Invitation To The Great Supper

The Great Supper audio

Ready For The Second Coming Of Jesus

Today we will be looking at Luke 12:35-48.

Leading up to this portion of Scripture, Jesus has been warning his disciples about the temptation to tie their hearts to the things of this world and miss out on the things of God.  In short they will not be ready for their personal judgment.  Here Jesus connects this to a time of Judgment that is still future; the [Second] Coming of the Son of Man.  As difficult as it was to accept, Jesus clearly taught in many places and times that he was going to leave his disciples behind and they would need to be faithful until he came back.  It was upon this coming back that he would judge the nations and give the authority of the nations unto his followers.  This idea of being ready for his coming is central to all that Jesus taught from the cross to his ascension.

Now it is easy for modern man and even modern theologians to state that Jesus and his disciples were just mistaken.  That is, Jesus taught and they thought that he was coming back in their life time.  First of all, let me point out that Jesus continually referred to a long delay that would tempt his followers to quit looking for his coming.  Also, second of all, if you had to put together important principles for people of the last 2,000 years, how would you go about it?  In other words, did the message, “Be ready for my coming,” have no meaning or affect upon previous generations?  It is clear from history that those believers who expected Christ to come back lived very different lives from those who created theological explanations as to why Jesus wasn’t literally coming back (i.e. they spiritualized the statement and treated it as a metaphor).  Even though we do not know the day nor hour of his coming, we are told even commanded to be ready.  So what does that look like?

Waiting Servants and The Lord’s Instructions

Jesus gives a parable (a true-to-life story that pictures spiritual truth) to help us understand what it means to be ready.  The parable is that of servants waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast.  Now Jesus told several such parables and the emphases and particulars often change.  In some places we are the virgins awaiting the bridegroom to take us to the feast.  In others we are invited to the wedding by the Father of the bride.  Here we are the servants waiting for the master to come back from “the wedding” (we are not told whose and it seems to be irrelevant for the point Jesus is making).  Each of these different parables have their spiritual significance.  In fact in Revelation 19 we are told that a wedding feast for Christ and his bride is thrown right before Christ comes back to judge the nations.  So what is expected of these servants in this parable and how does that relate to us?  Let’s look at the instructions of Jesus.

First, they are to have their waists girded or tied up (like a belt).  In the culture of that day long robe type clothing was what they wore.  If one had work to do they would pull up the robe and tie it around their waist so that it would not slow them down and get in the way.  Thus, this is about being ready to work.  If you showed up on a muddy construction site in dress shoes and slacks, everyone knows you are not going to be any help in the labor that needs done.  So believers today can ready themselves for Christ’s coming by “being dressed for work” and all hindrances tied up or put aside.  This idea of being ready for service for this parable is a present readiness for service at his coming.  Yet Jesus and his apostles also challenged believers to be ready to do the work of the Father for everyday.  Jesus told his parents, “didn’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”  Also, in 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul tells the young minister Timothy, “Preach the Word!  Be ready in season and out of season….”  What does it mean to be ready in season and out of season?  It is a way of saying be always ready (in this case to proclaim the gospel and teachings of Christ).  Thus the believer has two layers of readiness.  We must tie up any activity of our life that might trip us up and hinder us from serving Christ; particularly sins of the flesh.  Instead of living life as “fully” as we can, the believer restrains themselves and looks to the Spirit of Christ for direction rather than to the Spirit of this Age of consumerism, materialism, and sensualism.  Are you ready for service every day?  Whether or not Jesus comes back today, it makes a huge difference in the life of a disciple if they are ready for service because the Holy Spirit will impact a lost world through such a person.

Next we are told to have our lights burning.  On one hand this part of the parable is about our ability to see.  Without light it is impossible to serve at night.  This is a dark world and yet, Christ has given us the light of Truth.  Like a light to a dark room, the Truth of Christ enables us to understand the “room” of this world and our life.  Yet, the light of God’s Word is not just to help us see so that we can choose what we want to do.  Rather, it helps us to see and it directs us in what we should be doing.  Thus the person who has their lights burning is a disciple that is living by God’s Truth and his instructions.  Now notice, a lamp can be lit or unlit.  God’s Word is light.  But if it is not believed and lived out by a person (the lamp) other humans will never see the light.  Thus a burning lamp requires being filled with oil (the Spirit of Christ), having our wicks trimmed (pruning off sin and its destructive effects), and the continual maintenance of that initial God-given spark of life.  Is your life readied for the return of your master?  Do you have your lamps burning or has the flame gone out?  Another parable (The 10 Virgins) warns us that if we don’t get our lamps working today, we will be caught unaware and unready.  We need to realize that our enemy the devil will seek to distract us from our proper service.  Once he has us distracted he will move quickly to extinguish our lamp.  We need to be the kind of waiting servants that are not just sleeping until the master returns.  Rather we are continually monitoring and preparing our life for his return.

