Category Archives: Jesus Is Coming!

Believe It Or Not??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 13 No. 12

05 Sunday May 2019

Posted by in Born Again, Choices And Consequences, Choose You This Day!, Encouragement, Every Knee Shall Bow, Follow Jesus, Gospel, Hearing God, I Can Do All Things?, I Know Whom I Have Beleived, It's Your Choice, JESUS, Jesus Is Coming!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Not Of This World, Salvation, Seeing Truth, The Only Way, The Word, The Word Or The World?, Truth

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 13 No.12      Believe It Or Not???

 

I have a brief message today, brief in the sense that I have little to say about the passage I want to share with you, but rather want to let you ponder the words of Jesus!  I truly believe that the day of His approaching return is very near, and we live in days when, like the people who heard and saw Jesus in person, men are unwilling to heed the voice of the Son of God.  And as Jesus said Himself, HE is the only way.

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.”   John 14:6

Jesus IS the only way to God, and regardless of what the world says, there is NO other way. And when we come to Jesus in repentance and faith, we will find that HE is sufficient to our every need, and all that we do is dependent on HIM!  Even as His child, I am only profitable to God as I yield to and depend on the work of God in me through the Holy Spirit of Jesus!  How sad that so many who claim to know Him, preach a different gospel—one of self-reliance, greed, and prosperity—rather than the call of Jesus to “take up your cross and follow me…”!

“Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”   John 15:5

Without Jesus there is no future but death and hell, but with Him we can have eternal life through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—for our sin! (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus is our life, hope and assurance, and truly “without me ye can do nothing”!  But with Him we can truly say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  (Philippians 4:13)

The passage from John’s Gospel,  is Jesus’ own message to those who refuse to receive HIM! I simply ask that you read this passage and ponder its content, and the heart of the Messiah who spoke it to us all those years ago!  Do you know Him?  Are there those whom you love who need to know Him?  Will you determine today to be a reflection of The Savior to a lost and dying world?  Will you stand by the truth of The Word rather than the ‘gospel of convenience’ that is clamoring all about us?  The choice is yours, but remember, there is a test at the end!  His love is written in RED!

“Verily, verily, I say unto you,

He that heareth my word,

and believeth on him that sent me,

hath everlasting life,

and shall not come into condemnation;

but is passed

from death unto life.

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you,

The hour is coming,

and now is,

when the dead shall hear the voice

of the Son of God:

and they that hear shall live.

26 For as the Father hath life in himself;

so hath he given to the Son

to have life in himself;

27 And hath given him authority

to execute judgment also,

because he is the Son of man.

28 Marvel not at this:

for the hour is coming,

in the which all that are in the graves

shall hear his voice,

29 And shall come forth;

they that have done good,

unto the resurrection of life;

and they that have done evil,

unto the resurrection of damnation.

30 I can of mine own self do nothing:

as I hear,

I judge:

and my judgment is just;

because I seek not mine own will,

but the will of the Father

which hath sent me.

31 If I bear witness of myself,

my witness is not true.

32 There is another that beareth witness of me;

and I know that the witness

which he witnesseth of me

is true.

33 Ye sent unto John,

and he bare witness unto the truth.

34 But I receive not testimony from man:

but these things I say,

that ye might be saved.

35 He was a burning and a shining light:

and ye were willing for a season

to rejoice in his light.

36 But I have greater witness

than that of John:

for the works which the Father hath given me

to finish,

the same works that I do,

bear witness of me,

that the Father

hath sent me.

37 And the Father himself,

which hath sent me,

hath borne witness of me.

Ye have neither heard his voice at any time,

nor seen his shape.

38 And ye have not his word

abiding in you:

for whom he hath sent,

him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures;

for in them ye think ye have eternal life:

and they are they which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me,

that ye might have life.

41 I receive not honour from men.

42 But I know you,

that ye have not the love of God

in you.

43 I am come in my Father’s name,

and ye receive me not:

if another shall come in his own name,

him ye will receive.

44 How can ye believe,

which receive honour

one of another,

and seek not the honour

that cometh from God only?

45 Do not think that I will accuse you

to the Father:

there is one that accuseth you,

even Moses,

 in whom ye trust.

46 For had ye believed Moses,

ye would have believed me:

for he wrote of me.

47 But if ye believe not his writings,

how shall ye believe my words?”   John 5:24-47

Whose words will you believe?  God’s Word both written, spoken, and the “living Word”, or will you choose to believe the one who will “come in his own name”?  And as John the Apostle wrote—there is “one” coming, but there are many of “his” already at work.  Be aware, be prepared, be saved while you still can!

