Tit 2:13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

 

Once a person chooses to receive the free gift of salvation, he knows intuitively, innately, and immediately that he is to live righteously. And the next verse tells us how.

Tit 2:12  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,

If you really believe Jesus is coming soon, it will affect everything you do.

Jesus spoke of the eye as being the light of the entire body (Mat_6:22-23). And Paul tells us that we are to think on whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy, and of good report (Php_4:8). But because our society no longer believes in the authority of the Bible, our culture continues to crumble—which is exactly what Jesus said would happen.

Luk 17:26  "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.

Luk 17:27  In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28  "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—

Luk 17:29  until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

 

Once we're saved, we need no one to tell us that, like Noah, we are to be those who are different from the times in which we live, that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly. But here's the question for you and me: How? How can we live soberly, righteously, and godly in a world full of iniquity? According to our text, the answer is that we are to be looking for Jesus constantly.

You never drive so carefully as the day you discover your driver's license has expired. So, too, we will live soberly, righteously, and godly when we understand that because our culture is as it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot, time itself is nearly expired, and we must live very carefully.

The apostle John knew this to be true…

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.—1Jn_3:2-3

Thinking the Lord could come back today will affect everything I do—how I talk, what I watch, where I go. On the other hand, Jesus taught us that if you sit here today, and even as I'm teaching, you're thinking, The Lord is not coming back any time soon, that too will have a very real effect upon your life.

Mat 24:44  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

Mat 24:45  "A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.

Mat 24:46  If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

Mat 24:47  I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.

Mat 24:48  But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,'

Mat 24:49  and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?

Mat 24:50  The master will return unannounced and unexpected,

Mat 24:51  and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

The Greek word translated "evil" is kakos and refers to that which was once good but has gone bad—like a piece of fruit, or a musical instrument that was once in tune but is now out of tune. Thus, Jesus is saying the once-good servant became sour, slipped out of tune, because he said, "The Lord delays His coming." And Jesus says the result of such a viewpoint is twofold.

Brutality

and he begins beating the other servants…

He who doubts the nearness of the Lord's return will gossip about people, be cynical toward people, and will be harsh with people. Whereas if he really thought today could be the day the Lord comes back, he wouldn't scream at people, find fault with people, or be bitter toward people. In short, he wouldn't smite his fellow servants.

Carnality

…partying, and getting drunk…

He who doubts the Lord's soon return will begin to eat and drink with the drunkards. "It's party time," he'll say. "The Lord isn't coming back for a while—probably not even in my lifetime—so let's party. I'll only go to church if there's nothing else to do. I'll only study the Word if there's nothing on TV."

The servant who was once good and who has now gone bad is not one who denies the coming of Christ. Rather, he's one who simply believes He's not coming soon. In Exodus 32, we see an Old Testament parallel to the evil servant parable…

Exo 32:1  When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt."

The people became kakos. They went bad. Why? Because they thought Moses, their leader, delayed his coming. The result? Exactly what Jesus said it would be: Carnality when they danced around a golden calf and brutality when three thousand of them were killed (Exo_32:28).

The way to live godly, soberly, and righteously is to look for the blessed hope of the coming of Jesus Christ in any given day. But what if He doesn't come that day? You had a great day! You walked righteously, soberly, and godly. Your family was blessed. Your heart was full. God's blessings were celebrated and enjoyed because you lived looking for the blessed hope of His return.

The majority of us fail to look for the Lord's coming today not because we deny its reality nor because we think it will be delayed chronologically, but because we are afraid emotionally. "I see things falling apart, and I know the only solution is for the Lord to come back. Yet when He comes back, I don't know where I will stand. I love Him. I believe in Him. But I haven't done as much as I wanted to for Him," we say.

If this is how you feel, there is good news for you in Luke 12…

Luk 12:37  The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

 

Leaving the kids with a babysitter, my wife and I returned home a few hours later.

"The kids did great," said the babysitter. "But the whole time you were gone, the youngest sat on the couch and looked out the window, just waiting for you guys to come back."

Upon hearing this, I didn't say to our three-year-old, "What's the big idea sitting on the couch looking for my coming?" Nor did I say, "Why weren't you in the backyard raking the leaves and picking up after the older one?" Instead, I just took him in my arms and gave him a great big hug because I knew how much he just wanted to be with me.

The same is true of Jesus. To the one who says, "Life is good, but what I'm really looking for and craving is You, Lord," He won't say, "Why didn't you do more?" According to our text, He'll say, "Let's have lunch."

But I haven't been a very good person, you might be thinking. Join the club. Like me, you may have done things you didn't want to do, said things you shouldn't have said, gone where you shouldn't have gone. But the Lord still has a place for you at His table. How do I know? Because of what I see in the life of Joseph…

One of the clearest pictures of Jesus is seen in the person of Joseph—a man of whom there is no recorded sin, a man who was betrayed by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver, a man whose public "ministry" began at age thirty when he became prime minister of Egypt, a man who took a Gentile bride. As his brothers gathered before him, their hearts must have been filled with fear concerning what they had done to him. Yet what does Joseph say?

Gen 50:20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Gen 50:21  No, don't be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children." So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

 

When Jesus comes, you will be as blown away and amazed as Joseph's brothers were—amazed by how kind He is to you, by the comfort He shows to you, by the meal He provides for you. But you can experience His love and kindness, His grace and forgiveness even before then by simply watching for His coming every day.

My desire and prayer is for us to be a people who look for the blessed hope—the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The lives of those who do will be ordered and fruitful, righteous and godly. May we learn the lesson of Exodus and listen to the parable of Jesus. May we live our lives looking for His coming, knowing that in doing so, we will be blessed not only in that day, but in this day as well.

 

Look up beloved the day is upon us

Love in JESUS CHRIST

jimmy