Luke chapter 17, I have a question. What is it that gives you hope? And I asked that question purposely because it seems like the way that our culture is progressing, hope is needed. As we consider world events, whether it be political events, it seems like there's political turmoil. Seems like there's potential financial turmoil. It seems like there is a revolution happening when it comes to morality, certainly a sexual revolution. Sexual revolution going in places we never would have imagined it would have gone previously. All told, it seems like the culture, if you have any perspective, seems to be going in an unhealthy direction and going at a very rapid pace. In addition to this, it seems like as the culture is moving in the direction it's headed, it's becoming increasingly hostile to the God of the Bible and to His people. In addition to that, we have our personal struggles. And so you may have your own issues. Man, I'm not worried about politics and all that stuff because I got my own problem. And so you're struggling emotionally, maybe you're struggling health-wise, maybe you have family, relational issues, whatever it may be. We recognize that all of us, the human condition is such that we all, to a certain extent, are suffering under the curse of sin. And so I ask you, what keeps you going? If you study the history of philosophy, especially in the West, you'll find that many philosophers Studying, you know, why are we here? What's the meaning of life? What's the purpose of man? And so on. The other day, or a couple weeks ago, I was on Wikipedia and I was kind of looking at a list of philosophers, Western philosophers, and when they were born and when they died. And it seemed like that there's multiple chunks of different eras where there would have been five or six or seven of these philosophers in a row who died of suicide. Why? Because anybody who is going to look at the human condition objectively, and try to analyze purpose or meaning apart from the reality of God as the ultimate being, understands the vanity of life. That's the whole theme of Ecclesiastes. And so, I mean, that seems pretty bleak. And so I ask you, what keeps you going? How is it that you have hope to endure? How is it that you wake up every morning with a smile on your face after you have your coffee? We're going to find this morning that, as believers, we have a hope. Not only do we have a hope, but God has given us this hope understanding the human condition, understanding what we engage in or what we are confronted with on a daily basis as human beings living in a fallen world, even those who are redeemed. This morning, we're not going to do much more than just an introduction. I'm going to read to you a text. We're not going to do much with the text, because this is going to be an introduction to the text, and we'll get to the text probably next week. But we're going to read Luke 17, verse 22 through 37. Christ speaking to His disciples said, The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, look here or look there, do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side or the other, so will the son of man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the son of man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop with his goods in the house not come down to take them away. And likewise, let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed, one will be taken, the other left. There will be two women grinding together, one will be taken, and the other left. Two men will be in the field, one will be taken, the other left. And they said to him, where, Lord? And he said, where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Now, this passage obviously is dealing with the coming of the Son of Man, dealing with the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but he's dealing with it mainly in the context of coming judgments. Understand that the Jewish expectation was that when Christ came the first time, He's setting up His kingdom, the Romans are going to be overthrown, the enemies are going to be subjugated, and Christ is going to rule on earth with peace and righteousness, and He's going to usher in His kingdom. That's the expectation. Much of what they thought regarding the kingdom of God was not wrong, but their timing was certainly wrong. What Christ tells them is, if you just look up a couple verses in verse 20 of Luke 17, It says, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, Look, here it is, or there, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. And so He's saying, your expectation of this earthly kingdom where Christ sits on His throne and rules in peace and righteousness and so on physically now, He's saying, you got it wrong. I've already inaugurated the kingdom. It's spiritual. It's in you. Not coming with signs to be observed. But, In verse 22, He says, the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And so He begins to talk of a future event. And He uses the phrase, the Son of Man. You'll desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, you will not see it. Then He begins to talk in verse 24 of the day of the Son of Man. He's using this phrase to describe Himself, the Son of Man. Son of Man generically simply means a child of humanity, that is, referring to His incarnation. But in using the phrase, the Son of Man, or the days of the Son of Man, He's making a much more profound statement. He's quoting a prophecy from Daniel. Daniel 7, verse 13. It says, I saw in the night visions, behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man. And He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him, and to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people and nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." You wonder why the Jews were expecting a kingdom where the Messiah would come and sit on the throne and subjugate all of His enemies and rule and reign? That's why. They understood that to be a reference to the Messiah. He would establish a glorious kingdom, and they thought it would happen in their lifetime. And so, in the context of our passage, Jesus explains to the Pharisees that the kingdom would not come as they expected. He explains that He's already ushered it in on a spiritual level. Yet, He continues in the very same context to teach of a future event. The day when He, as the Son of Man, will return once more. And as we see in our passage, this is a lot different than its first coming. Look in verse 24. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. There's a day coming. And it's not going to be like this meek little meek Messiah being born as a babe in a manger. There are only some shepherds here about it, and some magi, and this unknown woman from an unknown town giving birth. It's not going to be like that. He's saying, as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. It's going to be a global spectacle. It's going to be a glorious unveiling of the Son of Man. This is yet future. Verse 30, so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Our passage in Luke 17 deals with this day, but it deals with it primarily in the context of judgment. What I'm going to suggest to you this morning is that the coming of Christ, the coming of the Son of Man, is a real event that's yet future. He is going to come in judgment, but not just judgments. He's going to come, and that coming is the hope of the church. It's the hope of the church. Hebrews 9.28 says, So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. To save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. And so here we find what ought to be the posture of every genuine believer. Every genuine believer, as we're going to see in a moment, has an attitude which is eagerly anticipating or waiting for the coming of Christ. We're going to see that, and this is our introduction, we're just going to do a survey. We're going to do a survey of a bunch of New Testament texts to see that the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is and has always been the hope of the church, and it's your source and my source of encouragement and endurance and hope. And so, we're going to look at this under a few headings. We're going to see first and foremost that the reality of the second coming of Christ ought to produce anticipation. It ought to produce anticipation. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 4, Paul says, I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you're not lacking in any spiritual gift. What does he say? as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's saying to the Corinthians, you're gifted. Use your gifts. Use it while what? While you're waiting. And so in the past, we said that our task is to do as much as we can with all that we have been given for the glory of Christ while we await His return. You have all gifts. Exercise your gifts as you wait for the revealing of Christ. And so that's our attitude. Serve. Labor. And what does it say in verse 8? "...who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." And so, Lord, help me to persevere. Pray for my faith that my faith would not fail, like Christ did for Peter. Sustain me to the end. But it's clear that the waiting is for the revelation of Christ. This, as I said, is the posture of all genuinely converted people. 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 9. If you come on Wednesday nights, you've heard this. Paul, when he ministered in Thessalonica, was driven away by Jews who came to persecute. He drove them out of the city. He had to go elsewhere. He was concerned for this young church in Thessalonica. I mean, this is a church born in a city that was given to idolatry. It was a Roman colony and so on. He was concerned for them. A new church, and he got ripped away from them through persecution. Well, he received word back from Timothy and Silas that the church was doing very, very well. I mean, the church was thriving. The testimony of the church, they'd genuinely be converted. They were real believers. And so in 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2, Paul gives all kinds of evidences. It's clear to me that you're genuine. Chapter 2, he says, it should be clear to you that our coming to you is with power. You're genuine believers. But listen to how he describes their conversion in 1 Thessalonians 1.9. It says, "...for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." What a wonderful picture of conversion and repentance. From idols, to God, to serve the living and true God. Not the dead and false idols. But then he says this in verse 10, "...and to wait." and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." And so with that, he shows us that a characteristic of all genuine conversion is what? From idols, to God, to serve God, and to wait. The posture of every genuine believer is that of waiting for the Son from heaven. How often does the return of Christ enter your mind? I mean, what aspects of your life and behavior and attitude have been determined by the fact that Christ is returning? Your decision-making. How much of your decision-making is determined by the reality that Christ is coming again? This ought to be the posture and the attitude of every genuine believer. And then he says there in verse 10, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. There is, as we may see a little bit more, there is a, I mean, human history is all moving in one direction, and that one direction is towards the coming of Christ. But there's gonna be a culmination of multiple things as we approach the coming of Christ. There's going to be a culmination of human rebellion. The world is going to get worse and worse. This, by the way, biblical worldview. Human culture is going to get worse and worse and worse. Rebellion is going to become deeper and deeper and deeper, so that when God does pour out His wrath, even then, knowing that it's God pouring out the wrath, they still don't repent of their idolatries and their sexual immorality and so on. You see that in the book of Revelation. And so human rebellion is going to increase at the same time where revelation is going to increase. And so at the end is going to culminate in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who's going to receive all glory. At the same time, the human rebellion is at its peak and the wrath of God is poured out in judgment. All of this is going to happen at the same time. And so Paul could say to the Thessalonians, wait for the son from heaven. He's going to deliver us from the wrath that is to come. The reality of the second coming of Christ produces anticipation in believers, because with His return comes commendation. 1 Corinthians 4-5 says, Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. Don't judge out of hand. Don't be premature in this. Understand that ultimate judgment is coming by Him who has infinite knowledge. And when He does judge and discloses the purposes of the heart, each one's going to receive commendation. And so we wait in anticipation. He's coming, and when He comes, He's coming with reward as well as judgment. When He comes, He comes with commendation. When He comes, also will come completion. Would you be willing to raise your hand? Don't raise your hand. But would you be willing to raise your hand to say, I'm still a work in progress? You understand that you're still incomplete? And you say, but I'm saved. Yeah, you're saved. But you have this treasure in earthen vessels, don't you? You still have this body. You still have these tendencies. This is Romans 7. You still fall short. Even your worship is frail. How many of you this morning, when you were singing these songs, your mind was wandering and it wasn't computing? You're singing the words, but it wasn't reaching the heart. How many of you right now are thinking about something else? Even our worship is tainted by sin. Even our confession of sin is tainted by sin. We're incomplete. We understand that the Holy Spirit is a down payment. He's our earnest for the times coming when we're going to receive full salvation and full glorification. And so Philippians 1.6 says, I'm sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. When? At the day of Jesus Christ. It's complete, full redemption, full and final salvation, delivered from these bodies, even our bodies being transformed. Hebrews 9.28, again, says that Christ is gonna come a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who eagerly wait for him. You say, I'm already saved, but it's not complete. And notice Hebrews 9.28, to save those who eagerly wait for Him. And so again, that's the posture of genuine believers. Philippians 3.20 says, But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. And so I said, hey, you're incomplete. I'm incomplete. We still falter. We still fail. We're still daily reminded of our infirmity. The fact that we are all part of the human condition are suffering under the curse of sin. We understand that. And you may even be experiencing that physically. But the day is coming where, in completion, we'll receive a glorious body. By the same power that enables Christ to subject all things to Himself, that dominating power, that same authoritative power, is that what's going to transform our bodies. And so, the second coming of Christ brings anticipation. Why? Because there's going to be commendation at His return. There's going to be completion at His return. But also, the reality of the second coming produces endurance. Endurance. So I said this morning, how do you handle life? How do you handle the disappointments? How do you handle the difficulties? How do you handle suffering? 1 Peter 1.6 Peter says, In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, and glory, and honor, when? At the revelation of Jesus Christ. Saying this suffering's temporary, that's the worldview, right? I mean, it's difficult, relationally it's difficult, and health-wise it's difficult, financially it's difficult, there's grieving, you deal with your own personal issues, yes, it's all temporary. The trials of this life try your faith. But all of that is going to redound to the glory of God when He returns. It may be found to result in praise and glory and honor. And so we endure, right? So there's not just anticipation, there's endurance. And so we endure suffering, knowing that He's coming. 1 Peter 4.13 says, But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when? When his glory is revealed. When his glory is revealed. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 15. Paul says, for this we declare to you by a word from the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. He's encouraging them about those believers who have passed away. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so will we always be with the Lord." And what does it say next? Therefore encourage one another with these words. That's the whole purpose of doing this brief survey of these verses. Encourage one another with these words. Even death. Even the death of loved ones who've gone on before us. Understand that when Christ returns and His glory is revealed, those believers who have died are gonna rise. So that encourages us. Endurance, even through suffering. Not only do we have endurance in suffering, but we have endurance in serving. 1 Thessalonians 2.19, and I love this passage. It just encapsulates Paul's view of ministry. 