THE LORD DOES NOT DELAY HIS COMING
2 Peter 3:3-9; Exodus 32:1-4; Luke 13:23-25; 12:35-37;
These scriptures speak about the absence of Christ, which marks the time we are in; we feel His absence. But the world does not feel it; men have everything arranged so that they can do without Him, they have decided to live their lives without Christ. When the scripture refers to persons, “having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph.2:12), it is persons without Christ, without salvation. Is there anybody here that does not feel what is happening in the absence of Christ? He is coming again, and the preaching will proceed during this wonderful period of grace until He comes. I read about persons who mocked, “Where is the promise of his coming?”. When Christ comes as the Sun of righteousness, He will awaken the world, but He is risen in our hearts. The morning star is for those who are awake during His absence. What glad tidings we have to preach!
Do you want to go on in misery? I know what it is like to live in misery. I once thought the world and its amusements would satisfy me, but when you get into your room at night, and the lights go out, what have you got? Nothing! Not a thing. That is what the world is like. Tell me, young friend with your life ahead of you, are you going to put your hopes and your aspirations in this world? This world is for judgment. It is a solemn thing that judgment awaits the world. Persons are still saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? for from the time the fathers fell asleep all things remain thus from the beginning of the creation”. And then Peter wrote, “For this is hidden from them”. Until they get light in their souls, they do not see what is in the mind of God and things are hidden from them. So Peter wrote about how “the then world”, that was the world of Noah’s time, “deluged with water, perished”. They were marrying and giving in marriage until the moment that Noah went into the ark and the door closed (Matt.24:38). They were without God, and they perished. They did not realise how solemn a position they were in.
Then after the Old Testament times came the incarnation, the incoming of Christ. God’s view was the very widest. Simeon spoke of the “revelation of the Gentiles”, Luke 2:32. All men were in mind through Christ coming in. The Son of Man is towards all men. The glad tidings are preached to all men. What glad tidings they are, and it is for you, dear friend, to come in to the family of God. God desires through the gospel to bring you into His family.
Then Peter writes “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some account of delay, but is longsuffering towards you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. There is no delay with the Lord. If anybody is here with their sins not met righteously, the glad tidings are good news for you. The wages of sin is death, and if you die in your sins you will be raised in your sins, but the glad tidings are preached to save you for ever. Believers will never come under judgment. If you are under the shelter of the blood of Christ, you will never, ever stand before the great white throne and there will never ever be judgment on you. That is tremendous. It fills your soul with the grace of God. Think of Saul of Tarsus; he was the chief of sinners, but God is “not willing that any should perish”. Once you have put your faith in Christ, peace floods into your soul and you know you have it. The glad tidings began with Christ Himself; they were preached by the apostles, and the gospel is continuing now. The glad tidings are still God’s power to salvation. Persons are still mocking, “Where is the promise of his coming?”, but He has promised, and lovers of Christ hold to that promise. We are looking for Him to come. Now in Exodus 32, Moses delayed to come down; he was up on Mount Sinai with God, receiving the tables of testimony. The people were down below with Aaron; they made this proposal “make us a god, who will go before us”, and Aaron made the golden calf. .There is an alternative proposed right away, and they brought idolatry into the camp. Moses was out of their minds. They said, “This is thy god, Israel, who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!”. Who had done that? God had brought them out of Egypt. Think of the power of God parting the Red Sea, and Israel going through on dry land. The Egyptians perished in it, but the people went through. Then, when they murmured, God gave them the manna and He gave them the quails to eat. That was divine provision. But here they say, “This is thy god”. It shows how idolatry comes in so easily. They overlooked the Red Sea; they wanted to go back to Egypt, but you cannot go back over the Red Sea. It is what has been accomplished in the death of Christ. The two and a half tribes went over the Jordan and fought in the land, and then they went back across the Jordan. Your enjoyment of the spiritual things of Christianity is over Jordan, and if you lose that enjoyment, you may as it were return to the east side of the Jordan, but you cannot go back over the Red Sea. Once you are saved, you always belong to Christ.
In chapter 13 of Luke’s gospel, someone asked Jesus, “Sir, are such as are to be saved few in number? But he said unto them, Strive with earnestness to enter in through the narrow door”. Why is it narrow? Three thousand souls were secured in the beginning of the Acts, but God has His terms which He sets out in the gospel. Did God make a bigger door for them? No, the narrow door is there. It is God’s terms; repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a definite way to come into salvation. This question was to the Lord, “are such as are to be saved few in number?”. There will be a universe for God; think of the multitudes that there will be for God, resulting from the way He has presented Himself in the glad tidings. And so Jesus said, “Strive with earnestness to enter in through the narrow door, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in and will not be able”. That is sobering. Then the master of the house arises and closes the door. Once the Lord comes and those that are Christ’s are taken to be with Him, persons may actually come to the door of this hall and it will be locked. That is sobering. As long as the door was open, the favour was there, but when the master of the house arises and closes the door, they will come, and they will knock. “From the time that the master of the house shall have risen up and shall have shut the door”, they will come. That is why this time of the absence of Christ is not to be neglected. The opportunity is now, because the time of grace will close immediately Christ comes. That is a sobering thought for sinners. But for us that are saved, what a hope, what a joy to be with our Saviour! There is nothing more appealing to our hearts. We will see Him face to face. It will be indescribable joy for ever.
In Luke chapter 12 Jesus says “Blessed are those bondmen whom the lord on coming shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he will gird himself and make them recline at table, and coming up will serve them”. Think of the Lord girding Himself and making them recline at table. Is that not beautiful? What a Saviour He is – an all the way through Saviour. He has dealt with our history, dealt with our sins. He confirms us in the way, gives us strength when we need it, comfort when we need it, peace when we need it. He is an all the way through Saviour. Think of that coming day, when He “coming up will serve them”. Is that not beautiful? What a blessed Man He is! What a blessed Saviour, a real Saviour; He is presented as a real Saviour to you today.
Now I just wanted to touch a moment on 1 Corinthians 11. It is “until he come”. We spoke in the reading about the breaking of bread. You must have a solid foundation of salvation in your soul before you would want to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread. If you have that solid foundation in your soul, then it is normal to express your appreciation of the Lord Jesus. It says here, “For as often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come”. That scripture, I believe, has been held by believers through the whole dispensation, with this in view, “until he come”. I believe that the Supper has always been, and always will be, maintained. I appeal to your heart that this is open to you to have your part in now.
Brethren, what a hope we have; it is a glad tidings of hope. In John 14, Jesus said “I go to prepare you a place; and … I am coming again”, (v 3). He Himself is coming and He will take us into that prepared place. We have one outlook and that is the glory of the blessed God. God has made Himself known in the incarnation, and now He is maintaining this dispensation through the Spirit in the power and grace that belongs to Him alone. Grace is presiding in this wonderful relationship into which God has entered with men. Soon the rapture of believers will take place. We will all be caught up to be with Christ; we have that hope. Then the Lord Jesus will come in His power to reign; how glorious that will be. I trust that God will bless the word for His name’s sake.
Preaching of the gospel, Dorking
19 January 2014
N.J. Henry