He is Coming - Psalm 98

Intro

I received a call earlier this week about doing Christmas songs for worship initially I was curious why but the more I thought about it I thought it would be a good idea. Christmas is a time when we celebrate Jesus birth the arrival of the long awaited Messiah. Some of my favorite Christmas songs are songs like come oh come Emmanuel. These Psalms captured the heart of people who were longing for a Saviour. They were obviously more focused politically but they were longing waiting captivated by the thought of the Messiah returning. Now we live in a time after that first coming of Christ the time of the church Gods redemptive bride the people he has chosen to spread the good news to every corner of the land.

Today I want us to look at what our focus should be on I feel like we as are now part of those people of God longing for the second coming of Jesus.

First question I have is are you longing for the coming of Jesus?

Why are you? Why aren't you?

I want to give you a second to answer that question

I believe that many people especially in our culture have gotten used

To the life they now live .

I truly believe the more comfortable we are in this life probably makes it hard for us. Looking at my own heart I know that I don't spend a lot of time thinking about Jesus coming back again. I know that I used to think more about it as an angsty college student I remember hearing a teaching about how the church is the bride of Christ. This language is a little difficult for me sometimes because I think more in terms of what it meant to be the groom not as much about what it meant to be the bride.

But this is a great metaphor for us to understand one of the aspects of the church and its relationship to Jesus.

Factbook | Bride of Christ › Key Passages

Isaiah 62:4–5

4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Jeremiah 3:20

Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.’ ”

Ephesians 5:22–27

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Revelation 19:7–9

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 21:2

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 22:12–17 ESV

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

The differences between the bride and the groom

Historically/traditionally