Heaven

Of all the promises in the Bible, the greatest is the assurance we have that Jesus is coming again. If you grew up in church, like I did, you probably heard this all your life. As surely as Jesus went to heaven, he will come back and take his followers to be with him in heaven forever.

This was the hope of New Testament Christians and is the hope of all believers today.

In John 14:2-3, Jesus said, " My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

I don't think it will be much longer before we see that blessed hope — when Jesus will return. Everything is lining up perfectly with the prophesies in the Old Testament.

In Zechariah 12:2-3, it says, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about^... And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces."

When the prophet Zechariah spoke these words around 520 BC, Jerusalem lay in ruins. But God said it would become the focus of the world's attention. The world's attention is now focused on Jerusalem and Israel.

In Zechariah, it also says all nations will turn against Israel. We're seeing that happen every day. One day, the Bible predicts, Israel will have no allies, and all nations shall be gathered against her. The TV news shows you that we are on the road toward that battle. Even the U.S., which has been Israel's strongest ally for years, seems to be turning its back on Israel.

The timetable has been set, and the events are quickly playing out. It's just a matter of time now until we see Jesus return.

This great promise is comforting for all believers who desire "to be with the Lord forever." Therefore, let's encourage each other with these words: Jesus is coming soon.

The Vine and the Branches

In the parable of the vine and branches in John 15, Jesus describes himself as the true vine and his disciples as the branches. By remaining attached to Him as our source of life, we will produce good fruit.

John 15:1-2 says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so it will be even more fruitful."

God expects us to bear fruit. This fruit can be spiritual virtues, such as the fruit of the spirit listed in Galations 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Fruit also means working to win others to Christ. We can't produce this fruit by our own efforts. We can be fruitful only if we stay connected to the life source, which is Jesus. John 15:4 says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine."

Just as a tree branch has life only as long as the life of the vine flows into it, so we, as believers, have Christ's life in us only as long as we allow His life to flow into us through an ongoing relationship with Him.

It's critical that we stay plugged in to the life source. We do this by keeping God's Word in our hearts and making it the guide for our lives. We also do it by keeping Christ's commands and staying in right relationship with Him by resisting temptation and keeping our lives clean from sin. This means repenting when we fall to temptation.

God prunes us so we can become more fruitful. He wants to remove anything that hinders the life-flow of Christ into our lives. This can be painful sometimes, but it's necessary to remain in Christ.

The parable of the vine and branches makes it clear that we shouldn't believe "once in the vine, always in the vine" or "once saved, always saved." In this parable, Jesus gave his disciples a strong warning that it's possible for believers to fall away from faith, fail to remain in Him and ultimately face the eternal fire of hell.

The importance of this parable is to show our relationship with Christ is not based on a past decision or past experience. Instead, it must be a progressive relationship where we are consistently growing in Christ as He lives in us and gives us His power.

Running To Win

The Corinthians must have loved sports almost as much as Americans do. The apostle Paul used the analogy of running a race to illustrate to the Corinthians that they should run life's race in service to Jesus Christ. That lesson applies to us today.

 

In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul tells us to run the race in an effort to win the prize. In other words, he's telling us we shouldn't just flounder along through life. We must constantly be seeking to find God's purpose in our life and to run to win the race.

The Bible also says we must "fight the good fight." Paul encourages Timothy to fight on and to fight the good fight. Paul likens Timothy’s service to the Lord as an intense struggle and says Timothy's struggle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in high places.

The Bible gives us several spiritual principles for how we should run our race. First, it says we must pursue righteousness. In 2 Timothy 2:21-23, it says we should flee youthful lust and pursue faith, love and righteousness.

Second, if we want to finish the race, we must be willing to endure hardship. Paul tells Timothy to be prepared to suffer persecution. Third, we must seek to fulfill our purpose. 2 Timothy 4:5-8 tells us to fulfill the purpose that God has before us.

Finally, we must never lose hope. John 3:16-17 tells us that whoever calls upon the Lord shall not perish but will have everlasting life. We must place our trust in Christ as we run our race. He is always here to help us. Romans 8:31 says if God is for us who can be against us, and 2 Timothy 4:17-18 promises us that God will deliver us from every evil.

Don't grow wearing in running your race. Run to win.