“Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”

 Exodus 13:20 - 14:28     Call - 1^st. Cor. 1:19-25

    One of the most dramatic scenes in the movie “The Ten Commandments” starring Charlton Heston, is Moses parting the Red Sea. The Israelites were starting a new chapter in their lives after over 400 years in Egypt. To gain perspective on that, we would have to go back to 1606 some five generations ago, and say our great, great, great, great, grand-parents went into captivity and we are just now - five generations later being called out! While there were many who grew up in Egypt not knowing the Lord, there were also many who kept the faith alive and taught their children and their grandchildren all about God and His promise of one day sending a Savior to set the captives free.

    Well, the Israelites left Egypt under the leadership of Moses, and had marched to the Red Sea as they were told. Now they find themselves with the Sea blocking their way to freedom, and as if to make a bad situation worse, they have the Egyptians in hot pursuit! They were literally between the devil and the deep blue sea.
    What happened in this crucial time of Israel’s journey reveals some truths I believe come shinning through and are applicable to us today. We to are on a journey… Through time and space we wander through this life headed for eternity…headed for the promised land. Quite often we also find ourselves in situations where something seems to be blocking our progress forward,… and we have the enemy Satan hot on our trail pursuing us from our past.  We look into the unknown future, and we just don’t know what lies ahead… And, our past seems to pursue us no matter how hard we try to forget… and we have a choice to make. I want to show you three things from this scripture story this morning:
#1. We need to realize that God goes before us to prepare the way, to prepare the future, and to guide us into the future.
#2. We need to know that God is also our rear guard, who can separate us from and take care of our past.
#3. We must understand that many experiences in life have a double meaning, depending on which side of the cloud you are on!
    First, let’s look at God leading us into the future. We must begin with the realization that God is Sovereign over all things. He is who He says He is, and He can do what He says he can do!…Isaiah 40:22 says: “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing”…and verse 28 goes on “The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary”…And finally, verse 31 - which we are all familiar with - “but, those who hope in the Lord”…Hope is a future word… So, those who put their future and their faith in God, who holds their future in his hands,…“they will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”
    Notice the future tense of the words; “they will run, they will walk, they will soar”! Not when we depend on the economy; not when we depend on knowledge or technology; not when we depend on what we have or don’t have; not when we look to the future in our own strength and ability; but, when we wait upon the Lord and trust the future into the one who holds the future!
    As the Israelites stood on the banks of the Red Sea, they saw a barrier in the way of their future. But, Moses said in verse 13 - “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today!”…Vs 16 - “Then the Lord said to Moses - Tell the Israelites to move on…stretch your hand over the sea to divide the water, so the Israelites can go through on dry ground!” They saw a barrier to the future, but God knew they wouldn’t even get their feet wet!
    Secondly, look at verse 19 - “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army…withdrew and went behind them”…The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and moved behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. God not only holds the future and goes before us; but God is also our rear guard…He guards our past! The Israelites saw their past pursuing them, and that’s when the panic began.
    We may think we have escaped the ghost of our past, when suddenly we hear the clatter of horses hooves and the dust of chariot wheels! Some of us are pursued by fears, inhibitions, frustrations and phobias that psychologists tell us are the fruit of seeds sown in childhood experiences. Past abuse, past fears, past what-ever it may be, a heavy burden or grief, some old sin or temptation, the truth is that the Israelites had left Egypt, but Egypt had not left the Israelites!
    For many of us, we may think we are no longer part of the world, but the truth is that the world is still part of us! Worldly thinking, worldly feelings and actions. You can be sure that the enemy will always pursue us with our past, but we can stand firm in the faith that God has taken care of our past. Our past has been for-given and forgotten. God is our rear guard as well as the one who goes before us preparing the future.
    Finally, look at the last part of verse 20 - “Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other”!  So, you see, our perspective of the future…our perspective of the past…depends on which side of the cloud we are on! The Egyptians saw only darkness. The Israelites only light. The same fire that melts wax hardens clay. With faith our experiences in life mean one thing; without faith, they mean another. “The things of the Spirit are foolishness to those who are without the Spirit”.  The old saying; “to see the light” means that we have come out from the dark side of the cloud and are walking in the light of God’s Word. We are seeing things in a different light, from a different perspective.
    Consider the Cross. 1^st Corinthians 1:23 says that “Unto the Jews the Cross is a stumbling block, and to the Greek, foolishness…but, unto us who are saved it is the power of God”!  As we march toward the future, let’s keep in step with the Spirit of God, putting our faith and trust in God, who goes before us to prepare our future! And, let’s put the past behind us, and strain ahead, knowing that God is our rear guard! He’s got the past covered!  Let’s stay on the light side…and continue to walk in the light as He is in the light!

 

“A Listening Heart”

 Matthew 13:16-23 and - 1 Samuel 3:1-10

    Eight times in the gospels and eight times in the Book of Revelation, Jesus used the words “let he who has ears, hear what the Spirit is speaking.” Basically, he was saying; “If you have ears, use them!” Physical ears? Yes, but even more so “spiritual ears.” In fact, it is not so much our ears that Jesus is concerned about as much as our “developing a listening heart.”

    There are many ways to interpret and preach the parable of the sower. It’s the story of a farmer who scattered seed (which is symbolic of the Word of God)…and he scattered it in four different types of ground. Most often we think of the ground or the soil as being the condition of the heart, but for our purposes here this morning, let’s think of the soil being our ears!
    Some ears are hard ground and are simply unreceptive to the Word of God. I mean, when these ears are in church, all they hear is “Blah, blah, blah, blah…mumbo, jumbo, bamboozle!” It’s not that they can’t hear, it’s just that their soil is hard, everything bounces off...and they don’t hear anything they can use.
    Some ears are like rocky soil. They have selective hearing. There are only certain things they hear. But, what they do hear, they retain. For instance, you could ask just about anyone - Christian or not - about Noah and they could tell you he built an ark. Ask about Moses - (He was the first one to break the Ten Command-ments. Joke.)  You could ask about Adam and Eve; Daniel in the lion’s den; and all the other well known Bible stories, even the story of the Cross, and they will tell you at least something they know about these because they have heard about them…But, they are just stories which have no root, because the soil is rocky and selective.
    Some have weedy ears…(Most of the ladies immediately think about their husbands)… What kinds of weeds fill our ears? ( TV, News, Gossip, rumors, politics, etc. ) There are too many other things that compete for their hearing and listening pleasure, and so the seed of God’s Word doesn’t have a chance; it gets crowded out by all the weeds.
    And then, there are those who have good ears, receptive ears, attentive ears, ears that are always listening for and ready to act upon God’s voice. His voice may be heard in the singing, the prayers, the message, or the spoken scripture, but wherever and whenever God speaks, they are receptive. They are like Samuel - “Thy servant is listening”…and they can hear God.
   In all four cases, the seed is the same, the sower is the same, what is different is the listeners ear!  And, if the ratio of this story is significant, three out of four were not listening or could not hear…That means 75% are missing the message!     
    How do we develop a listening heart?  First of all, the Philips version of Romans 12:12 says; “Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come, endure them patiently; steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer”. The habit of prayer! It’s not a hobby…something we do in our spare time…but, a habit. If you look at all the times Jesus went off to pray in scripture, it was always followed by some dramatic or mirac-ulous event. When we are in the habit of prayer, we will develop a listening heart and a listening ear and something may actually happen in our lives!...Let me take that a step further and say that some things may be prevented from happening in our lives…because we are listening!
    James 1:25 says; “The man who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and makes a habit of doing so, will hear and not forget”!…And, “he will be blessed in what he does”!  He is talking about making a habit of spending time in God’s Word.
    There are many who understand this to be true, but give excuse…And, excuses are like skunks, they all stink! I’m just so busy, I always get interrupted, I just can’t seem to stay regular in this…So, rather than spend time with God and develop a listening heart and “good soil” we let others spend time with Him and then think we will benefit from their experience. Isn’t that what we pay the pastor to do? Isn’t that what our S.S. teachers do? Isn’t that why we read books? We want to benefit from someone else’s experience with God.
    I want to challenge you with this thought; “Do we do that with other parts of our lives?” “Vacations are such a hassle, I’m going to send someone else on vacation for me, I’ll pay for it, and then I can hear all about it when they come back”???  I’m in love with that person, but I’m so busy, I’ll let someone else romance her, then he can tell me what it’s like, and someday I’ll marry her”???  Or, how about; “Chewing is so much trouble, I’ll let someone else chew my food, and then I’ll just swallow whatever he gives me”??? That’s just gross!  If we would never do that for anything else, why would we do it with God?  God wants to speak to us first-hand! And, He wants us to develop a listening ear.
    These two habits of prayer and bible reading go hand in hand. We need to pray for understanding and enlightenment before we read…and after we read. The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed through, it is a mine that contains precious gold and silver that needs to be quarried out. Prov. 2:4 says that insight and understanding and wisdom will come if “you search for it like silver and hunt for it like hidden treasure”…. “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
    If you want to know someone who developed a listening ear and heart for God, just read about the rest of Samuel’s life.  This is a lot to think about, but I want you to take this thought with you today; “A listening heart is something that needs to be developed”. It is soil that needs to cultivated. It is something we must do firsthand!

    So, let me review this again; there is a beginning transformation (that which begins to change us inside.) I would say that this begins in the mind. This is when we make up our mind that God does exist; and that the Bible – His Word is true; that Jesus is who He is and has done what God the Father sent him to do; and we accept his offer of salvation. Then what is in our mind drops to our heart and the first stage of transformation is complete.

    Then there is a process of transformation; where that which is changing IN us begins to show up on the outside. It changes how we think; how we speak; how we act and react to life. It does not change how we look…age does that! But in a sense we become a new and different person.
    And then there is an end or finished product…that which has been transformed. There is what the Bible describes in Philippians 3:21 as the finished product…“who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” The Greek word used here is meta-schem-a-tizo which if you will remember refers to a change of form – an outward change. This passage refers to the hope that every Christian can have. That one day, Jesus Christ will finish complet-ely what he began here on earth. “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.”  He will transform our bodies (which are subject to sin and death) to be like His glorious body…and the process will be complete.
    God gave us a perfect example of all this in nature. A caterpillar looks like a fuzy, fat worm that crawls along from place to place and eats leaves. All the while it has within itself a beautiful butterfly! It just has not transformed yet! When it enters the cocoon, the transformation process takes place. That which was within comes out, and the change is a butterfly. The butterfly is no longer an ugly, fat, worm…it now can fly and not crawl, and it enjoys the sweet nectar of the beautiful flowers that God created for it to enjoy! 
Now, let me ask you this; can the transforming process be seen in your life?” I ask because it is a noticeable difference. I have said before that Jesus is like bleach in the laundry, once He comes in, there is going to be a change!

    This leads us to the second part…Ephesians 4:22- “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”…“You put off…” You see, we have a part in this transformation process.
    When Paul writes in Ephesians, "Put on your new self" he is recognizing that we have a new nature that must eventu-ally take the place of the control and effects of the old nature still residing our lives. But remember, the Word says that if you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are to “reckon our old nature to be dead” – your sinful nature is DEAD, according to the scriptures. Well, if it is dead, why then is there still a battle?… Because we haven’t buried it yet!…We haven’t done Romans 12:1 yet…”offer yourselves as living sacrifices.”

    So we struggle with our old nature, with the leftover residue of our old nature still in our lives. That is why there is still the process of supernatural transformation taking place in our lives here on earth.  A good example of this is 2 Cor.3:18 - “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
    2 Corinthians is clear that there is a process of transformation that takes place in the life of a believer. And it’s this process that God wants every single one of us to go through. It’s the process of aligning our physical selves with the new creation now found in our spiritual selves. Unlike the change that takes place in our spirit which is instantaneous – the change that takes place in our heart takes time….And, I say “heart” because it is the center of who we are, what we are, and what we do. You see God not only wants us to be transformed into the likeness of Christ ….He wants us to be transparent in order for the world to see the power of Christ.
     Max Lucado coins a phrase that captures what I believe God’s desire is for each of us, “God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way”… so we have the process of being transformed.
I have to go to work, so I’ll finish tomorrow….

 

“Three Stages of Transformation”

    God wants a transformation to take place in your life – and this isn’t just any ordinary transformation. This is a transformation that is super-natural in nature. Something that cannot, does not, and will not occur naturally.
    I found something interesting about this word transform or transformation. The word transform or transformation is found three times in the NIV translation of the New Testament. And, there are actually two different Greek words that have been translated the same way. The first word “metamorphoo” is used in two of the instances and refers to an inner kind of change (one that affects character and moral behavior ). Then there is the word “meta-schematizo” which refers to a change in appearance or an outward change. These describe what I want to put before you today; and that is, what I find to be, three different "stages" of transformation. There is a beginning transformation; (that which begins to change us inside; then there is a process of transformation; where that which is changing IN us begins to show up on the outside; and then there is an end or finished product…that which has been transformed.
    It starts with Romans 12:1-2- “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

    Supernatural transformation begins with the sacrifice of ourselves to God and the acceptance of his grace through Jesus Christ. It’s the transforming power of the Holy Spirit convicting us, causing us to question our stinkin thinkin… and bringing us to a point of decision….that point which we call “born again”. That point where the truth of God’s Word, the Bible, finally sinks in! You could say that when we are born again the inner transformation – the work of the Holy Spirit IN us has begun.
    In one sense this transformation is begun…and completed with this initial decision for Christ. The reason why this is true is because God’s perspective of what has happened to us is so much different from our perspective of what is happening to us! When God looks at a believer He sees the transformed soul or spirit of the believer. He sees the new self which has been birthed by the grace of God through the believer’s faith in Christ. He sees the completed process already done.
    When we look at ourselves we see an incomplete picture because we are still in this world. We may even think to ourselves that nothing has really changed. So while we know that there is something different in our lives – there seems to be a struggle between that something different that we feel in our lives and what has always been there.   
    What we don’t immediately realize is that our spirit -which once was dead because of sin - is now alive through the grace of God; and our lives which once were limited to the natural realm, are now set free by the super-natural contact we can have with God. We not only are able to understand and grow in God’s Word, but because we understand God’s Word, we begin to understand more about life itself! We begin to see the connection between God’s Word and life itself.
    It is our spirit that is alive within us with salvation that enables us to sense and know and commune with God…something that was missing…has been transformed…completely and fully in an instant! “It’s a mystery” as the Apostle Paul would say.
    But, here is the problem; because we are still in our earthly bodies that are subject to sin and death – it some-times takes a while for the supernatural transformation that has happened instantaneously in our spirits to “catch up” or filter on down into our everyday lives. That is why Paul often used the language of "old self" and "new self" because of the dilemma we have as Christians where we have been given a new nature by God that is in conflict within the abiding place of where our old nature once resided…and controlled. And, this is why he tells us that it is our job to “put off the old self…and put on the new self”.
    This leads us to the second part…

“Isaiah Principle” – part 2

    So, we have the experience of Worship; which may be different for each of us…however, it is truly being in the presence of a holy God. We have the experience of Brokenness; which involves repentance and confession. And, we have the experience of Cleansing; which signifies salvation and a “Born Again” new beginning in life. However, the real problem is that these are the only three experiences many Christians have.

    Isaiah has a fourth experience which I call “seeing the need.”  In verse 8 - “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying ‘Whom shall I send?” and “Who will go for us?”  Jesus said in Matthew 9:37 - “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”…and again in Luke 4:35 - “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” And of course, Romans 10:14 - “How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe if they have not heard? And, how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”…Can you see the need?  I’m not talking about the need in Africa, or Russia, or Nicaragua, we all see that need…and many give so someone else can go; But, what about the need next door?  What about the need even within our own families? Do we see people who are forever lost and without God? Do we see people who are just as we were before our worship, brokenness, and salvation experiences? Do we see the need of those who are in darkness? In need of healing? Do we see the need of those who are hurting because of financial or family problems that are sucking the true life out of them? …“Who shall I send?” says God… And everyone said; “Send the pastor!”   
    Well, the last experience is what I call “willingness.” “Here I am, send me” says Isaiah…He is willing to go.  This is where most of us fall short. Let me remind you of 2 Cor. 5:18 - “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” He gave us the message of reconciliation. Also in 2^nd. Tim. 1:9 it says that “He has saved us and called us”  …and each one of us ought to say; “Send me!”… Send me next door!  Send me across the street!  Send me to my co-worker!  Send me to my family and friends… Send me.
    So, I would say to you today, Catch a glimpse of the holiness and majesty and power of Almighty God…Open yourself up to a worship experience where you will see yourself for what you really are… In broken humility, confess and repent of your sin; your life and life-style that separate you from God…and seek his salvation through Jesus Christ His Son. But, don’t stop there. Ask God to show you the need, the need that’s right there all around you, and to send you to bring the good news of what God has done in your life!  All of these experiences with God are just the beginning of the greatest journey in your life! They are the greatest experiences you will ever have!
    Lent is a time when many people give up something as a type of “fast” or as an offering to God for His gift of Easter…The Cross was the final sacrifice; but Easter – the empty tomb – the resurrection – was God’s gift. Without the resurrection, Jesus would be just another dead Prophet! Without the resurrection there is no hope for eternal salvation!
     Maybe it would be a good time to give up that old life and lifestyle that you know is not working…and accept what God has to offer…Because what God has to offer is a real, abundant, fulfilling, and free life!

“The Isaiah Principle”

Please read - Isaiah 6:1-8

    When it comes to the “born again” experience of the Christian life, I could hand out a survey form, and we would soon discover that we all share some pretty common experiences. Although the particular circum-stances may differ, and it may happen at different times or stages of life, I think we all have experienced some degree of what Isaiah experienced. As we look closer at this scripture, ask

yourself how many of these things I am going to list, have I experienced in my own Christian walk?

    The first thing we ought to notice is that Isaiah had what I would call a true “worship” experience. Listen again to the expressive words he uses; “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings…and they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the door-posts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke …What a sight! It’s the kind of thing that would take your breath away!  It was a WOW! experience.

    This is similar to the experience of John in Revelation 1:12 - “I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a “son of man” dressed in a robe reach-ing down to his feet with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a blazing fire!”…There ought to come a time in the life of every-one who calls himself a Christian, when they have this type of worship experience. A time when the holiness and majesty of God become very real. A time when we stand in his presence, and the who, what, where, why, and how of Almighty God overwhelms you and fills your eyes with tears and causes you to fall to your knees…or lift your hands in praise! 
    While my experience was not as grand as that of Isaiah or John, the principle was still the same…There was a time when I came to really know that GOD IS!  (I talk about that time in my book “By His Hand”) You see, the Bible says that those who come to Him must first believe that He is!  He told Moses that “I AM” and HE IS! You can go as far as you want into eternity past, and God is! You can go as far as you want into eternity future, and God is! And, if you are really looking for Him in the present, He is!
    Second, Isaiah experiences a brokenness.  It’s a brokenness that leads to repentance and confession. It’s a realization of himself as he really is; sinful, unbelieving, as a filthy rag in comparison to God.
    Like all of us, I’m sure Isaiah was always comparing himself to someone else…thinking he was a pretty good person. You know, “Compared to Charles Manson, the mass murderer, I’m a pretty good person!” But, now he compares himself to the holiness of God and says; “Woe unto me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”  It’s a humble confession of who Isaiah is and a fearful profession of who God is!  When we see God for who He is, we also see ourselves for who and what we are.  In my personal experience, like Isaiah, there was a time when I saw who I really was, and I didn’t like what I saw.
    Third principle; Isaiah receives cleansing. The seraph touched his mouth with a live coal and says; “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”  For you and me it is the cleansing and purifying power of the Cross of Calvary. God’s Word says “The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Once understood, it washes us clean of un-righteousness and sin. The death Jesus died on the Cross he died once and for all! He took upon himself the sins of the world… and the Bible says “whosoever” will call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved. Like Isaiah, our sin, our guilt, is taken away and atoned for. The Bible says we are “Born again”…“Saved”…“A new creation”…“A child of God.”
    Let me also say this; although some of the other experiences may vary, the experience of cleansing is the same for everyone. “There is no other name under heaven by which you must be saved”… “I am the Truth, the Way, and the Life” said Jesus, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Only Jesus has the cleansing power!... (To be continued.)

The Elijah Complex – (One of my favorite mini-sermons)
Please read - 1 Kings 19:1-14 and Philippians 4:4-9

    This is by far one of my favorite portions of scripture. Previous to this text of course, is the story of Elijah’s challenge to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah was a prophet chosen by God to bring God’s judgment on the Northern kingdom of Israel because of the sins of Ahab the king and his wife Jezebel, who had ordered the killing of the prophets and priests of God. Elijah announces a 3 and a half year drought, which of course brings along with it famine in the land. Then Elijah calls for a “show-down” on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal. He challenges them to a test of their gods by building an altar and placing a bull on it; They were to call upon their god, and the “god that answers by fire” will be God. The people thought that was a good idea…So, the prophets of Baal went first. They sang and danced and cried and wailed around their altar for most of the day…with Elijah taunting them, and of course, there was no response from Baal or Asherah.

