Come, Lord Jesus

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

"I am coming soon."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

These are the final words of the Bible.

Think about that for a moment.

After thousands of years of human history, after creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, Israel, the birth of Jesus, His death, His resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, persecution, suffering, miracles and the spread of the Gospel to the nations, the Bible ends with a cry:

"Come, Lord Jesus!"

When I first became a Christian in 1980, I didn't understand the desperation in those words.

I loved Jesus. I was excited about my new life in Christ. I wanted to learn the Bible. I wanted to serve Him.

But I didn't understand why someone would be desperate for Jesus to come back.

I do now.

I Grew Up in a Different America

I grew up in the 1950s. It was an entirely different world.

We didn't have the internet. We didn't have social media. We didn't have smartphones. We didn't have 24-hour news broadcasting the worst things happening around the world directly into our living rooms.

We didn't know what was happening everywhere. And perhaps because of that, we didn't realize just how much evil existed in the human heart.

I grew up in a time when Christianity had a much more visible place in American culture.

Children were familiar with the Bible. Christmas was openly celebrated. Churches were respected. Pastors were generally treated with honor. The Ten Commandments were familiar to most people. Even people who didn't attend church generally knew who Jesus was.

There was a cultural awareness of God that is increasingly difficult to find today.

I'm not saying everything was better. It wasn't.

Sin was still sin. People were still broken.

There was racism, violence, sexual immorality, abuse, alcoholism, divorce and every other kind of human wickedness.

The human heart hasn't changed. What has changed is how much of it we can see.

Now We See Everything

Today, evil comes into our homes with the push of a button.

We can watch wars happening in real time.
We see children starving.
We see Christians being persecuted.
We see terrorism.
We see human trafficking.
We see slavery.
We see pornography being placed into the hands of children.
We see marriages destroyed.
We see children abused.
We see babies being killed through abortion.
We see violence.
We see corruption.
We see deception.
We see hatred.
We see people celebrating things that previous generations would have recognized as deeply destructive.

And because of the internet and social media, we don't just hear about these things.

We see them. Over and over. Day after day. Hour after hour. Sometimes minute after minute.

The world has become a 24-hour window into the brokenness of humanity.

And if we aren't careful, our hearts can become overwhelmed by it.

The Bible Tells Us Why

The Bible has never been confused about the condition of the human heart.

Jeremiah said:

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure."

Jesus said that evil comes from within the human heart.

And Scripture tells us that creation itself is groaning. Paul wrote in Romans 8 that creation is waiting for the revealing of the children of God.

Why? Because creation is broken.

Sin entered the world. Death entered the world. Suffering entered the world.

And the entire creation is waiting for the day when Jesus makes all things new.

This world is not our final home. And sometimes I think we forget that.

The Earth Is Groaning

Look around.

Wars.
Earthquakes.
Famines.
Floods.
Fires.
Disease.
Violence.
Death.
Families being torn apart.
Children growing up without fathers.
Women being exploited.
Men enslaved by pornography.
Young people drowning in anxiety and confusion.
Millions of unborn children being lost.
Christians persecuted for their faith.
Human beings sold for sex.
People living under brutal dictatorships.

The list seems endless.

And sometimes I find myself asking:

How long, Lord?
How long will evil continue?
How long will innocent people suffer?
How long will children be abused?
How long will human beings be bought and sold?
How long will mothers weep over children killed in war?
How long will Christians be persecuted for simply confessing the name of Jesus?
How long?

And then I remember:

Jesus promised He is coming.

"Come, Lord Jesus!"

That cry isn't escapism. It's hope.

When the Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!", they aren't saying:

"Jesus, get us out of here because we don't care about anybody else."

They're saying:

"Come, King Jesus. Come and make things right."

Come and judge evil.
Come and destroy death.
Come and end suffering.
Come and establish righteousness.
Come and wipe away every tear.
Come and fulfill Your promises.
Come and reign.
Come and make all things new.

Come, Lord Jesus.

But There Is a Question We Have to Answer

What about the people who haven't heard?

This is where some people become uncomfortable. They say:

"Connie, if Jesus came today, there are millions of people who have never heard the Gospel."

Yes. There are.

And every day, more children are born who don't know Jesus.

But here's the question:

At what point does the King return?
How many generations must come and go?
How many more children must be born?
How many more people must die without hearing?
How long do we expect God to wait?

There will never be a day when every human being has heard.

And yet Jesus gave His Church a command:

Go. Go into all the world. Make disciples. Preach the Gospel. Be My witnesses.

We don't know the day or the hour of His return. But we do know what He told us to do while we wait.

Go.

The Delay Is Mercy

Peter gives us an extraordinary perspective. He says:

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Think about that.

Maybe what we perceive as delay is actually mercy.

Every day Jesus waits is another day for someone to repent.

