Do You Really Want to Go Home?
Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:8Devotional Series: Preparing for Persecution
Teaching: Preparing For Persecution pt. 7 (WED 2021-05-05) by Pastor Star R Scott
We hear this declaration that if we’re living godly in Christ Jesus, we will suffer persecution. That tells me something when I read that passage. It tells me that my righteousness should be observable; amen? “Well, I’m righteous in my heart.” That’s not good enough! Our righteousness needs to bear fruit; amen? We are known by our fruit. Men will see our lives, and one of two things is going to happen. Father will be glorified or Christ will be hated when we display that righteousness that the church is admonished to declare, to exhibit in this last hour. Ephesians 6 says this, verse 10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” None of us has the strength to pull off that first and great commandment, do we? Our righteousness is as filthy rags, the Scripture says. So, we come into this life in the Spirit. We’ve come to realize that our relationship with God is a relationship based upon faith and trust in His love for us and His finished work of redemption in Jesus Christ where He was made sin with our sin so that we could be made righteous with His righteousness. Thank God for the gospel; amen?
We, legally, are in right relationship with God. We are in right standing with God. Should the trumpet sound, should we stand before Him today, God will judge us righteous in Jesus Christ; hallelujah! We give Him all the glory for that! But we’ve got a job to do here. We have souls that are still to be reached. We have not, by grace and faith, been alleviated from the responsibility of being salt and light. Let it sink in; amen? We have a job to do. We’re the light of the world. When men see us, they should see Jesus! When we’re sharing our testimony, and we’re sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, they should be hearing nothing else than what they heard when Jesus was speaking it Himself. The words that we speak are to be the same words that Jesus spoke as He was sent from Father. He’s empowered us and anointed us to go and bring forth fruit, and that fruit remains, praise God! That’s not only the fruit of soul winning. It’s the fruit of the maturation of the body of Christ, the bride of Christ.
In our sanctification, in our holiness, we look for His appearing. He’s appearing to those that love His appearing; amen? Are you longing for Him? Do you really want to go home? Are your eyes set on the things that are above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father? Hallelujah! He’s making intercession for us! That intercession, in the long run, is that we might be able to stand and we will see Him, finally, in that last day, and we will be like Him; hallelujah! That’s what He’s praying for. He’s not praying for life to be easier here on earth, for you to get a raise so that you won’t have to suffer some kind of adversity and persecution. He’s praying that we’ll come home, praise God; amen? That we’ll make it and finish this race. “I’ve fought the good fight, hallelujah! There’s laid up for me a crown.” Aren’t you looking forward to it? I want something to cast at His feet; hallelujah! As we cry, for eternity, “Worthy, worthy, worthy is the holy, holy, Holy One!”
We, legally, are in right relationship with God. We are in right standing with God. Should the trumpet sound, should we stand before Him today, God will judge us righteous in Jesus Christ; hallelujah! We give Him all the glory for that! But we’ve got a job to do here. We have souls that are still to be reached. We have not, by grace and faith, been alleviated from the responsibility of being salt and light. Let it sink in; amen? We have a job to do. We’re the light of the world. When men see us, they should see Jesus! When we’re sharing our testimony, and we’re sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, they should be hearing nothing else than what they heard when Jesus was speaking it Himself. The words that we speak are to be the same words that Jesus spoke as He was sent from Father. He’s empowered us and anointed us to go and bring forth fruit, and that fruit remains, praise God! That’s not only the fruit of soul winning. It’s the fruit of the maturation of the body of Christ, the bride of Christ.
In our sanctification, in our holiness, we look for His appearing. He’s appearing to those that love His appearing; amen? Are you longing for Him? Do you really want to go home? Are your eyes set on the things that are above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father? Hallelujah! He’s making intercession for us! That intercession, in the long run, is that we might be able to stand and we will see Him, finally, in that last day, and we will be like Him; hallelujah! That’s what He’s praying for. He’s not praying for life to be easier here on earth, for you to get a raise so that you won’t have to suffer some kind of adversity and persecution. He’s praying that we’ll come home, praise God; amen? That we’ll make it and finish this race. “I’ve fought the good fight, hallelujah! There’s laid up for me a crown.” Aren’t you looking forward to it? I want something to cast at His feet; hallelujah! As we cry, for eternity, “Worthy, worthy, worthy is the holy, holy, Holy One!”