    Elijah then has the people pour water all over his altar of wood…three times no less, he prays and God answers by fire – burning up the wood, the bull, the water and even the stones! The people confessed that the “Lord is God” with all the insincerity they could muster… Then Elijah prays again, and finally the rain comes. What a physical, emotional, and spiritual high for Elijah.
    Elijah runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel, probably thinking to himself “Boy, old Jezebel must be long gone or dead by now. Surely God zapped her too!”  But, it says that when they got there, Ahab told Jezebel everything that “Elijah” had done…not God…it was all Elijah’s doing!  This just makes Jezebel all the madder and determined to take Elijah’s life as well. At the sound of her threats, Elijah heads for the hills!
    The question is “How could Elijah go from such a high to such a low in such a short time?”…I call it the “Elijah Complex”. The Elijah complex is what happens when we lose all sense of God’s presence, protection and provision for our lives… and we suddenly feel forsaken, hopeless, and depressed. Worry and fear set in, and our thought pattern turns sour.
    There is a principle truth in God’s Word that is that our thoughts - what is going on in our mind - controls our emotions, and those two working together control our actions.
    I want to give you some of the “thought patterns” that can cause us to have the “Elijah complex” and some positive steps we can take to improve our perspective.
Thought pattern #1. – Our problem appears bigger than God. For some reason, at this point in Elijah’s life, Jezebel appeared bigger and more powerful than God. He lost his perspective of God when he heard the words of Jezebel “by this time tomorrow, I’m going to lop off your head!” Then Satan put the problem under a microscope, magnified it in Elijah’s mind…like he always does with every problem in our life…and, to Elijah, Jezebel looked like a scene from “The Attack Of The Fifty-Foot Woman!”  Romans 12:2 says that we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds”… When we get our eyes off of Christ and our problem becomes bigger than God, we need to change our thought pattern.
Thought pattern #2 – We see ourselves as the only one with a problem. Elijah made the statement; “I,m the only one left”… When we are focused on our problem, everyone else seems to be O.K. Or, if they have problems, theirs is never as big as ours. But, because it helps to know that we are not alone, God told Elijah that there were 7,000 in Israel going through the same fear for their lives.
Thought pattern #3 – We lose hope or feel hopeless. The irony of this whole story is that Elijah feared for his life; yet he prayed for God to take his life; and in the end, he never died… Depressing thought patterns will always rob us of hope for the future. We can’t see past the problem of the day… Let me give you a little test to see if you are still with me on this; “When I am happy, I have been thinking _______thoughts? When I am sad, I have been thinking _____ thoughts? And when I am angry, I have been thinking ____ thoughts? If I am depressed, I have been thinking _______thoughts?  It is so profoundly simple, it’s simply profound. Our thoughts will always affect our emotions, and the two together will affect our actions like a caboose follows a locomotive.
    Philippians 4:8 tells us “Whatever is true; whatever is noble; right; pure; lovely; admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” It has been scientifically proven that things like joy and laughter release dolphins in our brain…I’m sorry, that’s (endorphins) in our brain that correct the chemical imbalance caused by depression. Although God didn’t explain to us the medical reasons for rejoicing, how often does it appear in scripture?...a lot!
    We can see whatever we want to see in our circumstances. “Two boys were raised in the home of an alcoholic father. As young men they each went their separate ways. Years later they were sought out by a psychologist who was analyzing the effects of alcohol on children. One turned out to be just like his father. The young man responded “What would you expect with a father like mine?”… The other boy had never taken a drink, and when asked why? He responded; “What would you expect with a father like mine?”  It’s not what we go through that determines who or what we are; It’s how we respond to our circumstances that determines who or what we are! We can be a victim or we can be a victor…determined by our thought patterns.
    So what are some thought patterns that will improve or change our perspective in life?
1. James 4:8 says “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you”. We need to come to God in times of need, and not run away.
2. Phil. 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”…We need to get those dolphins moving!  Have a good laugh!  To someone who is depressed that may be like asking a man with a broken leg to dance, but it is one of the main factors of a healthy and healed life.
3. Reach out and help someone. People who are depressed or worried because of some problem, are consumed with thoughts of themselves and their problem. We need to get our minds off ourselves and help someone else.
    In those times when we find ourselves slipping into the Elijah complex, we just need to do something to change our perspective. When Moses sent the spies into the promised land, all of them viewed the same circumstances, the same land, the same problems… Ten chose to focus on the size of the giants…Two chose to focus on the size of their God!  The next time you are faced with a problem, which will you choose?
    There is a great promise at the end of those “think on these things” verses of Philippians; Paul says “and the peace of God will guard your HEART and your MIND”… It “transcends our understanding” and will have an effect on our actions.

    Let’s take just a few minutes to look at some reasons why storms may come our way;

 #1. They may be brought on by our own stupidity or sin.
The Jews strongly believed that if something bad happened it was the result of sin. An illness, or financial loss, or even a death in the family, all of which were in the storm that raged around Job, were somehow sin related. Or, it may be the result of a bad decision on our part…or it may even be caused by the actions of someone else… and, at times they just seem to happen, and we have no idea why. However, we are told in the Book of James that “These have come in order to test and deepen our faith”…
2^nd. – It may be that the devil just seeks to swamp your boat!  When we set our hearts on doing God’s will, the devil will throw everything – including the kitchen sink – at us. He will use anything to make life miserable and cause fear to overcome our faith.
3^rd. – God seeks to demonstrate his power and faithfulness and strengthen our faith at the same time. Jesus led the disciples to the boat. He told them to set out for the other side of the lake. He who knew all things certainly knew the storm was coming. The whole event was divinely designed by God to increase their faith. Now, I did not say that God caused the storm… I said that God knew the storm was coming, and he used it for his purposes.
    Why would a God who loves us, and cares for us, and provides for our every need, allow this to happen? First, God needed to teach them that they were not as powerful and sufficient as they thought. Notice where this takes place; not in the fields or in the mountains, but in the very environment where they felt the most capable and competent… Yet, they were helpless apart from the power of God.
    Second, God’s purpose is not to make our lives pleasant and trouble free; His purpose is to transform our thinking, our feelings, and our actions…and in order to do that, he needs to re-direct our trust and confidence and faith in Him.
    Jesus had to demonstrate to them, in a way they would never forget, their inability to save themselves. He had to show them that where they were weak, He was strong! He had the power to do the impossible! In this case, it was to completely and immediately calm the storm… And, if He had the power to make even nature obey his command, then there was nothing that He couldn’t do!  We need to learn that same lesson!
    Now, let’s go back to the story of Paul’s journey in the Book of Acts for just a moment; Again we have a ship caught in a storm; those on board feared for their lives; they did everything they knew to lighten the load of the ship and make it through the storm…But, they end up at verse 20 again “We gave up all hope of being saved”… There is one crucial difference in these stories; In Acts, God doesn’t put an end to the storm, in fact, the storm rages until the ship is utterly destroyed. The point of this is that God does not always work the same way to protect and provide for His people…Sometimes he calms the storm…and at other times He changes the circumstances. Sometimes things work out well…and at other times things just seem to get worse!  In one case God simply ended the storm…In the other case God brought them through the storm.
    Which is better? We really don’t know. Only God knows what is best for us. But, remember this, there will be times when God will calm the storm and give us peace…and, there will be times when He expects us to ride out the storm, knowing that He will bring us safely home… even if we have to swim all the way holding on to a broken piece of wood. I have had to do that, but God always brought me through and provided my needs and prepared my faith for the next storm…

“Any Port In A Storm”

Please read - Luke 8:22-25  and Acts 27:12-25

    Here we have two different stories concerning boats in a storm. They have some similarities, however they have different outcomes. Today I want to look at the natural, literal, things that are taking place…as well as the symbolism of the many storms we may face in life…all of which have the same outcomes, if we cry out to or call upon God in the midst of the storm. What these two stories are really about is faith overcoming fear… and understanding that it is our faith in the power of God – and, our past experiences with God, that will help our faith overcome our fear of the storm, whatever that storm may be. Whether it is the disciples or the Apostle Paul, or you and I – it’s all about knowing and believing that God is who He says He is, and that God can do what He says He can do!

    A. C. Dixon once said “When we depend on organizations, we get what organizations can do. When we depend on education and technology, we get what the limitations of education and technology can give us; both of which depend on man and what man can do. But, when we depend upon and call upon God, we get what only God can do!
    Do you suppose it is possible that we have become so self-sufficient that we think we don’t need God? While we may be quick to answer “No way” think about this; If we get sick, we go to the doctor; if our property is destroyed or stolen, we file a claim; when we need food, we go to the grocery store; when we need clothes, we go to the clothing store; when we need money, we go to the bank or we go to plastic; If we have relational problems, we go to counselors; and many times, when the storms of life come at us, we either persevere in our own strength, or we draw from the help of family and friends…Not that any of this is wrong or bad, but we have to ask the question; “Where is God?”… “Who needs God?”  
    We can imagine at first, the disciples were probably relying on their own knowledge and skills as fishermen and sailors. They had certainly experienced storms before. It wasn’t until they realized that they were about to go under that they finally called out to the Lord, and were saved.
    It had been a long day of ministry for Jesus, so he withdrew to the stern of the boat and collapsed into a deep sleep. The disciples hoisted sail and set out to make the five mile trip across the lake. Then, unexpectedly, “without warning” Matthews account of the story says, they were in the midst of a terrible storm. Symbolically, God uses this story to remind us of a world where storms rise up out of nowhere and blindside us. If you have ever suffered a life threatening disease, you know this world. When the Dr. comes back with a bad report, or the phone rings in the middle of the night and a voice says; “I’m afraid I have some bad news”…you know this world.  Notice that even when Jesus is in the boat…the storm comes!
    Listen to the cry of the disciples; here in Luke they cry out “Master, Master, we are going to drown!”... In Matthew they say, “Lord, save us, we are going to drown!”... And, in Mark they cry out “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”...I think that all these things were said, and probably more! In the story from the Book of Acts – verse 20 says that “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved”…What had happened? Their faith had become paralyzed by fear! In reality, their problem was not the storm raging around them…it was the unbelief within them! You see, fear will always maximize the problem and minimize God…
    There is a true story of how the storms of life washed ruthlessly over one man named Horatio Spafford.  Some months before the great Chicago fire in 1871, he had invested heavily in property on the shore of Lake Michigan…but his holdings were wiped out by the disastrous fire. Just shortly before this, he had experienced the death of his son. Desiring a break from all the stress for his wife and daughters, and wishing to join D.L. Moody in an evangelistic crusade in Great Britain, Spafford planned a European trip for his family. In November of 1873, due to last minute business, he had to remain in Chicago, but he sent his wife and daughters on ahead as scheduled. On November 22^nd. their ship was struck by another vessel and sank in 12 minutes. Several days later the survivors finally landed in Wales. Mrs. Spafford immediately cabled her husband with just two words; “Saved alone”… Shortly thereafter Spafford left to join his wife… and somewhere in that trip he penned these words that described both his grief and his faith; “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, It is well, with my soul.”

“Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow”
Please read this Scripture - 2 Peter 1:2-11
     In this scripture, I think that  Peter says to us; “Things can be different!”…Your tomorrow can be different and better than yesterday if you resolve to do some things today.
    First of all, he says some past tense things which are about yesterday; “We have received (past tense) a precious faith”…He “has given us everything we need for life and godliness”…“He has given us his great and precious promises”…We “have been cleansed from past sins”…If you are a “born-again Christian… If you have accepted Christ into your life as Savior and Lord, then Peter says we can look back and remember that we have received, we have been given and we have been cleansed.  Let me put it this way; “If we look back, we can see and remember all the great things God has done; and if God took care of my past, if he took care of me last year, why will he not take care of me this year…and do even more? “God is who He says He is! And, God can do what He says He can do!”
    Then he goes on to tell us what we should be concerned with in the present. In effect, he says; If you receive, believe, and stand on God’s promises, “you will escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires.” This is probably better explained in Romans 12:9 which tells us to “hate what is evil and cling to what is good”…And, that’s exactly what happens within us. We begin to see evil and sin for what it truly is, we begin to understand the consequences of that life and lifestyle, and we see the perversion, and the unhappiness, pain, and guilt, and we begin to cling to that which is good.
    Then Peter goes on to instruct us even more concerning the present;  He says “Make every effort to add to your faith - goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.” Let me encourage you to consider this list in and seek to work on those areas in which we are weak and resolve to add this to our faith. I want to say more about this tomorrow, but I must finish my thought…
    So, we have looked at yesterday, and we have considered today; And then Peter tells us four things as to how this will affect our tomorrows, our future.  
(1) “It will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive.” I hope you will understand when I say that I believe there are a lot of very faithful - yet ineffective and unproductive Christians fill-ing the pews of our churches.
(2) “It will make our calling sure”…In other words these things will help us to know that we are called and what we are called to.
(3) “It will keep us from falling”…because we are focused on growing in our faith and not standing still ( which is what Satan would have us do)  and the great reward or reason for all of this is –
(4) to “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
    Maybe it’s time to live the Spirit filled and Spirit led life that we are called to live…and that “abundant” life that Christ came to give will fall into place. If you count the things we are to add to our faith in this scripture from 2 Peter, you will find there are 7… Seven is God’s perfect number, seven goals…where will you start?

    It is when we begin to understand these words that we can apply them and accept them. Now let's look at the other one, “blameless”.  Most people refuse to think of themselves as blameless because they know that they have done many things for which they ought to be blamed. That is, they have made choices, deliberate choices, against light, and against right, against God, and even against knowledge of the consequenses. But we confuse this word with another, because it is not sinless. Never having done anything wrong is sinless… But, the Bible says you can be sinful and still be blameless.

    How?  By handling your sin in the right way…and only through Christ. If you did something that injured someone else, and the full result of it was not visible to you when you did it, but afterward you saw how much you had hurt the person, and you acknowledged it, apologized to them, asked for forgiveness, and did what you could to restore it, then there would be nothing further you could do… And from that point on you would be blameless. You would not be sinless -- you still did it -- but you also did all you could to handle it rightly, or to make it right.
    The idea is the same with our offenses against God. What can you do about your sins? You can't go back and straighten it all out, no, but you can ask for and accept his forgiveness. You can acknowledge what you did, and your need for forgiveness, you seek to restore the rela-tionship, and when you've done that, you're blameless! And that is what God has chosen us to do -- to learn this wonderful process of being whole and blameless.
    Notice that these things are to be reckoned true even though we don't feel that way. We need to accept the fact that God chose us “in Christ” to make us holy and blameless. And as we walk before him in his prescribed way, that is what we are… we ought to “reckon” that we are, and we ought to rejoice in that great fact. Now look at the second great aspect which is recorded of the work of the Father, and which is related to the first, (Ephesians 1:5-6 )
    Here is a partial explanation of how God takes care of all the past failures and the shame of our lives, in order to produce someone who is holy and blameless. It is by means of a “change” of family relationship. "He predestined us to be sons," …We are familiar with the process of adoption. Adoption means leaving one family and joining another. Leaving behind all that was involved in the first family and assuming the name, the characteristics, the resources, and the relationships of another family. We've been transferred and adopted into a new family.
    Now, my question is: Are you enjoying your inheritance? Do you wake in the morning and remind yourself at the beginning of the day, "I'm a child of the Father…El Elyon…the Most High God"…I've been chosen by him to be a member of his family. Because He chose me, He imparts to me His peace, His joy, and, His love…and much more…they are my inheritance from which I can draw every moment of life. And I have them no matter what my circumstances may be."… In His sight - through Jesus Christ His Son - I am holy and blameless!”

 

Ephesians  1:1-14
    There is an unusual structure in this passage of scripture to which I'd like to call your attention. From Verse 3 through Verse 14 in the Greek text (not in the English) it is written in one complete, unbroken sentence filled with many descriptive phrases brought in to amplify and enrich it.
    It's almost as though Paul is taking a walk through a treasure chamber, like those of the Pharaohs of Egypt, describing what he sees. He starts out with the most immediate and evident fact and tells us what that is. Then something else comes into view and he puts that in. And glory flashes upon glory here until he has this tremendously complicated sentence which includes vast and almost indescribable riches.
    This is the way God builds truth. One truth leads into the next and all truth is interrelated somehow, and all truth is based or centered around God.  There is a rather simplifying division of this passage, however, and that is, these blessings gather about the Persons of the Trinity. There is the work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
In Verses 3-6 you have the work of the Father: (Ephesians 1:3-6 )
Then, in Verses 7-12, you have that which relates to the Son: (Ephesians 1:7-12 )
Finally, in Verses 13 and 14, you have the work of the Holy Spirit: (Ephesians 1:13-14 )
    These blessings that Paul gives us and which we will be looking more closely at, are ours in our inner experience, now, if we are in Jesus Christ…This is the “package” that it all comes in – “Christ.”
    If you are not a Christian you cannot possibly claim these benefits. They are not yours, they don't belong to you. You cannot buy them, you cannot discover them, you cannot sign up for a course about them in a university. There is no way you can appropriate them unless you are in Christ. But, if you are "in Christ" there is nothing to keep you from having all of them, every moment of every day. That is why it is so important that we discover what they are.
    You see, these are much more than mere doctrinal or mere theological ideas. They are facts, they are foundational truths.  And, unless we understand those facts, we can't utilize them, we can't benefit from them.  We hesitate to apply them to ourselves despite the fact that they are true. The reason we hesitate is that we have such distorted ideas of what these words mean. We think of words like “holy and blameless” and we think that holiness is all about being absolutely sinless and pure…and we don't want to claim that for ourselves. But it is not that at all.     
    Holiness means "wholeness," and wholeness means "to be restored to the originally intended function" to be put to the proper use, that's all. Physical wholeness prevails when the body works the way it was supposed to. And when your whole being functions the way it was intended to function, you could say you are holy.
(More to come...)

    We have been looking at the major events of prophecy concerning the “last days” which include the Revelation, the Return, the Rapture, the Resurrections, and the Rewards - (also known as the Judgment Seat of Christ) - and today we will look at another judgment, the last judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment of God. It is found in the Book of Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And, I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person judged accor-ding to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

    As pointed out earlier, the judgment of rewards for believers has already taken place…The “Wedding Supper of the Lamb” has already taken place…The “thousand year reign” of Christ upon this earth has already taken place… And going back to verse 4 of chapter 20 - “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended”…At the great white throne judgment are the “rest of the dead”… All who die apart from Christ.
    “Books were opened” it says, these are what I would call “evidence” books. In our courtrooms today, a person sits before the judge and jury and evidence is presented. Bible scholars tell us that there are four books: the Book of the Law, the Book of Life, the Book of Works, and the Lamb’s Book of Life. Romans 2:12 says “those who lived under the law will be judged by the law” meaning all who lived and died before Christ will be judged by the first three books. Ecclesiastes 12:14 also says “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil”… This is to show that God is a righteous judge. Those before Christ shall be judged by the law, and those after Christ shall be judged by the last two books.
    “The dead were judged according to what they had done as “recorded in the books”! (Plural) How does it make you feel to know that everything you do and say is recorded? This is not a blanket judgment, each one of us stands alone. Some of the things that the Bible itself says is recorded in the books are:
* Psalm 139:6 “the number of our days”,
*Matthew 12:36 “careless words” are recorded.
*Malachi 3:16 “whether or not they feared God”…
    It has been thought that secret sins, missed opportunities to accept the gospel, and of course personal, unforgiven sins are recorded. However, ultimately, everyone is judged on one thing and one thing only, “If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.” So, you can live once, and die twice…or live twice, and die once. (Unless you are alive when Jesus comes…)  R. U. “Born Again?”

The Judgment

    Immediately after the rapture of the church, every believer will stand before Christ to be judged by him. (2^nd Corinthians 5:10) This is not a blanket judgment of Christians, but an individual one. This is not a judgment of sin or salvation, that took place at the Cross, besides, we are already there!  It is however, a judgment of works: “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Now, to further understand this, one must look to 1^st Corinthians 3:10-15 - Verse 12 says - “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones (good)… wood, hay, or straw (bad)… his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work”. This is known as “The Judgment Seat of Christ”. It is a judgment of works and rewards.  It is the time we receive our crowns and our jewels for those things which are judged to be works of “gold, silver, and precious stones.”

