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.”
“Could he come this week?”
“Yes.”
“Today?”
“Yes.”
“Could he come in the next hour?”
“Yes.”
“In a few minutes?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Mommy, would you comb my hair?” (Don Hussong, East Wenatchee, Washington. Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 3; www. PreachingToday.com)
That little girl wanted to be ready for Christ’s return for His church, and there is no question that could happen any day now. The stage is set for the 7-year Tribulation, which occurs just after Jesus comes for His followers.
In fact, a little more than a week ago (August 12, 2020), another piece of the prophetic puzzle was put into place. The Bible describes a period of relative peace in the Middle East (Ezekiel 38:8-10) before the Antichrist unleashes his fury on Israel during the Tribulation. A week and a half ago, President Trump was able to do what no one thought possible. He brokered a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which promises to bring other Arab nations on board. It sets the stage for Ezekiel’s prophecy about “the latter years” in Ezekiel 38.
Jesus is coming for His people very soon! So what do you need to do to be ready for His return? Just comb your hair, sit around, and wait? Or is there something better to do in these last days before Christ’s return.
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians, a book which tells us how to live in light of Christ’s soon return. We’re going to invest the next couple of months in this book, so let’s begin in chapter 1, 1 Thessalonians 1.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you... (ESV)
If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, God has chosen you! You didn’t get into God’s family by accident. You got in because God wanted you and selected you to be a part of His family. The Bible is very clear on this matter: God chooses to save some (Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:4-6), but those who are chosen must choose Him, as well, in order to be saved (John 3:16).
God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility are two parallel truths that run through the Scripture; and like parallel lines, we can’t put those two together until we reach eternity. So I don’t want to get hung up on the doctrine of election this morning.
I just want to rejoice in the fact that, however it all works together, you who believe in Jesus are “a chosen race [1 Peter 2 says], a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). So, in these dark days before Jesus comes...
SHOW YOUR ELECTION.
Demonstrate to the world that you belong to God, because he has chosen you. Display His light in a dark world as one selected to “proclaim His excellencies.”
Watching a trapeze show is breathtaking. I am amazed at a trapeze artist’s dexterity and timing, their somersaults and near-misses, letting themselves be caught just in time. Now, sometimes they do miss, but there is a net underneath. So, when they fall, they jump up and bounce back to the trapeze.
That’s the way it is with those whom God has truly chosen. In Christ, we live on the trapeze (as it were). People around us should be able to watch and say, “Look how they live, how they love one another. Look how well the husbands treat their wives. And aren't they the best workers in the factories and offices, the best neighbors, the best students?” That’s what it means to live on the trapeze – we’re a show to the world.
But what happens when we slip? The net is surely there. “The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, cleanses us form all sin” (1 John 1:7). God’s grace provides a net; but if one is continually sleeping on the net, I doubt whether that person is a trapezist. (Juan Carlos Ortiz, “As I Have Loved You,” Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 4; www. PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, if I don’t see a change in your life, I doubt whether you are a genuine believer. 1 Peter 1:3 talks about the “work of faith.” In other words, faith works! It doesn’t just lay around and do nothing. When you believe, you behave differently. 1 Peter 1:3 also talks about the “labor of love.” In other words, love labors! When you love, you labor for those you love. And finally, 1 Peter 1:3 talks about the “steadfastness of hope.” In other words, hope never gives up. Those who hope, remain firm in their commitment to the Lord. Oh, they may slip and fall every once in a while, but God’s grace empowers them to get up and to keep on growing.
That’s how you show your election. That’s how you demonstrate that you really belong to the Lord – not by being perfect, but by growing in your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope.
Jim Petersen tells the story of Mario, [a friend from South America] with whom he had studied the Bible for four years before Mario became a Christian. The Bible studies reflected the fact that Mario was a Marxist intellectual who'd read all the leading Western philosophers. A couple of years after his conversion, Jim and Mario were reminiscing: “Do you remember what it really was that made me decide to become a Christian?” Mario asked.
Petersen thought of all their Bible studies and philosophical discussions. Mario's reply took him by surprise. “Remember that first time I stopped by your house? We were on our way someplace together, and I had a bowl of soup with you and your family. As I sat there observing you, your wife, and your children, and how you related to each other, I asked myself, ‘When will I have a relationship like this with my fiancé?’ When I realized that the answer was 'never,’ I concluded I had to become a Christian for the sake of my own survival.”
Petersen did remember the occasion. He remembered his children behaving badly and his frustration at having to correct them in front of Mario. Yet Mario saw the grace of Christ binding that family together. Years later, Petersen would comment on this incident:
We tend to see the weaknesses and incongruities in our lives, and our reaction is to recoil at the thought of letting outsiders get close enough to see us as we really are. Even if our assessment is accurate, it is my observation that any Christian who is sincerely seeking to walk with God, in spite of all his flaws, is reflecting something of Christ. (Tim Chester, A Meal with Jesus, Crossway, 2011, pp. 95-96; www.PreachingToday.com)
Don’t be afraid to let people see who you really are; because if you are a genuine follower of Christ, people will see Him in spite of all your flaws. It’s the only way to live in these dark days before Jesus comes. 1st, show your election. 2nd...
