INTRODUCTION
In 2023 there were 213 deaths by suicide in Alaska that is a rate of 28.5 deaths per 100,000 people double the national standard. Alaska continues to be the state with the highest suicide rates in the nation With young Alaskans, ages 15 to 24 years at a rate of 42.3 deaths per 100,000.
Do you know what all of these individuals have in common? Research shows that When an individual finds themself hopeless and in pain they tend to see suicide as the only way out. That is why today's message is so important because we live in a world that is lost and without hope.
Today is week 11 in our foundation series as we look at the 13th fundamental truth of the Assemblies of God: WE BELIEVE in the Blessed Hope—the rapture of the Church at Christ’s coming (1 Corinthians 15:51–52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Titus 2:11–14).
Hope is not something that guarantees that bad things won't happen but rather hope is what we have to look forward to when we're going through bad times. When I was growing up, my dad owned his own business and there were times when we hoped the customer would pay but it was not a guarantee. That kind of hope leads to anxiousness and worry but the hope that we're talking about today leads to peace and joy.
Read Romans 5:1-2
Through faith in God, we get to hold on to the blessed hope that is the place that gives us peace because of the undeserved privilege that we stand in as we confidently and joyfully look forward to God's glory which is Christ’s triumphant return…
Continue Reading Romans 5:3-6
You see at just the right moment while we were still helpless and while we were still hopeless Jesus intervened on our behalf and died for us and now that we stand in this place of forgiveness; of sanctification; of undeserved privilege we get to look forward to the time when Jesus returns!
Body:
Recently I came across an Instagram reel, and the person had the title of things not in the Bible and one of those things listed in there was the rapture. And while that person might be partially true and that the word “rapture” it's never exactly used in the Bible it does not mean that the rapture is not talked about in the Bible.
Another word not used in the Bible would be the Trinity but as we learned earlier in our series the Bible is clear about the triune nature of God and it's in both the old and New Testament.
Jesus coming back and reclaiming the Christians for his own and gathering us together is explicitly talked about in the Bible, but the topic has fallen into some disrepute over the years because of people making claims that Jesus will come back at a certain time. More than 300 times an average of one verse every 26, the New Testament refers to the truth of the second coming of Jesus Christ therefore, in spite of the fact that some have exercised more zeal than wisdom and making spectacular addictions about events surrounding the second coming, let us not mistake the truth that the scriptures place a great emphasis on this strategic teaching!
Within the Assemblies of God, we call the rapture the blessed hope and that is the moment that Jesus comes back and takes those of us who are still living with him directly into heaven without having to experience death. Frankly that's the way I wanna go and one of the primary scriptures talking about the rapture is in the book of first Thessalonians
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11
The word here in 4:17 That is translated as “we'll be caught up” is ‘a?p???. Which is a word that means to seize, snatch away, catch up, or take by force and it was the same word used in John when Jesus said that he was worried that they would seize him by force and make him be their king after he had fed the 5000. And so, we are going to be powerfully snatched up in a moment to meet with Jesus in the clouds above the earth. We're going to join in with the angels and the Saints that had gone before us.
When that glorious day comes, those who have died, verse 14, will be raised to life again and we'll have new bodies, Resurrected bodies. So, we're not going to need these mortal bodies anymore while the graves will be opened, these decayed bodies will remain and those that are caught up into the sky before us will have received their heavenly immortal glorified bodies.
Jump over to 1 Corinthians 15:35-44
When my father-in-law passed away the children my wife and brother in laws wanted to cremate his body and bury it in one of his toolboxes with his name scratched above it just like he did with all his other tools as a way to honor their dad. But when his church found out that we wanted to cremate it they took matters into their own hands and made sure that he had a coffin to preserve his body. But when the time comes and the dead or raised again I think Paul makes it very clear that they will no longer need their earthly bodies for they will get new glorified heavenly bodies that is a different type of glory than the earthly mortal ones.
Something really important to recognize is that we will be spared from the tribulation, the time when God’s anger is poured out on mankind, looks at
Reread 1 Thess 5:9-11
It is quite apparent that the time of trouble which many passages of scriptures point to as the coming at the end of the age, is the time between the rapture and the revelation of Christ. During the tribulation God will pour out his anger on the earth In revelation it talks about how these judgments will be the wrath of God on those who did not repent that is the world as opposed to the church. But we as believers are not destined for the wrath of God we get to join him in his glory.
1. How is Jesus going to Come?
a. He will come in person!
Read John 14:1-3
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
This is the real, physical, literal return of the Lord Jesus to the earth. He is not coming as spirit but as flesh and blood in the same glorified body in which he had left. This is an important distinction because there are those that believe that he had come somehow in the form of the spirit on the day of Pentecost and while that was God who came the God head of the son, Jesus, God in flesh Incarnate was not the one that came to indwell that was the Holy Spirit Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit. And Jesus is the one that will return for us one day.
b. He will come unexpectantly
And all this will happen very very quickly without notice Paul writes in 1 Thess 5:3 that it will be like a thief in the night,
Read Matthew 24:30-51; 25:13
As believers we should be feeling the urgency to tell others about Jesus. One of the pastors out at Shen last week was sharing on the last night, about the Holy Spirit moving him to tell him is friend about Jesus and yet he held his tongue and did not. That night that friend fell into hopelessness and took his own life. We are not guaranteed tomorrow we're not guaranteed the next minute although we have to live somehow and keep on moving forward and so we plan as if we are.
We have to recognize that because we don't know when he's coming we're going to be going about our daily activities doing the things that we do every single day going to work eating taking care of our kids and in one moment we're going to be there and then next we're not. And so, if you're holding out on telling others about Jesus because that's somebody else's responsibility, friends We cannot delay been telling our friends and family about Jesus about helping to point the way for them to have a real encounter with living God because we don't know what tomorrow holds!
We want to be caught up with him doing what we're supposed to be doing living a holy life telling others about Jesus serving him constantly being on the watch being on the lookout for his immediate return.
c. He will return in Glory
He came to earth humbly the first time but he's coming back in glory the second!
Matthew 16: 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.
Shouts and trumpeters heralded the arrival of visiting monarchs in New Testament times, and the heavenly equivalent proclaims the glorious return of Jesus.
I'm not sure if the whole world will hear this return or if it will just be the believers but what I do know is it will be a sight to behold!
2. Why is Jesus coming again?
This may seem like a silly question, but I remember when I was younger talking with a rabbi and he was trying to explain to me why the Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah. He tried saying that well if you hired a plumber to come do the job and he only did half the job and had it come back a second time then you probably didn't really want that plumber to begin with. And if you see Jesus is only doing half the job but not completing the act of justification of our sins of paying the price for our wrongs by dying on the cross then you didn't understand the reason why he originally came. But it's still important to understand this question why is he coming again? It's not because he has unfinished business no he said on the cross it is finished.
a. He is coming to receive his own unto himself—to receive his bride—the church (John 14:3)
b. For us to receive our new glorified bodies
This is another important reason why he is coming and it's not just because we get these cool new shiny bodies but that these bodies are free from the curse of sin which leads to death. Our new glorified bodies are the ones that can be united with the Lord forever turn with me to
1 Corinthians 15:45-58
Our earthly bodies need to be transformed into our immortal ones into our heavenly bodies. And it will happen in an instant in a twinkling of an eye.
c. To Judge and reward the believers
Jesus coming again to judge and to reward. Christ will come to judge believers and give out rewards to commiserate with the deeds that in our life especially with those regarding our motives. He will look at the use of our opportunities and talents and time and we recognized appropriately. This is the believer’s judgment sometimes called the judgment seat of Christ. It is not a judgment with regard to our sin but it's a judgment for our actions and what we did with what we were given.
Read Matthew 25:14-30
This is when Jesus will take a look at what we have done with what he has given us, and we will be judged accordingly and hopefully rewarded for what we have done. I so longed to hear the words from God saying well done my good and faithful servant.
What it is doing is describing the Judgement Seat of Christ. This will occur during the marriage supper of the lamb.
This is where Jesus is going to judge each one of us on what we do for HIM in this life. Replace the word talents with gifts, talents, and resources that Jesus has given us to steward in this life.
Will you show an increase for what HE has blessed you with? Or will you allow fear or the pleasures of this life to rob you of an eternal reward?
Or worse, will you allow the things of this life to rob you of your place in the rapture. That’s one of the ways the outer darkness can be interpret here. If you are left behind, you are facing hell on earth as God’s judgments begin to fall, and most likely will have to give your life to stay faithful to God.
CONCLUSION
What God will judge us on ultimately boils down to worship. Is your worship pure, or is it a secondary or even tertiary consideration in your life?
Worship isn’t just singing songs on Sunday morning; it’s an expression of what you consider most worthy in your life.
The first example of this in the bible was early on - (Cain/Abel)
Worship will determine the heart conditions required in the believer to not be left behind when the trumpet sounds.
Will you be keeping watch, and to be serving Him with every resource that Jesus has given you.
Think about that for a moment.
These are the people who play at going to church, but never really commit. It’s not just about church membership. You can be on the membership rolls here and not be saved. That’s why we have the question on the form about accepting Jesus as Savior. That’s your entrance into heaven. Being a member here is just a commitment to one of Jesus’ outposts here on earth.
So, I ask you this morning- are you ready?
Jesus is coming back.
There isn’t anything prophetically that needs to happen anymore. He could come back today, next week, 100 years from now.
Or before I finish this sentence (dramatic pause).
Are you ready?
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’
