DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 5.11.24

 ChristWill Come Again “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a placefor you. 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.” (John14:2-3) The world has not seen the last of Jesus Christ! He was in the world once, but the world would not have Him, even though He had created it (John1:10). While He was on Earth, He made it clear that He would be returning some day to judge the world. But here in the upper room, just before His arrest and crucifixion, He told His disciples, for the very first time, that He would be coming for them personally, not to judge them with the world but to “receive you unto myself.” In the first epistle writtenby the apostle Paul, this wonderful promise was repeated and amplified: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven...and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meetthe Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). When He comes again, we shall be where He is forever! In the meantime, the “dead in Christ” are already with Him. At that time, “we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye....For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortalmust put on immortality” (1Corinthians 15:51-53). During this present time, He is preparing a place for us in the New Jerusalem that, like Christ Himself, will be “coming down from God out of heaven” (Revelation21:2). All of this is exactly what we might expect from such a gracious and loving Savior, and He assures us that “if it were not so, I would have told you.” HMM ------------------------- JudgingOthers “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matthew7:1) This is a very familiar maxim, often cited by unbelievers and carnal Christians as a rebuke to Christians they regard as intolerant. These words of the Lord Jesus Christ do, indeed, warn us against a self-righteous attitude, condemning others who disagree withus on the basis of superficial criteria. On the other hand, this caution by no means relieves us of the responsibility of evaluating the beliefs and practices of others in the light of Scripture. In the very same sermon, in fact, Jesus said just a few moments later: “Give not that which is holy untothe dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine”; and “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew7:6-15). Obedience to such commandments obviously requires one to make a judgment as to whether certain unbelievers should be regarded as “dogs” or “swine,” to whom it would be counterproductive to try to speak of spiritual matters, or whether certainprofessing Christian leaders are actually false prophets who should be repudiated. Jesus also said: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John7:24). Since the Scriptures themselves are to be used in the final judgment (John12:48; Revelation 20:12; etc.), it is obvious that we should use them right now to discern truth and error, right and wrong. “For the word of God...is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews4:12). There is another basis of judgment that the Lord Jesus has authorized us to use. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit....Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew7:18-20). Thus, the test of Scripture plus fruit produced can serve as the basis of a valid judgment. Until adequate data for making such a test are available, judge not! HMM ----------------------- Confessionand Forgiveness “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs28:13) Every person, even the most godly Christian believer, at least occasionally commits acts of sin—sins of omission, if not sins of commission. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1John 1:8). When a Christian does sin, the remedy is available. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). This forgiveness is based on the fact that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1John 1:7). The problem is that the very compulsion that caused the believer to commit the sin in the first place will often lead him to try to justify the sin. If that is not possible, he will try to hide it or even to deny it. The antidote for this situation, of course, is to confess and forsake his sin(s). This confession, however, cannot be simply a generalized confession (“please forgive all my sins”) but a specific “naming” of the particular sins, acknowledging that it was, indeed,a sin in the sight of God, deserving of divine punishment and repudiation by a holy God. Similarly, the term “forsaketh” does not mean simply to quit engaging in the particular sin, but to quit even thinking about it—no longer either desiring the sin or beingdepressed under the guilt of it. If possible and applicable, this would also entail making restitution to anyone who had been injured by that sin; otherwise, the confession need be made only to God. And God will forgive and cleanse. Then, “forgetting those things which are behind,” we can “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians3:13-14). “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven” (Psalm32:1). HMM ---------------- Enochand the Second Coming “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousandsof his saints.” (Jude1:14) There are two Enochs in the First Age of the world. One is a son of Cain (Genesis4:17), and the other is a seventh-generation descendant of Adam through his son Seth (Genesis5). Jude makes very clear which one he means. Luke references Enoch in his genealogy of the Lord Jesus (Luke3:37), also indicating that this Enoch is important to remember. Enoch was the father of Methuselah, who was the grandfather of Noah. Although the Bible does not mention it, several of the early church scholars allude to a Book of Enoch and cite passages from it about the awful