    This is the motivation for our service to the Lord. The good that we do will earn eternal rewards. Salvation is God’s free gift to all who trust the Savior, but heaven will not be a society where all are treated alike. As in the Parable of the Talents or “mina’s” in Luke chapter 19…Some of the servants used what He gave them and were productive Christians. Others were somewhat productive. One was totally unproductive. The one who was most productive received more authority (rewards) in heaven. Others were rewarded less, and some will receive no reward at all. Yet, all will be redeemed because of their common faith in Jesus Christ. Again in 1^st Corinthians 3 - Paul says some of those redeemed will learn that they have wasted their lives doing works having no eternal value. Their effort was “wood, hay, and straw” fit only to be burned in the fire. They had faith, but lived only for self. If all we have to show at the end of our lives is the “praise of men”, fine homes, high priced cars, and all the other worldly signs of success, it will all go up in smoke! It has no eternal value.
    The greatest reward will be the approval of Christ himself. To hear the words “Well done thou good and faithful servant” will be priceless! A second part of that great reward will be all the “Thank You’s.”  The presence of people we have had a part in helping spiritually. Some of which we won’t even know. How do you think it will feel to have someone say “If it weren’t for you, or what you did, or what you gave, I would not be here!” When you encourage someone, when you pray for another’s salvation and spiritual growth, when you feed the hungry or clothe the naked, when you practice forgiveness, when you help someone through a hard time physically or financially, when you do these things motivated by love, then great is your reward! If you are not at this Judgment Seat of Christ, you will be at the Great White Throne Judgment…. For we shall all appear at one or the other. R. U. building haystacks or treasure in heaven?

    So far, concerning the “end times” we have looked at the subjects of Revelation, and the Returns, today we will look at the Resurrections, of which there are five mentioned in the Bible. I will not elaborate on any for you can do your own study on these things.
    The first for our consideration is found in Matthew 27:51-54 - “And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to many”. This one is not easy to understand, but if we put it together with Revelation 4:4 “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were the twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had gold crowns on their heads”. We get the theory that because the twenty-four elders were there in heaven, surrounding the throne in John’s vision, they were the ones described in Matthew 27, who were resurrected and given life, and appeared with Jesus following his resurrection. ( Note: We are not told who the twenty four elders are, however, they would not be angels because when John sees angels he describes them as angels.)

    The second resurrection is of course, Jesus himself. Matthew 28 and Luke 24 give the best revel-ation of this. And, Paul in 1^st. Corinthians 15 convinces us that if Christ has not been raised, then everything else is in vain. “If it is only for this life we have hope, then we are to be pitied”. The whole of Christianity is based on the fact of Christ’s resurrection. Upon it the whole truth of the New Testament stands.
    The third resurrection is that of “the dead in Christ” - 1^st Thessalonians 4:16. When a Christian dies, it is not the end! It is true that the body is laid to rest in the grave, but the soul and spirit live on. Death is the gateway into the very presence of God. In Philippians 1:21 Paul stated “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”...also known as the Rapture; Here there is real hope!
    The fourth resurrection is found in Revelation 20:1-5 These are the tribulation saints: “They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or hands.”… Verse 6 - “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them”.
    The fifth resurrection is the “rest of the dead” found in Revelation 20:11-15 who are “judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books”… Vs. 15 “If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. ( The lake of fire is the “second death” )  The point of all this leads to the question: “Which resurrection will you have part in”?
It would be my prayer your answer would be #3 … R. U. Saved?

   

The Returns - part 3-

    One thing that most all of us know is that preparation prevents panic. This is true physically, mentally, financially, and of course, spiritually. It is the clear teaching of the New Testament that Jesus is coming back. In fact, over 50 times Christians are encouraged to be ready, prepared, and alert for His return. In several of the New Testament books entire chapters are devoted to the details of this event. The truth is that Jesus is coming again! I believe it. And, I believe it ought to be preached as a constant reminder, lest we become complacent. Matthew 24:36 “No one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father knows.” Verse 42 says “Therefore, keep watch!”

    In 1^st Corinthians 15:51 the Apostle Paul says “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…”  The only thing we can do is be prepared at all times, keeping watch, while we wait for this blessed hope. Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope; the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior.” If we knew not the day or the hour, but we knew Jesus would come in 2013, how would we live differently? All of the Parables Jesus told relating to the end times concerned the fact that we ought to be prepared.
    There is a story of a young couples first date. She was expecting him at a certain hour, and she was dressed up, waiting patiently. He, however, was an hour late. She figured she had been stood up, so she took off her makeup, put on her pajamas, gathered all the junk food in the house, and sat down to watch T.V. with the dog. As her favorite show was coming on, the doorbell rang. Sure enough, it was him. He stared at her wide eyed and said: “I’m two hours late and you’re still not ready!”  Make no mistake, Jesus is coming again! Let’s stop looking for “signs” and start preparing, waiting, and watching for Jesus “the author and the perfector of our faith”…For He will come, no matter what’s going on in our world.
    There is a wide spectrum of extremes concerning this subject of Christ’s return. Ranging from those who have no concern or are indifferent to the subject, to those who see “end times” and read prophecy into news events and disasters all over the world. God’s timetable of events is hidden to us. That means that the return of Christ will surprise believers as well as an unbelieving and skeptical world. Our present task is to work for the kingdom of God as if it is a century off…but, be ready as if He should return “in the twinkling of an eye.”  R. U.  prepared?

Returns - Part 2

    In the fourth chapter of the first book of Thessalonians, the apostle Paul describes the first phase of the second coming of Jesus. Look at verse 15 again – “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord.”  Where did Paul get this from?  Is this just a theory that Paul made up? I believe this is a divine revelation. When you have divine revelation you sure don’t need human speculation.

    In Acts 1:10-11, we read, “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he, Jesus, went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”  This same Jesus who was born of a virgin is coming back! This same Jesus who stilled the raging seas is coming back! This same Jesus who fed the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread is coming back! This same Jesus who was nailed to a cross is coming back! This same Jesus who conquered the grave is coming back! This same Jesus who sacrificed His life in order that we might have forgiveness and eternal life, is coming back to take us home!
    Have you seen or read the Left Behind Series?  Paul says, only the saved shall hear the shout of the Savior, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. Can you just imagine what this will be like to those left behind?  The scene is all speculation, but we can certainly imagine what it will be like;
    All over the world people will be missing, but they won’t be the one’s that are lost. Parents that never accepted Christ will wake up and find that their young children have vanished, gone without a trace. Some husbands will awaken to find their wives missing. Some wives will awaken to find their husbands missing. People will show up for work and find that many of their co-workers are gone and no one knows where or why. People riding in cars, trucks, buses, trains and airplanes will be gone. Traffic will come to a standstill all over the world as tragic accidents abound everywhere, with no driver in view anywhere. People from all walks of life will be filing missing person reports, and frantically trying to find their loved ones. But the loved ones will not be found on this earth, for they are gone forever, gone to be with Jesus.
    Many will seek an answer in the churches because they have heard about this thing called a ‘rapture” but most pastors will be gone. Most church members will be gone. Those left behind will be the ones that just went through the motions of attending church and thinking all was well with their soul. But those left behind in the churches will know where the others have gone. They will know… Christ has returned for His church, and the Rapture has taken place…and they are left behind.
    Well, we can’t just leave it there…as Christ returns for the rapture of the church – His bride – which is referred to as His second coming... We need to be reminded of His 3^rd  return…or what is more commonly known as “The Day Of The Lord.” At this coming he will defeat the Anti-Christ and slay his evil army by the “sword of his mouth” the Word says...and those who have returned with Him – (Those who have taken place in the first resurrection or the rapture) -will reign with Christ on this earth for 1000 years.

THE RETURNS

1^st. Corinthians 15:51-53 -  1^st Thessalonians 4:13- 5:3 -  2^nd Thessalonians 2:1-12

    The return of Jesus never fails to create mixed emotions. For some it creates fear and wonder and trepidation…for others it is a sense of comfort and peace and anticipation; however, none of us likes to dwell on it.  There is a wide spectrum of extreme believers concerning the comings (plural) of Christ…ranging from those who see everything that happens in the world, especially in the Middle East, as a sign of His coming. And, in fact they spend a lot of their time and lives with this concern upon their minds. Some Christians drop right off the deep end when prophetic subjects come up…they just go nuts and are fanatical about the subject. They see the “end times” and read prophecy into newspaper articles, current events, and even major disasters. The ultimate extremists live rather sheltered and irresponsible lives, with a lack of interest in the here and now.

    There was a bumper sticker that read; “Warning, in the event of Christ’s return this driver will disappear, and this car will self-destruct ” …and in Bold red letters - “You better git ready!”
    “There was a lady who wanted to marry four different men in her lifetime. A banker, a movie star, a pastor, and a funeral director…One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go!”
    The other end of this extreme are those who either are theologically ignorant, or have no concern whatsoever about the end times and the coming of Christ. They are totally indifferent to the subject. They are not interested in evangelism because this indifference leaves them with no sense of urgency. (I’m not just speaking of non-Christians.) 
"THE LORD HIMSELF WILL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN."
    The word Paul uses for "coming" was that used for a visit of a person of high rank, especially of kings and emperors, visiting a province. The Second Coming will be of the Lord Himself, not one of His angels or representatives. It will be a personal, dramatic, public and unmistakable coming, a visit in person, of "the Lord". .. "One word of command, one shout from the archangel, one blast from the trumpet of God and the Lord himself will come down from Heaven." What we’re meant to understand is that this authorative, divine proclamation announces the end of the age. What age? (The church age)
    God, in His mercy, has allowed the world to run in time to date for over 2,000 years following the ascension of Jesus. Mankind has made tremendous progress in terms of knowledge and tech-nology, but because of our flawed nature, all the advances made seem to be one step forward and two backwards, in things like morality, selfishness and exploitation. It’s been put like this: “All the noble efforts of law-abiding citizens to slam the brakes on a sick society and the feverish activity of politicians, sociologists and ’do-gooders’ the only "progress" that’s been made is that terrorists, in the name of their god, hijack airliners and crash them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, with the loss of thousands of lives! We are constantly building more prisons to hold the lawbreakers of our society! Our love for God and our love for one another doesn’t seem to have helped to changed much in our world. Why is that? I for one don’t understand why you can’t talk about God or the Bible in our schools, but it’s just fine to talk and even teach and study it in prison!????
    God’s timetable of events, hidden to us, means that the Return of Jesus will come as a surprise to an unbelieving and skeptical world. Paul refers to the analogy that Jesus used of His coming "like a thief in the night" (Matthew 24:43). "While people are saying, ’Peace and safety’" (imagining they’re entirely secure behind their nuclear shields and prosperity),.."destruction will come on them suddenly … and they will not escape" (5:3). Our present task is to work for the kingdom of God as if the Return of Jesus will be delayed until the next century …and at the same time be ready if He should return today!
More to come…

For the next few days I feel led to share from a sermon series I have done called the “Five “R”s of the Book of Revelation” ( Revelation; Return; Rapture; Resurrection; Rewards ) It begins with the Scripture –

2^nd. Peter 1:12-21  and  3:3-13

What would you say if I told you that the entire Bible is a book of revelation? What does it reveal? It reveals everything we need to know about God. It reveals all we need to know about life. It reveals all we need to know about the life to come. It reveals everything we need to know about God’s plan and will for our lives and for this world.

    In our English language we have many different words we can use to describe a person, or even a business, that has gained our faith. Words like honest; truthful; trustworthy; dependable; and so on, but the word that I feel is most important even within these descriptions themselves, is the word “consistency.” A person or a business can’t be honest - most of the time; or trustworthy sometimes; consistency is the key to winning our faith. The same can be said for our faith in God and in the Word of God. One of the things that increases our faith and curbs our doubts is the consistency of God and the consistency of his Word.  This is especially true when it comes to “prophesy.”
    What would you think if I told you that God’s Word is consistently accurate - most of the time?  What if I said; “You can depend on God 80% of the time!”… Those may be good odds for some people but not good enough for me to put my faith and trust in and devote my life to!
    When it concerns the “Revelation” of scripture, we have two places to look; the Old Testament - where revelation comes mostly from prophecy… And the New Testament - where revelation comes from God himself through Jesus the Son. And, even some of the revelation we have from Jesus came in the form of prophecy.
    In verse 19 - concerning prophesy, Peter says; “you will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark place.”  He says that because Peter knew that it would be the consistency of scripture and of prophecy that would strengthen our faith. “The proof is in the puddin” so to speak;
*When God told Noah that he was going to flood the earth, HE DID!
*When God told Abraham he would have a son, even though he was 80  years old, HE DID!
*When God said he would lead his people out of slavery and into the promised land, HE DID!
*When God told Joshua the walls of Jericho would fall, THEY DID!
*When God spoke through the prophet Isaiah concerning the fall of Babylon, saying that it would be destroyed, IT WAS! Not only that, but God also gave the name of the man who would lead the army that would destroy Babylon, his name was Cyrus…. And, more than that, Cyrus hadn’t even been born yet!
*God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel concerning the city of Tyre; “They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape the dust from her and make her like the top of a rock, and thou shall be built no more”. The city of Tyre was destroyed by Nebuchanezzar and only the ruins remained. Then later Alexander the Great built a causeway and was short of material for fill, so he scraped the dust and topsoil from the spot where the city of Tyre once stood, and left behind flat ground “like the top of a rock”.  Many other cities were destroyed and re-built, but the city of Tyre was never to be re-built…God kept His word.
    There are literally hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament, all of which were fulfilled. Not most…but ALL.  All of the prophecies concerning Christ were fulfilled… 36 distinct prophecies in the last 24 hours of his life. That’s consistency!
    In light of the consistency of God’s Word, and the revelation of God’s Word, Do you think we need to be concerned with the “Return, the Rapture, The Resurrections (plural) and the Rewards”?  Should we believe it? Or, maybe this will be one time God misses the mark?  What should we do with scriptures like “This will happen in the twinkling of an eye”?  If you believe it will…are you ready? 
    The first time Christ came it was announced by angels…”Today, in the city of David, a Savior has been born unto you”…And, the shepherds said; “Let’s go see”… But, of the second coming, it says that “No one knows the day or the hour…not even Christ himself”.  Jesus himself said that he came to save that which was lost…however, when he comes again it will be to get his bride- the church - and gather us unto himself, at the Rapture…and then the tribulation…(some would argue that)… But, we will get into that another time.
    So, the WHY of revelation has been revealed to us - (salvation or judgment)…. The WHERE is revealed (“in the clouds”) “This same Jesus will who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”…. “And we who are alive will be caught up to meet him in the air”.  We know -of course - the WHO …Jesus, there is no other.  It won’t be Budda, or Mohammed, or Hari-Krishna!  The only thing that has not been revealed to us is the WHEN. “Only the Father knows.”