The Light at the End of the Tunnel

WHY EVEN BOTHER?

It’s hard to believe the semester is already almost over! Today is December 1st! That’s crazy talk. Speaking of this semester though...

How many of you have learned a lot from this semester of youth group?....

Okay. Now how many of you have been encouraged by what you’ve been learning?… How many of you have been discouraged by what you’ve been learning?

My goal today is to be a source of encouragement, not discouragement. Lord willing, you’ll all leave here challenged, but ultimately encouraged by what the Bible says is one of the main things that should drive everything we do in the Christian life: the imminent return of King Jesus… the imminent return of King Jesus.

Why do these things even matter though? Why bother ourselves with the return of Jesus? Why should we actively use up our precious brain space on the reality that Jesus is coming back? For this very reason: how we think about the end times drives how we live in the present time… how we think about the end times drives how we live in the present time. More on that in a moment.

We all have to admit: the culture we live in has influenced us in many ways… often, in a lot more ways than we may think. For example:

Our culture champions the idea that we should eat, drink, and do whatever we want in life because we’re gonna die anyway. But that goes completely against - we as the creation are required to be holy because God the Creator is holy.

Our culture tells us that you can be any gender you wanna be, and that there are no distinctions between male and female. However, according to God, there are sharp distinctions between male and female, not in form, but in function. See and .

We could go all day with examples like these, but the point is this: It’s foolish of us to act like none of the pushes of the culture affect us, at least a little bit. If you spend time in the world and spend a lot of time around worldly things, the result is that there’s a high chance you’re gonna be worldly too!

Here’s the problem with that: worldly and godly don’t go together… worldly and godly don’t go together. tells us that “friendship with the world is enmity with God.” Enmity. Hatred. Intense conflict. We can all admit that that’s kind of like a big deal.

So we don’t want to be friends with the world because it’s evil. God hates it.

Our culture also preaches that instant gratification is so much better than delayed gratification. Quick thrills and happiness highs, they say, are what we should spend the rest of our lives chasing after. This idea right here is what I want to camp on with our time today.

If you and me are honest with each other, that last one is hard for us to handle… especially us young people. We don’t like waiting for anything!

But some of you may be saying, “But Mr. Matt! I’m so patient! I’m content just waiting on the Lord.” Oh really? Allow me to give you a checklist to help you see whether or not you struggle with waiting for things.

Do you find it easier to play video games than to read a book? You probably struggle with instant gratification.

If your parents aren’t making you do it, do you have trouble sticking with a commitment longer than 2 weeks? Longer than a month? Longer than a year? Then you probably struggle in this area.

Or, do you tend to spend your money as soon as you get it? Or are you saver? And if you do save your money, do you spend it on things that’ll be helpful in life long-term, or things that don’t have much value past tomorrow? Past this week? Past this year? If that’s you, then you probably struggle with instant gratification.

There’s a ton more examples just like these, but you get the point. Why should you care? Simply for this reason: that type of thinking bleeds into your spiritual life.

A penchant for instant gratification can absolutely ruin your spiritual life. It’s hard to keep fighting your way through a tunnel when you can’t see the light at the end of it, and the Christian life is often like that. Our problem is that in our wordly minds, we think the light should be here right now rather than coming soon. I want to show you that the Light is a lot closer than you think, and how you react to that truth will be one of the most important things you ever do in the Christian life.

My topic today is on the Rapture and the Second Coming. There’s a lot of different ways we can approach that, and I thought about quite a few of them. However, I chose a passage today that we don’t really associate with the Rapture or the Second Coming, but actually, in context, deals with both topics in content and context.

Turn in your Bibles, if you will, to , verses 3-4. Here in , Paul provides two truths to cling to when discouragement has hit you: life in Christ has come, and life with Christ is coming. Can I get someone to read? Start in verse 1 and go thru 4.

Colossians 3:3–4 ESV

3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

LIFE IN CHRIST HAS COME ()

INTERPRETATION

Here in verse 3, we find the first truth to cling to when discourage hits you: life in Christ has come… life in Christ has come. Notice what Paul says at the beginning of the verse:

“For you have died...”

