Good morning! I’m glad to welcome you to worship today at Hillcrest Baptist Church.
In almost every decade, there have been those that claim to have figured out precisely when the Lord will return. But in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus emphatically denies the possibility of such knowledge: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (vs. 36) As a matter of fact, Jesus makes this point repeatedly throughout the Olivet Discourse (vs. 42, 44, 50; 25:13).
In other words, Jesus intentionally left the disciples’ question about the timing of events surrounding His coming unanswered. So what was it that Jesus wanted us to know in light of His imminent return? What do we need to know as we wait for Him to come back?
In today’s text, we discover quite simply that Christ urges His disciples and, therefore, us to remain faithful until He returns. Paul tells Titus that we should “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12-13)