Episode Transcript
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, go therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to go teach all nations, bringing you Christ teachings through australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Pastor Robert Stankovic.
So I want to be able for the next three parts to encourage your hearts, and I hope that the spirit will bless you. And as we look at his word, let's bow our heads this morning. Heavenly Father, Lord, we pray for an anointing of your Holy spirit.
The words that I speak come from my heart. And you said, Lord, that the heart is deceitful above all things. But, Father, I've surrendered my heart to you.
And Lord, I want you to speak through me. As fragile and broken as I am, I pray that your spirit will just create anew or renew our faith in the hope of your soon return. That we'll be encouraged to know that even in as part of the name of who we are, the 7th day Adventist Church, that the second coming of Jesus is paramount and significant and the most important event in earth's history.
And we're so close to it. Bless us now with your holy spirit. In Jesus name, amen.
According to a legend, when Jesus returned to heaven following his death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb, the angels gathered in amazement. I want you to think of revelation, chapter four and five. It's the inauguration in heaven, and all the angels of heaven are worshipping Jesus, saying, worthy is the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.
And they're just glorifying him and praising him. So if you want to read something fascinating, revelation four and five. When Jesus went up to heaven and he asked his disciples, wait in Jerusalem, for how long do you think they waited in Jerusalem? Ten days.
Because Jesus, when he rose from the grave, he spent 40 days with his disciples and other people, and about 500 were resurrected in that resurrection morning as firstfruits that went to heaven with him. So it's not just Moses and Elijah that is there, and Enoch. There's 500 others.
From the beginning of time up to the time of Jesus, the angels gathered in amazement. They gazed at the wounds in his hands and feet and shuddered to recall his suffering. Finally, Gabriel spoke.
You know who Gabriel is? He kind of took over the position that Lucifer left vacant several thousand years, well, thousands, thousands of years ago, before even Eden began. Finally, Gabriel spoke. Master, you suffered terribly down there.
Do they know and appreciate the extent of your sacrifice? No, said Jesus. Not yet. Right now, only a handful of people in Palestine know.
Then what have you done to let everyone else know? Ask Gabriel. Well, I've asked Peter, James and John and a few others to spread the news. They will tell others who will tell others, who will tell others and who will tell others until the message spreads to the ends of the earth.
But Gabriel, knowing the nature of human beings, asked, so what's plan b? In which Jesus replied, I have no plan b. There is no alternative strategy. I'm counting on them.
20 centuries later, he still has no other plan. He's still counting on you and me to proclaim the everlasting gospel and the soon return of Jesus in the lives that we live and the work that we do on this earth. I really hope and pray for those that have done the ten days of prayer.
Show me your hands. If you've had an opportunity to look at some of the ten days of prayer at home, on the app, on the website, maybe did some of it with your family and fellowship at home during that ten days. Yeah.
A few of you. Yeah. I want to encourage you to do it.
If you haven't, it's still up on there. Ten as in t e n tendaysofprayer.org dot amazing ten topics for each day about priorities, about what's most important in this world, how to juggle time, how to prioritise of what's important with work, with family, with building God's kingdom.
I want to encourage you to do that. And I also want to encourage you that we'll continue the spirit of that prayer every fortnight, first and third Sabbath of the month, right here in the function room as we pray for God's kingdom to come and that we will be part of this. No other plan, but plan a is to tell the world about Jesus love and his soon return in our lives and in our ministries.
So we know that the Bible says, I will come again. But why? I looked at the how and the when and the why, and I thought, which one shall I start with? Shall I leave the why at the end? And I thought, you know what? I read a book called the something, the why, start with why, start with why? And he says, you know, a lot of businesses succeed not because they know the what and the how, but because they understand the why, the passion that drives them to do what they do. If we know what the return of Jesus is all about and how he will come and when he will come, well, at least soon, what is the passion that drives you? With the hope of his soon return.
