The First Coming: John 1-10
“Listen, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son and shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 1:31
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete”.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
” 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
“8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
Jesus existed in the beginning. He is eternal. The apostle John saw, heard, and touched Jesus and testifies about Him and the eternal life he brings. John then emphasizes fellowship with both the Father and the Son who are “from the beginning” inseparable and eternal.
If we claim to have fellowship with the Son we must humbly walk in the Light that we may be continually cleansed from sin. However, all who claim to have no sin are deceived and have no truth in them.
God is light, and His only begotten Son brought the light of heaven with Him into this world. Jesus is the Light of the World. Wherever He has gone He has brought His Light and enlightened the minds of millions of people living in the darkness of the world and Satan.
The Second Coming: Are We Ready for Eternity?
The second coming of our Lord is the hope of His faithful children that the Lord our God, Who created all things by His Word and controls all things, has come to fulfill His promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby. He fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in lowly circumstances as the humble suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will fulfill all remaining prophecies as the conquering King and will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19: 11-16
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20
The Lord’s faithful children have just passed through a four year long fiery trial of evil so palpable it was unlike anything we have ever before experienced. During the time of evil we saw the faithful stand unmoving and grow stronger in their faith. Others were shaken away and disappeared into the darkness. Still others came in from the darkness into the Light of Christ. It is as if Jesus has been calling out to His own saying: “Come out of her my children and make yourselves ready for eternity. When I knock, will your lanterns be full of oil?”
Though we know not the hour or the day of our Lord’s return, we know it is true and sure so we must always be ready for eternity, as the five virgins who kept oil in their lanterns were ready.
Let Us Pray:
How grateful we are Father, for the promise of Your only begotten Son, the Crucified Risen Christs’ return as the conquering King!.
We ask that You have mercy on us O Lord, for we are sinners conceived in sin. Please cleanse our hearts Lord and in Your mercy forgive us for all the ways we have allowed ourselves to become ensnared in the sinful things of this world. Instead of setting our minds on heaven above, our thoughts have all too often been focused down here, on the affairs of this world that is passing away. Forgive us Father, for allowing our hearts to be depressed and weighed down with the trials of life, for in so doing, our watchfulness for Your coming has been diminished, and we have allowed the oil in our lanterns to burn low. Please forgive us O Lord our Christ!
“I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.” John 10:9
For our church community we ask that You bless them with Godly righteous, deeply convicted pastors who preach the Gospel of Christ, the narrow way leading to the Gate. Please strengthen and grow their faith in Your Word that they might humble themselves, confess their sins daily, grow in self-control and virtue, and become upright and godly in all they do as we all wait eagerly for the return of our blessed hope, Lord Jesus. Purify us Lord that we might be unashamed before You when You return.
We ask, Lord Jesus, that when You return, You will find all of Your sons and daughters alert, eager, and ready with our lamps full of oil and burning brightly. Until then, may we come out from Babylon and truly live as aliens and strangers in this world that is passing away even as we minister the Gospel of Christ to lost souls.
Lord Jesus, our Blessed Hope, come quickly, we pray. Amen.
2024@LindaKimball
Amen. May God have mercy on us all.