TEXT: Acts 1:6-11:
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
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Ladies and gentlemen, the hope of the second advent of Christ has filled the church for centuries. Our Lord Jesus Christ first uttered that prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” Someday that prayer will be answered. God’s kingdom will come; His church will be triumphant. But it will not come until there is direct intervention from heaven.
Now the world today is in a mess. I do not need to tell you that, for you know it. Anyone who can read a newspaper or watch a television knows that there is something wrong with the world in which we live. One of the great British philosophers, Bertrand Russell, said in 1958, “I wouldn’t give you a fifty-fifty chance that one person will be on this planet forty years from today.” That is the thinking of many of our people today. There is nothing but darkness and as the scientist looks out into the future. He sees the possibility of making a wonderful world. Then he looks into the human heart and realizes that some of the greatest scientific attempts of our day are building engines of destruction. So what could be the possibility of a glorious world if man is actually building bigger and better bombs and missiles for his own destruction?
C.S. Lewis declared, “It seems to be impossible to retain in any recognizable form our belief in the deity of Christ and the truth of the Christian revelation by abandoning or belittling the promised return of Jesus Christ.” Dr. Lewis accepts literally Paul’s definition of the Christian hope: “Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Dr. Lewis says there are three reasons why people scoff at the coming of Christ. One, he says, because many professed Christians say it is a false teaching since the second coming of Christ did not take place in the early church as predicted. In other words, why has not Christ come up till now? Christ predicted He was coming. Two thousand years have passed and He has not come. That is exactly what the Bible predicted in 2 Peter, that in the last days scoffers would say, “Where is the promise of his coming?” So, you have a lot of people who scoff at the idea. They dismiss it, or they try to rationalize around it.
Second, the theory of evolution keeps many from believing in the second coming. If we believe man is progressing by himself, we will never accept the promise of Christ that He will return and bring an end to sin and death. In other words, those people who think we are getting better and better in every way, every day, they don’t want to talk about the coming of Christ. That interferes with their belief in the divinity of man, that man somehow is going to save himself. He doesn’t need God.
Third, the doctrine of Christ’s coming cuts across the plans and dreams of millions of people. They want to “eat, drink, and be merry” without interference in their selfish course of action. That is exactly the reason why the scoffers in Noah’s time refused to believe in a flood. You’re making money, you’ve got a comfortable home, you’ve got a fine family. Why should you want Christ to come? You would be embarrassed if He came. So you don’t want to believe it, and you cast it aside.
Surely the time has come for the church to give people the right view concerning the blessed hope, that Christ is coming again. Dr. Bryan Green, the former Episcopal rector of Birmingham, England, said: “I really feel we are going to move into a dark age of civilization. The only real light for Christians is a faith in the Second Coming of Christ.”
One day, by divine intervention and divine action in the coming of His Son, God is going to snap history in two. The climactic point of history will be reached. God is going to crown Jesus King of kings and Lord of it all. There will be a coronation in the sky. What a moment that is going to be! Only those who believe will be there in their white robes, and the orchestras of heaven are going to play. The choirs are going to sing; the angels will furnish the music. What a moment that is going to be!
One basic thing is taught in Scripture about the Second Coming — that we are to be prepared. Jesus said, “Be ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” I want to ask you today: Are you ready? If you are not ready to meet Christ, get ready without delay. You can get ready by receiving Jesus Christ and repenting of your sins. It’s a very simple act. It’s a sincere act by which you present yourself to Jesus Christ and say, “Lord, from this moment on I’m Yours. I want to receive you, I want to follow you, I want to live for you.”
Trust in Him because He is coming again and you do not want to be left behind. Here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and the consequences of sin.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
The Gospel Light Minute X 