Who is coming again?
Sermon November 29 2009 William M Howard
For The First Baptist Church Jefferson, Maine. 11:30 Service
Jeremiah 33:14-16
33:14 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
33:16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
Psalm 25:1-10 Prayer for Guidance and Deliverance of David
25:1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
25:2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
25:3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
25:5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
25:6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?
3:10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.
3:12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.
3:13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Luke 21:25-36 (Jesus is speaking here and it is in several parts, 3 parts here.)
The coming of the Son of Man
21:25 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
21:26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
21:27 Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory.
21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
21:29 Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees;
21:30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.
21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
21:32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.
21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Exhortation to Watch (2. Exhortation: a speech or written passage intended to persuade, inspire, or encourage, Collins English Dictionary)
21:34 "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation
(1. the act of dissipating or condition of being dissipated
2. unrestrained indulgence in physical pleasures, esp alcohol
3. excessive expenditure; wastefulness
4. amusement; diversion)
and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly,
21:35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.
21:36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
So ends the reading of the Word. Praise God. This is also the end of where Jesus is speaking in this chapter.
The chapter goes on to say:
Luk 21:37 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called.
Luk 21:38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.
THE Sermon
Who’s coming?
(Advent: from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming")
Who's coming and why?
The Christ is coming. Jesus Christ.
But where is Christmas in these passages?
You know, the birth of the infant Jesus. Mary and Joseph and the manger and “no room in the inn thing and the angels and the three guys with the gifts.
And Santa Claus and WalMart toy bargains?
Luke is writing when Jesus came into Jerusalem. You know Palm Sunday and all the rest. That’s right Easter week.
He had already been to the temple and cleaned house.
And He has been shaking things up in the temple with priests telling the Parables. The end for him on this earth was just days away. And as each moment passed, His teaching and directives, His exhortations were getting darker and darker.
He also had several times already had told of the death and resurrection. The resurrection was not the second coming. The second coming has yet to happen.
That is what the scriptures are about.
His exhortation was told to them and just by the very nature of my reading this, He is telling us.
He is coming. He is coming back. This is Advent season. It is the beginning of the Christian church year and we are to celebrate in 2 ways. We are to celebrate in the birth of Christ and we are to celebrate with anticipation of his return.
From the scripture:
21:25 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
21:26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
21:27 Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory.
21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
According what Jesus is saying here, there is going to be a lot of turmoil. For those that don’t know Christ, they will be full of fear. And, Jesus is saying, and he is talking not just to his little group of listeners, He is talking to everyone who has heard the Word. He is talking to everyone who has been Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
By being here today and celebrating Advent, you will be able to stand up and raise your head and be redeemed. Oh, for anyone that does not know The Christ Jesus and has not accepted him, that time of the second coming will be scary for them.
Are you ready?
Will you be ready?
Will you be prepared?
What are you going to be doing when He does come back?
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation
and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly
like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.
Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
I am so looking forward to standing before the Son of Man. I am so looking forward to standing before the Son of God. I am so looking forward to being with Jesus.
In many ways, I am with Jesus now. I have the spiritual relationship of prayer and conversation. We are buds. You know, buddies. We are friends. We are friends just like the disciples were His earth bound friends.
“You are my friends”
When Jesus says, “You are my friend.”, that is really something.
Jesus is our friend. Friends help each other. Friends warn each other. He has given his warning and exhortation. He is coming.
Who is coming again?
Jesus is coming again.
Amen