IS JESUS COMING BACK - PART 6

                                              IS JESUS COMING          BACK

   PART 6

   (copied from 
     Y-Jesus.com)


How to prepare for Jesus' return.

Jesus admonished His followers to prepare 
for His return as if it was the most important
thing in their lives. He used the illustration of
a wise servant preparing things for his 
master's return. 
In another instance He spoke of us anticipating His return as (under Jewish custom) a bride should be ready for the arrival or her 
bridegroom.

So, how do we prepare ourselves for Jesus 
return? We prepare ourselves first by knowing Him and then by obeying Him.

Knowing Jesus.

When Jesus returns for His own, He will return
personally to those who already have a relation-ship with Him.  Jesus said that our good deeds
for God were worthless unless we had a 
relationship  with  Him. The only thing that will count when we die or see Him return is knowing
Him.

So, how do we get to know Him?  If you have
never invited Jesus to be your Savior and
Lord of your life, then prayerfully tell Him you want to be in His family.

Since Jesus knows your every thought, simply
speak to Him, thanking Him for dying for you 
and telling Him you want Him as your Lord.
According to Jesus, those who personally put
their faith in Him and receive Him into their
lives are given the right to become children of
God.

"But to as many as did receive Him and 
 welcome Him, He gave  the right (the 
authority, the privilege) to become children
of God, that is to those who believe in (adhere
to, trust in,  and rely on) His Name."
John 1:12

If you have invited Jesus into your life, when He
returns He will embrace you as one of His children, completely forgiven of all of your sins.

We encourage you to read more about how
Jesus'  death on the cross provides forgiveness 
of your sins and total acceptance by God. (read
the article "Is Jesus relevant today).

Obeying Jesus

Jesus' return will be followed by a judgment, at
which time everyone's thoughts and deeds will
be open before Him.

Although forgiveness 
of sin in based on our 
faith in Jesus alone we   
should want to please
Him with our lives, 
and reach others with 
His message of 
forgiveness.

According to Jesus, those who live for Him in
obedience will receive rewards; He says:
"My reward is with Me and I will give to each
person according to what they have done. He
Who is the faithful witness to all these things
says "Yes, I am coming soon!"

The apostle John then responds enthusiastically,
"Amen!  Come Lord Jesus!"

As Jesus' return approaches, we need to examine
ourselves to make sure we are preparing to meet
Him. The words of the apostle Paul  remind us
of what our aim should be.

It is our aim, therefore, to please Him, whether
we are "at home"  or "away"  for every one of
us will have to stand without pretense, before
Christ, our judge, and we shall be rewarded for
what we did, when we lived in our bodies, 
whether it be good or bad.

The very spring of our actions is the love of Christ. We look at it like this, if one died for all
men, then in a sense they all died, and His 
purpose in dying for them is that they should no
longer live for themselves, but for Him Who 
died and rose again for them. 
2 Corinthians 5:9-10   J.B. Phillips.


Obedience to Christ should be in response to
His great love for us. 

next post  7th February

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 76

                                          ONE HEARTBEAT                                               AWAY

   PART 76 

(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)

Consider this:  If you take a burnt cake and

put white icing on it, how does it look? Sure,

it looks good on the outside, but when you 
take a bite of it, how does it taste?  Probably 
most of us have taken a bite out of a burnt 
cookie or a piece of burnt cake, and were 
happy until we hit the burnt part. It tastes horrible.

It's the same way with good works if we are trusting our good works to gain us entry into heaven, we try to look good on the outside. 
On the inside however, we are still nasty and horrible because we are still breaking the Ten Commandments day by day.

To get into heaven, where no unclean thing is allowed we can't merely cover our sin with 
good deeds; we must get rid of it altogether. 
The blood of Jesus and the blood of Jesus 
alone, can make your sins as pure and as 
white as a beautiful snowfall, getting rid of 
them once and for all:

"Come now, and let 
us reason together,
saith the Lord: though 
your sins be as 
scarlet they shall be as 
white as snow;                 though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah  1:18)

There is only one thing that will get rid of
all of our sins, once and for all, the pure
cleansing blood  of Jesus the Messiah (or
Christ as it is in Greek).

