Are You Ready for Christ s Coming?

Transcription

1 An Additional Study: Are You Ready for Christ s Coming? In Hebrews 9:24 28, we read, For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. This passage speaks of several appearances of Jesus. He appeared (was manifested ) on earth (v. 26; see the KJV) to die for us. After His resurrection, He appeared in heaven on our behalf (v. 24). Someday He will appear to take us home (v. 28). In Hebrews 9 this last event is called the second appearance: He will appear a second time for salvation... to those who eagerly await Him. This second appearance is commonly called the Second Coming. In this lesson our attention will be on the second coming of Jesus. I will be asking this question: Are you ready to meet the Lord when He appears? CHRIST IS COMING! Bible Truth In Genesis 1 we read of the beginning of all things including the beginning of the universe and time. On the other end of time, we read about the Second Coming, the climactic event of human history accompanied by the destruction of the universe and the end of time as we know it. The Bible makes more than three hundred references to the Second Coming. 1 Let me share a few starting with the teaching of Jesus Himself. Near the end of His earthly ministry, the Lord said to His disciples, For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38; emphasis The night before His death, when Jesus was with His disciples, He told them, Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1 3; emphasis 2 Jesus was not the only one who spoke of His return. As Christ was ascending to heaven, angels said to His disciples, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11; emphasis The Second Coming was a common theme in the preaching and teaching of the apostles and other inspired men. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he first addressed Christians who were ready for Christ s return: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say 1 Ronald F. Youngblood, ed. Nelson s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986), Another passage in which Jesus spoke of His second coming is John 21:22, 23. 1

2 to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13 18). Then he spoke concerning those who were not ready: The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, Peace and safety! then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape (5:2, 3). 3 The writer of Hebrews said, For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay (Hebrews 10:37). John wrote in Revelation, He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly (22:20a). Human Error Many today are confused about the Second Coming because of erroneous doctrines being propagated from pulpits, in popular books, and on TV and radio. Some claim to have special insight so that they can predict when the Lord will come in spite of the fact that Jesus said, But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Mark 13:32). Also, there are those who teach that the Second Coming is little more than a dramatic event that will usher in a new era. They believe that when the Lord appears, the faithful on the earth will disappear as they are caught up in the air for seven years (an event they call The Rapture ). At the end of that time, according to this false teaching, Jesus will descend to the earth and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, where He will reign for a thousand years. Following that, other events will transpire, and then finally mankind will come to the Judgment Day, when each person will be sent to heaven or hell. Is this what the Bible teaches? No. As previously noted, the Bible teaches that the Second 3 Paul also spoke of the Second Coming in 2 Timothy 4:1, 2. Coming will be the climactic event of all history. The return of the Lord will trigger the end of the physical universe. When He returns, all will be judged and sent to the places where they will spend eternity. How vital it is for us to be ready for His appearing! WILL WE BE READY? What should be our response to the Bible s teaching on the second coming of Christ? Some evidently think the proper response is to spend their time in fruitless speculation, to concoct scenarios of their own devising. Let me suggest a different response, a God-approved response. Believe in the Second Coming And Look Forward to It We need to believe in the Second Coming. Consider the following. The first coming of Jesus was foretold in prophecy, and it came to pass exactly as the prophets said. No fact of history is more firmly established than the fact that Jesus lived. There is far more historical evidence for Jesus than there is for Socrates, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, or a thousand other wellknown figures of the past. Even as the first coming of Jesus was foretold by inspired men, so the second coming of Jesus has been foretold by inspired men. If the prophecies regarding Jesus first coming were fulfilled, then we can be sure that the prophecies regarding His second coming will be fulfilled We can believe it! Jesus proclaimed that He is coming again, and the apostles confirmed it. Not only do we need to believe in the Second Coming, but we also need to look forward to it. Paul wrote, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20; emphasis When he wrote to Timothy, he spoke of the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award... to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8; emphasis Early Christians prayed, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20b; emphasis A thought-provoking song is titled There s a Great Day Coming. It begins, There s a great day coming, A great day coming, There s a great day coming by and by; 2

