all right let's<\/p>\n
I think we're we have Sunday school<\/p>\n
today let's pray for the kids<\/p>\n
let's pray Lord juice we we thank you<\/p>\n
for your church Lord we thank you that<\/p>\n
uh you've given us a community or the<\/p>\n
people who love you while we pray for<\/p>\n
the kids in our community today where we<\/p>\n
pray for wisdom Lord in instructing the<\/p>\n
kids Lord we pray that things would go<\/p>\n
well and pray this in Jesus name amen<\/p>\n
so the sermon today uh is going to be in<\/p>\n
English<\/p>\n
and we have translation at the back<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
so if anyone needs if anyone would like<\/p>\n
translation into Thai<\/p>\n
there are devices at the back<\/p>\n
okay can everyone hear pick yo in the<\/p>\n
back<\/p>\n
hands up if you can hear the translation<\/p>\n
okay great let's get started so<\/p>\n
uh sorry I have a little bit of a cold<\/p>\n
but hello everybody hope your weeks have<\/p>\n
been well<\/p>\n
we're making our way towards the end of<\/p>\n
the year it's almost December and so we<\/p>\n
approached the time in the Christian<\/p>\n
calendar that's known as Advent<\/p>\n
um the word Advent means coming and it's<\/p>\n
a four week period before Christmas<\/p>\n
where we look back to Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
coming to Earth<\/p>\n
and we look forward to his second coming<\/p>\n
as well<\/p>\n
it's a time for preparing preparing for<\/p>\n
and anticipating the coming of Christ<\/p>\n
and it's a time for us to reflect upon<\/p>\n
the promises of God<\/p>\n
and to long for the Fulfillment of those<\/p>\n
promises<\/p>\n
it's also a time of rejoicing and<\/p>\n
anticipation<\/p>\n
and so today we lit the first candle of<\/p>\n
Advent the candle that symbolizes hope<\/p>\n
and so the question is what is Hope<\/p>\n
dictionaries will say that hope is<\/p>\n
wanting something to happen or be true<\/p>\n
and that's how we tend to use it today<\/p>\n
so I hope you have a good time or I hope<\/p>\n
I get a promotion I hope my kids will<\/p>\n
get into this school I hope he or she<\/p>\n
remembers our anniversary<\/p>\n
it conveys doubt I don't know if it's<\/p>\n
going to happen or not but I hope it<\/p>\n
does<\/p>\n
I'm not sure if it's true or not but I<\/p>\n
want it to be<\/p>\n
and so that's how we tend to use hope<\/p>\n
today but the Bible says hope is not<\/p>\n
just a feeling<\/p>\n
it's a confident expectation for<\/p>\n
something in the future<\/p>\n
biblical hope is something that has<\/p>\n
certainty to it<\/p>\n
Hebrews 11 says now Faith is confidence<\/p>\n
in what we hope for and Assurance about<\/p>\n
what we do not see<\/p>\n
and when you when you let that sink in<\/p>\n
you'll find that hope is faith in the<\/p>\n
future tense<\/p>\n
hope is not just wishful thinking it's a<\/p>\n
strong confidence characterized by<\/p>\n
certainty<\/p>\n
that's why in Romans 4 Paul says Abraham<\/p>\n
in Hope believed fully persuaded that<\/p>\n
God had the power to do what God had<\/p>\n
promised<\/p>\n
hope is something that you expect in the<\/p>\n
future that actually enables you to<\/p>\n
handle the present<\/p>\n
I'll say it again hope is something that<\/p>\n
you expect in the future that enables<\/p>\n
you to handle the present<\/p>\n
and your expectation of the future has<\/p>\n
to be sufficient so it enables you to<\/p>\n
and so the question is what is the<\/p>\n
Christian's greatest hope<\/p>\n
the Old Testament Jews would have said<\/p>\n
the coming of the Messiah the one who<\/p>\n
God promised would put an end to all<\/p>\n
evil all Injustice all suffering and<\/p>\n
restore peace to the world<\/p>\n
what what do you personally hope in<\/p>\n
what wakes you up in the morning<\/p>\n
what gives you purpose what's your<\/p>\n
reason for living<\/p>\n
what do you look forward to do you have<\/p>\n
a hope that is lasting and enduring<\/p>\n
able to withstand the highs and lows of<\/p>\n
life<\/p>\n
is there any such thing<\/p>\n
is there such a hope that is permanent<\/p>\n
and secure<\/p>\n
our answer to this question takes us to<\/p>\n
the very end of the Bible the last<\/p>\n
