Jesus is Coming Back for You

Trevor Ferguson

August 8, 2014

John 14:1-3
¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And 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.

Acts 1:9-11
⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

INTRODUCTION

Many Christians today are experiencing hard times. The world we live today is blatantly unfriendly to the Christian. Many of us are faced with economic difficulties and struggle to make ends meet, because our daily expenses are often more than our financial resources. In addition to these economic difficulties, we are constantly pressured to lay aside our Christian values and conform to the standards of a corrupt world system, which places great value of material things, riches and pleasure. The net effect of these pressures is that many of us as Christians are uncomfortable in this world system. This sometimes leads persons into a state of bewilderment and despondency. Some people are so down and out, that they can hardly make it from one day to the next.

The good news, however, is that this is not a permanent state for us.

Firstly, God is able to give us joy and peace in this present world. Despite the pressures and the confusion around us, if we put our trust completely in God He will work things out for us. He will provide for us financially and he will give us joy and peace – in this present world! We note the words of Jesus in John 16:33 - “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We will face troubles in this world, but with Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm! We have an assurance that God will provide for us. Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory. Matthew 6:30 also reminds us that if God takes care of the grass in the field He will also take care of us. We don’t have to worry God will take care of His people.

Secondly, we are assured by the word of God that this world is not our final home. Earth for us is a temporary residence. One of these days we will live with Jesus in a great mansion in the skies.

EXPOSITION

A look at the passage in John 14:1-3 will give us a better picture of what Jesus is preparing for us. Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples and says to them: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for 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.” We note that this part of the final discourse between Jesus on and his disciples on the night of his betrayal. The setting is such that the disciples were worried and bewildered. Jesus had just declared that one of them would betray him and that Peter, arguably the strongest of his disciples, would deny him. Jesus however challenges his disciples – Do not let your hearts be troubled. Despite the grimness of this situation, the disciples could still have hope.

What was the basis on which the disciples could have this confidence – They had confidence in God – they knew Him as the Creator and Father; Jesus now challenges them - Believer also in me! – i.e. the revelation of God in the flesh, the son of God, the Redeemer. You have trusted God to this point – Don’t stop trusting Him now! Jesus goes on to remind them that God has adequate provision for His people – In my Father’s house there are many mansions (rooms). He has enough space for you! Jesus again challenges them again to trust Him – “If it were not so, I would have told you!” Jesus was in effect saying to them - I am not here to tell you fables, I am not here to mix up your minds. All that I have promised I am able to deliver. You can trust me – I am God!

The promise given in this passage is clear. Jesus says I go to prepare a place for you! If I go, I will come again. We know that he went, and we are equally sure that he will come again. The angels in Acts 1:11 also echoed this promise: “… Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” The same Jesus who went up into heaven is coming back for His people. We don’t know the day nor the hour but we have a firm assurance that He is coming back. Paul reminds us of this in 1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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 meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The Thessalonians were worried about the fate of those who had died before the Lord’s return. Paul however reminds them that those of us who are alive at Christ’s return shall not prevent them that are asleep from participating in the rapture. When Christ utters his shout, every saint in Christ from every age will hear and answer the call.

I say then to us today that not even death can rob us of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, for the dead in Christ shall rise first. It does not matter how bad the situation gets. If we remain true to Jesus, nothing will stop us from inheriting the mansions that Jesus is gone to prepare for us.

Look at how Paul puts it in Romans 8:35-39:

 

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Trouble is no match for the power of God; Death is no match for the power of God; the grave is no match for the power of God. The word of God again says it best in 1^st Corinthians 15:51-55 

⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Jesus is coming back for you and nothing can stop Him.

CONCLUSION

The word today is a reminder that Jesus is coming back for His people. Despite the rough, tough and difficult times that we face today, we can be assured that things will not continue like this forever. Jesus is coming back for us.

Let me warn however that this hope is only for those who are saved. If you have not yet accepted salvation, when Jesus comes back, you can only look forward to eternal damnation. But this does not have to be your fate.  The door of salvation is open to you right now. If you accept him, you too can look forward to his return.

I challenge you to repent of your sins, accept water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and you too will be able to anticipate, with joy, the coming of our Saviour.

God bless you today! IN JESUS NAME!

It Is Finished – The Redemption Story

Trevor S Ferguson

August 6, 2014

John 19:30 (KJV): When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

INTRODUCTION                                      

The gospels record seven sayings of Christ from the cross. These words were spoken despite great suffering and highlight the selflessness of Christ as He wrought salvation for humanity. The seven sayings are:

(1) Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)

(2) Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

(3) Woman, behold thy son: behold thy mother (John 19:26-27)

(4) My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)

(5) I thirst (John 19:28)

(6) It is finished (John 19:30)

(7) Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46)

The seven sayings have been variously designated as: (1) The word of forgiveness; (2) The word of salvation; (3) The word of love; (4) The word of spiritual suffering; (5) The word of physical suffering; (6) The word of triumph and (7) The word of committal. Regardless as to how one classifies these sayings, they show that Jesus in his humanity endured great suffering in securing salvation for mankind. They also show that even in the midst of his suffering Jesus was willing to step into His Divinity as He ministered to the repentant thief on the cross, and that in all this Jesus was cognizant of his earthly mission which was to secure salvation for man by paying the price for man’s redemption.

The sixth word from the cross – “It is finished” – signifies the accomplishment of this divine purpose. Jesus had successfully completed His divinely appointed task and had now paved the way for man to be reconciled to God. Today I want us to reflect the meaning of what Jesus had accomplished, as we look at the story of man’s redemption. How did we get to that point? What exactly did Jesus accomplish? What does all of that mean for us today?

EXPOSITION

Anyone who has been to Sunday school knows the story of Adam and Eve, how they sinned after being deceived by the devil and how sin has been passed on to the entire human race. What is less known, however, is that even while God was meting out punishment for Adam and Eve, and for the serpent, He interspersed in it a promise of redemption for mankind.

The promise of redemption is given in Genesis 3:15, which says: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This pointed to the future when the seed of the woman, now revealed to be Jesus Christ, would crush the head of the serpent, while the serpent would bruise His heel. Victory for the woman’s seed was guaranteed, but it would come at a price. He must be ‘bruised’. He would have to suffer physical pain and distress but in doing this He would achieve victory.

We recall also that the sin of Adam and Eve brought with it the death penalty – both physical death and spiritual death. Physical death in that all human beings will die, unless they are alive and translated at the time of Christ return and spiritual death in that we are separated from fellowship with God unless we receive salvation and thereby forgiveness of sins. But, in order to receive forgiveness of sins, blood had to be shed, as illustrated in God’s slaying of an animal to atone for Adam’s sin and the statement in Hebrews 9:22 which tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sins). 

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people conducted an elaborate system of sacrifices and offerings in order to obtain forgiveness of sins, but these sacrifices offered only atonement or covering for sin and had to be repeated on at least a yearly basis. These animal sacrifices were only a temporary covering for sin. The animals were merely a substitute, because the death penalty was really on mankind. We were sentenced to die! In order for this death penalty to be removed, there needed to be another sacrifice - one that could pay the price for the sins of all humanity once and for all. No human being could fit this bill. If any of us were to be put to death then it would be just payment for our own sins. In order to have a true substitutionary death there needed to be one that had no sin. In that there was no man that was sinless, God decided that He would have to pay the price on our behalf, but in order to do this God had to become a man.

Enter Jesus Christ!