"But now in Christ Jesus, ye who were
sometimes far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ."
(Ephesians 2: 13)

Then we can stand before God dressed in the
righteousness of Jesus, and our plea will be neither  "Guilty"  nor  "Not guilty,"  but  "The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin."
(1st John  1:7)


next post  1st February 

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 75

                                          ONE  HEARTBEAT
  AWAY

     PART 75

(copied from Mark                                                   Cahill's Book)

The Claims of Christ are unique compared 
with the founders of all other religions. 
Josh McDowell  says:

Mohammed never claimed to be God; Buddha
remained silent on the question of God;  
Confucius refused to discuss the idea of God;
Moses  merely claimed to be a prophet of God;
Only Jesus claimed to be God incarnate (in 
the flesh). People have described Him as a wise
"teacher,"  a  "great master,"  but it wasn't just
His words, but miracles which were seen as 
genuine and authentic.  Add together with the
ancient writings (Old Testament), all speak of
Him as Deity in the flesh."

Jesus, Whose very name means "Salvation,"
was telling the truth: He is the only way to 
heaven.  The pathway we have been looking
for has been found. The mystery has been 
solved. He and He Alone can forgive your sin. 
He is the only way to get to the Father and be
right with God.

" enter ye at the strait 
gate, for wide is the 
gate and broad is the 
way that leadeth to
destruction, and many 
there be that go in 
thereat.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way which leadeth unto life, and few there 
be that find it. 
(Matthew 7:13-14)

The search for truth is always a narrow search, 
because truth is only just what it is, and excludes
every other way or answer. The ticket to the narrow road and heaven has been found, and it
must be stamped with the blood of Jesus.

Just as there are many wrong answers, there is
one right answer when you face God on 
judgment day:  "Jesus paid it all."  

".... if we walk in the light, as He is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, 
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son 
cleanseth us from  all our sin."
(1st John 1:7)

His blood can cleanse us from all sin. And that means from all sin. The only way a Holy God
can let us into heaven is if we are clean from 
all of the sin we have committed in our lifetime.
That's why our "good works"  will never be
enough to allow us into the presence of an
all-holy-God.

next post 30th January

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 74

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY

PART 74



(copied fromMark Cahill's Book)

Remember that from the outset, the search in
 this book has been for truth. Knowing the
 truth and  living by that truth will always set 
you free.

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed
on Him, 'if you continue in My Word, then are
 ye My disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." 
 (John 8: 31-32)

Buddha said at the end of his life; " I don't even know if there is a God, I am still searching for
the truth."

The Koran, written many years after 
Mohammed's death, quotes Mohammed as saying: "I am in need of forgiveness."

But listen to what Jesus says:

"I am the way, the truth and the life, no man
cometh to the Father, but by Me."
(John 14:6)

At this point when Jesus says He is the only way 
to heaven, we have a dilemma. We have to decide
Who and what Jesus really is:  a lunatic, a liar, or
The Lord. Let us look at this.

If He is lying and doesn't know that He is lying, then He would be a lunatic. He would be out 
of His mind. It is not every day that someone claims to be God and the only way to heaven. 
If you make a statement like that, you had better be able to back it up.

  Did this man who had    such an impact on 
  2,000 years of history,    behave like someone      who is crazy?  Could     this man Who's birth                                   
 split history into  B.C. and A.D.  actually have      been crazy? 

But if He is lying and He knows He is lying, He would then be the greatest deceiver the world 
has ever seen - telling people He was the only 
way to heaven when He was not.

Jesus' sayings permeate society to this day and 
they have the ring of truth to most people. His 
enemies could not find any sin in Him. He had a
spotless character.

Can someone whose words are the greatest moral
teachings the world has ever known, and whose
words and deeds have had the greatest impact on
this world - could that man, at the same time,  have been a liar about himself, God, and where humanity would spend eternity?

We see that it makes no sense to think that Jesus
was a lunatic, and it makes no sense to think that
 He was a liar. That leaves only one option.  He
was telling the truth and He knew that He was
telling the truth. That makes Him God, manifested
in a human body, as prophesied  in the Bible. 

Scholar C.S. Lewis wrote:  "Either this man was
and is the Son of God, or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit on Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him
Lord and God.  But let us not come with any
patronizing nonsense about His being a great
human teacher. He has not left that open to us.
He did not intend to."


next post    tomorrow 29th January

PRAISING GOD- PART 12

                                               PRAISING GOD 

                                                  PART 12




O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Thy Name
in all the earth
I will give thanks to the Lord
with all my heart
I will tell of all Thy wonders
I will be glad and rejoice in Thee
I will sing praises to the Name
of the Lord most high

The Lord abides forever,
He has established His throne
for judgment
and He will judge the world
in righteousness
He will execute judgement for
the people with equity
The Lord will also be a 
stronghold for the oppressed
A stronghold in times of trouble
And all who know Thy Name
will put their trust in Thee
for Thou, O Lord, hast not
forsaken those who seek Thee.