chapter of the Book of Revelation<\/p>\n
the end of History revelation 22.<\/p>\n
let me read to us<\/p>\n
the text<\/p>\n
which is<\/p>\n
not on the screen<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
I'm afraid we we might have to make do<\/p>\n
without slides today<\/p>\n
so revelation 22 if you have your Bibles<\/p>\n
or phones turn with me to revelation 22.<\/p>\n
then the angel showed me the river of<\/p>\n
the Water of Life as clear as Crystal<\/p>\n
flowing from the Throne of God and of<\/p>\n
the Lamb down the middle of the great<\/p>\n
Street<\/p>\n
of the city<\/p>\n
on each side of the river stood the Tree<\/p>\n
of Life bearing 12 crops of fruit<\/p>\n
yielding its fruit every month<\/p>\n
and the leaves of the tree are for the<\/p>\n
healing of the Nations<\/p>\n
no longer will there be any curse the<\/p>\n
Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in<\/p>\n
the city and the servants will serve him<\/p>\n
they will see his face and his name will<\/p>\n
be on their foreheads<\/p>\n
there will be no more night<\/p>\n
they will not need the light of a lamp<\/p>\n
or the light of the Sun for the Lord God<\/p>\n
will give them light<\/p>\n
and they will reign forever and ever<\/p>\n
the angel said to me these words are<\/p>\n
trustworthy and true the Lord The God<\/p>\n
Who inspires the prophet sent his Angel<\/p>\n
to show his servants the things that<\/p>\n
must soon take place<\/p>\n
look I am coming soon blessed is the one<\/p>\n
who keeps the words of the prophecy<\/p>\n
written in the scroll<\/p>\n
I John am the one who saw oh I am the<\/p>\n
one who heard and saw these things and<\/p>\n
when I had heard and seen them I fell<\/p>\n
down to worship at the feet of the Angel<\/p>\n
who had been showing them to me<\/p>\n
but he said to me don't do that I'm a<\/p>\n
fellow servant with you and with your<\/p>\n
fellow prophets and with all who keep<\/p>\n
the words of the scroll worship God<\/p>\n
then he told me do not seal up the words<\/p>\n
of the prophecy of this scroll because<\/p>\n
the time is near<\/p>\n
let the one who does wrong continue to<\/p>\n
do wrong let the vowel person continue<\/p>\n
to be vile and let the one who does<\/p>\n
right and continue to do right and let<\/p>\n
the holy person continue to be holy<\/p>\n
look I am coming soon my reward is with<\/p>\n
me and I will give to each person<\/p>\n
according to what they have done I am<\/p>\n
the Alpha and the Omega the first and<\/p>\n
the last the beginning and the end<\/p>\n
blessed are those who wash their robes<\/p>\n
that they may have the right to the tree<\/p>\n
of life and may go through the gates<\/p>\n
into the city<\/p>\n
outside other dogs those who practice<\/p>\n
magic Arts the sexually immoral the<\/p>\n
murderers the idolaters and everyone who<\/p>\n
loves and practices falsehood<\/p>\n
I Jesus have sent my angel to give you<\/p>\n
this testimony for the churches I am the<\/p>\n
root and The Offspring of David and the<\/p>\n
Bright Morning Star<\/p>\n
the spirit and the bride say come and<\/p>\n
let the one who hears say come<\/p>\n
let the one who is thirsty come and let<\/p>\n
the one who wishes to take the free gift<\/p>\n
of the Water of Life<\/p>\n
I warn everyone who hears the words<\/p>\n
of the prophecy of this scroll if<\/p>\n
anybody adds anything to them God will<\/p>\n
add to that person the plague is<\/p>\n
described in the scroll<\/p>\n
and if anyone takes the words away from<\/p>\n
the scroll of Prophecy God will take<\/p>\n
away from that person any share in the<\/p>\n
tree of life and in the holy city which<\/p>\n
are described in the scroll<\/p>\n
he who testifies to these things says<\/p>\n
yes I am coming soon<\/p>\n
amen come Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
the grace of the Lord Jesus be with<\/p>\n
God's people amen<\/p>\n
this is the word of God<\/p>\n
so when we read the book of Revelation<\/p>\n
it's easy to forget the original<\/p>\n
audience to whom the book is written<\/p>\n
because Revelations about the future and<\/p>\n
so when we read it the tendency is for<\/p>\n
us to ask well what's our future<\/p>\n
