Jesus is coming again! The Old Testament prophets proclaimed a coming Messiah but did not explain there would be two comings. When Jesus first came to earth in a human body, the Jewish people mostly did not receive Him as Messiah. They expected the Messiah would rescue them from Roman oppression. Jesus came to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world and to defeat death for our justification. He came to rescue people from judgment just as Noah and his family in the ark were rescued from judgment. Jesus is coming to earth a second time to receive His church to Himself and bring judgment to the unbelievers!

Where is Jesus now?

He has returned to His Father. He is preparing a dwelling place in His Father’s house where all those who receive Him as Lord and Savior will live with Him forever.

John 14:¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

²In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

What does it mean to you that Jesus is preparing a dwelling place specifically for you?

Jesus warns us to be ready for His coming

Luke 12:³⁵ Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

³⁶And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

³⁷Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

³⁸And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

³⁹And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

⁴⁰Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Where is your focus?

Are you watching = focus on Jesus

Are you wanting = focus on wants

Are you worrying = focus on needs

Do you know this song?

Coming Again – John Peterson, 1957

Marvelous message we bring, Glorious carol we sing,
Wonderful word of the King, Jesus is coming again!

Chorus
Coming again, Coming again, May be morning, may be noon,
May be evening and may be soon! Coming again, Coming again;
O what a wonderful day it will be -Jesus is coming again!

Forest and flower exclaim, Mountain and meadow the same,
All earth and heaven proclaim, Jesus is coming again!

Standing before Him at last, Trial and trouble all past,
Crowns at His feet we will cast, Jesus is coming again!

Our focus – Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Our challenge – Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti