Jesus is Coming Back for You

Trevor Ferguson

August 8, 2014

John 14:1-3
¹Let 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.

Acts 1:9-11
⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

INTRODUCTION

Many Christians today are experiencing hard times. The world we live today is blatantly unfriendly to the Christian. Many of us are faced with economic difficulties and struggle to make ends meet, because our daily expenses are often more than our financial resources. In addition to these economic difficulties, we are constantly pressured to lay aside our Christian values and conform to the standards of a corrupt world system, which places great value of material things, riches and pleasure. The net effect of these pressures is that many of us as Christians are uncomfortable in this world system. This sometimes leads persons into a state of bewilderment and despondency. Some people are so down and out, that they can hardly make it from one day to the next.

The good news, however, is that this is not a permanent state for us.

Firstly, God is able to give us joy and peace in this present world. Despite the pressures and the confusion around us, if we put our trust completely in God He will work things out for us. He will provide for us financially and he will give us joy and peace – in this present world! We note the words of Jesus in John 16:33 - “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We will face troubles in this world, but with Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm! We have an assurance that God will provide for us. Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory. Matthew 6:30 also reminds us that if God takes care of the grass in the field He will also take care of us. We don’t have to worry God will take care of His people.

Secondly, we are assured by the word of God that this world is not our final home. Earth for us is a temporary residence. One of these days we will live with Jesus in a great mansion in the skies.

EXPOSITION

A look at the passage in John 14:1-3 will give us a better picture of what Jesus is preparing for us. Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples and says to them: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In 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. 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.” We note that this part of the final discourse between Jesus on and his disciples on the night of his betrayal. The setting is such that the disciples were worried and bewildered. Jesus had just declared that one of them would betray him and that Peter, arguably the strongest of his disciples, would deny him. Jesus however challenges his disciples – Do not let your hearts be troubled. Despite the grimness of this situation, the disciples could still have hope.

What was the basis on which the disciples could have this confidence – They had confidence in God – they knew Him as the Creator and Father; Jesus now challenges them - Believer also in me! – i.e. the revelation of God in the flesh, the son of God, the Redeemer. You have trusted God to this point – Don’t stop trusting Him now! Jesus goes on to remind them that God has adequate provision for His people – In my Father’s house there are many mansions (rooms). He has enough space for you! Jesus again challenges them again to trust Him – “If it were not so, I would have told you!” Jesus was in effect saying to them - I am not here to tell you fables, I am not here to mix up your minds. All that I have promised I am able to deliver. You can trust me – I am God!

The promise given in this passage is clear. Jesus says I go to prepare a place for you! If I go, I will come again. We know that he went, and we are equally sure that he will come again. The angels in Acts 1:11 also echoed this promise: “… Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” The same Jesus who went up into heaven is coming back for His people. We don’t know the day nor the hour but we have a firm assurance that He is coming back. Paul reminds us of this in 1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The Thessalonians were worried about the fate of those who had died before the Lord’s return. Paul however reminds them that those of us who are alive at Christ’s return shall not prevent them that are asleep from participating in the rapture. When Christ utters his shout, every saint in Christ from every age will hear and answer the call.

I say then to us today that not even death can rob us of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, for the dead in Christ shall rise first. It does not matter how bad the situation gets. If we remain true to Jesus, nothing will stop us from inheriting the mansions that Jesus is gone to prepare for us.

Look at how Paul puts it in Romans 8:35-39:

 

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Trouble is no match for the power of God; Death is no match for the power of God; the grave is no match for the power of God. The word of God again says it best in 1^st Corinthians 15:51-55 

⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Jesus is coming back for you and nothing can stop Him.

CONCLUSION

The word today is a reminder that Jesus is coming back for His people. Despite the rough, tough and difficult times that we face today, we can be assured that things will not continue like this forever. Jesus is coming back for us.

Let me warn however that this hope is only for those who are saved. If you have not yet accepted salvation, when Jesus comes back, you can only look forward to eternal damnation. But this does not have to be your fate.  The door of salvation is open to you right now. If you accept him, you too can look forward to his return.

I challenge you to repent of your sins, accept water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and you too will be able to anticipate, with joy, the coming of our Saviour.

God bless you today! IN JESUS NAME!