Bringing Scripture to Life

You can now watch this past Sunday's sermon, Exit Strategy, online.

The second important truth we learned this past Sunday about having an Exit Strategy until the Lord Returns, is Our Exit Strategy is to NOT BE DECEIVED about His Coming (2:3-5).  We discovered “the Day of the Lord” is an important Biblical term that describes God's cataclysmic future judgment on the wicked (2 Thess. 1:6-10). It will be a period of time at the end of world history, when God pours out His wrath upon the wicked, which is why it is also called “the Day of vengeance” on three separate occasions in the Bible (Isa. 34:8; 61:2; 63:4). The Day of the LORD is the horrible event that begins the moment the Lord Returns, and we meet Him in the air (2 Thess. 2:1; 1 Thess. 4:15-17).  If the Thessalonians knew that the Parousia (coming of Jesus) came at the end of the Great Tribulation, persecution would not have caused them to fear they were experiencing the Day of the Lord. Instead, that persecution would have been a cause for joy, not concern. Because the Thessalon

The first important truth we learned about having an Exit Strategy until the Lord Returns, is;  Our Exit Strategy is to REMAIN CONFIDENT because He is Coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). How confident are you that Jesus is going to Return soon? Why were the Thessalonians shaken up about this event? Read 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 for a better understanding (hint, hint: They were facing enormous persecution, and therefore thought they had missed the Lord’s Return!) Now read 1 Thessalonians 5:9, and meditate upon the Paul’s words of reassurance to the Thessalonians and to us. Swew, big sigh of relief right? There is a second aspect in remaining confident in the Lord’s Return, and that is the importance of being confident that we are spiritually right with Jesus when He returns. Are there areas of your life that are causing you to have no confidence in being received by Him? Do you have little assurance in your own relationship with Jesus today? Are you nervous about the fact

This Sunday at Bible Fellowship Church we looked at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 in a message titled, "Exit Strategy," and we looked at some very important instructions from God’s Word in regards to the return of Jesus, and our being ready for His return. After listening to Sunday’s sermon, what exit strategy do you have in place, until the Lord Returns?  Read Matthew 25:31-46 and prayerfully consider what type of life God expects us to live while we await His return. Memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:9; “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The third important truth we learned about being Ready for His Return this past Sunday, is that in order to please God (1 Thess. 4:1), we must be men and women who put our hope in the Return of Jesus (1 Thess. 4:14-17). The reason this is an important aspect of ensuring our readiness for the return of Christ is because it reveals to us the condition of our heart, and what is most important to us in this life. And as believers, if we are not living with a powerful Hope and expectation of the Return of Jesus, it will certainly be reflected in what is most important to us in the life we are currently living. It can be likened to a military wife, whose husband has been deployed overseas in a war-stricken country. Everyday she is praying for the protection of her husband, the father of her children, that he will not only be safe and protected from harms way, but that he will return home soon. This is the type of hope that we are talking about here. There is

The second important truth we learned about being Ready for His Return this past Sunday, is that we must Increase in Love. In order to “please God” (4:1) it is vital that we as believers continue to “increase more and more” in brotherly love (4:9-10). What does Jesus have to say about this area of our life in John 13:34-35? Because this is a non-negotiable to living out the Christian faith, each one of us must regularly examine how we are doing in this area of life. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, and ask yourself if you are displaying this type of love to everyone who is in your life right now?

The first important truth we learned about being Ready for His Return this past Sunday, is that we must Abound in Godliness. In order to “please God” (4:1) it is vital that we as believers, continue to “abound more and more" in godliness, and how we ought to walk and to please God (1 Thessalonians 4:1). But growing in godliness will never happen by accident, and therefore, we must be proactive in pursuing our relationship with Jesus each day, as we put God first in our lives. What is your daily plan and approach to this?

You can now watch this past Sunday's sermon, "Are you Ready for His Return?"

This Sunday we looked at 1 Thessalonians 4 in a message titled, Are you Ready for His Return? We learned that the “Big Picture” of this letter from Paul is the importance of every believer living in the light of Jesus’ Return.  How does this truth impact you as a believer? How does this truth change your focus in life, and help you to put your priorities in order? Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20-21, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." I want to encourage you to reflect upon this passage throughout the week, and consider committing these words from Philippians 3:20-21 to memory, as it will help you to remember what God wants us to be living our life for until Jesus returns.