“Beloved,

believe not every spirit,

but try the spirits

whether they are of God:

because many false prophets

are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:

Every spirit that confesseth

that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh

is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not

that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh

is not of God:

and this is that spirit of antichrist,

whereofye have heard that it should come;

and even now already

is it in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3

Satan is alive and well on planet earth!  But we win because:

“Ye are of God, little children,

and have overcome them:

because greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.”  1 John 4:4

Sovereign Control??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #506

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in JESUS, Jesus Is Coming!, Sovereignty

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #506      Sovereign Control???

I have a very simple but profound passage to share with you today. After the election in the U.S. yesterday I just wanted to remind us all that our God is faithful and sovereign over all things. So no matter how the elections turned out—God Still Reigns—Amen and Amen.

“Why do the heathen rage,

and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth

set themselves,

and the rulers

take counsel together,

against the LORD,

and against his anointed,

saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder,

and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens

shall laugh:

the Lord shall have them

in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them

in his wrath,

and vex them

in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king

upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree:

the LORD hath said unto me,

Thou art my Son;

this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me,

and I shall give thee the heathen

for thine inheritance,

and the uttermost parts of the earth

for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them

with a rod of iron;

thou shalt dash them in pieces

like a potter’s vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore,

O ye kings: be instructed,

ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry,

and ye perish from the way,

when his wrath

is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all they

that put their trust in him.” Psalm 2:1-11

God is at work in our world to accomplish HIS purpose in all things—leading to the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ at any time—and that my friend is our hope, joy and confidence!!! Will you be blessed to be HIS child or one that HE will receive His wrath? The choice is yours but there is a test at the end!

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;

and he that sat upon him was called

Faithful and True,

and in righteousness

he doth judge

and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire,

and on his head were many crowns;

and he had a name written,

that no man knew,

but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture

dipped in blood:

and his name is called

The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven

followed him upon white horses,

clothed in fine linen,

white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth

goeth a sharp sword,

that with it he should smite the nations:

and he shall rule them

with a rod of iron:

and he treadeth the winepress

of the fierceness

and wrath

of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture

and on his thigh

a name written,

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”   Revelation 19:11-16

Even so come quickly Lord Jesus, our eternal “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”!!! Amen and Amen!

Are you ready? If not I pray that you will come to Jesus today in repentance and faith—for HE gave HIS own life’s blood to save YOU/me from our sin! And I pray that those of us who are HIS will faithfully, “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” in His power, love and grace!

Blessings on your day!!! Amen and Amen.

 

 

Who’s On First??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 12 No. 05

16 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by in Follow Jesus, Free Indeed?, Jesus Is Coming!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Love, The Only Way, The Word, Who's On First?

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 12 No. 05 Who’s On First???

 

I’m sorry for the lengthy absence, but I’ve had some health issues and just haven’t been up to par, and certainly not up to writing anything that could make any sense. But I am feeling better and we’ll see what we can come up with today; hopefully something that will speak to each of us and draw us near to the presence of our Lord! I’ve been looking at Jesus’ letter to the church at Ephesus and His call to us to maintain our relationship with Him—a love relationship that keeps Him in the first place in our hearts.

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;

These things saith he

that holdeth the seven stars

in his right hand,

who walketh in the midst

of the seven golden candlesticks;

2 I know thy works,

and thy labour,

and thy patience,

and how thou canst not bear them

which are evil:

and thou hast tried them which

say they are apostles,

and are not,

and hast found them liars:

3 And hast borne,

and hast patience,

and for my name’s sake hast laboured,

and hast not fainted.

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat

against thee,

because thou hast left thy first love.

5 Remember therefore

from whence thou art fallen,

and repent,

and do the first works;

or else I will come unto thee quickly,

and will remove thy candlestick

out of his place,

except thou repent.”  Revelation 2:1-5

This first of the seven letters that Jesus had John send to seven specific churches in Asia (The Asia of biblical times), and its message is sometimes elusive, but we are going to dig in and try to see what it has to say to us today.

