Series: Our Great Hope - Message # 1

The Greatest Promise of All!

This morning, I am bringing you a message about a life-altering fact!

Tell me about something that you discovered that literally changed your life.

(Of course, I am not talking about some new face cream, the purchase of a High Def TV!)

I’d like to know about an idea that changed your life. Can you think of one?

For me, it would be the unconditional love of God

For the first half of my, I believed in a God that was an angry Father, who was just waiting for me to mess up so He could punish me! He was a terrifying Figure on the edge of my life, Someone that I hid my problems from and to whom I only showed my best side. Then, at age 32, when my life fell apart, when my dreams perished, and I lost relationship with just about everyone I loved except my wife and kids - at the bottom of the pit - I found out that God was still there. It was a life-changing experience that re-defined everything in life for me!

Today, I want to talk with you about another of those life-changing ideas in the Bible, one that gets swept under

the rug and forgotten too often. Before I do, let me tell you what prompted this message. I am concerned about the state of the lives of many Believers today. God’s people are to be marked by holiness, by a love of God that supercedes all other loves in life. They are to be consumed with a desire to do God’s will. But, many here today are not! We are, by and large, a Laodicean church.

READ Rev. 3:14-22

Wouldn’t you agree that the wealth of our nation, the relatively comfortable lives that many of us enjoy, has - in too many instances - robbed us of a passionate love for God?

∙ We are caught up in pleasure, live for today, and are far too in love with fashion, fun, and the latest fads.

∙ Many Christians have a better grasp of the plot lines of 24, CSI, or House than they do of the flow of the Gospel of John!

∙ Our dreams for our kids are not centered on their discovery of the will of God for their lives. Do we encourage them to give themselves to a life of service to others in the name of God? Or, do we push them to achieve a comfortable life by finding a means of marking more money than we have. Often we prepare our kids for college with more intention that we exert in preparing them for Heaven.

∙ By and large, we have made peace with the culture in which we live, preferring to bend ourselves to the world instead of living counter-culturally for Christ, even if it costs us terribly to do so.

I wept with a broken heart recently with the realization that few of the next generation of our church are preparing themselves to serve God in missions or ministry. I wept over the casualness towards sin that has crept into our lives, over the confusion of loving acceptance of sinners, that is very much a characteristic of Christ, with the blurry lines that lead us to materialism, sensuality, prayerlessness, and hearts that have little desire for the worship of God.

As I prayed to understand what has happened to the Church, the Spirit whispered into my heart that one of the primary reasons for this failure of passion is that we have lost sight of the very Hope that keeps us faithful to God. We have forgotten that we are citizens of Eternity, ‘aliens and strangers’ on the earth, who are looking for a city not made by human hands, the city of our God!

There is a Truth that the Bible repeats again and again that can draw us back to God, that should give our lives focus, purpose, and hope that is not tied to the stock market, property values, or the grades our kids are earning in school! It is a life-changing idea.

What is it?

READ Revelation 1:3, 7-8

Here it is: Jesus Christ has promised to return to earth to establish His kingdom!

The Bible predicts the Second Coming of Christ clearly, but the way many of live suggests that either we do not believe the prophecy, or that we have lost interest in His return because we too much at home right here!

Prophecy! I admit to avoiding the subject for years! In reaction to bad teaching in the past, to sensationalism, to foolishness of men, I simply decided not to study the topic. But, I have recently come to the life-changing realization that if a Believer sets the glorious promise of the King’s return to the side, he will certainly drift into a life that loves this present world. He will lose his willingness to sacrifice, to live as faithful witnesses to the Truth.

Those who have not been taught the Bible's themes about the plan of God miss the encouragement of knowing that the Sovereign God is bringing all things to His end and they risk of being deceived by those who twist the truth to fit their own selfish ends!

Prophetic themes occupy a large part of the Bible. The books of Daniel and Revelation are almost entirely prophetic, unfolding the plan of God for us in sweeping images and sometimes cryptic metaphors. Major parts of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are about the coming Kingdom of God. Jesus preached about the future in messages that are recorded for us in the Gospels.

Since God has chosen to reveal the shadows of His plan, we must take the time to explore and understand those revelations. Indeed, there is a blessing in the study of prophecy. At the end of the visions of John that are recorded in the Revelation, Jesus Christ told John, [Revelation 22:7]

"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." (NIV)

There are several schools of thought and interpretation of Bible prophecy. While I have convictions and understandings about those that are correct, it would be sad if we allowed differing understandings about this subject to divide us. The Bible is clear that prophetic texts exist to keep us faithful, to encourage us in our commitment to Christ, not to provide us with endless speculative conversations about the meaning of various signs and symbols! Let us recognize this baseline truth of prophecy: it is about showing us the supremacy and worthiness of Jesus Christ as the One who is the focus of history As we read prophetic texts, they are to inspire us to greater devotion!

Jesus said it, again and again, “I will return to claim those who belong to Me!”

What a promise! This is, in the words of Paul, the “Blessed Hope” of the Christian Church. Our Lord and Savior will return in majestic power and splendor in the moment of time determined in the plan of the Father.

Does that inspire you?

Jesus often used ordinary stories to teach. He drew on commonly known situations to help people to understand spiritual principles. Take a look at a text -

TEXT - Luke 12:35-48 Pew Bible 1618

READ

1. Consider the picture of household servants awaiting their master's return from a banquet

The owner of the house goes out in the afternoon to a wedding. He tells those of his household, "I am coming home later, but I don't know when." Evening comes, then night. The servants are bone-tired by midnight. They only want to go to their rooms and sleep. Some argue, "He isn't really coming home. He has changed His mind."

But then in the early morning hours, the sound of the master's carriage is heard in the street. The faithful servants who have stayed dressed and who have kept the torches burning at the entry are ready for the owner's arrival.

At this point in the story, Jesus changes what would have been a familiar story to his hearers.

The master does something completely strange! When he arrives at home, in the middle of the night, and finds some of his servants still on duty waiting for him, he puts on a servant's garb, tells them to sit down at the table, and WAITS ON THEM!! It was probably so ridiculous to those who were listening they probably laughed out loud.

Concluding that part of the lesson – Jesus says, "It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready..." [v.38] I can hear the crowd roaring with laughter and saying, “Yeah! That’s great!”

But Jesus was not joking! He was making a serious point. He will return and He will be looking for Believers who have kept the faith, staying faithful. For those, He, our Lord, will serve us with every heavenly blessing.

2. Consider the story of the vigilant home owner who protects his valuables

In a simple question, Jesus asks the obvious.... “What reasonable person would allow a thief to break into his house and steal his possessions IF he was warned about the burglary in advance?”

He then follows by telling us that His coming will be without advance warning. Thus we must live in a state of constant preparedness!

3. Finally, in these stories, Jesus tells a sad story of an irresponsible manager who failed at his assigned task because he gave up hope, and he lost his reward.

This servant had proven himself an exceptional servant and earned a place of responsibility caring for the other servants. He is the quartermaster in charge of rations. Because the master is away a long time, this servant decides to indulge himself. He abuses the other servants and gets drunk. He has no expectation of being called to account for his actions. He misuses his place of trust! Then, the master shows up and drives him from the household. Tho' he knew what his responsibilities were and even tho' he had once enjoyed favor, he set all that aside for selfishness bringing awful judgment on himself.

Take a look at vs. 47-48 once again.

There is a clear principle statement for each Believer to be found in this passage.

Privilege brings responsibility!

There was a phrase often used years ago - “I am saved to serve!”

Do you realize that, OR are you a Christian because you think it is a means to get God to do what you want Him to do, right here, right now?

It is true that being a Believer produces many blessings. However, we are called to faithful service - in good times and not so pleasant times. We give up our lives for Him.

IF we focus our status as ‘children of God’ on ourselves, taking advantage of our relationship to the Father, we will surely bring His severe discipline on our heads.
One of the reasons we need to study prophecy is to understand the high priority of living a holy and devoted life each day! As individuals we must determine to live ready and then one by one, we will reach the people of our nation and the world so that they too are prepared for the King's return.
But you may be asking, is this a teaching only in the Gospels?

This idea of readiness and preparedness is one repeated often in the New Testament as a sub-theme of the return of Christ.

Paul, the apostle, called on Believers to be expectant of the Lord's return and changed in their way of life because of that hope.

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (NIV)

Peter gave much the same message.
2 Peter 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (NIV)

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Jesus will return to this earth!

What does that statement do to you today?

Because you are ready to meet your King, living in His grace, do you feel the surge of hope and joy?

OR,

Are you in love with this present world, filled with selfishness and sin and thus feeling only fear and dread?

The story of Noah, recorded in the pages of Genesis, is an example of faithful patience, of hope inspired by a promise. (PLAY CLIP)

Is the promise of the Lord’s Second Coming a life-changing truth? Make it your blessed hope. Believe Him, love Him, and live for Him. And when He comes, you will be filled with overflowing JOY! Amen.