The Time Is Near

Visualize yourself living under constant persecution and being hunted for your allegiance to Jesus Christ. Imagine all of your closest spiritual brothers being killed through unimaginable brutality. Envision being imprisoned and brought before the Roman Emperor to be slaughtered in front of thousands. Now picture yourself being lowered into a tub of boiling hot oil and finally, imagine being exiled to an isolated rocky island for two years. These events represent some the last years of the apostle John’s life. Miraculously John was unharmed by the boiling oil and his time on the island of Patmos was spent receiving a vision of the final events of world history that we now call the book of Revelation.

The first couple of verses of Revelation tell us this book has “unveiled” Jesus Christ’s full identity and God’s plan for the end of the world. To accomplish His plan the Lord delivered John from Roman persecution for the very purpose of receiving this apocalyptic vision. Please don’t miss the sovereignty of God as He intervened to preserve the life of John. It once again proves that nothing can thwart God’s plans, not even boiling oil and ruthless Emperors determined to exterminate Christians.

The book of Revelation should be viewed as a blessing, why? Because God says so. Revelation 1:3 states “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near.” (NJKV)

What does the apostle John mean by “blessed is he?” He means if believers will read the words of Revelation, hear the words of Revelation, and most importantly keep in their heart all that is written inside of it they will experience a life in the center of God’s will, they will grow spiritually, and they will possess a tremendous confidence about the future. Translation, you will be blessed if you are a genuine believer. However, don’t miss this. It is never sufficient to simply read, hear, or even study any book of the Bible. A believer must “keep those things which are written in it,” meaning they must obey and apply what they learn. This is the first of seven different blessing statements in the book of Revelation.

Finally, John states “the time is near.” In our modern world just about everything is scheduled or on a timetable; jobs, school, vacation, church, sports, etc…We live our lives in constant anticipation as our scheduled events and responsibilities approach and then quickly pass. Almost 2,000 years have passed since John wrote “the time is near,” which could certainly lead a person to doubt his statement or even doubt God. Nevertheless, God’s timetable is His and with each passing day we are closer to His second coming than before. Thus the prophetic events found inside of Revelation are “nearer”  than before. Our responsibility is to be ready, live as faithful witnesses to Christ, and keep the gospel before us.

The time is near…are you ready for Christ to return?

There will be no second chances once He does. 

Dead To Sin, Alive In Christ

Whether you acknowledge it or not, grace has been and will be poured out upon you during your life more times than you can count. Grace has been shown to you by people and most importantly by God and there are three ways to receive grace; with thankfulness, with contempt or by abusing it. Grace is defined as undeserved favor, graciousness, and mercy. That is exactly how the first century church understood it and it is precisely how Paul understood it. God’s grace not only saves you and forgives your sins, but it will also deliver you from sinning in the future. Grace transfers a person from his or her sinful state into a state of righteousness. A follower of Christ is no longer “in sin,” even though a follower will still sin. When a person is in Christ there is complete freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1). The gospel of grace should fill your heart with gratefulness or you simply don’t understand the grace of the gospel.

In Romans 6:1, 2 Paul proclaims “…are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” For some reason the people in Rome seemed to believe that God’s grace gave them the right to sin even more. Most likely, the people with this belief were those who assumed their new found freedom from the Law gave them permission to sin without consequence. However, they could not be more wrong.

This scenario would be like the child of a county sheriff who feels he or she can break the law anytime they want simply because his or her father is the sheriff and will show them grace. The Roman believers Paul was addressing behaved this same way, believing that God’s “grace would increase” as they continued in sin. Thus, Paul firmly corrected them and reminded them that if they were truly in Christ they had died to sin. So, does a genuine believer persist in sin? Absolutely not.

What does it mean to die to sin? It means the mind and soul have a new found sensitivity to sin and have come to hate it. It means a believer now views themselves dead to the appeal and power of sin because of the victory of Christ. It means a believer now understands the sinful nature that still exists inside of him or her. It means believers have been given the Holy Spirit so they are able to walk in the Spirit and not in sin (Galatians 5:16). Finally, it means that because of Christ death and resurrection, believers will never have to die for their sin eternally. The transformation comes as a believer dies to sin and is made alive in Christ.

Have you died to sin?

Are you alive in Christ?

Examine yourself and find out…your life and eternal destiny hangs in the balance. 

