by Your Spirit.
Empower me by Your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pastor Dale Jenkins 