Month: November 2025

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Advent: Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law

In my neighborhood, people have been decorating their yards with light-up reindeer, Santas and snowmen, and even life-size inflatables of Mr. Grinch and characters from Who-ville! Of course none of this has anything to do with Jesus and his birth. I cannot help but wonder how many of these families will talk about who Jesus is and why he came.

That is the meaning of Advent. This is a season of hope and anticipation. Advent is observed by Christians all over the world. Jesus has come! The one who was promised has come! And he will come again! Advent reminds us of the prophetic fulfillment of Jesus’ coming. It tells us why he came.

I have been thinking about the many references in the New Testament that say why Jesus came to earth. He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came in his Father’s name ( John 5:43). He came so that the blind could see (John 9:39). He came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10).

Jesus’ sermon on the mount gives us another reason why he came. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus’ religious opponents believed that he meant to do away with the law of Moses because he refused to adhere to their interpretations. He associated with people they considered “sinners.” He did not quote the theological writings of the rabbinical scholars of the day. They thought he was tearing down the law.

“No,” Jesus said, “I have come to fulfill the Law!” What did he mean? How did Jesus fulfill God’s law?

“Law and Prophets” in this context may be understood as a comprehensive term for the entire Old Testament. Jesus saw the entire Hebrew Bible as pointing to his coming. In the words of D.A. Carson, he is “its sole authoritative interpreter, the one through whom the Old Testament finds its valid continuity and significance.”

Clearly, Jesus believed in the divine inspiration of the Bible. He loved and respected the scriptures (v. 18). He quoted from the Old Testament 64 times, its doctrinal, ethical, and historical teachings. To him, the scriptures were never invalid or irrelevant. He gave the proper interpretation of the intention and purpose of God’s law (vv. 21-22).

The Bible is the word of God and Jesus is the living personification of that perfect word. He fulfilled it. Warren Wiersbe illustrated this as follows: “If I have an acorn, I can destroy it in one of two ways. I can put it on a rock and smash it to bits with a hammer. Or, I can plant it in the ground and let it fulfill itself by becoming an oak tree.” In Jesus we can see the flourishing and fulfillment of God’s eternal word.

So what is the relevance of all this to us in this season of the year? Jesus is telling us why he came: to fulfill the righteous requirements of God’s law. That is something we could never do on our own. Verse 20 makes us uncomfortable.

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). This leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless. After all, the Pharisees were the most pious, strict and careful practitioners of the law in Jesus’ day. How can our righteousness surpass that?

There is a righteousness which far exceeds that. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the one who fulfilled the law. That same righteousness is God’s gift to all those who trust in Jesus for eternal salvation. “But now, a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22).

This why Jesus came. To fulfill God’s law and to give you his gift of righteousness. It is up to you to receive it by receiving him.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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With the Lord

“And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

When will that happen? It will happen when Jesus comes for his people and takes them to his Father’s house in heaven. We may take his word for it. He promised, “I will come again.” At the time he departed from the earth an angel said to his disciples, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back” (Acts 1:11). The Bible is full of references to his second coming.

What will happen? At the time of his appearing there will be two outcomes, one for those whose faith is in him, and one for those who reject and deny him. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul wrote that those who die as believers in Christ will be resurrected to be caught up to be with the Lord. They are said to be the “dead in Christ.” They will be raised from the dead. Believers who are alive when he returns will be transformed and caught up with those who have been resurrected, and “together” they will be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Paul says believers will “meet the Lord in the air.” Frankly, that is hard to imagine. But it is a thrilling prospect. At his ascension, Jesus was taken up into the clouds (Acts 1:9-11). The Old Testament patriarch Enoch was “taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away” (Hebrews 11:5). Something like that happened to the prophet Elijah: “Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). Paul himself had an experience which he found hard to describe. He was caught up to heaven, where he saw and heard things that were amazing (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

Fanciful? Unbelievable? Wishful thinking? I think not. The Bible is full of supernatural occurrences. If we deny the supernatural, we deny the power of God and the word of God. God’s word says the coming of Jesus to take his people to be with him will be a supernatural event that is as certain as his first coming to earth. If we believe his word, we will expect his coming.

We deny this at our peril. The same scriptures that promise salvation for those who have faith in Jesus also predict another outcome for those who reject him. When the Lord returns it will result in “sudden destruction” for those who are in spiritual darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:3). “The day of the Lord” will be a future time when God will intervene with judgment for those who reject him. This will be as unexpected as “a thief in the night.” There will be no escape.

If your faith is in Jesus, the Bible says you “are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

Come, Lord Jesus.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Jesus is Coming

I have been teaching and preaching on the second coming of Jesus for over fifty years. I have noticed that people of all ages in every generation have an interest in this subject. The troubles of the world, such as wars and natural disasters, with death and suffering on a mass scale, often cause people to wonder if Armageddon is right around the corner.

The world has always had such troubles, and people have always been fearful of the future. Jesus told his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . I will come back” (John 14:1,3). This is the basis of Christian hope. Just as the prophecies of Jesus’ first coming were fulfilled with amazing accuracy, so the prophecies of his second coming will be literally fulfilled.

He is coming. His coming could be at any time. According to the Bible, “The coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-9). Believers are taught “to wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We are to be “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7). “We eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20-21). This is the Christian’s “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). So we join with the ancient church in praying, “Maranatha,” which means “O Lord, come” (1 Corinthians 16:22).

This is not escapism. This is the desire for the fulfillment of the eternal life  which Jesus died to purchase for us. It is a desire for the eternal life which God promised to all who believe in Jesus (John 3:16). It is a desire for the eternal life for which we were originally created.

The Christians in Thessalonica were discouraged by the troubles of life. They had experienced “severe suffering” (1 Thessalonians 1:6), “strong opposition” (2:2), trials and persecution (3:4), and grief because of the deaths of loved ones (4:13). Paul wrote to them to remind them of the reason for our hope. Every chapter in 1 Thessalonians mentions the return of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus returns, there will be a resurrection of the dead who have trusted in him (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Paul wrote that he did not want them to be uninformed about this. The New Testament was written to give us knowledge upon which to base our faith. Faith in the resurrection is not unreasonable. Paul bases it on the historical fact of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The closer I get to the finish line of my earthly life, the more precious these words are to me.

When Jesus returns, there will be a rapture. This word is not found in our English Bibles. It is based upon the Latin translation of the phrase “caught up,” found in verse 17. It is a term used by biblical scholars to denote the catching up of God’s people who are alive at the time of the Lord’s return.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Last year the city in which I live, Valdosta, Georgia, was hit by a devastating hurricane. The unprecedented disaster of Helene caused millions of dollars in property damage here. Many local residents evacuated the city before the storm hit. The rapture of God’s people when Jesus comes will be like a massive evacuation before the terrors of God’s judgment descend upon a world that is at war with him. These judgments are described in the Book of the Revelation.

Bible teacher John Phillips illustrated it this way: “Take a mixture of metals — gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and zinc. Scatter those metals on the ground, and bury some of them beneath the soil. Then take a powerful magnet and pass it over that site. Immediately one kind of metal will leap skyward to meet the magnet in the air. The magnet will leave behind the gold, the copper, the lead, and the zinc. It will draw to itself just one kind of metal — the iron. Why does the magnet attract only the iron? Because the iron has the same nature as the magnet!

“When Jesus comes at the rapture, he will draw to himself one kind of person, only one, not necessarily the rich or the poor, the religious, the respectable, or the moral, the church member or the theologian, but those who have the same nature as himself. That fact, of course, is what gives all the more point to the Lord’s word to Nicodemus: ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again’ (John 3:6-7).”

The all-important question we all must ask ourselves is, “Have I been born again? Am I ready to meet the Lord?” Jesus is coming. Believe on him as your savior and live for him in order to be ready for his return.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Perhaps Today

One of the most interesting books I have read this year is the biography of Frank Worsley, the navigator for Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition in 1915. Entitled Shackleton’s Captain, by John Thomson, the book tells the fascinating story of how their ship, the Endurance, became ice-bound, and was eventually crushed by ice floes.

The crew had no choice but to make their way back to open water by dragging three life boats over the ice and snow, then to cross rough winter seas to Elephant Island. Shackleton took four crew members, including Worsley, with him to sail away on one of the lifeboats to try to get help. The rest of the crew camped on Elephant Island, awaiting his return.

Navigating by the stars, over 800 miles, Worsley guided the 23 foot vessel to South Georgia Island where there was a Norwegian whaling camp. The journey was fraught with danger and took a month. Shackleton was able to secure a small ship to go back to Elephant Island. Desperate to rescue his companions, he found to his dismay that the seas were frozen over and his men were cut off. Three times he tried to reach them, to no avail.

Finally, after five months had elapsed, they discovered a narrow channel through the ice. He guided his ship to the island, and he was delighted to find his men alive and well and prepared for his return.

After the excitement of the reunion subsided, and they were on their way home to England, Sir Ernest inquired how it was that they were ready to get aboard so promptly. They told him that every morning their leader rolled up his sleeping bag saying, “Get your things ready, boys, the boss may come today.”

When Jesus promised, “I will come again,” his character and faithfulness were a guarantee that he will keep his word. His return is much more certain than Shackleton’s return to Elephant Island. Over and over again, the Bible tells us to expect his return. About one out of every 25 verses alludes to the Lord’s second coming.

One of the first prophesies in the Bible is about the second coming. Jude quotes Enoch as saying, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone” (Jude 14-15). The last prophecy in the Bible is the promise of Jesus, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me. . . . Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12, 20).

The confident expectation of Jesus’ second coming is the believer’s “blessed hope.” It should motivate us to look for him, to live for him, and to love him. Because he could come at any time, we should be ready to meet him when he comes.

The Scottish preacher Horatius Bonar would repeat to himself as he prepared to retire for the night, “Perhaps tonight, Lord!” In the morning, as he looked out on the dawn of a new day, he would say, “Perhaps today, Lord!” He ministered as a pastor for over 60 years. He expected the Lord to return at any moment.

So should we.

Pastor Randy Faulkner