The Bible predicts two returns of Jesus Christ to the earth. Both events will involve the clouds. The two events are separated by 7 years. The two events are for different purposes. The two events have different consequences. The two events affect the entire world population.

Jesus Christ will return in the clouds for His bride, His church– 1 Thessalonians 4:

¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This event will happen in the clouds. Only those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will witness the event.

Consequences of this return in the clouds

1) Those who received the forgiveness and inheritance provided by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Will receive new bodies-Philippians 3:

²⁰ For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself

Will receive rewards for service at the Reviewing Stand-1 Corinthians 3:

¹¹ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

¹³ Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

¹⁴ If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

¹⁵ If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire

James 1:

¹² Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

1 Peter 5:

⁴ And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Revelation 2:

¹⁰ Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Will remain with Jesus Christ forever- 1 Thessalonians 4:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

So how many people will witness this first return? We do not know. The current world population is 7 billion. If only 10% of that number witness this first return, the number would be 70 million. If suddenly 70 million people are missing from all over the world, calamity would occur. Questions would be asked. Answers would be sought. The Bible indicates a lie will be given.

2) Those who heard the good news, that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides for their forgiveness and inheritance as sons, but refused this forgiveness and inheritance will be lost forever. 2 Thessalonians 2:

⁷ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

⁸ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

⁹ Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

3) Those who never heard the good news, that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides for their forgiveness and inheritance as sons, will still have opportunity to hear and receive the good news.

Jeremiah 29:

¹³ And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

2 Chronicles 16:

⁹For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

In which of these three categories are you?

Are you ready for Jesus Christ to receive you?

Have you heard the good news that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides for your

forgiveness and inheritance as son?

2 Corinthians 2:

² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

We Shall Behold Him – Dottie Rambo

Translation in progress. Please wait…

The sky shall unfold Preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him With thunders of praise
The sweet light in His eyes, shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him, then face to face

O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord

The angel will sound, the shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise, from there slumbering place
And those remaining, shall be changed in a moment
And we shall behold him, then face to face

We shall behold Him, o yes we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
We shall behold Him, face to face
Our Savior and Lord
We shall behold Him, our Savior and Lord
Savior and Lord!

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

The Bible predicts two returns of Jesus Christ to the earth. Both events will involve the clouds. The two events are separated by 7 years. The two events are for different purposes. The two events have different consequences. The two events affect the entire world population.

First let’s look at the significance of the clouds

God’s promise can now be seen in the clouds-Genesis 9:

¹¹ And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

 

Why people cannot see God now

Moses desired to see God-Exodus 33:

¹⁸ And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

¹⁹ And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

²⁰ And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

²¹ And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

²² And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

²³ And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

God led His people with a cloud-Exodus 13:

¹⁸ But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

²⁰ And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

²¹ And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

²² He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

What significance do the clouds have for you?

How often do you look at the clouds?

What do you know of the two returns of Jesus Christ in the clouds?

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

Where are you today? Are you discouraged? Are you lonely? Do you feel weighed down? I have the best news for you! Jesus Christ loves you! Jesus Christ, your Creator, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, loves you!

Remember He said in John 15:

¹³ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus Christ proved His love for you –Romans 5:

⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Jesus Christ is compassionate. He always cares for His own. He cares about you and your circumstances and your feelings and your dreams. He loves you with an everlasting love. Remember the example of how He treated Peter? It was the night of the Last Supper. Jesus Christ was preparing Himself and His disciples for His crucifixion and return to Heaven.

This is what Jesus Christ told Peter in Luke 22:

³¹ And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ prayed for Peter’s faith to fail not?

How would you describe your faith?

Peter’s response:

³³ And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

Do you think Peter understood what was going to happen?

Jesus Christ’s warning:

³⁴ And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

This is what happened according to Luke’s account recorded in chapter 22:

⁵⁴ Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.

⁵⁵ And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

⁵⁶ But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

⁵⁷ And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

⁵⁸ And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

⁵⁹ And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

⁶⁰ And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

⁶¹ And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

⁶² And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Why do you think Peter could not keep his word to go with the Lord even to prison and to death?

