Waiting for His Advent

Reading: Luke 12:22-40  (NKJV)

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find themso, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 

May the Lord bless the reading of His Holy Word, and to His Name be all the glory and the praise, now and forever.
Amen!

Text for today: 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. Luke 12:37-38 (NKJV)
                                     
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

I would like to start my deliberations today by quoting the saying, or rather the writing of a man I got to know very well during my ministry in one of my previous Parishes. And that man was the then Session Clerk of the  Church where I was serving at the time and who passed away during my ministry in that Church. And when he wrote his last review in his annual report to the congregational meeting, he expressed his thanks to all who had helped to maintain the ministry of the Church in the following words at the end of his report: Session sincerely thanks one and all for their various contributions towards the maintenance of the Parish. And then he added these words to describe how this maintenance had been effected: “In witnessing for Christ in this district, in a world where much is anti-Church, anti-religion, anti- Christ, in fact anti-anything other than that of material value. And I am making this quotation for the simple reason that I think that it is important that we all are aware of the circumstances that exist in the world today, and in which we, as Christians, have to live.

Because, my friends, the words that this man  wrote, back in 1982, are still true today, and they are even more true today, because since the day that he wrote them things have not become better, they are worse, and the opposition of the world towards the Church and the Christ of the Church has increased. And the results of this opposition and anti-ism have increased too, and are coming more and more out in the open, and the sins of this anti-Christ world are no longer hidden.

People do no longer have to hide in order to kill innocent little babies by abortion, they can do it openly.

Homosexuals do no longer have to hide to commit their sordid sin of sodomy, they can do it openly. 

• And in our education system the minds of our children are often poisoned with text books which are anti-God and anti-religion, and in some cases even openly blasphemous. 
• And the filth of pornography, which is still flowing from our computers, is not only capable of poisoning the minds of young people, but of adults as well. 
• And when you watch some of the rubbish that is presented as entertainment on television, and notice the hatred and ridicule of the Christian religion that comes through in many of them, you wonder sometimes what this world is coming to and where it is heading for.

But one thing we can be sure of, my friends, and that is that this world can not go on ignoring God, and ignoring His commandments, and spurning His love. One thing is for sure, my friends, that the same Jesus Christ, whom they reject and oppose, and always have rejected and opposed, that this same Jesus Christ will come again, and will judge this world, and will call it to account for all the wicked sins they have committed.

And as we are approaching another period of Advent  we are again reminded that it is absolutely sure that one day the trumpet will sound, and the antiChrist's of this world will have to stand before the bar of the judgement seat of Christ, And they will find then that they can not have it their own way any more, and that they no longer can trifle with Jesus and a just God, and that their opposition and anti-ism will have come to an end.

In the mean time, however, we, as Christians, will have to live in this sinful world. 

And we have to live in a world that is opposed to the Church and the Christian religion. And this opposition is real, and we should not take it lightly or underestimate it. Oh, I know, that we have freedom of religion, and that we can worship God the way we want to and are used to. But make no mistake about it, my friends, this freedom may not last much longer, and  infringements are already with us.

At this very moment it is illegal and punishable under the anti-discrimination act, for any Christian to openly condemn the sin of sodomy, and the sin of abortion. And, in a way already, a Minister can be punished for preaching the truth of the Bible, and for calling sin for what it is, and for the way that God sees it. Our freedom of religion is already being undermined, and the opposition of the world against the Church, and against the Christ of the Church is becoming more and more apparent and out in the open. And we have to live in this world, which is opposed to what we stand for, and what we believe in, and what we know is the truth.

Now, how are we to do this, and how are we to cope under these circumstances? 

And the answer we will find in the passage of the Word of God that is now before us. It is Jesus Himself, who tells us in this 12th chapter of Luke, how we are to cope, and how we are to live and behave in a hostile world. And the first thing we are told is that we are not to worry about our life. And in the verses 22-30 Jesus gives us the reason why we should not be anxious, by making it clear that God, as our Father, cares for us. 

He makes it clear to us that our heavenly Father knows exactly what our needs are, and that He will supply all of them. 

But seek first the kingdom of God, Jesus tells us, seek first the rule and reign of God in your life, and leave the rest to Him. There is absolutely no need for the Christian to be worried about anything, because anxiety is for the world and the people of the world. It is only the world and the people of the world who have an anxious mind, and who are worried about those things.

But for the Christian there is no need of worry, nor of an anxious mind, because our heavenly Father looks after all our needs. 

The next thing we are told by Jesus is not to have any fear. "Do not fear, little flock", He says in verse 32. And that, my friends, is the good advice we all need today. That is the kind of encouragement every Christian needs today, as we live and move in this hostile world around us. "Do not fear, little flock". 

You know, if this advice had not come from Jesus Himself, and if this encouragement had not come from the Son of God Himself, we could have dismissed it as being ridiculous. "Do not fear, little flock", that's easy to say, you know. 

But how easy does fear come to us, my friends? How easy it is to get fearful as we see that big bad hostile world closing in on us, and opposing us. Just look at the Church, and then look at that big world, which is anti-Church, and anti-religion, and anti-Christ. That big world that will do anything at all to destroy all in its way to get what it wants.

“Do not fear, little flock”. 

But what about if this anti-Christian tendency in the world gets worse? 

And what about if there will be persecution of the Church? 

And what about if our life is going to be in danger because we are Christians and confess the Name of Christ? It could happen, you know, it has happened before and it could happen again.

Our enemy Satan is still the same, still out to destroy the Church, and still going around like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour. He has persecuted the saints before, and he could do it again, if God permits him. 

Could we still take the advice of Jesus, and the encouragement of Jesus, not to fear? 

Can we all look this hostile world in the face and say with confidence, we shall not fear any of its threats.

• We shall not fear, because of the smallness of our numbers.
• We shall not fear, because of the multitude of our enemies.
• We shall not fear, because of the many difficulties in our way.
• We shall not fear, because Jesus told us not to fear.

Can we all say that, my friends?

“Do not fear, little flock”, are the reassuring words of Jesus to us as we are approaching another period of Advent. 

Do not fear, for I am with you. 

Do not fear, for I will come again, to take charge of everything, and to take you home, that where I am now, you may be also. 

"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom".

We don't have to fear this world, my friends, no matter how hostile it is, because we don't belong to it. 

We have been given the kingdom of heaven. 

We've got something the world can never take away, the kingdom of heaven. 

And so, my friends, to live in a sinful world, which is opposed to what we stand for and believe in, and which will do anything to undermine religion and the Church, we need to take our eyes of this world and look for our kingdom.

And we must look unto Jesus, who is the King of the kingdom, and we need to watch for His advent. We need to realise more and more, that we have a glorious kingdom awaiting us. In this world we may have tribulations, In this world we are often mocked and ridiculed, and we may be opposed and rejected. Just as Jesus was opposed and rejected by men.

We know and believe, with the apostle Paul, that the sufferings of this present time are not worth to be compared with the glory that is awaiting us. 

We know, that when Christ shall appear, we shall also appear with Him in glory.

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". 

That's the kind of encouragement we need today, don't we? So often when we look on outward things, and we look at material things, and on numbers, and on the little influence we have in the Community around us, the thought may have come into your mind as it has in mine from time to time:  

• However are we going to make it? 
• However are we going to keep our Church going, let alone make it grow?

But we need to rebuff these thoughts, my friends, because Jesus is telling us today that we have made it.       

We have made it! 

For it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom! 

And he has already done so, and we can look forward to receiving it. 

We can look forward to the day that Jesus will come and we shall hear Him say, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you from the foundation of the world".

And that is what Jesus wants us to look at. 

We are to be like men who wait for their Master to come home from the wedding. With our waist girded and our lamps burning. Jesus wants us to be waiting for His advent, and to look for His coming. Not with fear, like the world around us will, but with joy, and with anticipation, and with expectation. Ready to open the door when He knocks, and ready to let Him in so that the feast can begin.

"Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you, that he will gird Himself, and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them". 

You know, when you read these words, you can almost hear the words of Jesus which He spoke after He had gone to heaven, and which are recorded for us in Revelation chapter 3, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me".

And the same is true of those servants, whom the Master, when He comes, find watching, He will have them sit at His table, and He will serve them and eat with them. 

• Are we all looking forward to that, my friends? 
• Are we all watching for the advent of Jesus, and are we looking for His coming? 
• Are we awake to the fact that this anti-Christ and anti-religion world will not have the last say, and that, whatever they may do to us can never hurt us?
• Are we also awake to the fact that we have received the kingdom of heaven, and that we are to inherit it at the return of Christ? 

Do we live in the sure knowledge that Jesus is coming again, and are we ready for that event? That's what Jesus is telling us too, you know. Just read it in verse 40, where He says, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect".

• We don't know when Jesus is coming, it could be today, and it could be in a thousand years time. 
• We don't know, the times and seasons are in the hands of God, and he has kept it a close secret. 

I can remember once that I visited a woman from the Church where I was serving. She had not expected me, and when I called she was busy painting the back door of her house. And she was full of apologies, and said that she felt ashamed of being caught in such a position, But I assured her that I would like the Lord to find me doing what she was doing, doing my daily work with all my heart. You know, we are never in better trim to meet the Lord, than when we are doing our daily work faithfully. "Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, will find watching".

Finally, my friends, we need to wait and to watch for the advent of our Lord with girded waist, and lamps burning, as we are told in verse 35. 

We need to let our light shine in this dark world around us, we need to show this world what Christianity is all about, by the way we live and behave and by our conduct. And therefore, let our conduct be in such a way that it will do our neighbour good, and let us teach others the way of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

"May we all stand with our lamps trimmed and our lights burning as we watch for the advent of our Lord. Not walking in darkness, not concealing our lights, but letting it shine before men". Or, as Jesus Himself once said when He preached the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven".

That's the way to watch for the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Awake and alert and our lamps bright and burning, shining into the darkness of an unbelieving world. A world that is anti- Church, anti-religion, and anti-Christ. A world that needs our light, and that needs to hear the good news that Jesus is coming. 

And that we do not have to fear, but that we can look forward to that event, without fear and trembling, and with joy and rejoicing. "Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, will find watching". 

And blessed are those whom Jesus find watching for His advent. He will serve them at His table, and they will share His glory, forever and ever.

Amen!

The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord makes His face to shine upon you

And be gracious unto you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you

And give you peace.   Amen.

by Pastor Walter Posthuma Th.C. (Hon.HM)

Advent

“The doctrine of Advent”
by  Pastor Walter Posthuma Th.C. (Hon.HM)
Reading: 2 Peter 1: 12-21 (NKJV)

12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. {The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.)

May the Lord bless the reading of His Holy Word, and to His Name be all the glory and the praise, now and forever.  Amen! "... We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty." -- 2 Pet 1:16 NIV

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the people mentioned in the Bible with whom I can identify my self is the apostle Peter. You know, I love to read the stories of this rough fisherman, who, very often, did the wrong thing, and said the wrong thing, but only with the best of intentions. And when I was reading one of his letters the other day, I decided to preach on some of them which I am doing today. I have taken my text for this  from the second letter for reasons which will become clear in a moment. And I am doing this because in the first chapter of his second letter, and in the words of our text, the apostle Peter made a statement which was of great importance to the people he was writing to, and which is also very important for us, the Church of the 21st century. And it is especially important to us, as we are approaching another period of advent.

