Text: I Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
I Peter 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
Intro:The prophets of old have given us two seemingly contradictory pictures of the coming of Christ. These might be confusing if it were not for the enlightenment of the new testament.
The Jews were slow to believe the first picture of His coming. Why?
I. The first advent (as a man)
Lu 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
A. Born of a virgin
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
B. Born In the City of Bethlehem
Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
C. Grow up out of his place
Zech. 6:12; And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
D. Man of Sorrows
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
E. Lowly, Riding on an ass
Zech. 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
What an humble entrance for a King
F. Visage marred
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
G. Hands and feet pierced
Psa 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
H. Hung on a tree
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Made a curse for us
I. Blood shed for the remission of sins.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
J. Rejected
Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
II Second Coming The Jews slow to accept the first: We, slow to believe the second coming
A. What the second coming is not
1. It was not the day of Pentecost
a. He sent the Holy Spirit on that day
Jno, 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Jno.16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
b. Writers after Pentecost mention it over 150 times
c. None of the accompanying events took place.
I Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Phil. 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
2. It is not the conversion of a sinner. This is a sinner coming TO Christ
Mat 11:28; Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jno 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
3. Death of a child of God is not His coming
a. death is a departure
Phil. 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
b. Stephen saw Him STANDING, not COMING
Acts 6:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
4. Spreading the Gospel not His coming
a. This is gradual; His coming is to be sudden!
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
b. Gospel brings good news of salvation;
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
c. Second coming brings a sudden destruction
I Thess 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
B Coming in clouds of glory
Mat 24;30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
C..To reign as King
Hosea 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:
5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
D. Without a sacrifice
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
E. That we may receive the adoption of sons
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
At His first coming, He was to be a sacrifice for the condemned;
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
At His second, He will bring condemnation on those who rejected Him.
II Thess 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
F. What shall we do while waiting?
1. Purify ourselves
I Jno 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
2. Preach the gospel
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
3 His delay tells us of the longsuffering of God
II Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
4.’We will not sit down’
I Sam 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
E What should the lost do?
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;