"Steal Away To Jesus"
(Part 2) Sermon Transcript for January 27, 2002 By Rev. Dan Sinkhorn
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:26-37
Last Sunday I began a two-part message entitled "Steal Away to Jesus". And in it we were reminded that the subject of Jesus’ second coming, His return, is a very important subject for Christian believers to talk about. And yet many of us resist talking about it because it is controversial, because it seems like we all know somebody who sees the "end of the world" around every corner, because on this particular topic there seems to be people at either end of the extreme and not very many in the middle. But when Jesus said that He would prepare a place for us and that He would take us there and bring us from time to eternity, we knew that we needed to at least try to understand what that was about and take hope in his promises.
Last week we acknowledged that God’s judgment is an essential part of His perfect love; that we need not fear God’s judgment if we have placed our trust in Christ Jesus and confessed that He is Lord. And by that profession of faith we make ourselves ready for His coming again. We talked last Sunday about the prophetic statement by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians where he described the sudden "stealing away" of those who had died in Christ and those who are alive in Christ. And we called it the "rapture" knowing that it is a controversial subject. We gave it some consideration.
And I don’t mind telling you that throughout my preparation for these messages I have been a nervous wreck. You can ask people that work closely with me. I’m not kidding. It is a fearful thing to talk about something that not many people can agree upon all of it. And there is certainly fear for anyone who preaches this topic that there would be those out there who have a different interpretation of these events. And it’s hard to honestly visit this type of topic without revealing your own opinion. You just can’t stay neutral about some things. And so it has been my hearts desire for love of you, this church family that I would help inspire a sense of urgency about your personal relationship with Christ and a sense of urgency about your personal evangelism. And that through the words of these messages that you would recognize that God is in control that our world is not spiraling out of control. Everything is going just as God knew it would. And that He has a plan. That as surely as God created the earth and said that it is good in the beginning, so shall it be in the end.
My vision for this Christian family of believers who worship together at Grace Church is that this hour that we spend together in worship is not the only place and time where we investigate our relationship with God and with other believers and those who are not believers. My hope is that as you take these messages that Mike and I prepare away that you pick them apart, that you glean every meaningful thing from them that you can, that you investigate the Scriptures that we refer to. And to that end I’m going to make sure that all of the Scripture references, whether I named them or not, will be available for the transcript so that you can get a copy and you can take the Scriptures that I’ve referred to and you can investigate for yourself. And I encourage you not only to do that but to find other believers in your family and in your friendships, your Sunday school classes, your coffee hour fellowship. Discuss these things. Engage in meaningful conversation about these things and agree that there are mysteries involved with these things and we will not all come to the same conclusion. But that surely when believers get together and talk and discuss and pray in faith, God will be there. God will reveal truths that we can all enjoy and live by and take hope from.
And so to conclude the message about Jesus’ return, I want to point out three specific characteristics of His return that we want to look at.
The Day of the Lord: The Old Testament and New Testament both frequently refer to the "Day of the Lord". And the context in which that phrase is used is a way of referring to the day of God’s judgment and wrath. There are many, many references in the Old Testament. Here are a few that you can look up, but there are certainly more: the 13th chapter of Isaiah; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chapters of Joel; 1st chapter of Zephaniah; and the 5th chapter of Amos. And in each of these cases the prophets speak of events that are contemporary to them, things that they are dealing with on the spot. And they make predictions or prophecies that are fulfilling at that time. But they also make predictions and prophecies that are not fulfilled at that time. And so from that we can gather that when God speaks to the prophets He speaks to all generations so that we should, like the people of old, discern these prophecies wisely and prayerfully with the recognition that some of it applies to us now, some of it applied to them then, and that sometimes the prophecies have dual meanings so that multiple generations will see the fulfillment of those prophecies.
And certainly in the times that these prophets spoke in the Old Testament, the Jews were very tired from all of the persecution they received from within, from their own leaders, and from enemies who surrounded them. They were tired of being dispersed. They were tired of struggling to keep the law but somehow always falling short. And so they prayed for a day when God would judge the enemies of Israel and God would bring peace and God’s plan of redemption would be fulfilled. Certainly their enemies didn’t like that idea. Certainly those who were prophesied against were hoping that these things wouldn’t come to past. And so it stands to reason that for some who were not in fellowship with God, these kinds of prophecies and judgment and wrath would be very threatening. And, therefore, it’s more comforting to try to debunk them and write them off as fantasy.
In the New Testament we also have numerous references to "the day of the Lord", "the day of judgment and wrath". And again, those prophecies spoke to things that happened in those days but also to things that had not happened yet and sometimes with dual meaning. Take for example the time when Jesus said that the temple in Jerusalem would be torn down, not one stone left. That came to pass within a generation of Jesus having said it. But in the same prophetic statement Jesus also spoke of things that had not happened in those days that have in fact not happened yet. There are many today who think that we are beginning to see them fulfilled in the light of the world’s present circumstances. A very quick overview of the prophecies about conditions near the hour of Christ’s return certainly gives us reason to pause:
Prophecies Concerning the Last Days
Increase of wars and rumors of war (Joel 3:9-10; Matt. 24:6-7)
Extreme materialism (2 Tim. 3:1-2; Rev. 3:14-19)
Lawlessness (Ps. 78:8; Prov. 30:11-14; 2 Tim. 3:2-3)
Population explosion (Gen. 6:1)
Increase in speed and knowledge (Dan. 12:4)
Departure from the Christian faith (2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1, 3-4; 2 Tim 3:5; 4:3-4, 2 Pet. 3:3-4)
Intense demonic activity (Gen. 6:1-4; I Tim. 4:1-3)
Unification of the world’s religious political and economic systems
(Rev. 13:4-8, 16-17; 17:1-18; 18:1-24)
Universal drug usage (The word "sorceries" here can also refer to drugs.) (Rev. 9:21)
Abnormal sexual activity (Rom. 1:17-32; 2 Pet. 2:10, 14; 3:3; Jude 18)
Mass slaughter of innocents by unconcerned mothers (Rom 1:31; 2 Tim. 3:3)
Widespread violence (Gen. 6:11, 13; Rev. 9:21)
Rejection of God’s Word (2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:3-4, 16)
Blasphemy (2 Tim 3:2; 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18)
Self-seeking and pleasure-seeking (2 Tim 3:2,4)
Men without a conscience (I Tim. 4:2)
Religious hucksters (2 Pet. 2:3)
Outright devil worshipers (Rev. 9:20; 13:11-14)
Rise of false prophets and Antichrists (Matt. 24:5, 11; 2 Pet. 2:1-2)
False claims of peace (I Thess. 5:1-3)
Rapid advances in technology (Gen. 4:22)
Great political and religious upheavals in the Holy Land (Matt. 24:32-34)
Now when you’ve heard these it’s easy to see why so many people believe that the time of Christ’s return is near. But I will leave that to you to interpret. I don’t feel compelled to stand here as some preachers do and try and interpret these things for you. That doesn’t seem to be my spiritual gift. So I place them before you and invite you to give them your own consideration or prayerfully discuss them with other believers.
Times and Seasons: We heard in the scripture readings that Mike read a few moments ago, we heard Jesus responding to one of the oldest questions known to humanity. Are we there yet? I think you must have heard that question. You probably asked it yourself. Remember when you were young and you were on a long journey and you asked your parents every five minutes, "Are we there yet?" And I don’t know what your parents did, but my father liked to tell me, you know, it’s going to be a long trip and then he would give me a list of things to look for along the way so that I would be patient and I would know when I was getting closer to the destination. I was born in southern Indiana just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. When I was very young we moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And we frequently traveled back and forth between them. And I remember that when we would go to visit relatives in the Louisville area, I got so excited when we would come down the highway and I could see in the distance the blinking red beacon atop the water tower on Zorn Avenue just outside of Louisville. That was the landmark that I knew indicated we were almost there. I was so excited to see that. Sometimes when I’m down in Louisville still I get a little excited when I see that water tower. It’s a landmark that reminds me that I was getting close to my destination. When we would returned to Pittsburgh we would come across the mountains of the foothills of the Alleghenies and as we would come on to a high peak I could see the top of the tallest building in downtown Pittsburgh and I would know that we were almost home.
