Jesus is worthy of praise and worship....

....because He perfectly completed God's Counterintuitive Plan for our salvation through His life, death, and resurrection, ....ransoming us from sin and death.  Jesus did everything He came to do for us who believe.... John 18:37, 19:28,30

Though he was God, (John 1:1,4)
   he did not think of equality with God
   as something to cling to. (John 1:14)

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God (Mark 14:36)
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross. (Heb 12:2; John 19:28-29,30)

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor (Rev 1:7,8)
    and gave him the name above all other names,
    that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, (Rev 19:16)
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
    and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, (Rev 5:13)
    to the glory of God the Father.
    —  Philippians 2:6-11 NLT

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To live with God requires "spiritual birth" through Jesus Christ (John 14:6)....

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been BORN AGAIN, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  ....For you know that God paid a ransom (ON THE CROSS) to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.  And it was paid with ....the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

‍‍THROUGH CHRIST YOU HAVE COME TO TRUST IN GOD. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. ....YOUR NEW LIFE will last forever because IT COMES FROM THE ETERNAL, LIVING WORD OF GOD.
   — 1 Peter 1:3,18-19,21-23 NLT

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Born Again to New Life NOW with Jesus

A "Born Again".... Christ-centered life is lived in continual fellowship with God, seeking the INDWELLING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (John 14:25-26; Romans 8:26; Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:16,22-23) as our Source of life and blessing, ....our Helper in making every day choices.  

The abundant life Jesus gives is not about material possessions or accomplishments; it is about knowing God, being in Him, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and manifesting the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.  ....Ephesians 3:16-19; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Consider Titus 2:11-14 ....Look it up in EnduringWord.com commentary.

Verse 11: Saving grace to all people....

For the GRACE OF GOD has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.

Verse 12-13: What grace teaches us....

And WE ARE INSTRUCTED to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

Verse 14: The heart of the God of grace....

HE GAVE HIS LIFE to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Such is ours to freely receive from God, ....as we ACTIVELY ENGAGE
....with Him, ....because we are Born Again to New Life NOW....

Therefore....

So then, since we have a great High Priest Who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.  SO LET US COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF OUR GRACIOUS GOD. There we will RECEIVE HIS MERCY, and we will FIND GRACE TO HELP US when we need it most.
    — Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT

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....and the rest of ETERNITY with Him

‍The Rapture of the Church (Believers in Christ, Body of Christ) is the coming event where Believers are taken up to meet Christ in the air ....to join Him in Heaven for the "wedding feast of the Lamb" in Revelation 19:6-9.  Jesus does this in order to make way for God's righteous judgment to be poured on the earth, during a 7-year period known as the Tribulation (Revelation chapters 6-18).  See Rev 3:10 NLT.

The Rapture is described in 1 Thess 4:13-18 and 1 Cor 15:50-54.

Dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died.  For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God....
    — 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 NLT

....continuing....

....First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be "caught up" (Greek word "harpazo", Strongs G726, from which we get the word "Rapture") in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Then WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER.  So ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER WITH THESE WORDS.
    — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NLT

Physical bodies transformed to spiritual bodies

Recall our conversation in Chapter 8.1....

Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die....
Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory....  ....What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
 
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.  For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
    — 1 Corinthians 15:42-44,50-54

....also Philippians 3:20-21, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; and 1 John 3:2

....and, as Jesus said....

"I am the resurrection and THE SOURCE of all (SPIRIT) LIFE; THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME will live even in (PHYSICAL) death.  Everyone who lives and believes in Me WILL NEVER TRULY DIE.  Do you believe this?"
    — John 11:25-26 The Voice

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Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord

Following the 7-years of Tribulation recorded in Revelation chapters 6-18....

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns.  A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself.  He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God.
 
The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.  From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.  On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
    — Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

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"Reverence" and "Awe"  describe this moment!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega — the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the One Who is, Who always was, and Who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
    — Revelation 1:8 NLT

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"Hallowed be Your Name!"  

Your Kingdom come.  Your will be done.

       — Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV

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Oh, there is sooo much more to know about Jesus!

Keep studying your Bible.  Read it daily.  ....And read what others have written in books and study guides and blogs and websites ....telling their life's experiences with our Lord.  ....The more you seek to know Jesus, the more there is to learn about our Savior, Lord and Friend.

As scripture says,....

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one
of them were written down, I suppose that even
the whole world would not have room for the
books that would be written.
    — John 21:25 NIV

.......Perhaps some day, you will write your own book
about life with Jesus.  I'd like to read it.  ....SMILE....

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^{*Credits: Transfiguration, Rapture, and Second Coming images anonymous, found on several blog sites / Rapture of Believers image from WallpaperCave com / Jesus photo from The Chosen}