25 No one ever SPAKE like this man. Jn 7:45.
Refused Him that SPAKE on earth.
Spiritually, Jn 3:12.
Personally, Jn 4.
Authoritatively, Mat 7:29.
Kingly way, Mark 1:14.
Eternally, Jn 6:68.
SPEAKS from Heaven. Jesus. 1Cor 14:37.
Service to Him 28.
Promises 2Pet 1:4.
Excel 1Thess 4.
Apostasy Jude.
Knowledge (wisdom from above) Jas 3:17.
Salvation Heb 5:9.
Click here for an outline of the book of Hebrews.
in Matt 22:15-46 The Pharisees, Sadducees, and lawyers tried to Test & Trap Jesus with some difficult questions, but instead they became MAD.
They MARVELLED. Matt 22:15-22
Mt 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
22 When they had heard these words, they MARVELLED, and left him, and went their way.
They were ASTONISHED. 33
Mt 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were ASTONISHED at his doctrine.
They DARED not ask any more questions. 46
Mt 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither DARED any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
What Think Ye of Christ?
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Col 2:17)
Jesus the Christ, is the main point of the bible which was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1Pet 1:20).
This means that the things written before in the Old Testament point to the things in the New Testament. This concept gives us better understanding of what Paul wrote in Rom 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
While we cannot use the commands of the OT for doctrine today, we can look into the OT for the message of Christ. These messages are contained in Types and Shadows. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1).
Types and shadows are Old Testament people, events, or ceremony the foreshadow the coming Messiah and His church. We often use the terms “Type” and “Antitype. For some this can be confusing. The “TYPE” is the shadow of the real thing. The “ANTITYPE” is the real thing.
There are three kinds of SHADOWS.
Another way to describe these 3 types is as Historical, Legal, and Prophetic types.
The purpose of the SHADOWS.
The first purpose of the SHADOWS was to give a picture and outline representing something in the future. Especially the Scheme of Redemption. Such were the point of the SACRIFICES from patriarchal to Jewish age. (Heb 9, 10:18)
Another purpose of the type or shadow was as proof and as a demonstration of the Divine origin of the antitype. “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb 3:5-6).
Here’s what is of powerful interest to us. The TYPES & SHADOWS must have originated by ONE who perfectly understood the antitype toward which the type or shadow pointed. God alone understood them from before, and could author them perfectly.
The Patriarchs and the Jews engaging in the events, setting up and writing on the types, could not understand them. Hence, they are not the originators of them. The Bible is all of God!!! This is another evidence for the validity of the Bible as being the Inspired Word of God.
The System of Sacrifices serve as a Shadow for the sacrifice of Christ.
“Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:9-14)
If you find reading the Old Testament boring, or you are unable to see its relevance, looking for the Types & Shadows may help you develop an excitement to read those things written before. The Old Testament is about Jesus. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
spencer
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27)
Last week we began the discussion about hearing the VOICE of Jesus. The previous article included the first 3 of 5 points.
This article will touch on the next 2 points in this series.
What does it mean to hear the VOICE of Jesus? Some claim He will speak directly, personally, and miraculously to us. What is the truth?
Hearing the VOICE of Jesus.
The voice of Jesus (through the study of His Word) is a source of comfort for us in our pains, sorrows, and hurts. The letters of the New Testament are also the commands of Jesus; “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1Cor 14:37), The truths contained therein contain comfort. One example is in 1Thess 4.
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1Thess 4:13-18).
We can find comfort through the words of Jesus. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2Cor 1:3-4)
Another one of the ways His word comforts us is through the assurance we have from His promises. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Heb 6:18-19). “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6).
Paul wrote; “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Tim 4:7-8).
When we seek His voice through the reading & study of His inspired word, and we Obey it, we can have the assurance that He will reward us.
Finally, His voice has the words of ETERNAL Life.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
Sadly, some will hear it & turn from it. “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68).
Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
The writer of Hebrew was inspired to write, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb 5:9). Cornelius was told he needed to hear words, so he sent for Peter who came to tell him words and they were ready to, “hear all things that are commanded thee of God” (Acts 10:6, 22, 33).
When we read, we can believe that we might have life, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). When we read, we can understand the mystery, “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph 3:4).
The VOICE of Jesus is represented as a sword in the imagery seen by John in Revelation 1:16. The Hebrew writer said, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
The sheep will find comfort, peace, assurance, and salvation through the words of the Good Shepherd, Christ Jesus.
–Spencer
“And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5)
We live in a time where there are many Christs being preached.
“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:4).
We need to know the Real Jesus of the Bible. Last week we made just a few observations about the True Christ. It is impossible for a few articles to say all that could be said about Him. “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25).
This article will look at a few more things we learn from scripture about Jesus.
Here are the observations from last week:
Jesus is the Savior of the world. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14).
