by David Brenneman
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe." John 14:27-29.
John 14:6, 16-17, 25-26 NASB1995
[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17.
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:25.
This morning the world awaits results of a national vote. God has said in His Word that it is He who sets up rulers and it is He who removes them. Satan's tried since time began to establish his own kingdom...yet he never will be able to thwart the Will of God. Jesus is the rightful King and Lord of all Creation. It has been and always will be His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
He made a promise to one day return again and it will be kept. He told His Disciples in this passage that which was about to happen and it did happen exactly so. In a short while they did behold Him again and this time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Triumphant over sin, death and the grave. Forever defeating Satan's schemes. Opening the door for all who would come in to be saved.
My Dear Reader...Jesus IS.
All other religions are based in people who WERE.
Every single person who has ever set themselves up as any kind of religious leader in opposition to Jesus Christ is in torment in Hell.
Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but through Him. Comes to the Father means to get to where the Father is...which is Heaven.
Jesus comforted His followers and He comforts us even today. He has not returned as of yet not because of battles with Satan's forces. Nor has it been because of anyone or anything else other than one key reason: waiting for the Father’s time to come back. He and the Father are one...as He said to the Pharisees and Sadducees. He will return when the last person who is to be harvested before the Great Tribulation finds salvation in Jesus Christ. Not a person beforehand. It's not about time.
The plan and purpose of God in Christ Jesus always was and always will be about the Harvest of people. Jesus implored His Disciples to beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. Jesus said to lay up treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy. The only immeasurably valuable item to enter into Heaven are people. Gold is the material of the sidewalks there. It's pavement. People are the only reason Jesus stayed on the cross when those people crucified Him. Jesus endured the emotional, spiritual and physical horrors of the cross to save people. To satisfy the full wrath of God.
I am among those who expectantly await the return of Jesus Christ in my lifetime. It's absolutely going to happen. In spite of all the fantasies of Hollywood there's no man derived utopia possible for the future of mankind.
Oh what I would love to have had been there in those moments where Jesus showed the Disciples from Moses until His resurrection everything that the Bible said about Him.
I am not afraid of the return of Jesus Christ. I know He is a promise keeper. What He has said He always does.
Soon there will be a moment where millions if not billions of people will vanish. Men, women and a whole lot of children gone in an instant because Jesus will have returned and take us all to be with Him. Jesus promised that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We have passed from death into life. We won't be punished along with the world for the proceeding 7 years of judgment upon the world.
While the world goes through that, all who are saved in Christ Jesus will be having the celebration of all celebrations. At the end of the 7 years Jesus will physically set foot on the Earth to be the Ruler of all for a thousand years. Satan having been locked up and locked out of meddling with mankind for that time. At the end of the thousand years he will be released and as incredulous as it will be, mankind will try to side with him against Jesus. Jesus will speak a word and the battle will be over.
See? There's the rest of the story.
I have nothing to fear because I know who wins and I have salvation in Jesus Christ. I have His promises. In am an introvert yet am never alone because of His promise that I never would be.
Of course you could try to say that I made this up. Go read it in the Bible, the book of John then go right straight to the last book, Revelation.
If you don't know Jesus, and you aren't saved yet...you have plenty of reasons to be afraid. If Jesus isn't the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life, you absolutely will not be going to Heaven.
The Father made salvation in His Son Jesus Christ so simple that a child could understand what it means and receive the free gift that it is.
My prayer for all is that people would finally come to Christ for salvation who haven't yet and for those who have wandered away to come back to Jesus.
Jesus is awaiting both with open arms. Nothing to fear or be ashamed of...He did all the work for everyone. He already took all your sins upon Himself and dealt with all the punishment you deserved.
Hey...you might just be that last person who will be saved before Jesus returns.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.