RS004 The King Is Coming

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message called, The King is Coming.

Anticipation is such an exciting part of our life, something that we have to look forward to, and though we don't want to miss out on the day we need to live today, looking ahead knowing that God is going to send His Son Jesus to come and take us home that belong to Him and right the wrongs that are around us, it's exciting. Today we head to John 14, and that's not only a part of today's message, it's also a wonderful time of encouragement of how we live out this life knowing that the King is coming. We're here for you connecting on our website right now at www.tewonline.org with resources, love to pray with you, pray for you. You can even sign up for the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don Wilton. It's right there at www.tewonline.org.

And now, Dr. Don Wilton. I'm so grateful to have an opportunity to share with you always from the Word of God, and you know it's a wonderful thing to be able to study God's Word together like this, and I want you to just think with me for a moment as you get ready to open your Bibles to John's Gospel and chapter 14. You're gonna need your Bibles today, and I really encourage you. You know, I tell people everywhere and have done this all around the world as I've been preaching that I'm not going to share with you from the national publication or from a local newspaper.

I'm not sharing with you today from the public opinion pollsters. I'm sharing with you today from the Word of the Living God, and you know when one considers who God is and the beauty of knowing God's truth, what does God have to say to you and to me? So I want to pray with us for just a moment today, and I'm praying so very especially for all of us in our turbulent world and with the circumstances of our world, and then I want to set the scene for one of the most amazing things that Jesus ever told us, and he gave to us the truth and he encouraged our hearts. So just bow your heads with me no matter where you are today, and let me just ask Lord Jesus right now, I pray for all who listen, all who read God's Word. I pray for myself, I pray for every person everywhere because we need to hear from the Lord Jesus Christ. We're living in a turbulent world. Oh God, we cry out to you and we know that you are faithful and you encourage our hearts and you're going to bless us today, and I have no doubt about that whatsoever, and I pray this prayer in the strong name of Jesus through the authority of your Word, giving you thanks in all things, in Jesus name, Amen.

Well I hope you've got your Bibles today and that you're going to open them with me to John's Gospel and chapter 14. Now let me just set the scene. Our world is very, very interesting, isn't it? We are coming through, it would seem, on the other side of a massive pandemic. Every nation in the world has been affected by the COVID virus.

Every nation, every single nation. It seems like nobody has been left untouched. I know of people who have lost their lives, family members.

We lost someone very close to us who died as a result of COVID. People have been afflicted. There have been all kinds of opinions, and in the midst of all of that, there are tensions. All kinds of tensions in the world.

Liaisons. There are tensions related to Arab nations, to African nations, to the United States of America, to South America. We've got friends all over the world in all of these countries and there are tensions. Our politics is divided. You know, many times you and I look at the United States of America and we see the great divide, but that's true across the world. France, Israel. Israel has just gone to their third or fourth general election and they still cannot get a majority vote.

The same is true in most countries around the world. People are divided against each other. What does God have to say to us? You know, we have children and grandchildren. We're asking questions about tomorrow.

We're asking questions about what kind of world are they going to live in. We're asking God to show us and to give us peace and He will. That's why today I want to invite you to give your life to Christ. I want to invite you to trust Jesus as your Savior and your Lord. We are an imperfect, sinful people of which I am chief, but God gave to us the Lord Jesus Christ who came to this earth. He came because He loves us and He died on a cruel Roman cross, was buried for our sin and by the power of God He was raised up to walk in newness of life.

Isn't that fantastic? So this is Jesus and listen to what Jesus says here in this great passage and I'll read it to you. Do not let your heart be troubled.

Trust in God and trust also in Me. In My Father's house there are many, many mansions. If it were not so, Jesus said, I would have told you, I am going there to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back.

Did you get that? I will come back and I will take you, I will receive you, I will gather you to Myself to be with Me so that where I am, there you may be also. Oh this is what the Bible says. I didn't say this, Jesus said it. I want to speak to you for just a few moments on the subject, the King is coming. This is a marvelous promise from God's Word, isn't it? It's amazing and friend, for just a moment I want you to ask the Lord to help you to shut everything else out.

