A JOYOUS HOMECOMING

The little epistle of Jude nears the end of the New Testament with the encouraging word of the Christian's glorious homecoming (Jude 24, 25). When Jesus returns, He will present the faithful to Himself with great joy! This lesson will consider why that occasion will be a time of great joy.

Body

I. It will be a time of joy for the saints.

   A. There will be no more death, pain or sorrow (Rev elation 21:4).

   B. There will be no more temptation or sin (Revelation 20:10; 21:27).

   C. There will be no more delay for the reward (Rev elation 22:12).

   D. Saints will have the company of all the saved from all the ages (Matthew 8:11, 12; Hebrews 11:39, 40).

   E. They will have the joy of being with Christ and the Father forever (I Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 21:22).

II. It will be a time of joy for Christ.

   A. His saving work will have reached its completed goal (Hebrews 9:28; Colossians 3:1-4).

   B. He, the Head, will be joined in glory by His body, the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23).

        1. Christ is head over all things to the church, which is His body.

        2. The church (redeemed people) is therefore the "fullness" of Christ.

        3. Where goes the head, so must go the body. The head (Christ) is now in heavenly glory; when this great day comes, He will be joined in heavenly glory by all His people and then the head and body will be together forever.

III. It will be a time of joy for God the Father.

   A. His eternal purpose, planned before the world began, will see its culmination in the glorification of His people. In the mind of God the end is as near as the beginning, so He speaks of this final state as accomplished fact (Romans 8:28-30).

   B. He will have the saved as the prize of His work His own inheritance for eternity (Ephesians 1:18).

   C. He will be prepared to demonstrate His great love toward His people throughout eternal ages, because of the perfect saving work of Jesus the Son (Ephesians 2:7).

IV. It will be a time of great joy for the angels.

   A. They did not understand God's purpose through past ages, though they desired to gain that insight (I Peter 1:12).

   B. They have now seen what God's intentions were to redeem and transform sinners into the image of the Son (Ephesians 3:10). They see this in action in the church (God's people).
> C. When Christ returns, the angels will accompany Him and will then rejoice in the end result of Christ's salvation (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17: II Thessalonians 1:6, 7).

Conclusion

The day of the Lord's return will be a day of great joy for the saints, the Son, the Father and the angels. A story is told of Teddy Roosevelt returning home after a trip abroad. On his ship was an aged missionary, also returning to the United States. At the dock a large crowd waited to see Mr. Roosevelt, with flowers, signs of welcome and happy cheers. No one appeared to wait for the missionary. Mr. Roosevelt offered a word of encouragement, thinking the missionary might be despondent and discouraged by the scene. "Don't feel sorry for me," the missionary replied. "You see, I'm not home yet!"

When Christ returns, all His people will go home. What a joyous homecoming that will be!

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