days before the world was destroyed by thegreat Flood. Perhaps the most startling fact recorded about Enoch is that he “was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews11:5). There is not much biblical data to study about Enoch. The Genesis record simply notes, “And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis5:23-24). Enoch’s “walk with God” and the lifestyle that “pleased God” are the apparent motives for Jude’s short reference. Jude announces (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) that Enoch preached about the second coming of Christ! That is remarkable. Before theBible was written, before the first world was destroyed for its universal evil, before the promise of “the seed” to Abraham and the centuries of God’s preparation for the Messiah, Enoch was proclaiming that Jesus would come—again! HMM III ---------------------- CounterfeitChristians - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. �2 Corinthians 11:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/counterfeit-christians/- Listen All too often when we see some inconsistency in the lives of others, we are quick to call them hypocrites or phonies. But maybe they�re just struggling believers. Even godly people can mess up. Even real Christians can make mistakes and sin against the Lord. The Bible even tells us, �If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselvesand not living in the truth� (1 John 1:8 NLT). Sometimes, we confuse hypocrisy with humanity. We all will sin. And we all will fall short. But there is a difference between a struggling believer and a phony. Jesus used the term hypocrite, which means �actor,� for thereligious leaders of His day. Now, there is nothing negative attached to the word actor when you�re talking about someone�s profession. But when Jesus used the term, He was referring to people who werepretending to be something they were not. They were putting on a performance. And that is not genuine faith. Jesus warned, �Don�t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven� (Matthew 6:1 NLT). Or, as The Message putsit, �Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don�t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won�t be applauding.� There are a lot of people who are putting on great performances as Christians, but they aren�t genuine. They are posers. But ultimately, it�s for God to decide who is whoand what is what. But let�s understand that whenever there is the genuine, there will also be the counterfeit. Satan has his fake version of just about everything, including counterfeit Christians. The apostle Paul wrote, �I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as wellas from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not� (2 Corinthians 11:26 NLT). Even in Paul�s day, there were counterfeit Christians, just as there are today. And there also is a counterfeit gospel. Just because someone uses the word gospel doesn�t mean they�re referring to the genuine gospel. For the gospel to be genuine, certain things must be in place. And one of thosethings is the acknowledgment that everyone has sinned. Secondly, there is only one solution for our sin being removed, and that is the cross. If the cross is not proclaimed, then it is not the gospel. Any proper presentation ofthe gospel will come back to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sometimes in our attempts to be relevant, to cross over, we don�t bring the cross over. But our job as believers is not only to lift people up but also to point them to JesusChrist. -------------------------- Putting On a Show - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren�t lyingto us but to God! �Acts 5:4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/putting-on-a-show/- Listen The church was young, just starting to really explode. Thousands of people were coming to faith in Christ. Miracles were being performed. And along came a husband and wifenamed Ananias and Sapphira. They apparently had some means, and they sold a piece of land and announced they were giving the proceeds to the church. But they kept some of the money for themselves anddidn�t tell anyone about it. Peter, however, knew the truth. And he confronted Ananias about it. He said, �Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or notsell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren�t lying to us but to God!� (Acts 5:3�4 NLT). Then Ananias died on the spot. A little while later, Sapphira came in and told Peter the same story. As a result, she died, too. Now, this might seem like harsh judgment onGod�s part. It might seem a little radical. But they were lying to the Holy Spirit. They were pretending to be something they were not. Instead, they should have just been honest before God and told the truth. They were actors putting on a show. And they wanted people to think they were more thoroughly devotedto God than they were. Sometimes, people say they wish the church could see more miracles today like the church saw in the Book of Acts. But do we really want all the miracles? If, like Ananiasand Sapphira, everyone in the church who was living a lie died on the spot, then every church would need a full-time undertaker. A classic example of an actor is Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed the Lord. Worse yet, he did it with a kiss. A handshake or a tap on the shoulder could have donethe job. But instead, he told the temple police, �You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss� (Matthew 26:48 NLT). The original language implies that when Judas kissed Jesus, it wasn�t just one peck. Rather, Judas kissed Him repeatedly. In contrast, as Judas was about to betray Him, Jesus said, �My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for� (verse 50 NLT). It was a gesture of love, compassion, and evenforgiveness. Even so, Judas chose to betray Him. The entertainment industry has award ceremonies for the best actor, the best musical artist, and so forth. Perhaps the church could have the Judas award for the best performanceby a nonbeliever playing the role of a Christian. The performance may deceive a lot of people, but it isn�t deceiving God. You can fool all the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you can�t fool God any time. -------------------------- UngodlyDeeds and Hard Speeches �...to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deedswhich they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.� (Jude1:15) Jude is referencing the preaching of pre-Flood Enoch, who warned about God�s coming judgment when the Lord returns �with ten thousands of his saints� (v. 14). Jude identifies two ungodly traits that bring about this judgment. First, there are ungodly deeds that were committed in an ungodly way. Perhaps the best commentary on this deep sin is the Lord Jesus� description of the unbelief of those who reject the gospel of salvation: �This is the condemnation, that light is come intothe world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil� (John3:19). Their actions were not mere misdeeds; these deeds were committed with full knowledge of the �light��and their perpetrators consciously ran away from that light to hide in the �darkness.� Then there are hard speeches that have been spoken by ungodly sinners against the Lord Jesus. Perhaps these fierce words were uttered as diatribes against the authority of Christ to judge. Peter alludes to these kinds of sinners as �scoffers, walking aftertheir own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?� (2Peter 3:3-4). Paul comments that these kinds of people �changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator� (Romans1:25). And that appears to coincide with the nature of the word �ungodly.� All three forms that appear in Jude 1:15 are negative forms of the word for worship. The �un� part of the word stresses the lack of honor and deference that are due the Creator of the universe. These ungodly sinners will be condemned by their own deeds and fierce words. HMM III ----------------------- Time to Come Clean - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. �2 Corinthians 13:5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/time-to-come-clean/- Listen The band Milli Vanilli was quite successful in its day, selling millions of albums. But then came the stunning revelation that they didn�t do the vocals on their own recordings.And they had to face the music. One day, we all will stand before God Himself. And though some people may have done a brilliant job of fooling others, they will have to face the music. As Christians, we shouldn�t spend time worrying about who these people are. Rather, we need to make sure that we aren�t pretenders ourselves. Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, �Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you;if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith� (2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT). Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, �I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarmwater, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!� (Revelation 3:15�16 NLT). This is a repulsive image. And that is exactly why Jesus chose to use it. He was trying to make a point. He was saying, �You know what? I can�t stand people who are lukewarm.� What does it mean to be lukewarm? I don�t really believe there is any such thing as a lukewarm Christian. However, I do believe there are carnal Christians, which are thosewho believe but are compromising. Notice in Revelation 3 that Jesus said, �You are . . . neither hot nor cold.� Then, a few verses later, He went on to say, �Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hearmy voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends� (verse 20 NLT). To the lukewarm person, Jesus is saying, �I�m standing at the door and knocking. Let Me in.� Spiritually speaking, then, a lukewarm person is not a compromising Christian.Rather, a lukewarm person is a person who is pretending to be a Christian but isn�t. And to be lukewarm is to be a genuine imitation. Jesus was speaking to nonbelievers in the church of Laodicea who were pretending to be Christians. It�s a reminder that going to church doesn�t make you a Christian. Theremust be a moment when you believe in Jesus, when you put your faith in Him. Maybe you�re putting on a good show right now. You have just about everyone convinced. You have your family and your friends thinking that you�re a very committed believer.But you�re living a double life and fooling them all. But one day, that which is hidden will be revealed. There will be nowhere to hide. And you�ll realize the only person you were effectively fooling was yourself. God is givingyou an opportunity today to come clean, to get right with Him. Don�t be a fake Christian. ------------------------------- On the Verge - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near! �Luke 21:28 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/on-the-verge/- Listen The Bible tells us to be aware of the signs of the times. Things are happening in our world today that are indeed signs of the times, alerting us to the fact that Christ iscoming back. The Bible describes these signs as labor pains. We also could compare prophetic events to closely placed dominoes. When the first one falls, the others will go in rapid succession. And we are on the verge of it. In my opinion, the next event on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church, that moment when God will call all true believers to meet Him in Heaven. Sometimes, peopleconfuse the Rapture with the Second Coming. However, these are