Shana Tova!
We are in the best season of the year. This is the New Year on God’s calendar. Rabbis teach the God created the heavens and the earth on Rosh Hashanah. It is the Feast of Trumpets and the time of the year when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. According to the Old Testament, next Sunday will be the Day of Atonement and following close behind will be the Feast of Tabernacles. This season of the year holds such promise.
As well, I believe this is the time of year when Jesus will return. And I am not the only one who is looking for Messiah to come.
On August 3, just over a month ago, this article appeared in Israel Today.
Israeli Rabbi Says He’s Already Holding Meetings With Messiah
Israel’s biggest rabbis are all afraid to leave the country lest they miss Messiah’s coming
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/israeli-rabbi-says-hes-already-holding-meetings-with-messiah/
A recent interview on Israeli radio again featured prominent rabbis explaining that the Messiah is just about to reveal himself. Rabbi Yaakov Zisholtz on Sunday told religious broadcaster Radio 2000 that Rabbi Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky recently told him that he (Kanievsky) is already in direct contact with the Messiah.
Of course the Rabbis are looking for the first coming of Messiah and the Church is looking for His return. Jesus had something to say about this in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24
23
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or
‘There!’ do not believe it.”
26
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go
out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.”
27 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
This message scares some people but not us. This is meant to excite and invigorate every Born-Again Believer with that heightened sense of spiritual enthusiasm that makes you feel like you are right on the edge of the most wonderful thing in the world. And we are! Just think about it. Jesus said:
Earlier in this discourse, Jesus said something that is worth mentioning this morning in light of all the current trouble in our streets, with our upcoming presidential election, the process of confirming the next Supreme Court Justice, the targeting and shootings of our law enforcement officers and their families, the political divisions, the racial tensions, the school closures, Covid19, China, Russia, the last and the next hurricanes … anyway … when talking with His disciples about the end of the age, Jesus said:
Matthew 24:13 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
That’s all we need to hear … “Endure” … Jesus, is there anything else I can do about all this junk going on in America and the world? Well wait … perhaps we need to take a closer look at what that word endure means.
If I can paraphrase the meaning of this word as it is intended to be understood in this scripture I would say;
Endure means: Don’t back up; don’t back down; be brave, courageous, and calmly but firmly stand your ground while holding fast to your faith in Jesus.
There is another place in the Bible where the verb form of this root word is translated into a noun and becomes our English word endurance. It is in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10.
Hebrews 10
35 Therefore do not cast away
your confidence, which has great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance …
You need the strength to not back up, not back down, but be brave, take courage and calmly but firmly stand your ground while holding fast to the faith you have in Jesus. You’re gonna need this! We will read why in a moment but first, allow me to explain one more Greek to English word that may have a little more punch than you might imagine at first read.
Let’s read this again.
Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
The word “confidence” is translated from the Greek word “parrhesia” which means:
Parrhesia: (copied from the Online Bible Greek/English
Lexicon)
1) freedom in speaking,
unreservedness in speech
1a) openly, frankly, i.e without
concealment
1b) without ambiguity or
circumlocution
1c) without the use of figures and
comparisons
2) free and fearless confidence,
cheerful courage, boldness, assurance
3) the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity
So, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, is informing us that we should not cast away our ability to boldly speak the unquestionable truth in a public setting without ambiguity and with complete confidence, not backing up and not backing down, while holding fast to our faith in Jesus Christ.
That covers everywhere from the town hall to Facebook and from the jobsite to the classroom. We cannot afford to water down the truth.
Let’s finish reading this passage so you can hear from the Holy Spirit this morning and not just from me.
Hebrews 10
35 Therefore do not cast away
your confidence, which has great reward.
36 For you have need of
endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the
promise:
37 “For yet a little while, And
He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by
faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
God is not just talking about the faith you have He is talking about the kind of faith you live. Faith is more than a feeling, faith is a force.
Are you confident that what you believe and want is what God wants? Are you certain you are hearing the whole truth or only one side of the issues at hand? What does God want? Who would you ask to find out? Are you open to examining your views by the Spirit and the Word of God?
Before Jesus finished telling His disciples what could be expected at the end of this age, He gave us a sure sign:
Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Whoo-Hooo!!! Do you see the picture … can you see what Jesus is saying … Jesus is describing the Church in power, preaching the Gospel for a witness to all nations, and then the end will come! It gets me stirred-up every time I read this passage and hear Jesus describe the end of the age.
While chaos and wars and pestilence and famine and problems on every side cover the world, the Born-Again Believers who make up the Church of Jesus Christ will be preaching stronger, growing faster, going farther; will be more powerful and more productive than ever. Our message about Jesus will be supernaturally carried on the wings of angels if necessary, to cover the world as a witness to all nations before the end can come.
We must boldly and courageously proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Truth of God’s Word in every way possible. Jesus is the only hope for America. No president, no political party, no new Supreme Court Justice can save America without Jesus. Here are three things we must do in these next six weeks.
1.
Discover and confirm the truth that you are willing to support.
a. It will take a journey
in personal prayer with an open Bible.
b. It must agree with
God’s Word, Will and Way.
c. You will find peace
when you find the will of God.
2.
Pray for America and against the demons who are stirring the pot.
a. If we bind the devil
in prayer, much of the darkness will clear.
b. God will hear our prayers
and send us the answers.
c. Participate in the
September 26 national prayer and return …
3.
Boldly and confidently share the truth you have found with others.
a. In private
b. In public
c. With cheerfulness and
without hatred, malice, or slander
d. Be more for what you
are for, instead of what you’re against.
e. Without fear and with
calm assurance knowing
f. The just shall live by
their faith and remember
g. Faith is not just
something you have, it’s something you live.
