Encourage each other

We do pray, Father, that even as I speak now and preach this message,

that you would be the one who would give it power by your spirit,

that you would make your word alive to us, that you would grow us in Christ,

that we would be growing up in our faith and growing up in our love and our dependence on you.

And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

When I was a young adult, and I hate to say it's a little while ago,

but when I was a young adult, late teenager,

the big issues in the world or the Western world for people like us,

the things that we lived with a certain level of fear about,

were things like nuclear Armageddon.

It was still 1977 when I came to Christ, the Cold War was still happening.

The Berlin Wall hadn't come down at the end of that age.

And throughout high school, you know, some of the nuclear weapons were still being tested,

some of the really large ones around the world as the big nations, the superpowers,

rattled their sabres.

And in the Christian circles that I mixed in,

it was really common for people to be talking about when the world was going to end

and when Jesus was going to return.

And it wasn't just in one or two churches, it was in many churches.

And there were a lot of books that were written coming out of the United States.

A guy called Hal Lindsay that was read in lots of churches wrote books like The Late Great Planet Earth,

which had a particular view about how the end of the world would come about,

how it would happen, when it would be.

And I think people were anticipating that it was likely to be in our own lifetime.

I suspect that some of the big issues which dominate the thinking of young adults

when we think about cataclysmic-type issues right now are issues like climate change

and what it might do to the world,

what the world into the future is going to be like to live in.

I think our perspective on the end of time varies according to where we live.

So at the moment we're living in a place and a point of time in history

where we're fairly privileged, where we live with a fair amount of wealth,

where we are able to access goods from nearly any place on the surface of the earth,

where our TV is dominated by things like food programs

and the next fancy meal that we can eat.

I saw a wonderful new cookbook from, was it Donahay or was it Nigella the other day?

Absolute treat, drooling looking at it,

but knowing I can't eat those things if I'm going to keep slimming down.

But it's good to think about it.

But I wonder whether when we live in significant comfort,

if we're not really anticipating the things of God in terms of the return of Christ

and what that might mean for us.

The very last prayer at the end of the Bible, the very last words of the Bible are,

Come Lord Jesus.

And if you're like me, like a week or two before I got married,

that's not a prayer I wanted to pray.

It was like, oh, come Lord Jesus, but not yet,

because I still want to experience what it's like to be married.

Somebody told me a story like that this morning.

But if I was living in southern Sudan or south Sudan where Darian Klentsos has just visited

with some other people from Sydney or the Central African Republic

where Christians have been killed at the hands of Muslim tribes in recent days,

300 people.

They're having days of mourning right now for 300 people that have been killed in the last few weeks.

If I was a member of one of those families and experiencing the seriousness of the suffering

which they are going through at this point of time,

then it might be a very easy thing for me to pray,

Come Lord Jesus.

Come Lord Jesus.

Rescue us from this terrible mess.

Save us from this time of trial.

So when I was growing up, everybody had a bit to say about Christ's coming.

I was told when I was at theological college that there were American leaders in the Reagan years

who were linked to the administration.

This is back in the 1980s.

And they believed that God had given them the ability to push the nuclear button

and trigger a nuclear war.

And in their mind they could do that because they could see such circumstances

precipitating the return of Christ with this nuclear Armageddon.

They're helping God along by making things happen for him.

That's the mentality.

At the same time, early 1980s, around the corner from Coorong in West Dride,

there was a church that met upstairs in one of the buildings there.

And they made a name for themselves around Sydney because for a period of 12 or 18 months

they drove around in vans which proclaimed the return of Christ and the specific date when it was going to occur.

And you could go to one of those, their church, and you could be sure that their minister was serious about what he was saying.

He wasn't trying to lead people astray.

But he had a group of people gathered around him who were dead set certain it was a matter of faith that this date,

I forget what it was, Christ was going to return.

And as it drew near and the night arrived, the Sydney media were onto it and they were gathered outside

and the television networks were broadcasting throughout the evening.

Not because they were expecting Jesus to return, they were expecting it to fall on their face.

And that's what happened.

Though the night wore on, Jesus didn't return, it got later and later, it got into the early hours of the morning

and finally people started to come out of the building and go home looking very disillusioned

because they had had this strong faith that Jesus was about to do something,

that God was about to do something in our midst.

And it didn't happen.

We experienced the bazaar.

A Catholic community down the south coast of New South Wales.

There was a bloke called William Cam who was known as the Little Pebble.

Well, the Little Pebble went to prison in 2006 convicted of repeated child sexual abuse.

He led this Catholic community which was anticipating the return of Christ, the end of the world.

There's a whole heap of quotes I could read to you but let me just read one.

