Hope of Champions

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

I’m kidding about needing it to be today, but

Jesus told us he is coming back and while many would say one needs to know the exact signs whatever, I use this as a joke to say, at least the Chiefs or the Eagles wouldn’t win the super bowl. Short of that someone’s winning.

But instead of just kidding, and I am just kidding, what if Jesus did come back this afternoon or tomorrow, or next Tuesday. What if very soon is the amazing blessing of Christ’s return.

Philippians 2:10–11 CSB

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

How does thinking about the Jesus’ return cause you to feel?

It may seem like I am scatter brained today but I am going to tie these together soon.

Growing up with Jesus return as a reality would scare me to no end, honestly my hope was on doing things in this life. As a kid, I wanted a girlfriend, and on and on. It’s natural, God came to give us life and give it full. We are hard wired to respect life, but it can reveal where our Hope and Focus of life is on.

Some of us might be like, “Peace out” everything hurts I’m ready to go see God now so if I don’t have to go through the dying thing sweet.

Still more might be like I have no idea what happens next. I’m confused, scared, happy maybe, I’ve never really thought about a spiritual end to all of this other than silly horror movies or whatever. Perhaps you think, I’ve only seen the end as death. But it’s actually going to be a great thing.

Heart of Christianity, being a follower of Jesus. Bad things happen in this world - sin, Justice needs to happen - death, God saw no one could pay the punishment and make something new possible, so he came himself - Jesus, born, lived -taught, died for our sins, paid the price, but conquered sin and death by rising again, As a resurrected person, Jesus taught and then returned to heaven where he said HE WILL COME BACK

Acts 1:9–11 CSB

9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

This is the hope we have, that there is an end: Jesus returns, Jesus wins. Jesus is better than Patrick Mahomes comebacks, because sometimes the Chiefs lose. Jesus will win, guaranteed.

But what happens next,

That’s what I want to focus on today because it has to do with us as a team, We Hmong Baptist Fellowship and New Day. It has to do with what we are doing today and everyday and it has to do with HOPE. Hope in the end time, hope for today and hope in our purpose of who we worship and how we follow God!

This is what one person like us, who was a follower of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, apostle means He was taught by Jesus, this is what He wrote to a group of Christians, similar to us, that he helped gather together.

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 CSB

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Indeed you are our glory and joy!

Let me set the seen that is being described. These words are written by a guy who learned about Jesus from Jesus himself. He shared that same message I shared earlier and these people became followers of Jesus, Christians, and then they would gather together and hang out like we are doing, and then he left to another town but they kept gathering together to worship, encourage, and follow Jesus together - you know be the Church. Anyway there words are a letter written back to that group from Paul. This letter is true for all Christians, then and still today, so it’s really important.

This sentence is about what will happen when Jesus comes back.

Jesus is coming back and when he comes back it is all over. No more redo’s, no more wait, wait, It is over.

2 Timothy 4:1 NLT

1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:

So, Paul is saying when this judgement happens, when Jesus has returned. When this is all over, as Paul looks to the metaphorical scoreboard this is what He sees.

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 CSB

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Indeed you are our glory and joy!

He is saying that at the moment of God’s judgment, in the presence of Jesus himself, the people who this part of the Bible was written to are His HOPE, His Joy, His crown of blessing, Their glory.

These are people being described, that Paul, the apostle was put his hope in at the end of time. These people were called Thessalonicans, sounds like aliens or something, but that Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia. And the people there weren’t super spiritual Christians, that wasn’t the reason for the hope. It is that they existed and they followed Jesus. They pursued what God had for them in this life.

Ever been the reason someone gets into something or gets something? I was once security for a famous musician, and I could let a person see him or not see him. Ever been like that for you?

When Paul sees Jesus, He’s like, Check them Thessalonians out! Why? Because they are so famous they would be on the red carpet with all those people taking pictures? No because they existed as faithful followers of Jesus.

This is what happens when someone admits that they are a sinner and accepts they need Jesus.

Luke 15:10 CSB

10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

And angels can bring celebration that no Super Bowl Halftime show could even come close to. If you read Revelation than you will know that no rave comes close to the absolute sensory overload that God can bring at His party. There is absolute joy when we confess that Jesus is Lord. Think about something so temporary if you will as tickets to today’s Super Bowl. You would be very grateful to that person for a very long time I can imagine, and that is just one gift on one day. When someone comes to know the Love of God through that is Joy for eternity.

Then imagine you are the person who gave that gift. That might bring you joy to think how happy you made them. But now imagine giving the gift of the life calling of Jesus.

You walk into Jesus presence, who already said the angels party everytime someone accepts his love and your like, God here are all the people we partied over.

When you are that person who brings someone in to a closer relationship to God and all of the angels are rejoicing, yes, that is something God rewards.

Today, in New Orleans some atheletes are going to host a trophy saying that they as a team were the ones who made it and won the championship of football. They worked all season for it, they worked their whole lives for it. They broke down their bodies for it. They will lift up and hold it with great joy for all the work they did.

At the end of time, God will finish what He started from the beginning of all time. Since sin entered the world, God has worked to make justice happen, sin get paid for led people into salvation from ultimate punishment. When it is said and done, when the sacrifice of God was worth it, blessings will be for those who shared, encouraged and strengthened those who continued to follow Jesus all the way to the end of it all. This is why Paul writes

1 Thessalonians 2:19 CSB

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?

This is why Paul talks about a crown, that crown is not like ruling, like a king, but a crown like they had back in olympic games in Paul’s time, which was a trophy, like he is saying our hope or joy or trophy.

Paul will celebrate about those who came to know Jesus through him at God’s coming and Jesus will honor him, in His presence because of the way Paul made himself available to what God did.

This is the amazing thing Paul and about you and I. He is rewarded because of what God did and Paul just allowed himself to be used by God. Sometimes we get big time fixated on saying the right words, having the right argument not screwing it up so that someone can become a follower of Jesus. While we should never live in disobedience of God, We should never think that unleashing our rage on someone won’t have a consequence as another observes that and that there is no reason to know more about God. We need to live in right relationship to God as our testimony people watch more than they listen.

However, It’s not our job to save people. Jesus did that. The Holy Spirit speaks to people’s hearts. We don’t have to have the perfect presentation. In fact the same Paul who is taking pride in Thessalonians said about another time he shared with church people that he wasn’t that smart or well-spoken

1 Corinthians 2:1–4 NLT

1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

That’s who changes people, the Holy Spirit, God himself, does all the work, but we like three year olds helping build a deck or make dinner, get to push the drill button or stir the pot and we get so excited because we actually get over our own fear, our own anxiety or selfishness, and ask someone if they want to commit their lives to follow Jesus, we ask someone if they will follow in baptism, we encourage people to grow in their relationship with God by praying with them, reading the Bible together, helping each other to love other people. We go across age lines, race lines, ability lines, we love each others children and show them God, we keep sharing that Jesus loves and in the end we get to present those whom God let us do this with, the ones that God let us tell about who God is, the ones that God let us pray with, we get to stand before God at the end, and they are our hope before God.

Those whom God does all the work, well God allows us to be his hands, feet and sometimes the mouth through which he speaks.

Those people who follow Jesus are the trophies. Which means some people in here are your trophies. Look around you’ll see a lot of trophy women here and some trophy men in here.

I’m kidding but I’m not kidding. Obviously the phrase trophy wife is degrading because it says that someone is only valuable because of their attractiveness, whatever society deems as attractive. But God made each and every one of you. He loves you so much He structured this whole History to see you come to know Him. So even if you have one tooth, one IQ point, and only one dollar in your pocket you are a trophy to the creator of the universe. You matter to God.

Two questions come from this:

1. Do you realize that your relationship with God, how you follow God impacts those who are trying to lead you closer to God?

It isn’t just you and God. You have the opportunity to bless those who are leading you. When you grow in your faith you impact their hope, their understanding of God.

Look at the verse again

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 CSB

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Indeed you are our glory and joy!

Even those who feel that they know so much more about God than you ever will , you impact them. You are their hope at the resurrection, and that also means you are their hope, their joy right now.

The most broken hearted I have been is when my fellow followers of Jesus turn away.

But God’s grace, which is a big complex words that means a lot of things wrapped up into one, and it includes forgiveness and favor. God’s grace, that amazing Grace, is what God gives us and He also gives it to us to give it away. We need others to give us God’s grace.

Today, some of you here, might need to know God’s grace, and grace from others. Will you request that grace?

2. Do you have any trophies ahead? Do you value others the way God values others?

There are so many people going through life who do not yet know the love of Jesus.

I was driving up West Lane after someone at St. Joseph’s and I look at West Coast World Outreach, a church and noticed they had a new sign that had a bunch of people that look different and it said, “a place for you.” Than I looked at the property across the street De-Ja-vue, the strip club, and it’s sign says, “Your friends are already here.”

They might be, because there are many of my friends going through addiction and others who are at home scared to go out. Looking for a place where they will be loved.

I pray that West Coast World Outreach can also share the love of Jesus but I began thinking more and more about those slogans and what those two places are.

We New Day, We Hmong Baptist Fellowship can be a place of real friendship, we can introduce you to Jesus and stay with you while we grow in Jesus. We can be there to celebrate the accomplishments, and help with the hurts, gather together to support each other, encourage each other, pray for each other and change lives. I will tell you how that starts though. It starts by realizing you matter here. If you call this your church home, You are important here. You are work here. You are on the in-crowd. You can welcome someone, you can help someone know that there are friends here, you can completely be yourself and change a life in Christ. Do realize that selfishness is not being yourself. That is sin. Do realize that fear is not yourself that is something God can lead you through. Realize there are friendships to be had that are not found in fear, their is blessings to be had in the struggle to be in real relationship together. Always in relationships based on forgiveness and grace. Let our church families be those friends to each other and to anyone whom God blesses to bring in our presence.

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 CSB

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Indeed you are our glory and joy!

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