This leads us to the third instruction: we are to be watching for his coming.  The life of a believer needs to be one of expecting the Lord to come at any moment.  This will affect our perspective and our attitude.  Some may be tempted to withdraw from society and retreat into a well-stocked bunker.  However, this would actually be disobedience to the directions of the Holy Spirit.  We are to be busy with His business today and ready for His business of tomorrow.  Those who truly expect the coming of Jesus will be more careful how they live.  But when we doubt his coming or think it will never “really” come (literally), we will tend to walk in the flesh, never really getting around to service and hindered on every hand in making any preparations.  Notice that the passage speaks of Jesus coming in the second or third watch.  The first watch is the easiest to remain vigilant.  It requires less effort to remain alert and often others are still awake.  Similarly, the last watch of the night (4^th watch) is easier as well.  You have gotten good sleep and are merely waking a bit early to be vigilant.  But the 2^nd and 3^rd watch are the hours that are late at night and early in the morning so from 9PM to 3AM.  The main point is that he will come at a time when it is not easy to stay vigilant.  In fact he says that his disciples would not think it would be the time.  “Surely, he won’t come now it’s after midnight.”  We are to be prepared especially in those times when we don’t think he would come.  Thus this is an always expecting him attitude.  This should not make us “no earthly good.” Rather, it should make us all the more busy about our Father’s work so that nothing will be undone when he comes.  The enemy seeks to steal the treasure of God’s truth that has been given too you.  If you do not watch, he will steal the very things that make for your faith.  Guard your heart.

Blessing for Faithful Servants; Punishment for the Unfaithful

Now Jesus speaks to the blessing that belongs to those who faithfully execute his will and heed his warnings.  Jesus says in verse 37 that when the master comes he will gird himself and serve his faithful servants.  There is a certain beauty to this promise.  We gird ourselves to serve him today and he promises to gird himself and serve us when he comes.  That doesn’t mean he hasn’t already served us and is not serving us today.  The very nature of our God is service.  Christ served us by laying his life down at the cross to pay the price for our sins.  Christ is serving us by giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe upon him and intercedes for us daily.  Christ, however, is going to serve believers in that day he returns.  He will put down the scoffers and mockers who have persecuted the faithful and he will give all authority into the hands of his saints.  You might notice that Jesus acted this out on the night of his betrayal.  He makes them to sit at a meal, picks up a towel and washes their feet.  Who are we that he would be mindful of us to serve us in such a way?  That is the eternal mystery.  The God of heaven rejects the proud and great of this world and stoops down to serve the outcasts and the off scouring of the earth.

In verse 41 Peter asks a question because he is confused that it would be possible for one of them to not be ready for their lord.  But instead of answering Peter Jesus plows on in pressing the point.  Jesus points out two adjectives that he is looking for in his disciples: Faithful and Wise.  In this case they really are facets of the same thing.  The wise servant is not one who has figured out many great ways to serve the master.  Rather, he is the one who is faithful to the instructions that the master gave.  The master will make such a servant ruler over all that he has.  This scope of authority and its future expansion is a clear indication that God has rewards and duties for us in the age to come.  If we are faithful with God’s things in this life then in the age to come he will give us things that will be ours to do with what we want.  Yes, the usurpers have taken over the earth and exercise the authority thereof, but Christ will come and remove them.  This will be a day in which his followers are given greater authority.  Thus the blessing is being served by Christ himself and being given greater authority.  Yet, now we turn to the unfaithful.

In verse 45-48 we see those who cease following the instructions because of the delay of Christ’s return.  We can see all around us the evidence for why Christ would warn about such things.  These unfaithful servants don’t quit.  Rather they begin to abuse the other servants and their place or position within the house of Christ.  Next to this is the temptation to eat and drink to drunkenness.  Thus the unfaithful servant uses the master’s things to satisfy the desires of their flesh (i.e. partying with the master’s supplies).  As drunkenness is to drink so gluttony is to food.  This person is no longer prepared for service, a lit lamp, and expectant of Christ’s return.  They have overturned such an agenda and live to please their own flesh.  Their heart is tied to the things of the world at the expense of the things of Christ.

