Too much has been made about the controversies surrounding the theology of the return of Jesus Christ our Lord. For some the return is simply an escape plan. For others it is part of a gigantic puzzle filled with secret clues, dates, and interpretations. But none of this would have been on Paul’s mind. He simply wanted his readers to understand why the return of Christ was to be the foundation of their hope while living in this sin-drenched, broken world. This weekend we look at the return of Christ the King to the world in a way that is meant to enlighten and encourage us to persevere in the mission of Jesus, through the church, to the world.
For most of us, the thought of sharing the gospel is a terrifying reality. What often keeps us from pursuing relationships with redemptive intentionality is fear and a deep feeling of inadequacy. We are afraid that we lack the skill, eloquence, or wisdom to be effective gospel ambassadors. But God doesn’t save through human persuasiveness – he saves through the intrinsic power of the Gospel. As Christ-followers on mission, God calls us to trust his plan to save.
When the Lord instituted the Church, he did so with clear purpose and priorities, which he has communicated to his people in the Scriptures. It’s there we also see that God gifted his church with shepherds. And though some view being part of a local body of believers as optional, the primacy of the Church in God’s eyes is undeniable, as is the necessity of it for his people.
As we seek to lovingly proclaim the gospel of Christ, the message of faith and repentance is essential to that mission. And though we want to teach this message accurately and faithfully, we must recognize the compelling witness of actually being people who live lives of repentance and faith.
We see and hear about the cross of Christ so much that we may actually stop viewing it with great awe. Just what did Jesus Christ do there? Why did he have to die? And what bearing should his securing of eternal redemption have on our lives? The author of Hebrews saw Jesus’ sacrifice as foundational to our peace of mind and joyful commitment to abundant living before the face of God. We’ll use his writings as our guide to re-kindle our love for Christ as we live at the foot of the cross.
Why did God need to become a man? What was so important about him taking on flesh, walking in our world, and experiencing its brokenness? This weekend we study the humanity of God the Son to find the reason we can draw near to him in confidence, knowing he sympathizes fully with our weaknesses and promises all the help we need to stay faithful to his call on our lives.
Too often we look outside of Christ for the very things we were meant to find in him. We do this, in part, because we have an anemic understanding of Christ and his work. It’s only in the power of Christ as Creator God, as Savior and Sustainer that we have hope both now and in the future. We are designed to find our righteousness, our strength, our hope, our identity, our purpose, our satisfaction, our comfort, and our rest in Christ alone. And this is only possible when we see—and keep seeing—the greatness of Jesus Christ.
It is typical in our day to have discussions on God’s Sovereignty deteriorate into arguments over free will and the nobility of man. But it was not so in biblical times. The fact that their God was the sovereign ruler over all things was, for Israel, their greatest ground of security. Imagine having a king who was, in reality, the king above all kings and the lord above all lords. And even more, this king loves his people and only wants what is ultimately best for them. As we come to realize what the sovereignty of God really means for us, we will understand there is no greater privilege than to be granted refuge under the wings of the Almighty.
This series could be titled “Things I Want My Kids to Remember Forever!” Over the next 9 weeks we’ll look at key doctrines of Christianity. First, we’ll define and defend them biblically and then show how they can bring great value to our everyday lives. We begin with the Bible, God’s authoritative and clear word to us.