What if Christ Came Tomorrow?

So, Last fall I went to a young clergy conference in Maryland but while we were there we also got to go to D.C. and it was a great time.

The conference was good to

Like many small towns, Buchanan has one of everything: One library. One post office. One McDonalds—we didn’t get that until more recent years. One Pizza Hut. One small grocery store. And one cemetery. The cemetery is located on the west end of town, just off the main street that runs all the way through town.

In the middle of that cemetery is a remarkable monument. You can’t miss it. It’s up just a little bit elevated in the cemetery. It’s approximately twelve feet high, and it was erected in 1876 by a wealthy, local landowner named Joseph Coveney. He built it as a tribute to himself and his beliefs. Twenty-three years later, after building this monument in 1897, Coveney was buried at the same location.

But while we were in D.C. we were at the Lincoln monument and there was a street preacher standing on the curb yelling about how Christ was coming back on this specific date (probably should of paid attention to the date)

but at one point he was starting at our group telling us how we need to repent because Christ is coming back on this date.

Joseph Coveney was a radical free thinker. He was an admirer and follower of Thomas Paine, Robert Ingersoll, and Voltaire—you may remember that name, the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher who was known for his attacks on Christianity. All these men were noted infidels. And in an article written the day after his death, the New York Times referred to Coveney as “one of the most noted infidels in the United States.” And he lived just down the road from where we’re meeting today.

and I don’t know if he knew he was talking to a group of pastors, but we just kept walking ,

Coveney openly blasphemed the Christian faith throughout his life. He would often drive a pair of beautiful white carriage horses into Buchanan from his farm. One horse he named “Jesus Christ,” and the other he named “The Virgin Mary.” As he rode through town, he would call out their names loudly, and he swear at them. He was just a profane man.

But you know despite this guy being a little intense and his theology being a little off and not preaching the Gospel message very well.

And this marble monument in the Buchanan cemetery is entitled “A Free Thinker’s Monument.” It’s filled with inscriptions on all four sides, carved into the stone. Most of them are sacrilegious. And these are inscriptions which Coveney chose to express his religion. Here are some of those, for example:

One says:

he did engrave a question in my head of what would I do if I knew Christ was coming back tomorrow?

Because whenever we get asked this question often times we think of someone like a street preacher who is a little crazy.

But what is actually a great thing is that Christ is coming back! We have no idea when but He is coming back.

And I think its important to ask ourselves what would I do if Christ came back tomorrow?

How would it change how I am living now?

Nature is the true god; science the true religion.

Another says:

How would it impact the way

Would I live the same or would it change me?

And if you were with us last week you will remember we were talking about trusting God with our worry and anxiety.

and really how we can trust God with our worry and anxiety because Christ is right there with us through the storm of life.

but its also because our hope is in the coming kingdom of Christ.

and really because of these two reasons we should live our lives differently.

Because when we allow God to be part of our life, and to walk through those storms it should change us.

but We also should be changed because we have this future hope that Christ is going to return.

It would be like those of us who aren’t retired, we know we need to save for retirement because we know there is going to be a say where we want to retire and that should impact how we live now.

But today we are going to be looking at this passage found in and the passage is a little long so stick with me through it

But we are talking about how us knowing that Christ will return should impact our lives.

Because Christ calls us to live a certain way and really to live a life devoted to Him, and if we know He is coming back at some point (could be today, could be tomorrow, could be another 2000 years or more) but knowing that Christ is coming back should change how we are living today.

The more priests; the more poverty. The more religion; the more lying. The more saints; the more hypocrites.

So turn with me to it says:

And this one:

(NIV)

Christianity began with a dream; and ended with a murder.

Watchfulness

But perhaps the saddest inscription on the monument is this one, added after his death:

12:35,36pp—; 12:39,40; 42–46pp—

He died as he had lived, a disbeliever in the Bible, God, and the Christian religion.

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

In fact, on his deathbed, his son and his daughter begged him to renounce his beliefs and to ask God for His forgiveness, but the ninety-two-year-old dying man replied in a whisper, “Die as I lived—I disbelieve in God, the Bible, and the Christian religion.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

Well, a couple hundred yards away, in the same cemetery, is another marker. This one is much simpler and smaller. It marks the grave of a man named Del Fehsenfeld, Jr. Del is the founder of Life Action Ministries, as I’ve said, the parent ministry of Revive Our Hearts. We’re sitting today in the National Ministry Center that’s the headquarters of Life Action and Revive Our Hearts, founded by this man.

42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

I had the privilege of serving under his leadership for ten years during my twenties, and I had a close friendship with Del and his wife Judy and their five children. (And with Judy and the children and their children to this day.)

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

In 1989, at the age of forty-two, Del was diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumor. Seven months later, on a cold winter day in November, we stood in that cemetery and watched as Del’s body was laid to rest in the earth.

So like I mentioned this passage is talking about Christ coming back and it tells us that we need to be ready for it.

Now, Joseph Coveney and Del Fehsenfeld, Jr. both had a message burning in their heart. Both of them devoted their lives to proclaiming that message. And both of them died as they had lived. But the contrast between these two men could not be more stark.

because like I said Christ is going to come back and we don’t know when.

These two markers in Buchanan’s Oak Ridge Cemetery are a graphic picture of two very different belief systems, two very different world views, two very different kingdoms, and two men who lived and died in very different ways. And how unlike Coveney’s dying words were those uttered by Del.

but also when we accept

and that should impact the way we are living today.

During his final weeks on earth, his seizures became more intense and more frequent from the brain tumor, but throughout that, Del enjoyed an unusual, intimate communion with the Lord.

and the very first way that this passage tells us we should be ready for Christ return is first off that we should be dressed for service.

I had the privilege of spending many hours with his family in their home during those weeks. And one afternoon, a day or so before Del slipped into unconsciousness for the final time—he was hospitalized—but just before that, I was sitting near his hospital bed while he seemed to be sleeping. But all of a sudden, without opening his eyes, he began to pray.

and Jesus actually talks about masters going out to a wedding and some people (including myself) get a little upset over how big weddings are today,

Now, it had become really difficult for him to speak by this time, so his words were soft. They were barely intelligible. But I will tell you this: They were unforgettable. And as far as I know, these were the last words that Del Fehsenfeld spoke on this earth, and here’s what he said:

But biblical weddings were on an entire different level, because they could last over a week and really there wasn’t really a set time for them to end, they just kept going.

Lord, please bring back Your glory to Your Church. Send the fire. Turn the hearts of Your people. May they know that You alone are God.

so when someone would go to a wedding there was no telling how long they would be gone.

A few days ago, Robert and I drove over to the Buchanan Oak Ridge Cemetery where these two men are buried. We stood by that tall, stone monument erected by Joseph Coveney, decades before his death, proudly proclaiming his disbelief in God. But you know, with the passing of time, the beliefs inscribed on that monument have become worn by the wind, snow, rain, and much of the text is no longer readable.

or when they would come back.

And then we drove to the back side of the cemetery and stood by another, much less prominent gravestone. A memorial to a modern-day Enoch. A man whose godly influence will live and will not be weathered by time. It will live on till Jesus returns. And here’s what that grave marker says:

so it tells the servants that while the master is gone they should be prepared for the master

Del Fehsenfeld, Jr.

The house should be clean, at night they should have the lamp or front porch light should be on and the servants should be ready to greet the master.

(1947–1989)

You know when me and my brother were kids our mom would go out and she would leave us with a list of chores to do.

Founder, Life Action Ministries

and some of you have meant my mom, and you know she is a talker.

He knew God. He loved God. He walked with God. He believed God. He lived and died For the glory of God

So when she goes out there is no telling how long it will take her to get home.

but me and my brother had to make sure that all of the chores on the list were done before she got home and if we diden’t we were in pretty big trouble.

and a lot of times we would see how long we could push our luck and often times we wouldn’t be ready.

But this is what the first part of this passage is telling us.

Its saying live a life where you are constantly serving God.

where every part of your life is in His will.

And if you are around me often I probably sound like a broken record because I am always talking about this. but you know why?

because it is really important.

because the God want’s us to be all in for him.

because there are times where we are going to be tempted and if we are not all in for God then it will be easy for us to drift further and further away from Christ, until we don’t even want anything to do with Him.

And look at the next part of this passage beginning in verse 42 because it talks about two servants one who does what the Master ask and one who does not.

Both of these servants know what the Master has asked them to do, but only one of them listens and the other ends up straying away partying, getting drunk and when the Master comes home he isn’t happy.

But I think this tells a lot to us because most of us know what Jesus is calling us to do, and what He is calling us not to do.

but we have to decide which way we want to live.

Are we living a life like the

You know this past week I found a brochure that talked about two different men who are actually buried in the cemetery across the street.

The first persons name was Joseph Coveney who was a wealthy land owner in the 1870s and he was a strong atheist and in 1876 he actually built this huge monument that was 12 feet tall and paid tribute to himself and his beliefs and the monument has inscribed different negative remarks about Christianity

there were reports of him naming his horses Jesus and the virgin Mary and he would swear at them while riding down the street.

The New York Times actually referred to him as one of the most noted infidels (being people against Christianity) in the United States.

In fact, on his deathbed, his son and his daughter begged him to renounce his beliefs and to ask God for His forgiveness, but the ninety-two-year-old dying man replied in a whisper, “Die as I lived—I disbelieve in God, the Bible, and the Christian religion.”

And he was buried by that monument

But there was actually another man this brochure talked about a man named Del Fehsenfeld and he was actually the founder of life action ministries which is an amazing group that is just down the road from us,

Buchanan, Michigan, is the home of Life Action Ministries, which is the parent ministry of Revive Our Hearts, and the Revive Our Hearts team is based here as well. And, in many ways, Buchanan is your average, all-American, small town.

but Del lived to serve God and his life reflected it and in 1989 at the age of 42 He was diagnosed with brain cancer and through all the issues that came along with the cancer He trusted God.

and 7 months later though he passed away listen to what was written on his tomb stone:

Del Fehsenfeld, Jr.

(1947–1989)

Founder, Life Action Ministries

He knew God. He loved God. He walked with God. He believed God. He lived and died For the glory of God

You know both of these men knew who God was, but they acted very differently.

Luke 12:35–48 NIV

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Buchanan, Michigan, is the home of Life Action Ministries, which is the parent ministry of Revive Our Hearts, and the Revive Our Hearts team is based here as well. And, in many ways, Buchanan is your average, all-American, small town.

We have a choice where we can either serve God or run away and live a life rebeling against him.

because Christ is coming but we need to decide will I be faithful to Him in my life.

And the story I shared was pretty extreme, but

are we glorifying God in what we do?

Is our conversation glorifying toward God

Is what we post on social media glorifying toward God?

And if we are not sure we need to ask God to search our heart and see if what we are doing is brining Glory to Him.

You know look at the end of verse 48 because this passage ends this way saying “everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”

God has given us different things, to some of us it might be resources, for some of us we are someone with a great personality, for some of us we might be able to dive into God’s word and teach it,

But regardless of what it is that God has gifted us with when God blesses us with something He wants us to use it for His glory.

If your parent gives you a quarter to buy milk (I know milks not a quarter anymore) but when they do that are you going to use what was given to you to buy milk or use what was given to you and spend it on candy?

And that is a really simple illustration but theres truth to it in our relationship with Christ.

Are we going to be faithful with what God has given us, or are we going to do our own thing.

We have to choose which servant we want to be today. Do we want to be the servant that does his own thing or do we want to be the one that was faithful to His master.

because Christ is going to come back or we are going to die, and there is probably going to be a little rock that tells our legacy on it

and I don’t know about you but I want that tombstone to read something like: “He knew God. He loved God. He walked with God. He believed God. He lived and died For the glory of God”

Will you pray with me?