Coming To A Conclusion
Or
Enduring To The End While Believing
Sunday Dec. 17, 2023
Scripture To Consider:
“And there were also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21.25
Something To Consider:
John confessed, “And there were also many other things that Jesus did…” And in chapter 20 and in verse 31 of John’s gospel, he declared; “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Are we experiencing His spiritual abundant life here on earth? Will we experience His life everlasting when we close our eyes and breathe our last breath? Or in the twinkling of an eye, or at the sound of God’s great and blessed hope trumpet call, will we and others be among those destined for eternal life in Jesus Christ?
If not, how vain and meaningless is this life? As we together come to a close of these lessons of a lifetime, let us examine ourselves as to whether we are truly in the true faith of the written and preserved Word of God, or merely following so-called religious traditions and man-made organizational false teaching. And if simply being deceived, today is the beginning of the rest of our journey to and with Jesus.
Jesus proclaimed early in His ministry in John 3.14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man [Jesus] be lifted up, that whoever believes [present tense believes] in Him [in Jesus] should not perish but have eternal life.” Are we present tense believing in Jesus? Have we gained access to eternal life through the straight and narrow portal of Jesus Christ?
Yes, these lessons of a lifetime are coming to a close, but today, and within a week or so, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and remember His being lifted up in death. Are we therefore, just beginning or continuing to present tense believe in Him? Our answer is extremely important!
Something Else To Consider:
Paul, finishing his letter to the early church that was at Rome, wrote in Romans 15.4, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and encouragement of the Scriptures might have hope.” For without godly hope in this corrupted and evil world we are most miserable people.
The Old Testament Scriptures were written in order to point people of all races, backgrounds, and cultures to Jesus of Nazareth. They were also written to prepare the hearts and minds of all people to the patience and encouragement that was, and still is to be gained on our earthly, and yet spiritual journey to and with Jesus. How are we doing as of today?
The author of the book of Hebrews takes the entire eleventh chapter beginning with Abel, who offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain his brother, and ending with those faithful but unnamed saints who were scourged, stoned to death, sawn in two, slain by the sword, and forced to wander in the deserts, and yet they obtained a good witness through their enduring to the end faith, having died without receiving the promise of God.
But in time, like us, they will receive the promise and spiritual inheritance of God’s eternal life, because God remains faithful and because God always rewards the faithful, and because as their lives were coming to a close, they all endured to the end while believing with a present and up to date belief and faith in the promises of God to be fulfilled in and through Jesus, God’s Messiah.
When our lives have come to a close, will we be found by God enduring to the end while faithfully believing in Jesus and the Word of God? Or will we sadly be found throwing in the towel of defeat, offense, and unbelief? What living example will we be willing to leave others at our in God’s time death?
Something More To Consider:
Paul writing in 1 Corinthians 10.11 testified, “Now all these things happened to them [Old Testament saints] as examples, and they were written for our warning.” Therefore, let us continue to follow the instruction of Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.15, “Earnestly study to show yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing [rightly communicating] the Word of truth.”
And Matthew recorded the words of Jesus in Matthew 11.28-30, with Jesus stating; “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden [or heavy burdened], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
As we approach the end of these lessons of a lifetime, and most possibly the end of this age, may we above all, be reminded that Jesus’ yoke is easy and that His burden is light. Our calling in Christ is as natural as a fruit tree bearing fruit. True spiritual fruit under the leadership and Lordship of Jesus is never forced fruit.
Jesus instructed true born again believers in John chapter 3 and in verse 18; “He [or she] who believes in Him [in Jesus] is not condemned; but he [or she] who does not believe [does not present tense believe unto the end] is condemned already, because he [or she] has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Are we present tense believing in Jesus, the Son of Man and Son of God? Are we willing to truly believe on Him as we endure to the end? Or will we lay our fragile belief system down at the first hint of end time tribulation?
A Few Final Words:
Jesus continued His teaching on believing and condemnation in verse 19, by stating; “And this is the condemnation, that the light [Jesus the Word of God] has come into the world, and men loved darkness [the lying deception of the evil one] rather than light [the truth of the Word of God], because their deeds [works, words, ambitions, and thoughts] were evil.”
And in verse 21, Jesus closed His treatise on present tense belief by professing, “But he [or she] who does the truth comes to the light [comes to the Word of God], that his [or her] deeds [works, words, ambitions, and thoughts] may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Are we coming to the light and truth of the Word of God and as we are coming to a close of whatever chapter of life we find ourselves? I prayerfully hope so! As with any book, every life must come to a close. Therefore, when that time comes, will God, the author of our lives be pleased with the final chapter written in our hearts?
In Luke 3.22, God the Father declared of Jesus at His baptism, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” What about us as sons and daughters of God? Are we this Christmas season and at the close of another year in our lives, are we well pleasing to God?
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, whether coming to a close or just beginning, lead us by Your Spirit on the rest of our journey to and with Jesus. As we are found looking unto Jesus, let us desire to endure unto the end of our lives or unto the end of this age. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 