DAILY SPIRITUAL FOOD; BEHOLD HE COMETH. “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.’’ Revelation 22:7,12 ‘’Blow the trumpet in Zion;sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble,for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand—a day of darkness and gloom,a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours,behind them a flame blazes.Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,behind them, a desert waste—nothing escapes them.’’ Joel 2:1-3 COMMENTARY: Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 22:6-21. 1.THE CERTAINTY OF HIS COMING. Contrary to what so many think about the promise of the return of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, contemporary trends and signs, suggest that Jesus will soon appear to take His obedient people home. Some believe that the promise He gave concerning His return has delayed, therefore, it will be fool-hardy to continue to rely on that promise. But all we read in the scriptures and the current events and signs all around us suggest otherwise. It is instructive to stress that the scriptures informs us that certain end-time signs/events like earthquakes, tsunamis,typhoons, and other natural disasters are all pointers to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘’ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.’’ 2 Peter 3:10-14 Brethren, Jesus came as a shepherd during His first visit to the earth to gather us in His father’s heavenly community (The Church), wearing the garment of mercy, love and salvation, but on His second coming He is going to put off this garment and put on the garment of Judgement and anger in order to reward the righteous and the wicked according to the quality and nature of works performed by each and every one of us. He has given us the grace to amend our lives and to be used of Him to bring others into His Heavenly community. He that refuses to make use of this available grace would be rejected and severely punished when He returns. We must be wise and be willing to completely put off the garment of disobedience/sin and make spirited effort to put on His garment of righteousness/holiness so that we can avoid the impending fiery judgement/punishment He will return with. “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:1-6 SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Revelation 22:6-21; Matthew 24:1-51; Zephaniah 1:7-18; Zechariah 14:1-21. 2.THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING a) Sinful Living (gross darkness) ;Luke 17;22-37 b) Natural disasters. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Matthew 24:6-8,21 c) False teachings/prophecies/revelations/doctrines. Luke 17;20-24 d) Lawlessness/ disobedience. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Matthew 24:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Matthew 24:15-17 e) Wars/ tribulations and rumours of wars. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Matthew 24:6-8 f) Several persecutions/trials. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Matthew 24:8;Luke 17;25 g) Desecration of God’s temple/false revival/ blasphemy. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15; Matthew 24:15-17; 1 Corinthians 8:5; 1 John 2:18; John 8:41 3.PREPARATIONS FOR HIS SECOND COMING. Brethren, we must, as a matter of urgency, be willing to make adequate preparations for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God commands and expects every member of the Church to be fully prepared and clothed with the garments of absolute faithfulness, obedience to His Word, holiness and purity of life to qualify us for rapture. He wants us to take on the image and nature of His Son Jesus Christ, our Master and Saviour. God will not compromise on His standards of righteousness and holiness. ‘’See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.’’ 1 John 3:1-3 The following are the preparations the Lord expects us to embark upon before His arrival: a) We must truly repent and accept the gospel of salvation. Matthew 28;19-20;Acts 4;12;Romans 1;16 b) We must be watchful and prayerful at all times.Luke 18;1;Colossians 4;2;1 Thessalonians 5;17; c) We must continue bearing Heavenly fruits till He returns.Matthew 3;8-11;John 15;3-4,,5,16 d) We must continue to live a Holy, faithful and obedient life. 2Corinthians 7;1; Isaiah 52;11;Hosea 10;12 ‘’And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORDs house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.’’ Zechariah 14:16-21 4.IMPLICATIONS OF HIS SECOND COMING a) God’s anger/wrath/punishment on the sinners. Zephaniah 1;1,8,12,14-16 b) Desolations/gloom. Matthew 24;38-43 c) Scarcity/famines. Amos 8;11 ‘’ The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.“I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,” Says the LORD;“I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens,The fish of the sea,And the stumbling blocks[a] along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,”Says the LORD.“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,The names of the idolatrous priests[b] with the pagan priests— Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD,But who also swear by Milcom;] Those who have turned back from following the LORD,And have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.”Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand,For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited[d] His guests.“And it shall be,In the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, That I will punish the princes and the king’s children,And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.In the same day I will punish All those who leap over the threshold, Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.“And there shall be on that day,” says the LORD,“The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, A wailing from the Second Quarter,And a loud crashing from the hills. Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut down; All those who handle money are cut off. “And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart,‘The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’Therefore their goods shall become booty,And their houses a desolation;They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.” The great day of the LORD is near;It is near and hastens quickly.The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter;There the mighty men shall cry out.’’ ZEPHANIAH 1:1-14 5. OUR RESPONSE. Brethren, the day of the Lord is a day of wrath and fierce judgement that will devour every appearance of sin and evil in the life of those who have rejected His call for salvation and Holiness. To avoid this calamity befalling us we need, as a matter of urgency, to seek the face of God and ask for His mercy and true salvation. We must keep the Kingdom light (lamp) burning while watching and waiting for His second return. Brethren, we must do everything within our reach to get into the Kingdom of God before His arrival so we can avoid the punishment of His father. We must join forces with God urgently to bring in the end time harvest (the lost souls). SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Joel 3:9-15; Zephaniah 2:1-3; John 3:34-38; Matthew 5:14-17; Proverbs 23:23 It is pertinent to stress that God commands us, as we watch and wait, to continue in righteousness, holiness and faithfulness. ‘’ Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil.’’ Ecclesiastes 9:8 ‘’ Awake, awake!Put on your strength, O Zion;Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city!For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem!Lose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! For thus says the LORD:“You have sold yourselves for nothing,And you shall be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52:1-3 The following should inform our response towards His second coming: a) Amendment /restitution b) Put away strange gods/ characters/ sinful natures. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Genesis 35:1-5; Exodus 33:1-6; 1 John 5:21 c) Watchfulness. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Matthew 24:42-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; Matthew 26:41; Colossians 4:2; Luke 18:1 d) We must walk in holiness and purity of life. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: 1 Peter 1:13-23; Hebrews 12:14; Ephesians 4:17-31; Psalm 15:1-5; Psalm 24:3-4; “ Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Zechariah 14:20-21; Isaiah 52:11; Isaiah 35:8-10 e) We must be prayerful. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Luke 18:1; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 f) We must worship God without ceasing. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Hebrews 10:25-27 g) We must walk in divine wisdom. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Proverbs 4:7; Psalm 90:12; Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15-17; Matthew 10:16 h) We must forgive one another. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Colossians 3:12-13; 2 Corinthians 2:10-11; Colossians 3:12-13 i) We must continue to walk in love. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Colossians 3:12-14; 1 John 4:11-12,17-21 j) We must continue in evangelism/ soul winning (assist in populating Heaven). SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Psalm 68:11; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-20 k) We must continue in total consecration/ total submission. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; John 14:15; John 15:1-5 l) We must continue in the Christian faith. SCRIPTURAL SEARCH: Luke 18:8; Hebrews 10:35-39; 11:13-16 ‘’Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.’’ Jude 3, 21 Brethren, let us run this heavenly race set before us with all the spiritual and physical resources the Lord has made to abound for us. Let Him find us busy dispensing the stewardship He has committed into our cares, shining in the glory of His heavenly light. Keep the Kingdom flag and flame flying and blazing. ‘’ Let your garments always be white,And let your head lack no oil.’’ Ecclesiastes 9:8 More grace. Remain rapture ready, always in Jesus sacred name Amen. Pastor Martins Okonkwo HYMN 1.THERE’S A FRIEND FOR LITTLE CHILDREN There’s a Friend for little children Above the bright blue sky, A Friend who never changes, Whose love will never die; Our earthly friends may fail us, And change with changing years, This Friend is always worthy Of that dear Name He bears. There’s a rest for little children Above the bright blue sky, Who love the blessed Saviour, And to the Father cry A rest from every turmoil, From sin and sorrow free, Where every little pilgrim Shall rest eternally. There’s a home for little children Above the bright blue sky, Where Jesus reigns in glory, A home of peace and joy No home on earth is like it, Nor can with it compare; For everyone is happy Nor could be happier there. There’s a crown for little children Above the bright blue sky, And all who look for Jesus Shall wear it by and by; A crown of brightest glory, Which He will then bestow On those who found his favour And loved His Name below. There’s a song for little children Above the bright blue sky, A song that will not weary, Though sung continually; A song which even angels Can never, never sing They know not Christ as Saviour, But worship Him as King. There’s a robe for little children Above the bright blue sky, And a harp of sweetest music, And palms of victory. All, all above is treasured, And found in Christ alone: O come, dear little children That all may be your own. HYMN 2. I WILL GUIDE THEE Precious promise God hath given To the weary passer-by, On the way from earth to heaven, I will guide thee with Mine eye. I will guide thee, I will guide thee, I will guide thee with Mine eye: On the way from earth to heaven, I will guide thee with Mine eye. When temptations almost win thee, And thy trusted watchers fly, Let this promise ring with in thee; I will guide thee with Mine eye. When thy secret hopes have perished In the grave of years gone by, Let this promise still be cherished, I will guide thee with Mine eye. When the shades of life are falling, And the hour has come to die, Hear thy trusty Leader calling, I will guide thee with Mine eye.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:21:32 +0000
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