Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Learn From The Fig Tree | Mark 13:28-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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Learn From The Fig Tree | Mark 13:28-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of
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Mark chapter 13 as we continue to delve into the longest
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recorded answer that the Lord Jesus gives to any question that
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he received. Remember, it was the Lord's
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shocking comment about the coming destruction of the temple
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in Jerusalem that prompted the disciples to inquire about the
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timing of such an inconceivable event.
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And more than that, also ask about His coming and the end of
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the age. And thus far, you and I have
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collectively examined the multiple signs leading up to the
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coming of Christ. And these were known as birth
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pains. And following the birth pains,
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Jesus highlights one major sign and spends the most time
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discussing it. And it's called and known as the
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abomination of desolation. And we paused there and
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meditated on what the implications and even what that
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really is. And finally, if you recall, we
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took a whole Sunday to discuss the events surrounding the
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actual day when Christ comes. So not just the things leading
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up to it, not just the one major sign, but also the moment.
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The moment the Lord Jesus cracks through the skies and what that
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will be like. But Christ is not finished yet.
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As comprehensive as this discourse may be, there is still
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more that He desires to convey to us.
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There are more insights He longs to unfold for His people, and
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that's what you and I are going to discover in three or four
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verses here in Mark 13. Beginning in verse 28, we're
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going to assess what the Spirit of God longs to reveal in these
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verses. Let's read together, shall we?
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From the fig tree, learn its lesson.
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As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves,
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you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these
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things taking place, you know that He is near at the very
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gates. Truly, I say to you, this
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generation will not pass away until all these things take
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place. Heaven and earth will pass away,
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but my words will not pass away. If you've been with us long
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enough and you know that it is the habit of this pulpit for
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thoughts from a section of Scripture to be organized under
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some headings. And the reason that is done is
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to provide a helpful format that would make the truths that you
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hear a little bit more memorable.
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And it's going to be no different today what we read in
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these verses. I want to group under three
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things. And these three things, if you
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remember them, I'm sure will help you recall the things under
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them. So if anybody asks you today
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what you learned at church, the church that you go to that
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starts at 1:00 PM, you can tell them that you came to God's Word
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and mark and understood #1 the certainty of Christ's coming #2
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the watchfulness for His coming, and #3 the delight of His
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coming. And I want to speak to you first
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about the certainty of His coming.
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I'm not sure if you picked up on it already, but Christ's summary
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of His prophetic timetable exudes absolute assurance and
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confidence. Look back at these verses with
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me. You see here that He gives
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language for us to realize that what He had just finished
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explaining can be guaranteed. Looking at a verse 28, He says
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here at the end of it, you know that summer is near.
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Verse 29, when you see these things taking place, you know
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that he is near. And then in verse 30 he says
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that this generation will not pass away until all these things
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take place. Then he echoes it here by saying
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in verse 31, but my words will not pass away.
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This generation will not pass away.
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My words will not pass away. Before that he says, you know,
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you know. And So what he wants to instill
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in you and I right off the bat in this section at least, is for
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you to be absolutely confident because he's communicating that
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these events are unchangeable. They are set, they are
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determined, they will take place.
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No one or anything else can be able, can be able to alter what
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he has already declared, decreed.
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It is set. And that is supposed to be
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imparted in us because it's supposed to create an unshakable
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expectation for his return. And that is done by the
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strategic teaching. And I want you to consider a few
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things that he provides for you to know for certainty this is
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going to take place. He gives this lesson about a fig
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tree. It it seems very
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straightforward. And it is.
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And this is not the only time that Jesus used a fig tree to
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illustrate a spiritual point. You've been with us.
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I hope throughout this study or just two chapters ago, Jesus
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curses a fruitless fig tree, and we unpacked that because we
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wanted to determine that Christ wasn't operating because he was
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in a bad mood. He did this as a symbolic act of
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judgement that in the same way this fruit tree was cursed
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because of the lack of evidence and the thing that it's supposed
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to contain and carry was not there.
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It paralleled the bankrupt system of Israel in the
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religious practice, the charade, the spiritual charade was
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pictured in this fruitless victory from a distance.
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You saw leaves when when you got close, there wasn't the fruit.
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And so that cursing took place in between Jesus speaking about
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the temple and its activities and the religious leaders that
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fell so very short of what God demanded of them.
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And So what people tend to do is because that miracle, the only
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miracle really that Christ performed, recorded, at least
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that was a miracle of judgement. OK, well, if the fig tree there
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represents Israel, then surely when we come here, the fig tree
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also represents Israel. And the way they look at this is
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Mark 11 speaks about the fig tree being Israel's destruction.
