Desirous and Desperate for the Second Advent

Encouraged? Share this post...

In the story of the five foolish virgins and the five wise virgins found in the first 12 verses of Matthew 25, truly some were ready for the Bridegroom’s appearance and some were not.

I’ll never forget when an acquaintance proclaimed to me on December 11th of that year; she was going to bake large quantities of 12 unique types of cookies for their family Christmas celebration.
“I don’t care what happens. I have to finish all my baking,” she said.

And, I was thinking, “Why?”

To do this marathon over-achieving baking goal, she missed church for two Sundays, our church’s Christmas concert, her children’s performance in our Christmas program, and her children’s Sunday school trip to sing Christmas carols at her mom’s nursing home and the mall as an outreach.

Tragically, her mother who lived nearby in the nursing home, passed away early Christmas Eve day.

During the funeral eulogy the daughter delivered with sobs, she said “I never saw my mom once in the last two weeks because I was too busy shopping for cookie ingredients and baking for our Christmas celebration. Had I known my mom was going to pass away this week, I would have spent my time with her.”

This December in our Christmas Celebration, let’s not miss the being ready for the Christ Child’s Second Coming, because of the immediate. Let’s not be a pound of cookies wise, but miss His Glory.

“When the Gospel is at stake, everything is at stake,” RC Sproul wrote. Let’s be bold in sharing the whole message of Christ. This Gospel message includes Jesus coming as a baby to this world at the First Advent.

Jesus will also come again as the King of kings breaking through the eastern sky for the Second Advent.
This is our Blessed Hope that we want to be ready for. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13

Jesus was preaching in a synagogue at Nazareth when He quoted from Isaiah 61:1,2. This is also in Scripture in Luke 4:18,19. Jesus quoted a bit of the verse from Isaiah and then was seated. Jesus told the people, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Compare the Gospel of Luke with Isaiah, the part of the verse that Jesus left out is obvious. Jesus ended with “To preach the acceptable year of the Lord,” while the Prophet Isaiah continues with “and the day of vengeance of our God.”

The Lord stopped when He did because the rest of the verse is about His Second Coming. His First and Second Comings were both contained in Isaiah 61: 1,2, and Jesus showed this when He preached.

Christmas blessings and truth for us include not just the knowledge of the First Advent, Christ coming to earth as a Baby, but also the promise of the Second Advent, Christ coming as the Bridegroom to redeem those who believe in His Name. May we be desirous and desperate for the Christ Child AND ALSO His Coming Glory as we prepare this year for Christmas. In Matthew 25:13 it says,Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Dear God, We pray that as we celebrate your First Advent, we will prepare for Christ’s Second Advent through repenting of our sins and accepting your Son Jesus’ death and blood shed on the Cross as the penalty paid completely, once and for all. May we ever be found, watching with our lamps trimmed and filled, waiting for your second glorious coming in the clouds. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Cheryl Moeller

About Cheryl Moeller

Cheryl Moeller has been married to her best friend Bob for 30 years. They are the parents of six children, one son-in-law, and three lively dogs. She uses her over-the-counter-top stand up comedy at women's groups and retreats, prays like it's her full-time job, writes a syndicated humor column, blogs about life with lots of kids at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com, and authors books such as Keep Courting: 100 Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage (purchase on their website) and Marriage Miracle (Harvest House 2010). Bob and Cheryl's passion is to connect two hearts for a lifetime. They have co-founded For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries www.bobandcherylmoeller.com.

Encouraged? Share this post...

Cheryl Moeller

Cheryl Moeller has been married to her best friend Bob for 30 years. They are the parents of six children, one son-in-law, and three lively dogs. She uses her over-the-counter-top stand up comedy at women's groups and retreats, prays like it's her full-time job, writes a syndicated humor column, blogs about life with lots of kids at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com, and authors books such as Keep Courting: 100 Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage (purchase on their website) and Marriage Miracle (Harvest House 2010). Bob and Cheryl's passion is to connect two hearts for a lifetime. They have co-founded For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries www.bobandcherylmoeller.com.

You may also like...