He is coming,it is coming. (2 Thessalonians 1 v 5 -10) 5

 Here is something I have never realised, Enoch was a prophet, he hasn't left us a book like the other prophets,instead we have two verses in that little book of Jude v 14 -15.These two verses have a very important message for us, here are the opening words ,'Enoch ,the seventh from Adam'. So he was a genuine historical character, the is not about myths,or fictitious characters,it is about real living people living out real lives. Inspired by God the Holy Spirit he prophesied as regards  the end times of humanity on planet earth. Here is what he has to say,'See the Lord is  is coming ',I am sure like me you have listened to a clock ticking,with every tick ,the moment of our Lord's coming back is drawing nearer. He is not on His own,He, the Lord comes with thousands upon thousands of His  holy ones', Remember Jesus said ,'I will come back',(John 14 v 3),He keeps His word,who are those holy ones? it would appear to be the angels (2 Thessalonians 1 v7)  but it could be the saints also      ( 1  Thess 4 v 14)He is coming with a purpose, to convict and punish the ungodly.,Norman Barr describes them as being',destitute of reverential awe towards God'.If sinners have not been forgiven, sinners will be judged .It could be that preachers  that don't preach Christ coming ,are not happy with Christ as a judge.Happy does not come into it ,like it or not ,judgement is coming, one better be ready before it is to late. 

                                                          At His call the dead awake,

                                                          Rise to life from earth and sea;

                                                           All the powers of nature,shaken

                                                           By His looks,prepare to flee;

                                                                    careless sinner

                                                           What will then become of thee?'   (Words John Newton)

They didn't die. ( 1Thessalonians 4 v 13- 18 ) Enoch 4

 In  Hebrews 11 v 5 we have a fuller account of Enoch than we have in Genesis  ,we read that he never experienced death,it is interesting that there are only two people who never  experienced death.Enoch and Elijah (2 Kings 2).Yes we do read of those who died and were brought back to life.but that was only a temporary  experience.Both those two godly men were raptured ,taken right up into heaven.What joy and ecstasy must have filled their hearts,now these two men's experience points us to that day when Christ comes back,we read about it in 1 Thessalonians 4 v13 -18.What a day that will be,though we don't know when for the  secret things belong unto God,it is secret known only to Him'  Deuteronomy 29 v29,That's His secret ,so many Christians concot so many ideas as to when Christ is coming  ,and those ideas become a problem bringing division to the body of Christ.Then you have those who  don;t mention Christ's coming again,why ?we will touch on that next time.Yes it will be wonderful when our Saviour comes again, it could happen in our time , that would be wonderful,the hymn writer H.L. Turner wrote the following.

                                            0h, joy! oh, delight ! should we go without dying;

                                            No sickness, no sadness,no dread and no crying;

                                            Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory

                                            When Jesus receives '' His own.'

Remember Lot's wife. ( 2 Timothy 4 v 10 ) 2

 When judgement fell on Sodom and Gomorrah,Lots wife perished, consider why she perished,the answer is ,she disobeyed God.Genesis (19 v17) yes she looked back,We are not told why she looked back,possible her heart was there, that was the fault of Isreal when they were delivered  out of Egypt,it appears for some their hearts were still in Egypt (Exodus 16 v 3 /Numbers 14 v1-4). When you start following Jesus ,there has to be a  decisiveness,and must be decisiveness,there should be no turning back,and indeed no looking back,for then you may want to go back.Jesus said,'' take up your cross and follow Me',yes in spite of the difficulties,lonliness,and challenges.The very nature of those words are a sharp reminder that following Him can truly cost. Our Saviour said ,'No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.(Luke 9 v 62)When I used to visit some elderly people,they dwelt very much on the past,we can understand that, but we must  not live in the past.Someone said,'The Christian marches on,not to the sunset,but to the dawn.The watchword of the Kingdom of God is not,''Backwards'', but,'' forwards ''.

