The Glorious Appearing

 

Scripture Text

Titus 2:13
 Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Intro: This verse tells us we are to be looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus shall soon appear in all the glory and majesty of His Being. What will be so blessed about His return? The words "blessed hope" means to be filled with joy, prosperity, richness, benefits, the highest good, all the great and glorious benefits imaginable. Therefore, the blessed hope of the Lord's return is to be filled with all that you can imagine and more. If you can imagine the highest good and all the richness of life possible, the appearing Jesus Christ in all His glory will be that and more.

1. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious union. [1 John 3:2] (NKJV) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. We shall see Christ for the first time and be united with Him forever. What a day that will be.

2. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious reunion.                     1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT) ¹³  And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴  For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. ¹⁵  We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.¹⁶  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
¹⁸  So encourage each other with these words. Very soon Jesus will return and when He does Our loved ones and friends who have died in Christ shall return with Him and their bodies will arise and be united with their souls and we who live shall be changed and reunited with them forever. 

3. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious transformation of body. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NKJV) ⁵¹  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-⁵²  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.
At Jesus' return we receive our new incorruptible, eternal bodies.

4. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious life of joy. Revelation 21:4-5 (NKJV) ⁴  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5) "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." Matthew 13:43 (NKJV) Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! At that time we shall receive a perfect life of joy, happiness and freedom from trials, tears, pain, suffering, separation, evil, and death.

5. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious dwelling place and mansion. (John 14:2-3) "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Forever with Jesus and the Father God who will supply all our needs thru eternity.

6. The return of Jesus Christ will mean a glorious eternal inheritance.     1 Peter 1:3-6 (NLT) ³  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴  and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. ⁶  So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

Invitation: Are you ready and looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ? If not, now is the time to confess your sins to Jesus, ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell and give you a home in heaven. Only then will you be ready for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ!