I claim no absolute originality to the sermons I preach. I believe in study and preparation and I pull information and inspiration from pastors, preachers, teachers, friends and family.
I only desire for God to be glorified. What's the old saying? ... 'Milk all the cows you can, then churn your own butter!' I do not always give credit where it is due, nor do I always know where the stories and illustrations originated. These sermons are directly from my sermon notebook and are written in a way that helps me deliver my message not necessarily written as a publication . Therefore often I use shortened versions and keywords that only I understand...sorry.
Please use any of the material here for the Glory Of God!
Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The Japanese began to attack the South Pacific in the early 1940s. In their attack they touched the Philippine Islands. The Filipinos were our friends and our allies. When they touched the Philippines, they touched America.
It was the bombing at Pearl Harbor that got us into World War 2. They appointed a man by the name of Gen. Douglas Macarthur to go to the South Pacific and there to try to save the islands and secure independence.
On April 6, 1942, the island of Bataan, fell to the Japanese. They said everything possible was done to save the island. They just didn’t have the manpower or the material to hold Bataan. Macarthur had to leave Bataan. That island became known as the crimson rock. There literally thousands of gallons of blood was shed by Americans trying to hold on to the Philippines. Day after day and night after night, the Japanese kept coming. They bombed our water supply. They bombed our camps. They said they were actually walking over the dead bodies of their own comrades. And on and on they came. Finally the day came when Washington sent down orders to Macarthur and said it’s senseless to try to hold on to the islands. To many American lives have already been given. We’re going to have to pull off the Philippines and go to Australia. There we’ll regroup our forces and come back and win American style. (That’s when we fought battles to win battles. When we had men that knew there was something worth fighting for. They said it was a terrible day when Gen. Macarthur and the American forces pulled out. The Filipinos were filled with anxiety. They were filled with fear. They were small in stature, but they were fighters. Now they looked on as Gen. Macarthur was leaving. They day of their departure had finally come. Standing on the deck of a DC-3 Airplane, Gen. Macarthur adjusted his hat and saluted the American flag. He then turned to those Filipinos and said, "I must evacuate the American forces. But I make you this promise, I Shall Return."
Later the Japanese came in. The concentration camps were set up. The prisoners were taken. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into 2 long years.
No doubt at times they would scan the skies wondering "Will he really come back?" They waited and they waited. Then one day, far out in the distance, they heard a roar of airplane engines. As they looked they saw the horizon become black with airplanes. As they came closer, they saw the red, white, and blue markings on the planes.
Suddenly the skies were filled with parachutes. The invasion of the Philippines had begun. They said when they returned that the Filipinos were running through the streets shouting, "Macarthur has returned, Macarthur has returned!"
Gen. Macarthur stood on a platform with thousands of people gathered around. Again he saluted The American flag and turned to the thousands of cheering people and tried to speak. And they cheered and they cheered. After many attempts to speak, he adjusted his hat, saluted the flag again and as he spoke he said, "I am your commander and chief, Douglas Macarthur and I Have Returned."
My mind races back almost 2000 years ago when our commander and chief looked over a little group of disciples and said, I must go away, but I make you this promise, I shall return.
To you weary soldiers that are here. Hang on, fight on, march on, wait on, pray on, preach on. ....He’s coming! He’s coming!
Our commander and chief is coming again. Just like he said he would. He’s coming.
They had followed him out that day and before their eyes he had ascended.
It must have been something when Jesus came back to heaven.
He paid the price for victory.
Notice if you would three things about His coming.
I. Certainty of His coming.
A. The Certainty of His Coming ...is Confirmed. 318 times in the N. T.
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.
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly...
Hebrews 9:28 ...unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time...
B. The Certainty of His Coming.... is Comforting.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
C. The Certainty of His Coming ...is Cleansing.
It’ll make you want to live right.
Luke 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also:for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
II. Characteristics of His Coming
v11 ... this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
This tells us that when Christ comes, The Rapture of the church that he will come back, like He went away!
A. Jesus Will Come Back Personally. "This same Jesus"
v11 ...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
1 Thessalonians 4:16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
B. Jesus Will Come Back Visibly. "They watched Him as He ascended."
C. Jesus Will Come Back Swiftly.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
* But Jesus is coming in a twinkle of an eye."
3/10 tenths of a second
III. Consequences of His Coming
If you’re lost, you’ll be left.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 ...them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
The world will be plunged into the Tribulation period. But the saints will be gone.
Glorious consequences await the saints of God.
Let’s go back to the war for just a moment and I’ll be through.
Macarthur had gone to Australia and retreated. The Japanese had taken prisoners of war. Some of our men had stayed behind to try to help in whatever way they could. One of the men that was taken prisoner was Gen. Jonathan Wainwright. ... a man of great character and great integrity. They subjected him to torture. They placed him on death rations, which is just enough food to barely keep you alive. They told him day after day that the American’s were about to lose the war. That the Americans were about ready to surrender. It’s about over, they told him. If you will give us Macarthur's secrets, who his contacts are, who leads the opposition here, we’ll make you a great leader in the Kingdom of the Rising Sun. Wainwright said, "I’ll tell you nothing."
There hung his General’s uniform in the tent where they were keeping him. The brass had tarnished, his boots were wrinkled and run over. He was sickly and frail and had not had a hair cut in 9 months. His skin looked as though it had been stretched over a skeleton.
...In another part of the Philippines, Gen. Macarthur had invaded. Three intelligence agents were called to go on a special mission. No prisoners were to be taken and no one was to be killed. Their mission was to find Gen. Wainwright and carry him this message. "Hold on a few more days. Japan is toppling. They are about to surrender. The war is about over."
It was a stormy night, but these men found Gen. Wainwright and delivered this message. "Hang on Wainwright. Hang on." They saluted the General and disappeared into the night. But something began to stir in the heart of that old soldier. There in the middle of the night Gen. Wainwright got up, took down his uniform. Polished his boots. He took a rude form of a knife and cut his hair and his nails. Then he put that uniform on.
The next morning, when the Japanese came in to give him his death rations, he stood tall and erect and said get that mess out of here and bring me some food. One of the soldiers looked at the other and said "He knows."
I believe the Lord is sending the Holy Spirit with this message to tonight weary soldiers. ....Hang on. Hang on. He’s coming. Don’t give up. The war is almost over.
Just a few days after that the Emperor of Japan stood on the battleship and was about to surrender to Gen. Macarthur, but Macarthur would not accept it until Gen. Wainwright stood by his side. Wainwright was sent for and there stood by Macarthur as the Emperor laid down his sword.
Soon the enemy is going to lay down the sword. Jesus is coming again, just like He said.
Audio link to the sermon can be found at ...http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=4114108115
