The Second Coming and Hope

Two realities are set before us—present suffering and future glory. Biblical Christianity never asks us to minimize the reality of brokenness and heartache in this life. Indeed, the whole creation groans harmoniously with us in a chorus of aching for restoration. We are free to be honest. But then we are called to consider what awaits us with the return of Christ. In His coming our experience as children of God is fully realized. All things will be made new by the light of His presence—from to greatest societal sin to the most personal pain. As we hold this future state in our minds, pining in the Spirit for its fullness, the glory of our returning Savior helps us have hopeful context for our current weariness. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

In the meantime, Jesus, may we see You and what You’re about in our daily moments.

“A Christian views the suffering of this life in a larger, world-transcending context that, while not alleviating its present intensity, transcends it with the confines expectation that suffering is not the final word.”
(Douglas Moo)

“Weighted in the scales of true and lasting values, the sufferings endured in this life are light indeed compared with the splendor for the life to come—a life undisturbed by anything hostile or hurtful.”
(Charles Hodge)

A song for the week

The Gates (Young Oceans, from “Advent“)

Additional Resources

Prayer by Ray Ortlund:

O Father, a new heavens, a new earth, a new humanity—how wide is the scope of Your Gospel! It does not offer me a private religious preference. It leads me into the secrets of the universe. I affirm Your plan for all things. I submit myself to Your will for my particular life, including the hardships You have ordained for me. Lead me into the brilliant glory just ahead, where my tears will be wiped away forever, where the sorrows of this life will be only a fading memory, swallowed up in a heavenly ocean of pure delight. O God, I long to be lifted up out of time, out of this present age, out of my sins, to be with You forever. Keep my heart ablaze for You, dear Lord, until You take me home. In the holy name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer by Anselm (1033–1109):

I pray, O God, that I may know You, that I may love You, so that I may rejoice in You. And if I cannot do this to the full in this life, at least let me go forward from day to day until that joy comes to fullness. Let the knowledge of You go forward in me here, and there let it be made full. Let love for You increase, and there let it be full, so that here my joy may be great in hope and there it may be full in reality. O Lord, through Your Son, You command us—rather, You counsel us—to ask, and You promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. O Lord, I ask what You counsel through our wonderful Counselor. Let me receive what You promise through Your truth, that my joy may be full. Meanwhile, let my mind meditate upon it, let my tongue speak of it. Let my heart love it, let my tongue discourse upon it. Let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, let my whole being desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, who is the triune and one God, blessed forever. Amen.

Advent: Christ Will Come Again—Artwork

Artwork is another way for us to imagine the realities of Christ’s kingdom. When art works as devotion—training us to see with the eyes of faith in new ways—it can grow our imagination, even in the theological sense. To learn more about our artwork for this Advent series, use the button below.

The Second Coming and Wakefulness

Though often a neglected doctrine, the Second Coming of Jesus—as celebrated and focused on during the season of Advent—has tremendous implications for our we live our lives today. In particular, the reality of the coming return of Jesus encourages us to consider the end and to live wakefully to that reality in the here and now!

“Of all the seasons of the church year, Advent most closely mirrors the daily lives of Christians and of the church, asks the most important ethical questions, presents the most accurate picture of the human condition, and above all, orients us to the future of the God who will come again.”
(Fleming Rutledge, “Advent: The Once & Future Coming of Jesus Christ”)

Questions for Discussion

Discuss with others, with your Gospel Community, or by reflecting in your journal.

1. When you think of the term “wakefulness” what comes to mind? How might becoming more “wakeful” impact the way you follow Jesus?
2. In the sermon last Sunday, November 27, Joel mentioned a number of ways we may currently be “slumbering” or “lulled to sleep by the world.” Where are some places you feel spiritually asleep?

Prayer Invitations

• Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):
  

  “Our Father in heaven,
  hallowed be your name.
  Your kingdom come,
  your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
  Give us this day our daily bread,
  and forgive us our debts,
  as we also have forgiven our debtors.
  And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil.
  (From Matthew 6:9–13)

• Join us for weekly prayer on Wednesdays, December 30–December 21, at 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Consider also fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

A song for the week

Even So Come (Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Jess Cates)

An Additional Resource

“Christ Will Come Again”, An Interview with Sam Storms by Gavin Ortlund.

(An excerpt…)

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.” So goes the well-known memorial acclamation. But sometimes we don’t think much about the third of these three declarations. Where does Christ’s second coming fit in with his first coming? And how does it shape our life and hope now?

To explore the doctrine of Christ’s second coming, and its practical ramifications, I corresponded with TGC Council member Sam Storms, lead pastor for preaching and vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and author of (among many other books) Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative.