What Jesus Said About

His Return

Adapted from a Dave Thompson sermonhttp://www.sermoncloud.com/the-vine/

Let’s think about “Homecoming” time. Every school has a “Homecoming” when

a “Homecoming” King & Queen are crowned.

Churches have “Homecomings” when Christians that have moved away return to celebrate a Church’s history with their

home congregation.

Top 7 Signs Your Church Homecoming Service Was a Disaster

7. The guest speaker tries to read from the book of Paul. 6. Bill Gaither called and said calling it a Homecoming was a copyright infringement 5. The preacher asks the "ole preacher man" to say the blessing over the food, and

ONE HOUR LATER…

4. The current and former preachers get into a free-for-all wrestling match at the dessert table3. The Southern gospel group you invited show up dressed like the rock group Kiss. 2. Dinner on the grounds really means "dinner on the ground."

And the Number One Sign Your Church Homecoming Service Was A Disaster

1. A former preacher offers a detailed history of your church which was founded in 1804, and

SIX HOURS LATER …

I remember when my Maw was expecting her kids & grandkids to come home for a visit she would sit on the porch, or wait at a window, watching the highway for a sight of her loved ones arriving home.

Excitement fills her eyes when she sees their vehicle approaching. I believe the Prodigal Son’s Father always watched

the road to see if his son coming home.

There is one homecoming that all of us are going to be at, that is the

homecoming of Jesus. He said, “I’m coming back, I will return.”

We pick up where we left off last Sunday.

Matthew 24:29 ESV "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its

light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the

Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of

heaven to the other.

One of the things we learn here is Jesus’ 2nd coming is going to be glorious. Maybe there is a better term for that, but it’s going to be

something like, WHAM!

When Jesus was here on this earth He died then came back to life. If that wasn’t enough to say He’s the Son of God, He

said I’m going back to Heaven & prepare a place for you. Then later on He flew, He

went up into the sky. Can you imagine seeing Him like that, whew, that’ll get

your attention. That would be a life changing moment.

And then He’s coming back! He’s coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. You remember last week in Matthew 24:27 ESV For as the lightning comes from the east and

shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

I don’t understand how it’s going to happen on a round globe, but NO ONE is

going to miss it! It’s not like we’ll be going about our business one day &

happen to see somebody’s shoes & say, “Did I miss it?”

Revelation 1:7 ESV Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see

him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of

him. Even so. Amen.

What’s your idea ofpower and great glory?

The Grand Canyon, try to imagine what power it took to carve out this glorious

sight?

Have you ever looked up at towering mountain dumbstruck at the majesty of

it. What power it must have demanded to create it.

Independence Day is just a couple weeks away. Think of those huge

fireworks displays. The power contained in those cylinders just waiting for a

spark to explode it creating a glorious sight.

Consider the power required to create a new person inside a woman & the glory

of life when the little one is delivered into this world.

Think of the power & glorious festivities when a President is Inaugurated.

I tell you what, that won’t hold a candle to the glory we’ll see when Jesus returns. He says He’s coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He’s bringing

the whole crew & something great is going to happen. It’s very interesting Jesus says it

is going to be painful for some.

In verse 30 Jesus says, “then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.” Why will

they mourn? For many of them who chose not to follow Christ they will realize they’ve made a big mistake.

There is going to be pain because of that.

Revelation 1:7 ESV Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see

him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of

him. Even so. Amen.

Even those who took part in putting Him to death will see His return & realize

they’d made a big mistake. God Himself had come to earth to save them, but they

chose to nail Him to a cross. Not only those few who took part in nailing Him to

the cross, but even us today who sin. Why did Jesus die on to the cross? To pay for our sins. So everyone of us put

Him on that cross.

God’s design was for us to have a great relationship with Him. Interacting with Him, walking & talking with Him, that

was God’s design. He didn’t want us to be separated from Him, but then came this problem, the problem of sin. All of

us have it, all of us are guilty of it.

Anything we’ve thought, did or said that’s against the will of God is sin.

Scripture says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans

3:23 ESV

That is painful! Especially in the life after this one. There’s a big chasm, a gorge between us & God we can’t get across. Not by going to church & doing a lot of

good things. Those things don’t unify us with God. But praise God, He’s such a good God, He brought us a solution.

Romans 5:8 ESV but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

That was 2000 years ago. “I’ll take that on for you, I’m going to die for you,” that

was His solution. Just to know that is only head knowledge.