Galatians 4: 4-5 relates the situation quite well – “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law …” Jesus came to redeem mankind! He came to pay the price for our sins; He came to give us the hope of salvation; He came to give us access to God. But in order for this to be accomplished Jesus had to endure the cross. Isaiah caught the vision and recorded it in Isaiah 53: 2-5:

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

The good news is that Jesus’ death on the cross was the sacrifice that once and for all paid the full price for man’s salvation and opened up the way for man to have full fellowship with God. Jesus’ words in John 19:30 is testament to that accomplishment. The statement translated as “It is finished” in English comes from a single Greek word ‘TETELASTAI’   which means “it is accomplished,” “it is fulfilled,” or “it is paid in full.” According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary ancient receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning “paid in full.”  This word on Jesus’ lips was therefore very significant. When He said, “It is finished”, He meant His redemptive work was completed. He had been made sin for humanity and had suffered the penalty of God’s justice which sin deserved. Jesus’ death was therefore the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. With His death, the complex Old Testament sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. We can now freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. Those who believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection can have a hope of life eternal and will escape the death penalty that comes from sin. Let us never forget however that the price paid for our redemption, involved agony, pain and death. With Jesus having paid such a great price, it is only appropriate that we accept the gift He offers to us and trust him for salvation.

CONCLUSION

I will close with two passages from the book of Hebrews which will serve both as a warning and an instruction.

Hebrews 2:1-3 “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; …”

Hebrews 10:19-23 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Jesus has paid a great price for our salvation. He has finished His work. The rest is up to us.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord, today is the best day to do so. Why don’t you put your trust in him? Repent of your sins; ask for water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ; God will fill you with the Holy Ghost and you will be on your way to heaven!

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is Still Necessary for Salvation

Trevor S Ferguson

July 5, 2014

Acts 19:1-6 (KJV)

¹And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

²He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

³And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

⁴Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

INTRODUCTION

It is estimated that there are over 2 billion Christians worldwide, with Christians making up approximately one third of the world’s population. Within Christianity however, there is a wide diversity of Christian doctrine, to such an extent, that this has caused many to be confused as to which church is the right church, and what is the right way of salvation. Added to this, is that even within denominations there are many differences in standards and individual church policy, and even within individual assemblies, some policies seem to change with the times.

In light of this, it is reasonable that one may ask – Are all persons who profess Christianity saved? The bible would suggest that this is not so. Let’s look at what Matt 7:21-24 says: “²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Note here, that this does not refer only to backsliders. Jesus said “I never knew you” i.e. you were never a part of the kingdom!

How then can we identify the true church and the true way of salvation? I suggest to you, that one can recognize the true church by its adherence to the original biblical doctrine of salvation and its adherence to the principles of holiness and righteous living as taught be the scriptures. Tonight we will look at the doctrine of salvation with particular reference to the importance of the baptism of the Holy Ghost as a part of New Testament salvation.  

                                                                                                                                             

EXPOSITION

The passage in Acts 19 relates an encounter between Paul and persons in Ephesus who were reported to be believers in Christ. Paul’s immediate desire was to embrace these new found believers, but before doing so he needed to know if their salvation experience was complete. He therefore asked one fundamental question: Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?  This question reveals a lot with regards to Paul’s perspectives on the Holy Ghost. Firstly, Paul clearly expected that all believers should receive the Holy Ghost. Secondly, Paul would not accept their salvation as complete, if they had not received the Holy Ghost. And thirdly, Paul expected that the Holy Ghost baptism was a clearly defined experience which could be answered with a definite yes or no. This is in contrast to the position of many today, who suggest that the Holy Ghost is given automatically when a person is converted and confesses faith in Jesus Christ, or to others that suggest the Holy Ghost is an optional post conversion experience for some Christians.

The answer the Ephesians gave was clearly not satisfactory to Paul – They responded – We have not heard whether there is any Holy Ghost? Paul’s next question was therefore: “Unto what then were ye baptized?”  Here again Paul is suggesting that it is expected that a person who has received Christian baptism should shortly thereafter receive that baptism of the Holy Ghost. This is clearly what was taught by Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:37-39. Note that in Acts 2:39 Peter emphasized that the promise of the Holy Ghost was given to all present at the day of Pentecost, to their children, to their children’s children and indeed as many as God should call. Let me hasten to say, that this promise is given to all who are reading this blog today!

The Ephesian disciples responded to Paul that they had only received John’s baptism. Apparently these disciples had heard the preaching of John the Baptist and were baptized by him. I presume that they returned to Ephesus without having heard the preaching of Jesus, or learnt about his death, burial and resurrection. Alternatively, they might have heard the preaching of Jesus, but had not heard about the day of Pentecost and that the baptism of the Holy Ghost was now available to all. Paul therefore explained to them that John preached the baptism of repentance pointing his disciples to believe on Jesus Christ. Now that Christ has come all believers were to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and were expected to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. These believers acted in obedience to the further explanation of the gospel provided by Paul and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Note that these believers were willing to accept further revelation of truth, and did not stubbornly hold on to their previous experiences as some do today. Their response was similar to the situation seen with Apollos as recorded in Acts 18. Apollos was described as an eloquent man who was mighty in the scriptures, but knew only the baptism of John. When Paul’s co-labourers, Aquila and Priscilla, heard about this they explained to him the way of salvation more perfectly. Apollos accepted their teaching and became a leader in the Corinthian Church.

   

Verse 6 of Acts 19, tells us that after the Ephesian disciples were baptized, Paul laid hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost, spoke with tongues and prophesied. This verse supports Paul’s expectation as expressed in verse 1 of Acts 19 that persons who receive believe on Jesus Christ should receive the Holy Ghost. 

Let me remind you that the promise of the Holy Ghost prophesied both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament gospels; therefore it was not a new teaching in Acts and the epistles. In Isaiah 28:11, Isaiah prophesied that with stammering lips and another tongue God would speak to his people. Joel prophesied (Joel 2:28-29) that in the last days God would poor out His Spirit on all flesh; Ezekiel also prophesied that God would give His people a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26). In the New Testament John prophesied that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire (Matt 3:11) and Jesus himself prophesied that those who believed on him would receive the Holy Ghost (John 7:38-39, Luke 11:13; Acts 1:4-5).

Putting all of this together we can therefor make the following statements:

- All believers in Jesus Christ should receive the Holy Ghost. If a person has confessed faith in Jesus and has not yet received the Holy Ghost he/she should ask God for this gift and actively seek for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. As Jesus said in Luke 11:13, He will give the Holy Ghost to those who ask Him.

- When persons receive the Holy Ghost they will speak with tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. There is no still birth! Several passages in the book of Acts expressly states that that the people spoke with tongues when they received the Holy Ghost. We see this in Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46 and Acts 19:6. Note also that Galatians 4:6 tells us that God send forth the Spirit of his Son in our hearts crying Abba Father. Just as in the natural when we expect to hear a baby cry at birth as a sign of new life, when someone receives the new birth we expect to hear a cry as a sign of this new birth.

-  Speaking tongues, or glossolalia as termed by some, involves speaking a language that the believer has never learnt. It is not gibberish or incoherent syllables. It is an actual language, which may be known or unknown, or as Paul describes it in 1^st Corinthians 13 this may be the tongues of men or of angels.

Note also that speaking in tongues is not just for special situations where people need to hear the gospel in their own language. There was no language barrier between the Paul and the men at Ephesus. In fact on the day of Pentecost all the Jews understood the Jewish language. Tongues therefore are a sign both to the believer and the non-believer as a supernatural act of God to verify the infilling with his Spirit.

CONCLUSION

Now, what does one need to do to receive the Holy Ghost? There are only two absolute requirements – repentance and faith: God will not come to dwell in a vessel marred by sin. We must repent. If we come to God we must believe – Hebrews 11:6. If we truly believe by faith and repent of our sins God will come in and fill us with the Holy Ghost – any day and any time. God wants you to be saved and today is the best day. If you have not yet received salvation, repent of your sins, ask for water baptism in the name of Jesus and God will fill you with the Holy Ghost!!