What drives you from the time that you decide to be a disciple of Jesus, to love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength in walking each day by the spirit, in looking and anticipation to the return of Jesus, and what drives you to do what you do? Why? I hope that we can be inspired by God's word. And I don't ask you to read all that. That's just to let you know that there are many terms that the Bible uses to phrase the name of the return of Jesus.
There's the blessed hope, the glorious appearing. There is the promise of his coming, the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, when you think of the revelation of Jesus Christ, what do you think of what comes up first? The book of revelation.
Yeah, because when you read chapter one, it says, this is the book. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which was given to God, who gave to Jesus, who gave to John and who give to the seven churches. But it's not just about the history of Jesus in the events of this earth, in this world.
It's all about everything happening in anticipation to the revealing of Jesus at the end of time. That's the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's not about just the popes and the dragons and the beasts.
It's all about where we are heading to. A bit like the Daniel image. You know, I'm glad I wasn't born at this time of earth's history.
I'm glad I wasn't born at this time or this time, especially not at this time. The dark ages, even just before Jesus, during the time of Jesus and then pagan Rome breaking off into papal Rome, where the church combined with the Roman Empire, became the new Holy Roman Empire. I am so glad I wasn't born in that time, but I'm so glad I'm born down here on the toes, tippy toes.
I was born then. That's where all of us were born in this generation, where we can all be alive to see the return of Jesus by God's grace. We are so close.
And so there are three words, parousia in the greek, apocalypsis and epiphaneia. And they all talk about three different things, but yet the same thing. One talks about his visible return in person.
The other talks about the preparation of our hearts to receive Jesus when he returns. And the other talks about the big picture of God communicating the glory of God in us, Christ in us, the hope of glory. Remember that verse? It's a verse in the Bible.
Christ in us, the hope of glory. So that when the glory of Jesus is revealed. We will be one with him.
That's the epiphaneia. Living above the darkness of this world, living in the light of God's presence in anticipation when the lightning strikes in the heavens and he returns. So why will Jesus return? Give you several things to save and redeem us from the presence and the effects of sin.
What was the number one reason why the Jews were so desiring for the MEssiah to come the first time? Were they keen to see the Messiah? Maybe 50 50. What was their biggest drive? Why they wanted the Messiah to come. Yeah, to release them from roman oppression.
Why do you want to come? Why do you want Jesus to come? To be released from the oppression of sin. I mean, that's part of the reason. In fact, the Bible says that, but it's not the main reason.
And all of these reasons actually combine together as one. But I've split them off. The Bible says, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many on the cross, will appear a second time.
In the very first verse, he says, I have come, that I may come again. The plan was already in there to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Who's eagerly waiting for Jesus to come? I am.
You know, there's a song, I think I've got it here. For those that love the heritage singers and the Gaithers. I want to read you just a couple of words from this song.
And it's called, I bowed on my knees and prayed, holy. You know, coming to that moment when we're in heaven, we're around the sea of glass and we're wondering, we're looking around, everything's new, everything's beautiful. And we're wondering where our focus is.
He says, I dreamed of a city called glory so bright and so fair when I entered the gates, I cried holy. The angels all met me there they carried me from mansion to mansion oh, the sights that I saw and let me read the next verse before I hit the chorus. This is the big one.
As I entered the gates of that city my loved ones all knew me well. We all want to see our loved ones, don't we? They took me down the streets of heaven such scenes were too many to tell I saw Abraham and Jacob and Isaac and talked with Mark and Timothy but I said, I want to see Jesus. I bowed on my knees and cried, holy, holy, holy.
I clapped my hands and sang, glory, glory, glory, glory to the son of God. That's the reason why Jesus will return. That's my reason.
But let's keep sharing. And there will be signs. And Jesus talks about, you know, they asked, Lord, the disciples asked in Matthew 24, Lord, what are the signs? When will you come back? And they said, oh, there'll be, you know, catastrophes and distress of nations and perplexities, and people will faint with fear of what is coming on the world.
