Sermon Tone Analysis

July 26, 2015

*Intro* – Years ago at a girl’s college, dates were only permitted on Saturday night.

A guy showed up on a Tuesday evening needing to see one of the girls immediately: “I want to surprise her.

I’m her brother.”

The woman at the desk said, “Oh, she’ll be surprised all right.

But not as much as me.

I’m her mother!”

I imagine the guy was the most surprised of all!

No one likes the unexpected!

But it’s going to happen to a lot of people one day – one day when Jesus comes again.

Most people don’t get this.

They don’ really believe such a thing is possible.

They are like the skeptics that Peter addresses in II Pet 3:2-4: “. . .

remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming?

For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Imagine Jesus breaking through the clouds with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God.

Crazy idea!

Not to Jesus.

That’s the subject He now introduces for the first time in Luke.

Verse 40 is key: “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

This sounds urgent.

Yet, there He stands right in front of them.

They must be thinking, “Say what?! Be ready?

You haven’t even gone anywhere.

How do we anticipate your coming?!”

But, of course, Jesus is preparing them for the incredible things that are about to unfold.

He has already told them in Lu 9:22, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

They didn’t get it!

When it actually happened, they were taken totally by surprise.

But in retrospect, the pieces began to fit.

Here, Jesus is giving them one more piece to fit in later.

He will go away – but He’ll be coming back, and so He urges that they be ready.

Notice, Jesus says it’s the Son of Man who will be coming.

They knew that was His favorite title for Himself.

It connected Him immediately to Dan 7:13) “I saw in the night visions, and 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.

14) And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, 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.”

The disciples must have wondered why Jesus is talking about coming when He hasn’t even gone.

But they would have known He was claiming to be Daniel’s “Son of man” who would be coming in the clouds to set up an everlasting kingdom.

It confirmed their fondest hopes.

They didn’t understand how it would all play out – the death for sin that would have to come before the coming in glory.

So, they would have been puzzled, but not totally in the dark.

And of course, later, it all made sense.

Naturally we now know the plan was always for 2 comings of Christ.

The first was His coming in humiliation to demonstrate God’s compassion, love, and perfection.

Further, in the words of Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man [note the title] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Even Daniel didn’t know the Son of man, before claiming His kingdom, must die to pay the penalty for sin for all who would choose to enter that kingdom.

Thus, the first coming was one of humiliation and suffering and compassion and death for sin.

But that death was followed by the resurrection and then the ascension back to the right hand of the Father.

And even as He ascended angels reported: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?

This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Now why does Jesus start talking 2nd Coming right in the middle of the discourse to the disciples warning against greed and anxiety?

What’s He doing?

He’s showing the 2nd Coming is the antidote to greed and anxiety.

He is showing His disciples, and us, there is more to this world than meets the eye.

It may seem that nothing is ever going to change and things will continue forever as they always have, but that is no so.

Jesus is coming again; when He does drastic changes will occur.

And the time to get ready is now.

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

He’s coming again, Beloved.

And this time it will be to judge and to rule and to reign.

So, even before He left, Jesus began to prepare His disciples and us by saying, “Be ready!” He’s coming again so, “Be ready!” That’s the message of 35-48.

So how do we be ready?!

In vv.

35-40 He urges that we Wait Expectantly.

And in vv.

41-48 He urges that we Work Earnestly.

Both waiting and working are part of being ready.

First 4 parts to waiting:

*I.

Assurance of His Coming*

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming.”

He’s coming, Beloved.

Jesus Himself said so.

Oh, the people who are going to be surprised.

We are convinced uniformitarians.

We believe nothing can interrupt the flow of nature and history.

The longer the delay; the more we doubt.

But He’s going to surprise a lot of people.

Redbook magazine surveyed several major denominational seminaries.

When asked, “Do you believe in the 2nd Coming of JC?” 99% said “No.” 99%! That’s future pastors!

No wonder the rest of the population does not believe.

But that is not going to stop Him, Beloved.

Jesus is coming again whether we believe it or not.

It’s been in God’s program since before the beginning of time, and it’s going to happen.

It’s inevitable!

The scoffers in Peter’s day mocked because it had been 35 years.

Imagine what they would say today and it’s been 2,000 years!

But Peter says they forgot one thing.

II Pet 3:8-9, “ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Two thousand years is a long time to finite people; it is nothing to and infinite God.

The delay is a sign of His patience and desire that every last person who has been chosen come to faith in Him.

It’s all on schedule, and He’s coming again.

He promised and His credibility is at stake.

About 27% of the Bible was predictive when written.

Hundreds of these prophecies concerned the 1st coming: that He’d be born in Bethlehem, be born of a virgin, spend time in Egypt, be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver, be crucified but no bones broken, that people would cast lots for his garments, that he would be raised again and ascend to the Father.

Written hundreds of years in advance and fulfilled with lazer-like precision.

Other predictions remain to be fulfilled.

God’s time-clock has been stopped for now because of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, but it will start again one day leading the culmination of all things.