Preparing for Christ's return

Christ coming for Church  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  33:10
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From Comfort to Coming

We have looked at the comfort of Christ coming (1The4:13-18) to the certainty and method of His coming, now to what we need to do to be prepared for His coming, and, yes, the warnings about not being prepared for His coming.
Don’t be uninformed; be comforted that He is coming (1The4:13, 18)
Don’t be uninformed or grieve like those with no hope, know the assurance of His coming and comfort one another with these truths
Know as He went, He will return (Act1:9-11; 1The4:16-17)
As He went into the clouds, He will return in the clouds for us to meet Him in the clouds
It will be a glorious event in heaven and here, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God!
Comfort for those who were in christ, should be comfort for those who are in Christ now (1The4:14, 17)
Whether we are among those who have fallen asleep prior to His coming and return with Him or alive when He comes, we are looking at some things today about being prepared and things we should know.
Will He find us ready (prepared) when He comes?
Will we be ready should we die before He comes?

Coming like a thief in the night

Paul brings a message of remembrance of things they already know which is interwoven with warning for those who are unprepared for His return.
1 Thessalonians 5:1–2 NASB95
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:3–4 NASB95
3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
(When will Lord Return)
Paul is reminding them what they already know, the time (Chronos) and the epochs (Chairos) they need not be informed, they know, but He is coming like a thief in the night.
Times = Chronos - Chronology of events, or sequence of events (i.e. dead in Christ will rise first)
Epochs = Chairos - right time for a thing to take place
The coming will be a surprise to many (1The5:2; 2Pt3:10)
To those who are prepared, the day will not overtake them (1The5:1-2, 4)
This is Day of the Lord event (1The5:2; Isa13:6-13; Joel2:1; Mal4:5)
Joel 2:1 NASB95
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near,
Sounds like what we read in 1The4:16
Malachi 4:5 NASB95
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
A great and terrible day, great for those who are in Christ, terrible for those who are not prepared.
Be ready He is coming when they are proclaiming peace (1The5:3)
Not in times of tribulation, but in peaceful times
When he comes it will be a time of destruction (1The5:3; 2The1:7-10)
suddenly like a woman in labor, and cannot escape
There will be no time to get away, no way of escape; a time of retribution to those who do not know God as it says in (2The1:7-10); a day of glory to the saints who are prepared!
We need to be ready, to walk in our belief, by our faith we are to live right, life in the light (1The5:5)
Be ready, know you are not in darkness (1The5:4)
Live in the light of His return, the assurance and the manner in which He will come in which we can find comfort and comfort others

Live in the Light as sons of light

Day of destruction or day of delight will depend on if we are prepared for the day of the Lord. Here are some things to know to be prepared.
1 Thessalonians 5:5–6 NASB95
5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:7–8 NASB95
7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–10 NASB95
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NASB95
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
You are sons of light, sons of day, not night (1The5:5; Jn8:12; Jn12:35-36)
Because we follow Jesus and He is the light (Jn8:12)
A good reminder about darkness and light is found in (Jn12:35-36)
John 12:35–36 NASB95
35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
So walk in the Light (1Jn1:5-7; Eph4:8; Rom13:11-14; 1Pt4:7)
Don’t walk in darkness for it is the absence of light and you will just stumble around
For you are light now according to (Eph4:8)
Salvation is near, so awaken from your sleep, put on the armor of light (Rom13:11-14) put on Jesus
Romans 13:14 NASB95
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Be ready, be prepared for when we put on Jesus we still need to be watchful (1The5:6)
the sleep mentioned here is laxity in being prepared for His coming. This is also see as moral indifference, so don’t be a sleep walker, but a light walker!
Be Sober (1The5:6-9)
Sober here is to be temperate or abstinent, sober-minded, watchful, circumspect, looking for his coming (1The5:9)
Be on guard (Lk21:34-36)
Jesus told them to be on guard, to keep alert, and pray for strength until his return for next would come standing before God.
May we take the promise of Jesus seriously and not frivolously for we are talking about being prepared for eternity!
Be armed (1The5:8; Ro10:17; 1Jn3:16; Rom15:4; Eph6:11-18)
be armed by the short version of the armor of God here, Breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation)
For faith comes by hearing (Rom10:17)
We should be willing to know His love, share His love and lay down our lives for others because of His love.
1 John 3:16 NASB95
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Hope comes from the Word of God; from the things written before are for our hope (Rom15:4)
Be encouraged (1The5:9-10; 1The4:16-17; Rom2:4-11; 1The1:10; Rom5:8-10; Php1:21-23)
We are to live in light of our salvation (1The5:9); our future salvation will not just be by faith, it will be seen, in the clouds of the sky! Not quietly, but will be quickly (1The4:16-17)
Also, live in the light to be seen, by our faith others may see it!
Live in the light of His return be we dead or alive we will be with Him!
Live in the light of His return, being prepared for judgment is coming as it says in Rom2:4-11! for Jesus came to spare us, deliver us from that (1The1:10)
Live in the light of His return under the blood of Christ (Rom5:8-10); so whether we live or die, we will live together with Christ
Philippians 1:21–23 NASB95
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
Be comforted (1The5:11; 2Cor1:3-4; 1The4:18)
Since we are comforted by being ready, we are to help others to be comforted too by comforting them (1The5:11) and what he said in (1The4:18)
We can learn from the apostles words too for us
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NASB95
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Be edifying (1The5:11; Rom14:19; Rom15:2; Eph4:11-12; Eph4:15-16)
From encouraging to edifying, make peace by building up each other, and living to please our neighbor (Rom15:2) for that is why the gifts were given to the church (Eph4:11-12)
Ephesians 4:15–16 NASB95
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Our proper working is helping it is helping each other to be fully prepared for Christ return, working together in love for one another and with one another, for we are all needed.
(Invitation slide-Living in the light of His return)
Paul reminded them, and we can learn from it what we need to know to live in the light of Christ return. He instructed them to walk in the light as children of light and what to do to be prepared. Put on your armor, be self-controlled, be vigilant to preserve the faith, hope and love, for there are those who are not prepared and walk in darkness, Darkness they do not need to walk in.
(invitation)
(invitation slide-2 Walk in the light)
(song) (exit slides)
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