Dear Doves,

The Blessings of JESUS are for all who expect HIS return – now and when HE comes

I was blessed by the LORD this moring and would nlike to bless those of my family in nwaiting

 

Once a person chooses to receive the free gift of salvation, he knows intuitively, innately, and immediately that he is to live righteously. And the next verse tells us how.

If you really believe Jesus is coming soon, it will affect everything you do.

 

Looking for Our Lord
A Topical Study of Tit_2:11-13

Jesus spoke of the eye as being the light of the entire body (Mat_6:22-23). And Paul tells us that we are to think on whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy, and of good report (Php_4:8). But because our society no longer believes in the authority of the Bible, our culture continues to crumble—which is exactly what Jesus said would happen.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.—Luk_17:26-29

Once we're saved, we need no one to tell us that, like Noah, we are to be those who are different from the times in which we live, that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly. But here's the question for you and me: How? How can we live soberly, righteously, and godly in a world full of iniquity? According to our text, the answer is that we are to be looking for Jesus constantly.

You never drive so carefully as the day you discover your driver's license has expired. So, too, we will live soberly, righteously, and godly when we understand that because our culture is as it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot, time itself is nearly expired, and we must live very carefully.

The apostle John knew this to be true…

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.—1Jn_3:2-3

Thinking the Lord could come back today will affect everything I do—how I talk, what I watch, where I go. On the other hand, Jesus taught us that if you sit here today, and even as I'm teaching, you're thinking, The Lord is not coming back any time soon, that too will have a very real effect upon your life.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.—Mat_24:44-51

The Greek word translated "evil" is kakos and refers to that which was once good but has gone bad—like a piece of fruit, or a musical instrument that was once in tune but is now out of tune. Thus, Jesus is saying the once-good servant became sour, slipped out of tune, because he said, "The Lord delays His coming." And Jesus says the result of such a viewpoint is twofold.

Brutality

And he shall begin to smite his fellowservants…

He who doubts the nearness of the Lord's return will gossip about people, be cynical toward people, and will be harsh with people. Whereas if he really thought today could be the day the Lord comes back, he wouldn't scream at people, find fault with people, or be bitter toward people. In short, he wouldn't smite his fellow servants.

Carnality

…and to eat and drink with the drunken…

He who doubts the Lord's soon return will begin to eat and drink with the drunkards. "It's party time," he'll say. "The Lord isn't coming back for a while—probably not even in my lifetime—so let's party. I'll only go to church if there's nothing else to do. I'll only study the Word if there's nothing on TV."

The servant who was once good and who has now gone bad is not one who denies the coming of Christ. Rather, he's one who simply believes He's not coming soon. In Exodus 32, we see an Old Testament parallel to the evil servant parable…

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.—Exo_32:1

The people became kakos. They went bad. Why? Because they thought Moses, their leader, delayed his coming. The result? Exactly what Jesus said it would be: Carnality when they danced around a golden calf and brutality when three thousand of them were killed (Exo_32:28).

The way to live godly, soberly, and righteously is to look for the blessed hope of the coming of Jesus Christ in any given day. But what if He doesn't come that day? You had a great day! You walked righteously, soberly, and godly. Your family was blessed. Your heart was full. God's blessings were celebrated and enjoyed because you lived looking for the blessed hope of His return.

The majority of us fail to look for the Lord's coming today not because we deny its reality nor because we think it will be delayed chronologically, but because we are afraid emotionally. "I see things falling apart, and I know the only solution is for the Lord to come back. Yet when He comes back, I don't know where I will stand. I love Him. I believe in Him. But I haven't done as much as I wanted to for Him," we say.

If this is how you feel, there is good news for you in Luke 12…

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.—Luk_12:37

Leaving the kids with a babysitter, my wife, Tammy, and I returned home a few hours later.

"The kids did great," said the babysitter. "But the whole time you were gone, Benjamin sat on the couch and looked out the window, just waiting for you guys to come back."

Upon hearing this, I didn't say to three-year-old Benny, "What's the big idea sitting on the couch looking for my coming?" Nor did I say, "Why weren't you in the backyard raking the leaves and picking up after Sam?" Instead, I just took him in my arms and gave him a great big hug because I knew how much he just wanted to be with me.

The same is true of Jesus. To the one who says, "Life is good, but what I'm really looking for and craving is You, Lord," He won't say, "Why didn't you do more?" According to our text, He'll say, "Let's have lunch."

But I haven't been a very good person, you might be thinking. Join the club. Like me, you may have done things you didn't want to do, said things you shouldn't have said, gone where you shouldn't have gone. But the Lord still has a place for you at His table. How do I know? Because of what I see in the life of Joseph…

One of the clearest pictures of Jesus is seen in the person of Joseph—a man of whom there is no recorded sin, a man who was betrayed by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver, a man whose public "ministry" began at age thirty when he became prime minister of Egypt, a man who took a Gentile bride. As his brothers gathered before him, their hearts must have been filled with fear concerning what they had done to him. Yet what does Joseph say?

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.—Gen_50:20-21

When Jesus comes, you will be as blown away and amazed as Joseph's brothers were—amazed by how kind He is to you, by the comfort He shows to you, by the meal He provides for you. But you can experience His love and kindness, His grace and forgiveness even before then by simply watching for His coming every day.

My desire and prayer is for us to be a people who look for the blessed hope—the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The lives of those who do will be ordered and fruitful, righteous and godly. May we learn the lesson of Exodus and listen to the parable of Jesus. May we live our lives looking for His coming, knowing that in doing so, we will be blessed not only in that day, but in this day as well.

 

From Jon Courson on Titus

 

Love in JESUS

Jimmy Lishman

Pretoria

 

Psa 28:6  Praise the LORD! For He has heard my cry for mercy.

Psa 28:7  The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.