He said,

Many people believe a nuclear war might never happen but within the framework of the year 2000 to 2004,

during the Third World War, China will attack Japan, Asia and Russia will come to the aid of Europe

and it is to be noted that Russia will attack the United States from or through Alaska via Cuba.

It hasn't happened.

In 1925, a group of people in Sydney from the Theosophical Society spent £10,000,

which was a huge sum of money.

I wish I'd turned it into today's language but I haven't,

to build an amphitheatre down at Balmoral Beach, a Grand Pavilion,

which I don't think is there anymore but it was called the Star Amphitheatre

and they were expecting the second coming of Jesus Christ

and they built it in that place because they were going to sit there in the stands

and welcome his arrival as he walked on the water through Sydney Heads.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I keep this.

I treasure this book.

I treasure it because it's rubbish but I treasure it.

It's written by a man called John Cable.

In 1981, when I've been a Christian for years,

John Cable, Deputy Principal at Frenchess Forest High School,

not far away, wrote this book called Stir Up Your Mind, The Trumpet Will Sound

and he resigned his job in the school

to dedicate himself for the next 12 months of living for Christ

and proclaiming to people that Jesus is going to return in 1982

because he's been into the scriptures

and he is convinced by the scriptures,

especially the passages in Daniel,

that this is when these things are going to happen.

If you sat in his church,

you'd probably think he was a good bloke,

a sincere Christian,

but what do we need to be able to say about these things?

What is wrong with them, all of them?

The polite word is rubbish.

I've got a better word and I don't think I can use it.

It's rubbish.

It's rubbish.

We ran this in our small group the other night

and it's interesting because even within our small group,

we could say it was rubbish and we knew why it was rubbish

because there's a whole lot of scriptures that you can go to

where Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour

and we'll go there in a minute.

But even as we sat in our small group,

I think within our group,

we would be persuaded by someone who was amongst us,

who seemed like a nice person,

who seemed to know their Bible

and who seemed to be able to unfold things for us.

And it's protective of the people of God

for us to know the scriptures

and it's sometimes alright for us to say to one another,

that's rubbish.

I don't mean in an ungodly way,

but there's some things that we can believe

that actually cause a lot of harm

and this is one of them.

This is rubbish.

Now in a sense,

speculation about the return of Jesus

began with Jesus himself.

He caused it.

Days before his death,

he said to his friends,

I hope he'd laugh with me if I said that

in his presence,

which is in his presence

because his spirit's here,

but days before his death,

he said to his friends,

John 14 verse 2,

John 14:2

in my father's house are many rooms,

if it were not so,

I would have told you.

And I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come back and take you to be with me

that you also may be where I am.

So what's he saying?

He's saying,

I'm going,

I'm coming back,

I will get you

and I will take you to be where I am.

Jesus spoke very definite words

to his friends and his followers

and at the end of chapter 14,

he said again,

do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid

you heard me say that I'm going away

and I'm coming back to you.

If you loved me,

you would be glad that I am going to the father

for the father is greater than I

and I have told you now before it happens

so that when it does happen,

you will believe.

Forty days later,

Jesus speaks his last words

in the sight of his disciples

in Acts chapter one,

maybe 50 days later

and he says to them,

it is not for you to know the times

or the dates the father has set

by his own authority,

but you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes on you

and you will be my witnesses

in Jerusalem

and in all Judea and Samaria

and to the ends of the earth.

And after he had said this,

he was taken up before their very eyes

and a cloud hid him from their side.

And they were looking intently up into the sky

as he was going

when suddenly two men dressed in white

stood beside them.

Men of Galilee, they said,

why do you stand here looking into the sky?

This same Jesus

that has been taken from you into heaven

will come back in the same way

that you have seen him go into heaven.

So the disciples have been asking about the future

and Jesus is pretty blunt.

He doesn't say rubbish like this,

but he says,

that's my father's business.

They want to know about the future?

That's my father's business.

That's for him to know

and he will act when he is ready.

But in the meantime,

he will empower you

by the Spirit of God

to be his witnesses to the world.

Now we're going to pick up this idea

over the next couple of weeks.

The curtain is coming down

on Jesus' first visit.

He was here for a time.

He went away

and while he is away,

we haven't been left alone.

God has sent his Spirit upon believers

so that we can still function

as his witnesses into all the world.

Now there's a few ideas

which are tucked in here.

It comes out of Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

We live between the two comings of God

into his world.

He defines history.

We live between his first coming

and his second coming.

The last 2,000 years

are not just dark ages

and middle ages

and renaissance

and reformation

and industrial revolution

and now the information age.

The 20th century

was not merely marked

by two world wars.

We are defined

by something even greater.

We live between the first

and the second coming

of Jesus Christ

into the world.

And so God

who stepped into our world

almost unnoticed

as a baby

in Bethlehem

will come again

and be noticed

by everyone.

So the second coming

isn't going to be

a hidden coming.

It's going to be

a seen coming

and it will be noticed

by everybody

at the same time.

In Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

he goes up into the clouds

while the disciples

they're craning their necks

and wondering

what's going on

and Revelation chapter 1

Revelation 1:7

verse 7

look,

he describes his return.

Look,

he is coming

with the clouds

and every eye

will see him

even those

who pierced him

and all the peoples

of the earth

will mourn

because of him

and so shall it be.

Amen.

So history

is about God's purposes

and Jesus'

clear statement

of intent

to his disciples

is that they will be

his witnesses

to all the world.

That's our mission.

It's the defining purpose

of God's church.

God has empowered us

by his spirit

to communicate

by our lives

and by our words

the love of God

and the kingship of Christ

to the world.

It's a great privilege.

So when we think

about who we are

as a church

Christ's intentions

for us

must be first

and foremost

in our thinking

and that is

as much as we come together

to strengthen each other

in a gathering

like this tonight

he wants us

out there

in the world

declaring the true things

about Christ

to the people

that we know

and he doesn't just

want us declaring it

he gives us

the power

to be able

to influence

men and women

and boys and girls

who are out there

around us.

Now it's true

2,000 years later

affluent north shore

of Sydney

and Jesus coming

just seems

a little bit slow

and maybe even

a little bit quaint.

People had an expectation

of him coming back

in their lifetime.

They'd heard the angel

say why do you stand here

looking into the sky

this same Jesus

who has been taken

from you into heaven

will come back

in the same way

that you have seen him

go into heaven.

Other people

had heard Jesus

say that he would return.

A number of places

in the New Testament

express expectations

differently.

In Luke chapter 17

Luke 17 · chapter mention

Jesus says

just as it was

in the days of Noah

so also it will be

in the days

of the Son of Man.

People were eating

and drinking

and marrying

and being given

in marriage

up until the day

that Noah

entered the ark

and then the flood

came and destroyed

them all.

So Jesus

is sort of saying

well life goes on

the world

the world turns

people get hitched

and sometimes

unhitched

Noah built his ark

something that took

a hundred years

until the judgment

came

and plenty of people

must have been there

shaking their heads

at this strange man

building this strange

vessel in the desert.

Ridiculous.

Jesus' first coming

was a long time ago

it seems remote

and it seems

distant

and maybe

a little foolish

to believe in it.

Second coming.

But his followers

thought differently.

They expected

his imminent return

they were living life

expecting Jesus

to come back

very very soon.

and so it became

a very serious

problem for them

when fellow believers

died before Jesus

returned.

And you come to

this passage

in 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

and Paul is writing

a pastoral response

to a very real world

problem.

Our brothers and

sisters have died

Jesus hasn't come

back

what's their status

where are they

with the Lord?

And he says

brothers and sisters

we do not want you

to be ignorant

about those

who fall asleep

or to grieve

like the rest

of people

who have no hope.

We believe

that Jesus died

and rose again

and so we believe

that God

will bring with Jesus

those who have

fallen asleep

in him.

According to

the Lord's own word

we tell you

that we who are

still alive

who are left

until the coming

of the Lord

will certainly

not precede

those who have

fallen asleep.

For the Lord

himself will come

down from heaven

with a loud command

with the voice

of the archangel

and with the trumpet

call of God

and the dead

in Christ

will rise first

and after that

we who are still

alive and are left

will be caught up

together with them

in the clouds

to meet the Lord

in the air

and so we will be

with the Lord

forever.

Therefore encourage

each other

with these words.

He's saying to them

don't worry

they won't miss out

death won't cheat

you out of the joy

of God's

Christ's return

Christ will bring

his people with

them.

Death does not

defeat the purposes

of God.

Christians believe

very distinctive

things about life

after death.

We believe in the

resurrection of all

people.

people.

We don't believe

in reincarnation

one cycle of life

to another

one creature

to another.

We don't believe

in annihilation

back to dust

with no further

consequences.

We believe in

the resurrection

of all people

to face the

judgment of God

and ultimate

responsibility

accountability.

We believe in

the justice of God

which does not

allow us to

escape

responsibility.

We believe in

the mercy of God

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

which allows us

to stand safe

at the judgment.

When we recite

the Apostles

Creed we did a

little while ago

we say that we

believe in the

resurrection of

the dead.

And so for the

Christian person

the return of the

Lord Jesus Christ

is full of hope.

Faith in him

will be vindicated

when we see him

face to face.

Believers who

have died the

most horrible

deaths through

the ages

will stand before

the resurrected

Christ with

their own

magnificently

resurrected bodies.

