Rick Warren - Next Time Will Be Different
If you’ll take out your message notes inside your program. In the newspaper business, the largest headline you could possibly use is called Second Coming type font, for an obvious reason that it would be used in the second coming of Jesus, the most cataclysmic, or the most important, or the most profound experience in history, will be the end of history when Jesus Christ comes back. Every journalist knows what Second Coming type face is. In fact, the last time I think it was used was at the end of World War II. And in the «San Francisco Chronicle», they used Second Coming type font on their cover. Here’s what it said, «Peace»!
It was one big word, but notice that the headline takes up half of the front page, that’s Second Coming type font, because nothing’s bigger, nothing’s bigger. Most people don’t know that there’s more verses in the Bible about the second coming of Jesus, when he comes back in the future, than about his first coming at Christmas 2019 years ago, far, far more about the Second Coming, than the First Coming. The second coming of Jesus is called the Blessed Hope. And it’s called the Blessed Hope because when you really understand it, it gives you comfort, it gives you strength, it gives you confidence to face the future, it gives you hope, and then you know that no matter what’s gonna happen, you’ve read the final chapter of the book. And I have read the final chapter of the book, we win, okay, we win, and he is coming back one day.
Now, the night before Jesus was crucified, before he went to the cross, he said this to his disciples, here on the screen, John 14:2&3, «I’m going to heaven to prepare a place for you. And after I prepare a place for you, I will come back», I’ll be back. «I will come back to get you so that where I am, you will also be with me». That’s the greatest promise in Scripture. «If I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also, if I go, I’m coming back». Did he go, yeah, he went, after the resurrection. Is he coming back, absolutely. What I wanna do this Christmas, is show you the differences between the first coming of Jesus at Christmas, you’ve been hearing about that for decades, and the Second Coming, that is still to be in the future.
What I wanna do is just quickly mention, three or four physical differences between the First and Second Coming, and then I want us to look at three profoundly different purposes. What the purpose of Jesus coming at Christmas is very different than the purpose that he’s coming back one day. So let’s first look at some physical differences. If you’re taking notes, there on your program, the first time, Jesus' arrival happened slowly, you might write that down. The first time at Christmas, Jesus' arrival happened slowly. Why, because he came into the world the way we all came into the world, by being born into it. And a pregnancy takes nine months. Any woman who’s been a mother can tell you a pregnancy is a long, slow arrival, it’s not instant. It’s not like you get pregnant, next day you deliver, it’s nine full months.
And so Jesus came into the world slowly, like we all did. By the way, why did he come as a baby? Because he came to save us not to scare us and nobody’s afraid of a baby. Okay, nobody’s afraid of a baby. If Jesus had wanted to communicate to cattle, he would have become a cow, if he wanted to communicate to ants, he would have become an ant, if God wanted to communicate to birds, he could have become a bird, but he wanted to communicate to human beings, so he became one of us, which means he came into the world like we all did, as a baby. There are a lot of ways God could have come 2,000 years ago, and scared us all to death, but as I said, he came to save us.
Now, here’s what the Bible says, Luke chapter one, the angel says to Mary, «Mary, you will become pregnant, and you’ll have a son, and you’re to name him Jesus». Mary asked, «How could this happen since I’m a virgin»? Good question, the angel replied, «Because nothing is impossible with God». Now, even though it’s a miraculous birth, it’s still a birth and it took a long time, slow. Now, let me just take a survey, how many of you know that you came early, you were preemies, can I see your hands, you know you were preemie, okay. How many know that you were late arriving, you know you were late, all right. How many of you say, «I don’t know»? Yeah, that’s me. How many would say, «I couldn’t care less». Yeah, well, you’re here, so welcome, great, you made it, doesn’t matter how long it took, you’re here. But the first coming of Jesus happened slowly.
Next time, write this down, Jesus' arrival will happen instantly, instantly. The Bible says in I Corinthians 15:52, «It will all happen in a flash as fast as the twinkling of an eye». I mean, that’s fast. Now, a twinkle is not a blink, a blink takes about a 10th of a second, a twinkle is the amount of time it takes light to reflect off the back of your eye. And since light travels 182,000 miles a second, that’s a whole lot faster. In other words, in decimals, a blink is 0.1 seconds, a twinkle would be 0.000000000, 47 zeros, and then one, it’s really fast. That’s how fast it’s gonna be when Jesus Christ comes back. Now, Jesus is not gonna come back instantly, not only instantly, but he’s gonna come back, the Bible says, without warning.
Notice these verses, I Thessalonians 5:2, says, «The day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night». A thief doesn’t call you up and warn you, in fact, Jesus said this in Luke chapter 12, here on the screen, «If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming to break in, he’d prepare and be ready for it. Likewise, you must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will return when you least expect it». Okay, now, we’re talking about the Second Coming today. If you ever hear anybody says, «It’s gonna happen on this date,» somebody tells you that, run, because the Bible says no man knows the day nor the hour, Jesus said, «no man knows the day or the hour, neither the angels nor the sun, but only the Father which is in heaven». Jesus said, «I don’t even know when I’m coming back».
So if Jesus doesn’t know, you’re not gonna figure it out. It could be tomorrow, it could be in 1,000 years, we don’t know, we just know that three times in the Scripture it says, «Be ready, be ready, be ready». So we’re not on the Date and Time Committee, we’re on the Welcoming Committee, we’re on the Be Ready Committee. So he says, «If a homeowner knew the exact time of burglary, he’d be ready,» but you’re not gonna know. Now at the end, I am gonna talk to you about how to get ready.
Now here’s the second difference. First difference is it was quiet at Christmas, it’s gonna, I mean, it was slow at Christmas, but the second difference is at Christmas, it was quiet. At the first time, Jesus' arrival, it was very, very quiet. In fact, almost nobody heard of it, almost nobody knew that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, had arrived. Most people were oblivious to it, it was a very quiet night. We sing the song, silent night, holy night. He’s born in Bethlehem.
Now, Bethlehem is not a big metropolis, it’s called the town of Bethlehem, it’s really a village. There were maybe 300 people living in Bethlehem, maybe 300 people, so it’s a little quiet bump in the side of the road. And when Jesus came the first time, it was not only slow, it was also quiet, okay, very, very quiet. The Bible says in Luke chapter two, The shepherds were told, «Today, in the town of David, the Savior has been born for you. He’s Christ the Lord, and you’ll find him in Bethlehem as a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger».
Now, there’s no GPS in those days, so they have to give him clues. And they said, «He’s gonna be in Bethlehem, he’ll be wrapped in cloths and he’ll be lying in a manger». Probably not many babies lying in a manger in a town of 300 people. But the point I wanna make is this, at the first arrival of Jesus Christ on earth, people had to find him. Notice it said, «You will find him, you will find him,» he had to be found. It wasn’t like a big announcement to everybody, «The Son of God has arrived,» it didn’t happen that way the first time, it was very, very quiet. But next time, write this down, the entire world will hear, and they’re gonna hear about the coming of Jesus Christ back to Earth instantly, and it’s gonna be loud.
The Second Coming is gonna be very, very loud, it will not be quiet, it will be the greatest celebration in history as history ends, because history ends with the second coming of Christ, we’re moving toward a climax. Here’s what the Bible says, I Thessalonians chapter four, «For the Lord himself,» that’s Jesus, «will descend from heaven with a loud command,» circle loud, «and with the shout of the archangel,» circle shout, «and with the great sound,» circle that, great sound, «of the trumpet of God». Now, I don’t even know what all that means, it just means this, it’s gonna be loud. It’s not gonna be silent night, holy night, it’s gonna be loud, shout, great sound, it will be something that everybody in the world will hear, all right? So it’s instant, and it’s loud.
Number three, third difference, the first time at Christmas, a single star was seen in the sky. Now, you know this story, a single star was seen in the sky in Matthew 2:2, the wise man said, «We saw his star in the East, and we’ve come to worship him». You know the story of the wise men, they are scholars, they are astronomers, probably from Persia, which is modern-day Iran, in the East, they see some star, there’s a single star in the sky, and that star leads them to Bethlehem. Now, we don’t know what that star was, some people think it was a comet, some people, nobody really knows, but God could have just created a unique star for that event to guide the wise men. But it was just one star, and not everybody saw it, not everybody paid attention. What’s one star among the millions or billions of them in the sky? So they saw a single star.
Now, next time, when Jesus comes back the second time, Jesus will light up the entire sky. It’s not gonna be one star, he’s going to light up the entire sky. Let me show you some verses about how brilliant the second coming of Christ is gonna be, it’s gonna be a light show in the heavens. Matthew 24:27, Jesus says this, «For just as lightning flashes light up the entire sky and every everyone can see it,» they can see those lightning flashes, «so will be the return of the Son of God». Nobody’s gonna miss this. If you’re standing outside on a dark night and lightning strikes, do you notice? Oh yeah, nobody goes, «Missed that one,» 'cause it, boom, all of a sudden there’s a second, a millisecond of bright brightness.