The message from the angel at the empty tomb specified Peter- Mark 16:

⁴ And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

⁵ And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

⁶ And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

⁷ But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

Paul records that an intimate conversation took place between the risen Jesus Christ and Peter-1 Corinthians 15:

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

⁷ After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

⁸ And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Why do you think Jesus Christ met with Peter before He met with the other disciples?

Why do you think God wants you to know that Jesus Christ met with Peter?

Why do you think God kept the actions and words of this meeting from us?

I suppose it was personal and intimate just for Jesus Christ and Peter.

1 John 1:

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

What does the intimacy of Jesus Christ mean to you?

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

During His first coming to earth, Jesus Christ was both a man of sorrow and a giver of joy.

How is it possible for the man of sorrow to not only have joy but to also give joy? First let’s examine this man of sorrow.

What is sorrow?

Sorrow is an emotion.

Sorrow is defined as distress caused by loss, affliction, disappointment, grief, sadness, or regret.

Why is sorrow?

Sorrow is the result of sin and the fallen creation -Genesis 3:

¹⁶ Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

¹⁷ And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

¹⁸ Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

¹⁹ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Jesus Christ created humans with the capacity of free will. Adam and Eve were given freedom to obey Him or disobey Him. They trusted their own judgment rather than His word and disobeyed.

Consequently, sin and death entered creation and you and I are born in the likeness of Adam with a sin nature, in rebellion to God. We did not choose to have a sin nature but we do make choices influenced by that sin nature. We live in a fallen creation, separated from God and deserving of sorrow.

But Jesus Christ chose to come in a human body to this fallen creation. What was His purpose?

Hebrews 2:

⁶ But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁷ Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

⁸ Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

¹⁰ For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

¹¹ For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

¹² Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

¹³ And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

¹⁴ Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

¹⁵ And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

¹⁶ For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

¹⁷ Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

¹⁸ For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

What was His purpose in coming to earth?

• To experience the suffering of death
• To experience the taste of death for everyone
• To become the perfect Captain of Salvation thru suffering
• To bring many sons to glory
• To destroy him who had the power of death
• To deliver those who fear death and are therefore in lifetime subject to bondage
• To succour (help, aid, give relief and assistance) those who are tempted

The experiences of Jesus Christ in His first coming to earth were predicted in 8^th century BC

Isaiah 53:

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 61:

¹ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Sorrow of Jesus Christ in His first coming to earth

Jesus Christ was rejected by His hometown Luke 4:

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

¹⁷ And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁰ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹ And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

²⁸ And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

²⁹ And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

³⁰ But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

Jesus Christ was not believed by His family – John 7:

⁵ For neither did his brethren believe in him.

Jesus Christ was accused of blasphemy and about to be stoned-John 8:

⁵⁸Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

⁵⁹ Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Jesus Christ wept about death and loved ones – John 11:32-36

³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

³⁴ And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem after teaching in the synagogue– Luke 13:

³¹ The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

³² And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

³³ Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

³⁵ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem on Palm Sunday- Luke 19:

⁴¹ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

⁴² Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

⁴³ For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

⁴⁴ And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation

Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas – Mark 14:

¹⁰ And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.

¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Jesus Christ was denied by Peter-Luke 22:

⁵⁹ And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

⁶⁰ And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

⁶¹ And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

⁶² And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Jesus Christ was deserted by all the disciples-Matthew 26:

⁵⁵ In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

⁵⁶ But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled

Jesus Christ was scourged and given a crown of thorns – John 19:

¹ Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

² And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

³ And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

No one understands like Jesus – John Peterson,

1 No one understands like Jesus, He’s a friend beyond compare;
Meet Him at the throne of mercy, He is waiting for you there.

Chorus:
No one understands like Jesus, When the days are dark and grim;
No one is so near, so dear as Jesus, Cast your every care on Him.

2 No one understands like Jesus, Every woe He sees and feels;
Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus)

3 No one understands like Jesus, When the foes of life assail;
You should never be discouraged, Jesus cares and will not fail (Chorus)

4 No one understands like Jesus, When you falter on the way;
Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus)

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

Basics

Emotions are a valuable, God-given part of you! You can’t get an emotionectomy

Emotions are part of your body’s signal system, neither right nor wrong of themselves.

Emotions provide signals about what is going on around you and within you.

As you move your hand toward the flame, your nerve sensors tell that you will be burned if you don’t change your action!  So it is with the sensors of emotions.

You are entitled to your emotions! (No one has the right to tell you how you should feel)

You are responsible only for your own emotions not for the emotions of someone else.

How you react to your emotion may be right or wrong.

How someone else feels in response to you is their responsibility not your responsibility

Using your emotions for their real purpose (signals) is taking responsibility for your response to your emotions. Control isn’t burying or suppressing emotion but setting boundaries around it

The greater your self-awareness the more you can control yourself and how you react to your  emotions.

Feeling emotional pain is not a sign of failure (Society encourages us to put on a “happy face” and hide real feelings)

Emotional pain does not make you a 2^nd class Christian

Emotional pain does not signal a failed relationship with Jesus Christ

Emotions Influence Behavior

• Attitudes influence emotions, which influence behavior
• Behavior reflects your response to those emotional signals
• When behavior reflects an out of balance emotion, the better response was not chosen
• Negative emotions sap your energy
• Negative emotions help you to blame others or things rather than taking responsibility for yourself
• Negative emotions signal a need to change your response to the emotion
• Negative emotions include anger, fear, worry, jealousy, envy, lust

Jesus understands each emotion you feel and He can help. Hebrews 2;

⁵ For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

⁶ But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁷ Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

⁸ Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

¹⁰ For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

¹¹ For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

¹² Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

¹³ And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

¹⁴ Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

¹⁵ And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

¹⁶ For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

¹⁷ Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

¹⁸ For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Questions for reflection

1)  Does your behavior indicate you are in control or your emotions are in control?

2) What are your emotions currently telling you?

3) When someone tells you that you shouldn’t feel that way, how do you respond?

4) What are you feeling most right now?

5) Is your life short-circuited by a negative emotion? Which one?_____________

6) Is your attitude self-affirming or self-degrading?

7) What does it matter to you that Jesus took on human flesh like you?i

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a rebellious sin nature. No one can see God face-to-face as Adam and Eve did and live. Sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. We ask ‘where is Jesus’?  Does He really know and care about our hurts? In this study we will examine what the Bible says Jesus is doing, even when life hurts.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He creates you new and you begin a personal journey that will end when you cross your finish line into His physical presence.

In this session, let’s examine the preparations Jesus Christ is making for your future. Jesus Christ is preparing a place for you to dwell with Him forever when you cross your finish line!

His words the night He was betrayed are recorded in John. You remember He told the disciples He was going away and they could not come with Him right now. They wanted to know where He was going. He gave this promise recorded in chapter 14:

¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The word translated ‘mansion’ is the Greek word moné which Strong’s Concordance defines as ‘an abiding, an abode, an abiding dwelling-place’. Jesus Christ is preparing a special place for you to dwell with Him forever and that special place is within His Father’s house.

The location of your new, eternal home is in the Father’s house and where Jesus Christ is!

Your time living with Jesus is forever to be with Him without end!

Jesus Christ will come to receive you and me as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:

¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

What will be in your new home and what won’t be there? Revelation 20:

¹ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

⁵ And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

⁶ And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

⁷ He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

God will be there

There will be no tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain

Revelation 20:

²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

²² And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

²³ And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

²⁴ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

²⁵ And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

²⁷ And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The glory of God and the Lamb will light your home. Everyone written on the Lamb’s Book of Life will live the with you

There will be no temple, no sun, no moon, no night, nothing that defiles, no lies, no abominations

Revelation 22:

¹ And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

² In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

⁶ And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

⁷ Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

The tree of Life will be in your new home. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in your new home. You will have light from the Lord God. You will reign in your new home forever and forever. There will be no candle, no night, no sun, no curse

Revelation 22:

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

You will be faultless and without blemish when Jesus Christ presents you to Himself in your new home

Ephesians 5:

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jude 1:

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Questions for reflection

1) What difference does knowing your hurtful circumstances are temporary mean to you?

2) How can you give thanks to Jesus for the future He has planned for you to be with Him?

3) What things about your new home matter most to you?

4) How will you first greet Jesus Christ when you come into His physical presence? Hug Him? Fall at His feet? Weep for joy? Look on His face? Examine His hands and side?

Face to Face with Christ, My Savior | Carrie E. Breck

Face to face with Christ, my Savior, Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me?

Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him, Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by!

Only faintly now I see Him, With the darkened veil between,
But a blessed day is coming, When His glory shall be seen.

What rejoicing in His presence, When are banished grief and pain;
Death is swallowed up in vict’ry, And the dark things shall be plain.

Face to face—oh, blissful moment! Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me so.

I Want To Be There – John Peterson, 1967

Some day when the toils of life are over-And the saints are caught away

We will gather ’round the throne of Jesus-For His coronation day.

Chorus:

I want to be there when we crown him King of kings

I want to be there when the court of heaven rings

With the happy song the angel chorus sings

I want to be there when we crown him King of kings.

All the universe will be assembled-Numberless the gathering there

Angel hosts and all the ransomed army-Glorious sight beyond compare.

Only those who put their faith in Jesus-Trust the work of Calvary

Will behold that crowning day in heaven- Day of final victory

No More Night

The timeless theme, earth and heaven will pass away

It’s not a dream, God will make all things new that day
Gone is the curse from which I stumbled and fell, Evil is banished to eternal hell
No more night-No more pain, No more tears-Never crying again
And praises to the great I Am, We will live in the light Of the risen Lamb

See all around, all the nations bow down to see -The only sound is the praises to Christ, our King
Slowly the names from the book are read-I know the King, so there’s no need, no need to dread

No more night-No more pain, No more tears-Never crying again
And praises to the great I Am, We will live in the light Of the risen Lamb

See over there There’s a mansion that’s prepared just for me
Where I will live with my Savior eternally
And there will be no more night

No more night-No more pain, No more tears-Never crying again
And praises to the great I Am, We will live in the light Of the risen lamb

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a rebellious sin nature. No one can see God face-to-face as Adam and Eve did and live. Sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. We ask ‘where is Jesus’?  Does He really know and care about our hurts? In this study we will examine what the Bible says Jesus is doing, even when life hurts.

So far in this series we have examined these actions Jesus Christ takes

Section 1 – What is Jesus doing for you when life hurts?

Session 01: Limiting the bitterness and taking you through the storm

Session 02: Providing a refuge, place of relief or escape

Session 03: Holding you safe in His hand

Session 04: Serving as your Daysman and Your Advocate

Session 05: Enabling you to stand

Section 2 – What is Jesus doing to you when life hurts?

Session 06: Healing and caring for your wounds and restoring your soul

Session 07: Shepherding: providing guidance, learning and instruction

Session 08: Giving the Holy Spirit to Guide and Comfort

Session 09: Living the experience with you

Session 10: Refining you to increase your value, make you more like Jesus

Section 3 – What is Jesus doing through you when life hurts?

Session 11: Working all things together for good

Session 12: Displaying His wisdom

Session 13: Working all things for His glory

Session 14: Manifesting the savor of His knowledge

Today we examine Jesus Christ using earthen vessels for His glory

According to 2 Corinthians 4, He accomplishes His purpose through earthen vessels

⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The Touch of the Masters Hand– by Myra Brooks Welch

‘Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while

To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.

“What am I bid, good people”, he cried, “Who starts the bidding for me?”
“One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?” “Two dollars, who makes it three?”
“Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,”

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said “What now am I bid for this old violin?” As he held it aloft with its’ bow.

“One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?” “Two thousand, Who makes it three?”
“Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone”, said he.

The audience cheered, But some of them cried,
“We just don’t understand.” “What changed its’ worth?”
Swift came the reply. “The Touch of the Masters Hand.”

“And many a man with life out of tune All battered and bruised with hardship
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters’ Hand.

Questions for reflection

1) How do you feel being an earthen vessel to house the excellency of His power?

2) In a conversation with Jesus what would you say to Him regarding the subjects we touched on in this series?

3) What would you say is the most important lesson for you from this series?

4) What is the next step for you in understanding what Jesus is doing when life hurts?

