Latest / CCC West Covina / The Model Life: Alertness, Part 8
Transcript
- 0:00Maranatha, that's not bad. Not bad that that word is found
- 0:06in what verse of the Bible? Anybody know?
- 0:13All right, I'm, that's what I'm here to tell you.
- 0:16First Corinthians 16 verse #22 Maranatha.
- 0:20But the phrase before it is so crucial that sometimes we forget
- 0:29our Lord Come is what Maranatha means.
- 0:33But right before that, Paul says if anyone does not love the
- 0:37Lord, let him be a cursed. And then he says Maranatha.
- 0:44Why? Because those who love the Lord
- 0:46want to see the Lord. Those who don't love the Lord
- 0:49don't care to see the Lord. Those who love the Lord can't
- 0:53wait to be in his presence. Those who love the Lord can't
- 0:57wait to enter into glory. Those who love the Lord cannot
- 1:02wait for him to return. That's why Paul says we we love
- 1:08his appearing. Second divity 48 There's a
- 1:12longing, there's a loving, there's a looking, there's a
- 1:15living all about the appearing of Jesus Christ, our great God
- 1:21and Savior. That's what marks the believer.
- 1:26He is committed, deeply committed to the arrival of the
- 1:30Messiah. You know, when we have been to
- 1:34Israel over the years, when we come to the city of Jerusalem,
- 1:38we wake up the next morning, having arrived in the late
- 1:43afternoon, and we take them first of all to the Mount of
- 1:47Olives. And as we drive up the Mount of
- 1:50Olives and we begin to see the sun rising up over the mountain
- 1:54of the east and begins to shine down on the old City of
- 1:58Jerusalem, we take everybody and we, we sit them on the Mount of
- 2:03Olives and they have this view of the Old city.
- 2:07They, they have this view of, of the Dome of the Rock that
- 2:10glistens under the, the, the sun that shines down upon it.
- 2:16And all of Mount Moriah is under the beauty of the sunshine and
- 2:22you're able to see the old city, you're able to see the, the hill
- 2:27of a fell, the the hill that ascends up from the City of
- 2:31David as you look down upon the, the city of David.
- 2:34So you can, you can see the city of David.
- 2:36You, you take the hill of a fell and ascend up until Mount
- 2:39Moriah. You see the Dome of the Rock.
- 2:41You can, you can see Gogatha off in the distance as you sit on
- 2:47the Mount of Olives. And then as you look down the
- 2:50mount, you, you look down to a valley and that valley is called
- 2:55the Valley of Jehoshaphat or the the Valley of Decision or the
- 3:03Kidron Valley. It's a very important valley in
- 3:08prophecy. It was a very important valley
- 3:11during the time of Christ. It truly is the valley of
- 3:16decision. It's all about how Christ will
- 3:20one day decide the destiny of every man and woman.
- 3:27For those who decided not to follow the Christ, Christ will
- 3:33decide to curse them. Those who decide to follow the
- 3:37Lord, they will be the ones who will enter into His glorious
- 3:42Kingdom. But when you sit the, the people
- 3:45down on the Mount of Olives, you, you begin to open the Bible
- 3:48and you can, you can begin to point to all these different
- 3:51places that are, that are real places.
- 3:54They're not traditional. They're, they're literal.
- 3:56And you can show it to them, help them understand it.
- 4:01But, but you sit them down to tell them about the return of
- 4:05the king, that the king is coming again.
- 4:10And as they're sitting there and they, they, they have their
- 4:12notebooks because we give them these notebooks with all of the,
- 4:14the sermon outlines in them. There's probably 45 or 50
- 4:18different sermon outlines in there that we go over at each
- 4:22and every spot where we have them understand what is actually
- 4:25happening here so that they understand it.
- 4:29You tell them about the return of the king and you tell them
- 4:33this, You tell them this is a, a sure event.
- 4:37It is going to happen. The veracity of God is at stake,
- 4:43He said in Revelation chapter, chapter 22, three times.
