The Messiah Will Come Again / 2 Peter 3:9-14 / Acts 1:6-8 / Romans 8:18-25
Well, church, good to see you. Happy New Year! 2017 is upon us. Merry post-Christmas. I hope you’re doing well. I hope you enjoyed this past week, and whether your circumstances were trying, hard, and difficult, or whether it was a week of real enjoyment for you, wherever you’re at, I hope the Lord showed Himself to you in profound ways.
It’s always interesting whenever Christmas and New Year’s fall on a weekend, on an actual Sunday. As a staff, you’re kind of wondering, “Who’s going to show up?” But you’re here. You’re faithful. You showed up. You’re the elect right here! It is so good to see you all.
We’re going to be in a lot of different passages today, but there are three main places where we’re going to camp. If you want to mark your places as we get going, we’re going to be in 2 Peter 3, Acts 1, and Romans 8. Go ahead and hold those spots, and we’ll look at them in just a bit.
The Unfulfilled Promises
A lot of folks this weekend are about to head into the annual American tradition of setting resolutions. Everybody is getting ready to repent from all the eggnog consumed this past week and set up new goals. Many churches will probably spend this weekend focusing on the new year and fresh resolutions. But for us here at The Well, what we want to do is finish the series we began before Christmas on the Messiah.
If you were with us in the weeks leading up to Christmas, you know we carved out the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to turn our hearts, minds, meditations, and affections toward the implications of God sending Jesus to earth. We were reminded that we desperately needed a Messiah because of our sin and rebellion against a holy God—a rebellion that separated and alienated us from Him. We looked at our need.
Then, in the second week of that series, we looked at God’s promise. Even though we could not fix our own problem, God promised that He would fix it. He promised to send a Savior, a Messiah to pay the ransom that our sin demanded. We looked at dozens upon dozens of prophecies and promises throughout the Old Testament declaring: He will come, He will come, He will come.
Last week on Christmas, we celebrated the fact that two thousand years ago, God the Promise-Maker was faithful to be God the Promise-Keeper. He sent His Son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to take away our sins, remove them as far as the east is from the west, and give us His righteousness and life through faith in Him. We contemplated the incredible reality of God sending Jesus to save sinners like you and me.
In that series, when we went through those dozens of prophecies, we focused primarily on Christ’s first advent—how He would come to suffer, to be a servant, to die on a cross, and to take our sins upon Himself. But if you were listening closely, you know there are still a lot of prophecies we haven’t seen fulfilled yet. When you think about all the promises of Jesus dying on the cross for us, what about all the other promises that remain unfulfilled?
Think about promises like 1 Thessalonians 4, which promises that the Messiah will descend from heaven, the dead in Christ will rise first, and those of us who are still alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. Last I checked, that hasn’t happened yet. If it did, we missed the boat and we are in a world of hurt right now!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
What about the promises Jesus gave us in Matthew 24 or Revelation 19, that when the Messiah descends, He will wage war on the earth, bring about the final summation of all evil, and end it once and for all? What about passages like Zechariah 9, Zechariah 12, Haggai 2, Psalm 2, and Zephaniah 3, which declare that He will eradicate all His enemies and put them under His feet? Satan, the demons, and all who have rejected Him will be cast into judgment, just as Zechariah 14, Daniel 12, and Revelation 20 speak of. That hasn’t happened yet either.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB)
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it [is] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [on Him] which no one knows except Himself. [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
Or what about Isaiah 2, Isaiah 9, and Revelation 21 and 22, which promise that one day that same Messiah will eradicate every injustice on earth? Every trace of sin will be wiped away. All tears will be wiped from our eyes. All pain, suffering, and struggling will end. Death itself will be no more. In its place, He will establish a new heavens and a new earth. He will establish His throne forever. We won’t even need a temple, because He Himself will be our temple. He will be our eternal peace, and no longer by faith, but by sight, we will behold Him face to face forever.
Revelation 21:3-4 (NASB)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be [any] death; there will no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’
When will those promises come to pass? Why haven’t they happened yet? These are some of the most precious promises in all of Scripture, and our hearts yearn for them. Just turn on the TV this week—how many more deaths and tragedies do we have to see? I’m not just talking about celebrity deaths; I’m scrolling through Facebook seeing the heartbreak my own friends are walking through, loved ones in the hospital over Christmas. There is so much pain in this world. We yearn for the day when the Messiah will return and put an end to all of this. We’ve seen the penalty for sin done away with; when will the presence of sin be removed?
Why weren’t all these promises fulfilled during His first advent? Why is it that at Christmas, we celebrate a baby in a manger, but we don’t also have a King on a white horse with a sharp sword and eyes of fire right next to the stable? Why wasn’t it all accomplished at once?
The reality we come to understand through Scripture is that the prophecies that seemed mingled together in the Old Testament were never intended to be a single event. They were always intended to be two separate advents. Before Christ came, there was a veil over those prophecies, which is why Israel stumbled and rejected Jesus—they couldn’t separate the suffering servant from the conquering King.
You’ve heard the mountain range metaphor before: when you look at two mountain peaks from a distance, they look like they are right next to each other. It’s only when you drive closer that you realize there is a massive valley between them. That valley represents the time between the first and second advents of Jesus.
Why the Delay? A Window of Mercy
That leads to the next question: why such a delay? If there is a second advent coming where the Messiah will fulfill every remaining prophecy, why has it been two thousand years? Why are we still waiting?
Scripture gives us the answer: God is intentionally delaying the second advent of His Son as an act of mercy. Before the final judgment and the consummation of all things, God has carved out a window of grace. Peter explains this clearly.
2 Peter 3:9 (NASB)
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Peter goes on to say in verse 15 that we should regard the patience of the Lord as salvation. This delay is so that you and I could find salvation in Jesus Christ. How many of you are thankful Jesus didn’t return five years ago? How about ten years ago? Thirty years ago? A hundred years ago? We are deeply thankful He delayed, because His delay meant our salvation. His patience is gathering in His elect.
2 Peter 3:15 (NASB)
and regard the patience of our Lord [as] salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
Passages like Luke 21 and Romans 11 tell us that right now, between the first and second advents, Christ is building His church. He is waiting for the appointed time until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. Israel rejected their Messiah, and in mercy, God turned to the Gentiles to graft them into the promises. Christ is currently seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding daily for us, empowering His church through the Holy Spirit, and waiting for the Father’s appointed time for the restoration of all things.
When the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven in Acts 1, the angels promised them that the very same Jesus would return in the exact same way they saw Him go. One day, He will come. We are in the waiting room right now, anticipating His return.
Acts 1:11 (NASB)
They also said, ‘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.’
Two Extremes: Over-Obsessed and Under-Impressed
When it comes to end-times prophecies, there are endless debates. Is the millennial kingdom a literal thousand years or symbolic? Is the tribulation a literal seven years? Does the rapture happen before, during, or after the tribulation? What is God’s future plan for Israel? People debate these things constantly. But despite differing interpretations, all orthodox believers agree on the central truth: Jesus Christ is physically returning to consummate His kingdom and gather His people face to face forever.
The real question we need to wrestle with as we enter this new year is: how do we live in light of the second advent of Jesus Christ?
Whenever you talk about the return of Christ, people tend to fall into two unhealthy extremes. On one side, you have the camp that is completely over-obsessed. On the other side, you have the camp that is utterly under-impressed.
The over-obsessed camp is easy to spot. They usually have a bumper sticker that says, “Warning: In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned.” They’ve got posters of Kirk Cameron or Nicolas Cage, they own all seventy-five volumes of Left Behind, and at any moment, they can pull out a massive fold-out chart detailing the exact chronological sequence of every end-times event. They try to decode the Bible like it’s the Da Vinci Code, treating Scripture like a puzzle only their brilliance can solve. They want to argue over whether the locusts in Revelation 9 are actually Apache attack helicopters.
