ANTICIPATING HIS RETURN
Text: John 14:3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also."
Intro: (Per Sandra Jean Pathik) Biblical prophecy provides some
of the greatest encouragement and hope available
to us today.
Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies
concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments
are filled with references to the second coming of Christ.
One scholar has estimated:
1,845 references in 17 O. T. books to Christ’s second coming.
N. T., 318 references to the second advent of Christ
—an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses.
23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.
For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ’s first advent,
there are 8 which look forward to His second!
Consider: I. What We Already Have
II. His Promise To Return
III. Reasons For His Return
IV. How He Will Come Back
V. Then What?
Theme: The anticipation of Christ’s return is a vital
encouragement to live holy and seek to do God’s will.
I. What We Already Have
A. rich provisions from God
1. promises
2. unbelievable blessings
3. advantages in this life (outweigh present troubles)
1. Needs being supplied.
2. being given divine direction
3. sins covered/guilt taken away
4. assurance/declaration of forgiveness
5. peace with God
6. live in harmony with others
7. We can freely approach the Father to ask for
healing of our sicknesses.
B. We already have the ultimate revealing of God
when Jesus returns to earth.
1. 1 Cor. 15:19
2. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
II. His Promise To Return
A. J. C. often told disciples He would return.
B. Some say circa 300 vss in N. T. concerning the 2nd Advent.
1. Jesus taught most of that number.
2. It is a doctrine common to all N. T. writers
a. Paul
b. Peter
c. John
d. Jude
e. angels -- Acts 1:9-11
III. Reasons For His Return
A. to reward His people
1. Rev. 22:12, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward
is with me, to give every man according as
his work shall be."
2. Rev. 22:13, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last."
B. Jesus’ return will prove, once and for all, the Heavenly
Father is truthful.
1. Some doubt. Some deny.
2. Jesus WILL return
3. So then every one of us will give account to God .
C. Good ultimately overcomes evil
D. There is a created MORAL ORDER in the universe.
IV. How He Will Come Back?
A. Harmonizing (bringing together in an understandable manner)
a couple of Scripture verses:
1. 1 Thess. 5:2, "For yourselves know perfectly that the
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
2. Matthew 24:27 (KJV) For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be.
3. Two phases of the Second Coming
a. coming for His Saints, i.e., thief in the night--
1) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (GW)
13 Brothers and sisters, we don’t want
you to be ignorant about those who
have died. We don’t want you to grieve
like other people who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and came
back to life. We also believe that, through Jesus,
God will bring back those who
have died. They will come back with Jesus.
15 We are telling you what the Lord
taught. We who are still alive when the Lord
comes will not go {into his kingdom}
ahead of those who have already died.
16 The Lord will come from heaven with a
command, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trumpet {call} of God. First,
the dead who believed in Christ will come back to life.
17 Then, together with them,
we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. In this
way we will always be with the Lord.
18 So then, comfort each other with these words!
2) World is suprised (thief...).
3) J.C. appears in the air, draws the living
and dead saints to himself,
takes us to heaven with Him,
marriage supper celebration
4. Christ returns all the way to earth
a. with an army (His saints) by His side
b. to defeat the Evil One
c. This return is like the lightning, for all the world to see it.
V. Then What?
A. The curse on this earth will be removed.
1. curse of sin
2. Curse settled over earth when man rebelled against
the God’s Lordship.
B. Earth will be as God intended it to be.
Conc: He will place us eternally where He is that we may be with Him.
Can we not now, once for all, dismiss every fear in prospect of
the endless bliss reserved for us? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A troubled heart is most dishonourable to God. It makes the Christian
suspect eternal faithfulness and to doubt unchangeable love. Is this a little
thing? The mischief of the Christian Church at large is a want of holy
confidence in God. When once an army is demoralized by a want of spirit
and the soldier assured that he cannot win the day, then the conclusion is
that every man had better take care of himself and fly. But as long as we do
not lose heart we have not lost the day (C. H. Spurgeon.)
CONCLUSION:
Satan hates this doctrine of Christ’s coming
because it is a purifying doctrine.
The fact of Jesus Christ return leads us to live a life of
watchfulness,
activity,
simplicity,
self-restraint,
prayer and abiding in Christ.
loyalty,
wisdom,
2 Peter 3:9-14 (KJV), "9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming
of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye
look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless."
