2 MINUTE WARNING

Today …

Is the Greatest Day In The History Of The World.

And there is not a close second.

On Friday, in His last breath, and in incredible agony, He uttered the words:  “It is finished”  (Translated:  It is Paid IN FULL)

But it wasn’t finished.

It was only just beginning.

John 20 ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

What was FINISHED was Satan’s power over creation.

What was FINISHED was sin’s reign over all of mankind.

What was FINISHED was death’s power over all people.

In one breath, God wiped out the power of the enemy, the power of sin, and the sting of death.

Gone.

Destroyed.

And never to return again.

As you worship this morning, and tonight, and tomorrow— do not take that lightly.

It isn’t to be trampled on, or disregarded, or forgotten about.

For as much as soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy began a walk to bring us to freedom in the world, He made a move that gives us freedom before, during, and after our earthly existence.

He brought us freedom in the eternal.

And John tells us in John 1 that “to those who would receive Him, He would give the right to become children of God “.

Hallelujah.

And unlike everything else we encounter, it isn’t for the select few:

For the poor, He became homeless, that He might walk in the shoes of those who have no place to lay their head.

For the broken, He was beaten, and spit on, and punished, that He might experience brokenness to the highest degree.

For the illegitimate, He came to earth at His father’s shame.

For the slave, He was given over to Satan—to be tempted, and attacked, and devalued at the highest level.

And though the scriptures said He was coming—they did not know Him when He arrived.  They DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM.  

But thank God this isn’t about us.

If it was, we would be living in utter failure—and without hope.

But we have hope.

And our hope is in Jesus—and Jesus ALONE.

He is alive.  And He lives that you might have life, and life eternal.

Rejoice my friend.

And Receive Him.  In Him, you are saved.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

If Nicodemus was in the dark, then any of us can be.  A member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus had discovered the only thing that any of us could ever need.

Jesus.

And so, knowing in his heart that Jesus WAS NOT A FRAUD, he paid Him a visit at night.

All of us are like this.

We get confirmation.  We KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW.  And yet, we sneak off in the dark to get JUST ONE MORE CONFIRMATION.

John 3 ¹Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”  ⁴“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  ⁹“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.  ¹⁰“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”  ¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

We are on a collision course with the grave.  It is one of the ONLY things that we can truly be sure of.

But the other thing that we can be sure of is this:  Jesus Christ came to save the world.  Not to condemn it—but to save it.

Not to condemn me, but to save me.

And not to condemn you, but to save you.

Are you BORN AGAIN?

In John 1, John says to those who would receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God.

Have an encounter with the Lord, TODAY … and then pass it on to someone else.

It will change the world.

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

The religious leaders could not trap Him.

The Romans could not understand Him.

And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!

And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out.  After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.

And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.

The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.

1.  Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
2.  Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
3.  Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class

Isaiah 9 ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

My simple question is this:

How did Isaiah KNOW?

How did he KNOW?

This is Jesus.

How can a child be born who will be mighty God?  Only in Bethlehem.  Only a virgin birth.  Only Jesus.

In all the Jewish law and culture and all of their writings—they had it correct.

And it would be Jesus.

When thousands of people CONVERTED … CHANGED … BEGAN A NEW CHAPTER …  All from the testimony of a few men with no political power and no money and no status — It was because they had had an encounter with the King of the Universe.

And to make it very simple:

This is the ONLY thing that any of us need today as well.

Have that encounter with the Lord … and then pass it on to someone else.

It will change the world.

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

The religious leaders could not trap Him.

The Romans could not understand Him.

And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!

And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out.  After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.

And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.

The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.

1.  Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
2.  Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
3.  Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class

Genesis 14 ¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, ¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  ²⁰ And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

There are so many verses that leave me wondering—but none more so than Genesis 14.  

While fighting barbarians in the middle of the desert—a priest shows up and ministers to Abram.  He is fed, ministered to, and encouraged.  Afterwards, Abram gives him a tenth of what he has and then rejects taking anything from the King the Sodom.

There are several verses throughout scripture that mention Melchizedek—Acts 2, Hebrews 5-7, and even in Psalms 110.  Some list Melchizedek as a priest, some as an angel, some as God Himself.  And I personally HAVE NO IDEA.

But we can draw plenty of parallels between our own lives and this story … In the battles we face each and every day—God shows up.

He ministers to us.

He encourages us.

He blesses us.

But are we like Abram?

Do we continue in our pursuit of holiness and obedience, or do we take “the spoils of Sodom”?

I want to encourage you today.

Stand strong.

Be who you are.

Be proud of your beliefs, and your standing, and your morals.  Know that the enemy will always try to sway you that you are “old fashioned” or “not with the times” or “old school”.  But the reality is that the world is lost.  People are lost—so knowledgeable and yet so full of foolishness.  Don’t be afraid to stand for purity, and standards, and laws, and righteousness.  This doesn’t make you backwards.

It opens you up for a meeting, in the middle of the desert, with Melchizedek.

Because whether an angel, or an ambassador, or an obedient servant—-he is a representative of the Most High God.

And having the blessing of the Most High God is your highest calling.

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

The religious leaders could not trap Him.

The Romans could not understand Him.

And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!

And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out.  After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.

And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.

The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.

1.  Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
2.  Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
3.  Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class

Matthew 18 ¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

This makes no sense.

Until you realize that YOU are the lost sheep.

That YOU are the one who He pursues at the cost of all that He has.

That YOU are the one He will walk the extra mile to invite into the Kingdom.

YOU.

You can not tell me that you are not important, or forgotten, or forsaken.

And you can not tell me that because YOU are the reason that He strives so hard to gather the broken.

