Several years ago Johnny Carson had Billy Graham as a guest on his show. At one point in the conversation and Johnny said, "You know what Billy, I bet if Jesus ever came back to earth, we'd do him in again!" Graham leaned forward in his seat, and said, “In the Bible we read that Jesus predicted that He would return to earth again. But the first time He came in love, the next time, He'll come in power. No one will DO Him in!”
Jesus IS coming back! And when He comes back He’s coming back in power and glory.
The song of faith we’re focusing on this Sunday is called “O Glorious Day” (or “One Day When Heaven Is Filled With His Glory”) and its chorus sums up our faith with these words: (Sing it with me)
“Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He’s coming, Oh glorious day.”
I want you to notice that that chorus declared: Jesus lived, He died, He was buried… and He rose again. And all of that (says the chorus) points to the fact that Jesus WILL COME AGAIN. And that’s going to be a glorious day!!!
That’s what our text this morning is telling us: “since WE BELIEVE that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” I Thessalonians 4:14
When Jesus returns He will raise the dead. And we believe that (the facts surrounding His 2nd coming) because we believe that Jesus died and rose again. The two thoughts are interconnected. They’re intertwined. You can’t have one without the other.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there who reject the idea that Jesus is coming back. Peter writes: “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” II Peter 3:3-4
Scoffers? Are there scoffers around nowadays? And do some of these “scoffers” question the 2nd coming of Christ? Oh yeah. Years ago Charles Swindoll once made reference to a survey of theological seminary graduates which indicated that only 3% of those graduates believed Jesus was coming back.
Theological Seminary students? Seriously? How could that be? Well, I don’t know which seminaries were interviewed, but I do know there are a lot of denominational seminaries out there who have bought into a false theology that began back in the 1930s amongst “theologians” in Europe. These European theologians were highly regarded and cultured and many American seminaries who exalted them as admired scholars. But they were heretics. The false theology these scholars pushed was called “Higher Criticism.” “Higher Criticism” basically attacked everything about Jesus from the virgin birth, to the Resurrection … to His 2nd coming.
In other words, these kinds of theologians didn’t accept the idea that Jesus lived, died and rose from dead, and therefore they weren’t buying into the idea that Jesus coming back again. Now you may not have heard about those kinds of “theologians” - and the reason you may not have heard about them is because they DON’T REALLY BELIEVE much of anything. It’s kinda hard to get excited about that kind of a theologian when all they’re known for is what they oppose, and what they reject and what they criticize.
But you don’t have to be a false theologian to live like Jesus isn’t coming back. Jesus told a parable about a different kind of man who lived that way. In Luke 12:42-46 Jesus said “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.”
Jesus wasn’t describing some heretical theologian. The man in Jesus’ parable isn’t some guy attacking Scripture and denying Christ. This guy simply BEHAVED like his master (Jesus) wasn’t gonna come back. And since He’s not coming back, this guy does whatever he wants - he hurts people, he parties, gets drunk, and lives like a pagan… because tomorrow he’ll die and it won’t make any difference because the master isn’t coming back.
But Jesus always promised that He WAS COMING BACK. And He warned us against expecting His return on our timetable. Now I had my own personal timetable for when Jesus was coming back. I told everybody Jesus was going to come back before I was 50… He missed it by that much!
But speaking about His 2nd coming Jesus said “... of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36
And Jesus told His disciples “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” Acts 1:7
JESUS IS COMING BACK!
There’s an old gospel song that says it this way (I sang it to the audience)
“Coming again. Coming again. Maybe Morning, maybe noon. Maybe Evening, and maybe soon. Coming again. Coming again. Oh what a wonderful day that will be - Jesus is COMING AGAIN.”
And He is, too. Jesus IS coming back… and that means at least 2 things to us:
1st – it means that we need to be ready. In Jesus’ story about the evil servant who behaved like master wasn’t coming back Jesus said: “the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.” Luke 12:46
In Revelation 16:15 Jesus promised “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on…”
Jesus repeatedly warned us to be ready when He comes back. And if you’re not ready… it’s not going to be a pleasant experience.
