Practical Blessings: Blessed Hope
Pastor Darryl Bentley
Midland SDA Church
October 22, 2011
Homiletical Idea: Of all the events that a Christian can experience one must out shine them all: the second coming of Christ. Yes, coming to Christ in the first place is a wonderful moment and living one’s life to glorify the Lord is rewarding in its own way, but being prepared to meet the Lord when He comes is the climax of the Christian’s life. Far too often we understand the mechanics and signs surrounding the second coming of Christ without rejoicing in the hope of His soon return. Paul calls it a blessed hope because it is the culmination of all efforts, the pinnacle of our journey, and the greatest event next to spending eternity with our God.
1. Opening Illustration: Right under your nose.
2. Transition to the topic:
a. We live in a world that is tuned in to everything that’s happening while simultaneously being tuned out to God. With a few clicks of the mouse or swipes on our smart phones we can know everything happening in and around the world.
b. With the punch of a few buttons we can instantly communicate with people around the world. We know about news almost as fast as it unfolds in real time.
c. Yet despite our ability as a society to connect and have information right at our finger tips most people are unaware of the most important event to ever hit mankind.
d. Why?
i. Because people have heard about for so long they suppose it will never happen.
ii. Because too many have set dates only to disappoint zealous followers:
1. William Miller convinced thousands that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844. All they got was bitter disappointment.
2. More recently Harold Camping tried to convince the world that Jesus was coming back on May 21, 2011. Millions of dollars were spent advertising the date on billboards, in newspapers, and over the airwaves. Again, thousands were disappointed when Jesus did not arrive. Of course Camping had previously failed to predict Christ’s return on May 21, 1988 and on September 6, 1994.
iii. Disappointments such as these have a way of hardening people’s hearts against hearing messages that Jesus is coming soon.
iv. And whether we want to admit it or not, we as Seventh-day Adventists can develop the same hardened, it’s-never-going-to happen attitude about the return of Christ if our focus is not in the right place.
3. Jesus’ Warnings:
a. While Jesus was still on this earth He made sure that we would be aware of the state of affairs in this earth that would let us know He was about to return.
b. He told there would:
i. Be wars and rumors of wars
ii. Earthquakes and other natural disasters
iii. Famine on a world scale
iv. The sun would fail and the moon would turn to blood
v. The stars would fall from heaven
vi. There will be persecution of Christians
vii. False prophets and false Christs will arise
viii. Lawlessness will abound and people’s love will grow cold
ix. The Gospel will be preached to all the world
x. Jesus said in Matthew 24:33, "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!”
4. Despite the Warnings:
a. Despite all of these warnings Jesus gave and despite the fact that so many of us can preach and share the so-called “signs of the times” many of us are not personally engaged with or anticipating Christ’s soon return.
b. Just the other day I had the opportunity to share with the ministers in the Mt Pleasant clergy association. Toward the end of my talk I told them that there is still a great work to do in Mt Pleasant to prepare a people for Christ’s return, and when I told them I believe Christ is coming soon not one of them responded with an amen or anything else. Their response was flat.
c. Was it because they don’t believe Jesus will return again? Was it because they are afraid of being lumped together with the likes of Harold Camping? I am not sure why they responded the way they did, but it made me wonder, “Just how many of our own people believe that Jesus will return soon?” Is it a myth or fable that we have all been duped into believing? Can we truly place our trust and faith in a promise given some 2000 years ago? I believe the answer is a resounding yes!
5. How we can have this hope.
a. I think the first step to being excited about the second coming of Christ is to be connected to him. How’s that for a no-brainer? Yet research shows that when Christians as a whole were asked about the top priority in their life only 15% responded that God was their top priority.
b. When the research was narrowed to only Protestants the number grew to only 23%. Can you imagine that? Not quite 1 in four would say that their first priority in life is God.
c. Sadly, when the pastors were surveyed asking them about their congregations’ devotion to God 70% of them said their congregations were deeply committed to God. So as a pastor I am faced with a dilemma. I either blindly believe that about 70% of you are ready to meet Jesus and are excited about telling others, or I can face the facts and realize that 87% of you are just going through the motions of Christianity and really have no real connection with God.
d. Granted, these statistics are done nationally and do not reflect narrow segments of the population, but if an accurate assessment were to be done on our congregation what would the numbers show? Would we score higher than the national averages? Would we score lower?
i. We have inspired counsel that tells us that those who are deeply committed to the Lord will be where there is prayer want to be made. In other words, if you and I are truly connected to the living God of heaven then we will have an earnest and intense desire to be at prayer meeting.
ii. On an average Wednesday evening we may have around 20-25 people at prayer meeting. Does that mean that those who don’t come have not placed God as a first priority in their lives? I am not going to make that claim, but I will say to you that if you have no desire to be where people are praying and studying God’s Word then you may want to examine your priorities and ask yourself, “Why?”
iii. The truth of the matter is friends that if we have no desire to be with God’s people here on earth, what makes us think we will enjoy one another’s company in heaven.
e. So I go back to my earlier assertion, if we want to be excited about the second coming of Christ then we first have to get to know Him and spend time in His word.
i. We get to know him Him through prayer, Bible study, and spending time with like-believers who desire the same things.
ii. Baseball fans spend time with other fans. They watch ESPN and read about their favorite team. The Detroit Tigers are currently involved in a championship playoff with the…Texas Rangers. Before last week I did not even know that the Tigers made it to the playoffs, but I decided to read up on them a little bit and in just a short while I know some of the players. I know their star pitchers, and I know that if they fail to win tonight’s game then they have no chance of going to the World Series. The sad thing is that more people know what’s happening with the Tigers than they do about the Bible. More people can tell you what the Tigers have to do to win a silly ballgame than what they can tell you what they have to do to be prepared to meet Jesus. Such should not be true among God’s people! I am not against baseball friends, but I am against God’s professed people just playing church. Baseball may be fun and exciting to watch, but it has no eternal value does it?
iii. Today friends we have a golden opportunity. Today we can take the time to slow down and reconsider our priorities.
iv. Today we can pause to remember what Jesus has done for us and fall in love with Him all over again.
v. It is only when we consider just how much Jesus has done for us that we desire to know Him better. It is only when we love Him that we will look forward to meeting Him.
6. Is it true?
a. Is Jesus coming soon? I believe the answer is yes. Do I know when He will come, no and that part does not really matter. If I truly love Him then I am willing to wait and be ready each day.
b. Peter told us in 2 Peter 3:9 NKJV “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…”
7. Wrap-up & Appeal