Are you ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ?
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” – Romans 13: 11 – 14
If you are a fellow believer, I’m sure you’ve heard this question numerous times. Are you starting to grow tired of it and think, “I don’t even know if I’m still alive when He comes back”?
How to Stay Convinced
Today, let’s discuss the sermon recap of last Sunday’s sermon delivered to us by Sister Vivian Reolada. The sermon is a continuation of the sermon series, Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World – What on Earth Should We Do Now?
You can read last week’s sermon here.
In this week’s topic, Sister Vivian talked about How to Stay Convinced and it’s a topic that a lot of us can relate to.
When we talk about Christ’s return, the second time, when He comes, riding on a cloud, shining like a sun, at the trumpet’s call – a lot of us, even Christians have started to doubt.
We don’t doubt that He’s coming, we doubt that He’s coming SOON. We’ve started to think that after long years of this promise being unfulfilled, it’s not going to happen in our generation.
And if we, Christ-believers, start to doubt the imminence of Christ’s return, how much more the unbelievers?
Peter warned us about this when he said,
The Danger of Doubt
- Complacence – We become spiritually asleep, thinking that there’s always going to be tomorrow. I’d say, complacence is like a spiritual procrastination – we don’t do anything today because we think that there’s always going to be another day.
- Unbelief – If we are not convinced, then how can we convince others to believe? As we continue our spiritual complacence, doubt and unbelief will start to grow in our hearts.
It’s scary to think about this happening to Christians all around the world. This is why a lot of Christians are falling into the trap of compromise and flowing with the world, because they think that there are still more days to come to “change” before the promised return of Christ.
This is exactly what happened to the church of Laodicea when the angel of God said to the church,
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” – Revelation 3:15 – 18.
A lot of Christians right now has a Laodicean heart – they are neither hot nor cold – but lukewarm. And it’s said that God will spit them out of God’s mouth when that time comes.
Surely, we wouldn’t want that to happen to us, right?
So, what do we do to stay convinced that Jesus is coming and we should be prepared all the time – as it could be today?
Get up: Know that Our Lord’s Return is Imminent
We have to know or remember (if we’ve forgotten) that Christ’s return is not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN.
Now, you might say, “But it’s been years, decades, centuries and even millenia of this promised return but still nothing happened. Then, let me remind you.
“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? – Numbers 23:19
This alone should make us shudder and instantly wake us up from our slumber. If He said He will return, then He will. And whether He does it in this generation or not, we should wait as if He’s going to do it today.
Get Out: Wait on Him like a Lover Waits on Her Soon-to-be-Husband
However, during the time that you are waiting for your lover’s return from wherever he/she is from, you are preparing yourself for the time that he/she comes, right?
You are taking care of the things that you know are going to make him/her when he/she returns. And you make sure that you remain faithful until the time comes that you are together as one.
Now, think about this. What will your significant other feel when he/she returns and find you unprepared and are compromising yourself to something or someone else?
As Christians, we have all one thing in common – we love Christ and we believe in Him. We have a personal relationship with Him – more than a lover or husband or a parent. He is above and beyond any relationships we’ve had.
And that reason alone is enough for us to faithfully, longingly and steadfastly wait on Him. And that reason alone is enough to make sure that whatever we do in this life, will make Him happy on the time of His return or our meeting with Him in Heaven.
This also means that we should stay faithful to Him, as He wants us to stay pure in Spirit when the appointed time comes.
Therefore, we should not conform to anything that is sinful. Remember, Christ has already redeemed us from sins and if we continue sinning, it is a disrespect and an insult to whatever Jesus Christ has done on the cross for us.
Get Going: The Time Will Definitely Come
What an awestruck-wonderful picture that is. But do you know what else is imminent aside from the second coming of Christ? Our death.
Whether the second coming of Christ will happen in this generation or not, something more imminent is sure – that eventually, we will die. And the question is, are we ready?
Death just means the same thing – meeting Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior and our Creator face to face. And if we are not preparing for this yet, then we should because no one knows the hour.
Just like the return of the Son of God, death comes like a thief in the night, no one knows when and where. We know a lot of people who died at a young age, when we thought that they still have a lot ahead of them.
Scary to say, but this can happen to anyone of us. Therefore, we should always be prepared, like this is going to be the last day of our lives.
Ask yourself this question, “If this is the last day of my life, what will I do?”
Love is the Answer
Love is the real answer.
If we love God, then we will wait on Him diligently and faithfully.
And if we exercise the same love that Jesus Christ has showed us, then we will do what is good for other people. We will not commit murder; we will not lie or speak ill of others.
If we truly love, then, we are ready.
So, do you love the way Jesus Christ has taught you to love? If not yet, then it’s time to start now. Because as John the beloved said,
“If you do not know love, you do not know God, because God is love” – 1 John 4: 7 – 8
If you have something you want to pray for or if you’re struggling with staying convinced or having shadows of doubts, talk to us.
You can message us at +1 (707) 600 – 6010 or leave us a message on our Jesus Reigns Ministries Facebook page or DM us on Instagram @jrmvallejo.
You can also watch the entire sermon here.
Keep going, keep running the race and let’s all meet at the finish line! God bless and stay safe.