and then we forget that this book was<\/p>\n
written by John to a specific group of<\/p>\n
people at a specific point in time who<\/p>\n
are going through a specific experience<\/p>\n
and so the author John writes this for<\/p>\n
them he writes it for us too but firstly<\/p>\n
he writes it for them<\/p>\n
and so in order for us to understand<\/p>\n
what it means for us we need to know<\/p>\n
what it meant for them<\/p>\n
and so who is John writing it to<\/p>\n
or you can read about it in chapters two<\/p>\n
and three he is writing to people who<\/p>\n
saw their friends and family being<\/p>\n
killed<\/p>\n
people who witnessed More Death pain<\/p>\n
tears and suffering than any of us in<\/p>\n
this room<\/p>\n
this was written during a time when the<\/p>\n
Roman Emperor called for the<\/p>\n
extermination of Christians and so the<\/p>\n
homes of Christians were being plundered<\/p>\n
Christians were being torn apart by wild<\/p>\n
beasts with large audiences watching<\/p>\n
they were being impaled on Stakes they<\/p>\n
were being burned alive they were<\/p>\n
crucified by the hundreds amongst the<\/p>\n
highways of Rome<\/p>\n
this is what they faced and what did<\/p>\n
John give them so that they could face<\/p>\n
it<\/p>\n
this book<\/p>\n
he gave them this book<\/p>\n
and in this chapter we read about what<\/p>\n
Paul calls the Blessed hope in Titus 2<\/p>\n
13 He says the Blessed hope the<\/p>\n
appearing of Glory of our great God and<\/p>\n
Savior Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
the second coming of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
you know in in first Thessalonians Paul<\/p>\n
defines Christians by saying they are<\/p>\n
people who wait for Jesus's return<\/p>\n
now just as an S side<\/p>\n
how much do we think about the second<\/p>\n
coming<\/p>\n
if someone were to come up to us and ask<\/p>\n
us I noticed that you go to church it<\/p>\n
seems to be really important to you what<\/p>\n
does it mean for you to be a Christian<\/p>\n
and then you say well<\/p>\n
when it all comes down to it I am<\/p>\n
someone who is waiting for Jesus to come<\/p>\n
I don't think this answer is very common<\/p>\n
and when we neglect the truth that Jesus<\/p>\n
is coming back again we're ignoring the<\/p>\n
greatest one of the greatest treasuries<\/p>\n
of Hope<\/p>\n
in the Christian faith<\/p>\n
three times in this chapter Jesus says I<\/p>\n
am coming soon<\/p>\n
and these are the last words of the<\/p>\n
Bible and this is not a goodbye this is<\/p>\n
a I'll be right back I'm coming soon<\/p>\n
when you hear someone say I'll be right<\/p>\n
back what does that fill you with<\/p>\n
anticipation longing there's an<\/p>\n
expectation that although that person<\/p>\n
may have left the room they're coming<\/p>\n
and this is true with Jesus as well<\/p>\n
this is how John gives his readers hope<\/p>\n
to endure because Jesus is coming back<\/p>\n
so our question our main question for<\/p>\n
today is<\/p>\n
how does the second coming of Jesus give<\/p>\n
us hope<\/p>\n
Jesus says it three times<\/p>\n
which means it must be important each<\/p>\n
time he says it he attaches a lot of<\/p>\n
nuance to it<\/p>\n
and each time that he says he's coming<\/p>\n
back it's meant to shape how we live now<\/p>\n
so first time he says it is in verse<\/p>\n
seven look I'm coming soon blessed is<\/p>\n
the one who keeps the words of the<\/p>\n
prophecy written on the scroll<\/p>\n
in other words Jesus is saying you will<\/p>\n
be blessed if you build your life on<\/p>\n
now this language it may sound familiar<\/p>\n
blessed is the one the reason it sounds<\/p>\n
familiar is because it's a beatitude<\/p>\n
just like in The Sermon on the Mount<\/p>\n
where Jesus says blessed are the meek<\/p>\n
for they shall inherit the earth so<\/p>\n
beatitude<\/p>\n
and these Beatitudes are all over<\/p>\n
scripture there's actually seven of them<\/p>\n
in Revelation and one of them is right<\/p>\n
here<\/p>\n
so the idea of blessing here does not<\/p>\n
mean a temporary state of Happiness<\/p>\n
where life is going well that's not what<\/p>\n
blessing means<\/p>\n
