THE KING COMES

^“But He replied and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” Mathew 12:39

Greetings to you in the precious and matchless Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful to the Lord in meeting you all through this message and I bless you that God should fulfill His desires in your family throughout this month, a month of advent.

The Lord said in Leviticus 26:12, “And I will walk in and with and among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people”. Jesus came into this world as Son of man. In John chapter 1 we read about this great God, Who came into the world to save you and me from the filth which dominates the whole world. He came to give us a new life, a life of victory over the world. Of course, we have to face so many unwanted disturbances knowingly or unknowingly in this world. During such time, God wants us to depend completely on Him and not waver in our faith on God. In Exodus 14:14 we read, “The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.”

Jesus’ coming into this world reminds us of His second coming. We have forgotten the purpose of Christmas and have made it commercial. For the world and for most of the Christians, Jesus has become a commodity. People think that by being merry they can celebrate his birth. We are more concerned about making our worldly things new, we would repaint our house, spend lot of money in buying new dresses, burn our hard earned money through fireworks.

But God expects something different from us, the born again Christians. Jesus warned us, “Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Jesus is coming again! Not as a humble Savior but as a Mighty Judge. He is coming again – do you have the confidence deep down in your heart that you can meet this King? Are you prepared for it? These days (advent) are given to us to prepare to meet the LORD, the King of the ages [eternal], immortal, invisible, the only God, the only Sovereign (Ruler), the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Who alone has immortality [in the sense of exemption from every kind of death] and lives in unapproachable light, Whom no man has ever seen or can see.”

In Revelation 1:7, we read, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. So it is to be. Amen.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!” The Bible teaches us to be cautious in our walk of life, keeping ourselves to be always alert. “But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.” said Jesus (Mathew 7:14). Please note the word ‘few’. Not all, not all the Christians who claim to be born again; only those who obey the Bible as such, as a child, not equating it with modern world, modern western culture (which kills the original culture of fear of God in Indian Christian families).

When I emphasize the word “few”, are you surprised? 80% of modern Christian marriages are shaking. Our children don’t have tolerance; no Jesus’ quality of forgiving each other, no family prayers, parents are scared of their children!; no humbleness; no ‘respecting of elders’; no truth between husband and wife; parents teach their children to leave their spouse!

Dear parents, we in Shalom, are toiling for bringing peace in families. We live in a world where wrong values are preached. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Cor.11:13-15). “But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ”, says Paul in Vs.3.

Dearly beloved, are you preparing to meet the LORD? How are you going to spend this Christmas? What is your plan? You are going to worship this mighty Master or going to make this mighty Master a commodity? In Revelation 21:27, we read, “But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life”.

This Christmas, are you going to decorate your house, your church or decorate your heart since your are His church. “Do you not know and understand that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?” 1 Cor.3:16).  God bless you.

Prayer: Give us O Lord, the wisdom to celebrate this Christmas as per Your desire. Amen.