2 Timothy 1:10 “Christ Jesus … has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And to those who look for Him He shall appear the second time without sin to salvation.

The Message of easter is simply this, that in the face of the seemingly unbeatable enemy of death, God has acted decisively to free mankind from it once for all and has demonstrated this thru the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Easter speaks to us of the REALITY of death, the RESPONSE of God and the REACTION of His followers.

THE REALITY OF DEATH

The Bible calls death “an enemy” (1Cor 15). It’s a shadow that hangs over us all. Man has developed technology that could wipe out millions with the touch of a button and though history shows us that man has developed a thousand ways to kill … he STILL does not know how to die. When we face the prospect of our owndeath, we don’t know what to say or what to do. We clam up, we dont want to think about it.

Ben Franklin once said “In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes”.

A person may find a way to avoid paying tax. But no-one can avoid death or put it off… When your time is up, your time is up – and it is a subject we’d rather not talk about – especially on such a happy occasion as Easter with the eggs, chocolate,  bunnies etc. But we must talk about death on Easter… WHY? – For the very essence of this day is a celebration that ONE MAN has slipped through the grave and come back to tell us about it… and its right that we see just what a great deliverance has been provided through Christ and his resurrection.

Of all the fears that grip the hearts of modern men and women, no fear is greater than the fear of death… which is very real and very wrong! Just attend your average funeral and you wont need to be a genuis to realise that “something is wrong here!”. Death is real and it can sweep in like a flood into a life that seems so vibrant and full and devastate it in a moment and the only place that never goes bust is the cemetary. The only businessmen that’s never short of customers is the undertaker, and while most businessmen sign there letters “yours faithfully” or “yours sincerely”, the undertakers signs “yours eventually”.

As George Bernard Shaw remarked, “The statistics on death have not changed. One out of one person dies.”

The Greek playwright Sophocles said it this way: “Of all the great wonders, none is greater than man. Only for death can he find no cure.”

Death is a reality… BUT the question that has always been asked is “What happens after I die?” The question that has been here as long as man appeared. Of all the fears that plague the heart of man, none is greater than the fear of death.

Buddists will try to deny its reality rather than actually answer it …, Hindus will come up with a theory about reincarnation…, Muslims will speculate about a performance based judgement system AFTER death… BUT not one of them actually brings an ANSWER to the problem.So it seems that we are a death-sentenced generation living in a dying world. The Bible of course agrees in the certainty of this death.

Hebrews 9:27 “It is appointed unto man once to die.”

Job 30:23 “I know you will bring me down to death.”

James 4:14 “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Moses said to the Lord in Psalm 90: 5-6 “You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.”

Psalm 89:48 “What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”

We cannot gloss over the hard truth, it is vitally important that we face the truth squarely.

We are a dying race living on a dying planet.

Moses spoke of this truth in Psalm 90. OUR ONLY hope of finding significance is to find it in that which is eternal, in the God who is our eternal dwelling place. Psalm 90:1 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. O LORD, You have been our dwelling-place in all generations.

Even though we prefer not to think about it, Moses reminds us in verse 12 to think long and hard about these this ”Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”

I won’t be here forever… Neither will you.

We all go through the Valley of the Shadow of Death sooner or later. The only question is, how will we make that journey? And what will we find on the other side?

We only have two ways to answer those questions:…

1. Either we go through the valley on our own and find out.

or

2. Or we take the testimony of someone who has been there already.

Eventually we will all take the first option, but by then it will be too late to do anything about it.

A couple of keen golfers were keen to find out if there was golf courses in heaven and decided that when one of them died they would tell the other the answer … One died and appeared in his friends dream … Good news and bad newshe told him – there are many courses … and your teeing off on monday morning ! If you face your own death unprepared, you will have to take whatever comes because once you are dead, you don’t get a “mulligan”. There are no second chances after we die. OR we can do the wise thing and listen to the testimony of someone who has been there and has come back to tell us about it.

THE RESPONSE OF GOD – The Resurrection

Act 3:26 Having raised up His son Jesus, God sent Him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you away from his iniquities.

Act 4:10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in this name does this man stand before you whole.

Act 10:40 but God raised Him up the third day and showed Him openly,

Act 13:30 But God raised Him from the dead,

Act 13:34 And that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He spoke in this way: “I will give you the holy promises of David.”

Rom 4:24 but for us also to whom it is to be imputed, to the ones believing on Him who has raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:9 knowing that when Christ was raised from the dead, He dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him.

Rom 7:4 So, my brothers, you also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ so that you should be married to Another, even to Him raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit to God.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.

Rom 10:9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),

Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead.

1Pe 1:21 those believing in God through Him, He who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Numerous other scriptures … such as 1Cor 15:12 -17, Eph2:6, Col 3:1, 2Tim2:8

And HERE is where the Christian faith differs from ALL other speculations and this is why we of all people can truly celebrate Easter Sunday … we are the ONLY major World faith that has a LIVING LEADER.

THIS is what makes us unique and the Bible unique in that God has provided an answer to the problem of death by demonstrating that Jesus Christ is Lord over life and death, Speaking about His own life and death Jesus said…

John 10:17 – 18 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I might take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down from Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. I have received this commandment from My Father.

It’s precisely at this point that the words of the New Testament become so crucial for us. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus declares, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” I love that expression: “I hold the keys.” Every time I leave my house I take my keys with me. On my key ring I have five keys. One is for my house. One is for my car. The rest open certain gates and certain doors. Keys matter. Whoever has the keys has the authority to enter at will. When Jesus came forth from the tomb on Easter Sunday, he came forth holding the keys of death and Hades in his hand. Proof positive that he had conquered the grave… so when YOU die IN CHRIST – that is IF you are His property He has FREE REIGN to stroll right into the grave and pick you our and RAISE YOU UP WITH HIM.