blessed here is about a deep sense of<\/p>\n
well-being<\/p>\n
that does not change based on our<\/p>\n
circumstances<\/p>\n
it's there regardless of what you're<\/p>\n
going through it's steady it's constant<\/p>\n
it's a deep current of joy that nothing<\/p>\n
else can touch because it runs deeper<\/p>\n
than anything else<\/p>\n
it's a sense of enduring satisfaction<\/p>\n
it's life how it should be<\/p>\n
what does Jesus say<\/p>\n
life how it should be enduring<\/p>\n
satisfaction blessedness is found for<\/p>\n
those who keep<\/p>\n
the words in this book<\/p>\n
a truly satisfying life is found when<\/p>\n
you take the teaching of the second<\/p>\n
coming and place it in the center of<\/p>\n
your faith<\/p>\n
we find blessedness when we live in<\/p>\n
light of the knowledge that Jesus will<\/p>\n
return<\/p>\n
why is that<\/p>\n
because we are hope-filled creatures<\/p>\n
the way we live now is completely<\/p>\n
controlled by what we believe about the<\/p>\n
future<\/p>\n
how we live in the present how we live<\/p>\n
right now it's completely controlled by<\/p>\n
what we think about the future we all<\/p>\n
know this implicitly<\/p>\n
how well you can take two people in the<\/p>\n
exact same circumstances and what they<\/p>\n
believe about the future can cause them<\/p>\n
to live very differently in the present<\/p>\n
so here's two people and they're both<\/p>\n
given the same job<\/p>\n
for 10 hours a day they're both taken to<\/p>\n
a wall that's white and they're told<\/p>\n
paint this white wall light<\/p>\n
it's very boring it doesn't make any<\/p>\n
difference it's very mundane paint the<\/p>\n
white wall White<\/p>\n
so two people boring job 10 hours a day<\/p>\n
and then you tell the first person that<\/p>\n
they're going to be paid 10 000 Baht by<\/p>\n
the end of the year<\/p>\n
and then you tell the second person hey<\/p>\n
you're going to be paid 10 million Baht<\/p>\n
at the end of the year<\/p>\n
you already know what's going to happen<\/p>\n
by the second or third month<\/p>\n
the first person will go oh I can't take<\/p>\n
it anymore this is driving me crazy I<\/p>\n
quit<\/p>\n
but what about the second person<\/p>\n
they're going to be working away just<\/p>\n
fine whistling away<\/p>\n
because they know at the end of the year<\/p>\n
there's 10 million Baht waiting for them<\/p>\n
the second person knows and is certain<\/p>\n
that there is good news coming their way<\/p>\n
see they both have the same<\/p>\n
circumstances they're both painting a<\/p>\n
but they're facing it in two completely<\/p>\n
different ways<\/p>\n
because what they believe about the<\/p>\n
future and what we believe about the<\/p>\n
future it makes all the difference<\/p>\n
do you believe that when you die you<\/p>\n
just rot<\/p>\n
that this world is all we have<\/p>\n
and one day the Sun is going to die and<\/p>\n
all human civilization will be gone<\/p>\n
and everything everyone ever has done<\/p>\n
will have no meaning at all<\/p>\n
is that what you believe or do you<\/p>\n
believe this that Jesus will one day<\/p>\n
that he will make the world right again<\/p>\n
and therefore everything that we do now<\/p>\n
counts forever our work has meaning our<\/p>\n
relationships have meaning the way we<\/p>\n
treat other people the way we treat the<\/p>\n
Earth<\/p>\n
if we knew Jesus was coming back<\/p>\n
tomorrow<\/p>\n
would we live any differently<\/p>\n
is there anything that we would do that<\/p>\n
we've been putting on hold<\/p>\n
see it's completely it's two different<\/p>\n
Futures and depending on which one you<\/p>\n
believe you'll live in two completely<\/p>\n
so verses 12 to 13 Jesus says look I'm<\/p>\n
coming soon my reward is with me and I<\/p>\n
will give to each person<\/p>\n
according to what they have done<\/p>\n
so the second place Jesus says he's<\/p>\n
coming again verse 12.<\/p>\n
and what he does here is he talks about<\/p>\n
a reward<\/p>\n
talks about giving to each person what<\/p>\n
they have done<\/p>\n
in other words he's pronouncing judgment<\/p>\n
and so now we return to the question if<\/p>\n
we knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow<\/p>\n
