In this Advent series, we are looking at the differences between the first and second coming of Jesus. In His first Advent, He came as a humble servant, fulfilling prophesies of the Messiah who would come to Earth to suffer and die to heal His people from sin and suffering. When He returns, He will come as a battle-ready groom, prepared to rescue His bride from His enemies and reign as a victorious King.
In the first sermon of this series, we looked at how Jesus will return as a judge to separate His people from His enemies, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus teaches that He will return in order to judge the world and that the gate to heaven is narrow; the only people He will allow into heaven are those whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. The good news of the Gospel is that when we turn to Jesus in faith, He imparts His righteousness to us as a free gift and He establishes us as blameless and holy. Through faith in Jesus, our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. For those who believe, the judgement of Jesus is not something to be feared, it's something to long for. This Christmas, may our celebration of the first coming of Jesus stir our longing for His second coming.
