Looking Forward to Christ's Return

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Life Updates
• 3:08 New Book Announcement: Seek First
• 4:32 Looking Forward to Christ's Return
• 7:37 Parables of Preparation and Readiness
• 14:51 The Hope of Our Inheritance
• 18:55 Living with Eternal Purpose
• 22:37 Prayer and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Audrey McCracken: 1:13

Hello and welcome back to Grace From my Home. I'm Audrey McCracken and I'm so glad to be back with you again this week. I hope and pray that you are doing well, you and your family. Today my oldest son started college. Today is his first day at college and he's commuting back and forth from our home to Coastal Carolina University and he was excited today. I was nervous, he was excited, but I've already texted him to say hey, how's your day going? I haven't heard anything but I know he's in class. But that's exciting. That's a milestone in our lives. My other two are back in high school. One is a senior this year it's his last year and then I have a sophomore. So a lot going on around here. Today I have some exciting news I want to share with you.

Audrey McCracken: 2:03

If you have not heard, my second book has been released. I have written a devotional. It's called Seek First 31 Quiet Moments with Jesus, and I wrote this book for you. I wrote it to help you to have a moment with Jesus, to sit down and quiet your mind and focus on him, because I've found that if I can just steal away and have five minutes with Jesus during the day, it makes the whole day different. It just sets the tone for a great day. And if I can't do it first thing, if I can somewhere fit it in throughout the day, it changes a bad day. It can turn a whole day around. Just to have a few minutes to remind myself and to remember that he loves me, that he's on my side, that he has good plans for me and that I can't even mess that up, as long as I'm seeking him, even imperfectly, that I am going to fall into his plan and he will make sure of that. And so I'd love for you to check out my new book, seek First 31 Quiet Moments with Jesus, and I'll put a link in the show notes.

Audrey McCracken: 3:20

Today I want to talk with you about looking forward to Christ's return. When Jesus left this earth, he promised his disciples I will return, I will return and I will get you. I will return for my bride, and when we, you know, are in life and it's busy sometimes we don't concentrate or think about that promise. You know it's kind of like okay, but I have to live today Like I have to. Today I have to go to work, or today I have to wash laundry, or today I got to pay bills, and so we can find that that promise goes on the back burner. You know it's not. It doesn't feel real, it doesn't feel important or it doesn't feel relevant to our everyday life. But the Lord has been bringing me back to that promise and causing me to meditate on that and think about it.

Audrey McCracken: 4:17

Matthew 24 and 25 is called the Olivet Discourse, and in it Jesus teaches. He's on the Mount of Olives and he's teaching his disciples about the end time, because they've asked him about it. He said some pretty strong things about what's going to happen to the temple. They're admiring the temple and how wonderful it is and just amazing it is, and he tells them this temple is going to be destroyed, and so that piques their interest. And so they say Lord, tell us about this. And he does. He goes into telling them about some of the things that are going to happen when his kingdom comes. And in this teaching he teaches directly. He says things like this is going to happen and this is going to happen. But he does what he often does and he teaches in parables as well, and those parables shed light into what that time is going to look like and what we can do and should be doing to prepare for that time. And I have found that the more that I study about the second coming of Christ and, in Revelation, about the establishment of his kingdom, then the more hope I feel.

Audrey McCracken: 5:30

There was a time when I avoided the book of Revelation because it seemed scary to me. You know, it was dark to me and mysterious and you know I I thought I don't really understand it and it invoked fear in me. When we were homeschooling we read a book and it was called the Nonprofit's Guide to the Book of Revelation and it was written for kids, which I guess maybe sometimes it's easier to read a book for kids, right, it doesn't talk over your head. And so it wasn't a scholarly work. But it was a really good book and it talked about the basics of the end time, the imagery that Jesus used in his parables and also the things that John talked about in the book of Revelation. And it was such a good book and it helped me not be afraid of Revelation. I will drop a link to that book in the show notes. But I love that it was written for a child, or I should say a young person, a young adult, because it broke it down so simple for me.

Audrey McCracken: 6:29

But it also opened up the book of Revelation for me in such a way that it was a book of hope and not of dread, and I think that when we see that, then it causes us to want to know more about it. You know, we want to know what is going to happen and what is my place in this. You know what should I be doing about this and you know Jesus gives us a lot of instruction in Matthew 24 and 25, you know, some directly and some through his parables. But I want to do an in-depth study on this. I've been thinking about how to do more Bible study with you guys, you who want that. The podcast isn't the right format for that. So I've been working on I say working on, I've been writing outlines. I haven't actually started, but I've been working on some Bible studies that I want to share with you and I'm trying to find the right format where we can actually go in depth, because I love teaching and I love the Bible and I would love to share some of these Bible teachings with you.

Audrey McCracken: 7:35

But today I want to do just an overview of the hope that we have and the way the returning of Christ causes us to live a different life when we believe it and when we look forward to it. You know, a lot of times, I think one of the reasons we fear it is because the Bible talks about the judgment and that at that time, you know, all men will be judged. Well, we, as Christians, we will not experience the wrath of God. Jesus took the wrath of God upon himself so that we could have relationship with God, so that we did not have to endure the wrath of God, because indeed we cannot, and so we already off the bat. He is not coming to punish us. He is coming to reward us, and the life that we live matters, but not in a form of judgment. Like we are not going to hell. We are not, you know, when you're in Christ. You're in Christ and you have been redeemed from the curse of the law. But there is a reward for doing those things and being found doing those things that he has assigned for us to do.

Audrey McCracken: 8:45

And in Matthew 24 and 25, some of the parables that he uses he tells a parable about a fig tree. He also talks about a master who goes away and he leaves one slave in charge of the rest. But let's read Matthew, chapter 24, starting in verse 44. And it says Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing. When he comes, truly, I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, my master is not coming for a long time, and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, the master comes, he wants to find those he's given an assignment doing the assignment and the way we carry out the assignment that we've been given matters when the master returns and we don't know when he's coming but be found doing those things. Because how we treat people matters, how we treat our fellow servants matters. How we complete the assignments that God has given us matters. We belong to God, he has redeemed us, he has purchased us with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and how we live matters. And one day we're going to have to give an account for the life that we live and what we did with that life and how we treat other people and when we believe that it does change the way we live.

Audrey McCracken: 11:05

And he goes on from that parable and he teaches on the parable of the ten virgins, which I love. I love this. I want to do a whole teaching just on the parable of the 10 virgins, which I love. I love this. I want to do a whole teaching just on the parable of the 10 virgins. He talks about how they're getting ready for a wedding feast and he says you got to have oil in your lamp. You got to have oil in your lamp. You got to be ready, you got to be wise. Because there were five who were wise and they were ready for the master's return and when he came they were able to go in with him to the wedding feast. But the five who were foolish were not ready, they weren't prepared, and so they were locked outside.

Audrey McCracken: 11:40

And then he talks about the parable of the talents and how he gave one servant, how a master was going away for a while and he gave one servant five talents. He gave one two talents, he gave one one talent, and how those servants invested what he had given them so that when he came back they had interest, they had earned interest, they had grown what they had been given, they had multiplied it. And the implication was you do likewise, don't bury it like the one servant did who said well, I have a, my master's a hard man and so I'm just going to bury this and when he gets back I'll just give it to him. No, he wants you to take what you've been given and put it to use for good, so that when he comes back you can say look what I have done with what you have given me, and you notice, it didn't matter how much you'd been given, just that you had used it wisely, just that you had not been so afraid of messing up that you did nothing.

Audrey McCracken: 12:42

And then he talks about the judgment and he says that he separated the nations before him and on his right side he put the sheep, and on his left side he put the goats. And he said that the king said to those on his right side come, you who are blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me and the righteous are going to say when did we do this, lord? And he said when you did this for the least of these, my brethren, you did it for me.

Audrey McCracken: 13:27

And see how we treat people matters, because Jesus takes that personally. And when we believe that Jesus meant what he said, that this is not a game we're playing, that one day we're going to stand before him and we're going to have to give account of how obedient we were, in what way we lived this life and what we did with the things that he gave us and what we did with the things that he gave us and what we did with the things that he blessed us with. If we multiply those, if we use those things for good or just buried them in, how we live our life matters, and when we believe that it changes how we live our life. And I want you to understand, I want to make a very clear distinction here. To make a very clear distinction here.

Audrey McCracken: 14:16

We're not looking forward to destruction and wrath. We're not. We're looking forward to Christ's return, because we are the bride. We're the bride, and it says that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for him, but he has revealed it to us by his spirit, and so the spirit of God inside of us. You know he'll talk to us and he'll tell us God has so many good things for you. You know you're not doing these things to get, but God blesses those who obey him, and the biggest blessing is we get to spend eternity with him. And there's no greater reward than to be with Jesus. There's no greater thing on earth or in heaven than to be at his feet and to know him and to fellowship with him. And so he gives us himself. He gives us of his own spirit and, guys, we have a wonderful inheritance in Christ.

