Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Ways to Prepare For The Return of Christ | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Transcript

Ways to Prepare For The Return of Christ | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

• 0:00
  I'm going to begin here in a moment, but I want to let you
• 0:02
  know that I will not be preaching from Mark today.
• 0:05
  And the reason why I'm not going to be doing that is because if
• 0:08
  you've been following us, you know, that we have been in Mark
• 0:11
  chapter 6, for quite some time. And we are about to enter into
• 0:15
  Mark chapter 7. And Mark chapter 7 is really
• 0:19
  about tradition and how Jesus speaks about the idolatry of
• 0:24
  tradition and how people scripture twist to try to
• 0:28
  justify their tradition. And I really want to take my
• 0:32
  time through that chapter to actually expound on things that
• 0:36
  is unfortunately confusing to many.
• 0:39
  Not just to those who might hold two different expressions of
• 0:43
  what we believe but even for those who do hold to the truth
• 0:47
  but don't understand differences and don't understand why certain
• 0:50
  places and people and institutions do things the way
• 0:53
  they do and why we do things the way we do.
• 0:56
  So that's going to be a very different series within a series
• 0:59
  that I want to really, really take My time on.
• 1:01
  And so before we enter into Mark chapter 7 prayerfully, we're
• 1:05
  going to step back. Take a breath, take a breath.
• 1:10
  I'm going to address something that is relevant to what's
• 1:12
  happening in your life and the world around us.
• 1:16
  And I pray, I've been praying that this would touch your heart
• 1:19
  as it did mine. And so I just have a question to
• 1:23
  ask my question. In the beginning of the service
• 1:26
  is how many of you in this place would say?
• 1:30
  That more that any time in your life, you believe that the
• 1:34
  return of the Lord, Jesus Christ is more probable than ever,
• 1:38
  would you say yes to that? Yes, that's most of you.
• 1:42
  And if you do say yes to that honestly, then I would follow it
• 1:47
  up with another question. And my question is this, how
• 1:50
  many of you who have just confessed that would be able to
• 1:53
  also say that as a motivation of the soon?
• 1:58
  Return of the Lord, you have consciously attempted to
• 2:01
  strengthen certain aspects of your walk with the Lord.
• 2:07
  And preparation to meet him. Has that been true in the past
• 2:12
  few years? Has that been true?
• 2:14
  In the past few months, has that been true as things seem to be
• 2:17
  escalating week after week, is there any part of you in your
• 2:21
  walk with the Lord, where you sense the need to say O Lord,
• 2:25
  you can be coming. I need you to strengthen me
• 2:28
  here, I want to be ready. I want to be found ready when I
• 2:33
  see you. And when you meet with me, you
• 2:37
  know, there was a time in Evangelical circles, where the
• 2:40
  Teaching of the second coming was common and some of you who
• 2:43
  are more seasoned, remember those days, it wasn't very hard
• 2:47
  to enter into a church where from time to time frequently,
• 2:50
  you would hear a pastor get up and talk about Jesus coming
• 2:53
  back. That seems to becoming more and
• 2:55
  more rare. for some reason, when it is, in fact, a pillar in our
• 3:02
  belief system, if you do not believe in the bodily return of
• 3:06
  Jesus Christ, you're not a Christian.
• 3:11
  Christian's whole to this. This is the hope of the believer
• 3:15
  that is the completion of our salvation.
• 3:21
  And unfortunate, you have people today who View the second coming
• 3:24
  of Jesus Christ. As a singular event that holds,
• 3:27
  no bearing upon us who are saved by faith.
• 3:30
  But when you read the New Testament carefully, what you
• 3:33
  will see is that there is much emphasis and many exhortations
• 3:38
  given to not the world, but the church in what to do in order to
• 3:43
  be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
• 3:47
  It's everywhere. It's absolutely everywhere and
• 3:51
  you would think that that's not relevant for us because we're
• 3:55
  sealed with the Holy Spirit. We have Redemption, what do we
• 3:59
  need to do? Apart from confessing him as
• 4:01
  Lord and believe in our hearts, that God raised him from the
• 4:03
  dead. And I would say read your Bible
• 4:06
  carefully, read your Bible carefully because you'll realize
• 4:10
  in your Bible that as much as the true church yearns with the
• 4:15
  spirit. And says come Lord Jesus.
• 4:18
  Oh yes that is true. At the same time the Lord Jesus
• 4:22
  has desires from you upon his return.
• 4:28
  The Lord Jesus has expectations of us.
• 4:33
  When he comes. And it is my desire.
• 4:37
  My prayer today that as his word is delivered, you would have
• 4:40
  much more clarity and understanding what it is, that
• 4:43
  your bridegroom wants from you? As he and the true church
• 4:48
  anticipates that Celestial wedding day.
• 4:53
  Why is that important? Because of many reasons, and
• 4:57
  it's the duty of a pastor. If you want to know one of the
• 5:00
  job descriptions of a pastor is to prepare the people that God
• 5:04
  has entrusted to them for eternity.
• 5:07
  A pastor does much more than give you some holy advice or
• 5:12
  spiritual insights or instructions of how you can
• 5:14
  navigate through this life as painless as possible.
• 5:18
  Now, one of the things that a pastor does is in fact, train,
• 5:23
  and exhort, and live in such a way, where the people who are
• 5:28
  around him or have been brought to, his pasture, would be more
• 5:31
  ready to meet with the coming King.
• 5:35
  And if you want proof of that, let's just begin one.
• 5:37
  Verse in 2nd Corinthians, 11, and verse 2.
• 5:44
  Again. Good hearted Believers have a
• 5:47
  one-dimensional view of the return of Christ.
• 5:51
  The lord is coming to rescue as the Lord is.
• 5:54
  Coming to redeem us. The Lord is coming to resurrect
• 5:56
  us. The Lord is coming to renew us
• 6:00
  and to reward us and all of that is true.
• 6:03
  But Christ also wants to find something in us, he wants to
• 6:08
  find us dressed in a certain way.
• 6:10
  He wants to find his posture din a certain way.
• 6:14
  You might be wondering. Well then what is that of me?
• 6:18
  How can I be ready to be saved? A men be saved, but Christ goes
• 6:21
  beyond that and Paul illustrates and communicates what it is that
• 6:25
  he desires from us and it's here in verse 2.
• 6:29
  Second Corinthians 11. He speaks to this church.
• 6:31
  And he says, for I feel a Divine jealousy for you.
• 6:37
  Notice not a personal jealousy. A Divine jealousy jealousy,
• 6:40
  that's inspired by the holy spirit of jealousy.
• 6:42
  That is God word for, I feel a Divine jealousy for you.
• 6:45
  Since I betrothed, you to one husband to present you as a pure
• 6:51
  virgin to Christ. You know what, phase in the
• 6:57
  relationship we are at, with our Jesus, we're in the be troll
• 7:02
  stage. Wherein the engagement phase,
• 7:04
  there's a wedding to come and Paul speaking here as a friend
• 7:08
  of the bridegroom and as the friend of the bridegroom, he
• 7:10
  senses this Duty as a leader. Over those that he has brought
• 7:14
  the gospel to To do what he can, in order to prepare the people
• 7:21
  to meet with Christ. To protect her.
• 7:27
  To provide for her to do all these different things for the
• 7:32
  sole purpose of being pure. From when Christ comes to shoo
• 7:37
  away, all different lovers. To confront when there are
• 7:41
  spiritual adultery, this is what a leader does.
• 7:45
  And I try to imagine what that would be like on that final day.
• 7:50
  I wonder if there will be a segment there for the church
• 7:54
  when Christ will call the leaders to one side.
• 7:57
  The all-knowing one understanding who it is, that
• 7:59
  these leaders have been commissioned to Shepherd and
• 8:02
  oversee. And then these leaders being
• 8:05
  called maybe one by one. I'm not sure how it's going to
• 8:08
  happen but the feeling I had when reading this in meditating
• 8:12
  on is that the leaders of this church and leaders of every
• 8:14
  church will stand before the Lord.
• 8:16
  And say, Lord here, the people that you've brought to me.
• 8:21
  And here's what I've done in order to assure that they were
• 8:24
  pure virgins on to you. How does a pastor do that?
• 8:28
  Does he micromanage people does he walk over your shoulder as he
• 8:33
  stock you has? He become legalistic to assure
• 8:37
  that. You don't do anything that might
• 8:38
  come to Breaking the Law. Know if you want to know how a
• 8:42
  pastor does it just read the rest of the chapter and you get
• 8:44
  the heart of this man. He teaches he preaches, he
• 8:47
  warns, he exhorts, he lives an exemplary life, he inspires
• 8:53
  through him as a model, he causes others to want.
• 8:57
  What? He has, that's why he can say in
• 8:59
  the book. Follow me as I follow Christ.
• 9:03
  He said that in First Corinthians the same church.
• 9:07
  That's what a leader dies he wants.
• 9:09
  The people not just to be able to face tomorrow, but the face
• 9:13
  Christ and that's my Endeavor today.
• 9:17
  Because one day I will have to give an account.
• 9:20
  Like, I don't understand how anybody would assume ministry as
• 9:24
  a job. For a paycheck, you are out of
• 9:27
  your mind. You are It has to be a calling
• 9:32
  and it has tremendous tremendous responsibility.
• 9:36
  And that's why I impart as a church.
• 9:37
  This local church we take candidates for elders.
• 9:41
  Very seriously, Elders are not an Advisory Board to the Head.
• 9:46
  Pastor Elders are fellow pastors of a church, and it is
• 9:53
  absolutely vital that they qualify.
• 9:56
  And it's absolutely vital that they understand the Eternal
• 10:00
  ramifications, Of their position.
• 10:05
  So here's my desire for you. Here's my prayer.
• 10:08
  Here's what I was able to just gather from the scriptures ways
• 10:12
  to help us be ready for the coming of Christ.
• 10:16
  I know a lot of people are preparing for many things.
• 10:18
  For all the turbulence has that have been forecasted in our
• 10:20
  nation and our world, but we are a different breed of people,
• 10:24
  your pilgrims your sojourners, you're traveling by your
• 10:27
  citizenship is not just us. It's heaven.
• 10:33
  And so, how do we prepare for the coming of Our Lord?
• 10:35
  He's coming, he's coming soon. And when he comes, he wants to
• 10:40
  see us in a certain way. He wants to embrace us in a
• 10:43
  certain way he wants us to be adorned in a certain way.
• 10:46
  So let me bring you to the first thing that Jesus wants to find
• 10:49
  in us as he prepares to come and grab us and take us home with
• 10:53
  him. First John 2:28.
• 11:02
  I'm sure there are many things today.
• 11:03
  I just have three things to bring to your attention.
• 11:07
  And the first thing that the Lord would want to find in US is
• 11:11
  to be in fellowship with him. Jesus wants to find you and
• 11:16
  fellowship with him when he comes.
• 11:21
  To meet with you first, John 2:28 and now little children
• 11:26
  abide in him so that when he appears we may have confidence
• 11:32
  and not shrink from him in shame at his coming, let's just set
• 11:37
  the straight. John is not speaking to
• 11:39
  unbelievers, he addresses his audience, even in this one
• 11:43
  verse, there's no confusion about it as little children.
• 11:45
  These are the ones that belong to God.
• 11:48
  These are those have been adopted by his grace little
• 11:51
  children that frames every other instruction in this verse.
• 11:54
  He saying, little children, here's my call to you abide in
• 11:58
  him. What is it mean to abide in?
• 12:01
  Other word is to remain. So, you can replace that word
• 12:05
  with remain in him. What that speaks of is close
• 12:09
  proximity. What?
• 12:10
  That speaks of his constant connection, it's the opposite of
• 12:14
  visiting. It's the opposite of sporadic
• 12:17
  presence. It's to be concrete.
• 12:22
  Close secure near in all things. And at all times, Abide in him.
• 12:30
  Stay close to Jesus and not just close to him but be in him and
• 12:35
  let him be in you how much closer can you get that?
• 12:40
  And he says this, because to abide is necessary for so many
• 12:45
  things, but it's especially necessary for confidence at his
• 12:48
  coming confidence. When you abide in Jesus, you
• 12:53
  have a clear conscience, that's one of the rewards of it is.
• 12:58
  And what does that mean to okay remain but practically speaking.
• 13:01
  Well, it's very easy. It's the call to continually
• 13:04
  recognize the Lord and your affections and your thoughts.
• 13:09
  It's depending on him for your source of strength, wisdom, and
• 13:11
  Grace, and all matters. And the means by which this
• 13:15
  takes place is obvious right? You know what?
• 13:17
  It's not, it's not rocket science.
• 13:19
  You get his word in you. You bring it in you day after
• 13:23
  day, you meditate on it and then from there, you commune with
• 13:26
  God, you pray, without speech, ceasing you speak to him.
• 13:29
  You probably your heart to him. You give him size of concern.
• 13:32
  You give him Outburst of Praise. It's just the sense of
• 13:36
  continual. Unceasing Fellowship.
• 13:40
  The way you do with people that you really love though, you may
• 13:42
  be distant physically in your heart, you're with them and
• 13:45
  you're able to communicate with them.
• 13:47
  And this is what the Lord wants from us.
• 13:49
  Now, those ideas may seem obvious one, Not foreign to us
• 13:52
  as Christians. We know.
• 13:54
  Pray read your Bible. Try to keep Jesus on your mind.
• 13:57
  But there's an aspect of abiding in Christ that we often Overlook
• 14:01
  and it's found in Jesus own teaching about abiding.
• 14:04
  I mean, John here is obviously borrowing from his master
• 14:07
  there's an entire chapter where Jesus gives us the call to abide
• 14:11
  in him but we often skip his introduction and his
• 14:14
  introduction is absolutely insightful to what it means to
• 14:18
  really remain in him and what that called looks like.
• 14:22
  And so you know the chapter is John 15, but don't go to verse 4
• 14:25
  right away. Go to verse one and learn
• 14:28
  something. I hope new if not new, as a
• 14:31
  refresher to your abiding in Christ in John 15:1 I am the
• 14:38
  True Vine and my father is the vinedresser.
• 14:42
  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit.
• 14:46
  He takes away and every branch that does not bear fruit.
• 14:51
  He prunes that it may bear more fruit.
• 14:57
  How often do we associate abiding with pruning?
• 15:03
  Before Jesus even uses the word abide.
• 15:05
  He prepares. The people with this idea that
• 15:08
  if you are to be connected to the vine, you should expect
• 15:13
  pruning. We have some gardeners in this
• 15:17
  place, we have some people with green thumbs, they know what
• 15:19
  pruning is all about. It's eliminating, certain
• 15:22
  things, elements, aspects from a plant from vegetation, in order,
• 15:26
  to prepare it to grow even more it's to expand its ceiling of
• 15:31
  potential. That's exactly what Christ does
• 15:34
  to every single person who truly abides in him.
• 15:37
  And what that means is, I mean, out of all the things you could
• 15:39
  have alluded to you Lutz. This, something that cuts
• 15:44
  Something that eliminates something that removes something
• 15:47
  that is painful. And this is so fascinating to me
• 15:51
  because it shows me what abiding includes it includes more than
• 15:55
  just constant devotion and striving to obey the Lord Jesus
• 15:59
  and all my ways. It also means that I willfully
• 16:03
  submit to his providential pruning.
• 16:06
  And give myself over to him with joy.
• 16:09
  When he comes to cut me to cut things from me to cut people
• 16:15
  out, cut things, ways habits, ideas.
• 16:20
  Abiding includes pruning. Let me put it this way person
• 16:24
  who claims to abide in Christ, will be able to say.
• 16:26
  I will stay close to the Lord. No matter how painful it gets.
• 16:33
  Because so easy to give up when it gets hard, so easy to give up
• 16:36
  when your prayers, don't seem to be answered some so easy to give
• 16:38
  up when people give up and when people disappoint you, who bear
• 16:41
  the name of Christ, but a person who abide says I'm staying here,
• 16:45
  even if it hurts my going anywhere.
• 16:50
  I'm staying here and I will enjoy him no matter what it
• 16:52
  costs me here below. And the promise of daily
• 16:58
  abiding, no matter what your fate is.
• 17:01
  As I said earlier, you will know a confidence one that makes us
• 17:05
  bold to stand before the Judgment seat of Christ.
• 17:09
  One that will generate not just an expectation, but a desire.
• 17:13
  I want to see the one in whom, my soul loves.
• 17:18
  That's what abiding does. Because as you abide you, excuse
• 17:22
  discover, as you discover you enjoy.
• 17:24
  And as you enjoy your satisfied and as you're satisfied, you
• 17:28
  want more. And you can come to a place in
• 17:31
  your walk with Christ, where it's not just him answering some
• 17:35
  prayers for your Provisions. But you want his glory Lord,
• 17:39
  I've reached so much here. You've done so much before me.
• 17:42
  I'm blessed beyond measure, but oh God, like Moses, Show Me Your
• 17:47
  Glory. But we see a warning here
• 17:52
  because the same people who can have confidence can also if
• 17:54
  they're not careful experience shame.
• 17:59
  He's not speaking to non-believers, he speaking to
• 18:01
  Christians, and it's possible for Christians to live in a way
• 18:05
  in which they are not abiding. And because they're not
• 18:10
  remaining, they don't have a confidence.
• 18:14
  And when the Lord does come the word shame, their denotes
• 18:18
  embarrassment. It denotes your awkwardness
• 18:24
  being uncomfortable. God doesn't want that for you.
• 18:29
  He doesn't want the first reunions with him to be like
• 18:33
  that. But it will require something on
• 18:36
  your part in mind and that is to abide in him.
• 18:41
  So today I want to ask you as you believe more than ever that
• 18:44
  Christ can come. My question to you is are you
• 18:47
  abiding in him? Are you very distracted?
• 18:51
  Are you consumed with so much? That Christ is an afterthought.
• 18:56
  Have you lost that Delight in him?
• 18:59
  Check the pulse. Check the pulse of your devotion
• 19:03
  and be honest with yourself and say, how much of me in these
• 19:07
  times where things are falling apart?
• 19:09
  How much of me says, Lord would you just come already?
• 19:13
  And just take me from here and let me be in your presence
• 19:16
  forever and ever how much of that is true?
• 19:20
  Would you be amazed to know that Christ has an overwhelming
• 19:24
  desire for you? Oh is so true.
• 19:27
  And so real, that even before his passion, he prayed to the
• 19:30
  father, he said, father, oh would you bring them into my
• 19:34
  presence that they might behold my glory forever and what did he
• 19:37
  say to the very same disciples? I am going to a place to prepare
• 19:41
  a place for you. That's why I'm going away.
• 19:43
  What does that communicate? Let's not debate whether you're
• 19:47
  going to get a room or a mansion.
• 19:48
  Okay. Let's look at the heart of our
• 19:50
  savior. He wants us.
• 19:53
  You you want to you and he wants me.
• 19:57
  And I'll can you imagine a bridegroom getting ready to
• 19:59
  marry a bride, who doesn't feel the same way about that wedding
• 20:01
  day. I can't.
• 20:07
  And we are his bride. And he wants us and he wants us
• 20:12
  to want him. But that doesn't just come out
• 20:14
  of nowhere that comes with a biting.
• 20:18
  And him revealing through that abiding where you just grow in
• 20:21
  love with him. This is what John said, at his
• 20:25
  coming, he wants to find you in Fellowship isn't want to find
• 20:29
  you as a stranger, doesn't want to find you embarrassed because
• 20:32
  you know, that you spoiled your life that you gave so much to
• 20:36
  different things that you were limping back and forth between
• 20:40
  Mammon and the master. Worldly, carnal, entertainment,
• 20:46
  and joy in the Holy Spirit. Oh me find us in fellowship with
• 20:50
  him but that's not it. We go to Luke chapter 12
• 20:54
  together in verse 42. Luke 12:42.
• 21:01
  We are to be found in fellowship with him but we are also be
• 21:04
  found fulfilling what he ordained for our lives.
• 21:09
  And that is what Jesus says here in this chapter in these verses
• 21:12
  and verse 42 of Luke 12. And the Lord said who then is
• 21:17
  the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over
• 21:22
  his household to give them their portion of food at the proper
• 21:26
  time. Blessed, is that servant
• 21:29
  blessed? Is that servant whom his master?
• 21:31
  Master will find so doing when he comes.
• 21:34
  You see a trend here with the verses that I'm selecting, when
• 21:38
  he comes at his coming. Blessed, is that servant whom
• 21:42
  his master will find so doing when he comes now, it's clear
• 21:46
  that Jesus is communicating to his disciples and he is
• 21:49
  highlighting the role of a leader, right?
• 21:51
  Whom his master will set over his household.
• 21:54
  And so those type of individuals are those who take care of the
• 21:58
  servants and take care of the members of a certain place and
• 22:01
  these are clearly the disciples and leaders, that would follow
• 22:04
  them who are in charge of one main task to feed them.
• 22:08
  To feed them. I hope you you're being fed here
• 22:11
  because that's the goal that throughout the week.
• 22:13
  Whoever occupies, this Pulpit has been putting together a
• 22:15
  recipe and Faithfully. Honoring the ingredients and the
• 22:19
  blueprint of God's word and then presenting that before you, so
• 22:22
  that you can eat and that you can know fullness and you can no
• 22:26
  greater strength in your strides.
• 22:29
  And this is what he's saying. Here blessed are those leaders
• 22:32
  who take care of the ones that I put under their care.
• 22:36
  Blessed are those who are found preparing.
• 22:38
  Blessed are those who are found feeding when I come, but the
• 22:43
  application goes beyond leaders who was beyond.
• 22:45
  Evangelist it goes beyond profit goes beyond, pastors and Elders.
• 22:48
  Know God, desires to find all of us in the capacity to which we
• 22:51
  have been called, to serve, him being found serving him and you
• 22:55
  might want to rebut, what do I do?
• 22:58
  I mean, your job makes sense. You preach that person jobs make
• 23:03
  sense that they have time to do these certain things.
• 23:05
  But what about me? You know, I thought to myself.
• 23:08
  There are so many examples throughout the word of God about
• 23:10
  how God honors the things that we tend to not even think about
• 23:14
  as Ministry. And the think that came to mind
• 23:17
  out of all the examples and I'm just going to honor that is
• 23:19
  Samuel. The prophet you hear Samuel.
• 23:22
  What do you hear? A mighty man of God whose
• 23:24
  prayers were answers? Who could just speak the word
• 23:27
  and it would come to pass but that is not how we are
• 23:29
  introduced to Samuel. And that is not how we're
• 23:32
  introduced to Samuel ministering.
• 23:36
  Can I show you how the Holy Spirit identifies the ministry
• 23:39
  of Samuel before you understand them?
• 23:41
  As that mighty, man of God, go to the third chapter 1st Samuel
• 23:45
  and see it with me. When I saw this it blessed me
• 24:00
  tremendously when I saw this with all honestly really refined
• 24:05
  the way I view people service to the Lord.
• 24:10
  In verse 1 of chapter 3 we are told.
• 24:12
  Now the boys Samuel was ministering to the Lord do you
• 24:16
  think that's an exaggeration? No, it's perfectly accurate was
• 24:20
  ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli and the word of
• 24:23
  the Lord was rare in those days. Sounds like today, there was no
• 24:29
  frequent vision. Samuel was ministering to the
• 24:34
  Lord, this was before he was a prophet, he would be
• 24:38
  commissioned as a prophet in this very same chapter.
• 24:40
  But this is before that, and yet he's ministering What is this
• 24:45
  young lad do for the Holy Spirit of say that he was ministering
• 24:47
  to the Lord? What could he have done?
• 24:50
  He was in the presence of a high priest and his sons who are
• 24:53
  priests what else is left for you.
• 24:55
  In the context of the Tabernacle for God to be able to highlight
• 24:58
  that he was serving the lord. You know what's so interesting?
• 25:02
  You get a glimpse of it in the very same chapter, you ready for
• 25:04
  this? Go to verse 15 of the very same
• 25:06
  chapter, first Samuel 3:15. And what are we told?
• 25:10
  With this tender child, Samuel lay until morning, then he
• 25:15
  opened the doors of the house of the Lord.
• 25:19
  And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
• 25:23
  I think one of his responsibilities, one of the
• 25:25
  things that Eli gave him as a child, is Samuel.
• 25:29
  Now, every morning, I'm going to need you to open the doors of
• 25:33
  the church so that the worshippers can come and give
• 25:36
  their sacrifices. How do you view the greeters?
• 25:42
  How do you view the ushers that come here with the plates?
• 25:46
  How do you view the person that puts on the lyrics, on the
• 25:48
  screen here so that you can sing?
• 25:49
  How do you view the person that organizes these instruments so
• 25:52
  that there can be Harmony and quality?
• 25:57
  You know, the Lord use them as ministers.
• 26:01
  Ministering to the Lord. It's as though God wanted us to
• 26:07
  see what he values. Ministering to the Lord.
• 26:12
  And what did he do? You just made sure that there
• 26:14
  was no obstacle to coming into the house of God.
• 26:18
  Is that how you view your service?
• 26:21
  Is that how you view your contributions to this ministry?
• 26:25
  Or have you fall into the Temptation?
• 26:27
  What am I really doing here? What do I really have to offer
• 26:31
  here? My really pleasing the Lord.
• 26:34
  All let me tell you if it meant something to God, for Samuel to
• 26:39
  open those doors, believe that the nature of your service is a
• 26:44
  blessing to him as well as long as you do it for the glory of
• 26:46
  his name and the nature of our service to him varies this and
• 26:50
  not but what stands out from Jesus words and Luke chapter 12
• 26:53
  is not necessarily what is being done but how long it's being
• 26:56
  done for What did he say? At the end of that blessed?
• 27:01
  Is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he
• 27:07
  comes. That's insightful.
• 27:10
  That's important that tells me something about what Jesus wants
• 27:14
  from me. He doesn't just want me to find
• 27:16
  him to be my everything and for me to be.
• 27:19
  So in love with him when he comes, he wants me to be busy at
• 27:22
  work. That's what he desires.
• 27:26
  Well, that's opening the door or holding a microphone.
• 27:29
  He wants to find me busy at work.
• 27:32
  Now, let me ask you something in this time of history and this
• 27:36
  time of chaos, confusion, and darkness, and Bible prophecy may
• 27:40
  I add, what's your assignment? What is your particular
• 27:45
  assignment for the Lord? What is it?
• 27:49
  That, you know you are doing and you could be confident, you will
• 27:53
  be doing when he comes. Doesn't have to be grand.
• 27:57
  This have to be spectacular. It just has to be something that
• 28:00
  God asks of you and that, you know, is from him and that, you
• 28:04
  know, you're doing for him. Have you identified that yet?
• 28:08
  And if you haven't, where are you in your desire to identify
• 28:11
  it? And if you have, are you
• 28:14
  committed to it, we heard last week about the disciples who
• 28:17
  were rowing and Rowing and Rowing though, there was so
• 28:19
  little progress and we drew from that.
• 28:22
  The commitment of these disciples, despite the fact that
• 28:25
  was Fruit in their efforts. We need that.
• 28:27
  Again, if there's any motivation for commitment, It's the Return
• 28:31
  of Christ because what Christ wants to see when you and I are
• 28:35
  here, awaiting him is US serving him.
• 28:41
  Samuel went from ministering in the presence of Eli to
• 28:45
  ministering to the nation and it's true that your service
• 28:48
  throughout your lifetime might evolve and that's fine.
• 28:52
  It might look different. It might be different gifting
• 28:54
  that he puts in you at a different point in your life.
• 28:56
  But what is the same as this your participation in the work
• 28:59
  of the kingdom of God? That's, that's something that
• 29:02
  never changes, right? I personally don't believe in
• 29:06
  this idea of retirement for Ministry.
• 29:09
  If you disagree, let's talk about it.
• 29:12
  But the idea is, I will put my hands to the plow until he calls
• 29:17
  me home or until I can't do it anymore.
• 29:19
  Physically speaking. You know, I looked at this
• 29:22
  chapter and there's a verse that sprung out to me and this very
• 29:25
  same context, that blew my mind. That blew my mind and I pray
• 29:31
  that it blows your mind. Because in this short chapter,
• 29:37
  you have Jesus in a very, very close proximity.
• 29:41
  Rehearsing blessed is, the servant blessed is the servant
• 29:44
  blessed like he wants you to know the blessings that come
• 29:47
  when he finds you serving him. And one of those blessings is
• 29:52
  following what we just read that he will give even more
• 29:54
  possessions, right? And that's what we're familiar
• 29:56
  with, but there is a reward tucked in these verses that
• 29:59
  amazes me more than any other reward that Christ can offer.
• 30:03
  You ready for this? Scroll back a little bit and
• 30:06
  look at verse 37 of chapter, 12 of Luke.
• 30:11
  Blessed, are those servants whom the master finds awake when he
• 30:14
  comes there? It is.
• 30:17
  Now look here in verse 38, before we complete verse 37.
• 30:20
  Verse 38, he comes in the second watch or in the third and finds
• 30:24
  them awake. Blessed are those servants.
• 30:27
  So he starts out saying blessed and he ends by saying blessed.
• 30:30
  Well, what's the meet in the middle?
• 30:32
  What are you telling me is going to be a blessing?
• 30:34
  If I found, I found a way kind of found serving.
• 30:36
  You blessed verse 37 are those servants whom the master finds
• 30:40
  awake when he comes? Is truly pause.
• 30:42
  You want to say. You can count on what I'm about
• 30:44
  to say. You can take it to the bank, you
• 30:48
  can assure yourself that. What I'm about to tell you is
• 30:51
  valid. Truly, I say to you, he will
• 30:54
  dress himself for service and have them recline at table and
• 30:59
  he will come and serve them. Who's serving?
• 31:05
  Who here? Yeah, it's Christ.
• 31:10
  It's crisis. As you know, why you're going to
• 31:11
  be blessed. Those who are found serving me
• 31:15
  because we understand the sucking second coming.
• 31:17
  And what do we see in Our Minds Eye?
• 31:19
  We see Power, we see the elements melting, we see Cosmic
• 31:23
  shifts, we see a white horse, we see a sword coming out of his
• 31:26
  mouth. We see the nation's bowing down,
• 31:28
  and all of that is true. But Jesus adds something that we
• 31:31
  tend to overlook when he does come to redeem his bride and
• 31:35
  evaluate their lives. And there are those who were
• 31:38
  found serving him and we'll be found.
• 31:39
  Him what this says is that the King of Kings will remove his
• 31:44
  many crowns and put on a servant's garment, and will lead
• 31:50
  those who've been found serving at a table and we'll look at
• 31:53
  them. In the eye says, what can I do
• 31:54
  for you? Almost sounds like blasphemy,
• 31:58
  doesn't it? It's not.
• 32:01
  It's one of his promises. I think when that happens you
• 32:05
  and I will be crushed. Absolutely overwhelmed at the
• 32:10
  site and the thought of Christ. The coming King serving, those
• 32:16
  who serve him. I don't even know how to
• 32:19
  register that. I don't even know how to
• 32:22
  contemplate. That what other king is like
• 32:24
  this King? What are the Lord is like this
• 32:27
  Lord. Jesus came not to be served but
• 32:30
  to serve he did come to do that, but I realized that when he
• 32:33
  comes again, he still going to be serving.
• 32:37
  He will come and he will serve serve, those who have served
• 32:40
  him. Yes, we will be worship.
• 32:42
  Yes, you will be adored. Yes, he will be served but at
• 32:44
  some point he's going to express his gratitude in this way.
• 32:50
  I can't even fathom it. It's like hard to even breathe
• 32:53
  when trying to understand it. But it's there, he will dress
• 32:57
  himself for serving and have them recline at table and he
• 32:59
  will come and serve them. And if he comes in the second
• 33:02
  watch, when the third and finds him awake blessed are those
• 33:04
  servants blessed indeed. Maybe even now you feel.
• 33:08
  What Peter must have felt when Jesus in John 13 was wiping
• 33:12
  their feet Lord. Do you wash my feet?
• 33:17
  Do you wash my feet? The Lord here wants to find his
• 33:23
  people serving. But there's another thing he
• 33:26
  wants to find in us and this is something that perhaps we have
• 33:29
  not considered and it's in James chapter 5.
• 33:41
  And James 5 verse 9. Do not Grumble against one
• 33:53
  another Brothers. So that you may not be judged
• 33:59
  behold. The judge is standing at the
• 34:00
  door. Who would ever associate
• 34:05
  grumbling with the coming of Jesus?
• 34:08
  James does, why did you bring this up here?
• 34:11
  It's interesting because the context in James 5 is Believers
• 34:15
  patiently, enduring suffering. And to await and to establish
• 34:20
  their hearts with the truth. That Christ will come and with
• 34:22
  him Eternal relief and recompense.
• 34:29
  But that's precisely why grumbling is, brought up,
• 34:32
  because if we're not watchful trials and difficult seasons can
• 34:36
  morph us into critical edgy. Calloused unloving Christians.
• 34:45
  That's why he brings up grumbling here in the
• 34:48
  surrounding ideas of Trials and patiently navigating through
• 34:53
  them. And if that's true, that it
• 34:56
  makes you wonder, how does my personal suffering caused me to
• 35:00
  be a grumbler against other believers?
• 35:02
  That was my question. I understand here I'm tempted to
• 35:06
  Grumble and complain to and about other Christians but how
• 35:09
  does my own trial and Temptation encouraged me to do that?
• 35:16
  I mean, think about it. There are many ways.
• 35:18
  And one of the ways is when through your trial, through your
• 35:21
  suffering, you experience discontentment with your life
• 35:24
  and with God's dealing your life, especially as you compare
• 35:27
  it to other Christians and you see that they're enjoying
• 35:30
  something that you don't have, and they're celebrating things
• 35:32
  that you wish you can celebrate and that they know some level of
• 35:34
  blessing and prosperity that you've been asking God for for
• 35:36
  so long. And instead, you're carrying a
• 35:39
  burden and that tends to lead to unnecessary friction and you
• 35:44
  distancing yourself from others and you try to justify that by
• 35:47
  accusing them of different things.
• 35:51
  So you have people like that, who look at other believers and
• 35:53
  they mirror their lives and they say, and then it breeds all
• 35:57
  these other ugly feelings. And then there's the idea of
• 36:01
  looking at other Christians than mix of your pain and being
• 36:05
  annoyed because they don't seem to be honoring their part as a
• 36:08
  Christian, right? We have more expectations of
• 36:10
  Christians and we do have non-christians and that's
• 36:12
  appropriate to some degree. But you have people who desire
• 36:16
  attention to desire care who have needs and when they feel
• 36:19
  their estimation that they're not getting what they think they
• 36:21
  desire and need, they become grumblers.
• 36:26
  And from there what stenting is that they just take off to
• 36:29
  another flock to express their woes?
• 36:32
  Or within that same place they gather others that they can
• 36:35
  Grumble with about Pastor about this person or about that lady
• 36:38
  or about sister. So and so, And so, they grumble.
• 36:44
  And there is a truth in which you and I do have an expectation
• 36:47
  from those that we have committed to join our lives,
• 36:49
  within the context of the local church.
• 36:51
  And even if there is negligence, even if leaders might not see
• 36:56
  something and miss, something is the solution to complain?
• 37:01
  I don't think so. The idea there is to confront
• 37:05
  and to humbly come and say, but I felt like I've been going
• 37:08
  through this and where were you? I mean, you know, you didn't
• 37:12
  see, you didn't hear, didn't you don't read?
• 37:14
  Whatever the case may be. And so we have people who can
• 37:18
  grumbling that way and then you just have people who find
• 37:21
  strange relief and projecting their frustrations on other,
• 37:25
  especially those who are nearest to them, right?
• 37:28
  They just lash out or they blame others for their problems that
• 37:31
  happens. So often just easier to not see
• 37:34
  you as a potential problem. It's easier to put it on other
• 37:37
  individuals and you find some kind of relief in that and it
• 37:41
  causes more pain than anything else.
• 37:45
  You just need an outlet. So, you grumble.
• 37:50
  Here's the thing. When I studied something like,
• 37:52
  grumbling the more, I read my Bible from cover to cover, the
• 37:56
  more, I realize, God hates it, like, he really hates it.
• 38:01
  It's not like it's annoying to him, he really hates it.
• 38:05
  And if I want the mind of Christ, then I want to, I want
• 38:07
  to see what he sees and I want to feel what he feels and I want
• 38:09
  to align myself with him. Do you want to know how much God
• 38:13
  hates grumbling? It is convicting because as one
• 38:16
  person put it there is respectable sins, right?
• 38:19
  They're like the obvious sins and then they're what we call as
• 38:23
  Christians respectable sins. Like, they're not that big of a
• 38:25
  deal, we all do them. It's kind of like an unspoken
• 38:28
  thing. We all do it, but Gothic no, let
• 38:31
  me show you. The first category of people
• 38:35
  that God will actually judge when he returns go to Jude, and
• 38:39
  go to Jude verse 15, no chapter 21, chapter Jude 15.
• 38:45
  When Enoch the prophet prophesied about the coming of
• 38:48
  Christ. Notice what he says here in
• 38:50
  verse 15. To execute judgment on all and
• 38:56
  to convict all the ungodly. I speak about the non-believer
• 39:00
  of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have
• 39:03
  committed in such an ungodly way.
• 39:05
  And of all the harsh things that ungodly.
• 39:07
  Sinners have spoken against them.
• 39:09
  Pause, how many times can you say ungodly?
• 39:12
  Ungodly ungodly. Ungodly ungodly Christ is coming
• 39:15
  to judge the ungodly. Okay, and then he goes to
• 39:18
  explain who the ungodly. Are you ready for this verse 16?
• 39:20
  These are who grumblers the first category of people that
• 39:27
  Jesus is going to judge is complainers.
• 39:33
  Hey, you asked me I would murderers drug dealers Warlords.
• 39:40
  Grumblers. Why?
• 39:44
  Because grumblings are size of unbelief.
• 39:49
  Grumblings are testifying that God isn't sovereign.
• 39:54
  Grumblings are accusations against his perfect authorship
• 40:02
  over our lives. Grumblings.
• 40:06
  And I think there's a difference between grumbling and
• 40:08
  complaining, and holy, agitation, when we see
• 40:11
  unrighteousness and we see Injustice and we see sin being
• 40:14
  tolerated, there is a sense of zeal that we should know, but
• 40:17
  that's not the same. It's not the same grumbling down
• 40:20
  deep inside again. is a pointing of the finger towards the
• 40:25
  heavens and saying, God, you're really not in control and that's
• 40:28
  the first class of people that the Lord will will confront
• 40:33
  Okay. But what does this have to do
• 40:34
  with Christians? What is this have to do not just
• 40:36
  with Christians? What does it have to do with
• 40:38
  Christians and the return of Christ?
• 40:39
  Well, according to James, the Lord does not just care about
• 40:43
  her attitude in our heart towards him but our attitude and
• 40:46
  our heart towards our brothers, That Matters to the Lord and it
• 40:51
  matters to the Lord, because guess who else?
• 40:54
  You're going to be spending eternity with in heaven.
• 40:57
  Look around you. Not just Jesus.
• 41:03
  No, the church in perfect. T', impatient inconsistent
• 41:11
  Christians. That's who's going to heaven
• 41:14
  with you because you're one of them.
• 41:16
  As am I? Right?
• 41:18
  I didn't get any a men's but and I see something about the heart
• 41:25
  of Christ here. James is hinting that the Lord
• 41:27
  is not going to let us enter in without first, addressing the
• 41:31
  issues that we've harbored in our hearts throughout our
• 41:33
  journey on Earth. Not don't Grumble against your
• 41:38
  brother's, right? Because the judge is at the
• 41:40
  door. Which assumes what that when the
• 41:44
  judge comes, he will actually deal with our grumblings if we
• 41:48
  don't deal with them. Now, either we deal with them
• 41:49
  now or we'll deal with them then I think the Lord prefers that we
• 41:54
  do with them now. So there are entrance is much
• 41:56
  more glorious than having to deal with bitterness and envy
• 42:00
  unforgiveness. So what's the call in these in
• 42:04
  these days? It's not just vertical, it's
• 42:06
  horizontal. It's to look around and to
• 42:08
  examine do some introspection and ask myself.
• 42:12
  What is my what is my life like with other believers?
• 42:16
  And then to really ask yourself is the grumblings of my heart,
• 42:20
  justifiable are these complaints, are these annoyances
• 42:24
  something that I can actually qualify.
• 42:28
  If not bring it to the foot of the cross, say, Lord I want to
• 42:32
  have an attitude of Thanksgiving.
• 42:33
  When you come, I want to have a heart of gratitude heal me
• 42:37
  because I'm no different than an Israelite.
• 42:39
  In the wilderness, please forgive me and he will.
• 42:41
  And when you fall into it again, you come to him again and you
• 42:44
  can even bring your grumblings to him and he will deal with you
• 42:46
  gently. But if you feel like even after
• 42:49
  all that examination, no, I am justified, I have legitimate
• 42:52
  concerns, and complaints against this, and that or that.
• 42:54
  Okay, fine. Deal with it.
• 43:00
  Go to her brother. Go to her sister with the
• 43:01
  motivation of the coming King. I don't know if that's really
• 43:05
  the motivation for us but let it be now I know that the Lord is
• 43:09
  going to ask me about these grumbling.
