The Second Advent

[0:00] But if we could, with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling, this morning, if we could, for a short while, turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 24.

[0:18] The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 24, and if we read again at verse 42. Matthew 24, verse 42.

[0:29] Where Jesus is speaking here and he says, Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would have not let his house be broken into.

[0:48] Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And particularly that verse, verse 44.

[1:00] Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Now the reason we're focusing upon the second coming of Jesus this morning is because for the past few weeks, our island and our nation and indeed probably the whole world, we've been focusing upon the first time that Jesus came into the world.

[1:29] We've been focusing upon the incarnation and the birth of Jesus. And we've been focusing upon what is called the first advent, the first coming of Jesus into the world.

[1:41] And I'm sure, well, if you have children or grandchildren, maybe you gave an advent calendar to your children to count down the days until we remember the first advent.

[1:53] And I'm sure that we've all heard a lot about the first advent over the past while. But with Christmas now over and the celebration of the first advent now past, I think it's appropriate and fitting for us to think about the second advent.

[2:10] Because I believe that we don't think about the second coming of Jesus enough. And when we don't think about the second coming, we don't live in light of the second coming.

[2:23] Because I believe that if we lived our lives in light of the second coming, we would live our lives very differently to the way we do. We would be more dedicated to the Lord.

[2:35] We would be more committed to his cause. We would be ready for his coming. And you know, it's interesting that there's no specific command in the Bible to remember and to prepare for the first advent of Christmas.

[2:50] But there are many chapters in the Bible telling us to prepare and to be ready for the second advent. And what we see here in Matthew's Gospel is that there are two chapters.

[3:04] Two chapters devoted to the second advent of Jesus. Because Matthew chapter 24 and 25, they are the words of Jesus. And they were said in response to a question that was asked by the disciples about the second advent.

[3:21] Because way back in verse 3 of chapter 24, the disciples say, Tell us when these things will be. And what will be the sign of your coming.

[3:31] And of the close of the age. And what Jesus gave to the disciples through chapter 24 and chapter 25 was a sermon. A sermon all about the second coming.

[3:45] It was a sermon all about the second advent of Jesus Christ and the need to be ready for his coming. And I believe that verse 44 in chapter 24, that's a key verse in Jesus' sermon on the second coming.

[4:02] Therefore you also must be ready. For the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And this is a key verse because it alludes to everything before this verse.

[4:15] And it highlights everything that's going to come after this verse. It's a key verse. And I'd like us just to consider this verse within its context.

[4:26] I'd like us to consider it this morning under just three headings. The preparation for his coming. The person who is coming. And the prospect of his coming.

[4:39] The preparation for his coming. The person who is coming. And the prospect of his coming. So we look first of all at the preparation for his coming. Look at that key verse.

[4:51] Verse 44. Therefore you also must be ready. For the Son of Man is coming. At an hour you do not expect. As we said, this verse, it's a key verse in Jesus' sermon on the second advent.

[5:08] Because it draws our attention to everything before and after this verse. And what Jesus says before this verse. Is that prior to the second coming.

[5:18] There will be many who lead Christians astray. But not only that. Jesus says, if you read through chapter 24. He says that there will be wars and rumors of wars. He says nation will rise against nation.

[5:31] Kingdom will rise against kingdom. There will be famines. There will be earthquakes. There will be tribulation. There will be persecution for the Christian. The church will be hated. Jesus says that there will be many false prophets who rise up.

[5:46] And the church will grow cold. And the church will be apathetic towards its mission. But more than that. Jesus says, when the abomination of desolation takes place.

[5:57] You will know that all these things are true. And the abomination of desolation. It's already taken place. It took place not long after Jesus' death.

[6:08] Because the temple in Jerusalem. It was used to worship false gods. That was the abomination of desolation. And then after that. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

[6:22] And you know, don't you find it remarkable. That when you look at Jerusalem today. You look at Zion's hill. That the Bible speaks so favorably about. That was the hill upon which the temple stood.

[6:34] And it had stood there since the time of Solomon. And that was the place where the Lord's people gathered. Year after year. They came century after century to worship the Lord. They went to Zion's hill.

