Jesus wants you to be with Him

Last week I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Be Happy Right Now, Because Right Now Lasts Forever."  The message is shallow and pithy, because happiness is not the ultimate goal of humanity.  We may think that it is, but it is not.  The message is also incorrect, as the moment can be broken in an instant. And new circumstances cause the "right now" you were experiencing a moment ago to change, and the "right now" that you will have five minutes from now is different than what you are experiencing as you read these words.

See, life is a series of moments, of decisions, of turning points that you may or may not control.  Your personal growth depends on how you react to the challenges life brings you.  The challenge you faced yesterday may have taught you how to overcome the challenge you face today.  So "right now" is not a continuum; it is a series of points in time that make life interesting.

In his letter to a young christian named Titus, the Apostle Paul urged him to be holy, to teach godliness, to hold onto hope, and to know the redemption granted through Christ Jesus.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say, "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2.11-14)

Too bad that passage won't fit on a bumper sticker, because it is a better challenge for us than any bumper sticker you could find.

Grace
The grace of God is the undeserved love God showed us in Christ while we were still sinners and His enemies.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us....For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!" (Romans 5.6, 8, 10).

This grace is given by which we are saved apart from any moral achievements or religious acts on our part.  Titus 3.5 says, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."  Ephesians 2.8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."  Even the faith we have to accept God's gift of grace is a gift from God.  But this same grace instructs us that our salvation should produce good works.

Godliness
Read verse 12 again.  "It teaches us to say "NO" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."  We are born with a sinful nature, separated from God.  We are encouraged to put off that nature and to put on godliness, through the Holy Spirit.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who life like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5.19-23)

Hope
What is our blessed hope?  Paul said it is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The grace we spoke about earlier is not an end to itself.  The godliness to which we aspire is not to make us feel good about ourselves.  We want to receive grace and take on godliness because of our hope in Christ that He will return and take us home with Him.  2 Timothy 4.1-2 says, "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction."

We don't live in the moment; we try to change the moment for the glory of God, in the hope that He will come and make all things right.  Hope is not sitting around wistfully, saying, "Gee, I hope I get to heaven some day."  NO!  Our hope is grounded in faith that we WILL see Jesus again, not in judgment, but in love.  That is what grace is for, and it is why we strive for godliness.

Redemption
While we are waiting for the glorious appearance of Christ our Lord, we are to purify ourselves and to be an example against worldliness, so that some in the world may be led to Christ.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6.10-13)

In the 17th chapter of John, Jesus says a prayer for the disciples, and for all believers (both present and future), just before he is arrested and crucified.  In this prayer, He shows us His heart.  His greatest desire was to have us with Him always.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world. (John 17.24)

Think about that for a moment.  Jesus was not saying He wanted us in heaven with Him.  It is not a stationary place.  Where Jesus is changes, moment by moment.  A few hours after He prayed this prayer, he was being led up to death.  He wanted us to be with Him there.  Three days later, He was raised from the dead.  He wanted us to be with Him there. In the decades that followed, Jesus moved in the hearts of his disciples so that the knowledge of Him would spread around the world.  He wanted us to be with Him there.

Wherever Jesus is working in the lives of people today, He wants us to be with Him there.  The message is that we have seen the glory of God, the glory that God gave to His Son (and to us) because God loved Him (and us) before the creation of the world.  With that message, Jesus is doing great work all over the world today, and He wants us to be with Him there.  One day, when His work on earth is done, and He comes to take His children home, He will want us to be with Him there, too.