Oct 26, 2018
Christ will appear a
second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting
for him. Heb 9:28
His death was for
everyone but His second coming is only for those who faithfully believe---so
surrender to Him now!
Imagine the world’s surprise at Jesus’ first arrival. He is prophesied for thousands of years as
the coming Messiah, who would re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Everyone knew where He would arrive, yet his
birth remained relatively hidden from the world. People expected Jesus to come in the lineage
of David, but did not expect Him to have poor and unassuming parents. Then Jesus shows up on the scene, teaches and
heals for three years while gathering a small posse, and ends up dieing a
gruesome death as a criminal. But as
shocking as all that was, you can’t top what happened three days later when
that same unknown teacher rose from the grave.
Until the next time Jesus shows up…
The next time it won’t be as a baby in a cattle manger. It won’t be for the purpose of walking the
earth to teach and heal. Jesus won’t
come to gather a posse of followers.
When He comes the next time, Jesus will be a visible image on the
clouds. His purpose won’t be to save
sinners but to rescue believers. Jesus
won’t be opening the door of salvation, He will be closing it. He won’t face a cross, we will.
This is our chance to choose. We either die to sin now and live later, or
live for ourselves now and die later.
God’s deal is beyond belief – offering us a swap of our sin for His
Son. But it does come with a cost:
surrender.
Sin appears to offer company, but delivers bondage. It starts with the promise of pleasure, but
turns to pain. Sin is the hope of
eternal happiness that leads to eternal hell.
And surrender is seen as lonely but delivers companionship. It starts with discipline but turns into
freedom. While it sacrifices temporary
happiness, it grows holiness that brings joy.
You and I were given a great deal. We live in the age of Grace. Take the deal! You’ll struggle with surrender for a little
while, but then find the results far better than the sin plan. And when Jesus comes again, you won’t be
surprised or disappointed. You’ll be
saved.
No comments:
Post a Comment