WHY THE BLESSED HOPE IS BLESSED - CONCLUSION

Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

January 23, 2016

In Titus 2:13 Paul wrote: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
As Christians we do not look for and long for the same things as lost people. Lost people look for the world to get better, but we don’t. Lost people look for mankind to get better, but we don’t. Lost people look for society to get better, but we don’t. Lost people look to politics and politicians to make their lives better, but we don’t. Why? Because we have a book that tells us that the world and men and society and politics will only get worse. Our hope is in none of these things. Our hope is totally different than the hope that men have. Our hope is the blessed hope. Our hope is the literal, physical, visible second coming of Christ. We really believe he is coming again just like he promised when he left. When Jesus went back to heaven in Acts 1 the angels said to the apostles who saw him go up: This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
What the angels said to the apostles is our hope. It is the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. We live with this promise in our hearts. We live with the prospect of Jesus Christ coming again in our life time. We desire his return, we love his return, and we are eager for him to return. To us, nothing is more important than the second coming of Christ.

This is what Paul meant in Colossians 3:1-4: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Notice carefully that when Paul said seek those things which are above and set your affections on things above, he then mentions the appearing of Christ from above in verse 4. When we seek those things which above and set our affections on things above, he means to seek after and set your affection on the second coming of Christ.

Paul practiced what he preached for in 2 Timothy 4: 8 wrote this about Christ’s coming: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

In Titus 2:12 we look for his appearing, in Colossians 3:1-4 we seek after and set our affection on his appearing and in 2 Timothy 4:8 we love his appearing.  And we should, because his appearing is a blessed hope. And when you see the reasons you will look for it, love it, seek after it and set your affection on it too.

The last promise and last prayer of the Bible is a promise Jesus made to come again and prayer he would come soon. It says in Revelation 22:20: He (Jesus) which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.