Obediently Waiting

What do you do when you know someone important is arriving? When I was working for different companies, there was a difference in how we would be, when the big boss would be there vs when he would not be there. Not that we would be lazy, but rather that we would be able to talk more. In one job there was nerf guns, and even the head of the call center would get into it, but when the owner was there, we would not do it. There is also somethings that happen when someone special is arriving. When my wife came to visit me and my family, I tried hard to make sure that the car was clean. Also when my brother-in-law’s girlfriend came to visit after Christmas, this year, he made sure that the house where she was staying was clean, also he had took up his stuff from the living room. When someone important is arriving, many people will try to be on their best behavior. And you as Christians should be the same with the rapture. We have no idea when Christ is coming. The hymn Jesus is Coming Again puts it quite well. Coming again, Coming again, May be morning, may be noon, May be evening and may be soon! Coming again, Coming again; O what a wonderful day it will be - Jesus is coming again! Acts 1:11 “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” The fact that you do not know should cause you to be diligent and watchful for the rapture. You also should be prepared for His coming. John is writing here to combat false doctrine, and last week he talked about abiding in the Gospel, and remaining stedfast in the belief of the Gospel. This week he talks about how that the abiding has to do with the second coming of the Lord. He is letting them know that they have the hope of Jesus’s coming and that should make a different in their life. The hope of Jesus’s coming should make a difference in your life! It is also something you need to prepare for.

How should you prepare for seeing Christ face to face?

Lifestyle

v. 3 in ch. 3 talks about purifying yourself. So whoever lives in the hope of Jesus coming again will purify themselves. You will live holy, because you recognize His holiness. v. 29 says that when you recognize His righteousness, you will live righteous. In v. 2, it says “we shall be like him”. So in heaven we will be holy.

Revelation 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

1 Peter 1:13-16 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

And the reason why you need to purify now, is that you do not know when he is coming. When I lived in CIncinnati, my parents would take trips, that my brother and I could not go on, because of our work. So we knew when my parents would get back and we would make sure we had the house looking good. If they did not tell us (which never happened), we would have tried to keep the house as neat as possible. With the rapture you do know, so now is the time.

Result

Confidence-those who live holy, will be confident when He appears, and will be confident at the judgment seat. This word means boldness

Ashamed-those who live contrary to the Word fo God, will be ashamed at His coming.

In the parable of the ten virgins, where the 5 have the oil, and 5 do not. The five who do not have the oil were ashamed, the five who did were not

The parable of the talents. Those who were obedient to the master were confident that they were going to be rewarded, while the one who was not was ashamed.

Imagine goofing off at work, and the boss comes in, I would have gotten fired.

Teams that only play hard at the end do not always win.

Are you living in preparation for the second coming?