We have to make a choice. Mark 16:16 ESV Whoever believes and is

baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

You say, Jesus is my King, I will follow Him & no one else. I believe God brought Him back from the dead & I’m choosing to follow Him. So when a person says I want Jesus to be the leader of my life &

the forgiver of my sin, that person knows when Jesus comes back, He’s

coming back for them.

Though it’s going to be painful for some it will be great joy for others. I mean elation.

You think of the happiest time of your life. It won’t even compare, it is going to be joyful

for the others. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of

heaven to the other.

Can you imagine that? Jesus is bringing all the Heavenly troops together saying,

“All right boys, it’s time to go get everyone, everyone who chose to follow me. Let’s go. They bolt out & gather up everyone who decided to follow Jesus. Whether they decided at a young age or

at an extended age just before death. He’s going to bring all those back

together.

It’s not going to be just a random selection, but all of those who chose to follow Jesus. That means, you, me & all who followed Jesus, there’s going to be

a great reunion.

You’re going to meet those people who were with Joshua. The Israelites before

they crossed over into the Promise Land said, “We’re going to follow God, we’re

going to put our faith in Him.” Then they crossed over the Jordan River & they

chose to trust in God.

You’re going to be there with John, the one who followed Jesus. He went on to became a pillar of the church. Later in

life he was persecuted to no end. In fact they said he was the man who could never die. They would do anything.

One time they tried boiling him in oil because of his faith in Christ. Amazingly he didn’t die. Finally they just shipped him off to another island, saying, “We

can’t even deal with you.” While he was there God gave him a vision which

became the book of Revelation where he talked about Jesus coming back. Can you imagine being there with John?

He’s saying, “I told you so! Yep, there He is, angels & everything, there He is, aren’t you glad you listened to me?”

We’re going to get to be there with him.We’re going to get to be with the

Christians in Rome who were persecuted for their faith because they

loved Jesus so much that they were thrown to the lions or burned at the

stake.How great their love.

We’re going to be with those believers from China who’ve worshiped in

underground churches that continued to grow in numbers despite the opposition

from communism.We’ll be there with the preacher in

Columbia named Manuel. Despite the guerrilla forces that were suppressing, threatening & giving risks, he said we

have to reach people for Jesus.

He said, “My family & I we’re going to stand for Him. They came, they got him & they took his life. In that moment his

wife grabbed his Bible & started preaching to the guys who took his life. His 10 year old son said, “Don’t worry, Dad died for Christ & now he is with

Christ.”We could go on & on naming great

people of God who’ve gone on before us. It’s going to be a great & wonderful

reunion.

Think about the masses of people gathered together at the World Series,

the Super Bowl, the Olympics, your favorite music group’s concert, you pick

the event. Think of the festivities, the happiness & excitement. At that moment

that is their center of the world, everything is revolving around that

excitement. The scriptures say every tribe, tongue & nation will be coming

together when they see Christ’s return.

Since He is coming, there are some actions for us to take. We can’t just think

it’s nice knowing, “Jesus is coming back, cool, great, Jesus is coming.”

There are some specific actions for us to take, even today. Jesus said it like this, 32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and

puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.

33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all

these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words not pass away. 36 "But concerning that day

and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the

Father only.

37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they

were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when

Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of

the Son of Man.

40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women

will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay

awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Just like Maw would diligently watch the highway for family coming home, we must be on the watch for the signs of

our Lord’s return.

Luke adds a warning about hesitating, looking or turning back.

Luke 17:28 ESV Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and

drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot

went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them

all—

30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let

the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to

take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32

Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and

the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be

taken and the other left."There is debate among commentators

and scholars over the phrase One will be taken and the other left about whether

one is taken for judgment or for salvation.

If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved

(as Noah was) and those left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not

directly tied to the identification of the two groups.

Its primary purpose in context is to picture the sudden,

surprising separation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the

return of the Son of Man. (NETnotes)

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the

night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have

let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for

the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over

his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that

servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to

you, he will set him over all his possessions.

48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a

day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut

him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be

weeping and gnashing of teeth.

He doesn’t want us to just sit here & wait. He has action for us to take. Before Jesus return we must stand for Christ. Make a choice, “I’m going to stand for

Him.” This is kind of scary. Back in verse 10 He says,

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. This

is why this is scary. He didn’t say, “Those who chose not to follow Jesus

fell away.”

No, these are believers who have made a profession to follow Jesus then turn

away & say, “Nah.” They’re going to turn away from following Christ, & that’s a

sobering thought. He gives us this charge, 13 But the one who endures to

the end will be saved.

That person says, “You know what? Even if I have family members, co-

workers, friends who give me a hard time about this I will choose to love them because Jesus died for them. I’m going to make my stand for Christ, I will follow

Him.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your

forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land

you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Isaiah 7:9b NIV If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”

What causes us to waver in our faith? Are there habits or hang-ups that we just

need to say, “Lord, I need your help because this is a situation that can lead

me down the wrong path.” If you find yourself in that situation I encourage

you to pray for God’s help & ask someone pray for you. Make a choice to

stand for Christ.

Jesus’ return means we have to deepen our love for others, not just be nice to

people. This is an urgency because Jesus said this, 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false

prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be

increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

Remember this winter’s weather. It was unseasonably warm & sunny. People seemed to want to get out more & feel the sun on their skin. Did you seem to

have a little more spring in your step? It was like the warmer weather brought out

the joy in people.

Then all of a sudden when it should be Spring the clouds gathered, the cold

came & the snow fell. Did that change dampen your spirits?

What’s my love temperature for others, those that are close to me, those I’m

around a little bit, & those who are a little bit different than me? Is it 40’s rainy &

misty, blasé? Maybe your kids were cute at one point, but now they’re just

wonderfully annoying?

Or has it now gotten a little nippy, down in the 30’s & falling to the 20’s.

When you come home you go into your little cocoon to escape things.

Or maybe it’s down in the single digits maybe the wind-chill has cranked up a

little because you had some pain in your life.

Maybe you’ve lost someone. Maybe you’re thinking, “God, I’m not so sure I can really trust you.” Maybe some of

that temperature has gone down.

Or do you find yourself more in the 70’s. When weather is bright & shiny people

are drawn to that.

Are you “others” centered in a sense that you might say, “I don’t know how to do it, or why God would call me to do it, but with God’s help I’m going to do it.

I’m going to choose to love others. God I pray for you to help me today to do it.”

When we do that it’s kind of like the sun, people are drawn to that. It’s said the

way to become an interesting person is to become an interested one.

Asking other people about their life, loving on them. Our love for people

needs to be HOT & that usually doesn’t happen naturally! It takes desire &

asking God to infuse us to maintain that love. We need to say, “God, please

deepen my love for other people, I need your help to do that.” This is going to

help us from walking away from Christ. So when He returns He sees I am a

faithful & willing servant.

Love leads to the habit of telling others about Jesus. Jesus made a promise, 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then

the end will come. Jesus is saying, “Everybody, all groups of people, need

to hear about me, then I’m coming back.” That’s our mission. For Jesus to come back, everyone is going to have to

hear.

Last week we saw an angel will be proclaiming this gospel of the kingdom

throughout the whole world.Revelation 14:6 ESV Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an

eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe

and language and people.

7 And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and

earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Some today like to identify their ministry or technology with this angel flying

directly overhead.

One prominent television ministry named the satellite they use "Angel

One" in a hoped-for fulfillment of this verse. The desire to connect

contemporary technology or events with this angel is nothing new.

Adam Clarke, writing from the late 18th century says, "But the vision seems truly descriptive of a late institution, entitled THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN

BIBLE SOCIETY,

whose object it is to print and circulate the Scriptures of the Old and New

Testaments, through all the habitable world, and in all the languages spoken

on the face of the earth."John Trapp, writing in the late 17th

century, saw a fulfillment of his own: "This is held to be John Wicliff, who

wrote more than two hundred volumes against the pope, and was a means of

much good to many." (Guzik)

Notice what he’s going to say. “the hour of his judgment has come.” Every

translation I looked at gave the strong notion that when this angel appears, the

time of God’s judgment is imminent.

If that’s the case, & it sure seems so, there will be no time to receive

forgiveness of your sins.

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the

Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 ESVThe Judge is taking His seat, gavel in

hand!

This angel does not release us from showing our love of Jesus. John 14:15 ESV "If you love me, you will keep my

commandments.Mark 16:15 ESV And he said to them,

"Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will

be condemned.

Matthew 28:19 ESV Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with

you always, to the end of the age."

We have a reality check coming. It’s the fact that Jesus is coming back. It’s going to be painful for many, but it’s going to bring great joy to others. For those we

know who are not following Christ right now it will be painful, we don’t want that. If you & I have given our hearts to Christ

we have an awesome responsibility.

There’s coming a time when each of us will look the King of Glory in the face & we’re going to know if we’ve stood for Christ, if we’ve loved others, if we’ve

turned up that love temperature because we really believe there is a God who

loves others.

A God who has great joy & rejoices over us and doesn’t want it to be a painful

day for his children. You & I are the ones that have a great responsibility to bring

the love of Christ to others.