So people are driven with fear today. But we need to comfort people, to know that the hope beyond the fear is greater, that perfect love casts out fear. When the love of Jesus and the hope of his soon return is in our hearts, they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And it says, because your redemption is drawing near, if there's any time in this earth's history that his redemption is drawing near, it's now. It's now. So why will Jesus return? He wants to break the shackles of death by shaking the earth and lifting up and resurrecting those who have loved his appearing, who have loved Jesus with all their hearts.
God is so eager to see us again in person, to see all our loved ones who have passed on, who have died in the faith and the knowledge and the love of Jesus. And a part of that is when we are resurrected to be joined back with those who are living with God's people. He says he will do something.
He will restore and renew our mortal bodies. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in the moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.
For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. Our dying bodies.
Now our dying bodies, mortal bodies. Ageing disease. Tired of.
We get easily discouraged. We have stronger bodies and stronger minds. We who are living will also be transformed.
Our dining bodies must be transforming to bodies that will never die. Our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. And then in my, one of my favourite verses, in one Thessalonians talks about, we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again.
We also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him from this earth believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord. We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
So why will Jesus return? It's not to prove the theory that when people die, they go to heaven. Not the main reason. It's because Jesus wants to unite and be with us forever.
He wants to prepare our hearts. He wants to purify us, purify us from the shackles and burdens of sin. He wants to make us blameless, to stand blameless and faultless before the throne of God.
And he's working on our hearts. He who started the work will continue until the day of Jesus Christ sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless. So it's not just an intellectual assent to Jesus that he says, you know, robert, my blood covers your sins.
And my mind says, thank you, Lord. And then God says, from this day forward, walk with me. Walk in the spirit, that your whole mind, soul and body will preserve blameless, not just to stand faultless before the throne of God, but that my holy spirit will renew your mind and be transformed, not according to the patterns of this world, but according to the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Let me just go forward. Why will Jesus return? So that we may do life and live. That God may live and do life with us together for eternity.
For me, this is big. This is huge. I don't mind.
You know, there's an old song. I can't remember the words, but it talks about. I don't care if it's a little shack or a cottage.
Oh, I think it's. I've got a mansion just over the hilltop. It talks about a cottage.
It says, even if it's a little cottage next to blind Barthymaeus that received his sight, or next to Naaman, who was healed by his leprosy. If I can just be in the presence of eternity of Jesus God, the one who loved me and died for me, that's all I want. I don't need a mansion, but we get one anyway.
Just the cottage, maybe just set up my swag. I'll be happy just to be there. That's all I want.
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.
In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself. That where I am, you may be also.
Isn't that a beautiful promise? It's actually my dad's favourite verse. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel. And it talks about the trumpet and the dead in Christ rising first.
And we who are alive will be caught up together. Talk about community, talk about not being caught out and left out. Talk about the fear of missing out.
We don't need to have that we can have the confidence in the day of judgement. For as Christ is, so are we, his children, forgiven, sanctified, matured and grown. In the love of God.
It says, to prepare a place for you. I will come again, that where I am. For the Lord himself will descend.
And it says at the end of that verse, we will always be with the Lord. You know, I was reading in the great controversy in the last chapters, last chapter, actually. Deliverance, God's earth.
God's earth delivered. It says in there that Jesus will forever bear the scars in his hands and his sides and his feet to remind us for eternity how much he loved us, that we would not even want to think about allowing a little sparkle of rebellion to start up again in our hearts. That's how much he loves us, that we will forever.
He will make his home with us. And we'll talk about that a bit later on. It is amazing.
Therefore, encourage one another with these words. Why else will Jesus return? I love this painting. It's called first day in heaven.
All I want to see is Jesus to do life and live, live with him forever. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, look, God's home is now among his people.
He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. Love it.
Can you imagine? The creator of the universe decides to live with us, not on another planet, not in heaven, not somewhere else in the uttermost parts of the universe, with us on this little speck in the universe restored. Wow. That's why I want Jesus to come.
Come. He thinks I'm important enough to hang out with us because we've been through a unique experience of suffering and sin that no one else in the universe has. And he wants to be sure that we're safe and protected and loved beyond measure.
To guard us, protect us with his presence. Why will Jesus return? To start all over. A new beginning forever.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared, and the sea was also gone. And he'll wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
All these things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, look, I am making everything new. And then he said to me, write this down for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.
There will be a lot of things in this world that will say otherwise, there will be all kinds of weird theologies and teachings that will discourage us from committing to the journey of wanting to see Jesus face to face. There are distractions in our world that satan wants to hold us back. That's why I've encouraged at the beginning.
Please read the ten days of prayer. It's only about a page devotional per day. Really thought provoking, challenging our need to reevaluate, renew, refocus our life on this planet.
You know, I remember I was watching on YouTube, a preacher was preaching about, and he had this long rope all the way across the whole church, long rope. And then on the end of this little rope, about a centimetre, he puts a, he paints it reduced, and he says, you know, that little red represents our life here on earth, and yet we make this life so big and so long, it's almost like we plan to live on this earth in this condition for eternity. We want to build our mansions, we want to build our businesses and empires.
I'm not saying we don't, but we're so focused on that to the point we neglect to see the endless measure of our life with Jesus for eternity, not on the other side of the universe, right back here where that little red part is, but the length of that time. It's not about the longevity of life. You know, the adventist health message says, you know, there are people who are centennials who live to 100 or more, but I prefer the quality of life.
I would rather, at 103, die in my sleep knowing that I was hoeing in the garden the day before. Imagine in heaven eternity with Jesus, building mansions, never growing old and tired, never ageing, endless time with him. What a beautiful time we look forward to.
Naom one nine. What do you conspire against the Lord? And when you look at the earthly kingdom that is constantly fighting God's kingdom on earth, attacking God's people, he says, finally, above all wars, and later against all wars against God's people, he will make an utter end of it. Affliction, sin, suffering, war, all of those things will not rise up a second time.
And I did a whole message on that last year. It will not rise up a second time. Not because God says, I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen.
He's going to be arbitrary and he's going to dictate, and the minute someone flares up, no, that's not what he means. It means that when Jesus, with his scars in his hands and his presence with us for eternity, will be a constant reminder of how much he loves us and that we would not want to turn away and bring on this whole rebellion and ruin again. That's why Jesus wants to return.
He wants us to end this suffering in this world. Now, why do you want Jesus to return? That's why the Bible says why Jesus will return. But what about you and I? Indeed, I count everything as lost.
Paul says, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my lord, for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may. What gain? Christ is Christ everything for you? Is he what he says in this next verse? In psalm 73, he talks about, I desire you more than anything on earth. Do you desire Jesus? Do you desire the return of Jesus, the hope beyond this world? More than anything in this earth.
More than business? More than relationships? Well, relationships are important. But will any relationship hold you back that takes you away from your relationship with Jesus? Will any commitment to a lifelong project on this earth hold you back and change your thoughts and feelings to the things of this world? That you lose your desire for eternity? What do you desire more than anything on earth? Our identity and our belonging. I belong to you.
You guide me. You lead me to a glorious destiny, constantly living in the hope of eternity. God, it says, my health may fail and my spirit may grow weak.
Yes, we experience disease. Yes, we experience mental health, stuff in our bodies and minds. But above all that, God remains the strength of my heart.
He is mine forever. None of this is going to hold me back, suppress me and put doubts in my heart that he doesn't care and love me. Because Jesus is our comfort after these things.
The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision saying, do not be afraid. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Who is your great reward? God.
He's your great reward. Not the mansions in heaven. That's a bonus.
It's not what you have, it's who you know. Because if you know him, you've got everything comes with it. It's a package.
But don't love the things more than the one who gave it to you. Jesus is our exceeding joy. I will go to the altar of goddess, to God.
