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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/marvin-derksen/his-coming/
Let's read in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis chapter 50. Last chapter of that first book and not quite the last verse, we'll look at verse number 24 of Genesis chapter 50. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land into the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.
Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died being a hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin or in an ark or in a chest.
He was put in a coffin in Egypt. Let's go to the book of 1st Corinthians chapter 11 for a second reading. 1st Corinthians chapter 11 and verse number 26. Paul has been writing, giving instruction concerning the Lord's Supper.
Verse number 26. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show, ye do proclaim, the Lord's death till he come, till he come. And just one final portion of 1st John chapter 3 has been referred to already in this this weekend.
Let's read these wonderful words again. 1st John chapter 3 and verse number 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God, the children of God.
Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, when he shall be manifested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
And every man, every person that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. Now we've been able to look back this morning, haven't we? We've been following the course, the long, long journey of this wonderful person.
It was a long journey, wasn't it? Came from glory, went to Galilee, went to Gethsemane, went to Gabbatha, went to Golgotha, went to the grave, went back to glory. It's been a thrilling, thrilling journey and it's been wonderful to be able to look back.
But the dimension of what we have done is not just looking backward. What we have done is designed to make us look forward. And I think sometimes while we believe in the Lord's coming and while we preach it, I wonder what impact does it really have on our lives?
Some of us older folk can remember the the buzz that took place in 1988. Now some of you weren't around but some of us were, way back in ancient history. And there was that, I called it a buzz, but anyway, I remember reading a booklet and it stirred a lot of people, a lot of Christians.
The booklet was entitled 88 Reasons Why the Lord is Going to Come in 1988. And I remember being at a Labor Day conference and people weren't listening to the ministry, they were reading the book because it was supposed to come in September of 1988.
Well he didn't come. And so sometimes we just turn the page and we don't talk a lot about the Lord's coming. Sometimes we can go through a whole conference and there's hardly a mention concerning what's just ahead of us.
This living hope, this wonderful truth. We are people of extremes and sometimes we're people of imbalance. One person said sometimes we we become so consumed with the ten toes of Daniel that we don't use our own two feet to talk to others about Christ.
Sometimes the Christian's favorite hymn is, hold the fort for I am coming, and that's about as far as it goes. No. No, this is the truth that is designed to impact our lives now. One thing that I remember from yesterday, and I'm not quoting Brother Stephen correctly, but what I think he said is that truth concerning the future is designed to impact our lives in the present.
Something like that, wasn't it Stephen? Okay. Truth concerning the future is designed to impact our lives right now. I remember being in Brother David Boy's house in East Aurora. He has gone home to heaven now.
He was a dairy farmer. Didn't have a lot from what I could see, but he was a man that lived in in the enjoyment of his Savior and in the enjoyment of the Lord's imminent return. And on his, on the little table in the kitchen, I don't know if he bought it or if he made it, it was a little, I was going to call it a flip chart.
It wasn't really a flip chart, it was just a little, just a little wooden item. And on the one side he just had two words that would turn over breakfast time, perhaps today. And I remember going there after the meeting and have a final cup of tea and then he's flip it over.
And on the other side were the words perhaps tonight. In the morning, perhaps today. At night, perhaps tonight. Well that wasn't theory with him, was it? That was living in the reality of what we've been engaged in this morning.
There are three types of Adventists. I'm not talking about Seventh-day Adventists, I'm talking about people who believe and anticipate the Lord's return. There are believers and we do know that he is coming, we do.
And there are other believers and they are looking for his coming. And yes, Paul could write about those that love, love his appearing. They're looking for it and they love it. It means everything to them.
And I think sometimes that we almost maybe stall at the first one. We know it, we preach it, we believe it. But what impact really does this wonderful prospect have on our lives day by day? What happened this week?
Did you think about the Lord's return? I well remember seeing a very dramatic and vivid illustration of this. In 1999 we were living on the East Coast in St. John's, Newfoundland and my youngest brother with his wife and three children were coming to visit.
A first visit for them. And our youngest two boys were I think 12 and 9 at the time and they were they were super excited. And I think that's not an exaggeration, they were super excited about the prospect of their cousins coming.
And the day came when the cousins were about to arrive and some very, very amazing things happened. Number one, our boys cleaned up their room without being told. That was amazing. That didn't happen.
They cleaned up their room. And the next thing we knew, looked out the window, and here they were doing cartwheels on the front lawn. Literally. Super excited. And then they would run in and they said, when are they coming?