The Bible says, «That’s how bright it’s gonna be when Christ comes back». Now, not only is he gonna bring light when he’s coming back, the Bible says he’s bringing all his angels with him. Look up here on the screen. Matthew 25, Jesus said, «When I come back in all my glory, all the holy angels will be with me». Hello, that’s gonna be impressive. We don’t even know how many that is, but all of the holy angels will be with him. Another verse says this, Revelation 19, «The armies of heaven will be following him». This is gonna be overwhelming, this is gonna be a spectacular sight in the sky, the armies of heaven will be following him. I Thessalonians chapter one says this, «The Lord will appear with burning fire from heaven and his powerful angels».
Now, I don’t even know, again, what that means, but there’s gonna be some kind of brightness, the writer likened it to like a burning fire. it’s gonna be so bright, so brilliant, with all the angels, all the armies have been coming, nobody’s gonna miss this. A lot of people missed Christmas, the first coming of Christ, nobody’s gonna miss the second coming of Christ. The Bible says in Revelation 1:7, «He will come in the clouds and every eye will see him». Now, everybody’s gonna see him.
Now, let me give you a fourth difference. At the first coming of Jesus, at Christmas, only a few people honored him. Not everybody got to honor Jesus, just the shepherds and the wise man, nobody else. Most of the people are totally unaware that the Son of God had come to Earth. Only a few people honored him. And even when Jesus grew up and became the Messiah, that he’s walking around doing his ministry, people didn’t believe him until after the resurrection, they go, «Oh, he really was telling the truth». Jesus only had a few followers before the resurrection. After the resurrection, it went to thousands, and then millions, and then now billions of followers of Christ, because the resurrection made the difference. But before, very few people accepted him before the resurrection.
In fact, the Bible says this in the book of John chapter one, he came into his own people, but his own people did not receive him, they didn’t receive him, they rejected him. In fact, they put him on a cross, and they killed him, and they didn’t believe him until after he came back to life three days later. So, the first time only few people honored him, the next time, when he comes back Second Coming, everybody will honor him, everybody will honor him, even atheists, everybody’s gonna honor him. Romans chapter 14, the Bible says this, «As surely as I am the living God, everyone will kneel before me, and everyone will confess that I am God».
That’s a done deal. That means in the second coming of Christ, every celebrity that you can think of, will kneel and say Jesus is Lord, every politician, every global world leader, will kneel and say, «Jesus is Lord,» including the dictators, every businessman, every businesswoman, will kneel and say, «Jesus is Lord,» every military person will kneel and say, «Jesus is Lord,» every pro athlete that you can name will kneel and say, «Jesus is Lord,» every skeptic, every agnostic, every atheist, will kneel and say, «Jesus is Lord». «Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that I am the Lord, I am God».
It’s interesting, the difference between the First and Second Coming, First Coming, remember, there was no room for Jesus, remember, no room in the end, Second Coming, everybody’s gonna make room for Jesus because he’s coming back in his glory with all the angels. It’s no small, come-to-a-little-village-and-be-a-baby, he’s not coming back as a baby, he’s not coming back. So let me just summarize this so far, the second coming of Jesus, which, for thousands of years, the first coming of Jesus was predicted for thousands of years, many, many, many times, the Savior’s coming, God says I’m sending you a Messiah to save the world, to die for your sins, and people didn’t believe it. It’s not gonna happen, not gonna happen, but it did.
And now there’re even more promises in the Bible that he’s coming back a second time, and just as surely as he came at Christmas, which split history, by the way, into AD and BC, and even your birth date is determined by the coming of Christ, 'cause it’s the single most important event in history until the Second Coming. Everything is dated by the coming of Christ, AD and BC. And so even people who don’t believe in Christ, still use that date for their own birth date all around the world. Now, let me summarize. When the second coming of Christ, it’s gonna happen in an instant, which means no time to switch sides, if you get my drift. It’s not like, «Well, then once he arrives, then I’ll believe,» ah, wrong idea. No, you have to switch sides before.
So there’s no time to switch sides after he arrives. It will be loud, everybody’s gonna hear it, it’s gonna be brilliant, there’s gonna be some kind of brilliance, a fire-type thing in the sky that everybody’s gonna see, and it will be undeniable, everybody on the planet will bow and kneel and say Jesus was who he said he was. Now, those are physical differences. What I wanna focus on are the three different purposes, because why Jesus came the first time and why he’s coming back are completely different. You need to know this, you need to understand this, number one, the first time Jesus came, he came to save the world. He’s not coming back to save the world, but let’s focus on this first, Jesus came to save the world.
The most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16. You’ve seen athletes write it under their eyes on the football field, you’ve seen it in posters, you’ve seen it on every in-and-out drink cup, John 3:16 is right there at the bottom. John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible, literally billions of people have memorized John 3:16&17 throughout history. Why, because it’s the Bible in a nutshell, it explains why Jesus came to earth at Christmas, the very first time. There it is, on your outline, John 3:16 & 17. «For God so loved the world,» everything God does, he does because he loves you, he is a God of love, he created you to love, he created you to be loved and to learn to love him back. «For God so loved the world, for God so loved you, that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life».
What’s the premise, you gotta believe, what’s the promise, eternal life, every promise has a premise. «So that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life». God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Now, this is why we celebrate Christmas. At the very first Christmas, the angels come and they announce to the shepherds, «I bring you good news, not bad news, I bring you good news of great joy, it’s gonna make you happy, not sad, I bring you good news of great joy. Today in the town of David, a savior for you has been born».
Now listen, the only way you and I are getting into heaven is through a savior 'cause heaven’s perfect and we stopped being perfect a long time ago. There’s no way I’m getting into heaven without a savior. If God thought that we didn’t need a savior, believe me, he wouldn’t have wasted the time to send his Son and die on the cross. Don’t you think if there were any other way for you to get into heaven than have somebody die for your sins, God would have done it? There’s no way you’re getting into heaven without a savior. You can’t save yourself, shoot, you can’t even solve your own problems, much less save yourself. God is God and you’re not, and so a Savior has been born for you, that’s good news. That’s why he came the first time, he came to save us, so that we could know him, and so that we could live in him, and so we can go to heaven and be with him forever.
God created you, he wants to save you, and he wants you with him in heaven, but you have to make that choice. Unfortunately, many people say, «No, thanks, God, I don’t need a savior, I’m just gonna save myself». How’s that going for you? I’m just gonna be my own God. I don’t need a savior, I don’t need God, No, thank you very much, I’m gonna be my own God. You know what keeps people out of heaven, not this sin, that sin, it’s pride, pride is what keeps people out of heaven. For them to say, «I don’t need God in my life, I don’t need a savior, he sent one, but I don’t need him».
And because of that, the next time Jesus comes back, he’s not coming to save. The people who’ve been saved will have already been saved 'cause they trusted in him. First time Jesus came to save the world, next time he’s coming to judge the world. He’s coming back to say, «Which of those two choices did you make, to trust me or to not trust me, to follow me or to not follow me, to love me or to not love me, to live for me or to live for yourself, which of those two choices did you make»? You get the choice. When Jesus comes back, he will either be your savior or he will be your judge, it’s your choice. God doesn’t make that choice, you make that choice. He’s coming back to judge the world.
Now, there are a lot of people who think they’re getting away with stuff, because it’s secret, nobody knows what I’ve done. Don’t you think God knows? God knows every breath you’ve taken, every tear you’ve shed, he knows your highs and lows, he knows the good, bad, the ugly, there’s nothing in your life that’s a secret. And the Bible says, «One day, there is going to be a day of accountability, there is gonna be a day of judgment». Because God is not just a God of love, he’s a God of justice. Which means if something’s not fair, he’s gonna correct it, and if something’s not right, he’s gonna punish it, and if there’s evil out there, he’s gonna defeat it. Here’s what the Bible says on the screen, Acts chapter 17, «God has set a day when the entire human race,» that’s all of us, «will be judged with justice».
If you’re taking notes, circle that phrase, judge, judged with justice. God is a fair justice, humans aren’t, even the corpse sometimes get it wrong, but God is totally impartial, he’s totally just. «He will judge the entire race, human race, with justice, and set everything right». All the stuff that’s wrong, he’s gonna set right. «And God has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead». What do you think he’s talking about? Who’s the one person who’s been raised from dead, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is gonna be my judge and your judge. Why, 'cause he was first our Savior, and then he’s our judge to see, «Did you accept my salvation or did you reject it, were you prideful or were you humble»?
Now, God is not just a loving God, I said, he’s just and fair. That means wrongs must be righted, evil must be punished. Why is there evil in the world? God allows evil in the world right now to give you a choice. If you had no choice to reject God, then you couldn’t say you really love God. So God is allowing evil to give everybody a choice. Do I wanna go God’s way or I wanna go my own way, do I wanna go the devil’s way, do I wanna go the world’s way, God gives us a choice. He’s not gonna force anybody to love him, he loves you, but he wants you to choose to love him back. And so wrongs have to be righted, evil has to be punished. You’ve probably noticed by now that life is not fair.
