Looking for Jesus to Return
Jesus ascends in Acts 1:9-11 and the disciples are found looking into the sky (Acts 1:11) but corrected by two men in white clothing saying “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 NASB).
The key is in the phrase “the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11 NASB). At first the observer may say, well that is simple, that is why they were looking intently at the sky, because Jesus went up and they were watching for him to return, right? Well, that is what it seems at first. But the text reveals an important note for all Christians:
“After He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on…” (Acts 1:9 NASB).
If the “way” is the same as indicated in v.11 that Jesus will return, then the “way” must be that they need not look at the sky, but keep listening to His Words as it says part of the “way” was listening to the things he was saying, and then he was lifted up while they were looking on. It is our best hope to be reading and studying and sitting at Jesus feet, for no disciple of Christ will be disappointed who is listening to Jesus when he returns, especially since the Scriptures say that he is going to return in like manner, that is, with disciples listening to His Word and looking to Him.
Let us not be found looking into the sky, but into the Word of God and to Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. amen.
Read MoreTrying to do things in our own strength
AS Christians we know that doing things in our own strength is completely a ridiculous way to live our lives, but we do it anyway until we run out of sap for growth. This could be even in our spiritual lives, like quiet times, prayer, fasting, church involvement, etc. We get to a point that we say or our bodies say that we cannot go on like this. Is this a natural thing? What does God think of it all?
Well, God has used people who run out of steam or who are simply running with good motives until they can do it no longer. Jacob is an example; he ran and ran from his brother and the whole situation until he had to wrestle with God and then he could face that situation with the right attitude. And Moses, who tried to take justice into his own hands only was left to run into Midian until God would later appear to him and show him His timing and ways.
How about you? Are you running from something, from God, from others? Or are you running to him and asking him how to deal with life. We cannot expect our lives to be energized by faith if we are not sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His Words. We must be reminded of a key verse in Zechariah “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts!” This past week we looked at Zechariah 2:1-13 and learned that we must look up out of our depression, lift our eyes up to see the vision of God that will motivate us to live lives of worship. We learned that we need to flee and escape to Jesus and sing and rejoice as a means of worship, and be still, cease striving and know that Jesus is God. Beloved, are you doing that? Or are you trying to do things in our own strength? Rest in the love of Christ and you will be near to the worship of God.
Read MoreMeditating on the Love of God is The Key to Spiritual Growth
“The light of the sun comes to us by its beams. By its beams we see the sun, and by the beams the sun touches us. Jesus Christ is the beam of his Father’s love and through him the Father’s love reaches down and touches us. By Jesus Christ also we see and experience and are lead up to the Father’s love. If we as believers would meditate on this truth more and live in light of it, there would be great spiritual growth in our walk with God.” (John Owen, Communion With God, edited by R.J.K. Law p.16)
Indeed meditating on the love of God is our key to spiritual growth. Jesus said to his disciples to abide in his love. This means as I remember hearing John Piper preach on it, to keep reminding yourself that God loves you. This is in keeping with Owen on the subject. Meditating on the love of God will do us much good in our spiritual lives today. How good it is to know a God who loves us!
Owen is helpful further on this topic:
“The chief way by which the saints have communion with the Father is love — free, undesereved, eternal love. This love the Father pours on the saints. Saints are to see God as full of love to them. They are to receive him as the One who loves them, and are to be full of praise and thanksgiving to God for his love. they are to show gratitude for his love by living a life which pleases him.
This is the great truth of the gospel. Commonly, the Father, the first person in the Trinity, is seen as only full of wrath and anger against sin. Sinful men can have no other thoughts of God (Rom. 1:18; Isa. 33:13, 14; Hab. 1:13; Psa. 5:4-6; Eph. 2:3) But in the gospel, God is not revealed especially as love, as full of love to us. To bring home to us this great truth is the special work of the gospel (Titus 3:4).” (John Owen, Communion With God, edited by R.J.K. Law p.12)
Furthermore listen to what Christ said to the Pharisees and Lawyers (scribes):
Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” (Luke 11:52 ESV emphasis mine)
In essence, the Pharisees and Lawyers of that day knew the Scriptures better than anyone, but they did not know them in Christ and therefore taught truth about God that was not mingled with the Messiah; their teaching was without love and with a view that they had to do this or that to avoid sin and please God with their works. One will find out very quickly that focusing on sin or on God who is angry at sin will in no way make conquerors. No, but it is the grace of God and meditation on such grace that yields repentance. That is why Paul would preach God’s grace, not so sin would abound more, but because sin cannot abound more when one understands the love and grace of God. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We come to God realizing he will receive us in love, and we must abide there if we are to grow. amen.
Therefore, more important than the key to our houses, to our cars, or whatever, is the key to spiritual growth, the key to knowledge of God, that is true knowledge, is knowing that God loves us to today because of Christ, the beam of God has shone upon us. May we believe it!
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