Sermon - He is Coming - Littleby Baptist - September 15, 2019
We started our series about the Life, Ministry, and
Teachings of Jesus in December of last year and will continue to keep that
focus going until Christmas this year. We have looked at the days leading up to
His birth, many of His teachings, a handful of parables, His death, His
resurrection and two week ago we looked at one of the times He appeared to His
disciples after His resurrection.
We are entering into the final phase of the series and will turn to some of Jesus teachings on the end times. There are a lot of opinions out there and one thing you have probably heard me say is that if the theologians who dedicate their lives to studying the end times do understand it all and cannot seem to agree, chances are neither will all of us. I continue to learn new things as I read the Bible, so I for one will tell you I do not have all of the answers about how the end times will play out. I am still learning.
As we go through this phase of our series, I will obviously not try to pinpoint the day or hour, as only the Father knows when Jesus will return. I will not try to convince anyone if pre, mid, or post tribulation is the most Biblical point of view. I can tell you that it is not as black and white as some would like it to be. My opinion, with an emphasis on the word opinion, has changed some over the years. To be honest, it will probably evolve some more over the next decade or so.
Some might wonder why we would need to be looking at the end times. The answer is that we are drawing closer to His second coming every day. I know, of course every day the world exists is one day closer to Jesus’ return. A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a more seasoned Pastor and he believes Christ’ return will not happen in his lifetime, but thinks it might happen in the next 40-50 years. Of course, that is his opinion and he may be wrong, but it shows that there are some who have spent years reading and studying the Bible who believe that Christ’s return is coming sooner rather than later.
Genesis 6:5
“When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time”
In Noah’s time the world had turned away from God and to doing wicked and evil things. Sadly, as we look around the world today, we will see some of the same.
There was a time when people would embrace Christian values as the norm, even back as little as 1 or 2 generations in most families, people saw church as an important part of their lives. People used to value the community that comes from being part of a faith family, values were based on Biblical principles, today that is not the case.
Turn on the news and you will see people attacking Biblical beliefs, fighting for the right to kill unborn babies, and celebrating sin. There are a lot of people today who will say morals and values change over time. They believe that what was seen as immoral 50 years ago is perfectly fine to do today. Moral Relativism will tell you that what was sin changes over time and some will say that there is no such thing as sin. The philosophy behind Moral Relativism, basically says that if you do not ‘think’ it is a sin it is not a sin. Moral Relativism essentially eliminates the need for a savior.
Sadly, society as a whole, has embraced Moral Relativism. Morals, values, and ethics accepted by the masses are evolving and drifting farther and farther away from what the Bible tells us. As followers of Jesus, the question is, what are we supposed to do about it?
A couple of years ago I read a book by Douglass Shearer and he said.
“In short, the church’s task is not to save the ship, but to get her passengers safely off the ship and onto the lifeboat; and that lifeboat is of course Jesus Christ!”
Think of the world as a giant cruise ship and it is sinking. There is absolutely nothing we can do to keep it afloat. There is nothing we can do to save the ship, so our focus needs to be on reaching the lost. Our job as followers of Jesus is to do our best to guide as many people as possible into the Lifeboat, we are to guide them to Jesus.
I am not saying that we should avoid politics and voting. We need to take a stand and vote along Biblical lines. We need to vote for the candidates who will protect the lives of our unborn children and other Biblical values. We need to run for office if we feel God leading us to do so. We need to take a stand when and where we can, but that is not our purpose. Our focus needs to be on reaching the lost before it is too late.
The Lord’s Prayer tells us, Matthew 6:10:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Lord’s kingdom is going to come no matter what we do. That is an undisputable fact. So, while we need to take a stand for Biblical values and beliefs, that is not our purpose. We might make things a little more comfortable for a time, but the moral decay is going to continue, people are going to turn away from Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way”
While the Holy Spirit is still restraining Satan, that does not mean he is powerless. It may be subtle in some ways like how apathy slowly creeps into churches and the lives of those who profess to follow Jesus. Sadly, I have had conversation with professing Christians who take stands for things that are counter to God’s Word. That can only be the work of the devil. If we are observant, if we pay attention to what is going on in this country and the world, we will see the devil at work. It is a sign that we are drawing closer to Jesus’ second coming.
2 Timothy 4:2-4
“2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
There are people out there that preach or teach fluff, they are motivational speakers at best and are some are purposefully trying to lead people away from God. Sadly, many people are turning away from the hard to hear Biblical truths and going for the warm and cozy stuff that will lead them away from God. Many don’t want to hear that God’s Word has a Bite to it… Think of it this way, we may have Peace and Joy from the Holy Spirit living in us, but God’s Word is going to slap us upside the head when we need it. It is going to cut deep and pinpoint the sin in our lives. We are called to repent for a reason. More and more are listening to the ear tickling and pretending to be a Christian. Some day they are going to wake up, hopefully it will not be to late.
The Lord’s Kingdom is coming. We cannot save the sinking ship. We need to declare the truth of God’s Word and guide as many people as possible to the Lifeboat, we need to point people to our Savior Jesus Christ.
We were told to go and make disciples and we are told to be the Lord’s witnesses.
Our job is not to stop the ship from sinking. God has already told us through His Word that it is going to sink. Our Job is to reach as many people as possible.
2 Corinthians 5:10
“for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
The stakes are high. Everyone us falls short and if we stood before the judgement seat on our own, we would be judged and repaid with evil. All will be judged; all will stand before Jesus and either be accepted as a child of God or judged with eternal damnation.
If we are not following Jesus, we will be judged accordingly. Our friends and loved ones, if they are not following Jesus, they will face the same judgement. Without Jesus everyone will be repaid with evil.
The stakes are very high. The picture is bleak for those who do not follow Jesus. So, what are we going to do about it?
The first is to get into God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
If you are not spending time each day digging into the Word of God and learning how to apply it to you lives. Do Not Put It Off… do not wait to start a Bible reading plan till next year. This is more than just a good idea that you should consider, it is critically important. If you are not reading your Bible daily, Start Today! The more you study the Word, the more you will know about it, and the more you will recognize how urgent the need is.
To see through the false teachings, to know what God wants you to do, and to be equipped to do it, you must know God’s Word. Knowledge leads to belief, belief leads to conviction, and conviction leads to action.
Psalms 119:105
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”
God’s Word will help us see clearly; it is the tool that the Holy Spirit will use to break through the darkness around us. We need to embrace His Word, then it can light our path.
We are going to spend some time working through Matthew 24 and 25 and what Jesus had to say about the end time. I encourage you to read these chapters this week as we begin the final phase in our series about the Life, Ministry, and Teachings of Jesus.
God Bless,
Robert
We are entering into the final phase of the series and will turn to some of Jesus teachings on the end times. There are a lot of opinions out there and one thing you have probably heard me say is that if the theologians who dedicate their lives to studying the end times do understand it all and cannot seem to agree, chances are neither will all of us. I continue to learn new things as I read the Bible, so I for one will tell you I do not have all of the answers about how the end times will play out. I am still learning.
As we go through this phase of our series, I will obviously not try to pinpoint the day or hour, as only the Father knows when Jesus will return. I will not try to convince anyone if pre, mid, or post tribulation is the most Biblical point of view. I can tell you that it is not as black and white as some would like it to be. My opinion, with an emphasis on the word opinion, has changed some over the years. To be honest, it will probably evolve some more over the next decade or so.
Some might wonder why we would need to be looking at the end times. The answer is that we are drawing closer to His second coming every day. I know, of course every day the world exists is one day closer to Jesus’ return. A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a more seasoned Pastor and he believes Christ’ return will not happen in his lifetime, but thinks it might happen in the next 40-50 years. Of course, that is his opinion and he may be wrong, but it shows that there are some who have spent years reading and studying the Bible who believe that Christ’s return is coming sooner rather than later.
Genesis 6:5
“When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time”
In Noah’s time the world had turned away from God and to doing wicked and evil things. Sadly, as we look around the world today, we will see some of the same.
There was a time when people would embrace Christian values as the norm, even back as little as 1 or 2 generations in most families, people saw church as an important part of their lives. People used to value the community that comes from being part of a faith family, values were based on Biblical principles, today that is not the case.
Turn on the news and you will see people attacking Biblical beliefs, fighting for the right to kill unborn babies, and celebrating sin. There are a lot of people today who will say morals and values change over time. They believe that what was seen as immoral 50 years ago is perfectly fine to do today. Moral Relativism will tell you that what was sin changes over time and some will say that there is no such thing as sin. The philosophy behind Moral Relativism, basically says that if you do not ‘think’ it is a sin it is not a sin. Moral Relativism essentially eliminates the need for a savior.
Sadly, society as a whole, has embraced Moral Relativism. Morals, values, and ethics accepted by the masses are evolving and drifting farther and farther away from what the Bible tells us. As followers of Jesus, the question is, what are we supposed to do about it?
A couple of years ago I read a book by Douglass Shearer and he said.
“In short, the church’s task is not to save the ship, but to get her passengers safely off the ship and onto the lifeboat; and that lifeboat is of course Jesus Christ!”
Think of the world as a giant cruise ship and it is sinking. There is absolutely nothing we can do to keep it afloat. There is nothing we can do to save the ship, so our focus needs to be on reaching the lost. Our job as followers of Jesus is to do our best to guide as many people as possible into the Lifeboat, we are to guide them to Jesus.
I am not saying that we should avoid politics and voting. We need to take a stand and vote along Biblical lines. We need to vote for the candidates who will protect the lives of our unborn children and other Biblical values. We need to run for office if we feel God leading us to do so. We need to take a stand when and where we can, but that is not our purpose. Our focus needs to be on reaching the lost before it is too late.
The Lord’s Prayer tells us, Matthew 6:10:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Lord’s kingdom is going to come no matter what we do. That is an undisputable fact. So, while we need to take a stand for Biblical values and beliefs, that is not our purpose. We might make things a little more comfortable for a time, but the moral decay is going to continue, people are going to turn away from Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way”
While the Holy Spirit is still restraining Satan, that does not mean he is powerless. It may be subtle in some ways like how apathy slowly creeps into churches and the lives of those who profess to follow Jesus. Sadly, I have had conversation with professing Christians who take stands for things that are counter to God’s Word. That can only be the work of the devil. If we are observant, if we pay attention to what is going on in this country and the world, we will see the devil at work. It is a sign that we are drawing closer to Jesus’ second coming.
2 Timothy 4:2-4
“2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
There are people out there that preach or teach fluff, they are motivational speakers at best and are some are purposefully trying to lead people away from God. Sadly, many people are turning away from the hard to hear Biblical truths and going for the warm and cozy stuff that will lead them away from God. Many don’t want to hear that God’s Word has a Bite to it… Think of it this way, we may have Peace and Joy from the Holy Spirit living in us, but God’s Word is going to slap us upside the head when we need it. It is going to cut deep and pinpoint the sin in our lives. We are called to repent for a reason. More and more are listening to the ear tickling and pretending to be a Christian. Some day they are going to wake up, hopefully it will not be to late.
The Lord’s Kingdom is coming. We cannot save the sinking ship. We need to declare the truth of God’s Word and guide as many people as possible to the Lifeboat, we need to point people to our Savior Jesus Christ.
We were told to go and make disciples and we are told to be the Lord’s witnesses.
Our job is not to stop the ship from sinking. God has already told us through His Word that it is going to sink. Our Job is to reach as many people as possible.
2 Corinthians 5:10
“for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
The stakes are high. Everyone us falls short and if we stood before the judgement seat on our own, we would be judged and repaid with evil. All will be judged; all will stand before Jesus and either be accepted as a child of God or judged with eternal damnation.
If we are not following Jesus, we will be judged accordingly. Our friends and loved ones, if they are not following Jesus, they will face the same judgement. Without Jesus everyone will be repaid with evil.
The stakes are very high. The picture is bleak for those who do not follow Jesus. So, what are we going to do about it?
The first is to get into God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
If you are not spending time each day digging into the Word of God and learning how to apply it to you lives. Do Not Put It Off… do not wait to start a Bible reading plan till next year. This is more than just a good idea that you should consider, it is critically important. If you are not reading your Bible daily, Start Today! The more you study the Word, the more you will know about it, and the more you will recognize how urgent the need is.
To see through the false teachings, to know what God wants you to do, and to be equipped to do it, you must know God’s Word. Knowledge leads to belief, belief leads to conviction, and conviction leads to action.
Psalms 119:105
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”
God’s Word will help us see clearly; it is the tool that the Holy Spirit will use to break through the darkness around us. We need to embrace His Word, then it can light our path.
We are going to spend some time working through Matthew 24 and 25 and what Jesus had to say about the end time. I encourage you to read these chapters this week as we begin the final phase in our series about the Life, Ministry, and Teachings of Jesus.
God Bless,
Robert
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