1 Thessalonians 2.19, he says to this church, for what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? What tenderness, what commitment to serve. Paul is saying, when Christ returns, to be able to be there with those whom we have ministered among, to look to the coming of Christ with hope, saying that when Christ returns, I'm going to be able to show Him what I've done with what He's entrusted me with? It's like the parable of the talents. Again, do as much as you can with all that He's given you for His glory until His return. And so, to be able to say, look what I've done with what you've given me, and what is that? People. My joy, or crown of boasting before the Lord. He says, who is this you? What an encouragement. Let me ask you this morning. Where is it in your life that you're pouring in the life of others? Where is it in your life that you are having spiritual impact on others where you're either sharing the gospel with them or encouraging them in their own perseverance? Where is it that you are impacting others so that you can say, when Christ returns, I can say, this is my joy. This is my crown of boasting. I'm not trying to be too hard on you this morning, but are you so overcome with your own problems and so fixated with your introspection that you're of no earthly good to anybody else? We serve. Paul served. And this, again, to the Thessalonians, he was just persecuted in Thessalonica. He was driven out of town. What's his attitude? He's not licking his wounds. He's looking forward to the coming of Christ. What is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? What an encouragement to continue serving. James 5, 8 says, you also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 1 Timothy 6, 13, Paul's encouraging Timothy. Timothy, a young pastor in Ephesus, again, a city wholly given over to idolatry and Timothy's facing the pressures of life and the pressures of ministry. And there are many, and so he has people in his church who are adopting false beliefs. He's got false teachers in the city that are trying to impact his people. Beyond that, he's got the secular, the idolatrous community or culture that's pressing in on the church. And so Timothy's dealing with his own encouragement. He's dealing with fear. And so Paul has to tell him, you don't have a spirit of fear, and so on. And he encourages them in 1 Timothy 6.13. He says, I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment. He's saying, Timothy, all the charge and the instruction that I've given you, keep it. Keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach. Until what? The appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. which He will display at the proper time, He who is the blessed and the only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords." What he's saying is, Timothy, and listen, it doesn't matter what's going on in the culture around you. Idolatry, secularism, persecution, we could say post-modernism. Who's the King of kings? Who's Lord of lords? Who is the blessed and only sovereign? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is going to appear. And so keep serving. Keep serving. 2 Timothy 4, 1, again to Timothy, he says, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and teaching. Keep at it. Keep at it. Keep at it. Be faithful. Trust God's means. Just keep at it. Why? Because He's coming, and He's going to come as judge. He's going to judge the living and the dead by His appearing in His kingdom. The return of Christ is an encouragement. We can endure suffering. It's an encouragement. We endure with patience as we serve others. 1 Peter 5. Peter does the same thing. Exhorting the elders, He says, so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker of the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you'll receive the unfading crown of glory, Peter's saying, hey elders, serve. But what does he say? He says, serve, exercise oversight, not under compulsion, do it willingly. Don't do it for shameful gain. What's the encouragement for an elder not to minister to others for shameful gain? It's not about this life. The gain comes when the chief shepherd appears. Not domineering over those in your charge, What's the encouragement there? You don't have to be domineering to try to get people to do what they're supposed to do. You don't have to be authoritarian. You don't have to be legalistic. Just be patient. What should encourage you to be patient? The fact that Christ is going to come, and when He comes, He's going to reward you for your work. When the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." What an encouragement to serve. And you say, well, that's pastors, that's elders, that's Timothy, that's Peter to the other elders, but what about me, personally? You, personally? 1 Corinthians 15.58, the whole context there is about the resurrection. It says, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Again, context is the coming resurrection, the coming of Christ. And so keep at it. Be steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord. Listen, you don't have to have a position in the church to serve. This is the responsibility of every believer, right? I mean, that's Ephesians 4. You're trained to do the work of the ministry, ministry's people. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing in the Lord your labor is not in vain. The reality of the second coming produces anticipation. Why? Because when he comes, there's commendation. Because when he comes, there's completion. It produces endurance, endurance and suffering and endurance and service. Next of all, the reality of the second coming motivates us to holy living, motivates us to holy living. Now this is something you might not get in every church. I have to say, if you haven't been here the last few weeks, we at Calvary, we have some credibility to speak when it comes to, I think, when it comes to issues of legalism, when it comes to issues of holiness. We've spent many years preaching against legalism. preaching against hypocrisy. We just did a series where we contrasted the prodigal son and the father with the hypocritical older brother. And we're not big about lists, right? I'm not here to give you a list of things. You can do