15 Minutes With Jesus / Robert Haymes
Our Blessed Hope
Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who can receive it: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Today we’re going to talk about Our Blessed Hope. Let’s turn to Mat 24:1-4, Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them: Take heed that no one deceives you. I don’t have time to quote all of this, but Jesus went on to describe the different things that were going to happen before the end of the age, and in verses 29-35, He said, Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When it’s branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Verses 40-44, Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Watch! Keep awake! Stay vigilant! We’re talking about Our Blessed Hope: the blessed hope of Jesus’ returning. He’s coming in the clouds. Amen. Thank you Lord.
Let’s go to Col 1:21-23, And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel; what is the hope of the Gospel?: the blessed hope; which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Tit 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Amen. Jesus is purifying for Himself His own special people, Amen, and our blessed hope is that He will be coming in the clouds, and we will see Him; that we will be raised incorruptible and carried by the angels to meet Him in the air, and thus shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 John 3:1-3, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure: our blessed hope: we shall be like Him. Let’s turn to 1 Th 4:13-18, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. Verse 13…. lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. We have this hope! Jesus is coming in the clouds, Amen!
1 Cor 15:50-58, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory! Oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory! The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! In verses 42-44 of the same chapter we read, So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Let’s go to Jude 1:20&21, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Keep yourselves in the love of God, praying in the Holy Spirit. In Mat 24, Jesus said that because iniquity shall abound in the last days, most people’s love will grow cold, but he that endures to the end shall be saved: he that shall keep himself, or herself, in the love of God until the end, praying in the Holy Spirit; building ourselves up on our most holy faith; continuing in the Word of God, (faith comes by hearing the Word of God), yielding to God; denying ourselves and taking up our cross, (whatever suffering He has ordained for us to purify us), dying daily to our fleshly desires and ambitions and yielding to the Holy Spirit to be led by Him to do our Father’s will; looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Let’s turn to Php 3. In chapter 3 the Apostle Paul listed his accomplishments in the flesh. In verses 7-14, he said, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Verses 10&11, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, (whatever it takes), I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the Earth. We have to follow Paul’s exhortation and example in Php 3 if we are going to attain to the first resurrection. We have to press on: to count all things that we have achieved as nothing; as loss, that we may gain Christ. Paul said, in Gal 6:14, But God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. If we have this hope in us, we should be purifying ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit. Don’t think that you can live in the flesh, pursuing the desires of your flesh and mind, and make it. There is a price to pay. You say, “Jesus paid the price!” Yes, Jesus paid it all, but you must meet His conditions to receive His promise. And you can, if you are willing. But if you love yourself and your pleasures; if you love this present world, you won’t make it. Php 3:20&21, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (If you are eagerly waiting, you will be getting ready to meet Him: putting on your best clothes, so to speak, and purifying yourself as He is pure, because you want Him to receive you), who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Php 4:1, Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. Rev 1:7&8, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Now let’s pray together:
Give us this hope, oh Lord God, and give us grace oh Lord, to purify ourselves as we eagerly wait for our Savior Jesus Christ. The work that you have begun in us Lord: complete it unto that day, that we may be found worthy to attain to that first resurrection; that we may meet you in the clouds and not be ashamed before you; that we may see your face, and that we may be with you and the Father and all the blessed saints of God forever in your glory, Amen.
Interpretation of a message in tongues:
I am coming, says the Lord. I am coming in the clouds with great glory; with all the Heavenly angels and all the host of Heaven, and all My saints are coming with Me, says the Lord. Are you getting ready?! Are you ready to meet Me? I’m coming, says the Lord Jesus: your Lord; your Savior. Get ready My children! Be prepared to meet Me! Be looking; be waiting for Me, for I am coming, says the Lord!