With summer winding down and school about to start everybody has been cramming in those last minute vacations… I can remember one summer in particular our family made plans to go to Disneyworld! Now this was a “big deal” for a 10-yr old kid and I remember the anticipation just about as much as I remember the trip itself. As soon as school ended in May, I started asking Mom, “When are we leaving? How much longer? How many more days do I have to wait?” I would wake up every morning thinking about Disneyworld and I would lay awake at night dreaming of Disneyworld! It just couldn’t get here fast enough for me!! Finally, we got in the car and it was, “How much farther? Are we there yet?” We’ve all had those major events in life that we’ve eagerly anticipated and looked forward to, right?
As with the end of the summer, I’m a little sad this morning because we’re also concluding our summer series: “First Things First” where we’ve been looking at those core, basic doctrines of the Christian faith.
• But I think we’ve saved the best for last! Or at least the most exciting!
• This morning I want to remind us of an event out there that is yet to come, but that will put Disneyworld to shame! Mickey Mouse pales in comparison to the fact that Christians look forward to the imminent return of Jesus Christ!
• Folks, Jesus is coming back… SOON!
• This is at the heart and core of everything we believe about Jesus… and it affects everything about how we are to live until that great day.
Now, how did that make you feel? That statement: Jesus is coming soon!
• Does it frighten you a bit? Does it give you a sick feeling in your gut?
• Are you encouraged by it? Does it excite you? Does it make you look forward to it?
• Does it comfort you? Does it give you a peace?
• I think the way you feel about it may reflect where you are in your relationship with Christ.
The apostle Paul paints a glorious picture of this return in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. NIV
• Paul finds encouragement in the reality of the 2nd Coming… I often read this text at gravesides with the confident expectation that on that great day that person who has just been laid to rest is going to live again!
• THAT’S encouraging to me! Won’t it be awesome? Incredible?
• But, do we really believe it? I mean, are we living like we believe it? Like this could happen at any moment?
Of course, everybody wants to know WHEN… “Jesus, when are you coming back?”
• That’s the question that theologians, philosophers and televangelists have been trying to figure out for the last 2,000 years!
• Interestingly, that’s the question that prompted this discourse in Matt. 24, the text that was read. Look back up at vs. 3.
• The disciples are walking along in Jerusalem with Jesus as he has been teaching and he makes a note as they’re leaving the temple area that there will come a day of great desolation when the temple will be destroyed. That will spark the beginning of the end times. (in a sense.)
Matthew 24:3
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" NIV
• The discussion that follows is admittedly a bit hard to follow, but its helpful to note that the disciples have asked about at least three separate events: (1) about the destruction of the temple; “when will this happen?” {this actually occurred in AD 70 just 35 or 40 years later} and (2) about the signs regarding the 2nd coming and (3) the end of the age itself.
• So he’s not just talking about ONE event… rather I believe Jesus will go on to talk about three separate but connected events.
• Jesus responds by saying basically two things:
o (1) beware of false teachers; don’t be misled by deceitful claims that I have returned.
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ’I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:4-5NIV
o (2) be ready! He says in vs. 42, “Therefore, keep watch!” Mark’s gospel says, “Be on guard! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33)
• Why? Because it could be any day!
See, I believe one of the huge differences between first century Christians and us today is that they truly believed that Jesus was coming SOON!
• They lived with a keen awareness that Jesus could come back at any time!
• In fact, at one point Paul writes to the Christians at Thessalonica and urges them to get back to work… to abandon their idleness. Some scholars believe that they SO believed in this imminent return of Christ that they had quit their jobs to await his return. That’s not what we are to do… but it does illustrate a firm conviction that Jesus was coming back any moment.
Do we believe that?
• I look around and I see people going back and forth, involved in their daily routines… business as usual with no thought about the end… with no “eye to the sky.” No sense that Jesus might return at any moment… even no sense of their own mortality.
• I’ve known of people who’ll say, “I’ve got too much living to do… I’ll worry about religion when I get older.”
• That shouldn’t surprise us… that’s the attitude that the Bible says many will have…
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24:37-41NIV
I wonder what it would take to shake us out of our complacency and back to reality!
• Now, Noah had warned the people… so isn’t it interesting that Jesus said, “they knew nothing about what would happen” until it happened. Its not because they weren’t warned… they just weren’t listening!
• The opening of HG Wells’ classic science fiction novel, War of the Worlds, paints an eerily similar picture to the way we go about our lives oblivious to the cosmic events that are about to unfold. (Now I’ve not seen the latest movie, but you’re probably aware of the scenario… Martians invade the Earth and wreak havoc.) The unnamed main character is an ordinary man living in an upper middle class neighborhood in London at the turn of the last century. He’s consumed by his work and has no idea what is about to happen. Listen to the opening words…
With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria {microbes} under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable.