ILLUS: There’s a preacher by the name of R.A. Torrey who told about the time he preached about the 2nd coming to a crowd of nearly 3000, and when the audience entered the auditorium, there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky. As he finished his sermon, Torrey got carried away and climaxed saying: “It may be before we arise in the morning, or before we sleep tonight. It may be before we have finished our luncheon today. Indeed it maybe that before I finish this sermon that we shall hear the sound of the trump and the voice of the archangel announcing ‘He is here!’” (I clapped my hands together loudly) At that moment there was a crash of thunder a blinding flash of lightening and the auditorium was filled with white light. In a panic, the crowd rushed to the doors. All except one woman who sat in front. She just threw back her head and laughed. A little later she told the preacher, “I thought the Lord had come.” And that was what everybody else had thought, except that their response had been one of terror rather than joy. (A. E. Harvey, The N.E.B. Companion to the New Testament 1970)
Were the folks in that crowd ready? Probably not… at least, THEY didn’t think they were.
And the question for you this morning is this: ARE YOU READY? Are you ready? Well, how DO you get ready? Peter tells us “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE OUGHT YOU TO BE in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH, AND AT PEACE. II Peter 3:10-14
In other words, live every day as if Jesus were to coming that day. Ray Charles once said: “Live every day like it's your last, 'cause one day you're gonna be right.”
ILLUS: There’s the story of a rabbi who was walking with some of his disciples. One of them asked "Rabbi, WHEN should a man repent?" The rabbi replied, "You should be sure you repent on the last day of your life." That troubled his disciples, and they asked (PAUSE) "But how can we be sure which day will be the last day of our life." The Rabbi smiled and said, “The answer to that is simple. Repent now.”
LIVE EVERY DAY as if Jesus WAS COMING TOMORROW… cause one day He will!
The 2nd thing ABOUT the 2nd Coming is this… It’s gonna be great! In our text today Paul writes: “we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.… the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” II Thess. 4:13-15 & 16b-18
ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS! We should be looking forward to Jesus’ Coming Back with excitement!!! The very thought of His returning it should encourage us and fill us with anticipation and confidence. Jesus is coming back and we’re leaving to meet Him in the air. And that’s going to be a GLORIOUS DAY!!! Do I hear an “Amen?”
ILLUS: Charles Swindoll told of having worked in a machine shop for 4 1/2 years alongside a fellow named George. George’s job was to sweep and clean out the shavings underneath the huge lathes and machines. George loved Jesus and loved the teaching about Jesus 2nd coming. He remembered hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the coming of Christ, such as "In the Sweet By and By" and "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder." Late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time -- we were all weary. I looked at George and said, "George, are you ready?" He said "Uh-huh." But he was all dirty. He didn’t look ready to go. So Swindoll said, "Are you sure you’re ready to go home?" George said, "Yeah, I'm ready." Swindoll said "Look man, you're not ready. You've gotta go clean up." "Oh no," he said, "let me show you something." He unzipped his coveralls and underneath his coveralls were the neatest, cleanest clothes you can imagine. He had them all ready. All he did when the whistle blew was just unzip and step out of coverall, Then walk over, and punch his clock and he’d be gone. He said, "You see, I stay ready to keep from gettin' ready just like I'm ready for Jesus!"
Those of us who LOVE Jesus have every reason to be excited about Christ’s return. And we have that excitement because WE KNOW WHO WE BELIEVE IN. Jesus lived and died … and rose again to save us and because we KNOW who He is, we believe He’ll return. There’s a beautiful hymn that says exactly that (SING it with me)
“I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair, nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air. But “I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded, that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”
DO YOU KNOW HIM? And because you know Him are you looking forward with excitement for His return? A preacher once told of the day he visited a home for mentally handicapped children. It was a Christian facility, and he’d came to encourage the patients and staff. While walking through the corridors though, he noticed that the windows were covered with tiny little hand prints. So, he asked the director, what they were all about. The director replied, "The children here love Jesus and they’re so eager for Him to return that they lean against the windows as they look up to the sky."
Are you excited about his return? Do you believe He’s coming back? Are you ready for His return? And do you really know Him?
Invitation.