• 43:11
  So I rather have the awkward conversation with a brother or
• 43:14
  sister that the stand before him and have to deal with it.
• 43:16
  Then make that call. And send that text message
• 43:22
  because I know you might not think it's a big deal, but this
• 43:25
  is about the mind of Christ Christ.
• 43:28
  Wants us to be at peace with one another Christ wants our hearts
• 43:32
  to be at peace, though. It may not even be verbalized.
• 43:34
  Our own Hearts to be a rest. Before he comes.
• 43:40
  So instead of grumbling, what is the Lord want to find instead of
• 43:43
  complaining? What does the Lord want to
• 43:44
  discover? I'll end it here back at Luke
• 43:47
  and Luke 18. Luke 18, verse 8.
• 44:01
  Jesus teaches on prayer, the unjust King, the persistent
• 44:04
  Widow and this is how he ends. His teaching in verse 8, I tell
• 44:11
  you he will give Justice to them speedily.
• 44:13
  Nevertheless, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on
• 44:17
  Earth? When he comes, will he find
• 44:20
  faith? Faith is the opposite of
• 44:23
  crumbling, right? Faith is absolute trust and
• 44:28
  Assurance in God's dealings. Even when everything looks like,
• 44:31
  it's out of control. The Lord is asking, well, I find
• 44:34
  that kind of faith and in the context here, the faith.
• 44:36
  He's speaking about is prayer, will I find a Praying people
• 44:40
  when I come? That's a whole different
• 44:42
  subject. Well, I find it.
• 44:43
  People who have really encapsulate, what abiding in him
• 44:47
  really looks like and that's dependency on him and crying out
• 44:49
  them sure, but it goes beyond that if we consider the rest of
• 44:51
  the Bible, well, Many people whose heart believe me.
• 44:56
  Believe me. I'm going to end it here.
• 45:02
  As I ended here, I'm going to trust that may be in your own
• 45:05
  walk. Now you have been stimulated to
• 45:07
  perhaps look further into the scriptures.
• 45:09
  Say if I really believe that the Lord is coming back, I really
• 45:13
  believe that these days are point, the things that I read of
• 45:15
  a my Bible Lord, what do you want to see me when you do come
• 45:20
  What you want to see? You want me to abide?
• 45:22
  I will abide give me the grace to abide.
• 45:24
  You want me to serve Lord? Show me what my calling is show
• 45:26
  me what might give this in this season, I don't care if it's
• 45:28
  glamorous. I just want to be blessed by you
• 45:32
  and I want you to be blessed Old Orchard grumbling.
• 45:35
  Okay. Help me not Grumble or please
• 45:41
  this really means a lot to you. Then help me trust that in to
• 45:44
  submit my life to that. Do something in me and which
• 45:48
  comes out of me, the fragrance of Thanksgiving and Glory unto
• 45:52
  you. That's the kind of walk that
• 45:55
  Jesus wants from us now. That's what he wants from us and
• 46:00
  now I know you have a mortgage. I know you have your problems.
• 46:04
  I know, you have to finish your degree.
• 46:05
  I know, but look at the days that we're living in, and if
• 46:09
  it's going to excite anything he's coming, he can come and may
• 46:14
  we be found in him the way he desires to find us.
• 46:17
  Let's pray. You were so clear, undeniably
• 46:30
  obvious. We believe that you will come
• 46:33
  again. We believe that prophecy will be
• 46:38
  fulfilled. We believe that we will be saved
• 46:42
  for all of eternity. But Lord we see and we've just
• 46:47
  heard through this message, how relational you really are.
• 46:51
  And we've got a greater glimpse of what really blesses and
• 46:54
  pleases Your Heart Lord. We know that we can always
• 46:58
  become better and be stronger in our walk with you.
• 47:04
  But we also know that in your grace all you ask of us is our
• 47:09
  hearts to be pastured in that direction.
• 47:12
  And so we know Lord that is a desires, not there than all that
• 47:16
  will happen from, this is being guilt-ridden and that will not
• 47:19
  last long. So father by your spirit, we
• 47:23
  pray that you would come inside as you do abide in us, but that
• 47:27
  you would come inside and do a deeper work, a work in which we
• 47:30
  are able to perceive all things in light of your return and also
• 47:34
  what you call us to do in preparation for that awesome
• 47:37
  event. Lord for those who ministered as
• 47:40
  Samuel ministered, we pray that they would know a Greater Grace
• 47:44
  and strength in their service that they realize that they are
• 47:48
  indispensable members of the body of iced loved and honored
• 47:53
  by you and Lord help us love and cherish and praise those who
• 47:56
  serve and less obvious ways. Lord for those who are easily
• 48:01
  distracted and they know that about themselves and it's
• 48:03
  difficult for them to know what it means to really enjoy Jesus
• 48:08
  Christ. They have convictions, they know
• 48:10
  right and wrong but Lord perhaps they don't know what it means to
• 48:13
  fellowship with you to actually no joy in you.
• 48:18
  Lord teach us teach us for those who have known that but have
• 48:23
  lost it. when us again, re-establish, our hearts And
• 48:29
  Lord, when grumbling comes and it's so easy to Grumble Grumble,
• 48:32
  during these times, help us catch it.
• 48:35
  Help us catch the Lord and help us not condemn ourselves to
• 48:40
  death, help us understand Lord, that you understand, and that
• 48:44
  you work with us. And what you cherishing, what
• 48:46
  you prize is a heart that is humble that walks in the light,
• 48:50
  acknowledges his word, his or her weaknesses, and believes
• 48:53
  that you are there to empower us.
• 48:54
  When we asked for it, Lord, in this place, we will stand And we
• 48:59
  will sing first for our Redemption and second because
• 49:03
  you've made known to us what you long from us.
• 49:05
  And that is our desire to please you.
• 49:08
  So we will sing with absolute Delight in our hearts, in Jesus
• 49:12
  name, we pray. Amen.
• 49:14
  Amen. Indeed let's stand and worship
• 49:17
  together.