SET AN EXAMPLE for others to follow.
Create a pattern for people to copy. Establish in your own life a model for people to imitate.
1 Thessalonians 2:5-7 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (ESV)
The Thessalonian believers became an example to the entire Grecian peninsula! They impacted their world for Christ, and you can too! Just do what they did. 1st, receive the Word of God. Then, reflect that Word to others.
1st, receive the Word of God. Welcome it with joy!
John Drakeford wrote: I never see my preacher’s eyes, No matter how bright they shine. When he prays he shuts them tight, When he preaches he closes mine.
That happens in a lot of churches. People are bored with sermons. Do you know, if you took all the people who ever fell asleep during a sermon and laid them end to end, they’d be a lot more comfortable.
Hey, I’ve slept through my share of sermons too! But you would not have found that in the Thessalonian church. Paul preached the Word of God with power (vs.5). The people received it with praise. They welcomed it with the joy of the Holy Spirit (vs.6) despite the pressures they were under. As a result, they impacted their nation for Christ! For when a Spirit-filled pastor preaches to a Spirit-filled congregation, the Word goes forth with great power.
One afternoon while walking through the Norfolk General Hospital, Dr. Hugh Litchfield heard his name being called from across the lobby. As a man approached, he asked; “Hi, Dr. Litchfield, remember me?”
About 10 years earlier the young man had visited the church where Dr. Litchfield was serving. He was facing possible jail time over tax violations. This had led to alcohol dependency, which in turn had jeopardized his marriage and his relationship with is children. His life was in a desperate shape.
The man said to Dr. Litchfield, “I want to thank you.”
“For what?” Dr. Litchfield responded, to which the man said:
“One Sunday you preached a sermon about taking responsibility for our lives, not to blame what we become on somebody else. God used that sermon to speak to me. That afternoon I got down on my knees and prayed to God and promised to take responsibility for my life. With God's help, I did. Since that time, life has been great. I got out of trouble with the IRS, I became the master over the bottle, my marriage is better than ever. I want to thank you.”
Dr. Litchfield was overwhelmed by what the man told him... So when he got back to his office, he dug down into his sermon files to get out that sermon that had meant so much to the man. Early in his ministry, on Monday mornings, he would jot down a phrase or two at the top of his sermon manuscripts as to how he felt the sermon had gone on Sunday. For that sermon, Dr. Litchfield had written, “Dead in the water! No one listened! A waste of time!” (Hugh Litchfield, Visualizing the Sermon: Preaching Without Notes, CSS Publishing, 1996; www.PreachingToday.com)
Sometimes, I have felt like that about some of my own sermons, Then, I find out later that God used one of those sermons in someone’s life to make a real difference. You see, effective preaching is not about the polish or style. It’s about the power of the Holy Spirit at work in people’s lives, both in the preacher and the people who hear it.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote: “It takes two to speak the truth, one to speak and another to listen.”
I came prepared to speak the truth. Did you come prepared to listen? If you did, then even the poorest sermon can become a powerful message to your own heart. If you want to set an example that impacts a nation, then receive the Word with joy. But do more than that.
Go on to reflect the Word of God in your own life. Imitate the preacher, who imitates the Lord, so others can imitate you!
In verse 6, Paul says, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord... [Verse 7], so that you became an example...”
Literally, they became mimics! They reflected in their own lives what they saw in a godly preacher, and so became an example to an entire nation.
It doesn’t take much to make a difference in your world. Just receive and reflect the Word of God by the way you live.
Lee Strobel talks about flying into Midway Airport in Chicago during a blizzard. An engineer from India was sitting next to him; and as they talked, the engineer told Lee that he was planning to take a bus all the way to O'Hare Airport and then have his pregnant wife drive from a distant suburb with his two young children to pick him up.
Lee told him, “Look, I have a car at Midway. How about if I give you a lift home?”
The engineer gratefully accepted Lee’s offer; and during the ride, he asked Lee why he had been willing to go out of his way for him. Lee tried to explain: “Has anybody ever done something so kind for you that it makes you want to pass a kindness along to someone else?”
The engineer nodded slightly.
“Well,” Lee said, “Jesus Christ has done something incredibly kind for me.”
As they talked, the engineer began to understand that God's outpouring of grace had motivated Lee to help him. When they arrived at his house, the engineer thanked Lee and said, “I'm going to have to do some thinking about all of this.”
Lee Strobel says, “There is no doubt in my mind: My words about Jesus registered with him because he experienced the love of Jesus through my practical deed of giving him a ride through the storm.” (Lee Stroebel, Men of Integrity, “Why Do You Care?” May/June 2010; www.PreachingToday.com)
Actions speak louder than words. So especially in these dark days before Jesus’ return, show your election; set an example; and finally...