this, you can't do that. I don't believe that we produce spiritual growth from the outside in. Spiritual growth happens from the inside out. And so we use God's means, we trust in the work of the ministry, we trust in the sufficiency of Scripture. That's our approach. You know that. That being said, there are plenty of passages in the New Testament that seem a lot like lists, don't they? There is a Christian ethic. There is a life of holiness in contrast to a life of ungodliness. And there are exhortations in the New Testament to believers to say, don't do that, don't behave that way, don't think this way, but do this and think that way. That's not legalism. And what we're going to see is the impetus behind such holy living, oftentimes, is the fact that Christ is going to return. So 1 Thessalonians 5.23 says, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And notice He says there, your whole spirit and soul and body. Colossians 3 verse 4 says, When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. So what? Therefore, what is earthly in you? Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. In light of the fact that Christ is going to appear, get your life in order! Live a holy life! Don't participate in sexual immorality, covetousness, which is idolatry, impurity, passion, and so on. Why? What does it say? on account of these, what? The wrath of God is coming. I said to you that when Christ appears, He comes with commendation. Yes, He comes with peace. He comes with righteousness. Yes, He also comes with judgment. There's going to be wrath. Now, the wrath isn't for us. The wrath of God was poured out upon Christ. And because Christ has borne that wrath due to us, we receive pardon. We understand that. But could you imagine a believer who purports to be waiting for the coming of Christ, I'm waiting for Him, I'm eagerly anticipating His coming, participating in those things which Christ is coming to judge. This is what it's saying. Don't be sexually immoral. Don't give yourself over to your own fleshly passions. You're out of control, you're immoderate, you're indulgent. When Christ returns, there's going to be judgment on those things. We seek to be blameless at His coming. Imagine at His coming, we are found participating in those very things He's come to judge. 1 Thessalonians 3.12 says, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts, what? Blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when? At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 2 Peter 3.11, "...since all these things are thus to be dissolved..." Peter's talking about the end times and the fact that this earth is headed towards destruction. God's going to recreate the heavens and the earth. "...since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?" Spiritual realities and the end times, you know, eschatology, the end times timeline and so on, may seem kind of esoteric and kind of far removed from us. What we see in scripture is these metaphysical realities, these spiritual realities have real, practical, physical, day-to-day impact, or at least they should, on a Christian's lifestyle. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be? in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, saying, Lord, hurry up! How long? When's it coming? Hastening the day of the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. Verse 14, it says, Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish in that peace. Right? That's your posture as a genuine believer. You're waiting for these, and since you are, be diligent to be found without spot or blemish. Titus 2.11 says, "...for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. There's your motivation. Why should you live a holy life? Because you're trying to earn salvation? Absolutely not. Because you're trying to keep your salvation? Absolutely not. But live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life in this present age, why? Because we understand He's coming. We want to be found blameless when He comes. Why? Because we love Him. We want to live in such a way where the means that He's given us are working and kind of firing on all cylinders, so we can say, Lord, look what I've done with what you've given to me. You give me everything I need for a life of godliness, and I put those things into practice, and so we can stand before Him rejoicing in His coming. You don't have to shrink from Him in shame. 1 Peter 1.13 says, therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What would that look like? Right? You think, well, that's a very spiritual phrase. Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Christ. So you sit down, you just meditate on that, right? And just think about the grace that's going to be revealed. What does it look like? Well, verse 14, as obedient children, Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. Don't live like you used to live. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on Him as Father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." Don't live like you used to live. Don't live like you used to live. Instead, be like obedient children. Why? Because that's what it looks like to set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. We live as if we are waiting. And so, you have the parable in the New Testament, the idea of the bridesmaids and, you know, the bride, or I'm sorry, the bridegroom has left, and the wedding's gonna come at any time, and the idea being, remember the lamps, and they're supposed to have the oil in their lamps and everything? What's the picture? The picture is, you're constantly on edge waiting. You're constantly peeking out the window, saying, is now the time? Is now the time? Is it going to be today? Is it going to be today? And when you're waiting with that type of anticipation, what do you do? You make sure you're always prepared. Well, part of that preparation is what? Living in holiness. 1 John 2.28 warns us, Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. What a warning. If you're a believer, you're saved. If you're a believer, when He returns, yeah, that represents completion for you, and it can represent commendation and so on, but there's also a possibility that when He returns, we may feel shame. Why? Because maybe we haven't been abiding in Him as we ought to. And so, the coming of Christ, in conclusion, is the end to which we persevere. You persevere in the faith, why? Because I want to be found blameless when He returns. It's in anticipation of His coming that we pursue holy lives, desiring to be found blameless when He returns. The coming of Christ brings both reward and judgment, wherein God, the righteous judge, finally judges all things with perfect judgment according to His infinite knowledge. This judgment will include divine commendation for those who have suffered for His sake in this life. The coming of Christ brings ultimate glory for those who have exercised self-denial and delayed gratification in this life, which is what we're asked to do as disciples. The coming of Christ brings full and final salvation for us who are saved, yet still experience the limitations of our flesh and the effects of the curse of sin. The coming of Christ brings full glorification for our bodies, where all suffering will be eradicated. The coming of Christ brings victory over death, where there will be reunion with those believers who have died before us. The coming of Christ brings final reward for those who have labored diligently in this life, ministering to others. The coming of Christ is for us a deliverance from the wrath which is to come, the great culmination of both salvation and judgment. Have you heard of Blaise Pascal? Have you studied Blaise Pascal? He came up with something which has been coined Pascal's wager. And what Pascal said was, if you were to live the Christian life as if it were true, and in the end find out that it's not true, you will have been better off Because you lived a better life, even though in the end you find that maybe there is no God, and you just go off into eternity, or just cease to exist, or whatever it may be. But you will be better off because you lived a better life on Earth. Whereas, on the other hand, if you assume there is no God, and you live as if there is no God, and in the end you find out there is a God, well, you're in big trouble. And so that's what we call, what's been coined, Pascal's Wager. You're better off to live as if there is a God, even if in the end it turns out there is not a God. Well, that's not biblical. Paul said that if we have in this life only hope, then we are of all men most to be pitied. It's not just about this life. There's delayed gratification here. There's self-denial here. There's suffering here. There's hard labor here. That's the reality of this life. And he gives us the grace to enjoy his common grace in this life and receive the blessings of ministry and service and so on. But ultimately for the believer, our gaze is upon the next life, which is inaugurated at the coming of Christ. Beyond all of this and all the benefits that come to us at the coming of Christ, the highlight of the coming of Christ is what? Christ Himself. Christ will come in all of His glory. He will receive all the honor, finally let's do His name. All the blasphemy, all the rejection that you witnessed today will be done away with. Every tongue will confess, every knee will bow. And what Christ whom we love arrives. Christ who saved us, Christ who prays and makes intercession for us that our faith wouldn't fail, we see face to face. Christ who is rejected by men, will fully and finally be exalted on earth, receiving all the honor that's rightfully due to Him. Beyond that, the Bible says, we'll be caught up together to be with them, and so we will forever be with the Lord. That's the ultimate highlight of the coming of Christ, is Christ Himself. Let's go ahead and pray. Dear Lord, we thank You for the hope that You've given to the church. Lord, it's abundantly clear over and over and over and over again in the New Testament that you would have us to fix our gaze upon the return of Christ, understanding that the reality of his coming ought to have far reaching impact on our lives, our attitude, our lifestyle, how we serve, how we look at suffering. I pray that you'd help us to do some heart work and some self-examination and ask ourselves, what impact in our daily life does the reality of Christ returning, what impact has it actually had on us? Help us to meditate upon, think on the return of Christ and to allow the reality of his second coming to affect every aspect of our existence. Pray as a result that you would help us to experience that hope, that anticipatory hope, that enduring hope. Help us to handle suffering. Help us to be encouraged to serve. I pray that you'll bless us that way and help us to see areas that we can do better. And lastly, Lord, this morning, if there's any here this morning who are not yet believers, they have not turned to God from idol to serve the living and true God and to wait or your son from heaven, I pray that they would do so. Understanding that regardless of our personal beliefs, it doesn't change the reality that all of creation is moving towards one events, and that's the glorious revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray that these will prepare themselves for that day by confessing Christ as Lord now, putting their faith in him, understanding that in doing so, they'll be saved from the wrath that's to come. I pray that they too would be granted that hopeful anticipation. Their whole life can be lived with that posture of waiting for the return of Christ. Lord, we thank you for this. We thank you for the hope that this brings to us. And it's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen.