1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,240 And the Apostles Creed, while it's not scripture, 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:09,240 it is a collection of rules of faith, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,120 rules of faith that were used particularly 4 00:00:12,120 --> 00:00:15,240 as statements of confession at a time of baptism 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,200 in the early church. 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:17,500 So if you were going to become, 7 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:18,880 if you were going to get baptized, 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,800 you became what is called a catechumen, 9 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,280 which was that you entered into a time of learning 10 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,440 and catechism, that's where that word comes from, 11 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,060 where you were taught the foundations of the faith 12 00:00:32,060 --> 00:00:34,700 through small little statements like this 13 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:38,120 so that you understood the step you were taking in baptism. 14 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,040 You understood the foundations of the faith. 15 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,960 And it begins, and while it's not scripture, 16 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,360 it is drawn from the confessions of scripture. 17 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,280 And so it is something that we can look at 18 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,720 and it's a summary of the tenets of our faith. 19 00:00:53,620 --> 00:00:55,440 And a portion of it begins with, 20 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,320 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, 21 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,320 creator of heaven and earth. 22 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,720 I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. 23 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,880 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit 24 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:06,800 and born of the Virgin Mary. 25 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,420 He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, 26 00:01:09,420 --> 00:01:12,040 died and was buried. 27 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:13,660 He descended to the dead. 28 00:01:13,660 --> 00:01:16,840 On the third day, He rose again from the dead. 29 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,120 He ascended into heaven and is seated 30 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,880 at the right hand of the Father. 31 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:23,240 And then there's this statement, 32 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,760 He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 33 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,680 He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 34 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,160 What this tells us in the Apostles Creed 35 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,480 is that Jesus Christ came to earth, 36 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,280 conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. 37 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,520 Then we've been reflecting on this 38 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,560 through the advent of Christ, through the last few weeks, 39 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:48,960 as we've covered wonderful counselor, 40 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,700 mighty God, eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 41 00:01:53,700 --> 00:01:55,680 We've been looking at who this Messiah, the King, 42 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,160 might be, who is coming, who was promised. 43 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,760 And looking at these titles for this child 44 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:05,040 who was for us, or the Son who would be given to us, 45 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,800 who we come to know as Jesus Christ. 46 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,360 And He came on a rescue mission 47 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,640 to redeem and save His lost creation. 48 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:16,120 And He came in a way that was wholly upside down 49 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,960 and counter to what anyone expected. 50 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,560 They expected a conquering King, 51 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,680 a King riding in with great forces and great strength 52 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,240 to overthrow the oppressor. 53 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,800 And what they ended up with in Jesus 54 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,000 was one who came to suffer. 55 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,000 He came to suffer, He came to be crucified, to die, 56 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,960 and to be buried in a borrowed tomb. 57 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,280 He came to rise again from the dead, 58 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:46,960 to defeat our great enemy, 59 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,720 and to ascend to the realm of heaven victorious. 60 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:52,560 But if you know the Apostles Creed 61 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,240 and you know the foundations of the faith, 62 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,640 you know that the story doesn't end there. 63 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:58,520 The story doesn't end 64 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,440 because the next thing the Apostles Creed says 65 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:05,440 is He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 66 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,800 He will come again. 67 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:14,220 Every year for the last three years, 68 00:03:14,220 --> 00:03:15,760 I've had the privilege of preaching 69 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,280 on the last Sunday of the year after Christmas, 70 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,280 the last Sunday as we head on out into the new year. 71 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,000 And when I was an associate and I was first offered this, 72 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,760 I thought, that's awesome. 73 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,440 I get to close out the new year, woohoo! 74 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,760 And then you read pastors' blogs and stuff 75 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,840 and you find out the last Sunday of the year 76 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,560 is one of the least attended Sundays. 77 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,080 And the pastor's exhausted from Christmas 78 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:41,000 and he wants a break. 79 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,880 And so if he has an associate, he's like, 80 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,080 I'm gonna give you a shot here, kid. 81 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,540 And then no one shows up, no, not no one. 82 00:03:47,540 --> 00:03:49,240 We have a great crowd today, it's awesome. 83 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:50,720 I mean, we didn't know what to expect today, 84 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,040 and here it is. 85 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:53,440 It's awesome, it's great. 86 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:56,900 He will come again. 87 00:03:56,900 --> 00:04:01,900 Acts chapter one, verse nine through 11 says this. 88 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:06,960 Jesus, having been crucified, died, buried three days 89 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,640 in the grave, rises from the dead, 90 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,080 and then appears over the course of 40 days 91 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,040 to his disciples and to many others. 92 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,280 And at the end of that 40 days, 93 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:19,940 Jesus gathers his disciples together 94 00:04:19,940 --> 00:04:22,520 and he is going to ascend up into heaven 95 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,680 and he gives them final instruction. 