Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Home Sermons 2011 "Be Prepared: Repentance & Faith" (Part 1 of "Being ready for the 2nd coming of Christ"
 
"Be Prepared: Repentance & Faith" (Part 1 of "Being ready for the 2nd coming of Christ" PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

Revelation 1:7-8
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 22:6-7
And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. 7 And behold, I am coming soon." Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
 Revelation 19:11-21
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. 13 He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

  Core Idea, Challenge & Summary

Core Idea: To become ready for the 2nd coming of Jesus, we must first repent and
                    trust Jesus as Savior and Lord 
Challenge: To challenge people who have not yet done so, to repent and place their
                    trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.   

Summary: Jesus Christ is coming back. We just don’t know when. Jesus said, “But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:43-44)

We must always be ready for Jesus’ imminent return. He will not return as a defenseless baby destined to die for our sins. He needed to do that only once. He’ll come back as King of Kings, Lord of Lords and judge. Jesus will judge everyone upon His return.

Are you ready for Jesus’ 2nd coming? Being ready begins with repentance and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you are not yet ready for Jesus’ return, perhaps you need to begin there.

 The Sermon

I. Introduction: The Boy Scout motto

     A. I’m an Eagle Scout and I still remember the…

  • Scout Law
  • Scout Oath
  • Scout Motto: Be Prepared

     B. The Boy Scout Motto: Be prepared

  • Someone once asked the founder of Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powel, what the boys should be prepared for. Powel answered, “Any old thing.”
  • Being prepared teaches the boys to plan ahead and expect the unexpected
  • A good Boy Scout will attempt to be prepared for any situation. He’ll anticipate all the possible scenarios and plan accordingly.

     C. Like the Boy Scouts, we must also be prepared.

  • Unlike the Boy Scouts, we don’t need to be prepared for everything.
  • We must be prepared for a very specific event: The return of Jesus Christ.

II. The Jesus is coming back

     A. Who is Jesus?

  • The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. To worship one is to worship all three because the three make up the one.
  • God the Son came down from heaven and became a human named Jesus.
  • Jesus is: God showing us how to be a perfect human; God’s heart with flesh wrapped around it; fully God and fully human.

      B. The first coming of Jesus

  • Became a small baby named Jesus
  • Destined to die on the cross to pay the penalty from our sins.
  • Resurrected from the dead, proving He’s God in the flesh.
  • Ascended into heaven with his glorified, resurrected body.
     C. Prior to His ascension, Jesus promised to come back. (Ref. Matthew 24:29-31;
          Revelation 1:7-8, 22:6-7 and 19:11-21.)

III. The second coming of Jesus

     A. Not coming as a baby. He only needed to do that once

     B. Coming as King of Kings, Lord of Lords and judge

  • Revelation 19:11-21: Battle of Armageddon, Jesus easily defeats His enemies
  • Judgment occurs

IV. The judgment of Jesus

     A. Jesus explains this judgment in Matthew 25:31-46

  • He’ll divide people as goats or sheep
  • Sheep are those who have received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus – They are recognized by their good works and will have eternal life
  • Goats are those who have not received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus – They are recognized by their sins and will spend eternity in hell.

     B. A few words on hell

  • It’s not that God sends people to hell. It’s not God’s desire for anyone to go to hell. (John 3:16 and 2 Peter 3:9) God offers everyone a way out of hell through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
  • People go to hell because they choose to constantly say no to God. Throughout their lives they willfully rebel against God, making themselves their own god. So God says, “If that’s what you want then that’s what you’ll get. You’ll live an eternity without me.” That’s hell. An eternal life without God is an eternal life of pure selfishness without any love.

     C. We need to be ready for this judgment

V. Being ready for this judgment

     A. The time to be ready is now

  • We don’t know when Christ will return. He’ll come like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44 & 1 Thessalonians 5:2)
  • Must always be ready

     B. Being ready begins with repentance and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord

  • Repentance: Sincere desire to change. A desire to stop living a sinful life and live a holy life characterized by love.
  • Trust Jesus as Savior: Believe his life, death and resurrection is sufficient to take away all our sins
  • Trust Jesus as Lord: Surrender our lives to Jesus. Allow Him to change us.
IV. Conclusion: Have you taken the first step to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ?
     Have you repented and placed your trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord? 
 
Joomla Templates by Joomlashack