Question: Has God become less worthy of your love now that almost 2000 years have passed since He gave His only Son to save you? Or has He become less powerful than He was, so that there is no longer any need to have a healthy respect for Him that you should obey? Is society more "enlightened" now, such that people know "better"? No? Then why are so many professed believers behaving as though He doesn't know what they do, say and think?
Jesus summarized what is expected of believers in two simple commands: Love your one true God as your highest priority, above all people and things, and love your neighbor as yourself. Those cover ALL of the commands if you do them. When God is first, then you care about His honor and glory most--you don't follow the world, but Him--you know that what you do reflects on Him. When you love your brothers and sisters in the Lord and your neighbors (everyone else, and even your enemies), you care enough to warn them about the consequences of sin--eternal punishment for anyone who is not redeemed by the blood of Jesus through grace by faith. You don't sugar-coat sin for them, celebrate it, join them or do anything to cause them to stumble in it; and you don't pretend like they're the only ones with the problem, because EVERYONE has the sinful nature and will struggle against it until we die (but that doesn't mean giving in to it--fight the good fight!)
To be an overcomer and inherit all of the glorious promises of God, you need to lay down your will and take up His--even unto death IF need be. (That includes literal death, not just "death by social media.") Am I adding works to salvation? No. I'm saying what the Bible says: that eternal life depends upon believing and that saving faith is evidenced by works; and some will enter into eternal life as through the fire, with loss of reward. Think about it. Do you want to give up ETERNAL rewards for a very short time of having your own way here on earth? If you do, you'll regret it. I just hope that the regret is NOT that you never were saved to begin with. The Bible tells you to examine yourself to be sure you are in the faith.
If you LOVE Jesus, you will not think to yourself that "it was worth it" to "live it up" during this brief lifetime at the expense of your witness to His beautiful, holy, perfect and loving nature. That is loving yourself more than God when you enjoy your sin so much that you will not give it up for Him, and that my friend, is idolatry. You were meant to CARE about the lost souls for whom you are the LIGHT, because He should be shining through you. He will return to gather those who are His prior to executing the wrath of God against the rest. Time's up when that happens or when your own personal "appointment" arrives. Does anyone know when either will be? No, they don't. (Don't watch absurd YouTube videos by "prophets" setting dates, taking donations, giving messages that don't match the Bible, etc.)
If Jesus returns SOON, are you ready? If you picture Him with you throughout every day and night, is there anything you would be embarrassed for Him to see? How about watching or listening to media that exalts all sorts of immorality, laughing at inappropriate jokes, gossiping, lying, being greedy or gluttonous, envying, lacking purity in "private" matters, and anything else shameful? ALL can be forgiven, but Scripture says He is faithful to forgive and cleanse you when you confess it to Him. You are not meant to live as though you forgot what it cost Him to clothe you in pristine white. You WILL slip (and He is willing to cleanse you again and again when you repent and ask Him), but you will not live IN continual, deliberate sin. One of the fruits of His Spirit is self-control--if you haven't got it (and hopefully it is increasing if you do), then make sure you really are saved because whoever hasn't got His Spirit is NOT His. (He's returning for those who are IN Him, who were given to Him by His Father.)
Getting back to your day-to-day life, would He ask why you manage to make time for so many meaningless things that have NO eternal value and yet claim not to have time to pray, worship and read your Bible? Would God ask why you don't speak up against it when people tell lies about Him, saying that everyone goes to heaven whether they believe in His Son or not? What about when they say that He has "changed" such that He no longer hates sin--no worries, just SAY you believe and you're good to go? That is what He means when He says you are the SALT of the earth--speaking the truth in love (not love of sin, but of lost souls). He said that salt that has lost its saltiness is useless. He said if you don't FOLLOW Him, you're not worthy of Him.
Know this. Jesus DOES see every.single.thing you do and say (and even knows what your thoughts and attitudes are). Your behavior shows how much you love and respect Him (or don't). He IS with you at ALL times if you are born again, because that means you are indwelt by His Holy Spirit. (Remember, God is ONE. We know Him as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but there is really no "dissecting" Him and putting Him into various "boxes.") If you don't have His Spirit, then you are NOT born again, you do NOT belong to Him and you will NOT enter the kingdom of God. It's by HIS power that you can overcome. When you truly believed in your heart that Jesus was the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again--that He is now your Lord--you were baptized into Him, into His death and resurrection, by the regenerating power of His Holy Spirit, who then STAYS with you to teach, guide and strengthen you in the faith.
Please note: Water baptism is symbolic of the fact that as a believer, your old sinful self has been drowned and you now live in Christ and His resurrection, a new creation, washed clean, rising up out of the water. As with the Lord's Supper, it comes AFTER belief--your physical actions could never bring about faith--the Spirit alone saves. If you think about it, that would be works if you could do something to bring it about. Faith comes from hearing the word. Needless to say, you must be able to understand what you hear. Does anyone think that God condemns people to hell for being born with a sinful nature? Did they have any choice in the matter? No, but because of it they WILL sin and for THAT, they need salvation. Before a person knows there is such a thing as sin, their sins are not held against them (and everyone is given a conscience, so they will eventually know unless they have a mind of a young child for their entire lifetime, as sometimes happens). Babies who were not baptized do not go to hell. That would be works, and more so, relying on works done TO them, completely out of their control--the same way their birth was. So why do people baptize them when they are utterly unaware of what is happening, and unable to "follow" Christ, they have not yet sinned (they do not know right from wrong yet), they cannot understand the Word when they hear it, and so on? The Bible does not say, "be baptized and believe," but to "believe and be baptized."