Sing praises to the Lord Who
dwells in Zion
Declare among the people
His deeds
He does not forget the cry of the 
afflicted
The Lord is King forever and ever
O Lord, Thou hast heard the cry
of the humble
Thou wilt strengthen their heart
Thou wilt incline Thine ear.

In the Lord I take refuge
The Lord is in His
holy temple
The Lord's throne
is in heaven
His eyes behold
His eyelids test
the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and
the wicked.

The Lord is righteous
He loves righteousness
The upright will behold His face
The words of the Lord are pure 
words as silver tried in the furnace 
of the earth refined seven times
Thou, O Lord, will keep them
Thou wilt preserve them from this 
generation forever and ever.

next post  3rd  February

MY FAVORITE PSALMS - PART 92

   
 MY FAVORITE               PSALMS

    PART 92




In my trouble, I cried to the 
Lord
And He answered me
Deliver my soul, O Lord
from lying lips
from a deceitful tongue
What shall be given to you
and what more shall be 
done to you
You deceitful tongue?
Sharp arrows of the warrior
With the burning coals of 
the broom tree.

Woe is me, for I sojourn in 
Mesheck
For I dwell among the tents 
of Kedar!
Too long has my soul had
its dwelling
With those who hate peace
I am for peace but when I speak
They are for war

I will lift up my eyes 

to the mountains
from whence shall my 
help come?
My help comes from 
the Lord
Who made heaven 
and earth
He will not allow your foot to slip
He who keeps you will not slumber
Behold, He Who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper
The Lord is your shade 
on your right hand
The sun will not smite you
by day
Nor the moon by night
The Lord will protect you
from all evil
He will keep your soul
The Lord will guard your
going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forever.

next post   2nd February

IS JESUS COMING BACK - PART 5

                                               IS JESUS                                                                COMING  BACK 
                                                     PART 5

                                                   (copied from 
        Y-Jesus.com)

How Will Jesus Return?

The Bible speaks of the Lord returning visibly 
with great power and  glory.

Five hundred years prior to Christ the Prophet 
Zachariah wrote of the Lord coming to Jerusalem
during a period of intense war. Jerusalem will be
surrounded by armies from "all nations"  The
battle will be bloody and fierce, and the armies of
Israel will be overwhelmed by its enemies. Then
something dramatic will change everything.

Suddenly, when all hope seems gone, the Jews will gaze up in the sky and see their mighty Lord Himself coming in the clouds. We are told that "every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him."  The Lord speaks through the prophet, telling us how He will be recognized when He returns.

"They will look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly as for an only son who has died."

It is important to understand that this prophecy of the Messiah's return to Jerusalem,  was written five hundred years before Jesus was born. No other person in history has been pierced, died and returned to life. It will be an incredible, emotionally moving experience for all who see
Him.

In an instant, the Jews defending their city, will realize that the Lord saving them is the very Jesus whom their ancestors had rejected. How will they recognize Him?   The same way the disciples recognized Jesus after His resurrection, by the nail prints in His hands.  



It is then that they will
weep bitterly and "mourn for Him as for an only son."  It is then that they
will realize his great love
for them


When Jesus returns, those who have already died
"in Christ"  will be the first to meet Him in the
air.  Then those from every nation who are still alive and trust Him as their Lord and Savior , 
will meet Him in the air.

Bible scholars disagree on the timing of these
events, however, as Paul wrote "we should be
watching and waiting for the "blessed hope and glorious appearing, of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Jesus promise of His return will be fulfilled just
as literally as were first prophecies of His coming.
It will be in God's time, when all prophesied world events are  finally in place. His return will be a time of joy and reward for believers, but a time of 
horrible judgement for unbelievers.

C.S. Lewis  cited three prepositions to remember
about Jesus' return.

(1)   He will certainly return.
(2)   We cannot possibly find out when.
(3)   Therefore we must always be ready for Him.

We have already established that Jesus  promises
to return and that His words are believable. We
have also seen that Jesus Himself said that we cannot know exactly when He will return. But how do we prepare for His return ?

next post  31st January

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 73

                                               ONE HEARTBEAT                       AWAY

  PART 73

(Mark Cahill's Book)

Sheila was really doing some thinking as we 
talked about all of this. We talked about her sin  
by reviewing The Ten Commandments, which 
she had mentioned as a way to be O.K.  with 
God. It was an amazing conversation.

At the end of our talk, I took a copy of my first book and gave it to her. She looked at me and 
said, "I have been wanting to have this conversation for a long, long time now."

I told her that, on the way to the airport I had been praying that the person next to me on the flight would have an open 
heart for a conversation about Jesus. I
looked at her and said, " you were the answer 
to that prayer. "

The look on her face was priceless. Sheila 
looked at me and said, "I am going to remember this conversation for a long, long time.  I pray 
for Sheila to accept Yashua/Jesus as her Saviour, 
if she hasn't done it already so that she won't be judged by the Law.

One time in Winter Park, Colorado, I was doing 
a lot of skiing during the day. I like to talk about eternal matters with people on ski lifts, I mean, what are you going to do, jump?  They always 
ride with you, right to the top!  

One day on the ski lift, I was talking with a teacher from a Jewish synagogue and his son. 
We were talking about the forgiveness of sin. 
The Day of Atonement was a few days away, so 
he told me about the fasting and prayer that is
done on that day.

As he talked I found that he knew that the Jewish
Scriptures talk about the sacrifice of animals, and that their blood is understood to be a covering for sin. He  also knew that, for almost 2,000 years, Jews have not been able to offer animal sacrifices because the Temple where they must be offered was destroyed by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago. 

So I explained to him about Jesus being the 
perfect sacrifice for all sin, making the Temple
not needed anymore. That's why the Temple was
gone.

  We had a great talk on    the lift, then right            when you get to the        top - where you  tilt        your skis up  so they        don't clip the                  landscape  area, and pop off your feet - he looked at me and said, "I have never thought about the fact of human sacrifice before."

Two and two began to equal four in his mind. 
He knew the Jewish Law that had to be fulfilled
for an effective sin offering, and now, for the 
first time he was realizing why Jesus really came to this earth; To be that perfect-once-and- for-all-time sin offering.

God says of Jesus: "Who being the brightness of
His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His 
power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right and of His Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3) 

Remember that, from the outset, the search in
this book has been for truth. Knowing the truth and living by that truth will always set you free.

next post  25th January.

s

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY -PART 72

 ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY

PART  72



(Mark Cahill's Book)


I was in Kansas City, getting onto my plane.  I put my bag in the seat I was going to sit in. The lady next to me was dressed all in black, with silver hair and gold jewelry. It was a real nice contrast. She appeared to be around 60 years old.

I said "hello," and she was friendly back. But I noticed she was reading The New York Times, which is a very liberal (there-is-no- God) newspaper.

I remember thinking, this is going to be a short conversation (by the way be careful what you think: you might be totally wrong).  After getting settled we introduced ourselves: her name was Sheila. Then I asked her why she had been in Kansas City. She told me she had been to a funeral. My hopes for a good conversation increased because I knew she would be thinking about death.

I asked her who had died, and she told me it was her nephew. I asked her how he had passed away. She looked at me and said, "I just met you. I don't know if I should tell you."

I looked at her and told her that if she felt comfortable with telling me then that would be fine. Then she told me that her nephew had committed suicide. I told her that one of my students had done that a few years ago. So we began to really talk.

About twenty minutes into the conversation, something truly amazing happened. I had mentioned  "God "  kind of generally, at one point. She had mentioned "spiritual"  at another point. But nothing with any depth had happened so far, as far as talking about spiritual things.

I asked Sheila if she was Jewish 
and she told me that she was.
Suddenly she looked at me and asked totally out of nowhere , " Why does someone like me need to receive Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins? Why can't I just be a good Jewish person who keeps The Ten Commandments to be right with God?  Why do I have to receive Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins ?  It would be much easier for me to become a Christian and go from the minority to the  majority. Why do I need to do that?"

My jaw about hit the floor. I couldn't believe this lady asked me that. It is amazing that I often think that people won't talk with me when it comes to eternal matters. Then God puts someone next to me who is in "search mode, "  and I only have to be obedient in what I say to them. God has worked in their hearts and they are ready. All that is needed is to place the seed of truth or to water the seed that is already there.

After Sheila asked that enormous question, or series of questions, I stood up and got my Bible from my bag in the apartment above me, and we talked the whole flight about Yeshua being mentioned in the Old Testament. 
(Jesus' original Jewis name is Yeshua, which means "Salvation.") 

I once listened to a tape
 about a guy who was a 
completed Jew, - that is  he had accepted Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. He said that he came to 
believe this after a Jewish person who believed in Jesus suggested that he read four things in the Old Testament, and then ask himself the question : 
"Who is this referring to?"

He thought that sounded fair and so he tried it. 
(1)  Isaiah 53 talks about a suffering   
       servant . His answer was that 
       chapter was talking about Jesus.
(2)  Psalm 22 talks about the 
      crucifixion of the Messiah. He knew
      that  described Jesus' death.
(3)  Jeremiah 31: 31-34 talks about 
       how there is an Old covenant and 
       that someday there will be a New
       one. He hadn't known about a 
       new covenant. Now he did.
(4)  Daniel 9:24-27  talks about how
       the Messiah will be cut off and 
       then the city would be destroyed.
       When the Old Testament talks 
       about  "the city "  it is always 
       in reference to Jerusalem. And we
       know from history that Jerusalem
       was destroyed in 70 A.D. So the
       Messiah had to have come before
       that!