Jesus is a Sympathetic and Understanding Savior. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18).
Jesus is the Son of God. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:2-3).
Who is Jesus? Part 2.
Jesus is the Express Image of the Godhead. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col 1:18-19). “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
While much could be said about this, I want to focus on the fact that Jesus is Divine, He is Deity, He is God. Some religions do not see Jesus as God, but as a created being. This simply is not true. Jesus is God.
The Scriptures teach “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In this passage Jesus is called “the Word.” Note the Scriptures said Jesus “the Word” was “God.” Some will use their rewritten bibles to argue about “definite articles” and misquote passages in attempt to make Jesus not God, but “a God.” We know better.
The Scriptures affirm the deity and godhood of Jesus. Jesus calls Himself the name “I AM” which is the name used for God (John 8:58; Exo 3:14). Jesus said God is “My Father” which made “Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Jesus accepted the identification “My Lord and my God!” from Thomas (John 20:28). Jesus’ agreement with Thomas in verse 29 is a shattering deathblow to the false doctrine that Jesus is only “a god.”
“Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (20:29). Jesus affirmed what Thomas “believed” was in fact the truth; Jesus is “Lord” and “God.”
There are other Scriptures that confirm the deity of Christ. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6; Acts 20:28; Matt 1:23; Heb 1:8).
Jesus is the final Judge of the world. While living on earth He did not come to bring judgment at that time. Now that He has Died, was Buried, and is Resurrected, He sits on His Judgment seat and everyone will appear before Him. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2Cor 5:10-11a).
It will be a terrifying thing to appear before Him if we’re found to be disobedient. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31). But, how can we appear before His throne with confidence? “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). We can know when we know His word.
Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). Jesus has given us His Divine word to guide us. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Tim 3:15-17). “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
These are comforting words. We can know the Real, Living, & True Jesus.
Do you remember the list from that social media post last week? Could you verify the validity of them? Did you look them up? Here’s what I found.
–Spencer
“And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).
Years ago, we were driving home from worship. We had a young relative with us and he asked, “Who is Jesus?”
His question broke our hearts. While he was not under our care, we felt a responsibility toward him and our other relatives.
I’m not surprised anymore if a person has this question. In reality, most of the people who claim to believe in Jesus do not know the Jesus of the Bible. They only know a different Jesus.
“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:4).
Who is Jesus?
One person posted to social media that Jesus is…
They posted this without any scripture references, which is typical. Here’s a little homework: is the above true? If so, how would we know?
This got me to thinking about our own study about Jesus. The scriptures say, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25). While one bulletin article is insufficient to fully answer the question, I’ll give just a sampling about who is Jesus.
Jesus is the Savior of the world. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14). I was talking to someone and they asked if one could be saved in a religion that doesn’t believe in Jesus. I asked what this verse meant; “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). He said that Jesus is the only way to God. Only Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Jesus is a Sympathetic and Understanding Savior. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18). “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16).
This is a hugely comforting quality. It points to the fact that Jesus walked this earth and experienced the pain and suffering common to all. He hungered, He wept, He thirsted, He was alone. He knows what we’re going through, and He Understands.
Jesus is the Son of God. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:2-3).
The demon world acknowledged this truth, “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time (Matt 8:29; Mark 3:11)?
This understanding is essential. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Jesus, as the Son of God, is God. “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18).
There are two more qualities of Jesus I’d like to share next week.
The Jesus of the Bible, the Savior, The Understanding Son of God is amazing. He’s more than we can even imagine, but He is not a figment of our imagination. We need to be careful to make Him into something He’s not by overlooking the whole council of God. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2Cor 9:15)
–Spencer
you LOVE your ENEMY?
All this month we’ve been talking about LOVE. Here’s a recap.
Love the LORD week 1;
First, GOD IS LOVE. (1John 4:8)
Second, GOD LOVES. (1John 4:9)
Third, HE LOVED US FIRST. (1John 4:19)
Last, GOD DIED FOR US. (1John 3:16)
Love OTHERS week 2:
Love The Brethren. (John 13:34)
Love Others. (1Thess 3:12)
Love to Visit the needy. (Jas 1:27)
Love our Enemies. (Luke 6:27)
Love His Appearing week 3:
We Look for His return. (Luke 12:37)
We Obey Him. (Luke 6:46)
We add Virtue, etc. (2Pet 1:5-11)
We Endure this life. (Matt 10:24)
This week we’ll look at the Lord’s command to Love our Enemy.
It’s unambiguous that we are to love our enemies. Who our enemies are varies. As much as it lies within us, we try to live at peace with all men (Rom 12:18), but there are some that just don’t like us, are rude, mean, or antagonistic to the church. It matters not why; Jesus taught us to LOVE our ENEMIES.
How are we to LOVE an ENEMY?
First, with EMPATHY. We need to have empathy for we were once enemies to the Lord.
