Eagerly Awaiting

Contemporary Thinking

Have you ever had a time in your life where you were having a conversation with somebody that said something so unbiblical that it left you discouraged and heartbroken? For example, I was talking with a man one day who professed to be a believer and he uttered these striking words, “I do not understand why it is such a big deal that God had his only Son crucified; if I could raise my kid from the dead I wouldn’t mind killing him either.” That is a statement that leaves you shocked right? That is unbiblical in every aspect!

Now, the remark by the man mentioned above is the first and last time I ever heard such a statement made by a professing believer in Christ. However, I have heard one statement, time and time again, by professing believers that is so unbiblical that it leaves me shocked and discouraged. I have heard this specific thing uttered by laymen in the church as well as seminarians training to be pastors. The statement goes somewhat like this:

“I want my kids to grow up before Christ returns so I can see them graduate, marry, and have kids.”

Or like this,

“I want to experience marriage before the Lord returns.”

Or,

“I hope the Lord comes back later so I can finish college and have a career and a family.”

These types of comments leave me discouraged and heartbroken. The reason for this discouragement and heartbrokenness is because these comments are unbiblical. They are not unbiblical because such comments exalt marriage or having kids too much. The Bible talks about marriage in a much more beautiful way than any man could. The Bible also talks about the great gift a child is to his mother in father. So that is not the problem. The problem with such comments are that they reveal that the people speaking them have little to no understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is and what he has accomplished. But before we go further, lets look at the Bible.

What the Word of God Says

Titus 2:11-14

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good words.”

Philippians 3:20-21

“But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Romans 8:19-23

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

And lastly (there are more biblical passages supporting this, but we will end on this one) 2 Peter 3:11-13

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

In Light Of What Has Been Said

The idea of hoping Christ delays his second coming so that we can enjoy a little more of the pleasure of this world is completely foreign to what has been stated in Scripture. Believers in the early church were eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. They longed to see the Lord of glory coming down in his entire splendor. They yearned to see the beloved Son of God finally coming to take them to be with him. They desired to be in a place where righteousness dwells and evil is shut up forever. They wanted to know Christ, yes they wanted to behold the slain Lamb of God that suffered unto death so that they could have a hope that is beyond the grave. They wanted to see the blessed Savior that paid such an incredibly high price to redeem them from their sin.

Do you not also want to behold him? Do you not also desire to see Christ and worship Him without any temptation to sin? Do you not also want to behold the only begotten Son of God that humbled himself to the point of death on a cross so that you could no longer be an enemy of God, but rather have peace with God. This is what we ought to long for.

Heart Diagnosis

There are a few heart problems that are the direct cause of thinking the unbiblical way that I mentioned earlier.

One diagnoses is that you are simply speaking without thinking about all that what your saying entails. If this is you, confess to God that you have often spoke quickly without thinking. Also, plead with God that he will grant you grace to refrain from even thinking about Christ in such a minimal way.

Another diagnoses, which is dangerous, is that you have a small (very small) view of Christ Jesus. There is great danger in wanting to enjoy marriage, see your kids grow up, or whatever else, rather than enjoying Christ’s return and seeing him in His entire splendor. If this is you, then I urge you to confess to God that you have sinned by not acknowledging the supremacy of Christ above all things (husband, kids, sports, career, etc.). Also plead with God to grant you wisdom that you may increase in your knowledge of Christ Jesus and the great work that he has accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection.

The last diagnosis, which is the most dangerous, is that you do not know Christ. You feel all to at home in this world and would like to stay in it rather than go to be with Christ where righteousness dwells. If this is you, plead that God would save you from your sin. Repent of having never worshiped Christ throughout the entirety of your life, and place your faith in this glorious Christ that was crucified, buried, and resurrected so that the worst of sinners could have a peaceful/beautiful relationship with God.

Reflection

Hebrews 9:28 "So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly awaiting for him."

Just ponder on what is being said in that powerful verse. Look at who Christ will save when he appears a second time. Is it not those who are eagerly awaiting for him?

Family Devotion

Scripture Says!

There are many Scriptures that you can quote when it comes to family devotion. Here are a few:

1) Deuteronomy 6:4-7

"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all of your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up."

2) Psalm 78 is actually titled "Tell the Coming Generation" and is all about telling the great works of the Lord to the coming generation.

3) Ephesians 5:25

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with he word."

Ephesians 6:4

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

It is obvious from the Word of God that God intends that we proclaim His excellencies not only to unbelievers (1 Peter 2:9) but also to our families (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Ephesians 6:4). This makes complete since when you think about it. Husbands always tell their wives the things that are important to them. Dads always pass on to their kids what they love most. For an example, take the dad that played baseball all throughout his life. When that dad finds out that his wife is pregnant with a boy, how thrilled is he that he will be able to train his own baby boy to play the game of baseball that he loves so much. This is how God made us. We talk and teach our family the things that we love and adore.

If Scripture Says!

If Scripture makes it that evident that we are to do family devotion centered around the Word of God and God made us to talk about the things that we love the most, then why are there so many families that are not doing family devotion? I think there are many reasons but here are a five to think about:

1) We have never seen family devotion done. Most people have never witnessed a man lead his family in prayer, reading the word, teaching the word, and singing praises to God. It is hard to do something you have never seen.

2) We have never heard this taught from the pulpit. Many people have never heard their pastors talk about the necessity of leading their family in the things of God, and if they have they have never heard their pastors talk about it practically to where they can do it.

3) We do not have a personal devotion time ourselves. There are many that do not have family devotion because they are not even doing a personal devotion.

4) We do not truly care about our wives sanctification. We do not really understand that God uses means to conform his people into the image of Christ and one of the means God uses in conforming our wives into the image of Christ is us (their husbands).

5) We do not understand the depth of sin and the depravity of our kids souls. One main reason that we do not teach our kids in the ways of the Lord is because we have bought into the cultures teaching that our kids are good. This is not the case. Our kids are born as rebels and enemies to God (Ephesians 2; Colossians 1:21-23; Romans 3:9-20; Psalm 14; Psalm 51:5). 

Because Scripture Says!

I am writing this because this has got to change. I will let your hear from one of the greatest preachers of all time:

"We deeply want a revival of domestic religion. The Christian family was the bulwark of godliness in the days of the puritans, but in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no family worship, no restraint upon growing sons, and no wholesome instruction or discipline. How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance when His own disciples do not teach His gospel to their own children?

Oh, Christian men and women, be thorough in what you do and know and teach! Let your families be trained in the fear of God and be yourselves 'holiness unto the Lord'; so shall you stand like a rock amid the surging waves of error and ungodliness which rage around us." Charles Spurgeon

What This Looks Like For Me

Kahlie and I have recently been walking through the book of Luke. We do not attempt to go over whole chapters of scripture at one time, rather we take our time by going through 10 to 30 verses every day. The first thing I do is pray to the heavenly Father before we begin studying His Word. The next thing we do is read the passage out loud (we take turns reading). Then we go on to paraphrase the text that we read in our own words. Then we ask a crucial question. The question is, "What is God's divine purpose in inspiring Luke through the Holy Spirit to write what we have just read?" This is crucial because it keeps us from reading the Bible in an individualistic way, which we Americans are accustomed to doing. Then Kahlie and I will sometimes read a hymn that is Christ centered and God exalting. Lastly, we pray to the Heavenly Father once more. 

What Then Are We to Rejoice In?

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!' And He said to them. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20

What Does it Mean?

This is a remarkable passage that can teach us a great deal. Within this passage we have the seventy two disciples that Christ had commissioned out in the beginning of Luke 10. He told them to go ahead of him, two by two,  into every town and place. These disciples obeyed the voice of their Lord and went. 

As they were going, these average, ordinary disciples began realizing that they had remarkable power given to them. They began seeing demons submit to them. Fishermen were seeing the forces of evil submit to what they were saying. Farmers were seeing the works of satan stopped by the command of their mouths. Fathers were seeing the powers of darkness defeated with their spoken words. This was incredible. They had seen the Christ do these certain acts, but they never had seen each other do them. This was cause to celebrate, right? 

They begin returning to Jesus wide eyed and full of joy. They all begin telling Christ with enthusiasm that the demons were subject to them in His name. Jesus responds telling them about seeing Satan fall like lightning from heaven and about how He has given them authority to tread on serpents and scorpions. He continues telling them that they have authority over all the power of the enemy and that nothing shall hurt them. This is cause for more joy. This is good news. The disciples are hearing this from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But then the word "nevertheless" appears. 

Rejoice in This!

When the term"nevertheless" is used in a sentence it means that in spite of everything I just said, what I am about to say next is what your focus needs to be on. This means we should take heed to what Christ says in the last sentence. He says, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." What? Do not rejoice in Satan falling from heaven like lightning? Do not rejoice that we have the power to stop the works of Satan? Do not rejoice that demons are submitting to us? 

Why?

The reason is because sinners names being written in heaven is far more astonishing than demons submitting to a sinner's command. Satan falling from the heavens is no where near as glorious as sinners ascending to the heavens. Having authority over all the powers of darkness is nothing compared to sinners being accepted by the Creator of the universe. 

Believer, sometimes you may experience great victories in this life. You may see a harvest produced by your labor day in a day out. You may see people that you have been praying for get saved time and time again. You may see all kinds of victories in this life. But if your rejoicing is always based upon those things then your rejoicing will stop. Believers in this life go through droughts. They, at times, see people they pray for perish apart from Christ. They see family members continue on in disobedience against the things of God. They see defeats as well. If your rejoicing is because of the victories then your lack of rejoicing will be because of the defeats.

This is Glorious!

This is why we must rejoice that our names are written in the heavens. There is nothing that can change this. God the Father, from before the foundation of the world was laid, predestined His beloved Son to come in the fullness of time and give His life for His Church. In the fullness of time, Christ Jesus came and fulfilled what God had willed for Him to do. His death and resurrection secured the salvation of those whom God elected to eternal life. This is eternal. This never changes. The victory of Christ is once and for all. If we always rejoice in this, then we will always be rejoicing, for Christ has saved us to the uttermost. 

Romans 8:37-39

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."