Hillcrest Baptist Church
Next - How To Live A Rapture Ready Life
Next…a study on 1 Thessalonians The decision to become a Christian is the best decision anyone can make. It has eternal consequences that will forever bless your life. And once that decision is made, your future is forever changed. But like all new believers, we wonder what comes next after that decision. What do we do? How shall we live? The Apostle encouraged one church to keep the faith, remain holy and weather the persecution that comes from some when we decide to follow Jesus. This series, called: Next, is all about showing the believer how to become, respond, receive, grow and pray as they take the next steps in their faith in Jesus.
Locations & Times
Hillcrest Baptist Church (Columbus, OH)
2480 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43204, USA
Sunday 9:45 AM
Welcome!
We are glad to have you worship with us.
At Hillcrest, our mission is to “Grow committed followers of Christ who change the world.” Commitment is the end objective we strive for but we also understand that many begin their faith journey more curious than committed. So we strive "to create a church for the Curious to the Committed."
We believe that once a person connects in a smaller community that the next step for them to take is a step of commitment and "change the world."
Thank you for joining us today!!
At Hillcrest, our mission is to “Grow committed followers of Christ who change the world.” Commitment is the end objective we strive for but we also understand that many begin their faith journey more curious than committed. So we strive "to create a church for the Curious to the Committed."
We believe that once a person connects in a smaller community that the next step for them to take is a step of commitment and "change the world."
Thank you for joining us today!!
Hillcrest Baptist Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/hillcrest.baptist/Next - How To Live A Rapture Ready Life
Wake Up, Sober Up and Suit Up
Wake Up, Sober Up and Suit Up
Today, I want to continue our study on 1 Thessalonians as we dive deeper into this whole subject of the Rapture and to make sure we are Ready to Receive The Lord when that day comes
It is easy to think we are near the end…especially considering the times we live in. We wonder if Iran or some other foreign enemy is days or months away from having nuclear capabilities. We see disease and famine increase across the globe. We watch America’s politicians spend all their energy and efforts trying to attack those on the other side of the aisle. We witness violence escalate all around the world and even in our own city and we speculate, “Is all that we know coming to some kind of conclusion?”
The answer is YES!
The answer is YES!
In turbulent times we need more than tabloids, we need a Trusting Hope. We need God’s word…a faithful, truthful, historically accurate and prophetically perfect book! Paul understood this and that is why He shared what was Next in God’s Prophetic calendar.
Chapter 5 is the last chapter in this letter and Paul is telling the people of Thessalonica that there are some facts they need to be aware of. Fact #1, is that there is a certainty to the future…the world as we know it will end. Fact #2, Jesus Christ will return.
The Voice of Truth Leads to Hope
There are so many voices to listen to in our days when it comes to future events. Everyone has a theory, an idea. Some lead to despair and one leads to hope.
Hear this…Jesus launches the last days…“Climate changes” do not dictate the last days…Jesus does. Jesus is voice of authority and He has told us from the time He walked the earth…the end is coming.
Jesus is dead-on accurate with His predictions of the future. We can trust Him!
Understand, when God predicts the future, it is not a big risk. God knows the future more accurately than we can recall the past. He is the author of the past, present and future. He knows the future with complete accuracy.
And He wants us to trust Him and Be Blessed
Understand, when God predicts the future, it is not a big risk. God knows the future more accurately than we can recall the past. He is the author of the past, present and future. He knows the future with complete accuracy.
And He wants us to trust Him and Be Blessed
Jesus Wants Us to Trust Him and Be Blessed
God wants us to be blessed as we know and understand that He is the Keeper of His word and that when we keep to His words and are ready for His return…we will be richly blessed.
Are you ready to meet the Lord? To go before Him in the seat of Judgment? Paul gave us the three ways to be ready.
Be Ready By Waking Up
If you stayed up to late last night, I am not busting you out. I am not talking about physical sleeping but spiritual sleeping. I am talking about people who refuse to hear God’s word and take action because of it. They are spiritually lethargic.
The Bible has a lot more to say about the end times, including how power will shift, how there will be a cashless society, how there will be superpowers identified as kings from the east and how earthquakes, false prophets and persecution towards believers will all increase. All things we see now.
Listen, my point is this…wake up to the spiritual reality…Jesus is coming soon! The bible predicted his first coming and it has his second and the bible has never been wrong.
Listen, my point is this…wake up to the spiritual reality…Jesus is coming soon! The bible predicted his first coming and it has his second and the bible has never been wrong.
Be Ready By Sobering Up
Paul is saying be clear minded…do not be foggy minded when it comes to the second coming of Jesus.
Let’s not allow ourselves to become intoxicated with things that aren’t the main thing. Like drunks, there are people who have a fake happiness to life…as long as I have things I am happy. Or they drink when life gets hard…they lose heart and they drink away the stress and pain…only it never goes away, it just gets worse.
When Paul says we should be sober, it means to be clear-headed. To be sober means to be alert, to live with your eyes open, to be sane and steady. To depend on His spirit, to be calm and clear-headed about life and to not panic but to trust in the one who can fill us with real happiness and joy and peace.
Be Ready By Suiting Up
Truth is we are all in a spiritual battle. It started on the day of our conversion and will rage until the day we go to Heaven. We will be tempted, harassed, hassled, and attacked. Simply put, Satan does not want you to follow Jesus Christ. This is why we need to suit up!
And swing your sword…God’s word is a weapon that will guide you, correct you, fill you with hope and take you to the day you meet the Lord face to face with confidence.
Looking for Christ’s return is not a miserable, repressive, confining way to live. It’s a happy, joyful, purposeful way to live. It fills us with hope and leads us to victory until the great day of the Lord when Jesus comes for us!
C.H. Spurgeon said, “It is a very blessed thing to be on the watch for Christ. It is a blessing to us now. How it detaches you from the world! You can be poor without murmuring. You can be rich without worldliness. You can be sick without sorrowing. You can be healthy without presumption. If you are always waiting for Christ’s coming, untold blessings are wrapped up in that glorious hope!”
What voice will you listen to? Wake up, sober up and suit up.