Sabbath 4-2-2016 Edgewater Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Keith "He Will Return" Matthew 24;36-51
William Miller (1782-1849) was a US revivalist who predicted the second coming of Christ, and earned a large but temporary following of 50,000-100,000 people. After 14 years of studying the Bible, he became convinced that Christ would return in 1843. When Miller announced April 3rd as the day, some disciples went to the mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones. Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd. When April 4th dawned as usual, the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart. Their leader had predicted a range of dates for Christ's return. They still had until March 21, 1844. The devout continued to make ready, but again they were disappointed. A third date--October 22, 1844--was set, but it also came and went.
The 24th chapter of Matthew records Jesus response to the disciples question, “what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus said….
“…of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
Several years ago Charles Swindoll took a survey of people who had graduated from theological seminaries and one of the questions he asked was: Do you think Jesus is coming again? Only 3% believed Jesus was going to return. ONLY 3% of seminary graduates believed that Jesus is coming back! You have to wonder what those seminaries were teaching. When John McArthur was part of a Protestant minister’s convention in Evanston, IL, he was shocked to find that 90 % of those ministers had no expectation that Christ would ever return. Our Christian faith is dependent upon the fact that Jesus is coming back. If you don’t believe the Master is coming back soon, you may find yourself behaving much like the evil servant – you are more prone to doing things that you shouldn’t be doing… because you’re more likely to think you’ll never get caught.
Back in 1999 some employees at Boeing Aircraft decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. When they took it for a float on the river, they were having a great time until the moment a Coast Guard helicopter began to hover over them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator that was activated when the raft was inflated. Now, why did they steal the life raft? Because they didn’t think anyone would know. They didn’t think anyone would find out. But somebody did. As a result, those workers were suddenly no longer employed at Boeing aircraft.
Peter said “…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.”
THEN HE SAYS:
"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 (vs. 11) 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. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.” (vs. 14) II Peter 3:11-14
Your theology about Jesus will dictate how you live your life. If you think His return and His judgment are imminent – you will live a holy life – you will be about the Lord’s business… doing your duty. That’s why Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Did Noah believe the flood was imminent? Did Noah believe the rains could come at any moment? YES he did… that’s why he spent every waking moment building that boat! But did anyone else believe the flood was coming? Did they believe God? No. They spent their time selfishly; They spent their time with the scoffers and with the people who mocked Noah. And so – because they didn’t think God would do what He promised- their bad theology led them to bad behavior. And when judgment came –they perished. They lost everything. But Noah believed God. He knew God was coming down in judgment. And so he did what God asked him to do – he built a boat. He preached to anyone who would listen. And he worked to make sure that his family were on the boat with him. Noah took it seriously. He was about the Lord’s business – doing his duty.
He’s like the good servant Jesus describes in Matthew 24: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth; he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” The faithful and wise servant is the one who took his master seriously. And did the things that he knew were pleasing to his Lord. You can tell who takes the promise of Jesus’s 2nd coming seriously. They do their best to do what God wants them to do. They talk about Jesus to anybody who will listen. And they work to make sure their family remains safe in God’s care. But… it is important for us to understand that Noah didn’t do what he did because he was afraid. The ark was not a work of fear… it was a labor of love. Noah was driven by a promise. That promise was – Noah if you do what I ask you to do - you will be saved. And because Noah believed God’s promise and did what God asked, when Judgment came he was going to be safe.
Charles Swindoll tells of the time he worked for a few years in a machine shop. He said there was a man there named George whose job was to sweep up the shavings from under the lathes and other machines they were running. He said “George was born again, and he loved the teaching of Scripture. I remember hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the coming of Christ, such as ‘In the Sweet By and By’ and ‘When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.’" Late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time when they were all tired, they began cleaning up to get ready to get out of there for the weekend. Swindoll looked at George and said, "George, are you ready?" George said "Uh-huh." But he was still all dirty. He was just obviously not ready. In fact, he looked like he was ready to keep on working. He asked, "Aren’t you going home?" George said, "Yeah, I’m ready." "Look at you! Man, you’re not ready. You’ve gotta go clean up." "No," he said, "let me show you something." Then he unzipped his coveralls and underneath was the neatest, cleanest clothes you can imagine. He was ready. All he had to do when the whistle blew, was unzip and step out of his coveralls punch the time clock and he was gone. He said, "You see, I stay ready… to keep from gettin’ ready - just like I’m ready for Jesus!"
Are you ready for Jesus? Are you ready for His return?
Are you about the Lord’s business? – doing your duty?
Are you ready to step out of these dirty clothes, punch the time clock, and go home?
JESUS is coming again!
And as good servants and heirs of the promise of salvation, we look forward to that day.
AMEN
William Miller (1782-1849) was a US revivalist who predicted the second coming of Christ, and earned a large but temporary following of 50,000-100,000 people. After 14 years of studying the Bible, he became convinced that Christ would return in 1843. When Miller announced April 3rd as the day, some disciples went to the mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones. Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd. When April 4th dawned as usual, the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart. Their leader had predicted a range of dates for Christ's return. They still had until March 21, 1844. The devout continued to make ready, but again they were disappointed. A third date--October 22, 1844--was set, but it also came and went.
The 24th chapter of Matthew records Jesus response to the disciples question, “what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus said….
“…of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
Several years ago Charles Swindoll took a survey of people who had graduated from theological seminaries and one of the questions he asked was: Do you think Jesus is coming again? Only 3% believed Jesus was going to return. ONLY 3% of seminary graduates believed that Jesus is coming back! You have to wonder what those seminaries were teaching. When John McArthur was part of a Protestant minister’s convention in Evanston, IL, he was shocked to find that 90 % of those ministers had no expectation that Christ would ever return. Our Christian faith is dependent upon the fact that Jesus is coming back. If you don’t believe the Master is coming back soon, you may find yourself behaving much like the evil servant – you are more prone to doing things that you shouldn’t be doing… because you’re more likely to think you’ll never get caught.
Back in 1999 some employees at Boeing Aircraft decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. When they took it for a float on the river, they were having a great time until the moment a Coast Guard helicopter began to hover over them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator that was activated when the raft was inflated. Now, why did they steal the life raft? Because they didn’t think anyone would know. They didn’t think anyone would find out. But somebody did. As a result, those workers were suddenly no longer employed at Boeing aircraft.
Peter said “…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.”
THEN HE SAYS:
"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 (vs. 11) 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. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.” (vs. 14) II Peter 3:11-14
Your theology about Jesus will dictate how you live your life. If you think His return and His judgment are imminent – you will live a holy life – you will be about the Lord’s business… doing your duty. That’s why Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Did Noah believe the flood was imminent? Did Noah believe the rains could come at any moment? YES he did… that’s why he spent every waking moment building that boat! But did anyone else believe the flood was coming? Did they believe God? No. They spent their time selfishly; They spent their time with the scoffers and with the people who mocked Noah. And so – because they didn’t think God would do what He promised- their bad theology led them to bad behavior. And when judgment came –they perished. They lost everything. But Noah believed God. He knew God was coming down in judgment. And so he did what God asked him to do – he built a boat. He preached to anyone who would listen. And he worked to make sure that his family were on the boat with him. Noah took it seriously. He was about the Lord’s business – doing his duty.
He’s like the good servant Jesus describes in Matthew 24: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth; he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” The faithful and wise servant is the one who took his master seriously. And did the things that he knew were pleasing to his Lord. You can tell who takes the promise of Jesus’s 2nd coming seriously. They do their best to do what God wants them to do. They talk about Jesus to anybody who will listen. And they work to make sure their family remains safe in God’s care. But… it is important for us to understand that Noah didn’t do what he did because he was afraid. The ark was not a work of fear… it was a labor of love. Noah was driven by a promise. That promise was – Noah if you do what I ask you to do - you will be saved. And because Noah believed God’s promise and did what God asked, when Judgment came he was going to be safe.
Charles Swindoll tells of the time he worked for a few years in a machine shop. He said there was a man there named George whose job was to sweep up the shavings from under the lathes and other machines they were running. He said “George was born again, and he loved the teaching of Scripture. I remember hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the coming of Christ, such as ‘In the Sweet By and By’ and ‘When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.’" Late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time when they were all tired, they began cleaning up to get ready to get out of there for the weekend. Swindoll looked at George and said, "George, are you ready?" George said "Uh-huh." But he was still all dirty. He was just obviously not ready. In fact, he looked like he was ready to keep on working. He asked, "Aren’t you going home?" George said, "Yeah, I’m ready." "Look at you! Man, you’re not ready. You’ve gotta go clean up." "No," he said, "let me show you something." Then he unzipped his coveralls and underneath was the neatest, cleanest clothes you can imagine. He was ready. All he had to do when the whistle blew, was unzip and step out of his coveralls punch the time clock and he was gone. He said, "You see, I stay ready… to keep from gettin’ ready - just like I’m ready for Jesus!"
Are you ready for Jesus? Are you ready for His return?
Are you about the Lord’s business? – doing your duty?
Are you ready to step out of these dirty clothes, punch the time clock, and go home?
JESUS is coming again!
And as good servants and heirs of the promise of salvation, we look forward to that day.
AMEN
