What Did Jesus Leave For Us?

WHAT DID JESUS LEAVE FOR US?

By Pastor Jim May

I was somewhat amused this week with so many people who were concerned about the passing of the date 6/6/06. It never ceases to amaze me that people, who are supposed to know and understand the Word of God, are so superstitious, and so afraid, of that number, 666. Anytime there is an occurrence where these numbers come together in some sort of configuration, there are always those who become fearful. How foolish can we be? How little we really know of God’s Word! Even worse, we don’t seem to understand what Jesus did for us and what He has left for us.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Every time I hear this scripture I wonder just how many of those claim to be God’s people really have the right spirit in them. How can people, who are supposed to have the Spirit of God in them, be so fearful and superstitious of everything? The Spirit of God is not a spirit of fear nor is He a spirit of superstition. If these things are a part of us, then we need to check our selves and make sure that we have the right spirit. I fear that many of those who think they have the Spirit of God in them, are deceived because it’s really the spirit of the antichrist that has them bound.

Jesus did not leave this world and ascend to the right hand of the Father in Heaven and leave us at the mercy of the devil. When He ascended back to Glory, with a finished work of redemption, Jesus left us with some great and powerful gifts. He left us with everything we would need to be victorious over the world, to defeat Satan and to drive back the powers of hell. He left us with everything we need to be the victorious church, the Bride of Christ, without spot, wrinkly or blemish, that He is coming back for some day soon.

Read with me, the very words of Jesus as He spoke to His disciples in Mark 13:34-37, "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."

As I read these verses it struck me that when Jesus left this world to make His journey to that far country of Heaven, that He left us with some things that will help us to fulfill the call that He has place upon us to spread the gospel and to be over comers.

What are those things that Jesus left for us?

1) Jesus left us “His house”.

By leaving His house, Jesus gives us the call to stewardship. But this just isn’t stewardship over finances alone. He left us with a stewardship over every facet of the Christian life.

What does that term “house” mean to you? Is it simply a dwelling place, or is there more to it than that?

Certainly a house is a dwelling place for a family. In that house we find shelter from the storms, a place of safety from the elements of the world and a place of solitude and peace from the rat race of life. Sadly, there are a lot of houses today where peace is not found and where safety no longer exists. The abuse of children, spousal abuse, and Satan’s influence has turned many of our homes in battlegrounds where each member of the family is fighting for survival.

Surely we see before our very eyes the fulfillment of Matthew 24:12, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Is there any doubt that love has grown cold in the hearts of many people? Mother’s are casting their own babies into the garbage dumpsters, many of our youth are roaming the streets in search of answers that they think will be found in a pill or a needle, moms and dads think that showing love means giving a child whatever that child wants, except for their time, and even the church has been deceived into believing that the spiritual needs of the family can be met by “ministering to the needs of the flesh”. Why has all this happened? It happened because the Love of God and His Word has grown cold in the hearts of God’s own people!