[6:47] And yet Zion's hill. It's now the home of Muslims. And it's the location of a mosque. And Jesus says that all these things will come to pass.

[6:58] Before the end. But you know this key verse. Verse 44. It not only draws our attention to what Jesus said. Before this verse. It also draws our attention to what Jesus said.

[7:09] After this verse. Because when you go into chapter 25. Still Jesus' sermon. And Jesus in chapter 25. He's telling three parables.

[7:20] Three parables in relation. To the second coming. And the first parable. If your Bible has headings. You'll see that it's the parable. Of the ten virgins.

[7:31] And the parable of the ten virgins. It was about ten virgins. Who were waiting for the arrival. Of the bridegroom. And Jesus says that these ten virgins. Out of these ten virgins. There was five wise.

[7:43] And there were five foolish. And the five wise virgins. They were wise. Because they were prepared. For the arrival of the bridegroom. But the five foolish virgins.

[7:53] Were not. And when the bridegroom came. The foolish virgins. They were too late. And the door of the marriage feast. Was shut on them. It says there.

[8:05] He answered them. Truly I say to you. I do not know you. That's the story of the virgins. I do not know you. And so when. Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins.

[8:18] Jesus emphasizes the need. To be prepared. For the second coming. But then in the next parable. The parable of the talents. Jesus emphasizes the need. To be faithful.

[8:29] Until the second coming. Because in the parable of the talents. Jesus condemns the unfaithful servant. Who buried his talent. And he hid it in the ground. But Jesus also commends the faithful servants.

[8:43] Who put their talents to good use. For the expansion of the master's kingdom. And that's what Jesus wants from us. He wants faithful servants. Who will not bury their talents.

[8:54] But use them. And multiply them for the expansion. And the extension of Christ's kingdom. But then the final parable. In Matthew chapter 25.

[9:05] It's the parable of the sheep. And the goats. And Jesus says. He says. Well first of all. He's talking about those. Who are prepared for the second coming.

[9:16] Those who are faithful. Until the second coming. And then he says. In the last parable. That these people will be separated. At the second coming. Jesus says. That when the son of man.

[9:27] Comes in his glory. He will gather all the nations. And he will separate them. One from another. As a shepherd divides the sheep. From the goats. And he will place the sheep. On his right.

[9:38] And the goats. On his left. And the king will say. To those on his right. Come. You blessed of my father. Inherit the kingdom. Prepare for you. From before the foundation.

[9:48] Of the world. But for those on his left. He will say. Depart from me. You cursed. Into the everlasting fire. Prepare for the devil. And his angels. And Jesus says.

[10:00] And they will go away. Into eternal punishment. But the righteous. Into eternal life. And you know. When you consider. Jesus' sermon. On the second coming.

[10:12] When you consider. What Jesus says. Before and after. Verse 44. When you consider. What Jesus is saying. About Christians. Being led astray. And wars. And rumours of wars.

[10:23] And nations. Rising against nation. And kingdom against kingdom. And famines. And earthquakes. And tribulation. And persecution. And the abomination. Of desolation. And the parable.

[10:33] Of the ten virgins. And the parable. Of the talents. And the parable. Of the sheep. And the goats. And the final judgment. When you consider. What Jesus says. Before and after. This one verse.

[10:44] You realise. That what he's saying. Is that in light. Of all that's going. To take place. You must be ready. You must be ready.

[10:57] Therefore. You also must be ready. For the son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not. Expect. You must be ready. And when Jesus says.

[11:09] You must be ready. This is a must. Of necessity. This is a must. Of necessity. And the must. Of necessity. It's used time.

[11:19] And time again. Throughout the gospels. Jesus said. As he was going. To the cross. The son of man. Must suffer many things. And be rejected. By the elders.

[11:30] And the chief priests. And the scribes. And be killed. And on the third day. Rise again. Jesus said. The gospel. Must be proclaimed. To all the nations. You must not be like.

[11:41] The hypocrites. Jesus said. You must worship. In spirit. And in truth. We must work. The works of him. Who sent me. While it is day. Because the night is coming.

[11:52] When no one can work. You must be born again. It's the must of necessity. And Jesus is saying here.

[12:02] In his sermon. On the second advent. You must be ready. You must be ready. This is not optional.

[12:14] This is not a pick and choose statement. This is not take it. Or leave it. This is not something. You should just pass up. Or put off. This is a must of necessity.

[12:26] Jesus is saying. You must be ready. You must be prepared. My friend. You must. You must be prepared. For the second coming of Jesus.

[12:40] Because as Jesus says. There is a portion coming. There is a portion coming. And that's what I'd like us to see secondly. We've considered in this verse.

[12:53] The preparation for his coming. We must be ready. But secondly. The portion who is coming. The portion who is coming. Jesus says.

[13:04] Therefore you also must be ready. For the son of man is coming. At an hour. You do not expect. This pivotal verse. In this verse.

[13:16] Jesus. He not only emphasizes. That we must be ready. For his coming. He also explains. Who will appear. At his coming. And this is significant.

[13:26] Because Jesus uses. A specific title. To refer to himself. He says. The son of man will appear. And the title. Son of man.

[13:37] It's used in two ways. In the Bible. It's used to emphasize. The humanity of Jesus. That God became man. Jesus Christ. Is really both God and man.

[13:49] But this title. The son of man. It's also used to identify. Jesus. As the Messiah. He is God's. Anointed. Savior. But what's interesting.

[14:00] Is that this title. Son of man. It was first used. In the book of Daniel. It was used in Daniel. In Daniel chapter 7. And in Daniel chapter 7.

[14:11] Daniel is given this vision. And it's a vision. Of the final judgment. Daniel says. I saw in the night visions. And behold. With the clouds of heaven.

[14:22] There came one. Like a son of man. And he came to the ancient of days. And was presented before him. And to him was given. Dominion. And glory. And a kingdom. That all peoples.

[14:33] Nations. And languages. Should serve him. His dominion. Is an everlasting dominion. Which shall not pass away. And his kingdom. One. That shall not be destroyed. Daniel was given a vision.

[14:46] Of the final judgment. When the Messiah. The son of man. When he will stand. With all authority. In heaven. And on earth. And he will stand.

[14:56] Before us all. As king. And as judge. And now. As those with. New Testament spectacles on. We know that the son of man.

[15:06] Has already been given. All authority. In heaven. And on earth. And we know that he was given. All authority in heaven. And on earth. Because he was humiliated.

[15:17] And he was exalted. Jesus was. Humiliated. At his incarnation. He became man. God became man. The apostle Paul.

[15:29] Says in Philippians 2. That. Even though Jesus. Was in the form of God. God. And he was equal with God. He made himself. Nothing. He took upon himself.

[15:39] The form of a servant. He was made. In the likeness. Of man. And he humbled himself. He humiliated himself. By becoming obedient. And being obedient.

[15:49] Unto death. Even the death. On the cross. The son of man. Was humiliated. Because he came. From the crown of glory. To the cradle in Bethlehem. To the cross of Calvary.

[16:02] He. The son of man. Went down. Down. Down. From glory. To Golgotha. The son of man. He came. Not to be served. But to serve.

[16:13] And to give his life. As a ransom. For many. But the son of man. He was not only. Humilated. Not only. Humilated. To the point of death. But he was also. Highly exalted.

[16:24] He was also. Highly exalted. He was. He was. Raised from the dead. And in his. In his. Exaltation. He was given. A name. Which is above.

[16:35] Every other name. And Paul tells us. That it's at the name of Jesus. Every knee. In heaven. And on earth. And in hell.

[16:47] They will all. Bow. And confess. That he is Lord. To the glory of God. The father. The son of man. Was humiliated. To the point of death.

[16:58] But he was exalted. To glory. And this is what Daniel prophesied. Would happen. He prophesied. That this would happen. 500 years. Before Jesus. Was even born.

[17:10] He prophesied. That the son of man. Would be given. An everlasting. Dominion. And glory. And a kingdom. That would not be destroyed. And that the son of man. Would be one.

[17:20] In which. All peoples. All nations. All languages. They would bow down. And serve. He would be the one. To whom every knee. Would bow.

