The Return

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
02/04/07 - Sunday Morning

The Return

There are many passages in the New Testament emphasizing the return of Jesus Christ:

· “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:11).

· “Awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7).

· “You proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

· “And to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

· “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13).

· “So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him” (Hebrews 9:28).

His return is certain

“But the day of the Lord will come” (2 Peter 3:10). Even though there have always been those who have denied that Jesus will return as Judge (2 Peter 3:3-4), it is clear that He will, for is impossible to believe that God would create the universe and man, bear so patiently with man, laboring to direct him in the right path, then to give His only Son for man’s salvation, and have Jesus’ example and teachings recorded for all generations, only then to lose His nerve, give up, or renounce the entire affair by never returning. Thus God’s effort at the creation, with the nation of Israel, through the prophets, in the life of Christ and through His apostles is all proof that God fully intends to see this whole drama to the end. Added to the above evidence is the additional proof of God’s prior judgments, including judgments that were worldwide in scope (2 Peter 3:5-6; Matthew 24:38-39). The entire Old Testament record, including the New Testament example of the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1ff), demonstrates that God not only will come in a final judgment, but has come often in the past.

The Affect upon Christians

Numerous passages assert the fact that Jesus may appear at any time, and these should have a healthy influence upon the personal life of the Christian, “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11); “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14). In addition, various passages assert that first century Christians eagerly longed for the return of Christ, “So that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation” (1 Peter 4:13); “From which also we eagerly wait for a Savior” (Philippians 3:20), and even “loved” the thought of His return (2 Timothy 4:8). The idea of loving and longing for the return of Christ is at times a foreign concept to we who long to stay alive and enjoy this life as long as possible. At times, even Christians are uneasy about the Second Coming for they feel that it might cut short some of their earthly plans and goals. The return of Christ can have a very positive and encouraging affect upon our lives and we too should love and long for that day.

“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

· The return of Jesus will place everything in a new “light”. Most of us have seen debates between two “experts” on a television news show where both individuals are placed side by side on a split screen. So often Christians are frustrated because God’s truth is not being brought into the discussion. Yet how would the debate change if Jesus suddenly appeared in a third window? Would that not change everything?

· If we are frustrated that God’s word is not being allowed to speak in a college lecture—then just imagine what would happen if Jesus suddenly appeared, and take courage from that thought to speak up.

· If we are frustrated by the existence and activity of various terrorist groups throughout the world, do not forget that when Jesus arrives, they will see Him as well (Revelation 1:7 “And every eye will see Him”).

· Next time you are angered or frustrated by an ungodly T-shirt, bumper-sticker, website, and so on, remember the following passage, “To execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and to all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 15).

· Yet let us not forget the personal application that we need to make to ourselves. At any moment Jesus could return (1 Thessalonians 5:2) and we could be ushered into eternity; we certainly do not want to be involved in sin, at odds with loved ones or brethren, or busy with the things of the world and neglecting the things of God, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:9). “The day of retribution for the evil is certain and sure and the one who shall administer punishment should be regarded as at the door, ready to enter at any time. It was therefore vitally important that those to whom James wrote should open the door without advance notice and discover that instead of waiting patiently and faithfully for Him, they were fretful, dissatisfied and morose, and engaged in quarrels among themselves” (Woods p. 280). “The reminder that ‘the Judge is standing right at the door’ should be a caution that judgment may not be some hazy, theoretical, far-distant event” (Kent p. 178). “But they shall give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

“And disclose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

All men have sinned (Romans 3:23), yet not one of us wants our entire past revealed. The very fact that Jesus will examine even the motives should itself be motivation to repent, so that the sins of the past can be forgiven and forgotten.

“And then each man’s praise will come to him from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

For the Christian, the Second Coming does not bring fear or dread, rather it brings vindication, for all the things that we believed in without seeing, all our convictions that were so often the subject of criticism, ridicule or mockery will be shown to be true. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4); “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:7).

“And to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

· Various verses reveal that even Christians are tempted to give up and stop resisting the onslaught of temptation that comes and goes in this life (Galatians 6:9). The Second Coming will bring an immediate release from not only all suffering, but from temptation and sin as well. At any instant this struggle could end, and this fact should motivate us to resist for the next minute, hour, day or year, for the release and victory might actually come at any time.

· The above verses equally reveal that the return of Christ will at once cause an everlasting separation between not only God and the unfaithful or unbelieving, but equally between Christians and the unbelieving. In light of such a truth, we can continue to work with, and seek to persuade men, even when men at times make such a task difficult and unpleasant, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7). I can continue to bear with, exercise patience, and love my enemies, for in the next second I may never see them again—forever! “He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). Should not such a reality motivate us to work all that much harder to save them? I hope we grasp this concept: His return will mean an instant and eternal separation between the saved and the lost, the obedient and disobedient, the faithful son and the rebel, the believer and the unbeliever, the faithful and the unfaithful. This will bring an end to all evangelism efforts, and all interaction with the lost. “Besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26). “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017