Put On Jesus

Can you imagine what would happen if a Soldier forgot to “put on” his body armor and combat equipment prior to war? It would be unbelievably dangerous and would most likely result in his death. The uniform and battle equipment a Soldier “puts on” are very much part of his identity. Even for a regular person, clothing speaks volumes about his or her identity. In western cultures and more than anywhere else in the world, clothing defines a person. Keep this in mind as Paul speaks about “putting on” the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ.

After Paul instructs the Roman church to “…put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12), he commands them to “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). 

What does it mean “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ?” It means becoming like Jesus. It means having His character. It means cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the sanctification process and being sanctified means being made more and more into the likeness of Christ. In Galatians Paul told believers that they had clothed themselves in Christ (Galatians 3:27). Because of a person’s belief and spiritual union with Christ they have become one with Him. Paul uses the word “clothe” because we must continually “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” as we would put our clothes on every day. Ultimately, “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” means putting on His characteristics, such as His compassion, His righteousness, His kindness, His humility, His love, His, gentleness, His purity, His holiness, His patience, and His goodness. It means becoming like Jesus. When we “put on Christ” we are identifying ourselves with Him and all that He is. We take off our old self (our previous life and sinful behavior) and put on our new life (our new way of living).

The flesh is weak and corrupt, translation, our human nature is weak and corrupt. Paul is drawing the contrast between being in Christ versus walking in the self-centered nature of sinful flesh. We are instructed to crucify the flesh (Galatians 2:20) and to never again think about how to satisfy its sinful desires. Never fail to remember that our sinful nature is still present within us, which is the reason why we are to “make no provision for the flesh.” Darkness must flee in the presence of light. Thus when a person “puts on the armor of light” the darkness flees from their life.

What is keeping you from putting on the Lord Jesus Christ?

God's Great Love for Humanity

What if you were convicted of murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. Now imagine on the day you are to be put to death a complete stranger walks in and offers to take your place. It would undoubtedly be the greatest act of love any person would have ever shown you. You deserved to die for your crime and the man who took your place did not. That is what the gospel is all about! That is what Christ did for the world!

There is no such thing as being good enough for God and there is absolutely no way to earn His love. His love for us never has been and never will be conditioned upon anything we can do for Him. Furthermore, there is nothing so bad or so sinful a person could ever do or ever has done that God’s wrath did not atone for on the cross through Jesus. The cross represents the worst of mankind and at the same time represents the greatest act of love ever known to humanity.

There is no way we could have took the place of Christ on the cross. The reality is that Jesus was the Godman and He perfectly fulfilled the Law. Jesus lived the perfect life in preparation for being the final sacrifice as God’s perfect Lamb.

Paul wrote that “God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

This scripture tells us five very important truths:

1)    The word “demonstrates” is present tense, which proves an important point; God showed undeserved favor (grace) for sinful mankind while we were still in our sin.

2)    His love for us is not dependent upon anything we can do for Him or how “good” we are.

3)    The sin in our hearts renders us helpless apart from Christ

4)    Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” Jesus went to the cross to fulfill God’s wrath while we were still depraved in His eyes.

5)    Jesus’ death completely paid for all the sins of the world; past, present, and future. All a person must do is believe in faith and repent. 

A child doesn’t have to earn the love of their mother or father; a parent’s love is unconditional. In the same way God’s love is not dependent upon us earning His love. God’s love is fully expressed in Jesus. His gave His Son to the world because He loved us first.

We are saved by grace alone, by faith alone, and by Christ alone. Let God’s love for you fill your heart full of gratitude and then give Him your whole heart and your whole life. 

Do You Stand Upon the Gospel?

We all deserve eternal death. That is the reality of sinful humanity apart from Christ and it’s also the necessity of the gospel. Anything a person receives above and beyond the gift of salvation should be received with extreme gratitude. It’s the love and grace of God that sustains life and grants eternal life. At the center of the gospel is Jesus Christ and the good news is that He came to save the world from sin (John 3:16).

Beginning with Cain and Abel offerings and sacrifices have perpetually been made to please God. Through the institution of the Law, God provided the Jews with an extensive sacrificial system of offerings to temporarily atone for sin. However, whether it was a sin offering, a trespass offering, or one of the other voluntary offerings, all offerings pointed to Christ and all were fulfilled in Christ. The true significance of every Old Testament sacrifice can be found in the sacrificial death of Jesus. He was the “Lamb of God” who had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His blood would secure the salvation for all who would come to believe, even for the Old Testament saints who lived prior (Hebrews 11:40).

The gospel is truth that never loses its power, unless you have never believed or have “believed in vain.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians “…I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved,…unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2).

“Believed in vain?” What did Paul mean by this statement? Obviously, Paul recognized that many of these Corinthians had a superficial faith or a non-saving faith (Matthew 7:13). Some most likely believed as the demons believed (James 2:19). Like many, they heard the gospel preached by Paul and perhaps were convinced that the gospel was true, but they didn’t love Jesus or follow Him. Translation, they had “believed in vain.” They had not “held firmly” to the gospel message.

When a person doesn’t “hold firmly” and “stand fast” upon the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins) he or she is not a true believer. Thus, they are easily swayed by other messages, worldly desires, and false gospels. The gospel must be professed and possessed, otherwise a person will never stand upon.

If you want to have complete assurance of your salvation then examine yourself against God’s Word. If your belief doesn’t match what you read in scripture, then it’s not belief at all. Your faith might be worthless. Don’t be a person who “believed in vain.” The consequences are eternal!

Do You Understand the Scriptures?

Do you understand the Scriptures? Well it wasn’t until after the resurrection that Jesus’ disciples understood. Luke writes “then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). These men spent three years living with, walking with, and learning from Jesus, yet they didn’t understand the Scriptures. If they had understood and believed the Scriptures they wouldn’t have been sad or confused following Jesus’ death.

It was on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection where Jesus told some of His disciples that they were “foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). Then He proceeded to “expound to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Jesus returned from the dead to ensure His disciples and the world would understand the Scriptures concerning His death and resurrection. Jesus would later commission Paul to open the minds of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Lord opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures and he wants to do the same for you. As Easter weekend passes for another year, don’t let the opportunity “to understand the Scriptures” pass you by for another day. If you want to understand the Scriptures then the Holy Spirit will have to be at work inside of your heart and mind. Sure, you can read and study the Bible, but it will never become real and living until you place yourself under its authority and commit to obeying it through a life surrender to God’s will.

The mind is dull apart from the Holy Spirit; to understand the Scriptures the mind needs to be enlightened supernaturally. However, don’t miss the reason Jesus stayed around for 40 days following His resurrection. He was about to launch a revolution that would change the world and He had chosen His disciples to build off His foundation of blood and righteousness. Jesus was solidifying their faith, summarizing His earthly ministry, and preparing them for kingdom building without His physical presence.

Let Jesus prepare you for kingdom building by “opening your mind to understand the Scriptures.” Jesus has a message that the world needs to hear and wants to use you as His messenger. 

Good Friday: Agony and Blood

Can you imagine knowing the exact details of your death? Imagine knowing every graphic and specific detail of your last days. It’s one thing to know you are going to die, but it’s another to be able to completely visualize the excruciating and painful aspects of your death. This was the life Jesus lived and this was why His humanity cried out as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus was the creator of everything in heaven and on earth (Colossians 1:15) and was now about to be crucified by His own creation. The same creation He was about to save and redeem from sin. Jesus knew every ounce of spit that would fall upon His face, He could visualize every fist that would strike His face and body, He knew about the crown of thorns that would be forced upon His head, He knew how many times their reeds would strike His head, He possessed the foresight to see the number of slaps that would cross His face, He could already hear the insults and curses that would be spoken against Him, He knew that His disciples would abandon Him at His time of greatest need, He knew that Judas would betray Him and hand Him over to the Sanhedrin, He knew that His closest disciple Peter would deny he even knew Him, He knew He would be scourged and His fleshed ripped off His body, He visualized the nails being driven through His hands and feet, He looked ahead and could see every ounce of blood that would drip from His body, and He knew His life would be offered up on a cross to fulfill the wrath of God.

Picture a dark garden just outside city of Jerusalem and imagine Jesus kneeling down before His father and crying out in agony. Luke wrote that Jesus “being in agony, was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Is it important to note that debate exists among scholars on whether Jesus actually sweated blood or whether Luke meant this verse figuratively. However, there is a condition called  hematidrosis where blood is infused into one’s perspiration. This condition is caused by extreme anguished or physical strain. Both of which Jesus experienced that night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

What’s important is that Jesus was on the threshold of death and was beginning to experience separation from His father for the first time in His life, which caused Him great agony. Does your own separation from God cause you agony?

Good Friday is about the wrath of God being satisfied through Jesus going to the cross. Express your gratitude this Friday and every day of your life for the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins found in Christ.

His agony and blood were for you!