March 28, 2025 | Be God's Family
Jesus Teaches about His Return
Scripture: Matthew 24:26-51(NIV)
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Devotional
Some people obsess about the timeline for Christ’s second coming. They weave together verses from all over Scripture, wedging in the misfit puzzle pieces until a forced mosaic appears. They then proclaim, “Ah! I know when Jesus will return!”
Some people almost never think about Christ’s return. They reason that it has been two millennia since He ascended, and it will probably we a few more before he descends again. His return is a fuzzy future. They say, “Eh. Live for the moment!”
Some people live between these two extremes. Their mantra: “Oh! Live as if Jesus is returning tonight and serve as if you have the rest of your life to do so!”
I like this third way. It calls us to both morality and ministry, godliness and giftedness, holiness and helpfulness. With the third way, we keep watching and waiting, and we keep serving and sharing.
Here’s the truth. Jesus will return. Like the first flash of lightning on an otherwise cloudless day, Christ will appear from heaven. There won’t be time to get your house in order, or make amends with people, or get right with God. Too late. Too bad.
So why not do those things now? Why not commit yourself to Christ completely? Invite Him into your life as your Savior. Offer Him your life as your Lord.
Live as if Jesus is returning tonight and serve as if you have the rest of your life to do so!
Poem
Do Not Listen
Psalm 3
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
Psalm 3 :1-2
Do not listen
To those who would say
“The Lord will not deliver you”
On the day
The sun becomes dark
The moon’s light is hidden
The stars tumble from the sky
The heavens shake and tremble
Do not listen
To those who say
“The Lord will not deliver you”
Listen
To the trumpet blast declaring
“Salvation belongs to our God”
On that day
The Lord will shield His beloved
The glory of the Lord will lift your head
The Lord will answer your cries from His holy mount
The Lord will strike down all who fight against you
Listen
To the trumpet blast declaring
“Salvation belongs to our God”
