THE LAST DAYS: GETTING READY FOR THE SECOND COMING
OPENING TEXT:
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7).
• One of the basic fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith is the second coming.
• Emphasis repeatedly: JESUS IS COMING SOON!
• When it comes to teaching on the last days, people get distracted by worrying about the antichrist and all of the signs of the times.
THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS:
“4 As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. 5 John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." 6 When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" 7 He told them, "You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. 8 What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will receive power to be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:4-8, The Message).
• JESUS IS COMING SOON!
• Don’t worry about the timing, rather focus on what God wants us to do to get ready!
• Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32).
• Are we living in the last days? Yes. The Bible definition of the last days is the time period from the first coming to the second coming of Jesus.
“9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11).
• Too many Christians waste time gazing into Heaven, waiting for the second coming.
• JESUS IS COMING SOON! It’s our job to get as many other people ready as possible.
• Jesus has called us to go into all the world and be His witnesses!
THE BIG IDEA: We are living in the last days. How do we get ready for the second coming of Jesus? By looking for opportunities to provide people with hope and healing.
THE LAST DAYS – KEY TEXTS:
• Let’s take a look at two of the teachings in the N.T. that talk about the last days:
“But know this, that IN THE LAST DAYS perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
• In this Scripture Paul describes the last days as being PERILOUS TIMES:
• Perilous: harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with
• Is this the world we’re living in today? YES! Look at the description of the people, too.
• Now let’s take a look at a description of what God wants us to do in these last days:
“’And it shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams… I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.” (Acts 2:17-21).
1. The last days are here pictured again as perilous days – the world’s in upheaval
2. JESUS IS COMING SOON! How then should we live?
God says: Be filled with the Spirit! He is the COMFORTER.
Be a prophetic people – revealing the Father’s heart to our generation
Have dreams (hope and future) and visions (provide sight and direction)
Be Jesus to the world! “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27).
Signs and wonders – lives transformed – hope, healing and restoration!
God’s last days’ agenda: people saved (delivered, healed, made whole).
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light… Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” (Eph. 5:8,14).
• We are living in the last days – JESUS IS COMING SOON!
• Therefore, God wants us filled with His hope, shining as bright lights in this dark world.
• The enemy has gotten us distracted in focusing on the timing of Jesus’ second return:
• People fight about pre, post, a, pan –millennial viewpoints. Stop! Don’t worry about the antichrist or the mark of the beast, just ARISE AND SHINE!
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2).
• God wants the church to arise and shine and provide hope to our dark, lost world.
• This summer, we’re going to study through the book of Acts together and contend for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our midst, to become a powerful, glorious church!
EXAMPLE OF A BRIGHT SHINING LIGHT: HORATIO SPAFFORD:
Horatio Spafford, a 43-year-old Chicago businessman, suffered financial disaster in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He and his wife were still grieving over the death of their only son shortly before the fire. Spafford realized they needed to get away for a vacation. Knowing that their friend and well-known evangelist Dwight L. Moody was going to be in England that fall for a campaign, he decided to take the entire family to England. His wife Anna and his four daughters sailed ahead. Urgent business delayed him so he planned to follow shortly.
The ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel and sank in 12 minutes in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. His wife miraculously survived the accident, but their four daughters drowned in the tragedy. On reaching the European mainland, she cabled her husband with the sad message, "Saved alone." (www.christianity.ca).
Spafford then sailed to England, travelling over the location of his daughters’ deaths. On this journey, he wrote the word to the hymn: "It Is Well With My Soul."
IT IS WELL:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
QUOTE: “It’s the fact that He’s chosen to live in us… It’s the fact that we live with the constant tension of facing difficulty, while connected to the one who knows no impossibility. It’s the privilege of doing life at an hour like this, when there’s a crisis… going on all over the world. There’s a statement that Kris Vallotton makes frequently that I like so much, that “The person who gives the most hope is the one who has the most influence.” (Bill Johnson, iBethel podcast).
SPECIAL SONG: I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin (lyrics © 2009)
CLOSING PRAYER:
• For people who need hope and healing – Jesus is coming soon, yes, but He wants to be your Hope and your Healer today!
• For people to be filled with the Holy Spirit – to have power to be His witnesses!
BENEDICTION:
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
