THE BLESSED HOPE OF THE CHURCH -- Monday:
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." KJV (Titus 2:13)
However, avoiding sin and being holy is not the conclusion of the matter. Under the old covenant, Solomon provided a summation of that economy. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl 12:13). Nevertheless, this is not "the conclusion of the whole matter" now – not since Jesus died, arose, and ascended back to heaven. The "whole duty of man" from Solomon's perspective was to "Fear God, and keep His commandments." He does not include loving God, worshiping God, or serving God. He does not include preparing to for the marriage supper of the Lamb, or pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God. Eternity is not in His expression. It is not that Solomon was obtuse; he lived under an inferior covenant that did not have "better promises." Now, however, "a greater than Solomon" has spoken (Matt 12:42).
We shun evil and cleave to the good in expectation of the Lord's return. We are not looking for a secret appearing, but a "glorious appearing." If God's glory could not be hidden at Sinai, what can be said of the greater glory of our Lord's return! The Word of God knows nothing of an unrevealed return of Christ, or a secret appearing, which is a contradiction of terms. Such a thought is unacceptable, although men have attempted to sanctify it with complex, but uninspired, explanations of Scripture.
A "glorious appearing" is one that CANNOT be hidden. Jesus declared that unimaginable glory would attend His return. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). How marvelous! His own glory! The glory of the Father! The glory of the holy angels! That is all the glory there is! How could something like that be hidden? The very thought is preposterous! And, we are looking for this unequaled revelation of Divine glory. We are looking forward to the time when nothing about Jesus will be obscured; nothing about the Father will be hidden; and nothing about the angels will be veiled.
This is the "blessed hope" of the church. Unity is not its hope! The evangelization of the world is not its hope! The salvaging of our nation is not its hope! The stabilization of the home is not its hope! All of these things are fine, and we are certainly not opposed to any of them. We are for them, and will exercise as much influence as we can to bring them to pass. Still, our hope is not in them! When we see a divided and fractured church, we still have a "blessed hope." When we see a world steeped in sin, we still have a "blessed hope." Even when we see our nation descending into a quagmire of iniquity, we still have a "blessed hope." We want our families to reflect the glory of the Lord. Yet if they do not, we still have a "blessed hope."
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for a hope that sustains the soul, strengthens the heart, and clears the mind.