07.24.22 - Mark 13:32-37

Open your Bibles to Mark 13:32-37.  •We’re continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark.  •This morning we come to the end of Mark’s record of the Olivet Discourse.  •It has been a great time of learning and encouragement as we consider this great prophecy of our Lord. And I believe this morning will be the same.  Today we come to a hinge point in the OD.  •Throughout vv2-31, Jesus has been focused on the time leading up to and immediately following the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in AD70.  •But now, a new subject appears in the Discourse.  •In v32, our Lord transitions to a new topic: His Bodily Return at the end of history.  •And He tells His disciples in all ages that His Return will be unexpected. He says plainly that nobody can know when He will return in glory and judgment.  •But He does indeed affirm that He will come again.  And, in light of that, our Lord exhorts His People to watchfulness in His closing words. •He tells us to “stay awake.” •He commands us to live always in expectation and anticipation of His coming again. •He commands us to live in such a way that, if He were to return tomorrow, we would be prepared and unashamed to see Him come.  If I could summarize the text, I would put it this way: •Our Lord is telling us, “You don’t know when I’m coming. So always live as to be prepared for my coming.” •We are to live in the hope and expectation that one day Jesus will Return for His Church.  •And so, we are to live so as to be unashamed when He comes. We are to live in such a way that we would be prepared to meet Him.  •That is the focus of the text. And I hope to expound on that and be a blessing to you all this morning as we look to the Word of God together.  If you would and are able, please stand with me for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  Mark 13:32-37 [32] “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  [33] Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.  [34] It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.  [35] Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— [36] lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  [37] And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (PRAY) Our Great God and Father,  Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. In the Scriptures there are untold treasures.  In your Word, you reveal glory to us. You teach us about yourself, your will, and your ways.  But we are too spiritually dull to receive even the most glorious truth without your help.  And so, we ask that, by your Spirit, you would teach us this morning. Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to receive your Word with all faith and love.  Grant that we would understand your Word. And with that understanding that we would love, worship, revere, and obey you.  Grant to us a sight of our Lord Jesus in the text today so that we might be blessed and changed.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) As I said in the introduction, our passage this morning introduces a new subject.  [32] “But concerning that day or that hour •This is the transition text in Mark’s account of the OD.  •And I want to prove to you that our Lord is no longer speaking of the destruction of the Temple but has now begun to speak about His Bodily Return at the end of the age.  The first thing I want to address is why Jesus would begin to speak of His Return at this point in the Discourse.  •In Matthew’s account, the disciples ask about the Return of Christ.  •Matthew 24:3 says, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” •In Matthew’s account, the disciples reveal that they believe the destruction of the Temple would coincide with the end of the age/history and the Return of Christ (His “coming”).  •You see, common Jewish belief of the time was that the Temple would last until the end of the world. So when the disciples asked about the Temple’s destruction, it’s pretty safe to assume they believed the end of time would come when it was destroyed.  •Again, Matthew’s parallel records them asking about the “end of the age” alongside the destruction of the Temple.  •Clearly, the disciples associated the destruction of the Temple with the end of the world.  •And so, it makes sense that Jesus now begins to speak of His Return at the end of history.  •Though in reality the two aren’t immediately related, in the minds of the disciples they were. And so, Jesus begins to speak about His Return and correct their misunderstanding. Now, why doesn’t Mark record the disciples’ question about the end of the age? •Only God knows.  •It’s possible that Matthew was written first and Mark is giving the shorter summary.  •But regardless, we know that the disciples did indeed ask about the Return of Christ at the end of the age.  •And I believe that Mark’s own record bears enough evidence to show that Jesus has switched to that topic.  •I want to show you some of that evidence now.  1. V31 seems to be a conclusion. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” •There is finality to the words of Jesus in that verse. And such finality fits if He has ceased speaking of one topic and is about to move on to another.  •If vv32-37 continue the same subject (the destruction of the Temple), then we would expect the kind of saying in v31 to be at the very end of the Discourse.  2. V32 begins with the phrase “But concerning.”  •In Greek, the phrase is “peri de.” •This is a common phrase in NT Greek that signals a switch in subjects.  •Jesus does this in Mark 12:26 when He is switching back to the subject of answering the Sadducees question about divorce:  •“And as for the dead being raised…” The phrase “Peri de” is at the beginning of that sentence. It signals that Jesus has changed subjects.  We see this phrase signaling a subject change in the Apostle Paul’s writings.  •In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a number of topics. And to signal a change he says “peri de.” •We read this in 1 Corinthians 7:1: “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote…” •7:25: “Now concerning the betrothed…” •8:1: “Now concerning food offered to idols…” •12:1: “Now concerning spiritual gifts…” Paul also does this in His letters to the Thessalonians. •1 Thess. 4:9: “Now concerning brotherly love…” •5:1: “Now concerning the times and seasons…” •And again in 2 Thess. 2:1: “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…” In light of this constant and common use of the phrase, I think it’s fair to say that a change in topic has occurred in the OD.  •Jesus says, “But concerning that day and that hour…” •So Jesus has begun to speak of something other than the destruction of the Temple in AD70.  3. In vv5-31 (the first section of the OD), we see Jesus referring to a plurality of DAYS (vv17, 19, 20, and 24).  •But in v32, there seems to be strong shift.  •Jesus begins to speak about “THAT DAY or THAT HOUR.”  •Jesus is now speaking of a singular day and time and not a general period of time.  •This kind of singular day language is often used in the Bible to refer to the Return of Christ.  •“The day, the great day, that day, and that hour” are all used in Scripture to refer to the end of history and consummation of all things at the Return of Christ.  •And Jesus has begun to speak of a single day. Therefore, I believe He is speaking of that great Day.  4. Notice the opportunity for flight in the first half of the Discourse.  •V14 says to run away when the Abomination of Desolation approaches so as to avoid judgment.  •But in vv32-37, there is a sudden and unannounced day that cannot be escaped by any.  5. See in vv5-31 how there are many signs and things that the disciples would witness taking place and how Jesus intends them to be signs.  •V29 says, “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” •There were to be signs that could be read concerning the initial subject of the Discourse.  •But in vv32-37, there are no signs at all. The day Jesus speaks of comes unexpectedly and without signs.  •Jesus has changed subjects. He is talking about His signless Return.  In light of all these things, I believe that we are more than justified in seeing a transition from one subject to another.  •And this fits perfectly with Matthew’s opening verses of the OD where the disciples ask about His coming at the end of the age.  •Jesus has now begun to speak of the end of all things. He has begun to speak of His Return in glory and judgment at the end of history.  2.) And as Jesus begins to speak about His Return, He first mentions the “unknowable-ness” of it.  [32] “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  •Jesus says that NO ONE KNOWS when He will come.  •No man knows. The angels do not know. And, at least at that point in time, not even Jesus Himself knew when He would return.  •Only God knew. Only God knows when Jesus will come again.  Now this poses a problem for some.  •They ask, “How is Jesus God if He doesn’t know something?”  •And that’s a question worth answering.  •The answer is fairly simple if you believe the Scriptures. But it is very, very mysterious.  •The answer is easy to say, but impossible to fully search out and understand completely.  You see, as we often confess, Jesus is truly God and truly man at the exact same time.  •And He has been so ever since He took on flesh, for us and for our salvation, at the Incarnation.  •The two natures, the divine nature and the human nature, are bound together in the one Person of Jesus Christ.  •In the Incarnation, God the Son took a true and full human nature to Himself.  •And these natures have been brought together in such a way that neither of them are blended, mixed, or confused with one another. And yet, they still abide in the one Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  •Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures.  The divine nature is unchanged because God cannot change.  •And the human nature is still truly human and not some kind of half-God/half-human hybrid.  •If that were not the case, and the two natures were blended in some way, then Jesus would not be able to be a Mediator for human beings like us. (Only a man can make atonement for sinful men. Only a man can represent men in covenant before God.) •But the Bible teaches that Jesus is our Substitute and Mediator and Covenant Head and, therefore, is truly human like we are, while also being God.  