[17:31] In heaven. And on earth. And in hell. And confess. That he is Lord. And because of this. Because the son of man.

[17:41] Has been humiliated. And exalted. Do you know what the Bible says? The Bible says. In Acts 17. That God commands. Everyone.

[17:54] Everywhere. To repent. Because of the humiliation. And the exaltation. Of Jesus. God commands. Everyone.

[18:05] Everywhere. To repent. And we are to repent. Because God. Has fixed a day. This is what Acts 17 says. God has fixed a day. On which he will judge the world.

[18:16] In righteousness. And he will judge the world. By a man. Whom he has appointed. And Acts 17 says. That God has given. Assurance of this to us.

[18:30] By raising him. From the dead. We can be certain. That the judgment of God. Will take place. Because the grave is empty.

[18:40] We know. That God has fixed a day. Because Jesus is risen. My friend. The son of man. He was humiliated. And he was exalted.

[18:52] And that at his coming. He will judge the world. And you know. That's the emphasis. That Jesus is making here. In his sermon. On the second coming. He says back.

[19:03] In verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation. Of those days. The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven.

[19:14] The powers of the heavens. Will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven. The sign. Of the son of man. And then all the tribes. Of the earth. Will mourn. And they will see the son of man.

[19:25] Coming on the clouds of heaven. With power. And great glory. And he will send out his angels. With a loud trumpet call. And they will gather his elect. From the four winds.

[19:35] From one end of heaven. To the other. There's this vivid. Picture of what's going to happen. When Jesus returns. And then at the end of.

[19:47] Chapter 25. Jesus still preaching in his sermon. And he's stressing to us. The need to be prepared. The need to be faithful. Because there's going to be a separation. He says.

[20:00] Chapter 25. Verse 31. When the son of man. Comes in his glory. And all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered. All the nations.

[20:12] And he will separate them. One from the other. You know. That's a solemn statement. He will separate. Homes. And families. Children.

[20:23] And parents. Friends. And neighbours. It's a solemn statement. The son of man. The son of man. Will separate them. As a shepherd. Divides the sheep. From the goats.

[20:35] And he will place the sheep. On his right. And the goats. On his left. And the king will say. To those. On his right. Come. But to those. On his left. He will say. Depart from me.

[20:47] Oh my friend. What solemn words. Depart. From me. I never knew you. My friend. God has fixed a day. On which he will judge.

[20:57] This world. In righteousness. And the solemn reality. That the bible. Presents to us. Is that he is coming. And I'm not ashamed.

[21:09] To tell you this. Because you know. That it's true. And you know. That it concerns you. And you know. That it's appointed. Unto man. Once to die. And after that.

[21:19] The judgment. You all know. That you must appear. Before the judgment seat. Of Christ. And give an account. And so we must be ready.

[21:29] For his coming. We must be ready. Whether he comes. At the last day. Of the world. Or whether he comes. For you. At your last day. In this world.

[21:41] To take you out. Of the scene of time. Into eternity. You must be. Ready. Because if this year. Has taught us anything.

[21:53] Life is uncertain. Death is sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure. My friend. You must live your life. In light.

[22:03] Of the second coming. Of Christ. Because when you do. It will make all the difference. You will live. Your life. Prepared. Prepared.

[22:14] For eternity. You must. Live your life. Ready. For the. For the second coming. And the sound. Of the trumpet.

[22:25] The sound. Of the trumpet. That's what Jesus said. He will send out. His angels. With a loud. Trumpet call. And they will gather. His elect. From the four winds.

[22:36] From one end of heaven. To the other. You must live. Your life. Ready. For the sound. Of the trumpet. And you know.

[22:47] I find it interesting. That. When it's the Jewish. New year. They sound. A trumpet. The trumpet. Is called. The shofar.

[22:58] And the shofar. It sounded. At the beginning. Of the new year. And it sounded. They say. About 80 times. During that day. And their. Their new year. Isn't. Tomorrow.

[23:10] Their new. The Jewish new year. Is during. Either September. Or October. But the Jews. They would sound. The trumpet. Throughout. That new year's day. And you know.

