Normal Ain’t Comin’ Back – But Jesus Is

 

I saw a man wearing a t-shirt that said “Normal Ain’t Comin’ Back – But Jesus Is”. I was, at first, amused. Then I began to think,

“What is Normal, anyway?”

I am pretty sure, considering the apparent age of the man wearing the shirt, he may have been referring to the “Christian Age” of America. Several leading political figures and even some leading religious figures in the U.S. have suggested that America was a “Christian nation”, but that is no longer the case.

According to several surveys about 65% of Americans consider themselves as Christian but 19% of those are Catholics. Even with that, only about 44% of 65% pray frequently and only around one-third attend church at least once per month.

The Bible warns that a time is coming, and by all appearances may have already arrived, when “people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power”. (See Second Timothy 3:2-5). This will include many of those inside the Church as First Timothy 4:1-3 says “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods”. That just is jot normal!

Although many of these traits are have always been evident, the prevalent view in America’s past, has been decidedly Christian. (We have practiced Christian holidays, our language, literature and poetry had been heavily influenced by the Bible. We even printed “In God We Trust”, on our paper money.) Now-a-days you may still see traces of that past and can find those who claim to hang onto those beliefs and practices, but unless you experienced that past, you really can’t see how far America has moved from her Christian roots. Many calling themselves Christian, are holding onto a form of godliness, but in all reality, are denying its power.

So, what does this lead us to? The second half of the phrase: “But Jesus Is (Coming Back)”. You can find this several places in scriptures, but I will refer to:

Matthew 24:29-31, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

And,

Revelation 19:11-16, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

And what does this mean to you and to me, that is those calling themselves Christians?

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

The odds are 1 to 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 is 1 to 10 to the 157th power.

These are the odds against – yes, AGAINST – Jesus Christ having fulfilled just 48 of the over 450 prophecies written about Him.

In order to give you some perspective, electrons are very small objects. They’re smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10 to the 15th power of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long.  19 MILLION YEARS!

Read that again, please.  Why is that significant?

It is significant because it gives us evidence that the Bible is true and correct when it says that Christ Jesus came to earth and is the Savior of the world.

It gives YOU evidence, if you choose to pay attention, that your life can be eternal with the only LIFE source which gives eternal Peace, Safety, Security, Joy and fulfillment the universe has ever known or ever will know.

Just think about it: It is a scientific and a mathematical impossibility that HAS COME TO PASS! No odds can defy the REALITY of Jesus Christ

(Warning: The following may be considered as offensive to “nominal Christians”.)

NEED TO KNOW

Let’s keep this simple and accurate. Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Again, Jesus says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

He instructed “Repent (turn away from your current way of thinking and living and think and act like Jesus), for the kingdom of heaven is now at hand. Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men, women, boys and girls.”

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Then, to sum up, to some He will say, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

But to others He will say, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

DO YOU GET IT, YET?

Going to Church may be a good thing, but it will not save you.

Doing good deeds is a good thing, but it will not save you.

Tithing or giving offerings is a good thing, but it will not save you.

THIS IS “THE IT”

Believe on the Lord Jesus as the Christ in your heart which will result in righteousness, and with your mouth confess that God raised Him from the dead which results in your salvation. Repent of you worldly ways, follow Him in thought, speech and conduct, endure to the end, and you will be saved.

So, if you GO TO CHURCH – Good for you.

If you tithe or give offerings – Good for you.

If you do good things – Good for you.

If you are following Jesus (i.e., doing what He has said to do, thinking as He says to think, doing the things He has done as He has done them – Better. for you’

But if you are actually doing what He has done, thinking as He thinks, going where He has gone, and obeying His commands – BEST for you!

IN CONCLUSION

There are many current-day theologians, pastors and preachers who say that some of the things Jesus did and said have ceased. They say these things have ceased because we no longer see them and-or they ceased because we no longer need them with the establishment of the Church. Or perhaps they have said this because of the confusion and abuse of the ‘works of Jesus’ have created in the post-modern church. But the Bible does not say this and never even infers any the things Jesus said and demonstrated would cease. Men saying such things are manmade excuses. I honestly don’t have a better answer except to say that when the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast a demon out of a young boy, they many have been thinking ‘these things have ceased’?  But Jesus answered them saying, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’

“Ask, and you shall receive. Seek and you shall fine. Knock and the door shall be opened to you.” Now that is what Jesus calls normal!

“If My words are in you and you abide in Me, ask what you will and it shall be granted to you.”

Remembering that all ‘these things’ are in the context of and for the purpose of accomplishing the purpose, plan and mission of Christ Jesus!

His return is near. It is time to DO HIS NORMAL. Let’s get this thing done – in Jesus Name.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young