Day of the Lord!

For Saturday, December 7, 2024:

2 Thessalonians 2:2 NLT: “Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.”

I was serving in a church last week, and the pastor claimed to know when Jesus was coming again. He said, “If you want to know, just ask me!” Of course, it was a joke, kind of a trick question!

As one of the worship team, I was on the platform with him, and I admonished him, “You don’t know!!!”

To which we all laughed and he said, “Norton’s right!” Jesus taught that no one knows the exact day or hour when he’ll return. Only the Father knows! Therefore anyone who says they know is either making a joke or is a false prophet. Trust the words of Jesus: No one really knows!

Therefore we need to be perpetually ready for Jesus’ return. Thinking you can live in the world and then be saved at the last minute is not a good plan. Jesus said that if you knew when the thief was coming, you would have locked the door. If you knew when the groom was returning, you would have had oil for your lamp! Jesus taught many parables about being prepared for his return.

Don’t just be prepared for Jesus’ coming to you. Also be prepared for you coming to Jesus! We could die in our sleep or be hit by a car and meet Jesus sooner than we ever thought. The point is that since we don’t know exactly when, we need to be ready all the time.

The hereafter is closer than you think!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Knowledge!

 

For Saturday, November 23, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT: “Let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”

 "Light” in the Bible signifies purity, cleanliness and things that are holy, things that are good, things that are of God. “Darkness,” on the other hand, represents bad things filled with evil, ideas perpetrated by Satan. It’s easy to tell the difference!

This scripture teaches us that those living in the light also have knowledge and confidence. For example, if the second coming was to begin today, a lot of earthly people would be confused by the strange goings-on. Many would be afraid. But believers know what to expect. Believers could witness the end-times events and know exactly what was happening. Jesus told us what to expect, and he’s never wrong! Graves will open and we’ll meet Jesus in the sky. His ultimate goal is to take us back home and live eternally in God’s presence. So no matter how strange things may appear, believers have confidence that everything will be OK.

Everything will be all right in the end; if everything is not all right, it’s not the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Day of the Lord!

For Friday, November 22, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT: “You know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”

When Jesus walked alongside mankind on earth, even he couldn’t tell us the exact day he would be returning. He told the believers, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

Our Creator knows mankind’s tendencies and shortcomings, and the danger is that we would live a raucous, sinful life, and scramble at the last minute to prepare for judgement day. But our Father wants our love and obedience ALL the time, not just at the last minute.

No one knows when the second coming will occur, and if someone tells you they know, they’re speaking falsely. Don’t believe them! Loving the Lord is a 24/7 task, not a last-minute scurry.

As each day passes, we’re one day closer to the Day of the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Second Coming!

September 23, 2024 Monday Message:

Matthew 28:20b NLT, the resurrected Jesus speaking: “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our Lord promised, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Jesus, who also said, “I and the Father are one,” confirmed God’s commitment. If believers are loyal to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – he will be with them until the end. And he will carry believers into the next age’s reality!

When is the “end?” Only God knows for sure. He has given us signs to watch for, and day by day we seem to be drawing nearer. The end of the age is closer than it’s ever been!

When Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago, it was the beginning of a new chapter in mankind’s relationship with God. The Old Covenant was updated with a new one. Rather than trying to “earn” our way into heaven, life after this life was now a gift based on our faith in the Son. Forgiveness and reconciliation became a permanent part of the new plan.

The next arrival of Jesus will begin another new chapter in God’s plan for the earth and for mankind. It will be an exciting time! Watch for it! Wait for it, patiently!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Coming Soon!

For Saturday, September 7, 2024:

Revelation 22:7 NLT: “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Jesus will return in the manner in which he left. He will come from the sky on a white horse with a 2-edged sword coming from his mouth. The sword is for judgment, for separating the sheep from the goats. His preferred city is Jerusalem, his address is the Mount of Olives.

Souls of those who sleep will join the army of Jesus in new, glorified, forever bodies, not temporary bodies like we have now. Believers will be caught up into the sky, joining Jesus on the Day of the Lord.

Ultimately God will restore a New Heaven and a New Earth, and the New Heaven will descend upon the New Earth, becoming one. So Heaven as we know it now is a temporary residence for souls until the New Earth is restored. Earth is a believer’s final destination, but it will be a much better earth than we presently know. God will be in charge, and God will have his way with the world.

We are called to make disciples of all nations to reduce the number in the lake of fire! Let’s all do what Jesus said!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

 

 

Book of Life!

For Saturday, August 31, 2024:

Daniel 12:1 NLT: “At that time Michael, the archangel, the great prince, who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.”