Have you ever wondered exactly how Jesus rose from the dead? I’ve heard a number of explanations involving the linen cloth that was wrapped around his body and the burial cloth that had been wrapped around his head. That’s what Peter and John saw when they looked inside the empty tomb (John 20:6,7). The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen wrapping (v. 7). A number of inferences are often drawn from this fact. The only thing we can say with certainty is that this means that his body was not stolen by robbers or taken by the disciples. No one stealing or taking the body would have unwrapped it.

The earthquake breaks open the tomb, but there is no mention of what happened at that moment (or at some previous point) to Jesus’ body. As far as we can tell, the tomb was opened, not to let Jesus out (John 20:19) but to let others in…

This is one of the most remarkable things about the Gospel accounts of those strange early morning events. Not one of them actually describes the Resurrection itself. It is the great unseen factor, in itself forever mysterious, which yet explains so much else and casts everything in a new light.

The Gospel accounts were written 2000 years ago. And even though we live in a day of exploding knowledge, yet we have no way to account for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by purely human means, the best that science offers is conspiracy theories about disciples stealing the body and giving the rest of their lives to testifying about a fake resurrection, and this is the best nonsense that “science” can provide. Science bows before the empty tomb, it cannot possibly explain the Resurrection of Jesus. And we can’t explain it either, which is why the gospel writers didn’t try to describe the indescribable. I can only think of two words that describe what happened that first Easter… Pure miracle.

THE REACTION OF THE WITNESES – “… through the gospel”

Having encountered the risen Lord, they could not possibly keep quiet about it.

That’s why the New Testament never tries to “prove” the resurrection of Jesus in the scientific sense. Instead it describes the utterly transformed lives of the early Christians who saw their Master crucified and then saw him alive from the dead. Having encountered the risen Lord, they could not possibly keep quiet about it. They went everywhere spreading the Good News that God had entered the world in the person of Jesus Christ, that he lived among us, that he died a cruel death on a Roman cross, that in his death he bore our sins, taking on himself our guilt, and that he rose from the dead on the third day, never to die again. They proclaimed that those who trust in Jesus are forgiven, redeemed, saved, born again, given eternal life, and one day they will be raised from the dead when Jesus comes again.

Their message was that simple…

This is the gospel we preach.

This is why we are not afraid to die.

This is why though we die, we will not stay dead forever.

Death has great power, it brings great fear, it is truly the last enemy.

I would be happy if I never had to attend another funeral or never had to comfort another grieving spouse, but I know that I will because I am a dying man living on a dying planet surrounded by dying people.

Is there an answer to death?

Is there a hope beyond the grave?

Is there anyone who has defeated death?

Yes! His name is Jesus Christ. And on Easter Sunday the victorious Son of God came out of the tomb, having defeated the devil and all his demons, having destroyed death and brought immortality to light through the gospel, He came out holding the keys of death and Hades in his hand.

Death cannot win in the end.

So I conclude very simply this way:

We are all bound to die sooner or later. If we think anything else, we are just kidding ourselves. We will all do some “box time” sooner or later. And it may be sooner than we think.

There is no philosophy or positive mental attitude that can deliver you from death. There is no religion or creed that can save you from it

Our ONLY hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ who defeated death when he rose from the dead.

While I was reading a visitors guide to historic graveyards, one read “The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a stunning Grade I listed landscape in the heart of East London, that has been open since 1856.” To me this sums up death, a place opened to receive, always with room for one more,  and for mankind the phrase could read … “THE GRAVE – OPEN SINCE ADAM SINNED …”

It seems to me that the cemetery was right to say “Since 1856” because people keep on dying all the time. OPEN since 1856 and ALWAYS WILL BE …

As Christians ought to say something like this:

Death Defeated Since A.D. 33 … AND ALWAYS WILL BE BECAUSE JESUS LIVES !

Jesus said of his Church that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). How can that be since we are all going to die someday? The answer is, the Church doesn’t depend on mortal men. It is built on the word and promise of Jesus Christ who is the Living One, who was dead and is now alive forevermore, who holds the keys of death and Hades in his hand.

(Robert Lowry 1874)

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior.

He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord.

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes.

He arose a victor from the dark domain

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose, He arose, Hallelujah, Christ Arose.

That is our assurance. That is our hope. Death cannot win in the end. Death has been defeated. And the day is coming when death itself will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14). Death was defeated when Jesus rose from the dead, and one day death will be no more.

How should the Christian see death ?

2 Cor 5:1 “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands”

We MUST see this life and this body in these terms, like a tent, it’s temporary and transient, shake-able and movable. This life creaks (eg- my knees) and wobbles, fearing that the winds of adversity will blow it down. Think about the difference between a tent and a building. Tents are temporary and flimsy, easily damaged, transient, shakeable and meant to be replaced, BUT, A building is strong, built on a foundation, and not meant to be moved. Someday we will give up our tent and replace it with a building made by God himself.

That ONE FACT tells us something important about death that the world doesn’t grasp.

1. Death is not the end.

2. Death is not reincarnation.

3. Death is not evaporation.

4. Death is not annihilation.

Death is a trade-in.

One day we will trade in our broken down bodies for a new body. Look what Paul says about that new body…

One that is from God.

One that is not made with hands.

One that is eternal.

