John 14:2-4 - [Jesus said] "In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also."
Our King has promised to come again, but He did not tell us when. He wants us to be ready for Him at all times. On the very night of His betrayal, as Christ was bidding His disciples farewell in the intimacy of the upper room, He promised them that He would be preparing a place for them and, more than that—that He would be returning for them—to take them with Him!
How can anyone possibly misunderstand this promise of Christ: "I will come again." The disciples understood it. They believed it. They preached it. They looked forward to it with joy. The second-to-last verse of the New Testament gives expression to their hope and confidence: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20b).
Christian faith is meaningless if it does not embrace Christ's Second Coming. Christian faith thrills to the assurance of Christ's return. The world as a stage shall have served its purpose. Every man shall have played his part to the end. All the children of Adam and Eve shall be summoned for a last curtain call. From the depths of the sea they shall come and from long forgotten cemeteries, from freshly covered graves, and from hospital nurseries. Every human has an appointment to be there, and no one will be late.
Everyone will be present: the greatest of all time and those who lived briefly in some far corner of the earth in the distant past. Christ, the King, will preside in power and glory. It will be the time of final and complete judgment. Those who have known Christ, have trusted in Him, believed in Him, have loved Him, have served Him, will have nothing to fear. They await the King's coming with happy anticipation. As the apostle Paul reminds us, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Their sins were atoned for when Christ died on Calvary. Their confidence is that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. But those who rejected Jesus Christ, those who have rejected the invitation to believe on Him as their Lord and Savior, will not have that a day to look forward to.
At this moment, there is still time to say in sincere faith, "I believe in Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for me and who will come again to judge the living and the dead." The early Christians had a one word greeting, "Maranatha," the Lord is coming. They cheered one another with it at the beginning of a new day. They comfort one another with it when they were about to die. They encouraged one another with it when they went out bravely to face martyrdom. This is a word to throw out over all unknown and ominous futures: "Maranatha!" The King is coming. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your Son will return and no one knows when. Help us be to ready. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
From "The King Is Coming," a sermon excerpt from Rev. Dr. Armin Oldsen, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever stayed, even overnight, in a mansion? What was that like?
2. What does it mean that Jesus Himself is preparing a place for believers?
3. What do you think the Second Coming of Christ will be like?
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 15-17 Colossians 2
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