This message was given at Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. At the end, we will give information about how to contact us to receive a copy of this or other messages. Let's take our Bibles and turn to 2 Timothy 4. We'll start reading at verse 6. This is God's holy and inspired Word. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. This is the Word of the Lord. In this passage, it's clear that Paul knows he's going to die. He knows that the end has come. He doesn't know exactly how much time he has. In fact, if you still have your Bibles open, He says, obviously in verse 6, the time of my departure has come. But he also tells Timothy in verse 9, make every effort to come to me soon. And in verse 21, make every effort to come before winter. He doesn't know exactly how much time he has. He hopes he has enough time for Timothy to be able to come to him, to bring to him his cloak and the parchments. Imagine that. Here's Paul on... Death's doorstep, and what does he want to do before he enters into the presence of his King and sees his Savior face to face? He wants to study more. I love Paul. He doesn't know how much time he has, but he knows his time is short. And in fact, this section that we read is sometimes called Paul's last will and testament. Now Paul describes his impending death very vividly. In verse 6 he says, I am already being poured out as a drink offering. Now it's interesting because Paul has described his ministry as being poured out as a drink offering back in the book of Philippians, but here he looks at his life as that drink offering that the process of pouring out has already begun and Paul's life and ministry is now, it's about to come to an end. That oblation offering that would have been poured out at the foot of the altar, those last few drops are now about ready to be poured out and Paul knows it. He also describes his death as the time of my departure has come or is imminent. What's interesting about this description is that the word departure, this is the only time in the New Testament where this particular word is used, although it's used in extra-biblical Greek regularly. For instance, it's used when armies actually break camp. It's used for sailors who are loosing a ship from its moorings ready to set sail. And that's how Paul views his impending death. He is about ready to set sail, and the time of his departure is actually right at hand. Paul then sums up his life and ministry with two athletic metaphors. He says, the good fight, I have fought. the tense that he uses when he says, I have fought, has the idea that the fight's now over. The fight is now completed and that fight is now done. He has fought it and he's fought it well. And then he says, and the course, The race I have completed. Same verb tense, I have completed it. I have crossed the finish line. And then Paul says, and the faith I've kept. Now understand, as Paul is saying these words, Paul is not bragging. Paul's not boasting about what a great fight he's waged or what a great race that he's run. Paul's not bragging about how tough he's been in keeping the faith. What Paul is doing is Paul is actually reminding his timid protege, Timothy. He's reminding Timothy. Timothy, as your mentor, as your apostle, as your teacher, as your father in the faith, as your friend, I've made it to the end and you will too. His words are not words of some sort of triumphalistic person who is now facing death with a sneer, but rather his words are words of consolation to one who will be beside himself once Paul has passed off of the scene. And Timothy needs to be reminded, Paul finished and he finished well. Paul then talks about his reward. He says that for him there is laid up the crown of righteousness. Now this could be either the crown which is righteousness or it could be the crown which belongs to the righteous. Whatever the actual case is, Paul actually saw this reward, this crown of righteousness that had been laid up for him. But really what's striking about this is that Paul, who says, there is for me laid up this crown of righteousness, I think that we would all agree that Paul was unique. I think that we would all agree that if Paul were with us today in the flesh, we would say, this guy is the best Christian in the house. Anybody want to disagree? Anybody want to say no? I think he's a distant second to somebody else who's here. We would all agree Paul was unique, his apostolic ministry was unique, his life of faith was exemplary, his determination, his courage, his fortitude, everything that Paul exhibits, Paul exhibited in ways that were absolutely sterling. And so of course he's gonna say, there's laid up for me the crown of righteousness, but what captures my attention is that Paul does not just say, it's just for me, He turns around and he says, and that crown of righteousness is actually laid up for everyone who has loved Christ's appearing. The very same reward that the apostle was looking to be given on that day is the very same reward to each and every believer who has loved his appearing. New English translation says, for those who have set their affections on his appearing. What I'd like to do today is I'd like to talk about Christ's appearing. I'd like to do it under three heads, very