All service songs used by permission. CCLI #425103
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Today thru next Sunday, 1/27/08, is
Sanctity of Human Life Week, and as always, our church is extremely
active year round in promoting life and opposing the atrocity of abortion,
which is just one of many “signs of the end times.” Life is a miracle, and
it’s a blessing of eternal proportions every time our efforts convince
someone that life begins at conception and that an eternal soul is already
on the way. And when they decide to carry that child and deliver that soul
into this present world, well, we rejoice, and millions of aborted little
ones in heaven must rejoice as well.
To bring a child into this present world and
not rob them of that privilege requires a delivery to take place, beginning
with the earliest labor pains. I’m no expert at labor, but I’ve seen it
happen a few times! And Jesus says in our text that it is the same when it
comes to the end times.
We begin today a new sub series from Matthew
on The End of the World. Please don’t miss a single message, whether
morning, evening, or Wed. nites. It’s the week that Jesus goes to the
cross, no more than 2 or 3 days before His passion, and at least a dozen
messages will lead us right into a study of the last supper, Gethsemane, the
cross, and all culminating on Easter Sunday, which is very early this year
on March 23rd. The next few weeks will be very powerful as we
see He Who was in the beginning, as His life comes to an end, followed by
the life changing truth that it’s all only the beginning once again!
v. 8
‘sorrows’ = ‘birth pangs’ ... labor pains
start low and they increase in
intensity as they continue. They also
start slow and increase in frequency. So it is w/ the signs
of the times, which are many!
Jesus has finally gotten it across to the
disciples that He’s not in Jerusalem this time to set up His kingdom, and
that He will be going away and returning for the end of the world.
v. 1 The Temple in Jerusalem was an amazing
configuration of buildings, made largely of white polished marble. It was
still under construction at this time, not to be completed until A.D. 64.
Some of the stones that made up the temple were up to 40’ x 20’ x 12’.
v. 2 Jesus walked out of the temple for the
last time, never to return to it again. His prophecy about its demise was
astounding to His disciples, but it came to pass in A.D. 70 when the Roman
General Titus surrounded Jerusalem and laid siege to it. He cut it off from
the rest of the world and eventually breached the wall and gained access to
the city. They demolished the city completely, with not one stone left upon
another.
Mark tells us that Peter, James, John, and
Andrew went to Jesus off to the side to ask Him these 3 questions found in
v. 3...
[Olivet Discourse]
Good men disagree on some of the
interpretation of Jesus’ answers, from chronology to specific events. We
won’t try to settle those fights, but to see the big picture of how
the shadow of events to come are
already cast across our day today, leading us to be warned that there
is wrath soon to come to this world!
In the end there will
be:
1. Spiritual
Deception.
v. 4-5 A word of caution from the Lord
that before the antichrist, the great deceiver, there will be others who do
the same. I won’t name names because there are far too many in our lifetime
who claim to be God, and many are gaining bigger and bigger followings.
Hal Lindsey said, “When
Jesus returns many churches will not have to look for a new pastor.”
I want you to know that even though we are
committed to staying here, when the rapture occurs we’re outta here! And I
hope you are coming with me. [By the way, when that happens, you have my
blessing to vote in Jerry McKee!]
Here’s a couple of things which are seeding
deception today...
·Heresy
in the church
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils;
George Barna does Christian research using
Gallup Polling methods, and every year his research shows how those who call
themselves Christians move further and further from Bible truth.
-46% now say the devil is not real, just
symbolic of evil
-All believe in heaven but nearly 2/3rd’s
say there is no hell.
-Many deny the virgin birth, the inspiration
of the Bible, and that Jesus could have lived completely sinless in this
world.
There is a major movement to embrace signs
and wonders, and the health and wealth gospel, and people are being
conditioned to accept anything their leader says as long as he says God told
it to him. It used to be that everyone gasped for breath when someone like
Oral Roberts said a 900 foot Jesus appeared to him, or Kenneth Hagan said
Jesus came to his bedroom and dictated a sermon to him verbatim. Do I
believe Jesus appeared to these men? I believe Jesus is at the right hand
of God just like the Bible says he is!
I don’t deny the existence of the spirit
world...it is real and all around us, but all
that glitters is not God! The Holy Spirit and angels
are real, but they are not the only supernatural beings around us. The
devil is real and his demons right along with him. It’s a huge deception
going on all around us today.
The antichrist we know will come with signs,
wonders, and miracles, and all he needs are people who are conditioned to
see that and say, “It must be of God!” We’re there already today.
·Blurring
of the truth.
We’ve already established that
Satan is mixing error in with truth
in the church, and he’s also mixing all churches together these days with
the notion that we all must get together, lay aside our doctrine, and be one
big happy family. [We’re all going to heaven, just taking different roads.
We all believe in the same God even if we call Him by different names.]