When the prodigal son realized that He had not only wasted his father’s fortune, but that he had dishonored everything that he had taken from the estate:  the teachings, the morals, the family loyalty, the wisdom—-EVERYTHING—he became a broken man.  And he wondered home knowing that even the servants in his father’s estate were treated with honor.

That is the story of YOU.

As I listened to my wife’s favorite worship leader this morning—I couldn’t help but see the favor all over this man.  It looks to me like he has come home to his father.

I can too.

And so can you.

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

The religious leaders could not trap Him.

The Romans could not understand Him.

And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!

And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out.  After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.

And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.

The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.

1.  Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
2.  Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
3.  Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class

Luke 16 ¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Following Jesus will cost you something.

It might cost you money.

It might cost you friends.

It might cost you popularity, or status, or comfort.

But … 

As Jim Elliot said:

”He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Amen.

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

My biggest fear is not Covid 19.

It’s not North Korea, or Russia, or China.

It isn’t Republicans or Democrats seizing control of our country to enact one-sided policies.

It isn’t torture.

Or prison.

Or even death.

My greatest fear is that we would forget what the TRUTH is.  That our churches would cower, that our saints would run, and that our faith in God would dwindle.  Without Him—we have NOTHING.

Jesus was a radical.

He was kicked out of the temple.

He regularly broke the law.

He associated with thieves, and hypocrites, and murderers.

He talked with women who had prostituted themselves, touched leppers, and interacted with demon-possessed “crazies”.

The religious leaders could not trap Him.

The Romans could not understand Him.

And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!

And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out.  After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.

And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.

The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.

1.  We are sinners without hope
2.  All of us will die and face God to give account
3.  In Jesus, we are saved

1 John ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 Corinthians 5 ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

John 10 ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 

We are in a season in 2021 where this can’t be something on our list.  It needs to overwhelm our list, to change our list, to alter everything that we set out to do when we get up in the morning and when we go to bed at night.

Please join me in making a concerted and overwhelming effort to give this to the nations…

And when I say to the nations …

I mean —

ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

As you watch the video of Zach Williams singing to those people in prison, ask yourself this:

Who is in prison?  

The prisoners in worship…or someone who doesn’t know Jesus?

As followers—we must—

Figure It Out

Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Imagine how frustrating it must have been to deal with Paul?

When Jesus got a hold of him—he turned his life on a dime.

And when they decided to deal with him to discontinue his spreading of the gospel, he declared:

1.  If you kill me, I will die for Christ.
2.  If you torture me and put me in chains, I will take a beating for Christ and be in chains for Christ.
3.  If you let me go, I will spread the gospel for Christ.

Wow.

Sometimes my greatest accomplishment in the morning is … Going to work.

Lord, strengthen me to be who You have called me to be.  And not one thing less.

Acts 16 ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Paul was committed to the gospel.

And his commitment overrode everything that he did, and said, and wanted to do.

To be free of prison was not nearly as important as winning the heart of the jailer, and his family, and the town … to Jesus.

Let’s commit this very day to be IN.  

• To be IN the business of converting the lost.  
• To be IN the business of ministering to the broken.
• To be IN the business of protecting those who can’t protect themselves.
• To be IN the business of … Jesus.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

I wrote this blog 2 weeks ago…but did not release it.  Perhaps God wanted it released tonight.  I pray that it blesses and inspires you.

Where do you go when you want to declare who you are and what your plans are?

The disciples thought that Jesus was going after the Romans and that victory over the Romans was inevitable.  When Jesus tore up the temple in a public display of calling out the religious scribes it probably made them even more confident.  And the battles that He fought?  Jesus won those battles decisively.

He won in the wilderness.

He won in the temple.

He won in the synagogues.

When Jesus picked a fight—He won it decisively.  He couldn’t be tricked.  He couldn’t be bought.  He didn’t care how things “looked”.  He was bold and decisive and true and unfailingly correct.

But what must have shocked the disciples is who, when, and what He chose to fight.

And though Peter’s “graduation present” was announced on the day described in Matthew 16, he did not open it until Jesus had been brutally executed.

Matthew 16 ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Caesarea Philippi has another name.  The “Gates of Hell”.  And for good reason.  Pan was worshipped there.  All kinds of evil were practiced there.  It was probably a terrifying place for people to go … and yet, here was Jesus declaring that He would build His church HERE.

Undaunted by what had happened there, Jesus declared that it was HERE He would build His church on the ROCK.

And so, at the Gates of Hell and with a man who would run in fear when the battle truly came, Jesus declared victory.

What a sight it must have been!

So what do we do with this?

As I think about this today—I would say this.  We can hang our eternity on THREE UNFAILING TRUTHS:

He OWNS The Victory.  And in His time on earth, He would do it again and again and again.  Nothing would sway Him.

No Evil Practice Will Stand.  It is discouraging to see some of the things we see, but God owns the endgame.  When Jesus decided to declare Himself King and Peter the head of the church, He did it at the most evil place on the planet.  And He sealed it by dying—and then raising from the dead.  In Jesus, No Evil Practice Will Stand.

He Has Come That You Might Have Life.  NEVER forget the destiny that He has put over your head.  He wants to give you LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.

John 10  ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Do not bow down to the ways of the world.

Do not cower at the power of those who do evil.

Do not negotiate or compromise with an enemy who rejects the Living God.

You are not small.

You are not powerless.

You are not without hope.

You are just the opposite.  You are a child of the King of the Universe and powerful to STAND.

When you pray … Pray with BELIEF … and FAITH … and the POWER of Jesus.

At the place where evil reigned, Jesus promoted a cowardly, back-sliding fisherman to carry and build His church.

And now, in 2021 in the Year of Our Lord (AD), we are still reading about it.

Walk in the promises of your Savior.  He is worthy.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J