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Mark 13, as you just read, speaks about the blossoming or
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the rebirth or the reviving the restoration of the nation of
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Israel. So how does this work?
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It, it sounds exciting, but here's the the the thought that
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when you see Israel restored, reinstated, that is the sign for
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you that the summer is near. And people don't debate that
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what Jesus said about Jerusalem in his lifetime, about the
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destruction of the temple took place in 70 AD.
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And those who would say that Israel is also being represented
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in Mark 13 would say that the recent reviving of the Jewish
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state is the fulfilment of Jesus prediction here and again, that
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that may sound profound and may even cause sensationalism, but
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you have to continue with that logic.
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You have to be consistent with your argument if you're going to
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say that. So here's what that means.
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If Mark 13, where Jesus has learned from the fig, treats
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lesson as soon as his branch becomes tender, puts out its
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leaves, speaking about the blossoming of the people, the
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Jewish people, then you also have to say that that is going
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to be the sign that the summer, which is a picture of Christ's
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return is near. And if you're going to say that
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that is the sign, some would go as far to say when Jesus said
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truly, I say to you in verse 30, this generation will not pass
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away until all these things take place.
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The generation that Jesus is speaking about is the one that
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will be alive to witness, to witness the regathering of the
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people of Israel and then flourishing again.
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And if that's the case, then some would argue they did.
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I think they're changing their mind now that the generation
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that witnesses that will also be the generation that will welcome
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the return of Christ. And so they would say, well,
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yeah, a generation is 40 years, but he didn't come back, did he?
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So oh, no, no, no, no, a generation's 80 years.
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OK. Well, how long are you going to
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keep this up? Is Jesus speaking about Israel
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here when identifying the fig tree and learning from it?
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I would say no. And there's one simple reason
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for that because of Luke. So turn to Luke 21 and the
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parallel account and I believe here is where we get our
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clarification. Luke 21 verse 29 And he told
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them a parable. Luke says it's a parable and he
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told them a parable. Look at the fig tree.
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You see that and all the trees, as soon as they come out and
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leave, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is
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already near. So Luke records Christ not only
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referring to the fig tree, but all trees that shed their leaves
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on an annual basis. And so that pretty much dispels
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the notion that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel
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because Christ is not singling out one tree.
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He's speaking about a wide spectrum of them.
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And so with that being understood, we have to then ask,
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what is Christ trying to convey when pointing our attention to
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the fig tree? But in Luke's version, to most
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trees, it's actually very simple.
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There's no a code to crack. There's no allegory to apply.
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Here's what Christ is trying to communicate.
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In the same way none of us question that the summer will
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follow the springtime, we should be equally convinced that the
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coming of the Son of Man will follow the signs that he just
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finished explaining. It's plain.
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It's it's very clear. And here's what he's trying to
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awaken in US. In the same way, there is no
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doubt but absolute confidence you have concerning seasonal
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change that should echo your unwavering anticipation of the
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Lord Jesus Christ bringing the full manifestation of His
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Kingdom. But that's not all that Christ
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has to offer to fortify our faith about this truth that He
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is coming back. Yes, he says look to the trees.
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When you see the tree in your front yard or in your
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neighbourhood and it begins to have colour and the branches
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begin to soften and things begin to transpire, you don't question
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that change is arriving. You know it.
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I want you to have that same unshakable confidence about my
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return. But he goes beyond that.
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He has more to offer us to make this certainty of confidence for
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you and me. Go back to Mark 13, verse 31.
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He says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not
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pass away. And this is something profound
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for any mere man to make. This is bold, but we know that
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Christ is no mere man, and so for him to speak in this fashion
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is strategic because he understands his immediate
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audience and hopefully the audience of our time who are
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familiar with the entirety of the word of God.
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But let's just take it from the vantage point of the disciples
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who heard Christ saying heaven and over the pass away.
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But my words will not pass away. It would ring a familiar bell
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with what they've known from the Hebrew Scriptures, because this
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kind of statement is a prerogative that God alone has.
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This kind of declaration is dedicated only to the God of the
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Old Testament. And you know that passage very
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well. I hope it's an Isaiah 40, verse
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8, where the prophet says very clearly, the grass Withers, the
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flower fades, but what? But the word of our God will
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stand forever. Do you understand what's
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happening here? Here you have the prophet
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declaring the exclusive trustworthiness and the
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indestructible witness of God's Word, and yet Jesus of Nazareth
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comes along now, and he equates his words to be on the same
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level as God's. Remember what he says in Mark
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1331. Heaven and earth will pass away,
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but my words, my words will not pass away.
