Part 7 – The Effect of the Second Coming on the Lives of Christians The Lord’s 2nd Coming Part 7 – The Effect of the Second Coming on the Lives of Christians

2nd Coming – The Effect Introduction The fact that Jesus is coming soon to execute judgment upon all the ungodly and to reward the righteous should greatly motivate us There are many sections of Scripture devoted to the effect that the second coming should have on our lives 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared As Jesus warned His disciples about His second coming, He said, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42) To illustrate the uncertainty of the time, Jesus told a number of parables The first was about His coming like a thief in the night – Read Matthew 24:43,44 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared The next parable cautions about giving up all hope Jesus describes a slave who was put in charge of all his master’s household If that slave was faithfully discharging his duty when his master returned, then he would be put in charge of all his master’s possessions But if he wasn’t … – Read Matthew 24:48-51 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared Again Jesus told the parable of the prudent and foolish virgins, who were waiting for the return of the bridegroom The prudent virgins had enough oil for their lamps to last until the return of the groom The foolish virgins were hoping to get by on the minimum, and didn’t have enough Read Matthew 25:13 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared Jesus also told the parable of the talents To one slave was given five talents (approximately 100 pounds each) of silver or gold To another was given two talents A third slave was given one talent The slaves who had received the five and two talents doubled theirs 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared The third buried his in the ground The two who had used their money wisely received a reward The one who buried his talent was called a wicked, lazy slave and was cast into the outer darkness The message: Be good stewards of what God has given us We will give an account at the Lord’s return 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared Jesus told about the return of the King, who will separate the sheep from the goats The sheep fed the hungry, gave the thirsty drink, visited the sick and the prisoners The sheep go to eternal life, while the goats go to eternal punishment The message: We must be doing good for others We must be doers of the word, not merely hearers 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Alert; Be Prepared The parables Jesus told about His coming again must motivate us to expect Him at any time We must be actively involved in doing His work, expending our time and energy for His glory in service to others If we are found so doing at His return, we will be rewarded If not, it is the outer darkness 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy Holiness, or sanctification, is the result of being set aside for God’s purposes only For example, in the O.T. only holy vessels were permitted for use in the offering of sacrifices These sanctified instruments were to be used only for their religious use, never for common use 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy In the N.T., Christians are to be holy – they are set aside for God’s use only “Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13) The Lord’s impending return should motivate us to be holy 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy Read 1 John 3:2,3 We can perform a test upon our spirituality If we really have fixed our hope on Jesus’ glorious return, we are in the process of purifying ourselves If we are not purifying ourselves, our hope is not really fixed on His return He is coming for those who eagerly await Him – see Hebrews 9:28 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy Worldly possessions, desire for food and shelter, public pressure, and many other worldly things often combine to keep the Christian from being as holy as he should be Read 2 Peter 3:11,12 What sort of people ought we to be? All the things that make our mouths water and our lives more comfortable are going to burn We should be holy and Godly! 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy Read Titus 2:11-14 Listen carefully: “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires” This seems to be the curse of this present age, and keeps us from burning commitment to Christ and His church Again we are reminded that our holiness has something to do with looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our Savior 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Be Holy The second coming of the Lord Jesus should focus our attention on eternal things rather than the things of the world We are instructed to deny worldly desires and to live as a special sort of people since the universe is going to burn The test of whether we really hope for the Lord’s return is whether we live holy, pure lives If we don’t, we truly do not have our hopes fixed on Him 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded Human beings are motivated by “incentive” From childhood on up, we are offered incentives for positive behavior Incentives, both positive and negative, are used because they work 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded What kind of incentives does God offer us? He tells us to “keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:14) What incentive does He give us to keep the commandment? 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul knew where he stood with God He knew that he had run His race and had qualified for the crown of righteousness He looked forward to receiving his reward That same reward is available to all who: Fight the good fight Keep the faith Finish the course 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded If we truly love His appearing, our behavior will show, and we are guaranteed the greatest of all rewards For those of us who do not respond to the positive incentives the way that we should, there is the negative side also Read 1 John 2:28 Our goal must be to develop that confidence, so that we know exactly where we stand with Christ 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded What a terrible thing to shrink away from Him in shame at His coming! It is like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs Incentive? Yes; I am more than a dog I am a new creation by virtue of the grace of the King I intend to be able to act like one of His when He comes! 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect You Will Be Rewarded Christ offers all of us incentive to do what is right because it is right If we don’t abide in Him, all we will get is shame If we keep the commandment without stain or reproach, we get that imperishable wreath, the crown of righteousness 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect The Nearness of Heaven and Hell If it matters when Jesus comes, it matters now If it doesn’t matter when Jesus comes, it doesn’t matter now Spilled milk is not important A soul that is starving to death because of lack of spiritual milk is very important 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect The Nearness of Heaven and Hell We have a tendency to get physical and spiritual things reversed in our priorities Physical things seem more pressing To set our thinking straight, we need a vision of the nearness of heaven and hell The Bible offers clear pictures of heaven and hell We need to fix these pictures firmly in our minds, playing continually within our brains 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect The Nearness of Heaven and Hell Jesus is coming quickly (Revelation 22:20) When He comes, each one will reap his rewards Read Revelation 21:4-8 The rewards of heaven are firmly impressed upon our minds with the pictures of God’s concern for us The nearness of hell is driven home with the vision of fire and brimstone for cowards, liars, and the like 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect The Nearness of Heaven and Hell The nearness of hell is stressed in the vision of Judgment before the great white throne The nearness of heaven is emphasized in the vision of heaven as the return to Paradise, the Garden of Eden – see Revelation 22:1-4 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect The Nearness of Heaven and Hell With these visions firmly implanted in our minds, we will be motivated to get on God’s side We will first be obedient in repentance and Christian immersion We will continue to endure to the end 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Summary Jesus’ second coming motivates a Christian to be alert, to be ready for the Lord’s surprise return The Christian is motivated to live a holy life, in order to receive the crown of righteousness Visions of the nearness of heaven and hell are implanted in the mind so that: We overcome the weaknesses of the flesh We reap the rewards of being a child of God 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Summary of Entire Lesson Jesus is coming soon! He is coming in the clouds, and every eye shall see Him No one knows the day or hour; He is coming like a thief in the night At His coming all the dead shall rise The present heaven and earth will be destroyed by fire at His coming The Judgment will begin at His coming 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Summary of Entire Lesson We examined pre-millennialism and compared its teachings to the Bible We found that: Pre-millennialism is based on a false method of interpreting the Bible The covenant that God made with Abraham was the Christian covenant The temple prophesied in the Old Testament is the church of Christ 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Summary of Entire Lesson We also found that: Christians have already undergone the first resurrection in Christian immersion Thus Christians are currently reigning with Christ in the 1000 years (which merely means a long period of time – the church age) Satan is bound or limited When Jesus comes again, it will be to judge the world, not to establish His kingdom 2nd Coming – The Effect

2nd Coming – The Effect Summary of Entire Lesson Finally, Jesus’ second coming motivates the Christian to be alert We should be ready and eagerly awaiting His surprise return 2nd Coming – The Effect