Verse 24 of Luke chapter 17. For as the lightning that lightness
out of one part under heaven, shineth into the other part under
heaven. So also the sun. So also shall the son of man
be in his day. It is so impressive when you're
looking at night and a big lightning bolt goes through the sky and
you see everything. Nobody's mistaken about it. Everybody
knows exactly what's happening. Now the Lord Jesus Christ will
physically return and he's going to return in such a way that
everybody is going to know exactly who he is. He's going to return
personally, suddenly, supernaturally, and spectacularly. And how we
long for the day of his return. Would you turn with me for a
moment to Hebrews chapter 9? Now, the first time he came,
it was in relative obscurity. He came. Not many people knew
who he was. As a matter of fact, there was
a few shepherds that the Lord made him known to, but For the
most part, it was just another Jew, just another poverty stricken
Jew being born. They saw nothing spectacular
about his birth. He came at first in obscurity.
Now in Hebrews chapter 9, beginning in verse 24, For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence
of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every
year with the blood of others. For then must he have often suffered
since the foundation of the world. But now once. It only took once. I love that. It only took once. Whatever it was he came to do,
he did. Only took once. But now once. In the end of the world hath
he appeared, and here is why he came, to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. And that's why he came this first
time. He had this mission. He came
to put away sin. Did he do it? Absolutely and positively. He by himself, purged our sin. It's gone. Now, believer, the
sins you've committed today, they've been put away. The sins
you'll commit tomorrow, they've been put away. That's why He
came, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Verse 27,
and as it's appointed unto men once to die, but after this,
the judgment, you know, your death day has already been determined.
My death day has already been determined. There's nothing we
can do to lengthen our days. It's already been determined.
And after this, the judgment, so Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him, shall
he appear the second time. And everybody's going to know
it at this time. He's going to come like lightning across the midnight
sky to them that look for him. Are you somebody looking for
him? I'm looking for him in several ways. I'm looking for him to
be my intercessor right now. I'm looking for him as my law
keeper right now. You know, when my name is called
on Judgment Day, you know what I'm going to be doing? I'm going
to be looking for him. I'm gonna be looking for him to answer
for me. And I'm looking for him to return to them that look for
him. Shall he appear the second time,
what are those next words? Without sin. You see that sin
he put away, it's put away. It's gone right now. And when
he comes again, He will come the second time without sin unto
salvation. Now, the same Lord Jesus who
came over 2,000 years ago is coming again. The angels said
when he had ascended back to glory, ye men of Israel, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken
from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've
seen him go into heaven. Revelation 1.7 says, behold,
he cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see him. Isn't
that wonderful? Every eye is gonna see him. Now, his second coming was prophesied
in the oldest book of the Bible. They tell me that Job, the book
of Job, is the oldest book in the Bible. And in that book,
we read in Job chapter 19, verses 25 through 27, Job says, for
I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand the lighter
day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh will I see God. he shall return. Now, I remember
when I was young, people were always talking about the return
of Christ. Are you ready? Are you ready?
And I know the imagery that would come into my mind, well, am I?
How will I be when he returns? I can remember one time watching
a guy sail a swimming pool. His girlfriend, I guess, had
what he considered a small bikini on. And he said, how would you
feel if the Lord came and you're wearing that thing? And she kind
of grimaced and thought, that don't be good. But that's what
people think of when they think of the Lord's return. They think
of silly stuff like that. If he comes, what if I'm committing
some sin? What if I'm doing something wrong?
What if I'm, oh, that'd be awful, but then we like to think of
the Lord's return. What if I was reading the Bible? What if I
was praying? What if I was preaching? I thought,
well, wouldn't that be great? He comes back, well, I'm preaching
the gospel, you know, but you know all that stuff is, is a
bunch of vanity. I mean, it really is. Don't think that way when
you think of the return of the Lord. Now, when will he return? Well, he tells us that the day
and the hour no man knoweth. Now, as far as when, we do not
know. And men have made predictions,
and they've all been wrong. And I know whenever somebody
makes a prediction as to when he'll return, and they give a
date, I know one thing. I know I know when he won't come
back. He won't come back on that day. You can write that down.
