On the Other Hand . . . .
As we saw in yesterday's lesson, there is a dark side to the coming of Jesus. But for the converted Christian, the scene is always bright; for the Coming One is not only their king, He also is their Friend. This joyous sense of anticipation is encouraged by Jesus Himself, whatever the omen over the horizon. "When these things begin to take place," He said, "stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28, NIV). No heads-down, drop-shoulder posture here. Jesus wants His followers to be hopeful, buoyant, radiant, in anticipation of the climactic day, to set their gaze toward the skies in wistful yearning for that glorious hour of His return.
Read the following passages, and see how they strengthen this notion of expectation and joy.
It is instructive to notice that when Jesus is speaking to the pompous religious leaders (or when He has the rejecters of His grace in mind), He emphasizes the majesty, the kingliness, the judgment aspects of His coming. But when His followers come into focus, the emphasis switches to ideas of comfort, assurance, joy. Thus in Matthew 24:31, immediately after talking about the mourning of the nations at His coming, the tone changes as He comes to focus on His people: The angels gather them, He says, from every nation into His kingdom. And in John 14:1-3, His promise to return is given to calm the "troubled" hearts of His followers, to steady their fraying nerves, to anchor them in hope.
If you believed, with all your heart, that Jesus was coming within the month, what moral changes would you feel inclined to make in your own life? After you think about your answer, then ask yourself, Why wait until then to make those changes? After all, might it be a little harder to make those changes than you think?
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