3 When the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left, Are you ready for that day to come? The song then says, There s a bright day coming... ; But its brightness shall only come to them that love the Lord, Are you ready...? There s a sad day coming... ; When the sinner shall hear his doom, Depart, I know ye not, Are you ready...? 4 The song declares that if we are ready for that Day, it will be a bright day, a happy day. One who is prepared can look forward to many things at the Second Coming. In Philippians 2:16 Paul urged Christians, [Hold] fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ [when He returns] I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. The coming of the Lord would make all his efforts and sacrifices worthwhile. According to Colossians 3:4, the Second Coming will be a glorious occasion for those who are ready: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Regarding the Second Coming, many of us are anticipating a reunion with loved ones who died in the Lord. Look again at 1 Thessalonians 4: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus (v. 14). Once a man stood and looked out at the Pacific Ocean. Behind him were majestic mountains, and before him was the deep, blue sea. He remarked to a visitor who was standing nearby, Isn t this the most beautiful place you ever saw? The visitor shook his head and said, Not really. The first man said, Well, where is the most beautiful place you ever saw? The second man said, In Arkansas. Then the first man asked, What makes Arkansas more beautiful than this? Arkansas is filled with great natural beauty, but the visitor did not mention any of these features. Rather, he answered, That s where all the people I love are. One of the beautiful aspects of heaven is that so many loved 4 Will L. Thompson, There s a Great Day Coming, Songs of the Church, comp. and ed. Alton H. Howard (West Monroe, La.: Howard Publishers, 1977). (Emphasis mine.) ones are there. At the Second Coming, we will at last be reunited. The Second Coming will be the time when the faithful will hear, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matthew 25:21; KJV). All trials and tribulations will be over. Temptation will be no more. We will enjoy an eternity with our loving Lord. Do we look forward to the Second Coming? Is it possible that deep down we think we are so busy, with so many things to do, that the Second Coming just would not fit into our schedule right now? Is it even possible that we are looking elsewhere for our blessed hope (Titus 2:13)? Someone has said that in days past people in the US looked to heaven for their hope and security, but now they look to their employers or the government. 5 How we need to restore the spirit of those first-century Christians! Let us pray, as they did, Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20). Get Ready and Stay Ready The key to looking forward to the Second Coming is to be ready for it. If we are ready, then (as Paul put it), we will love His appearing (see 2 Timothy 4:8). An elderly preacher who had been a boy during the Great Depression was telling about how poor his family was when he was growing up. Having jam for our toast was a special treat, he said. He related an occasion when his mother somehow managed to get a big jar of jam. She showed the jar to the children and said, Behave yourselves, and you will get jam on your toast for breakfast. The man said that a houseful of rowdy children magically turned into the best-behaved children in the county and they all got jam on their toast at breakfast time. The speaker said that went on for several days until one day he slipped back into his old ways. The next morning, the rest of the children got jam for breakfast but he did not. How he wanted that jam! That afternoon, when he returned home after school, he was surprised to 5 This sentence will need to be adapted to fit the situation where you are. To what do the worldly-minded in your community look for security? It may be wealth, power, the strength of their arms, or the skill of their hands. 3

4 find no one else in the house. He started looking for the jam and finally found it, hidden at the back of the highest shelf in the house. He got down the jar and put it on the table. I m not going to eat it, he thought. I m just going to look at it. He opened the jar. I m not going to eat it, he thought. I m just going to smell it. He put the tip of one finger in the jam. I m not going to eat it, he thought. I m just going to taste it. Of course, you know how that ended. It was not long until he had a spoon and was shoving jam into his mouth. At that moment, who do you think appeared at the back door? You guessed it his mother. There he was, with his face covered in jam. The old preacher said, I loved my mother... but, at that moment, I did not love her appearing. The only way we can love the Lord s appearing is to be ready for His appearing. We must get ready and then stay ready for Christ s appearing. Again and again, Bible speakers and writers emphasized that no one knows the time of His return. For this reason, we always need to be prepared. Referring to His second coming, Jesus said, But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Matthew 24:36). 6 His return will be as unexpected as the flood in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37 39), as unexpected as the rain of fire and brimstone on the city of Sodom (Luke 17:26 30). The Bible teaches that Christ will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; see Matthew 24:43; 1 Thessalonians 5:4; 2 Peter 3:10). Once, when my family lived in the Fort Worth area, I was awakened in the middle of the night by a loud pounding on the front door. Like any father, I immediately thought, Has something happened to one of my daughters? I went to the door and asked, Who is it? Back came the answer: The police. Now I was really worried. When I opened the door, the police told me that someone had gone down our street and broken into every car. The thief did not send a letter to the residents of our street to say he would be coming. He did not telephone ahead of time or send a telegram. He came unannounced. 6 Matthew 24 intertwines teaching on the destruction of Jerusalem with teaching on Christ s return. The latter part of the chapter focuses on the Second Coming. Even so, Jesus will come unannounced. The Bible also teaches that the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will (Matthew 24:44). Be honest: Do you really think Jesus is going to return right now? If you answer, No, then this would be an appropriate time for Him to come, wouldn t it? Since we do not know when the Lord will return, we need to get ready and stay ready. Matthew 24:44 says, For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming... (emphasis When I was a teenager and my parents left me at our house alone, they generally gave me some chores that they expected me to do before they came home. If they told me exactly when they planned to return, I would think, I have plenty of time to do those jobs, and I would start doing other things. As I got involved in what I was doing, I would lose track of time. Then suddenly I would realize that it would not be long before they were back! Hurriedly, I would start on my list of things to do. I was generally only halfway through the list when they walked through the door. If, however, they told me what to do and did not tell me exactly when they planned to be back, I was more likely to do what they asked as soon as they left to make sure I got it done. Then I would do other things. 7 The Second Coming and all that it involves provided powerful motivation for early Christians. In Colossians 3, after Paul spoke of the coming of Christ (v. 4), he said, Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (v. 5; emphasis Paul wrote to Titus, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:11 13; emphasis Peter wrote, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a 7 Someone said that He who made us the way we are shows a great understanding of human psychology. 4

5 roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.... Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless (2 Peter 3:10 14). John said that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:2, 3). If we really believe that the Lord is coming and could come at any time, what a difference this will make in our lives! How can we get ready for His coming? We can love Him and do His will. We need to learn to rely on His grace and mercy, even as we do our best to be what He wants us to be. Most of you are already aware of what the Lord wants you to do, but let me mention a few basic ideas before we close: Study your Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). Obey God and become a Christian (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Live the Christian life. Be faithful in meeting with the saints to worship. Be a good example. Love and help others. Share Christ with others. (See Hebrews 10:25; Matthew 5:13 16; Galatians 6:10; Matthew 28:18 20.) When you sin, repent and turn back to God (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16). CONCLUSION Remember the words to the song There s a Great Day Coming. 8 For those who are unprepared to stand before God, it will be a sad, sad day (see Matthew 25:1 13). When Napoleon Bonaparte 9 led an army, he had a fixed rule: Any man on guard duty who fell asleep or left his post would be executed, without exception. One night, Napoleon walked the outskirts of the camp, checking those on guard duty. He found one soldier asleep on the ground with his rifle 8 If your listeners know this song, use it as an invitation song, encouraging people to obey Christ and get ready for His second coming. 9 Napoleon Bonaparte ( ) is a famous figure in French history. He was called by some the little colonel. by his side. The man had been marching all day and probably thought he would sit down for a moment to rest, but he had gone to sleep. Napoleon picked up the rifle and stood the post, waiting for dawn. When the sun rose, the soldier suddenly awoke. Silhouetted against the reddening sky was the little colonel. The young man cried, It s too late! He came, and I was asleep! It s too late! For those not ready for the coming of the Lord, it will be too late. The song also says that, for those prepared, the time of Christ s second coming will be a bright day, a happy day. Let us thank God that His mercy is still available to us so that we can flee to Him for forgiveness and salvation. Are you ready for that day to come? If you are not, and if we can help you to get ready, please let us do that today. 10 David Roper 10 Years ago, someone sent me a sample of a religious publication for preachers and teachers. The sample was filled with quotations, illustrations, and sermon ideas. I used a number of ideas from that sample in this sermon, but I did not record the source. I apologize for being unable to give credit where credit is due. THE INEVITABLE RECKONING So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:12). When Christ returns at an unknown time, all people will stand before God in judgment. Consider the nature of that appointment: 1. It is all-inclusive: each one of us, none excepted (see Romans 14:10b). 2. It is inescapable: will (see Hebrews 9:27). 3. It is for a stated purpose: give an account (see Matthew 25:19). 4. It is individual, personal: of himself (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). 5. It is rendered to God, not to man (see 1 Corinthians 4:3, 4). 6. It is complete and final (see Ecclesiastes 12:14; Daniel 7:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 22:11, 12). Adapted from Snappy Sermon Starters Paul E. Holdcraft Copyright, 2006 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 5