Now, Scripture does call us to study and prepare. In 1 Peter 1, Peter says the Old Testament prophets searched diligently to understand these things. But Jesus also told us in Matthew 24 and Acts 1 that concerning the exact day and hour, no one knows—not even the Son, but the Father alone. In His incarnation, Jesus submitted that knowledge to the Father. If Jesus didn’t give a date, I am pretty sure you and I aren’t going to figure it out with a spreadsheet. We were never meant to be obsessively charting dates instead of preparing our hearts.
On the other hand, there is a very popular movement today that is entirely under-impressed with the return of Christ. We might call them “pan-millennialists”—they just figure it will all “pan out” in the end, so why care about the details? But that reductionist view creates a major problem: we end up wrapping all our hope up in what Jesus is doing in this present world, completely losing sight of the eternal hope of what is still to come.
Scripture commands us to care deeply about His return. Titus 2 calls Jesus’ return our “blessed hope.” Second Peter tells us to look for and hasten the day of His coming. Philippians 3 says we are to eagerly wait for our Savior. Colossians 3 tells us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. We are meant to dwell on this reality.
Years ago, a pastor named Jason Allen wrote an article highlighting three essential postures of the heart that we must maintain in light of Christ’s return. In light of Jesus’ promises, we are called to be:
- A sanctified people
- A witnessing people
- A hopeful people
As you think about your diet, your budget, and your gym resolutions for 2017, these three postures might just be the most important resolutions you could ever make.
1. Living as a Sanctified People
First, living in light of Christ’s return means being a sanctified people. The word sanctified literally means to be completely and devotedly set apart. It means being pulled out of one condition, trajectory, and purpose, and set aside for an entirely new condition, trajectory, and purpose. In light of the reality that Jesus is coming back, we are called to live lives that reflect that eternal kingdom.
Look at how Peter describes this in 2 Peter 3.
2 Peter 3:10-14 (NASB)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
Peter asks, “Since everything around us will be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be?” And he answers: holy in conduct and godliness. We are to live spotless, blameless lives. We are not to drift into worldly patterns, because we were purchased to live for His kingdom, not our own.
Jesus gave a similar warning in Luke 12.
Luke 12:35-40 (NASB)
’Be dressed in readiness, and [keep] your lamps lit. ’Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open [the door] to him when he comes and knocks. ’Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself [to serve], and have them recline [at the table], and will come up and wait on them. ’Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds [them] so, blessed are those [slaves]. ’But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ‘You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.’
Jesus tells us to stay dressed for action, with our lamps burning, ready for our Master’s return. We are called to be set apart in both readiness and righteousness. Our minds, our actions, our words, our priorities, our morality, and our mission should all reflect King Jesus.
Paul calls us “ambassadors for Christ” in 2 Corinthians 5. An ambassador lives in a foreign country for one reason: to represent the interests of their home country abroad. We are ambassadors of heaven living on earth, displaying the eternal realities of the coming kingdom right now. We are so identified with Jesus that our entire lives are reserved for His glory.
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NASB)
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
As we enter 2017, let’s ask ourselves: What areas, actions, or attitudes in our lives are currently out of step with the return of Christ? What adjustments do we need to make starting today, so that if He returns tomorrow, we will be found living faithfully in accordance with His kingdom?
2. Living as a Witnessing People
Second, living in light of Christ’s return means being a witnessing people. If the second advent of the Messiah is the great consummation of human history, then if we are going to be obsessed with anything, it must be telling people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be compelled to invite others to place their trust in Jesus so they can receive His righteousness, escape judgment, and share in the joy of eternal life.
This is precisely what Jesus told His disciples right before His ascension in Acts 1.
Acts 1:6-8 (NASB)
So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
The disciples were acting just like the over-obsessed camp. They wanted an exact timeline: “Lord, is it right now? Are You going to restore the kingdom to Israel today?” Jesus looked at them and said, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons the Father has fixed. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”
Jesus was saying, “I don’t want you sitting on your roof with a calendar counting down the days until My return. I want you to spend your time telling people why I came the first time and that I am coming a second time, so they can put their trust in Me.” That is our marching orders. That is the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
Our purpose in this life is to herald the good news and invite as many people as possible into the kingdom of God.
So let me ask you: Who in your life right now would face the judgment of God rather than His salvation if Jesus returned tomorrow? Have you clearly, boldly, and lovingly shared the gospel with them? Have you pleaded with them to turn from their idols and trust in Christ? What adjustments do you need to make in your daily routine so you can live unashamed of the gospel?
May we live in such a way that when our time comes, we can say with the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
3. Living as a Hopeful People
Finally, we are called to be a hopeful people. Above everyone else in this world, believers have an unshakable hope. In the midst of our pain, suffering, grief, physical decline, addictions, loneliness, and even facing death itself, we have a promise in Jesus Christ. The Messiah who was faithful in His first advent will be faithful in His second advent.
There is a day coming when the Groom will come for His bride, when the Father will gather His children, and when suffering will be ended forever. We don’t just wait—we wait with confident hope.
Paul captures this beautifully in Romans 8.
Romans 8:18-25 (NASB)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for [our] adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he [already] sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Did you catch that? The worst suffering you are walking through right now doesn’t even hold a candle to the glory that will be revealed in us. Creation is groaning, and we are groaning inwardly, eagerly waiting for the redemption of our bodies.
Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It’s not crossing our fingers and hoping things turn out okay. Biblical hope is the absolute certainty of a future reality that has simply not yet arrived. It fuels our perseverance. It reminds us that our present pain is not the end of the story.
Where is your hope truly anchored today? We have to examine our hearts constantly, because our affections drift so easily toward lesser things.
If you want an honest test of where your hope lies, ask yourself this question: If Jesus were to return tomorrow, what area of your life would feel inconvenienced by His return?
That’s a convicting question, isn’t it? If we’re honest, would part of us be upset because of a career promotion we just landed, or a dream vacation we have planned in two weeks? I love to tease grooms right before their wedding ceremonies. The groom is standing next to me, sweating, waiting for the doors to open and his bride to walk down the aisle, and I’ll lean over and whisper, “Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome if Jesus returned right now?” The look on their face is priceless—they’re trying so hard to give the spiritual answer, but inside they’re thinking, “Please, Lord, just give me until tomorrow!”
Now, there is nothing wrong with weddings, vacations, children, or career milestones. Those are good common graces from God. But when good things become ultimate things, they become idols. If Jesus returning would feel like an interruption or a letdown, it’s a sign that our hope has drifted from the Creator to the creation. Even the greatest earthly blessings are merely shadows pointing us to the true substance, which is Jesus Himself.
In the Old Testament, God’s people had to learn how to wait for the first advent. In the same way, we are learning how to wait with eager hope for His second coming.
Hebrews 9:28 (NASB)
so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without [reference to] sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
He came the first time to bear the sins of many; He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
Conclusion: Looking Back and Looking Ahead at the Table
As we enter 2017, let’s pray that we would be:
- A sanctified people, set apart for His glory.
- A witnessing people, bold to herald His gospel.
- A hopeful people, eagerly anticipating His return.
There is no better way to conclude this message and our series on the Messiah than to come together to the Lord’s Table. Communion is unique because it anchors us in both advents of Jesus Christ.
When we take the bread, we look back to His first advent, remembering that we needed a physical substitute to bear our punishment on the cross. When we take the cup, we remember His blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. We declare that we are made right with God not by our works, but solely by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Yet communion also points us forward. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He told His disciples that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He drinks it new with them in His Father’s kingdom. Every time we take communion, we are looking forward to the second advent, when we will no longer feast by faith or through symbols, but face to face with our King at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this table is prepared for you. When you are ready, come forward, take the elements, and remember who He is and what He has done. If you have not yet placed your trust in Jesus, I urge you to turn to Him today and receive the salvation He freely offers.
Let’s pray.
Father, we thank You for Your eternal promise. You sent Your Son once to die for our sins, and You will send Him a second time to bring the full consummation of our salvation. As we come to this table, we remember both advents—the Messiah who died for us and the Messiah who is coming again. Use these elements to nourish our souls and fuel us to live set apart, bold in witness, and anchored in hope. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.