INSPIRATIONAL Blog

The Week of the Cross – Jesus to Return – Part Two

Jesus has been both instructing and illustrating about greatness in the Kingdom and great crowds began to follow him. Most recently he has, for the third time, specifically predicted his death and resurrection, though most did not understand this was the redemptive fulfillment of His life. What is coming is a sham trial, public beating and mocking, and the death of a condemned criminal among criminals.   We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life.  His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples. Now the question comes: if Jesus is leaving as predicted, when is He coming back? And now, the sequel question, who is He coming for, and will we/they be ready?

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:10-13.

1. The Return of Jesus.  With Jesus’ death and resurrection, the business of God – at least one earth – remained unfinished.  Salvation had been offered and secured by the cross, but Jesus coming as Ruler and King of His Kingdom was not.  The bible has much to say about Jesus’ return, and it has been one of the fundamentals of the faith for disciples since the first century.  In Matthew 24, we establish that the day and hour are not known.  Now in Matthew 25, we get the twine messages: be vigilant to be counted as a disciple of Jesus, and use our time and talents for matters that are eternal. 

2. The Parable of the Ten Virgins.  While there is some interpretational debate about these details, two facts are clear: in the church there are the disciples, and there are the pretenders.  The disciples are prepared, ready for the returning groom; the pretenders seem prepared, but are not, ‘no oil, etc’, and are more interested in appearances than in spiritual reality.

3. Acceptance and Rejection at Jesus’ Return.  There will be two groups at Jesus return, two groups in the church now.  There are the since and heart devoted followers, who love the Lord with all their heart, and love others [rather] than themselves; and there will be the ones who are surface pretenders, whose heart and mind have not been given to God.  To the first, acceptance and reception into the Kingdom; to the second, a door that is closed, and will not open.  Salvation for the unbeliever after Jesus returns is a subject for another week.

Jesus’ return promised from the Prophets:

Isaiah 35:10
Verse Concepts
And the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 51:11
Verse Concepts
So the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Ezekiel 37:12
Verse Concepts
Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

Jeremiah 50:19
Verse Concepts
And I will bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.

Jeremiah 29:14
Verse Concepts
I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

Jeremiah 30:10

Verse Concepts
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar
And your offspring from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,
And no one will make him afraid.

Jeremiah 46:27
Verse Concepts
“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,
Nor be dismayed, O Israel!
For, see, I am going to save you from afar,
And your descendants from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob will return and be undisturbed
And secure, with no one making him tremble.

Jeremiah 31:17
Verse Concepts
“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.

Jeremiah 29:10
Verse Concepts
“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

Jeremiah 31:16
Verse Concepts
Thus says the Lord,
“Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
And they will return from the land of the enemy.

And from Jesus’ teachings and the New Testament:

 14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  John 14:1-3

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. I Thessalonians 4:16.

That is our hope and our focus.  And for the days given to us, using them in ways that count for eternity.  More on that next week with the parable of the talents.  Stay well.

The Week of the Cross – End of the World, Beginning Birth Pains – Part One

Jesus has been both instructing and illustrating about greatness in the Kingdom and great crowds began to follow him. Most recently he has, for the third time, specifically predicted his death and resurrection, though most did not understand this was the redemptive fulfillment of His life. What is coming is a sham trial, public beating and mocking, and the death of a condemned criminal among criminals. We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life. His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples. Now the question comes: if Jesus is leaving as predicted, when is He coming back?

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3.

1.  When will Jesus return?  It naturally followed that if the discples understood the message of Jesus – the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus – and His predicted retur – when would that happen.  While modern day sooth sayers try to name the date and time, and that is silly and not biblical, there were signs of the time, just as the plants ripen to bear fruit. 
 

2. Signs Before His return - the great deceiver and deception.  ‘For many will come in my name, claiming ‘I am the Christ’, and will deceive many.  Matt 24:5.  This is a summary of the great deceiver, the one predicted as the anti-Christ, with the following traits: Intelligent: Revelation 13:18; Daniel 7:8.  Charismatic Speaker: Daniel 7:8 Revelation 13:5.  Crafty Politician: Daniel 9:27; Revelation 17:12, 13, 17.  Distinct Physical Appearance: Daniel 7:20.  Military Genius: Revelation 4; 17:14; 19:19.  Economic Genius: Daniel 11:38.  Blasphemer: Revelation 13:6.  Utterly Lawless: 2 Thessalonians 2:8.  Selfish, Ambitious Egomaniac: Daniel 11:36, 37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.  Greedy Materialist: Daniel 11:38.  Controlling:  Daniel 7:25.  Proud and Self-exalting Above God and Everything: Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessalonians. 2:4.

3. Signs before His return – international events.  6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:6-8.  The deceiver will bring international betrayal and chaos.  And these are only the beginning of birth pains.

National and international events cause, for some, fear and anxiety.  Everything nailed down seems to be coming up.  Certainly the current political environment of lawlessness, terrorist activities in our cities, no enforcement of our borders, diminishment of police, rampant inflation – all bring enough consternation.  But in the end times, harder times are coming.  It is the task of Christians to understand the world we live in, and to live as salt and light, modeling the beatitudes in the days God gives.  A life of mercy, kindness, faith, hope and love toward others – these are the hallmarks of the disciple even during hard times.  Blessings to you this week.

The Week of the Cross – Separating the Real from the Counterfeit – Part Two

Jesus has been both instructing and illustrating about greatness in the Kingdom and great crowds began to follow him.  Most recently he has, for the third time, specifically predicted his death and resurrection, though most did not understand this was the redemptive fulfillment of His life. What is coming is a sham trial, public beating and mocking, and the death of a condemned criminal among criminals.   We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life.  His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples.  Now he exposes the true character of the religious phonies – the hypocrites who pretended to speak for God.  By contrast, Jesus reaffirms greatness in the kingdom and true spirituality.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:8-12

1. Spotting the Phony in the Crowd. There are no hold backs now. Jesus has separated out the hypocrite, the religious phony, and is warning his disciples that they are the opposite of what is great and valued in the kingdom.

2. By Contrast, the Family of God Reflects True Spiritual Values.  Rather than seeking praise and attention and power and influence on earth, with twisted and selfish values reserved for the hypocrite, a disciples understands that our Master and Father is in heaven.  Spiritual titles are reserved for  God, not for man.  We have only one Master…have on Father, and He is in heaven. 

3. And Further Contrast, Service is the Measure of Greatness for the Family of God.  Have you noticed how the outcast, the slave, the child, the least and the despised, the prostitute, the sick and weak, all get the greatest attention from Jesus?  The reason is this: from the imagery of the weak and least, the principle is reaffirmed: the greatest among you will be your servant.  This immutable spiritual principle is to pervade the churches and communities and homes of the true believers. It is immutable. It does not change.

So the family of God and greatness in the Kingdom is the antidote to the hypocrisy in the church:

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother Matthew 12:48-50.

And ambition – getting ahead by maneuvering ahead of others, has no place in the Christian’s life:

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45.

In the end, understanding what to do and who to follow and not follow is pretty clear. Just measure it by Him who is our Savior and who gave us life a ransom for us.  It comes back to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Stay well.

The Week of the Cross – The Anatomy of a Hypocrite – Who and What Not to Be and Do – Part One

Jesus has been both instructing and illustrating about greatness in the Kingdom and great crowds began to follow him.  Most recently he has, for the third time, specifically predicted his death and resurrection, though most did not understand this was the redemptive fulfillment of His life. What is coming is a sham trial, public beating and mocking, and the death of a condemned criminal among criminals.   We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life.  His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples.  Now he exposes the true character of the religious phonies – the hypocrites who pretended to speak for God.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth.  Matthew 23:33-35a

1. Identifying the Hypocrite, and Thus the Enemy.  Jesus now reserves his harshest criticism for the phony religious leaders in Israel, the ones pretending to be and do God’s biding, but actually were tools of the devil to confuse the genuine seeker or pilgrim.  Jesus introduces their hypocrisy as follows:

1a.  They tell others to do what they are unwilling to do themselves.

1b.  They burden others with tasks they are unwilling to do.

1c.  They publically pretend to be religious, but it is all for show, never for go.

1d.  They love positions and titles of honor, terms reserved only for God the Father.

 

2. Jesus summarizes their conduct as follows Matt 23:13-32):

3. No fence sitting!  You can know a person by his conduct.  Here Jesus finishes his excoriation of the Pharisees – brood of vipers, shedding of righteous blood, murderers.  The path of the prophets is both a warning to the true follower of Jesus, and a guide to the real rather than the counterfeit.

Jesus had warned his disciples of this from the beginning of his ministry and the Beatitudes: 

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:11-12.

Now the demands of discipleship and the test of devotion, for the disciples, is at hand. They will fail more tests than they pass in the next hours, with confusion and fear, but will now understand the message of the cross and the resurrection.