Longing for His Return, Part 2

The point: If you are fighting sleep and cannot win the war sitting, get up and stand at the back of the auditorium to show earnestness in hearing the Word.

Martin shares his personal discouragement when seeing people fall asleep during his sermon, despite his passionate preaching, to emphasize the importance of attentive listening to such a majestic theme.

It's not that. But when you're pouring your heart out on a theme so majestic as this, and you see people falling asleep, it's very discouraging. I could understand it if I was a pulpit droner and simply talked on in a monotone, never got excited about anything, and had a voice that put you to sleep. But I'm out here wringing out my 67-year-old guts, and I find young people and young men and women falling asleep.

3:27 - 3:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He turns to Philippians 3:20-21, contrasting true believers with Judaizers and libertines who mind earthly things. Drawing an analogy to Roman citizenship, Martin explains that…

He uses the example of Roman citizens living in Philippi who maintained loyalty to Rome, to illustrate how believers, as citizens of heaven, should orient their lives towards heavenly laws and the Lord of heaven, eagerly awaiting His return.

For. For. Our citizenship is in heaven. Whence also we, here's our Greek word again, eagerly wait and anticipate a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see the apostles' argument? And this would have had particularly telling impact upon the Philippians. Philippi was a Roman colony. People who had. Roman citizenship settled in Philippi. And while they were in Philippi, they were still very conscious of their Roman citizenship. And their true loyalty was to Roman constitution and Roman law. And Paul knew that these people understood what it was like to be living in alien territory. Your citizenshi...

27:54 - 28:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: As surely as they are citizens of heaven, we wait for a Savior, they eagerly await the return of the one whom they trust as their Savior.

Martin quotes Hendrickson's commentary to further elaborate on the concept of heavenly citizenship, describing how citizens of heaven have their names, lives, rights, and hopes centered there, reinforcing the call to eagerly await Christ.

Now, just to underscore what Paul is doing here, let me read a lovely paragraph from Hendrickson's commentary on this phrase, for our homeland, our citizenship, our commonwealth is in heaven. Do citizens of Philippi think of Rome as their native land? Do citizens of Philippi think of the £10,000.000 living land, live in Philippi, and live in Philippi even?

29:41 - 29:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul's final charge to Timothy, where Paul anticipates the 'crown of righteousness' at Christ's appearing. He clarifies this as an open declaration…

He explains that the 'crown of righteousness' is metaphorical, not a literal object, but represents an open declaration of righteousness and acceptance before God at the final judgment.

His confidence is this. Henceforth, verse 8a, there is laid up for me, it is already set aside for me, something that he calls, the crown of righteousness. Now this is metaphorical language. Paul is not looking forward to something made of olive leaves or made of gold and precious stones that is somewhere stored out amidst the galaxies in a special rewards chest, waiting the second coming and the Lord will haul them out and make sure that they're the right head size and put them on us.

36:12 - 36:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow irresponsible and sensational prophecy mongers to cause you to shy away from clear, Bible-based convictions concerning the return of Christ.

Martin uses the term 'prophecy mongers' (like fishmongers or ironmongers) to describe those who sensationalize prophecy for profit, warning against their irresponsible teachings that can rob believers of healthy convictions about Christ's return.

in my experience here's my first word of counsel don't allow irresponsible and sensational prophecy mongers to cause you to shy away from clear Bible based convictions concerning the return of Christ alright that's my first word of counsel don't allow irresponsible and sensational prophecy mongers a monger is someone who deals in a given commodity a fish monger is a guy that sells fish an iron monger is a guy that sets up shop and sells iron we've got prophecy mongers making thousands of dollars on their sensational books based upon a notion that has no basis in scripture whatsoever a so calle...

50:16 - 51:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow irresponsible and sensational prophecy mongers to cause you to shy away from clear, Bible-based convictions concerning the return of Christ.

He recounts the problem in the Thessalonian church where some stopped working, waiting for Jesus, illustrating how twisted views of the second coming can lead to unbiblical lifestyles and how Paul corrected this.

about the return of Christ this is the devil's way of robbing us of a powerful element of healthy Christian experience he did it right when the apostles were alive that's why Paul had to write second Thessalonians he had people that got a twisted view of the second coming and they thought they weren't working sitting around in the hill in the white robe waiting for Jesus to come once in a while they got hungry but they weren't working so they come knocking on the brother's door oh brother Henry I'm getting hungry I've been out on the hillside waiting for Jesus Paul says when he comes and his b...

51:44 - 53:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow irresponsible and sensational prophecy mongers to cause you to shy away from clear, Bible-based convictions concerning the return of Christ.

He mentions other silly notions in the early church about 'first-class treatment' for those alive at Christ's coming, showing how Paul addressed these misconceptions to ensure hope for all believers, living or dead.

about the return of Christ this is the devil's way of robbing us of a powerful element of healthy Christian experience he did it right when the apostles were alive that's why Paul had to write second Thessalonians he had people that got a twisted view of the second coming and they thought they weren't working sitting around in the hill in the white robe waiting for Jesus to come once in a while they got hungry but they weren't working so they come knocking on the brother's door oh brother Henry I'm getting hungry I've been out on the hillside waiting for Jesus Paul says when he comes and his b...

51:44 - 53:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be satisfied with a merely intellectual pursuit or persuasion of the doctrine of Christ's return; let it engage your whole inner man.

He explains 'Maranatha' as an Aramaic phrase (Our Lord has come / O Lord, come) that became a common expression of longing for Christ's return in the early church, illustrating the deep, pervasive anticipation among believers.

and he says if anyone doesn't love a Lord like that he deserves the curse of God then he adds a word look at it in your Bibles if any man loves not the Lord let him be anathema maranatha what in the world does maranatha mean well those who study ancient languages tell us that this is a combination of a couple of words in Aramaic Aramaic was the language spoken by Palestinians at the time of our Lord kind of a second cousin to Hebrew as they spent time in the captivity and came back from the captivity Aramaic would have been the language our Lord would have spoken along with Greek and probably ...

57:37 - 59:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry to God that He will nurture every soul to have a climate of thought where the coming of the Lord Jesus is part and parcel of the atmosphere in which we breathe, using 'Maranatha' as a heartfelt cry.

Martin uses the personal example of his own arthritic joints and the eventual decay of the body into worms to highlight the longing for a resurrected, glorified body at Christ's return, making the 'Maranatha' cry deeply personal.

unashamedly we have felt something of the power of spiritual realities and we say Lord if I could just carry that into the kitchen all week and into the shop and onto the train and you feel that with me there's a time coming when you'll never have that experience it'll just be a heart fully completely ever expanding in its capacity and understanding of the glory of God and the delights of communion with God so when we've had a little taste of that shouldn't it make us yearn O Lord give me the full supply Maranatha O Lord come and when we feel as we shall see and I can't help but anticipate som...

60:35 - 62:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not believe the lie that there's a coming of Jesus in which he'll take his own out of the world and leave a chance for salvation; now is the day of salvation.

He alludes to popular cultural depictions of the rapture (driverless cars, falling airplanes) to warn against believing unbiblical lies about a secret coming or a second chance after tribulation.

in the presence of Christ and in His ascension in His hope in His not eternal Jesus O Lord you. May I solemnly warn you, don't believe the lie that there's a coming of Jesus in which he'll take his own out of the world and airplanes will fall and highways will be filled with driverless cars. No, no, my friend. When he comes to bring completed salvation to his own, 2 Thessalonians 1 and a host of other passages make it clear that coming, which is the consummate glory of Christ in his saints, it'll be curtains for you if you are not in Christ. But the scripture says you who are troubled rest wit...

63:33 - 64:52 Read in full sermon