I believe that’s what Jesus has said to his disciples then and now. That we must be patient, that we don’t know when that time will come but that we have the ability to recognize the changing of the seasons and therefore, we can know when we are getting closer. He gave us a list of things to look for on the way. In Matthew, Chapter 24, he tells us that it will be as in the days of Noah. And I take that to mean that we should be like Noah. You know, Noah was faithful to God’s word. Why else would you built a boat in the middle of the desert? He must have believed so completely in what God said would happen that he was willing to take that risk. And he built that ark; he collected those animals and all that he would need to care for them. He gathered his family close and all the while keeping his noise in the air sniffing for rain. And when the rain came he was not surprised. He saw that it was a fulfillment of exactly what God said would happen. The only people who were surprised where those who refused to believe such a ridiculous claim such an unbelievable prophesy. And you know what happened. Noah closed the door, sealed it, and the people outside knew they were in big trouble.
A Thief in the Night: When Jesus comes for His own I don’t think it will be a surprise to them. Clearly by His word, we know that we are not going to know when that time is, but it won’t come as a surprise because we know him. In John, Chapter 10, 14-16, Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—[15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." Only those who are not of Jesus’ flock will be shocked and dismayed at His return and all that goes with it.
Jesus said, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. [43] But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. [44] So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."- Matthew 24:42-44. Why would Jesus call himself a "thief in the night?" I personally don’t think it’s because His followers would perceive him that way. Certainly He said that even His followers would not know for sure when that time would come because He didn’t even know. But I do think that Jesus was describing the response of unbelievers who never knew Him. When Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36, I think he’s telling us, this is God’s business, this day of His return, the day of wrath and judgment. And that we are not to be looking so much for judgment and wrath but looking for Jesus – to be prepared for His coming. To look forward to it with joy and to be ready because for us who trust in Him it is the greatest good news that Jesus is coming again, glory on the clouds, just as He said He would. For the world refuses to believe such an unbelievable thing, it will come as a great shock. And they may realize, just like the people in Noah’s day, they are in big trouble.
As United Methodist’s we believe that Jesus is coming again. That’s why we say, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again" in our communion liturgy. And we believe that will be an exciting day, a day of great joy and beauty. It will not be a looming storm in the distance for us, but a beautiful day of joy and excitement. When Laura, the kids and I lived in the Louisville area we liked to go in the springtime to something called "Thunder over Louisville". It’s probably the biggest fireworks show that I’ve ever seen anywhere. It kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival. They launch fireworks from barges in the middle of the Ohio River; they fire cannons from the Second Street Bridge that crosses between Clarksville and Louisville. They launch fireworks and all sorts of pyrotechnics off of that bridge. And tens of thousands of people line the shores or sit in boats on the river to watch the spectacle. This glorious display is something they look forward to. But have you ever thought of how it might look to an alien or someone from a foreign place? They might think that Louisville is under attack. That the city is being blown to bits and that the bridge was going to come crashing down at any moment. They would find it a fearful thing for their lack of understanding. And they would be thoroughly perplexed when at the end of the presentation tens of thousands of people raised a loud cheer and applauded the glorious display.
Beloved in Christ, it’s going to be the same way when He comes again. Those of us who understand what it’s all about will applaud and raise a cheer of joy as we see His glorious appearance. Because we’ll understand what it’s about and rejoice in it. As we’ll say in our closing hymn, we’ll look heavenward and say, "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, Christ has come" just as He said He would. My heartfelt prayer for all of you and all those you love is that this will not come as a surprise to you. That it will come as the greatest day in all creation. And that you’ll look forward to it and look forward to bringing as many along the way as you can. So as we sing our closing hymn this morning, which is the first three versus of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic", I hope that you can just try to imagine that day, that you can picture yourself standing there looking at the sky singing "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah".
E-mail Comments to: Reverend Dan Sinkhorn