IN COMFORT
TOGETHER • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The afflictions and challenges of life can make us grow weary and despair. However, we who believe in Christ can take comfort that He is returning soon. In this study, we will learn how we can prepare for the Lord's return and comfort one another with the promise of eternity with God.
GOALS
At the conclusion of this lesson, group members should:
Understand the biblical promises regarding the end times and Christ's return. Be spiritually alert and prepared for the Lord's return. Comfort one another with the truth of hope.
OUTLINE
1. THE LORD’S RETURN
The Imminent Return of the Lord
The Empty Promise of World Power
2. THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSE
To Awake
To Prepare
3. THE BELIEVER’S REPOSE
We Are Preserved from Wrath
We Are Promised Eternity with Him
We Are Comforted by His Truth
Introduction
We live in a constantly changing and tumultuous society. Often, we personally experience pain, un-certainty, and heartache. Natural disasters seem to be occurring constantly hurricanes, earth-quakes, tsunamis, and wildfires.
All of us prefer comfort to pain.
Perhaps the place we sense our greatest need for comfort is in the dentist's chair. If the dentist is going to fill a cavity or do a root canal or extract a tooth, we want every bit of comfort he can give us in the form of numbing drugs.
Given the choice, we would almost always choose comfort over pain. But the reality of life is that pain is inevitable.
When people go through trials in life, they turn to all kinds of therapy for comfort -from shopping to yoga to drugs to food. Their choice of therapy may be different but their aim is the same to dull their pain. Sadly, many times, in seeking comfort, people go to the wrong place.
As believers, we have the blessed privilege of having the Spirit of God within us who comforts us in our time of need.
As Jesus was about to leave His disciples, He promised to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would be in them. Today, we who have trusted Christ as our Saviour have the Holy Spirit within us, and He comforts us in times of pain and difficulty.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
What are some of God's promises that have brought comfort to your heart during difficult times?
Additionally, God has given us the promises of His Word, which assure us that we are on the path to victory. These promises also give us comfort.
In today's study, we'll learn from a text that provides a promise that God specifically says will bring us comfort as well as a truth with which to comfort one another.
1. The Believer's Conviction
Because of the promise that God shares in this text, we can have a settled conviction that brings comfort to our hearts.
What is this promise? It is the Lord's imminent return. He could come at any moment. We see this in verses 1-5 of our text.
As a Christian, one of the great convictions we have is that Jesus Christ is coming again. The Bible tells us that the day of the Lord will come suddenly-"as a thief in the night."
But we are the "children of the light." This is not the false light of "following the light within you," but it is the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
By contrast, those who do not know the Lord "sit in darkness."
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, Being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, And contemned the counsel of the most High:
These are the people who need Christ.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
When a person receives Christ as his Saviour, he sees the light of Christ's glory and His salvation;
Christ's spirit dwells in him, and he begins to develop new beliefs based on God's Word. He begins to understand the happenings of his day in a different light because he is no longer of the darkness.
Do you remember when you were a child and the nightlight in your room cast strange shadows. Your imagination ran wild, and you "saw" things, perhaps even monsters, that didn't exist. All your parents had to do was flip on the light switch, and your perspective changed. The light showed you reality.
This is how it is for us as Christians. Those who do not know Christ can't see the spiritual realities of life. But we who have been illuminated by the light can.
What are the comforting truths the Holy Spirit reveals to the believer?
The Imminent Return of the Lord
Slide 1A
Christians believe in the Lord's imminent return, which is a great, comforting truth for us.
Slide Prophecy Chart
The Bible tells us that we are to look with hope for the return of Christ.
"The day of the Lord" spoken of in verse 2 of our text refers to an extended prophetic time in which God will finish His program with Israel as well as the judgment He will send that brings this world to an end. Notice this parallel passage in 2 Peter 3:10-13
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Several events will take place during this "day of the Lord," and they begin with the rapture of the church.
Events during the "day of the Lord":
The seven-year Tribulation
The Antichrist will offer peace at first, but this will quickly be followed by sudden destruction, judgment, and terrible wars and pain during the tribulation.
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; But he shall be saved out of it.
8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, That I will break his yoke from off thy neck, And will burst thy bonds, And strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
The Second Coming of Christ
The seven-year tribulation is followed by the Second Coming of Christ. At His first coming,
He came as a baby who then took our sins on the cross. The day of His return, however, is the great day of His wrath when the armies of the world come against the Lord in the battle of Armageddon. Believers, raptured just before the Tribulation, will return with the Lord.
Revelation 19:11-12, 15
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name writ-ten, that no man knew, but he himself
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
The thousand-year reign on earth by Jesus
Christ
The millennial reign will see believers live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Satan's final defeat
At the end of the thousand-year reign, Satan is defeated and cast into the lake of fire forever.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The Great White Throne Judgment
This is a time when all who have rejected Christ will stand before the Lord for the final day of judgment. These people will be cast into the lake of fire.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Destroying and renewing of the universe
The earth's elements will melt; the old earth will pass away, and God will bring a new heaven and earth.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
The eternal day of God
The arrival of the new heaven and earth ushers in the eternal day of God when we will live in
Heaven forever.
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Verse 2 of our text describes the timing of the day of the Lord "as a thief in the night." Similar to a thief who can come at any time of the night, the day of the Lord is unknown and imminent.
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
THIS speaks of the rapture, or the catching up of the saints to meet Christ in the air. The Bible says that those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up to be with Him forever.
As Christians, we have a conviction that this world is going to end according to God's design and that Jesus is coming again to take us believers away. The conviction that we will be spared from the wrath to come and be caught away with the Lord gives us comfort.
The Imminent Return of the Lord
The Empty Promise of World Power
Besides the conviction of the Lord's imminent return, the believer is also convicted of the empty promise of world power. Verse 3 says, "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."
When Christ takes the church away, the world leaders will say, "Peace and safety." The Antichrist is going to act as though everything is fine.
Slide 1B Illustration
World leaders have made empty promises of peace in the past. After World War I, Woodrow Wilson said it was "the war to end all wars." That is what every great kingdom-from the Egyptian kingdom to the Greek kingdom-has said. These were large kingdoms, and they thought they had finally brought peace to the entire world. However, none of them succeeded.
Great empires that have failed:
Egyptian (1570-1070 BC) Assyrian (911-609 BC)
Babylonian (Nebuchadnezzar, 605-539 Bc)
Persian (539-330 BC)
Greek (Alexander the Great, 330-63 BC)
Roman (63 BC-476 AD)
Mongol (Genghis Khan, 1206-1368 AD)
Ottoman-Turkish (1299-1923 AD)
British (1500-1960 AD)
French (Napoleon, 1804-1815 AD)
Austria-Hungarian (1867-1918 AD)
World leaders are still saying "Peace and safety."
But verse 3 of our text tells us that the Tribulation is a time of "sudden destruction." Destruction in this verse means "death" or "ruin," and it will come suddenly "as of travail upon a woman with child."
The Greek word translated here as travail refers specifically to a woman in the pain of childbirth.
Jesus used the same word in Matthew 24:8 (translated sorrow) when He was referring to the Tribulation. Additionally, it is the Greek equivalent for the phrase "the time of Jacob's trouble" in Jeremiah 30:7, which also speaks of the Tribula-
tion.
God warns us that sudden destruction is coming, but, as we will see in the following verses, He gives us the promise that we will be saved from the wrath to come.
2. THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSE
To Awake
To Prepare
The Bible is clear that believers will not be part of the coming destruction. God tells the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10 that because they have kept His Word, He will preserve them from the wrath to come.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
While we as believers are spared from the wrath to come, we need to be ready for His return. God tells us of His imminent return, partly to give us comfort and partly to caution us to live circumspectly so that we will be prepared for His return.
AWAKE
In verses 6-7 God instructs us to remain alert.
The word sleep in verse 6 means "to drop off to sleep; to fall asleep; to yield to sloth." When we are asleep, we are not aware of our surroundings.
Believers are instructed to watch or "to be vigilant; to keep awake" for the Lord's return.
1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
God calls on us to "awake to righteousness" and be alert and ready for His coming. We need to redeem the time, live for Christ, and share with others the gospel.
Decades of Chinese threats and intimidation against the island have taken on new urgency in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine and rock-bottom relations between Washington and Beijing.
South Korea is a country that is highly vigilant and prepared for emergencies. At any moment, a war with North Korea could happen. For this reason, South Koreans live in a state of constant vigilance and are used to observing curfews and participating in emergency preparedness drills. In schools, students prepare for emergencies with evacuation drills.
It is this level of alertness to which God calls us in light of His return-not out of fear, but out of a desire to be ready.
Not only are we called to be alert, but also to remain temperate. Verse 6 says, "Let us...be sober," which means "to be temperate, circumspect, calm and collected."
When someone is drunk, he is not paying attention; he is unaware of his surroundings. As Christians, we need to be focused, watchful, and ready as we await Christ's return.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
What are some characteristics that would define a Christian who is living in readiness for Christ's return?
We need to examine our lives to see if we are truly living in light of Christ's return. If we have an unsaved friend, we should tell him about Christ; if we are bearing a grudge against someone, we should forgive; if we are distracted by the world, we should focus on eternity.
To Awake
In Taipei, classes provided in person and online through the nonprofit Kuma Academy aim to give civilians the tools and know-how to take care of themselves in the event of war.
To Prepare
The most important thing we need to be sure of before Christ's return is our salvation. If you are not saved, you are not prepared for His coming.
“Our goal is to awaken the Taiwanese public to realize that, in Xi Jinping’s third term [as president], with his team not having a correct risk assessment and himself having no limit in his aggression, Taiwan has to be prepared,” said Aaron Huang, who manages communications for the organization.
Huang said the academy builds its syllabus in close communication with Taiwan’s civil defense structures — such as the police or the Interior Ministry — understanding that in the event of an invasion the majority of the public would likely flee from the coast to the mountains and working out how this can be done in a safe and organized manner.
Verse 8 instructs believers not only to "be sober" but also to put on the "hope of salvation."
Our preparation for Christ's return involves putting on the breastplate of His righteousness and the helmet of salvation.
Ephesians 6:14, 17
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Notice verse 8 of our text says to put on "for an helmet, the hope of salvation." This hope means "a confident expectation." We do not have to doubt our salvation but can be confident that we are saved.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
We can prepare for the Lord's return by being sure of our salvation and that we are spiritually awake and alive, living for the Lord.
3. THE BELIEVER’S REPOSE
We Are Preserved from Wrath
We Are Promised Eternity with Him
We Are Comforted by His Truth
Despite the impending doom of the end of the world and the coming Tribulation, we as believers can draw comfort from God's promise that we will not experience the wrath to come.
We Are Preserved from Wrath
Verse 9 tells us that "God hath not appointed us to wrath." The word appointed means "to set, place, fix, establish, ordain." God has not ordained that we should go through His wrath or judgment in the future.
In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, we are given the assurance that Christ has delivered us from the impending wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
We Are Preserved from Wrath
We Are Promised Eternity with Him
The believer's comfort is not only in the fact that he is saved from the wrath to come, but also in the blessed promise of spending eternity with Christ.
Verse 9 tells us, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." The word obtain means "to preserve, possess, or purchase"; salvation means "deliverance" or "safety." We obtain our eternal salvation in Christ.
God's plan is not for us to experience wrath, but to receive salvation. We have been given salvation through Jesus Christ and will receive deliverance from the Tribulation when we are raptured and glorified with Christ.
Verse 10 speaks of Christ "Who died for us." Jesus shed His blood on the cross and died for us so that we can be forgiven, escape from the suffering of judgment, and spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Verse 10 goes on to say that Christ died for us, "that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."
We know also that, should we die before the Rapture, we'll go directly into the presence of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Jesus has promised to prepare a place in Heaven for us. What a comfort it is to know that we will live forever with the Lord when our earthly life ends.
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
"Our conversation is in heaven" means that our lifestyle and thoughts are already focused toward Heaven. God promises those who trust in Him a new body, a new home, and everlasting life in Heaven.
In addition to this promise of eternal life, the Bible tells us that we can know for sure that we possess eternal salvation.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
We Are Comforted by His Truth
With the promise of eternity with the Lord, believers can be comforted by His truth. Verse 11 says, "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."
The word wherefore points to the previous verses.
It's saying, "Because of what we just covered, comfort yourselves.
" Because we have been saved and spared the wrath to come, because we know that we are going to spend eternity with God, we can comfort and encourage one another with these truths.
The word comfort comes from the Greek word parakares, which is also used for the Holy Spirit.
It means "to come alongside; to exhort and en-courage; to strengthen." And that is what the Holy Spirit does for us. He comes alongside us, encourages, and strengthens us.
God instructs us to likewise come alongside one another to comfort each in the power of His Spirit. If you know of someone who might be going through a difficult time, you should go to that person and comfort him.
Discussion
What are the times in a believer's life when he or she may most need others to give comfort?
Here are five ways in which we can comfort others:
Edify
The word edify in verse 11 means "to build up; to establish; to promote growth." We edify each other as we go out of our way to encourage another Christian, building them up in the Lord.
Remind
We are to remind each other that we serve a God who comforts and cares for us.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Pray
While we may not always be able to be physically present as we would like, we can always pray for each other.
Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Remember
God has given us many promises in His Word-including those we've looked at in this study regarding our salvation, the gift of eternal life, and the supply of our needs. We can help one another remember these, thereby bringing comfort.
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Give
Another way we can comfort others is by giving to their needs. It could just be a simple, thoughtful gesture of a cup of coffee together, or it may be giving to a financial need in their life.
Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Conclusion
Life is full of trials and challenges, but as believers, we have the assurances of truth with which we can comfort one another.
We take comfort in the promises of the Lord's imminent return. We rest in the hope that our earthly problems are only temporary and that we will soon spend eternity with the Lord in Heaven.
Because we know the Lord may return at any moment, we endeavor to live with spiritual alertness and readiness to meet Him.
Finally, knowing we are saved, Heaven-bound, and promised eternal life, we comfort one another with these truths. A better day is coming for us who believe, and this is the comfort that we have to give to one another in Christ.