Thus Jesus says that his coming will surprise them.  They will not only think he is coming but they will be “unaware.”  Awareness is crucial in everything that we do in life.  This person is dulled to the very things Christ wants them to be perceptive.  No matter how faithful we are, if we stop being faithful we are in jeopardy.  We don’t say a person ran a good race because they the first quarter of it well.  If they quit and walk off the track they did not run a good race.  I could prepare for and expect Christ’s coming for 50 years.  But if I give up and start living for my flesh, I then put myself in jeopardy.  The “party it up” life desensitizes us to the purposes and times of God.

Yet, being surprised is the easy aspect to this.  They will also be appropriately punished.  In fact the “cut him in two” is a clear statement of execution.  The unfaithful servant will be given the portion of the unbelievers (aka the enemies of the master).  Thus they are clearly eternally lost.  Now, I need to bring this to a close.  It is clear that Jesus points out the perfect judgment that will be exercised.  Those who know better what they should be doing will be held more accountable and receive a worse punishment.  God is a perfect judge and that can give us relief on one hand and cause for concern on the other.  Do I want to be an unfaithful servant who is punished or a faithful servant who is blessed?  Faithfulness to these commands is what will make the difference.  Maranatha!

Be Ready Audio

The Coming Blood Moons II

Today we will finish up this two part series on the blood moons and look at exactly what should we do with this information.   So first let’s just review what is being said.

Bible prophecy refers to the fact that God will use the sun and the moon to signal people on the earth that He is getting ready to bring judgment.  In these descriptions we see evidence that eclipses and or atmospheric disturbances will cause the sun to be dark and the moon to appear blood red.

In looking at the scientific data of when eclipses have happened in the past and will happen in the future, a pattern has emerged.  It is rare for four total lunar eclipses, called tetrads, to happen in a row (54 times in 2,000 years or less than 3 times per century).  But it is even rarer for these “tetrads” to land on the biblical feast days (7 times in 2,000 years or 1 every 300 years).  The last two tetrads that landed on biblical feast days happened within 19 years of each other in 1949 and 1967.  Both these dates happen to be significant events in the life of modern Israel and the next one will begin in April 2014.  Is something significant on the horizon?  Is God signaling believers that He is about to make a change in the status quo?  It sure seems that way.  On top of all this is the fact that there will be a solar eclipse as the religious New Year begins.  Here are the dates:

2014 Apr 14  Passover—Total Lunar Eclipse

2014 Oct 08  Tabernacles—Total Lunar Eclipse

2015 Mar 20  Religious New Year—Solar Eclipse

2015 Apr 04  Passover—Total Lunar Eclipse

2015 Sep 28  Tabernacles—Total Lunar Eclipse

Times of the Gentiles

In Luke 21:24-28, Jesus warned His disciples to be alert and recognize the prophetic times.  He also gives a rough outline of the events leading up to His second coming.  They are: Israel defeated and led captive into all the nations, The Times of the Gentiles, Signs in the heavens and on the earth, The Second coming.  Now it is a no brainer that the first two have happened.  Israel was destroyed along with the temple of the Lord.  They were scattered to the nations as God’s grace turned towards the Gentiles.  This times of the Gentiles will continue until it is fulfilled.   Thus as the times of the Gentiles come to a close, God gives signals in the heavens and on the earth that He is getting ready to come back.  So how will we know when the Times of the Gentiles is over?

In Romans 11:11-12, 25-28 we are told that during this time of the Gentiles Israel as a whole would be blind to salvation and the true messiah.  However, when the full number of Gentiles has been brought in then God will turn back to Israel and draw them to a salvation experience.  Thus, as the times of the Gentiles draws to a close, so the time of Israel’s national salvation is drawing near.  God’s turning back to Israel is not a rejection of the church.  Rather, it is an emphatic exclamation point on God’s heart for the lost.  Israel rejects the messiah and God’s riches are given to the Gentiles.  But even more riches will be given to the Gentiles through the drawing of Israel back to God.  Israel’s salvation will be proof that what God did in sending His Gospels to the Gentiles was indeed righteous.  So a dark time of tribulation detailed in the book of Revelation will come upon the unbelieving world and in this dark time Israel will come to see its sin and turn in repentance to Jesus.  This is spoken of in Zechariah 12:10.  Here the prophet says that Israel will look upon the one whom they pierced and a spirit of grace and repentance will be poured out upon them.  They will mourn  over what they did to Jesus Christ the Firstborn of the Sons of God.

Now in Luke 21:36 Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray that they would be counted worthy to escape this time of Great Tribulation.  The key is not to be so fascinated with blood moons, the nation of Israel, or weather anomalies that we lose sight of the other things we should be doing.  We should be praying for ourselves, for each other as believers, and for the salvation of the lost around us.  We should also be an active witness of the salvation of Jesus to those who are lost.  The blood moons should only add another signal to us from our Lord to be even more confident in our prayers and in our witness.  It should cause us to separate ourselves even more from the temptations and seductions of this age.

