Coming to Christ Before Christ's Coming

This day, this Feast of Trumpets is certainly rich in meaning. The one thing that I believe that we all think about most on this day is what it will be like when Christ returns.

We anticipate Christ's return. We think about it quite a lot. We give sermons on it. I've given a number of sermons on that particular topic myself. We don't know exactly when that time will be, but many of us do like to study the Bible. We like to study Bible prophecy. We like to see if we can at least have some idea of what events are going to happen and when they're going to happen prior to Christ's return. Of course, the main thing that we who are baptized are concerned about is, will we be ready for Christ's return? If we understand clearly, we know that the bottom line is that those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them at Christ's return will be changed in the spirit of spirit being born into the family of God in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. And those who have died in Christ, those who have died with the Spirit of God present in them, they are already sealed for that return. Their battle is over. They fought the good fight. The crown of life is already laid up for them in heaven. So if we are alive and have God's spirit in us now, we are to continue in the faith. We know that the Scripture clearly says, we are called, chosen, and we must remain faithful. We must endure to the end. The Scripture tells us the end is speaking for us the return of Christ. Our faith is sealed when Christ returns. If we have God's Spirit now, we will be born into His family. If God has taken His Spirit away from us, if we've committed the unpardonable sin, then we won't be in the first resurrection. So these are important issues to consider on this day. So it is important that we continue in the faith. Simply, some have not done so. We know many, many people who have not continued in the faith. They have wandered from the faith. They have gone astray. Now, God loves them. No doubt of that. Hopefully, God will bring them to repentance. Things will work out for them if they truly love God and His way of life. We have nothing to fear about that. God will certainly take care of them all.

But someone who comes to disdain God in his ways, who once had the Spirit of God and had it taken away, is in very desperate shape. So, brethren, what is it going to take for us to stay faithful? Until Christ's return.

As we await the return of Jesus Christ, what is the most important thing that we should all be doing? What do you believe it is? Christ is coming soon. So we should all be coming to Christ now.

The title of this sermon is, Coming to Christ Before His Coming. Coming to Christ Before His Coming.

One of the scriptures I remember learning as I was coming into God's church back at age 18, as God was calling me to Him, as He was calling me to Christ, was John 6, 44. Christ said, No man can come to me unless the Father draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. We're all quite familiar with this scripture. We quote it often. It's a very important scripture. No man can come unto me. No one can come unto Christ unless the Father draws him, and I will raise him up. Christ will raise him up at the last day. So we have to come to Christ. Some of you may think that sounds awfully Protestant, but is it biblical? And what does it mean to come to Jesus Christ, to know Jesus Christ? What does that mean? That's what we're going to be talking about today.

We anxiously await the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that He is coming again, and we believe He's coming soon. But just how faithfully are we now coming to Him?

If He comes again before we have come to Him, it will not go so well for us.

If Christ returns before we have come to Him, it won't be so well for us.

Whether we have God's Spirit dwelling in us or not, I mean, if we have God's Spirit dwelling in us, then we're going to be much better off. I mean, we would have come to Christ then. Anyone who has God's Spirit still in them at His return means that you have come to Christ, and you've stayed faithful. Anyone who has not accepted Christ as their Savior is not going to be in such wonderful shape, frankly. And that is something that we should all consider.

Let's see what the Scripture says about this. Actually, let's go back to John 6. Let's go to John 6. Let's read some of the context in regard to this verse. John 6. We're going to go back to verse 26. John 6. This is a very, very important subject today. It's very important for all of us.

Chapter 6 verse 26. Jesus answered them and said, he answered the Pharisees, he said, Most assuredly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs, because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Their motivation wasn't exactly perfect, was it?

You ate of the loaves and you were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. That's what our focus should be upon.

The spiritual food that God wants to feed us on a daily basis. Food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on Him, on Christ. God the Father has set his seal upon Christ. He has sent Christ to do a work.

Jesus Christ is doing a work. That's what Jesus is saying here. Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? What should we do? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God that you believe in Him who He sent. That you believe in Jesus Christ who the Father sent. Therefore they said to Him, What sign will you perform then that we may see it and believe you? What work will you do? Always looking for a sign. Our Father's ate the manna in the desert as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. Who actually gave the manna? Was it not the one who became Christ? Was it not that rock that was with them in the wilderness? The one who became Christ gave them that physical manna to sustain them during the wilderness. Jesus Christ was there present with them before He became known as Christ. He was the Word, the Logos, the spokesman. He was the one who appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, who had a relationship with them. Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. Now, it's not to say that the Father might not have had something to do with the bread as well, sending the bread, but it was the Eternal, the one who became Christ, who was mostly interacting with the children of Israel. The Father and Son always are in agreement. There should be no argument here. There should be no concern about this. Clearly, He who comes down from heaven, I'm sorry, for the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Jesus Christ came down from heaven. The Father sent Him. He gives life to the world. Then they said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.

I am that unleavened bread. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. So are we to come to Christ?

Are we to come to Jesus Christ? He who comes to me shall never hunger.

Is that what you want? Do you want to live for eternity? Do you want to never hunger? Never have these problems that we face today where we do hunger, and we should be hungering and thirsting for righteousness. That's the path we need to be on.

He says, But I said to you that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. You've seen me, I am here with you, but you are stiff-necked. You are Israelites. You are rebellious.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.

For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. Jesus Christ is going to raise us up at the last day when he returns. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life.

And I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then complained about him because he said, I am the bread which came that came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is this then, he that says, I have come down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Do not murmur among yourselves. Do not murmur among yourselves. Don't complain. Don't murmur. I will teach you. I will show you the way. Keep your eyes on me.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. That's three different times that Christ has said, I will raise them up at the last day. We could go on and read further here. I don't know that we need to. I hope the point is made that we do have to come to Jesus Christ. We all have to come to Jesus Christ. Yes, the Father draws us to Christ. The Father opens our minds to see that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, that He is the Savior, the one that's revealed in the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, is the Messiah. He is our Savior. Not only should we come to Jesus, but the Father is going to draw true believers to Jesus. In fact, if we don't come to Jesus now, He is not going to raise us up at the last day, at His second coming, at His return. Now, this in no way minimizes the Father's role, because this is the Father's will. It is the Father's will that we come to know His Son, Jesus Christ. And actually, it is Jesus Christ who reveals the Father to us and brings us to the Father. What else do the Scriptures say about coming to Jesus? What does Jesus Himself say about the importance, the need for His disciples to come unto Him? Let's look at some other Scriptures. Matthew 16, verse 24. Matthew 16, verse 24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, if anyone desires to follow Me, to come after Me, to come unto Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. In other words, be willing to sacrifice for Me. He's about to give his life, so He's asking of us, His disciples, that we are willing to also make sacrifices for Him. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels. This day pictures that time. And then he will reward each according to his works. When Christ comes back, He's going to reward according to His works. You know, those who have humbled themselves, who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them, they will be changed into spirit. If they've died in the faith, they will come out in the faith. They will come up out of the graves in the faith.

They will be spirit beings, children of God, born into the God family, all-powerful, all-mighty, with the power of God, children of God.

Those who are alive will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, into spirit, no longer shackled by the flesh, no longer held back by our sins. We will no longer sin when we are born into God's family.

And those who are children, perhaps, know God will protect them. God will be with them.

God will honor them. We have to have faith and believe that. We have to know that. We have to believe in God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Savior, and know that if we have trust in God, if we please Him, we have nothing to fear.

And if our children make the right choices, they will also be rewarded according to their works.

If they are stiff-knacked and rebellious, they will pay a price.

Thankfully, God is merciful. Thankfully, God is loving. And I have no fear for my children because they are in God's hands. They're in His hands. I don't worry. My children haven't attended the church in a long while. I love my children with deep devotion.

I know God loves them more. I do not fear. Follow me, Jesus Christ says. Come to me. Follow me. Be my disciple.

Make a difference in how you live your life.

Make a difference. Be totally committed.

That's what this is all about. That's what this calling is all about, to be totally 100% committed and not making so many excuses for the flesh. And I've done it. I know what it's like. I'm sure I'll continue to do it to some degree. I hope not much.

We need to fully commit ourselves to God the Father and to Jesus Christ. We need to become His disciples.

Christ is going to reward His disciples according to His works. Now, we know that we will be saved by grace because none of us deserve to be saved. We all fall short of the glory of God, our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. We all fall short of that, but our works cover many areas of our life. We will be rewarded according to our works. Do works matter? Yes, they matter an awful lot. We will be rewarded according to our works.

The very first and most important work is our personal relationship with our Savior. That's the most important thing. It's your relationship with Jesus Christ on a daily basis.

That is the starting point. You have to come to Christ.

You have to know who He is. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Let this mind be in you. Start to think like Jesus Christ and continue to think like Him from the moment you get up in the morning to the time you lay your head on the bed at night.

That is a 100% total commitment. When you're working, you are supposed to think like Christ.

How would Christ do this?

Would He lie to this person? Would He shade the truth?

Would He cut corners?

How would He... What decisions would He make?

This dictates your relationship with Jesus Christ. You will be rewarded according to your works.

Right? But God wants to give you His kingdom. He will give you His kingdom. You will be of greater service in His kingdom if you will knock off the rough edges now.

If you'll work on all the rough edges now, you will be of greater service in His kingdom.

This is a daily thing.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ should be all important to us. We should learn to think more like Christ. Think about Him.

Think about us being His disciple, following Him.

Studying what He teaches in His Word. It goes from Genesis to Revelation. Because, frankly, most of it is about the One who became Christ.

The Father has a very important role. The Father is truly humble because He puts His Son way out there. The Word, the Logos, the spokesman who became Jesus Christ interacts throughout the Old Testament. You know, it's amazing. I was doing some studying this morning about the Father. Heavenly Father, you know, it's not even found in the Old Testament.

Go back and study some of this.

I'm going to get sidetracked here. I'm going to get sidetracked here. This could be a long sermon.

I've been studying a lot about the God family.

Every morning for a couple of years now, for the most part.

I believe I have a richer, fuller understanding of this because of the dedicated time I've spent on it. It makes a difference. If we dedicate ourselves, and it's important to us, you know, I'm an early riser, too. I'm up at four o'clock in the morning. I was up at three-thirty this morning. I don't always get up that early, but I get up oftentimes early, and that's when I get the most study done. That's when I'm the clearest, and I can drink my coffee, and I really enjoy it. It's a wonderful time. If you haven't been doing that, you should try that. Go to bed early.

Don't watch TV late into the night. It's a waste of your time. Go to bed early. Get up early. Open the Bible. Study it.

You know, God's Word is to be written in our hearts.

It's to be written in our minds. We can't do that unless we're opening the Bible and reading it.

If you're lackadaisical, if you're lethargic, how do you really expect to do that? Are you going to be rewarded in a wonderful, marvelous way when Christ returns? Because you've yielded yourself and put your priorities where they need to be. You know, I know of where I speak because I haven't always been this way.

I've wasted too much time in God's church. I've been in this church for 40-some years.

I wish I could bring every moment of it back. I can't. It's gone. But I can talk to some of you that are much younger than I am and tell you, trust me, you'll never regret the time you spend in God's Word. You'll never regret it.

You can't even remember movies you watch if you're like me.

I can't remember the stupid things. You know, they're really not that important.

It's not that some enjoyment can come from a movie now and then. I obviously like movies. I've watched too many of them.

But I'm saying there are more important things with your time for your time. More important things for my time.

It's your relationship with Jesus Christ. It's your walk with Him daily, putting on His mind, writing the laws of God. Now, God the Father and Jesus Christ are at one. You know, they are one. Their law is one. When we honor Jesus Christ, we honor the Father. When we honor the Father, we honor His Son.

There's no competition whatsoever between the Father and the Son.

They are love. God is love. You know, Jesus Christ is God.

Jesus Christ was the Word, the Logos. He was in the beginning with God. He was God.

You know, we need to see the bigger picture and what, you know, the Father sacrificed this being whom He loved with every ounce of His being for all eternity.