Does Jesus Care? – Frank E. Graeff, 1901

1. Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth or song,
   As the burdens press, and the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long?
2. Does Jesus care when my way is dark With a nameless dread and fear?
   As the daylight fades into deep night shades, Does He care enough to be near?
3. Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed To resist some temptation strong;
   When for my deep grief there is no relief, Though my tears flow all the night long?
4. Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” To the dearest on earth to me,
   And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks—Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Refrain:

Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a rebellious sin nature. No one can see God face-to-face as Adam and Eve did and live. Sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. We ask ‘where is Jesus’?  Does He really know and care about our hurts? In this study we will examine what the Bible says Jesus is doing, even when life hurts.

Next in this series we will examine how Jesus Christ is working all things for His glory. All things includes your growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and your circumstances.  

Glory = very great honor, praise, distinction, admiration, resplendent magnificence

Ephesians 1

⁸ Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

⁹ Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

¹⁰ That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

¹¹ In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

¹² That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ

Hebrews 3:

¹ Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

² Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

³ For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

⁴ For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

⁵ And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

⁶ But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

⁷ Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

⁸ Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

⁹ When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

¹⁰ Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

¹¹ So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

¹⁵ While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

¹⁶ For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

¹⁷ But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?

¹⁸ And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Do you see the requirement for faith as Jesus Christ builds you?

Builder = one who constructs, one who increases effectiveness

Ponder for some time the depth of Jesus Christ’s knowledge of you and His purpose for your life

What are some of all the things Jesus Christ has built?

Creation                               Laws of nature                         Your salvation

Your biological relatives     Your physical appearance     Your conforming to the image of Christ

Your strengths                     Your limitations                       Your experiences

Your circumstances             Your special relationships        Your church family

Paul tells us in this chapter the requirement for confidence to prevent unbelief

Confidence =full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person

⁶But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope

¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

Remember the confidence you had in Jesus when you first received Him as your Lord and Savior? Confidence that He is real, confidence that He is able, confidence that He loves you, confidence that He is faithful – the confidence of a child.

Do you have that child-like confidence in Him?

Are you looking at circumstances? If so, why?

Are you looking at other people? If so, why?

Are you looking at Jesus only?

Jesus Christ is worthy of glory

Isaiah 42:

⁸ I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

John 1:

¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 11:

³ Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby

John 17:

⁴ I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

2 Peter 1:

¹⁶For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

¹⁷ For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

¹⁸ And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Jude

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Revelation 4:

⁸ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

⁹ And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

¹⁰ The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹ Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

To God be the Glory, Fanny Crosby, 1875

To God be the glory, great things He has done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in.

 

Refrain

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Refrain

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Refrain

Questions for reflection

• How intimate must Jesus Christ be with you in order to work in you?

• On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your faith today? Why?

• On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your confidence in Jesus Christ today? Why?

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a rebellious sin nature. No one can see God face-to-face as Adam and Eve did and live. Sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. We ask ‘where is Jesus’?  Does He really know and care about our hurts? In this study we will examine what the Bible says Jesus is doing, even when life hurts.

Next in this series we will examine how Jesus Christ displays His wisdom through you in your circumstances even when life hurts.

12) Displaying His wisdom through you and your circumstances, according to Ephesians 3:

⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Manifold = having numerous different parts, elements, features

Wisdom = discernment, knowledge of what is true coupled with just judgement

Imagine! After five dispensations of time, during which God continued to reveal Himself and His requirements to man but man continued to disobey and fail, God now reveals to satan, his demons and the angels in Heaven this sixth dispensation = the church age. Even the chosen Jewish people, released from 400 years of captivity in Egypt, failed to obey God and claim the Promised Land. But what man is completely unable to do, Jesus Christ does for him!

Instead of judgment Jesus Christ brings redemption! What wisdom!

Instead of anger Jesus Christ brings love! What wisdom!

Instead of penalty Jesus Christ brings grace! What wisdom!

Jesus Christ redeems His church- Titus 2:

¹¹ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

¹² Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

¹⁴ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

¹⁵ These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Galatians 3:

⁶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

⁷ Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

⁹ So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

¹¹ But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

¹² And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

¹³ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

¹⁴ That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus Christ offers salvation to everyone – John 3:

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Jesus Christ builds His church-Matthew 16:

¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus Christ empowers by indwelling His church

1 John 4

^4:Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Jesus Christ provides strength and grace – 2 Corinthians 12:

⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Jesus Christ provides His own mindset – 1 Corinthians 2:

¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:

⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Jesus Christ provides peace that passes understanding- Philippians 4:

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ pities His children and remembers that we are dust. He does expect perfection but has planned for our failures and mistakes. 1 John 1:

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus Christ claims His church – 1 Thessalonians 4:

¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words

2 Corinthians 5:

¹ For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

³ If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

⁴ For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

⁵ Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

⁷ (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

⁸ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

⁹ Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Remember the angels are watching. 1 Peter 1:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴ To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵ Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

⁸ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

⁹ Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

¹¹ Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

¹² Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

¹³ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Questions for Reflection

• What does it matter to you that you have been freed from the penalty of sin, are being freed from the power of sin and will one day be removed from the presence of sin?

• What wisdom do you see in God sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay your penalty rather than requiring you to face His judgment?

• Can you see Jesus displaying His wisdom in your situation? In what way? Why not?

The Church’s One Foundation – Samuel John Stone 1839-1900

The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her And for her life He died.

She is from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.

The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her, And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor She ever shall prevail.

Though with a scornful wonder Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping, Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song!

’Mid toil and tribulation, And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious, Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters, Repose in Eden land.

O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly, On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains, Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains Forever shall abide!

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a rebellious sin nature. No one can see God face-to-face as Adam and Eve did and live. Sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. We ask ‘where is Jesus’?  Does He really know and care about our hurts? In this study we will examine what the Bible says Jesus is doing, even when life hurts.

Next we will examine Jesus Christ refining you

10) Refining you to increase your value and make you more like Jesus Christ

Jesus’ fire is purposeful according to Job 23

¹⁰ But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

More from 1 Peter 1:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴ To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵ Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

⁸ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

⁹ Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

The Refiner’s fire is uniquely yours according to Proverbs 17:

³ The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts

How Jesus Christ refines you will not necessarily be the method He uses to refine me. You are unique! You have unique perspectives. You have unique experiences and unique reactions and learnings from those experiences.

The refiner’s fire differs for the unsaved according to Malachi 2:

¹⁷ Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 3 extols the difference in the Refiner’s fire for the saved and the unsaved

¹ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

³ And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

⁴ Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

⁵ And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

⁶ For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

refining is for the saved,

consuming is for the unsaved

The refiner’s fire:

melts down and purifies,

separates the impurities that ruin value

burns hot -refiner must place the metal where the fire is the hottest

is controlled – forest fires destroy indiscriminately

The incinerator consumes completely

Christianity is not a play thing/never play with fire

rebellion and unbelief belong to your sin nature not to your new nature in Jesus Christ

The choice to allow Him to work or resist Him is yours (free will)
Refining silver requires holding the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The silversmith has to sit holding the silver,  keeping his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver is left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

How does the silver smith know when the silver is fully refined? When he see his image in it.

1) What does Matthew 5: mean to you? When will you see God?

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

2) How do you focus on the Refiner not the fire?

3) How do you see this refining fire affecting you?

4) How do you see this refining fire preparing you?

5) What matters to you about the refining fire you are in right now?

6) How does this refining fire play out in your behavior?

 Rejoice in the Lord by Ron Hamilton

God never moves without purpose or plan When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long; In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead; So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day; Then peace came and tears fled away.
Now I can see testing comes from above; God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care; Through purging more fruit I will bear.

chorus

O Rejoice in the LORD-He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold.

God’s Refining Fire by Mac Lynch

O Lord, we pray “Thy will be done” or “Master, here am I.”
We pray You’d do a mighty work That to the flesh we’d die.
And when the answer comes to us In form of trial and test,
We fail to see Your loving hand, Refining fire is best.

That I may stand when You appear, Abide till Your return.
O place the fire perfectly That all the dross be burned.
Whether furnace of affliction, Lord, Or unfulfilled desire,
Bring forth a vessel pure and tried By Your refining fire.

God’s refining fire, God’s refining fire,
May it purge me now and  make of me what You require.
O Lord, feed the fire, Your refining fire. Now as gold and silver must be tried,
Lord, may my heart be purified. Lord, send Your great refining fire.

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti