Look For Him

Look for Him
Heb. 9:28


Intro: “Look for”(ap e dech a me) means to attentively and patiently wait for. It is translated “wait for” 5 times in NT and 2 times “Look for”.
1Cor 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Phil. 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Seven times in the Gospels, Jesus gave us a strong exhortation to WATCH- to be Watching.
It is important for us to understand this statement: “unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” So, what does the phrase “look for,” “wait for,” or the word “watch” really mean to you and I?


I. Expectation of His Coming.
We must be expecting Jesus to come again. His coming is the clear declaration of God’s Word- no doubt about it.
Jesus Promised it- “If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself.”
Angels Promised it- “this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
Paul declared it- “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God...”
James declared it- “be patient brethren unto the coming of the Lord.”
Peter declared it- “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
John declared it- “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
We Can Expect His Coming; We Should Expect His Coming; We Must Expect His Coming.
We sing it in our songs:
“Just any day now our Lord is coming, he’ll be returning for you and me, O I’ve been watching and I’ve been waiting, just any day now his face I’ll see”
“What a beautiful day for the Lord to come again, what a beautiful day for him to take his children home, How I long to see his face and to touch his nail scarred hands, what a beautiful day for the Lord to come again”
“Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon, many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound. All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies, going where no one dies, heaven ward bound”
Any Day we should Expect the trumpet to sound- expect to hear the voice of the archangel- expect Jesus to appear in the clouds- expect that all true believers will be caught up- raptured out of this world.
To “Look For” indicates an Expectation of His Coming.


II. Anticipation of His Coming.
The coming of Jesus for his people is not only the clear declaration of God’s Word, it is also the Blessed Hope of every Believer.
“Unto them that Look for him shall he appear...”
Looking for him not only involves an Expectation of his coming but an Anticipation of his coming. This is Not just a Fact that we expect- but a Fact that we Anticipate- not Just LOOK FOR but LOOK FORWARD TO.
To expect means to look for something to happen; to assume or suppose it will happen but to
anticipate means to look with longing and excitement for something to happen.
So Paul said that the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ our Savior is a Blessed Hope.
Paul told Timothy about a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord would give to all them that LOVE HIS APPEARING.
We not only Expect the Coming of the Lord- We anticipate His Coming.
We long for his coming- We love to think about his coming- We love to sing about his coming- Testify about it- Preach about it- Talk to one another about it.
The Coming of the Lord is the Blessed Hope of every Living Believer; Rapture to Eternal Life
The Blessed Hope of every Believer that has already died; Resurrection to Eternal Life.
It is Our Blessed Hope:
Benefits of a Glorified Body: no sickness or disease, no weakness or frailty, no pain, no death.
No weariness, no fear, no sorrow or tears, no burdens or worries.
Beauty of Heaven: foundations of precious stones, walls of jasper, street of pure transparent gold, gates of pearl, crystal river of life, crystal sea and rainbow around the throne.
Being Reunited with Saved Loved Ones: husbands, wives; parents, children, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grand parents, brothers and sisters in the Lord, wonderful friends- reunited forever in the presence of the Lord.
Blessing of God’s Personal Presence: God the Father seated on the throne; Jesus Christ, God’s Son at the Father’s right hand; Holy Ghost- the eternal Spirit of God; Holy Angels- worshiping and serving God.
To look for his appearing certainly involves an Anticipation as well as an Expectation.


III. Preparation for His Coming.
If we are Looking for his coming in Expectation- and in anticipation- then we will Look for his coming in Preparation.
If you are not preparing for the coming of Jesus, then you are not truly Looking for his appearing. The coming of Jesus is our Great Incentive for Holy Living.
Why Live a Holy Life?
God’s Word Requires a Holy Life; God’s Spirit Produces a Holy Life; The Coming of Jesus Inspires a Holy Life
1 John 3:2,3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Romans 13:11-14 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Unto them that Look For Him Shall he appear:
Lets Look for Him!
Look in Expectation.
Look in Anticipation.
Look in Preparation.