He let Him come down here as a human being to suffer as a human being. We can't underestimate the love of the Father and what He's done for us. For God so loved the world. He loved all the world. In fact, now's a good time to read this other...

I just actually pulled this up as I was listening to the song and read it. The author Horatio G. Spaffler, who wrote this song, it is well-written. Horatio G. Spaffler was a successful lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a lovely family. A wife, Anna, and five children. However, they were not strangers to tears and tragedy. Their young son died with pneumonia in 1871, and in that same year, much of their business was lost in the Great Chicago Fire. Yet God in His mercy and kindness allowed the business to flourish. This was written, I think, by someone in the family. On November 21, 1873, the French ocean liner, Ville Du Havre, was crossing the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe with 313 passengers on board. Among the passengers was Mrs. Spaffler, who was a former British man. Although Mr. Spaffler had planned to go with his family, he found it necessary to stay in Chicago to help solve an unexpected business problem. He told his wife he would join her and their children in Europe a few days later. His plan was to take another ship. About four days into the crossing of the Atlantic, Ville Du Havre collided with a powerful iron-bold Scotty ship, the L'Ouil-Havre. The ship was built in the southern border of the Atlantic. Ville Du Havre collided with a powerful iron-bold Scotty ship, the Loch Erne. Suddenly, all of those on board were in great danger. Anna, his wife, hurriedly brought her four children to the deck. She knelt there with Annie, Margaret Lee, Bessie and Tannetta, and prayed that God would spare them if that would be His will. If that could be His will. Or to make them willing to endure whatever awaited them. Within approximately twelve minutes, the Ville Du Havre slipped beneath the dark waters of the Atlantic, carrying with it 226 of the passengers, including the four Spafford children.

A sailor rowing a small boat over the spot where the ship went down spotted a woman floating on a piece of the wreckage. It was Anna still alive. He pulled her into the boat, and they were picked up by another large vessel, which nine days later landed them in Cardiff Wells. From there she wired her husband a message which began, Saved alone, what shall I do?

Mr. Spafford later framed the telegram and placed it in his office. Another of the ship's survivors, Pastor Weiss, later recalled Anna, saying, God gave me four daughters, now they have been taken from me, some day I will understand why. Mr. Spafford booked passage on the next available ship and left to join his grieving wife.

With the ship about four days out, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him that they were over the place where his children went down. According to Bertha Spafford-Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, Spafford wrote, It is well with my soul. When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. Anna gave birth to three more children, one of which died at age four with dreaded pneumonia. In August of 1881, the Spafford-Vester, in August of 1881, the Spafford moved to Jerusalem. Mr. Spafford died and is buried in that city. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding shall keep your hearts, your minds through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4, verse 7. Okay, that's the background of the song that Mr. Hooser Oliver sang.

I started crying when I was reading it, listening to it.

It is a very heart-rending story.

He lost his four daughters. He had lost a son before that to a pneumonia.

No, life is not easy. Life is hard. It takes a lot to endure to the end.

We don't know what God may require of us, of our families, of our children. You know, we have no way of knowing that. So, if it's well with your soul, you're going to be so much better off. And with the full knowledge of God's truth, it truly can be well with your soul.

You can endure anything. That's what it's going to take to be there, enduring whatever God allows to come your way.

Whatever it is, and staying faithful and staying true.

Never giving up on God, always knowing that God knows best. If God allows it, God knows best.

It's hard for us to comprehend, to understand. We just have to turn it over to God.

Jesus Christ, of course, laid his life down for us, the one who had lived for all eternity with his companion, the one who became known as the Father. He no longer had this awesome power and might. He was flesh.

He was God, yes. But he was flesh. He suffered. He suffered a crucifixion, a horrible death.