This man said that at that point he 
knew that it was Jesus, and Jesus 
alone Who could have fulfilled that prophecy.

I also like a fifth verse :
(5)  Proverbs 30:4  tells us that there
       is a God , and then asks the
       question: "and what is His Son's 
       Name?"

So, the Jewish scriptures proclaim in these and many other passages that the Son of God would come at a particular time and manner.

next post  tomorrow 22nd  January

ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 71

I am sorry but image refuses
to unload

                                                                                      ONE HEARTBEAT                                                    AWAY

    PART  71






(Mark Cahill's Book)

And here it is where it all begins to fit together, God, Who demands a blood sacrifice for sin says:

"And almost all things are by the law, 
purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission."
(Hebrews  9:22)

Who, His Own Self bare our sins in His Own Body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by Whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd, 
and Bishop of your souls.
(1st Peter 2:24-25)

We cannot and will never be able to change God's standard. Jesus is also
called the perfect sacrifice Who paid the penalty for all sin once and for all.  We have to remember that God demands a perfect sacrifice. If Jesus was a sinner just like us, man and man alone, then that payment won't cut it. Many people have died on a cross, but Jesus had to be different - and He was and is.

For we have not an high priest that cannot be touched with the feeli0ng of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin.
(Hebrews 4:15)

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.
Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously.
(1st Peter 2:22-23)

That is the difference, Jesus never sinned. Not once.  Never.  He was tempted as we are, but He never fell into sin. Because He always chose to do what He  knew in His heart was the 
right thing. He and He alone can be that perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin and for all sinners. That is how He could be The Lamb Without Blemish.
He is the perfect atonement for all of our sins to the Almighty God of this universe.


next post  tomorrow 22nd January

PRAISING GOD - PART 11

                                             PRAISING GOD

                                             PART  11





Worship the Lord with reverence
and rejoice with trembling
for Thou, O Lord
are a shield to me
my glory and the lifter of my head
I cried unto the Lord with my voice
and He answered me from His holy
mountain
In peace I will lie down and sleep
for Thou alone, O Lord,
doth make me to dwell in safety

At Thy holy mountain
I will bow in reverence to Thee
Let all who take refuge in
Thee be glad
Let them ever sing for joy
and mayest Thou shelter them
that all who know Thy Name
may exult in Thee.

I will give thanks to the Lord
according to His righteousness
I will sing praises to the Name
of the Lord, Most High
O Lord, Our Lord,
how majestic is Thy Name
in all the earth
Who hath displayed Thy splendour
above the heavens
When I consider Thy heavens
and the work of Thy fingers
The moon and the stars
that Thou hast ordained
What is man that Thou dost
take thought of him
and the son of man that
Thou should care for him.
Yet Thou has made him a 
little lower than the angels
and crowned him with 
glory and majesty
Thou hast made him to  rule
 over the works of Thy hands
and crowned him with 
glory and majesty.

Thou dost put all things

under his feet                  all sheep and oxen 
and also the beasts
of the field
The birds of the heaven 
and the fish in the sea
and whatsoever passes
through the paths of
the sea.

next post  27th January

MY FAVORITE PSALMS - PART 91

    
   MY FAVORITE             PSALMS

     PART 91



Princes persecute me without 
a cause
But my heart stands in awe
of Thy words
I rejoice at Thy word
As one who finds great spoil
I hate and despise falsehood
but I love Thy law
Seven times a day I praise 
Thee
Because of Thy righteous
ordinances
Those who love Thy law
have great peace
and nothing causes them
to stumble
I hope for Thy Salvation
O Lord
And do Thy commandments
My soul keeps Thy
testimonies 
And I love them exceedingly
I keep Thy precepts and Thy
testimonies
for all my ways are before Thee.

Let my cry come before Thee
O Lord
Give me understanding
according to Thy word


 Let my supplication
 come before Thee                   Deliver me according 
 to Thy word.
Let my lips utter praise
For Thou dost teach
me Thy statutes
Let my tongue sing of 
Thy word

For all Thy commandments 
are righteous
Let Thy hand be ready to
help me
For I have chosen Thy 
precepts
I long for Thy salvation
O Lord
And Thy law is my delight
Let my soul live that it
may praise Thee
And let Thine ordinances
help me
I have gone astray like a
lost sheep
seek Thy servant
For I do not forget Thy
commandments.


next post 26th January