simple. The fact of Christ's appearing or the fact of Christ's return, the results of Christ's return, and our attitudes towards Christ's return. First, the fact of Christ's return. You know, the New Testament teaches with abundant clarity the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us in no ambiguous terms at all that Jesus Christ, one of these days, will return in power and glory. Now, to be sure, there are various versions regarding the details of what happens at the second coming, right? There are and there are legitimate differing details, okay? So there would be different perspectives on such things as Christ's return in relationship to the millennium, Christ's return in relationship to some tribulation, all of those details, there's legitimate differences among Christians, but here's the thing that the New Testament teaches with resounding clarity, and that is Jesus Christ will in fact return personally and visibly a second time to the earth as judge. Okay? Now, how do I know that? I can read. Okay? It is actually that simple. You remember, for instance, in Acts chapter 1, there's Jesus resurrected. and he spends time with his disciples 40 days, and then he is taken up from their midst. How is he taken up? Visibly, physically, on a cloud. Now, Luke has a particular word that he loves to use, and it's the word to gaze or to stare. OK, now they're the apostles and they're staring. I've often thought about this like like a little kid that's got a balloon filled with helium and they accidentally let go and it just keeps going and, you know, it gets smaller and smaller and smaller. And the kids stand in there squinting, trying to see. it goes out of sight and I think that that's what the Apostles were doing I mean let's face it this is not something that happens all the time and so there they are and they're they're watching Jesus and Jesus ascends and he's ascending in the cloud which by the way has ramifications for Daniel 7 13 and 14 and the Son of Man entering into his dominion and power and glory but we won't go there right now and so he's being lifted up, and there they are, they're just gazing into heaven, and then there's an angel who's standing off to the side, and he says, men of Galilee, what are you staring at? Now, I don't know this for sure, and I don't have any textual variance to actually support the idea, but I think Peter probably looked at the angel and said, what do you mean, what are we staring at? The angel says, this Jesus, will return to you in exactly the same way He has left you. In other words, personally, visibly, physically, just as sure as you saw Him leave this world in the ascension, so most certainly He will return in exactly the same way. that for 2,000 years, this has been the church's blessed hope, the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in power and glory. And so the Apostle Paul could say, if you'd like to turn over to 1 Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians, The Apostle Paul is talking about the Thessalonians' conversion, and in verse 9 it says, For they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven. whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come." Think about it. This is the way that Paul could actually describe the Thessalonians' conversion. They actually turned from their idols to worship and serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son to come back again. Chapter 4, There had been some deaths in Thessalonica. And of course, they did not have a fully developed eschatology, if you will, and so they're concerned about those that died before Jesus came back. And so Paul says in verse 13, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep. What a glorious euphemism for the child of God who dies. It's just a sleep. It's not soul sleep, but the idea is what happens when you go to sleep? You wake up, you wake up. And so for the child of God, death is just like a sleep from which you will awake at the resurrection. And so he says, those who are asleep so that you will not grieve as those who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we most certainly do. Even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming, until the appearing of our Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words." Now, let me just say one thing that might tip my hand about where I stand on these issues. There's nothing secret about this. It's loud, all right? And there's nothing secret about it. But here is so clearly what Paul is telling these Thessalonians is, listen, what's gonna happen is those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, they're gonna be resurrected first, then those who are alive when the Lord actually returns, then they in their own turn will be resurrected and will be caught up together with the Lord to meet Him in the air, and this is going to happen when he returns with power and glory with the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God. It's gonna happen. It's going to happen. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Start at verse 6, Paul says, For after all, it's only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted, and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day and to be marveled at among all who have believed for our testimony to you was believed. So, We could look at Matthew 24, we could look at Matthew 25, we could look at Hebrews chapter 9, we could look at 1 John chapter 3, we could look at Revelation chapter 22, and we could look at a whole host of other passages that all teach very unambiguously that the Lord Jesus Christ will actually return a second time personally, visibly, to this earth from which he will create a new heaven and a new earth and rule as king forevermore. We believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, what's gonna happen when he returns? What's gonna happen when he returns? Well, first, unbelievers will be judged. Unbelievers will be judged. In fact, the writer to the Hebrews makes it very clear that he's coming a second time, not for salvation, but for judgment. And so the apostle on Mars Hill actually says to those philosophers on that day that God himself has appointed a day in which he will judge the whole earth through a man, Christ Jesus, whom he's raised from the dead. and so what's going to happen on at the second coming is Jesus will come back and he will judge unbelievers you see this abundantly clear for instance in John chapter 5 verses 21 through 29 where there is the Jesus says that the Father has actually given judgment over to the Son, and the Son will judge all people, and there's coming an hour in which the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and will arise, some to a resurrection of life and some to a resurrection of condemnation. And so when Jesus Christ returns, He's returning in power and glory to judge both the living and the dead. This is one of the things that we need to actually understand, and if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, you need to come to grips with this. We celebrate the incarnation and our Lord's first coming into this world, but you have to understand He came into this world the first time incarnate as a baby, growing in Mary's womb, entering into a life of poverty, living in in ordinary circumstances and in fact it's Isaiah the prophet that tells us that there was nothing that would have been peculiar that would have attracted our attention to him and so here he is in the first coming and he comes into this world in the most unassuming, unpretentious of ways and he comes into this world the first time as the Lamb of God who will take away our sins But when He comes again, He will not come as the lamb to take away our sins, He will come as the lion to judge. He will come back in a way in which at that moment, at that very moment, there is going to be a realization across this globe of both the living and the dead that this One whom God sent into the world to be the Lamb of God to take away our sins is now the One that we have to give an account. And the one that we have been called upon to believe is now the one who's going to call us into account as to whether we've trusted him and received the forgiveness of our sins and believed on him. He will come back and he will judge unbelievers. And there will be no postponement of trial. There will be no retrieves. There will be no pardons. The state that you are in upon his return is the state in which you will be judged. Apostate angels will be judged. The Bible tells us, 2 Peter 2.4, Jude 6, we actually will participate in the judging of angels, 1 Corinthians 6.3. What about us? What happens when Jesus returns? Believers will be given glorified, resurrected bodies. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, there will be an immediate sense in which the perishable will put on imperishable, and the mortal will put on immortality, and we, in a twinkling of an eye, will be changed. That change will be our own resurrection, that change will be our own glorification, and it will happen when He returns on that day. Of course, there are many, many passages, but turn over to Philippians chapter 3. By the way, Paul tells us that we are eagerly awaiting our adoption as sons, Romans 8.23. And then you know how he defines the consummation of our adoption as sons? The redemption of our bodies. You understand that the idea that your body is somehow just the prison house for your soul is actually a pagan Greek idea? God himself is the creator of both body and soul. And the body is good, just as sure as this creation is good, and this body will be redeemed just as sure as this earth will be redeemed. So don't think about we got spiritual material and they're like this and all God cares about is having your disembodied spirit float on a cloud playing a harp. The answer is that's not the fullness of your redemption. The fullness of your redemption happens when you actually receive a glorified resurrected body in the likeness of our saviors. That's the consummation of your redemption. And so Philippians chapter three, I'm getting ahead of myself. And so you think to yourself, well, if that's gonna happen, what about people that got eaten by sharks? Hey, people think about stuff like this, right? Yeah, I mean, think about the guy that gets buried underneath an apple tree. And over the decades, his little particles get into those apples. And some horse comes along and decides to eat all those apples. And then at some point the horse needs to release those