The Unfinished Story of Christmas | Part 1

What is the unfinished story of Christmas? Listen to the one sure hope, the one sure hope of this jitterial world is until Jesus returns.

If you have your Bible, turn now to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 7 as Adrian Rogers begins part 1 of The Unfinished Story of Christmas. This is the first Christmas story, or as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. Now you see, the Jesus who came the first time is coming again and Christmas is not complete without the second coming of Jesus Christ. The incarnation without the coronation would be like East without West. It would be like an engagement with Jesus.

Without a marriage. The story is not complete until Jesus comes again. We all know the old story about the man who was in a hotel room late at night, very weary, going to bed, took off one of his shoes and dropped it on the floor with a thud. And then he thought, that's so thoughtless of me.

There's somebody beneath me. I shouldn't have dropped that shoe like that. So he took the other shoe off and quietly put it on the floor. In about an hour and a half, somebody knocked at his door.

It was the man in the room beneath him. He said, would you please drop the other shoe? We're waiting for the dropping of the other shoe. Now, I love Christmas. Hey, the best is yet to be.

Not only the incarnation, but the coronation. I was raised during the times they call the Great Depression. And we didn't have a lot of the toys that kids have today. As a matter of fact, we had very few things. And when we played ball, we played ball with a bat that had been broken and wrapped up with electric tape, friction tape, we called it. We had a ball that had tape around it. And by the way, if the guy who owned the ball went home, the game was over.

That was it. I mean, we didn't have a Nintendo or Game Boy or PlayStation or something like that. We didn't have that. And there were three of us. We had one bicycle. Where it came from, I don't know.

Somebody gave it to our family. It was a big bicycle. Now, a normal-sized bicycle is 26 inches. This one was 28 inches. It was black.

It had no fenders on it, but it was sturdy. And all of us, my sister, it wasn't a girl's bike, but she had to ride that bike, an older sister. I have an older brother. And I was the youngest of the three. We rode that old black bicycle.

Big thing. I learned how to ride, not by sitting on the seat because I couldn't reach the pedals if I did that. I learned how to ride by putting my leg underneath the bar and holding the bicycle out that way and riding with a bicycle. And really, I rode the bicycle that way with the, I couldn't straddle that bar that went across on a boy's bicycle, so that's the way I rode my bike. And when I got a chance to ride it.

Big old black bicycle like that. And I can remember Christmas. We had a Christmas, and I thought it was a pretty good Christmas, but very frankly, I thought my brother and sister got just a tad more than I did, but it was Christmas.

You know, you're not supposed to complain and so forth. And so I just was happy. And Adrian, do you like your presents? Yes, ma'am. Yes, Daddy.

Thank you very much. But then said, we're going over to see Uncle Rufus on Christmas Day. Well, I, fine. So I went over to see Uncle Rufus, and after we visited for a while, they said, Adrian, go out and look on the front porch.

And I went out and looked on the front porch, and there was a 24-inch, brand-new, candy-apple-red swim bicycle that was made. Wow. I mean, I could not believe it. You know, I thought it was a good Christmas. But, friend, I want to tell you, the best is yet to come. Not only that Christmas so long ago, but this Christmas today.

Now, friend, thank God for what we have. But I tell you, the heavenly Father has so much more when Jesus comes again. The Christ of Christmas is coming again. I want you to tell me, again, I want you to take your Bibles and look, if you will, here in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1, and let's begin in verse 7.

Now, Paul was talking to some people who were living in chaotic times. And he says this, And you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, 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. Wherefore, also, we pray always for you that our God would account you worthy of his calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of the Lord.

That our God would account you worthy of his calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power. What wonderful, wonderful Scripture. You see, we get all wrapped up in the little baby, the baby that was born. And we then go even beyond the birth of the baby and we say, yes, he came to die for our sins.

Thank God he did that. But I want to remind you now of the Christmas message that we have. I want to remind you now of the Christmas message and see how the first coming of Jesus and the second coming are linked together. Put this Scripture down, the Christmas story, Luke 1. Listen to what the angel said in Luke 1 to Mary concerning the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 1, verse 31, she, and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

Well, that literally happened, did it not? That's history. Say, amen.

Amen. As she conceived, she brought forth a son. She did call his name Jesus. And he shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest.

Well, he was great, is great. He is the son of the highest. Now watch this.

Listen to the rest of the story. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. It speaks not only of the Jesus who redeemed but the Jesus who reigns in the house of Jacob. It speaks not only of the Jesus who reigned, not only the Jesus who came the first time, but Jesus who is coming again the second time to sit upon the throne of his father David and to rule over the house of Jacob.

And that's the name for fleshly Jews forever and ever. The most glorious fact of the past is that Jesus came the first time. The most glorious fact of the future is that this Jesus is coming again. And I want to tell you, the one sure hope, the one sure hope of this jitterial world is the second coming. It is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine without the second coming of Jesus, the resurrection, the rapture and all of that?

Can you imagine what it would be like? A man in our church died, a dear man, a beloved man. I sat there. I saw all those flowers. I saw the children. I saw the grandchildren. I went up and looked at the flowers. One said, to pop.

Another said, to grandpop. I watched that sweet widow who lived with that man for so long, and they had both come up to a full ripe age. I watched her, and I stand there so many times at the open casket and fight back the tears. And I watched her as she went up.

Now, these folks have lived together for over 50 years. I watched her as she walked away. Just put her hand on that coat sleeve and gave it a little tug, and then turned and walked away. And I thought, how terrible it must be to be an atheist. She wasn't.

She was a true believer. But what do atheists do in times like that? I mean, is this all it is? and die, and go into the ground, and that's it?

No! Jesus is coming again. The dead in Christ will rise first. And we which remain in our lives shall be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Even so come, Lord Jesus. I'm telling you, His first coming or that, His second coming, would be like an engagement without a wedding.

No, He is coming again. And I thank God for that. Now, there's going to be a glorious contrast. That's what Paul is talking about here.

He's talking about the contrast. You see, the first time He came, He came to die in the sinner's place. This Scripture tells us that when He comes again, He's coming to execute judgment upon those who refuse such love. When He came the first time, He came as a messenger of love. When He comes again, He is coming as in vengeance, as a righteous judge. When He came the first time, He came in the greatest of humility, deity, in diapers. When He comes again, He's coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. When He came the first time, He came as the lowly Nazarene. When He comes again, that doesn't mean He's coming as the one who will rule and reign over the universe.

The first time He was despised and rejected of men. This Scripture tells us He's coming to be glorified and admired and all of them that believe no longer a crown of thorns are died in. Not a cradle of straw, but a crown of glory. Now, with that in mind, as we think about the rest of the story, may I lay three things upon your heart? Three things that ought to give you Christmas cheer, three things that ought to help you in this weary old world in which we live. Number one, according to this Scripture, you need not be disturbed. Look, if you will, in verse 7. And you who are troubled, rest with us.

That is, be at ease. Quit your worry. Are you troubled today? Listen, it is not over yet. It's an unfinished story. If you're troubled, rest with us. You say, Pastor, it's so dark.

Yes, it's gloriously dark because the hour of the night is just before the sunrise. Our hope is not in politics. Our hope is not in sociology.

Our hope is not in science. The only sure hope, I say, for this jittery old world is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, just look in these verses for a moment. Look in verse 7 and think about who is coming again.

Look at it. And to you who are troubled, rest with us. Now, underscore this, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed. The Lord Jesus, that's who's coming again.

We're not looking for some event in history. We're looking for Jesus Christ to be revealed. And when he's revealed, he's going to be revealed as the Lord Jesus. Today, he is despised. He is rejected. He is mocked. But he is coming as the Lord Jesus to be glorified and admired.

Look at it. When he shall come to be glorified in the saints and to be admired. Now, if you're unsaved, you're not one of the saints, his coming will strike stark terror in your heart.

But if you're saved, you're going to show glory to the Lamb. Isn't he beautiful? Isn't he? He's coming to be admired. That's the who of his coming. Do you see it in verse 7? But think not only of the who of his coming, but think of the when of his coming. Look in verse 10 again, when he shall come. Not if, when.

There's no ifs, ands, and buts about it. Jesus Christ is coming again. Well, you say, are you going to set the date?

No. The date, that's a time known to God alone and that Jesus Christ himself, even the angels, don't know that time. Only my Father and any man who sets a date for the second coming of Jesus has committed blasphemy because the Bible forbids it. But yet, there is a when, not if, when the Lord Jesus shall come. That's what our verse says. His coming is like the sunrise. That's what Malachi said. Malachi said, unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise. One thing about the sunrise, you can't hurry it and you can't stop it. Amen?

You can't hurry it and you can't stop it. Jesus coming is like the sunrise, the Son of righteousness, S-U-N, like the sun that comes is coming, inexorably. Jesus is coming.

We don't know when. It may be this afternoon at 2.32 that Jesus comes. Or some date just like that, but Jesus is coming again. The Son of righteousness shall arise.

I heard about a little boy one night set up all night wondering where the sun went and finally it dawned on him. The coming of Jesus is going to be like that. One day, Jesus Christ will pull back the shades of night and pin them with a star, open the door of the morning and flood the world with the sunlight of his presence.

What a day that will be. The Lord Jesus is coming again. We think of the who of His coming. We think of the when of His coming. And then I want you to look with me for just a moment at the wonder of His coming. Look, if you will, in verse 10. When He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired. The word admired literally means to be wondered at.

It has the idea of awe, wonder. When we see Jesus, we're not going to see Him as a baby with His little dimple feet there in the straw. He will come to be glorified. And oh, how we will wonder, how we will admire Him. Let me mention some things that we will wonder at when we see Him.

For example, we're going to wonder at His transforming love. Look at verse 13, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints. His saints. Well, who do you think those saints are going to be? They're going to be those who are stubborn, God-hating, unbelieving, wicked, lascivious people who were transformed just like some of us. They're going to be those who were once blind and blind who stumbled in darkness. These are His saints.

They're going to be those who were demonized by sex and drugs and greed. And now they're going to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. And there when we see them, when we see them with Him, not a vestige of sin, not a spot, not a wrinkle. He's going to be glorified with His saints.

Folks, what? Transforming love. And we will wonder at His amazing grace. We will wonder not only at His transforming love, we will wonder at His saving grace. Look again at verse 10. It doesn't say He's going to be glorified in all of those who gave tons of money to the church. It doesn't say He's going to be glorified in all of those who lived impeccable lives or who were big shots. All of those who believe. Now, you think of that.

Don't go past that. Friend, that's grace. Do you know how you get to heaven? Suppose God said, everybody wants to be saved, run around the block.

Some little children can't run. Suppose He said, everybody wants to be saved, read a chapter in the Bible. Some people can't read. Suppose He said, everybody wants to be saved. Some don't have $100.

Some don't have $100. But He is coming to be glorified in all those that believe. You say, that's too simple.

Let's do something else. As a matter of fact, we're here today a lot of preaching and praying about easy believe-ism. Oh, I'm opposed to easy believe-ism.

Be careful when you say that. What do you want, hard believe-ism? Be careful when you say that unless you, in your effort to make stronger, better saints. You say, it's not just enough to believe. It is enough to believe in Jesus, if you truly believe. I'm not talking about intellectual belief. I'm talking about the belief that says, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for one moment of faith. When you put your faith where God puts your sins, then that is grace, amazing grace.

There's no reason to earn it, buy it, or deserve it. You put your faith in Jesus, and He'll save you, mister, and He'll keep you saved. We'll see that. Look at these people. They're saints. They're like Jesus.

How did they get to be that way? They believed on Him. The Bible says, surely, simply, sweetly, sublimely, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. That's amazing. When we see that, we say, no, no, there's got to be more.

We've got to do something else. That just chops the legs out of the self-righteous person who thinks he's going to strut to heaven by his own good works. God says, your good works are like filthy rags in my sight. You just cast yourself upon Him in mercy.

Put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and when you see Him, you will wonder at His transforming power. When you see the saints, you will wonder at His saving grace. I'll tell you something else you will wonder at.

You will wonder at His keeping power. Look again in verse 10, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired, now watch this, in, what's the next little word? All them that believe. Not a one is lost. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, I'm telling you, not one will perish. And the soul that on Jesus hath lain for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes. That soul, all hell should endeavor to shake.

I'll never, no never, no never forsake. Oh, when we see Him, the Bible says we're going to admire Him, we're going to be glorified, and look at it in verse 10, because our testimony among you was believed in that day. Oh, thank God for the power of the Gospel. Our testimony among you. That's why I'm preaching.

That's why I got on my knees before I stepped out of here. I want you to believe what I'm telling you. You believe in this day, and friend, in that day, you will be in that group called saints. You will be in that group because you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will never, no never, no never, no never forsake you. You will be glorifying and admiring the Lord Jesus, all of those that believe. And coming up tomorrow, we'll present the second half of this vital message.

We hope you can join us then. But today, if you have questions about who Jesus is or what He means to you, how to begin a relationship with God through Christ, go to our website, lwf.org slash radio, and click find God's love. There you'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your faith. Again, go to the find God's love page when you log on to lwf.org slash radio. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety, call 1-877-LOVE-GOD and mention the title, The Unfinished Story of Christmas.

This lesson is also part of the insightful series, The Mystery of History. For that complete collection, all four insightful messages, call 1-877-LOVE-GOD, or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio, or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee, 38183. We're so glad you took time to study in God's Word with us today. Sign up for our daily heartbeat emails, and you'll get devotions and message links sent straight to your inbox. Find out more at lwf.org slash radio, and join us tomorrow for the conclusion of The Unfinished Story of Christmas, right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's some encouragement we received from a listener on Facebook. Pastor Adrian always draws me in with his stories as he explains in plain words what God is doing in our lives.

Isn't that great? Thank you for taking the time to tell us. We're grateful that these messages have been insightful and useful in your life. As the year winds down, Love Worth Finding wants you to know how much we appreciate your prayer, your faithfulness in giving, especially during a year like this last one. In the wake of all the challenges and all the difficult changes we've seen, God's hand has been on this ministry. The gospel has been proclaimed, and we want to challenge our Love Worth Finding community to give at this year end to help us share the gospel of Jesus Christ in the new year through the timeless messages of Adrian Rogers. Call it a calendar year end gift right now at 1-877-LOVE-GOD.