Have you figured that one out? I mean, you could have been born in another part of the world where you don’t even have clothes to wear and food to eat. It wasn’t luck, but life is unfair, and a lot of times, you’ll look at things out there and you’ll see that the bad guys often win, and people do wrong things that hurt others and they get away with it. And you look at them and you go, «That’s not fair, that’s not fair, that’s unjust». When you see racism, and prejudice, and discrimination, that’s not fair. Why do you have a sense of justice in you? Because God made you in his image, and God is a just God. That’s why you have a sense of justice in you and you instinctively go, «That’s not fair, that’s not right, that’s wrong,» 'cause you’re made in God’s image. Cows don’t have a sense of justice, birds don’t have this, only human beings 'cause we’re made in God’s image.
And so one day, at a second coming, Jesus is gonna come back and he’s gonna right all the wrongs, he’s gonna right all the wrongs that have been done throughout history, the racism, the bigotry, the betrayal, the abuses, the unfairness, the evil. In fact, here’s what the Bible says, Romans chapter two, «God,» this is when he comes back, «God will reward or punish,» you’re gonna get to choose, whether you get the reward or the punishment, «God will reward or punish every person for what that person has done. For those who have lived for God’s glory and honor, God will reward them with life forever,» that’s in heaven, «but for those who continue to live for themselves, and reject the truth, and follow evil, instead of obeying God, they’ll receive God’s anger and punishment».
Now, that’s my choice, it’s not anybody else’s choice, it’s my choice, and it’s your choice. So you get to choose when Christ comes back, will he be your savior, or will he be your judge? And I know some of you may be saying, «Well, you know, I’m not sure whether I’m gonna be punished or rewarded. I’ve been selfish, I haven’t always obeyed God,» well, welcome to the club, that’s 100% of us. Anybody here ever done everything right in their life? Everybody never had a bad thought, never done a bad thing, never hurt anybody, no, we all know we’re flawed, we all know that we’ve blown it we’ve made mistakes. Honestly, I’ve never met anybody my life and I’ve been in 164 countries, never met anybody who goes, «I’m perfect». I don’t measure up to my own standards, much less God’s perfect standard. So, you go, «Well, I wonder what’s gonna happen to me».
Well, the good news is you can settle that today. And at the end of this service, you can make Jesus Christ your savior, so that he will not be your judge one day. So here’s the next one, number six, the different purposes, in the first coming of Jesus, Jesus came to die for our sins, that’s why he came the first time. That’s good news, he came to die for our sins, so I don’t have to die for them, and so you don’t have to die for them. That’s why he loves you so much, he is just, I deserve to pay for all the things I’ve done wrong, you deserve to pay for all things you’ve done wrong, but God loves you so much that I’m gonna pay your penalty, I’m gonna pay your ticket, I’m gonna serve your time, I’m gonna take the penalty for all the things you’ve done wrong because I love you.
Ephesians chapter one in the Bible says this, «God’s unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family, by sending Jesus Christ to die for us». Now, leave that verse up there for a minute, unchanging plan, this means before God created the entire universe, God had already thought about you. And God created the universe 'cause he wanted to create earth so he could sustain human life, create human race, so he could create you, so he could love you. God wanted children, God wanted a family. The whole reason the universe exists is God wanted a family. But he wants a family that chooses to love him so he puts us on earth and lets us have a choice. Why didn’t God just make us and take us to heaven? 'Cause then we would be automatons or puppets. We human beings have a free choice.
And so he says, «God’s unchanging plan,» from the very beginning, «was to adopt us into his family». Only God’s family is gonna be in heaven, not everybody, only God’s family, «so he can adopt us into his family by sending Christ to die for us». Now, if you got that verse on your outline, let’s circle three words, circle the word die, Jesus came to die for you first time, circle the word adopt, so he could adopt you, and then circle the word family, he wants you in his family. So the first time Jesus came, he came to die for our sins. He’s not coming back the second time to do that, he’s already done that, what’s he coming back for the second time, he’s coming back to gather his family and take us all to heaven, he’s coming back to gather his family.
The Bible says it like this in my Matthew 24, «He,» Jesus, «will send his angels all around the earth and they will gather his chosen people,» that’s his family, «from every part of the world». And it’s gonna be billions who’ve put their trust in Christ, billions of people will be a part of God’s family. Now, who is in God’s family? Well, not everybody, not everybody. Everybody is created by God, everybody is loved by God, doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you believe, you’re loved by God. Everybody’s created by God, everybody’s loved by God, God has a plan and purpose for everybody’s life, but not everybody lives God’s plan and purpose for their life, not everybody accepts his son as Savior, not everybody turns their life to him, not everybody lives in a friendship with God.