I might not know when he's coming, but I know when he's not coming.
He's not coming when you said he would. You can just write
that down. Now people spend so much time
with what is called the study of eschatology. the study of
the end times, and I'm just going to give a couple of minutes giving
the premillennial, the postmillennial, the all-millennial view, and
my view as the panmillennial. What this is a reference to,
this eschatology, is what's going to happen in the end times. In
Revelation chapter 20, it talks about the thousand-year reign
of Christ. And the premillennial folks think
that when Christ returns, all of a sudden after that, there's
going to be a thousand-year reign of prosperity, and the Christians
are going to be in rule, and the temple is going to be set
up again. And really, it's a bunch of foolishness. It's nothing
more than foolishness, this whole idea of this premillennial reign. And then there's the... post-millennial
view. And they believe that before
the return of Christ, there's going to be this mighty revival
that's going to last a thousand years and about the whole world
will be saved. Well, you don't get that out
of the scripture. You don't even get an implication of that in the
scripture. And then there's the all-millennial view, which if
I was one, I would say that's what I would be, but it's the
thousand-year reign is not a literal thousand-year reign, but it's
a metaphor for the time between the first and second advent of
Christ when the preaching of the gospel is going on. And the
problem with all three of these views is the emphasis is on when
and what and not who, who's returning. That's all we care about is who's
returning. I don't care when it is. Like I said, when anybody
asks me what my millennial view is, I always say pan millennialist.
It's all gonna pan out in the end. I mean, we don't know. But what we're excited about
is who is returning. When he shall come with trumpet
sound, oh, may I then in him be found. Oh, how we long for
his returns. Now, as I said, he will return. As lightning cometh out of the
east and shineth even under the west, so shall the coming of
the Son of Man be. They shall see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Now, when he does return, here
on earth, things will be business as usual. Nobody will be expecting
it. Look back in Luke chapter 17
with me. Verse 26, as it was in the days
of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the son of man. They
did eat, they drank, they married wives. They were given in marriage.
Into the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came
and destroyed them all. The Lord speaks of that as a
historical event. Likewise also was it in the days of Lot. They
did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they
built, they had all kinds of plans. We're really going to
get life the way we want it. We're going to build this, we're
going to sell that, we're going to make money, we're going to
do this. Is there anything wrong with that? No. No, they were
doing what people do. I mean, you do it, I do it, we
build, we plant, we sell, we've got to make a living. They were
making a living, verse 29, but the same day that Lot went out
of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed
them all. Now, the Lord says, at such an
hour as you think not, the Son of Man cometh. And it appears
from scripture that prior to his coming, There will be a time
of great spiritual declension, not revival, but declension. The parable of the 10 virgins,
five foolish, five wise. What happened with all 10 of
them? They all slumbered and slept, every single one of them. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2
verse 3, Paul said, that day shall not come except there come
first a falling away and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition. He said, before I return, there
will first be a great falling away. And the Lord said in Luke
8, verse 18, when the son of man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth? What a statement. When I return,
will I find any real and genuine faith? So what that lets us know
that prior to his return, it will be a time of great spiritual
declension. Now, when he does return, first
of all, he will come as a judge. Matthew chapter 16 verse 27,
for the son of man shall come in the glory of his father with
the angels and then he shall reward every man according to
his works. He comes as a judge to reward
every man according to his works. You and I are going to be rewarded
exactly as our works dictate. Now, what do I mean by that?
Well, when he returns, everybody outside of Christ will be rewarded
exactly according to their works here on earth. And that's why
they'll be sent to hell. And the scripture does teach
that there are degrees of punishment in hell. We read of those that
will be beaten with many stripes and those who will be beaten
with few stripes. Now the reason there are degrees
of punishment in hell is because you're rewarded exactly according
to your works. Like the Lord did say to the
Pharisees, the publicans and harlots will enter the kingdom
of heaven before you do. He tells these religious fellas,
he said, the publicans and harlots are better off than you. And
He said, Woe unto thee, Chorazin and Bethsaida, for if the works
done in you had been done in Sodom, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But it's going to be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than it's going
to be for you. So we see from that, it's very
clear that there are different degrees of punishment in hell
because you're going to be rewarded for your works. Now, everybody's
thinking, does that mean there will be degrees of reward and
degrees of glory and different positions in heaven according
to our works? Now, here's the glory of the
work of Christ in behalf of his people. When he justified me,
his righteousness really is mine and I am rewarded exactly according
to my personal works. That is how real justification
is. If you're justified, that means
you don't have any sin. You don't have anything but that
which is good. Whatever the Lord did, that's
what you did. Is there anything you can do
to add to that, to bring you a higher position in glory? You
know, I don't know of anything that I find much more offensive
than that. to think that my works can be added to his works and
get me up here. I'm up here and you're down here
and I've got a higher reward than you. Oh boy, I'm some, you
know, that just said that's, that's evil. That's all you can
call it. I mean, if you love your brethren,
do you want to step on them and do you want to have a big mansion
and they just have some kind of hobble somewhere, but you
got this really good place because you had more good works. That's
foolishness. That's all that is. It's foolishness,
but such is the righteousness of Christ, is my personal righteousness
before God, that He is going to reward me exactly according
to my works. They're all good. You see, justification
is not some certificate I've got. No justification in me being
just like Christ all the way through, and I am rewarded thusly. Isn't that beautiful? That's
the work of the Lord on our behalf. So he comes first of all as a
judge, and he's going to give everybody according to their
works. Those outside of Christ, you
will be judged accordingly. There's no sin that's going to
be omitted. There's a book that has every
one of them that you can read about it in the great white throne
of judgment, Revelation chapter 20. And then there are those
who are judged according to the book of life. and their works
are the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me for a moment
to Matthew chapter 25, and we're given a majestic look at this
day. Verse 31. When the Son of Man
shall come, not if, but when, He is coming again, When the
Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and
before Him shall be gathered all nations. And He shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.
And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats
on the left. And then shall the king say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you. from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave me meat. I was thirsty, and you
gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took
me. And I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you
visited me. I was in prison, and you came
unto me. Then shall the righteous answer
and say, Lord, we're not aware of any of this. We didn't know
we did any of this. I believe that what this is as
much as anything else is a reference to the preaching of the gospel.
Listen real carefully, because you and I haven't started any
hospitals. There's a lot of things he says that we haven't done,
but look at this. When the gospel is preached,
the hungry are given meat, the thirsty are given drink, The
stranger is taken in. The naked is clothed. The sick
is visited. The prisoner is visited and come
to. Can you see all that going on
in the preaching of the gospel? It really is. Now, I'm all for
us doing these things, but we ought to be visiting prisoners
or visiting... I'm not saying anything against
that, but I think the main reference to this is the preaching of the
gospel. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when
saw we thee in hunger, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee
drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and
clothed thee? When saw we thee sick, or imprisoned, and came
unto thee? We thought we did these things. We didn't do these
things. We're not even aware of it. And the kings shall answer
and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, that inasmuch as you've
done it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you've done
it to me. Now, anything you do to The least
of these, you do to Christ because they're united. And what you
do to me, you do to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's an awesome
thought, isn't it? That's how close union with Christ
is. Verse 41, then shall he say also
to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire. Prepare for the devil and his
angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty,
and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you took
me not in. You clothed me not. Sick and in prison, you visited
me not." Now, wait a minute. We opened soup kitchens. We started
hospitals. We had all kinds of food banks
and clothing banks, and we did everything. What are you talking
about? We did all kinds of stuff like that. You never preached
the gospel, though. You never preached the gospel.
You never identified yourself with the gospel. Verse 45, Then shall he answer
them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to
one of the least of these, you did it not to me. And these shall
go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Turn real quickly to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1. This is what this looks like. And listen, I might be the preacher
here, but everybody in here that believes the gospel participates
in the preaching of the gospel and supports the preaching of
the gospel. It's not just about preachers. I mean, if you believe
the gospel I'm preaching, you preach the gospel and responsible
for preaching the gospel just as much as I am. Here in second
Thessalonians, I'm sorry, first Thessalonians chapter one, verse
seven. Second Thessalonians, chapter
1, verse 6. And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord, from the glory of His power, when He shall come
to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them
that believe. Because our testimony among you
was believed. that day. He's coming for the
ingathering of his elect. Look at this language in Matthew
chapter 24. I want you to look at these with me. Verse 30 and 31. And then shall appear the sign
of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one
end of the heaven to the other. Isn't that imagery glorious?
What our Lord's going to do. We're going to hear this trumpet
sound. I believe a little literal trumpet. I don't know how loud
it's going to be, but it's going to be awful loud. And he's going
to gather all of his elect as one unto himself. And here's
what this looks like. Turn real quickly to First Thessalonians
chapter four. Verse 13, But I would not have
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that you saw not even as others which have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and
the voice of the archangel with the trump of God and the dead
in Christ shall rise first. Then they which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the
Lord." Isn't that heaven? Being with him. Wherefore comfort
one another with these words. Now, the Bible tells us of some
glorious things that will take place when he returns, which
is why we should all be yearning for his return. We should be
saying with John when we hear him say, behold, I come quickly,
even so come Lord Jesus. Now you can tell when Paul was
writing that, he thought the Lord would come in his day, 2,000
years ago. Well, it's 2,000 years. He hasn't
come yet. But you know, it's still the last days. It's the
end days. Well, what's 2,000 years? I mean, it seems like
a lot to us, but it's nothing in the grand scheme of things.
He's going to come at any time. But look here in Colossians chapter
3. Verse 4, when Christ Who is our life? And notice the
who is is in italics. I like leaving that out. When
Christ our life shall appear. Now that's that life that I'm
going to be rewarded for. He's my life. He's my life. That's
why when he comes and rewards me according to my works, my
works are going to be all perfect and good because Christ is my
life. He's my life before God. When
my life is brought up on the screen for all the world to see,
it's going to all be good because Christ is my life. Now, when
Christ, our life, shall appear, here's what's going to happen.
Then shall you also appear with Him. I'm going to be with Him. That's my identity. You want
to know how I identify myself? I'm with Him. That's the only
identity I want to have. I'm with Him. I don't want anything
else said, done. I'm with Him. That is my identity
and I don't want any other identity. When He comes, oh, I just, I'm
with Him. Oh, that I might be found in
Him. Turn to Philippians chapter three, verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven. You hear that? My life right
now, he's in heaven. My conduct, my works, my actions,
they're in heaven. He's in heaven. He's my life.
It's in heaven. From whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself. This vile body, filled with sin
and weakness, will be changed like unto his glorious body. Turn to 1 John chapter 3. Verse 1. Behold what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called
the sons of God. Therefore the world knows us
not because it knew him not. You know, whenever we say, I
want people to see Christ in me. Well, remember, they didn't
see Christ in Christ. So don't expect them to see him in you.
It's not going to happen. They don't know what it is anyway.
You know, when the world would look at, you know, they didn't
get it. I mean, his own brothers and
sisters didn't get it. They lived in his home and they
didn't have any understanding who he was. Now, they didn't
recognize him. They won't recognize you either.
They won't acknowledge you as a son of God. Why, you know,
where's your pedigree? Verse two. Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be. You know, when that vile body
is changed into a body likened to his glorious body, when I'm
without sin, when I stand without fault before God, Can you even
begin to imagine what it's like or what it will be like to be
without sin? It's impossible, isn't it? It's impossible. You know, right
now, you have, if you're a believer, you have the same nature you're
going to have in heaven. You've got that holy nature.
And you can't see it. Don't think you can. Well, I
know you can't. If you can, you have it. But the point is, this
is how much the flesh weighs us down now. We have this holy
nature, but good grief, do you feel holy? No, not at all. And John says, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, it does not yet appear what we shall be.
I can't tell you what it's going to be like to be just like him. But we know that when he shall
appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. Now I'm not sure which one of
these two things were better, being with him and seeing him
as he is. But here are two glorious realities that every believer
is going to get to enjoy, I'm going to be just like him. And
I'm going to see him as he is. Who doesn't want to see his dear
face? We'll not see him as he was, but as he is. Not abased, but
exalted. Not despised, but worshiped and
feared, not in pain, but as a mighty reigning conqueror, not under
his father's displeasure, but under his father's radiant smile. We'll see him as he is. There will not be all compounded
with fear, but all with worship. There will not be love compounded
with pity, but love. Ain't nobody gonna be feeling
sorry for him there. Joy, not joy mingled with sorrow, but
joy with no sorrow. We will see him, not as he was,
We'll see him as he is, as the God-man. And we'll see his wounds. We'll see his scars. And while
we won't be conscious of any sin, We'll be conscious of this. The only reason I'm here is because
of these wounds, because of these scars. I'll know that. I won't
be allowed to think anything else. No, I won't sin anymore. I won't even remember what it's
like to be a sinner. But when I look at the wounds of my Savior,
I'll know the only reason I'm here is because of what He did
for me. I think of that, and when we
just heard that song, when I, with the last of Jesus died my
soul to save, it's talking about when she's in heaven, Jesus died
my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat. You know, the blood
of Christ is the great theme of heaven. Right now, that's
what, before time began, that was the great theme of heaven.
And we're gonna know the only reason we're there is because
of Him. Now, to think about seeing Him
face-to-face, fully. Here we see partially, dimly,
and distantly. But then, face-to-face. Face-to-face with Christ my Savior. Face-to-face, what will it be?
When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me. And what's going to happen when
he returns? We will see him as he is and
we will be just like him. Now is that a reason to earnestly
long for his return? To see him as he is and to be
just like him. Turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter
4. Paul is ready to die at this
time. I love the language of the old warrior. He says in verse
6 of 2 Timothy chapter 4, for I am now ready to be offered.
And the time of my departure is at hand. I love the way the
death of the believer is termed a departure. A departure. You know, you go into the airport,
you're looking at arrivals and departures. You know, the departure's
gonna leave this place and go there. Oh, the time of my departure,
where I'm gonna go into the very presence of God, is at hand. Oh my. He says in verse seven, I fought
a good fight. I finished my course. I didn't
quit. I've kept the faith. Now, what is the good fight?
It's enduring to the end, and it's keeping the faith, the faith
of God's elect, the acknowledging of the truth, which is after
godliness. I've kept the faith. Henceforth, verse eight, There
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day and not to me
only, but unto all them also that what? Love his appearing. You know what? I love his appearing.
I'm going to get the same crown. I love his appearing for me before
time began as my great surety. I love his appearing when he
became flesh and kept the law for me and died for me and put
away my sin. I love his appearing even now
as he's seated at the right hand of the Father as my representative,
owning me, he's mine. And oh, how I look forward to
that appearing when every eye is going to see him. Are you
somebody who loves his appearing? I love appearing. Even so come Lord Jesus. Paul said in Titus chapter 2
verse 13 we're looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Now in light of his return
I want to make four statements. It's what I'm closing with. Now
he is returning bodily Spectacularly. Physically. And we're going to
see him. Everybody's going to see him. Now, in light of his return,
and you know, he may return tonight. Might be a hundred years. Doesn't
make any difference. But he will return. Now, turn
to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. In light of his return. Verse 1. Let a man so account
of us as of ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God. Paul says to the Corinthians, that's how I want you to view
me. You see, they viewed him in a bad way. And he said, I
want you to view me this way. Moreover, it's required in stewards
that a man be found faithful. But with me, And I can almost
feel the pain in his voice. He says, it's a very small thing
that I should be judged of you or man's judgment. Yeah, I judge
not my own self. Now, wait a minute. When you're
judged, you feel the sting of it. And I know Paul is saying,
I know what he's saying. He said, now your judgment doesn't
count. He says, it's a small thing for
me to be judged of you or man's judgment. Yea, I judge not my
own self. I'll know nothing by myself.
Yet am I not hereby justified that he that judges me is the
Lord. Now what's this got to do with
the second coming of Christ? We'll go on reading. Therefore,
judge nothing before the time. Until the Lord come, who will
both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will
make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every
man have praise of God. So until then, suspend all judgment. All judgment. You and I aren't
qualified to be the judge of anybody, and there's nothing
more hypocritical than a judgmental attitude toward a fellow sinner
saved by grace. So by the grace of God, in light
of His coming, everything's going to get straightened out there.
Everything's going to be made manifest. But until then, suspend
all judgment. Now turn to 1 John chapter 2. Verse 28, and now, little children,
abide in him that when he shall appear, we may have confidence
and not be ashamed before him in his coming. Now, I've already
touched on this, but how many times have you thought about
when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, what if you were in the
act of committing some kind of horrible sin, and all of a sudden,
there he is? None of us want that, do we?
I would whole lot rather him come back while I'm praying,
or I'm reading the word, or when I'm witnessing, or I'm doing
something good. But do you know that that wouldn't
make me any more ready at all? The only thing that makes me
ready to where I won't be ashamed before him and his coming is
by abiding in Him, so that all that God sees is me in Him, so
that all that God sees is Him. Now, if God sees Him when He
comes looking for me, you know what I've got? I've got confidence.
I've got a lot of confidence. I'm not going to be ashamed before
Him in His coming being in Him. And the only way that you can
be ready for His coming is not by what you're doing or what
you're not doing. I thought a lot about that. I don't know how
many times I thought, I hope I'm not sinning when he comes
back. Well, that's so stupid on my part. I mean, where are
the weird things that come through our mind? Well, I hope I'm not
sinning when he comes back. But the point is, the only place
of confidence where we can not be ashamed before he met his
coming is by simply being found in him so that all God sees is
Jesus Christ. I don't want to say anything
else to you. Now this also expresses the desire
of our heart. Turn to Revelation 22. Verse 20. He which testifieth these things
saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. That's the very desire of our
heart. And finally, Luke 19. Verse 11, as they heard these
things, he added, and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem,
and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately
appear. Now, when people have thought the kingdom of God is
coming, when Harold Camping was doing that thing, everybody was
selling their property, they were getting rid of their stuff.
They thought, why, we don't need it. They were quitting their
job. I like what John Calvin said. John Calvin said, if I
knew the Lord was coming today, you and I do, Not a thing different. I'd do whatever it was I planned
on doing today. And that's the way it ought to be. We ought
not be thinking, well, if he's coming, we can just quit. No.
So let's go on reading what the Lord said. He said, therefore,
a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for
himself a kingdom and to return. And he called his 10 servants
and delivered them 10 pounds and said unto them, occupy till
I come. Not just sit around and contemplate
your navel. Occupy till I come. And you know
the parable where he gave the different amount, pounds and
some made 10, some three and some, but occupy. So until he
comes, only the Lord give me the grace to occupy till he comes. He's coming again. Let's pray. More.