Embracing Salvation: Hope, Faith, and Christ's Return

God my Heavenly Father God I thank you for your presence I thank you for the cross I thank you God that you didn't just come for those of who look like we walk the walk and talk the talk and look like we have the part but you've called all of us and it's not about what we do or it's about who you are and as we come into the realization of who you are what we do changes by your hand to your glory you I thank you God for salvation thank you Jesus in your name amen so today's message if you look at the bulletin does not have fill in the blank notes for you today that is on purpose as I prepared this message what I was intending to write did not come out inside the bulletin there's a little blurb that is a very very small blurb that is a very very small blurb that is a very very highlight of what I had initially intended to preach about showcasing the scrolls the trumpets and the bowls and juxtaposing that with Matthew 24 known as Olivet discourse as Jesus prophesized the fall of Jerusalem and how that is an archetype for the coming Lord [00:00:09] (98 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


if you are in here and you have not given your life to Jesus Christ listen to what is about to be said if you are in here and you say you've given your life to Jesus Christ but there is zero fruit in your life that you are called by the blood of Jesus Christ that you look more like the world than you do like the body of Christ listen to what is about to be said if you are in here and you have been a Christian for many years and you have held on to his name awesome listen to what is about to be said because it is for all of us [00:03:44] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


we also deserve god's wrath for our rebellion and our sin culminating in his wrath poured out on earth resulting in eternal death in the lake of fire that lake of fire awaits all whose names are not written in the book of life who abandon their love for god and reject his name while embracing immorality and cultural conformity in search of their own glory or their own comfort yes that's the bad news that the lake of eternal fire is hungry to receive all who deceive for and are deceived by the dragon who is satan is hungry to receive all who choose to hide within the world by denying their faith is hungry to receive all who sit at the feet of the notorious woman known as babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of all detestable things gratifying their flesh and glorying glorifying themselves in all sorts of immorality hungry to receive all who even in their unrecognized idolatry put no value in life gratify their flesh and embrace the occult which are all practices that are anti -god and anti -christ see our rebellion is like satan's who wants all of god's glory for himself he wants to be god to usurp god's throne and humanity has bought into the serpent's deception that we too [00:07:15] (108 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Satan puffs up our rebellion and pride, whispering, who is God to tell you who you are, or where you can go, what you can do, and with whom you can do what you want? Well, God is God. That's who he is. And I am not, and nor are you, and neither is Satan, no matter how much he would like to be. In the words of Joshua, as he renewed Israel's covenant with God, as for me and my family, we will worship the Lord. The alternative result is stated very clearly in Revelation 21 .8. But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their share, in other words, their inheritance, their great reward for all the sin that we do, will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. [00:09:12] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Now, that's all of us. That's all of us without Jesus. His blood shed on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. Guys, this is about as close to a hellfire and brimstone as I've ever preached before. And I want to leave you with some hope because the message is about hope. But if you don't recognize the hope that is coming, this is where your reward is. [00:10:16] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


revelation 318 i advise you to buy from me says jesus ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see now because i can see myself my sins as deserving of hell i am driven more and more into awe of the one who rescues me from it putting my faith and life into the pierced hands of jesus christ by his love i am saved from the damnation do me for my rebellion to god if that word offends you it means curse and that's what we live under when we don't have the blood of jesus christ [00:11:29] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


unwrapping it we say thank you jesus and put it to the side some of us open it just like just like my oldest son did when he was real little the first time he looked through an advertisement and said i want that for for christmas and so we bought that for christmas every day before christmas he would look at it and he unwraps it and never touches it after he opens it 50 paul patrol toy come on you laugh because your parents are used to that that's what we do with jesus we take the gift we say i want this thing lord and then we take the gift and we put it to the side and we never ever touch it we don't let it affect us we like to pretend like oh i've received it but it doesn't change us it doesn't excite us you let me tell you taking it and putting it to the side is not accepting the gift it's neglecting it it's not holding on to the testimony of jesus christ it's not holding on to the name of jesus it's pretending like you have been saved but you have not [00:15:40] (75 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


if you haven't accepted the gift i want you to know that jesus is offering it to you now he offers it today he'll offer it tomorrow and he's going to offer it every single day after because if you're in here your ears are open to hear this god is calling to you through the slaughtered blood of the lamb don't delay accepting it because you don't know what tomorrow will hold james 4 14 yet you don't know what tomorrow will bring what your life will be for you are like vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes [00:20:01] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


we are like vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes if you have opened the gift of salvation but have set it aside you've neglected it or you don't value it enough to lay down your life then you've done exactly what jesus has done to you and you've done exactly what jesus has done to you and you've done exactly what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, the first letter in Revelation that we talked about, you have abandoned your love and you have no idea how far you've fallen. So repent and remember because you may have abandoned him, but he has not abandoned you. That's the good news. Take hold of it. If you have not taken hold of it, hold tighter, if you have and keep the name of Jesus in your hands and sealed into your mind, keep the revelation of Jesus Christ. [00:20:46] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)