separate events. In the Rapture, Jesus comes for His church. In the Second Coming, He returns with His church. The Rapture comes before the judgment, the Tribulation period. In the SecondComing, Jesus comes with judgment. Following the Rapture, the Antichrist will emerge on the scene. He will be a charismatic, brilliant, politician-type who will have economic and military solutions. Initiallyhe will reveal himself as a man of peace and even help the Jewish people rebuild their temple. But three and a half years into the Tribulation, he will commit the abomination of desolation, erecting an image of himself in the Jewish temple and commanding people to worshipit. The Tribulation will culminate with the Battle of Armageddon, which will be fought in the Middle East. Then Jesus Christ will return in the Second Coming, which will be followed by the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth. Lastly, Heaven and Earth will becomeone as the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven to Earth. All these events are yet to come. What, then, are some of the signs of the times that we should be aware of? I would say the emergence of China as a military and economic superpower would be a sign of the times. Another is the diminishing of the United States of America, which wedon�t find in the last days scenario. Then there is the growing aggression of Russia and the emergence of Islam. As these events come together, they will center around Israel and Jerusalem. The Bible tells us, �On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations willgather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves� (Zechariah 12:3 NLT). Students of the Bible will pay careful attention to these events, especially any mention of attempting to wipe out Israel. So, what are we supposed to do when we hear about events like these? Jesus said, �So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!� (Luke 21:28 NLT). If we really believe Jesus Christ is returning, then it should affect our conduct. First John 3:3 says, �And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure,just as he is pure� (NLT). We should seek to live godly lives. Look up and live purely. --------------------------- Sittingat the Right Hand of God �The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.� (Psalm110:1) The 110th Psalm is one of the most significant of the so-called Messianic Psalms, prophesying of Christ a thousand years before He came. Its very first verse should completely settle the question as to whether or not the Old Testament teaches that there isonly one Person in the Godhead since it recounts an actual conversation between at least two Persons of the Godhead. This first verse is quoted, in whole or in part, at least five times in the New Testament and was even used by Christ Himself (Matthew22:41-46) to prove His own deity. Two of the Hebrew names for God are used: �Jehovah said unto Adonai...� The name Jehovah is used again in verses 2-4, and Adonai in verse 5. God, in the person of Adonai, has gone to Earth on a divine mission to save His people but has been repudiated by His enemies on Earth. Accordingly, God, in the person of Jehovah, invites Him back to heaven for a time, where He will be at His right hand until it is time for Him to return to Earth to rule, striking through all opposing �kings in the day of his wrath� (v. 5). In this coming �day of thy power� (v. 3), �thy people shall be willing.� The word here is actually the word for �free will offerings.� They will be as priests offering their own lives to Him as freewill offerings when they finally recognize Him as their Messiah/Kingand eternal High Priest (v. 4). Now, although this prophecy applies specifically to the second coming and the future conversion of Israel, there is a beautiful secondary application used in Scripture for His people right now. �I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, thatye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service� (Romans 12:1). �Seek those things which are above,where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God� (Colossians 3:1). HMM ---------------------- TwoImperatives �Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.� (John3:7) The term �born again� has come into such common use in recent years, even in political campaigns, that its tremendous meaning has been all but lost. But Jesus�who ought to know, being none other than God incarnate�said, �Ye must be born again�! Furthermore,He said it to Nicodemus, one of the most religiously knowledgeable people of that day. He did not say to Nicodemus that �they must be born again,� meaning the unbelieving multitudes who were not as instructed in the things of God as they should be. Nor did He say that �we must be born again,� meaning all of us mortals includingHimself. Rather, Jesus said, �Ye must be born again�! Even a man like Nicodemus must be born spiritually�born again (literally, �born from above�)�if he were ever to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). In answerto his question as to how this could be, Jesus said he must be born of the Spirit, supernaturally. But Nicodemus�as well as each of us�was born a sinner and was still a sinner, even failing to recognize Christ as Son of man and Son of God. How could he beborn again? The answer is in a second imperative: �And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life� (John 3:14-15). If �ye must be bornagain,� then �even so must the Son of man be lifted up.� Christ must die for our sins before it can ever be possible that a lost sinner be born again. Since Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross to die for us, our burden of sin has also been lifted up andplaced on Him. If we would enter God�s kingdom, we must be born again through faith in Him! There is no other way! HMM