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor 6:9-11).
No matter what a person may say to provoke us, we must remain NICE. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (Jas 1:20)
“And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same” (Luke 6:33).
This teaching doesn’t mean we put ourselves in harm’s way. Paul avoided many attacks on his life by the Jews, but he still desired they be saved.
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Rom 10:1).
This next one is difficult, but we need to have a heart to EVANGELIZE.
Some will, some wont, but you’ll never know until you try. We seldom think about, nor even desire to teach an enemy the truth of the gospel.
I ask myself this question whenever interacting with an “enemy;” Could I invite them to worship despite our conflict? Look at this example:
Jesus sent Ananias to Saul of Tarsus to teach him the gospel. “Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem” (Acts 9:10-16).
Within the command to love our enemy is to be Merciful.
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Merciful means… compassionate, experiencing deep pity (lamentation) as God has for people who look to Him for help in their difficult situations. Consider the example of the stolen servant girl who told Naaman of a cure for leprosy. (2Kings 5:1-3). “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.”
Finally, and very importantly, YOUR forgiveness depends on it. Let’s read from our passage in Luke:
“For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:32-35). To love only those that love us is no better than the enemies themselves. Look at what Jesus taught:
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”
(Matt 6:14-15; Mt 18:35; Mr 11:25-26; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).
People mistake these concepts as having to take abuse, pain, etc. That’s a mistake. We have authority to avoid our enemies attacks, if we do it without sin, and without denying the Lord.
Think about the Apostle Paul in Acts 23:12-31. Some of the very people he was trying to reach with the Gospel had sworn to lie in wait for him so they would have occasion to ambush and kill him. He loved those in Judaism who were persecuting him (Rom 10:1-3), but that didn’t mean he had to be killed if it could be avoided (see, Acts 9:25; 2Cor 11:33).
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”
(Rom 12:19-21).
–Spencer
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Timothy 4:8).
All this month we’ve been talking about LOVE. Here’s a recap.
Love the LORD week 1;
First, GOD IS LOVE. (1John 4:8)
Second, GOD LOVES. (1John 4:9)
Third, HE LOVED US FIRST. (1John 4:19)
Last, GOD DIED FOR US. (1John 3:16)
Love OTHERS week 2:
Love The Brethren. (John 13:34)
Love Others. (1Thess 3:12)
Love to Visit the needy. (Jas 1:27)
Love our Enemies. (Luke 6:27)
This week we ask, do we Love the Victory in Christ at His Appearing?
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:57).
Are you looking forward to the return of Christ, so much so that you will actually LOVE His appearing? I heard about a man that had just enough religion that kept him from being happy at the bar, but not enough to be happy in the worship. That man may not Love His Appearing.
Will we LOVE His Appearing? When we speak about these things we need to be reminded that we can be sure about our salvation, and also beware of the possibility of falling. Here are 4 things that those that love His appearing can do today.
Those that love His Appearing are LOOKING, watching, and expecting His return any day. We wake with the expectation that He may return today, and keep watch over ourselves to be ready for that possibility.
“Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” (Luke 12:37)
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matt 24:42).
“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” (2Peter 3:10).
Those that love His Appearing are OBEYING His commandments. He will ask us on the judgement day, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)? Therefore, those that love His appearing are obeying His word.
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods” (Matt 24:45-47).
“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Rev 2:19).
Those that love His Appearing are adding VIRTUE, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love (2 Peter 1:5-11). Just as a mother looks to see growth in her child, so too our Lord. Therefore, the child of God is growing and maturing.
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Heb 5:12).
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1Peter 2:2).
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Eph 4:15).
Those that love His Appearing ENDURE Suffering & Temptation. While no suffering is joyful at the moment, we know that the world hated Christ before it hated us. Are we any better than the Master? (Matt 10:24)
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10).
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 10:22).
“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2Peter 3:17).
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 5:15)
Friends, my plea as that we live in such a way that we shall Love His Appearing.
–Spencer
If you live in the Borger area and Would you like to know more about how to look forward to His return, let us know.
HEBREWS 10 He TAKES away the 1st.
TAKES away. 1-18
HEBREWS 10:19-39 LET US…
DRAW NEAR. 22
HOLD FAST THE CONFESSION. 23
CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER TO STIR. 24
ASSEMBLE TOGETHER. 25
DRAW BACK. 26-39
Overview of Hebrews.
Hebrews 9 chapter overview.
The Earthly TABERNACLE. 9:1-10
Heb 9:2 For there was a TABERNACLE made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Christ ENTERED heaven, the real tent, with his own blood. 11-14
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he ENTERED in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
The NEW covenant established by the blood. 15-22
Heb 9:5 And for this cause he is the mediator of the NEW testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
He entered the TRUE things, to God himself for us. 23-28
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the TRUE; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Borger church of Christ @ Franklin & Juniper 