Walk With Me
Christian discussion of biblical topics, and a dose of daily application. Yes the Bible is still relevant, and we find out more and more each day how relevant it has always been.
Walk With Me
Strait Striving...
Have you ever wondered if simply acknowledging God's existence is enough? Join us as we explore the profound teachings of Luke 13 in this latest episode of Walk With Me, where we confront the challenging yet essential topic of the rapture and the urgent need for a genuine relationship with God. Drawing from biblical accounts and popular Christian media like "Left Behind," we unravel common misconceptions and underscore the importance of living a life deeply dedicated to God. Inspired by the journey of a fellow believer, we delve into the biblical analogy of marriage to illustrate how an intimate, personal bond with God transcends mere acknowledgment and is vital for our spiritual well-being.
In this heartfelt episode, we also emphasize the significance of love, gratitude, repentance, and striving for holiness. Reflecting on the concept of iniquity, we address how passive complicity in sin can distance us from God and the sorrow that follows eternal separation from Him. Encouraging listeners to prioritize their spiritual journey above societal acceptance, we affirm the critical role of love, baptism, and repentance in nurturing a solid relationship with God. Be inspired to share God's love with others and be reminded that you are deeply loved by Him. Amen. God bless you.
Hello everybody, welcome to today's episode of Walk With Me. I am your host, jj. It's so good to have each and every one of you here. I know you were waiting for me to post this video yesterday, or this podcast yesterday, and I did not. Something had come up and, before everything was said and done, the day was gone. I do apologize that I promise you, once this situation is over and God has delivered us, I will be back on to posting on the day, which is Friday, that I would usually like to have these episodes posted.
Speaker 1:Yes, these are here, no there, but thank you all for sticking with me in this time. Thank you all for your prayers those of you who know and are praying, thank you very much. Thank you very much for our sponsors. Thank you all for your prayers those of you who know and are not praying, thank you very much. Thank you very much for our sponsors. Thank you everybody for each and every one of you who listen to this podcast. I don't care if you pray for me or not. God got me and God got you too.
Speaker 1:God loves each and every one of us, and that's part of the reason why we have this podcast, because God loves each and every one of us. I and why we have this podcast because God loves each and every one of us. I know some of the things that we talk about, and this episode may be one of them, but it makes it seem as if there may be some sternness to God. But, trust me, god warns us about this because he loves us and he knows what he is going to stand for and what he's not going to stand for. But before we get into that, we are going to have a quick thank you for our sponsors Two Bars of Lyricists that gave us the intro and outro music. Listening to his music is a blessing, especially on his journey that he's been making towards God.
Speaker 1:It's just wonderful to stand back and watch from the outside. I know that sometimes we get kind of wrapped up in our own journeys to God. We woke up one day. We realized, you know, we were on the right path of living for God. But on the outside, looking in, it's just good to well. Not on the outside looking in, but let's just say I'm a little bit further ahead on the journey and turning around and seeing someone coming up behind you and with the same goal in mind, it's an amazing thing. It's a lovely thing and a blessing. Thank God for him and his wife. Thank God for exquisite creations. We'll be doing more graphics later, as soon as God has delivered her from the attack that she's going through at the moment. That's all I want to say about that right now. But thank God, each and every one of you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, guys, for downloading and sharing this episode. I see a lot of new subscribers. I really thank you. I see a lot of listeners from other places. It tells me, kind of tells me, where people are listening to the podcast. I won't mention them because I know the current climate there when it comes to living for God and Christianity. Thank you all. I love you. God loves you. I appreciate you. You, god loves you, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:Now, today's episode is going to be a little bit different because we're going to talk about a subject that a lot of people I kind of touched on it a few weeks back when we were talking about the end times, and a lot of people had questions about it. Some of the questions were nice, some of them not so nice, but I don't care. If you have any questions, questions, comments, anything like that. Send them to walkwithmebiblestudy at gmailcom. Walkwithmebiblestudy at gmailcom.
Speaker 1:One of the things that as much as I love good, awesome entertainment, such as the movie Left Behind, the book series Left Behind this is where we started talking about this subject was how the rapture had happened and there were people who had not been left behind decided they were going to live for God and fight the good fight of faith and it's great entertainment. It is, it's absolutely great entertainment. But some of you and that's okay and please understand, I don't take umbrage at the fact you took umbrage at what I said, but some of you questioned why I said that if you are left behind from the rapture, you may not be going to heaven and if you do happen to make it, you got to survive the next seven years. It's only about a 17% chance of doing that. Some people took offense to that and I understand that Some people took offense to that and I understand that, because before I really started being serious about living for God, I kind of thought, well, I'll just kind of live for God a little bit. When the rapture happens and I know the rapture happens then I know the time is ticking and blah, blah, blah. That's what I had. That was how I felt about it and it's understandable how a lot of people can feel that way based on some of the current Christian teachings and things like that. But there are several indications in the Bible where that may not be accurate.
Speaker 1:And one of the things that Jesus talked about was, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man, and we look real closely at what happened with Noah was that Noah preached for 120 years and then they went into the ark, because it took Noah 120 years to build this ark. And then they went into the ark because it took Noah 120 years to build this ark. And then they went into the ark, but it wasn't like as soon as the door shut, the rain started. Please don't believe what Hollywood is telling you. The Bible is very clear when it said for seven days, nothing happened. When seven days nothing happened. When seven days nothing happened, they were in the ark, they were sitting there and no doubt and this is out of the book of JJ Now, no doubt Noah is sitting inside the ark going okay, I did what you told me to do, god, I got these animals they're stinking to high heaven and I got my family in here. They're looking miserable already, but where's the rain? That was day one. Day three they're probably still looking at Noah like, hey, buddy, where's this rain got from? Day four, day five and everybody's standing outside going ha ha ha. You guys sitting in the park, Y'all looking stupid and there's no air in there and y'all look stupid and we're out here living our lives. Day six. And then, toward the end of day seven, all of a sudden something fell out of the sky the size of a house and that was one rain drop. I invite you to go back. The Bible doesn't go into that detail, but it says they were in the ark for seven days before it started raining.
Speaker 1:And likewise we're going to talk about Luke, chapter 13. And we're going to start at verse 23. Knowing we only have a limited amount of time, I want to get right into this, because Jesus is talking about this in a teaching sense, and he's not even referring to Noah's Ark this time, even though he's referred to Noah's Ark before, in the days of Noah. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be. But now he decides to get a little bit more specific, but he uses a different word picture. We're going to start Luke, chapter 13, 23. Now, generally I only give a couple scriptures because of time and the admonition is always to read a verse or two above or a verse or two below, preferably the whole chapter. This is always going to be the case because context is key. We're going to do a little bit deeper dive into this and I still advise you to go ahead and read the whole chapter because I don't want you to think JJ is taking something out of context.
Speaker 1:But here it is.
Speaker 1:Jesus is explaining to the apostles. They said one to him Lord, are there a few that be saved? Because this has been going on back and forth Straight gate, broad way. You know many going in there straight gate. And Jesus said unto them strive to enter into the straight gate. Now I always read from the Gene James version. It's just a personal preference. I like the way they say the words in there Don't tell. There are some translations that are just not worth being printed, but that's why I just think it's a Gene James version. In other words, fight and struggle to enter in at the straight gate, which is the narrow gate, which is the uncomfortable gate.
Speaker 1:For many, I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able. Now let's stop right there. For people who tell you, walkers, that God is just some, you know, lovely flower child going around sprinkling salvation in every corner and under every rock and behind every tree, this is Jesus, directly contradicting them. For many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, will look around to try to get in, will do what they think they need to do to get in, but shall not be able to get in when, once the mass of the house has risen up and have shut the door, wait a minute. I thought that you can just, you can just pray through right up to the rapture. You can just pray through right up. This is Jesus saying. Once the master of the house has risen up and has shut to the door and you begin to stand without, in other words, stand outside and knock at the door Saying Lord, lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not Whence you are. In other words, let's break it down, plain English.
Speaker 1:Once that train has left, they're not coming back. You ever. Anybody who's ever ridden a New York subway knows the worst moment. The worst moment to get to your train is when the door's closed and the train sits there for like five seconds and doesn't open. But you're just standing there hoping that somebody opens the door again and then you just run in there. That's not happening, the door is not going to open and now the train is going to leave and you are there, left behind. Now, I know that may not be a good example, because New York trains is always the next one. Well, not necessarily. There's some where they have last trains. You missed that last train. You're just done, but in most cases you just stand and wait for another train.
Speaker 1:But what Jesus is saying here is that there are people who are going to, once this door is shut, people are still going to be trying to get in. People are still going to be trying to attain what we call salvation. People are still going to be trying to live for God, for God. But he will say to you I don't know where you are why? Because you're over there and we're over here. There is a gulf fixed between us. There's a door shut between us. There is a barrier between us that you did not get through. You did not enter the straight gate. Now here's where a lot of people will become very bitter with God because they'll feel as if, you know, god should have bent the rules for them.
Speaker 1:But there was always a time, always a moment, that you had an opportunity to live for God, that I had an opportunity to live for God, that we all had an opportunity to live for God and we passed on it because it wasn't the right time for us. It didn't fit in with our normal lives, it didn't fit in with our scheme of partying and living it up and doing what we wanted to do. We always said later there's a song that just came to mind, where the guy was talking about Jesus said here I am, won't you please take my hand and I said I will tomorrow. That song, there may not be a tomorrow for you. There might not be a tomorrow for me. There might not be a tomorrow for me when Jesus, when that moment comes to get a hold of God and to get into that straight gate, take it. Take it Now.
Speaker 1:I know, I know walkers, we have all been in this world for however many years and up to this point, and the devil is immediately going to come to you and say well, that means you got to give up this and you got to give up that and you got to give up this. Remember Jesus said to come as you are. He doesn't say to come as you are. He doesn't say to stay as you are. Let's get that lie out the way too. It never says to stay as you are. It says to come as you are. You start living for God and God will guide you through his word, through his scripture and you entering into that straight narrow, uncomfortable gate. On the things that you are going to have to lay down and a lot of these things you will find later that you didn't even miss. I'm a little off topic, but it just needed to be said.
Speaker 1:So now let's go back to verse 25. When the master of the house is risen up, what is risen up? He's no longer sitting down, he's up and he's moving around. What were we just talking about? The rapture. Once that's happened, that door, it will be shut. There will be no other opening, because if you read down through the bible, we talked about it, we talked about it extensively and we will talk about it again. There's no worries. I love talking about the word of god, I could do it all the time, but there is no other, um, there is no other avenue after the rapture where and yes, I know, I know you're going to say, but JJ, the word rapture doesn't appear in the Bible. I know it is a term of convenience that we use, but when that thing in Thessalonians 4.16 happens, after that there is no other, there is no other avenue that provides an entry into the heavenly realm, unless you survive to the thousand year reign. And even then the Bible says the books are open and you are judged according to those books. Now the books are open. We're judged according to those books. Now the books are open, we're talking about the books of the Bible and I don't want to get into that because that's another three episodes. But here we are talking about.
Speaker 1:Once the mass of the house has risen up and has shut the door, people will start knocking, people will start begging God, god, please save me. God, please open the door. God, please take me with you. God, I just want to be saved. People will stand and knock. But what does he say? He shall answer and say to you we're in verse 25, the middle part of 25,. He shall answer and say to you he's got to talk back to you and he will say to you I know you not whence you are, I don't know you from where you are, you are separated from me and you have not lived with me, you've not lived for me, I have never been in your heart, I don't know you. That word, no, I know.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we use words casually and we don't think about the fact they may have several meanings. At one point we say God knows each and every one of us. He does. But this word no is not that level of knowing. Like if I see you on the street and I say, hey, jim, how are you? Because I know Jim, I've seen Jim, I've had a conversation or two with Jim. But this level of know, when the Lord is talking about knowing you, this is a more intimate level of knowing, and I know I just misused the word intimate, but it's the best word that describes it, because the Bible also describes know in an intimate form, like Adam knew his wife and she conceived. I guarantee you he didn't walk up to Eve and say, hey, eve, how you doing? And then a baby popped out. That's not how that happened.
Speaker 1:But this word no means to interact with somebody on a very intimate knowledge, on a very intimate level, on a very intimate basis, to where you know. And I want to say it's like a marriage. But people might think, might get the wrong picture in their heads, but you ever seen like a married couple that's been married a long time? Sometimes they could sit in the same room and not even speak to each other but yet still be connected on an intimate level. And I'm not talking about marriage activities, I'm just saying sitting in a room, connected spiritually.