So everybody’s loved and created by God but not everybody’s in the family. The only way you get in the family is by being adopted into it. How, when you say, «Jesus Christ, I accept what you did for me and I wanna be in your family». You don’t work for it, you don’t earn it, you’re never gonna deserve it, it’s just a free gift of God’s grace, but you do have to accept it. It’s like if you were given a Christmas present, and a year from today, I said, «How’d you like the present I gave you»? You go, «Well, I’m sure it’s great, I just didn’t have time to unwrap it».
Well, God gave you a Christmas present at Christmas, it’s the gift of salvation, freedom, purpose, past forgiven, purpose for living, home in heaven, but a lot of people never unwrap the gift and they’re not a part of God’s family, not everybody is part. Who is God’s family, anyway, look at the next verse. I Timothy chapter three, God’s family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth. Jesus said, «I came to build my church, I came to build my family». God’s family is the church. Now, there may have all different kinds of names, Methodist, Catholic, Baptists, whatever, Lutheran, but it doesn’t matter the label, it’s his family, the people who put their trust in him, not in the religion, but in him, and that is God’s family.
Now you’ve heard people go, «Well, I like Jesus, I just don’t need the church». Oh, how wrong you are, 'cause only the church is going to heaven, only God’s family is going to heaven. If you’re not in God’s family, you’re not going to heaven. Now, we say, «Well, there’re a bunch of hypocrites in the church». Well, there’re hypocrites everywhere, I just wanna be a saved hypocrite, okay? You’re telling me you always do what you say you’ll do, no. The fact is, we reason we need a savior is because everybody’s a hypocrite, you say one thing and do another. Fortunately, God saves hypocrites, and they’re all over. I just wanna be with the saved group. There are two kinds of people, people admit they don’t have it together and admit it, and then those who don’t have together and don’t admit it, and live in denial. God’s family is the church, you need to be a part of God’s family.
One other thing, the Second Coming difference from the First coming, number seven, the first time Jesus came in humility, the first time when Jesus came at Christmas, he came in humility. It’s not more humbling than to be born a baby in a barn, hard to beat that one. He didn’t come in royal robes as King of kings and Lord of lords, he didn’t come with a big procession of angels, he just came humbly. And do you realize how humbling it is for God to become a man, a human being? The Bible says this in Philippians chapter two, «Though he,» Jesus, «was God, he made himself nothing, taking on the humble position of a servant and becoming a human. And while living as a man, he humbled himself even further by obediently dying on a cross».
For God to become a human being would be a humbling experience. And then to serve humanity and be willing to die for humanity, that’s how much God loves you. So he came in a very humble way. When he comes back at the end of history, he’s not coming in humility, when he comes back, he’s coming back in all his glory. Write this down, when he comes back, he’s coming as King and Lord of all, King and Lord of all creation, King and Lord of all the universe, King and Lord of every human being, King and Lord of all. The rest of that passage, Philippians Two, that we just read, says this, verses nine to 11, «Because he humbled himself, God has exalted Jesus to the highest place, and given him the name that is above every other name».
And let me just stop right there, have you noticed that when people swear, they don’t say, «Oh, Buddha»! they don’t say, «Oh, Thor, oh, Zeus,» they say, «oh, Jesus,» why? Because that name has power, that name has power. I wanna highly recommend you stop using Jesus' name as a filler, that’s not really nice, okay, just stop using Jesus' name as a filler, don’t take God’s name in vain. And so the next time you hit your thumb with a hammer, use your own name, «Oh, Dave. Oh, Marissa,» you know, you start using your own name, don’t use anybody else’s name to swear, particularly the Son of God. Let’s look at that again. «Because he humbled himself, God has exalted Jesus to the highest place, and given him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God».
That’s what’s gonna happen. And because he’s King of kings and Lord of lords, when he comes back, the Bible says he’s gonna wipe out all evil. I think that means the most to me, because as a pastor, every single day, I deal with the effects of evil in people’s lives. I see the pain that the evil of other people and the evil in ourselves causes. If there were no evil in the world, there’d be no suffering in the world, there’d be no sorrow, no sadness, no sickness, no stress, it’s all because we’ve gone our way instead of God’s way. And what means to me the most is after 40 years, for 40 years as a pastor, I’ve dealt with people in pain literally every day of my life. And so this week, I went and I went through the Bible, and I made a list of 250 things God’s gonna wipe out, the evil, and the effects of evil, and how it harms, and causes, and hurts people.
I’m not gonna read you the whole list, but let me just read you some of them. When Jesus comes back, he’s gonna end all atrocities, all aggression, all bloodshed, all bondage, all brutality, he’s gonna end all corruption, cruelty, darkness, dehumanization, all dictators, disasters, he’s gonna end all enslavement, evil, hate, harassment, all inhumanity, he’s gonna end all injustice, he’s gonna end all killing, maliciousness, manipulators, molesters, murderers, oppression, racism, tyrants, violence, war, he’s gonna end all greed, but he’s also gonna end the effects of that in our lives, he’s gonna end all illness, all hopelessness, all betrayals, all cancer, all deafness, all death, all deformities, all defects, all dementia, all depression, all disappointment, and on, and on.
I am looking forward to the second coming of Christ because it’s gonna be the end of pain, the end of pain. There will be no pain in heaven. Our team has written a new song, and it says this, «To the King, give your worries, to the King, lay your burden down. He is the hope your heart needs, bring all your you are to him. Let him heal your broken heart». I want you to listen to this song and realize that when Jesus comes back as King of kings and Lord of lords, he wants you to have already decided to give him your worries, to give him your pain, to give him your sorrow, and your suffering, and your sickness, and your sadness, to give him everything that you are.
The Bible says this in Matthew 25 on the screen, Jesus said this, «You must stay prepared and be ready because you don’t know the day or the hour when I’ll come back». You didn’t know in advance the day you’d be born, you don’t know the day you’re gonna die, you don’t know the day Christ is gonna come back, it’s a bet. So how do I get ready, how do you get ready for the Second Coming of Christ, which is just a certain as the first coming of Christmas, that the whole world is celebrating this weekend? Write this down, how do I get ready? Live for him, looking forward, live for him, looking forward, with a sense of expectation, with a sense of hope, with a sense that no matter what happens in your life, you know the end of the story, and that God is going to save your life because you have trusted him.
So you live with deep hope and you live with the spirit of expectation. We don’t know what 2020 is gonna hold, I don’t know what the future holds, I know who holds the future. I wanna close with three very powerful passages from the Bible. Here’s the first one, Titus 2:12&13 says this, «God’s grace,» that’s God’s power to change, God gives you grace for free, «God’s grace shows us how to say no to the godless, self-centered and self-destructive ways the world lives. Instead, God’s grace empowers us to live a wise, self-controlled and God-honoring life». By the way, did you notice that the more God is in control of your life, the more self-controlled you’ll be? Some people think, «Well, if I give my life to God, I’m gonna become something like a religious fanatic». No, no, no, that’s not God doing that.
God says, «My power empowers you to be wise, self-controlled, and God-honoring life,» while we look forward, looking forward, with great hope for the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, when his great glory will be revealed to all. Philippians, the book of Philippians, tells us this, it adds this on, «Our true homeland is in heaven. You weren’t made to live for forever on Earth,» I’m glad I’m not gonna live forever on Earth, there’s too much pain here. I wanna live forever, just not here, I wanna live where there’s no sadness, suffering, sickness, sorrow, stress. You only get 60, 80, at the most 100 years, on this planet, that’s not very much time compared to the trillions of years you’re gonna spend an eternity in heaven or hell.
Look at that again, «Our true homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is, and we’re looking forward,» there’s that phrase again, «looking forward to his return, because when he comes back, he’s gonna take our earthly bodies and transform them into perfect, glorious bodies like his». I’m waiting for that part. I’m glad I don’t have to spend eternity in this body, okay? «Into perfect, glorious bodies like his using the same mighty power he’ll use to bring everything everywhere under his authority forever,» all right? This is what you were made for. And Jesus, in Luke chapter 12, taught a sermon, he says, «If you really understand the Second Coming, you’re not gonna worry, you don’t need to worry, you don’t need to be afraid because you know how the story is going to end». And he said, «Instead of worrying, you need to focus on just being ready for when I return, wherever it is, whenever it is, in your lifetime or not, just be ready».
You should read that whole chapter on worry, it’ll really help you. But let me just give you some snippets of it, up here on the screen. Luke chapter 12:29–38, «Jesus said, 'Don’t worry, your father knows all you need, and he’ll give you whatever you need if you make his kingdom your first concern.'» And by the way, don’t be afraid either, don’t worry, don’t be afraid about the future 'cause it gives your father great happiness to give you his kingdom. If you’re in God’s family, God’s gonna share with his children his kingdom, you’re gonna share his kingdom, that’s part of your inheritance as a child of God, it gives your father great happiness to give you his kingdom.
So he says, «While you’re here on Earth, be generous, be generous with those in need». You’re not gonna have to store it up here on Earth, why, instead store up treasure for yourself, for yourself in heaven, where it’s gonna last forever. And then he says, «Besides, wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart’s gonna be also. Always be ready to serve, like you’re waiting for your master to return from a wedding. Then you’ll be ready to open the door the moment he arrives. There will be,» notice this, «there will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return, special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return». «I tell you,» Jesus is talking about himself, «he himself will seek them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat».
