Blessed Hope And Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ

Good morning, I'm going to get louder so you can better watch that mic. Good to be back. Greetings. Good to see you. Thank you. We're available. And we we may have all the way everything reach picture publicly or preaching. So thank God for the grace that is ours. I bring you greetings from pop-ups. And thanks in their love. We pray for you as a church, as we continue to read and ask your prayers for us. So we're going to turn in a moment to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. You can go ahead and turn there. That will be one of two texts of scripture. But I want to ask you a question. How many of you have never heard a message of the second coming of Christ? Everybody has? Well, good. Then I'm going to be listening to you carefully to make sure the things I say are accurate. Second question, how many of you find yourself still kind of confused on the end times and the second coming and you don't know, you're not clear? All right. You know, you love this great theologian and he believes one way and then you say that this other one you love too, they don't agree. And then they started going and really love, he didn't agree with either of them. So what am I to believe? Who should I listen to? This book, because you know, down through church history, systems have evolved and developed pre-millennialism, a-millennialism, post-millennialism, and you know that other one, pan-millennialism. That means it'll all pan out again. And yet you have gotten in many who you have benefited from, if you've read or listened to Truth Three Months, men that you respect, and they all disagree, which tells us what? None of those systems are inspired. None of them are perfect. They all have an element of truth, elements of truth, but no true system of eschatology is perfect, nor should it be perfectly trusted at all. It's a fallible approach to wrap our heads around, how's it going to work out? What's it going to be like? What are the events? How should we view things? So, thank God I'm not going to address that. What I'm going to address is this, the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. You might call it the second coming certainties, because while there is obscurity in the details, there is not obscurity in the certainties the New Testament declares about His soon return. This could be called maybe the basics of end time theology. I just want to talk about the basic bottom line truths about the coming of our Lord back to this earth for His people and for judgment. It was timely about the judgment of the wicked and the captives of Christ, because what you heard and saw and recited there is what's going to happen when the Son of God returns to the earth. He's going to mop all this up, He's going to take no prisoners, He's going to end it all, and then He's going to direct the kingdom up to the Father that God will be glorified in all things, 1 Corinthians says. The second coming is certain, that is, it's an absolute. There's no obscurity about that. It is also central because it fills the pages of the Bible, and it is also soon, meaning it's imminent. It's timing is unknown. It's fact is fearful and final. It's occurrence, it's event, it's occurrence is the end of the present world in our human history. The future return of the Son of God is the end of all things temporal, and it is the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth, when God makes all things into final regeneration, Jesus said of all things. Now if this blessed hope is your future hope, how clear are you on it, and how ready are you for it? That's what's important in the New Testament. How clear are you on it? In terms of holding in it, waiting for him to come, and how ready are you for him to come? You think there's anybody alive among professing Christians that they've got the whole system perfected, their charts, their plans, the details perfected, and they're living in sin and lukewarmness, and they're not ready? You think that's possible? Absolutely, it's possible. My goal this morning is for you to have newness and freshness about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it would become more important to you today in your thinking and in your life, that you would be much more clear on the basis. So by way of introduction, before we even read our text, I want to make some basic general statements. First, hands down there are three, the three most important events of cosmic and historical significance are these. Number one, the six day creation of all things. Number two, the incarnation of the Christ in his first coming in space and in time. And three, the future second coming of the Son of God. The creation, the first coming, the future second coming, these are the three biggest issues for mankind in all of history. Nothing is more important after the cross of Christ over 2,000 years ago than the second coming of our Lord. Second general statement, clarity and not confusion about this is needed. And it's possible for you to be clear and not confused if you give attention just to the things the New Testament says about the second coming. Corey talked about Proverbs 2 about we have to do the work. There's a lot of things Solomon said there in Proverbs 2 where to do. But if we do it, we get the benefits. We get the wisdom. Same is true here. You read the statements in the New Testament about the Lord's coming. You read them in their context and you take them at face value and you will see the basic truths we ought to believe about his coming and we ought to apply about his coming. And I want to tell you something. This truth I'm talking about today applies to everyone in this room. If you're not a Christian and you don't care about Christianity, Jesus Christ is coming or servant and you will stand before him. And he will be your judge because he's the judge of all the earth at that time. So don't think this doesn't apply to you. It applies to every believer who's looking for his coming, who's longing for his coming and it applies to every unbeliever who doesn't care a hell of beans about the Bible or Christianity. Nothing is more important to any person than the future second coming. And we don't have to be as Christians confused about it. Why is there confusion? Because eschatology, the doctrine of end times, has been ambushed by extremists, date setters, charlatans, chart makers who sell them on premium for a lot of money to see their chart of every detail and prophecy nuts that have flooded the church with false teaching, confusion, wrong emphasis and nonsense. Now I'll tell you what I really think about. That's where the confusion has come from, dear beloved ones. Believers need clarity, conviction, certainty and hope more than ever about the biggest future reality that's coming. Now let me just ask you in your daily life, in your home, in your walk, how much does the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ ever play in your mind? And in your prayer, we must confess it's also non-existent isn't it? We don't think a lot about it, and we should, when we read in the New Testament, we affirm it's true. But the New Testament, when there's statements about it, we're going to see in a moment, every time the Lord Jesus or the apostles speak about it, they're calling for us that ethical, moral response of a changed life and a prepared heart in light of His coming. Always it's that way. We need clarity so that we might be encouraged. But you know it's a bad sign when Christians are disagreeing about that day instead of preparing for it. It's true. I know Christians who used to be close to one another in fellowship, and they parted ways over their view of the end times. That is sin. A.W. Tocher told the story of a husband and a father who's going away on a long business trip. And he tells the family, I don't know when I'm returning, but you watch for me, and you pray for them, and you be ready, because I will come home. And so the days passed, and weeks passed, and more weeks passed, and so finally the family gets to discuss. You know, I remember he kind of had this nuance in how he said he'd come back, so I think it's going to be this way. No, that's not what I've heard. I think this is what he meant. Well, not really, the third one says, because you know how he views things on the trip. This has to happen and that has to happen, so I think it's going to be much longer than you think. And the discussion goes on for days, and drags into disagreements, and becomes arguments, and alienation happens in the family over the details of when the master of the house is coming, rather than every afternoon at 5 o'clock, pressing their faces to the point desk window of the living room to watch for him to return. And that's what the church has done. Rather than watching and looking and waiting, we're arguing and discussing, philosophizing and theologizing, rather than it being a matter of the heart. The New Testament calls us to make it a matter of the heart. Another general truth, here's that general truth. The New Testament reveals clearly and plainly the major truths concerning his return. With no obscure symbolism. Oh yes, Revelation has symbolism in it, but it means things about future things. It meant things to the first century church when John got the Revelation. He wrote it. It meant things to the church then. What I'm saying is, there's no mysteries hidden about the facts and the certainty and the promise of his return. It's blatantly clear. No hidden special truth in the Greek language, in specific word meanings. The truth of our Lord's return is open and clear and uncomplicated, made plain in the entire New Testament for every Christian who longs for his return. You as a believer can be cleaner and rock solid in your understanding of the second coming, if you will closely read the New Testament. One more general statement. The New Testament truth of his return is not meant to satisfy our current curiosity. Neither is it meant to make our prophecy picture perfect and complete. But rather it's meant to teach us and cause us to live daily and look daily for his return. Living and waiting and watching and looking. That's what the New Testament calls us to do. Now to our text. First Thessalonians. We'll go there and then we'll go to Titus chapter 2. First Thessalonians. Chapter 1. Verses 9 and 10. Paul is speaking here to our son about the Thessalonians conversion and their coming to Christ. He said, So they declared concerning us what manner of