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How can you say that Jesus of Nazareth, it's only God's word
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that will stand forever, and the skeptic will deem this to be
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blasphemous, but the believing will recognize that we have yet
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another golden nugget shining, the deity of the Lord Jesus
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Christ. That this is Christ claiming by
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quoting what belongs to God alone to say my words are God's
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words, unshakable, eternal, immovable.
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Yes, Isaiah said that the word of our God will stand forever.
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And I'm telling you my words will also stand forever.
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Even if the whole universe collapses, my word will remain.
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So what it what does this have to do with our certainty of the
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truth of the second coming? When Jesus taught about it, he
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wants to understand God is talking about it.
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God Almighty is conveying this. God Almighty is teaching this.
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God Almighty is convincing you of this.
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If you believe God for who He is, if you are firm in your
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trust in Him, then you can absolutely trust what Jesus says
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concerning these signs. The abomination of desolation,
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His physical and bodily return. It will happen because God said
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it would happen. But we're not just discussing
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the certainty of His coming. We're discussing also the
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watchfulness for His coming. This is not just analogy.
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This is not just parabolic teaching to challenge and build
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our faith about this particular truth.
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There is personal application laid out for us here.
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And you might be wondering where is the instruction in this
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section? And I'll tell you that I believe
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it's in verse 29. It's implied, he says in verse
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29. So also when you see these
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things taking place, so Jesus Christ expects his people to be
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alert, watchful, mindful of the very things that he said would
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precede his return. And what's important about this
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is clarifying that Jesus is functioning as a prophet in this
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prophetic declaration. Because when Christ says when
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you see these things taking place, some would limit this
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application to the 12 who heard Christ in the immediate sense.
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What do I mean by that? They would say in the argument
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that what Jesus taught on that Mount of Olives concerning his
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return, remember we talked about this more than once, was all
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fulfilled in 70 AD Everything, not just some things, all of it
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was fulfilled. And they would use this as a
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proof text because Jesus says when you see these things, when
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you disciples implying that it's going to happen in your
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lifetime, it's going to happen in this generation.
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And so they say, see, Christ does not have a future people in
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mind. But again, it's not a foreign
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concept for someone in the office of a prophet to speak
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about a future people not yet realized or future events yet
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not not manifested, but is directly addressing Him as
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though He was there. Even sometimes in the Old
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Testament you'll see them speaking in the second person.
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Let me give you one example of that in Isaiah 33.
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Again, I want to make the case here that as Christ is
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prophesying, He is also speaking about a future people.
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And in Isaiah 33 verse 17, here's the prophet speaking
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about something not yet realized, but is communicated as
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though He is facing it head on. He says in Isaiah 33, verse 17,
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your eyes will behold the king in his beauty.
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They will see a land that stretches afar.
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Your heart will muse on the terror.
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Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the
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tribute? Where is he who counted the
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towers? You will see no more the
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insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you
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cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot
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understand. He he's speaking about the
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people being set free from the oppression of their neighbouring
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nations. Behold Zion, the city of our
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appointed feast. Your eyes will see Jerusalem and
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untroubled habitation in a movable tent whose stakes will
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never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
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Like many prophecies, there's a partial fulfillment there, but
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its ultimate fulfilment is when the King, the King of kings and
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his true beauty will make his way into the city and your eyes
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will see that king. This is nowhere near Isaiah's
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time, but as a prophet as one said, as though he was being
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transported to that time and is speaking to that people.
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And in like manner, when Christ says when you see these things
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taking place, yes, He is addressing the disciples, but He
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is also expanding it to those who would be alive to witness
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the escalating signs of His return and the implications of
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that. Every believer in every age is
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called to properly discern and responsibly respond to the
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warnings Christ said to be aware of.
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Every believer in every age is called to properly discern and
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responsibly respond to the warnings that Christ said to be
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watchful of that means. And that includes you shunning
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away forced interpretations of world events like many crazy
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Youtubers and podcasts do, lest you succumb to illegitimate
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fears. But it primarily means that you
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and I are called to be ready when abnormal shakings or shifts
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take place before us. What's so amazing about this is
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that when you actually read the New Testament carefully on more
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than one occasion, you get the impression that even at that
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time the leaders of the church interpreted certain things and
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prepared the Church of their time for the potential arrival
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of the king. And I want to prove that to you
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in one place. And I really would want you to
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see with your own eyes in First Corinthians Chapter 7, beginning
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in verse 26, there was this sense of how Christ and his
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glorious and triumphant establishment of the Kingdom
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could happen. And yet at the same time, the
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Saint Paul, who's going to give these instructions also
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clarified to people who falsely viewed certain things or heard
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some crazy teachings about the return of Christ, says, listen.
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We read it at one point in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
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Listen, listen, listen. You can't be afraid of this
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because this needs to happen. This needs to happen.
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Go back to work. But notice what he says to these
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Corinthian believers in First Corinthians Chapter 7, verse 26.
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I, I'm going to read a few verses, so follow along with me.
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This is important to see it holistically.
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I think that in view of the present distress, it is good for
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a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife?
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Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife?
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Do not seek a wife, but if you do not marry, if you do marry,
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rather you have not sinned. And if a betrothed woman
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marries, she has not sinned Yet those who marry will have
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worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.
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This is what I mean, brothers. The appointed time has grown
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very short. From now on let those who have
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wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as
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though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though
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they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had
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no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they
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had no dealings with it. For the present form of this
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world is passing away Now. I heard somebody preach from
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this text before and exhorted the people as though Paul's
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radical commands here apply for all people at all times.
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Let me make this point still that I do believe that there are
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wonderful principles specifically about developing an
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eternal perspective as Christians.
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I believe that's being promoted here and you can teach that, but
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I believe the proper way also to frame what Paul is saying here
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is how he sets it up in verse 26.
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Looking at it verse 26 carefully.
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He says, I think that in view of the present distress, a lot of
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First Corinthians 7 speaks about marriage.
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And if you don't view Paul's instructions and insights and
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commands about marriage from this filter, that there was this
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present distress that the Corinthian church was
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experiencing, you might, you might develop extreme
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understandings of what marriage is and what it isn't.
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Something was happening in the day of the Corinthian church
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when Paul wrote to them. What it is, it's not given to
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us. Some believe that it was
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growing, life altering, dangerous persecution against
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Christians and it was encroaching upon the Corinthian
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church. Others believe this present
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distress might have been a crippling famine that was
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striking at the nerve of the economy of the Corinthians.
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It's not made clear, but whatever it is, Paul saw it as a
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way to stimulate the believers to a certain way of life, to
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encourage them to view it in a certain manner, and then to stir
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them in a certain direction. What's significant about this
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present distress is how he elaborates on it in verse 29.
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Look at verse 29. Now, this is what I mean,
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brothers, the appointed time has grown very short.
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So there's this present distress.
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And as Paul is now continuing on that thought, he's saying,
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listen, listen, listen. I'm trying to get you to
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understand that the appointed time has grown very short.
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In other words, these perilous times reflect what the Word of
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God tells us to be mindful of as we approach the end of all
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things. And some would deem Paul as a
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false prophet because he's way off.
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It's been 2000 years, but Paul is not predicting anything.
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He's not setting dates. All he's doing is what Jesus
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commanded believers to do, to be mindful, to be watchable, to be
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alert, to see what you need to see and to interpret them
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responsibly and to discern and to see.
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What does this ask of me? And in this case, the apostle
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was looking what was happening in his day and used it to cause
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the Corinthian believers to reconsider their priorities and
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to reposition themselves to be the most effective for the
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Kingdom of God in that very season.
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So doesn't that make sense? Now he goes, I think that in
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view of this present distress, whatever it was, evidently it
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was, it was burdensome enough and dangerous enough for him to
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say, if you've been considering marriage, I would probably put a
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pause on that. Why?
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Because persecution is a lot harder to handle when you have
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wife and children. So Paul's not speaking here
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generally about, you know, I know marriage is good, but if
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you can choose not to get married, don't get married.
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See if you have to understand the context or you're going to
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give terrible counsel to people, Say no because of what's
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happening around us. I perceive that the appointed
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time is growing very short. So let's, let's perk up here.
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Let's sober ourselves. Don't, don't let your family
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life completely consume you. Don't let your emotional state
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paralyze you. Don't let your interactions in
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the business world distract you. See what's happening around us
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and let that sanctify you. That's all that he's doing here.
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And I believe what Paul is doing here, it should be no different
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for you and I, that yes, we should always be ready for what
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can happen. But understand that there, there
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is a sensitivity that you and I have to develop to give
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ourselves even more when times call for it.
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What's a modern day example? Oh, I don't know, the world
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shutting down for a few years. I remember that this text came
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to mind when we were told to shelter in place for two weeks
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and my concern was with all that's happening.
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Are Christians more concerned that they can't go to their
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favorite restaurant or travel to their yearly destination choice
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of vacation? Or is the church strategizing
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now because the battlefield has shifted dramatically?
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I think that's a clear example for modern day application
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concerning what Paul is doing here and I'm not, I'm not sure
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on the other side of it if believers really took advantage
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and seize the opportunity. Many churches are seeing less
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attendance than ever. I believe Paul, if he lived in
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our day would say hey wake up, don't you see what's happening
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around us? This is abnormal.
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If anything it rings true to what Christ said would take
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place. These birth pains intensifying,
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get your prayer life intact. Get serious about holiness.
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If if you've been lately distracted by the the tricks and
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the trinkets of the world, get rid of it.
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And what's amazing here is that Paul's not even speaking about
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this sin here. He's speaking about good things,
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but he's trying to cause him to get a sharper eternal
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perspective with current events. And so you have some Christians
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who when they look out, they, they, they want to dismiss
28:14
everything. You have others who they make
28:16
everything something properly discerning, responsibly
28:23
responding. We have to be watchful.
28:27
Christ demands out of us, but not just watchful.
28:32
We're not just talking about the certainty of these things.
28:34
We're not just talking about our call of what we need to do
28:37
during these things, but there is something that maybe we've
28:40
overlooked. I want to talk to you lastly
28:42
about the delight of His coming Look back on Mark 13, verse 29.
28:49
So also when you see these things taking place, you know
28:52
that He is near. You know that He is near at the
28:58
very gates. This would have meant a lot to
29:03
the apostles who were suffering from a great misunderstanding of
29:07
how this whole thing works. Jesus being the Messiah, him
29:11
ushering in that Davidic Kingdom.
29:14
And Christ is aware of that. And he's also aware that in just
29:16
a few short moments, the same apostles who hoped that Christ
29:21
would overthrow the Romans and raise up what the prophets have
29:24
promised are going to see their Christ taken from them and put
29:28
to death. And so the Lord throughout this
29:33
discourse is emphasizing over, and he's trying to compound this
29:37
reality. And then look, what you're about
29:38
to witness is not going to be the final story.
29:44
Me, me dying on a cross is not the period mark to God's
29:49
redemptive purpose on the earth and for human history.
29:51
There is another part to this. I'm trying to get you to
29:55
understand it and be prepared for what's about to transpire.
29:59
And more than that, I believe what Christ is teaching here is
30:01
supposed to instill a hope that yes, He would die, but He would
30:04
also resurrect and right before their eyes ascend.
30:07
And even what you read in verse 29 is supposed to comfort them
30:11
and helping them realize this is not the last time that we're
30:13
going to see Him or be near him. Because look what the Lord says
30:18
again. He says when you see these
30:20
things taking place, you know that He is near.
30:26
He makes it so personal. He could have said, you know,
30:29
that judgement is near. He could have said, you know,
30:33
like Luke, the Kingdom of God is near, but he doesn't say that.
30:37
He says, you know, that he is near.
30:43
And when we consider this in a broader way, you realize that a
30:47
lot of the times when the New Testament teaches about the end
30:50
of the world in so many places, that highlights the personal
30:54
appearing of Christ as the centerpiece of it, of the
30:59
ultimate expectation. In other words, the end goal of
31:04
the end times is Christ. In fact, the very book that
31:11
provides the most detailed, frightening script about the
31:17
final chapter of human history ends on that very note.
31:23
So you read in that book about disasters and death tolls of
31:27
unimaginable magnitude, demonic invasions and cosmic meltdowns
31:34
and incomparable martyrdom. And then when you come to the
31:37
final closing remarks, you read this Revelation 22 and verse 17.
31:58
The Spirit and the Bride say come and let the one who hears
32:06
say come and let the one who is thirsty come.
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Let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
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You can do a whole conference on this one verse.
32:19
It is jam packed with jewels. But let me make a few comments.
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What I find so striking is how the identity we are left with to
32:30
make note of concerning the people of God in the final part
32:34
of the final chapter of the Bible that deals with the church
32:39
and how she relates to these things is the picture of a
32:42
bride. You know, the Scriptures
32:46
provides many, many metaphors and comparisons of what the
32:49
church is, what the people of God are like ambassadors, a
32:54
priesthood, a pillar, an army, and yet how the Holy Spirit ends
33:03
off out of out of the great Bank of things that the Spirit
33:08
ascribes to the people of God is a bride.
33:13
Why? I believe because he wants to
33:17
highlight the relational reality of our faith.
33:22
Please, please don't limit the picture of Christ being our
33:27
bridegroom and the Church being His bride to denote the covenant
33:33
keeping commitment between two parties.
33:38
I hope nobody got married here force forcibly.
33:42
I hope nobody got married here reluctantly.
33:46
A true bride will have a throbbing love for her
33:49
bridegroom, and you have to include that in the imagery of
33:52
us being the bride of Christ. There's affection there, there's
33:58
feeling there. It's not just a contract that's
34:02
part of it, but there's something deeper going on.
34:08
People I know, Christians that are afraid of emotion.
34:10
They think emotions are sin. I'm persuaded that every part of
34:15
us should be consecrated unto God, including what I feel.
