PREPARING OUR HEART FOR THE COMING KING
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Please stand and read with me the Word of the Lord to us today.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
ADVENT IS ABOUT PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!
ADVENT IS ABOUT PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!
It is a time we look back at the hope, preparation, joy, and God’s faithfulness in the first Advent, the birth of Jesus the Christ, Immanuel - God with us.
And it is a time we look forward to the promise of the second advent of Jesus, where again, we look forward with hope, preparation, joy, and then in love expereince the consummation of redemption with a new Heaven and Earth, and the banishment of all evil and death.
Saint Augustine in his work, The City of God wrote,
“The Lord came the first time in humility, in order to be judge; he will come again in glory, in order to judge.In the first coming he was silent in his sufferings; in the second he will come with glory and terror. - Sermon 293.3
HOW OFTEN DO WE CONTEMPLATE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST DURING THIS TIME?
family / lights / friends and food / caroling / gifts / sure and these are all good things.
But do we allow this season to remind us and prepare us, that the humble King who came to redeem us is also coming again to judge the living and the dead?
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REDEMPTIVE HISTORY COMES TO US IN TWO PARTS.
REDEMPTIVE HISTORY COMES TO US IN TWO PARTS.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
THIS PASSAGE OF THE OT GIVES US A SNAP SHOT OF THE TWO ADVENTS.
THEY CANNOT BE SEPARATED OR THEY LOSE MEANING AND PURPOSE.
Imagine the second advent, judgment and justice without the first Advent of grace and salvation?
Imagine the first advent of saving us from sin but without the second advent when all sin, death, and corruption are finally banished from all society?
THE FIRST ADVENT:
THE FIRST ADVENT:
He came to redeem us from sin and death.
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
He came to condemn sin and Satan
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
He came to reconcile us
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
He came to defeat death.
25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
HE CAME IN HUMILITY AND JOINED HIMSELF TO US.
HE CAME TO TAKE ON OUR JUDGMENT FOR SIN
HE CAME TO RECONCILE US TO GOD THE FATHER, MAKING US SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.
HE CAME TO DEFEAT SIN FOR OUR SAKE, GIVING TO US ETERNAL LIFE IN HIM.
HE JOINED HIMSELF TO OUR HUMAN NATURE, THAT WE MIGHT BE JOINED TO HIS DIVINE NATURE.
IN OTHER WORDS HE CAME TO LAY THE GROUND WORK FOR THE SECOND ADVENT!
IN OTHER WORDS HE CAME TO LAY THE GROUND WORK FOR THE SECOND ADVENT!
“He came as a Baby to save us. He’s coming as King to rule over all creation in righteousness.
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THE SECOND ADVENT:
THE SECOND ADVENT:
BEHOLD THE KING OF GLORY IS COMING TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD AND TO MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT.
He is coming to end death for all His people
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain 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 shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
He is coming to set all things to right.
HE WILL judge every person of every nation.
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH WILL BECOME THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
A GREAT JUDGMENT WHERE ALL EVIL IS FINALLY REMOVED!
10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
A NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH / NO DEATH OR SICKNESS / NO SIN OR EVIL / A WORLD FULL OF THE GLORY OF GOD - A TEMPLE FOR THE COSMOS.
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
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AS WE CELEBRATE THE FIRST ADVENT OF CHRIST LET US CELEBRATE IN A WAY THAT WILL PREPARE OUR LIVES FOR THE SECOND ADVENT.
AS WE CELEBRATE THE FIRST ADVENT OF CHRIST LET US CELEBRATE IN A WAY THAT WILL PREPARE OUR LIVES FOR THE SECOND ADVENT.
BE WATCHFUL AND READY
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
A LIFE OF REPEPNTANCE AND PURITY BY THE HS.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
FAITHFUL SERVICE AND SHARING THE GOSPEL
14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
LET THIS SEASON OF CELEBRATING THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS BE A TIME WE PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR HIS RETURN!
May we be found.
Watchful / Repentant/ Faithful to share the Gospel saving as many as possible for the great day of final judgment.
Watchful / Repentant/ Faithful to share the Gospel saving as many as possible for the great day of final judgment.