If no one has free will to accept or reject God's grace, then why does the Bible repeatedly exhort everyone to BELIEVE and not harden your heart against God? Do infants harden their hearts? How can you refrain from hardening your heart if you have no free will? (I think we can all testify to the existence of free will every single day.) So no, rather than DOING something (such as being baptized, taking the Lord's Supper, or doing good works), you CEASE your rebellion against God in RESPONSE to the message of the Gospel, which is His gracious offer of eternal life, of having Jesus' completed work of salvation applied to you personally. Knowing that God loves you inspires you to love Him in return. Once you realize how amazing and wonderful He is, you don't WANT to resist Him anymore. He DRAWS you to Himself, by His grace, despite the fact that not ONE of us deserves it. It is not works to RECEIVE a gift that was freely offered and given. God does not force anyone to accept it (nor does He force anyone to obey Him after they receive His gifts).
Make no mistake, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. At that point, compliance WILL be forced, but it will not result in salvation. God allows people to cause Him frustration and pain in order to receive TRUE worship from those are WILLING to humble themselves and admit He is God and they are not. He wants obedience out of love (and a healthy dose of respect) from those who recognize His sovereignty and perfect, beautiful nature. There are examples of God granting freedom to choose to grieve Him at the time of Noah, every time the Israelites provoked Him to jealousy with their idols, at the cross and everything leading up to it, and when we are told as believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
Before you surrendered to God in the war your spirit was waging against Him, you were hostile to God. You basically wanted to be in charge, which is to BE God--there was no hope of overcoming this world or of eternal life for you. The hope of glory is Christ IN you. When you received (and accepted rather than rejecting as you may have done in the past when offered) the gifts of faith and forgiveness, you became a child of God, His treasured possession to do good works He prepared for you in advance, that His Father may be glorified--to "work in His vineyard" and "bear fruit." At that point, your treasure was to have begun being kept in heaven for you eternally, where your heart (Jesus) is, not on earth, continuing to value temporary things. You were to begin seeking the kingdom of God FIRST.
The parables Jesus told warned that it would appear that His return has been "delayed," but that you should keep watching and be ready--found faithfully serving Him, pleasing Him not yourself and/or other people who draw your attention and devotion away from Him. He wants you to be kind to strangers, love your enemies, feed the poor, defend widows and orphans, pray unceasingly, give Him thanks in everything, work at everything you do as though it were for Him (because it is) and share the Good News--to be the light and salt of the earth. He said with good reason to "count the cost," because He was serious when He said "carry your cross" if you want to follow Him and be found worthy. Why would you want to live in such a way that casts doubt that you possess saving faith or that you recognize His infinite worthiness of all that you could ever offer Him? If you claimed to love and respect any person on earth, would they believe you if you didn't follow it up with your actions? Can God be fooled?
God is a consuming fire. He has given ALL out of love for you, and He is not interested in lukewarm "love" in return. You can choose to give Him the leftover crumbs of your life if you want, but I say with certainty that you will regret it. He is preparing unimaginably wonderful things for those who love Him. He is worthy and EVERY knee will bow, EVERY tongue will confess that He is Lord. Behave like you believe it if you claim to be His. Keep your lamp lit and live like He is returning soon. You'll be glad you did.
NOTE: I have used "you" instead of "we" in this article to make it more personal for each of us who read it, not to "point the finger." This applies to ALL of us who believe. This is not meant to hammer anyone over the head, but to inspire us all to remember from moment to moment that it matters. When we don't live up to our calling, it not only represents our Savior to the world in a bad light, but it may discourage other believers from doing as they should as well. Let’s be prepared to hold our heads up high when we see Him face to face and not shrink back in shame at His coming. We are told in the Bible to encourage one another in this way.
I normally compile a multitude of corresponding Scriptures to go with what I have said. I am not going to do that just now, but perhaps I will come back and add them later. In the meantime, this is the same message as I always present and the same Bible verses apply. To point you in the right direction as a starting point, you could read John chapters 14-17 and Revelation chapters 1-3, 22.