How come they're not here yet? And then they'd go out in the front lawn and they'd do more cartwheels. And finally the van drove in and the door opened and the five cousins took off for three or four days of enjoyment.
I thought to myself, am I doing any cartwheels spiritually with regard to his coming? It's real, isn't it? But I think sometimes we're just looking maybe for the event. It is an event. But no, really.
We're not just looking for the rapture. We're looking for the Christ of the rapture. We're looking for a person. And wonderfully, there haven't always those individuals, those believers down through the ages that have anticipated that we're looking for his coming.
I think of Simeon and it just says of that, and I think he was an old man. We're not given his age, but he was waiting for the the consolation of Israel. And what a moment it must have been for him when Mary and Joseph brought the baby in.
And to me it's a picture of an old man. He reaches out, he says, just give me the baby. And he takes that little baby and he bows with worship and with wonder. He says, Lord, now let us now thy servant a part in peace according to thy word.
I've seen him. He's come. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Same place, same time, there was a woman by the name of Anna. And it says that she spoke of him to all that looked for redemption in Israel.
And of course there was Joseph at the other end of those 33 years. And it says, who himself waited for the kingdom of God. These people were living in the reality. It was impacting their life presently.
They were living with the prospect of the coming King. To me, if I if I had to boil or condense or reduce or or focus the entire message of the Bible, I think I could do it in three very simple ways. I think I'd take the Old Testament and just simply say, he's coming.
He's coming. And then as four men take up their pen to write the Gospels, the message would change and they wrote, he's here, look at him, he's here. And then the Apostle Paul and some of the other ones would take their pen up in hand.
And they said, oh yes, that's true, but he's coming again. He's here, he's coming, he's here, he's coming again. And that's why what we have done here today is not just a look backward with all of its blessedness and with all of its worship and wonder.
This is designed to propel our faces forward and our spirits forward. And that's why what Paul wrote, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death just till he come.
You know, we have already had a gospel meeting here this morning. We've proclaimed the Lord's death. We've given evidence that he is our all-in-all, that apart from a body given and blood shed, we'd still be in our sins.
That's the gospel message, isn't it? Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures. And so today we are proclaiming his death, but it's just till he come.
So what should be the impact? What is going to happen when that moment comes? Or in other words, why should the coming of the Lord have an impact upon our life right here and now in 2017 in Garneville, Iowa?
Very, very quickly and very simply, I just like to give you some of the some of the dimensions of the truth of his coming. Because you see, when he comes, it'll be the moment, the moment of ultimate and eternal transformation.
First John 3 says we shall be like him. We shall be like him. We want to look at that. He says we shall see him. And Paul adds in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we will be with him, like him, see him, with him.
And as one writer wrote, it'll be a moment when he comes, it'll be a moment of resurrection and rapture. And he said what a mystery, what a mystery, a moment of resurrection and rapture, a moment of revelation and reunion, what a moment, what a moment when we'll see him, when we'll see loved ones who have gone on before in Christ, what a moment of revelation, reunion, it'll be a moment of reformation and resemblance, what a miracle, what a miracle.
So when he comes, it will be a moment of transformation. What will happen? Well, there'll be the redemption of our bodies. Our bodies are going to be changed. Philippians chapter 3 tells us in verse number 21, we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies.
Now that's kind of a poor rendering in my mind. The body of humiliation, the body of weakness, and so on, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, be conformed to the body of his glory. Paul writes to the believers in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, we know that if our earthly house of this tapper knuckle were dissolved, if when we move out of this tent, this very frail tent, he says we we know that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
And he adds, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. For in this we groan. Groan. Is groaning a good thing? It's a spiritual thing. Yes, it is. Not growling. Someone said if you if you growl all day, you're gonna go to bed dog-tired.
No, this is groaning. Groaning is a spiritual thing, because we're groaning because redemption hasn't reached our bodies yet. We're still here, very much aware that we're living in bodies of corruption.
And wonderfully, 1st Corinthians tells us that that which is sown in corruption shall be raised in corruption. That which is sown in dishonor shall be raised in glory. That which is marked and sown in weakness shall be raised in power.
That which is sown as a natural body shall be raised a spiritual body. And so when he comes, it will involve the redemption of our bodies, and we will be changed. But not only that, it'll involve the revelation of the of the sons of God.
Now that to me is an amazing thing. Romans chapter 8 verse 18, he Paul says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
I would have thought it would have said the Son of God, but it says the sons of God. And so wonderfully, there is going to be the revelation of the of the sons of God, children of God, in his glory. 2nd Thessalonians tells us when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe.
In my little mind, and I'm open for help, but to me this amazing body of believers, the bride of Christ will be on display. Behold I and the children which God hath given to me, and there will be the revelation, the manifestation of the sons of God in glory.
But there will be not only physical transformation, there will be moral transformation. As I've already mentioned, and as John reminds us, we shall be like him. What does that mean? What does that involve?
Well, what is he like? He's righteous, isn't he? He's righteous. And here we are today, and we are enjoying, we are enjoying and appreciating a reckoned righteousness before him. That has been put to our account.
2nd Corinthians 5, a verse that we often quote, he has made him to be sin for us, he who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But you know and I know that we still sin, we still sin, we still grieve him.
And yes, we still grieve ourself, we disappoint ourself. Sin is still a very much, just a reality with us even yet. But there's coming a day when I will be like him, absolutely righteous. No sin, no misstep, no regrets.
I'll be righteous. We'll be like him. What is he like? He's pure, pure. And wonderfully again we are before him at present. We're holy and blame before him in love. Ephesians 1 verse 4. That's an amazing thing, isn't it?
Holy and without blame before him in love, but we still have to use the laver, don't we? Like in Old Testament times, they always had to come and wash, even after having been at the altar. And so, 1st John chapter 1, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And we can say amen when Paul says, I know that in me dwelleth no good thing. We look within. And sadly, sometimes there is impurity, practically speaking. But when that moment comes, we will be like him.
We will be pure. What's he like? Well, of course, the writers could say, in him is no sin, is no sin. And there is coming a day when I will never sin again, and you won't either. But there's something more.
I won't want to sin. I won't want to sin anymore, and neither will you. But there's something more. I won't be able to sin. I won't be able to sin, and neither will you. And that's why when he comes, there will be a moment of absolute and eternal transformation.
Does that excite you? That's what it's all about. He is coming. But there's something else, and I have to go quickly. The prospect of the Lord's coming is a hope, is a hope that's designed to purify and to sanctify.
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Now I haven't asked the sisters here what happened this week, but I would venture to say that there was a lot of housecleaning.
Conference is coming, and we've got people coming, so look, we got to clean this place up. I don't know if you painted anything or whatever, but there was likely some housecleaning, and we want to thank you for that.
Always great to come. But you know, if we understand that he is coming, there needs to be some housecleaning, isn't there? And it's interesting that when Mephibosheth, when David had gone over the Brook Kidron in exile, Absalom was hunting for his life, and it was a very tragic, dark, dark day in Israel.
The king was gone. There was a man who'd experienced the grace of that king. His name was Mephibosheth. And when he heard that the king was gone over the Brook, and when his life was in jeopardy, he stopped shaving.
He never trimmed his beard. He never washed his clothes. He never dressed his feet until the king came back. He lived in the anticipation, because the king's absence had an effect upon him. And so there are some, what I call, some perilous loves in this world.
We are speaking about the Samson generation, where we have a link with heaven, but a love for the world. And these perilous loves are pushing in on all of us every single moment. Paul's writing to Timothy makes us aware of the four, and he starts in 1st Timothy chapter 6 with the love of money.
Not money itself. No, we're not talking against money. We're talking about the love of money. And then he goes on to, in the second letter, to speak about lovers, people who would be lovers of their own selves.
It's all about me, you know. And lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. And then he notes that there is a man by the name of Demas, and he leaves because he loves this present world. Four perilous loves that affect all of us.
And yet, when we put the truth of the Lord's coming into alongside of those perilous loves, we find that it's heaven's antidote. Because while we need money, brother and sister, if the love of money gets a hold of us, it's going to be disaster.
And yet, godliness with contentment is a great gain, because he has promised to supply all of our needs, day by day, as whatever our need is. Lovers of their own selves, we need to walk humbly before our God in view of what he's made us, in view of what we will ultimately become.
Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Godliness, the fear of God, would solve that one. And lovers of this present world, this defiling, sinking, bankrupt world, this age, we understood that our separation to himself is the antidote.
It will purify our hearts and purify our lives. I think there's another aspect of the prospect of the Lord's return. It really is a prospect that should stir service and steadfastness. It's designed to put muscle and a focus in our lives.