This is one of the deep things of our Faith that we cannot explain but can only affirm.  •And we affirm it because God has revealed it in His Word.  •The Bible affirms the true divinity of Christ. The Bible says that Jesus is indeed God.  •He is “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” as Titus 2:13 says. •And the Bible also affirms that Jesus is truly human.  •He was born, lived, ate, slept, suffered, wept, bled, and died for our sins. (Only a true human could do these things.) So then, in light of this, we must draw a conclusion from this text in Mark: •At least at this time in His earthly ministry, the divine nature of Christ that knows all because Jesus is God, did not communicate divine knowledge/omniscience to the human nature of Christ.  •Sometimes it did, as God willed.  •And sometimes it did not, as God willed.  •And at this time, it was not the will of God to communicate the time of the Return to the human nature of Jesus.  And, really, this shouldn’t shock us.  •Luke 2:52 openly says that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” •The Bible openly says that Jesus increased in wisdom. And knowledge is part of wisdom.  •That is, in His human nature, Jesus had to learn. His human nature is simply NOT omniscient, unless the divine nature reveals things to it. (Just like us.) •This text in Mark, among other things, is simply an affirmation that Jesus is truly human. He’s just like us in that regard.  •And with regard to His human nature, during the time of His humiliation on earth, He didn’t know all things.  Now, we confess that this is very mysterious: •In one nature Jesus knows all things because He is God. And in the other nature He did not know all things because He is truly human.  •That is a hard thing to understand. There is nothing like it anywhere. There is no analogy to give for it.  •But, nevertheless, we confess it to be true.  •And we confess also that this is the only way to understand the Scriptures in all that they affirm about Jesus on this point.  •And so, we humble ourselves before the mystery of the unity of natures in the one Person of Jesus Christ.  •We confess that He is truly human as well as truly God.  •And we marvel at the Person of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  NOTE: The deep things of God are meant to draw us to worship.  •So then, brothers and sisters, “Behold the mystery and wonder of God made flesh!” •We can affirm it because God has revealed it.  •But we will never fully understand it. Not even in eternity will we fully understand it.  •Our Lord Jesus is like none other.  •And the Incarnation of the Son of God is the greatest miracle of all time.  But, even with all that said, don’t miss the big point of Jesus’ words here: •Jesus says that NO ONE KNOWS when He will come again.  •That’s the major point of this verse. That’s the thrust of this portion of the Discourse.  •That’s what Jesus wants us to know more than anything in this verse.  •Nobody knows when Jesus will descend from Heaven in glory and in judgment.  NOTE: Let this be a great reminder to us that date-setting eschatologies are an abomination in the eyes of God.  •Anyone who says, “Jesus is coming at such-and-such a time” is a LIAR.  •They don’t know. They’re lying to you and they’re calling Jesus a liar in this text.  •Maybe they don’t see that’s what they’re doing. But, nevertheless, that’s what they’re doing.  •Jesus Christ has said that we CANNOT KNOW when He will return. And so, anything that even smells like date-setting for His Return is SIN.  •It is attempting to pry into things that God has openly declared in His Word are HIDDEN FROM MEN.  •It is to assume that sinful men can know something that the perfect man, Jesus Christ, did not know.  •And that, brothers and sisters, is blasphemy.  Now, hear me: We CAN SAY that the Bible teaches that certain things must first take place before Christ returns.  •The bringing in of the Jews into the Church and revivals throughout the world as a result must take place. (Romans 11) •The revelation of the Man of Sin must take place. (2 Thessalonians 2) •A great apostasy that leads right up to the Return must take place. (Revelation 20) •And maybe a couple of other things, too.  •BUT WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHEN HE WILL COME.  •And we do not know how quickly God may make those things happen in history.  •And we do not know how long those things will last before Jesus Christ comes again.  •In the words of a dear friend of mine, Fred Pugh, “I think we need to have some humility when it comes to our eschatology.” •But regardless of all of that, it is absolutely unknowable. Period.  •The Church cannot and will not ever know when Jesus will come again. Jesus says so in our text.  3.) And that, brothers and sisters, is why Jesus goes on to speak a parable and issue a command to all of His People through all ages until He comes: [33] Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. [34] It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.  [35] Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— [36] lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  [37] And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Jesus says that His Return can be compared to a man going on a journey.  •Jesus is the man. He is the Master of the House.  •And when the Master of the House goes away, He puts His servants in charge and assigns them all work to do until He comes back.  •In particular, He commands the doorkeeper to stay awake and await His return.  •Now, when the Master of the House goes away, He does not tell His servants when He will be back.  •He simply tells them that He will come back one day.  •Catch this: They do not know WHEN He will return, but His return is CERTAIN.  •He will most definitely come again to His house and servants.  Brothers and sisters, this is exactly what our Lord has done with His Church (His House). •He has ascended to Heaven. He has gone away for a time. And He has not told us when He will return.  •He has simply said, “I’m coming back someday.”  •And we believe Him, don’t we? •It is our BLESSED HOPE that He will one day return for His saints and to usher in glory.  •As Paul says in Titus 2:13, we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” We long for that Day.  •We long to see the sky crack, the clouds part, and our Lord descend from Heaven in glory “with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.” (1 Thess. 4:16) •We know that this will happen. And we long for it.  •We believe our Master when He says, “I will return.” Brothers and sisters, it is a SURE and CERTAIN truth that He will come again.  •Remember the blessed words of our Lord in the Gospel of John 14:1-3: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” •This is so glorious and beautiful to hear from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ.  •He says that He was going away to prepare a place for us.  •And He asks, “If that were not true, would I have told you so?”        •Brothers and sisters, surely He is not lying to us. He’s saying here, “I would never lie to you. I wouldn’t tell you that I’m making a place for you and then not do it. I love you. I would not lie to you.” •And then He says something glorious: He will come again and take us to Himself so that where He is, we may be also.  •Like a husband who prepares a home for his bride and then comes to take her home with Him, so also our Lord says that He will one day come again for His Bride.  He is no liar, brothers and sisters.  •And the glory of it is that He says here that He will come again because HE WANTS US TO BE WITH HIM.  •The Lord and God of all things actually DESIRES that we be with Him forever.  •And He will not be denied His desire. He is glorified. He is no longer denying Himself anything.  •He will definitely come again, and gather us to Himself, and we will be be with Him forever.  •Do you believe this? This is too glorious to not believe! •He is no liar! He will come again! Think of all the places where God has promised this exact thing to us in His Word: •“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. 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.”      (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) •“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) •“…Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking in to heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) •“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2) •There are many other places we could read in Scripture that affirm this glorious truth.  Brothers and sisters, He will come again someday. And it will be a glorious Day! •We long for it. And whether we live to see it or not, it is nevertheless our great hope.  •It is our great joy. It is our great longing.  •It is fuel for the fires of our hearts. It is food for our weary souls. It is refreshment for our spirits to remember these things.  •Jesus will come again. Our Lord will return to this world in glory.  Hear me: Even if you have an optimistic view of the long-term history of the world, this is STILL our great hope.  •The expansion of the Church and the glory of it IS NOT OUR HOPE.  •We rejoice that Christ shall have dominion in history. But we have an eye to something MUCH GREATER! •We long to see the King reigning for eternity with His redeemed People in a restored and recreated Heaven and Earth! •We long for the Day when sin and death are removed from this world completely! •We long the Day when we receive the resurrection and glorification of our bodies! •We long for the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ in vindicated before all who have ever lived! •That’s what our eye is on! That’s what we’re waiting for, ultimately! •Don’t lose sight of the great thing! The Return of the King is what we’re after. The final Consummation of all things is what we long for! That’s where our hope is found! •The appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ is what we yearn for! 4.) But, brothers and sisters, we do not know WHEN that Day will come.  •The Master of the House has only told us THAT the Day will come. And that’s all we know.  •So then, what kind of people should we be? How should we then live? What do we do with this information? Well, know this: Jesus did not tell us that He will return for no reason.  •His words here at the end of the OD are meant to spur us on to a certain kind of living.  •He did not give us these words to push us to some kind of vain curiosity and speculation about when He will come.  •Rather, He gave us these words so that we would live properly until He comes.  •And that’s why throughout vv33-37 Jesus continually issues the command to “STAY AWAKE” and “KEEP AWAKE.” •More literally, He says “WATCH.” Brothers and sisters, we are to be watchful until He comes.  •We are to be watchful, not of the skies for Jesus says that no one can know when He will come. Rather, we are to be watchful OF OURSELVES.  •We are to be watchful of ourselves and one another and we live and conduct ourselves until He comes.  •And if you die before He comes, that’s fine. You did your duty. You remained watchful in light of His coming.  •Whether we live to see it or not is irrelevant. Knowing that the Day will come and that it will be unexpected is enough, according to Jesus, to have an effect on how we live now.  Knowing that one day the judgment of all mankind will come is supposed to change how we live now.  •Knowing that one day we will give an account to the returning King is supposed to change how we live now.  •Knowing that one day the things of this world won’t matter because Jesus has returned is to change how we live now.  •Brothers and sisters, we are to live in ANTICIPATION and EXPECTATION of the Return of Christ.  •We are NOT to live as if He will never come again.  •Rather, we are to live in such a way that we are prepared for Him to come at any time, whether or not we believe we will live to see that coming with our own eyes on this earth.  But, more practically, what does it mean to “stay awake?” What does it look like to put legs on that command? •Well, I think that Jesus is referring to being spiritually awake. He’s talking about His People being diligent until He returns.  •And I think that because there are multiple places in Scripture where the idea of staying awake is used in a spiritual sense. (1 Thess. 5:6; Romans 13:11; Revelation 3:3; etc.) •Those texts all refer to being spiritually alert, warm toward Christ, fighting sin, and busying yourself working for the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to Him.  •But even beyond those verses, the parable Jesus gave in our text says that the Master of the House (Jesus) “put his servants in charge, each with his work…” (V34) •Each servant of the Master, every disciple, every believer, every Christian has WORK to do that the Lord has given him or her. And staying awake was the work assigned to the doorkeeper.  I think we should take all of this to mean that each one of us are to occupy ourselves with the work the Master has given us to do.  •Staying awake, living in light of His impending Return, looks like walking in obedience to the work and commands that He has given us.  •That is how we are to be ready for His appearing.  And notice also in v35 that we are to stay awake “in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning…” •That is to say, there are NO BREAKS for us.  •We are to constantly be working for our Master. •There are no breaks for the Christian.  •Yes, we have rest in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, we have rest from trying to save ourselves. Yes, we have rest and peace with God through Christ.  •BUT, there is nevertheless not one hour that we are permitted to live as if He is not coming again.  •We are servants of the Master of the House and He has commanded us “Occupy until I come.” •Brothers and sisters, every single moment of our lives is to be lived doing the work He has assigned to each of us, in anticipation of His coming again.  So then, what is this work He has given us? •What does it practically look like to stay awake? •I’m going to speak now in generalities. I can’t mention everything. Jesus’ words here are all encompassing. Nothing is left out.  •And I’m sure that you can think more specifically how Jesus’ command to stay awake applies to you.  •As Paul said to Timothy, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”                             (2 Timothy 2:7) The work the Lord Jesus has given His People to do until He comes: 1. Live with a Godward focus.  •Let your actions and thoughts be directed by considering what pleases the Lord in ALL THINGS.  •“I want to be pleasing to the King. I want to see His smile when He comes.” 2. Kill sin/strive for holiness in your personal life.  •Be intentional about rooted out sins, even subtle sins in your life.  •“The King will return. And I will give an account to Him.” 3. Evangelize the unbelievers around you.  •“The King will return to judge the living and the dead. They need to know Christ as I have come to know Him.” 4. Love, care for, and serve the People of God.  •“I want the Master to see that I loved His House while He was away.” 5. Raise your children to know the Lord.  •Teach them the Faith. Preach the Gospel to them. Take them to public worship. Do family worship.  •“I want the King to see I was a good steward of the gift of children that He gave to me.” 6. Work hard to provide for and take care of those under your authority and care. •“The King has given me authority. I want Him to see that I used it well and for His glory.” 7. Think less of yourself and more of others. •“I want the King to see that I tried to imitate Him.” 8. Be committed to regular, daily prayer. •“I want the King to know that I love Him, look forward to His coming, and desire His guidance until He comes.” 9. Love your spouse well.  •“The Master has given my spouse so we can be a picture of His love for His Bride. I want Him to see that I honored that picture well.” 10. Be generous to those in need.  •“I want the Master to see that I was a good steward of the material things He gave me. That I supported His Church, Gospel ministries, and cared for the poor just like He did.” 11. Study the Word of God.  •Study so you can obey better. And so you can help others to know the will of the Christ. •“I want to be found obedient and faithful to what the Master has revealed.” SUMMARY OF ALL OF THIS: •Live like a Christian!  •Live like a Christian until He comes! These all seem like ordinary things, don’t they?  •And, to some extend, they are. But, nevertheless, these are the kinds of things that the Lord has called us to do.  •These are examples of how we “occupy until He comes.” •This is how we stay awake: We focus our energy on living for the Master of the House until He comes.  •Brothers and sisters, we are to live in the light of His certain return and that we will give an account to Him.  •We are to live in such a way that we would not be ashamed to meet Him tomorrow if He came then.  5.) But now we come to a question I always love to ask: Why? What is our motivation for living this way? •Surely, for the Christian, it isn’t fear. We aren’t to fear His coming.  •You won’t find, to my knowledge, any text of Scripture that says the Christian is to be afraid when we consider the Return of our Lord.  Brothers and sisters, our motivation for staying awake until He comes is LOVE.  •This Jesus who is coming back someday is the same Jesus who lived, died, and was raised for us.  •Surely, we long to see Him! •This Jesus who will return is the same Jesus who was crushed by God for our iniquities on a Cross.  •This Jesus who will return is the same Jesus who took the wrath of God in our place as a substitute for sinners to turn God’s wrath away from us.  •This Jesus who will return is the same Jesus who has given us His perfect righteousness.  •This Jesus who will return is the Jesus who LOVES US.  •Surely, we long to meet the One who loved us and gave Himself up for us all! •And that’s why we obey His command to stay awake until He comes.  And because we love Him, we do not want to be found idle when He comes.  •We cannot bear the thought of having no small offering to lay down at His feet.  •And so, we stay awake and work as if we would meet Him today.  6.) Now, let me return your attention to the glorious truth of this text: HE WILL ONE DAY COME! 1. He will return BODILY, just as He left. He will personally come.  2. He will return in GLORY and VINDICATION. No longer in weakness and humility as when He first came.  3. He will return in JUDGMENT.  •He will come as the reigning King to judge both the living and the dead and decide the eternal destinies of all men.  •To the one who trusts in and loves Him, they will receive eternal life with Him forevermore.  •To the one who is found outside of Christ, they will receive their just and eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire.  4. He will return to SAVE ALL WHO LOVE HIM.  •He will come to gather us to Himself forever.  5. He will return to RESTORE THE EARTH.  •It will be as it was in the beginning. Just like the Garden of Eden.  •But it will be more glorious now because the Redeemer has saved a sinful people and we will praise Him forever! 6. He will return to REIGN IN PERFECTION WITH HIS PEOPLE FOR ETERNITY.  7. He will return FOR US.  And on that Day, every wrong will be righted.  •Every tear will be wiped away.  •Every trial and trouble and pain will be revealed to have been worth it.  •And everything will be made new.  GLORIOUS DAY! Rejoice!  •We do not know when, but we know FOR SURE! •Our Lord is no liar. He has not deceived us.  •He is coming again.  7.) Before I close, let me say this: 1. To the unbeliever: You are not ready for this day. Because you are outside of Christ.  •And the only way for you to be ready is for you to turn from your sin and run to Christ in faith.  •Believe that He lived, died on a Cross as your sin-bearing substitute, and was raised from the dead on your behalf to give you life. •Look to Him for the forgiveness of sins and mercy from God and you will have it! •Cast yourself on the mercy of God found in Christ and Him crucified for you.  •And then, and only then, will you be ready to meet the Lord either at death or when He comes.  2. To the believer: Look forward to that great Day.  •Be glad! It is coming.  •It is no day of fear for us. Rather, because of the mercy of Christ toward us who believe, it is a Day of great joy and celebration. Our King will be with us! •We know not when. But we know for sure.  •Look forward to this Day. And live in glad expectation of it.  May God grant each one of us to be prepared to meet the returning King.  •Amen.