Nothing to laugh at.( Luke 16 v 19 - 33)1

 Judgement was about to fall on those two infamous cities Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18) ,but Abraham's nephew, wife and family lived there,Abraham  prays a prayer indeed pleads for  the cities to be spared, if there were just ten  righteous people dwelling there,Alas there wasn't even ten,so judgement must fall,but there was one righteous man Lot (2 Peter 2v 2-8) plus his wife,two daughters,and their husbands (2 Peter 2 v 2-)only three of them would be saved.His sons-in-law did not take the warning seriousaly,in fact they laughed,(19 v 14) The Judgement of God is not something to laugh at ,we must take it very ,very  serious,for God means what He say's.Hell is not a made up thing,no it is something that God has prepared initially for the devil and his angels,now it includes unrepentive sinners.Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 10v 28,' Do not be afraid of those who kill the body,but cannot kill the  soul . Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell'.

                                        'Laughing will one day turn  to weeping and wailing'

Heavenly Wisdom ( 2 Corinthians 3 v2-5) 4

Let us briefly mention the other qualites of heavenly wisdom,first ,'considerate ',or as Matthew Arnold called it ''sweet reasonableness'.The religious people of Jesus day we're anything but considerate or  sweet and reasonable they were very hardhearted (Mark 3 v5 ),they would have pushed to the front of the queue.Next we look at,'Submissive' one writer says it can mean,' ever ready to obey', the greatest example of this ,is the Lord in all He did,and reached its fullness by His submission and obedience to God His Father.(Philippians 2 v 5-11).Next we have ,'Full of mercy and good fruit '. an over abundance to forgive, and a generous heart.Next 'Impartial and sincere', we are all inclined to listen to one side of the story often we take sides,when my neighbours wife's marriage broke up I tried not to take sides. As regards being  sincere in other words ,not two faced,one of the things our Saviour said about the Pharisees that they were hypocrites Matthew 22 v18,He said this many times.There used to be saying,the bigger the Bible the bigger the hypocritr, Our lives should manifest what ever the Bible says,as one person put it,'That our lives  may be like a letter that anyoe can read'.

The Heavenly Wisdon (James 3 v 17-18 ) 3

 We have mentioned the worldly or earthly wisdom, that many exersise,and can lead to so much evil.now we will consider the wisdom that comes down from heaven.One could liken heavenly  wisdom to the fruits of the Spirit,the first is described as being pure,perfect and holy,for as I said it comes from heaven, where everything is pure,perfect and holy.There is no deviousness in it,none whatsoever,it is not built on crooked thinking,or underhand dealings.Our Saviour manifested it in its fulness ,we His followers who have this ,will manifest Christ. Next we have peace -loving,William Barclay writes that it has a two fold meaning,a relationship of peace with man,and peace with God,how we need that,Christ the Prince of peace,made it possible we can have peace with God Romans 5 v1,Calvarys peace with God ,was purchased by Christs sacrificial death on the cross,By the Spirit's aid we can live at peace with man.There is so many things  that are stirring people up in conflict with others,the list is endless.let us bear in mind that to be a peace maker is to be blessed. ( Matthew 5 v9 )

                                                  Dear God and Father,fill us by Thy Spirit,

                                               that we will manifet purity and peacefulness,

                                                                in Jesus name . Amen

Wisdom ( Luke 20 v 20 -26) 2

 James encourages us to ask God for wisdom, 1v 5-6,then in chap 3 v 13 -18, he describes two kinds of wisdom.a worldly wisdom and a heavenly wisdom.Our lives and actions will manifest the wisdom we live by,we shall be known by our fruits. Wisdom should mean a lot to all of us,it should be a priorty in all our lives if we live by the heavenly wisdom we will manifest the life of Christ. Likewise the worldly wisdom does not come from heaven is unspiritual,demonic,very strong words,but if looks one at some leaders in 20th century,like Stalin ,Hitler,we can say they had wisdom,but it was surely demonic,they represent so many others like themselves. They where full of  selfish ambition,that crushed anyone who they felt stood in their way. They caused disorder  and practiced every kind of evil,and that's what they are remembered for.I have been mentioning,the wicked rulers of this world.In a lesser level people can manifest it, here is an example, my wife's car developed a fault,we found out it would need a new engine,it had not done that many miles,it is not obivious that it has a problem,two people advised trading it in without declaring the fault,of course we didn't, you see that's worldly wisdom.In so many ways wordly wisdom is at work,as one writer puts it,' People are ready  to intrigue and to plot and to use any means to gain their end'.