apples. Listen, not a problem for God. Not a problem. The minute that you grant, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, it is not a problem. Get eaten by a shark, go right ahead. He will have no problem raising you up on the last day. Alright? Okay. That was a footnote. So, Philippians 3, verse 20. Look at this. For our citizenship is in heaven. from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory. by the exertion of His power that He has, even to subject all things to Himself. So what happens to us when the Lord Jesus returns? And the answer is, is that He, by an exertion of His divine power, will actually transform these bodies of our humble state into conformity with His glorious, resurrected body. These bodies will be redeemed so that they can eternally inhabit the new heavens and the new earth. That's the purpose of a resurrected glorified body is that it is now going to fit you for the eternal state. And that's the body that you will have forever. Now, there are so many questions you have about these things, right? Right? You know, will I get fat? I hope not. I mean, I hope not. I don't think so. I have a feeling that in the new heavens and the new earth, calories and cholesterol will be no more. Amen? So we have this body that will be fit for eternal habitation. Now, let's be realistic. What's gonna happen? Believers will also give an account of their lives. 2 Corinthians chapter five, 2 Corinthians 5, which by the way is Paul's beautiful treatment about what's called the intermediate state and what happens to a person who departs before the resurrection of the body. Absolutely beautiful section, but I want you to notice verse 10. Paul says, four, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done. Now, what are these last four words? Whether good or bad. I take that to mean that as believers we stand before the judgment seat and our good works are not the basis of us entering into heaven, but our good works do in fact testify to the genuineness of our faith. But what about our sins? There are certain things that I have absolutely no interest in fighting about with anybody. And this is one of them. And there's a part of me that hopes that I'm wrong. But there's two views on what about our sins on the last day. Follow closely, please. The first is just real simple. And that is that our sins are actually never brought up. on the last day since we've been justified by faith in Christ. And so our sins are actually just simply a non-issue on the day of judgment. The second view is that our sins are in fact displayed, but not for our condemnation but they are displayed as forgiven sins which remind us of the glorious magnitude of the grace of God extended to undeserving sinners. Now, I think the second one is true. And I think the second one is true for a very simple reason. And that is, whether it's 2 Corinthians 5 or Romans 2 or Revelation 20, whenever the Bible talks about judgment, the idea is judgment of our works, whether good or bad. So you have to reckon with it somewhat. Now, let me just tell you, if I'm wrong about this, hey, no sweat, right? I mean, if I'm wrong about it, then I'm just like, well, you know, God's wiser and no one has to see all the crummy stuff I've done, right? But I want you to think about this. Here you are standing in what the old timers used to call the great assize. There you are standing on the last day with virtually untold billions of human beings standing for judgment. And there is a judgment of unbelievers and they are eternally condemned and cast into hell forever and ever and ever. And you know that standing on that day, If it were not for the grace of God, you would be right there with them, cast into outer darkness. And I imagine, I imagine something may happen like this. Brian Borgman come forth and I step forward. And this is the moment of truth judged according to the judge who knows absolutely everything. He's guilty of this sin on that day. And my advocate steps forward and says, but I paid the penalty. Guilty of this sin on that day, I paid the penalty. I paid the penalty for that sin and that sin and that word and that thought and that deed and that action. And as my advocate comes forth over and over and over again, as each sin is displayed, what is put on more glorious display is the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God to an undeserving sinner. And then On that day, your justification becomes sight. We've talked about this before. Right now, your justification is possessed by one way and one way only. Is that not true? And how is that? By faith. And I can't look at you and say, oh, look at that, he's justified. Right? It's not, I possess it by faith. What do I possess by faith? I possess the blood and righteousness of Jesus by faith. What do I possess by faith? I possess that last day verdict being brought into the present where it says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I possess that by faith. But on that day, what I possess now by faith will be declared to everyone by sight. blood and righteousness of Christ belong to Him, pardoned for all of his sins, clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He belongs to the King. That's what becomes mine on that day. The justification which