This is a sermon that was given on April 26, 2020. The service was conducted in our church parking lot because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings. Attendees were able to hear the speaking and music via FM radio in their individual vehicles. The sermon was based on John 14:1-3 regarding the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Written Excerpts:
John 14:3 (NKJV) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Introduction:
The Japanese invaded [the Philippines] soon after the Pearl Harbor attack.
By early March 1942, they had bottled up the U.S. and Filipino [forces] on the
Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor.
President Roosevelt, fearful of one of America’s most successful and
well-known generals being taken captive by the Japanese if Corregidor fell was
too bitter a conclusion to contemplate. He ordered [General Douglas] MacArthur
to escape to Australia to take charge of Allied forces there. He left the
Philippines on March 11.
The General and his entourage traveled from Corregidor to Australia first
by PT boat, then B-17 Flying Fortress. Because of an air raid in Australia by
the Japanese, his plane was diverted to a different airfield which necessitated
additional trips by DC-3 plane and a train.
It was while traveling on the train to Melbourne, Australia, that
General MacArthur issued his famous statement about the Philippines: “I came
through and I shall return.”
After months and months of fierce fighting in the islands of the
Pacific, the General was finally able to fulfill his promise 2 ½ years later in
October of 1944. (Sources:
https://sofrep.com/specialoperations/on-this-day-in-1942-gen-douglas-macarthur-gives-the-i-shall-return-speech/
and https://www.historynet.com/ shore-party-macarthur-photo.htm)
In the Gospel of John, chapter 14, Jesus is in the middle of a
discourse in the upper room where he finished sharing the Passover meal with
His disciples. He has drawn direct parallels between the elements of the Passover meal
and His own pending sacrifice. He has also predicted His own betrayal by a
member of the group. Now, in chapter 14 He is reminding them of more things that He has
previously spoken – He is going to be leaving them.
He is going away to prepare a place for them. By implication, this is
going to be a permanent place. It is something very different from their
current place or home. And then, He makes this promise: “If I go to prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you unto myself so that where I am, there you may
be also.”
If you think the words of General Douglas MacArthur stirred hope and
anticipation in the hearts of the remaining US and Filipino armed forces in the
Philippines, let me say it is nothing in comparison to the hope and
anticipation in the hearts of the disciples of Jesus when they think of His
words, “I will come again!”
On the sign in the front yard of our church we have this message:
“Christ didn’t stay dead, and He won’t stay gone.” The return of Jesus is just as certain as His resurrection. So, for the next several minutes I want to speak to you about the
promise of Jesus, “I Will Come Again.”
Friends, it is a fact that Jesus is coming again and there are several
important truths about that fact which I would like to review with you today.
I. His
coming is Sure.
A. The surety of his coming is founded in
his identity.
John 14:1 (NKJV) "Let not
your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
Jesus very clearly makes the connection
between the Father and himself. He urges them to believe in him since they
already believe in God the Father. The Bible tells us it is impossible for God
to lie. Jesus is equal with God, so he cannot lie. His promise to return is as
sure as God Himself.
B. The surety of his coming is founded in
his word.
John 14:2-3 (NKJV) In My Father's
house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
He had said he was going away, and he did. This was only one of the many promises Jesus
made in his life to his disciples. He said he was going, and he went. So, if he
says he is coming back, he will.
There is also his word of promise about his
resurrection. He said he would rise from the dead and he did. If he carried out
that promise, then he certainly can be trusted to carry out this one.
There is another promise of sending the Holy
Spirit. Obviously, this promise hadn’t been fulfilled yet when He was speaking
to His disciples in this setting. But, He did send the Holy Spirit, which the
disciples received a short time later on the day of Pentecost. It is one more
reason we can trust his word.
His return is as sure as anything God ever
said. If any of God’s words can be trusted, then we can trust Christ’s promise
to return.
II. His
coming will be surprising.
Matthew 24:44 (NKJV) Therefore
you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Mark 13:32-35 (NKJV) "But of
that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you
do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man
going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants,
and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch
therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in
the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning--
1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NKJV) For
you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief
in the night.
Revelation 16:15 (NKJV) "Behold,
I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his
garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."
All of these scriptures emphasize the fact
that the return of Jesus will not be expected. No one knows when it will be, so
whenever it is there will be an element of surprise. Let us not be like the various groups that
Jesus described: Like those in the “days of Noah, ” eating
and drinking and totally consumed with hedonistic partying; or those like the
“foolish virgins” who ran out of oil for their lamps just before the bridegroom
arrived; or any others that miss His return because of being preoccupied with
purely earthly values and pursuits. We are urged to watch and be prepared.
III. His
coming will be sudden.
Mark 13:36-37 (NKJV) lest, coming
suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I
say to all: Watch!"
Matthew 25:6 (NKJV) And at
midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to
meet him!'
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.
These and many other references all point to
the fact that the coming of the Lord will be sudden. There will not be time
then to get ready. There will not be time to pray, and repent. His coming will
be a sudden event. We must be ready before it occurs.
IV. His
coming will be superb.
I’m not sure that the word “superb” conveys
all that I wanted to communicate, but at least it conforms to the alliteration
I have been using for my outline: sure, surprising, sudden and superb!
Some other synonyms for the word superb are:
outstanding, fantastic, marvelous, and tremendous.
A. It is superb because of his triumph over
evil.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV) Now I
saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His
eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.
He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And
the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on
white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that
with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod
of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh
a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
B. It is superb because it ushers in the
eternal joy and bliss prepared for his disciples/followers.
Revelation 21:3-4 (NKJV) And I
heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away."
Conclusion:
I have tried to share various Scriptures to
help us understand important truths about the return of Jesus. I especially want to emphasize the need to
be ready and prepared. The teachings of Jesus clearly indicate that there will
not be time to get ready at His coming. We must be ready at all times, but how?
Various parables and messages given by Jesus
can be summed up like this:
1) We first of all need to be a child of the
Kingdom. The only way that happens is if we seek and receive the salvation of
God that only comes through faith in Jesus. Nothing else will or can save you except the blood of Jesus that was shed
for the sins of the whole world.
2) Jesus repeatedly emphasized that the
Lord’s servants must be busy doing their Lord’s will when He returns. Get busy
and stay busy doing the work He gave us to do. Obedience is an essential part
of being ready. It is a key ingredient of being prepared.
Closing Song: Jesus Is Coming Again
No comments:
Post a Comment