by David Brenneman
"They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” Mark 10:32-34.
"As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that it may not happen in the winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ” Mark 13:3-37.
Truly truly I say to you...if you have believed on what Jesus said of Himself and it has lead you unto salvation in Him...be sure to believe all that He said!
You can't believe only in Jesus, His life, death, burial and resurrection and NOT accept what Jesus said about the times of the end.
We aren't here to make glorious lives of ourselves. We aren't here to be rich and famous unto ourselves. We aren't saved only to make us safe from the wrath to come.
We believed God and took Him at His word concerning sin, death and the need for the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
So why are so many people calling themselves Christians living like they aren't? Why are so many people choosing to forget that indeed Jesus is going to be coming back?
"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37.
If you used that measure of faith to come to Christ for salvation...do you have the faith to believe the rest of what Jesus said?
When Jesus told the Disciples of the destruction of the Temple...they saw the days in which it happened. They certainly believed that Jesus spoke the truth.
"And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” Mark 13:2.
And it happened in the year 70 AD.
Jesus never spoke for the sake of speaking. He spoke the words of life as the Disciples said of Him.
If you believe in Jesus Christ for your salvation in Him, are you behaving like you believe the rest of what He said?
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? What will he give in exchange for his soul? Jesus asks all people those questions.
Are you hiding His word in your heart that you might not sin against God? In modern terms it means spending time reading your Bible.
Do you practice what Jesus did and get away to spend time with Him? This could be praying or time alone with Jesus anywhere is feasible.
Is living a Christ-approved life at all important to you?
If you believed enough that you were convinced to come to Christ for salvation...do you live life believing the rest?
Do you live your life in Christ in such a way that people see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven? Or do they just see someone wrapped up in the world who looks, acts and speaks like they never left the worlds ways for the ways of righteousness in Christ?
Fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ are the future disciples that Jesus instructed His Disciples to make. Teaching them all that Jesus commanded them. To that end He kept His promise to send the Paraclete, the Advocate we know as the Holy Spirit. He who is another of the same kind as Jesus Christ.
He is the vine we are the branches. We live because of the sustenance the vine provides. We are to bear fruit that shows to whom we belong.
People are consumed by various things. Some immerse themselves in sports, some in entertainment, some in recreational activities outside. Some burying themselves in books to escape the reality of their lives. Some in children's and adult cartoons. Some in their hobbies. Some are consumed by their jobs.
Anything to keep oneself from doing what they know the Word of God says they ought to be doing.
For a second there you probably thought I was talking about the world. Paul actually had much to say to those within the Church who were living life like unbelievers.
Jesus said to live life in Christ as if at any time He could return. He said to be on the alert. To guard your hearts in Christ Jesus. Don't let just any worldly thoughts or ideas into your life.
Are you really investing in your life to the end that Jesus would approve of what you have done with you?
Are you at all attempting to or show any interest in growing in Christ? If not, why not? Several times we read "be sure of your salvation".
Jesus said that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth at the revelations that people did a great many things in His Name but in truth they had no relationship with Jesus.
If indeed you are saved...live it.
Spring is upon us here in the United States. Spring clean your life. Get rid of those things that aren't helping you to grow in Christ. Be the full devoted follower of Jesus Christ that you say you are.
Get back to loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Get back to loving your neighbor as yourself. Get back to setting your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world. Get back to storing up your treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy.
Are there things that I am missing out on in my life? Probably. Are those things worth more than hearing "Well done" from Jesus?
Does anyone want to hear Jesus ask why they didn't believe the rest of what He said?
Start with prayer. Add in a few verses per day. Add some more prayer. Add a few more verses.
You have to start somewhere.
My goals aren't lofty. I read a yearly Bible plan in the mornings. At night I read 1 chapter at a time in 4 Bibles along with their respective study notes. I read a yearly devotional.
If you want to grow in Christ you have to feed your soul with the Word of God.
I finished reading this year a few other books by Godly men.
How are you going to walk with Jesus if you aren't going to talk to Jesus about the things that are important to Jesus?
If you believed what it says to be saved in Christ...be sure to believe all the rest.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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