34:19
I don't go by my feelings, I don't serve God based on how I
34:22
feel. But boy do I desire for my
34:25
feelings to be holy and set apart unto Him.
34:31
And I believe the Holy Spirit helps us love, love the Son of
34:38
God. And so the the Spirit and the
34:42
Bride say come. And I think that's a strategic
34:48
placement there because when the church is in unison with the
34:51
spirit, when the Spirit is actually working in the church,
34:56
that relational reality will be heightened.
34:59
And not just that relational reality, but that heart cry
35:03
where the church says come, it's strengthened.
35:11
Now beware of the temptation to step away from this and use this
35:16
as a marker to examine the church at large and to evaluate
35:20
her spiritual health in this regard.
35:23
Don't take this truth and say, does the church I go to teach or
35:27
believe or even behave with that relational component of our
35:31
faith? Why don't you and I ask
35:33
ourselves if it's real first in us before we think it's real in
35:37
somebody else? Because the same John who said
35:40
he heard the Spirit and the bride say come says something
35:44
from his own bosom a few verses later.
35:47
So look at verse 20 of Revelation 22 and notice what
35:50
John himself says. He who testifies to these things
35:54
says, surely I'm coming soon. Amen.
35:57
He can't help it, come, Lord Jesus.
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So the church doesn't just gather because we hold to a
36:06
certain creed. Statement of faiths are
36:09
important, pure, precise theology is good.
36:14
It's necessary, non negotiable. But more than that, deeper than
36:18
that, the Church is a collection of people who on an individual
36:21
basis have this heart cry and gather to share in that holy
36:25
affection. And here's what else moves me so
36:32
deeply is that this is what the Lord wants from his people.
36:38
Can you imagine a bridegroom knowing full well that his bride
36:43
to be is not excited for that day?
36:46
It's devastating. That'd be devastating for us on
36:49
a human level and so much this Christ yearn for this to be true
36:55
in his people that he actually has reserved the reward for them
37:00
that would operate in that way. You remember Paul in his final
37:05
letter in second Timothy four, he says in verse 8, henceforth
37:09
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord,
37:12
the righteous judge will award me on that day.
37:15
And he doesn't end there. He goes and not only for me, but
37:19
also for those who have loved my appearing Christ appearing.
37:27
So there is an actual reward reserved for those who who feel
37:32
ably, who genuinely, who intimately yearn for the return
37:38
of Christ. We don't hear of this often.
37:42
We often associate the the teaching, the doctrine and the
37:46
theology of the end times with judgement, wrath, and us being
37:50
scooped up to heaven and trying to understand the timetable of
37:54
things. That's all wonderful.
37:55
But even at the end of the book that has the most detail
37:58
concerning that truth, we have this invitation, we have this
38:02
plea almost from the Spirit and the Bride come Lord Jesus.
38:05
It boils down to that, you know, if I'm studying about the end
38:09
times and it's not causing me to respond in that way, maybe I'm
38:12
studying wrong. If all I'm doing is stuffing my
38:16
head and not allowing those truths to move my heart, maybe
38:20
I'm not studying the way Christ designed me to study it.
38:26
Because in the very same book that says here it is, here's
38:29
here's just a highlight reel of what's to come.
38:31
Again, I want to emphasize this over and over.
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You sign off on that letter with this beautiful picture of a
38:37
bride yearning for her bridegroom to arrive.
38:41
Can I ask you a question? I'm not here to, I'm not here to
38:44
condemn. I have no intention of
38:45
condemning anybody. But I have a duty to challenge.
38:48
And the preacher should challenge himself before he gets
38:51
up on any pulpit to challenge anybody.
38:55
Is that notion real for you? Is there any part of you that
39:02
actually is excited for the return of Christ?
39:09
If you're fearful you're not getting it right.
39:11
If if you're just excited about debate because your school of
39:14
thought concerning eschatology seems to be more probable than
39:17
the next, you're probably not doing it right.
39:20
But if you allow these truths to get you to a place where it
39:24
incites worship and adoration, and even as you see these things
39:30
taking place, listen, I don't know about you.
39:33
In the past few years, I've desired heaven more than any
39:36
time in my life. I haven't lived very long, but I
39:40
know where my citizenship lies. And I'm really, really looking
39:48
forward to meeting the one I've been preaching about.
39:54
You're saying, brother, that sounds great.
39:56
That sounds so spiritual. But I have to honestly say, as I
40:00
put my hand on that pulse, I believe I have accurate theology
40:05
and I love the word of God. I love serving God.
40:06
But this idea of Christ returning and me being with him
40:09
without filter, I'm not sure if that's something I've ever
40:12
meditated on. You know what's so encouraging
40:14
about when we read here, the Spirit and the Bride say come.
