As a child, I remember my mom would get a Christmas calendar
that would count down the days to Christmas.
My parents were strict growing up about waiting until Christmas
Day to open the presents. That means that in the Hensel
house we were not counting down the days to Christmas Eve, but
to Christmas morning. Each day we would open one of
the tabs for the appropriate day, inching ever so close to
December 25th. It felt that is each day we grew
closer to the 25th of December, the days would go by slower and
slower. And the longest day of all, you
guessed it, December 24th, it felt almost impossible to go to
sleep. And if we did fall asleep, it
would not last long. We would immediately turn to
glance at the clock, only to realize that 20 minutes an hour
Max had slipped by. The longing for Christmas
morning was almost too much to bear.
Maybe that's why we were not given the time and the date for
the return of Christ. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24,
verse 36. But about that day or hour, no
one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only
the Father. If we were to know the time and
date, we would be paralyzed in expectation.
So while we don't know when He will return, we can be sure that
He will return. How do we know that it will
happen? I'll tell you because Jesus told
us it would happen. Revelation chapter 22, verse 7,
and behold, I am coming soon. This is Jesus talking.
Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.
To those of us longing for the return of Christ, to those of us
yearning for things to be made right, to those of us aching for
the end of pain and suffering, Jesus says, behold, look, I am
coming soon. You can doubt what a politician
says during an election cycle. You can doubt the accuracy of a
telemarketer who says that this is a limited time offer.
You can raise your eyebrows when the used car salesman says that
this car has only been driven to church and back.
But don't you ever doubt a word that comes from the mouth of
Jesus? Because Jesus is the word of
God, the word that created the universe in all of its galaxies
and with all of its beauty. That word.
So what is he doing now? What is Jesus doing in the in
between? What is Jesus doing in the
waiting? Jesus speaks to this in John
chapter 14 verses one through 3. He says this to us.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me.
My Father's house has many rooms.
If that were not so, what? I've told you that I am going
there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back.
And what's He going to do to take you to be with me?
That you also may be where I am. A widely respected man known as
Uncle Johnson died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120
years old. Perhaps it was his advanced
years that could be credited to the cheerful outlook that
characterized his life. One day while work in his
garden, he was singing songs of praise to God, and his pastor
happened to walk by, looked over the fence and called Uncle
Johnson. You seem very happy today.
Yes, I was just thinking, said the old man.
Thinking about what? Questioned his pastor.
Oh, I was just thinking that if the crumbs of joy that fall from
the master's table into this world are so good, what will the
great loaf in glory be like? I tell you, Sir, there will be
enough for everyone and some to spare up there.
Earlier this year, Robert L Sturm passed away.
He was born in 1933. He served as a Lieutenant
Colonel in the United States Air Force and while serving in the
Vietnam War, he was taken captive to North Vietnam, where
he was a prisoner of war for five years.
On March 17th, 1973, at the Travis Air Force Base in Solano
County, California, Associated Press photographer Slava Vietor
captured the moment he was reunited with his family.
That photo ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize and was given the
name Burst of Joy. I think that this is the moment
that awaits all of us who are in Christ.
One day He will return and we will run gleefully into His open
arms and our hearts will experience a burst of joy.
We will finally take hold of the object of our faith as He wipes
every tear from our eyes. We know He's coming.
So what are we to do in the waiting?
For nearly 40 years, an old lighthouse keeper served on the
rocky stretch of the northeast coastline.
This lighthouse was the only thing that stood between
incoming ships and the dangerous jagged reef that had claimed
dozens of vessels before the construction of the lighthouse.
And every evening before sunset, the age keeper would faithfully
ascend the long winding Rd. up the hill and then carefully walk
up each steep step, circling the perimeter of the interior walls
of the tower until he finally reached the lighthouse.
He would top off the oil supply, trim the Wick and wipe the soot
from the glass, and then he would light the lamp.
As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the beam of light
would sweep across the waves like a steady, faithful
heartbeat. The people in the village
admired his faithfulness, never missing a night despite the
aches and pains of old age. Each night, with jugs of oil in
each hand and matches in his pocket, he would make the long
climb. A vinsider once asked him.
Sir, you work like the lighthouse Inspector might show
up at any moment. The old man chuckled.
I don't know when the inspector is coming, but I don't do what
I'm doing just for him. I do it because the ships keep
coming in. The ocean is only becoming more
dangerous. The night is only becoming more
dark. People's lives depend on this
light staying lit. Storm after storm continued to
batter the coastline, and each evening, regardless of the heat
or cold, rain or snow, the old man made his way to the top of
the hill and then to the top of the lighthouse to make sure that
the light was shining bright. There were times when the winds
shook the lighthouse so violently that you could see the
whole tower tremble and shake, and still the light shone out
across the waters. Then one foggy morning, just
after dawn, there came the sound of footsteps on the tower
stairs. The keeper turned and saw a man
in uniform standing in front of him.
No warning, no letter, no announcement, he just appeared.
The inspector looked at the old man with his tired eyes and
weathered hands, and said Well done.
This lighthouse has saved many lives, because you stayed ready,
and you stayed faithful. You did not wait for my arrival
to be about my business Crossing family.
If you wait until the return of Christ to be ready for the
return of Christ, it will be too late.
The best way to get ready for the return is to be ready and to
be about His business now. This upcoming year may be a
period of peace for you and your family.
Get ready. Stay ready.
For others of you, this might be the most difficult year that you
and your family will ever face. Hear me, get ready, stay ready,
an old preacher once said, keep your knees on the floor, your
nose in the good book, and your eyes on the Lord.
And that is how you and I make sure that we have plenty of oil
and matches to keep our light lit so that others can find what
we have found in Jesus. If you're watching this today
and you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ,
I want to encourage you to reach out to us either.
Click on the link below, hop on our website, hear me.
We would love to connect with you.
And if you reach out to us in the next 24 hours, somebody in
our team will contact you so you can have the answers to life's
biggest questions, so that you can know beyond the shadow of a
doubt that when Jesus returns, he will be returning for you.
Right now, you and I, we live in a state of grace and mercy, but
the judgments coming and I want you to be ready.
To those of you who already have a relationship with Jesus
Christ, stay faithful, stay ready.
May your light shine bright so that other people can find what
you have found in him. Would you guys pray with me?
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for everything that you've
done on our behalf. And I just ask that you would be
with every marriage, every family, every individual who's
watching this, you know exactly what they're going through.
You know exactly what season they're in.
You even know what season they're going into.
And God, would you help us to live for you no matter what that
season is? God, would you give us eyes to
see what it is that you want us to do?
God, would you give us the courage and the strength to do
it? In your name I pray.
Amen.