- 4:47Behold, I am coming quickly. The last promise he gives is a
- 4:52promise of his return. We know that there's a fixed
- 4:56time in which the Lord will arrive.
- 4:58And then we tell them and read to them.
- 5:02Zechariah chapter 14, verse #4 In that day, in that day, his
- 5:10feet, the Messiah's feet, will stand on the Mount of Olives,
- 5:14which is in front of Jerusalem on the east.
- 5:17And the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to
- 5:22West by a very large valley. And we tell them, look, you're
- 5:27sitting in a place that's one day going to be split in half,
- 5:32and there's going to be this very large valley because the
- 5:36Messiah will one day stand on this mount.
- 5:39You are sitting where the Messiah will one day stand.
- 5:45This is a sure event. It's going to take place.
- 5:49How do we know that? Well, if there were 330
- 5:52prophecies that specifically are designed to speak about the
- 5:57arrival of the Messiah, and there are only 109 of them
- 6:02fulfilled in His first coming, that means there are 224 yet to
- 6:07be fulfilled in His second coming.
- 6:10And get this, if all 109 were fulfilled literally, not
- 6:16figuratively, that means the other 224 will also be fulfilled
- 6:23literally. Not figuratively, not
- 6:26symbolically, not allegorically, not some kind of spiritual
- 6:30experience in your heart. It's going to happen exactly as
- 6:34Jesus said. Why would he give you all these
- 6:36prophecies and say, well, these are literal, but these, well,
- 6:39they're not going to be literal. No, they're all literal.
- 6:42They're all going to happen exactly as he said.
- 6:45This is a sure event. But notice this, not only is it
- 6:48a sure event, it is a sovereign event.
- 6:53It is a sovereign event in, in other words, Zechariah chapter
- 6:5814. The Bible tells us these words.
- 7:02Zechariah chapter 14 verse #9 And the Lord will be king over
- 7:09all the earth in that day. The Lord will be the only one,
- 7:16and His name the only one. In other words, this is a
- 7:22sovereign event. It's a fixed time in which the
- 7:26sovereign God of the universe knows exactly when it's going to
- 7:30happen. But on top of that, it's all
- 7:33about the rule of the King. Now, I have told you that when
- 7:39you train your children, when you teach your children, when
- 7:43you invest in your children, the very first thing you do is
- 7:47invest in terms of what it means to be saved you.
- 7:51They need to understand salvation by grace through faith
- 7:55in Christ alone. But the very next thing you
- 7:59teach them about after salvation is about the second coming of
- 8:04the Messiah. You need to tell them that the
- 8:08Messiah is coming again. Once you're born again, you need
- 8:12to know He's going to arrive again to take you home to be
- 8:15with Him. This is so important.
- 8:20Why? Because in the process of
- 8:23training your children, you want to teach them how to pray,
- 8:27right? So if you want to teach your
- 8:30children how to pray, you got to teach them what the Lord taught
- 8:34His disciples on how to pray. That makes sense, right?
- 8:40Why would I teach my children how to pray my way when I can
- 8:44teach my children how to pray God's way?
- 8:47I mean, what's more important, My way or God's way?
- 8:50And the disciples came to Jesus and said, Lord, John's disciples
- 8:54have taught them or asked him to teach them to pray.
- 9:00And John's disciples, John the Baptist, taught him how to pray.
- 9:03Lord, teach us how to pray. Now, isn't it interesting?
- 9:07That's the only thing the disciples ever asked Jesus to
- 9:10teach them? The neighbor said, Lord, teach
- 9:13us how to preach. You think they would ask that?
- 9:16They didn't ask that. Lord teach us how to do the
- 9:18miracle thing. That's pretty cool.
- 9:20Teach us how to do miracle. Nope, never asked that either.
- 9:25But they did ask the Lord to teach them how to pray.
- 9:26Why is that? Because that's all he ever did
- 9:31was pray. He'd get up early in the morning
- 9:34and they'd wake up and say, where's Jesus praying again?
- 9:39Let's go find him in the middle of the night.
- 9:43He'd go away. Where's he praying?
- 9:46He was always praying. And so because he was always
- 9:50communing with his Father in heaven, they want to know how to
- 9:53do that. You see, you're well.
- 9:56What do your children ask you to teach them?
- 9:58You ever ask that question? Your kids might teach you.
- 10:02Can you teach me how to play ball?
- 10:04Can you teach me how to wrestle? Can you teach me how to do this
- 10:06or do that? Do they ever ask you teach me
- 10:09how to pray? Teach me, teach me about the
- 10:12word of God, because you see, your children will ask you to
- 10:17teach them what they see you doing the most.
- 10:21Your children will ask you to teach them what is important to
- 10:25you because you're always doing it.
- 10:27So I don't want to know what does that mean?
- 10:31The disciple said. Lord teach us how to pray and so
- 10:37the Lord gave them was commonly called the disciples prayer.
- 10:40It's not the Lord's Prayer, it's the disciples prayer.
- 10:44The Lord's prayer is John 17. The disciples prayer is Matthew
- 10:50chapter 6 because he teaches his disciples on how to pray and you
- 10:56know it very well. He says when you pray, pray this
- 11:00way. OK, so that that gives us an
- 11:03instruction that when we pray, here is a pattern by which we
- 11:08are to follow. And you will note that the
- 11:10pattern's very important. It's God and his glory way
- 11:15before it's man and his needs. It's our Father who art in
- 11:20heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be
- 11:24done on earth as it is in heaven.
- 11:26It's all about God's glory. But when we pray, what do we
- 11:29pray for? Man's needs, that's the first
- 11:33thing out of our mouth, our needs, our wants.
- 11:37But according to the disciples prayer, that's not how it works.
- 11:40It's God and his glory. Because if you're not consumed
- 11:42with God's glory, then how can you ever know how to pray for
- 11:46your needs? And then he goes into the give
- 11:50us and forgive us and deliver us aspect of man's needs, but
- 11:56always begins with God's glory. And so the Lord taught his
- 12:00disciples how to pray. When you pray, I want you to be
- 12:04consumed with my purity. Hallowed be thy name, Lord.
- 12:10I want your name hollowed in my life, Lord.
- 12:12I want your name holy in my life, Lord, I want your name
- 12:14reflected in it through my life. Hallowed be thy name be consumed
- 12:21with my preeminence. And then he says, when you pray,
- 12:27pray this way, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
- 12:31name, thy Kingdom come. That means you're praying for
- 12:40the return of the king. You're praying for his Kingdom,
- 12:44his rule to come to earth. The word for Kingdom is basilia,
- 12:48which means to rule. So you're praying, Lord.
- 12:51Your rule, come, your rule. Come, Lord.
- 12:57We know that you are a universal king.
- 13:01We know that you're King of kings and Lord of Lords.
- 13:03So we know that you are the King of all the universe.
- 13:07And we know that, Lord, because we have received you into our
- 13:09hearts, we now understand that you are our King.
- 13:14You rule in our lives, and because you rule in our lives,
- 13:18you're our king. So we know that you are a
- 13:21universal king. We know that you are a spiritual
- 13:23king. But Lord, we want you to be a
- 13:25literal king. We want you to be the king on
- 13:29the earth as Zechariah 14 verse #9 in that day he shall be king
- 13:36in all the earth that that's a sovereign event where the king
- 13:42himself rules in the land of Israel and our prayer life is to
- 13:48be consumed with that. So, so we, we are consumed with
- 13:52his purity and his preeminence, but we are concerned with his,
- 13:56his program where he is the the ruler of the world.
- 14:00Then he comes to this earth and he rules over this earth.
- 14:03He sits on the throne of David. He rules in the city of
- 14:07Jerusalem, Mount, Mount Zion, and the king is enthroned on
- 14:13high. See, the coming of Christ is a
- 14:16sovereign event. And so if you're going to teach
- 14:19your children how to pray, they need to know that when you pray,
- 14:26you pray thy Kingdom come. So he says, look, when you pray,
- 14:31pray this way, how our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be
- 14:34thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is
- 14:38in heaven. And that phrase on earth as it
- 14:41is in heaven refers to all three petitions.
- 14:46Lord, may your name be hallowed in my life on earth as it is
- 14:51already in heaven. May your Kingdom come to earth.
- 14:56May your rule come to earth as your rule is already exemplified
- 15:01in heaven. May your will be done on earth
- 15:05as your will is always done in heaven.
- 15:08And the will there is the will of desire, Thelema.
- 15:12May your desire be done on earth just like your desire is always
- 15:16done in heaven. That is what our prayer life is
- 15:19to be like. What's your prayer life like?
- 15:24That's how you pray. This is God's way on how to
- 15:28pray. Be consumed with His purity, be
- 15:34concerned with His program, be committed to His plan, and then
- 15:43you're ready to pray. Father, give us this day Our
- 15:48Daily Bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we
- 15:51trespass against others, and lead us not into temptation, but
- 15:55deliver us some evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and
- 15:59the power and the glory, forever and ever.
- 16:02Amen. The coming of the king is a
- 16:07sovereign event. It is a sure event.
- 16:13The coming of the king is a surprising event, tells us in
- 16:21Revelation 1615, tells us the First Thessalonians chapter 5
- 16:25verse #2 tells us in Matthew chapter 24 and second Peter 3
- 16:29verse #10 he's going to come like a thief in the night.
- 16:33That's a surprise. Thieves don't announce when
- 16:36they're coming. They'll send you a postcard,
- 16:39send you a text, give you an e-mail, let you know in advance
- 16:42that they're coming. No, it's all a surprise.
- 16:44He comes like a thief in the night.
- 16:47No one is going to expect it when he arrives.
- 16:51And not only is this coming a surprising event, it is a sudden
- 16:56event. Sudden event.
- 16:59The Bible tells us that the, the, the, the sky will, will,
- 17:02will be dark and, and, and the stars will fall from the
- 17:06heavens. It'll be pitch black.
- 17:12And out of the east comes the glory of the Lord in a very
- 17:16sudden manner. Listen, we talk about the return
- 17:19of the King. Please understand we're talking
- 17:22about the whole gamut of his return.
- 17:26The day of Christ, the day of the Lord and the day of God.
- 17:30Don't separate them until you are specifically talking about 1
- 17:33aspect of them. But the all disease with the
- 17:36deal with the return of the king.
- 17:38So just last week, the day of Christ deals with what the
- 17:41rapture of the church and the reward of the Christian.
- 17:44The Day of the Lord deals with the retribution of sinners and
- 17:46the redemption of Israel, and the Day of God deals with with
- 17:52the fact that God's righteousness dwells forever and
- 17:54ever and ever. It's called the day of eternity.
- 17:57It's all about the coming of the king and encompasses all that.
- 18:01It's an absolute surety. It's going to happen.
- 18:05It's a sure event. It's a sovereign event.
- 18:07It's going to be a surprising event.
- 18:09Even the rapture of the church is a surprise.
- 18:11No one knows when the Lord's going to come and take his own
- 18:13to be with him, but it's going to do that.
- 18:17It'll be a sudden event. Boom, Just like that, the church
- 18:20will be translated into glory, but so will the return of the
- 18:23king and his revelation at the end of the day of the Lord.
- 18:25He will come very suddenly and unexpectedly.
- 18:28But notice this. Not only is it a sure event, not
- 18:31only is it a sovereign event, a surprising event, not only is it
- 18:34a sudden event, it is a slaughtering event.
- 18:39A slaughtering event, Say woo, that's kind of harsh, isn't it?
- 18:44Well, not if you read your Bible.
- 18:47It's not harsh, it's a slaughtering event.
- 18:51Listen to what the Bible says in Zechariah chapter 14 verse #12
- 18:56Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all
- 18:59the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem.
- 19:03Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet and their
- 19:10eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongue will rot in
- 19:17their mouth. That that is an absolute
- 19:21devastation. It's all going to rot.
- 19:27And all he does is speak a word. He just speaks the word and it
- 19:33happens. Listen to Zephaniah Zephaniah
- 19:39chapter one verse #17 I will bring the stress on men so that
- 19:44they will walk like blind because they have sinned against
- 19:47the Lord, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and
- 19:54their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their
- 19:57gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's
- 20:00wrath. And all the earth will be
- 20:02devoured in the fire of His jealousy.
- 20:05For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all
- 20:11the inhabitants of the earth. That that is an absolute
- 20:17slaughtering event. Isaiah described it this way.
- 20:22Isaiah chapter 63 verse #1 Who is this who comes from Eden with
- 20:28garments of glowing colors from Bose Raw?
- 20:30The one who was majestic in his apparel, marching in the
- 20:32greatness of his strength. It is I who speak in
- 20:36righteousness, mighty to save, says the Lord.
- 20:40Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads
- 20:44in the wine press? The Lord says I have trodden the
- 20:47wine through alone and from the people's.
- 20:51There was no man with me. I also trod them in my anger and
- 20:56trampled them in my wrath. And their lifeblood is sprinkled
- 21:01on my garments and I stained all my raiment.
- 21:07You want to know why there's blood all over the place?
- 21:09You want to know that why my garment sustained is because I
- 21:12tread the winepress alone. There's no one with me.
- 21:16This is the Great War against God.
- 21:19I'm destroying everybody that's against me.
- 21:22That's why their blood is all over the place.
- 21:25That's why the Book of Revelation says that blood flows
- 21:27for 200 miles, 1600 stadiae. Why up to the bridal's mouth?
- 21:33Why? Because the Lord make sure that
- 21:36this is an absolute slaughter when He arrives for all those
- 21:41who do not believe in him. Earlier Isaiah would say this.
- 21:48Isaiah chapter 13. He would say these words wail
- 21:54for the day of the Lord is near. He will come as destruction from
- 22:01the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall
- 22:04limp, and every man's heart will melt.
- 22:07They will be terrified. Pains and anguish will take hold
- 22:11of them. They will writhe like a woman in
- 22:13labor. They will look on one another in
- 22:15astonishment, their faces aflame.
- 22:17Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and
- 22:22burning anger, to make the land a desolation, and He will
- 22:27exterminate its sinners from it. That's an absolute destruction.
- 22:34It is a slaughtering event. That's why in Revelation 19 he
- 22:38calls the birds to come and eat the flesh of kings and
- 22:43commanders and every poor man and every rich man.
- 22:47Why? Because you're going to need the
- 22:49birds to come and clean up all the carnage because it's all
- 22:52throughout the the land of Israel.
- 22:56It's a slaughtering event, but it is a saving event.
- 23:04It is a saving event. Yes, it's a retribution of God
- 23:08upon sinners, but it's also the redemption of God and His grace
- 23:13upon those who believe Israel will be saved.
- 23:19Back to Zechariah chapter, chapter 12.
- 23:23It says this in verse #10 And I will pour out on the House of
- 23:27David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace
- 23:30and of suffocation. So they will look on me whom
- 23:33they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for
- 23:36an only son. And they will be bitterly over
- 23:38him, like the bitter weeping over a first born.
- 23:41In that day there will be great morning in Jerusalem, like the
- 23:46morning of Ha the Drummond in the plain of Megiddo.
- 23:49Chapter 13. Verse #1 In that day a fountain
- 23:52will be open for the House of David and for the inhabitants of
- 23:56Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
- 23:59Verse #9 And I will bring a third part through the fire.
- 24:05We find them as silver as we find and test them as gold is
- 24:08tested. They will call on my name.
- 24:11I will answer them. I will say they are my people,
- 24:14and they will say the Lord is my God.
- 24:20As bad as the slaughter is, so great is the salvation of
- 24:26sinners. Israel will finally recognize
- 24:30their Messiah. Israel will finally be saved,
- 24:34Israel will have their king, and Israel will see him rule and
- 24:39reign just as he promised, Malachi tells us.
- 24:45It's when the Sun of Righteousness rises with healing
- 24:48in his wings, and they will skip around like calves because of
- 24:54the joy of the Lord. The King is coming.
- 25:00It's a sure event. It's a sovereign event.
- 25:04It's a surprising event. It's a sudden event.
- 25:08It is a slaughtering event. It is a saving event.
- 25:13It is a sobering event, very sobering.
- 25:21Over in Second Thessalonians chapter, chapter one verse #7 it
- 25:28says these words when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from
- 25:32heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing at
- 25:36retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not
- 25:41obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- 25:43These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from
- 25:47the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power when
- 25:51it comes to be glorified in the Saints on that day and to be
- 25:55marvelled at among all who have believed.
- 26:01A sobering event, because God takes no pleasure in the death
- 26:07of the wicked, even though millions will die.
- 26:15He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but he
- 26:19deals that retribution on those who do not know God and to those
- 26:26who refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- 26:34Man is totally responsible and totally culpable for his
- 26:37unbelief, and God says He will deal out retribution on those
- 26:44who will not give their life. To me.
- 26:47It's a very sobering event. So when you tell your children
- 26:52about the return of the King and you tell them you know what
- 26:54that's going to happen, It's sure it's ironclad.
- 26:59Yeah, it's been 2000 years. But we talked about that last
- 27:01week of Peter because God is patient long-suffering, not when
- 27:07that any superior expect that all she couldn't repent.
- 27:08And so the patience of God is being put on display over and
- 27:11over and over again. But it's going to happen.
- 27:14It's a sovereign event because he will be the ruler of the
- 27:17world. It will be a surprising event
- 27:19because no one knows the day nor the hour.
- 27:21It will be a sudden event because when they are saying
- 27:23peace and safety, First Thessalonians 52, all of a
- 27:26sudden destruction will come. It will be a slaughtering event
- 27:30because millions will be slaughtered.
- 27:31But it will be a saving event because Israel will be saved.
- 27:36There will be Gentiles that are saved.
- 27:40Some of them will be martyred during the Tribulation, but God
- 27:43will save even Gentiles during the Tribulation period.
- 27:48But it is a sobering event. You teach your children.
- 27:53This is why we share the gospel. Knowing the terror of the Lord,
- 27:56we persuade men. You see the impetus for sharing
- 28:00the gospel, the impetus for praying, the impetus for going
- 28:03to church centers around what? The second coming to the
- 28:06Messiah. Teach your children Jesus is
- 28:09coming again. Make that the focal point of
- 28:12your teaching. Make that the focal point of all
- 28:15that you do. Jesus is coming again.
- 28:18It is next. I'm not sure what number we're
- 28:21on. It is a sanctifying event.
- 28:24Maybe somebody can tell me what number that is.
- 28:26Does anybody know anybody counting, Anybody taking notes,
- 28:29Anybody care? Hey #8 thank you, Jeremy.
- 28:34It's a sanctifying event. He who has us hope in him
- 28:37purifies himself even as he is pure.
- 28:40You want your kids to grow up pure and clean before the Lord?
- 28:46Well, how do you help them do that?
- 28:48Help them understand the blessed hope.
- 28:51Help them understand what Peter says over in first Peter chapter
- 28:551. He says, therefore, prepare your
- 28:57minds for action. Keep sober in spirit.
- 28:59Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at
- 29:03the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children.
- 29:06Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in
- 29:10your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy
- 29:13yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written
- 29:17you shall be holy, for I am holy.
- 29:19The whole motivation, the whole power behind a pure life,
- 29:25centers on the return of the Messiah.
- 29:30How many times have we said it? The clearer you see the future,
- 29:34the cleaner you stand in the present.
- 29:37If your future's all muddied, your present will be muddied.
- 29:42If your future is clear on the return of the King, boy, you
- 29:47stand clean in the present. And that was from the our study,
- 29:50the book of Daniel. Remember that the book of
- 29:53Daniel. What, what a man 70 years.
- 29:57He was in Babylon 70 for 70 years he maintained a pure and
- 30:04clean life. 70 years, no compromise.
- 30:11There was no question about his integrity.
- 30:15Every king that came saw him as a man of integrity.
- 30:22And that's because he clearly saw the future.
- 30:26He could cleanly stand in the presence, and he did.
- 30:31That's why the coming of the king is a sanctifying event.
- 30:36It's a separating event. It's separate, separates you
- 30:38apart from the world. You don't want to be a part of
- 30:41the world. Why?
- 30:42Because this is not your home. You're just passing through.
- 30:45You're going to glory. So important #9 Right, Jeremy?
- 30:58OK. It is a selective event.
- 31:00A selective event. Listen to what the Bible says in
- 31:10the book of Matthew 25th chapter when the Lord said these words.
- 31:18But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels
- 31:22with him, they will sit on His glorious throne.
- 31:27All the nations will be gathered together before Him.
- 31:30He will separate them from one another as a separate as a
- 31:34shepherd, excuse me, separates the sheep from the goats and he
- 31:39will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
- 31:46This is Matthew chapter 25. Now remember we told you that
- 31:50the, the longest answer that Jesus ever gave to any question
- 31:54asked of him was Matthew 24 and 25 about his return, That that's
- 31:58how important it is. And so now he's he's concluding
- 32:02everything with his sheep goat judgement.
- 32:05Listen to the book of Joel, Joel, Joel chapter 3.
- 32:12Let the nations be aroused and come up to the Valley of
- 32:16Jehoshaphat. We read this when we're when
- 32:19we're with the people on the Mount of Olives and we had them
- 32:21look down into the valley, the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
- 32:26And we read from Joel chapter 3 for it says for there I will sit
- 32:30to judge all the surrounding nations.
- 32:32This is Matthew 25 in the Old Testament.
- 32:35Joel chapter 3 put in the sickle for the harvest is right.
- 32:40Come tread for the wine press is full.
- 32:43The vats overflow for their wickedness is great multitudes,
- 32:47multitudes in the valley of decision.
- 32:51Remember the valley of Jehoshaphat is the Kitchen
- 32:54valley. It's the valley decision.
- 32:56It's the same valley, just three different names, but it's called
- 33:00the valley of decision. He says, for the day of the Lord
- 33:04is near in the valley of decision, the sun, the moon grow
- 33:09dark, and the stars lose their brightness, and the Lord roars
- 33:13from Zion and others, His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens
- 33:17and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His
- 33:20people and in a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
- 33:23Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion,
- 33:27my holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy and
- 33:30strangers will pass through it no more.
- 33:34And you, you help people see. Look, in this valley that you
- 33:37are looking at is the valley of decision.
- 33:41When our Lord splits the mountain, He will set himself up
- 33:44as ruler and judge and king. In Matthew 24, He will take the
- 33:48sheep, He will put them on his right.
- 33:50He will take the goats, He will put them on his left.
- 33:52He will say to the sheep, When I was hungry, you fed me, when I
- 33:56was thirsty you gave me something to drink.
- 33:57When I was in prison you visited me.
- 34:00When I was naked, you clothed me.
- 34:02And the sheep will say, when did we see you hungry?
- 34:08When did we see you see you naked to clothe you?
- 34:13Pray tell, when did we ever see you in prison to visit you?
- 34:17And Jesus the judge responds, When you did it to the least of
- 34:22these my brethren, that's the Jewish people, You did it as
- 34:26unto me. Enter into the joy of the Lord.
- 34:31And then he looks to the goats and says, Hey, not that you guys
- 34:34are the goats, but he he looks to his left where the goats are.
- 34:37He's put them on his left. And he says, when I was hungry,
- 34:40you didn't feed me. When I was thirsty, you did.
- 34:42You gave me nothing to drink. When I was in prison, you did
- 34:45not visit me. They say, but we never saw you
- 34:49in prison. We never saw you hungry.
- 34:51We never saw you thirsty. And Jesus says, Because you did
- 34:56not do it to the least of these my brethren, you did not do it
- 35:01unto me, You did not protect my people, my chosen ones, and you
- 35:07evidence yourself as those who do not believe in me as their
- 35:10King. Therefore enter into eternal
- 35:13damnation the place prepared for the devil and his angels.