That is one of the most amazing phrases, to me, in the Bible. Jesus says when he comes back, if you’ve been faithful, you’ve served him, he said, he’s gonna serve you. He’s goes, «Sit down, I’m gonna make your meal». He puts on an apron. I don’t know the full understanding of that, he just said, «I’m going to serve those who have served me». «He himself will seat them, put on an apron and serve them as they sit and eat».
Now, he may come in the middle of the night, or just before dawn, but whenever he comes, there will be special favor for his servants who are ready. Are you ready, are you ready for him to come back? Point is that whole passage is saying this, if you’re really in God’s family, you got nothing to worry about. You don’t need to be afraid about the future, you needn’t worry about the future, you don’t need to be uptight about the future, because regardless of what happens between now and then, we know how it ends, you know the end of the story, so you can face the future with confidence. And he says, «I’m gonna reward you for your faithfulness». He’s gonna bring gifts. It’s interesting to me that at the first coming of Jesus, the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, at the second coming of Jesus, he’s bringing gifts for you, who’ve put your trust in him, big difference.
Now, I know what some of you think, «But why hasn’t he come back yet, why, is he just being lazy, is he watching TV? I mean, why, it’s been 2,000 years, why hasn’t he come back yet»? I’ll tell you why, he’s still building his family, and he wants you in it. If Jesus Christ had come back 100 years ago, you wouldn’t have even been born, so there’s no possibility you could go to heaven. You ought to be grateful he hasn’t come back yet, 'cause he’s been waiting for you. God planned your birth, he created you, he loves you, he died for you, now he wants you to accept him into your life. So he’s waiting on you. You’re not waiting on him for the Second Coming, he’s waiting on you.
Here’s what the Bible says, look up here, II Peter chapter three, «The Lord isn’t being slow in keeping his promise to return,» no, no, no, «instead, he’s being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish». God doesn’t wanna have to judge people, he’s a God of love, he doesn’t wanna have to, he doesn’t want anybody to perish. So he’s giving more time for everyone to repent, that’s why he hasn’t come back yet. Is he waiting on you to say yes? Let me end with a couple questions that you need to consider. What are you gonna live the rest of your life for in light of what we just talked about? Knowing how history is gonna end, how are you gonna spend the rest of your life?
Short-term values like pleasure, possessions, position, passion, popularity, power, now, that’s a pretty small goal to live for. Are you gonna live in light of eternity, are you gonna live with a long-term perspective knowing this life is just to get ready stage for the next. And you’re gonna spend more on that time of death than on this side. What are you gonna live your life for, short-term values or long-term perspective? Let me ask you another question, what are you betting in your life on, what are you betting your life on? Because you better be sure that what you’re betting your life on, you’ve got a legitimate reason for it more than I just don’t wanna believe it, I just don’t wanna believe in God, I just wanna believe in Jesus. You know what, eternity is a long time to be wrong. You better have a good idea, a good reason, why you’re right and billions of other people are wrong who’ve accepted Christ into their life throughout history.
The church is the biggest organization on planet Earth, 2.3 billion people. One out of every three people has already said yes, so what’s your reason, what are you betting your life on? Let me get it really more personal, how many more Christmases are you gonna go through before you accept the gift, God’s Christmas gift to you? Freedom, salvation, forgiveness, past forgiven, purpose for living, home in heaven. I wouldn’t presume that you’re gonna be around next Christmas, I wouldn’t presume I’m gonna be around next week, I don’t know, but I wanna invite you to give your life to Jesus Christ this Christmas, not 'cause you’re gonna die tonight, you probably won’t, but because you gotta live tomorrow, and you need to be connected to the Creator who made you.
Let’s bow our heads. This Christmas, will you receive the gift of God’s love and grace so that you are ready when Jesus Christ comes back the second time? Just pray something like this in your heart, doesn’t really matter the words, what matters is your attitude of humility. Say something like this, say:
Dear God, thank you for creating me. And God, thank you for loving me even when I’m unlovable, and God thank you for sending yourself to Earth as Jesus Christ, to die for my sin so I don’t have to die for 'em. Jesus Christ, as much as I know how, I ask you to come into my life, fill me with your love, fill me with your peace, fill me with your purpose. I wanna accept my past being forgiven, I wanna know my purpose for living, and I wanna accept the home in heaven. So today on this Christmas week, I’m asking you, Jesus Christ, to accept me into your family, not because I deserve it, but because of your grace. Forgive me, and fill me, and use me, in the way that you planned me to be used. I wanna serve your purpose for the rest of my life? And I humbly ask this in your name, amen.