One that is heavenly not earthly

That’s what Paul means when he says, “We know.” Lots of things we don’t know about the future, but this much is certain… We won’t have to live in tents forever. Someday our “tent” will be replaced with a “building” made by God.

So let the people of God rejoice. Jesus is alive! Though we die, we will not stay dead. The gates of hell will not prevail. Satan has the gates, but Jesus has the keys.

Matthew 25
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

To understand what Jesus was speaking about in Matthew 25:1-13 we must understand each stage in terms of a 1st century marriage ceremony.

The first-century marriage contract and the “bride price.”

When a Jewish boy decided he wanted to get married he would go over to the girl’s house with a contract of marriage and pay the agreed the “bride price.” Jesus came from His Father’s house to where the bride lived – the Earth. He brought a contract, or covenant: the New Covenant or binding agreement, i.e., the New Testament. The price Jesus paid for His bride was His own death on the Cross.

• 1 Corinthians 6:20 – “…for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
• 1Corinthians 7:23 – “You are bought with a price, do not be the slaves of men.”
• Hebrews 9:28 – “…so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And to those who look for Him He shall appear the second time without sin to salvation.”

After the price is paid, the groom leaves and the bride and her bridesmaids wait attentively for the time when He comes back for her all the while she is being trained and prepared to take on the role of a wife and she prepares herself to be a fitting bride for her mate.

The Proposal — offering and taking the cup of wine.

In the course of the evening the suitor would pour her a cup of wine; that was the act of proposal. She would accept the proposal by picking up the cup and drinking it, or she could push the wine away and thus reject the proposal.

• 1 Corinthians 11:25 – In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

When we break bread we are re-affirming our EXCLUSIVE belonging to Jesus … that we are HIS ALONE and accept Him as our Lord and master. This is why breaking of bread is ONLY for believers – for those who have covenanted themselves personally to Him.

The groom’s preparation for the wedding.

If she picked up the cup and drank it, the new fiancé would respond “I go to prepare a place for you.” The man would return to his father’s home and begin building a wedding chamber for himself and his bride-to-be.

• John 14:2-3 – “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

The bride’s situation during the engagement.

Now that the woman was betrothed, she was different. She was called consecrated, set apart, bought with a price; she was no longer her own. If she went out during the day, she would wear a veil, to indicate that she was “taken.”

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.”
• Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

When anyone comes to Christ he is “taken” and conducts himself as such … no longer living for self but living as one who belongs to another. Just as a married womancannotlive like a single woman – so too we who are His must live transformed lives. We cannot belong to Christ AND to the world.

The time of the groom’s return was uncertain.

Under the contract, the fiancé could come back and claim his bride anytime, without notice.

• Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
• Matthew 24:39 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.
• Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
• John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Obviously, if it were up to the young man to set the time, he would put something together as fast as possible, to get to the wedding night! Therefore, someone else would decide when the wedding chamber was ready – the bridegroom’s father. Because a new daughter would be joining the family, the father would want to make sure that she had a decent place to live. Hence, only the father would know the time when his son would return for his bride. In many instances, this could be many months, obviously, from time to time the young man’s friends would come around and ask “So, when is the big day?” His reply would be “Only my father knows.”

• Matthew 24:36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

On the wedding night the groom arrived unexpectedly.

Finally, the groom’s father would announce that the marriage chamber was ready, and he would tell him “Go and get your brothers and your groomsmen and go and get your bride.” That night, the groom and his friends would head over to the bride’s house around midnight to surprise her. Because no one knew what date this would be, the prospective bride would sit in joyful anticipation by her window night after night, perhaps for months. In many cases she would not see her betrothed at any time between the proposal and the marriage night and it became a tradition for the prospective bride to keep a lamp filled with oil by her bedside, to avoid injury when her new husband showed up and suddenly took her to their new home. The fact that she had the lamp ready showed she was waiting as she had promised to do when she accepted the proposal.

• 1Co 15:52 in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead

Jesus is alluding to the rapture and the taking away of the Church before the tribulation period. The courtship and marriage to the Church follows first century marriage tradition and Matthew 25 is the end or climax of a marriage ceremony.

The foolish virgins

The foolish virgins were unprepared. They had lamps but no oil, a lamp in scripture is often referred to as a symbol of the Word of God.

• “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105, Prov 6:23).

Oil is often referred to as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary records,

“Oil was a fitting symbol of the Spirit or spiritual principle of life, by virtue of its power to sustain and fortify the vital energy; and the anointing oil, which was prepared according to divine instructions, was therefore a symbol of the Spirit of God, as the principle of spiritual life that proceeds from God and fills the natural being of the creature with the powers of divine life. Anointing with oil, therefore, was a symbol of endowment with the Spirit of God for the duties of the office to which a person was consecrated (Leviticus 8:12; 1 Samuel 10:1, 1 Samuel10:6; 1 Samuel 16:13-14; Isaiah 61:1).”

In the context of this parable, the oil is that element that causes the lamp to function, in the case of this Scripture, the Holy Spirit is that which causes the word of God to function. The Bible reveals that without the Spirit of God the natural man cannot receive the things of God for they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2.9-16). Therefore, without oil in the lamp, there will be no natural illumination, and without the Holy Spirit there will be no spiritual illumination. Without the Holy Spirit this Bible is ONLY a book! It is clear then, that ALL of the virgins possessed a lamp, just as many would be Christians carry a Bible, yet only five of the virgins had oil in their lamps and could actually produce light. The lamps ONLY work when they are filled with oil and Christianity ONLY works when we are OPEN to the working of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, only half of those that call themselves Christian have the Holy Spirit and are capable of spiritual enlightenment. It must be noted that these ten virgins picture the state of the earthly church when Christ returns. It is a church evenly divided between those who ARE part of the spiritual body of Christ and those who THINK they are a part of the spiritual body of Christ. They look the same there is no difference in outward appearance. It is the manifestation of the parable of the wheat and the tares.

