The Lord Hears You When You Call

Do you ever feel like no one is listening to you? Does it seem like everyone is distracted and doing their own thing? Are you feeling alone? If this is the case, then understand that the Lord hears when you call Him. He has set apart His children and loves to listen to our prayers….

Gently Restored

I can’t imagine the range of emotions that Peter went through from the time of his denial to this encounter with Jesus in Galilee. Always the brave and brash disciple, he was humbled by a rooster crowing and then distraught as Jesus was crucified. After thinking it was all over, his emotions shot up again at the news from Mary Magdalene that Jesus was alive only to find an empty tomb. Finally, Jesus appeared out of nowhere in the Upper Room, and at first, there was elation, but then it spiraled downward as Peter remembered how he had failed Jesus. After a morning of fishing, Jesus gently restored Peter to what he was called to be.

‭‭John‬ ‭21:16

“He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Three times Peter answered that he did. Jesus then proceeded to tell Peter to “shepherd my sheep.” When Jesus first met Peter, he told him that he would make him a fisher of men. He wasn’t going to let him turn his back on that. Jesus wasn’t asking Peter if he loved Him to pump Himself up. He was asking to remind Peter of his love and his calling. Peter was going to be instrumental in the beginning days of the church, and Jesus needed him to be of the right mind.

Let God Pour Out His Spirit On You

The church today is lacking the power of the Holy Spirit. It is full of activity and good works, but it sees minimal life transformation. People are busy doing these works under their own power but soon fall victim to burnout. What you need is a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. Let God pour out His Spirit upon you.

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:28

“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.”

The second chapter of Joel is packed with spiritual goodness. First, God warns that the Day of the Lord is coming, then He tells them to rend their hearts and return to Him, now He promises that He will pour out His Spirit on all people, and people will prophesy, dream, and see visions. In this capsule, you see God’s heart for His wayward people. He sees them living far under what He intended for them.

Gods Abounding Love

You will hear people say, “God is love.” Usually, that means God accepts who I am and whatever I do. There are serious issues with that thinking because it overlooks your sin. Instead, we need to look at how He treats us. The prophet Joel tells us that God’s abounding love is gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger. We all need that.

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:12-13

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”

Israel had strayed from the Lord, and God was calling them back through the prophet Joel. He tells them to return to Him with all their heart. This was more than a feeling. They had to do it through fasting, weeping, and mourning. This meant that it was a process they had to go through. Israel was used to pretending when it came to their repentance. They would make a public showing of tearing their garments and act sorrowful. Everyone was convinced except God. He wanted true repentance

Veering Off of the Path

Every once in a while, I will veer off the trail when I am riding my mountain bike. Usually, I can correct quick enough to get back on, but sometimes I crash and end up in a bush. The funny thing is that there were warnings that I didn’t heed before I crashed. Often I am going too fast or took my eyes off the path. Veering off the path for Christians can bring correction from the Lord

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:1‬

“Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near,”

Your first reading of this verse may have you thinking this is a good thing. The “Day of the Lord” sounds like it could something exciting, but it’s not. Usually, when you blow a trumpet, it announces the arrival of a king, and to a certain extent, that is true. The King of the World, Jesus, is coming, but it is to judge. The first sign we get something is wrong is when it says “sound the alarm.” An alarm means that trouble is coming, and people need to take appropriate measures. The “Day of the Lord” is a coming judgment against Israel for its past transgressions.

Here’s Your Inheritance

Are you expecting an inheritance when your parents pass away? Maybe there is a trust with your name on it? It is a good thing to set aside something to help your family after you are gone. Did you know that God is going to give His Son Jesus an inheritance? God tells Jesus in Psalm 2, “Here’s Your Inheritance.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2:8

“‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.”

Psalms 2 is known as a Messianic Psalm. That means it has something in it that refers to the coming Messiah. God is telling His Son to ask for the nations because they are His inheritance. He will come one day and rule with an iron rod, something we know as the thousand-year reign. All of the nations and all of the earth will be His. He will sit on a throne in Jerusalem and rule with an Iron Scepter. The church, as His Bride, will rule with Him. Yesterday we talked about how He will be like a lamb on His eternal throne in Heaven, but here He will be the Lion of Judah.

Wipe Every Tear

I’ve seen a lot of tears as a pastor. It comes from all different situations. Often, there is little I can do except comfort them in their time of need. As a believer we have to accept that tears, and the plain that causes them, are a part of life. One day that will change. When Jesus returns He will lead us and God will wipe every tears away.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:17

“for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The term “Lamb” is used to describe Jesus in several places in the Bible. Here John depicts the “Lamb upon the throne” as Jesus sitting at His rightful place, as the rightful ruler. He is depicted as a lamb because He was the perfect sacrifice, without spot of blemish, to appease God’s wrath and atone for our sin. He is also as gentle as a lamb and will act that way as He shepherds his people, guiding them to the spring of life. Who wouldn’t want to serve under a leader like that?

Every Nation and Tribe

One of the great things about the Olympics is the closing ceremonies when all of the nations enter in together. Every Flag is brought in but all of the countries are enter as one large group. The athletes are in party mode and are hanging out with other athletes they have met all over the world. This is what I picture when I read Revelation 7. There is a great multitude and everybody nation and tribe is represented.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:9

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;”

When we all get to heaven what a wonderful place it will be (I think that is a song from the 70’s). All of the believers from every nation and tribe over all of time will be there. They will be gathered standing before the throne declaring that Salvation is from the Lord. Give me chills just thinking about it. While we live different lives right now we will all be the same up there. There will be no more debates about worship style or doctrine, it will all be settled.

Sense of Completion

There is something special about doing something for the last time. When an employee retires after decades with a company or an athlete hangs up his competitive career, there is a sense of completion. As Jesus hung on the cross, he proclaimed, “It is Finished.” He knew the work of the cross was completed. You are the benefactor of that work.

‭‭John‬ ‭19:30

“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

There is something so powerful about those words, “It is finished.” To me, it means more than completion. It also means completion. Everything that Jesus was given to do on earth had been completed. He has crossed the finished line, fought the good fight, and won! The incredible thing is that he wasn’t racing or fighting for Himself, but us. He conquered sin and reopened access to his Father at that moment. The perfect sacrifice was complete, and God’s wrath was appeased. Only the Son of God would do this for the world.

Convicted of a Crime He Didn’t Commit

The cross makes you think of what Jesus went through to redeem the lost. He endured humiliation, suffering, and death so that our sins could be forgiven. It makes you think about some of the inconveniences we go through that we make a big deal over. As the crowds were yelling, “Crucify Him,” Jesus remained silent. An innocent man being convicted of a crime He didn’t commit.

‭‭John‬ ‭19:6

“So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

The crucifixion shows you how far man will go to have their way. The spiritual leaders were obsessed with eliminating Jesus to hold on to their power and influence. Jesus exposed their hearts by His ministry, and He had to be removed. Even Pilate, who was ungodly as they come, saw the innocence of Jesus and His opponents’ jealousy. Not much has changed today. Those opposed to Jesus want to eradicate any influence His followers have on society. They may not yell “crucify,” but they are still trying to cancel His church.