It's Going to Be...Wait for It...GLORIOUS!

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)

As a sports fan, there are times when you just know what’s going to happen. To be truly transparent, that’s usually when there’s no doubt that my team is about to blow the game and go down in flames. I’ll never forget the night when I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my beloved St. Louis Cardinals were going to walk off winners. With the score tied, slugger Albert Pujols came to the plate in the bottom of the 14th inning. In his days wearing the Birds on Bat, he earned the nickname of The Machine because of his incredible reliability. Redbird fans ALWAYS expected something great from Albert. What cemented our confidence was that Odalis Perez was on the mound for the Dodgers, a pitcher who could never shut down The Machine. My son Jason and I were part of the crowd that stood cheering the homer BEFORE it happened. Sure enough, Albert blasted the game-winner into the bleachers and everybody went home happy.

As absolutely certain that we were Pujols would deliver, that’s nothing compared to the confident expectation of Jesus’ spectacular comeback. Paul tells Titus that we’re “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (v13). There’s no need to put on a rally cap. No need to cross our fingers. No need to put on our lucky underwear (I’m not sure there’s ever a time to put on some stanky pair of unwashed BVDs, EVER!). Christ is coming back. Count on it. Take it to the bank. It’s a stone cold, lead pipe lock. And it’s gonna be spectacular. Actually, it will be glorious. Lights. Fireworks. Cheering. I promise, you haven’t seen anything like this before! Best of all, we can expect it.

Paul is instructing Titus on what Jesus’ followers need to know (Titus 2:1-15). A huge part of the lesson is what Jesus did, what He’s doing now, and what He’s going to do. Christ came the first time “bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). After He returned home to His Father in heaven, His leaves behind His grace which enables us to reject “ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” right here and right now (Titus 2:12). He wraps things up with a look to the future and the absolute certainty of Jesus’ spectacular encore (v13). The past. The present. The future. We can be 100% sure of what will happen because of what has happened. It’s going to be…wait for it…glorious!

When we read “waiting for,” the apostle drops the Greek verb prosdechomai. It means to expect, look for, receive, or welcome. This is the idea of waiting for something so sure that you know it’s going to happen. There’s absolutely no doubt. It’s not “if” but “when.” You expect it. You welcome it. You receive it. You see that confidence and expectation every time you see this verb in the New Testament. The religious police got their undies in a bundle because Jesus “receives (Gr. prosdechomai) sinners and eats with them” (Lk 15:2). Our Savior didn’t just bump into to sinners like you and me. He expects them. He welcomes them. Do you do the same? Do you expect, welcome, and receive folks who don’t know the Good News?

Joseph of Arimathea knew without a shadow of a doubt that the long promised Messiah would come and was “looking for (Gr. prosdechomai) the kingdom of God” (Mk 15:43). The first mega-church in Jerusalem rolled out the red carpet for Paul and Barney after their first expedition and “they were welcomed (Gr. prosdechomai) by the church, the apostles, and the elders” (Acts 15:4). When the dynamic duo left, the church knew they would come back. They waited for them. They expected them. They welcomed them. The Apostle Paul shared his faith in Jesus with Governor Felix and made it clear that he had the same confident expectation in God as the fathers of the faith, “having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept (Gr. prosdechomai)” (Acts 24:15). Jesus’ kid brother Jude wanted Christ followers to have complete confidence in Christ’s great comeback, “waiting for (Gr. prosdechomai) the mercy of our for Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 21). In the same way, we wait for His return. We expect His return. We welcome His return.

In case you’re wondering how this is all going to go down, Paul pulls out the pyrotechnics to paint a jaw-dropping picture. When the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter returns, this will be “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (v13). Don’t be fooled by the phrase “our blessed hope.” Again, this isn’t a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best kind of hope. We can take this blessing to the bank. Count on it. Again, “when” might be in question. But the “what” is as certain as death and taxes. 

When Jesus returns, it’s gonna be big. REALLY big. Gloriously big. The universe has NEVER seen an entrance like this before. Paul also leaves no doubt about the fact that Jesus is God. And not just any garden variety god. He’s “our great God” (v13). The adjective he drops here is megas, as in mega. Jesus is our Mega-God. He’s huge. That means that He dwarfs any problem you and I put before Him. He’s also our Savior. We hear that word so much that we almost become numb to it. As our Savior, Jesus is our Hero. He came to our rescue when we had absolutely no hope in saving ourselves. And Jesus is the Christ. Despite popular belief, this isn’t His last name. He’s not the Son of Joseph and Mary Christ of Nazareth. It means the Anointed One. God the Father drenched His Son with the Holy Spirit. The name drips with the entire Trinity. Christ also is the New Testament term for an Old Testament idea. The Christ is equivalent to Messiah. By saying that Jesus is the Christ, we’re telling the world that He’s the One that God has promised would come and fix what we’ve broken. 

You can take off the rally cap. And for Pete’s sake, burn your lucky underwear. Jesus is coming back. It’s going to be huge. Let’s expect Him. Let’s welcome Him. Let’s receive Him. It's going to be...wait for it...GLORIOUS!