some many people have been asked this<\/p>\n
question some answers this might<\/p>\n
resonate with some of us some answers<\/p>\n
might include one spending more time<\/p>\n
with loved ones two forgiving people of<\/p>\n
the hurts that they've caused us the<\/p>\n
real reconciliation making good on<\/p>\n
relationships that have gone bad<\/p>\n
being more generous with our possessions<\/p>\n
not taking people for granted anymore<\/p>\n
under the illusion that they have an<\/p>\n
infinite amount of patience with Who We<\/p>\n
Are<\/p>\n
in other words<\/p>\n
living the way we think we should be<\/p>\n
living every day<\/p>\n
except we're just putting it off<\/p>\n
if we knew Jesus was coming back we<\/p>\n
would focus on what really mattered<\/p>\n
and if we believe Jesus was coming back<\/p>\n
as a judge there would be a sense of<\/p>\n
urgency a sense of spiritual alertness<\/p>\n
and reordering of our priorities<\/p>\n
someone who is on a sinking ship does<\/p>\n
not go around rearranging furniture<\/p>\n
they don't decide to sit down and eat a<\/p>\n
10 course meal if they know the ship<\/p>\n
that they're on is sinking<\/p>\n
yet that's what many of us do when we<\/p>\n
forget the doctrine of the second coming<\/p>\n
we're consumed by vacations Hobbies<\/p>\n
possessions pleasure our Career Success<\/p>\n
so that by our actions we communicate<\/p>\n
that Jesus isn't coming back soon and<\/p>\n
that our mission is not urgent<\/p>\n
that's what we're communicating by our<\/p>\n
actions<\/p>\n
the coming again of Jesus as judge means<\/p>\n
there is an alertness and an urgency<\/p>\n
about our lives and our actions<\/p>\n
we invest our talents and resources and<\/p>\n
giftings and time into God's kingdom we<\/p>\n
live in light of the mission of the<\/p>\n
church<\/p>\n
the second coming of Jesus means we<\/p>\n
prepare for his coming through our<\/p>\n
now someone might say the idea of Jesus<\/p>\n
coming as judge to bring Justice man it<\/p>\n
makes God sound so angry like an angry<\/p>\n
judge ready to punish everyone why would<\/p>\n
anyone want that wouldn't God be evil I<\/p>\n
thought Jesus was forgiving I thought he<\/p>\n
was all about love what's all this<\/p>\n
judging business<\/p>\n
when we ask these kinds of questions<\/p>\n
we're asking from the perspective of<\/p>\n
people who have not faced suffering and<\/p>\n
extreme evil<\/p>\n
he's a Croatian Theologian and author he<\/p>\n
lived through the religious wars in<\/p>\n
Croatia he experienced traumatic evil he<\/p>\n
saw<\/p>\n
Wars where a quarter of a million people<\/p>\n
died<\/p>\n
he says something along the lines of<\/p>\n
imagine I'm going to read this imagine<\/p>\n
you are in a war zone<\/p>\n
talking to people whose cities and<\/p>\n
Villages have been plundered and burned<\/p>\n
to the ground<\/p>\n
whose daughters and sisters have been<\/p>\n
raped<\/p>\n
whose fathers and brothers have had<\/p>\n
their throats slit<\/p>\n
and tell them we shouldn't retaliate<\/p>\n
because God is love<\/p>\n
and see what they think<\/p>\n
if I believe in a God who isn't angry at<\/p>\n
Injustice and deception I'll pick up a<\/p>\n
sword and kill those suckers myself<\/p>\n
he says violence thrives today<\/p>\n
secretly nourished by the belief that<\/p>\n
God refuses to take the sword<\/p>\n
if God were not angry at Injustice<\/p>\n
that God would not be worthy of worship<\/p>\n
don't you see what he's saying he's<\/p>\n
saying something that we all know when<\/p>\n
someone wrongs us we want Justice<\/p>\n
when someone wrongs us we run to the<\/p>\n
Judgment seat of the world and we hop on<\/p>\n
but the problem is we're not meant for<\/p>\n
that seed<\/p>\n
it's too big for us and it corrupts us<\/p>\n
it causes us to assume the worst in<\/p>\n
other people<\/p>\n
it causes us to paint large groups with<\/p>\n
negative stereotypes it causes us to<\/p>\n
refuse to see the sin in ourselves<\/p>\n
the only way to free us from running to<\/p>\n
the Judgment seat is the second coming<\/p>\n
of Jesus<\/p>\n
it's only by knowing that Jesus is<\/p>\n
coming back and that he will judge and<\/p>\n
bring True Justice can we be content to<\/p>\n
stay off to see the judgment<\/p>\n
only by knowing that Jesus is coming<\/p>\n
back can I truly forgive those who have<\/p>\n
wronged me because judgment doesn't<\/p>\n
belong to me it belongs to God<\/p>\n
knowing Jesus is coming back as judge<\/p>\n
gives us hope to endure Injustice and<\/p>\n
suffering now because we know<\/p>\n
when Jesus comes back he will make<\/p>\n
things all right he'll make things right<\/p>\n
would we consider our own priorities and<\/p>\n
live in light of God's mission<\/p>\n
so finally in verse 20<\/p>\n
he says he who testifies to these things<\/p>\n
says yes I am coming soon and then John<\/p>\n
replies amen come Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
ultimately<\/p>\n
what will happen when Jesus returns<\/p>\n
it's described in the first<\/p>\n
five verses of this chapter<\/p>\n
thanks for the slides Tim<\/p>\n
so John gets a vision of the end of<\/p>\n
History the climax to which we're all<\/p>\n
headed<\/p>\n
it's the new heavens and new earth<\/p>\n
it starts in chapter 21 where John says<\/p>\n
I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem<\/p>\n
coming out of Heaven from God prepared<\/p>\n
as a bride beautifully dressed for her<\/p>\n
husband<\/p>\n
and what we see here is heaven coming<\/p>\n
down to earth<\/p>\n
but what's even more is what we find in<\/p>\n
the first five verses of this chapter<\/p>\n
it's the restoration of Eden<\/p>\n
it's a perfectly healed world<\/p>\n
in verses three to five we see a<\/p>\n
description of God dwelling with<\/p>\n
Humanity in the city<\/p>\n
it says they will see his face<\/p>\n
and his name will be on their foreheads<\/p>\n
what we see here is our relationship<\/p>\n
with God being healed<\/p>\n
his name here refers to God's character<\/p>\n
his likeness and the fact that it's<\/p>\n
stamped on their forehead means that we<\/p>\n
will completely and perfectly reflect<\/p>\n
the unmistakable likeness of God<\/p>\n
it means the process of transformation<\/p>\n
that has already started in us will be<\/p>\n
brought to completion<\/p>\n
remember in Genesis 3 the Garden of Eden<\/p>\n
where we lost our relationship with God<\/p>\n
at that point we also lost every other<\/p>\n
relationship as well our relationship<\/p>\n
with ourselves fell apart Adam and Eve<\/p>\n
began to experience shame fear anxiety<\/p>\n
our relationships with other people fell<\/p>\n
apart too<\/p>\n
Adam and Eve started blaming each other<\/p>\n
and they had to hide from God out of<\/p>\n
Shame<\/p>\n
and even our relationship with nature<\/p>\n
fell apart<\/p>\n
they began to experience aging<\/p>\n
disease death<\/p>\n
whenever our relationship with God falls<\/p>\n
apart all other relationships do too<\/p>\n
that's why we have a longing for<\/p>\n
something in this world that this world<\/p>\n
can never fulfill<\/p>\n
because this world has always been<\/p>\n
broken<\/p>\n
but when our relationship with God is<\/p>\n
put right when it's restored<\/p>\n
every other relationship would be put<\/p>\n
right<\/p>\n
no longer will there be any curse no<\/p>\n
more death or crying<\/p>\n
or morning<\/p>\n
or pain<\/p>\n
everything sad will be wiped away<\/p>\n
no more suffering and this is what's<\/p>\n
coming this is actually going to happen<\/p>\n
this is what's described in the first<\/p>\n
five verses Heaven coming to Earth not<\/p>\n
individual Souls escaping the world and<\/p>\n
going up into heaven but Heaven coming<\/p>\n
down the hill and transform the world<\/p>\n
This is Our Hope do you believe this do<\/p>\n
you actually believe this is this the<\/p>\n
hope of your life remember who John's<\/p>\n
writing to he's writing to people who<\/p>\n
face death humiliation torture<\/p>\n
persecution and hopelessness and this is<\/p>\n
what John gives them and it worked it<\/p>\n
worked<\/p>\n
there's you can read tons of stories<\/p>\n
about the early Christians facing death<\/p>\n
head on unafraid<\/p>\n
because they had this hope<\/p>\n
none of us in this room probably will<\/p>\n
ever be thrown to lions and forced to<\/p>\n
fight animals and as people cheer<\/p>\n
watching us die and thank God that that<\/p>\n
won't happen to us but we have things<\/p>\n
that are bothering us so much and<\/p>\n
weighing us down and they're nothing<\/p>\n
like what they faced<\/p>\n
and it's a fact that people who took<\/p>\n
this hope the second coming of Jesus<\/p>\n
people who took this hope and made it<\/p>\n
the center of their lives<\/p>\n
triumphed over things like that<\/p>\n
what about you and me<\/p>\n
doesn't this give us hope<\/p>\n
what Revelation is saying<\/p>\n
is that the answers to the problems of<\/p>\n
Life do not lie in our ability to create<\/p>\n
a better world<\/p>\n
the answers are not found in doctors<\/p>\n
lawyers Engineers Social Services these<\/p>\n
are all really good things and they help<\/p>\n
us to live in this world but they don't<\/p>\n
solve the problem of evil they don't<\/p>\n
solve Injustice they don't solve<\/p>\n
inequality exploitation greed power<\/p>\n
suffering<\/p>\n
the answer is to the problems of Life<\/p>\n
are found in the return of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
Redemptive history remains incomplete<\/p>\n
until Jesus returns<\/p>\n
it's the next step It's the Final Act in<\/p>\n
the great drama of redemption that the<\/p>\n
church waits for with longing<\/p>\n
and this is why Jesus says soon this is<\/p>\n
why he says I'm coming soon because<\/p>\n
that's the next thing that's left is for<\/p>\n
him to come back<\/p>\n
and when he does all things will be made<\/p>\n
don't you want this to be true<\/p>\n
if you don't if you wouldn't call<\/p>\n
yourself a Christian consider exploring<\/p>\n
whether or not Jesus is who he says he<\/p>\n
is consider exploring if Jesus really<\/p>\n
rose from the dead<\/p>\n
I can understand why after exploring you<\/p>\n
would say it's not true I can understand<\/p>\n
that<\/p>\n
but I can't understand why you would not<\/p>\n
want it to be true<\/p>\n
when the truth of the second coming<\/p>\n
pierces us when we realize that it's<\/p>\n
true that all the evil we will face here<\/p>\n
is in the end a passing thing<\/p>\n
that one day all things will be made<\/p>\n
right and that there is light and Beauty<\/p>\n
waiting for us at the end of time and<\/p>\n
that this will really happen when we<\/p>\n
realize these things it changes<\/p>\n
everything<\/p>\n
it causes us to say with John amen come<\/p>\n
Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
but how do we know<\/p>\n
that's the question how do we know Jesus<\/p>\n
is telling the truth after all it's been<\/p>\n
over 2 000 years<\/p>\n
how can we have certainty<\/p>\n
that he really will return<\/p>\n
now I know John's response can bring<\/p>\n
mixed emotions<\/p>\n
especially for those of us who have<\/p>\n
families who are not yet Christian many<\/p>\n
of us in this room<\/p>\n
on the one hand we long for Jesus to<\/p>\n
come and set things right<\/p>\n
on the other hand we may think not yet<\/p>\n
Jesus wait for my family wait till they<\/p>\n
believe in you first and I've thought<\/p>\n
this before I'm sure a lot of us have<\/p>\n
two things on that point one take heart<\/p>\n
even Jesus had unbelieving family<\/p>\n
members<\/p>\n
those who lived with Jesus for 30 years<\/p>\n
really did not know him<\/p>\n
not one of Jesus's brothers is mentioned<\/p>\n
as a disciple before Jesus is crucified<\/p>\n
but after he rises from the dead and<\/p>\n
ascends his brothers are in the upper<\/p>\n
room worshiping him as God<\/p>\n
it took over 30 years<\/p>\n
for some of his family members to know<\/p>\n
who he really is and Jesus is the<\/p>\n
perfect witness and even then it took<\/p>\n
over 30 years<\/p>\n
so one don't give up praying for our<\/p>\n
families take heart and know that Jesus<\/p>\n
loves our families far more than we do<\/p>\n
that's the first thing<\/p>\n
second thing<\/p>\n
let's look at verse 17 let the one who<\/p>\n
is thirsty come<\/p>\n
let the one who wishes to take the free<\/p>\n
gift of the Water of Life<\/p>\n
the free gift of the Water of Life does<\/p>\n
that sound familiar does that language<\/p>\n
sound familiar<\/p>\n
in John 4 Jesus meets a woman at the<\/p>\n
well and she's had a terrible life<\/p>\n
