“Just a minute!” Children, do your parents say that to you when you’re trying to get their attention? Do you find that a minute stretches into two minutes, then five minutes, even ten minutes before your parents finally see what you want? It’s frustrating isn’t it? Well I wonder if we Christians don’t feel that same frustration regarding Jesus’ promise to reappear? Before he ascended into heaven Jesus said that he would return soon. Well that was over two thousand years ago and he has yet to reappear. Has Jesus forgotten his promise? No. Our text says that we have God’s Word on his coming. While scoffers foolishly deny this, believers happily anticipate it.
Already thirty-five years after Jesus’ promise to return, Christians had to put up with taunts that their savior was either absent or absent-minded. The Apostle Peter assured his readers that he is neither. Peter wrote: “ 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The reason Jesus has not returned yet is because of his patience. God doesn’t want anyone to have to face his wrath but wants all to come to repentance and be saved. Notice how Peter said that God is patient with you (2 Peter 3:9). Can you think of a time in your life when you were glad that Jesus didn’t return because had he returned then you would have been lost eternally? Thank God for his patience! Thank him for waiting until the Holy Spirit worked repentance, and faith in our hearts.
But now that we believe in Jesus why doesn’t he return already? I’ve often had that thought but it’s actually a selfish one. It’s like being thankful that the last bus home from downtown waited even though I was late for it, but then getting angry when the bus driver insists on waiting a couple more minutes for other stragglers. In the same way when we get upset that God is taking so long in coming, we’re actually angry at God for being patient. We also show that we don’t care what happens to others as long as we make it to heaven.
Instead of complaining that God is so long in coming, why not do something to speed his arrival? Really? We can do that? Yes! When God works through us to spread his Word among unbelievers, hearts are changed, and the elect are brought to faith. The sooner all the elect are brought to faith, the sooner Jesus will reappear. That’s something to think about the next time we’re tempted to cut back on our outreach efforts here or on the money we send to synod for mission work. It’s a truth that makes us see our church in a new light. This is not a place for refuge from the world as much as it is a training center from which we go out into the world with the Word.
What else should we do besides mission work as we await Christ’s return? Peter tells us: “You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:11b-14).
Since Jesus could return at any time we want to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to him. Would you say that you are doing that, or are you stubbornly holding on to some sin? For example do you look forward to thanking Jesus in person for his forgiveness while refusing to forgive siblings for something they said or did years ago? Do you look forward to giving Jesus a big hug but refuse to extend the hand of love to people here? Do you long to hear Jesus’ voice while refusing to listen to him speak to you now through the pages of Scripture regarding a particular doctrine? If so, we are not ready for his return. We’re like a French admiral who surrendered to the English admiral Nelson. When the Frenchman approached Nelson he smiled and extended his hand. Nelson replied: “No, your sword first.” And so it is with us who extend the hand of friendship to Jesus while refusing to let go of our vices. The Bible says that it cannot be this way. Extending the hand of friendship to Jesus means first handing over our sins. It means breaking off the handshake with the devil before we turn to grasp Jesus’ hands.
But isn’t that impossible to do? Doesn’t Satan have an iron grip on us so that we can’t help but continue to sin? Satan used to have an iron grip on us but Jesus freed us from it. Like a negotiator who talks a hostage taker into taking him captive in exchange for the hostages he holds, Jesus made Satan think that if only he could get his hands on God’s Son and have him put to death, victory would be his. Jesus did die, but thankfully for us his death marks the end of Satan’s dominance. Jesus died only to come back to life shattering Satan’s hold on us. Does this mean that we’ll never sin again? No. Satan is still up to his old tricks of getting us to think that ignoring God’s Word is fun and freeing. We’ll fall for those lies but when we do we won’t just shrug as if it’s not a big deal. Nor will we make excuses for our sins. Instead we will run to Jesus for cleansing.
It’s worth being prepared for Judgment Day in this way because on that day God will melt everything in this world with a great fire. If you’ve ever seen a house burn, you know how depressing that is. In a matter of hours, if not minutes, a family’s worldly possessions can turn to ash. What will it be like to see the whole world go up in flames, to see everything that you worked for, all the improvements you made on your car, your house, the degrees you earned, everything destroyed? It helps us keep things in perspective doesn’t it? It reminds us that the only thing we have in this world that is really worthwhile is our faith. Spend time improving and strengthening your faith before you waste time doing anything else.
Judgment Day is not just about destruction; it’s also about renewal. Peter tells us that after God destroys this world he will build a new one. What will this new world be like? It’s easier to say what it won’t be like. There won’t be any sun, or moon in the new world because God himself will live with us and the light of his glory will be all the light we need. We also know that there will be no pain or sorrow because there will be no sin. There won’t even be the chance that we fall into sin again because Satan and his demons will be removed from the new world forever.
When will all this happen? “Soon,” Jesus says. Really? Isn’t that like our parents saying: “I’ll be there in a minute”? Perhaps. But even if we have to wait for Jesus for another two thousand years, we’ll do this gladly because it shows how wide and deep God’s love for sinful mankind is. He delayed judgment for us, and now he delays judgment so that others may be brought to faith. Reflect God’s love for sinners by sharing with them the truth about Jesus. And in so doing speed the day of his return. Amen.