entry we had to do and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. That is salvation. That is repentance unto life, turning from idols to serve the living God. That's conversion. But notice what it says in verse 10. And to what? To wait for his son from heaven. The Christian, after he has come to know Jesus Christ, is to live a life of waiting until. Waiting until. Looking out from the window of your heart. Looking until the day that he returns. If he returns in your life. Or whether he comes when you're alive. Or whether you die and you open your eyes and you will see him. You'll be looking upon his face. So the Christian, Paul here says, after conversion is looking. Is looking. Is waiting for God's son from heaven. Now Titus chapter 2. Says it singularly. But in different words. Titus 2 verse 11 through 14. Read it with me if you would. Follow me. For the grace of God to bring salvation has appeared to all men. Notice. Like Paul in Thessalonians. He's talking about salvation. There having come to know the Lord. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. What does it teach us Paul? Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly loves. We should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age. What's the next word? Looking. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance. Think of the picture of that. Christians ought to be looking in their hearts for that glorious appearance. That's what Paul called it. Think of it. Beloved. John says. We don't know yet what we're going to be. But we know that when he appears. We will be one. Like him. Or we will see him. As he is. The Christian is going to see the Lord Jesus Christ. As he truly is. And for the unbeliever. It's going to be terrifying. For the believer it's going to be glorious. And phenomenal. And magnificent. And perfection. That is our certain hope. And what I want to do this morning. In the next few minutes. I want you to hear. The New Testament alters. About the coming of Jesus. And then I want you to hear. The words of the Lord who's coming. About his coming. Alright. So just track with me. You might jot down some of these references. And read them this week. Because. The believer needs these truths in her mind. Hear what the New Testament alters say. About the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 1. Luke says. This same Jesus. He records the angels saying. To the disciples. This same Jesus. Which is taken up from you. Will come in the same way. As you have seen going to heaven. He went on bodily. At the ascension. And the angel told them. This same Jesus is going to come back. The same way he went up. Bodily. Visibly. That's Luke. I'm sorry. That's Acts chapter 1. Colossians 3. Paul said. When Christ. Who is alive shall appear. Then shall you also appear with him. In glory. First Corinthians 1. Waiting for. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3. Our citizenship is in heaven. From which we look for the Savior. First Thessalonians 5. For you know. Paul says. That the day of the Lord. Will come as it was. Faith in the night. First Corinthians 11. About the Lord's supper. Paul said. As often as you eat the bread. And drink the cup. You proclaim the Lord's death. Until. He. Comes. First John 3. Beloved now we're the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know what we see. We will be like him. For we'll see his gift. Everyone who has this hope. In itself. Is purifying his own life. Is repenting. Is seeking God. Is putting off sin. Because he has this hope. That he's going to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone. Who's living in darkness. Living in willful sin. Doesn't care. About pleasing God. They have no hope. Whatsoever. Of being with him in heaven. Only those. Who are preparing. Have a hope. Of heaven. No holiness. No heaven. Those who look to him. When they see him. They'll be like him. And everyone's hope. Is purifying himself. Even as he is pure. Revelation 1. John says this. Behold. Behold he is coming with the clouds. And every eye. Will see him. When the Lord Jesus Christ. Rips open the skies. And he comes. With ten thousand. Angels. Every eye. On the earth. Is going to suddenly see him. And what's that going to do. To every person. It will strike terror. And fear. In those who don't know Christ. And it will strike. Glory. And joy. And excitement. And love. In those who love his appearing. There's no other option. Beloved. Think of this. There's over. There's at least. Sixty. Passages in the New Testament alone. About. The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The question for us is. Do you know them. And believe them. Are you familiar with. What the New Testament says. About his coming. Do you care. Do you know them and believe them. Do you pray them. When you read them. Do you hope in them. Do you encourage one another. With them. Well that's just a few of the things. The New Testament authors say. Now let's hear the one who's returning. His words about his own return. Matthew 24. By the way. The greatest statements. Sections in the Gospels. That come from our Lord's words. Are in Matthew 24. Mark 13. And Luke 21. Those are the sections to read. Here's what Jesus said. But of that day and hour. No one knows. No not the angels. But my Father only. Matthew 24. He said as the lightning comes out of the east to the west. So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Like lightning. He will be here. Matthew 24. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man. In heaven. And all the nations of the earth. Will mourn. And they will see the Son of Man coming. On the clouds of heaven. With power and great glory. Mark 8. Jesus makes it very personal. Whoever is ashamed of me. In my words. In this adulterous. And sinful generation. Of Him. Will the Son of Man also be ashamed. When He comes in the glory of His Father. With the holy angels. Matthew 16. Christ said. For the Son of Man will come. In the glory of His Father. With His angels. And then will He reward each person. According to their works. Mark 14. The high priest said to Him. Are you the Christ? The Son of the Blessed? I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power. And coming with the clouds of heaven. Luke 12. Jesus said. Let your loins. Let your waist be girded. And your lamps burning. For blessed are those servants. When the Master finds. Watching when He comes. Therefore you. Also. Be. Ready. I don't want to go any further. Without you answering this question in your hearts. Are you ready? Meaning are you prepared? If Jesus Christ came. This week. This month. This year. Are you ready? Are you ready to stand before Him. If you die. Before He returns. In the skies. Over and over again. We are called. To face this. In the New Testament. And the Lord Jesus Christ said. At the end of the New Testament. In Revelation 22. He. Well the Holy Spirit writes and says. He who testifies these things. Says. Surely. I am coming quickly. And one of the greatest. Warnings. Jesus said about it is this. Therefore you. Also must be ready. For the Son of Man is coming. At an hour you do not expect. Because you're hearing my words today. If you die. Unrepentant. And you stand before Christ. My words will haunt you. If He comes. In your lifetime. And you're not ready. My words will haunt you. But for the Christian. Over and over again. The second coming is called. The hope. Of the believer. And it's wonderful how Paul emphasizes this. To the Thessalonian church. Turn. Back to Thessalonians chapter 1. And we're going to see something interesting. Now think about this. There are 8 chapters. Total. In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. In 6 of those. Paul addresses the second coming. Now I want you to look. At the end of each chapter in 1st Thessalonians. Because Paul closes each chapter. By speaking to them about. The second coming. I'll just read and you follow. 1st Thessalonians. We already read that one. So I won't need to read it again. He said. They had turned to God from idols. To serve. The living and true God. And were to wait. For His Son from Heaven. That's the first. End of chapter 2. Verse 19. For what is our hope. Or crown of joy. Or crown of rejoicing. Is it not even you. You. The saints. In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. At His coming. Think about this beloved. When He comes. The sheep will be separated from the goats. Every believer in Jesus Christ. Will be gathered before Him. As their Lord. And their King. And their Master. And there will be great. Amazing. Joy. With. Your brothers and sisters. In that moment. Because you're together before Him. At joy. In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. At His coming. Now look at the end of chapter 3. Verse 13. So that He may establish your hearts. Blameless. In holiness. Before our God and Father. At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all His saints. Paul's goal. In speaking to the Thessalonians. About the second coming. Is that their hearts. Would be established. In increasing holiness. Is yours. Being established. In increasing holiness. In increasing holiness. Chapter 4. We'll read 15 through 18. Just follow this. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord. That we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. Will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. With the voice of an archangel. And the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. To meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, argue with one another about these words. Did I read it wrong? Oh, I'm sorry. When have you ever comforted a brother or sister about the Lord's return? When have you ever done it? Not often enough. Chapter 5. Verse 23. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful. Who also will do it. Again, it's very baffling that true Christians won't get along lovingly. That they won't agree to disagree lovingly and maintain their fellowship. Instead, they will separate from one another, judge one another over the details of His coming when Paul says to encourage and comfort one another because He is coming. You see the difference? We have to have our thinking right on this. So what happens when He returns? What's going to exactly happen? I'll tell you. Based on the New Testament, it will be Christ. The skies will roll back like a scroll. The skies will rip open. And Jesus Christ, the living Lord of heaven and earth, the Master of the universe, in His glorified state, will literally and physically return again from the skies back here on the day appointed by the Father. It will be sudden, unexpected, and swift in the twinkling of an eye. Every grave will open. The sea will give up its dead. History is over. All that exists will immediately be burned up. Every eye will see Him and every soul will stand before Him. He who came in humility and shame the first time will return in spectacular magnificence. And all the nations will stand before Him. And you and I will stand there as a believer or an unbeliever. For the unbeliever, that coming means this. Immediate judgment, punishment, wrath, and being assigned to hell instantly because you disobeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You had no room for it. You rejected Him all your days, and now you stand before Him as your judge and not your Savior. For the Christian on that day, it's just the opposite. The Christian has nothing to fear about His coming unless you're living in a wrong way that will make you ashamed at His coming. For the Christian, the second coming will mean that we are suddenly caught up together with Him forever to be welcomed in joy and in perfection, and so will we ever be with the Lord. The second coming is about Christ Himself. It's not about a bunch of details, though there are details involved. Beloved, the New Testament emphasis is not on knowing the details for your eschatological system. The entire emphasis is moral, practical, and equipping that we might be ready and joyful and able to welcome Him when He comes. The words the New Testament uses for us about it is waiting, watching, looking, loving His soon coming. So how ought we then to live? This is just bottom line basic stuff that the New Testament speaks just on the surface. But this is what's most important. How does the New Testament writers and our Lord want us to live in light of this certainty? They want us to live prepared for it. They want us to live ready that we won't be ashamed when He appears. They want us to be ready and alert. Jesus used those words. Be ready. Be watchful. Be prayerful. Because believers at His appearing will either be ashamed because they're not ready, or they will be loving His appearing. 2 Timothy 4 speaks of those who love His appearing. And 1 John 2 speaks of being ashamed when He comes. Which will you have then? Which do you want to have then? Shame or confident love? Are you hoping and looking, standing ever at the front window of your heart, watching for Him to return? With heart expectation. As John prayed at the end of Revelation, even so, come, Lord Jesus. Beloved, I want to encourage you to live in light of His coming for you. I want to encourage you to look for and long for His appearing. And I want to read you a Scripture that was in the reading in Luke 21 on the screen. Listen to this. Listen to what our Lord says to us. Watch therefore. Be watchful. Christ calls us to be watchful. Not asleep. Watchful. Alert. Discerning. Be watch therefore and pray always. Watchful, prayerful about the Second Coming. And here's how serious it is. It will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. That is serious responsibility. If nothing else, in the days ahead, read Mark 13 and Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and just see what Jesus tells you to do and take it to heart. In closing, Peter says this to us. Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. And rest your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. At the revelation, the coming of Jesus Christ, infinite grace is going to be brought to His people. And we're to rest our hope fully on that grace that will be revealed when He comes for us. Peter also says, when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, then you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. You're going to have a crown of glory given to you by Christ when He comes. Do you know what that means? No, but it's going to be wonderful. It's going to be glorious. It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be magnificent. Are you ready for His coming? Yes or no? Are you ready for His coming? Sometimes we sing it. When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in Him be found dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. The glorious coming and appearing of the Son of God. Make this a treasure to your heart more and more. Make it your end-time goal to be ready when He comes. Make it a fresh study of your New Testament because no matter what your intellect is, no matter what your knowledge is, you can be grounded and solid and joyful in the basics of the truth about our Lord's return. Amen. Let's pray. Father, my words always fall short, but we thank You that we've heard this morning really from Paul and Peter and John and most of all from our blessed Lord Jesus Christ about this event. You have spoken, Lord, in Your Word. Bring us up to speed. Get us more clear. Make us more firm, more solid, more joyful. And cause us to live in such a way, Lord, increasingly, that we would not be ashamed at Your coming, but we will be ready for that day. Now may the very God of peace sanctify You wholly. And I pray, God, Your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls You who also will do it. Amen. Well, God bless you and we're dismissed.