God's Plans to Prosper His People

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This is a sermon that was given by guest minister, Rev. Russ Smith. He spoke from the text in Jer. 29:11 regarding God's plans for His people.

Outline of the Sermon:

I.     God's plans for prosperity comes in the midst of punishment.

II.    Give place to God's definition of "prosper."

III.   Purpose to be productive in the present.

IV.   God's plan includes eternal paradise.

The Messiah Is Coming

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This is an Advent message that focuses on Jesus' comments about His second advent.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 24:27 (NKJV) For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Introduction:

Advent – The season of the year when we center our attention on the approach of Christmas. We focus our thoughts on the events and circumstances that were leading up to the birth of Christ. In our meditations on Advent, we sometimes try to imagine what it would have been like to be involved in the original nativity event. For most of us, with all of the celebrations associated with Christmas and the many times we have heard the Christmas story, it is hard to imagine the original event coming with very few people even aware of it all.

In previous advent sermons I have made reference to the second coming of Christ as a reminder to all of us that He is going to come again, just as certainly as He came the first time. Today I want to purposely devote more time for us to think about His second coming and perhaps make some comparisons and contrasts with the first coming.

In order to address the topic of the Lord’s 2^nd coming, I thought I would use some of the details that Jesus Himself gives us in Matthew 24. As we look into this passage, we want to first of all acknowledge that there has been a lot of misunderstanding and disagreement about the chapter. Many scholars believe that the confusion is a result of the fact that the disciples have asked the Lord two distinct questions in verse 3. As Jesus answers their questions, it is not always easy to know which of the two questions he is answering.

The two questions are:

When will these things be? (i.e. happen) “These things” – Refers back to Jesus’ comment in v. 2 “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

What will signal your coming and the end of the age? (The structure of the sentence in Greek indicates that “your coming” and “end of the age” are considered to be the same.)

Having acknowledged that there is disagreement about which descriptions in this chapter pertain to the second coming, I will try to make it simple by saying I am going to follow the opinion of R.T. France (Tyndale Commentary) when he says:

Other than a brief mention in verse 27, Jesus’ comments about His Coming begin in verse 36 and continue through the end of chapter 25.

So, let us look at these verses and see what the Lord has to say about His 2^nd coming and how it compares or contrasts with His 1^st coming.

I.       His coming will be publicly and widely known.

v. 27

Some writers feel that Jesus has not yet switched to speak exclusively about His 2^nd coming, but He has interjected this comment to let them know that His coming is different from the events of the pending destruction.

When the Messiah came the first time, there were many prophecies that had been made, but the event was obscure. A handful of relatives knew (Zachariah and Elizabeth). Only a few shepherds received the announcement. Only a small number of Magi received supernatural announcement. No one in Jerusalem knew about the event.

But, when He comes again, Jesus indicates that it is going to be noticeable, just like lightening that flashes across the sky from east to west.

II.     The time of His coming is unknown.

This point actually compares with His 1^st coming. Even though there were many prophecies, and there were some that were so inclined to study them, we definitely get the impression that no one was really sure when He would come. The same thing is true regarding the 2^nd coming.

v. 36

Jesus makes it clear that even He (in his humanity), did not know the day nor the hour that He would return. This statement makes some believe that this verse is really the point when he changes from talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and its accompanying conditions and starts talking exclusively about His return.

Why? Because of the statement in v. 34, “… this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” If descriptions and events prior to verse 34 are about the 2^nd coming, then the only option we are left with is to say that Jesus really expected the end to come in their lifetime. In other words, He was confused and mistaken just like the disciples were.

Even though there are a myriad of prophecies in Scripture regarding the end time events, the fact remains… No one knows when Jesus is coming back.

vv. 37-44 – Life will be going on as usual. People will be preoccupied with everyday events that are normal.

v. 44 – Get ready.

III.    Once He comes, opportunity is gone.

When the Messiah came the 1^st time, most of the world was unaware. Only a few people were notified, like the shepherds. Only a few people were expecting Him (Simeon, Anna, & Magi). However, the opportunity to learn of Him and “find” Him has continued from then until now.

But, when He comes again, the opportunity to know Him will end.

25:1-13

So be ready and stay ready (v. 13).

It’s not only important to have the “oil.” But it is imperative to have enough oil.

What’s it mean to have a reserve of oil?

·     Invest your life and gifts in God’s great Kingdom enterprise (vv. 14-30).

·     Devote your life being generous to God’s “least of these.” (vv. 31-46)

·     In other words, you can’t just accept Christ and then “coast the rest of the way to the pearly gates.”

Conclusion:

Just as certainly as the Messiah came the 1^st time, He is coming again! The most important words of Jesus that He repeated over and over – “therefore be ye ready.”

Prophecy Fulfilled

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This is an Advent message that discusses the phrase used many times in the Gospels, "...that it might be fulfilled." The message provides some insights about the importance and use of prophecy in regards to the Messiah.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 1:22 (NKJV) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet….

Introduction:

In the reading of the Scripture a little earlier this phrase “that it might be fulfilled” (or something similar) was used three times. The phrase appears at least 14 times in the Gospel of Matthew (the most occurrences in any of the Gospels). This makes perfect sense since Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience and the connection to OT prophecies would have been highly significant for them.

It certainly is intriguing to examine all of the prophecies that were made about Jesus and how they were fulfilled in one person. Various writers have pointed out that there are over 300 prophecies in the OT that were fulfilled in Jesus.

Josh McDowell quoting from Harold Hartzler explains: If you take enough silver dollars to cover the state of Texas two feet deep and then instruct someone to randomly find just one silver dollar that had been specially marked beforehand, that would be similar odds as having just 8 of the messianic prophecies being fulfilled in one person. But Jesus fulfilled more than 8 prophecies. He fulfilled more than 60 prophecies.

Transition:

There are several questions about the role of prophecy that I want to explore with you today in hopes that our faith will be strengthened and our spirits inspired.

I.    Divine omniscience or divine decree?

This question addresses the issue of fate or personal choice.

Did the event happen because it was prophesied? Or, was it prophesied because God in His eternal knowledge saw what was going happen and then revealed to His prophets? This question obviously involves the issue of predestination and free will. Is everything that ever happens predetermined or decreed to happen as it does, or is there real human choice and responsibility involved?

My understanding of biblical theology comes down on the side of human free will and human responsibility for free choices. So, I believe it is more accurate to say that the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus were revealed by God because He has the ability to see the future as well as the present, and He already knows what is going to happen.

God is sovereign and we never have to “worry” about Satan or any human beings completely ruining God’s plan for redemption and restoration of His creation. God’s overall plan will completely succeed and never be derailed. Yet, in His great sovereign control over the outcomes, God seems to allow human beings freedom to either cooperate with or resist His will.

We can take comfort in the fact that because of God’s eternal, infinite knowledge, nothing takes Him by surprise or confuses Him. We can trust in Him knowing that if He can work things all out so that one person fulfills over 300 different references in the OT, then He certainly can bring order out of my chaos, and victory out of my defeats.

II.  Single or multiple fulfillments?

This question involves the possibility that a prophecy may have its fulfillment in more than one historical event.

In many of the prophecies there definitely seems to be conditions that indicate a fulfillment in the near future, but there also seems to be a more complete fulfillment by an event that happens in the distant future. There have been times when I read a NT passage and it is described as a fulfillment of an OT passage. When I go back and read the OT passage, I sometimes do not get the sense that the author was actually speaking about an event in the distant future.

For example, in the crucifixion of Christ, His last words “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Ps. 22) There are several verses in that Psalm that accurately depict the suffering of Jesus. Yet, when I read that psalm I get the sense that David truly was describing his current circumstances.

When a NT writer sees an event that matches up with the words of an OT writer, he is inspired by the Spirit to say, “This is a fulfillment of what the prophet said.” In other words, this scene or event completely matches up with something God inspired to be written hundreds of years ago. It fits in with God’s revelation to men of long ago.

Even though these fulfillments were more specific and the Holy Spirit did inspire the NT writers to see the connection to OT passages, I think it is also a reminder to each of us even today that God has a word to offer us in the many situations and circumstances that we may face each and every day.

If we will read His Word and become familiar with it, it will speak to us in the moments when we need to hear His voice the most.

III. Doom or hope?

Another observation we can make about prophecies is the fact that some of them were given at times of great distress and pending suffering.

So many of the prophecies regarding the messiah were given by the prophet Isaiah. If you read through his prophecy, you will see that there are multiple predictions of destruction and pending doom because of the rebellion of Judah against the law of God. God was bringing judgment upon them because of their spiritual adultery and worship of idols. Yet, even in the midst of the predictions of judgment and suffering, Isaiah sprinkles predictions of the coming Messiah and the hope that He will bring to His people.

So, when we read many of these prominent prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, we should remember that these bright messages of hope were given in some of the darkest times in Israel’s history. It is a reminder that God is working out His divine purposes and He will have the final word. He will bring in the reign of righteousness exactly when He decides it is the right time.

When Jesus finally came into this world, the only ones who initially recognized Him were those who had been watching and expecting (Simeon, Anna, etc.).

Conclusion:

As we think of God’s unfolding revelation to man and how He gave prophecies that were miraculously fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ, it demonstrates His unlimited knowledge of every detail. There are prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled, and we can rest assured that He will bring everything to pass as He has done before.

We need to be like Simeon and Anna and those who were anticipating God’s next great intervention in the affairs of this world. We need to be alert and expecting the return of our Lord, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

If we compare the future with the story of the past (particularly the story of the incarnation), it would seem to me that it is not so important that we have all the prophecies figured out and correct in our minds. But it is more important to cooperate with God as He leads and directs us.

In other words, while it is true that the Wise Men had been studying, yet there were many more “players in the ‘Incarnation Drama’” who didn’t really know the Scriptures, yet were cooperative with the direct leading of God as they fulfilled their roles in the fulfillment of prophecy.

Let us purpose to be cooperative with the Lord as we continue to march ahead toward the ultimate fulfillment of Redemption.

Let’s close the service today by singing

God Has Spoken by His Prophets