This is the Truth Network. In our previous episode, we learned that the tongues of fire that fell on Pentecost Day brought the fire of devotion to the disciples' hearts. Would you like to learn more about that today and to see how that fire brought light?
Well, stay with us, listened, and learned. You're listening to Until He Comes, a blend of prophetic and practical biblical studies with Dr. Greg Hinnant, author of The Second Coming of Christ, His Appearing, His Return, Our Preparation. And now, author and teacher Greg Hinnant. Welcome to the broadcast, my friend.
In our previous episode, We discussed the tongues of fire on Pentecost Day bringing the fires of devotion to the disciples' heart.
Well, let's continue with that point to day. A fire Is not self-sustaining.
so it is with the fire of devotion in our hearts. A fire must be fed fuel regularly if it is to remain hot. If not fed, it gradually diminishes until it becomes Lukewarm. or cold. just a just a bed of cold ashes.
You know, the Laodiceans did not meet with favor in the Lord's eyes. In Revelation 3:16, he said this: So then, because thou art Luke. Warm. and neither cold nor hot. I will spew thee out of my mouth.
What a statement. This was the strongest statement of rejection that Jesus made. to any of the churches of Asia recorded in Revelation two and three. It was really an astonishing statement. I'm sure that when they heard this, They were absolutely stunned silent.
You see, they thought quite highly of themselves. They said, We are rich and increased with goods, and we have need of nothing. We don't even need you, Jesus. That was the implication.
Well Jesus shot back with a word of his own. That again just brought them to a standstill. They weren't hot. They were lukewarm. They weren't pleasing, they were sickening to him.
Oh, my goodness. And then to the church at Sardis. Jesus made this statement. He said I know thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest. And art dead?
Revelation 3 verse 1. What was he saying? Here Nami's reputation, he's saying, Look, you Christians in Sardis, You have a reputation. that you're a lively church, full of life. Spiritual vitality.
Growth. Vigor Driving. He said, But I've I've examined you. And I'll be frank. Ye you to me you're dead.
spiritually dead, meaning inactive, Not producing fruit. Having no real life. on a daily basis. That's a terrible, terrible statement to be made about a Christian or church. to be either lukewarm as the Laodicians, or dead.
as the Sardis Christians are You know, but in His mercy the Lord made Sweet promises To each one. if they would repent. The Lord is so good Today if you are getting lukewarm, There's certainly hope for you. Turn to him. Turn back to the Lord.
Tell him that you have. Permitted. Who liftly? Sinfully. The heart fires of your life to burn down.
Because you've not fed That fire with fuel. In Revelation 2, verse 4, Jesus said this to the church at Ephesus, and this was a very good church. He had outlined numerous excellent qualities which they possessed, and then he turned and had this to say. You have lost your first love. This is what he said he objected to.
I have somewhat against it. I have one thing that not. that I think this a fault. You have lost your first love. The complete Jewish Bible says, you have lost the love.
that you had At first, How did that happen? They did not feed. their devotional fires regularly. Friends, we must feed Our devotion to Jesus daily. Hey, Christianity is not an automatic thing.
We don't just set it on go and then go walk around and have our own life and do what we want to do. you know, check into church on Sunday and say Hallelujah, sing a song, drop in a few dollars to the collection plate, shake the hands of a friend, say good to see you, glory to God or in Spanish, Glorio dias And then go home? That is not. That is not the life of a disciple. That may be the life many Christians are living today, but it's not the life of a disciple who has the heart fires of devotion burning.
deep in their belly.
So we have to feed this fire to keep it going. What is our fuel? Devotional reading of the Bible, I think, comes first. The word is so necessary. The word, when you read it, rekindles your hunger and thirst for God.
It stirs the fire. Of your love for God. Don't only read the Bible devotionally, but study it. What's the difference, you ask?
Well, I'm glad you asked that. Reading the Bible devotionally means reading thoughtfully, meditatively, and prayerfully. You're examining the text, but you're not going very deep. You might not even run any references. You're just reading for The sweetness of the honey of the word The words and phrases of the Bible, so awesome, so memorable in the beginning, was the Word.