If there's anyone out there that we should be willing to commit our lives to, is it not for the one who died for us, the one who gave his life for us, the one who laid down his life, the wages of sin, his death, but the gift of God, his eternal life through the Savior, Jesus the Christ. The Father and Son work together beautifully. They work together beautifully. The Father draws us to his Son. He wants us to have a relationship with his Son. That's what he wants you to be cultivating, a relationship with his Son. We pray to the Father, which is wonderful. We do it in Jesus' name. You know, there are times when I refer to Jesus Christ in my prayers. I don't believe there's a thing wrong with that. Jesus Christ is God. He is our Savior. He's worthy of worship. He's worthy of praise. He's worthy of honor. He's worthy of glory. We need to develop this relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. From this day forward, we need to work on it, all of us. And we need to get to know Him better. And if we get to know Him better, we will know the Father, and He will reveal the Father to us. Isn't that what the Scripture says? The Father draws us to his Son. The Son is the Son of God. The Son reveals the Father to us. If you want to know the Father, you have to know the Son.

We have to come to Jesus Christ. All of us. We have to become disciples of Christ. That is the starting point. At baptism, we ask two questions. Have you repented of your sins? Have you repented of your sins? Sin is the transgression of God's holy and righteous and perfect law. Have you repented of breaking it? Are you sorry with a godly sorrow for choosing to disobey God? Are you sorry? That's a question you should ask. If you're sorry and you're of age, then you don't need to put off baptism. If you're willing to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you don't need to put off baptism if you're of age. I'm not talking about small children. Older teenagers, possibly. I was 18. I knew better at 18.

It's between you and God. It's between you and Christ. To me, it would have been cowardly to deny Christ. For me, personally, I couldn't do it. You have to decide. What about you? What is your relationship with Jesus Christ? Second question. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Is He your Savior? Do you believe in Him? Do you believe that He exists, that He's real, that He died, that He lived, and that He loves you?

Then you can cast all your cares upon Him. I don't have much time, so I'm going to have to summarize the next three pages of notes. We come to Christ by repenting of our sins. We are sinned by no longer making excuses for our sins, but admitting our sins. Humbly. We admit that we've sinned, that we are sinners, that we continue to sin. We repent of that. We accept Christ as our Savior, believing in Him, knowing that it is God who grants repentance.

God is the one who grants us repentance when He looks at our heart, and He sees that we are genuine and that we are real. Hebrews 4 talks about coming boldly before the throne of grace. It talks about a high priest named Jesus Christ that we all have, who is tempted at every point as we are, yet without sin.

In the flesh, tempted as we are, yet without sin. Is He worthy of your respect? Is He worthy of your honor? The praise that you would give to Him? Is He worthy? You better believe He's worthy. Come boldly before the throne of grace for help in time of need. Isn't that every day? I think it's essentially every day. Come boldly before the throne. Have faith in your Savior. Have faith in the Father. Trust them daily. Walk in faith. No longer walk by sight. Learn to walk by faith.

That's when God will start working with this church in ways that we have never seen before. That's when God will really begin to work when He looks into our hearts and sees that this is the most important thing for us. When He sees a church that will get behind His Son, His Son is the head of this church.

Jesus Christ is the head. If we get behind the head of this church, amazing things will happen. God is all-powerful. The parable of the wedding feast is in Matthew 22. We don't have time to read it, but it talks about someone who shows up without the proper wedding garments. Someone who takes it lightly. Someone who maybe sat in church for years. Never really did much about it. They came in, they were warm, they were filled, they felt a little bit better about themselves. They left. They didn't do much during the week.

They came back maybe next week if they felt like it. God is not going to take lightly those who are not properly dressed for the wedding feast. That's all about what's inside. It's not physically, it's not what we wear. God looks on the inside. That's what's most important. It's what's inside. It's what our heart is all about. It's the daily choices that we make. Those who are chosen are those who come to Jesus Christ and prepare themselves properly for His return. Indeed, they are called, chosen, and faithful.

They work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. They realize that pride comes before a fall. Take heed lest you fall. Take heed lest you fall. The Bible is full of examples of rebellious people, people who rebel against God, people who aren't willing to make the right choices, don't make the right choices, don't have the right priorities. The Bible is full of it. You know, when you're being called, you better come. When you are being called, you better come. What does a good parent do when he calls his child to him? But the child refuses to come. Come here, Billy. Come here, Billy. Don't want to. What does a good parent do?

A good parent teaches his child. He disciplines him so he will take him more seriously. He disciplines him so he will understand that there's right and wrong, and you are accountable for your decisions. Hebrews 12-6 says, Just like a good parent would chasten a child who thumbed up his nose and did not come when he was being called.

Jesus wanted to gather his children up like a mother hen. You remember that? Remember it's in Matthew, chapter 23. He wanted to gather them up like a mother hen. He wanted to protect them, take care of them, love them. That's what Jesus Christ wanted. Instead, they killed him. He wanted to take them up in his arms and love them. Instead, they killed him. They were not willing to come to him. They weren't willing. They rebelled against him.

What's Matthew 25? They slumbered, they slept, as the bridegroom delayed his coming. Are you asleep? Are you slumbering? Are you wasting your time? Are you committed? Are you on fire? Are you zealous? Are you treating your wife with love and respect every day? Are you treating your husband with love and respect every day? Are you treating your children with love and respect every day? Are you treating your parents with love and respect every day, every moment? Or are you rebelling? That's what it's about. Having a relationship with Christ is learning not to rebel. It's learning to submit. It's learning to love. As God the Father loves us, as His Son loves us, that's what this is all about. I'm so happy to be a part of this group. I can't even tell you how happy I personally am and how joyful I am for the calling that God has given me over the years. There's no way I can express it. It's that important to me. I really believe it should be that important to you. If it isn't, you need to go seek God. You need to seek this relationship with your Savior and find it because it's there. Christ never denies anyone who comes to Him. He will not deny anyone who comes to Him. Revelation talks about people who will...all these plagues are coming down on the earth. One after another, one after another, a third of the earth is wiped out. Billions of people are dying, and yet people will not repent. That's what the Scripture says. They're still rebellious. They won't repent because that's what human nature is akin to doing. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God. Do you have a moment to waste when it comes to getting a grip on your carnal nature? Do you have a moment to waste? I don't really think so. God is good to us. We waste lots of moments. God is merciful. He has been that way with me. I've wasted a lot of them, but I'm here to tell you the fewer moments you waste, the better servant you will be. I guarantee it. I know it to be a fact. Matthew 25. What's that all about? If someone is thirsty and you give him a drink, if he's naked and you clothe him, if he's hurting in some way and you listen to him, Christ says, you've done it unto me. You've come to me. Does it matter how you treat one another? The Bible says that we are to love one another and that we can't love our brother unless we first love God and his Son. We have to learn to love God and his Son, and then love will flow out of us like a river of living waters.

You know, it's an awesome plan. I'm happy to be here today. This is awesome. To be here, to have the truth of God expounded. We come to Christ through prayer. We come to Christ through studying the Word of God, through fasting, through meditating. These are all things that we can do. They're works. They won't save us. We're saved by grace. But we will be rewarded according to our works.

In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 52, when the seventh trumpet sounds, the first resurrection will take place. Those who have been called, chosen, and faithful, who have put on the mind of Christ and who have become like Christ, and who have come to Christ will be changed to spirit. They will be God beings, and they will live forever in the God family.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17, it says, "...for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God." In fact, I'm going to go ahead and read the rest of it. I didn't put it all down.

1 Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17, "...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." We're going to meet Christ in the air. We know that we're going to come back to this earth. We're going to rule and reign with Christ. We're going to also end up on white horses along with Christ. We're going to put down rebellion. We're going to be a part of that. Mr. Libby talked about that. This past Sabbath.

We will be God's servants. We will be Christ's disciples. It's Jesus Christ who's coming back. The Father, the New Jerusalem, the Father is a ways off. Christ has not been here for a thousand years. We're going to be ruling under Him. Don't you think it's wise to get to know Him?

Brethren, have you been coming to Christ on a daily basis? Daily. Does He know you very well because you sought to know Him very well? Is it your top priority? God the Father is drawing all of us to His Son, Jesus Christ. Before Jesus comes again, a second time it says for salvation. He's coming back the next time for salvation to bring salvation to the first fruits. He came the first time to die for us, to pay the penalty for us, to be crucified for us.

He's coming a second time for our salvation. Before He comes again, will you come to Him?