The Second Coming of Christ

[0:00] Titus 2. Titus 2 if you've got your Bibles. Titus 2 we're going to look at the second coming! Who's looking forward to that? The second coming of Christ. I think we could always be reminded of that, that great subject, that great truth and something we can take heart in and hope in, the blessed hope that we have, the blessed hope of Christ's second coming. And looking at Titus 2 from verse 11 through 15. Is that coming through loud and clear? Titus 2, 11.

[0:48] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us unto himself from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. The second coming of Christ. A heavenly visitor is on his way and for many he will be an unexpected visitor.

[1:35] The Lord Jesus Christ is getting ready to return to this planet, to take rightful reign, to take his own people unto himself. We have his word on it. In John chapter 14 from verse 3 it says, 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 says he's gone to prepare a place for us, he's coming back. Where I am, there you may be also. For believers, this is our glorious, blessed hope. Our joyful hope. Our glorious hope. Our great expectation. The blessed hope of Titus 2. 1 Thessalonians 4 it says, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. The Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the trump of God. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. You know, there's going to be a meeting one day, and it's going to be the meeting in the air. You know, who's looking forward to that meeting? You know, we don't know what time it is. It could be before six o'clock tonight. It could be our next meeting. Amen? And we're looking forward to that day, aren't we? To the blessed hope. Are you ready to meet him? Is the question. Are you ready for his coming again? Both the Old Testament and New

[3:21] Testament are filled with these promises of the second coming of Christ. Someone has reckoned that there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament alone. 1,845. And a total of 17 books in the Old Testament give the second coming of Christ prominence. And of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to Christ's coming, his second coming. 318 in the 260 chapters of your New Testament. So that averages 1 out of every 30 verses. Talk of this great event.

[4:08] That leaves only 4 books of the New Testament that do not refer directly to the second coming. 23 out of the 27 do. And of those 4 books, only 3 of these 4 books are single chapter letters written to specific people on a particular subject. So you can see the vast majority of the New Testament tells of this event. And in the New Testament, we as believers are urged to watch and be ready for this coming of Christ. We're to watch and to be ready, people. It could happen at any moment.

[4:52] We don't know the appointed time. When our Lord comes, he will gather his church and God's people will be resurrected. We read in 1 Corinthians 15 of this event. 1 Corinthians 15 from verse 51. Paul writes,!

[5:39] Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. Let's read in a moment. changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump now this twinkling of an eye is just a you can't measure it it's just so quick it's just a microsecond as as it were and someone has said of this moment in time in this moment this precious moment of our lord's coming someone has said this at that moment the blind shall see him the lame shall rush to greet him the simple shall know him the paralytic shall spring out of their beds to obey his order the deaf will hear and rise to join him in the air what hope what a blessed hope what a blessed hope those who take part in this resurrection also take part in the millennium the millennium this shows us that the second coming of christ takes place before the millennium we see that in revelation 20 verse 6 where we read blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be priests of god and of christ and shall reign with him a thousand years so we see this coming of christ comes before that millennium the one thousand year reign of christ so brothers and sisters this promise should be a driver for us it should motivate us this returning of our lord is a motivating factor a motivating force for every believer it motivates us to keep our hearts right to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope it's a motivator for us to assemble ourselves together and so much the more as you see the day approaching it should motivate us to gather to exhort one another to be faithful to serve to be ready it is a blessed hope a blessed hope our savior is coming back in the twinkling of an eye we will leave this earth we'll leave this mortal this corruptible and put on immortal immortal incorruptible we shall all be changed you know it'll be that that extreme makeover that you're looking forward to amen that you have that total new body you know that everything will be renewed you know brad will be even better looking than he is now and uh and uh and uh sister here a pony she'll be even more beautiful than she is even today you know what a glorious change it will be we shall all be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye our savior is coming back isn't that a joyful joyous happy hope a blessed hope a hope that gives us joy on the inside and comes out on the inside out it's just what a joy it will be what a glad glad day as someone said of this day the devil will be locked up the world will be burnt up the antichrist will be blown up the dead will be raised up israel will wake up christ's kingdom will start up and the true church of god will go up we're going to go up you know we're going to go right to the top press the elevator to the top floor you know christ coming again he's going to take us unto himself it should make us motivated it should make us encouraged this morning it should set us on fire this blessed hope to be his witnesses knowing that our time on this earth is finite and it's only up to the time of his coming that we have left until he tarry until he come we have just that moment of time and so

[9:43] let's make the most of that time until he's coming so we found watching working ready doing what we can for the witness to this world while we're in it and living our lives as ambassadors as his representatives of our lord jesus christ knowing that he has commissioned us to this wonderful work of witness 1 john 3 it says behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure beloved it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him amen julie's going to be like the lord jesus david here it's going to look like jesus it's going to be something even more glowing even more godly even more holy we shall be like him and every man everyone that has this hope in him purifies himself you know which should make us it should motivate us to live right to be ready the apostle peter said this seeing then that all these things all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be this world's going to get the ultimate climate change it's going to get the ultimate ultimate destruction and it'll be renewed refashioned more beautiful than ever but it's going to be dissolved first so you know you might beautify your garden and house like i'm trying to but it's going to get dissolved it's going to get wiped out completely totally trashed and remade so and uh all these things are going to be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be now what should we be like in all holy conversation or conduct and godliness what manner of persons ought you to be because our lord is coming we want to be living right and in the light of his coming again his word calls us to a righteousness to a a rightness of of mind of heart of soul of thought of conduct to be pure in heart in mind in speech in conduct ready for when he comes a purity of heart and life that only he can do by his spirit's power but as we surrender all amen let him do his work his holy spirit fill and pervade our lives and have our being our will in holiness of life in separation in purity of the vessel that we're meant to be clean vessels brother sister we're meant to be clean vessels and if there's cleansing needed let it be let god do that inward work for his glory it says in 2 Timothy 2 paul tells timothy he says nevertheless the foundation of god standeth sure having this seal the lord knoweth them that are his and let everyone that nameth the name of christ depart from iniquity depart from sin don't toy

[13:44] with it but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of earth and some to honour and some to dishonour if a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meat for the master's use and prepared unto every good work it's saying there there's different vessels different containers gold silver wood earth pottery some to honour some to dishonour on planet earth some people honour god some people dishonour god it's saying we should purge ourselves cleanse ourselves from that which displeases and dishonours god and be a vessel unto honour be a vessel that god can fill a container of god's holy spirit that we should be that receptacle that we should be filled with god that's what it's saying meet ready prepared for the master's use don't we want to be that as god's people to be a vessel fit for the master to use fit for the master to use and so if there's any spots if there's any need of cleansing the bible urges us to cleanse ourselves be those vessels fit for the master to use we know the word promises us if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness now of course we all make mistakes at least I know

[15:19] I do and many of them tell Julie ask Julie for the big long list and you know there's many mistakes that I make and I'm not I'm not putting that down as just a token thing I am a sinner saved by grace and there's lack in me such that I'm not always fit for the master's use but let us have that prayerful heart that will ask the Lord to cleanse us from all impurities so that we're ready and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure that's pure isn't it how how more pure can you get than Christ the Bible says we should purify ourselves if we've got that hope in us ask God to cleanse you to make you ready to make you fit for the master to use and it's a day by day by day by day thing isn't it that cleansing cleansing cleansing asking God to make you more worthy more fit for his use to dedicate and rededicate yourself daily to him to crucify yourself put yourself die daily as it were now the word tells us believe on the

[16:40] Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved these were the simple words to the Philippian jailer plain and simple words of salvation he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God you know this verse that we started with we're that says that his grace teaches us his grace teaches us the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us grace teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts grace teaching us to live soberly righteously and godly think of these things how we are meant to live we've heard about the second coming what difference should it make we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world soberly the christian should live soberly the christian is to be sober in all things now what does sober mean it's the opposite of drunk soberly it means have a moderation of our affections in a pursuit and use of earthly things you know don't get too attached to this world we're to be temperate in our whole dimensions of life you know some people live with a laziness some people live with a total hastiness and a total over the top running helter skelter we should live soberly have that soberness that temperatness in how we go about and manage our day by day living in how we walk how we talk how we act we're a representative of the king of kings and the lord of lords and people know that let's measure up to his standard so we need to be sober minded not extremist there's a soberness there's a we are steady and sober and we're on track and god's grace teaches us to be sober not to be abandoned to our fleshly appetites not to be running like a rabbit but to be sober steady on track and grace will govern our natural affections and our inclinations it will bridle our excess it will teach us self-control and when temptation comes we'll say no I'm sober

[19:27] I'm sober not going to fall for that not going to fall for that not going to turn to the left or the right I'm sober and divine grace teaches us that grace teaches us this self-control that we're not going to lose our cool at the slightest provocation and steam comes out of people's ears too easily I know some people like that they go hot faced red faced and steam comes out their ears and they start to get really aggro just cool it chill out grace is sober grace teaches us how to be sober how to keep the pressures of life and just to keep steady and on track it says in Proverbs 16 he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh the city it's got that sense of ruling his spirit

[20:28] I'm under control under his control self-control Christ control I'm sober so live soberly secondly live righteously righteously righteously is about our dealings with other people are we righteous in how we deal with other people in giving each his due in being honourable with others men and women in our lives dealing honourably with all injuring none and seeking the good of all to live righteously it means we stop living selfishly you know Julie and I were just talking lately how selfish some people can be just selfish self-obsessed whereas the word tells us we should have a care for others we should have that righteous dealings with others do unto others as you'd have them do unto you be kind be thoughtful be truthful be courteous be helpful do good unto all men it says especially unto those who are of the household of faith so look after your brothers and sisters in Christ but do good unto all men there's that wide ranging extreme of it that constant aim that extent of caring and considering others instead of being self centred and really when you look at the ten commandments the second half of the law's requirement is that we should love our neighbour as ourselves love our neighbour as ourselves and only divine grace can teach us that really teach us that you know those people that get under your skin you know love your enemies wow that's extreme isn't it righteously

[22:14] God's grace can counteract our natural selfishness and give us that love that righteous behaviour that righteous relationship with others looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ grace teaches us to live soberly righteously and godly godly this is the attitude of our hearts towards God to seek after his glory godliness godliness it stems from faith from that fear of God that healthy fear and that love for God godliness it's only by faith we can really apprehend God that we can know him it says in Hebrews 3 verse 12 take heed therefore brethren take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God you take heed to yourself there's a godly fear a godly fear our Lord says in

[23:25] John 14 if you love me keep my commandments there's a sense where have I kept his commandments perhaps I've not kept that one or this one get it right get right with God godliness keep his commandments and it's only love's obedience that makes us acceptable to God that heart that is melted by his goodness and that seeks to please him live soberly righteously godly looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ grace is preparing us for the meantime in this present world for the world to come grace is preparing us for glory in the past the grace of God brought salvation to the believer in the present divine grace is teaching us how to live both negatively what we don't do and positively what we do do how to live acceptably to

[24:30] God and thirdly in the future in the ultimate the work of divine grace will be perfected in the believer at the return of Christ we know that we're going to have a new body you know you won't need to you won't need to go to the doctor anymore it'll all be sorted everything will be totally 100% how it should be and you're going to have a new body you're going to have a new a whole new dimension to be with your Lord and with your with your loved ones who know him so what is it that we're looking for for now what should we be looking for that blessed hope looking for that blessed hope we should be looking for you know keep keep your eyes peeled for all the signs what are these signs that we're seeing today I just read something of late that came to me of some contemporary events and this is what a Christian wrote just Friday gone the results of the US presidential election were surprising and it was satisfying to see the Clintons go down in defeat after their attempt to thumb their noses at the nation's laws but nothing of substance has changed an immoral man lacking in true wisdom will occupy the

[25:51] White House and his strange character will not change when he takes the oath of office while he and the Republican majority might tinker with a few things that will be viewed as improvements over the last administration and might appoint a better man to the Supreme Court nothing of great substance will be done anti constitutionism will still be taught in the law schools the government will not shrink the deficit spending that is bankrupting the nation will not stop onerous government regulations will not be rolled back the homosexual agenda will continue its breathtaking progress the foolish addiction to alcohol and drugs will continue to spread as evidenced by the legalisation of marijuana in yet another state the Muslim goal of establishing Sharia law will not be stopped and probably not even hindered the public school system will remain a vast humanistic indoctrination program the murder of unborn children will continue apace the rampant wickedness and idolatry that permeates every level of American society will remain a stench in

[26:51] God's nostrils the only way that substantive change could possibly come would be if the Bible believing churches really moved into praying ground and committed themselves to serious intercession for the soul of the nation if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land you know brothers and sisters it doesn't matter who's in charge in the government realm of things we know that it's all downhill it's all downhill right yeah agenda 21 yeah right there's certainly a lot of of these things yeah certainly Peter yeah we certainly can see there's so many things we could say from current events and contemporary reports yeah we know certainly there's a lot more control a lot more of restriction that is potential on believers such as we and regulation and over regulation in every department of life but even in the churches and we know these are all signs for us so signs for us signs of what the blessed hope the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ and so for the meantime live soberly righteously godly looking for that blessed hope does your heart fill with that hope is your heart filled to be right with

[29:05] God to be ready grace godliness glory the Christian's hope what is the Christian's hope we know we could read the daily newspaper and get really depressed or we could read this this paper this good newspaper and we could see what it says it says what the Christian's hope is it says I will come again and receive you unto myself John 14 3 it says this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner Acts 1 verse 11 Philippians 3 verse 20 it says we look for the savior James 5 verse 8 it says the coming of the Lord draweth nigh this is the good news the good news this is the blessed hope and our hearts can long for such the saviour's return so what are we to do there was a poor wife whose husband had been away for many months in distant lands and his duty required him to go there now you see these things when you see people serving overseas in different occupations in the military and then they suddenly hear he's coming back he's coming back news arrives that her husband is coming back and the devoted wife is filled with joy at this glad prospect of the return of her husband now does this wife puzzle her brains about what will be his program of action after he arrives no the all absorbing thing for her is himself himself her beloved is soon to appear before her and that's all she can think of that her beloved will walk through that front door and she will embrace him and welcome him home and so for us as believers our glad hope our glad expectation is of our blessed saviour's coming and the christian's hope is a person i will come again he says this same jesus we look for the saviour the coming of the lord draweth nigh the main subject the main point of the subject of the second coming of christ as much as we could get wrapped up in all the all the signs and all of the lead up to it and all of what's going to happen next which we're all naturally quite curious about that our hearts are fixed on him because he is the blessed hope he is the one we're looking for he is the one who should occupy our attention our love our thoughts our devotion our expectation our hearts should be fixed on him as much as there's all sorts of prophetic details and and all of the nitty-gritty that we could dive into the blessed hope is about him the person of our lord of our dear lord and our looking up for him for he is our peace when christ who is our life shall appear colossians 3 4 the lord jesus christ who is our hope 1 simpathy 1 verse one the blessed hope friends today we could sum it up in three things first that christ is coming again to receive me unto himself second that christ will make me like himself for nothing less than that will satisfy him or the renewed heart and third that christ is going to have me forever with himself in eternity in in his own presence what a joy what a blessed hope we have in john 17 as he prayed for his disciples including we that shall believe he said father i will that they also whom thou has given me be

[33:08] with me where i am that they may behold my glory that they may behold my glory that they may be with me where i am so brother you something to look forward to sister you've got someone to look forward to with faith with confidence with his promise with his assurance that he is coming again and so meantime we look beyond we look above we look up we have the blessed hope it's a hope that is comforting it's a hope that is purifying it's a hope that is sustaining and that blessed day that blessed hope will be a day of blessing a day of rejoicing now the health and wealth tv preachers promise that everything will be wonderful when you receive christ as your savior you will be rich and healthy and all your problems will go away that's what some people say now i don't say that necessarily i'd like to i like to believe that sometimes but uh when you when you think about these kind of promises that some make think of the martyrs and men and women of god the heroes of the faith of old who lived soberly righteously and godly in this present world one of them just to close with a picture of a person adoniram judson adoniram judson was an early baptist missionary to burma and he felt called to india to preach the gospel to the hindus and after a long voyage he arrived there to find that the english east india company would not allow him to enter the country the missions board that supported him and his wife anne were protestants and they sprinkled instead of obeying god's commands and were immersed for baptism and he had to resign his financial support was cut off until a baptist board began to help him so you could see he made a stand for his stand of faith despite the cost he experienced much trying much frustration fears and failures but ultimately a door was open to him to serve in rangoon burma they were the only christians in the entire country of burma imagine that a country of thousands and thousands and you're the one christian the solitary christians in this country they had a son but eight months later he died and they buried him under a mango tree they preached and sought the lost but for six long unfruitful years they had not even one convert they were sure yet of their calling and of god's love and finally they had one person saved then one more and later many others but the devil was on the prowl and the government convicted him falsely of being a british spy and he was condemned to die but god intervened and he spent 21 months in a filthy prison he would sit for days on a bamboo log in a torturous position his wife pleaded for his release and a government survey recorded that year there were 21,000 christians in burma what kept adenoram judson going was the same thing that keeps us going now we may not face the privations the suffering the hardships of adenoram judson but even if things get worse for us in the here and now even if things get harder for us even if christianity is banned and declared illegal and we face imprisonment torture death we have this hope don't we don't we have the blessed hope looking for that blessed hope that's what kept adenoram judson going wasn't the situations and the suffering of his time on this planet it was of that eternal presence to come of that blessed hope and believers that's our hope

[37:09] it's our joy it's our glad expectation that sure enough this finite time on earth whether it be easy or hard short or long difficult or relatively straightforward even if we're in prison for our faith even if we suffer for christ we have the blessed hope and that's what keeps us going the sure promise of the resurrection and the second coming of christ it should motivate us to more godly living let me close with one thought two words maybe today maybe today a preacher called ravenhill said this the first time he came he entered by a woman's womb and no one saw him enter the next time he comes every eye shall see him the first time he came as a lamb the next time he's coming as a lion of the tribe of judah the first time he came to redeem this next time he comes to reign the first time he came to die the next time he's going to raise the dead the first time men asked where is he that is born king of the jews the next time he is coming as the king of kings the first time he got a crown of thorns the next time he will get a crown of glory and of gold revelation 14 14 the first time he came in poverty to a stable the next time he is coming in power the first time he had an escort of angels the next time jude 14 he cometh with ten thousands of his saints the first time he came in meekness the next time he's coming in majesty maybe today friends it's the blessed hope are you ready amen it says be someone has put it like this in the context some advice in the context of his coming be wise be warned beware be wise be warned beware we know that we can expect christ's plural to come false christ we can expect that there's some people worshiping such men that there may be one come who might be christ-like but he's not the christ we've got to be very careful don't we you know be be wise be warned beware but be ready maybe today let us pray lord we thank you that you are the king of kings the lord of lords and one day you will come come to this planet we pray for each here and hear that each one would know the joy and the hope that fills us that makes us want to be want to be to want to be pure as you are pure.

[40:43] It motivates us to be ready, a ready people. It motivates us, Lord, to be looking, to consider the truth that it could be maybe today.

[40:57] Lord, we pray that each one is ready here today, that each one knows what it is to bow the knee, the heart, the will, to say, Jesus, Lord, save me.

[41:11] Lord, save me. I put my trust in you, in what you did at the cross, in paying for my sin, the penalty of it, the shame, the guilt.

[41:25] You took it all, Lord, and I receive your gift in exchange, that gift of eternal life, as I turn from my sin and receive your gift. Lord, I receive your love.

[41:37] Help me to live in the light of your coming. And for each believer, Lord, help us to have the heart, the mind, the will, that we are your ambassadors until you come. We've got a job to do for the meantime.

[41:49] Help us to be sober, righteous and godly people, to be vessels ready and fit for the Master's use. We pray if there's any that have got things to settle this morning, that they'll settle it at the cross, at the foot of the cross, where we know that the ground is level.

[42:09] There's no one higher or lower than another. We're all equally undeserving, unworthy, yet equally invited. Lord, we thank you for the grace that teaches us how to live and it teaches us where to look and what to do.

[42:26] We praise your name, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.