Speaker 1:You know when your husband has a pain in his back. You know when your wife, her knee is hurting, why she doesn't have to say anything. Because you know, because you have been that close to her, that intimate with her, that on a level of love with her, to know when she's being brave and hiding a pain. She knows when you are being gentle and not flying off the handle about something she said, because she knows she said it. She knows maybe she shouldn't have said it. And I mean that level of no Like. I don't know you, I'm not intimate with you, I'm not. You and I are not connected, and that's what that word know means in that sentence. I know you not whence you are.
Speaker 1:And then Jesus goes further and say depart from me. So that right there tells you that the separation isn't that big. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity, in other words, people who sin. Now there is a, there is a one of the definition of of iniquity, which actually goes against being sent, and what it is is a situation where it is a grossly unfair behavior. When you say workers of iniquity, we're talking about somebody that's immoral. We're talking about somebody that's basically unfair, grossly unfair, okay, and we're talking about people who will not only do these things but would enable others to do these things.
Speaker 1:And a lot of us who call ourselves Christians do this. When you work iniquity in someone else, we don't want to be called judgmental, we don't want to be called whatever name the world wants to throw at us, and we allow this thing to happen, and so we become workers of iniquity by being silent. I'm going to say that again we work iniquity by being silent Because we don't want to offend them. We are choosing them over choosing God. And in here God is saying depart from me. I never knew you, because you chose them over me and you decided to work iniquity.
Speaker 1:And let's wrap it up in verse 28. And there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, because at that point any one of us and I'm saying us, I hope it's not me, I work to say that to find out it's not me, but any one of us that is caught on the outside of that gate, on the outside looking in, we will weep because we know what's coming next. The world doesn't know yet. The world is blissfully ignorant about the trouble that is about to befall them. But we know, because we know that A? A we will be separated from God. The little feelings that we have with God are gone. The little tingly feeling that we had in our back when we went to church, and thatingly feeling that we had in our back when we went to church and that great feeling that we had in us when we left church, that's gone, that's no more.
Speaker 1:And then now we're gnashing of teeth because now, because we know that we are separated from God eternally, where our next stop will be, we know hell awaits. Our next stop will be. We know hell awaits. But and it goes even further, because Jesus rubs it in when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you, yourselves thrust out. Tell me again, walkers, how Jesus is all love. You yourselves thrust out. But this gets even better and we will wrap it up in verse 29. And they shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and they shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And you, after you were thrust out Because you weren't iniquity, you separated yourself from God by your choice.
Speaker 1:This is a terrible situation to be in, and this is one of the things that I always pray about and it's one of the things that really sort of gets me going, and I have to constantly examine myself, and the Bible tells us to examine ourselves. You must strive to get in at the straight gate. It's not like once you come in, you're in, you strive. It's a striving is a word that means constantly press, constantly fight, constantly struggle, constantly fight, constantly struggle. You are striving Like I strive to be more perfect. That's not something you attain once. That's something that's an ongoing journey that we must be involved in as Christians at all times, and we are not allowed to work iniquity.
Speaker 1:And God is telling us this because he loves us now, and he's telling us this? Because, even though he's telling us these things, some of us will not listen, and that's one of the things that I always. Sometimes I go well, god, why wouldn't we listen? And then I find out that I was not listening to something God said too, and just like that, I found myself out of the will of God. I found myself struggling. I find myself, in the broad way, doing it the easy way, doing it the shortcut way, doing it not the way God told me to do it, but doing it the way JJ wanted to do it. And now we in a whole bunch of trouble. So, that being said, I know this was a little bit of a heavy episode. We will talk more about it. We're out of time.
Speaker 1:I love each and every one of you. Thank you all for liking and sharing. This is not me beating you down. This is about us striving, knocking things off of us that will keep us outside that gate. Okay, tell somebody that you love them. Tell somebody that God loves them. Tell somebody that Jesus is real and they should repent, be baptized and get to holiness. Amen. God bless you, love each and every one of y'all. See y'all in the next one.