THE BLESSED HOPE AND OUR RESPONSE TO IT
Titus 2:11-15
The Christian’s "blessed hope" that is referred to in Titus 2:13 is the imminent, personal pre-millennial return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The early church thought more about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than about death or about heaven. They lived in light of that “hope.”
Now the word “hope” in the New Testament does not
imply uncertainty but it means “a joyful and confident expectation.” This hope is joyful and confident because it is based upon the promise of our Lord Himself, John 14:3.
All the signs of the times point to the fact that the coming of the Lord is imminent. The only solution to the problems and perplexities of our collapsing civilization is the coming again of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No man, politician, government, or scientist can solve the present situation, but God has a solution. His Man, “the man Christ Jesus,” will step down from the throne of Glory before long and will set up His reign and rule of righteousness, and all the signs of the times, religious, political, industrial, commercial...point to the fact that His coming is very near. Now before Jesus comes to earth He will first come for His church at the rapture.
The Second Coming of Christ completely dominates Biblical Revelation. There are many more prophecies in the Old Testament relating to the Second Coming of Christ than there are relating to His first coming. When we come to the New Testament, we find, as one great Bible teacher has stated, that the Second Coming is mentioned 318 times, or approximately once in every twenty-five verses!
The Second Coming of Christ is bound up with every other doctrine of the Bible. It is so bound up that it cannot be neglected without disaster to the whole body of truth
The blessed hope - the second coming of Christ is a thrilling subject, yet sadly enough there are many Christians who, through ignorance of the scriptures or prejudice or some other reason, are not expecting and looking for the return of the Lord.
Let us consider this blessed hope - the return of Christ for the saints and what our response is to be to it.
I. There is a WATCH in which every Christian is to prevail
Jesus told us to watch. Though we are not told when Jesus will come, we are told that His coming is sure, and we are charge to watch for it.
"Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13:33-37). A careful reading of these verses makes it apparent that the design of the Master was to impress upon His disciples two things. First, that while it was certain He would return, yet it was uncertain when He would appear. Second, that in view of the uncertainty of the exact hour of His Second Coming the Christian must maintain an attitude of constant watchfulness, looking for Him to return at any moment.
I Peter 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
1Thessalonains 5:1-6 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; tendency let us watch and be sober.”
A. Watch because of the despondency which is
spreading
So many today are living lives of defeat,
despondency, discouragement, and depression, and it is getting worse every day.
Why?
Probably the most common cause of despondency is self-centeredness. One of our most common tendencies is believing that the world revolves around us. This attitude is responsible for innumerable problems.
We look to self for the answers and we come up empty. One of the major characteristics of the "last days"
is self-centeredness. The Apostle Paul wrote, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:1-2). Self-centeredness leads to despondency.
Regardless of the degree of self-justification, the consequences of self-centeredness has led to a world that is full of despair and despondency, hopelessness, and dejection. This is seen in both those who feel deprived of what they feel they deserve, and for others who have been harmed by the self-centeredness of others.
B. Watch because of the expectancy which is
sustaining
If an individual can see a light at the end of
the tunnel, they are often sustained. If one can see a better
day a coming, they are often sustained.
Well, JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! A better day is
coming for the child of God.
Knowing our Lord could come at any moment
should strengthen our life. The main motivation for our
keeping on is that the Lord is coming again. Our life will be STRENGTHEN when we are expecting Him to come.
Turn to James 5. James is writing to a group of persecuted believers. They had been maligned, mistreated, and mauled by the greedy, money-hungry businessmen of their day. Thus, James exhorts them to look up, because "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
We read in verse 8, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
The word "stablish" means, "to fix, or plant." We would say "to prop up." One writer described the word as "putting iron in your heart." Knowing the Lord is coming should sustain and strengthened you. The main motivation for us to ‘keep on, keeping on’ is the fact that we are not going to have to do it forever. Our Lord is returning.
What were they to "stablish" and prop their hearts up with? It was with the truth that the Lord could come at any moment. That truth was to be the great tranquilizer and anti-depressant for their hearts.
