Ephesians 6:10 (NLT2)
" A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Be strong in the Lord! Lately we( Sandra and I ) have been listening to Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle and he has been sharing about "Spiritual Strategies". He has proposed three strategies as to be Strong in the Lord and GIs mighty power. Obviously, for Paul to write and encourage us to be strong in the Lord , there are those who are weak and struggling. This exhortation comes right before Paul describes the armor of God. Do you consider yourself strong in the Lord and in His mighty power? If you say ,Yes, very good but if you say "No". Then do you want to be strong in the Lord? Want to know how? "
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Psalm 29:1-2 (NKJV)
" Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Do you know who David is addressing here? It is the angels in heaven. He is emphasizing worship. This is something we must grow into and learn. It really does not come naturally but supernaturally. It is an expression of the spirit for Jesus said in John 4 that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. Not until we are truly born again, as the woman at the well was, do we know how to worship. Do you know how to worship? Are you learning how to worship? The Hope of the Saints Demands It
Only Christ’s glorious, triumphant return can fulfill the hope of the saints- every true believer longs for that day. Paul characterizes Christians as those who” love his appearing”( 2 Timothy 4:8). The apostle John says, 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT2) Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. The return of Christ will instantly usher in the fullness of our glorification. Here is the test:” Is your hope a purifying influence on your soul? Are you looking beyond the commotion, corruption of this world with the realization that you could soon meet Christ face to face, and are you preparing your heart and soul for that? Are you eager and watchful? Are you filled with joyful hope and expectation? That is the attitude to which the Scripture calls for. The Destruction of Satan Demands It
Satan, though already a defeated foe as far as the Christians are concerned( though some of you don’t realize that), still exercises a kind of dominion over this world( John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2 Cor.4:4; Ephesians 2:2;6:12; 1 John 5:19). But Christ is the only rightful ruler of this world, and when He returns, He will overthrow and destroy Satan completely. In Revelation 5, when Christ receives the seven-sealed scroll, the title deed of the earth, He unleashed judgment with the crack of each seal(Revelation6) . The seal judgments give way to the judgment of the seven trumpets( Revelation8), the trumpet judgements lead to the judgment of the seven bowls(Revelation16). Finally, after one last attempt by Satan to retain his unlawful dominion over the earth, Christ Himself returns to take care the foe- He chains him , cast him into a bottomless pit and finally confines him to an eternal lake of fire( Revelation 19). With that, Christ’s victory over Satan the evil one is complete. Christ is victorious and so are we. The Vindication( Justification) of Christ Demands It
It is inconceivable that the last public view the world would have of Jesus Christ would be that of a bleeding, crucified criminal, covered with blood, spit, and flies, hanging naked in the Jerusalem twilight. Did you realize that after His resurrection, He never appeared in a public venue before unbelievers? Plenty of believers saw Him touched Him, spoke to Him, and gave unanimous testimony that He was risen from the dead. But there is no record that unbelievers ever saw Him. But the unbelieving world will see His glory displayed to everyone. Scripture says, Hebrews 9:28 (NLT2) 28 so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. The Savior who was humiliated , taunted, and put to death in a public display of humanity’s hatred of God will return as conquering Lord in view of the entire world( Luke 21:25-27) . And every eye will see Him ( Revelation1:7) |
What we Learned on Sunday? Insights, ideas and InspirationWritten by Pastor Chris Hudson Archives
April 2024
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