40:17
The Spirit without any spoilage, without any interruption,
40:22
without any split devotion, constantly yearns for that.
40:24
He wants Christ to be glorified. And the same Spirit who cries
40:28
that can help you cry, that he can make it happen in your life.
40:33
He can make it real for you. You even see it back in
40:36
Revelation 2217. It says here the Spirit and the
40:39
Bride say come, and let those who hear say come.
40:42
So there's even an invitation for people to make that same
40:45
appeal, to make that same cry. So here you're hearing the
40:49
Spirit and the bride say, come, I'm asking you now to make that
40:51
same cry. And, and now it shifts because
40:56
some see this as one call that the spirit and the bride.
40:58
They're not necessarily saying come, Lord Jesus, they're
41:01
telling the unbelieving to come. I, I don't see it that way.
41:05
I believe that there's, there's a two fold thing happening here.
41:07
And the first part you have the spirit of the bride saying come
41:10
toward the Lord. And I believe because John says
41:12
it himself. So it connects well.
41:14
But then in the second part he says, and let those who is
41:18
thirsty come, and let the one who desires take the water of
41:21
life without price. So it goes from an upward call
41:26
to a horizontal call. And that is the duty of the
41:31
church, that from the place of adoration or worship toward the
41:34
Lord. Now she can turn over to the
41:35
world and say, now would you want this?
41:38
I'm inviting you to this. I'm asking you to come to
41:40
experience this. To come to the experience what?
41:43
Remember the language of bride. So when he says, and let the one
41:47
who is thirsty come. Thirsty for what?
41:50
Thirsty for what? What is what is he?
41:54
What is he invoking here? What is he trying to help people
41:57
identify in the bankruptcy of their own soul?
42:00
What are you supposed to thirst for?
42:02
Well, I believe that context is clear.
42:04
The spirit and the bride, the spirit and the bride.
42:07
What is a bride? Do you know it's not a contract,
42:10
it's a relationship. So when he says that the one who
42:13
who's thirsty come. Do you thirst for a relationship
42:16
with God? He's inviting you into that
42:20
place, He's drawing you into that place and it's free and
42:27
it's overwhelmingly glorious and it's available to anybody who
42:31
would hear it and say I will accept it.
42:34
I will accept it. That's the delight of this whole
42:37
thing. Christ tells his disciples.
42:40
When you see these things, know that he is near.
42:43
It's all getting ready. We're going to we're going to
42:45
have a reunion and nothing will ever interrupt it again.
42:49
I'm at the very gates. And so you learned today with me
42:53
the certainty of His coming. We learned today about the
42:55
watchfulness for His coming. And I believe that in these days
43:02
ahead, watchfulness is going to be necessary.
43:04
Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, Don't you dare fall
43:09
asleep with what's happening around our world.
43:12
Be more on fire for Christ than ever, would you?
43:15
And the delight, the delight of His coming.
43:21
He is coming and you and I are going to behold them together.
43:25
I can't wait. Let's pray and thank Him for
43:27
that. Lord, we thank You that we
43:50
learned something from a tree, that there's certainty that
43:57
there is a call to watch. And more than that, there's
44:02
something to enjoy. Lord, if we have lost that sweet
44:10
spot of relating to You, intimately, singing to You,
44:15
pouring our hearts to You, reflecting on You, even yearning
44:19
for you, would Your Holy Spirit help us?
44:25
Would Your Holy Spirit help us come to that place where as a
44:29
bridegroom, you see what You desire from Your bride?
44:33
And as days advance and years and memories and
44:36
responsibilities accumulate, Lord, help us never lose, never
44:41
lose that place. Strengthen it in our hearts,
44:45
Lord and Lord, with marriage and business and family and events
44:51
and memories and experiences. We pray like what Paul asked of
44:55
the Corinthian church, that we would never lose sight of what's
44:58
most important. We would never, we would never
45:01
fail to frame everything that we experience here on this earth
45:06
with what is to come and who is the one who gave it all to begin
45:10
with. So lo, we ask even now in the
45:14
closing times of this service that your Holy Spirit would woo
45:17
us once again and tenderize our hearts once again and help us
45:24
create that actual craving for that which the blood of Jesus
45:29
purchased our eternal home with Him.
45:34
We can't do this, no man can do this.
45:37
This is something that only you can provoke and we we gladly
45:42
yield to Him and ask that you make it true of us.
45:46
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.
45:52
As the praise team comes to lead us in our final moments of
45:55
singing, I want to make a brief gospel call.
46:00
I want to ask you, if you're a person sitting here today and
46:02
you've never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, don't you see
46:05
what's happening in this world? I don't want to be a doomsday
46:12
preacher and nor do I want to ascribe things to what's
46:15
happening that are not appropriate.
46:16
All I want to say is, as a general observation, can't you
46:19
tell that things are different? And if anything, what Christ had
46:25
to say about the culmination of the age makes more sense today
46:29
than it ever has. So let me remind you today, in
46:33
great love, you're not going to live forever.
46:35
Neither am I. And there is a time coming where
46:40
God, who made this world, is going to fix this world.
46:45
And the one who's going to fix this world in that process of
46:48
regeneration has to deal with the cause of the evil in this
46:53
world. And Jesus told us that all this
46:55
sin that we're trying to figure out and philosophy about it
46:57
comes from the heart. And so when the Lord does
47:01
return, he's going to judge the wicked.
47:03
He's going to clean up house. Evil cannot inhabit his
47:07
presence. It cannot remain before him.
47:09
He must, in his justice, deal with it.
47:11
And if he deals with evil, he's going to deal with you and I.
47:15
It's coming. There is a Judgement Day coming
47:18
that's not preached much today, but the apostles preached it.
47:23
The Bible tells us about it. From old to new, all roads are
47:28
leading to Judgement Day. But somewhere along that path,
47:34
somewhere along that journey, that humanity is headed towards
47:37
God and his love interrupts. He makes himself known in the
47:42
person of Jesus Christ, and He pays the debt, the debt that we
47:46
just sang about being free from us.
47:49
He pays a debt, your debt. And if you receive that payment,
47:55
you have the assurance that when God cleans up this universe,
48:00
because he's already cleaned your heart through the blood of
48:02
His Son, you do not stand on the side of judgement.
48:06
You stand on the side of accepted, forgiven, perfectly
48:11
kept until all things are said and done.
48:14
Here's my I want to be playing. I'm just going to say it
48:16
straight. Do you have absolute confidence,
48:19
never mind about the last days? Do you have absolute assurance
48:24
that you have been forgiven for your sins?
48:31
Don't postpone. You're dealing with God if
48:36
you're a person here. Even if you're a young person
48:38
and you have not settled your account with the Almighty, I
48:43
plead with you to realize the great love of God for you by
48:45
sending Jesus Christ. He is real.
48:48
And if your heart is even pricked a little bit, I would
48:52
encourage you to entertain it further and to have a humble
48:57
conversation with God during this time of singing and to
49:01
receive His forgiveness for you as you realize the great price
49:04
that was paid on your behalf. And if you're a person in here
49:09
that's doubting it or fighting it or resisting or has questions
49:12
about it, give the leaders or maybe a believer that brought
49:16
you today the awesome privilege of helping you understand what
49:19
the gospel is all about. Talk to them about it.
49:23
Time is short. I believe preaching should be
49:25
more urgent than ever. I believe confrontational
49:28
preaching should be loud and clear in every pulpit in
49:31
America. Because if God doesn't have
49:34
mercy on America, we're not going to recognize America in a
49:37
very short time. So I, I want to do my part.
49:41
I'm no politician. I'm no advocate for this or
49:44
that. I'm, I'm, I'm just a poor man
49:48
who found bread, living bread and want to tell other people
49:51
how they can find that same bread.
49:53
That's all I am. I'm full, my soul is full.
49:57
And I, I want to let you know that you can also be full.
49:59
And the only way you can be full is if you eat of him.
50:02
In other words, you receive him and it's free.
50:09
No price tag, no amount, no effort, no exertion, nothing.
50:14
Just humility to say my soul is starving, it is empty, I am
50:18
weak, I cannot perform my righteousness to please God.
50:22
But if this, if this Jesus you speak about is willing to
50:26
receive me as I am, and if I could just fall at his feet,
50:29
he'll scoop me up, clothe me with his righteousness and make
50:32
me his own. I want this Jesus.
50:34
Why would you deny such a gift? Receive it as we sing, Say, what
50:41
do I mean? What do I do?
50:42
You, you speak to him from your heart under your breath.
50:45
You speak to him. You say, Lord, I repent of my
50:47
sins. I receive you.
50:49
I believe that you did this for me.
50:51
And I want to be numbered among the redeemed.
50:52
Please, Lord, change me, transform me.
50:55
I want to be saved. Please save me.
50:57
Please save me and and though you may not have the vocabulary,
51:00
if you're convinced that you're a Sinner and Christ as a Savior,
51:02
even if your words are few, Christ can understand them and
51:05
He'll do a work in your heart. Just be prepared to repent.
51:08
May Christ your Lord and Savior and you'll know new life.
51:12
Let's stand and worship the Lord together.