Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

A Great Multitude!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 6:36 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Your New Life.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 7:9-17 (NIV).

Salvation Belongs to God

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

Awesome! I wish I had a picture of this. This is so encouraging! We are part of this big picture. Sometimes we may feel alone, but we are not. Sometimes we may feel as though we are standing alone against the giants, but we are not. If we are the Lord’s, he is on our side. Amen! Yet, it is also so encouraging to know that there are multitudes that no one can count from all over the entire world who are standing before the throne of God worshipping our Lord, praising his holy name, and proclaiming his salvation to the ends of the earth. This picture brings tears of joy to my eyes and to my heart! If only we could see this when we are out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, it should continually lift our spirits. How this should strengthen and encourage us and give us boldness in sharing the truth of God’s word with the people around us, kind of like the image in Hebrews 12 of the great cloud of witnesses standing and cheering us on in the race God has called us to run.

They cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Awesome! They were/are not shy about proclaiming God’s salvation. They did not and do not hide their lights under the covers. They are bold in their witness for Christ and in their worship of him. They are not embarrassed to mention his name or to share their testimonies of his saving grace, or afraid to let it be known that we serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords, out of fear of what people might think of us. They are not concerned about being culturally relevant, blending in with society, and mixing with the world in order to “reach” the world. They, in a loud voice, just proclaim the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles. They don’t have to have any clever ways of introducing Christ or his gospel, either, in order to make it more appealing to humankind. They just shout it out as plain as what the scripture makes it, and they do so because they love their Lord and they are so grateful that he saved them out of their sins. To God be the glory!

So, what is this great salvation? Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, was tempted as we are tempted yet without sin; was despised and rejected of humans, mocked, spat upon, beaten and hung on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong. Why did they kill him? They killed him because he told them the truth about their sins. They killed him because they were jealous of him. They killed him because he threatened their own positions of power and influence over the people. They killed him because he claimed to be who he was and is – God Almighty! And, they killed him because they did not like his messages, because his messages challenged them to leave their lives of sin behind them, to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for their lives. And, they will kill us, too, for some of the same reasons, when we dare to be bold in our witness for him.

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When he died, our sins were crucified with him. When he was resurrected, he triumphed over sin, death, hell and Satan. He did this so that you and I would not have to suffer the punishment of eternal damnation, eternal punishment in hell, and eternal separation from God. Yet, that is not the end of the story! Praise Jesus! He died, as well, so that we could be set free from the control of sin over our lives day by day. That is The Good News! He died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). And, he died so that we could walk in freedom from sin and in freedom to walk in obedience to him, in his righteousness and holiness, in the power and working of the Spirit within us (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5).

We receive this great gift of salvation when we accept God’s great salvation into our lives by faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is realized in our lives through us coming to the cross of Christ, dying to the sins which once enslaved us, being transformed of the Spirit of God away from sin and to God, and by us now submitting to the work of God’s grace in our lives in choosing to no longer live for ourselves and for sin, but to walk in humble obedience to our Lord in following him wherever he leads us – all in the power of the Spirit within us.

These in White Robes

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

This is an awesome promise! And, these truths should fill our hearts with much hope. I look forward to the day when I am with my Lord in person, face to face, along with all those who also call on his name in faith. Although this may be speaking specifically of the saints of God who will come through the Great Tribulation at the end of time just prior to our Lord’s return, I believe there is application for all of us in the here and now, as well, as I alluded to in my comments with regard to the previous section of this passage of scripture.

We all have tribulations we go through. Some of them may be little. Others may feel “great” by comparison. Many are suffering great persecution right now for their faith and testimonies for Jesus Christ. Many, in other countries other than the USA, are being tortured and killed for their stands for Christ and for his word, and this is coming to America, too, and may have already begun. So, whether or not this is the Great Tribulation spoken of in scripture, people are suffering just the same, because they call on the name of Jesus out of sincere hearts and pure faith. They have been washed (purified; made holy) in the blood of Jesus Christ, and therefore they are before the throne of God serving him day and night, whether they are still on the earth, or whether they are presently with him in glory. They serve him because they love him, and because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and they are so grateful that he redeemed them from their sins. Amen!

And, they/we are encouraged because we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, i.e. he is always with us, comforting, encouraging, urging, instructing, and leading us in the way we should go. Amen! He supplies all we need. He fills us with all good things. He gives us our daily bread, his word, and fills us with the fullness of his Spirit. He continually refreshes our spirits with his words of comfort and even exhortation. He is at the center of our lives. He is our Lord. He holds us together, shepherds us, cares for us, gently leads us, speaks his words to our hearts, gives us songs of rejoicing, purifies our hearts, and he wipes away the tears from our eyes with his continual words of promise, hope and reassurances of his presence, care, concern, power, sovereignty, purpose, plan and of his will for our lives.

So, as we walk this Christian walk each day, and as we shine our lights, and share his gospel, and as we face obstacles and persecutions, discouragements and disappointments, and failings or victories along the way, we can be assured of his ever present love, care, concern, strength, and power in our lives to give us everything we need for us to keep on keeping on in the faith and in sharing our testimonies of his mighty saving grace. Amen!

Your New Life / An Original Work
Based off the Gospels / May 15, 2014

Go and make disciples of peoples,
Teaching them to obey their Savior.
Do not fear, but go where He sends you.
Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you.
Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.
He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,
They must die to sin and to self-life.
If they want to hold on to their lives
They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ
Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.
Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and
Love your neighbors as you would yourself.
Preach the gospel to all the nations.
Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.
Share the light with all who are blind.
You are ministers of our God.


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