• Of course then he goes on to describe this massive, unexpected Martian invasion that forever shatters this illusion… and makes for a great story.
• But isn’t it true, we live our lives so consumed by the needs & wants of the moment… “eating, drinking, marrying”… involved in our daily routines, our wants & desires… that we forget there is a larger drama being played out there and that there will come a day very soon when Jesus will return and the end will come!
• Now, that shouldn’t be a scary thing for Christians—it should be a an exciting thing… BUT… Will we be ready?
In true “Jesus-style” he goes on to illustrate that point with a couple of stories/ parables…
• One, about ten bridesmaids… waiting to meet the groom. Five were wise & brought enough fuel for their lamps. But the other five were foolish and didn’t bring along any extra. When the groom was longer than expected in coming… the foolish bridesmaids’ lamps went out and the wise ones weren’t about to let go of their supply, so they were just out of luck! The groom says to the foolish ones, (25:12) “I don’t know you.” They weren’t prepared!
• Another, a story about talents (money entrusted to a man’s servants.) The man goes on a journey leaving his possessions in the care of his servants. When he returns, he finds that two of them have done very well with what they were given—even made a profit! But the third had hidden his talent … and the master orders that he be cast into utter darkness. He had not shown responsibility in what he had been given.
• And finally Jesus presents a picture of that great day of judgment
Matthew 25:31-46
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 "The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, ’Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 "They also will answer, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 "He will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." NIV
• And THERE is His point!
• What does it mean to “be ready?” What does it mean to “be responsible” with the talents God has left us with?
Believing that Jesus is coming soon ought to prompt us to a lifestyle of godliness and service.
• It ought to change not only how we die… but how we live!
• I don’t think Jesus tells us this so much to give us a picture of what judgment day is going to look like so much as to show us how we ought to live until that day!
• Christians show a concern for those around them… by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, caring for the sick.
• Is that characteristic of YOUR life? If you believe Jesus is coming soon, why not?
Let me ask you: If you knew that Jesus was coming back 6 months from now, what would be different about tomorrow? Would there be any difference in what you got up to do?
• Have you heard that song on the radio? While not expressly about Jesus’ return… the words to Tim McGraw’s latest song pretty well capture the emotions of someone faced with an imminent death.
• {Read lyrics from : Live like you were dyin’}
• The reality of knowing that the end is near… has a way of putting things in perspective, doesn’t it?
What would you do if you KNEW the end was near? If you KNEW that Jesus was coming SOON?
What would you do about your relationships?
• Would you love deeper? Speak a little sweeter?
• Is there someone you would need to talk to? Someone you would need to set things right with? A parent? A child? A friend? A brother or sister in Christ?
What about worship? How would church be different if we knew that Jesus was coming back soon?
• What priority would it take in people’s lives? How many services would we have to have in order to hold everybody?
• And not just numbers… how would the spirit of our worship be different? What would the singing sound like?
• I’ve got to confess, sometimes I look around during our singing (I’m guilty, too) and I see all sorts of things… mothers wrestling with kids, wives waking husbands… but what really bothers me is expressionless singing; we’re mouthing the words, but our minds seem so far off. And I wonder… what would it be like if we really thought Jesus were coming soon?
• Would it look any different?
What about people you love? Would there be anyone you would want to share the gospel with before it was too late?
• See, I think here is where when we lost sight of Jesus’ imminent return, we also lost that sense of urgency about sharing the gospel. Part of the reason that the early church was so successful in reaching people was that they really believed that people were lost and in need of salvation before Jesus came back… and he could come back any day!
• That spurred them on! It gave them motivation to take the gospel with them wherever they went! It drove them to new places and to new people!
• There was no time to waste! Every moment was an opportunity!
• Next week we’re going to talk about evangelism a little bit more. If we believe that Jesus is coming soon… then we’ll be out there telling that to others, won’t we?
The reality is: we don’t know when he is coming back.
• It hasn’t been my objective this morning to try and figure it out…
• Even Jesus himself didn’t know… and that’s his point to the disciples. “Don’t worry about times & dates… just be ready!”
• It could be another 2,000 years or it could be tomorrow… but it will happen, so you had better be ready!
• The challenge implicit in this final “1st principle” is for Christians to live as if Jesus were coming any time now… to “Live Like We Were Dying.”
• Not carefree and irresponsible! But careful and ready!
Are you ready?
Jesus is coming soon! That should be good news!
• It will be… if you are ready? Do you belong to Jesus this morning? Have you given him your life?
• Are you living with an “eye to the sky” … as if every day just might be THE day?
• What do you need to do to make a change?