and Jesus says I can give you water that<\/p>\n
if you drink it you'll never be thirsty<\/p>\n
again<\/p>\n
he's saying I can give you a foretaste<\/p>\n
of the River of Life in the city of God<\/p>\n
to drink the water of life<\/p>\n
and never thirst again<\/p>\n
it means that the deepest longings of<\/p>\n
our soul the longing for love the<\/p>\n
longing for Value the longing for<\/p>\n
meaning<\/p>\n
all these longings will be satisfied In<\/p>\n
this River<\/p>\n
and even now you can get a foretaste of<\/p>\n
it the grace of God Jesus says you can<\/p>\n
have it now for free<\/p>\n
how can this be<\/p>\n
because later on in the Gospel of John<\/p>\n
Jesus is on the cross<\/p>\n
and at the end he says I thirst<\/p>\n
on the cross Jesus was experiencing the<\/p>\n
ultimate thirst that we deserve so that<\/p>\n
we can have the Water of Life without<\/p>\n
cost<\/p>\n
on the cross Jesus experienced the<\/p>\n
hopelessness that we deserve he lost<\/p>\n
everything he lost the face of God God<\/p>\n
turned away from him he lost God's face<\/p>\n
so that one day we can see God face to<\/p>\n
face<\/p>\n
and in in verse 3 Genesis revelation 22<\/p>\n
3 it says no longer will there be any<\/p>\n
curse<\/p>\n
this is because Jesus Christ himself<\/p>\n
took the curse upon himself he<\/p>\n
experienced ultimate hopelessness<\/p>\n
so that we can experience a hope that<\/p>\n
will never ever ever be taken away<\/p>\n
we can have the River of Life<\/p>\n
but not only that<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ rose from the dead in verse<\/p>\n
16 he says I am the Bright Morning Star<\/p>\n
and The Morning Star is a promise that<\/p>\n
the long night of tribulation is over<\/p>\n
and that that day will come<\/p>\n
the resurrection that Jesus Christ means<\/p>\n
that the night is over and mourning has<\/p>\n
already started coming and soon it will<\/p>\n
come in full<\/p>\n
this is how we know Jesus is really<\/p>\n
coming back the cross and the<\/p>\n
resurrection<\/p>\n
verse 17.<\/p>\n
says let the spirit and the bride say<\/p>\n
come let the one who here say come<\/p>\n
let the one who is thirsty come let the<\/p>\n
one who wishes to take the free gift of<\/p>\n
the Water of Life come who is the bride<\/p>\n
who is who is the bride<\/p>\n
the church<\/p>\n
to us the church says come what that<\/p>\n
means is this is our mission<\/p>\n
one commentator says the great<\/p>\n
evangelizing force of this age is the<\/p>\n
testimony of the church empowered by the<\/p>\n
Holy Spirit<\/p>\n
we have a place in God's Mission and<\/p>\n
this invitation to come is addressed to<\/p>\n
the entire world<\/p>\n
including our families<\/p>\n
are you thirsty<\/p>\n
come take the free gift of the Water of<\/p>\n
Life<\/p>\n
the second coming of Jesus gives us real<\/p>\n
tangible hope that can never be taken<\/p>\n
away regardless of our circumstances it<\/p>\n
gives us a hope that certain a hope who<\/p>\n
is secure a hope who is alive<\/p>\n
and we say Amen come Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
let's pray<\/p>\n
Lord we thank you Lord for<\/p>\n
the hope that we have in you Lord we<\/p>\n
thank you that we can build our life on<\/p>\n
the fact that you are coming soon<\/p>\n
Lord would you help us through your Holy<\/p>\n
Spirit to take the teaching of the<\/p>\n
second coming and place it deep within<\/p>\n
the center of our faith Lord that we may<\/p>\n
have a hope that's unshakable able to<\/p>\n
endure<\/p>\n
anything that this life throws at us<\/p>\n
knowing that it's just a shadow<\/p>\n
or just the shadow of things to come<\/p>\n
Lord we thank you for your love we thank<\/p>\n
you that you will never leave nor<\/p>\n
forsake us<\/p>\n
when we pray that you would come soon in<\/p>\n
Jesus name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20221130","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VG1UFFg_n6o","video_id":"VG1UFFg_n6o","video_duration":"32:54","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":788,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions\/788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}