Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need
to live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good
morning. It is Sunday, May twelve, twenty twenty four. Hello,
my name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion and this is where we give you God's word every single day,
and today is no exception. We are continuing in our study series the
Great Controversy, and our option for today is the Promise of His Return,
the promise of His Return. I will get into that in just a moment,
but first I'd like to say and say welcome, Welcome to you,
and ask you, if you've not done so already, to go over to
your Daily Portion dot com. Please click the join button to join our online
community. Pick up the your Daily Portion book and let us know where you
are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com. This is a way
that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Now let me just say about
that online community that if you are not asking any questions or having discussions surrounding
these studies, then inside of the community will be kind of quiet because I'm
speaking to you every day, giving you the baseline so we can have the
discussion. Okay, So go again join the online community, and if you're
already there, just please go ahead and begin the conversation and we will have
it together. I promise you. All right, let's go ahead and pray,
and then we will get underwagh, Father and Heaven. Thank you for
this privilege of opening your word again. Thank you for this new work week
and for the opportunity we have to look forward to the day of the coming
of Jesus Christ. Please help us to live like we are expecting you.
In Jesus's name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. So there is
a Bible passage that the Bible writer says that to those who look for him,
he will appear a second time without sin unto salvation. The question for
me is like am I looking for him? Am I looking forward to the
day that Jesus will return? That's the question that with which we all need
to contend, but me in particular, Like because I'm personalizing it, Are
you personalizing it? Are you asking yourself and asking God? Like? Am
I living in such a way that it seems that I am waiting your appearing?
Like? How am I investing? Am I investing only on things on
planet Earth? Or am I investing in the Kingdom? Am I investing in
the so of people, the fruit of an experience with God on planet Earth?
In investing in people so that they will be fruit that is born in
heaven? Am I investing my time in things that are tending upward? Or
am I in my wasting my time and things that tend to the earth only
you see. So the promise of Jesus's return is something that people have looked
forward to for millennia because they didn't really understand fully what God meant. But
we are sitting on the time when Jesus will come very very very soon.
And I'm looking forward to the day because I'm tired of the earth as it
is, as beautiful as some places are, I am tired of the earth
as it is so. The Protestant Reformers and the pilgrims who left from Holland
for the New World longed for the coming of Jesus. For them, the
second coming of Christ was a joyous event that they eagerly anticipated. John Wycliffe
looked forward to the coming of Christ as the hope of the church. Calvin
spoke for all the Reformers when he talked about the glorious return of Christ as
all events most auspicious for faithful men and women of God. The second coming
of Christ was something to be embraced, not to be feared. Can I
just say that again? And I need you to perk up now. I
want you to hear what I'm saying. The second coming of Jesus Christ is
something to look forward to, not something to be feared. And I know
that there are some people who are like me, who have microphones in bright
light to preach, and they preach everything burning down, blowing up, everything
going so poorly, so badly and scary and frightening, and hoping somehow that
that message that they teach in that voice will somehow inspire you to a higher
relationship with God. And I'm like Wow, how do we begin to get
hyper focused on all of the terrible things that would happen in order to hopefully
get people to follow God? Like that doesn't even make sense. Fear is
never a good motivating factor in this regard. And so we're going to the
promise, one of the greatest promises that we have ever seen in the Book
of John, the Bible Book of John, chapter fourteen, and I will
read beginning at verse one, and Jesus speaking to his disciples, said,
let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God. Believe also in
me. In my father's house are many mansions. Have you ever felt like
you didn't fit in? Have ever felt like there's not enough room in those
positive situations? Ah, those experiences that you wish you could have, Have
ever felt like you could not fit in? Well, he says, 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. 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. And so this
is called the blessed hope. Like we are believing and hoping that Jesus will
come in our day. Yes, and Jesus was making a promise to his
disciples that if you believe in me when I do come, you don't have
to fear. If you believe in Me when I do come, you're going
to welcome all kinds of people with you to enjoy an experience of eternal life
with me when I do come again. If you love me, then you
will not be bound to this planet, and then you will not be destroyed.
You have nothing to fear. Why because you believe in God, you
believe also in Me. There's plenty of good room in the kingdom. Yeah.
I think I'll pause right there and go to another passage of scripture because
so much could be said here. But I don't want to miss this next
point. So it's coming in from the Book of First Thessalonians. The Book
of First Thessalonians, chapter thirteen, I mean chapter four. There is no
thirteen beginning at verse thirteen. First Thessalonians chapter four beginning at verse thirteen,
and the Bible reads, but I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren concerning them which are asleep. See, some people are resting in the
grave right now. They're dead. That ye sorrow not even as others which
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him.
I just say that again, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with
him? Okay, keep going, keep going, keep going. For this
we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent or precede
them which are asleep. Let me just say that when Jesus comes, he's
going to wake up. He's going to wake up the sleeping saints, and
those sleeping saints will will be caught up together and will read it in just
a moment, together with those who are alive. When Jesus returns that are
his children, and together they will go into the heavenly kingdom. So the
Bible says here in verse sixteen, the Lord himself who will do this,
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of
an archangel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall
rise first, That's what I just said. And then we which are alive
and remain shall I'll 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.
And this is where I wanted to get to. Wherefore, comfort one
another with these words. Do you find comfort in the word of God?
Like do you find comfort in the promise of the coming of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you find comfort or are you fearful? If
you're fearful, I need you to go back to the same passage John fourteen
feet Thessalonians chapter four, and know that if you're one of his children,
He's going to return for you, this time without sin unto salvation. Keep
the faith peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we
cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth
of God. This has been your daily portion with el David Harris, make
it a great day. Yeah,