The Second Coming of Christ

[0:00] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you. Lord, thank you for your church, that we are a body gathered together to your praise,! unto your name.

[0:10] And Lord, one day we'll be gathered in that final gathering.! Lord, thank you for our privilege to give and to be a part of this ministry together.

[0:37] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Oh, the second coming of Christ.

[0:50] The second coming of Christ. What can we say about that? Let's fasten your seatbelts.

[1:05] What on earth is happening? There's a whole lot going on, isn't there, in our world today? Panic, fear, apocalyptic bushfires in our nation, where even they call in the military to intervene, take control.

[1:19] Right now, we have nations and regions and whole cruise ships in lockdown due to a plague-like virus that threatens the planet. Almost sounds like a horror movie, doesn't it?

[1:32] Could this be happening? Yes, it is. Watch the 6 o'clock news. No, come to church at 6 o'clock. But I just read that there are 400 million people in lockdown right now on the planet.

[1:44] 400 million people in lockdown. And men are coming, garbed in hazmat suits and face masks. And now I'm told you've got to wear goggles now too, so the swimming goggles are kind of in the vogue now because the virus can get through your eyes now apparently.

[2:00] But these men in hazmat suits and face masks are going into homes and dragging people out of their homes or off of the streets, taking them away to who knows where.

[2:12] Some kind of quarantine camps. It's a virtual police state in some areas of our world today. This sounds like it's some kind of movie theme, doesn't it?

[2:23] But it's actually the reality for us right now on this planet. Yet even amidst these terrible circumstances, even amidst this situation, there are Christians who are actively witnessing in the danger zone.

[2:37] I've seen some pictures of Christians in China who are braving all of the threats against them to give the gospel and a face mask to people in their danger zones.

[2:51] What are we to expect as the world hurtles ever closer to the final days? The disciples asked the Lord a question such as this.

[3:04] They said, As he was on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately. This is Matthew 24, verse 3. Saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?

[3:18] And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Now, just to preface this morning, I know there's much question about this subject as there always has been about the second coming of Christ.

[3:33] And I'm not here to give you some big timeline or necessarily pinpoint when certain events will happen.

[3:44] I don't know that I can. Being honest. But there's three things that I can tell you about the second coming of Christ. And I believe they are biblical truths that we can all agree on.

[3:55] And the first one is this. Take heed. People still want to know, When will Christ come? What are we to look for?

[4:05] Our Lord says in answer to that, Take heed. Matthew 24, verse 4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many.

[4:23] Our Lord warns to take heed. Watch out. Watch out, he says. Keep your eyes peeled. Watch out for deception. Watch out for some things, including, for example, wars and natural disasters, pestilences, dare I say it.

[4:37] It says that in Matthew 24, verse 7. For nations shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places.

[4:49] All these things shall be the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you.

[5:01] And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.

[5:12] Now, I'll be honest with you, I'm not a great scholar as to the timing and the sequencing and even, you know, the context here.

[5:25] This is the Olivet Discourse. Some would say that's for certain selects. I'm not sure that it defines it that well, that I could crystal clear say that.

[5:38] Nevertheless, these are signs of his coming. He says these are signs. And these are the beginnings of sorrows.

[5:48] He says that our Lord tells us of a time when we who name the name of Christ will face some strong opposition. I think that's guaranteed. Whatever the timing of the taking up, whatever the timing of sequencing, of events, of stages, surely we are living in troubled times and we should take heed.

[6:08] Amen, number one. We should take heed. We've got a virtual climate worship going on. We're living in troubled times. There's a virtual climate worship going on that is reaching a frenzy pitch.

[6:22] Here's what, this is an advert for Honda, love the planet as you love yourself. Let's save the earth by controlling population. Wow. In other words, it's so get rid of some people is what they're saying.

[6:36] And actually, one of us out witnessing yesterday with our team, someone said we've got to, we need a genocide to save our planet. That's what he said. And I was a bit taken aback by that.

[6:49] But that's what some people believe, that there needs to be a genocide to save our planet. That Mother Earth is so important, we've got to wipe out the human race or just about. And that mankind is causing so much problems.

[7:02] It's like a new age religion these days. The climate worship. And people are saying, save the planet. Well, there's only one who can save the planet. Amen. And his name is Jesus.

[7:12] Amen. People are saying, save the planet. Turn to him then. Some will reckon, oh, we need to save the planet from all the damage done by mankind. And we know that the circumstances that we're living in today, where we're seeing these signs.

[7:29] They're all around us. There's the amazing ramping up of technology. We see, as the Bible tells us, that the global economy is going to be linked together by some global system, communication system, ultimately under the control of a global dictator.

[7:47] We see how China's taken control. Who knows what could happen if a directive was given by the powers that be. These things could happen quite quickly, I put to you.

[8:00] We see these many signs, and they're evident today. They're in view, or they're evident today. And meanwhile, we've got this, here's another quote here, climate change is a religious belief for people who think they are too smart for religion.

[8:13] It's a substitute God. That's what it is. The green God, the goddess Gaia. And here we have many who profess faith today. Here's one of the chaps here on your left there is a man called Pete Buttergeek, however you say it.

[8:30] He's an open homosexual, and he claims that he's a Christian. He's one of the leading presidential candidates in America today. God help America if he takes the seat of president.

[8:41] God help America. God help the US of A. God help the world. This is what's happening, and he claims he's a Christian. And America's left is even more godless and hateful towards true Christianity today.

[8:55] And there's all kinds of weird mysticism going on and weird manifestations in some churches. People routinely fall on the floor and writhe like they're demon-possessed, and they think that it's God.

[9:08] These weird things, this growing mysticism, mysticism, and it's being promoted in many circles today. And talking about those who profess to be Christians, I saw a clip of another professing Christian, Jennifer Lopez.

[9:21] Jennifer Lopez, she's the woman who mounted a pole and did a pole dance at the Super Bowl, and there was a clip of her praying right before her sleazy performance.

[9:33] She names the name of Christ, but does she know him? Does she know him? There's a hopeless lack of truth. And there are many who say, Lord, Lord, but the Bible says one day, I never knew you, he will say.

[9:45] There's a crying need for discernment. We need to have our eyes wide open. We need to take heed. We need to exercise caution and test the teachings that we hear. The glad and good news is the truth will set you free.

[10:00] It will set you free. It's life-giving. It sets people free. And when there's lukewarmness and deception and worldliness and mayhem, I've heard it called pandemonium, lots of demons, we see in churches, Christians need to wake up and smell the coffee and take heed, be not deceived, as our Lord instructs us to.

[10:22] You know there's many scriptures along this theme. For example, 2 Timothy 1, 3, 1 through 5. Paul tells his note also that in the last days, perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of themselves, povetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth-breakers, false accused, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, petty, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

[11:00] Many signs here of some having a form of godliness but denying power thereof, having some profession, some claim, yet the reality is not there. And people deny the truth, we're told, in the latter days, that there'll be this religious deception.

[11:17] Our Lord says, take heed. There's going to be a decline in moral standards. We must take heed. When all of these signs and sounds and situations that come across our path, when we see outright deception that people swallow as truth, there is one vital truth that we need to know.

[11:40] Christ is coming. He is coming back. He is coming back. He's promised to. Many will disbelieve that. They'll even mock and scoff the idea of that.

[11:50] As the word says that they were, there shall come in the last days. Scoffers, walking after their own lust, saying, where is the promise of his coming? We must take heed to the truth, the truth that Christ is coming, the second coming of Christ.

[12:06] It's a recurring theme. For example, some have reckoned that one out of every 30 verses in the Bible speaks of the subject of the end times or Christ's return.

[12:17] Three of the 27 books in the New Testament do not refer to it. All the rest do. 24 out of 27 books in the New Testament refer to it.

[12:30] Of 216 chapters of the New Testament, there's well over 300 references to the return of Christ. There's over 1,500 Old Testament scriptures that refer to the second coming of Christ.

[12:46] One out of every 25 New Testament verses directly refers to the second coming of Christ. For every time the Bible mentions the first coming of Christ, it mentions the second coming eight times.

[12:58] And for each time the atonement is mentioned once, the second coming is mentioned twice. The Lord Jesus refers to his second coming 21 times. And over 50 times we're told to be ready for his return.

[13:12] So it's important I put to you this morning, whatever your concept and whatever your consideration, it is true for all of us, we ought to take heed.

[13:28] It's important that we take heed. We take heed to the signs. When we see these things, when we turn on the media, when we see what is out there and the threats and the upheaval, the chaos that is our planet, at times these days and ever more so, we ought to take heed.

[13:50] These are signs. And it says that the people will be preoccupied with the cares of this world. Now the Olivet Discourse is in the three Gospels.

[14:01] In Luke 21 it says, our Lord says this, take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life so that the day come upon you unawares.

[14:14] You know, he's talking about people maybe having a bit of a party attitude and getting out of their senses drunk. Our Lord says take heed.

[14:30] Take heed. That day could come upon you unawares. The fact is most people are unheeding. Many Christians are unheeding. They're too busy for God. They're too busy.

[14:41] Their lives are all caught up in the world and in pleasing themselves. Most people are not really waiting and ready. So number one, take heed.

[14:53] Secondly, I put to you, take heart. Take heart. The coming of Christ is reason for us to take heart. It's reason for us to take courage. It's reason for us to have hope.

[15:04] Like Job in his great sorrow and pain, it says that he had a hope of the return of his redeemer. That he will stand on the earth. He says that his hope, his comfort is in that knowledge, in the book of Job, amidst all the trying times of Job.

[15:22] Paul tells us that the second coming of Christ is our blessed hope. It's a joy. It's a glad hope. And we look forward to that with certainty. Amen? Amen? He writes this, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

[15:42] But believers, this is something we can take heart today. This is our great comfort and expectation. And we look forward to this coming of Christ. Surely we can take heart at the Saviour's promise when he says, let not your heart be troubled.

[15:57] You believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house. are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, that you may be also.

[16:17] He's saying he's going to heaven and he's saying he's preparing a place for us where we will go unto him. So take heart. Saint of God, believer this morning, brother, sister, take heart, let not your heart be troubled.

[16:34] Take heart. It tells us that the people in darkness, for them there will be destruction. Yet for the believer, there is a bright hope and a blessed assurance.

[16:46] We see that 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 3, when they, of the lost, it says, they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.

[16:56] as travail upon a woman with child, they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Destruction is coming, but we are not in darkness that that day should overtake us.

[17:12] We are a people looking for his second coming. He was once offered to bear the sins of many as we read earlier today. And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

[17:28] Believer, this morning, you can take heart. You can take heart in that glad, glorious, certain, sure hope. Christ is coming. He's coming for you. And he says, I will come.

[17:40] I will come again and I will receive you. I will take you. He will appear the second time for those who look for him. And there's a like scripture here, Philippians 3, verse 20, for our conversation, our way of living is in heaven.

[17:54] For whence also we look for the saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our hope and our prayer. Our Lord is coming back for a prepared people. And these are signs of his coming.

[18:06] They're all around. that match up, that line up with scripture, that show us the markers, the milestones, the marks that reflect what the scripture says will happen at the last of days.

[18:22] We have the blessed hope of his coming. And friends, this hope purifies us. 1 John 3, John writes that of us, he says, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons of God.

[18:38] Therefore, the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. And it says, of those who have this hope, that it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.

[18:51] For we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. There's a sense where this glad hope, this taking heart, it gives us that assurance.

[19:09] We shall see him. We shall be like him. Stage is set. There's coming this time, a time of much affliction. It says in Mark 13, verse 9, it reads, the days of tribulation, of trouble, of distress.

[19:25] We read a phrase, perilous times. These are times of turmoil. I put to you, whether we're actually in that at this right moment or it's just the lead up to it, I put to you, that's escalating towards what the Bible says it will be.

[19:41] And it says that there will be some national distress. There will be these signs and there'll be a fear that grabs a hold of people. We see that in Luke 21, for example.

[19:52] It talks about the signs in the sun, in the stars, the earth. There'll be distress of nations, perplexity, seas and waves roaring. Luke 21, 26, it says, men's hearts, failing them for fear and looking for those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

[20:12] It's telling us men's hearts are going to be failing them for fear. Men's hearts are going to be so torn up and distressed and tormented that they're going to be having heart trouble.

[20:23] but we know that we can, as believers, we can take heart. We can take heart because it's a blessed hope for us. But for the world, the world will see as ultimately we see an antichrist, this global demon-possessed dictator, this ruler is going to make a seven-year treaty with Israel.

[20:47] They will rebuild their temple in Jerusalem and will worship God according to the law of Moses and then halfway through that seven-year period, the antichrist will break his treaty with Israel.

[21:01] He will enter the holy of holies of the temple and declare that he is God. And then he will demand to be worshipped which we see is that abomination, that desecration of the temple.

[21:12] These events mark the tribulation time and this time of warfare, this time of great upheaval and trouble and a like verse it says there that nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, there's going to be earthquakes, there's going to be famines and troubles, these are the beginnings of sorrows.

[21:33] We read in the word as I'm just really touching some salient points that the antichrist will try to kill the Jews and two-thirds of the Jews living then will die.

[21:46] It says in Zechariah 13 verse 8 and the antichrist will try to kill all those who name the name of Christ. These signs are all around us.

[21:57] We see an antichrist spirit I put to you. An antichrist spirit. Some of the way that some politicians are venting and this hatred in the media, this anti-Bible, anti-Christian sentiment, it seems like it's growing.

[22:16] The word tells us of such things as signs. It tells us of inventions of the latter times. It tells us how there's going to be rapid transit. It says that there in Daniel it says that people will run to and fro.

[22:32] Talking about this, I put to you, it seems to infer people who are going to be doing a lot of travelling and we see that air travel these days, how massive mass transit is going on and we see the increase of knowledge, the smart technology so-called and there's this false peace and safety as people think are we more advanced today and we're kind of like we've evolved to some great level but really there's a lawlessness, really it's a falling away, it's a declining, it's a loss of proof.

[23:09] Take heed our Lord says and here is a likewise verse 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3 Paul says let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except they come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition.

[23:30] Friends in my basic simple understanding of these truths it's telling us there's going to be a falling away, there's going to be a decline, there's going to be a loss of truth, there's going to be such deception that people will swallow a leader who is going to kind of just mesmerise them and it's going to be such a popular kind of leader you could imagine that he will take over the complete in some complete fashion.

[24:06] Now whatever we believe about the timing of when God takes us out of this planet one thing's for sure the safest place for a believer is in the centre of God's will centre of God's will and he didn't take Daniel out of the lion's den nor him and his brethren out of the fiery furnace he got in there with them and he is with us today whatever we go through he is with you he is with you of course we know he took Noah out and he got out for destruction we can take heed to the signs we can take heart in the saving of our God we must go in the lion's den he will be with us look through history and we see men and women of old went through literal torture fiery flames went through great suffering

[25:10] Christ I don't want to leave you the impression that he's going to take us out in the sense that we're not going to have to face something we might well have the temperature up a bit quite a lot before he takes us out so number one take head secondly take heart and thirdly I put to you take action these are days that call us to be on our guard call us to be vigilant call us to be sober these truths the truth of Christ coming should prompt us to watch should prompt us to pray should prompt us to be wise and faithful it should prompt us to be a good steward should prompt us to be sober friends the second coming of Christ should stir us to activity to self restrain to abide in Christ 2 Peter 3 verse 11 it says seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved ultimately the planet is going to be dissolved and recreated!

[26:14] refreshed! That lovely home or garden or whatever possessions is going to evaporate it's going to have to be gone and then God's going to replace we know that everything's going to be dissolved seeing then these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation in godliness that's what matters isn't it?

