Living with Hopeful Expectation of Christ's Return
Devotional
Sermon Summary
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Thank you, Flo. Thank you, Gary. Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to Victory Fellowship. Happy belated Thanksgiving. Hope you're having a wonderful, wonderful Sunday. It's great to see you. Thank you for joining us online as well. Well, as you know, our vision and mission at the church is grow in love and go in love. Grow in God's love, grow in love for each other. But we don't just contain it there. We grow. Go and grow. Go into community, grow into the world. Sharing that, sharing the hope and message of Jesus Christ. And with that, there are three values that we have. The first one is engage, that we engage in our relationship with God because God engages with us first. We engage with each other. We experience Christlike. We experience Christlike relationships. And lastly, we expand the kingdom of God. And so we take incremental steps. And one of the ways that we engage with each other is this five-minute fellowship time. [00:09:57] (55 seconds)
And believe me, I hate traffic. My whole life revolves around avoiding traffic. And to me, being stuck in traffic, it's just such a waste of time, especially if you have things to do. So you may be, well, what does Pastor Lon's trip home traffic delay have to do with our messes this morning? Well, years ago, during my late teenage years and my early 20s, I came across a book on my brother's bookshelf entitled The Late Great Life of Pastor Hal Lindsey. I didn't know what this book was about. It looked a little scary because of the cover, because it had fire and everything like that. And I remember I opened it up and I started reading. I was fascinated by it because the book focused on the book of Revelation and biblical prophecy. In it, you read about the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, the 10-headed beast, the return of Jesus, and all that. [00:20:46] (52 seconds)
And according to Hal Lindsey at that time, we were living in a time where we would see Jesus' return almost immediately. And we were going to experience it firsthand. I thought, wow, this is amazing. And that was instrumental for me coming to faith. At the age of 19, I dedicated my life to Christ and I eagerly anticipated Jesus' return. And for several years of my early Christian faith, I was obsessed with identifying the signs of the Antichrist. throughout society, that this book of Revelation is actually happening right now, and I look for signs daily. I even went to a church that focused on biblical prophecy back then, but I became overly obsessed with it, and unfortunately, it didn't allow me to ground myself in my faith. And when you think about it, 40 years have since passed since then, and I'm still here. All of us are still here. We're all still waiting for Jesus' return. [00:21:38] (64 seconds)
And when you think about it, it's been over 2,000 years since the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, and since that time, millions of people have been waiting for Jesus' return, yet it still hasn't happened. And all you have to do is just look at our society, right? We see just this darkness, this dark presence that's there, that society is getting worse, that it's spiraling out of control, and evil seems to be growing and running rampant. It appears that more and more people are becoming atheists, they're mocking God and Christians more than ever before. And I struggle with this, because I'm like, when are you returning, Jesus? You said this over 2,000 years ago, but it hasn't happened. And I was hoping to see or experience something of Jesus' return during my lifetime, but I'm still waiting. [00:22:41] (54 seconds)
Let me go ahead and start out by reading, beginning with verse 8. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that what the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 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. But the day of the Lord will come like a And then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Verse 11. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they will burn, as they burn. [00:25:40] (56 seconds)
But according to his promise, we're waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. So the first question is, did God forget us? Did God just forget us? Did we just, going through this life, is God not going to fulfill this? Is he just going to allow this world to continue at this fractional level? This gigantic pace, this ungodliness, this evil that runs rampant throughout our lives, throughout our society, throughout our world. Well, Peter addressed this. Look at verse 8. He said, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [00:26:36] (61 seconds)
The Lord is going to return, but it's according to his time. It's going to happen according to God's time. Why? As Peter stated this, that God is patient, that he is merciful, that his desire is to be patient because he desires people to repent and turn towards him. is not God's timing. Why? Because God is patient and kind. He is loving, and he is merciful. And I think about all the times that I've messed up, all the mistakes, all the failures that happened in my life, all the ways that I kind of shoved God aside, and God was patient with me, that he worked in my heart where I repented and I gave my life to him. That is the same patience that God is exercising in our world today. God didn't forget us. He is returning for us, but it's going to happen according to his time. [00:27:39] (69 seconds)
