It Is Time

IT IS TIME


"Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected."- Luke 13:32

That day is drawing nigh.

Jesus has been working in the earth for the past 2000 years, looking forward to That Day. Have we?

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." (Ex 19:10-11)

Are we ready for His return today? Are we holy in His sight? Have we washed our robes?

It is time...

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.
After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
- Hos 6:1-3

It is time, saints...

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ’Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ’I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ’We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ’I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the Kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."
- Luke 13:24-30

Lord, we’ve reduced Christianity to being forgiven, saved, and going to heaven.

God, You’ve shown me in Your Word, and by Your Spirit that Your desire is that we be delivered from sin, born again, and be found abiding in You now, even as we look forward to dwelling eternally with You in Your Kingdom.

Lord, You command us to ’Repent’. We’ve taken that to mean feeling sorry for sins we commit, even as we continue in them, accepting a false doctrine that we will always sin and fall short while in this world. Rather, Your command is not that we feel sorry for sinning, but that we actually STOP sinning.

When You forgave the woman caught in adultery, You told her - "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." (John 8:11)

After You restored the man at the pool of Bethesda, You warned him - "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." (John 5:14).

Father, just as You charged Your chosen people to cleanse and consecrate themselves in preparing to meet You on Mount Sinai on the third day, You are charging us, those who name the Name of Jesus, to cleanse and consecrate ourselves in preparation for that Day, the return of Your Son to this earth to set up His Kingdom.

Oh Lord, open our eyes to see Your Way. Unplug our ears to hear Your Holy Spirit. Wake us up to Your Truth.


Dear saints, let us Awake!

" Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." - Eph 5:14

It is only in that Light that we have true fellowship with God. (1 John 1:6-7)

"Awake to righteousness, and stop sinning... for some of you - to your shame I say so - are without any true knowledge of God." - 1 Cor 15:34

It is only in fearing Him and keeping His commandments that we gain true knowledge of God. (Prov 2)

"Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
Shake yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion!"
- Is 52:1-2

Let us wake up from our comfortable Christian slumber, stand up straight, and shake the filth of sin from us. Let us adorn ourselves with the clean, beautiful robes of righteousness, be holy as He commanded, and walk in His Light.

Let us...
"Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever."
- Psalm 37:27-29

Brothers & sisters, for the past couple years, God has been impressing on my heart that ’it is time’. We are entering the ’Third Day’. The time is drawing near, when our choice will be sealed. Are we a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has laid down our life, turned from sin, is walking after the Spirit, cleansing our hands and purifying our heart... or are we a ’Christian’ in name, who has one foot in the world, holding onto a sin or two, trusting in the ’teachings’ of most churches, placing our belief in false doctrines that state we will always sin as long as we are in this world, that no one can be righteous, and that we cannot add anything to what Jesus did?

"Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." - 2 Tim 2:19b


Our Lord says - "The time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be." - Rev 22:10-12

The Spirit is saying -
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8

The Father said -
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself." (Initial salvation)
"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ultimate inheritance of the promise for the faithful)
- Ex 19:4-6

"Now therefore..."

It is time to enter into God’s eternal plan.


It is time...

It is time to put off our selfish, sinful nature...

"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God..." -1 Pet 4:17a

"For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations."
- Jer 16:17-18

It is time for God’s people to...

"Flee sexual immorality." - 1 Cor 6:18

"Flee also youthful lusts; and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." - 2 Tim 2:22


The man of the world seeks the sensual and pursues money and power...
"But you, O man of God, flee these things (the love of money, the pursuit of riches) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal Life, to which you were also called." - 1 Tim 6:11-12

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." - 2 Tim 2:15-16

These words are for us who are Christians first and foremost. (For the world is ignorant to the things of God). All these admonishments were written to blood-washed baptized believers in Jesus Christ. The Apostles and Prophets foresaw the coming, and present, decadent condition of the Church, and wrote to encourage us to remain in the Way. The Way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do - living in debauchery (immorality), lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry"
- 1 Pet 4:3


Dear saints... It is time to "put away childish things", and grow up. It is time even to "leave the elementary teachings about the Christ, and press on to maturity." (1 cor 13:11, Heb 6:1-3)

"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For -
" He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
- 1 Peter 3:8-12 (from Psa 34:12-16)


It is time....

We are entering the third day.

I pray we are ready.

Michael


to be continued...