THE JOY TO COME
Share the Joy #5
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, December 29, 2024
(1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT) “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
(Philippians 2:6–11, NLT) “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
1. JESUS WILL COME IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE
(1 Corinthians 15:51–52, CEV) “It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:2, CEV) “You surely know that the Lord’s return will be as a thief coming at night.”
2. JESUS WILL COME AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL HEAR
(1 Thessalonians 4:16, CEV) “With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life.”
3. JESUS WILL COME IN A BRILLIANT DISPLAY OF GLORIOUS LIGHT
(Matthew 24:27, NLT) “For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
(Matthew 24:30, NLT) “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
4. JESUS WILL COME AND THE WORLD WILL CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD
(Romans 14:11, GN) For the scripture says: “As surely as I am the living God, says the Lord, everyone will kneel before me, and everyone will confess that I am God.”
5. JESUS WILL COME TO JUDGE THE WORLD
(John 3:16–17, NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
(Acts 17:31, Message) “He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.”
(Romans 2:6–8, NLT) “God will reward or punish every person for what he had done. Some people live for God’s glory, for honor, for life that has no end. They live for those things by always continuing to do good. God will give life forever to them. But other people are selfish and refuse to follow truth. They follow evil. God will give them his punishment and anger.”
6. JESUS WILL COME TO GATHER HIS FAMILY
(Ephesians 1:5, Message) “Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)”
(Matthew 24:31, Message) “At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.”
7. JESUS WILL COME AS KING AND LORD OF ALL!
(Philippians 2:9–11, NCV) “God made his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus— everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.”
GROWTHWORK
(Titus 2:11–13, GN) “For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of the whole human race. That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world, as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will appear.”
1. ACCEPT GOD’S GRACE FOR MY SALVATION
(2 Peter 3:9, NLT) “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
2. LIVE IN THE LOVE AND POWER OF CHRIST
3. ANTICIPATE THE JOY TO COME WHEN CHRIST SUDDENLY APPEARS