"I will never leave you or forsake you,” said Jesus. Yes, there is a Day of the Lord, a day of judgment, a day of reckoning. That will be the worst day ever for non-believers. But those who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives will be rescued and saved from a boat-load of misery. Jesus promised. Everything he ever predicted has come to pass, so we have every reason to expect that the end times will play out just as he predicted.

Securing your eternal destination is a logical reason to make sure your name is written in the book of life. When believers meet their maker, they might be asked if they truly belong in the Kingdom. Check the Book of Life. In spite of living on earth where all have sinned, remarkably, believers will find their names in that book! Rather than perishing in the tribulation, believers will ride with their Savior, victorious!

If you know someone whose name is not in the book, you are the perfect one to help them achieve salvation.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

New Heaven - New Earth!

For Sunday, November 27, 2022:

2 Peter 3:12b-13 NLT: “On the Day of the Lord, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”

In this one piece of Scripture, we go from judgement and destruction to righteousness and hope! Talk about bi-polar! (Just kidding!) The Day of the Lord means judgment for all, but believers will find that Jesus has us covered. He took away our sins, leaving us spotless, ready for salvation.

Just as there are fallen souls on the earth, there are fallen angels in heaven. God has most of them locked away, waiting for judgment day. But on the Day of the Lord, it’s time to clean house on both heaven and earth! As the Bible says, the sheep will be separated from the goats. Sheep go with the Shepherd – they know his voice. The rest go to eternal condemnation.

Then our Lord will re-make a new heaven and a new earth. I believe when God first made the heavens and the earth, they were perfect, and the new heavens and new earth will be restored to original specs. There, God will live among his people. His radiance will illuminate the new earth!

Believers will live in a world filled with God’s righteousness!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Day of the Lord!

For Saturday, November 26, 2022:

2 Peter 3:9 NLT: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise (to return), as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

Scoffers mock the Lord, saying he won’t keep his promise of returning. Nothing could be further from the truth! Right now, the Day of the Lord is on hold until God puts everything in motion. God’s timing will be perfect! Remember God’s desire is that none would perish, and he’s giving everyone on earth a little extra time to repent and return.

Like sheep, mankind has gone astray. Some are further away than others. God wants ALL to return, or at least have that opportunity. Here we read that God isn’t slow; he’s being patient. God’s way is the path to eternal life in his presence. We call it ‘heaven!’

With Jesus in our hearts, heaven will find our names in the Book of Life. The space to record ‘sin’ will be blank. On the cross, Jesus took away our sins. They’re now as far from us as the East is from the West. Believer’s sins are at the bottom of the deepest ocean. Jesus purified the believers, leaving them acceptable to take up residence in the presence of our eternal God.

Thankfully, our God is a God of second chances! (and third chances...)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Be Prepared!

November 7, 2022 Monday Message:

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT: “The Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah is a book of prophesy, much of it concerning the end times. He writes that there will be a time of judgment, and it will not go well for those who do not stand with Jesus. But this verse describes believers living in the New Earth. The Lord will be living among his people in this perfect world.

No one knows when the end-times clock will start ticking. If anyone tries to tell you, they’re lying because the Bible says that no one knows the exact time. But the Day of the Lord will come, and we’re seeing signs that it’s getting closer.

That’s why we need to perpetually be prepared to meet our maker. We need to cement our relationship with Jesus, and let our lifestyle emulate his. We need to tell our families and friends, and get as many on board as will listen to the Good News.

This is an eternal life-or-death decision – choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Faith!

For Wednesday, July 6, 2022:

2 Peter 3:10a NLT: “The Day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.”

Jesus is returning. We need to perpetually be ready, because we don’t know the exact date.

It is written that we are saved by grace through faith. Being ready for the Day of the Lord is about our faith. If our faith in Jesus is constant, a part of who we are, we’ll certainly be prepared when the King of kings appears in the sky!

Lord, help us be prepared for your Son’s return.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Day of the Lord!

For Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Joel 2:12a NLT: “The Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts.’”

The prophet Joel warns, “The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive?” That explains the urgency, the need to get right with God - NOW!

So many prophecies from the Bible have come true, so we believe this warning to also be true. Accountability will be required on the day of the Lord. Jesus IS returning. When? We don’t know the exact day, but we are counseled to live as if today was that day.

If you were thinking of getting right with the Lord yesterday, you still have today, but you may not have tomorrow. “Decision Today” is the key. We all need to make a decision to follow the Lord, and today is the best day to do it!

"Nothing like the day of the Lord has been seen before, or will ever be seen again!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406