96 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,540 And here's what Acts chapter one, verse nine 97 00:04:26,540 --> 00:04:27,600 through 11 says. 98 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,160 After he had said all this, he was taken up as they watched 99 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,840 and a cloud took him out of their sight. 100 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:36,320 And while he was going, they were gazing into heaven 101 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,920 and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 102 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:41,760 They said, men of Galilee, 103 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,200 why do you stand looking up into heaven? 104 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,640 This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, 105 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,160 will come in the same way that you have seen him 106 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:54,720 going into heaven. 107 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,080 This same Jesus, who has taken from you into heaven, 108 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,540 will come in the same way that you have seen him 109 00:05:01,540 --> 00:05:02,460 going into heaven. 110 00:05:02,460 --> 00:05:05,800 Today, we are going to focus our time 111 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,760 on what we have called the last advent. 112 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:10,720 The last advent. 113 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,040 There was the first advent, the advent of Christ, 114 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,900 a newborn baby that we just celebrated. 115 00:05:16,900 --> 00:05:21,900 But there's another advent, the last, a final advent. 116 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,600 And we're gonna look at three questions this morning. 117 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:29,120 What will it be like? 118 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:32,720 When will it happen? 119 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:33,960 And how should we wait? 120 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:35,920 What will it be like? 121 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:37,080 When will it happen? 122 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,040 And how should we wait? 123 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,520 The first one, what will it be like? 124 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,180 The author, Sam Storm, in his book, Kingdom Come, 125 00:05:46,180 --> 00:05:48,240 talking about the second coming of Christ, 126 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,520 he brings together a lot of scripture 127 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,440 and paints this reality of what the last advent 128 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,520 will look like, and he says this. 129 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,200 The second coming of Jesus Christ is the personal, 130 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,240 visible, physical return of Jesus to this earth 131 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,220 to consummate the salvation of his people 132 00:06:06,220 --> 00:06:09,900 and to be glorified in them and to inflict vengeance 133 00:06:09,900 --> 00:06:13,980 on those who have defiled him and the gospel of grace. 134 00:06:13,980 --> 00:06:16,900 As you can see in Sam Storm's statement there, 135 00:06:16,900 --> 00:06:19,220 a kind of outline for what we're gonna cover right here 136 00:06:19,220 --> 00:06:21,740 in this first point, what will it be like? 137 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:23,780 That his second coming will be personal, 138 00:06:23,780 --> 00:06:27,300 visible, and physical, let's start there. 139 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:29,460 The first one, personal. 140 00:06:29,460 --> 00:06:31,580 The second coming of Jesus will be personal. 141 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:34,380 Jesus won't be sending an angel 142 00:06:34,380 --> 00:06:36,940 or some mystical representative 143 00:06:36,940 --> 00:06:40,380 or any other representative in his place. 144 00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:44,220 He will return as Acts chapter one already said, 145 00:06:44,220 --> 00:06:47,900 this same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven 146 00:06:47,900 --> 00:06:51,340 will come in the same way that you have seen him 147 00:06:51,340 --> 00:06:52,620 going into heaven. 148 00:06:53,980 --> 00:06:56,500 Now some have taught throughout history 149 00:06:56,500 --> 00:06:59,780 that the end times events, all the end times events 150 00:06:59,780 --> 00:07:02,140 that are to take place before Jesus is coming, 151 00:07:02,140 --> 00:07:04,860 all of them were fulfilled in the destruction 152 00:07:04,860 --> 00:07:08,900 of the temple in AD 70, a long time ago. 153 00:07:08,900 --> 00:07:13,900 All of them were fulfilled, including Jesus' return. 154 00:07:13,900 --> 00:07:17,660 Some have taught that Jesus already returned, 155 00:07:17,660 --> 00:07:21,060 but, with a caveat, right? 156 00:07:21,060 --> 00:07:25,180 He returned, but his return was a spiritual return. 157 00:07:25,180 --> 00:07:27,020 It was in the hearts of the believers 158 00:07:27,020 --> 00:07:30,700 and not a personal, physical return. 159 00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:34,540 But this can't be according to scripture, 160 00:07:34,540 --> 00:07:37,340 as we'll see in the next point, that it'll be personal, 161 00:07:37,340 --> 00:07:39,540 but it'll also be visible. 162 00:07:39,540 --> 00:07:42,180 His second coming will be visible. 163 00:07:42,180 --> 00:07:46,180 When Christ returns, everyone will see him. 164 00:07:47,580 --> 00:07:48,420 Everyone will see him. 165 00:07:48,420 --> 00:07:50,020 You know, they used to say 166 00:07:50,020 --> 00:07:52,980 the revolution won't be televised, right? 167 00:07:52,980 --> 00:07:54,580 This might be televised. 168 00:07:55,540 --> 00:07:57,020 If the cameras still work, 169 00:07:57,020 --> 00:07:59,700 if there's not some electrostatic storm 170 00:07:59,700 --> 00:08:02,460 that blows everything out, this might be televised. 171 00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:05,300 But either way, everyone will know. 172 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:07,540 Everyone will see, it will not be hidden. 173 00:08:07,540 --> 00:08:11,180 It will be a universally recognized event. 174 00:08:11,180 --> 00:08:15,180 Universally, I use that in the fullest terms. 175 00:08:16,740 --> 00:08:20,940 Universally recognized event, not secret, not hidden. 176 00:08:22,380 --> 00:08:25,580 We see in Revelation chapter one, verse seven. 177 00:08:25,580 --> 00:08:26,860 Revelation one, seven says, 178 00:08:26,860 --> 00:08:29,020 look, he is coming with the clouds, 179 00:08:29,020 --> 00:08:31,580 and every eye will see him. 180 00:08:31,580 --> 00:08:34,420 Every eye will see him. 181 00:08:34,420 --> 00:08:37,100 Every eye will see him. 182 00:08:39,060 --> 00:08:43,220 The highly influential cult, the Jehovah's Witness, 183 00:08:43,220 --> 00:08:45,380 teach that the second coming of Christ 184 00:08:45,380 --> 00:08:47,380 was an invisible spiritual event 185 00:08:47,380 --> 00:08:51,140 that actually already occurred in 1914. 186 00:08:51,140 --> 00:08:55,020 So long before most of us were born, most of us. 187 00:08:56,140 --> 00:08:59,740 Jesus already came back in a spiritual, invisible way. 188 00:08:59,740 --> 00:09:03,460 But Matthew 24 gives a very different impression 189 00:09:03,460 --> 00:09:05,980 of what Jesus' return will look like. 190 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:07,780 In Matthew 24, there's actually 191 00:09:07,780 --> 00:09:10,260 this great cosmic disturbance. 192 00:09:10,260 --> 00:09:14,460 All of the created world is responding to it. 193 00:09:14,460 --> 00:09:15,780 It's all responding to it. 194 00:09:15,780 --> 00:09:18,820 Matthew 24 says, immediately after the distress 195 00:09:18,820 --> 00:09:21,340 of those days, the sun will be darkened, 196 00:09:21,340 --> 00:09:22,820 the moon will not shed its light, 197 00:09:22,820 --> 00:09:24,420 the stars will fall from the sky, 198 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:26,740 and the powers of heavens will be shaken. 199 00:09:26,740 --> 00:09:29,460 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear. 200 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:31,420 The Son of Man will appear in the sky, 201 00:09:31,420 --> 00:09:34,340 and then all the peoples on the earth will mourn, 202 00:09:34,340 --> 00:09:37,260 and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds 203 00:09:37,260 --> 00:09:40,540 of heaven with power and great glory. 204 00:09:42,820 --> 00:09:44,700 You can't miss it. 205 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:47,100 You can't sleep through it. 206 00:09:47,100 --> 00:09:49,780 You'll know when he comes back, 207 00:09:49,780 --> 00:09:53,260 because it'll be personal, and it'll be visible. 