Living in Anticipation of Christ's Glorious Return

Devotional

Day 1: The Choice Between Savior and Judge

The second coming of Jesus is a central theme in the Bible, emphasizing the choice between accepting Him as Savior or facing Him as Judge. This decision is pivotal for eternal life. The Bible presents Jesus as both a loving Savior and a righteous Judge. Romans 2 highlights this dual role, reminding us that our response to Jesus' grace determines our eternal destiny. Accepting Jesus as Savior leads to eternal life, while rejecting Him results in facing God's judgment. This choice is not just a one-time decision but a daily commitment to live in alignment with His teachings and grace. [01:35]

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you are resisting Jesus' role as Savior? How can you invite Him into that area today to transform it with His grace?

Day 2: Salvation and Adoption into God's Family

Jesus' first coming was to offer salvation and adoption into God's family, a plan established before creation. This requires a personal decision to trust in Jesus. Ephesians 1:5 reveals God's desire for a family, a community of believers who trust in Jesus as their Savior. This divine plan was set in motion before the foundation of the world, highlighting the importance of each individual's decision to accept Jesus' sacrifice. Being part of God's family is not automatic; it requires a conscious choice to trust in Jesus and His redemptive work. This adoption into God's family brings with it the promise of eternal life and a relationship with God as our Father. [03:23]

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your journey of faith. How have you experienced the reality of being adopted into God's family, and how can you deepen this relationship today?

Day 3: Jesus' Return in Glory

The second coming will see Jesus return in glory to gather His family and eradicate all evil and suffering, fulfilling the promise of justice and comfort. Unlike His first coming, which was marked by humility, Jesus' return will be in glory as King and Lord of all. This event will mark the end of all evil and suffering, as Jesus will eradicate the causes and effects of sin. For believers, this is a time of great hope and anticipation, as Jesus will gather His family—the Church—from across the globe, bringing comfort and justice to those who have suffered. This promise of a future free from pain and injustice is a source of encouragement and strength for believers as they navigate the challenges of this world. [09:43]

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." (Mark 13:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: How does the promise of Jesus' return in glory impact your perspective on current challenges and injustices in the world? What steps can you take to live in anticipation of this event?

Day 4: Living with Eternal Perspective

Believers are called to live with an eternal perspective, empowered by God's grace to lead godly lives, storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. This involves focusing on eternal values rather than temporary gains, living a life empowered by God's grace. Believers are encouraged to say no to worldly ways and yes to a godly, self-controlled life. Our true homeland is in heaven, and we are to live in anticipation of Jesus' return, storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. This eternal perspective shapes our priorities and decisions, guiding us to live in a way that honors God and reflects His kingdom values. [15:12]

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are tempted to prioritize temporary gains over eternal values? How can you shift your focus to align with God's eternal perspective today?

Day 5: God's Patience and Our Readiness

God's delay in Jesus' return is an act of patience, allowing more people to join His family. This calls for readiness and active sharing of the Gospel. The delay in Jesus' return is not due to forgetfulness but rather God's patience, providing more people the opportunity to join His family. This is a call to action for believers to share the Gospel and live in readiness for His return. As believers, we are entrusted with the responsibility to spread the message of salvation, ensuring that when Jesus comes, He will be our Savior, not our Judge. This readiness involves living a life that reflects the hope and love of Christ, inviting others to experience the same. [21:18]

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the message of the Gospel? How can you take a step today to share God's love and truth with them, trusting in His timing and patience?

Sermon Summary

The anticipation of Jesus Christ's second coming is a profound and pivotal event in Christian theology, often overshadowing even His first coming. The Bible is replete with references to this future event, emphasizing its significance as the "Blessed Hope" where God will right all wrongs. Romans 2 highlights the dual role of Jesus as either Savior or Judge, depending on one's acceptance or rejection of His grace. This choice is crucial, as it determines whether one will be rewarded with eternal life or face God's judgment.

Jesus' first coming was marked by humility, as He came to die for our sins, offering salvation and adoption into God's family. This divine plan, as outlined in Ephesians 1:5, underscores God's desire for a family, a community of believers who trust in Jesus as their Savior. However, not everyone is automatically part of this family; it requires a conscious decision to trust in Jesus and His sacrifice.

The second coming of Jesus will be vastly different. He will return not in humility but in glory, as King and Lord of all, to gather His family—the Church—from across the globe. This event will mark the end of all evil and suffering, as Jesus will eradicate the causes and effects of sin, bringing comfort and justice to those who have suffered.

In the meantime, believers are called to live with a sense of expectation, focusing on eternal values rather than temporary gains. This involves living a life empowered by God's grace, which enables us to say no to worldly ways and yes to a godly, self-controlled life. Our true homeland is in heaven, and we are to live in anticipation of Jesus' return, storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

Ultimately, the delay in Jesus' return is not due to forgetfulness but rather God's patience, allowing more people the opportunity to join His family. This is a call to action for believers to share the Gospel and live in readiness for His return, ensuring that when He comes, He will be our Savior, not our Judge.

Key Takeaways

1. The second coming of Jesus is a central theme in the Bible, emphasizing the choice between accepting Him as Savior or facing Him as Judge. This decision is pivotal for eternal life. [01:35]
2. Jesus' first coming was to offer salvation and adoption into God's family, a plan established before creation. This requires a personal decision to trust in Jesus. [03:23]
3. The second coming will see Jesus return in glory to gather His family and eradicate all evil and suffering, fulfilling the promise of justice and comfort. [09:43]
4. Believers are called to live with eternal perspective, empowered by God's grace to lead godly lives, storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. [15:12]
5. God's delay in Jesus' return is an act of patience, allowing more people to join His family. This calls for readiness and active sharing of the Gospel. [21:18]
** [21:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - The Significance of Second Coming
[00:47] - The Blessed Hope
[01:02] - Savior or Judge: The Choice
[02:18] - Jesus' First Coming Purpose
[03:09] - Adoption into God's Family
[03:54] - Gathering His Family
[04:44] - The Church: God's Family
[06:30] - Humility of Jesus' First Coming
[07:43] - Jesus' Return in Glory
[09:23] - Eradicating Evil and Suffering
[11:29] - Living in Expectation
[13:22] - Readiness for His Return
[15:12] - Empowered by Grace
[21:18] - God's Patience and Our Readiness

Sermon Clips

The biggest event of history of all will be the second coming of Jesus Christ you may not realize this that in the Bible there are more verses about Jesus Second Coming than there are about his first coming uh at Christmas the second coming is called the Blessed hope God is going to write all the wrongs of History. [00:31:45]

God will reward or punish every person for what that person has done now for those who have lived for God's glory and honor God will reward them with life forever but for those who continue to live for themselves and reject the truth and follow evil instead of obeying God they will receive God's anger and Punishment. [01:04:52]

Jesus came the first time to die for our sins so you don't have to but you've got to accept that Jesus came to die for our sins so you don't have to that's why he came the first time he didn't come to live a nice life and pick hours and skip the hills of Jerusalem talking about peace and love. [02:09:00]

God's unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us God had has a plan has had a plan for you before he even created you why did God create created the universe he wanted a family God wanted children to love and he wants you in his family now. [02:38:40]

Next time he's coming back to gather his family he's coming back to gather his family from all around the world and take them to heaven let me show you a couple verses Matthew 24:31 he will send his angels all around the earth and they will gather his chosen people from every part of the world. [03:57:04]

When Jesus comes back as king of kings and Lord of lords one of the things he's going to do is end all evil he's going to wipe it out God has allowed evil simply because he gives us a choice to choose between good and evil otherwise you'd just be a puppet so God has allowed evil in the world. [08:47:12]

When Jesus comes back he's not only going to wipe out all evil and all sin he's also going to wipe out all of the effects of it which is the suffering that's in the world this week I went and I made a list going through scripture of 250 things that he's going to wipe out when he comes back. [09:37:12]

God's grace that's the power to change shows us how to say no to the Godless self-centered and self-destructive ways the world lives instead God's grace owers us to live a wise self-controlled and god-honoring life did you know that the more you let God control your life the more self-control you're going to have. [15:00:24]

Our true Homeland is in heaven this place here on Earth you're only here for like that much 60 70 80 at the most 100 years that's nothing compared to Eternity our true Homeland is in heaven where our savior the Lord Jesus Christ is and we're looking forward to his return. [15:47:48]

The Lord isn't being slow in keeping his promise to return no instead he's being patient for your sake he doesn't want it anyone to perish he doesn't want to have to judge anybody he's a god of love but he will judge those who reject he does not want anyone to perish so he's giving more time for everyone to repent. [21:16:00]

God is waiting waiting on you he's waiting on you he wants you to say yes to him he wants you to surrender and to trust him he wants you to put your faith in him so you're in here's what the Bible says on the screen second Peter chapter 3 the Lord isn't being slow in keeping his promise to return. [21:00:52]

What are you betting your life on because you better have a really good reason for doing what you're doing because eternity is a long time to be wrong and to be eternally regretful you better have a pretty good reason well I just don't want to believe it that's called Pride there's only one thing that'll keep You Out of Heaven. [22:30:36]

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