You recall the Lord Jesus told a story in Luke chapter 19 about a certain nobleman that had ten servants and he gave them some pounds to use. And he said these words, Occupy till I come. Occupy till I come.
Now please, don't frame those words and put them over your bed, because that's not good. You don't want to occupy till he comes. No, the word means to trade, to trade, to barter, to use, to employ. Trade these, what I've given to you, until I come.
And so we were reminded about the stewardship that God has placed into our hands, not only our children, but he has given us his truth. He has given us his word. He's given us his gospel. He's given us the testimony that is designed to enhance his name.
I wonder, are we trading? Are we occupying? Are we using? Yes, even material possessions, our money, and so on. Are we using that to advance his kingdom? Because one of these days he that shall come will come, and then we'll be called to give an account of what we have done.
The prospect of the Lord's return is a reality that instills comfort and consolation. And 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 is likely read at most funerals, and John 14 is read at most funerals, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is one of those passages that are usually read.
The Lord could say, Let not your hearts be troubled. And then he says, I'm going to prepare a place for you, and 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.
And so this is a prospect, this is a reality that brings comfort and consolation to many a heart. There's a brother that was speaking to another brother who had just lost his wife, and those are tough times, aren't they?
And the one brother who was speaking to the bereaved brother, he said, I'm really sorry to hear that you lost your wife, and we can appreciate, we can understand what he was saying. And the other brother responded with these words, he says, Well, no, I didn't really lose her.
A person hasn't lost something when you know where it is. And I know where she is. I haven't really lost her. Now that's not taking away the sorrow and the grief. No, we do sorrow, but not as those that have no hope.
And wonderfully, as we look at this moment just ahead, perhaps today, perhaps today, there's the day coming when we will be swept into his presence, and there will be this wonderful reunion, an eternal conference.
We'll never get over it. That's the prospect, that's the reality that brings comfort and consolation to many a heart. What we have read in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 is really the request, a request that warms worship and remembrance.
The Lord's final, one of the final requests was just a very simple one, this do in remembrance of me. Please, just remember me. This do in remembrance of me. And they were, I don't think those disciples were really able to join the dots at that moment.
They couldn't fathom that he was really going to die. But then, of course, Calvary took place, and the empty tomb took place, and the resurrected Christ took place, and then they began to, he says, yes, right, we're going to remember him.
And so they began to break bread. That's why I read in Genesis chapter 50, because here's another savior of the world, Joseph. And he says, I'm dying. But he said, I'm going to give you a promise, God is surely going to visit you.
Guaranteed, he's going to visit you. He's going to bring you out of this land. And he said, I want you to carry my bones up hence. Now let me ask you, when you come to the end of Genesis, and we've often heard, you know, it ends with a coffin.
Is that a negative thing? Well, in one sense it is. Because Genesis 1 starts with the God of creation, the God of light, and the God of life. Death was not in view in Genesis 1, and yet we come to the end of that amazing book of beginnings, and there it ends with a coffin.
Makes us aware of what sin has done. But I'm not convinced that that's a negative thing. Because as the years passed, and as the climate in Egypt changed, the golden years of Joseph, the savior of the world, the revealer of secrets, they forgot him and another ruler began to rule.
And these people that have been so blessed under Joseph now became slaves. And the years ruled their pathway, their course, and there was no future until they looked at the box, until they looked at the coffin, and they remembered, God will surely visit you.
I think that's why God brings us back week by week, the Lord brings us back to just look at some emblems of simple loaf and at a simple cup. Why we look back to Calvary, we're made aware God will surely visit us again.
He is coming. It's an exhortation that is meant to edify and encourage fellow believers. And when I think of Hebrews chapter 10, the writer, whoever he is, that let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and then he adds, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.
Now they were living in tough days and that could well have been during Nero's time when the destruction of Jerusalem was just ahead, AD 70. Perilous times. Christians were living on the edge and they needed encouragement to go on for God, but I think we can we can bring it right into 2017, can't we?
To exhort one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. I'm thrilled with the word Maranatha. Now we don't, did you hear that this weekend? Did you use it at all this week? Because from what I understand, when believers met one another, they didn't say, hey, great to see you, how you doing?
No, they said, Maranatha, brother. Maranatha, sister. They were saying over and over again, the Lord is coming. Keep looking up, keep going on, and so I trust, as we have been able to look back today with fondness and with worship and with thanksgiving, may we never forget that it's designed to make us look ahead.
We to show the Lord's death just till he come, perhaps today.