Let me just remind you, my friends, that the apostle Peter did not write those two letters just to keep up the contact with Christians who were living in exile for the sake of the Gospel, but he wrote those letters in order to encourage those people and to strengthen their faith. You see, these people had difficulties and problems, just as we have from time to time. And as a result their faith in God began to waver and they began to doubt the promises of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as we do from time to time. And not only was there persecution and ridicule from a hostile world, which was opposed to Christianity, but there also was trouble and division within the Church, just as happens to the Church today from time to time. False teachers had crept into the Church and they were undermining the faith of the believers. And the main drift of this false teaching was that Jesus was not coming back any-more. "Where is this 'coming' he promised?" they said "Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 2 Pet 3:4

Jesus was dead and gone forever, and it was no use to be waiting for His second coming, because years had gone by and nothing had happened. And it was for this reason in the first place that Peter had written his letters. To remind the people of the Gospel, and of the things they already knew and in which they were established. Peter's aim was that every Christian who would ever read his letters that they would know and be certain of the truth of all the things they had been taught. He wanted all his readers to be in such a position that, whatever happened to them, they would remain strong in their faith, and bold in their confession.

And therefore he puts before them, and also before us, the doctrines of the Bible. He assures all Christians of the truth of the faith in which they stand. And he does so by explaining the doctrine of the Church, of eternal election, and of the  second coming of Christ, the doctrine of advent. He gives us the assurance that persecution and trial are not the end of the road, but that, as Christ has suffered, so too Christians share in His suffering, In order that they may rejoice and be glad when finally His glory will be revealed.

And that is really the main theme of this second epistle, the revelation of the glory of Christ. The second coming of our Lord, on the clouds of heaven, to judge the world, and to put an end to all wickedness, and unbelief, and persecution. Peter preached the Advent of Christ, in order to encourage and help the people he was writing to. He proclaimed the second coming of Christ in order that all Christians would be enabled to make their calling and election sure. To confirm it, and to stand fast in the belief that, whatever happens to a Christian, God is in control of their lives and their destination.

And today I would like to do the same, and I would also like to encourage you and to strengthen your faith. Faith in Almighty God, who is in control of this whole world and whatever may happen in it and to it. And what better method could I choose than that which the apostle is using? What better way would there be to strengthen your faith than the explanation of the doctrine of Advent, the doctrine of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Now, we all know this doctrine, or at least, we all ought to know this doctrine because it is the main theme of the Bible. You will find it in the Old as well as in the New Testament. Prophets like Daniel, and Ezekiel, and several of the minor prophets foretold it and had visions about it. The apostles preached it, Jesus Himself spoke about it on several occasions. And the Book of Revelation leaves us without any doubt at all that this world will come to an end, and that the whole human race will be judged by the great Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know it, my friends, because the Bible tells us all about it. And even those who do not believe the Bible and who do not believe in God, know it. They may not believe it, and they may try to push it out of their minds, but they know it. Deep inside of every creature there is a certain knowledge of God. As the apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, when he says: "Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,  since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. -- Rom 2:14-16

We all know it, my friends, and we all know that we will not escape from the fact of the second coming of Jesus. We all know that everyone will one day have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, according to the Scriptures. We know the statement of Jesus Himself, which He told the people around Him, towards the end of His ministry here on earth, when He said: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.All the nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.    -- Mat 25:31-33

We know because the Bible tells us that: “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken; at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and with great glory”. Matthew 24:29-30. We know that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We know that, my friends, but, you know, it is so hard to believe it at times. Two thousand years have passed since the day that our Lord ascended into heaven and for all that time the Gospel has been preached, including the doctrine of the second coming, yet nothing has happened so far and the world is still the same. And we could well ask with the scoffers of Peter’s day: “Where is the promise of His coming?” How do we explain the state of the world today?

If we claim that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and if the Christian message is that this Gospel is miraculous and supernatural, and if we claim that the Son of God came into the world to save the world and put things right again, and if this has been preached for the past two thousand years, then how do we explain the state of the world, and all the wars we have had, and the state of society? How do we explain all the Godlessness in the world today, and the decline of moral standards in our society.

Does it not seem, my friends, that the Gospel has failed, and that the Church and the Christian message has failed? Is there anything in the Gospel at all? These questions are asked, my friends, they were asked in the days of Peter, and they are still being asked today. "Where is the promise of His coming?" How do we know that the Gospel is true, and how do we know that Jesus will come again to judge the world? How can we believe all this and how can we be sure?

And the apostle Peter has the answer for us, my friends, indeed the whole Bible is full of answers for all the questions we may care to bring up. And the answer to our present question is in the doctrine of advent and in the words of our text where Peter says:

["We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty."]

I did not tell you any fancy stories, he says, and we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eye-witnesses of His majesty, when we saw Him with our own eyes in all His heavenly splendour on the mount of transfiguration and when we heard the voice of God. And when I told you that the Lord would come again I declared the Word of God and the facts of the Gospel. 

Jesus is no myth, He is the Truth and is exactly as I confessed Him to be, the Christ, and the Son of the living God. I know, for I have seen Him, I have walked with Him, I have listened to Him, I have touched Him, and I was an eye-witness of His majesty and glory.]

["For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we have simply stated the facts as we have heard it from His own lips.] 

Jesus is true, He is the one who was promised in days of old by the prophets. He is the One of whom it was said that He would be born as a babe in Bethlehem. He is the One of whom it was predicted that He would die for the sins of the world. He is the Messiah according to the Scriptures. And just as sure as all the things that were told and predicted of Him have come true, and have been fulfilled, so too will the prediction and the promise that He will come again to judge the world, come true, and will be fulfilled.

Let us never forget, my friends, that God has a plan for this world. God has a plan of salvation which He has mapped out right from the very beginning of creation. God knew that man would fall and rebel against Him, He knew that Satan would take charge of this world and make a mess of it. And He had His plan ready, and has been working out this plan from the beginning. And He is still working out this plan and will bring it to completion in His own good time and according to His own time table.

And right throughout the history of mankind and the history of God's people, God has worked on His plan. And there were times that it seemed that God's plan came unstuck and that it did not work out. When God looked at the world He has made and when He saw all the wickedness and rebellion, and when He decided to destroy the wicked world with a flood, it seemed all so meaningless, and it did not seem to work out the way that God had planned it. But He kept on working at His plan by keeping Himself a remnant and by starting all over again.

He called Himself a people, beginning with Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel. And when again it did not seem to work out, and when the people He loved and cared for rejected Him, and when He had to send His own people into exile, even then the plan of God did not come to an end. And exactly as He had told it would happen through the mouth and ministry of His prophets, it happened. In the fulness of time, when everything else seemed to have failed, God Himself stepped into the history of the human race in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to save the world.

And although this part of God's plan also did not seem to work out, when His Son was rejected by the world, and even by His chosen people, and when they crucified the very Son of God. It turned out to be exactly as God had wanted it and planned it. His Son rose from the grave on the third day, He ascended into heaven, and is sitting at the right hand of God, from whence He will come to judge the quick and the dead. And it is therefore that we can see that the doctrine of the second coming, the doctrine of Advent, is also part of God's great plan of salvation. Because we can now look back and see what has happened so-far in this plan, and we can know that this wonderful plan of salvation is not finished yet. There is more to come, my friends, and this wicked world will not have the last say, and God will continue to work out His plan and purpose in His own good time.

And it may seem at times that God is holding back, He will keep His time-table, and the end is as certain as the beginning. And everything that has been predicted and foretold will come to pass. Jesus will come again and sit on His glorious throne, He will judge the world in righteousness, and He will judge the Prince of this world, the devil Satan. And we can be absolutely certain of the victory of Christ and His cause. Whatever may happen in the world around us, my friends, whatever may take place that can make us doubt and wonder, the plan of salvation assures us that the kingdom of God is coming, and that He, who is called the Lord of lords and the King of kings, will triumph and prevail.

And I would like to emphasise this fact, my friends, because there will be times that all this is almost impossible to believe. There will be times that we could almost be deceived, and may loose heart and hope.

Times that it may seem that God is no longer in control and will be defeated. But the Bible tells us and the Word of God assures us that the end is sure and that God will triumph. Jesus will reign, beyond a shadow of a doubt. And the Word of God does not fail, my friends, it has never failed, and everything that has been predicted has come and will come to pass.

