Sermon Central
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Have You Made That Good Decision
Contributed by Pastor Randall Timblin on Sep 15, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Does anyone really know what time it is? We, should make that into a song…oh that’s right, it already is a song [Chicago the band, 1969]. Does anyone really know the TRUTH? What is the TRUTH?
A guy some 2000+ years ago asked another man, what is the TRUTH?
Do you know who these two men were? Yes, it was Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ, God as a man. Pontius had no idea who he was dealing with…well at first anyway. I believe he eventually figured it out and was sorry for his decision to crucify Jesus.
He was a Roman who was charged with keeping the peace in Jerusalem, around 28 A.D. He was sent by the Emperor Augustus Caesar of Rome and instructed that he must keep the peace even if it meant killing its inhabitants else he wouldn’t like his punishment. No pressure there…right?
It has been reported that Pontius later committed suicide for he couldn’t live with his decision.
Have you ever made a bad decision?
This one was real bad! But, you could have or perhaps will have made a worse decision.
The gravest mistake you could ever make is to decide that Jesus is nothing but a lie or a myth.
Many have made that mistake.
Many more will also deny Him tomorrow and the next.
It is imperative that you understand the repercussions of such a bad…and I mean…bad…decision.
We are now privy to our Lord Jesus and a conversation He and his angel had in about 95 A.D., on an island called Pat-mos, with John His apostle. John once knew Him when He was still walking as a man on this earth of ours, but now there could have been a little confusion for at first he was identified as an angel.
This conversation takes place some 60 years after Jesus was murdered by Pontius and his Roman thugs on a cross in a place called “Calvary”, on a hill just outside of the City of Jerusalem, the city Jesus loved and still loves.
As we join in the conversation, we can hear and angel telling John, that His “Words are trustworthy and true.”
For those that read their Bibles, Jesus always referred to Himself as the “TRUTH.” He responded to Pontius when asked what was the truth, with “I am the TRUTH!”
Here the angel is reminding John, as well as all of us that these are the words of Jesus Christ who is the TRUTH, and nothing but the TRUTH.
We see that the word “angel” is used here, meaning that there indeed must have been an angel with John but not just an angel.
As we listen to their conversation, it will come apparent…that there is a third individual there and He will identify Himself shortly.
We know there is an angel present because John is scolded when he tried to bow at the angel’s feet to worship him. “Don’t do that! I am your coworker”, the angel said.
Verse twelve introduces Jesus and His Words. There is no doubt at this point that He is indeed in the room, so to speak. “I’m coming soon, I will bring my reward and I am the A and the Z, the first and the last and the beginning and the end”, sows it up for me…how about you?
But, if John hadn’t correctly identified that it was Jesus before him, he would have when in verse 16 it was said, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony, and I am the root, and the bright morning star…not to mention the Spirit and His bride say ‘Come’, let those who are thirst come and then He mentions the water of life and presents it as His gift.”
He tops it off in verse 20, with a promise, and because He is the only One who can make this promise, it had to be Him…”Yes, I’m coming soon!”
It says in verse 20, “the One who is Testifying says ‘Yes, I’m coming soon!”
Is there any doubt?
Put yourself in John’s place. Jesus has returned with one of His angels and is telling John that he needs to write these things down, so that people of that time and of our time, would know that He is NOT dead and that He will return as He left [Acts 1:9]…in the clouds.
Jesus Himself promised us this:
John Mark, a cousin of Paul’s, repeated these words spoken by Jesus:
Paul, one of the greatest apostles, relayed the Words of Jesus to those in the church of Thessalonica:
So, what is the TRUTH, you may have asked but I would hope that you certainly now know. Here it is…tell everyone you know or meet…Jesus is coming back!
He is coming to take those who have committed themselves to Him…those who truly believe in Him…those who are and have followed Him and are dead…He will come in the clouds as He left this world and He is coming for His children.
Is that you?