Audrey McCracken: 15:12

So it's not that we're looking forward to the end time and the things that are going to happen. Yes, things are going to happen. Yes, we're going to feel birth pains. I believe we're already feeling birth pains. But remember, when you have birth pains, it's because a baby's coming. It's because something you've been looking forward to and expecting and hoping for is coming. And so we have an expected end, we have a hope in Christ, and it's far better than anything this world can give us. And so I'm just excited when I think about what Jesus is telling his disciples because we're his disciples too and he's telling us also thankfully they wrote it down so that we too could rejoice in this hope that Christ is coming back, that he will do what he said he is going to do, that we are the ones who are living in this world but we're not of this world, that we belong to his kingdom and that, as we learn to read the signs that he is coming soon, that there is an expectation and an excitement in our hearts that, you know, I'm doing these things for Christ. And the little things I do, like give a cup of water to someone in need, those things matter. And no, we're not doing just to get, we're not giving just to get, but we are partaking in the good works that he created for us to do before the foundation of the world. And, guys, that's where the life is, when we're in him, when we're doing the things he created us to do. That's where his life flows and we have that wonderful privilege of being able to be a part of that.

Audrey McCracken: 16:50

And one day you notice, when I read that parable, that in Matthew 25, about the goats and the sheep and the ones who did all the stuff, like they did all the stuff. They did the right things. They fed the hungry, they gave water to the thirsty, they visited those who were in need. You notice, they didn't even know that they did it. I mean, it wasn't like they were doing it for something. They said Lord, when did we do that? When did we do that for you? When you did it for somebody else?

Audrey McCracken: 17:25

So you see, a lot of times we're doing stuff because it's who we are. We're doing stuff because Christ is in us and he's moved with compassion and he loves people and he's loving people through us. But we're not doing it for reward. But there is a reward and knowing him is the reward. And being able to stand before him one day and say enter into this kingdom and I love the way it says that was prepared for you before the foundation of the world. God prepared you for heaven. You were created for heaven, you were not created for hell. One more little thing, one more little nugget, and I'll let you go today.

Audrey McCracken: 18:08

But then, when he goes into that parable and he talks about the sheep, then he talks to the goats, right, he talks to the ones who did not take care of the needs of those around him who were not moved with compassion for those that were around them, who were not moved with compassion for those that were around them. He says to them, he says to those in verse 31, depart from me, depart from me, accursed ones, and to eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. You see, eternal fire was not prepared for man, it was prepared for the devil and his angels. He created humans for glory. He created humans for heaven. But we have to choose heaven, we have to choose him. He's not going to make us, but for those who do choose, oh my, what a wonderful future he has for us. And it doesn't end here. It doesn't end in tragedy here. Even if your life here ends in tragedy, if you belong to Christ, your life does not end, it's just the continuation once you pass from here.

Audrey McCracken: 19:15

There's a saying in the church that I became a Christian in. Often we would say whether he comes or calls, and many of you have probably heard that saying, but I love it. I love that saying because it says if he comes, that means his second coming right, that means he's coming to take his bride and that's exciting. If he comes, I'm going to see him and we're going to all see him. But if he calls, if he calls me to heaven before he comes to earth, I'm still going to see him. I'm still going to be in his presence, amen. And so, either way, you and I will one day have an audience with the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, and he is preparing good things for us, and we, as we look forward to that day, we will walk different, we'll live different. There'll be a hope in us and we'll know that, even if nobody else notices what happens today, notices the things I do today, notices the choices I make today, they matter because he notices, because he sees all things, and when nobody else knows, he knows. Precious one, the things you're doing today matter If nobody else sees them. When you do them for Christ, they carry a weight of eternal importance and that makes them worth doing well, amen.

Audrey McCracken: 20:43

Before I let you go, I want to pray for you today. I want to pray for you today, but I also want to tell you that my son, david, just texts me back and this is what he said. I asked him how's it going and he said I actually really like it Once I make friends to hang out with. I think it'll be way better than high school. So, yay, that makes a mama happy, you know. But I want to pray for you before you go today and I also want to remind you go and get my book If you could use some help in having quiet times with the Lord. That's my prayer, is that it would be helpful to you. It's called Seek First 31 Quiet Moments with Jesus. You can buy it on Amazon and I'll put the link in the show notes.

Audrey McCracken: 21:25

But let's pray, father, I just thank you that you made us for so much more than we can imagine, lord.

Audrey McCracken: 21:32

You made us for so much more. Lord, you believe better things for us than we do for ourselves. And I pray God for hope, I pray, I pray Lord for that hope. That is the anger of the soul and that gives us a reason to keep going, even when things are hard and we don't want to. And I pray today for hope in our hearts for tomorrow. And I pray, god, that you would shine your light on us, that we would not grope around in the dark but that we would have direction. And I pray, god, that you would give us enough, but that we would have direction and I pray, god, that you would give us enough light that we would not stumble into a ditch Lord, but that we would stay on the path until the sun rises, lord, and we see you face to face. God, we love you, we need you. Lord, jesus, I ask you to cover us, cover me and all those, lord, who are under this prayer today. In Jesus name, amen. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless, bye-bye.