My dear beloved Ritans,

Like you I've been so tired lately. I lurk and check web pages but the weight of waiting has been so heavy lately. Then this morning I came across this page. A sermon that John Piper preached on May 18th 1986. It lifted up my soul and I felt lighter all day today. I want to share it with you all, I believe it will encourage you.

I just want to remind you that the birth pangs we are feeling right now do not cumulate with the Rapture. They dont even lead to the Tribulation. What we are experiencing right now is the birthing of the Kingdom of Our God! The realm of Heaven is about to invade earth! Thats why the world is shaking! For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:6-7)

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He came to conquer! He will conquer! He will not be denied the fruit of his travail. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. He made it. He redeemed it. He will have it. He has not evaporated into some never-to-be-touched-again realm of the spirit. He is reigning at the Father's right hand until the time for the restoration of all things.

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We should eagerly await the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ because this is a BLESSED hope. A blessed hope is the opposite of a cursed hope. So the first reason to be eager for this great day is that it will mean blessing and not cursing.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." There is only blessing for those who are in Christ Jesus. As awesome as the coming of Christ will be, there will be no curse in it for Christians.

Notice what Christ is called in this verse: "the great God and SAVIOR!" Savior! Not merely Judge. Therefore, "let us put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

It is a blessed hope, not a cursed one. Our hope is confident expectation of salvation not wrath.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/our-hope-the-appearing-of-jesus-christ

Beloved, be encouraged by these words.