People may deride this doctrine, they may ridicule and scoff at it, and they may not believe it. But the same God who promised to send His Son into this sinful world, and who did sent His Son, will also make sure that this doctrine of Advent and the second coming of our Lord will come to pass without fail. The same Jesus who was promised to come the first time, and who did come the first time, has also promised to come the second time, and will come the second time. God's Word will not and can not fail, and the Gospel will not fail either. It may seem so at times, but it will have its effect without fail and in due time.

You see, my friends, the Gospel never promised a better world. That's where a lot of people go astray, but the Gospel never proclaims that this world will get better and better. It simply states that this world is sinful and will remain sinful, until the time it will be destroyed. The business of the Gospel is not to make a better world to live in, but it is to show us the way out of this sinful world and into the kingdom of God. And during the two thousand years that the Gospel has been preached, it has been, and still is, the power unto salvation for all who believe it.

For centuries it has been taking people out of the realm of corruption and sin and Satan, and has put them into the everlasting kingdom of God. It has, and still is, saving people from this wayward and perverse generation, and has gathered people from every tribe and nation and saved them from the wrath to come, saved them from eternal damnation and condemnation of a righteous God. Oh no, my friends, the Gospel has not failed and will never fail. It will go on proclaiming salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It will continue to declare that all who believe in the Lord Jesus and who obey His commandments, will not come into judgement, and will be fully acquitted on the Day of Jesus Christ. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty." said the apostle Peter in the words of our text. And he could have added: "but we have preached to you the true Gospel and told you the Gospel truth. And that statement he made was of vital importance to the people he was writing to, the Church of the dispersion. Because these people needed to hear this message in order to have their faith strengthened and to be encouraged.

And we, as Christians of the 21st Century, also need to hear the same message. This statement is also of vital importance to you and me, my friends, because we also are living in a world that is anti-God and anti-Christian, and in which everything seems to go wrong. And we also need to hear that, what we have believed, and what we have put our trust in, is not some kind of fable or myth, but it is the Gospel truth. We also need to be encouraged by the fact that God is still in control, that He has not left us to our own devices, but that He is with us, and will be with us, even till the end of time.

And if we  believe the Gospel, my friends, and if we believe that it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, And if we trust in Jesus and only in Jesus for our eternal salvation, If we are truly Christians and believe the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Then, my friends, we can only come to one conclusion, we need to tell others about it. We need to be aware that there is not a moment to spare and that we need to tell others and warn them to flee from the wrath to come.

We need to be urgent in season and out of season and continue to proclaim the Gospel of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Continue to proclaim the Gospel which tells us that there is a way out of the sordid mess that this world has got itself into. And we need to point them to that way, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to tell them of the love of God, which was so great that, rather than letting people go to their eternal destruction, He sent His Son, that by believing in Him, people don't have to perish, but can have eternal life and eternal happiness. ["We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty."]

Peter had seen the Lord, he knew all about Him. And he has passed the message on to us so that we may be encouraged and strengthened in our faith. And so that we may know that, no matter what happens in the world around us, and no matter what may happen to us, God is in control, and is working out His Plan and purpose. And we can be sure that He will fulfil all His promises and that not one of them will fail.

We can be sure, my friends, that the little Babe of Bethlehem, whose birthday we will again be celebrating soon, the Lord willing. That this Babe, born in a stable, and laid in a manger, really was the Son of God. Who came to this earth to save mankind from their sins, and to take upon Himself the judgement and the punishment which was due to us, which He bore on the cross of Calvary.

And we can also be sure that this same Jesus will come again, not to condemn us, but to take us home, that where He is we may be also. Then we can also be sure that, on that last day of advent, we will hear His voice; "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, take your inheritance that was prepared for you from the creation of the world”. May God grant that we all can look forward to the coming of our Lord, and to the introduction of the kingdom of righteousness, and peace, and glory, which will never cease. And to His Name be all the glory and the praise, now and forever.   Amen!

The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord makes His face to shine upon you

And be gracious unto you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you

And give you peace.   Amen.

by  Pastor Walter Posthuma Th.C. (Hon.HM)