When will Jesus return?
David Ince
I trust this reflection finds you in good health and that despite lockdown you are coping well with your faith and trust remaining strong in our God and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
Good Friday was just over three weeks ago when we thought deeply about Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins. He paid the price by allowing his life to be cruelly taken so that by truly believing in Him and asking Him for our forgiveness of sins we can gain our appointed place in His heavenly home – the Kingdom of God – in that time to come. When will Jesus return? That is only known to God the Father and even His Son does not know the appointed time for His return to take the redeemed to be with himself. What a wonderful time that will be as we are set free from all earthly toils and problems.
Revelation 21:4
We read: –
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
As I thought more about these facts, I sensed that many people will be asking when will it be that we are free from COVID-19, when we will we hear those words IT IS FINISHED and we have found an answer to combat this virus. Then people all over the world will rejoice and be grateful and relieved to be free from this deadly disease.
Of course, my mind goes back to those words Jesus said in his dying moments on the cross IT IS FINISHED. This was not a cry of defeat but a cry of victory as Jesus triumphed over sin and opened the doors of salvation. With one last breath he made that final sacrifice and three days later he arose, showing He had conquered death and that through Him we are wholly alive.
Indeed, Jesus is the answer to our every need for he combated our sin on the cross and for each one of us that know Him and love Him we rejoice that through His sacrifice we have been saved we have been redeemed, we have been set free.
John 8:36
We read: –
So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
However, our time here on earth continues and currently we are going through a storm in our lives and as with all storms it will leave behind its affects – let us remember in prayer those thousands of families who have lost loved ones, those in the medical profession who sacrificed their lives to save others, those who are helping in so many different ways to help others to get through the storm, those families with children who need to be occupied in confined spaces and their education maintained.
Our God and Father knows all about our situations that is why He gave us a LIVING HOPE in Jesus.
1 Peter 1:3-9
We read: –
- Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you,
- who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
- In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
- These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
- Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
- for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Yes, we all get tested in various ways and we all get challenged but with God’s help and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can triumph through these times of testing and turn these challenges into opportunities.
I am so grateful and so pleased to see how many of our family at HBC have seized on opportunities to show their love and concern for others. This situation has provided an opportunity for us to show the love of God in our hearts as we communicate and also reach out to others who do not know Jesus as their Saviour. Strangely, in these current circumstances we have been given a unique opportunity to serve.
Mark 10:45
We read: –
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
We serve an awesome God who cares for each one of us and loves us deeply. I was recently reminded of the words of Billy Graham when he was asked as to what it felt like speaking in the presence of royalty and he said “I do it every day – in the presence of the King, the King of Kings”. Let us rejoice that we have the ability to speak to the King of Kings every day – what a wonderful and privileged position we are in, as children of God.
What a wonderful position we are in to know Jesus as our Saviour.
Hebrews 4: 14-16
We read: –
- Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
- For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.
- Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Please find below two songs – I have not included the music for the second song as it has proved hard to find anything suitable, so please focus on the words, of course if you know the tune then may I suggest you read the words then sing them out loudly!
SONG 1
Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from heaven above,
With wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God!
Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from heaven above,
With wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God!
SONG 2
Christ is the answer to my every need;
Christ is the answer, He is my friend indeed.
Problems of life my spirit may assail;
With Christ my Saviour I need never fail,
For Christ is the answer to my need.
Prayer
Our God and Father as we approach you through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, we give thanks for who you are and giving us your Son as our Saviour.
We thank you that you answer to all our needs in the way that you see best for us.
We thank you that you have drawn each one of us together as a family at Hadleigh Baptist Church.
As your children help us this day to appreciate you more and to recognise your sovereignty, omnipotence, grace and mercy.
We look to you as we journey through the current circumstances and thank you for the strength, comfort and peace that you give us.
We ask you our God and Father that you will keep us all well – as individuals, as families and as an HBC family.
We long to gather together again and be in your presence in person but in the meantime please continue to guide each one of us to serve you, to use the gifts you have given us to support one another.
Amen