And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning. with God. That language is so sweet, it's so beautiful when you meditate on that. That alone will strengthen your life and stoke your fires.
Then study. What is that? The difference is When you study the Bible, you plan to go deep. You plan to run references. You plan to examine words, their meanings, their usages.
You plan to examine the context. You always interpret. A word? Or phrase or Verse. in light of the context in which it is found.
You're thinking about. what is being said, and what is being implied. You know, to read the lines of the Bible is one thing, to read between the lines is another. You're searching Old Testament and New for other references which. containing the same truth, Speak of the same topic.
Perhaps use the same words. or involve the same characters. or similar events. And as you do that, you're broadening your understanding of the text that you're examining in your study. If you really want to study well, I would advise you to get several excellent modern translations.
I would advise you to get. A concordance? I once heard J. Vernon McGee say, If you're strong, get a strong concordance. If you're crude, get a crudance.
And if you're young, get a young's concordance.
Now, I don't know if OJ Vernon McGee had some real legitimate basis for that, but he Said it. Today we have so many excellent online. Programs. all the the various um Translations of the Bible are accessible to you freely. Gateways and excellent Bible software online.
Bible dot com and others? There are many of them.
Now per I use logos Bible software. I have for over twenty years. I find it indispensable in my work. researching the scriptures and writing. But uh you may not want to go that deep.
But Get your own sources. An excellent Bible dictionary is indispensable. And again today this information is online. Just be sure when you are studying a text, looking up something, that you get it from a reputable website. There's everybody and his brother on YouTube with an opinion.
and many of them are way out in the woods.
So, my friend. Check your sources, but use every available tool to examine and understand the text. And remember, You are studying in order to live. You're studying how to live. How to know God, how to live and how to serve.
or what he wants. It's not just an intellectual exercise. It is life learning.
So, read your Bible devotionally and study. This is putting fuel on the fire of your heart. Then open hearted prayer. What do I mean by that?
Well, in Psalm 62, verse 8, The Bible says Pour out your heart before him. There's a time When emotions need to be showed before God, When your heart is breaking, got mad weeping in his presence. Pour out to God in the most accurate words you can find, The situation that is troubling you, confronting you, baffling you, confusing you, or vexing you. Tell him all about it. You see he already knows.
He knows it, in fact, better than you know it. He knows yourself better than you know yourself. He knows the people you're having difficulty with, and not only what they're doing or saying, or not doing, and saying, and why. they are taking those courses of action or inaction. The Holy Spirit.
is awesome.
So pray, and pray in the Spirit if you are so instructed. and able, as Paul instructed us in first. Corinthians fourteen. Pray in the spirit. Because the Spirit knows everything.
And you're also loosing the power of God in a greater dimension than when you pray in your mother tongue. Both are vitally important. You can pray in the Spirit in your mother tongue. That is, if you're led by the Spirit in what you pray about. Often when I Begin prayer.
I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me to pray in me. For me. and through me, and to teach me what I should pray. Many things I already know I'm going to pray about, but Often he'll bring to mind something or some one. That I need to pray for at the moment.
So be led by the Spirit in your prayer life. Be open-hearted in your prayer. Never tried to hide something from God, never tried to put on airs with God or He sees right through it. Just as I said to you, Jesus just said to the church in Sardis, He said, Look, the reputation. for your church is one thing, but My opinion.
what I discern. It's quite different. His his burning eyes of discernment saw right through that reputation. And let me say this. Don't worry so much about your reputation.
Let go of it. Give your attention to your character. And to what Christ thinks of you. Ultimately, you will not stand before your friends, neighbors, cousins, aunts, and uncles, and fellow church members, not even pastors or elders. You will stand before Jesus Himself.
So everything in your life needs to be. Said and done, Under his all-seeing eyes. This month, for a gift of any amount, receive Dr. Hinnant's book, Word Portraits: Five Illustrations of the Mature Christian. This well-researched, insightful book paints five colorful portrayals of the surprisingly similar characteristics between mature Christians and five things: stoneware pottery, eagles, ants, salt, and the biblical wise men from the East.
