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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist
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message from God's word will be a blessing to you.
Let. Me ask you a question in the
solitary peace of your heart. Have you ever wondered this
question? When's Jesus coming back?
You know, I I mean, no, we, we, we, we understand theologically
that the Bible teaches us that Jesus is going to return.
Amen. That He is going to return for
believers in what the Bible calls the rapture or what we
call the rapture weather, but being caught up together in the
air with Jesus and that seven years after that, after a
tribulation period, that Jesus is going to come back and to
rule and reign for 1000 years here on this earth.
That yes, Jesus is coming back for believers and then he is
going to have second coming. Listen, however you want to say
it, we can put it this way, Jesus is coming back.
But that's not what I asked, was it?
I said, do you ever wonder in the peace of your heart when
things are still? Yeah.
But is he coming back? And maybe it's something like
this. Why is he come back yet?
If you've asked yourself that question before, I would tell
you this. You are not unique.
First of all, you are not the first one in this building who's
probably ever thought that question.
In fact, the reaction I just received a few moments ago tells
me that you are not the first one who has ever thought that
question before. But you know, it's been a
question that's been pondered for about, well, 2000 years.
In fact, ever since he left, people been asking when's he
going to come back. In fact, he was ascending into
the clouds in Acts chapter 1. And they're they're looking,
they're saying, well, what now? When's he coming back?
And many believe that he would come back in their lifetime
after he ascended into heaven. And then he didn't.
And there were questions and it was kind of, well, messy.
So if you've ever wondered that here before, well, you're in
good company. But yet Peter here as we're
starting to get close to the end of these two epistles, first and
second Peter and Peter's now in the final chapter of the words
that he is left with us inspired by the Holy Ghost, meaning this,
we're reading the last chapter of the Bible that he has
written. And so there's some things that
he wants to get across to us and.
One of them. Has to do with this issue of
Jesus and his return. And according to what we learned
from the beginning of chapter 3, it's clear that the signs of
Christ's return are everywhere if you're willing to look in the
right place. The signs of Christ's return are
everywhere, but you got to be willing to look in the right
place. Would you stand, please, for the
reading of God's Word? We're in second Peter chapter #3
we're going to read 8 verses. I know that's a larger section
for us on a Sunday morning. We're used to going like 3 words
at a time, right? So 8 verses, that's like a large
chunk. And yes, that's a theological
word chunk, a large chunk of Scripture right here.
So let's read these first 8 verses together, shall we?
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, and both
which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you
may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the
holy prophets of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord
and Savior. Knowing this first, that there
shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own
lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming?
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as
they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this day, willingly or ignorant of that by the Word of
God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of
the water and in the water, whereby the world that then was
being overflowed with water perished.
But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word
are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is
with the Lord is 1000 years and 1000 years as one day.
You know, verse 8 tells us right off the bat that God's timetable
is not your timetable that when we think He should come back is
not necessarily when he's going to come back.
And so we're going to look more at this issue here in second
Peter chapter 3 by the grace of God this morning, why don't you
be seated as we pray together. The title of my message is this
don't worry, he's not late. Don't worry, he's not late.
Heavenly Father, I do pray that you be with us here this
morning. Help us to be able to be
encouraged by your word today. I, I just, I do feel just the
heaviness this morning of some who are here that are carrying
burdens. And I know that's true every
week, but. I do maybe sense that there's a
greater amount of that here today.
And so I just pray that there will be encouragement that comes
from your word for the fact that Jesus is coming back.
And Lord, may we. Believe light of heart, still
with the burdens of life, but yet lighter in our spirit
because of this wonderful truth. And we do ask it in Jesus name,
Amen. When someone gives their final
words, they're typically the closest words to their heart,
aren't they? You know, that's why we use the
term last will and testament because someone is trying to get
across the last few items before they pass on.
For Moses, that was a whole book.
He retold the law in the book of Deuteronomy.
He wanted after 40 years, a new generation needed to know one
more time the difference between right and wrong.
And so that's why we have that retelling of the law in the book
of Deuteronomy for Joshua. To me, one of the greatest final
sermons or speeches in the Word of God, choose you this day whom
you will serve. He had seen Israel go back and
forth and back and forth, not just the 40 years in the desert,
but also during the campaign in the Promised Land as well.
And he had one last shot to talk to them.
And he says, choose this day whom you will serve, whether it
was the gods that your father served on the other side of the
flood or the gods of the Amorites and whose land you
dwell. But he says this.
But As for me, in my house, we will serve the Lord of Jesus
Christ. Of course, greatest of all,
because he is God. But what was the last thing that
he got across at the end of the Gospels, whether it was Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, and even at the beginning of Acts, he gave
us the Great Commission. Why?
Because souls were always on his mind, because souls were the
reason that he came. Souls were the reason that he
bled and died and rose again so that we could be saved.
And so what's the last thing that we have recorded?
All the gospels, the first thing recorded at the end as he's
ascending into heaven. This souls matter and reach
souls of the gospel. Even Paul at second Timothy
chapter #4 he says this preach the word, be instant in season,
out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering.
And doctor, for Paul it was all about this.
You got to preach the word because that's what he did his
whole life, didn't he? So Peter is at the same junction
here in his life. He's in the final chapter.
Now, I don't imagine by the inspiration of the Spirit that
he knew this is the final chapter because remember, he
didn't write the letter and then say chapter 3, you know, he
didn't write that. He wasn't writing the verse
numbers in as he went along. We've supplied those later.
But I have to wonder because he had this insight of the Holy
Ghost that there was something upon his heart that he knew that
these were the last words that he would write inspired by the
Holy Spirit. And if Paul was, or rather Peter
was going to write something of that importance, knowing it's at
the end, I mean, what would you think Peter would write about?
Maybe about, like, not putting your foot in your mouth.
That might be a good thing for Peter to talk about.
You know, don't get in a sword fight because you might cut off
someone's ear. You know, that might be
something he would talk about. But instead he talks about the
end times. In fact, he addresses this issue
about some who are scoffing about the fact whether Jesus
would come back or not. So it begs the question, why
would he do this? Why would this be the converse?
Why would he commit these last words to the subject?
And if it was important enough for him, it ought to be
important enough for us to kind of figure out why that would be.
Well, I think there's several reasons.
I think first of all, it was already becoming a point of
contention. The fact that Peter and Paul
both had to, in several epistles, address this issue of
the return of Christ tells me that it had already become a
point of contention among believers about when Jesus
Christ would be coming back. Well, people were discouraged, I
imagine as well, not only because of the fact he hadn't
come back yet, but because it seemed like the gloom of the
Roman Empire was overshadowing much of what they were doing.
Remember, we're talking about the Emperor Nero, and you don't
have to know a lot about history to know that Nero was a very bad
dude, and he was a man who had no regard for Christians.
In fact, history tells us that he had the greatest of the
persecutions of Christians up to that point, that he turned
Christians into martyrs, that it was said that Rome was lit by
the light of Christians who burned, slicked with oil and
burned on posts, that Nero did that and called it amusement and
sport. And so Christians are seeing
this, and perhaps they're getting discouraged.
Why hasn't Jesus come back? Why doesn't he save us from
this? One historian said the early
Christians lived in a world where hope was in short supply.
The Roman Empire's oppression with its political and economic
pressures made many feel that God's promises were delayed and
had on top of that, not just the contention and perhaps even the
fact that there was this gloom over spreading because of the
Roman Empire. You had to the fact that there
were some that were a little confused their theology and some
were wondering if Jesus had come back already, or maybe if he'd
come back and they missed it. 2nd Thessalonians talks about
that in verses #1 and 2 of chapter 2, where it says, Now we
beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by our gathering together unto him, that she be not soon shaken
in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by word nor by
letter is from us as that the day of Christ is at hand.
You see, some of them thought the day had come or that it
already passed. He says don't be troubled.
I want to encourage you, I want to write to you about this issue
of Jesus Christ and his appearing.
So these are questions that were being asked 2000 years ago.
But here's the thing, we're still asking the questions
today. Those questions have not
dissipated over time. No, no, they've only amplified
over time, haven't they? Because it's been 2000 years and
he hasn't come back yet. And people are still asking the
question, where is Jesus? Now, The, there's some issues I
think that are presented here in second Peter chapter #3 that
will help us in our understanding of those who mock
the fact that Jesus has not returned.
But then also the fact of where we can look for the signs that
Jesus Christ will return. And so the first thing I want
you to see this morning is this, that really when it comes down
to this issue of where is Jesus? Number one, this is an issue
about the scoffers. This is an issue about the
scoffers. There were a whole lot of
scoffers that laughed at the idea of Jesus Christ return.
Go back to verses #3 and four. It says this knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last days, scoffers walking
after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of
his coming? For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation. In their mind, the best way to
minimize Christianity was to mock the return of Christ.
They they wanted to make little of Christianity and the best way
to do so was to make little of Christ.
Well, where is he? He said he was going to come
back and he hasn't come back yet.
And may I remind you that we're looking at probably a about 40
years after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven.
We're not talking about a very long period of time, but the
scoffers are already out. And by the way, scoffers always
find a way, don't they? They're everywhere in all walks
of life, don't they? They, They're everywhere like
leeches. They seem to find a way to suck
the joy and suck the life out of things.
And here's these, these scoffers, these leeches that are
saying what? Well, where is he?
We're looking for him. And are they really looking for
him? No, they're just trying to make
light of the fact that he has not returned.
Jude verse 18 says how that they told you there should be mockers
in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Now let's be clear that those people who are asking those
questions, those scoffers that are mocking the fact that Jesus
hasn't returned, they're still out there today.
Different names, different faces, same exact message.
For instance, there's a professor at the University of
North Carolina, the Department of Religious Studies, his name
is Bart Ehrman, and he said this.
The failure of Jesus to return and the failure of the Kingdom
to appear seems to have been the crisis that define Christianity
and made of it what it is today, what it was forced to become if
it was going to survive at all. Patrick Yuga, the author of
indisputable evidence that Jesus is not coming back.
But what a title for a book. Indisputable evidence that Jesus
is not coming back. He said this, that Jesus Christ
is not coming back and the world is not ending have been
discussed by some leading Christian scholars as far back
as 50 years ago. At least I'm thinking 50 years
ago. Where are you getting your
information from? Because it seems like we've got
that whole issue right here. But he goes on and says this.
What is baffling is why pastors and preachers of today still
claim the world will end in spite of overwhelming evidence
in the Bible that it shows otherwise.
The atheist Christopher Hitchens, who wrote the book God
Is Not Great, said the belief that Jesus will come back soon
as a delusion that has kept Christians waiting for two
millennia with nothing to show but endless deferrals and
rationalizations. Another atheist, Richard
Dawkins, the book that God Delusions, says the promise of
Jesus's imminent return has been dangled before believers for
2000 years, a carrot that never materializes.
Voltaire, the famous French philosopher from the 1800s, said
the Christians have been waiting for their return or for their
Messiah to return for centuries, yet the heavens remain silent.
What is all this but a hope built on air?
But I will say Voltaire brings up an interesting point.
These scoffers point to the lack of Christ's appearing as proof
positive that He won't appear. What is their evidence that He
won't appear? It's just this He hasn't
appeared yet. And this is a line of thinking
that again is not unique to these so-called scholars that
would mock the fact that God is not real.
No, go back to verse #4 it says and saying, where's the promise
of His coming? For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
creation. The idea here is that, well,
well, there has been this conversation, there has been
this talk all the way back into the Old Testament, the fathers.
So all of those who existed before that, they had this
promise that there was going to be this day of the Lord.
And, and this is spoken of quite a bit in the Old Testament, that
there would be a day of the Lord where there would be judgement.
Joel 314 and 15 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of
decision. For the day of the Lord is near.
In the valley of decision the sun and the moon shall be
darkened, the stars shall withdraw their signing.
Malachi chapter 4, verse one. For behold, the day cometh that
shall burn is an oven, and all the proud, all that do wickedly
shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up.
Say at the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root
nor branch. Daniel chapter 12, verses one
and two. And at that time shall Michael
stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy
people. And there shall be a time of
trouble such as never was, since there was a nation even to that
same time. And at that time thy people
shall be delivered. Everyone that shall be found
written in the book, and many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
everlasting shame and contempt. You know, here's what the
scoffers are saying here in verse #4 they said these old
timers, if you will, these ones who lived in the Old Testament,
they were preaching and prophesying.
There would be this great judgement and there would be a
day of the Lord and all of these things would happen.
But they are dead. They were gone, and life goes
on. And the rhythm of life has been
the same for decades and for centuries.
People come and people go. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go,
people and times and eons or rather ages seem to just and
continue over and over in this never ending cycle.
And in all of this, nothing that was said has taken place and so
they say. So why should we believe?
That Jesus is coming back. And that may be an.
Old. Argument but it's really just
been reskinned and represented now 2000 years later of people
saying this Jesus is coming back.
Oh, you must be so simple minded.
Jesus is coming back. Oh, your church has you fooled
Jesus coming back. Oh, that's that's just organized
religion trying to keep you down.
And they laugh and they mock and I think that we're crazy for
believing in Jesus at all, let alone that he would come back.
Now, why do they go to such great lengths to discredit
Jesus? Why do they go to such great
lengths to prove that which they don't believe in the 1st place?
Listen, if you don't believe in something, then why would you go
to such great lengths to try to convince other people not to
believe in it? But it's not just about them not
believing, it's about making sure that other people don't
believe either. But I think the answer is at the
end of verse #3 let's read the whole verse again.
But notice the last phrase. Knowing this first, that there
shall come in the last day scoffers walking after.
What are those last three words? Their own lusts.
What do these scoffers do? They, these Christ deniers,
worship their own lusts instead of worshipping the King of
Kings. And as such, they have to find a
way to make Christ irrelevant, and making a mockery of his
return is their attempt to do so.
Where is this Jesus? Listen, they want nothing to do
with Jesus, and so they want to remove any type of a thought of
accountability from their own life, and perhaps any type of
guilt within their own life. And So what do they do?
They try to unlock others who believe that Jesus Christ is
they come. Why?
Because they don't worship the King of kings.
They worship their own lusts. They worship what they see and
what they feel, not worshiping the one who cannot be seen and
cannot be felt in this life. Because, listen, that's faith.
Faith is the subjects of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen. We do not see yet we believe.
They do not see, so they scoff. So these scoffers ask the
question. Where is he?
Is he ever going to come? Is he delayed?
Is is he he just going to come later?
Or are you just, have you been a hoodwinked?
But remember, the issue is this. The signs of Christ's return are
everywhere if you're willing to look in the right place.
And I think this is where it's so vitally important that we can
be encouraged this morning, even though he hasn't come back yet.
If we look for the answers in the right place.
And where is the answers found? Well, Pastor, you got to look at
the signs out around us. And I will say that there are
certain things in the world that give us pause to realize that
Jesus could be coming back soon because, well, the world's not
getting better and better. It's getting worse and worse,
isn't it? That was prophesied.
We were told that that was going to happen in these last days,
that perilous times would come. Of course we were told that, but
we're not believing that Jesus Christ is coming just because we
see certain signs that are out there.
See, the issue is not about the scoffers.
The issue is really about the scriptures.
How do we know that Jesus Christ is coming back?
Because the Bible tells us so. It's really an issue of the
Scriptures. Go back to verse #1 it says
this. It says this second epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you in both, which I stir up your pure
mind by way of remembrance. Now this idea of remembrance,
Peter talks about it a lot in second.
Peter mentions it in chapter 1, verses 12 and 13 and 15.
It's mentioned again here in chapter #3 You know, there's
just sometimes we need to be reminded about things.
Hey fellas, your wife ever need to remind you about something?
Don't answer that because she's probably sitting right next to
you. All right, but mind just looking
at me right now, Wonder why I'm going to say next.
But sometimes we need a reminder, don't we?
Well, I, I thought you knew that already.
Well, why would you think that? I've forgotten a whole bunch of
other stuff I couldn't even remember.
I was holding the clicker this morning for the Sunday school.
We need to be reminded. Of some things, well.
When's Jesus coming back? Well.
There's some things we need to be reminded of.
We need to be stirred up about it a little bit.
Look at verse #2 that ye may be mindful of the words which were
spoken by the holy Prophets, and of the commandment of us, the
apostles. Of the Lord.
And Savior, what do we need to be reminded of?
Do we need to be reminded of the scoffers?
No. Do we need to be reminded of the
signs? No.
What do we need to be reminded of?
What the Scriptures say, in fact, the way it's presented by
the prophets and by the apostles.
So what does that mean? He says, Peter says, I got to
remind you some things that were said in the Old Testament as we
would say it today. And I want to remind you some
things that are being said in the New Testament.
That's the way we would say it today.
They wouldn't have called them the Old and New Testaments, but
but we do. And so Peter says this.
You want to, you have some questions about this issue.
You have some wonderances about when Jesus is going to return.
You want to find the answers to this.
You want to know more, not the answers in the sense of a date
and a time, because. No man knoweth.
The day of the hour, listen, if there's a pastor that tells you
he knows when Jesus is coming back, run and don't stop because
that's false teaching. But how do we know that he's
coming back? The Bible tells us so.
So that's really simple. Yeah.
We're the ones that make it complicated.
You know, children sing songs about, you know, Jesus loves me.
This I know. For the Bible tells me so.
And they just accept that Jesus is coming.
Back for the Bible tells me so now go back to verse #5 says
this for they willingly or ignorant of that by the what's
what's that next phrase, the word of God.
The heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water,
and in the water whereby the world that then was being
overturned with water perished, and the heavens and the earth
which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto
the fire of the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.
By the Word of God, the world was created.
By the Word of God, the universe was created.
By the way, This is why it's so important that we believe in a
literal creation, a literal 6 day creation without any type of
evolutionary theology whatsoever.
Why? Because this is what the Bible
teaches us. It's the very foundation, it's
very underpinning of that which we believe.
Throughout the rest of the Bible, the creation affirmed by
none other than Jesus Christ. We can't just wash that away.
If Jesus Christ was mistaken about creation, then he was
mistaken about everything. He couldn't be a savior if he
couldn't understand something so fundamental as creation.
But he understood something so fundamental about creation
because he wasn't there. Creation was created.
He was one of the creators because before creation was, God
was. So when did God get created?
He didn't. How long has he been around?
He has been for how long, right, He said.
What kind of answer is that? I don't know.
It just is what the Bible says. He has been and has always been
a pre-existing God who needed no creator.
So we see all of that and it says this.
But be ignorant. Don't be ignorant of this one
thing. Day with the Lord is like 1000
years. Thousand years is 1 day.
What's time to God? I'm not saying time's not real,
but time is as created as everything else that we see and
we don't see. So this to God, what's a few
thousand years? Nothing.
Thousand years is 1 day. A day is like 1000 years.
That God's timeline, if you will, is not our timeline.
Can I remind you that one of the reasons you're saved because
Jesus hadn't come back yet. If he'd come back in the year
1900, most of us know all of us wouldn't be here.
Wouldn't even exist it even the fact that Jesus has tarried his
return is an act of benevolence that more would be able to come
to him in salvation, including you and including me.
Because if he came back in the year 1500, we wouldn't even have
been. But in his wisdom and his grand
plan of which I don't understand, but if I can even
just grasp the hem of the garment of his plan, which I
don't even know if I can do that.
But according to his word, it's only by his grace and mercy that
we are here and that we can be saved Days like 1000 years,
1000. He's not here yet.
You think that means he's late. Of course not the signs of.
Christ's return are everywhere if you're willing to look in the
right place. You won't find them, though, in
the scoffers taunts and the false prophets lies, the
skeptics doubts or the ignorant denials.
You won't find them from the atheist, the agnostic, from the
liberal Christian who denies the accuracy and inerrancy of the
scriptures. You know, from the preachers who
have their eschatology wrong. And eschatology just means this,
the study of the end times. And yes, what we believe about
the end times matters. Now you might think, well, who
cares what happens the end times because I won't be around.
Well, because what you believe about the end times determines
how you will live your life and act in this life right now.
So yes, it does matter quite a bit.
So what does the Bible say about the return of Christ?
Well, the Bible says that there will be a pre tribulational
rapture, meaning this. That before Jesus Christ, before
the seven-year period of judgement unfolds that we find
in the Book of Revelation that Jesus Christ is going to come
back for his own. That that we were going to meet
the Lord in the air. And the Bible says that forever
we will be with the Lord. The dead in Christ shall rise
first. And then those will follow after
that are still alive and remain. There'll be a premillennial
return of Christ that at the end of that seven-year period that
Jesus will actually touchdown here on earth and that he will
walk into Jerusalem. And, and that as he does so that
he will set up his earthly Kingdom.
That that same earthly Kingdom that the were expecting him to
set up during his earthly ministry.
And during those those three-year period where he was
teaching and preaching that he will come back and he will set
that up. But yes, it hasn't happened yet,
but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen.
It's still future. The pre tribulational view holds
that believers will be raptured as it says caught up in First
Thessalonians to meet Christ before the seven-year
tribulation begins. Believers are spared from the
wrath and judgment that will come upon the earth during this
period. After the rapture, the
tribulation unfolds, followed by Christ's second coming and the
establishment of His millennial reign.
Then after that, as it says here, that there will be a
judgment not just upon this world, but upon the inhabitants
of this world as well, that there'll be a great white throne
judgment that those who have never accepted Jesus Christ
their Savior will have to answer for their deeds in this life.
And the Bible says that there will be a reckoning that takes
place and that those who have rejected Christ will have to
save themselves to their own merit and to their own works.
And the books of their life will be opened.
The record, the accounting of their life will be opened.
And if there's found just one sin inside, and they would be
damned for all eternity in the lake of fire.
Why? Because they've rejected the
free gift of salvation. Say what God would.
Send. Somebody there, Well, God sends
no one there that people choose to be able to with reject the
love of Jesus Christ. No, the Bible says that Jesus
Christ came to save sinners. The Bible says that Jesus Christ
came to seek and to save. That which was lost, that that
was his desire. But yet there are many who say
no to the love of God and that they He will not force his love
upon anyone. Forced love isn't really love,
is it? You know, our son loves his
cats, Callie and Toby. Anybody heard of those cats?
It's amazing that he'll go up to one of them and he will just
grab it and. Squeeze that cat.
And Callie is very mild mannered and you will just take it for at
least a minute and then run away and Toby will try to bat him in
the face. You know why?
Because he can't force his love upon those cats now, How much
more so with the things that really matter in this life?
How good would God be? You know how?
Righteous would he be if he forced us to love Him?
Forced love isn't really love, is it?
No, God gave us his very best. What's his best?
Jesus Christ, who's coming back. And he gave us his very best for
this purpose so that we could accept that love, recognizing
that we're a Sinner and that only Jesus Christ can save us,
and that his love was shed upon the cross in the form of his
blood, and that through him we might be saved.
You know, Christ is going to return.
His return is imminent. Say, pastor, today it could be
today. We could be on the next load.
I might not have to worry about grilling out after church or if
it's raining outside because we could be going.
But listen, we say he's coming anytime, but we don't.
Believe he's coming anytime? Well, that got really quiet.
All right, listen, do we really believe that he's coming
anytime? I mean, theologically, I think
we believe it, but in practicality, we don't live like
it because when you know someone's coming back, it
changes the way you act. When my wife goes away, let me
tell you, the way our house is, the way our house looks, where
our house is cleaned or not cleaned is different.
We'll put it that way. But when I know she's coming
back, revival breaks out within the four walls of our apartment.
Soap comes out, the the the the mop comes out.
The broom comes out all of a sudden, cobwebs are swept away.
Things are made new again. Why?
Because I know she's coming back, but I don't want to
disappoint her. Oh really?
Been gone for a week and this is what it looks like now.
She. Wouldn't say that, but she's not
going to say it because I know she's coming and it changes the
way I act. If I would.
Submit to you that if we knew that Christ was coming back in
the sense that he could come anytime we don't know the date
or the hour that's again that's it's unbiblical for anyone to
try to preach that they do. But if we believed he could come
back today it would change how we clean say what pass like the
cleaning schedule our house. No, no, how we keep ourselves
clean our souls. We'll keep short accounts.
His return is imminent, and this is what I mean by that.
The next event on God's calendar is the rapture.
Say, pastor. What needs to be fulfilled for
that to happen? Nothing.
It's next. It could happen at any moment.
The Bible teaches that very clearly.
Titus chapter 2, verse 13. Looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior
Jesus Christ. First Thessalonians 413 through
18. I don't have time to read it
all, but it talks about that fact that we're going to be able
to be raptured up to meet Him in the clouds.
And then it ends with this. Wherefore comfort one another
with these words. There's not one bit of prophecy
that must be fulfilled for Christ to return.
This is the next. Event And may I remind you,
God's time's not our time. Verse #8 It could happen any
second. Well, I don't know if I want it
to happen yet. There's a lot of things I want
to do. Hold on a second.
I can't imagine anyone being in the presence of Jesus saying,
but I wanted more time. When we see Him for who He is
and we realize that we're in His presence, all the things of this
earth will fade away. He is coming back, the scoffers
say when, but the Scriptures say He is.
The issue is not when. The issue is He will.
And in fact, according to God's timetable, he's not late.
He's right on time. Even when God's late, He is on
time. Say, well, that sounds like an
oxymoron. Well, you remember when Jesus
was supposed to go heal Lazarus and he waited four days and
Lazarus died. He may have been four days late,
but he was on time. Why?
Because the miracle of him resurrecting Lazarus was what
was needed for the hour. Is he when?
When, When God does things, He doesn't consult with what you
think the right time should be or what I think the right time
should be. It's all about this.
God's time is on his time, so he's not late.
The signs of His return are everywhere, but you just got to
be willing to look at the right place.
I will ask you this today as we get ready to close.
The fact that He could come at any moment does beg a few
questions, and the first one is this.
If He was to come today, where would you spend eternity?
The Bible says there's only two places where one can spend
eternity. Purgatory is not an option.
The Bible does not speak of purgatory in one iota.
There's only two places where people could spend eternity,
heaven or the lake of fire. Bible says the lake of fire was
prepared for the devil and for his angels.
That was its preparation. But yet there are some who will
willingly choose to spend the eternity there instead of
accepting the gospel message. If he was to come back today, do
you know you'd spend an eternity with him?
The blessed news about all of that is you don't have to jump
through hoops to be saved. You don't have to do enough good
works. You don't have to put enough in
the offering plate. You don't have to do well.
You don't have to do anything other than accept the gift
because the work was already done and the work was done by
Jesus Christ. That gift is being held out to
you today. All you have to do is to be able
to receive it. Will you receive the free gift
of salvation today knowing that you can't save yourself from
your sins, but only Jesus Christ can save you?
You need a Savior today. His name is Jesus.
There is no another that can save you.
There is no other thought process that can save you.
There is no other philosophy that can save you.
There is no other God who can save you.
It is Christ, and Christ alone say well.
You mentioned that, that, that tribulation period that there's
going to be 7 years and, and I'll tell you this.
If the Christians all disappear, I'll believe after that.
And my answer is this. You probably won't. 2nd
Thessalonians 2 verses 11 through 12 say this, and for
this, 'cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they
should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe
not the truth, but had pleasure and unrighteousness, say, Well,
if I saw that. How could I believe?
Anything else? Well, because the Holy Spirit's
ministry will change during the Tribulation period.
It's not that the Holy Spirit will be removed because, well,
God will not remove himself from His creation, but His ministry
will be different and there will be such a strong delusion from
the Antichrist that people will be so afraid that they will
gravitate to Him and they will put all reason off to the side.
What I'm saying is this, don't wait for something else.
Accept the gift of salvation today.
But I'd ask you this, if you're a believer today, if Christ
returned, would you be ready? Would you still need to do a
clean up on aisle 5? Would there be some things that
you would wish that you had gotten right before He came?
Now listen, we're all in the process of our growth as
Christians, aren't we? You haven't arrived till you're
with him. And if you think you arrived,
you're farther away than you thought you were.
But I will say this. If he came back today, would you
say I wished that I'd gotten this right before I met him?
I wish that I confessed my sin before him.
I wish not for salvation, but the idea that I my relationship
isn't right with him because I've held on to these things I
know I shouldn't hold on to. When I meet him, I I want to be
ready. I sure don't want the last few
words that's come out of my mouth to be curse words.
I don't want him to find me watching a television show I
shouldn't be watching. I don't want him to find me
looking at things on my phone I ought not to be looking at.
I don't want him to find me being lost in my own thoughts
and fantasizing about things I ought not to be thinking about.
I don't want him to find me away from him.
I want it to just be. My mind and my heart is already
wanting to follow him. And there he is.
And the fellowship will be sweet.
Titus 211 through 13 says, For the grace of God that brings
salvation at the period unto all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Savior Jesus Christ. First John 228 and now little
children abide in him, that when He shall appear we may have
confidence, and not be ashamed before Him.
At his coming, you know, this isn't just my conjecture about
these things. The word of God says you want to
be ready. You want to be ready.
You say, well, I'm still going to heaven.
Well, that's your attitude when you see Jesus, shouldn't it be?
I want to be ready to meet my Savior.
I want my heart to be right. And by the way, that hope, it
says, purifies us even as we are pure.
The idea meaning this, that that hope looking forward, that he
could be coming soon means this. That we're better Christians in
the here and now. That we're better husbands.
That you're a better wife. That you're a better parent.
That you're a better grandparent.
That you're a better church member.
That you're a better boss. That you're a better employee.
That you're a better student. That you're a better teacher, no
matter what you are. That that hope makes you live
this life in the way that God wants you to live because you're
looking forward to the life to come.
You see, being heavenly minded actually makes you more.
Earthly good because it allows you to live life in the way that
God desires you to live. I just read a book, finished it
just a few days ago, about Stonewall Jackson, great
Confederate general. And one of the things I found
very interesting about the book was the fact that when the Civil
War started, North and South soldiers on both sides believe
this is going to be a very short war, that they were going to go
out. They're going to go out on the
parade grounds and maybe shoot a few rounds from their guns and
then it will all be done. They'd all go home.
One side we have glorious victory and then it would just
be all over Well, as you know, that war turned into four years
and it was anything but when soldiers started both noses
north and. South, they started with a lot
of sin and vice, if we could put it that way.
But one of the most remarkable parts of the Civil War from
historical accounts of both the North and the South, was this.
That as men went on and they saw the gruesomeness of war and they
saw their friends, their buddies cut down, that great revivals
took place on both sides. That chaplain started to preach
the Word of God. Tabernacles were erected so that
people would go and to be able to hear the word of God taught
and preached. And the Bible, or rather the
history, tells us that there could have been anywhere and
just on the Union side between 100,000 to 200,000 conversions
to Christ. Which would have been anywhere
from 5 to 10% of the Union troops.
The great revival of 1683 and 1684 says Confederate Army 7000
soldiers converted. In the Army of Northern Virginia
alone, 15 chapels were built. Union camps, like the Army of
the Potomac, saw nightly meetings in tents.
Soldiers formed Bible clubs, abandoned vices, held continuous
prayer meetings, often driven by grassroots faith.
Why would that become such a priority?
But when you realize you're about to possibly go see Jesus,
you want to get some things right in your life, don't you?
Now, we live in relative peace and safety here in the United
States. They don't we, and I'm thankful
for it. But I will tell you this.
The fact that Jesus could come back in any moment ought to make
us react in the exact same way He could come in any moment.
Are you ready? Do you know Him as your Savior?
Do you know where you spend eternity and if he is your
Savior, if you are saved, are you living a life that would
cause embarrassment and shame when he comes to see you?
Or one that would make you say, Lord, I'm ready, Take Me Home.
So this week, as we add to our faith, let's allow the return of
Christ in the future to change the way we Live Today.
Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of
Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing
to you, or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us
know by contacting us at info@mylibertybaptist.org.
Or you can visit us this Sunday at 800 Washington St. in Easton,
MA. May the Lord bless you as you
grow in His Word.