Another day for someone to hear the Gospel.
Another day for someone to come home.
Another day for a prodigal son.
Another day for a drug addict.
Another day for a prostitute.
Another day for a Muslim.
Another day for an atheist.
Another day for a murderer.
Another day for a pastor who has fallen into sin.
Another day for a teenager who thinks nobody loves them.
Another day for the person sitting in prison.
Another day for someone who has never heard the name of Jesus.

God is patient. But His patience should never be confused with indifference.

Jesus is coming.

And That Should Make Us Urgent

If we really believe Jesus is coming, we shouldn't become passive. We should become more passionate about the Gospel.

We shouldn't spend all our time arguing about when He is coming. We should spend our time preparing ourselves and helping others prepare.

Jesus said:

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Are we ready?

That's the question.

Not: "Can I calculate the date?"
Not: "Can I figure out the timeline?"
Not: "Can I identify every possible sign?"

But: Am I ready?

Is my heart right with God?
Am I walking in obedience?
Have I forgiven?
Am I living in holiness?
Am I loving people?
Am I making disciples?
Am I telling people about Jesus?
Am I storing up treasure in heaven?
Am I faithful?

Are You Hungry for God?

This is the question that keeps coming back to me.

Are you hungry for God?

Not hungry for church. Not hungry for a platform. Not hungry for an experience. Not hungry for prosperity. Not hungry for attention.

Hungry for God.

Do you want Him more than you want the things of this world?

Do you long for His presence?
Do you desire His Word?
Do you want to obey Him?
Do you want to become more like Jesus?
Do you long for holiness?
Do you ache for people who don't know Him?

Do you find yourself saying:

"Come, Lord Jesus"?

There Is a Difference Between Being Ready and Being Tired

Sometimes when Christians say they want Jesus to come, what they really mean is:

"I'm tired of this world."

And I understand that. I get tired too.

But our longing for Jesus must be deeper than our desire to escape.

We don't want Jesus merely because the world is difficult. We want Jesus because He is worthy.

We want the King. We want the Bridegroom. We want the One who loved us enough to die for us. We want the One who conquered death. We want the One who promised:

"I am coming soon."

The World Needs to See a Church That Is Alive

And this brings me to the Church.

If we truly believe Jesus is coming, then we have work to do.

There are people all around us who are thirsty. And Revelation ends with an invitation:

"Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

Did you notice that?

The same chapter that says: "Come, Lord Jesus," also says: "Let the thirsty come."

That's not an accident.

While the Bride is crying, "Come!" she is also calling the lost: "Come!"

Come to Jesus.
Come to the water.
Come to forgiveness.
Come to salvation.
Come to the cross.
Come home.

We Are Both Waiting and Working

That's our assignment.

We wait for Him. And we work until He comes.

We worship.
We pray.
We preach.
We disciple.
We love.
We serve.
We give.
We forgive.
We tell people about Jesus.
We raise our children to know Him.
We strengthen marriages.
We care for the broken.
We defend the vulnerable.
We reach the lost.
We remain faithful.

And we keep our eyes on the King.

I Don't Want to Be Found Sleeping

Jesus warned His disciples repeatedly to watch. To stay awake. To be ready.

I don't want to spend my remaining years distracted by things that don't matter.

I don't want to build a kingdom that belongs to me.
I don't want to chase popularity.
I don't want to waste my life arguing with people on social media.

I want to finish well.

I want to hear:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

That's what matters.

One Day He Will Come

One day, there will be no more abortion.
No more pornography.
No more human trafficking.
No more sexual abuse.
No more war.
No more terrorism.
No more child abuse.
No more cancer.
No more funerals.
No more tears.
No more death.
No more sorrow.
No more night.

Because the King is coming.

And when He comes, evil will not have the last word.

Jesus will.

So I Say It With Everything in Me

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Come for Your Bride.
Come for Your Church.
Come and make all things new.
Come and establish Your kingdom.
Come and destroy the works of the enemy.
Come and wipe away every tear.
Come and fulfill every promise.

Come, King Jesus.

But while we wait —

give us souls.
Give us the lost.
Give us the broken.
Give us the prodigals.
Give us the addicted.
Give us the hopeless.
Give us the nations.
Give us courage to preach.
Give us boldness to speak.
Give us compassion to love.
Give us wisdom to disciple.
Give us holiness to represent You well.

And keep our hearts burning until the day You come.

Because I don't want to merely talk about Your return. I want to be ready for it.

The Final Words of the Bible

The Bible ends with these words:

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'"

And the Church answers:

"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

That's our hope. That's our longing. That's our prayer.

And until He comes, we have one assignment:

Be faithful.

One day at a time. One foot in front of the other.

Keep preaching.
Keep praying.
Keep loving.
Keep serving.
Keep watching.
Keep waiting.
Keep working.
Keep your lamp burning.

Because the King is coming.

Yes, Lord Jesus. Come.

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus.