Christmas Changes My Outlook on the Future Titus 2

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Christmas Changes My Outlook on the Future Titus 2:13 3 weeks into our series – Christmas Changes Everything Having seen in the previous weeks that embracing Jesus, who appeared at Christmas – Changes my life; Changes the way I live This morning – changes my outlook on the future Far too many live fatalistic, short-sighted lives Nothing to live for – eat, work, sleep, and die With a few bright moments thrown in amidst hopeless drudgery I wonder how many of you that describes this morning I wonder how many of you . . . Rarely think beyond the next weekend, sporting event, or vacation Have nothing to live for each week other than your favorite TV show Never think about the future – like the future after you die – because you have no hope, a lot of uncertainty, and even some fear All that begins to change when you embrace the Christ who came at Christmas That change usually starts with hope for the future Christmas changes my outlook on the future because . . . I have something to hope for – the return of Christ He came the first time, he’s coming again That’s what the phrase – The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ – refers to His return to earth to gather all his followers unto himself, forever God’s grace appeared in Christ at the incarnation, and God’s glory will appear in Christ when he comes again He came in humility (v11), and he’s coming back in glory (v13) He came in weakness; he’s coming back in power 4 Characteristics of Christ’s Return • Christ’s return will be . . . 1. Sudden and Unexpected 1 Thess 5:2 – The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night Mt 24:44 – Jesus is coming at an hour you do not expect 2. Glorious and Amazing 1 Thess 4:16 – The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. Mt 24:30 – Jesus will come on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory 3. Catastrophic and Devastating 2 Pet 3:10 – The heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 4. Physical and Visible Acts 1:11 (physical) – This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. Rev 1:7 (visible) – Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him The difference between hoping for his return, and caring less about it, depends on whether you know him now or not

• No relationship, no hope Nobody hopes for the return of someone they don’t even know Why would I care if Uncle Jack comes home for Christmas if I don’t even know him? If you’re to have any hope at all for Jesus to return in the future, need to know him now Indifference makes no difference Indifference to his coming doesn’t change the fact that he is coming, and coming to judge Just like indifference to your need for a Savior, doesn’t negate the consequences of your sin And if you’re banking on a second chance – don’t The Bible nowhere indicates that there will be a second chance Hope for the future depends on your relationship with Jesus now No relationship, no hope You can have both if you . . . Admit to God that you’re a sinner, and turn from your sins Believing that Jesus died for you Committing to live for him as Lord (rightful leader/authority), the rest of your life It’s then that you’ll be filled with hope for his return . . . Hope for Christ’s return is . . . A blessed hope – no more crying, pain, night, shame Face to face with Jesus (1 Cor 13:12) A confident hope – because past performance IS an indicator of future results Hope is a believer’s confident expectation of what will surely come to pass He came the first time as promised No reason to think he’ll stop following through on his promises now We should be even more confident because his past performance is perfect A patient hope – because I know he’s preparing a place for me (Jn 14:3) I know his timetable is not my timetable (2 Pet 3:8, 1-10) He’s God and I’m not If you have no relationship with Christ this morning, you have no hope for his return But if you begin one now, he will change your outlook on the future, giving you hope for his return Christmas changes my outlook on the future because . . . I have something to live for – the worship of Christ If the words of this text are true – Jesus is our great God – then he deserves our worship It should be the overwhelming impulse of our lives Wise men were a great example of living for worship They interrupted their lives and made a long, costly, and dangerous journey for the sole purpose of worshipping the newborn king If they had believed he was God in the flesh – our great God – I’m convinced they would have stayed Wise men at parties – What do you do? I worship Jesus. Oh great, how long have you been doing that? 50 years. The only way that Christmas will change your life is if you permanently interrupt it to worship Jesus, our great God

The Bible says . . . Ps 29:2 – Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. Ps 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! Heb 12:28 – Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe Rev 22:8-9 – An angel tells John – Worship God.” Jesus, our great God, deserves our worship

Not only does Christmas change my outlook on the future because I have something to hope for and live for, but because . . . I have something to die for – the cause of Christ Jesus is referred to as Savior because he came to save his people from their sins That’s the cause of Christ – to bring more and more people into a saving relationship with God Jesus was so passionate about it, he died for it himself

I think most of us get that, but our tendency is to let our worship become what it shouldn’t • Worship should be our delight, not our duty God takes no pleasure in worship that is all duty and no delight In fact, he punishes those who do not serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart (Deut 28:47) The only part duty plays is that we’re commanded to delight in the Lord Ps 37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord

Paul was willing to die for it as well – proven just by the words we uses here He calls Jesus God and Savior, deliberately using a phrase normally reserved for the Caesars in Rome As if that weren’t bad enough, he trumps their title by saying that Christ is our great God and Savior – that must have infuriated them But Paul didn’t care, because he wanted nothing else than to advance the cause of Christ; So much so, he was willing to die for it Believers in Caesarea begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem in Acts 21 Paul responds – I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Obviously the cause of Christ was more important than life itself

Duty in worship, apart from delight, is like bringing flowers to your wife because you’re supposed to – Would she like that? I don’t think so She wants you to bring her flowers because you love her; because you delight in her; because you’re satisfied in her Same is true of Christ He desires a worship of delight, not duty • Worship should come from our heart, not just our head God is not glorified by just your mental recognition of his glory and worth He’s most glorified when you fall on your knees because you’re overwhelmed by his power, glory, and his all-satisfying love for you When you cry from your heart – Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Ps 57:5) • Worship should be our passion, not our pastime All history is moving toward one great goal – the white-hot worship of God and his Son If that’s not your passion, you’re missing out We should be saying like the Psalmist . . . Ps 42:1 – As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Is 26:9 – My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. When the worship of Christ is our delight, heart-cry, passion . . . We have something to live for But if you don’t know him in the first place, you have no reason to worship him, and nothing of lasting importance to live for – now or in the future Want you to meet a couple who do have something to live for, because Jesus changed life Testimony – Jesse and Sahar Foster Jesse and Sahar have something to live for – Do you? Do you want to? Or do you want your life to always be winter and never Christmas? Confess your sins, surrender your life, and worship him

Why was that? – Because dying was better than living Phil 1:21 – For me to live is Christ, to die is gain To live, is better for Christ because it advances his cause To die, is better for me, because we I get to be with Jesus face to face Paul was willing to die for the cause of Christ because dying was better, but living was more necessary because the work remained unfinished He submitted his desires for even life and death, to God We don’t talk much about dying for a cause these days, but if you’re still alive, God has in mind for you to be all about the unfinished cause of Christ You’ll be passionate about it in life, only to the extent you’re willing to suffer for it in death That has been the story of millions of men and women down through the centuries Those most willing to give up everything for the cause of Christ, including life itself, are those most passionate about it If you have nothing to die for, you don’t have much to live for Jesus changes my outlook on the future – in this life and the next – because I have something to die for But if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior . . . If you haven’t embraced him and the salvation he freely offers, dying for his cause is the furthest thing from your mind And there’s nothing changed about your future You still face massive loss and hopeless separation from God, forever I urge you to give your life to Christ this morning To repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ He will never leave you or forsake you He will give you a hope for his return, a reason for living, and a cause worth dying for

Pray/Invitation If you want that – if you want something to hope for, live for, and die for Pray with me . . . If you prayed that prayer, raise your hand and look at me – keep looking Want to talk to you for a minute If you’d like to pray with someone, talk with someone – come and sit down here in the front row, and staff/elders will join you If you’ve given your life to Christ this morning, or in previous weeks, and God’s impressing on you to just make it known, come and stand next to me, and let’s worship together Either way, we want to share in your joy, and give you a little Bible study to help get you started in your newfound life with Christ

Close 1 Service – 10 a.m. in the gym Enjoy your time with family If don’t see you next week, Have a Blessed Christmas