[23:21] I can't help. But think. That that's the trumpet. Jesus. Is referring to. Because. The trumpet. It would be sounded. At the beginning. Of a new year. And. For the Jews.

[23:33] The beginning. Of a new year. It marks. A new beginning. The new year. Celebrations. For a Jew. They would actually. Begin on. The first day. And they would continue. For. For 10 days. Until the 10th day.

[23:45] Which was the day. Of atonement. And so. The sounding. Of the shofar. The sounding. Of the trumpet. At the new year. It would mark. A new day. And this. New beginning. And I believe.

[23:56] That that's what Jesus. Is referring to. When he speaks. About. The second coming. Yes. The second advent. Will be a day. Of judgment. In which. The risen. And exalted.

[24:06] Son of man. Will judge the world. And righteousness. Is. But the second advent. It will also be. A day of vindication. It will be the day.

[24:17] On which God. Will write. Write. All wrongs. And vindicate. His people. God. Will bring justice. And judgment. On the last day. Because this world.

[24:28] Which we live in. As we know. Only too well. It's under the curse. Of the fall. And this world. It's going to be judged. According to his righteousness.

[24:40] And it will be on that day. That the whole of creation. Is finally set free. Set free. From the power of sin and death. It will be on that day.

[24:51] That this creation. Which continually groans. Because of sin. And death. It will be freed. From its curse. And the Lord. Will make all things. New.

[25:03] Because the Lord. Promises. On that day. The day. When the trumpet sounds. The former things. They will pass away. And we're told.

[25:14] In the Bible. He will then. Wipe away. All the tears. From our eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no more. Mourning. Nor crying. Nor pain.

[25:25] Anymore. Because the one. Seated upon the throne. Of whom Jesus. Is speaking here. He says. Behold. I'm going to make. All things new. My friend.

[25:37] The second coming. Of Christ. Will be a great day. A great day. For the Christian. It will be a great day.

[25:48] For the person. Who is in Christ. And you know. That's how Paul. Encouraged the Christians. In Thessalonica. He encouraged. The Thessalonians. Not to worry about.

[25:59] People who had died. He says. We do not mourn. As those without hope. Because we believe. That Jesus died. And he rose again. And because Jesus died.

[26:09] And rose again. He says. He's coming back. And Paul says. The Lord himself. He will descend from heaven. With a cry. Of command. With the voice. Of an archangel.

[26:19] With the sound. Of the trumpet. Of God. And the dead in Christ. They will rise first. Then he says. We who are alive. We who are left. When Christ comes.

[26:30] We will be caught. Up together. With him in the clouds. To meet the Lord. In the air. And so. We will always be. With the Lord. We will hear the come. Come you blessed of my father.

[26:42] Inherit the kingdom. Prepared for you. And Paul is saying. To the Thessalonians. Comfort one another. With these words. Comfort one another. With these words.

[26:54] Paul encouraged. These Christians. To be faithful. As they awaited. The sound. Of the trumpet. He encouraged them. To keep going. To keep persevering.

[27:05] To keep looking. To Jesus. As they await. The sound of the trumpet. But you know. As we count down.

[27:16] The hours. Until the new year. There are only a few hours left. Just twelve. And you know. Everyone in our nation.

[27:27] We are all waiting. For the sound. Of the bells. We are waiting. For the sound of the bells. To bring in the new year. But who of us.

[27:38] Is waiting. For the sound. Of the trumpet. We are all waiting. For the bells. But who is prepared. For the sound. Of the trumpet. Who is ready.

[27:49] For the sound. Of the trumpet. Are you ready. For the sound. Of the trumpet. And here is Jesus. And he is saying to us.

[28:01] Therefore. You also. Must be ready. For the son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not. Expect. And so we have considered.

[28:14] From this verse. The preparation. For his. For his coming. The person. Who is coming. But lastly. I like us to consider. The prospect. Of his coming. The prospect.

[28:26] Of his coming. Therefore. You also. Must be ready. For the son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not. Expect. As you know.

[28:37] Today is. The last day. Of 2017. And I'm sure. That this year. Has had highs. And lows. For. Each of us. But in only.