is mine, fully mine right now, is then declared sight on that day when my body is redeemed and I'm acquitted in the high court of heaven. And then, and then, I am now fit I am now not only the spirit of a just man made perfect, I am a spirit and body of a just man made perfect. And as I enter into that eternal state, God has now equipped me to live in perfect communion with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with no more sin to hinder me, and none more of its effects to drag me down. free from sin, the ransomed church of God will be saved to sin no more. Can you imagine what it will be like to commune with the triune God without the hindrances of a corrupt heart and the hindrances of a fallen mind and the hindrances of corrupt affections? Can you imagine what it is to be totally free and to be saved so that sin is no longer a part of me and will no longer be a part of me? Behold, all things have become new. The old earth has passed away. No more tears, no more sighing, no more death, no more curse. It is all gone. So, read The Last Battle. Read the last chapter of The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. I think Lewis gives such a wonderful explanation as to why we love this Narnia. It's not actually the real thing. But you can't do better than Jonathan Edwards. Edwards, heaven, world of love, last sermon in his charity and its fruits, wrote these words. He says, every gem which death rudely tears away from us here is a glorious jewel forever shining there. Every Christian friend that goes before us from this world is a ransom spirit waiting to welcome us in heaven. There will be the infant of days that we have lost below through grace to be found above. There the Christian father and mother and wife and child and friend with whom we shall renew the holy fellowship of the saints which was interrupted by death here but shall be commenced again in that upper sanctuary and shall never end. There we shall have company with the patriarchs and fathers and saints of the Old and New Testaments and those of whom the world was not worthy, with whom on earth we were only conversant by faith. And there, above all, we shall enjoy and dwell with God the Father, whom we have loved with all of our hearts on the earth. And with Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior, who has always been to us the chief among ten thousands and altogether lovely, and with the Holy Spirit, our sanctifier, guide and comforter, and we shall be filled with the fullness of the Godhead forevermore. That's what's going to happen. when the trump resounds and the sky is rolled back as a scroll. So what should our attitude towards Christ's return be? Well, look at 2 Peter. We'll do this quickly. 2 Peter. By the way, if all of that is true, it should be clear what our attitude should be towards our Lord's return. Right? Right? I feel myself getting in trouble right here, but anyway. I love my wife with everything that I am. I love her and I love being married to her. And she is the best wife and I cherish her. But I used to think, Lord, don't come back today because I haven't got married yet. I don't wanna be a BTR, okay? Some of you know what that means, a bachelor till rapture. That was... When I was a student, that was our motto. We don't want to be bachelors when the Lord returns. And let me just tell you, as wonderful as marriage is, nothing, nothing will surpass the glory that is to be revealed. Nothing. Not having little babies, not having fellowship and fun with fellow believers, all of that will pale into insignificance compared to the glory of our returning King. So what should our attitude be? 2 Peter 3.11. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to promise, we're looking for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Notice, so since all of this is going to happen, here's the question. What kind of people ought you to be? Since this is reality, since it's a fact, it's a future fact, what kind of people ought you to be? Well, you ought to be people of holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. I love what I read this week by John Frame. He says, so far as I can see, every Bible passage about the return of Christ is written for a practical purpose, not to help us develop a theory of history, but to motivate our obedience. So our first attitude towards our Lord's return is that we should eagerly await it. What's interesting is that throughout the New Testament, this is expressed with different words that are roughly synonymous, but you have 1 Thessalonians 1.10, Philippians 3.20, Hebrews 9.28, Titus 2.13, Jude 21, and the idea is that we're eagerly awaiting, we're eagerly anticipating our Lord's return. What is it to actually eagerly anticipate it? It means, Lord, if you want to come back today and I don't get married till tomorrow, come Lord Jesus. What does it mean? to eagerly await. Understand this, there's nothing wrong with loving and enjoying the gifts and the blessings that God gives to us in this life, but we have to understand that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. And so, to actually long for, to yearn for His appearing is to actually have the matters of the priorities of heart settled so that what is most important to me is not in