Context: Paul is writing this letter to the church in Colossae, who are a mighty fine group of young believers. They’ve been growing, they’ve been learning, but they’ve got one problem on their hands: an up-and-coming false teacher in their midst. So, Paul wrote this letter to them in order to:

1) remind them of the wisdom of the true gospel,

2) reveal to them the folly of any false gospel,

and 3) remind them to show the fruit of the true gospel.

is the opening act for part 3 of the letter. In verses 1-2, Paul gives the commands that should be the overarching drivers in the Christian life, and in verses 3-4, Paul gives the reason why we should obey those commands that should drive the Christian life. We’ll come back to the imperatives later, but I want to camp out for now on the indicatives.

Back to the first phrase in verse 3. “You have died” is all one word in the Greek. It’s in the aorist tense, which in this case, means that this action already took place. It’s also an indicative verb, which means that this is simple fact.

EXPLANATION

But when Paul says, “You have died”, he’s not talking about a physical death here, is he? The death he’s speaking of us is spiritual. Look back a couple of verses at chapter 2, verse 20 -

“If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world...”

That’s in reference to the basic things of this earth. The principles of this earth. The rules and ways of this world. The evil and wicked mindset, principles, and values of the world. What Paul is saying is this: “If you’re a believer, then guess what? You have died to the things below! You have died to your sin!”

Romans 6:2 ESV

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

IMPLICATION

So let’s think through this a little bit. A natural implication we can draw here is that in order to see the Light at the end of the tunnel of the Christian life, you have to actually be a Christian first. Paul had confidence in the faith of the Colossians, and that’s evident from his praise of them back in . But do you have confidence in your faith?

If so, for what reason? Paul was confident in the faith of the Colossians because of their faith, hope and love.

Colossians 1:3–5 ESV

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Col. 1:3-5

Is that what the spiritual leaders in your life have to say about you?

And if you don’t have confidence in your faith, then why? We just heard from that assurance is readily available for a believer. However, it requires holiness. True believers live lives that are markedly different from their lives before. In what way? The fruit of their lives is no longer worldly but otherworldly. Check yourselves with . And if your life is absent of what that passage calls otherworldly fruit, then you may still be of this world and not of the Word.

INTERPRETATION

Back to the text. Look at what Paul says next in -

“… your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

The construction here is very interesting for a few reasons. One is that the verb “hidden” is in the perfect tense! What does that even mean? Basically, it means that this is a completed action that has ongoing results. A second reason is that this verb is in the passive voice. That means that the Colossians didn’t do it… it was done to them.

And where is the location of their lives now? with Christ. Where exactly is Christ? Look back at verse 1 - “seated at the right hand of God.” And, in what realm are the lives of the Colossians hidden? In God. Let me break that down just a bit.

EXPLANATION

The significance of this is massive! In what way? Remember - Paul just said that true believers have died to their sins and the ways of the world. And that death was a spiritual death, wasn’t it? So - by extension - this life Paul is referring to is their spiritual lives… their spiritual lives.

They died through repentance of their sins. They now live with Christ on high through the work of God Himself. Absolutely crazy! Paul’s saying to the Colossians, “If you’re a believer, you’ve died to your old self and your old ways! Your lives are now hidden with Christ on high!”

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

IMPLICATION

The Colossians would’ve been challenged to start thinking more eternally-minded when they read this. More specifically, they would’ve been challenged to start thinking about what having an eternal mindset really looks like. That same challenge is to us today as well!

I know it’s popular to say that our views on things like the end times don’t matter. That doctrines like these are just secondary, minor things. That where you land on these kind of doctrines has zero bearing on your life. Quite the contrary! I said it before and I’ll say it again: how we think about the end times drives how we live in the present time.

Why do I say that? Well, just think about it for a second - it makes sense, doesn’t it? We don’t really do things when we don’t know “why”, right? Some of you clever ones might try to say now, “So does that mean I shouldn’t obey my parents if they don’t explain why?” Nope, says that children must obey their parents without question so that thought doesn’t fly. What I am saying is that we don’t like to do things if we know it’s going to end up an absolute disaster. That’s not any fun and it’s not enjoyable for anybody!

The Christian life is the same way. Paul says so in , like Mr. Jim’s been teaching on in the morning class. By the way, if you’re not in on that, get in on that. Make your parents take you. You’re missing out on a lot of great instruction on how to live life in the church God’s way and how not to live life in the church from that letter, so if you’re serious about the Christian life, be there!

Anyways. In , Paul says that if the Bible is a sham, if this Christian stuff is a joke, then all of this is pointless! We’re wasting our time and our lives. But we know that’s not the case though, is it friends? Far from a sham! This is fact. And it’s fact that if you’re a believer, your life is currently hidden with Christ in heaven at the right hand of God and will be until He returns. Isn’t that awesome? We can draw a few implications from that, can’t we?

We can draw a few implications from that, can’t we? One is that

One is that if Col. 3:3 is true, then if believers die before Jesus comes back, their lives are still hidden with Him. That means our loved ones, if they were believers, aren’t lost! Matter of fact, they’re where I wanna be! They’re currently with the Lord Himself! Listen to .

John 14:19 ESV

19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Another implication is that if this verse is true, then His return is yet to come. This brings us to the second truth to cling to when discouragement hits you: life in Christ is coming… life in Christ is coming. Look at verse 4 now.

Colossians 3:4 ESV

4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

LIFE IN CHRIST IS COMING ()

INTERPRETATION

Notice the first part of verse 4:

“When Christ who is your life appears...”

The best way to understand “appears” here is “to become revealed, or exposed publicly.” Two things are important to notice about this word:

1) it’s in the aorist tense. We saw that earlier! This means that it’s an action that’s already been completed, right? Wrong! Christ hasn’t been revealed yet, so this can’t be past tense. Sadly, language isn’t quite that simple! Which leads us to the second important thing about this verb:

2) it’s in the subjunctive mood. Now - does this mean that Jesus “might” return? Welp. That’s a scary thought. Of course not! This is as certain a thing as certain gets. So why in the world did Paul write this verb in the aorist tense and the subjunctive mood? Because of the word at the beginning of verse 4: “When.”

EXPLANATION

You see, it’s in the subjunctive mood, not because there’s doubt about whether or not Jesus will come back, but since Paul is stating something that is to come as a result of a specific event, he has to use the subjunctive mood, or else he’d be stating something as a past tense fact that indeed has not actually happened yet.

Thus, internal proof that in fact, Jesus has not come back yet, but He most certainly will, like Paul talks about elsewhere in .

Thus, internal proof that in fact, Jesus has not come back yet, but He most certainly will, like Paul talks about elsewhere in .

But in order to fully understand the first part of this statement in verse 4, we have to look at the rest of what Paul wrote:

“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

IMPLICATION

FSFS

INTERPRETATION

Notice that the same word comes up again, but in the future tense: “will appear.” If you’re an ESV user, think of this as to be revealed rather than to appear. Why? Because of the last two words in verse 4: “in glory.”

“When Christ who is your life appears...”

EXPLANATION

The emphasis here is not on the fact that Jesus is coming back. That’s already a given. The emphasis here is on the fact that when Jesus comes back, the Colossians will 100% guaranteed to be revealed in glory with Him when He returns! Paul’s basically saying, “Colossians! You have died to the world, you have life in Christ, and you will be revealed with Him when He returns!”

2 Timothy 4:8 ESV

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Hebrews 9:8 ESV

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing

1 John 2:28 ESV

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

IMPLICATION

This is the Light at the end of the tunnel. Why do we do all we do in the Christian life? Why battle sin? Why resist the temptations of the world, our flesh, and the devil? Because when Jesus comes back, we will reign with Him!

But notice something interesting here. Look back at again.

What does it say? “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

What’s interesting about that is that it means when He appears, we will appear to in full glory. But, that means we previously had to have not appeared… Meaning, we are already with Him by the time He appears.... Meaning, believers will be raptured before He returns.

Ungodly amounts of ink and unkind words have been spilled over what I just said, believe it or not! I’m of the opinion though that many of our debates and battles about the Bible would be solved if we actually consulted the Bible when we get into arguments with one another. Case in point here - as a church, we hold to the belief that believers will be raptured before the Tribulation period that takes place from . Why? Because that’s what the Bible says!

For the sake of time, we’re not going to trace that throughout Revelation right now, but if you want a homework assignment, I personally challenge you here today to prove us wrong if you disagree. Here’s your assignment:

Go read the book of Revelation, all 22 chapters, and show me where the church is after chapter 3. The apostle John receives a message from Jesus Himself to give to the seven churches in Asia Minor in , and then starting in , the scene shifts to heaven before chronicling the restoration of national Israel and the return of King Jesus in the rest of the book. If I were a betting man, I’d put money down that you won’t find the church anywhere between chapters 5-19. Why? Because believers will have already been caught up to be with the Lord! This isn’t my opinion. The apostle Paul said so himself! Listen to what he’s got to say in .

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 ESV

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

So why does any of this matter? Why should you even care that I took 5 minutes just now to spell out a quick overview of the Rapture? Because of what Paul just said in verse 18:

“Encourage one another with these words.”

The Christian life is full of hardship. Anyone who says that the Christian life is the key to living your best life now is a liar at best, and a spiritual slave trader at worst. tells us that Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Jesus Himself told His disciples (and all believers by extension) in that because He chose us out of the world, the world hates us. They persecuted Him, so they will inevitably persecute us. And then in , He says that the hour is coming when whoever kills us will think he is offering service to God. Sobering words. The cost of discipleship is very, very steep.

So why be a Christian? Why walk with Christ? Why count the cost of discipleship? Why pick up your cross daily and follow Jesus? Because of what we’ve seen in - the hope that is to come. Future glory. Eternal life. Forever with God, in sinless perfection, in the unending presence of our Good Shepherd, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, & Prince of Peace - Faithful and True is His Name, .

WHY WE BOTHER!

So all in all, showed us two truths to cling to when discouragement has hit you. The first, from verse 3, was that life in Christ has come. The second, from verse 4, was that life in Christ is coming.

Now, the beauty of Scripture is that indicatives usually never show up without imperatives, and this passage is no different. So what are we to do in response to these sweet truths about the return of King Jesus? If you’re thinking, “That was cool, but what am I supposed to do with all of this?”, then this is for you. Before we go to small groups, I want to leave you with two keys, two keys to living in light of Christ’s return. Look at for a moment.

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

1) STRIVE AFTER THE THINGS ABOVE.

.... Strive after the things above. What are the things above? The things of Christ! The things of heaven!

This verb “Seek” here in verse 1 is strong. The sense is to strive after something. It’s hard work. It’s labor! You may be thinking, “That doesn’t sound very fun, Mr. Matt.” Au contraire, as the French would say! Look at what Paul says at the beginning of verse 1:

“If then you have been raised with Christ...”

This isn’t optional if you’re a believer. If you’re really saved, then as a pattern of your life, you will seek the things of heaven. So we all must ask ourselves this question: “Am I heavenly-focused?” Here’s a few ways to know.

What do you pursue more? Career growth or spiritual growth?

How are you at church or at home? Are you serving yourself or serving others?

What do you spend more time on? Biblical truth or social media news feeds?

Those are just a few quick things, but that list is hardly exhaustive. The moral of the story is this: Take an inventory of what you spend your time on and what you spend your energy working on and towards. If Jesus came back today, would those pursuits be of any value or not?

2) SET YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS ABOVE.

… Set your mind on the things above. Notice the command in verse 2:

“Set your mind on the things above...”

Are the things of heaven what occupy your thinking? Or the things of this world? If it’s the latter, than read the rest of the verse:

“not on the things of the earth.”

Yikes! I got rebuked just reading that. Friends, if we’re honest, what is the ratio of worldly to Wordly thoughts in our minds? Part of the reason we struggle so much to focus on eternal things is because we fill our minds with garbage!

Sure, we may not be watching things that are totally inappropriate, but do we have a category for media that’s anti-Christian? Do we have a category for thinking critically about the things we take in on a regular basis? For example:

Do we think critically about things like movies? Disney movies might not be rated R, but do we see that mostly every one of their movies celebrates rebellion against authority and following the desires of your heart above all else? Now I’m the farthest thing from anti-Disney, my favorite movie is Lion King, but do we even have a biblical filter for these things?

Do we think critically about things like social media? Instagram might be a great tool for sharing your latest vacation with your friends, but do we see that far too often, it becomes a platform for us to flaunt our appearance, feed our vanity by fishing for compliments, and wallow in self-pity when we see others who are prettier than us or have more friends than us? Again, do we have a biblical filter for these things?

The cure is to set your mind on the things above. Let me encourage all of our hearts with .

Philippians 4:8 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if that’s how all of us set our minds on? So let’s put off the things of this world, renew our minds with the truth about holiness in God’s people, and put on the deeds of righteousness by setting our minds on the things of heaven and living in light of the return of King Jesus, right? Let’s pray.