So let me encourage you, these dates are not important in and of themselves.  Historically it has been either before, in the middle or after the tetrads that something has happened.  These are not predictions of the rapture or the second coming.  They are simply signals from our Lord to not be asleep spiritually and to be about His business.

Yet, just as the spring Feasts of the Lord prophetically pointed to the first Coming of Christ, so the Fall feasts prophetically point to His second.  The first coming events happened on the very feast days: Jesus, the Lamb of God, was slain on Passover.  He was then buried and became our heavenly bread on Unleaved Bread.  He was resurrected along with a select group of saints on the feast of Firstfruits.  And, He poured out the Holy Spirit to enable a global harvest on the feast of Pentecost or Weeks.  Now Christians have debated for years whether the Rapture is actually going to happen on one of these Fall feasts.  I am of the opinion that our Lord wanted us to understand the times without being focused on figuring out what day He will come.  Thus I encourage you, keep your eye on Jesus and the duties that He has given you.  Keep sowing the seed, watering it, and harvesting as the Lord provides.  When it is time to go He will let you know.  Maranatha!

Blood Moons II Audio

Who Can Endure His Coming?

Today our Scripture portion will be in Malachi 3:1-6.  We left chapter 2 on the note that the people and leaders of Israel had developed an attitude that serving God didn’t help.  In fact that it seemed those who scorned His laws were “blessed” by Him.  “Where is the God of justice,” is a question that goes to the heart of the messiah because the whole purpose of sending the messiah was to restore justice.

They continued to give lip-service to the doctrine of a coming messiah, but had ceased living as if he was really coming.

Thus, the Spirit of the Lord stirs up Malachi to give them a reminder that the messiah is coming and they are not ready for him.

God Is Sending The Messiah

In verse one a clear reference to the messiah is made, “the Lord whom you seek.”  This messiah was promised to deliver Israel from all her enemies and would be the perfect leader both politically and spiritually.  The term messiah literally means Anointed One.  Though many kings and priests had been anointed by oil for their roles and duties, the messiah would be unique in that he would be directly anointed by God and not just with oil, but rather with the Spirit of God.  Now for centuries Israel had hoped in the coming messiah.  But by the time of Malachi it had become a shell.  What I mean by that is this.  The teaching still remained, but the heart and spirit of what it meant was no longer there.  We see this in John 4 when Jesus talks with the woman at the well in Samaria.  She is definitely not living according to God’s Word and yet she still gives lip service to the coming messiah.  In fact, she does not really demonstrate a desire for him to come, but rather a desire to drop the discussion.  “When the messiah comes he will explain it.”  Their lives actually scoffed at the idea that a messiah would actually come.  Thus God reminds them that he is going to send the messiah.

However, He will first send a messenger of preparation.  In Matthew 11:10, Jesus quotes this verse to declare that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of it.  He was the messenger of preparation.  He had prepared the way before the messiah by calling people to repentance (much like Malachi).  The messiah does not need an actual road prepared for him because the place he is trying to reach is our hearts.  Thus John the Baptist’s message was “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Isaiah does use this picture of road building in Isaiah 40:3-4.  “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.”  But the “way of the Lord” is a phrase that refers to God’s judgments and dictates in His Word.  Thus a straight path is when we completely follow God’s Word instead of branching off in our own desired directions.  Just as in building a road we lower the high places and raise the low places, so each individual needed to knock down those areas of pride in their life and build up those forsaken lowly places that God intended to be higher.  It is a picture of what we become without God’s word: barricaded against His entrance into our heart.  Yet, God would do some road building Himself.  He would knock down those great proud mountains within the nation of Israel and raise up forsaken believers who truly believed on him.  Now let me warn us today.  Jesus, the messiah, is coming again.  This time he is coming in judgment for the whole world and we need to prepare our hearts for his coming.  God is going to do some smashing of “proud mountains” in this world and some raising of lowly “valleys.”  Does your life today reflect a preparation for Christ or does it only give lip-service to that coming?  Has the belief in Jesus’ coming become only a shell or have you jettisoned it altogether?  Know this: Jesus is coming and we will either be prepared for that coming or be caught unprepared.

After the messenger of preparation then comes the messiah.  He is referred to as the messenger of the covenant.  He is the “Lord, whom you seek.”  Verse one says that he will come suddenly or surprisingly.  He is going to catch them by surprise and at a time that they aren’t expecting.  Does that sound familiar?  As his first coming was so shall his second coming be.

