Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord

The following article is based on the message "Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name of the Lord" by Pastor Arthur Green March 22, 2020.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord - Matthew 23:39

In these last days, end time prophecies are being fulfilled right before our eyes. Whether it be wars, rumors of wars, famine, earthquakes, or the current pestilence, one thing is for sure, Jesus said these are the beginning of sorrows. In times like these, it's easy to wonder if God is really in control? The answer is YES! Jesus is here and knows the current storm and is totally in control.

Jesus comes to us all. His desire is to draw all men unto Himself. Unfortunately, there are many who refuse Him and find themselves lost and empty inside. There is no assurance we'll make it through the storm without Him. Outside of Jesus there is no peace.  This was the case with many in Jesus' day. They saw him sure enough but they misidentified Him and refused to receive Him as their Savior.  Because of this, Jesus told them "Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23-37-39) Those who come in the name of the Lord preach the good news of the gospel of peace. To say "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord" is to see and receive Christ and His message. Jesus told his disciples "He that receives you, receives Me." (Matthew 10:40) We receive Jesus when we honor, trust, and welcome Jesus.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:22-33

In today's passage we looked at a particular storm Jesus saw coming. We read in Matthew 14:22-33 of Jesus constraining His disciples to get into a ship and go before Him to the other side. The word "constrain" suggests that His disciples were reluctant to go. It's possible they saw the storm approaching too and were scared. Nevertheless, they went. The storm hit as soon as they tried to cross to the other side. The waves beat against them and the wind was severely contrary when Jesus came walking to them on the water late that night. Jesus showing that He was in full control of the storm. In Mark's account of this same instance, Mark 6:48 records that Jesus made as though He would have walked right passed them if they had not cried out to Him. The lesson here is that Jesus is always there for us but we must call out to Him in faith. It's probable the disciples were praying to God for help at the time Jesus came to them but in their unbelief they misidentified Him as a ghost.

Jesus assured them by saying "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." Peter said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Jesus said "Come." On the basis of that one word, Peter stepped out of the boat and onto the water and walked to Jesus. Peter walked with Jesus on top of the stormy waters! This is the same storm that moments ago had the disciples afraid for their lives! A proper revelation of Jesus goes a long way when you're in a storm. Peter was almost to Jesus when he started to consider the gravity of the situation. He took his eyes off of Jesus and started looking at how bad the wind and the waves were and it scared him. He began to sink. Another lesson for us here is that sinking starts the moment we look away from Jesus. In the storm we need to keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and not be moved by how bad things look (2 Corinthians 4:18).  As Peter began to sink, he cried out to Jesus "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and caught Him and said "Why did you doubt?" To "doubt" means to waiver between two opinions. Peter, like most of us do at some point, wavered in his ability to do what Jesus called him to do. When Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, the wind ceased and there was a great calm and immediately they were on the other side. Those who were in the boat said "Truly, You are the Son of God."

One of the most famous end time passages of scripture for us in these last days can be found in Daniel 11:32-33 "...the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many..." Likewise, when Jesus ordained Peter and the rest of the twelve disciples He told them "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." (Luke 6:40 NKJV) In fact, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said all those who believe on Him would do the same works He did (John 14:12). Therefore, these truths could lie at the very heart of Peter's statement, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." So shall it be with all those who are blessed and come in the name of the Lord.

To hear this message as it was presented live by Pastor Arthur Green on March 22, 2020 please visit us on Facebook @RiverALIVEchurch.