christianity

NO ONE KNOWS…JESUS IS COMING! 

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Matthew 24: 36-44

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand meal; one will be taken, and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

For over 2000 years, we have been told that Jesus is going to return to this earth. And because he has not yet come people live as though he never will. But we have the promise in the word that he’s going to come back, and he will do it like a thief in the night. He isn’t going to announce it ahead of time so that we can stop sinning, and get ourselves ready. Our time to do that is now! 

The people in Noah’s time mocked him as he built the Ark, they did not listen to any warnings. They continued to live their lives of sin, not understanding that a day of judgment was coming. And when the floods came, they were not ready, and because of their sin, and disregard for their warnings, they all perished.  Noah, his family, and the animals were the only ones spared. 

Noah was a righteous man who obeyed God even when it didn’t make sense to him. He believed that God would do exactly what he said he would do. Sadly, today, too many people do not believe the word of God. They live their lives as though there is no fear that Jesus could return at any moment and no fear of His judgment. When he comes back, there will be no time for last-minute repentance. Jesus telling us about his return is him giving us time to repent and turn from our sins and live holy and righteous lives in preparation for his return right now. 

Scripture is also clear about who will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1  Corinthians 6:9–10 

9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:

Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Paul was very clear in telling us who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Too many preachers today soften their preaching concerning sin, they do not want to offend or lose any of their congregation. They will not tell you that if you are practicing these things, you are going to go to hell. Yes, we all are guilty of sin, but we do not live a lifestyle of sin. So, if you are living a lifestyle of sin, and you have not repented and turned from your sin, your eternity will be hell.

What is repentance? Repentance means that you recognize that you are a sinner bound for hell, you acknowledge your sin and go to Jesus asking for forgiveness of your sin. You have changed your mind and your direction. When you are truly broken before the Lord, and you are disgusted by how you have lived; then you surrender all of you; your sin, your desires, you everything and ask him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. And when this happens you are filled with the Holy Spirit that starts the process of change in you. You are now sanctified ( set apart for special use) and justified (pronounced not guilty). Isn’t that a wonderful thought, to know that after you repent and ask Jesus into your heart, the Father sees you clean, washed, and not guilty! Your sins will no longer be held against you! 

We live in a very permissive society, and we cannot be selective in what we condemn or excuse as sin. The word of God is very clear and detailed on what sin is, and what we must do to be saved. 

As Christians, we must turn our back on this world, the lusts of the flesh, and the desires of this world. We must surrender all of our lives to Christ. We must let Him be the Lord of our lives. 

We cannot participate in the immorality, and sin in this world, we must stand for Jesus! 

When we are born again, we become new creations in Christ Jesus. The old is gone, and the new has come. 

Jesus will return to this earth one day… on that day; “Will you be ready?” If there is any doubt in your mind and heart you need to ask the Lord to search your heart and mind and whatever he brings to mind, repent. Do not be like those who watched the Ark be built, heard the warnings, yet remained in their sin and perished. 

Acts 1:11 

“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with the Lord forever 18 

Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

I pray it is today!!! People get ready!

ARE YOU EAGERLY WAITING?

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Hebrews 9:28 “So, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Revelation 1:7 “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

As Christians, we are to be eagerly awaiting Christ’s return, not linking arms with the world and its beliefs. Jesus has saved us from our sins if we have called on the name of Christ and believe that He is who He says He is, and have repented of our sins and been born-again into His kingdom.

When we spend more time in the world and are caught up in the lies it tells us, then we have lost our focus. As His children, we are to constantly be aware that at any time Christ could return. It tells us He will come as a thief in the night. No warning, one minute we will be doing life as we always do, and the next, He will come. There will be no time to make things right! This is not going to be something that happens without the knowledge of every person. He says He will come with a shout of the archangel and a trumpet of God, and that EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM!
We are not just going to disappear and the world be left wondering what happened to us, they will know that it is too late for them, they missed it.

He will first gather those who have died in Christ, those sleeping in their graves will rise first, and then those of us still living will suddenly be with him in the air. Isn’t that the most wonderful thing you have ever heard? We will suddenly have our faith made sight!

This earth is going to pass away, it will be burned up. Knowing all this shouldn’t we as His children be eagerly awaiting our returning King? Shouldn’t we spend our time living right, shaking off the dust of this dead and dying world? We walk in faith. And what is faith? Hebrews 11:1-3 tells us this: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was framed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Assurance and anticipation are what faith is. There is a secure beginning and a sure end.

We have read in God’s word how he formed all that we know and see. We have read how he bled and died for sinners such as you and me. We have heard how he ascended to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand, and just as surely as He ascended He will also descend again, to take His children with Him to rule and reign forever and ever.

If you are too mesmerized by the world, its politics, and passions, then it is time to refocus. As His child, you need to read and pray and search your heart and mind often, asking God to forgive you and give you a heart that desires Him above all else. Be sure that you are saved, one day you will not get another chance. Today is the day of salvation!

Get your heart right before God, let your relationship with Him be the drumbeat of this life so that you can spend the next with him!

Look up, your redemption draweth near!

THE OMNIPRESENT GOD

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

God is omnipresent-which means he is present everywhere at all times. There is not a second that goes by on this earth that God is not in it. Because this is so, you can never be lost to his Spirit. What good news this is to believers. No matter where we go or what we do, we can never be far from God’s comforting presence.

In Romans 8:35-39 we read: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the past Christians were persecuted and even killed in horrible ways, Paul’s hypothetical situations would be turned into painful realities. Even today Christians are experiencing different types of persecution. The more the devil controls people in the world, the less Christianity is looked upon favorably. We are becoming the hated group. These passages reaffirm God’s love for His people. No matter what happens to us, or where we may go, God is present and holding us. We can’t be abandoned by God. We have already read in Psalm 139 that God is omnipresent. Wherever we are, He is in the midst of it all. These passages bring us so much peace, knowing we are never left to face illness, death, persecution, or any other thing in this life by ourselves. We are not even alone in our sin. Whatever sin we find ourselves in as God’s children, he is present with us. What a thought, and reminder.

God sees and knows everything you do, even your thoughts and the intent of your heart. I find this both comforting and scary. It makes me want to take a good long look at myself and rid myself of anything that displeases my Lord and Savior. I want to be pleasing to God in all I do, say, and think. People want to think that they can engage in secret sins; but not true, those around you may not know, but not only does God know, but he was there with you. What a sobering thought, what a scary thought. Even in those moments, God is holding you, calling you back to repentance.

The next time you think some random bad thing has happened, or you read a news story that unsettles you, remember this, God is Sovereign and in control. There is NOTHING that happens without first being filtered through his loving hands. God allows evil, hurt, death, illness, persecution, trials, and tests of every kind to fulfill His purposes and to make us ready for His soon return. He is refining us in the fire, ridding us of all those earthly things that must fall away from us. We need to hate what God hates and love what God loves. What are these things? Read your Bible and you will know.

Time is growing short my friends, it is time to get serious about your relationship with the Lord. Every word in the Bible is true, it tells us what we must do to be saved; it tells us how to conduct ourselves once we are saved; it tells us of God’s faithfulness and mercy, his keeping power, his Sovereignty over ALL THINGS. Whatever question you have, HIS WORD IS THE ANSWER!

I pray we each will read and pray more. That we each will examine our hearts and lives for anything that displeases God, and that we each as His children will be found living our lives obeying His will and way, ready at any moment for His return.

Remember- you cannot hide from God, there is no place he is not; and no matter what you face, you are not alone, He is with you!

Blessings!