My exceeding joy. Is God your joy? Is it the pleasures of this world that only gives you joy? Or is it the presence and the nurturing care and tenderness of God that gives you joy beyond the struggles that we go through every day? Because he's our eternal life and eternal home. Now this is eternal life.
It's not about the length of that rope. Because it's endless. We're going to be with Jesus forever.
I'm not talking about longevity, I'm talking about quality of life. I'm talking about relationship with God. And this is eternal life.
Not 10,000 years in heaven that they know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, that's eternity, that's eternal life. That where I am, there you may be also. God's home is now among his people because of his presence.
That gives us a sense of belonging and that becomes our home now. Samuel Rutherford, I've read this sometimes in some of my funerals that I've taken, but it's a beautiful message of hope, of that very thing. He's a 17th century scottish reformer and he said this.
And then there's another one. He says, when we shall come home and enter into the possession of our brother's fair kingdom. Who is our brother? Our big brother, Jesus.
And when our heads shall find the weight of the eternal crown of glory. I love that sentence. Our heads shall find the weight when our heads can get around and grasp the thought of eternity.
The moment we leave this earth and stand in the pearly gates and in the sea of glass before the presence of God, it's just going to dawn on us. Like dawn, it might take us a thousand years to finally click. It's changed forever.
Then we shall look back to the pains and sufferings. Then we shall see life and sorrow. To be less than one step or stride from a prison to glory.
The decision of eternity is a momentous darkness is here. International or universal Dateline. Now is a day of salvation.
That's the international date line in the Bible. We step over into God's marvellous light. There's eternity starts right there.
We don't have to wait till Jesus returns. That will be the culmination of what we've been building all our lives. And finally he says this.
This is the best one. Oh, my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without you, it would be hell. Imagine being alone in heaven.
You got all those animals that don't bite you, all the lions that won't chew on you, and you can swim in the water and swim with the dolphins. God isn't there, Jesus isn't there, the angels aren't there. No one else is there.
You're the only one in heaven. Would that be hell? Absolutely. But if I could be in hell and have you still, it would be heaven to me, for you are all the heaven that I want.
I love it. It's inspired I carry that in my heart. And every time I go through things in life, I just remember little things like that to just get back on track.
Don't get sidetracked. Don't get pulled down. Connect with Jesus.
He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son of God does not have life. We're not talking about here.
If you don't have Jesus, you're lost. It's talking about if you walk and stand in the presence of Jesus, you are safe for eternity. If you walk away willingly, you're unsafe for eternity, gone forever.
It's a moment's decision to stay in the presence of Jesus, to recalibrate, renew, refocus. Don't go back to the point. This is when I met Jesus.
Don't go there. Go back to the last moment. You remember that.
Jesus says, I love you, and keep walking with him. Don't let that pull you down. You know, two.
Peter, in closing, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises. Some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
If God could, and you think the sovereign God of the universe who spoke and it was, cannot move my hard heart if I don't let him. That's the kind of love he has. He will not force a drop.
He will influence you. He will coerce you in a loving way, but he cannot make you. God wants us to choose life.
Choose him now by knowing him. And that's some of the reasons why Jesus is coming back, to restore all things as they were and to restore our lives in the full image of Jesus fully body, soul, and mind. So, next two weeks time, how will Jesus return? And then on March 2, when will will Jesus return? Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we want you to be our all and in all. For without you, we are nothing. Without you, we can do nothing.
And, Lord, there is so many distractions and disappointments that happen in life may not that hold us back from the hope of the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. There may be people here this morning who are really struggling in their faith with you, in their hope beyond the challenges that they face. Lord, I pray that your spirit will be poured on their hearts.
Comfort them, give them peace, give them that renewed hope that you will never leave them, nor forsake them, that there is help. And we just pray, Father, for these things in the worthy name of Jesus, who we look forward to your return. Amen.
This message was made available by the Bunbury Seventh-day Adventist Church. For more resources like this, visit their YouTube page. Bunbury SDA.
This programme has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio.
