This week Paul Trask is standing in for Pastor Matt Burton. The subject of today’s program is the Second Coming of Christ.

• the Second Coming of Christ is the cardinal doctrine, and the central hope of the Christian faith, wherein God, through Christ sets everything right again, and restores that which was lost in the Garden of Eden
• BUT —
  • there were at least 12 “comings” of Christ in the first 40 days after His resurrection
  • Christ Himself said he would be with His disciples “always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20)
  • Through His Spirit, Jesus promised to “come” to His disciples, and not leave them as orphans (John 14:15-*18)
  • Jesus “came,” by His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, breathing new life into His new creation, the New Israel — the Church (John 14:15-18, 16:7; John 20:21-22; Acts 2:1-3)
  • Therefore, Christ never left — it’s only our perception of His presence, or the lack thereof

• Humans have limited ability to perceive reality — both physical & spiritual
  • Our senses of sight, sound and smell are outmatched by dogs, birds & bees, they perceive realities beyond our ability
  • Elisha’s servant and the Emmaus visitors had to have their eyes opened supernaturally in order to perceive reality
  • Jesus pointed out Nicodemus’ lack of spiritual ability to perceive the Kingdom
  • “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14)

• Jesus High Priestly prayer to His Father: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:22–23)

 

• Concluding admonition “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (the boasting of what he has and does), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”  (1 John 2:15–17)

 

(Genesis 2:7; 2 Kings 6:15-17; Matthew 16:12-13, 26, 28:9-10, 16-20, 18-20; Mark 16:9-11, 14-16; Luke 24:13-35, 31, 34, 36-43; John 3:1–6, 6:63, 14:15-18, 16:7, 17:20-23, 20:14-17, 21-22, 19-23, 24-29, 21:1-14; Acts 1:1-11, 2:1-3; Romans 8:19-24; 1 Corinthians 2:14, 9:1, 15:6, 7, 8, 19,45; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 1 John 2:15-17; Revelation 21:3-4)