[26:38] I was talking with someone we were witnessing to yesterday and he was saying he was a property owner and the bushfires had wiped out he had 40 acres he was wiped out by the bushfire that really rattled his faith and I just urged him to consider Job consider my servant Job consider friends even if everything gets wiped out even if everything gets dissolved even if we face a terrible persecution as our brothers and sisters do in China or other nations if we were Christians in a land where persecution is the norm even death for Christ should it deter us it speaks to me when you see these brave Christians in China under threat of their lives out on the streets passing out the gospel not stopping them what's stopping us seeing that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be the

[27:50] Bible says be ready be prepared you know the boy scout be prepared don't we need to be prepared for whatever faces us I'm not saying you need to stockpile food and have some little bunker in your backyard well maybe I'm not saying to do that I'm not looking for the undertaker I'm looking for the upper taker I'm looking for the one who's going to take me up I'm looking forward to that meeting in the air I want to be ready when Jesus comes and the best way to be ready for when Jesus comes is to take action take action if the Bible tells about a spreading of the gospel in the latter days it says that this gospel is going to be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations then shall the end come if we want to speed up the return of Christ let's get the gospel out there let's spread the gospel let's take the gospel we're called to witness we're called to action and the best thing you can do is to be an active witness!

[29:01] Our Lord says in Matthew 24 37 as the days of Noah were so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be he gives us a picture of Noah and of Lot he says as the days of Noah were so shall the coming of the Son of Man be and his second coming so what were the days of Noah like and is there a parallel now now one word that we could be sure to describe Noah's day is the word wickedness the people were wicked God saw the wickedness of man so that it was great in the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually the people were wicked in Noah's day it was like a time when they dreamt up new ways to do evil what's the next evil we can invent and partake of it's a world some reckon that actually marriage was abused a bit like current bears where marriage has been soiled and defiled such that it's almost a dirty word now what the world makes marriage to be people were corrupt and violent it was a world where violence was spreading murders and wars and it was a time where there was a lot of religion they were religious in

[30:26] Noah's day they were worshipping they had statues and idols and ceremonies and sacrifices was a world where there was lots of religion there was a decadent religion and people really gave little thought to the true God Noah's day and as in Noah's day as in Lot's day we see Luke 17 27 they ate they drank they married wives they were given in marriage till the day that Noah entered into the ark and destroyed them all then it goes on about Lot life was as it was in the days of Lot they did eat they drank they bought they sold they planted they built it life goes on pretty routine people just carefree little thought for the things of God but the same day that even thus shall it be the day when the son of man is revealed now we think of Lot's day of

[31:27] Noah's day they were preoccupied with things they were taken up with their everyday living with the world and the cares of the world they didn't have time for God sounds a lot like our day doesn't it people can't even put a day to worship!

[31:44] it seems like this oblivious attitude to the threatening danger and in Noah's time it was a world that was threatened by the judgment of God but in the middle of it all there stood one man and he took action Noah took action God said the world is about to be destroyed he saw the violence he saw the corruption one man stood against the tide his name was Noah in all that corruption Noah dared to walk with God Noah talked with God Noah believed in God and he was moved with godly fear it says Noah warned of God he took heed he was warned of God of things not seen as yet he was moved with fear he had an ark to the saving of his house of which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith So by faith God warned

[32:45] Noah take heed God told Noah build an ark out there in the desert seeing a crazy idea God told Noah what to do and Noah did what God told him to do and he was saved and his family from destruction Noah believed God and he took action Friends we're fast approaching I put to you the last days of this planet and you know I guess preachers have been saying that for hundreds and hundreds I firmly believe that it's soon upon us someone sent me an email actually someone I've never heard from before and he actually set a date and it was this decade and I won't preach that to you today but you know you think well I think it could be it could be that it is close is close and

[33:47] I'm not about setting dates making presumptuous remarks I don't want to be telling you something that I don't see plainly in the scriptures just want to tell you these three truths take heed take heart take action fast approaching these days and the scoffers just as the scoffers of 2 Peter where is the promise of his coming some would mock and think kingdom now look we're going to save the planet we're just going to take positions of authority and we're going to take over government and authority and make laws that are Christian friendly the Bible doesn't say that it says that Christ is coming and he says he's promised that he's coming and when there's much skepticism and unbelief that seems to be overtaking many it's just another sign it is actually another sign that surely it's coming our Lord is coming the big question is this are you ready are you ready the coming of Christ is soon upon us

[35:06] I put to you it's going to be unexpected for many and his first coming was as the saviour in humiliation his second coming will be as king in glory and majesty and he will set things right we know that it says what are we to do in the light of his coming again certainly we are to take heed to the signs let's not gloss over or be unmindful when we see the signs when you read your newspaper you see the signs take heed to the signs and therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober many will sleep on and be like the frog in the kettle they won't see the signs they won't take heed they won't watch they won't be sober we can take heed and also we can take heart for us this is our blessed hope this is our blessed hope this is something we long for we look for we love his appearing we earnestly!

[36:18] joyfully! and surely and certainly knowing that he is coming for his church and that he will save us from wrath says that we are called in 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 10 the church of God is called to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come his promises he will save us and likewise it says for God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ surely we will face some temptation Paul said you're going to have much tribulation tribulation we must go through much tribulation the sense we are not immune to tribulation we are not immune to trouble we know that trouble will come and when we name the name of Christ we know that people will hate us for that they will mock us they will punish us our Lord says be not afraid says we can have courage we can take action friends there are some things we can surely do some things negative and some things positive

[37:30] Titus 2 we see the grace of God that bringeth salvation all men God's grace his saving grace it says teaching us some things teaching us that denying here's the negative denying ungodliness and worldly lust there's some things to deny to renounce ungodliness worldly passion and then they're called to positive to live soberly righteously godly be sober be self controlled be upright be godly in this present world friends our Lord has called us to this to purify for himself a peculiar people now that's a blessing isn't it that he's called us to that and so for the meantime we're to tell us for good works this is time for action and the second coming of Christ is our great expectation it tells us that we are those who love his appearing it says there's a crown of righteousness laid up it says the Lord will give me the righteous judge he's going to give me that crown that crown of righteousness on that day not to me only but to all them that love is appearing if you love

[38:40] Christ love his appearing you love the truth that Christ is coming for you it says there's a crown for you crown of righteousness you look for that day the day of his return our Lord causes meantime to be ready it says be therefore ready also for the son of man cometh at an hour when you think not surely Christ is coming this is the truth of the word of God surely Christ is coming do we believe it yes now there was a time a preacher had a word such as this and a little girl was there and after the meeting she quizzed her mother and said this mummy do you believe Jesus will come back yes could he come back this week yes today yes could he come in the next hour yes in a few minutes yes dear mummy would you comb my hair and we need to be ready don't we we need to be so ready that we know he's coming we want to be ready for

[39:46] Jesus coming we need to be ready for Jesus coming for us are we ready I've got to keep a watch on my hair sometimes we've got to be ready in the sense but we're talking more spiritually are we spiritually prepared brothers sisters our Lord tells of a time so frightening that men will faint for fear people are going to faint there's going to be false messiahs there's going to be deception on a massive scale our Lord promised that he is coming back and we can comfort one another with these words even in days of terror or even as the lead up to tribulation we know we are to be ready and the glad hope that we have is he's going to take us out he's going to take us out the hope of his coming again 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 16 for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout the voice of the archangel and with the trump of

[40:48] God and the dead in Christ shall rise first it tells us the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and it says then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet there's a glad glorious sure and certain hope Christ is coming he's going to take us out he's going to take us out he's going to take us and it's going to be a meeting in the air and are you ready that is the question for everyone here today are you ready the says prepare to meet thy God are we in the terminal generation!

[41:38] promised that he would come back he's told us to prepare get ready to meet him you know get the comb out we need to get ready we need to have the reality that it could happen I believe it could happen at any moment I believe it could people would differ on that but I think whatever the case we need to be ready certainly our Lord very clearly says that be ready he says that no denying that and friends how do we prepare to meet our God keep thy heart with all diligence get your heart right your heart right then you'll be ready when he comes get your heart right with God in other words put your trust in Christ be saved are you saved that's the only way to be ready get saved now the Lord is coming back one day he's going to dethrone the temporary ruler of this world as the Bible calls him Satan the prince of this world the god of this world and I was telling this fellow who had lost everything in the bushfires well we know what gods are blamed for that the god small g of this world he's the god of this world one day he's going to be dethroned he's going to be kicked off of that throne and kicked down to where he belongs and we're called to meantime take head to take heart and to take action what are we to do at such a time as this there's three things that we need to watch to pray to be ready we need to be watchful to see the signs we need to be aware take heed of deception we need to be a witness take the gospel friends looking for his appearing implies action there's a story our

[43:17] Lord told to picture this of servants and a master and he called his servants as he was about to leave them for a time and then return and he gave them some money he gave them some substance that he gave them stewardship of and he divided it to them and he left them with this charge he says occupy till I come now this money this pound I'm told it represents one third of an average worker's yearly salary so they each got one third of a year's wages here and he says to trade with it to use it to occupy till I come and then he was going to give an account so he say occupy the word occupy means do business with what I've entrusted we've all got a business to conduct it's the business of the kingdom of God we should be occupied occupation is an active duty and friends what are we to be occupied with to be busy with the gospel to be busy with the things of

[44:25] God occupied with the things of God it's time coming when we can't do that anymore says I must work while it is day night comes when no man can no longer work can no longer be occupied don Wesley was asked what if you knew you were going to die tonight he says I'll do exactly what I plan to do because he had that mentality that he wanted to live every day such that it was a day he wouldn't have a regret of how he had spent it what about how we spend our days our time occupy till I come he says friends we're just wrapping up here as we've seen before the grace of God has appeared to all men teaches us how to live how to act I was just looking for that glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour friends it says he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity of a people friends

[45:27] I'd love to be able to be a bit more precise a bit more determinate on some of these events I'll just take the Bible as I read it and it says to take heed it says we've got to take heed don't be wishy washy don't be flip floppy take heed take heed to yourself take heed to your doctrine take heed for the signs take heart this is a glad and great and glorious promise your Lord is coming he's saying occupy till I come he's telling you I promise that I will return saying I will prepare a place and I'll take you to myself he's saying that we're going to be caught up to meet him in the clouds says that for the meantime a glorious!

[46:29] take action these truths are not such that we can file it away and know our theology is all down pat we know all the ins and outs and the timelines and dispensations and it's about the truth that Christ is coming our redemption draws near now someone has said we're not to be so taken up with the second coming of Christ so much as the Christ of the second coming we can have our doctrine about the second coming of Christ it's the Christ of the second coming that would be a shame wouldn't it Christ is coming friends Christ is coming I'm not meaning to dismiss this deep theology on these things that I'm just only scratching the surface of here I'm not even pretending to to tell you a defined order of events simple truth that is coming get ready get ready and says towards the close of the book

[47:47] Revelation 22 20 he says surely I come quickly and John's prayer was even so come Lord Jesus you know that is our prayer today isn't it come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus we want to be ready we want to be watchful we want to be working we want to be wakeful we want to be a church that will be that spotless pure bride of Christ we want to be a glorious church we want to be a people who are prepared and the only way to prepare for the coming of Christ is to trust him to trust him to save your soul I urge you today trust him trust him the Christ of the second coming it's come in the first time as the suffering saviour it's coming again as the glorious king are you ready let's pray lord we thank you that you are the great and glorious god that we are waiting for your returning lord we know your promises assured for our hearts today we can take heart and even while situations might emerge that are more testing for us we know that you're with us and the very safest place for anyone is in the centre of your will and it is not your will that any should perish but that all should come to repent and lord we pray that each one might know that that saving grace of god in jesus name we pray amen we pray we pray we pray