Those with Lamps but without oil are those who are believers in name only. Their hope is that their association with true believers (“give us some of your oil” Matt 25:8) will bring them into the kingdom at the end. This, of course, is never the case. One person’s faith in Jesus cannot save another.

The double emphasis “Lord, lord” and “I do not know you” of verses 11 and 12 fit very well with Jesus’ condemnation of the false believers of Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” How descriptive this is of the backslider who ONCE trusted Jesus, who ONCE had oil, but as time went on, and as “nothing happened” their zeal grew cold. They were banking on a particular scenario and when their vision of how it should be fails, they are empty. They had not taken care to be personally prepared for whenever it would happen rather than when they wanted it to happen.

They ONLY found out they had none when the bridegroom came. Had they taken action before that time they would be ready – had they done some “oil based stock taking” they would have prepared better, but because they SLEPT WHILE NOTHING WAS HAPPENING – emptiness sneaked up on them in their slumber. Had they been awake to the slow and steady loss they would have gone for more oil.

We must take stock of our oil levels. Am I in step with the Spirit? (Gal 5:25), Am I filling up every day with the fresh supply that never runs out? (1 Kings 17:16) Am I taking the warning of scripture to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit? (Eph 5:18) Is my experience truly spirit filled? Is the life of the Holy Spirit EVIDENT in my life ? Is the lamp burning brightly – is the word working together with the spirit? Do I see the words of the Bible manifest by the spirit in my life?

IF NOT, could it be that I am running low on oil? Could it be that I must get before God who “ GIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT ABUNDANTLY WITHOUT MEASURE ” (John 3:34)

Luke 11:13 says that God is willing to fill everyone by simply asking. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

BUT – WHY BOTHER …WHATS THE POINT… IT SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE HARD WORK

THE POINT IS – ITS ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, HEAVEN AND HELL, to suggest it “wont” happen is to deny the Bible.

ALL THE WHILE they slept the DOOR WAS OPEN for them to enter the marriage – to be filled, be ready to go at a moments notice, but NOW the clock was ticking… they suddenly came awake at a point when there was limited time to act and tragically it concludes with the words “and while they were off trying to get refilled”… the “DOOR WAS SHUT”

When speaking to the church in Philadelphia (Rev 3) Jesus reminds us that when HE opens a door no-one can close it but when he closes a door no one can open it. When a door closes in scripture there is something final and fearful about it. The other place you read about that is the life of Noah.

• 2 Peter 2:5 “And He did not spare the old world, but saved Noah the eighth one, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”
• Matthew 24:38 “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. 39 And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.”

Noah preached to people about the judgement coming and how they could be spared by entering the ark he had been commanded to build, but only his family heard the message until suddenly the day came

• Gen 7:16 “And they that entered, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.”

The Bible states

• Rev 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts; and shuts and no one opens, says these things”

This is a particular chilling passage for those who assume attendance at the marriage supper.

• Rev 3:8 “I know your works. Behold, I have given before you an open door, and no one can shut it. For you have a little strength and have kept My Word and have not denied My name.

When God shuts a door no one can open it – BUT when He opens a door no one can shut it . Today the door is still open and YOU can go when He comes and save yourself a lot of pain, it all depends upon whether you want to keep running on empty or IF you are willing to come before Him who gives the spirit full and free and open your heart to receive…

• Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me.”

One of the earliest names that the first Christians gave to their new found faith was ‘The Way’. It is found a number of times in the book of Acts in the Bible (e.g. Acts 9:2). The title suggests the first Christians viewed being a Christian, not as a religion you sign up to, or a prayer you pray, but as a way to follow – the way of salvation and a way of life. Jesus himself said that he is ‘the way’ to God the Father (John 14:6), and that ‘the way’ is narrow that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). Christianity is often a difficult, narrow way to live, but the blessings of knowing God, and His life to the full, are truly out of this world!
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Christmas for some has just become a commercial festival, which, once it has run it’s course and the January sales have finished is all over for another year.

In the Church however it has become a time of celebration looking back to the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  But why do we just look back? Jesus came to the Earth the first time over 2000 years ago but the Bible tells us that He is coming to this Earth a second time…

The Second Coming is predicted in each of the four Gospels, in the book of Acts and in the epistles of Paul, James, Peter and John. Jesus’ return is the focal point of the entire book of Revelation. If you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then you must believe in the Second Coming of Christ.

There are some 300 scriptures which talk about the first coming of Jesus and that came to pass as the bible said, but there are some 600 which talk about the return of Jesus…the second coming of Jesus. Here is a comparison of Jesus first coming and his second coming

1. First coming – Lamb

John 1:29 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Second coming – Lion
Revelation 5:5 – … Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.

2. First coming – Save sinners

1Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Second coming – Judge sinners
Acts 17:31 - because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

3. First coming – Flesh

1 John 4:2 - By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God

Second coming – Spirit
Rev 19:11 - Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

4. First coming – Humility

Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Second coming­ – Glory
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 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.

5. First coming – Godhood veiled

Philippians 2:7 - but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man

Second coming – Godhood Revealed
Philippians 2:9 - Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

6. First coming – Produce his children

John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Second coming – Gather his children
1 Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Matthew 24:31 - And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

7. First coming – Offer of forgiveness

Ephesians 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

Second coming – Too late for forgiveness
2Corinthians 6:2 - I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation.

8. First coming – Came to the natural world

Luke 2:7 - And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Second coming – Will come from spiritual realm

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 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.

9. First coming – A few witnesses at birth –Mary, Joseph in a stable

Luke 2:6 - So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son….

Second coming – All will see

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.

10. First coming – Born on earth

Luke 2:15 - So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Second coming – Appear in sky

Matthew 24:30 - Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

11. First coming – To bring mercy

John 12:47 - And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

Second coming – To dispense judgement

Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Make no mistake about it, Jesus’ return will not happen secretly off in some cave with no-one knowing about it. Jesus Christ will literally come back to the city of Jerusalem, to the top of the Mount of Olives, to begin governing the entire Earth. We need to look forward to the revelation of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and his second coming. Rejoice that Gods plan is for the completion of our destiny to be revealed as the sons of God. Don’t be misled into thinking that everything will always go on as before, there will be an end when Jesus returns and we who are his children shall finally be with him and like him.

Romans 8:18 - For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Colossians 3:4 - When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

1 Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Do you know what the most important news story of our generation will be? What is the biggest event that will shake the entire earth? The Second Coming of Christ will be the most important event of this generation. Mark 13:30 - Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Matthew 16:28 - Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Christ is coming back! Wise men came a long way to look for Jesus the first time and as the saying goes, wise men still seek him. Do you?

Revelation 22:20 …Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

So, what do you do with this awkward week between Christmas and New Year?

• Maybe eat lots of Christmas chocolate?
• Think how to lose the weight you just put on by eating lots of Christmas chocolate?
• Think about making a New Years resolution?

How about spending more time reading the Bible this year? Explore reading plans on YouVersion.com

“Following a reading plan is a great way to make the Bible part of your daily life. YouVersion has hundreds of different plans, with options for customization and support to help you stay on track. See what God reveals to you when you spend time in Scripture each day.”

Luke 11
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.2 So He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.3 Give us day by day our daily bread.4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

5 And He said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him; 7 and he will answer from within and say, Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

The prayer of Jesus for followers was that they might KNOW God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. Jesus taught his disciples to speak to God in the most intimate and loving relationhsip they could understand – as their Father. I want today to look at this most fundemental truth of scripture – that of relationship with God.

Luke 11:2 “So He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

The fatherhood of God was alluded to in in Psalm 103 and other places in Old Testament, but generally God was seen as a taskmaster and unapproachable, but Jesus said the first and most vital aspect of prayer is relationship. When you pray say “Father”

I want to look at THREE things that are highlighted in these verses about establishing, exercising and enjoying your relationship with the Father

Our relationship with God has been ESTABLISHED through the work of the cross.

1Peter 3:18 “For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;”

Jesus died to make amends for our sins, by doing this He opened the door for the relationship to be established, For He who was then our Judge is now our Father. He died for the sins of the whole world, for the sins of the ungodly, for you and I. Every sin I ever do or will do is paid in full and so this releases us from being servants to becoming sons.

So why then will some people still go to hell?  Simply put, they are fearful and unbelieving. They cannot put their trust in God. Perhaps some people had a bad experience of  ”father” and are still carrying the scars, but what we don’t see is that only when we take that step of faith, and trust Jesus to bring us to relationship, His Spirit comes and lives in us and transform us from sons of Adam into to Sons of God. You are no longer a son of Adam trying to become a Son of God. We were sons of Adam and by nature (birth) objects of wrath (Eph 2:3) “…but NOW through the cross of Jesus Christ he was given us power to become sons of GOD” In Luke 15 the father embraced the son and did NOT say “this son of mine who bad is better”. NO – he said this son of mine who was DEAD is now ALIVE. THIS is what it means to come into relationship with God, it’s life that comes from death. God wants us to be his sons and daughters. He wants to save us , bless us and care for us. A Christian isn’t just an old forgiven sinner, he or she is a new creation that looks like God.

Our relationship with God should be EXERCISED in our daily lives.

Luke 11:2 “…Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread.”

The benefits of a relationship are to be exercised in our day to day lives but why bother if we are sons of God? If your child sat in their room all day playing computers and watching DVDs only surfacing when food was out (and then took it back to their rooms with them) you would feel there’s something wrong with your relationship with them, there may a be a legal connection there but it’s not active. Sadly today many children have “relationship” but no respect. If we have truly understood what it cost God to bring us to relationship we would respect Him and start getting our act in order. If we love someone we would want to spend time with them.
When I “fell in love” with my wife when I was young, I looked forward to when we had arranged to meet … thought about her most of the day and the more time we spent togther the stronger our relationship grew. The deeper we got to know each other, the stronger the bond became until we eventually married and have grown closer since.

Relationship must be exercised and prayer is the link we need to build, establish and excercise. It’s the connection that makes our relationship with God grow stronger.

Our relationship with God is to be ENJOYED forever.

Luke 11:3 “Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

This relationship is to be enjoyed. InThe Westminster Shorter Catechism confession of faith, the first question asks What is the chief end of man?…Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

When you read Genesis you find a man called Abraham who fully understood about his relationship with God.

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your fathers house, To a land that I will show you.2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

God called him to leave behind all that he knew and trusted in and to leave to a land he “would show him” and he took God at his word and went not knowing where it would lead but trusted God to be true. He was called “Gods friend” rather than Gods servant (James 2:23). Because of the covenant that God made with him in Genesis 15:7 it was irrevocable. Abraham had no fear about “having enough” – in fact he was superabundant – everyone could see there was a power at work in his life that could only be expained through God being with Him. He discovered that the promise of God, when he obeyed and followed, was true.

When we are grafted into Christ, the True Vine (John 15:1-11) we are IN Him and the life of God is IN us. This means as long as the Vine lives we will live, when we come to God by putting our trust in Jesus Christ the savoiur we become sons of God and have eternal life as a by-product. Our job as Christians is to examine the connection (2Cor 13:5), fruit production is Christ the vines job. Blessings and enjoyment should now overtake the believer, I am a believer in blessed lives.

IF God is my FATHER then I “shall not be in want” Psalm 23:1.

1Chronicles 12 ”1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war,2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Sauls brethren.3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite;4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;6 Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.8 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand.15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you. So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.”

Men of passion - Davids men were passionate about following him

We as men need to recapture the passion and love and sense of excitement in what it is to be saved, to be passionate about our calling in Him. We need men who are passionate about following Jesus just as He is passionate about us and we need men who also who can express that in their family settings.

The leader of the mighty men was not slow to express his passion to follow David.

“17 … my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you..

Joshua 14

“10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”

We need men who,like Amasai and Caleb, are passionate about following Gods plan for their lives.

Men of practice - Davids men were disciplined

We need men to live out their allegiance to the King in their day to day practice. For many people Christianity is a theory. Like soldiers who have learned how to shoot a gun…but have never been to war. These men were men who had proven themselves in the heat of battle. They lived their calling. They were genuine hard cases. They had disciplined themselves to train daily. They had to train day after day because they knew the day was surely coming when their discipline and training would be rewarded or else their lack of discipline would be sadly exposed. They were like the men of Zebulun.

“From Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all the weapons of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank. They were not of a double heart.” (1Chronicles 12:33)

We need to see mighty men who are LIVING and PRACTICING their faith.

Men of power - Davids mighty men heard God.

The Bible says the Spirit of God “came upon Amasai chief of the captains”. It was by the Spirit they knew who was before them, they knew that David was Gods anointed and they were are going to follow him. It is the spirit that tells us how to know Jesus but if we never take the time to develop a cultured ear to hear how will we ever know the voice and power of the Spirit.

1Samuel 9:15  ”Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying,16 Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

Samuel expected Saul because the Spirit had spoken “in his ear” the previous day. Even when Samuel was a boy serving in the temple only he heard the voice that Eli couldn’t hear (1Sam 3). After Saul was anointed as king, a large number of people rejected the idea until the Spirit came on him and saved the nation from the Ammonites.

We need mighty men in the church who have developed an ear to hear God.

Men of principal - Davids men held their ground.

2Sam 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

Shammah was a man of principal, he found himself stationed in a field of lentils – This was his post and when everyone else fled when attacked by the Philistines, he wasn’t distracted from his calling by what others did.

If everyone else’s behaviour is slack so is it ok for mine to be?

Mighty men don’t waver in the face of difficulty but stay at their post.

Men of position

Because all of these qualities were found in David’s men they became men of position

1 Chronicles 12:18 “…So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.”

When the King puts you into a ministry its because he knows you and knows that you can be trusted to hold the position, you have PROVEN yourself faithful in little things (Luke 16:10) and he knows like the men of Zebulun that you can hold rank for you have not a DOUBLE heart (1Chr 12:33)

Men of POSITION are positioned by the King for He knows they take their position seriously.

The subject of blessing is controversial. It’s very convenient for people with carnal motives. We see flakes on TV getting testimonies of cheques turning up for thousands and all the hoo-ha surrounding it after all we all want mysterious cheques coming through our letterboxes!This morning a well known American millionaire preacher was preaching about abundance referring to Eden and it seems every sermon he preaches is about money.

BUT we look at our own accounts bleeding red and think we are spiritual and decide this all must be nonsense. And we spiritualize blessing as a feeling or perhaps inner peace (which is part of it) and settle for that.

WHERE should we stand on this subject of Gods blessing on men?

I shared at prayer meeting on Tuesday night about sensing Gods blessing as I was doing a small bit of my day to day business, how good it is to sense the Lord with us in everyday things and how we of all people should be blessed in what we do above all the earth. I believe God wants us to have a right understanding of His blessing in the life of the church.

I want to share four points from these two verses today about the Lords blessing …

• GODS BLESSING SHOULD BE EMBRACED PERSONALLY

In 1 Sam 5 We have the account of the ark being stolen by the Philistines and put before Dagon. We read about what happened to the Philistines in vs 9 “…the hand of the LORD was against the city”. The judgement of God afflicted them, everywhere they tried to move the ark hemorrhoids broke out against them, finally they got the message that suffereing came along with this ark.

In 1 Sam 6 they got the milk cows to test if it really was this ark….

The ark turns up on a new cart at Beth Shemesh and after being taken down by Levites some of the inhabitants then looked into the ark they were struck and 50,070 people died without warning.

And the ark was once again sent away, this time messengers were sent to Kiriath Jearim saying this ark has turned up .. come and get it !

They got it right and set a priest to look after it for the next 20 years…

Then finally when David is doing so well with God he decides it’s time for the ark to be back in Jerusalem in the tabernacle and this is where again it goes south…

He tries the “new cart” stuff of the phillistines to take it away. Uzzah manhandles the ark and dies, David freaks and decides he is now not so keen to have the ark! David then turns up at the house of a nearby Levite called Obed-Edom (could mean servant of Edom or simply red-obed) and says to him… “We have a great idea – YOU should take the ark into your house!” What would you have done? The holy presence of God could be a good thing or a bad thing, there is always this sense that while God was good and his mercy endures – there was this other side that God was Holy and not be mocked.

So this choice to receive the tangible presence of God was his alone, he could personally emrace or he could reject and settle for same old, same old, and so is Gods blessing on our lives. Obed-Edom had to make an immediate choice, this opportunity was only come by once. We have no right to hear the gospel twice while there are people who have not heard it once. Choosing to receive the presence of God meant he would have to DO something – serve as a Levite before the ark – honour God first in his busy day. God ALWAYS demands a response to grace. Joshua 24:15 “…choose this day whom you will serve.”

He also had to make an individual choice. Obed-Edom knew the law and commands about keeping the light before the ark but there was no tabernacle, no veil, etc. but as a Levite he was qualified – and like all the Levites he was getting by – why meddle with success.

How many Christians think just like that? Maybe I should take the safe option, keep going to church, do the safe minimum, don’t go overboard, keep safe distance from all this God stuff and brass it out till the end. I’m safe, I’m ok, I’m going to Heaven, and settle there at “successful Christianity “?

Here we see that Gods full blessing must be personally embraced even with the possibility of death. God never allows blessing on someone who is coming because there is a blessing, He blesses those who embrace Him whatever the outcome. This is why there is a cross at the centre of our faith, there is death and life, there is a crucifixion and a resurrection, but first the cross must be embraced.

Esther 4:16 I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish.

Esther was blessed in the palace and favored, but now she was called to put her life on the line, for this purpose she was created.

Every time we break bread we embrace and show the Lord’s death until He comes. But thanks be to God He did not leave Jesus in the grave and He does not leave us in the grave and he does not leave Obed-Edom with a curse but left him with tangible blessing because he was willing to EMBRACE GOD PERSONALLY whatever the outcome

Because he put himself on the line he was personally blessed by God but more than that – this personal blessing flowed over into his family.

• GODS BLESSING SHOULD BE EXPERIENCED FAMILIALLY

2Samuel 6:12 And they told King David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with gladness.

1 Chronicles 26:8 All these were the sons of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and their brothers were able men for strength for the service, and there were sixty-two of Obed-Edom.

When they turned up at the door it wasnt just about Obed-Edom.

“I’ve got my whole family to think of, what if Gods wrath breaks out against me and my children and grandchildren?”

It was a blessing or cursings choice that he had to make that would affect his whole family. With His presence abiding in our house(bodily) we should see the overflow into our family situation.

I was studying this when notified my grandson was not well and this so blessed me, I was conscious that all generational curses as they are called are cancelled in us if we embrace personally Gods blessing.

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree”); Gal 3:14 so that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The goodness of God is to be embraced by us and experienced in our families.

• GODS BLESSING SHOULD BE ENJOYED FINANCIALLY

I believe in the God of all provision and that when we embrace his presence personally we can experience it familially and enjoy it financially.

All that Obed-Edom had was blessed, wouldn’t it be good to talk in that sense that whatever I put my hand to is blessed.(Psalm 1). ALL this blessing was noticed in 3 months!

But this is a consequence of the death of self, that taking God at His word that He is good, a taking up of the cross and following Him, it’s not an objective!

This is where prosperity comes in, when I die to self I know that Gods presence is upon me and in me and that I am His responsibility.

• GODS BLESSING SHOULD BE EXPRESSED NATIONALLY

Esthers choice saved a nation, Obed-Edoms choice brought a national revival.

2 Samuel 6:12… And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with gladness.

They saw what had happened in the church of Obed-Edom, It was getting talked about.

National revival is what’s needed and when the Church are blessed above all – when everything they touch is blessed, when bodies are healed, when prayer is answered (and why wouldn’t it be for those who ABIDE in Him – John 15:7) Then people will see that Gods presence is in the house and that Gods blessing is available nationally.

IT ALL STARTS WITH ME…

…will I launch out with Jesus or sit safe on the shore of mediocrity?

The grace of God

In the Temple day of atonement the two identical goats were seen as part of the same sacrifice. One animal to make atonement to God and the other to carry away the sins of the nation. Christ’s once for all sacrifice did just that by making a “guilt offering” and a “sin offering” taking away our sins and making an atonement towards the offended holiness of God carrying his own blood into the presence of God as our great high priest. (Isaiah 53:10,11)

The temple format ensured that because all was done according to His word they had confidence before God as a people, but  how much greater confidence can we have when we realize that Gods Son has “once for all ” paid the price of sin

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

As long as Jesus lives – that sacrifice remains before God

One mocker shouted to the man preaching on the street asking if Jesus could change his water into wine BUT the evangelist man replied that Jesus did better than that for him by changing wine into furniture.

As the Temples of the Holy Spirit, Serious Christians know the reality of the grace of God, and there is no greater testimony than what God has done in the life of a believer. People need to know the grace of God and the only way they will see it is in the temples of the holy spirit who follow Him steadfastly in life

We need to have an experience of the grace of God in the temple of our own lives, the presence of that eternal “Once for all” sacrifice in whom we are complete before God.

The government of God

For the Jewish nation the existence of the Temple meant that God was with them.

Everything that happened in the Temple was governed by God  – the form, the furniture, the rituals and rules, ALL was governed by God and the people knew that while the Temple stood they were in unbroken covenant with God.

Jesus was “cut off” in AD30 and one generation later in AD70 the temple was destroyed by the Roman Emperor’s son, Titus. But the Spirit of God is now living in EVERY believer who is SERIOUS about following Jesus and have put their complete trust in Him. The Temple was deeply symbolic to Jews and it was for this reason that when Israel recaptured Jerusalem they wept when they came to the western wall which was the foundation of the Temple after almost 2000 years. Today they call this the Wailing wall.

The great purposes of the Temple of course was for sacrifice. People would bring animal sacrifices to God, whole burnt offerings where the body was burned, peace offerings and guilt offerings where part of the body was burnt and the people had this in their annual routines, but one of the great truths declared by Samuel after Saul’s disobedience was

1 Samuel 15:22 …”Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has rejected you as king.”

Today there is a bizarre brand of Christianity that floats about that is simply not serious and tries to embrace Gods grace and rejects Gods government. As the temples of God today we are called to let people see that government of God in action. The best advert for Christianity is a surrendered life and in church circles today there is a desperate need to see the government of God. We love to hear about the “Grace” of God but we are not so sure about the “Government” of God. We love the Sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made for us to bring us to God but we shy away from the obedience that demonstrates Gods government in our lives.

We are called to show a serious Christianity that not just accepts the sacrifice of our Great God and King Jesus Christ – but a Christianity that embraces the government of God in our day to day life.

The glory of GOD

When they completed the project seriously and built the temple doing everything in order and when they had gathered to glorify and commit themsleves to God, the Bible tells us that the glory of God filled the house.

 2 Chronicles 5:14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

Serious Christianity is not about “doing” its about “being”, the glory of God was manifest because of God’s will, it was the will of God to demonstrate his presence and its unavoidable for it was nothing to do with man.

When we receive the grace of God and make some firm choices about the government of God in our lives we can be sure that we will know the filling of the glory of God. Such is the confidence of Serious Christians, that no matter what I do each day I am confident that the glory will be with me so that whatever need I have and whatever situation I come into Gods glory is with me and HE is setting the agenda of my life

Why bother?… well because simply put EVERY problem in our sick society is a visible demonstration of the LACK of SEROIUSNESS of the church.  WE are called to be Salt and Light. Salt preserves,  salt purifies,  but salt also poisons and Jesus says if the salt loses its savour (influence) it is useless and is as well being thrown out. Today sadly our hedonistic society has no higher purpose and no sense of Government, and man will always be incomplete, purposeless and without destiny until his ways and life is governed by God.  

Alexander Tyler, 1750 The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years…Historically, these civilizations go from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again into bondage…

 

The reason Britain has lost its way as a nation is that the CHURCH has lost its way and lives that demonstrate the government of God in the midst of the land are missing and in effect there is no temple and no connection to God. In Britain we see empty and unfulfilled lives. Sadly we see suicide at the highest level it has ever been – even though we have welfare, medical support, social services, housing, etc. and know more than ever about life, we find ourselves empty and devoid of purpose.

YET – When the temple stood people knew the government of God. It was a permanent reminder that God was with them and a connection to their roots of the Old Testament. We need to understand that as the temples of God we are to serve as demonstrations of the government of God even while in the midst of a nation that is dedicated to the never ending pursuit of pleasure.

Why does the world need Serious Christians? Essentially because eternity lasts and according to Jesus, Hell is real.

Related  posts

Part 1 – Building the temple

Part 2 – The Right Foundation

Matthew 7:21-29

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus speaks here about the wise man who firstly hears his words then does the word and equates this to finding the bedrock and then building on the bedrock. If we are to build something meaningful in Gods sight it MUST start by hearing his words

I remember when I was young watching flats being built, starting off with the huge pile drivers that drove piles into the ground until finally they could go no deeper for they had hit a sure foundation of bedrock. The builders were serious about what they were doing for they knew that if they didn’t do the foundation work correctly then sooner or later people would suffer and the blame would lie with them.

Laying foundations to make a magnificent temple (life) that glorifies God always starts like that, by digging down and preparing the ground. Foundational work is what every christian fails in, and we see it manifest by a collapse at the first battle because the most important part of any construction project  and every building project starts at the foundation level. The foundation of the truth of Gods word is where every human temple building project must  begin.  Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God  (Deut 8:3, Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4) Knowing his word is knowing Him who is The Word. It’s the most vital foundational fact that if we are to have life we must know God and Jesus Christ whom he sent (John 17:3) Our foundation must be the truth of Gods word.

As the prophet Balaam puts it in Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, so he does not lie.

He is not human, so he does not change his mind.

Has he ever spoken and failed to act?

Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

It is no surprise that the first words uttered by Satan to man was “Did God really say…?” (Genesis  3:1)

BUT – the problem with digging is that it is hard. Everyone loves inspiration – but no one loves perspiration. We love to hear the great preachers – thousands are there when they come to town, no-one  is there when they are praying and fasting and seeking God. Everyone wants to come and look at the completed project, but no-one comes when the  project is at the digging phase.

Jesus says if my word abides in you, that is to say the “revelation” of His word – the living word of God – this word will make you unmovable, built on the rock. This isn’t about a paperwork exercise, just reading the Bible, but studying until you strike rock so you can say “this is what God told me and nothing and no-one can change it.” When Gods Word tells is something, we can rely on it, and we can build on it.

Studying Gods word takes an investment of time, effort, determination and consistency to dig in – until we strike the bedrock of truth and this you can safely build your life upon. There is only one true foundation to build the temple of our lives upon – the word of God, everything else is doomed to fail. Foundational work is hard but if we do it we will stand firm whatever storm strikes. This is the foundation for Serious Christianity.

Related posts

Part 1 - Building the Temple

Part 3 – The Temple of God