It's the same with all of us. We make mistakes. Not every single one of us is faithful all the time. We fall into temptation. We sin, but yet what we find is a kind, merciful God who leads us back into relationship with him. See, the problem is that when I became so obsessed with this end-time prophecy and looking for these signs, I became so self-centered that I was just thinking about myself. I wasn't thinking about the people who were struggling in sin, who were imprisoned in sin. I just wanted Jesus to hurry up and return so I can be with him. I just wanted to see all this stuff unfold before my very eyes without thinking about the people who are going to be judged and condemned because they were living in sin. See, God's heart is filled with kindness. He's filled with patience, and he desires every single one to repent, to turn to him, to turn to Jesus. [00:28:47] (62 seconds)
So we have to be aware of sometimes when we are so focused on biblical prophecy that we become so self-centered that we forget the very people that Jesus came to rescue and to save. Because there are many people, coworkers, family, and friends that don't know Christ, but God is patiently waiting for them, offering them opportunity after opportunity so that they will repent. Because once Jesus comes back, that's it. That's it. So the question is this, and I probably answered it, but is Jesus returning? Look at the next verse, verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done in it will be exposed. Yes, Jesus will return, but how is it going to happen? It's going to happen suddenly like a thief in the night when we least expect it. [00:29:49] (59 seconds)
What is Peter saying? Be prepared. Because the reality is the Bible will point all these different signs, but we don't know the exact time. We don't know when that's going to happen, but Jesus even himself said, be prepared. The last 2,000 years, people have been preparing for Jesus' return. Why? Because to God, 1,000 years is like a day. Jesus will return. But here's the thing. Jesus is not going to return like a tiny baby laying in the manger crying. He's not going to be this cute, cuddly little Jesus the first time around. No. He's coming back and returning as a roaring lion. He's coming back as a roaring lion. He's coming back as a roaring lion. Because there's going to be fire in his eyes. He's going to be radiant. He's going to be powerful. He's going to return as a victorious king, having conquered sin and death. [00:30:48] (56 seconds)
This is still the same gracious Jesus, but this is the powerful Jesus who is king, but he is also judge. And he'll also make a new heaven and a new earth. And so Peter's saying, we must be diligent in our faith. And our actions. And always anticipate being ready for his return. Because Jesus is coming back. And it's going to happen suddenly like a thief of the night when we least expect it. Third question is this. What should I do if he doesn't come back during my lifetime? What do we do? Peter has an answer for that. Look at the next verse. Verse 11. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people, focus on that, ought you be in lives of holiness and godliness? He's saying, what do you do? In anticipation of this incredible return of Christ, what do you do? How do you live? [00:31:43] (61 seconds)
Peter said, live lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to his promise, we're waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. There's two key words in this passage. The word is waiting. Word is waiting. It doesn't just mean to wait at a bus stop or to wait at a restaurant or to wait in line at Costco or the Costco gas station. It means more than that. The Greek word is pros doceo. It means hopeful. Hopeful expectation. This is what this waiting is, is that as we wait for the Lord, as we're waiting for the Lord's return, as we wait, as we live this life, we live with this incredible, hopeful expectation of Christ's return. [00:32:44] (70 seconds)
Just like one of my kids, when they were little, they anticipated Christmas morning with such expectation. Excitement. They had this. hopeful expectation in their lives. We too must live daily with this hopeful expectation of Jesus' return because it can happen at any time and at any moment. But this hopeful expectation that Jesus is going to return regardless if it's in our lifetime or not. Because our lifetime on earth is minimal compared to eternity with God. And as believers, our lives on earth are just the beginning of this eternity with God. And unfortunately for non-believers, their lives are the beginning of eternity that will be forever separated from God, encased in judgment and condemnation. See, whether Jesus returns tonight or 10 weeks from now or 500 years from now, 1,000 years from now, Paul, Peter is encouraging us to live with this constant, ready, hopeful expectation of his return. [00:33:54] (74 seconds)
This is why we celebrate Christmas, because we're always living daily with this hopeful expectation of Jesus' return. Right now, I want to invite a very good friend of mine to come forward to share his testimony. Let me help you get set up here. You want the music stand? All right. You want to stand right here? All right. Let me get out of the way. I want to introduce to you, if you haven't met him, it's Carl Shimomura. I've known Carl, what, for like 30 years now? Yeah. I feel sorry for you, by the way, if you've known me that long. Just a great brother. We really got reacquainted the last couple years, especially through Bright Futures Cambodia. He's the president of the board. And that's why I'm here today. I'm here to talk to you about the this brother is incredible. Just incredible. I just remember him as being just a funny guy way back when. He still is funny, but just a wonderful heart, a rich, deep heart. [00:35:08] (65 seconds)
And he's gone through some struggles, but I'm going to let you listen to his story as he shares about his life. So it's all yours, Carl. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Carl. Wow. Thank you for sharing. Just seeing how the Lord has worked in your life and the pain that you experienced and the loss that you experienced. But yet, just seeing. God's goodness and faithfulness through all that, having the worst of life being thrown at you, yet God transforming you and changing you and just using you in amazing ways and you're an amazing brother. You're in the soul of the Lord. Amen to that. So Carl lives and we're all called to live with this hopeful expectation that there's more to this world. Bad things are going to happen. Suffering is going to happen. Things are going to happen. But what we live with this expectation, this hopeful expectation in our relationship with Christ, knowing that this world is not the only life that we have. [00:36:13] (0 seconds)
That we have this eternal life. And that Jesus is coming back and he is going to make all things new. That he's preparing a place for us, a new heaven and a new earth. And so what do we do in the meantime? Do we just kind of just wait it out and just live our life just enclosed and encased behind this wall? No. We're called to live lives fully devoted to Jesus by Peter said to live holy and faithful. To embrace this life that's fully devoted to the Lord. Communing our lives to the Lord and living holy lives and being faithful in holiness and godliness. Holiness it means to be set apart for God in our hearts and our minds and our actions. Not to live according to the way that the world lives. And godliness means reverence. And we revere God by being faithful to him in every single aspect of our lives. And how do we do this? The application. We worship God daily through our thoughts and our actions. [00:54:50] (63 seconds)
We worship God. We praise God first by being thankful for him each and every moment before we go to sleep. And when we wake up, we're thankful to the Lord because he's so good and faithful. We worship God. In the Old Testament, the word for worship is avad. And it means to serve. Worship. Serve. There's a connection there. That when we worship God, we are serving God. And Carl has done that. He serves God by giving himself away to others. By being available to people. By taking people to their homes. By giving them their appointments. By serving on the BFC board. By serving in the options ministry. And doing all these things. To give ourselves away to others in service to God. This is how we live fully devoted lives. By living with this hopeful expectation. Moment by moment. Breath by breath. In the way that we live our lives. Fully devoted lives in holiness and faithfulness. This is what God has called us to do. To live in this constant hope of Jesus' imminent return. [00:55:53] (73 seconds)
And believe me, I hate traffic. My whole life revolves around avoiding traffic. And to me, being stuck in traffic, it's just such a waste of time, especially if you have things to do. So you may be, well, what does Pastor Lon's trip home traffic delay have to do with our messes this morning? Well, years ago, during my late teenage years and my early 20s, I came across a book on my brother's bookshelf entitled The Late Great Life of Pastor Hal Lindsey. I didn't know what this book was about. It looked a little scary because of the cover, because it had fire and everything like that. And I remember I opened it up and I started reading. I was fascinated by it because the book focused on the book of Revelation and biblical prophecy. In it, you read about the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, the 10-headed beast, the return of Jesus, and all that. [00:20:46] (52 seconds)
And according to Hal Lindsey at that time, we were living in a time where we would see Jesus' return almost immediately. And we were going to experience it firsthand. I thought, wow, this is amazing. And that was instrumental for me coming to faith. At the age of 19, I dedicated my life to Christ and I eagerly anticipated Jesus' return. And for several years of my early Christian faith, I was obsessed with identifying the signs of the Antichrist. throughout society, that this book of Revelation is actually happening right now, and I look for signs daily. I even went to a church that focused on biblical prophecy back then, but I became overly obsessed with it, and unfortunately, it didn't allow me to ground myself in my faith. And when you think about it, 40 years have since passed since then, and I'm still here. All of us are still here. We're all still waiting for Jesus' return. [00:21:38] (64 seconds)
And when you think about it, it's been over 2,000 years since the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, and since that time, millions of people have been waiting for Jesus' return, yet it still hasn't happened. And all you have to do is just look at our society, right? We see just this darkness, this dark presence that's there, that society is getting worse, that it's spiraling out of control, and evil seems to be growing and running rampant. It appears that more and more people are becoming atheists, they're mocking God and Christians more than ever before. And I struggle with this, because I'm like, when are you returning, Jesus? You said this over 2,000 years ago, but it hasn't happened. And I was hoping to see or experience something of Jesus' return during my lifetime, but I'm still waiting. [00:22:41] (54 seconds)
Let me go ahead and start out by reading, beginning with verse 8. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that what the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 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. But the day of the Lord will come like a And then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Verse 11. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they will burn, as they burn. [00:25:40] (56 seconds)
But according to his promise, we're waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. So the first question is, did God forget us? Did God just forget us? Did we just, going through this life, is God not going to fulfill this? Is he just going to allow this world to continue at this fractional level? This gigantic pace, this ungodliness, this evil that runs rampant throughout our lives, throughout our society, throughout our world. Well, Peter addressed this. Look at verse 8. He said, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [00:26:36] (61 seconds)
The Lord is going to return, but it's according to his time. It's going to happen according to God's time. Why? As Peter stated this, that God is patient, that he is merciful, that his desire is to be patient because he desires people to repent and turn towards him. is not God's timing. Why? Because God is patient and kind. He is loving, and he is merciful. And I think about all the times that I've messed up, all the mistakes, all the failures that happened in my life, all the ways that I kind of shoved God aside, and God was patient with me, that he worked in my heart where I repented and I gave my life to him. That is the same patience that God is exercising in our world today. God didn't forget us. He is returning for us, but it's going to happen according to his time. [00:27:39] (69 seconds)
It's the same with all of us. We make mistakes. Not every single one of us is faithful all the time. We fall into temptation. We sin, but yet what we find is a kind, merciful God who leads us back into relationship with him. See, the problem is that when I became so obsessed with this end-time prophecy and looking for these signs, I became so self-centered that I was just thinking about myself. I wasn't thinking about the people who were struggling in sin, who were imprisoned in sin. I just wanted Jesus to hurry up and return so I can be with him. I just wanted to see all this stuff unfold before my very eyes without thinking about the people who are going to be judged and condemned because they were living in sin. See, God's heart is filled with kindness. He's filled with patience, and he desires every single one to repent, to turn to him, to turn to Jesus. [00:28:47] (62 seconds)
So we have to be aware of sometimes when we are so focused on biblical prophecy that we become so self-centered that we forget the very people that Jesus came to rescue and to save. Because there are many people, coworkers, family, and friends that don't know Christ, but God is patiently waiting for them, offering them opportunity after opportunity so that they will repent. Because once Jesus comes back, that's it. That's it. So the question is this, and I probably answered it, but is Jesus returning? Look at the next verse, verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done in it will be exposed. Yes, Jesus will return, but how is it going to happen? It's going to happen suddenly like a thief in the night when we least expect it. [00:29:49] (59 seconds)
What is Peter saying? Be prepared. Because the reality is the Bible will point all these different signs, but we don't know the exact time. We don't know when that's going to happen, but Jesus even himself said, be prepared. The last 2,000 years, people have been preparing for Jesus' return. Why? Because to God, 1,000 years is like a day. Jesus will return. But here's the thing. Jesus is not going to return like a tiny baby laying in the manger crying. He's not going to be this cute, cuddly little Jesus the first time around. No. He's coming back and returning as a roaring lion. He's coming back as a roaring lion. He's coming back as a roaring lion. Because there's going to be fire in his eyes. He's going to be radiant. He's going to be powerful. He's going to return as a victorious king, having conquered sin and death. [00:30:48] (56 seconds)
This is still the same gracious Jesus, but this is the powerful Jesus who is king, but he is also judge. And he'll also make a new heaven and a new earth. And so Peter's saying, we must be diligent in our faith. And our actions. And always anticipate being ready for his return. Because Jesus is coming back. And it's going to happen suddenly like a thief of the night when we least expect it. Third question is this. What should I do if he doesn't come back during my lifetime? What do we do? Peter has an answer for that. Look at the next verse. Verse 11. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people, focus on that, ought you be in lives of holiness and godliness? He's saying, what do you do? In anticipation of this incredible return of Christ, what do you do? How do you live? [00:31:43] (61 seconds)
Peter said, live lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to his promise, we're waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. There's two key words in this passage. The word is waiting. Word is waiting. It doesn't just mean to wait at a bus stop or to wait at a restaurant or to wait in line at Costco or the Costco gas station. It means more than that. The Greek word is pros doceo. It means hopeful. Hopeful expectation. This is what this waiting is, is that as we wait for the Lord, as we're waiting for the Lord's return, as we wait, as we live this life, we live with this incredible, hopeful expectation of Christ's return. [00:32:44] (70 seconds)
Just like one of my kids, when they were little, they anticipated Christmas morning with such expectation. Excitement. They had this. hopeful expectation in their lives. We too must live daily with this hopeful expectation of Jesus' return because it can happen at any time and at any moment. But this hopeful expectation that Jesus is going to return regardless if it's in our lifetime or not. Because our lifetime on earth is minimal compared to eternity with God. And as believers, our lives on earth are just the beginning of this eternity with God. And unfortunately for non-believers, their lives are the beginning of eternity that will be forever separated from God, encased in judgment and condemnation. See, whether Jesus returns tonight or 10 weeks from now or 500 years from now, 1,000 years from now, Paul, Peter is encouraging us to live with this constant, ready, hopeful expectation of his return. [00:33:54] (74 seconds)
This is why we celebrate Christmas, because we're always living daily with this hopeful expectation of Jesus' return. Right now, I want to invite a very good friend of mine to come forward to share his testimony. Let me help you get set up here. You want the music stand? All right. You want to stand right here? All right. Let me get out of the way. I want to introduce to you, if you haven't met him, it's Carl Shimomura. I've known Carl, what, for like 30 years now? Yeah. I feel sorry for you, by the way, if you've known me that long. Just a great brother. We really got reacquainted the last couple years, especially through Bright Futures Cambodia. He's the president of the board. And that's why I'm here today. I'm here to talk to you about the this brother is incredible. Just incredible. I just remember him as being just a funny guy way back when. He still is funny, but just a wonderful heart, a rich, deep heart. [00:35:08] (65 seconds)
And he's gone through some struggles, but I'm going to let you listen to his story as he shares about his life. So it's all yours, Carl. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Carl. Wow. Thank you for sharing. Just seeing how the Lord has worked in your life and the pain that you experienced and the loss that you experienced. But yet, just seeing. God's goodness and faithfulness through all that, having the worst of life being thrown at you, yet God transforming you and changing you and just using you in amazing ways and you're an amazing brother. You're in the soul of the Lord. Amen to that. So Carl lives and we're all called to live with this hopeful expectation that there's more to this world. Bad things are going to happen. Suffering is going to happen. Things are going to happen. But what we live with this expectation, this hopeful expectation in our relationship with Christ, knowing that this world is not the only life that we have. [00:36:13] (0 seconds)
That we have this eternal life. And that Jesus is coming back and he is going to make all things new. That he's preparing a place for us, a new heaven and a new earth. And so what do we do in the meantime? Do we just kind of just wait it out and just live our life just enclosed and encased behind this wall? No. We're called to live lives fully devoted to Jesus by Peter said to live holy and faithful. To embrace this life that's fully devoted to the Lord. Communing our lives to the Lord and living holy lives and being faithful in holiness and godliness. Holiness it means to be set apart for God in our hearts and our minds and our actions. Not to live according to the way that the world lives. And godliness means reverence. And we revere God by being faithful to him in every single aspect of our lives. And how do we do this? The application. We worship God daily through our thoughts and our actions. [00:54:50] (63 seconds)
We worship God. We praise God first by being thankful for him each and every moment before we go to sleep. And when we wake up, we're thankful to the Lord because he's so good and faithful. We worship God. In the Old Testament, the word for worship is avad. And it means to serve. Worship. Serve. There's a connection there. That when we worship God, we are serving God. And Carl has done that. He serves God by giving himself away to others. By being available to people. By taking people to their homes. By giving them their appointments. By serving on the BFC board. By serving in the options ministry. And doing all these things. To give ourselves away to others in service to God. This is how we live fully devoted lives. By living with this hopeful expectation. Moment by moment. Breath by breath. In the way that we live our lives. Fully devoted lives in holiness and faithfulness. This is what God has called us to do. To live in this constant hope of Jesus' imminent return. [00:55:53] (73 seconds)