First of all, let’s consider a bit of context to help us understand the message from our Lord Jesus; there are some uniform things in each of the seven letters: how Jesus describes Himself uniquely to each church (You’ll find these descriptions are also in chapter 1)—how He commends and/or reproves each church—how He knows exactly who ‘we’ are and where ‘we’ are (all the time and at any given moment in each of our lives)—how he has an answer for each situation, whether good or bad—how He also holds us accountable for our choices and responses to HIM. We must recognize His call to, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”, reminding us that we are to hear, receive and respond to “what the Spirit saith unto the churches”! The same message that Paul gave to the church at Galatia:

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil

the lust of the flesh……..

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”   Galatians 5:16 & 25

The gift of the Holy Spirit IS the New Covenant into which we come when we are born again—born “of the Spirit”!

“But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe

on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man, but

of God.” John 1:12-13

“That which is born of the flesh

is flesh;

and that which is born of the Spirit

is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,

Ye must be born again.” John 3:6-7

When we are born of The Spirit, we are to hear and heed His voice, the work and the direction of God’s Holy Spirit within us! It’s HIS Spirit that enables and empowers us to yield our lives to HIM!

But back to the message to the church at Ephesus; what does Jesus mean when He calls the church to “Remember ….repent…..and redo” the works they did at the first, to do them in view of their love relationship not just the “doing” of works, but “being” in love with Jesus and being yielded to His love and His Spirit’s work ‘in’ and ‘through’ us! When you go back and read Jesus’ commendation to this church, it wasn’t “not” working, but it also wasn’t ardently in love with her Savior. It’s HIS love ‘in us’ that makes us who we “are/be”—we must “be” in love with Him, before we can “do” that which will totally glorify HIM!

“And hope maketh not ashamed;

because the love of God

is shed abroad in our hearts

by the Holy Ghost

which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength,

in due time

Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man

will one die:

yet peradventure for a good man

some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

9 Much more then,

being now justified

by his blood,

we shall be saved from wrath

through him.

10 For if,

when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God

by the death of his Son,

much more,

being reconciled,

we shall be saved

by his life.

11 And not only so,

but we also joy in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom we have now received

the atonement.” Romans 5:5-11

We must remember that it’s God’s love that works in us—not the ‘love’ that is of the flesh—but it’s all about Jesus! And when we remember what He has done for us, is doing in and through our lives, as well as what HE is going to bring us to—HIS heavenly glory—how can we but lavish our love and devotion on HIM through all we do.

“For of him,

and through him,

and to him,

are all things:

to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36

When I think of loving God first, my mind often goes to Job and his devotion to The Lord God Almighty he loved despite his circumstances and his so-called friends. When we love God and place our total trust in Him, we can walk in confidence resting in HIS love and power!!!

“Though he slay me,

yet will I trust in him:

but I will maintain mine own ways

before him.”     Job 13:15

When we love Him first and foremost, we can be confident that our “lampstand” will stay where God put it and not be removed due to our careless disregard of our love relationship with HIM. Oh to join with Job and declare our love and confidence in our soon coming KING! (And remember, Job’s confidence was before the cross!!! WOW!!!) I know that I know that I know!!! How about you?

“For I know

that my redeemer liveth,

and that he shall stand

at the latter day

upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh

shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself,

and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;

though my reins be consumed within me.”  Job 19:25-27

Amen & Amen

He IS Coming!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #473

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by in A Father's Love, Abundant Life In Jesus, Confidence, Follow Jesus, Jesus Is Coming!

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #473  He IS Coming!!!

 

Sometimes we grow weary and tired, but remember that our confidence is in the One who IS our strength, for HE keeps His Word—both spoken and written–and we can have confidence in His love, grace and care!!!

“Let not your heart be troubled:

ye believe in God,

believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house are many mansions:

if it were not so,

I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place

for you.

3 And if I go

and prepare a place

for you,

I will come again,

and receive you

unto myself;

that where I am,

there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go

ye know,

and the way

ye know.

5 Thomas saith unto him,

Lord,

we know not whither thou goest;

and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus saith unto him,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.” John 14:1-6

We can overcome in every situation when our trust and confidence are in our God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Jesus has overcome and in HIM so can we.

“These things I have spoken unto you,

that in me

ye might have peace.

In the world

ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

So no matter where you are today—

In joy or in sorrow—

In abundance or want—

In success or failure (in the world’s eyes)—

In knowledge or confusion—

We can overcome IN Jesus!!!

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh

the world:

and this is the victory that overcometh the world,

even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world,

but he that believeth that Jesus

is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5

We can have confidence in the work that God does in His own, for He is faithful “who has promised”:

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2

He has come—and HE is coming again! Are you ready???