SHARE YOUR EXCITEMENT about the Lord.
Broadcast your enthusiasm about your faith in Christ. Communicate your passion about knowing Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. (ESV)
When they received the Word of God, they couldn’t keep it to themselves. Instead, they sounded it forth like a trumpet; they proclaimed it everywhere they went.
One commentator said the Thessalonian believers were like “amplifiers... that not only received the gospel message but sent it farther on its way with increased power and scope. Paul’s preaching in Thessalonica had the effect of speaking into a public address microphone; his words were received and repeated by many different “speakers” in many remote places where his unaided voice could not have reached” (Dr. Tom constable, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol.2, p.692).
They were so excited, they had to tell somebody. You do the same. Share your excitement about the Lord in your words.
Several years ago (October 1988), Pastor Mark Thompson of Faribault, Minnesota, suffered terrible knife wounds from an assailant in his home. As a result, he was forced to miss watching his son Chris run in the state cross-country championship meet. So Pastor Mark commissioned his brother Merv to go in his place.
Mark told his brother, “I can't be there to see Chris run. So I want you there at the beginning of the race. Holler a lot... Then at the end, I want you to really cheer loudly. And I want you to make your voice sound like mine.”
Merv did what Mark asked him, and Chris ran a strong race, finishing second.
Afterwards, Merv, who is also a pastor, reflected on what his brother asked him to do. He said, “That's what Jesus wants us to do. Make your voice sound like mine.” (Leadership, Vol. 10, no.3; www.PreachingToday.com)
Holler a lot. Cheer loudly. Make your voice sound like His. Share your excitement about the Lord in your words.
Then share your excitement about the Lord in your walk, as well. Don’t just shout about it; showcase it in your life.
In verse 9, Paul says of those who were impacted by the Thessalonian believers...
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (ESV)
People everywhere had witnessed a dramatic change in their lives. They had turned from false gods to serve the true God in anticipation of Jesus’ return.
Because they had experienced tribulation in their lives, they looked forward to Christ delivering them from THE Tribulation to come. They looked forward to Jesus rescuing them from a horrendous time when God will pour out His wrath on the world at the end of the age.
These days may be dark. 2020 has NOT been a good year with its pandemic, anarchy, and unrest. But as bad as this year has been, think about those who will have to endure 7 years of tribulation much worse than this, as the Bible predicts.
Here’s the good news! Those who put their trust in Christ will NOT have to endure that 7-year tribulation. Jesus will deliver believers from that “wrath to come.” So if you have not yet put your trust in Christ, I urge you to do it today before it is too late. Trust Christ with your life before you find yourself in a time of trouble much worse than anything we’ve experienced in 2020.
Such a prospect should motivate the unbeliever to get right with God sooner rather than later. But also, such a prospect should motivate the believer to share in word and deed the deliverance that Jesus offers to all who believe in Him.
After the war in Uganda had dragged on for over 20 years, Professor Todd Whitmore, from Notre Dame, moved into the refugee camps in northern Uganda to hear the stories of the displaced Acholi people. As he observed the Christians who were working among the Acholi, he saw what he called “real Christianity”.
In fact, Whitmore discovered that the most practical and helpful workers among the Acholi were also those who believed most strongly in the Second Coming of Christ. Whitmore called them “reasonable apocalyptists,” which means that these Christian workers thought a lot about God's intervention at the end of history.
They believed that no human effort could be relied upon to help the Acholi; it had to come from God. As one of the Christian workers in the camps said, “God is tired [of this war and suffering], and he will intervene.” Well, because they believed that God would intervene, they also believed that it's worthwhile to work for good.
Here, in the United States, we who talk about Christ’s Second Coming are often accused of being escapists, impractical, or even mentally unstable. But in the refugee camps of northern Uganda, they were the most rational people. Whitmore discovered that they were the ones who kept saying things like, “We want to make a difference here and now. We want to help with the orphans.” (Jason Bayassee, “Eschatological Innovation,” Faith & Leadership, 8-4-09; www.PreachingToday.com)
When you know that Jesus delivers you from the wrath to come, you don’t seek to escape this world’s troubles. Instead, you seek to engage with people who so desperately need a Savior.
So, in these dark days before Jesus returns, don’t cower in fear. Instead, show your election, set an example, and share your excitement about the salvation Jesus offers to all who put their trust in Him.
Helen Siml of Wheaton, Illinois, talks about the time her daughter grew impatient and started to talk as their pastor's sermon stretched on and on.
“Shh,” Helen whispered. “I want to hear the sermon.”
Later that week, they saw their pastor while shopping. They exchanged greetings, and as they walked away, Helen asked her daughter, “Do you know who that was?”
“Sure,” she replied. “That was the Sermon.” (Helen Siml, Wheaton, IL, “Heart to Heart,” Today's Christian Woman; www. PreachingToday.com)
You, be the sermon you heard today, and so be a light in this dark world before Jesus comes again.
