How to Live in Light of Christ's Return part 1
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How to Live in Light of Christ's Return part 1
As worship ends and I come up front
SLIDE 1 “WELCOME GLAD YOU ARE HERE”
Encouraging words from worship
God’s word brought us so many revelations in the Book of Revelation
The main point coming up over and over is we need to be ready for Christ return
SLIDE 2 “Living in Light of the Lord’s Return”
So today we start a sermon series on how to live in the light of Christ’s return
I pray that we can all save the highlights of these messages so that we can be reminded when we are in need of encouragement or conviction or maybe in times we feel have drifted or gotten in a gray area in our faith walk.
SLIDE 3
HOW TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT - key points
*Know The Lord
*Be and Over-comer
*Endure To The End
We did feel an emphasis as we were in Revelation .....using the whole counsel of God’s word to know the Lord, to be overcomers and enduring to the end
We will find many references in Scripture to support these points
Sometimes Scripture support will overlap one to another of these points
You will always find The Holy Spirit and God’s Word involved in all 3 of these key points
SLIDE 4
HOW TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT - today’s point
“KNOW THE LORD”
Nothing Compares to Knowing Jesus
Paul testifies to this as he was a man that persecuted or was an enemy of the church, Paul (Saul) witnessed believers being put to death for their faith, until the day he had his encounter with Jesus
Now check this out...... Paul had every thing on his checklist to be someone who would look like a religious person
He was a circumcised Jew (on the eight day) of the nation of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin
He had all the credentials of a fine detailed Hebrew Pharisee.....very well learned in the Law
According to the Law …he said he was found blameless
SLIDE 5
Philippians 3:8–9 (NASB95)
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
other translations say counts everything else as dung compared to knowing Jesus
Look around this room and think of all the different areas of all the knowledge of everyone combined. Compared to knowing Jesus its rubbish
Look at verse 9 , Paul had stated as good and trained as he was in the Law and keeping the law.....he said found blameless
He now sees the righteousness through faith and knowing Christ far better
Example how that looks ......not knowing or not talking or walking with Christ
Now knowing, talking or walking with Christ
Look at this amazing parable story Jesus told about this very thing
SLIDE 6
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Now before we go on with the story....two men going to pray…one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector
The Pharisee - describe
The Tax Collector - describe
SLIDE 7
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
SLIDE 8
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So now back to Paul describing this in Philippians
SLIDE 9
Philippians 3:8–9 (NASB95)
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
Now look what he says next to add the icing on the cake in how nothing else compares to knowing the Lord
SLIDE 10
Philippians 3:10–12 (NASB95)
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Abraham would say nothing compares
Moses
David
SLIDE 11
HOW TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT - today’s point
“KNOW THE LORD”
Nothing Compares to Knowing Jesus
We Would Know Him to Bear Fruit That Remains
In this also is the process of sanctification
Fruit bearing when according to God’s will (God’s calling on our life) Fruit bearing by the Spirit of God in the joy of the Lord, not for show or wrong motives. The fruit that still holds in good standing with the Lord in eternity
SLIDE 12
John 15:16 (NASB95)
16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
The fruit we bear will also be identified with our surrender to Christ, no longer living for ourselves but for the Lord
John baptizing at the Jordan River reminded the Pharisees of this
SLIDE 13
5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
SLIDE 14
8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
Same story but in the book of Luke, the crowds were asking what he meant by telling the Pharisees this statement
Here is what John answered them with
SLIDE 15
10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”
11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”
SLIDE 16
12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
SLIDE 17
14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
In James 2 verse 18 James say, “ I will show you my faith by my works”
Jesus also talked about those bearing fruit would bear even more, those who did not would have what little they kept back taken away and given to those who did
. Bottom line the more you know Him the more fruit you bear and you bear the testimony that you know Him
The more we get to know the Lord the more we want to trust and obey Him
SLIDE 18
4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
Jesus said a good tree bears good fruit in that we would good servants of the Lord by their fruit
Last point on bearing fruit is the help of the church body and church family relationships
Paul was so encouraged how the church in Colossae was growing in faith, knowledge of the Lord and was bearing fruit
SLIDE 19
Colossians 1:9–10 (NASB95)
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Paul also states that the Colossians had come to understand God’s grace in truth
SLIDE 20
HOW TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT - today’s point
“KNOW THE LORD”
Nothing Compares to Knowing Jesus
We Would Know Him to Bear Fruit That Remains
Knowing the Lord Brings Peace, Rest and Eternal Security
In John chapter 17 we have Jesus praying His High Priestly prayer as its known
SLIDE 21
John 17:3 (NASB95)
3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Many times Jesus said that if we know Him we would know the Father
Walking with Christ, talking with Christ and learning from Christ will produce peace in our lives and we need that today and the days to come.
SLIDE 22
33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Very interesting that the things the world will or would do to us.....Jesus said they will do those things because they have not known Him
SLIDE 23
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
Nothing to underline here....this whole verse is a underline
Finally we need real rest comes from receiving the Lord, pressing the Lord and knowing Him
SLIDE 24
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
SLIDE 25
10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
All of we we just learned from knowing the Lord brings a wonderful result.....rest for our souls
You know what the next verse is here in this chapter?
Ever notice the outburst of anger some people have or just constantly on edge, seem agitated or have a lit fuse all the time.... they don’t have rest
The whole chapter 4 of Hebrews is really about entering into His rest
verses 1 and 2 tells us that some come short of entering His rest if we do not add faith to His word
In verse 11 We fall short of that rest in disobedience
SLIDE 26 “Living in Light of the Lord’s Return”
WORSHIP TEAM COME
PRAYER / CLOSE
CLOSING SONG