Lord, please help us to do only Your will and all of Your will. Apart from You, we are nothing and can do nothing. Please mold and shape us into vessels worthy of service to You, our very heart. Your love redeemed us and Your strength enables us to serve You as we should and to put You first in our lives. We want what You want and love who You love. Help us to recognize evil and flee from it. Let us hate everything sinful, giving it no place in our lives, and love what is good and pleasing to You. We ask You to make something beautiful out of each of us to glorify Your wonderful name. Please make us like You, faithful, true, steadfast, loving, long-suffering, strong, persevering, brave, wise and holy, fit to be Yours, worthy of You and the price You paid for us. All of our hope is in You. Thank you for forgiving and cleansing us. Oh, how we love You! If we have any idols in our lives, please show us and help us to tear them down. Please make us lights in this dark world and draw us near to You, keeping us firmly in Your love as we revere You above all, adoring and worshiping You until Your (hopefully soon) return, and forevermore. Amen
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Friday, June 9, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
The Glass Fence
We’ve all heard of people who are “sitting on the fence” with God--not quite believing and yet not sure enough to completely not believe either. They think they can hop into the kingdom of God at the last moment when they see with their eyes that it’s real, without having had to give up anything in this life for it. They’re dead wrong–everyone will confess Jesus as Lord and bow to Him one day, but faith is the assurance of what is unseen. However, what I would like to consider today is the people who think they are on the fence or on the "right side" of the fence, but they are actually on the "wrong side" of the fence.
In this picture, the fence is glass and so the people on the "wrong side" of it are receiving the benefit of the light that filters through from the "right side" of it. They have no idea that the dimmer view that they have is not all there is and is not what the people on the "right side" of the fence are experiencing. They think it seems pretty good where they are, but they don’t realize that once the light on the other side of that fence is taken away, they will find out what it is really like where they are--but it will be too late.
I have to apologize at this point for all Christians (myself included), because if we were living as we should then there would be a very obvious difference between the two sides of the fence. That difference was meant to draw unbelievers over to the “right side,” the side where God blesses those who love Him. He is good and trustworthy. When those who are His blend in with the “wrong side” (those who don’t know God) with their behavior, are discontented or fearful, they are not living out their faith. They are not making disciples as they were told to do.
People these days live in fear of many things. They are willing to give up their freedom in an attempt to trade it in for safety. They are willing to pay top dollar for assurance that they are safe and insurance that things will be made right if anything goes wrong. My message today is that the only safety is in God. Instead of being afraid and trying through our own means to protect ourselves from every possible scenario, we should rely on Him. Instead of protecting ourselves FROM the truth, we should protect ourselves WITH the truth.
We have security systems or at least locks on our doors to keep out intruders, but we’ve banned God from our schools and Christians have been asked to keep their “narrow-minded” views to themselves. We have filters on our email, phones and social media to keep out unwanted intrusions--views that disagree with ours and offend us. Have you ever thought that possibly some of those views are being shared by people who have the good of our souls in mind? We might think we are sheltering ourselves from a “hateful” message, but actually the ones doing the “hating” are those who refuse to tolerate truth over their own opinions and preferences.
Jesus’ message was never about tolerating sin or lies. He had very harsh words on those topics. His message was on repentance and truth, with love. Love and lies do not go together--neither do truth and hate. The message is to share the truth in gentleness (not name calling, holier than thou attitude of wanting to correct others while ignoring our own sin, or despising others) so that everyone can receive salvation. To accept sin is deceitful because after we choose to follow Christ, we must walk as He walked, in purity, faithfulness and righteousness. He has purchased and redeemed us with His precious blood and we are His.
When darkness sets in after God has returns in the clouds to gather to Himself those who love Him, many people will wonder how a loving God could leave them behind in that utter evil that encroaches upon the world from that point on. Why didn’t He warn them? I’m here to say that He speaks all day, every day to anyone who will listen. He speaks through the wonders of all He created, through His amazing word in the Holy Bible, and through those who have already heard Him. We are without excuse if we have protected ourselves from the truth in favor of our own fake version of it. The truth is free, but many people will pay good money for lies instead of receiving it.
This is your wake-up call if this applies to you. Take a closer look at that fence you think you’re on the right side of. Be sure that you know where you stand. Those who are saved and will be spared from the coming wrath of God are walking in the fullness of the light of the truth. They are not just associated with someone else who is or merely benefitting from the proximity of believers. You have to own this for yourself. Be sure that you do. Do it now if you haven’t already.
Being saved means you have put all of your hope in Jesus and He is the Lord of your life now and forever--not that you were baptized as a child or you belong to a church. We must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Baptism and joining a church congregation (a church is not a building--believers are God’s house) do not save--we do them because we are already saved--to obey God and grow in our faith. To pretend that God doesn’t know the difference between a true and fake believer is pretty insulting, don’t you think? That’s not what someone who truly understands how great He is would try to get away with.
God sees everything and knows your very heart and mind. He can hear you when you cry out to Him. If you do that, then listen to Him--read the Bible, which was inspired by God, and do what He says. Put all of your trust in Him. He’s worthy and able to save. All sins are forgivable, but they must be given up. You won’t be disappointed even if things don’t always go your way--this life is short and then comes eternity!
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:10-12
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old were commended. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3 (The passage continues with many excellent examples of true faith put into action.)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. Acts 16:27-34
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:16-30
But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:7-12
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools... Romans 1:18-22
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 2 Peter 3:1-14
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:21-27
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16
Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:31-34
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:1-3
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:7
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:12-17
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation 1:3
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5
Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a Son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Hebrews 3:5-6
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17
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