The Power Of The Cross- Are You Ready?
The Power Of The Cross • Sermon • Submitted
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· 26 viewsHow do we prepare for the coming of Christ.
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Are You Ready?
Are You Ready?
1 To Theophilus, the lover of God. I write to you again, my dear friend, to give you further details about the life of our Lord Jesus and all the things that he did and taught.
2 Just before he ascended into heaven, he left instructions for the apostles he had chosen by the Holy Spirit.
3 After the sufferings of his cross, Jesus appeared alive many times to these same apostles over a forty-day period. Jesus proved to them with many convincing signs that he had been resurrected. During these encounters, he taught them the truths of God’s kingdom realm
4 and shared meals with them. Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised.
5 For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!”
6 Every time they were gathered together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is it the time now for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He answered, “The Father is the one who sets the fixed dates and the times of their fulfillment. You are not permitted to know the timing of all that he has prepared by his own authority.
8 But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be filled with power. And you will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces—even to the remotest places on earth!”
9 Right after he spoke those words, the disciples saw Jesus lifted into the sky and disappear into a cloud!
10 As they stared into the sky, watching Jesus ascend, two men in white robes suddenly appeared beside them.
11 They told the startled disciples, “Galileans, why are you staring up into the sky? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but he will come back the same way that you saw him ascend.”
1 Jesus was in the temple, observing all the wealthy wanting to be noticed as they came with their offerings.
2 He noticed a very poor widow dropping two small copper coins in the offering box.
3 “Listen to me,” he said. “This poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy.
4 For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on.”
5 Some of the disciples remarked about the beauty of the temple. They pointed out all the lovely adornments and how it was built with excellence from the gifts given to God. Jesus said,
6 “The day will come that everything you admire here will be utterly destroyed. It will all become a heap of rubble!”
7 “Master, tell us,” they asked, “when exactly will this happen? Can you tell us what warning sign to look for when it is about to take place?”
8 Jesus responded, “Deception will run rampant with many who will appear on the scene, saying I have sent them, or saying about themselves, ‘I am the Messiah!’ And the doomsday deceivers will say, ‘The end of the age is now here!’ But listen to me. Don’t be fooled by these imposters.
9 “There will also be many wars and revolutions on every side, with rumors of more wars to come. Don’t panic or give in to your fears, for these things are bound to happen. This is still not the end yet.”
10 Jesus continued, “There will be upheavals of every kind. Nations will go to war against each other and kingdom against kingdom—
11 and there will be terrible earthquakes, seismic events of epic proportion, resulting in famines in one place after another. There will be horrible plagues and epidemics, cataclysmic storms on the earth, and astonishing signs and cosmic disturbances in the heavens. But before all of this happens, you will be hunted down and arrested, persecuted by both civil and religious authorities, and thrown into prison.
12 And because you follow me, you will be on trial before kings and governmental leaders as an opportunity to testify to them in my name.
14 Yet determine in your hearts not to prepare for your own defense. Simply speak with the words of wisdom that I will give you that moment, and none of your persecutors will be able to withstand the grace and wisdom that comes from your mouths.
16 “You can expect betrayal even by your parents, your brothers, your relatives and friends—and yes, some of you will die as martyrs.
17 You will be hated by all because of my life in you.
18 But don’t worry. My grace will never desert you or depart from your life.
19 And by standing firm with patient endurance you will find your souls’ deliverance.”
20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know for sure that its devastation is imminent.
21 At that time all who are living in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those who live inside the city gates, go out and flee, and those who live outside the city must not enter it seeking refuge.
22 For these are the days of God’s vengeance to fulfill what has been written against Jerusalem.
23 It will be extremely difficult for pregnant women and for those nursing little ones in that day, for there will be great persecution and wrath against this nation.
24 Many will be cut down by the sword or scattered as prisoners in many countries. And Jerusalem shall be trampled down by nations until the days of world empires come to an end.”
25 “Expect to witness amazing and perplexing signs throughout the universe with the sun, the moon, and the stars. The raging of the sea will bring desperation and turmoil to many nations.
26 Earthquakes will bring panic and disaster. What men see coming to the earth will cause the fear of doom to grip their hearts, for they will even see the powers of the heavenly realm shaken!
27 “And at last, when you see how the Son of Man comes—surrounded with a cloud, with great power and miracles, in the radiance of his splendor, and with great glory and praises—it will make you jump for joy! For the day of your full transformation has arrived.”
10 Steps of Preparation
Get Saved, For REAL!!Romans 10:9 tells us that "if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Be empowered with the HolyGhost for the Mission. Zechariah 4:6 gives words of wisdom how to accomplish the Father's business: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts." Acts 1:8 tells us how we will be empowered: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Study the Word of God. "Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).
Forgive! Let It Go! And, if you can’t forgive on you own, ask God to help you. Matthew 6:14-15 makes it plain, "For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men for their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.”
Be about your heavenly Father's business and win souls to Christ. Mark 16: 15-16 "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned." 1 Corinthians 9:19, Paul unselfishly writes from his heart, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself servant to all, that I might win even more." And Proverbs 11:30 tells us what type of person cares enough to evangelize the lost: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Mark 16:17-18 instructs us how God wants us to evangelize: "These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
First Edify yourself spiritually, so you’ll be ready to edify the body of Christ. ”He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church" (1 Cor. 14:4).
Stop Playing and Get the Anointing for REAL!!. "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man viewing his natural face in a mirror. He views himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in his deeds" (James 1:22-25).
Sanctify Yourself
John 17:16-17 “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHTMatthew 6:33-34 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
10. Be Faithful to God unto the End
If we’re going to be ready for The Second coming during all the tribulation we might encounter, we’re going to have totally trust God turn life over to Christ and trusting Him for salvation. It will mean standing for Christ no matter the challenges we faced. It will mean refusing the mark of the Antichrist, then being targeted for death. But, standing for Christ will bring eternal blessings, as promised to the martyrs of the tribulation era: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:7-10).