Next it says that he is coming to his temple.  Now the temple that existed when Jesus came the first time was not the temple that Solomon had built.  In fact when the second temple was being built the Bible tells us that some who remembered the glory of the first wept and cried.  However, the “lowly” temple was going to be the one that received the honor of having the promised Messiah walk into it.  Yet, in light of John the Baptist’s message we know that the true target is not the earthly temple that was going to be destroyed.  No, the true target was the hearts of those who fear Him and exalt Him as Lord in their hearts and lives.  These are the ones to whom He would ultimately come.

Now let’s move to verse 2.  Malachi asks the question, “who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?”  That is the question.  Preparation entails knowing what you are preparing for.  The question Who begs the answer that would inform our preparations.

Now the word endure is the picture of a vessel that is supposed to contain something.  When Christ comes will your vessel be able to contain it or will it burst at the seams?  This is what Jesus referred to when he said that many of the religious leaders were like old wineskins.  They could not receive Jesus or His teaching because it would break their hardened traditions and the hardened shell of a life they had built in the name of religion.  He also uses the picture of standing.  Who can stand without being cut down and swept away?  When God’s Anointed One who is the very Justice of God walks among our midst, which of us will survive?  This important question is answered elsewhere.  But here it is meant to stir a fear of the Lord in the hearts of those listening.  We ought to also recognize the powerful thought that the perfect Lord of Glory is going to come down and deal with unbelievers and the unfaithful.  Will you stand and not burst in that day?

The Messiah Comes To Purify

Malachi goes on to give two pictures of the messiah.  He is like a refiner’s fire and he is like soap.  Now there is a personal and corporate level on which this happens.  The personal level is for those who believe in the Lord.  He causes our hearts to be searched out and purified through a daily relationship with him; just like the fire or soap.

Yet, corporately, He will remove the unbelieving and unfaithful from among His people.  In the first century he did this by becoming an outcast and then calling all who believed to His side.  In order to obey the faithful had to turn their backs on the hardened traditions of their Fathers and the present religious leaders.  After those who made their choice had come to the side of Christ, outside the camp, then the judgment of God was poured out on the unbelieving of that nation.  Thus the Church began as a purified remnant of Israel.  They were able to stand because they were willing to let go of that which God was going to destroy and put their faith in Jesus whom He was going to bless.

The Messiah Comes To Restore

When we have been purified by Christ we are truly able to give an offering of righteousness.  Thus Malachi points to this time when the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord.  In John 4:23 Jesus said, “the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”  God wants true heart worship and not empty-shell lip-service.  Even today the outward forms of worship and offerings can become something less than a spirit that is bowed in honor and in awe of God.  However, a spirit that is bowed in honor and awe of the Lord will have visible actions.  Jesus restored true worship.  However we must avoid demolishing that true worship by hardening it into an empty shell again.

The Messiah Comes To Judge

In verse 5, he warns that the messiah will deal with sorcerers: those who call upon demonic entities and powers and so have turned from God and His ways.  Do you suppose any still do this today?  The occult and spiritism have exploded in the modern era.  He is coming to judge adulterers: those who are unfaithful and led by their pleasures.  He comes to judge perjurers: those who falsely swear oaths in the name of God.  Lastly he comes to judge those who abuse social power.  Are any doing these things today?  In fact in the “Christian” West we love to give lip-service to helping the poor.  But, in reality, we only use the issue of the poor to get more power and money under our control.  The poor end up hardly being helped.  If we fear God we will not turn to any power other than God.  We will refuse to be led by our pleasures and keep our commitments.  We will not use God to back up our lies.  And, we will not abuse workers, and the less fortunate around us for our own gain: this includes foreigners.

The Messiah Comes To Demonstrate Mercy

In verse 6 we are told that God does not change and thus Israel is not consumed.  Though God’s anger and wrath had been stirred up, He is still merciful.  He would purify and those who would allow Him to cleanse them would enjoy His goodness.  God is forever merciful.  But He will judge those who refuse His mercy.  He always makes a way for the humble to survive and spiritually flourish.  Israel did not deserve the New Covenant.  But God would give it to them anyway.  However, it would be given in a way that only those who believed God would enter into it.

Today we await the coming of the Lord.  And, it is easy for Christians to lean back on a nice tidy theology to feel secure.  However, it is not our theology per se that saves us.  It is Jesus Himself.  If our faith is not securely resting upon Him then you must question whether you are truly prepared for His coming.  To all I say along with Malachi and John the Baptist, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Who Can Endure Audio