Every one of

our friends and

relatives will

stand before the

Lord Jesus and

acknowledge him

as king.

it's a really

interesting thought

because most of

us have friends

and associates

and relatives

that we would be

really pleased to

meet again

and then there's a

few others that

we think oh no

not them.

that brings me to

what I think is the

most important

question for us

and it's about

us.

How will you

experience the

second coming of

the Lord Jesus?

It's a question

for me too.

What will his

coming mean to

me and to

you?

The early

Christians proclaimed

Jesus as God's

judge of all

people.

The Apostle

Peter said in

Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

he commanded us

to preach to the

people and to

testify that he

is the one whom

God appointed as

judge of the

living and the

dead.

All the prophets

testify about him

that everyone who

believes in him

receives forgiveness

of sins through

his name.

Philippians chapter

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

2 has this

magnificent song

of Jesus'

kingship.

God exalted

him to the

highest place

and gave him

the name that

is above every

name.

That at the

name of Jesus

every knee should

bow in heaven

and on earth

and under the

earth and every

tongue confess

that Jesus Christ

is Lord to the

glory of God

the Father.

So the

resurrection

isn't just for

believers, it is

for unbelievers as

well.

Every person will

bow before Jesus

Christ and will

acknowledge his

kingship.

His reality and

his truth will be

absolutely inescapable.

We won't be able to

stand there debating

with Dawkins on that

day about whether he's

real or not.

We will be confronted

by a very inconvenient

reality.

Revelation chapter 20

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

describes the judgment

of all people.

I saw a great white

throne and him who

was seated on it

and earth and sky

fled from his

presence and there

was no place for

them.

And I saw the dead

great and small

standing before the

throne.

The books were

opened and another

book was opened which

is the book of life.

The dead were judged

according to what they

had done as recorded

in the books.

The sea gave up the

dead that were in it

and death and Hades

gave up the dead that

were in them and each

person was judged

according to what he

had done.

And then death and

Hades were thrown into

the lake of fire.

The lake of fire is the

second death.

death.

And if anyone's name

was not found written

in the book of life,

he was thrown into

the lake of fire.

Death is not a way of

escape for anyone

because there is a

second death.

I heard a lovely talk

that life here is

pretty difficult for

believers sometimes.

In fact, for all

people at one time or

another.

A friend of mine,

Jonathan Dykes,

was doing a mission

down the south coast

of New South Wales

and he interacted

with a couple of

blokes and this one

bloke in particular

said he has quite a

difficult time in his

workplace.

He really is persecuted

because he's a

Christian.

His boss just gives

him a terribly hard

time.

And Jonathan said,

so how long has that

been going on?

And the guy said,

35 years.

And he said, I had

another friend, he

worked with me for

25, but he went

somewhere else after

25, he couldn't

handle it anymore.

But this world, and I

don't know if it's

school for you or

uni for you or back

into your family,

whatever it is, is not

a pretty place to live.

And it's not just for

Christians, it's for

people who aren't

Christians as well.

The difficulties of

life come upon us all

in different measures

and at different

times.

But the return of

Jesus will see a

great reversal of

fortunes.

Those who have

trusted and believed

in him will be

vindicated for the

whole world to see.

We will have been

the knowers who

plugged away at

building the rescue

ship while everyone

else thought that we

were fools.

We will be safe.

But in the meantime,

we are the people of

God that he has sent

into the world to tell

people about Christ and

to live for Christ.

All of us will

experience the return

of the Lord Jesus

Christ.

It's going to be in

one of two ways.

He will come back

while we are still

alive in the way that

the whole world will

see.

Or we will experience

being raised from the

dead after our death

and brought alive into

the presence of

Christ.

And that day will be

either joyous beyond

expression or devastating

in the most appalling

way.

We will be people of

faith welcoming

the Saviour whom we

have trusted and

hoped for and who

has written our

names in the Lamb's

Book of Life.

Or we will be amongst

those who despised and

rejected the wonderful

rescuer that God has

sent, who has come

once and who will

certainly come again.

And the wonderful thing

about the return of

Christ being slow is

that those who have not

yet believed him still

have time to turn and to

come into his safe

presence.

There's still time for

friends and workmates and

school friends and

relatives to respond to the

wonderful invitation of the

Son of God to come to him

and to find forgiveness and

rescue.

So those of us who do know

Christ, we are still under

orders.

We are not alone.

He has given us his spirit

and he has sent us as his

witnesses into this vast

world.

It's almost like he's put on

rescue uniform.

You know, he's given us

orange overalls and he's sent

us out with a message which

can make people absolutely

safe when Jesus returns,

which he certainly will.

Amen.