November 21, 2004: Last Sunday C
Text: Revelation 22:6-13
“I Am Coming Soon! My Reward is With Me…” (Rev. 22:12)
The theme for this Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year, has to
do with the return of Christ in glory. Then He will raise up the those
who have died and judge all mankind. In our Epistle text, the Revelation
to the Apostle John, twice Jesus tells us: “Behold, I am coming soon!”
(22: 7, 22) For some reason we do not get too excited when we hear
these words. We’ve all heard it before: Jesus is coming back, but nobody
knows when. After 2,000 years of expecting something to happen,
everything remains the same; nothing has changed. So why get all excited now
over something that hasn’t happened for two millennia?
When you read the New Testament you get the impression that the
disciples were almost certain that Jesus would return within their life-times.
So why the long delay? To this we find an answer in 2 Peter 3:8. “…With
the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like
a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.”
I think the words “not wanting anyone to perish” are key. When you
combine this passage with Jesus’ own words about the signs of the end of
the age recorded in Matthew 24:14, I believe the answer is clear. The
last sign Jesus mentions is: “And this Gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end
will come.” Here it is obvious why Christ hasn’t returned yet. He
hasn’t come because the Gospel has not yet reached all the nations! When
that happens, then the stage will be set for the end to come.
The most important question before us, then, is the status of the
Gospel in relationship to the nations. You see, the disciples believed that
Jesus would return very soon because at that time the known world was
much smaller than we know it today. Within their lifetime the Gospel had
spread throughout most of their world: Peter and Paul had reached
Europe. Thomas started the church in India and the Gospel was also
penetrating well into Africa. But for some reason the rapid spread of the Gospel
slowed. I am not sure why. The acceptance of Christianity as the state
religion meant that Christians were no longer being persecuted. Ironic
as it may sound, official recognition and lack of opposition seems to
have made Christians less likely to risk their lives in venturing out
into new territories with the Gospel message. And so, until about 100
years ago, many regions of the world, encompassing about half of the
world’s population had not yet been reached with the good news of Jesus.
However, the last century is called by some the century of missions.
Just for example, during the last 50 years alone, the Bible has been
translated into over 1000 languages! Today there isn’t a single nation
without a Christian witness. Coupled with that, we are told that during the
last 100 years, more Christians have been martyred or killed for what
they believe than in the previous 1,900 years combined. As we know, the
blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Missiologists, people
who study the spread of the Gospel around the world, estimate that there
are still about 11,000 separate people groups (smaller groups within
nations that have their own distinct dialects and cultures) that still
have no Christian witness among them. Nevertheless, I’m told that work is
already underway in over half these groups. When we add to this the
advances in communications technology that characterize our age, many of
these places are far more accessible than ever before and it is quite
possible that virtually all unreached people groups will be reached
within our generation. As I speak, the last sign Jesus gave us that would
signal His coming is being fulfilled. The Gospel is going out to all
nations and people. Then the end will come!
We are living in exciting times as far as God’s kingdom is concerned.
And we should be excited, because we are included in that kingdom.
Whether we are aware of it or not, we are a part of God’s wonderful plan of
salvation for our world. What we do with our lives has the potential to
speed the coming of Christ. Each of us plays an integral part in the
timing of Christ’s return.
Unfortunately many Christians are unaware of this great privilege God
has given them for shaping the future of the world, for speeding the
greatest event still to happen in our history: The return of our Lord. So
how can we best live our lives in light of this event? The answer is to
be ready when Jesus comes back. If Jesus were to return today would you
be surprised or could you say that you are ready for Him and were
expecting Him?
To be ready for Jesus’ coming means living each day as if it were our
last. For example, we should strive to be reconciled with everyone who
may have wronged us. We should also take the opportunity we have to
share our joyful expectation with our loved ones. We would not want them to
accuse us on that Day for failing to tell them about it so that they
might also be prepared when Jesus comes. So, are you ready for Jesus’
return? I am sure there is something for each of us to do as soon as we
leave this place.
Being ready for Jesus also means expecting to share in a great reward
Jesus is bringing. He says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with
me…” Now, we may be tempted to think, “Well, what great thing have I
done for God to deserve a reward, something I would be looking forward
to? Aren’t those reserved for holy people, saints and apostles? Certainly
not for me!”
But if we think that the reward Jesus has for us is something we have
earned, we are badly mistaken. The reward Jesus brings is what He has
earned for us. Baptized into Christ, all our sins have been forgiven and
we have been purified of all evil. As a result, in the words to
Malachi, God calls us His very own, His treasured possession (3:17). In Christ
we have been given a special place in the heart of God.
As God’s treasured possession we can expect wonderful things from Him.
The most beautiful reward that will be ours when Jesus returns will not
be the new immortal bodies we will receive, nor even the beauty of the
new world God will create for us—free of all sin and evil, but that we
will find ourselves in the loving arms of our heavenly Father and place
our heads on His gentle shoulder. What an amazing reward we can look
forward to!
Now let me ask you: If this reward were to become the focus of the
desire of your heart, how might this change your attitude towards life and
the things in this world? Think about it. Don’t you feel your muscles
relaxing, your burdens lightening, your face lighting up and your heart
rejoicing? Keep your focus on what God has prepared for you, and you
will experience the joy and peace of God’s kingdom breaking onto your
world.
Today Jesus gives you a foretaste of that joy and peace when He offers
us His body and blood in His supper. Here He wishes to touch you
personally with His love and remind you that He loves you and promises you an
amazing reward: An everlasting love-feast with God, your Heavenly
Father as your host. Ah yes, our hearts cry out: “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”
Amen.