We Believe: He Will Come Again Series

We Believe: He Will Come Again

Text: 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Introduction

1. When Tina and I were in seminary, we had a professor named Dr. Gary McGhee. He grew up in a Pentecostal church that regularly preached in the eminent Second Coming of Christ. He said that they believed in it so firmly that when they were at church he would cling to his mother and keep a firm grip on her dress. He said, I knew Momma was going in the rapture, and if he held on to her dress, he would make it too!

2. As Christians, we believe that Jesus came the first time humbly and meek, but He will come a second time in power and great glory.

3. He will come to both gather His followers to Himself, and to judge the living and the dead.

4. Read 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Transition: Let’s journey together as we believe…

I. He Will Come Again

A. The phrase “He will come again” gives us one of the major teachings of Scripture.

1. Any creed that leaves out the second coming of Christ would be sincerely lacking and incompatible with Christian truth.

2. The New Testament refers to Christ’s return some three hundred times - about once in every thirteen verses.

3. In the Epistle’s it is mentioned once ever ten verses.

4. So, to eliminate it from our doctrine would make it unbiblical.

5. So, can we overstate its importance? No. If we are going to take our bibles seriously, we have to believe in the Lord’s return.

B. It is clear that Jesus predicted His return.

1. “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (Jn. 14:2-3).

2. That’s why this blessed hope is stated in the Apostle’s Creed and the creeds that followed.

3. We may disagree on the particulars, like when He’s coming, but the creed puts it very simply, “He will come again.”

C. Our Lord’s coming will be literal and not merely spiritual. Christians in the first century were taught to expect a literal return of Christ.

1. “And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.” (1 Thess. 1:10).

2. The Apostle Paul refers to it as our blessed hope. “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13, ESV).

D. There are two blessing we receive in the blessed hope.

1. First, the blessed hope brings comfort. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (Jn 14:1-2).

2. The second blessing of the blessed hope is godly living. The second coming of Christ is an incentive for us to live in holiness.

3. “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn 3:3).

4. This plainly tells us that if we really believe that Jesus is coming again, we will live like those who expect Him to come, and we want to refuse to live in evil like the rest of the world.

E. One of the things that Jesus will do when He comes again is “to judge the quick and the dead.” The term quick here is an old English term that means “living,” so, He’s coming to judge the living and the dead.

F. This shows us that several truths about the judgment. First, Jesus is more than a Savior, He is also a Judge.

1. “The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.” (John 5:26-27).

2. The idea of judgment makes us feel uneasy, but yet, we acknowledge it’s correctness. Conscience demands it.

G. Second, it shows us that the Bible distinguishes between groups of people.

1. It doesn’t just lump us all together. Two of the groups are the living (those who are still physically alive when Jesus returns), and the dead (those who have died and buried).

2. He will also judge Christians and non-Christians. He will look at our lives and grant us rewards.

3. For us, eternal life is not the issue; that was settled when we gave our lives to Christ.