A.When Jesus Christ ascended to the Father in heaven, two angels immediately declared that He would return in the same way as He departed.
1.As the apostles gazed into the sky where Jesus had gone from their sight, two angels said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
2.Notice that the question asked by the angels was rhetorical.Rather than seeking an answer, the question was asked to prompt the apostles into action.In other words, they were being told to stop standing around and start getting busy doing what Jesus told them to do (Acts 1:4-8) because He is coming again.
B.Ever since the Lord ascended into heaven, the word of God has directed us to remember when He came to us and to anticipate the time when He will come again.
1.If the theme of the Old Testament can be described as “Christ is coming,” then the theme of the New Testament can be called “Christ is coming again.”
2.These two thoughts should be a part of every Christian’s daily mindset.
a.One thought should be of the bloody scene on Calvary where Jesus gave His life as a ransom for the remission of our sins (Matt. 27:26-50).
b.The other thought should be of the glorious return of Christ when He comes to carry the faithful home and punish the wicked (1Thess. 4:13-18; 2Thess. 1:5-10).
c.Just as on every Lord’s Day we remember Christ’s death through the Lord’s Supper until He comes (1Cor. 11:26), every day we should remember His death and anticipate His return.
C.However, our sense of anticipation is often dulled by the passage of time.
1.Because the Lord did not come yesterday or any other day since He ascended, we do not expect Him to come today.
2.If we do not expect Him to come today, then we will not watch for Him.If we do not watch for Him, then we will not prepare for Him.If we do not prepare for Him, then we will not be ready when He comes.
3.Consider the parable of the faithful and unfaithful stewards (Luke 12:42-48).
a.The faithful steward is in a constant state of readiness so that whenever his Master returns, he will be blessed.
b.The unfaithful steward says in his heart, “My Master will be a long time in coming” (v. 45).Therefore, when the Master comes, he is unprepared and will be condemned.
D.The truth is that Christ is just as likely to come today as any other day.
1.Time has no effect upon God or His promises (2Pet. 3:10).The fact that much time has passed since God gave the promise that Christ will return does not nullify God’s faithfulness or make it less likely that He will fulfill His promise.
2.Jesus told us that only the Father knows of the day when Christ will come again.Therefore, we should not be surprised that we cannot predict the day of His coming.
a.“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matt. 24:36)
b.“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” (Matt. 25:13)
c.“You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)
3.That day may very well be today.Are we ready?
II.GET READY
A.The Bible prompts us like the two angels prompted the apostles in Acts 1:11, telling us to get ready because Christ is coming again.
1.Now is the time of preparation.As the apostle Paul wrote, “Behold, now is the ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2Cor. 6:2).
2.Once the Lord comes, there will be no further opportunity.
B.Consider the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13).
1.All ten virgins desired to meet the bridegroom, but only five were properly prepared for him.
a.The five who were prepared were called prudent (wise), and the bridegroom received them.
b.The five who were unprepared were called foolish, and the bridegroom said to them, “I do not know you” (v. 12).
2.The application of this parable is a lesson regarding the kingdom of heaven (v. 1).
a.When the Lord returns, He will receive those who have prepared for Him, whether they are dead or alive (1Cor. 15:23-24, 51-53; 1Thess. 4:13-17).These correspond to the prudent virgins, and they will be in that kingdom that will be delivered unto the Father.
b.Those who are unprepared for the Lord correspond to the foolish virgins, for even though they desire to be in heaven, they fail to prepare themselves.
C.Also, consider the parable of the expectant slaves (Luke 12:35-40).
1.Those slaves whom the master found alert when he came were blessed.The master honored and exalted them because they were waiting for him.
2.The lesson for us again is preparation, for Christ will bless those whom He finds watching and ready for Him when He comes.
D.Therefore, we must be ready at all times for the coming of Jesus Christ.
1.If you have never obeyed the gospel of Christ, you are not ready for His coming.“Behold, today is the day of salvation.”
a.Hear the word of God that you may have faith (Rom. 10:17).
b.Believe the word of God that you might become righteous (Rom. 10:10).
c.Confess your belief that you might have salvation (Rom. 10:10).
d.Repent of your sins that you might be forgiven (Acts 2:38).
e.Be baptized for the remission of sins that you might be saved (Mark 16:16).
2.If you have obeyed these first principles of the gospel, but you have not remained faithful to the Lord, then you are not ready for His coming.Confess your sins to God and repent of your sins so that you will be cleansed and forgiven once again (1John 1:8-10; Acts 8:22).
III.ANTICIPATION
A.The Bible compares the coming of Christ to a “thief in the night” (1Thess. 5:2), but it also says that Christians should not be overtaken like a thief by His coming (1Thess. 5:4-6).This is because Christians should be prepared because they anticipate His coming.
B.Christians should have a joyful and hopeful expectation of His coming.We should long for the sight of our Lord “coming with the clouds” (Rev. 1:7).
1.Notice in 2Peter 3:11-15, Peter wrote that this anticipation is part of the characteristics of Christians.We should be “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (v. 12).
2.Notice the plea of the apostle John at the close of Revelation where he wrote, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).We should be just as earnest in our desire for the Lord to come.
3.In 1Corinthians 16:22, Paul used the word “Maranatha,” which means, “Lord, come!”This should be the cry of every Christian.
C.This anticipation of Christ’s return should motivate Christians every day to do what is pleasing to the Lord.
1.Again in 2Peter 3:11-15, notice that the anticipation of His coming should motivate us to be a certain sort of people “in holy conduct and godliness” (v. 11), being “diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (v. 14).
2.In Hebrews 10:25, notice how this anticipation of Christ’s return (“as you see the day drawing near”) motivates us to assemble together with one another and encourage one another.
D.How are you anticipating the Lord’s return?
1.Will He find you watching, waiting, ready, and eager for His return?
2.Do you share the joyful sentiment and plea of John and Paul, saying, “O, Lord, come,” or do you beg, “O, Lord, wait?”
3.Do you think about the return of Jesus every day, and does that thought affect the way you conduct your life?
4.If the Lord returns today, will you be ready for Him?