- 35:21The coming of Christ is a selective event.
- 35:24Not everybody goes to heaven, only those who know Christ as
- 35:28Lord and Savior. And isn't an interesting that
- 35:30that that neither the sheep or the goats understood, understood
- 35:35that what they did evidenced to salvation, but it did in the
- 35:45sheep's case, they did it just because it was in their DNA,
- 35:52their spiritual DNA, their spiritual nature to do it.
- 35:57But the goats, it wasn't in their spiritual DNA because they
- 36:00were not citizens of the Kingdom.
- 36:02Therefore they had no desire to take care of God's people.
- 36:07But those who love the Lord love his people.
- 36:10Those who love the Lord will protect his own, protect his
- 36:13people and care for them and love them and nurture them.
- 36:18And that's what will happen during the Tribulation.
- 36:22There will be Gentiles who will take care of Jewish people.
- 36:27They will gather them together and protect them from the evil 1
- 36:31and the Lord will say, enter into the joy of the Lord.
- 36:36Wow, can't wait to hear those words.
- 36:40Let me give you one more because my time is gone.
- 36:45I'll take some more time and my hip feels great.
- 36:50So hey, why are we here all day? OK, it is a special event.
- 36:56It's a special event, and let me tell you why.
- 37:01Just real quick. It's a special event because
- 37:06you'll enter into glory. You'll enter into glory.
- 37:16It's a special event because you escape the wrath of God.
- 37:23That's pretty special. You escape the wrath of God, you
- 37:27enter into glory. And then you know what?
- 37:30It's a special event because you enjoy the presence of the Lord
- 37:35forever. You enjoy the presence of the
- 37:40Lord forever, and #4 you will engage in perfect worship.
- 37:53You'll engage in perfect worship, and next you will
- 38:05encourage one another. That's how Paul closed First
- 38:12Thessalonians 4, verse 18. He says, therefore comfort one
- 38:15another with these words. Chapter 5 verse #11 Therefore
- 38:19encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also
- 38:22are doing. This is your encouragement.
- 38:26This is your motivation. When the disciples were were on
- 38:32the eve of the crucifixion and they were distraught of the fact
- 38:34that Jesus was going to die the next day, how did he encourage
- 38:38them? He told them about His return.
- 38:43In my Father's house are many mansions.
- 38:46If it were not so, I would have told you and I go and prepare a
- 38:50place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
- 38:51for you, I'll come again and receive you until myself that
- 38:53we're in there. You'll be also.
- 38:55This is this is the encouragement.
- 38:57This is the motivation. How do you encourage the
- 38:59downcast? How do you encourage the
- 39:01disenfranchised? How do you encourage the
- 39:04disinterested? How do you encourage those who
- 39:06are just out on on on a limb? You talk to them about the
- 39:09return of the king. The return of the king is
- 39:11everything. Why?
- 39:12Here's the last point. Because the end of a matter is
- 39:14better than its beginning. That's why it's a special event.
- 39:19The end of a matter is always better than its beginning.
- 39:22Solomon said it, and Jesus exemplified it.
- 39:30In the end of the matter is the return of the king.
- 39:33May God give us the grace and the mercy to proclaim it loudly.
- 39:36Let's pray. Father, we thank you for today.
- 39:41Lord, you are a great God. You've allowed us this time to
- 39:45be together, to look into your word very briefly, but to
- 39:50understand the joy of the King and his return.
- 39:54May we live in anticipation of your coming again.
- 40:00Maybe live alert to all the events surrounding your rival.
- 40:07And may we be the kind of people, Lord, who encourage
- 40:11others through your return. Knowing that one day there will
- 40:15be no more pain, one day there will be no more tears, one day
- 40:21there will be no more war, One day when the King of Kings
- 40:27rules, everything will be set in place.
- 40:33Longing for that Lord until you come again.
- 40:37May we be found faithful in our service of the King in Jesus
- 40:41name, Amen.