“Even So, Come!” – FBC Morning Light (12/31/2024)

Well, good morning to you on this last day of the year. We look forward to a new year beginning tomorrow. We look back over a year that has just passed, and this is a great time to revisit one of the great promises that Jesus made as he left this earth, and that was that he would come again.

This was the message of the angels in the book of Acts, chapter 1. Just as Jesus was ascending into heaven and the apostles are standing there dumbfounded looking up into heaven and gazing at this wonder that has just occurred, and the angel appears to them and says, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?

This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. And the apostle Paul picks up on that in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, this wonderful passage that gives us great comfort and assurance that those who are in Christ who have died before us, that all is not lost for them, there is hope for them, there is a resurrection of the body.

But when? When Jesus comes again. Paul says this in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, he says, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him, with Jesus, those who sleep in Jesus.

And in verse 16 he says, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Jesus is coming again. And then we come to the end of our Bible reading series for this year, reading through the Bible, and it takes us to Revelation and the last pages of the book.

The last of the revelation given to man by God, given to the apostle John. And what is one of the last things that is said, the last promise that is made to John in this incredible book of Revelation?

Jesus himself says in Revelation 22 verse 12, Behold, I am coming quickly. I am coming quickly. Honestly, people through the years have taken that statement and understood it in different ways. Some have thought that Jesus was going to come in the first century, or in the second century, but certainly it wouldn't be 20 centuries or 21 centuries later, because he says he's going to come quickly.

The point of that quickly statement of Jesus is that when he comes, it's going to happen suddenly. As Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5, let me read that for you. 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul says, concerning the times and the seasons of Jesus' return, he says, You have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

The emphasis is on the suddenness of it. That also is what Jesus indicated when he talked about the fact that as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man. In the days of Noah, everybody was just carrying on life as usual, like nothing was going to happen, and then boom, all of a sudden the rains descended, and the floods came, and they all perished.

Likewise, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man. When Jesus comes again, he's coming quickly. It's coming suddenly, unexpectedly, part of the world that is. But it doesn't need to be that way for us, those of us who know Christ, those of us who are in Christ Jesus.

We can live and should be living in anticipation of that day. Another day, another year has ended. A new one is about to begin. When this year that is about to pass away began 365 days ago, we looked forward to it wondering, could this be the year?

Could this be the year? Jesus said he's coming again. Could it be in this year? Here we are at the dawn of a new year, and we look forward to another 365-day cycle. We had one more than that last year, but this year we have 365 to look forward to.

We wonder, will we get through all 365? What does this year hold out for us? Well, one of the things that we hope for is that Jesus' promise of returning will come to pass. I am coming quickly, Jesus says.

What is therefore the desire and the longing of the heart of those who are Christ's? It's expressed in verse 17. The Spirit and the Bride. Who's the bride? The church and the people of God. The Spirit and the Bride say, come, come.

Let him who hears say, come. Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. He too will say, come. We want the Lord Jesus to return. Finally, as this book ends, it says, he who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming quickly.

Our response is, amen. That is, so let it be. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Is that the cry of your heart? Is that the longing of your heart as 2025 dawns tomorrow? Do you long for the joy of not seeing 2026 come into being because Jesus has come?

Yes, let's cry out together, even so, come, Lord Jesus. Our Father and our God, we're grateful for the wonderful promise that we have of the soon return of the Lord Jesus. We know not when, we just know it will be.

We pray, even so, come, Lord Jesus. We ask this in name. Amen. Finally, the last words of the Bible, Revelation 22, verse 21, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.