He Is Coming
Long Expected Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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It’s hard to image that the Advent season is already here. For me, these past several months have been a blur – I’m finally emerging out of the fog of pain. And so the season really snuck up on me. I was going to apologize for not being able to put the time and energy into Advent as I would have liked, but then perhaps this was God’s design. Keep it simple and focus on the priorities.
Many of you are like me - we love Christmas. We love the story of that Silent and O Holy Night when Christ was born. Many of us enjoy the nostalgia. We love the music and the sense of joy to the world and peace on earth. Our hearts long for that Wonderful Life; we long for Christmas the way it was “supposed to be.”
For some of us, that longing can be a source of frustration. Why can’t things be like they used to be? Why all the complexity, and hustle and bustle? Why can’t there be a little more cheer and a little more hope? After all, if Jesus was born to bring peace on earth, where is it?
For many of us we long for something that should be here, but it’s not. And we’re not quite certain what it is, and so we wait.
Waiting is hard for us. We’re not accustomed to waiting. But, if you read the Bible, you will notice it is not uncommon for God’s people to be in a state of waiting. Waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Waiting is not in our vocabulary – but it is in God’s. God constantly reminds His children to be patient, to wait on the Him - reminding us that His timing is always perfect – never early and never late - even if it takes thousands of years - He’s never late.
The Advent season has much to do with waiting. We wait all month for Christmas day, a day to celebrate the birth of our Savior, to spend with family and to open presents. But if that’s all we’re waiting for, then we miss one of the most important aspects of Advent – that we are waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. And I would encourage you parents and grandparents, to talk with your children and grandchildren about His second coming just as much, if not more than His birth.
It seems like very few of us think about our future with Jesus. We spend an enormous amount of time and energy and money on this world, trying to fix our problems and making ourselves comfortable. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with that, we live here – but when we ignore that Christ is coming, when His return no longer excites us, our priorities become misaligned, our relationship with Christ can become disillusioned and we can lose the blessed hope of His return.
Let’s look at our text this morning (), which is mostly about what we call the End Times. Prior to the birth of Christ, Israel was looking for the arrival of the Messiah. They were looking for signs and events of when and where this would happen, but only a handful of people were paying attention.
And what’s interesting, Jesus says it will be exactly the same when He comes the second time. He says only a handful of people will be paying attention. People weren’t ready for the flood during Noah’s day, they weren’t ready for His birth and they won’t be ready for His return.
Not everyone in our families is ready, many of our neighbors are not ready, and truthfully, not everyone in this room is ready for the return of Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior by whom there is no other name given unto man by which we must be saved.
As we look at (parallel passages are and ), I want to give you three key phrase that will hopefully help us be ready.
As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
I always thought this was odd. The temple was familiar to them – why all of a sudden are they impressed? The truth is, we do this all the time. How many times have we seen Mt. Hood or the ocean or whatever, and it’s no big deal - then one day it’s like – wow! That’s beautiful!
sets the stage for the rest of the conversation: As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
I always thought this was odd. The temple was familiar to them – why all of a sudden are they impressed? The truth is, we do this all the time. How many times have we seen Mt. Hood or the ocean or whatever, and it’s no big deal - then one day it’s like – wow! That’s beautiful!
I always thought this was odd. The temple was familiar to them – why all of a sudden are they impressed? The truth is, we do this all the time. How many times have we seen Mt. Hood or the ocean or whatever, and it’s no big deal - then one day it’s like – wow! That’s beautiful!
I was sitting at Jazzy Bagel, downtown Gresham, writing this part of the sermon and looked out the window to see Christmas lights on the trees down Main Street and thought, wow, how beautiful.
- “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
That creates some curiosity, so the disciples ask when will all this take place - when will you set up your Kingdom here on earth. In verse 6, Jesus begins to answer them by saying - Verse 6 - “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” Deception is a big factor prior to His return. Then Jesus goes into a discourse of what the End Times will be like - the nations will be pawns of evil spirits and they will persecute Christians.
That creates some curiosity, so the disciples ask when will all this take place - when will you set up your Kingdom here on earth. In verse 6, Jesus begins to answer them by saying
Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.
Deception is a big factor prior to His return. Then Jesus goes into a discourse of what the End Times will be like - the nations will be pawns of evil spirits and they will persecute Christians.
Deception is a big factor prior to His return. Then Jesus goes into a discourse of what the End Times will be like - the nations will be pawns of evil spirits and they will persecute Christians.
Jump to verse
Mark 13:24-32
“But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
“But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
I’m going to insert
“But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light (A prophetic reference to Oregon); 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ This is probably a description of smoke and ash from war and volcanoes blocking the sky. 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
for a moment – Jesus said, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life (it’s going to be bad, and many will give in to despair, and think He’s not coming back, and give up on the faith, and join in with the rest of the wrold), and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Let me give you three thoughts for this Advent season – We as followers of Jesus Christ should …
I’m going to insert for a moment – Jesus said, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life (it’s going to be bad, and many will give in to despair, and think He’s not coming back, and give up on the faith, and join in with the rest of the wrold), and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Let me give you three thoughts for this Advent season – We as followers of Jesus Christ should …
1) Anticipate the Coming of Christ
At the first Advent, Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into the world, but not fully. His ministry was centered around the idea that the Kingdom of God was near, and that all people are to repent, turn from sin and believe the good news, that Jesus came to save sinners, to reconcile humanity to God and to set the captive free from the kingdom of darkness. That’s what happens when people believe and trust in Jesus as Lord - the are delivered from the kingdom of darkness and enter the Kingdom of Light.
So, through Christ, God inaugurated the arrival of His Kingdom, but more in the spiritual sense. So, God’s Kingdom is now present in our world, but it has yet to fully arrive. And we as believers are to anticipate the coming Kingdom of God, when He will establish His throne on earth for ever and ever.
The end times are not to be a time of hanging our heads down in gloom and despair, or living in fear - Jesus said
,
When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
“When these things begin to take place, stand up (straighten up) and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
We are to joyfully anticipate our redemption - the second Advent of our King!
We are to joyfully anticipate our redemption - the second Advent of our King!
Jesus says, “Watch! Be alert! Look for! Anticipate the blessed hope of His appearing!”
What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace.
When he takes me by the hand, and leads me through the promised land,
What a day, a glorious day that will be.
We as followers of Jesus Christ should …
2) Evaluate False Christs
As I said earlier, the main concern of Jesus was not the oohs and ahhs of dates and signs of the End, but rather that His followers would remain faithful to God and the Faith. He repeatedly says, “Be careful. Stay alert. Do not be deceived!”
He said there will be many false messiahs, and they will perform signs and wonders and miracles with the intent of deceiving the world - especially God’s people. Why would Jesus give us this warning? Because He knows how easily we can be led astray.
Going to church is great, saying you believe in God is great, but it’s not enough to prevent you from being deceived. Paul wrote to believers in Colossae and said,
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
And as His second coming approaches, whether it’s 5 or 500 years from now, the forces of evil will ramp it up and do everything within their power to deceive God’s people and keep unbelievers blind.
And as His second coming approaches, whether it’s 5 or 500 years from now, the forces of evil will ramp it up and do everything within their power to deceive God’s people and keep unbelievers blind.
The only way to stand firm and not be deceived is to know the truth. And to know the truth, you need to know Jesus, because He is the way, the truth and the life. And if you know Jesu, you’ll know the Father (). You also need to know the Holy Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Truth and will guide us to all truth (). And, you need to know and meditate upon God’s Word, because His Word is truth ().
If you don’t know the real God, the real Savior, the real Spirit and the real Word ….
Lastly, we as followers of Jesus Christ should … anticipate, evaluate and …
3) Participate in the Kingdom of Christ
It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Jesus is saying, “Look, I’m leaving for a while, and while I’m gone, my servants are in charge and they have work to do. So … get busy.”
Jesus is saying, “Look, I’m leaving for a while, and while I’m gone, my servants are in charge and they have work to do. So … get busy.”
Busy doing what? We are His servants, and we are called to be salt and light; to be witness of Christ to the ends of the earth; to make disciples as we go along; we are called to use our spiritual gifts and natural talents to help build the Body of Christ; we are to be image bearers of God and to proclaim the gospel of salvation.
The Advent season is a celebration of His birth, but it’s also an expectation of His return. And because of that, the gospel is serious business. So, here’s the question - how are you and I participating in Kingdom work? How are you and I helping to advance the Kingdom of Christ in our world?
CONCLUSION
The day of the Lord is not to be feared for us but embraced in the ways we live now. We move forward in expectation, in hope, knowing that our work is not in vain and that, despite our temporary sufferings, despite hardship and pain, despite overwhelming evil and suffering, we work for the kingdom of God now. But we also work for the kingdom of God to come, in hopeful expectation that Christ will return, that this too shall be made right, and that our question “How long, O Lord, must we wait?” will be answered, “No longer!” as the Master of the house comes and makes all things right.