fact the things of this life, but what is most important to me is God's kingdom, and God's glory, and God's son, and therein are my deepest longings. My deepest longings are fulfilled, not in marriage, and not in grandchildren, and not in ministry, and not in books or hunting. My longing is completed and met in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He brings with Him for His people. And so what ought our attitude to be? Our attitude ought to be, I long for His appearing. I yearn for His appearing. I love His appearing. I'm eagerly awaiting His appearing. There's nothing so good about your best days on this life that you would want His appearing to be postponed one minute later. Isn't it funny though, that when we're experiencing the sad things of life and the bad things of life, that's when we're saying, okay, now you can come. Such anticipation ought to motivate our obedience. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we are the children of God, and that we are. But we know it has not yet appeared what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope within himself purifies himself, even as he is pure. The idea of eagerly anticipating our Lord's return ought to actually motivate us to obedience. And so, and this is, by the way, this is exactly what Paul says in that section that we read in 2 Corinthians 5, where he says we all must appear and give an account. He says, so, you know what, whether in the body or out of the body, we make it our ambition to be pleasing to him, because we're all gonna give an account. So the reality that the Lord Jesus Christ is in fact going to return and I want him to return ought to motivate my obedience. And don't think, you know, well, I don't want to do that because what if Jesus came back right now? What a minimalistic view of obedience and why we should obey. I have a returning king and he's entrusted me with so much and I want to be found faithful when he returns. because I love him. It also not only motivates us to obedience, but it motivates us to patience in trials. You can look at the text, James 1 in verse 12, that blessed is the man who endures trials. Why? Because he actually shall receive the crown, which is life. There's a blessedness of enduring for trial, knowing the future reward. Of course, 1 Peter 1, the testing of our faith, that testing of our faith actually is doing what? It's preparing us for the revelation of the Son of God. So here's the thing, is that no matter what the trials are that you're going through in this life, there is a wonderful, wonderful elixir. that God has given to his people. Something to reinvigorate your soul in the midst of trial. And that is, listen, child of God, I know life is hard, I know the suffering is intense, I know that you feel like dying, but listen, one of these days, Jesus is going to come back and he's going to right every wrong. Can you hold on? Can you hold on? And then finally readiness. Readiness. Think of the parables of Matthew 25. Think of our Lord or Paul's instruction about the Lord's return in 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 to 10. He's going to come back. It's going to be unexpected. And so what kind of people do you need to be? You need to be the kind of people that are not carousing and wandering around as if it's darkness. You need to be people that are sons of the light. You need to be people that are ready. You need to be people that walk in readiness. That day is coming. Our blessed hope, do I need to remind us of this? Our blessed hope is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our blessed hope is a personal, visible return to earth. Our blessed hope is when He will bring justice to the earth. Our blessed hope is when He will renew the cosmos. Our blessed hope will be when He fits us to inhabit the new heavens and new earth and dwell with Him forever. That's our blessed hope. Our blessed hope is not what happens in 2014 in the midterm elections. And our blessed hope is not what's going to happen in 2016. And in fact, God may actually just mock those if those are your blessed hopes. Our blessed hope is not in some sort of political process. And our blessed hope is not in the right person in the White House. Christian, wake up. Wake up. Your blessed hope is when the Trump of God sounds. And so may we love is appearing. Do you know how you love is appearing? You hear these words from Revelation 22. Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me. And then you say with John, even so come quickly, Lord Jesus. Let's pray. Father, we pray this morning for those who are going through trials. We pray that your son's return would give them patience in trials. We pray. that the reality of your son's return would make us all ready. We pray that we would not be lazy, worthless slaves, but, Lord, servants busy about our master's business. And, Father, we do pray, as every generation before us has prayed, may this be the generation where we see the return of your only begotten Son. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen. We hope you've enjoyed this message from Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. To receive a copy of this or other messages, call us at area code 775-782-6516 or visit our website gracenevada.com.