Yet, so it is with those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Remembering that Jesus is coming again doesn’t alleviate the trials, troubles, and tribulations of this life. However, it does cause us to appreciate them, because we know that one day soon, our Lord is coming to take us out of this old, hurtful, painful and sinful world. Hallelujah!
In 1997, Jell-O celebrated in 100th anniversary. In 1897, Pearl Wait wore several hats. He was a construction worker who also dabbed in patent medicines and went door-to-door selling his remedies. In the midst of his efforts, he came upon the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with granulated gelatin. His wife named it ‘Jell-O’.
Unfortunately, sales were not as strong as Mr. Wait had hoped they would be, so in 1899 Pearl Wait sold his Jell-O rights to Orator Woodward for $450. Woodward knew the value of marketing, so within eight brief years, Wait’s neighbor turned a $450 investment into a $1 million business. Today, not a single relative of Pearl Wait receives one penny from the 1.1 million boxes of Jell-O sold every day. Reason being, Mr. Wait just couldn’t wait. He threw in the towel a bit too early.
Friend, you and I have much more invested than a box of Jell-O. We not only have this life that at times we must endure; thank God, we have another life, that I promise we will enjoy, forever and forever.
You may feel as if it is no use, and there is no hope. I submit unto you, ‘don’t throw in the towel just yet,’ there’s a better day a coming!
One of my favorite historical autobiographies is that of the life of Sir Ernest Shackleton. I remember the time when he was driven back from his quest of the South Pole and forced to leave his men on Elephant Island. It broke his heart to leave his men behind, but he left them behind with the promise that he would come back for them.
On several occasions Shackleton tried to rescue his men, but due to the large amount of ice, and glaciers between them, he was unable to do so. However, one day, he tried again. The weather was so bad that he was told it was impossible. Yet, he was determined to rescue his men.
As they neared Elephant Island, suddenly an amazing thing happened; there was a break in the ice. Taking a chance, and risking his very own life, Sir Ernest Shackleton reached the island, and rescued his men in just 30 minutes.
What made the rescue so quick was that when Shackleton finally reached them, they were all packed up and ready to leave. In fact, when they had finally reached a safe harbor, Shackleton asked one of his men, "What caused you to be ready so quickly?" The man said, "Well, sir, Officer Wild, the second in command, never gave up on you. Every time he saw a break in the ice, he would say to us, ’Roll up your sleeping bags boys, the boss may come today!’"
I remind you that Jesus may come today. As the songwriter said:Coming again, coming again
Maybe morning, maybe noon
Maybe evening, and maybe soon.
Coming again, coming again;
Oh, what a wonderful day it will be,
Jesus is coming again!
II. There is a WORK in which every Christian is to participate - Luke 19:11-26
Before the nobleman went away, he assigned certain responsibilities to his servants. These servants are a picture of all those who are saved. The time between the departure and the return of the nobleman is a picture of the age in which we live.
Jesus has gone away, and one day He will return, but during the time that Jesus is away, we that are saved have been given certain responsibilities.
A. Personal service
"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."
To each of his ten servants the nobleman gives a pound. A pound was equal to about one-third of an average’s worker’s yearly salary. Following this giving of a pound to each worker was the command "Occupy till I come." The word “occupy” meant to do business with what I have entrusted to you.
The word "occupy" does not just mean to fill a place; instead it means "to carry on business." Occupation is an active duty.
During our Lord’s absence every Christian is to be busy with the Gospel that which is represented by the pounds. The Gospel is our trust with which we are to occupy with. Everything else we do is secondary to the great task of doing business with the gospel.
Though our gifts and abilities may differ, our job is the same: share the Gospel so that it multiplies and fills the world. The sad thing is many believers are not using what they have been given by the Lord.
I heard about a young fellow who was trying to express his love for his girlfriend. "Sweetheart, I wish I was an Octopus. I would then have eight arms to hug you."
His girlfriend quickly replied, "You know you ain’t telling the truth, for you are not using the two arms you already have."
