2020-06-04 Coffee with Chris - 3 Ways to Anticipate Jesus Second Coming

The speaker discusses the concept of anticipation and relates it to different situations. They mention their anticipation of getting married and the anticipation of the end of the pandemic. They also discuss the importance of anticipating Jesus' return and being prepared for it. The speaker provides three ways to anticipate Jesus' coming: becoming more like Christ, caring for others, and prioritizing eternal goals. They conclude by expressing their hope that people would anticipate Christ's return and prepare for it. Good morning, and welcome to Coffee with Chris. I'm Chris, and this is Coffee. Today I want to talk about anticipation. There's actually something I'm anticipating right now, and that's me and Hannah getting married. In fact, I have right here in these boxes our wedding rings. You know, the thing about anticipating a wedding that is really interesting is you have all of these sort of touchstones of things that kind of remind you that this is coming and give you an ever-present evidence of that coming. Another thing that I think a lot of people are anticipating right now is the end of this pandemic and all of the temporary measures that we're taking as a result of it. The difference between that and the wedding is that I know when the wedding is coming, and we don't know when the end of these temporary measures and pandemic are coming. We don't even know what that's going to look like when it comes. We're anticipating things getting back to normal. It's likely never going to happen. We're going to a new normal of some kind. It's not likely to ever look like what it did before, but that's not a bad thing. These two things, though, remind me of something else that we as Christians are meant to be anticipating, and that is Jesus' return. So right after Jesus ascended into heaven, there were some angels who let the onlookers know, you know, Jesus is coming back. And so that's something we are meant to be anticipating. But similar to the pandemic situation, we don't know when that's going to happen. In Matthew 25, verse 13, it says, Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. A lot of people seem to get it in their heads every once in a while that they've cracked the code on when Jesus is coming back, but the scripture clearly indicates that's not accurate. We don't know when it's going to happen. But we are asked to be ready. It says, therefore keep watch, because you don't know when. Because you don't know when, you should be getting ready. It could come at any time. In 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 and 2, we read, Now brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. In other words, without warning. We are meant to be anticipating, and we don't know when it's coming. So I'd say it's pretty important that we get prepared. So with that, I put together a list of three ways that we can anticipate the Lord's coming. So number one, is devote yourself to becoming more like Christ. How do we do that? Through finding out about Him, through His word and prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit. Naturally, if you want to be like someone, you're going to need to learn about them. It, you know, stands to reason. And with anything. If you want to learn about it, you're going to have to do your research. So a big part of that is the Bible, but it's not just a clinical textbook. It's a living, breathing thing that the Lord wants to show us and reveal things to us by as it applies to our own lives. That's why prayer is so important. Speaking to God, asking Him to reveal to us what He wants us to learn, and you know, be open and recognize that sometimes that's going to, He's going to put His finger on sore spots where we would rather He doesn't highlight for us. He'll highlight it for us. So number two is care for others. Jesus said that what we do to others, we do to Him, and what we don't do to others, we don't do for Him. He also says that in Matthew 25, verses 40 and 45, He talks about that. You know, the Bible says that if we say that we love God, but we don't love our brothers, and by that we simply mean everyone else. If we don't love them, how can we love God? How can we love God whom we cannot see if we don't love our brothers who we do see? Those around us are all made in the image of God, and if we struggle to love someone who's been made in the image of God and is flesh and blood like us and relatable in that sense, how much more difficult would it be to love God who is so different from us, vastly different from us, even though we've been made in the image of God? We are so different from God. So it's important. We have to love those around us, and you know, Highway Christian Fellowship as well as many churches like to use the phrase, love God, love others, and that's not an itemized list as I see it. That's a contained thing. You cannot do one without doing the other. You can't love others without loving God, and you can't love God without loving others. So it's all part of the package deal. Number three is remember this life is temporary, and goals that don't take into account eternity shouldn't be our priority. I get it though. We've got to work through the week. We've got to put food on the table. Those are not unworthy goals, but what do we do from there? Do we spend our life chasing trinkets to make this life more enjoyable, or do we spend our time trying to reach souls, trying to reach people who need God, which is all of us. Do we spend our time doing that? So that's number three. So quick recap. How do we anticipate Jesus coming? Number one, devote yourself to becoming more like Christ. Number two, care for others. And number three, remember that this life is temporary, and treat it that way. Anyways, I'm praying for you guys, and I'm praying that more than just the anticipation of the end of this pandemic, that we would anticipate Christ's return, and do everything we can to prepare. God bless. Amen.