Do We Truly Love and Long For Christ's Appearing?

One might assume that a faithful pastor who preaches to thousands of people on Sunday mornings would never feel discouraged by "low attendance."  Yet in this clip you find the source of John MacArthur's spiritual sadness over his flock's lack of passion concerning the very best part of the gospel story (the end). 

This admonishment caused me to consider my own religious affections concerning eternity future.

The heart of a Christ-centered, heaven-focused shepherd comes through in this sermon clip.

"I was thinking to myself today, I'm sure our attendance will be low tonight for our evening service, but it's so difficult for me to understand how anybody could be indifferent to the greatest event in all of redemptive history. The very reason why God chose you before the world began in the first place was to bring this event to pass. What kind of a spiritual commentary is it on us that we're indifferent to this? It's highly unlikely that if we were living in dire circumstances, if we were living in oppression, if we were living under some kind of tyranny, if we were grasping for every morsel of food and every hope for another breath that we wouldn't be ecstatic to hear of this kind of joy in the future, really. We have become satiated, glutted and satisfied with the world's fare and those things which are far beyond that, believe it or not, have little interest to us. That's sad. Can we say with the Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I've kept the faith. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all those who have...what?...loved His appearing."

Biblical Worship Helps Us Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

It's the Lord's Day.  We need to be in the Lord's House with the Lord's People listening to the Lord's Book.  Why?  In part, because God-centered worship helps us to keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing.  Spirit-filled saints also encourage us to prioritize what truly matters and to live in light of eternity.  The best is yet to come.

"None of us want to come to the end of our lives having made the secondary things primary."

Live in Light of Eternity

photo credit: hvchurch.com

And Jesus was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself.  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26)

"The sands of time are sinking" and "the dawn of heaven breaks." 

Therefore, "I have born scorn and hatred, I have born wrong and shame,
Earth's proud ones have reproach'd me, for Christ's thrice-blessed name.
Dark, dark dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land." (Anne Ross Cousin, 1857).

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,  and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." (Rev. 21:3-5)