[28:48] A few short hours. 2017. Will be added. To the annals. Of history. And will step. Over the threshold. Into a new year. And as with. Every year.

[28:58] There's an element. Of uncertainty. For some. They may be excited. About getting married. Or having a baby. Or building a house. But for others.

[29:08] There is the fear. Of progressing illness. There is aging. Or even loneliness. And looking back. Over what has happened. In this. Past year.

[29:20] Sometimes. We might be tempted. To think that. Well if we knew then. What we know now. Things may have been different. But we can't think like that. Because we know that everything.

[29:31] Everything. Everything is in the Lord's hands. But our responsibility. As the Bible teaches us. Is to keep looking to the Lord. And to remain faithful to the Lord.

[29:43] And you know. When it comes to the second coming. Or the second advent. Our responsibility is the same. We have to keep looking to the Lord. And we have to remain faithful to the Lord.

[29:54] Because we do not know. When he will come. Concerning that day or hour. Says Jesus. No one knows. Not even the angels of heaven.

[30:06] Nor the son. But the father only. We don't know the second. When the second advent will be. Just like. We don't. We didn't know. When the first advent will be.

[30:16] Would be. We might have advent calendars. That count down the days of December. Until Christmas. But no one knew. When Jesus would be born. No one knew. When the Messiah would come.

[30:28] The Jews. They're still waiting. For the Messiah to come. They're still waiting. For the first advent. And so like it was. For the first advent. The second advent.

[30:38] Won't be according. To our timetable. It will be according. To God's timetable. Just like everything. Is according. To God's timetable.

[30:50] Our lives. And everything in them. Is according. To God's timetable. And God's appointment. He has appointed. The day of our birth.

[31:01] He has appointed. The day of our death. We are to repent. Of our sin. And turn to the Lord. Because. He has appointed a day. In which he will. Judge the world. And he will judge the world.

[31:12] By a man. Whom he has appointed. And although no one knows. The day or the hour. For this appointed time. There will be nothing. Out of the ordinary. There will be no warning.

[31:24] That Jesus is coming. There will be no sign. In the sky. There will be no announcement. On the TV. He will come. Without warning.

[31:35] Like a thief. In the night. That's what Jesus says. In verse 42. Therefore. Stay awake. For you do not know. On what day. Your Lord is coming.

[31:46] But know this. That if the master of the house. Had known. In what part of the night. The thief was coming. He would have stayed awake. And would have not let his house.

[31:56] Be broken into. Therefore. You also must be ready. For the son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not. Expect. And you know.

[32:07] In this sermon. Jesus uses. The most solemn. Example. Of what the second coming. Will be like. Down in verse 37.

[32:18] Jesus speaks. About the days of Noah. Before the flood. And we have to remember. That in the days of Noah. For 120 years. While the ark.

[32:29] Was being built. Noah was a preacher. Of righteousness. Noah preached. The way of salvation. Noah. Heralded. The name of Christ. Noah pleaded. For people.

[32:39] To be saved. For 120 years. But they refused. To listen. They ignored the warnings. They became. Complacent. But Jesus says. As it was. In the days of Noah.

[32:49] So will it be. With the coming. Of the son of man. It was a normal day. In those days. Before the flood. They were eating. And drinking. Marrying. And giving.

[33:00] In marriage. Until the day. When Noah. Entered the ark. And this is. The frightening thing. It says. In verse 39. And they were.

[33:10] Unaware. They were. Unaware. Of the danger. They were in. They were. Unaware. Of the judgment. Awaiting them. They were.

[33:21] Unaware. Of their end. They were. Unaware. Of death. Leaving them. Judgment. Finding them. And eternity. Holding them. They were. Unaware. Until the flood. Came. And swept them.

[33:32] All away. And Jesus. Says. So will it be. With the coming. Of the son of man. So will it be.

[33:43] With the coming. Of the son of man. There will be many. Who are unaware. They will be eating. And drinking. Marrying.

[33:53] Giving. And marriage. Living life. As they've always lived it. Until one day. On God's appointed day. The trumpet will sound. The trumpet will sound.

[34:05] And the son of man. Will come. And he will gather. All the nations. Every tribe. Tongue. And language. And he will separate them.

[34:15] One. From the other. One. By one. By one. As a shepherd. Divides the sheep. From the goats. And he will place the sheep.

[34:25] On his right. And the goats. On his left. And the king will say. To those on his right. Come. You who are blessed. By my father. Inherit the kingdom.

[34:37] Prepared for you. From before the foundation. Of the world. Then he will say. To those. On his left. Depart from me. You cursed.

[34:48] Into the everlasting. Fire. Prepared. For the devil. And his angels. Oh my friend. He is coming.

[34:59] He has come. And he is coming again. And so. You must.

[35:11] As Jesus says. You must. Be ready. You must. Be ready. Therefore. You also. Must be ready.

[35:23] For the son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not. Expect. Be prepared.

[35:35] By committing. Your life. To this Jesus. For time. And for eternity. May the Lord. Bless these thoughts. To us. Let us pray.

[35:49] Oh Lord. Our gracious God. We give thanks. To thee. For. Coming. The first time. We thank thee. Oh Lord. That Jesus came.

[36:01] In the likeness. Of men. That he died. That we might have life. And have it more abundantly. But we give thanks. Also. That he is coming again. That he is coming.

[36:11] To right all wrongs. That he is coming. To vindicate his people. That he is coming. To judge the world. And that. Oh Lord. That each and every one of us. We will appear.

[36:22] Before that judgment seat. And give an account. But Lord. We pray. That while we are here. While we are still. On mercy's ground. That we might make sure.

[36:33] We are clothed. In the righteousness. Of Christ. That when we do appear. That when we see him. As king. In all his glory. We will know.

[36:43] That we have been made. Like him. And that we will stand. As righteous as him. That we will be presented. Faultless. Before his glory. And that we will go in. To be with the Lord.

[36:54] For all eternity. Oh Lord. Make sure. And Lord. We plead. That each and every one of us. That when we stand. On the shores of eternity. That we will be found.

[37:05] In Christ. We will be found. Clothed. In his righteousness. And washed in his blood. Oh. Do us good. Then we pray. Protect us. We ask. And prepare us.

[37:17] For what is to come. For we ask it in Jesus name. And for his sake. Amen. We are going to conclude.

[37:28] By singing the words of Psalm 96. Psalm 96. Page 359.

[37:39] In the blue book. Psalm 96. Psalm 96. Psalm 96. Psalm 96. Psalm 96.

[37:51] Psalm 96. Psalm 96. This psalm is very similar to Psalm 98. Now it calls us to sing that new song to the Lord. And it concludes very similar.

[38:03] In a similar way to Psalm 98. It talks about the vindication of this world. The world that is groaning because of sin. And yet we are to praise God. Because Christ is coming again.

[38:16] And he's coming to release this world from the power of sin and death. And to relieve all his people from that power of sin and death. So it says in verse 10.

[38:27] Among the heathens say God reigns. The world shall stentlessly be fixed from moving. He shall judge the people righteously. Let heavens be glad before the Lord. And let the earth rejoice.

[38:39] Let seas and all that is therein cry out and make a noise. Let fields rejoice. And everything that springeth off the earth. Then woods and every tree shall sing. With gladness and with mirth.

[38:51] Before the Lord because he comes. To judge the earth comes he. He'll judge the world with righteousness. The people faithfully. These verses of Psalm 96.

[39:01] To God's praise. He shall judge the people righteously.

[39:35] Let hands be God before the Lord.

[39:45] And let the earth rejoice. Let things and all that is therein cry out and make a noise.

[40:10] Let fields rejoice. Let fields rejoice. Let fields rejoice. And everything that springeth off the earth.

[40:27] Let fields rejoice. And everything that springeth off the earth. With gladness and with mirth.

[40:44] And everything that springeth off the earth. Before the Lord. Before the Lord. Because he comes.

[40:55] To judge the earth. Comes he. He'll judge the world with righteousness.

[41:07] The people faithfully.

[41:19] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God the Father. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. Now and forevermore. Amen.