208 00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:57,020 And the final point is that it'll be physical. 209 00:09:57,020 --> 00:09:59,100 When Christ returns, what will it be like? 210 00:09:59,100 --> 00:10:00,140 It'll be physical. 211 00:10:00,140 --> 00:10:04,540 Will Jesus be 15 feet tall, like a superhero? 212 00:10:04,540 --> 00:10:06,460 Will he be a giant, like, you know, 213 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:09,820 like, whatever that giant, King Kong or whatever? 214 00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:11,860 No, he's not gonna be King Kong, right? 215 00:10:13,140 --> 00:10:14,740 Is he gonna be ripped like the rock, 216 00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:17,500 you know, like he went away and hit the gym, 217 00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:20,060 you know, worked on the striptease? 218 00:10:20,060 --> 00:10:27,060 Is pectoid actually a thing? 219 00:10:28,060 --> 00:10:29,980 No, okay, pectorals, thank you. 220 00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:35,500 It sounds like something from a sci-fi film. 221 00:10:36,500 --> 00:10:37,580 The pectoid's coming. 222 00:10:39,220 --> 00:10:40,100 Back on track. 223 00:10:43,180 --> 00:10:44,900 He's not gonna be 15 feet tall. 224 00:10:44,900 --> 00:10:46,340 He's not coming as a superhero. 225 00:10:46,340 --> 00:10:48,460 He's not gonna look like the rock all ripped out. 226 00:10:48,460 --> 00:10:49,900 He's not gonna look like an alien. 227 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:51,820 He's not gonna show up on a spaceship. 228 00:10:51,820 --> 00:10:54,620 No, he's going to return, and when he returns, 229 00:10:54,620 --> 00:10:57,380 he will be in the same glorified body 230 00:10:57,380 --> 00:10:59,940 in which he was raised from the dead. 231 00:10:59,940 --> 00:11:02,740 The same glorified body in which he was raised 232 00:11:02,740 --> 00:11:03,580 from the dead. 233 00:11:03,580 --> 00:11:06,420 In fact, the Christian hope, the hope that we have 234 00:11:06,420 --> 00:11:08,780 as believers involves the continuity 235 00:11:08,780 --> 00:11:11,020 of the incarnate Son of God, 236 00:11:11,020 --> 00:11:13,500 who still retains his resurrected, 237 00:11:13,500 --> 00:11:15,700 although glorified body. 238 00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:17,340 This is important to our faith. 239 00:11:17,340 --> 00:11:18,180 Why? 240 00:11:18,180 --> 00:11:21,340 Because the Bible says that he was the first fruits 241 00:11:21,340 --> 00:11:25,140 of many, so to speak, he was the first who would come, 242 00:11:25,140 --> 00:11:27,780 of all who would come after in the resurrection. 243 00:11:27,780 --> 00:11:28,620 He was the first. 244 00:11:28,620 --> 00:11:31,500 He was the prototype. 245 00:11:31,500 --> 00:11:32,660 He's what we hope for. 246 00:11:32,660 --> 00:11:33,940 He's what we aspire to. 247 00:11:33,940 --> 00:11:38,940 He's what we anticipate becoming is what he underwent, 248 00:11:39,180 --> 00:11:41,700 the glorification of his body. 249 00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:46,180 And so Jesus returns in that same glorified body. 250 00:11:46,180 --> 00:11:48,660 Our future bodily resurrection will mirror 251 00:11:48,660 --> 00:11:50,340 Christ's bodily resurrection. 252 00:11:51,380 --> 00:11:54,340 There were two heresies specifically that were rejected 253 00:11:54,340 --> 00:11:58,260 in the early church, one, Docetism, and one, Marcionism. 254 00:11:58,260 --> 00:12:02,660 These two heresies, Docetism and Marcionism, 255 00:12:02,660 --> 00:12:05,860 both had similarities, but Docetism taught 256 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:08,700 that Jesus only seemed to have a body, 257 00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:10,140 that he didn't actually have a body 258 00:12:10,140 --> 00:12:12,980 because it was kind of out of the family of Gnostic beliefs, 259 00:12:12,980 --> 00:12:16,300 viewed the material world as evil, 260 00:12:16,300 --> 00:12:18,700 or the material world was evil and irredeemable. 261 00:12:18,700 --> 00:12:20,300 It was something to be escaped, 262 00:12:20,300 --> 00:12:22,020 and you escaped to higher knowledge, 263 00:12:22,020 --> 00:12:25,100 or higher levels of secret knowledge. 264 00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:29,220 And so either this was to be whipped into shape, 265 00:12:29,220 --> 00:12:33,300 or beaten, or killed, or this was to be disregarded, 266 00:12:33,300 --> 00:12:36,620 and so you could live all kinds of licentious behavior. 267 00:12:36,620 --> 00:12:37,940 You could do anything to the body, 268 00:12:37,940 --> 00:12:40,020 or anything in the body, because it doesn't matter. 269 00:12:40,020 --> 00:12:40,860 It's all evil. 270 00:12:40,860 --> 00:12:44,020 But when we attain that spiritual level, 271 00:12:44,020 --> 00:12:47,860 that spiritual understanding, or whatever, 272 00:12:47,860 --> 00:12:50,060 that Christ didn't have a physical body, 273 00:12:50,060 --> 00:12:52,620 he only seemed to have a physical body. 274 00:12:52,620 --> 00:12:53,820 And the church, the early church, 275 00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:55,260 rejected that and said, no. 276 00:12:56,300 --> 00:12:58,180 Christ had a physical body. 277 00:12:59,540 --> 00:13:01,220 He appeared to the disciples, 278 00:13:01,220 --> 00:13:02,980 he showed the wounds in his hands, 279 00:13:02,980 --> 00:13:05,980 he allowed them to touch his physical body. 280 00:13:05,980 --> 00:13:08,980 He had a physical body, 281 00:13:08,980 --> 00:13:12,620 and God intends to redeem the physical, 282 00:13:12,620 --> 00:13:14,780 that he's not ridden off creation, 283 00:13:14,780 --> 00:13:17,220 and we're all just gonna float away on some cloud 284 00:13:17,220 --> 00:13:19,660 and become spiritual beings. 285 00:13:19,660 --> 00:13:22,780 But God has intention to redeem creation 286 00:13:22,780 --> 00:13:25,100 and remake it glorified. 287 00:13:27,300 --> 00:13:31,740 Christ's return will be visible, 288 00:13:31,740 --> 00:13:35,300 it will be physical, it will be personal, 289 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:38,340 but why is Christ returning? 290 00:13:38,340 --> 00:13:39,180 Why is Christ returning? 291 00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:40,820 Why is he coming back? 292 00:13:40,820 --> 00:13:44,500 Why don't we just wrap it all up in some other way? 293 00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:46,700 What are the reasons that Christ is coming back? 294 00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:48,700 And there are three that I wanna give you this morning. 295 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:50,980 Three reasons why Christ is coming back. 296 00:13:50,980 --> 00:13:55,020 The first one, as Sam Storm laid out, 297 00:13:55,020 --> 00:13:58,260 is to consummate the salvation of his people. 298 00:13:59,980 --> 00:14:02,180 Christ is returning because he wants to consummate 299 00:14:02,180 --> 00:14:03,620 the salvation of his people. 300 00:14:03,620 --> 00:14:07,700 We are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 301 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:10,060 We are sanctified by the work of the Spirit 302 00:14:10,060 --> 00:14:12,660 to purify us and make us holy, 303 00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:15,020 and in the end we will be glorified 304 00:14:15,020 --> 00:14:18,620 when we receive our resurrected, glorified bodies. 305 00:14:18,620 --> 00:14:23,260 And this together, justified by faith, 306 00:14:23,260 --> 00:14:26,620 sanctified by the Spirit, and glorified in the body, 307 00:14:26,620 --> 00:14:29,060 this together is salvation. 308 00:14:29,060 --> 00:14:32,220 Sometimes we go for a cheap salvation, 309 00:14:32,220 --> 00:14:33,820 a one of three salvation. 310 00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:37,460 We believe salvation is justification by faith. 311 00:14:37,460 --> 00:14:39,140 We believe that we're justified. 312 00:14:39,140 --> 00:14:40,980 God no longer views us as sinners, 313 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:42,860 but he views us in Christ's righteousness. 314 00:14:42,860 --> 00:14:45,460 Christ's right merit is given to us, and now we're free. 315 00:14:45,460 --> 00:14:47,020 We're set free from that, and that's it. 316 00:14:47,020 --> 00:14:48,580 That's salvation. 317 00:14:48,580 --> 00:14:51,060 But salvation is so much bigger than that. 318 00:14:51,060 --> 00:14:53,060 Salvation is justification. 319 00:14:53,060 --> 00:14:58,060 Salvation is sanctification, and salvation is glorification. 320 00:14:58,260 --> 00:15:02,820 All three of them is the package salvation. 321 00:15:03,740 --> 00:15:06,100 My wife gave me this imagery 322 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:07,540 as we were talking about this. 323 00:15:07,540 --> 00:15:10,540 She said it's like buying something on Amazon, right? 324 00:15:10,540 --> 00:15:13,020 You purchase the item on the app. 325 00:15:13,020 --> 00:15:15,740 The item is then shipped to you, 326 00:15:15,740 --> 00:15:17,700 and then it arrives or it's delivered to you. 327 00:15:17,700 --> 00:15:20,780 Now imagine that we're at the shipping stage. 328 00:15:20,780 --> 00:15:23,540 We have pressed the button and we've bought it, 329 00:15:23,540 --> 00:15:25,460 and then we looked on the app and it's in route, 330 00:15:25,460 --> 00:15:28,220 it's in transit, it's in shipping, 331 00:15:28,220 --> 00:15:31,500 and one day it will arrive. 332 00:15:31,500 --> 00:15:33,060 It'll be delivered, right? 333 00:15:33,060 --> 00:15:36,620 And this is the whole buying experience. 334 00:15:36,620 --> 00:15:39,420 You would not be satisfied if you pushed the button 335 00:15:39,420 --> 00:15:41,940 and it never shipped and it never arrived. 336 00:15:43,180 --> 00:15:45,260 You would be satisfied only if all three 337 00:15:45,260 --> 00:15:46,580 of those components are there. 338 00:15:46,580 --> 00:15:47,740 Salvation is the same. 339 00:15:47,740 --> 00:15:50,180 Salvation is not justification by faith alone, 340 00:15:50,180 --> 00:15:53,620 and that's it, but it's justification by faith, 341 00:15:53,620 --> 00:15:55,940 and then the Spirit works in us and sanctifies us 342 00:15:55,940 --> 00:15:58,260 and renews us and begins to remake us 343 00:15:58,260 --> 00:16:00,740 so that ultimately we can one day be glorified 344 00:16:00,740 --> 00:16:02,020 just as Christ is. 345 00:16:02,020 --> 00:16:03,700 This is salvation. 346 00:16:03,700 --> 00:16:07,060 This is our hope, this is our inheritance as people of God, 347 00:16:07,060 --> 00:16:09,500 and so God came, Christ will return 348 00:16:09,500 --> 00:16:13,420 to consummate the salvation of his people. 349 00:16:13,420 --> 00:16:17,060 In his return, we will see him and we will be like him. 350 00:16:18,540 --> 00:16:23,540 We are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. 351 00:16:23,940 --> 00:16:27,420 That's how someone smart has put it in the past. 352 00:16:27,420 --> 00:16:29,220 We are saved, justification. 353 00:16:29,220 --> 00:16:31,260 We are being saved, sanctification, 354 00:16:31,260 --> 00:16:33,980 and we will be saved, glorification. 355 00:16:35,900 --> 00:16:40,180 But Jesus also returns for point number two and three, 356 00:16:40,180 --> 00:16:42,900 to inflict vengeance on the ungodly 357 00:16:42,900 --> 00:16:46,140 and to be glorified in his saints. 358 00:16:46,140 --> 00:16:48,180 To inflict vengeance on the ungodly 359 00:16:48,180 --> 00:16:50,780 and to be glorified in his saints. 360 00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:52,540 I'm gonna read a little lengthy passage 361 00:16:52,540 --> 00:16:55,420 out of Second Thessalonians for you this morning. 362 00:16:55,420 --> 00:16:58,820 If you wanna turn there, you're welcome to. 363 00:16:58,820 --> 00:17:01,620 I don't know, do we have that on the board? 364 00:17:01,620 --> 00:17:02,460 Nope, okay. 365 00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:07,340 Second Thessalonians chapter one, beginning in verse three. 366 00:17:08,900 --> 00:17:12,660 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, 367 00:17:12,660 --> 00:17:15,900 and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing, 368 00:17:15,900 --> 00:17:18,340 and the love each one of you has for one another 369 00:17:18,340 --> 00:17:20,220 is increasing. 370 00:17:20,220 --> 00:17:22,380 Therefore, we ourselves boast about you 371 00:17:22,380 --> 00:17:25,660 among God's churches, about your perseverance and faith 372 00:17:25,660 --> 00:17:28,060 in all the persecutions and afflictions 373 00:17:28,060 --> 00:17:29,860 that you are enduring. 374 00:17:29,860 --> 00:17:33,020 It is clear evidence of God's righteous judgment 375 00:17:33,020 --> 00:17:36,700 that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, 376 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:39,500 for which you are also suffering, 377 00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:42,460 since it is just for God to repay with affliction 378 00:17:42,460 --> 00:17:45,940 those who are afflicting you, and to give relief to you 379 00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:48,300 who are afflicted along with us. 380 00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:50,300 This will take place at the revelation 381 00:17:50,300 --> 00:17:52,900 of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven 382 00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:55,660 with his powerful angels when he takes vengeance 383 00:17:55,660 --> 00:17:58,700 with flaming fire on those who don't know God, 384 00:17:58,700 --> 00:18:00,940 and on those who don't obey the gospel 385 00:18:00,940 --> 00:18:03,180 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 386 00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:06,260 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction 387 00:18:06,260 --> 00:18:09,740 from the Lord's presence and from his glorious strength 388 00:18:09,740 --> 00:18:12,940 on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints, 389 00:18:12,940 --> 00:18:16,180 and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, 390 00:18:16,180 --> 00:18:18,900 because our testimony among you was believed. 391 00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:22,020 In view of this, we always pray for you 392 00:18:22,020 --> 00:18:24,780 that our God will make you worthy of his calling, 393 00:18:24,780 --> 00:18:28,300 and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good, 394 00:18:28,300 --> 00:18:30,140 and your work produced by faith, 395 00:18:30,140 --> 00:18:33,860 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, 396 00:18:33,860 --> 00:18:38,380 and you by him according to the grace of our God, 397 00:18:38,380 --> 00:18:40,820 and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 398 00:18:44,940 --> 00:18:48,700 The second coming will publicly display Christ's glory 399 00:18:49,580 --> 00:18:52,300 in his people and through his people. 400 00:18:52,300 --> 00:18:55,180 Christ will be glorified, and he will glorify himself 401 00:18:55,180 --> 00:18:56,980 through us and in us. 402 00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:00,420 All the world, all the cosmos will see, 403 00:19:00,420 --> 00:19:03,180 the children of light, the children of God, 404 00:19:03,180 --> 00:19:05,940 come alive and see the object of their faith, 405 00:19:05,940 --> 00:19:09,380 the person of their faith, the one they have trusted, 406 00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:12,300 looking to the skies in joy and rejoicing, 407 00:19:13,900 --> 00:19:16,260 and all those who have rejected God, 408 00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:20,660 who didn't count it worth knowing God 409 00:19:20,660 --> 00:19:23,100 and giving thanks to God, who have rejected 410 00:19:23,100 --> 00:19:26,180 and won't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 411 00:19:26,180 --> 00:19:28,900 they will pay the penalty of eternal destruction 412 00:19:28,900 --> 00:19:31,060 from the Lord's presence and his glorious strength 413 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:34,540 on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints. 414 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:39,860 The second coming will publicly display the glory of God 415 00:19:39,860 --> 00:19:43,420 and be glorified in us, but it will also be a time 416 00:19:43,420 --> 00:19:46,780 of righteous judgment for those who persist in unbelief 417 00:19:46,780 --> 00:19:51,540 and refuse to obey the gospel of Jesus. 418 00:19:51,540 --> 00:19:52,700 What will it be like? 419 00:19:52,700 --> 00:19:54,180 That's what it will be like. 420 00:19:55,260 --> 00:20:00,260 Personal, visible, he will return physically. 421 00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:03,260 Why will he return? 422 00:20:03,260 --> 00:20:06,180 He'll return to consummate the salvation of his people, 423 00:20:06,180 --> 00:20:09,140 to bring salvation to its complete and wholeness. 424 00:20:09,140 --> 00:20:12,460 He'll come to inflict vengeance on those who refused 425 00:20:12,460 --> 00:20:15,540 to believe and perish in their sins, 426 00:20:15,540 --> 00:20:18,220 and he will be glorified in and through his saints 427 00:20:18,220 --> 00:20:20,100 on that glorious day. 428 00:20:20,100 --> 00:20:22,220 That's what it will be like. 429 00:20:25,340 --> 00:20:27,980 The second question, when will it happen? 430 00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:35,340 How many of you know that in nine months of pregnancy, 431 00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:36,900 it's what they tell you when you're having a baby, 432 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,420 nine months of pregnancy leading up to the birth 433 00:20:39,420 --> 00:20:42,700 of the child, that's kind of a rough estimate, 434 00:20:42,700 --> 00:20:45,940 not a concrete timeline there, right? 435 00:20:45,940 --> 00:20:49,100 So my second born, or my third born, Nate, 436 00:20:50,300 --> 00:20:55,300 we had the ability to plan for him to be induced, right? 437 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,420 He was late and they needed to get him going along, 438 00:20:58,420 --> 00:21:00,460 so it's like, well, you pick a day and a time. 439 00:21:00,460 --> 00:21:01,300 When do you want him? 440 00:21:01,300 --> 00:21:02,900 When do you want him, right? 441 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:05,340 It's like, well, let's do Monday morning, 442 00:21:05,340 --> 00:21:07,700 8 a.m. after we've had a couple cups of coffee 443 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:10,020 and we can head on down to the hospital. 444 00:21:10,020 --> 00:21:12,260 That sounds like a perfect time. 445 00:21:12,260 --> 00:21:17,260 Monday, 8 a.m. on January 21st. 446 00:21:17,540 --> 00:21:19,940 Well, you know that little bugger? 447 00:21:19,940 --> 00:21:24,500 He decided that Saturday at 10 p.m., I'm coming. 448 00:21:25,540 --> 00:21:28,500 And you're going down to the hospital right now, right? 449 00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:32,620 And the Lord's timing was perfect and Nate was born. 450 00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:35,940 Not when we expected, not when we planned, 451 00:21:35,940 --> 00:21:38,100 not when we picked the time or date. 452 00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:41,700 Now concerning that day and hour, no one knows. 453 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:44,540 Neither the angels of heaven nor the Son, 454 00:21:44,540 --> 00:21:47,340 except the Father alone. 455 00:21:47,340 --> 00:21:48,860 As the days of Noah were, 456 00:21:48,860 --> 00:21:51,100 so the coming of the Son of Man will be, 457 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:53,140 for in those days before the flood, 458 00:21:53,140 --> 00:21:56,300 they were eating and drinking and marrying 459 00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:59,700 and giving in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark. 460 00:21:59,700 --> 00:22:01,460 They didn't know until the flood came 461 00:22:01,460 --> 00:22:02,900 and swept them all away. 462 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:06,860 This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 463 00:22:06,860 --> 00:22:08,220 The Son of Man will be. 464 00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:12,900 Life went on, eating and drinking, making merry, 465 00:22:12,900 --> 00:22:15,020 getting married, giving in marriage, 466 00:22:15,020 --> 00:22:16,900 all the way up to the point. 467 00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:19,220 And then he came like the flood. 468 00:22:21,140 --> 00:22:22,300 He will come. 469 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:27,300 Jesus goes on in Matthew 24 to compare his second coming 470 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:28,940 to a thief in the night. 471 00:22:28,940 --> 00:22:30,420 How many of you guys have heard that statement before? 472 00:22:30,420 --> 00:22:32,620 He comes like a thief in the night. 473 00:22:33,540 --> 00:22:36,700 Jesus said, therefore be alert. 474 00:22:36,700 --> 00:22:39,300 Since you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 475 00:22:40,860 --> 00:22:44,060 But know this, if the homeowner had known 476 00:22:44,060 --> 00:22:46,140 what time the thief was coming, 477 00:22:46,140 --> 00:22:47,660 he would have stayed alert 478 00:22:47,660 --> 00:22:49,860 and not let his house be broken into. 479 00:22:50,740 --> 00:22:53,660 This is why you are also to be ready, 480 00:22:53,660 --> 00:22:56,020 because the Son of Man is coming at an hour 481 00:22:56,020 --> 00:22:58,380 you do not expect. 482 00:23:00,140 --> 00:23:02,140 The time, the date, the hour, 483 00:23:02,140 --> 00:23:05,100 these are hidden in God's sovereign will. 484 00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:08,100 God's sovereignty, he alone knows. 485 00:23:08,820 --> 00:23:11,820 We are not called to figure out calendar dates 486 00:23:11,820 --> 00:23:15,220 or to look at the newest conspiracy theory 487 00:23:15,220 --> 00:23:16,860 about when Christ will come 488 00:23:16,860 --> 00:23:21,220 or what Nostradamus says about the end of the world. 489 00:23:21,220 --> 00:23:26,220 The Bible tells us he will come when we don't expect him. 490 00:23:27,660 --> 00:23:30,100 Like a thief in the night, 491 00:23:30,100 --> 00:23:33,100 we are called to trust God 492 00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:35,300 and to be ready. 493 00:23:36,180 --> 00:23:38,700 So that leads us to our third question this morning. 494 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:40,500 How should we wait? 495 00:23:41,860 --> 00:23:44,140 How should we wait, church? 496 00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:48,140 There are at least four things 497 00:23:48,140 --> 00:23:50,060 that we are gonna give attention to 498 00:23:50,860 --> 00:23:53,860 while we wait for that second appearing of our Lord. 499 00:23:55,220 --> 00:23:58,380 And our waiting is going to be active, not passive. 500 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:01,860 We're going to actively wait. 501 00:24:01,860 --> 00:24:04,460 I don't know if you had kids, 502 00:24:04,460 --> 00:24:05,980 maybe you have a spouse, 503 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:07,780 we won't point them out this morning. 504 00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:11,460 But if you've ever, you know, 505 00:24:11,460 --> 00:24:15,020 heading home to pick up your spouse or your kids, 506 00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:18,220 and I'll be there in five minutes, right? 507 00:24:18,220 --> 00:24:20,180 And you get there in five minutes 508 00:24:20,180 --> 00:24:22,940 and you wait in your car for 10 minutes, 509 00:24:22,940 --> 00:24:26,260 and you go in and you find maybe your son on the couch 510 00:24:26,260 --> 00:24:30,100 with no shoes on, playing video games, right? 511 00:24:30,100 --> 00:24:32,180 This is not active waiting. 512 00:24:32,180 --> 00:24:36,540 Just so we're like clarifying here, right? 513 00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:40,740 This is not actively waiting for your ride to arrive. 514 00:24:40,740 --> 00:24:42,540 This is passively waiting. 515 00:24:42,540 --> 00:24:45,460 And as we'll see, this may result in something bad 516 00:24:45,460 --> 00:24:48,820 if you continue that pattern to the very end of time. 517 00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:50,220 That's not how we are going to be. 518 00:24:50,220 --> 00:24:52,020 We're going to be active, not passive. 519 00:24:52,020 --> 00:24:53,460 How should we wait? 520 00:24:53,460 --> 00:24:56,700 Number one, we should pursue Christ-like holiness. 521 00:24:57,700 --> 00:24:59,540 How should we wait? 522 00:24:59,540 --> 00:25:03,100 We should pursue Christ-like holiness. 523 00:25:04,820 --> 00:25:07,900 Second Peter, chapter three, verse 11 and 12 says, 524 00:25:07,900 --> 00:25:10,580 since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, 525 00:25:10,580 --> 00:25:13,580 he was talking about how all of the things around this world 526 00:25:13,580 --> 00:25:16,460 and all that we know will be dissolved or wrapped up 527 00:25:16,460 --> 00:25:19,860 in that final day before God makes the new creation, 528 00:25:19,860 --> 00:25:21,500 all these dissolved in this way, 529 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:24,300 it is clear what sort of people you should be 530 00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:26,700 in holy conduct and godliness 531 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:28,980 as you wait for the day of God. 532 00:25:28,980 --> 00:25:31,820 The day of God and hasten is coming. 533 00:25:33,020 --> 00:25:35,260 It is clear what sort of people you should be 534 00:25:35,260 --> 00:25:37,700 in holy conduct and godliness as you wait. 535 00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:40,940 The apostle John in 1 John, he said it this way, 536 00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:45,140 knowing that we will be like him when he comes, 537 00:25:45,140 --> 00:25:48,660 knowing that we will be like him when he comes, 538 00:25:48,660 --> 00:25:51,420 that we too will be glorified, 539 00:25:51,420 --> 00:25:55,140 those who have that hope purify themselves 540 00:25:55,140 --> 00:25:57,460 just as Christ is pure. 541 00:25:57,460 --> 00:25:59,100 If we know we will be glorified, 542 00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:01,140 if we know we will receive that resurrected body, 543 00:26:01,140 --> 00:26:04,020 that glorified body, free from the power 544 00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:07,060 and presence of sin, free from everything 545 00:26:07,060 --> 00:26:10,980 that has ailed us or anything that has kind of tied us down 546 00:26:10,980 --> 00:26:13,900 or like chains around our legs, be it sin 547 00:26:13,900 --> 00:26:16,420 or just the physical nature of the way things are, 548 00:26:16,420 --> 00:26:18,420 we will receive a body like him. 549 00:26:18,420 --> 00:26:20,220 What do we do while we wait? 550 00:26:20,220 --> 00:26:21,540 We purify ourselves. 551 00:26:21,540 --> 00:26:25,020 Everyone who believes that, everyone who has that hope 552 00:26:25,020 --> 00:26:28,100 purifies themselves, that's what John said. 553 00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:30,820 In other words, it will be true of us 554 00:26:30,820 --> 00:26:33,660 so we must begin actively pursuing it today. 555 00:26:34,700 --> 00:26:36,380 It will be true of us when he returns 556 00:26:36,380 --> 00:26:38,660 so we must begin actively pursuing it today. 557 00:26:38,660 --> 00:26:41,420 We live into that future reality today. 558 00:26:41,420 --> 00:26:43,620 Here's another way of putting it. 559 00:26:43,620 --> 00:26:46,500 Those who hope to be like Christ 560 00:26:47,420 --> 00:26:49,900 will pursue being like him now. 561 00:26:51,140 --> 00:26:54,260 Those who hope to be like Christ then 562 00:26:54,260 --> 00:26:56,940 will pursue him being like him now. 563 00:26:58,820 --> 00:27:02,020 Pursue Christ-like holiness. 564 00:27:02,020 --> 00:27:04,980 Put to death the sin in your life. 565 00:27:04,980 --> 00:27:09,140 If there is sin tangling you up, tying you down, 566 00:27:09,140 --> 00:27:11,020 but you hope in the Lord and you hope 567 00:27:11,020 --> 00:27:12,740 in his glorious return and you hope 568 00:27:12,740 --> 00:27:16,860 in the day of the Lord, put to death the sin now. 569 00:27:16,860 --> 00:27:19,780 That's what you're supposed to be doing while you wait. 570 00:27:19,780 --> 00:27:23,220 Pursue holiness, pursue godliness, 571 00:27:23,220 --> 00:27:28,220 pursue the sacrificial life of Christ now while you wait. 572 00:27:29,700 --> 00:27:32,500 Those who hope to be like him then 573 00:27:32,500 --> 00:27:34,660 will pursue being like him now. 574 00:27:38,140 --> 00:27:42,180 The second thing is endure suffering with joy. 575 00:27:43,380 --> 00:27:46,420 Show of hands, how many of you guys like suffering? 576 00:27:48,220 --> 00:27:49,220 Anyone? 577 00:27:49,220 --> 00:27:50,060 No? 578 00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:52,420 No, okay. 579 00:27:52,420 --> 00:27:53,460 No suffering, right? 580 00:27:53,460 --> 00:27:54,700 You don't like suffering. 581 00:27:56,660 --> 00:27:58,780 I don't know if you've ever had a church experience, 582 00:27:58,780 --> 00:28:01,340 maybe some of you come from a background in church 583 00:28:01,340 --> 00:28:05,500 where the particular brand you were a part of 584 00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:08,020 likes to claim promises. 585 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:09,380 Anyone know what I'm talking about? 586 00:28:09,380 --> 00:28:11,020 Claim that promise. 587 00:28:11,020 --> 00:28:12,420 I claim it, whatever it is. 588 00:28:14,140 --> 00:28:15,780 Very exuberant, if I was more exuberant, 589 00:28:15,780 --> 00:28:17,180 I probably could do it too. 590 00:28:17,180 --> 00:28:19,020 You guys ready to claim a promise? 591 00:28:20,180 --> 00:28:22,780 It's for all of you who are in Christ. 592 00:28:22,780 --> 00:28:23,620 It's just awesome. 593 00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:26,500 You will suffer. 594 00:28:28,580 --> 00:28:30,980 Do you know how many times that's repeated in the Bible? 595 00:28:32,140 --> 00:28:34,580 Do you know how many times it's repeated and promised 596 00:28:34,580 --> 00:28:37,180 that if you are a disciple of Christ, you will suffer? 597 00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:40,260 That's your promise. 598 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:42,540 Claim it, name it, and then claim it. 599 00:28:44,420 --> 00:28:45,260 That's a promise. 600 00:28:45,260 --> 00:28:48,260 You will suffer, suffering is a promise 601 00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:50,340 to anyone who will follow Christ. 602 00:28:52,580 --> 00:28:55,660 Jesus put it something like this. 603 00:28:55,660 --> 00:28:59,620 How could you expect to not endure suffering 604 00:29:00,660 --> 00:29:02,980 when I have endured the greatest suffering? 605 00:29:04,060 --> 00:29:07,700 If you're following me, where are you following me to? 606 00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:09,940 I went to the cross. 607 00:29:09,940 --> 00:29:11,220 Where are you going? 608 00:29:12,340 --> 00:29:13,660 If you're not encountering suffering, 609 00:29:13,660 --> 00:29:15,300 you must be on a different path 610 00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:17,300 because my path took me to the cross. 611 00:29:19,580 --> 00:29:22,420 Suffering is promised for the Christian life 612 00:29:22,420 --> 00:29:24,780 and it's both a temptation for us 613 00:29:24,780 --> 00:29:26,860 that the evil one likes to capitalize. 614 00:29:26,860 --> 00:29:28,660 Will we doubt God's goodness? 615 00:29:28,660 --> 00:29:30,180 Will we doubt God's love? 616 00:29:30,180 --> 00:29:32,060 But it's also a test that God can use 617 00:29:32,060 --> 00:29:34,580 to prove the steadfastness of the faith 618 00:29:34,580 --> 00:29:37,260 that he has birthed in us and that he's growing in us. 619 00:29:37,260 --> 00:29:39,300 It can be a source of encouragement as well 620 00:29:39,300 --> 00:29:42,620 to see I am holding fast even down to the last wire 621 00:29:42,620 --> 00:29:44,220 as I'm crying out to you. 622 00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:48,300 Just read Job, read the first seven chapters of Job. 623 00:29:48,300 --> 00:29:50,980 Talk about suffering and crying out to God. 624 00:29:53,620 --> 00:29:56,260 How we understand suffering though matters. 625 00:29:57,100 --> 00:29:59,900 If this is going to be a promise of those who come after him, 626 00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:01,540 if this is the Christian life, 627 00:30:01,540 --> 00:30:03,100 we must understand it differently 628 00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:04,740 than most of us probably do. 629 00:30:04,740 --> 00:30:06,700 We need to understand it 630 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:08,100 in the way that the Bible understands it. 631 00:30:08,100 --> 00:30:10,740 Listen to how Peter, one of Jesus' disciples 632 00:30:10,740 --> 00:30:14,140 and someone who suffered immensely for the gospel, 633 00:30:14,140 --> 00:30:16,260 listen to what he says, dear friends, 634 00:30:17,340 --> 00:30:21,540 don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal 635 00:30:21,540 --> 00:30:23,540 comes among you to test you 636 00:30:25,100 --> 00:30:28,540 as if something unusual were happening to you. 637 00:30:28,540 --> 00:30:29,540 I love that part. 638 00:30:31,180 --> 00:30:36,180 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ 639 00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:40,260 so that you may also rejoice with great joy 640 00:30:40,260 --> 00:30:42,500 when his glory is revealed. 641 00:30:44,180 --> 00:30:48,420 Rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ. 642 00:30:48,420 --> 00:30:50,460 I love that word share. 643 00:30:50,460 --> 00:30:52,940 For any Greek nerds out there, 644 00:30:52,940 --> 00:30:55,220 that word share is the word koinonia. 645 00:30:56,380 --> 00:30:58,940 Koinonia is a word that we translate fellowship 646 00:30:58,940 --> 00:30:59,780 or partnership. 647 00:31:01,420 --> 00:31:03,900 Fellowship with Christ in suffering. 648 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:06,140 You wanna sit down for a good meal 649 00:31:06,140 --> 00:31:08,060 and a good fellowship time with Christ? 650 00:31:08,060 --> 00:31:10,380 Go suffer for him. 651 00:31:10,380 --> 00:31:12,780 A great amount of fellowship with Christ. 652 00:31:12,780 --> 00:31:15,060 You want a partnership, you wanna align with him, 653 00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:16,380 you wanna work toward the same goal, 654 00:31:16,380 --> 00:31:18,260 it'll be in suffering. 655 00:31:18,260 --> 00:31:22,020 And when you're suffering, you're sharing with Christ. 656 00:31:22,020 --> 00:31:25,020 You're taking your share of suffering. 657 00:31:25,020 --> 00:31:28,660 Are we grateful when we get to bear our share of suffering 658 00:31:28,660 --> 00:31:31,300 with Christ knowing that he suffered so greatly 659 00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:32,500 for our salvation? 660 00:31:34,060 --> 00:31:36,380 While we wait for his glory to be appearing, 661 00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:40,540 as Peter says, if we will share in his suffering 662 00:31:40,540 --> 00:31:42,820 and rejoice in this time, 663 00:31:42,820 --> 00:31:46,300 then how much more will we rejoice with great joy 664 00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:49,500 when his glory is revealed in us at his second coming? 665 00:31:50,500 --> 00:31:52,300 How much more glorious will we, 666 00:31:52,300 --> 00:31:53,820 how much more will we be like, 667 00:31:53,820 --> 00:31:55,660 that's my mind now, I suffered with you, 668 00:31:55,660 --> 00:31:56,940 I suffered for you. 669 00:31:59,140 --> 00:32:03,420 I shared in your suffering, Paul counted it a joy 670 00:32:03,420 --> 00:32:05,260 to share in Christ's suffering. 671 00:32:07,900 --> 00:32:11,100 Peter believes that if we understand suffering right, 672 00:32:11,100 --> 00:32:13,580 we can rejoice as we suffer, 673 00:32:15,340 --> 00:32:18,820 so that we can rejoice with great joy 674 00:32:18,820 --> 00:32:21,820 when his glory is revealed in Christ's second coming. 675 00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:26,260 Be pursuing Christ-like holiness. 676 00:32:26,260 --> 00:32:29,380 Endure suffering with joy. 677 00:32:29,380 --> 00:32:31,220 Number three, be gentle. 678 00:32:31,220 --> 00:32:34,500 Number three, be gentle. 679 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:35,340 Be gentle. 680 00:32:37,540 --> 00:32:39,020 The certainty of Christ's return 681 00:32:39,020 --> 00:32:43,300 should shape our conduct today and every day. 682 00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:47,460 Because Christ could come at any moment, 683 00:32:47,460 --> 00:32:52,100 we don't live in a panicked or self-centered pursuits, 684 00:32:53,860 --> 00:32:57,220 but rather we display to all the calm, 685 00:32:57,220 --> 00:33:01,500 gracious and gentle spirit that comes from that knowledge, 686 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:04,780 that our salvation is secure in Christ, 687 00:33:04,780 --> 00:33:06,260 and with his appearing, 688 00:33:06,260 --> 00:33:08,380 he brings our salvation to completion. 689 00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:12,020 And that changes the way we live our everyday life. 690 00:33:12,020 --> 00:33:13,980 Philippians chapter four, verse four, 691 00:33:13,980 --> 00:33:18,500 said, rejoice in the Lord always. 692 00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:22,140 I will say it again, rejoice. 693 00:33:22,140 --> 00:33:26,420 And then he says, let your graciousness or gentleness, 694 00:33:26,420 --> 00:33:27,580 they're interchangeable, 695 00:33:27,580 --> 00:33:31,580 let your gentleness be known to everyone, 696 00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:33,500 the Lord is near. 697 00:33:34,580 --> 00:33:37,140 Let your gentleness be known to everyone, 698 00:33:37,140 --> 00:33:38,300 the Lord is near. 699 00:33:38,300 --> 00:33:40,340 This gentleness is not weakness, 700 00:33:40,340 --> 00:33:41,660 it's the strength of someone 701 00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:44,900 who firmly anchors themselves in God's promises, 702 00:33:44,900 --> 00:33:47,860 free to respond in love instead of in fear. 703 00:33:49,340 --> 00:33:53,020 Our consistent gentleness as we walk through this life 704 00:33:53,020 --> 00:33:56,060 becomes a witness of hope to those around us. 705 00:33:56,060 --> 00:33:58,380 Showing them that we truly believe 706 00:33:58,380 --> 00:34:00,420 that the King is coming again, 707 00:34:00,420 --> 00:34:02,700 and we're ready for his arrival 708 00:34:02,700 --> 00:34:06,060 by living as he taught and as he commanded. 709 00:34:08,020 --> 00:34:10,820 In our first service, we had Michelle Cooper, 710 00:34:10,820 --> 00:34:14,020 who is a Starbucks store manager, 711 00:34:14,020 --> 00:34:16,220 and she has a lot of employees who work for, 712 00:34:16,220 --> 00:34:18,300 I think 14 of them work. 713 00:34:18,300 --> 00:34:20,820 And if any of you guys have ever worked on a team, 714 00:34:20,820 --> 00:34:23,660 and you had managers or owners over top of you, 715 00:34:23,660 --> 00:34:25,700 you know that there's a little bit of a difference 716 00:34:25,700 --> 00:34:29,660 in the work quality when the owner is on site, 717 00:34:29,660 --> 00:34:31,220 than when the owner is not on site. 718 00:34:31,220 --> 00:34:32,820 Anyone experience that before? 719 00:34:32,820 --> 00:34:34,140 I remember working at McDonald's, 720 00:34:34,140 --> 00:34:36,340 I remember everything went out the window 721 00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:37,860 when the manager left, 722 00:34:37,860 --> 00:34:40,500 and then you really quickly got everything back together. 723 00:34:46,460 --> 00:34:48,300 Our owner, our manager's away. 724 00:34:49,780 --> 00:34:52,380 Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father. 725 00:34:52,380 --> 00:34:55,300 He intercedes, he sends his spirit to guide and lead us, 726 00:34:55,300 --> 00:34:58,500 but he will come back one day. 727 00:34:58,500 --> 00:35:01,300 And if we have that hope, 728 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:03,540 and if we are doing what we're supposed to do 729 00:35:03,540 --> 00:35:05,340 while we wait, 730 00:35:05,340 --> 00:35:08,660 then we don't wait with anxiety or fear for his appearing. 731 00:35:08,660 --> 00:35:10,700 We don't wait for him to show up 732 00:35:10,700 --> 00:35:12,580 and worried about whether or not he shows up 733 00:35:12,580 --> 00:35:15,020 at the wrong time when I'm doing the wrong thing. 734 00:35:17,420 --> 00:35:19,140 Imagine that my friends. 735 00:35:20,780 --> 00:35:22,740 The God of heaven, the King of heaven, 736 00:35:22,740 --> 00:35:25,180 Christ, the one who died and bore our sins, 737 00:35:25,180 --> 00:35:29,580 arrives while you're looking at that. 738 00:35:31,580 --> 00:35:34,940 Or arrives while you're messing around 739 00:35:34,940 --> 00:35:36,940 where you shouldn't be messing. 740 00:35:36,940 --> 00:35:40,020 Or you're laying around where you shouldn't lay. 741 00:35:40,020 --> 00:35:42,300 He arrives, the King of all heaven, 742 00:35:42,300 --> 00:35:46,020 to find you not pursuing Christ-like holiness. 743 00:35:46,020 --> 00:35:49,060 Not settle gentleness of the joy of knowing 744 00:35:49,060 --> 00:35:52,220 that you're right with your maker and you're pursuing him. 745 00:35:52,220 --> 00:35:54,020 But instead you're caught up in sin, 746 00:35:54,020 --> 00:35:56,340 and the King of heaven, the sky split. 747 00:35:56,340 --> 00:36:00,540 If that doesn't terrify you, you don't believe in Jesus. 748 00:36:03,460 --> 00:36:06,020 If that doesn't terrify you, 749 00:36:07,300 --> 00:36:09,860 the reality that the sky could split open 750 00:36:09,860 --> 00:36:12,220 while I'm in the middle of looking at pornography, 751 00:36:12,220 --> 00:36:15,420 and the King of all the universe could show up, 752 00:36:15,420 --> 00:36:18,980 and would I be ashamed or would I be joy-filled? 753 00:36:18,980 --> 00:36:20,300 That should terrify us. 754 00:36:22,460 --> 00:36:24,500 But if in that moment we know, 755 00:36:25,660 --> 00:36:28,060 I've turned my eyes away from that, 756 00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:31,660 I've renounced sin, I've put sin to death, 757 00:36:31,660 --> 00:36:33,780 anything that crops up in my life, 758 00:36:33,780 --> 00:36:35,420 anything that I know is sin, 759 00:36:35,420 --> 00:36:37,420 I wanna get it out because I wanna pursue 760 00:36:37,420 --> 00:36:38,660 Christ-like holiness. 761 00:36:38,660 --> 00:36:41,700 I wanna be ready when he comes back. 762 00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:43,180 I don't wanna be ashamed. 763 00:36:43,180 --> 00:36:45,980 I don't want my head to hang low in the air. 764 00:36:45,980 --> 00:36:47,100 I don't wanna be ashamed. 765 00:36:47,100 --> 00:36:49,820 I don't want my head to hang low when he comes back. 766 00:36:49,820 --> 00:36:52,140 I don't wanna be like, no, God, not yet. 767 00:36:54,180 --> 00:36:55,700 You caught me at a bad time. 768 00:36:57,860 --> 00:36:58,980 I wanna be ready. 769 00:37:01,100 --> 00:37:02,940 I wanna be rejoicing. 770 00:37:04,380 --> 00:37:07,620 I want that settled joy to be gracious 771 00:37:07,620 --> 00:37:09,620 and gentle to everyone I know, 772 00:37:10,580 --> 00:37:12,260 because I know the Lord is near. 773 00:37:12,260 --> 00:37:14,340 Which leads us to our final point. 774 00:37:14,340 --> 00:37:16,220 Be found faithful, my friends. 775 00:37:17,620 --> 00:37:20,780 When Christ returns, what should we be doing while we wait? 776 00:37:20,780 --> 00:37:22,780 We should be found faithful. 777 00:37:24,780 --> 00:37:26,300 Over and over again in the New Testament, 778 00:37:26,300 --> 00:37:29,740 we are called to be watchful, to be awake, 779 00:37:29,740 --> 00:37:31,940 to be ready, to be alert. 780 00:37:33,380 --> 00:37:34,980 And in Matthew chapter 25, 781 00:37:34,980 --> 00:37:37,540 Jesus tells the parable of 10 virgins. 782 00:37:37,540 --> 00:37:39,300 These are 10 virgins, 783 00:37:39,300 --> 00:37:42,460 and he tells the parable of 10 virgins. 784 00:37:42,460 --> 00:37:46,580 These are 10 ladies who are part of a wedding processional. 785 00:37:46,580 --> 00:37:49,460 They're a part of a wedding feast or a festival, 786 00:37:49,460 --> 00:37:51,180 and their job is to have lamps, 787 00:37:51,180 --> 00:37:53,660 and they take their lamps to meet the bridegroom 788 00:37:53,660 --> 00:37:55,980 when the bridegroom comes for the wedding. 789 00:37:57,020 --> 00:37:58,900 And this is a picture of being ready 790 00:37:58,900 --> 00:38:01,140 for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 791 00:38:02,380 --> 00:38:05,700 And Matthew chapter 25 tells us that five of them were wise 792 00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:08,060 because they brought extra olive oil with them 793 00:38:08,060 --> 00:38:12,220 to their lamp, while five of them were foolish 794 00:38:12,220 --> 00:38:14,060 because they carried no extra supply. 795 00:38:14,060 --> 00:38:16,420 And when the bridegroom was delayed 796 00:38:16,420 --> 00:38:18,060 and their lamps were burning, 797 00:38:18,060 --> 00:38:21,900 they fell asleep as they waited. 798 00:38:21,900 --> 00:38:23,860 And then around midnight, a cry went out 799 00:38:23,860 --> 00:38:26,860 announcing that the bridegroom had arrived. 800 00:38:26,860 --> 00:38:29,220 And the five who were wise, they got up, 801 00:38:29,220 --> 00:38:30,660 and they took that extra oil, 802 00:38:30,660 --> 00:38:31,900 and they poured it into their lamp, 803 00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:34,220 and they trimmed their lamp wicks, 804 00:38:34,220 --> 00:38:37,220 and they were prepared to then usher in the bridegroom 805 00:38:37,220 --> 00:38:39,660 into the wedding feast, into the banquet 806 00:38:39,660 --> 00:38:40,820 with five lit lamps. 807 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:44,220 And the five who were foolish, they weren't prepared. 808 00:38:44,220 --> 00:38:45,220 They weren't prepared at all. 809 00:38:45,220 --> 00:38:46,260 They didn't have extra oil. 810 00:38:46,260 --> 00:38:47,700 Their lamps had burned out. 811 00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:49,900 And when they got up, they begged the other five, 812 00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:51,500 let us borrow some of your oil. 813 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:53,300 And they said, well, we can't let you do that 814 00:38:53,300 --> 00:38:54,700 because then our lamps would go out. 815 00:38:54,700 --> 00:38:56,460 You need to go find some other oil. 816 00:38:56,460 --> 00:38:57,820 They go to buy oil somewhere, 817 00:38:57,820 --> 00:39:00,820 and while they're away, the bridegroom arrives. 818 00:39:00,820 --> 00:39:07,820 The bridegroom arrives and takes them in to the feast. 819 00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:12,260 Later, those five foolish virgins return, 820 00:39:12,260 --> 00:39:14,580 and it says that they came to the door, 821 00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:19,100 and they said, Master, Master, open up for us. 822 00:39:19,100 --> 00:39:20,940 Open up for us. 823 00:39:20,940 --> 00:39:24,460 And the master replied, truly I tell you, I don't know you. 824 00:39:24,460 --> 00:39:28,620 And then this is how Jesus wraps up that parable. 825 00:39:28,620 --> 00:39:33,620 Therefore, be alert, because you don't know 826 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:35,860 either the day or the hour. 827 00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:41,660 So the final thing I wanna cover as we're closing here is, 828 00:39:41,660 --> 00:39:43,100 how do we get ready? 829 00:39:44,500 --> 00:39:46,900 What does it mean to watch or be alert? 830 00:39:48,700 --> 00:39:51,100 And notice that both the wise and the foolish virgins, 831 00:39:51,100 --> 00:39:52,420 they were both asleep. 832 00:39:52,420 --> 00:39:54,740 And there was no criticism for their sleeping. 833 00:39:54,740 --> 00:39:56,620 So that's not the problem. 834 00:39:56,620 --> 00:39:58,580 To watch does not therefore mean 835 00:39:58,580 --> 00:40:00,900 some sort of artificial getting up at night, 836 00:40:00,900 --> 00:40:02,580 looking out the window constantly, 837 00:40:02,580 --> 00:40:04,940 paying a lot of attention to any end time conspiracy 838 00:40:04,940 --> 00:40:05,940 that pops up. 839 00:40:05,940 --> 00:40:08,220 That's not what waiting and watching means. 840 00:40:09,620 --> 00:40:14,060 But I love the way that John Piper explains that scripture. 841 00:40:15,260 --> 00:40:16,380 He explains it this way. 842 00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:19,140 He says, to watch or to be alert 843 00:40:19,140 --> 00:40:21,140 means to do your own thing. 844 00:40:21,140 --> 00:40:25,460 Means to do your job really well for Christ's sake. 845 00:40:27,460 --> 00:40:29,340 They all had assignments. 846 00:40:30,420 --> 00:40:32,860 Have your lamps, have your oil, 847 00:40:32,860 --> 00:40:35,020 respond to the announcement when it's given, 848 00:40:35,020 --> 00:40:37,140 light the way of the bridegroom in. 849 00:40:37,140 --> 00:40:40,060 The five did their job just the way they should, 850 00:40:40,060 --> 00:40:41,420 and they entered in. 851 00:40:41,420 --> 00:40:43,340 They were morally, spiritually, 852 00:40:43,340 --> 00:40:46,140 and you might say professionally awake. 853 00:40:46,140 --> 00:40:51,140 They did their job the way God meant for them to do it. 854 00:40:51,140 --> 00:40:53,860 So that's what you find all over the New Testament. 855 00:40:53,860 --> 00:40:57,740 The master has given all of us assignments 856 00:40:57,740 --> 00:40:59,060 for while he's gone. 857 00:41:00,020 --> 00:41:05,020 Gifts, resources, abilities, money, opportunities, 858 00:41:05,020 --> 00:41:07,540 relationships, spiritual disciplines. 859 00:41:07,540 --> 00:41:10,820 All of those are spheres where we do our job 860 00:41:10,820 --> 00:41:13,340 with faithfulness and diligence. 861 00:41:13,340 --> 00:41:15,180 Do your job well. 862 00:41:16,420 --> 00:41:19,940 Whatever that may be according to your gift or calling, 863 00:41:19,940 --> 00:41:23,140 do your job well for Christ's sake. 864 00:41:23,140 --> 00:41:25,020 Be found faithful. 865 00:41:25,020 --> 00:41:28,620 Be found faithfully executing the job or the assignments, 866 00:41:28,620 --> 00:41:31,660 the calling or the gifting that God has given you. 867 00:41:31,660 --> 00:41:33,980 Don't be asleep, don't be distracted. 868 00:41:33,980 --> 00:41:36,620 Don't be doing what you shouldn't be doing. 869 00:41:36,620 --> 00:41:39,220 Be doing what you have been given to do by the master 870 00:41:39,220 --> 00:41:41,300 to do until he returns. 871 00:41:41,300 --> 00:41:43,740 Each one of us have been given a calling. 872 00:41:43,740 --> 00:41:45,220 Each one of us an assignment. 873 00:41:45,220 --> 00:41:49,540 Each one of us giftings and talents to use for the kingdom. 874 00:41:49,540 --> 00:41:52,700 And when the king comes, when the sky runs open 875 00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:55,100 and the king returns, each one of us 876 00:41:55,100 --> 00:41:57,100 should be found doing those things. 877 00:41:58,220 --> 00:42:00,220 And when we're found doing those things by our king, 878 00:42:00,220 --> 00:42:03,860 we can hold our head up high and rejoice as Christ returns, 879 00:42:05,060 --> 00:42:07,060 knowing that we were ready. 880 00:42:07,740 --> 00:42:08,860 We were alert. 881 00:42:08,860 --> 00:42:10,940 We were ready for his return. 882 00:42:11,980 --> 00:42:14,340 Be found faithful. 883 00:42:14,340 --> 00:42:16,940 I invite the worship team to come and join me on stage 884 00:42:16,940 --> 00:42:19,700 as we prepare for communion in a moment. 885 00:42:21,740 --> 00:42:26,740 But there's, I guess in closing, a hymn that we have sung 886 00:42:29,340 --> 00:42:32,700 for many years, it was out of the 1800s, 887 00:42:32,700 --> 00:42:37,700 by Horatio Spafford called It Is Well With My Soul. 888 00:42:38,420 --> 00:42:41,140 And there is a verse in It Is Well With My Soul 889 00:42:41,140 --> 00:42:44,300 that every time I sing it, I get a little choked up. 890 00:42:46,300 --> 00:42:49,300 You guys ever heard of the word Maranatha? 891 00:42:49,300 --> 00:42:52,260 Maranatha is an Aramaic term. 892 00:42:52,260 --> 00:42:54,300 It's used in the Bible in multiple places 893 00:42:54,300 --> 00:42:57,300 and it means, Lord, I am so sorry. 894 00:42:57,300 --> 00:42:58,140 I'm so sorry. 895 00:42:58,140 --> 00:42:58,980 I'm so sorry. 896 00:42:58,980 --> 00:42:59,820 I'm so sorry. 897 00:42:59,820 --> 00:43:00,660 I'm so sorry. 898 00:43:00,660 --> 00:43:04,020 I'm so sorry in multiple places and it means Lord, come. 899 00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:06,540 There was a cry of the early church 900 00:43:06,540 --> 00:43:09,380 and our brothers and sisters who came before 901 00:43:09,380 --> 00:43:12,820 that they cried out for the day of the Lord to come, 902 00:43:12,820 --> 00:43:14,300 that God would return. 903 00:43:15,580 --> 00:43:18,100 That he would fulfill his promises. 904 00:43:18,100 --> 00:43:20,180 That he would consummate our salvation 905 00:43:20,180 --> 00:43:23,880 and he bring about the end of all of the sins affects 906 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:25,300 and usher in the new kingdom. 907 00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:27,780 And so our forebearers in the faith 908 00:43:27,780 --> 00:43:30,100 used to cry out Maranatha. 909 00:43:30,100 --> 00:43:32,100 Lord, come. 910 00:43:32,100 --> 00:43:34,100 Maranatha, Lord, come. 911 00:43:37,100 --> 00:43:40,580 Horatio Spafford wrote this in one of the verses to it 912 00:43:40,580 --> 00:43:42,540 as well with my soul. 913 00:43:42,540 --> 00:43:52,100 And Lord, haste the day when my faith will be sight. 914 00:43:52,100 --> 00:43:57,100 Lord, haste the day when all of my hope and my longing 915 00:43:57,100 --> 00:44:02,580 and my yearning will be sight. 916 00:44:02,580 --> 00:44:07,460 The clouds be rolled back like a scroll. 917 00:44:07,460 --> 00:44:12,820 The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall appear. 918 00:44:15,540 --> 00:44:20,700 Even so, it is well with my soul. 919 00:44:20,700 --> 00:44:23,140 Haste the day. 920 00:44:23,140 --> 00:44:26,420 I promise you, if you are caught in sin's entanglement, 921 00:44:26,420 --> 00:44:29,100 you can't pray that. 922 00:44:29,100 --> 00:44:31,820 It's not a prayer you want to pray. 923 00:44:31,820 --> 00:44:33,220 You don't want them to come. 924 00:44:33,220 --> 00:44:35,340 You don't want them to catch. 925 00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:36,100 Be free. 926 00:44:36,100 --> 00:44:40,460 Live holy lives so that you can join with our forebears 927 00:44:40,460 --> 00:44:42,740 in the faith and say, Lord, haste the day. 928 00:44:42,740 --> 00:44:47,380 Lord, come, Maranatha, God, come. 929 00:44:47,380 --> 00:44:49,820 And you will find me like a faithful servant 930 00:44:49,820 --> 00:44:54,460 doing what you left me to do as I prepare 931 00:44:54,460 --> 00:44:57,900 for that last and final advent. 932 00:44:57,900 --> 00:45:24,660 Haste the day.