What are you personally doing with the gospel that has been entrusted to you?
B. Perpetual service - "till I come"
We work till Jesus comes
We work till Jesus comes
We work till Jesus comes
And then be gathered home.
We are to stay at it until Jesus comes back. There are no layoffs, firings, or leaves. We are to personally stay at until Jesus comes.
III. There is a WALK in which the every Christian is to pursue
I John 3:1-3.
John tells us that this "hope" or expectation has a present impact on our lives. The blessed hope powerfully affects Christian character and conduct.
If we really believe that the Lord Jesus is coming again we shall be different in what we are and what we do. There is no greater incentive to holy living than to be convinced that at any moment the Lord Jesus may return.
We all have time of anticipation. We anticipated the birth of our children and grandchildren. That was a time of joyful anticipation. We have anticipated the trips to the dentist. That is usually a dreadful anticipation. We have times when we went to eat something that is special. That is exciting anticipation.
Living with the expectation of His imminent return motivates a life of consecration and dedication. It inspires a life of service. D.L. Moody said, “The devil does not want us to see this truth concerning the return of the Lord, for nothing would wake up the Church so much. The moment a person takes hold of the truth that Jesus Christ is coming back again to receive His friends to Himself, this world loses its hold upon him.”
Any day Jesus may return for the saints of God in the rapture. This is glorious anticipation.
After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother. "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
"Yes."
"Today?"
"Yes."
"In a few minutes?"
"Yes, dear."
"Mommy, would you comb my hair?"
How much more carefully we would live, and how
faithfully we would labor, if we lived and labored in the light of His coming! When we realize that we are the "sons of God" and that one day Jesus will come again, it results in the sanctification of our lives.
A. Our Pursuit of Sanctification He speaks of this purification as one "purifieth himself."
The more we understand the manner of God’s love that makes us "sons of God" and the more we realize that Jesus could come at any moment, the more we will seek to be pure and clean before God.
If you believe Jesus is coming, that is motive enough to make you purify your life. Motive is a strong influence in our lives. We’re motivated all the time. People on television motivate us. We’re motivated by the presence of authority figures. We know that the first law of safe driving is to watch for the police car. Children are motivated by the teacher in the classroom or the arrival of their parents on the scene of some forbidden activity. THE EXPECTATION OF A HOUSE GUEST IS ALWAYS PRECEDED BY CAREFUL PREPARATION. Expectation motivates.
I have watched football teams. At the end of practice they are often required to do push-ups. Whenever the coach’s back was turned no one did any, but as soon as he looked, they were all huffing and puffing! The presence of an authority figure changes the way we behave. But Jesus isn’t just an authority figure to us; He’s our loving Savior who is coming to reward us and to make us like Himself. That should produce in us the kind of love and gratitude that causes us to respond in obedience and conformity to His pure standard.
B. Our Pattern of Sanctification John says we will seek to be pure, "even as He is pure." The Lord Jesus was absolutely sinless. He was the spotless Lamb of God. He is our "example" (1 Peter 2:21). He is our model and pattern for a pure life. We are to learn of Him and live like Him.
A missionary was telling the story of Jesus - how kind He was, how gently, how good, when a little heathen child said, "that man used to live here." Of course she was mistaken; but, you see, some while before a man lived in her village, so kind, so gently, so good, that the child, when she heard about Jesus, thought at once that must have been He. What a testimony. What a portrait of Him.
George Whitefield once prayer , "Lord, If I am going to be like you someday, help me to be as much like you today." That is a good prayer for all us.
Conclusion
Beware of the danger of becoming more occupied with the event than with the Person who is coming. Beware of being taken up with the Second Coming of Christ instead of the Christ of the Second Coming. Scattered throughout the Word of God there are scores of thrilling details concerning the time, manner and place of His return, but the most thrilling aspect of this whole subject is that HE is coming, our Lord Jesus Himself!
The Lord Himself is coming, and therefore we as His followers should not only be familiar with this fact, but we should also be on the lookout for Him.
