Christians have something in common with the Jews of old. The Jews lived their lives with the hope that the Messiah was coming. Their hope was based upon the promises of God. Through Moses, God promised that the Messiah would come in the form of a prophet.
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 (ESV)
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen…18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Through Nathan, God promised David that He would give his son (the Messiah) a kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
Because of these promises from God, the Jews were not only waiting for the Messiah to come, but now they had a clue about His identity. He would be a descendant of David. This is why when Paul preached Christ to the Jews, he made sure to tell them that Jesus was an offspring of David.
Romans 1:1-3 (ESV)
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh.
Sadly, when God fulfilled His promise and sent His Son to be the Messiah, not only for His chosen people, but also for the whole world, the Jews rejected Him (John 1:10-11).
Fortunately, some have accepted the Messiah as their Savior (John 1:12), and to them, God gave the power to become children of God. They are all those who obey the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). They are Christians (Acts 11:26).
As Christians, we, like the Jews before us, are waiting for our Messiah to come, not for the first time, but for the second.
Hebrews 9:28 (ESV)
28 So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
We should spend our days and nights eagerly waiting for the coming of Christ. There should be no event in our lives that we look forward to more.
1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This verse is important. It not only reminds us that we should be fully hoping for the return of Jesus Christ, but it also tells us how to do it. We wait for Jesus by being actively involved in serving Him, living with soberness of mind that is characterized by self-control and faithfulness. We know Jesus is coming (John 14:1-3). Are you waiting for Him? If so, how?
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.