You will be amazed and changed by what you discover. For a gift of $60 or more, we'll send you the complete four-volume Hinnant End Times Prophecy Collection: The Second Coming of Christ, The Tribulation Story, Revelation Notes, a verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation, and the Day of the Lord commentary, which interprets all Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings. Of the end times. And if you are a Logos Bible software user, you may purchase all four of these books from the Logos Online Bookstore. You may give your gift today by visiting the donation page at greghinnantministries.org or sending your checks to Greg Hinnant Ministries, PO Box 788 High Point, North Carolina, 27260, or by calling 336-882-1645.
Now, again, Dr. Hinnant. The end. You can further stoke the fire in your heart by worshiping God. With songs of praise and thanksgiving and adoration, with statements of praise, doxologies, praise statements.
You can praise him silently. Yes, you can. There's a time and black for that. to silently adore him, But worship in song and in statement, In the quietness of your home, your secret place. of seeking God.
That will really stoke the fires of your Christianity. Then, when you go to church, that is your church building, your church organization, the other members of your local assembly, and you begin to praise and worship God, it will be quite a meaningful experience. It will be much more meaningful. Because you're now worshiping at home. Take your worship home.
Everything begins in the home. Worship him there in profit. and it stokes the fires of your heart. Then you find your Bible reading suddenly becomes more illuminated. Your prayer life becomes more distinct and answers come with a greater.
Regularity in Clarity When we build up the fire that's in our souls. Devotional reading of the Bible, study of the Bible, open-hearted prayer, worship. in song and statement, This will stoke the fire of God in your heart, that devotion. Also, David wrote this in Psalm 16, verse 11. The presence is the fullness.
of joy. Friend, you can't get any fuller than the fullness. You cannot exceed the joy. That You receive. when you spend time In the immediate presence of God.
You say, wait a minute, I can't go back to the Holy of Holies. My friend, your life is supposed to be a holy of holies. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you keep the sin out, the word of God in. And the Holy Spirit in you flowing as we're studying these tongues of fire, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
If you keep your spiritual life.
Well, Then every time you go to seek God, you will enter in beyond the veil. Enter the Holy of Holies, and you will sense the presence of God. Say, wait a minute, I don't like that emotional Christianity. I walk by faith.
Okay, but walking by faith does not mean you never have the presence of God. But rather, to the contrary, Jesus said in John 14, 21. He that hath my words and keeps them, he it is that loves me. And he who loves me I will love and I will manifest myself. to him and he added, His father will love him.
What does manifest mean? make known to the bodily senses. How?
Well, I can't tell you how. But I can tell you that he will manifest himself to you in some way So you will sense The real, the very real nearness of Jesus Christ. when you go to pray and when you go into sit before him and poor over his word. The presence of God is the most awesome blessing we can have. What is your concept of heaven?
I've studied eschatology for the last 10 years with some depth, written books on it and courses on it, and teaching on it all over now. What is your concept of heaven? You say, well, Revelation 21 and 22, but there are lots of things there. There are walls and jewels. their gates of pearl, their streets of gold, that's transparent.
and houses There's trees and rivers and fruit. But what is your concept? of what heaven is all about. Is it about those things? Oh, they'll be there.
They'll be awesome. They'll be amazing. But the greatest feature of heaven will be Christ. The Father and the Son And the spirit as well. The Father and the Son will sit in the city square of New Jerusalem, and their fall Undiminished Glory.
We'll have to have m Immortal bodies to take it all in. But there will be the fullness of joy, whatever we do besides that. will be A step down. in sheer heart joy.
So, in God's presence, there's the fullness of joy. And if your concept of heaven Is it cittered upon and around? Jesus the new concept of heaven is wrong. Terribly wrong, and today's the day too. Change it.
So, the fullness of the presence of God brings the fullness of joy and stirs our fires and strengthens those fires of devotion within. Isaiah 40. thirty one Yeah. quite an important text. Listen to Theos.
But they that wait upon the Lord. will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Let's look at a couple of words here.
that are important. They that wait upon the Lord. You know the word wait here in the Hebrew. implies To in twine as you would a rope. You take the various threads.
And you entwine them one with another, which makes them im immensely stronger, and forms A rope.
So, to wait upon the Lord is to entwine with Him, and your soul is, in a sense, wrapped around His. And now Your strength is no longer the strength of your separated twine, your soul, but now You are wrapped around him and his strength. Ah and his strength becomes your strength.
So They that wait upon the Lord, then what? Renew their strength of that word renew in the Hebrew means exchange. That's one of the meanings of it. Exchange.
So when you wait, that is, entwine your soul with the Lord's mighty Spirit, The Lord exchanges Your strength four years. Shall I say He exchanges my weakness for his strength. Why? Because I've been roped with God now, wound around Him. And I'm no longer dependent upon my weak tensile strength.
But he is. He is. Is strengthening me, and I can do anything now. In that strength that comes from. Entwining roping your spirit with God.
and having his strength exchanged for yours. In this condition the rest of the verse will be fulfilled. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. What is that talking about?
Well, when eagles want to go cross country, they don't flap around in the lower altitudes. Instead, they find a spot By cliff. Or a spot where Thermals are rising from heat. on the surface of the earth. And they just leap out, stretch out their wings, and ride those currents.
It could be from an updraft because the wind is striking a cliff and Flowing up. or it could be from the heat rising. And as they glad through the air. They make progress effortlessly.
So with the Christian. When we wait upon the Lord and exchange our strength for His, that we can run the race that's set before us and not be weary. It's amazing. You know, I would just interject this. Last week I'm I'm I'm recording this in the Truth Network Studios.
On a Wednesday afternoon. I spent a week in Mexico. Last week, and returned this Monday night at ten thirty. And you know, I can honestly say that I was not Exhausted, But a solid week of teaching pastors. two different ministers' conferences.
on the book of Revelation. I can say to you honestly that I came back as strong as when I left. And that's a miracle. My string can't do that. Your strength can't do that.
No mere human strength can do that, but it's the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Now, do I need to rest? Yes, I take rest. We're not diminishing that. but there is an abiding strength underneath. And you never get As the scripture says here, weary meaning Totally exhausted.
Because you're replenishing your strength by waiting upon the Lord every morning.
Now, the rest of the verse says, And they shall walk and not faint. Also, Chambers said something to the effect that. Walking and not fainting is the greatest measure of our strength. In God. I've come to agree with that statement.
You know, you can run a sprint and be a mighty impressive Christian. But, friend, when you have to walk across the hot desert of twenty or twenty five or thirty years of Testing. You better learn how to wait on God. You better learn how to renew that strength, 'cause otherwise you'll die in the desert. That is, your faith will die in the desert.
And you'll go back.
Now So we have learned and established that we must Take care. of the life that's within us and Feed that fire in God's presence and by waiting upon Him. Let me add that burning heart Christians long for Jesus appearing to see His face. They don't have just the doctrine of His coming, they have the yearning of it. an eager expectation of the rapture First John three says every man that has this open him purifies himself ev even as he is pure.
Verse 12 and 13 says, Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we shall live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking. for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God in our Saviour, Jesus Christ looking for that blessed hope. eagerly, expectantly. Second Timothy 4.8 Says the yes. Paul writing to Timothy, Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only.
But unto all them also that love Here's Appearing friend, if you don't love the appearing of Jesus. There's something that's a little bit sick about your Christianity. Seek the Lord about it. Happy healed. You want a book?
I've got a book called The Second Coming of Christ. Buy it, read it. It'll stoke the fires of your devotion and your expectancy, your love. of his coming. This Makes you one that the writers of the Hebrews wrote about when he said unto them that look for him, he shall appear.
And look, there is habek dekomine, it means eagerly. Anticipate. and watch more. This makes us a true disciple with a burning heart.
Well, in our next episode, we will get into the fire. Yeah. and what that means. If this message has blessed you, tell your friends and please consider helping us stay on the air by sending your tax-deductible donation to Greg Hennett Ministries. Also, remember, you may download the Until He Comes podcast from your preferred podcast app.
May you walk closely with Christ and trust and obey Him in your daily tests of faith and patience until He Comes. This is the Truth Network. Uh