The court of public opinion, that newspaper publication, the news bulletin that you listen to most days, the opinion of people and places, medical opinions, public opinions, authorized opinions, good opinions, educated opinions. Let's just listen to what the King has to say. So what I'm going to do for the next few moments is I'm going to divide this into three sections to give us an understanding.

Before I do, let me tell you this. Here's what the Bible tells us, just to put it in perspective. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of God, was raised from the dead. Then He appeared to over 500.

That's a great story, isn't it? Jesus showed Himself. He wanted people to see what He looked like after He had died and God raised Him from the dead.

You ever wondered why? Not preaching on that. I think primarily because God wants us to know what we will look like after we have been raised up, after death, in Christ. This is an incredible picture because we, like Christ, are raised up. Then Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and He ascended up into heaven. The angel came and said to those men standing there looking up, said men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking up? The same Jesus who went up is going to come back down. He's coming again.

You don't need to be concerned. Jesus looked at His disciples. This passage here in John 14 is Jesus teaching these people in the midst of their turmoil and boy did they have turmoil. They had a hated government. They didn't like the Romans. They were oppressed by the Romans. These people were oppressed. They were oppressed in every way. They were oppressed religiously. They were oppressed culturally. They were oppressed racially. There was a big divide. They were being treated not badly but harshly.

Many of them were losing their lives. They were living in an unjust world and people wanted to know where can I find peace? Oh God give me peace in my heart. You want peace don't you? Listen to what Jesus said because He's the peace provider. He's the peacemaker. He's the peace giver and what He looked at them and He said to them was listen I know that you're living in turbulent times but you be assured don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God?

You do? Believe also in me. Forgive the interruption.

Please don't go away. We'll be back with the rest of today's message with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment when we think about that concept of not letting our heart be troubled. Sometimes we know that in our head but our heart is confused and we need the comfort the encouragement of great scripture or of a friend praying with you. We're here to do that 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Just know that we're here to pray with you and for you and connect with resources anytime 24 hours a day. Mark 16 15 says go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This is the goal of the encouraging word. We want to send the uncompromising message of Christ to all.

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That's 866-899-9673. Now back to today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. Yes, but I want you to know in my father's house there are many rooms, many mansions. The word there means that heaven is adorned with the splendor of God. He said I'm going up there now and I'm going to prepare a place for you. That word preparation is marvelous isn't it? You know when I think of preparing, I think of my wife, I think of my mother, I think of homemakers, I think of so many people who prepare the table for others to sit down and eat.

God bless them. God bless you for preparing. Jesus is our great preparer. He's preparing for us because he's the King. Well let's just try and understand this a little bit.

Alright, three things you might want to write it down. First of all, who? Who is coming?

Who is this? Well the Bible tells us here and Jesus wanted us to know that it was he talking. He said listen, you trust in God, trust me.

I am God. Remember what he told his disciples? He said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, because I and the Father are one. Now the Bible teaches us many things about this one who is coming. First of all, the Bible tells us that he is the Son of God.

Isn't that incredible? He's the Son of God. He says believe in me. I'm the Son of God. I'm the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Bible says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.

This is he. It's Jesus. You ever had someone come to you and say listen, it's Jesus plus someone else or something else?

Don't believe them, because the Bible says only Jesus is the Son of God. He's the only one who has the capability and the capacity to do what he says we don't need to be troubled about, because he is King. He's not only the Son of God, but he's the only way to the Father. You know later on in this passage, I didn't read it, but in verse 6, Jesus goes on and he says I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. You and you and you. No man can come to the Father but by me.

Isn't that wonderful? But thirdly, he's the author and the finisher of our lives. The writer to the Hebrews told us about that.

You can read it for yourself in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2. That means that Jesus Christ is the one who made us and he's the one that finishes us. Just by the way, that little word there, he's the author and the finisher of our lives.

