Part 6
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
Here we have a number of instructions concerning the return of Christ and what He expects of His disciples.
1. "Hold fast till I come"
Rev. 2:25;
Rev. 3:2-3
2. "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh"
Luke 12:40
3. "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord"
Luke 12:35-36
4. "Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life"
Luke 21:34
5. "Remember Lot?s wife"
Luke 17:31-32 [Don't look back. Also see
Luke 9:62]
6. "Take heed that ye be not deceived"
Luke 21:8;
Mark 13:5-6
7. "Watch"
Mark 13:34-37
I think most of these should be self-explanatory. Even so, each verse contain the requirement to discover exactly what Jesus meant when He gave these instructions and what He expected the disciple to do – and by extension, what we are to do. What should our own mindset should be?
Do we teach these things to the congregation?
Now we come to another difficult subject, the –
SUPREME LOVE TO GOD
1. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength"
Mark 12:30
2. "God, and Him only shalt thou serve" Matt. 4:10
3. "Worship the Father in spirit and in truth"
John 4:23-24
4. "Call no man your father upon the Earth" Matt. 23:9
5. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" Matt. 4:7
6. "Fear Him (God) which hath power to cast into hell"
Luke 12:5
7. "All men should honor the Son"
John 5:22-23
In the first instruction us how to love God. But, the real question is this: What does this verse actually mean and how does one ‘do’ it?
In number two, what is the acceptable ‘service’ that God requires?
In number three, what does this mean and how does one accomplish such worship? The answer may be a little harder to come up with than first meets the eye.
Now, number four is really a hard one, for Greek thinkers. For example, Paul himself refers to himself as Timothy’s father in the faith. Does this mean that one is not to call their biological father, father? So, what does this verse really mean?
Next we have number five. How does one ‘tempt’ God? Might have to dig a little for this one.
What are the expected results of ‘fearing’ God?
In number seven we have a rather disquieting note. Why are we to honor the son rather than worshiping Him? Why did Jesus say this, and what was He expecting to see in return? Note: The only other time the phrase “honor God” is found in the bible is
Judges 9:9, and honor me (God) in
Isa 29:13; 43:20, so this is not a new concept.
Loving God is a verb, not a noun. It requires action on our part – what is it?
Getting any sermon ideas yet? LOL
This is a short list of duties that Jesus is expecting us to adhere to, and it gets alittle harder, once again.