Jesus Coming Again ~ 20201227 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
12/27 Jesus in His Own Words; Coming Again/Coming Back; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20201227_jesus-coming-again.mp3
We’ve been looking this Christmas season at Jesus in his own words; what he said about himself, about his coming.
We looked at why he came. Jesus said that he came for sinners (Mk.2:17). He came to seek and to save the lost (Lk.19:10). He came to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk.10:45). He came to lay down his life for his sheep (Jn.10:10-11). Jesus came because we had gone astray. He came because we were that bad; to pursue us and rescue us, to forgive our sins. He came to pay our price.
Jesus came. But Jesus claimed to have come differently from anyone else. He claimed to have come from above, to have been sent by his Father, who he claimed is the God we worship. He claimed to have existed from before creation, sharing his Father’s glory. Jesus claimed to be the I AM. Jesus who created all things humbled himself and became human in order to rescue us, to save us from our sins by taking our punishment on the cross.
Advent – Coming
Christmas is all about Jesus, his coming. Traditionally, this season is called Advent, from the Latin adventus which means coming. Jesus came. We celebrate his coming at advent. But Jesus also said that he is coming again; that he is coming back for us. Advent looks back to the coming of Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem. But Advent also looks forward with anticipation to the promise of his coming.
Jesus talked a lot about his coming. Today we will look at a few of the things Jesus said about his coming.
I Will Come Again and Take You to Myself; John 14, 17
At the last Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus told them that he was going away. Jesus said ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” (Jn.13:33, 36). At first, Peter didn’t understand. But he was beginning to realize that Jesus was talking about his death, so he said he was willing to follow Jesus anywhere, even to lay down his life for him.
The disciples were grieving because Jesus said he was going away. They didn’t want him to leave. He said:
John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
You cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. Jesus promises that he will come again for us, to take us to be with him.
John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
In fact, in John 17, Jesus’ prayer to his Father, he says:
John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Jesus is praying for the unity of his followers,
John 17:21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
And he is praying not only for his original disciples, but he explicitly mentions us, you and me, today.
John 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us to be with him forever. He will come again to take us to himself. We have his word on it.
This could be the word Paul has in mind when he writes to encourage the Thessalonians and correct their misunderstandings:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But 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. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Lord himself is coming back for us. He went to prepare a place for us. Dead or alive at his coming, we will be raised to meet him in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Jesus is coming again!
Matthew 24; Don’t be Alarmed; Don’t be Led Astray
In Matthew 24, Jesus predicted that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed,(as it was in 70 AD). His disciples asked “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Mt.24:3).
Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
He warned that false christs would come to lead many astray. There would be wars and rumors of wars. Wars between nations and kingdoms, famines and earthquakes. Jesus said:
Matthew 24:6 ...See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
He told his followers that they would be hated and persecuted, even executed. Did you know that this year around 3,000 of our brothers and sisters were killed because of their faith in Jesus? That’s at least 8 every day [OpenDoors WWL2020].
Jesus said many would fall away and betray one another. False prophets would lead many astray. Lawlessness will increase, and the love of many will grow cold.
Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
According to the Joshua Project, there are 7,413 people groups unreached with the gospel; that’s 3.23 billion people, 41.6% of the world’s population. Friends, we have a lot of work left to do.
Jesus said the false christs and false prophets would perform great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. He warned not to believe it if they claim to have found the Christ.
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This teaching was no doubt the basis for Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Jesus is coming back for us. Don’t be shaken in mind. Don’t be alarmed. Don’t be deceived. It hasn’t happened yet. You haven’t missed it.
Stay Awake, Be Ready, Watch
Jesus encouraged us to be aware of the signs that indicate his coming is near, but he warned that no one but the Father knows the day or the hour (Mt.24:33-36).
Matthew 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
He said:
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Jesus uses the illustration of servants left in charge of their master’s household, and he gives us this encouragement:
Matthew 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
In Matthew 25, Jesus uses the illustration of young women awaiting the bridegroom, some who were prepared, and some who were not.
Matthew 25:5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
Matthew 25:10 ...the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Jesus compared it to a master leaving for a journey, and entrusting to his servants his property. They were expected to invest wisely and multiply their master’s property.
Matthew 25:19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
To those that invested and multiplied their master’s resources,
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
But the one who perceived the master to be hard and unjust, he said ‘you wicked and slothful servant!’
Matthew 25:27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ...30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Stay awake! Be ready! Be faithful, be busy serving others. Invest wisely what he has entrusted to your care.
As You Did It to One of the Least of These My Brothers
Jesus says of his coming in Matthew 25:31
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Love for the brothers is evidence of love for the Lord. The gospel reminds us that the righteous aren’t righteous because they do good; they do good because they have been made righteous through the finished work of Christ. The righteous are not even aware of their own good deeds, because they naturally flow out of a transformed heart. The works are evidence of an inward change. Come, you who are blessed by my Father. The kingdom was prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Seek his Kingdom and He will Serve You
In Luke 12, Jesus tells us not to be anxious or worried, but instead to seek the kingdom of God. Then he says:
Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
And he gives us this startling encouragement.
Luke 12:35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
Be ready, be watching, be waiting, be awake, be anticipating his coming. Be ready to serve. And when the Master comes, he turns the tables. He will give you a place at his table, and he will serve you. Because the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mk.10:45). We are to be waiting, be alert, to anticipate his coming and be ready to serve, but it is ultimately he who serves us, not we who serve him.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights...
Romans 11:35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. This is our King! Our king who humbled himself and became obedient even to death, even death on a cross. Our King is preparing a place for us to be with him. He promised that he is coming back for us. This is our king. Our King is coming! Come quickly Lord Jesus!
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org