The word there is not he's the Terminator. He's the endgame. He's the death maker. He's the executioner.

Uh-uh. He is the finisher of our lives, which means that not only did he make us and create us in the image of God, but he finishes us in Christ. By the way, Bible says there are two comings of Jesus. Did you know that?

Could we even be a little bit more complex? There are actually three comings of Jesus. The first coming, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He came.

Came from heaven to earth. Second coming, which we call the second coming. The second coming, he's coming in the clouds.

1 Thessalonians and chapter 4. The Bible says that heaven is going to open and Jesus is going to come in the clouds. He's going to stop in the clouds and when he comes in the clouds, we are going, those of us who are alive and remain, are going to be caught up to meet with those who are already in heaven. Just think for a minute, you got a precious mother in heaven, she's going to be there. You got a son who was taken, your heart still hurts, he's in heaven, he's going to be there. What about that baby that you miscarried? That baby with the breath of life in her, she's going to be there. What about that little one when born, stillborn, or died shortly after childbirth?

What about your grandmother, your grandfather? In heaven today, he said we're going to be caught up to meet those who are already with him because the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So Jesus coming, yes, he came born in Bethlehem's manger.

Yes, coming in the clouds to receive us. When he receives us all believers are going to be taken up into heaven. He's going to turn around, go back into heaven. We're going to live with him and then after seven years, God is going to open up the heavens and release Jesus together with all of us and we're going to come back. That is what we call the second coming. And Jesus is going to come down from heaven accompanied by all believers everywhere.

I'm going to be in that group, I want you to be there. That's why I'm inviting you to give your life to Christ. He's going to land on the Mount of Olives and then he's going to walk down that hillside and cross over and into the eastern gate and he's going to go back and reclaim his throne right there on the Temple mound.

The Bible says in Revelation 22 that the Bible tells us very clearly, Revelation 21, that heaven, the New Jerusalem is going to come down from God out of heaven and God says from heaven from now on, I'm establishing my dwelling place among the earth. Yes, the King is coming. Look, this is Jesus saying, don't you worry.

Don't let your heart be troubled. So who is coming? Jesus. Here's the second question. How is he coming?

Good question, right? How is he coming? Three things I want to say to you. First of all, how's he coming? He's coming to come back definitely.

To come back definitely. Listen, Jesus said, look what he says here. He said, I want you to know I am coming back. If I go, which I have, to this audience in John, he's letting the disciples know, he's letting those listeners know. I want you to know if I go, we know he went, I believe that, he came out of the grave, God raised him up, he appeared to over 500, he went back to the Mount of Olives and he went back into heaven.

Bible tells us that, I believe that. He said, if I go, here it is. It's definitive, it's definite. I will come back. I will come back. How is he coming? To come back specifically, specifically for you. Jesus looked at all of us and he said, I'm definitely coming back for you. Did you know that? That Christ is coming back for you?

This is personal. You know the most wonderful thing about knowing Jesus? He died for you personally. Yes, he died for the whole world. He died for you and for you, and for you for every single one of us. He's coming back specifically, but thirdly, he's coming back purposefully.

Purposefully. What is his overriding purpose for coming back? That where I am, there you may be also. That's the purpose of God in the coming of Jesus, is that we would be with Jesus. Isn't that fantastic?

I love that. That's why I want you to give your life to Christ. You don't miss this, folks.

Let not your heart be troubled. The King is coming. Who is he? He's Jesus. How's he coming? Well, he's coming, definitely.

He said, I'm coming. I'm going to take him at his word, folks. That's what believing is. It's accepting what he says by faith, right?

Would you accept that by faith? Say, yes Lord, I know you coming back, definitely. He's coming back specifically, coming for you. Would you say, Lord, I know you coming back, and if I'm still alive, it's for me. Coming back for me.

Can you imagine that? I think what he's saying to you and me, that we are the apple of God's eye. He died for you. He's not going to abandon you.

You're not abandoned. He's not leaving us as orphans. He sent his Holy Spirit to be in us, to dwell in us. He said, I'm coming back specifically. He's coming back purposefully. What's his overriding purpose? That all of those of us who love Jesus will be with Jesus, get this, forever.

Can you imagine being in the presence of Jesus forever? Alright, two questions here about the King is coming. Number one, who's coming? Number two, how is he coming? So here's one more.

Let me just give this to you. Why is he coming? Why did Jesus say this? Why is he coming? You know he gives us three reasons in John chapter 14. Let me just share them with you quickly, because I want to give you an opportunity to give your life to Christ today, if you haven't done so already. Here it is.

Here's the reason. First of all, to receive us. You know, in verse three the Bible says, he says, I will come back, and there are two translations, to take you back with me, to gather you up to receive me.

You know, in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, the Bible tells us that he comes to receive us. He's going to gather us, going to gather us like a mother hen would gather her chicks. You know, like a mother gathers up her babies. You know, I got a good friend, his name's Todd Williams, and his wife Caitlin, and they delivered twin boys recently. Beautiful, beautiful little boys, man, they're about this big. You've never seen anything so cute in all your life. Just wonderful.

Shepherd and Emmett Williams. You know, I was seeing them just the other day, and Todd had one of his sons in his arm, and he's such a little chap. I mean, all you saw was this little nose, and these little fingers, and then his brother was lying in a little crib on the side there.

They looked so identical, so the same, and there was just such a beautiful smile on their mother's face, and I just thought how precious it is that a mother father would would would just gather up their little ones. You know, this is the picture that we get here of the Lord Jesus. Why is he coming? He just loves us like that. Jesus loves you. Don't you love that song, Jesus loves me, this I know. The Bible tells me so little ones to him belong.

They are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me, because the Bible tells me so. So why is he coming? To receive me. To receive you. Number two, to release us from restrictions. To release us. Not just to receive us, but to release us. Release us from what?

Well, we talked about it, all the tension, anxiety, the worry, the concern, the politics, the anger, all the things that we deal with. You're dealing with things today, let not your heart be troubled. The Bible says when Jesus comes, he's gonna gather us, he's gonna receive us, and he's gonna release us. He's gonna, he's just gonna release us. You know, the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 15, in a moment, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed.

Isn't that fantastic? That's what Jesus does for us. Why is he coming? Number one, to receive us. Number two, to release us. Number three, to reunite us. Reunite us. Number one, with Jesus, in person. That's right, we're gonna see him face to face. Number two, with all our loved ones.

Isn't that fantastic? You know, it's hard to lose a loved one, isn't it? And I know you might have lost someone you just love so much, and it hurts, doesn't it? But you know, Jesus told us, don't let your heart be troubled, because I'm coming back. Yep, I'm gonna receive you, I'm gonna release you, and I'm gonna reunite you. We're gonna see our loved ones forever.

Do you know that? Would you pray this prayer with me today? Would you trust Jesus? Pray this prayer. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and today I get it.

I see Jesus. I repented my sin, and by faith I received Jesus into my heart and into my life. I've given my life to Christ today, and I pray this prayer in the wonderful name of Jesus, and for his sake alone. Amen. Amen. Many of you perhaps were praying along with the pastor, right? Then some, for the very first time, giving your life to Jesus Christ. Welcome to the family of God.

Maybe some of you were saying, I understand, I've got to get it right. I've got to rededicate my life and move forward in a brand new way. Just know that we would love to help equip you in that brand new way.

Dr. Don has wonderful packets of information for you. If you gave your life to Christ or rededicated your life that he wants you to have absolutely free, just call and let us know at 866-899-WORD. Jot the number down, store it in your cell, 866-899-9673. We'll connect you with one of us anytime, day or night, 24 hours a day, to talk or listen or pray or connect with great resources.

Yes, many are still asking about the fresh new book from Dr. Don Wilton called Saturdays with Billy. It's available right now by calling 866-899-9673, or you can take a look online at our website, www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. While you're there, follow Dr. Don in socials and sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email. It's all online at www.tewonline.org.