If you want to talk about tearing down walls
between churches, you’d better be talking about walls of racism, legalism,
or false doctrine, then I’m all for coming together. I’m not one to major
on the minors and have all kinds of preferences that I consider tests of
fellowship. Secondary separation is a lot like Pharisee-ism to me. But on
the other hand there are some essentials to true Biblical Christianity and
when you tear those walls down you are in violation of Scripture which
commands us not only to maintain such standards, but to separate from those
who do not. In short, the ecumenical
movement does more harm than good in this world and
is a greased slide toward the one
worldchurch coming during the Great Tribulation.
Spiritual deception is everywhere...not only
in the church. It’s open season on Christians today, from the media to
politics, to the pop culture of Hollyweird! And the general population
already has bought into the lies of Secular Humanism, situational ethics,
evolution, and New Age Philosophy. Our senses are dulled and deception is
already at epidemic levels.
Spiritual deception...
2. National
Disruption.
v. 6-7a War has always existed in this
world. There will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns and
establishes it. The International Red Cross estimates over 100 million have
been killed in wars since the beginning of the 20th C. But
notice the phrase ‘rumours of wars’.
What could this be? I believe it to be the cowardly new militia known as globalterrorism, which wears no uniform, has no flag, and strikes
out at innocent civilians to inflict terror and fear. Imagine what it is
like in many parts of the world when you cannot get on a bus or a subway
w/out thinking about it possibly being blown up. Imagine eyeballing
everyone around you in an overcoat, wondering if they are about to blow
themselves up along w/ all of you standing near them! That’s rumours of
war, where you cannot see it, but you know it’s out there...and don’t be
surprised if it’s coming to a country you love or a city you now live in! I
can’t be dogmatic about this, but it is at the very least troubling to not
be able to find America in end times prophecy, when we are currently the
most dominant nation in the world.
Ill.—CBS Series
Jericho about dozens of small nuclear devices being set off in cities
around the US, quickly turning us into a 3rd world country,
unable to defend itself. This series was cancelled after 1 season in spite
of above average ratings that would usually keep it on the air. I believe
it was too negative of a message to be politically correct. America needs a
major wake up call...something bigger than 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, or the
Asian Tsunami. [a major letter writing campaign has it returning now for
a 2nd season]
Apocalyptic fever is all around us, and a
growing sense that doomsday may not be far off.
Spiritual deception, national
disruption...
3. Physical
Destruction.
v. 7b-8
Famines:
The World Health Organization maintains today that 1/3rd of the
world is well fed, 1/3rd is underfed, and 1/3rd is
starving! 400 people die of starvation every...[hold on!]...every minute!
I did a Google search Friday for famine in the news and read 3 reports of
new famines being reported for the first time that day! The UN cannot keep
up, charities cannot gain access to many stricken areas, no matter how much
they want it, and beauty pageant contestants never quite seem to end world
hunger...it grows worse and worse by the day!
Pestilences: This is an incurable disease. In the 1960s
medical science was optimistic, stating that “we have solved forever the
problem of infectious disease.” But because of the misuse and overuse of
antibiotics there are now a record number of strains resistant to them. We
hear of ‘bird flu’ and ‘mad cow’ disease and think it’s about animals but
humans are dying in increasing numbers. The SARS scare a while back
demonstrated how despite medical technology and advancement, man is in God’s
hands, not the doctor’s hands, and it’s the Great Physician we should be
looking to!
Earthquakes:
These stats will knock you off your feet! Could these be right? Surely the
increase are the result of better detection, right? Think again. Let’s
just talk about killer earthquakes – 6.0 or greater
Then in 1967 the Jews regained control of
Jerusalem and watch this...
1970-1979 51 killer quakes.
1980-1989 86
1990-1999 152
2000-2005 960
2006 153
2007 188
At the current rate already in 2008 there
will be over 250
Now consider devastating earthquakes like the
2004 one that triggered the Asian Tsunami, killing more as a result of
earthquake than any in human history:
These are quakes measuring more than 8.0 on
the scale...
You can see the Pacific Rim and how
catastrophic earthquakes are more frequently there since 1900, but many
major quakes inc. the 2004 Asian quake are not part of that rim! The next
map shows just a recent 30 day period ending in Friday, Jan. 18, 2008. They
are spreading out more and more every year! How about the U.S.? [map of
first few weeks of 2008]
The point is that the birth pangs are growing
closer and closer together, and greater and greater in intensity! The whole
earth is crying out, “Jesus is coming!”
Spiritual deception, national disruption,
physical destruction...
How should we respond to all of this? Well,
Jesus didn’t give these prophecies to excite the curious, but to exhort the
consecrated. I know people who will drive hundreds of miles to prophecy
conferences, and they love to study it and hear about it, but won’t let it
change their habits, won’t come to church any more often because of it, and
won’t live much differently in light of it!
When Jesus comes there won’t be time to get
saved or to get right! And He could return at any moment. “What shall be
the signs of thy coming?” The signs of the times are all around us. The
labor pains are a minute apart, the world is dilated to 10, but many
so-called Christians want a spiritual epidural! We must wake up and get to
work while there is time! The time is NOW, the altar is HERE, and Jesus is
calling YOUR name! Christians, He’s calling our names today to live
differently while there is time. If you are not saved, He’s calling your
name while there is hope!
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