Participants: Nathan Renner
Series Code: 14SCM
Program Code: 14SCM000004S
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00:39 Well good morning and welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting.
00:45 Are you enjoying it so far? Yes! 00:48 Well I want to welcome all of you that are here 00:50 and what an incredible group of people. What a good crowd. 00:55 And I see smiles on your face... 00:58 faces, so y'all are a happy bunch of people this morning, 01:01 too... happy in the Lord. 01:03 And I want to welcome all of you that are viewing us. 01:07 Our viewers and our listeners. You know, we have an audience 01:10 on radio as well as our television audience 01:14 and also the Internet and all of those other ways. 01:18 It's just amazing. We can't keep up with the technology 01:22 that is putting 3ABN on platforms all over the world. 01:26 And so that is an exciting thing. 01:28 But this morning we have Nathan Renner with us. 01:33 And I wanted to tell you a little... Actually, I wanted 01:35 to tell you a lot about him, but he is a very modest person. 01:40 My bio on him is only like two sentences. 01:46 But I was in the green room talking with him 01:49 and something we already know: he's been on 3ABN before. 01:54 He's an incredible teacher. 01:56 But what he has that really impressed me is spark. 02:00 He is excited, and he has a passion 02:04 for the things of the Lord. 02:05 And I really am looking forward to his sermon. 02:08 He's the senior pastor of the Sonora SDA Church, 02:13 an instructor at ARISE where he teaches classes 02:17 on Romans, Revelation, Bible Boot Camp, and evangelism. 02:22 So this man has experience 02:25 and he's got a passion for the things of the Lord. 02:28 But before he comes we have Celestine Barry. 02:32 Celestine, if you would come on out, please. 02:34 She's going to sing one of my favorite songs: 02:38 The Midnight Cry. Amen. 03:00 I hear the sound 03:04 of a mighty rushing wind. 03:12 And it's closer now 03:18 than it's ever been. 03:24 I can almost hear the trumpet 03:31 as Gabriel sounds 03:34 the call. 03:39 At the midnight cry 03:45 we'll be going home. 03:51 When Jesus steps out 03:57 on a cloud to call His children, 04:05 the dead in Christ will rise 04:11 to meet Him in the air. 04:18 And then those that remain 04:25 will be quickly changed. 04:31 At the midnight cry 04:38 when Jesus comes again. 04:47 I look around me 04:51 and I see prophecy fulfilling. 04:59 And the signs of the times 05:04 are appearing everywhere. 05:10 I can almost hear 05:14 the Father 05:18 say: "Son, go get My children. " 05:25 At the midnight cry 05:31 the bride of Christ will rise. 05:37 When Jesus steps out 05:44 on a cloud to call His children, 05:51 the dead in Christ shall rise 05:58 to meet Him in the air. 06:05 And then those that remain 06:11 will be 06:13 quickly changed. 06:19 At the midnight cry 06:25 when Jesus comes again... 06:32 At the midnight cry 06:42 our Lord will come... 06:46 He's coming soon... 06:49 again. 06:59 Amen! 07:04 Thank you so much, Celestine. That was beautiful! 07:07 That was beautiful. Good day to you 3ABN Camp Meeting! 07:11 It's a joy to be here with you today. 07:14 I'd like to welcome also our audience online and on the radio 07:20 on the television. Before we dive in, let's... 07:23 let's pray together, shall we? Let's bow our heads. 07:27 Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day of life. 07:30 We thank you for Your goodness. 07:33 We thank you for Your Word 07:36 that teaches us and nourishes us, 07:39 protects us, and gives us a great focus on Jesus. 07:46 Lord, as we open the Word, we pray that You would speak to us; 07:50 that You would be our Teacher; 07:53 that You would give us deep and good understanding. 07:57 And we thank you in Jesus' name, Amen. 08:03 Seven years ago I took a vacation. 08:06 and I went on that vacation with a couple of family friends. 08:11 And you may even know some of these people. 08:14 Have you ever heard of David Asscherick? 08:16 You know David Asscherick? 08:18 OK. I know some people watch 3ABN. Maybe they've seen him 08:21 a few times. So David Asschericks' family, 08:23 my family went on a family vacation together. 08:27 Also went on... and Scott Moore was also on that trip, 08:31 and you might also know Scott Moore and his family. 08:33 So it was the Asschericks, the Renners, and the Moores 08:36 and we went from Michigan where we were living at the time 08:40 to Wyoming. And we camped along the North Platte River 08:46 in Wyoming. Beautiful place! Yeah, maybe you know it. 08:50 And all three of us have what's called a cataraft. 08:54 It's like a white water raft with two pontoons on each side 08:58 or a pontoon on each side. 09:00 So we had a cataraft... each of us had a cataraft. 09:03 Our families would ride on the cataraft and then 09:05 we would fish. And we practice catch and release fishing. 09:09 And so we were there camping along the North Platte River, 09:13 fishing that river, floating that river, 09:16 and just having the absolute time of our lives. 09:20 The first day we arrived 09:22 we woke up after camping that night. 09:25 The next morning was beautiful. Perfectly blue sky. 09:29 Sunny, glorious, perfect weather. 09:33 We put our boats in the water and we began to float. 09:37 Now the river was running pretty fast. 09:40 It was running at about 14,000 cubic feet per second... 09:44 which is a lot of water down a medium-sized river. 09:49 But it was safe, and my son, actually, 09:53 who was maybe 6 years old at the time, was rowing. 09:56 He was on the sticks as we like to say. 09:59 So he was in the oarsman's seat and he was rowing. 10:02 And he had been rowing for some time. 10:04 I was up in the front fishing, 10:05 and we were just having a great time. 10:08 And Wyoming... You know, they have a saying in Wyoming 10:11 "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. " 10:14 And so... beauti... Do they say that here in Illinois? 10:19 They say that everywhere, actually. Yeah. 10:23 But it's actually true in Wyoming. 10:25 I'm telling you: Wyoming has the fastest temperature changes, 10:29 the fastest weather changes. 10:31 It was blue sky and sunny 10:33 and then literally as if a switch flipped 10:37 the wind was blowing 40, 45 miles an hour. 10:42 I mean literally just blue sky, sunshine, 10:45 and then the switch flips, the wind is blowing, 10:50 And at that very moment two rivers converged. 10:57 Now this was our first time floating this river 11:00 so we didn't really know what was going to be happening. 11:03 So in an instant the wind blows and at that moment 11:07 two rivers converge. And those two rivers converge 11:11 at a giant bend in the river. 11:14 Now if you've ever floated a river you know that the bends 11:18 are always where it gets scary 11:20 because the water pushes you into the corner. 11:26 Now remember, who was rowing? 11:28 Who was on the sticks? My six-year-old son. 11:32 There were 14,000 cu. ft. of water ripping down that river 11:35 and now the wind is howling 40, 50 miles an hour. 11:41 Well, I could immediately see it was time for dad to get on 11:45 the sticks. It was time for dad to be in the oarsman's seat. 11:49 So we were trying to make that transition 11:52 but before we could make the transition 11:55 the boat got pinned in the corner against a tree 12:00 that was leaning out off the bank into the river. 12:06 And so now we've got all of this water pushing 12:09 against the side of our boat that's pinned against this tree. 12:13 And we were tangled up with fishing rods and dogs 12:17 and two kids and wife, and we're trying to switch spots 12:22 so I can get us out. 12:24 And I felt the down-river side of the boat 12:28 beginning to lift. So before I could even 12:34 say "Get on the high side" literally the words 12:38 "Get on the... " Those words were coming out of my mouth 12:42 and in just an instant 12:45 the whole boat flipped upside down. 12:50 Now I was on the high side. 12:52 Because I was on the high side 12:54 I bailed out the back of the boat 12:56 and... and I was fine. 13:01 But my family was now trapped underneath our boat 13:06 in a river that's flowing at 14,000 cu. ft. per second. 13:13 And I start... I mean obviously, I'm freaking. 13:16 I'm... "Levi, Laurel. " I'm just calling their names. 13:20 I'm calling their names and there is no Levi to be seen, 13:24 there is no Laurel to be seen. 13:26 There is no Becky to be seen. 13:28 And then all of a sudden... All of a sudden 13:31 my son pops out from underneath the boat. 13:36 And I was completely relieved 13:39 so I swam to him. I grabbed him; I pulled him 13:43 over to the boat. Now he and I are there hanging onto the boat. 13:46 And now I'm screaming "Laurel, Becky. " 13:50 And no Laurel and no Becky. 13:56 "Laurel and Becky. " I mean, I'm screaming. 13:58 Still no Laurel; still no Becky. 14:02 And for what felt like an eternity 14:08 no Laurel, no Becky. 14:15 And then when it seemed like it was just too long 14:19 uh... I see my wife and my daughter come out the side 14:23 of the boat. 14:28 Now we were out in the middle of nowhere. 14:31 We were 10 miles from a road... soaking wet. 14:35 So once my wife and daughter are out, my son is out, 14:38 I swim to... I let my son go. I said: 14:41 "He's a big boy; he can swim. " 14:45 I swam to my wife and daughter. I grabbed my daughter. 14:48 I swam her to shore. I sat her down on the shore 14:50 and I said: "Sweetheart, no matter what happens 14:52 don't move from here. Do you understand? " 14:55 "Yes. " She was like four. 14:58 'Cause now remember we are ten miles out 15:02 in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, right? 15:06 So now my wife is swimming to Levi 15:10 to swim him to shore, and what's happening with the boat? 15:15 It's floating down the river, OK? 15:18 It's just going. 15:19 So now I swim downstream as fast as I can... 15:24 as fast as I can, and eventually I catch the boat. 15:27 And then I have to swim the boat to shore, 15:31 drag it up on the shore. I get my wife; I get my kids. 15:34 Our friends were actually up ahead of us. 15:37 They were like: "Where are the Renners at? " 15:39 And they pull off to the shore and then they start hiking 15:42 upstream to find out what's going on. 15:45 As soon as I got my wife, my kids, and the boat to shore 15:49 you know what we did? We sang the doxology. 15:53 Right? Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. 15:57 Amen? Amen! My wife told me 16:01 when I said "Get on the high side" and the boat flipped 16:05 when I said those words she reached out and grabbed 16:08 my daughter. When she grabbed her 16:12 she literally had her with two fingers 16:16 pinching her shirt. 16:20 They're under the water bouncing off rocks - 16:22 underneath the boat bouncing off rocks 16:25 in the raging river - my wife literally has a hold 16:28 of our two-year-old daughter with two fingers. 16:33 She came up off the bottom 16:36 to come up and she hit the boat 16:41 and there was nowhere to go up 16:45 'cause in the boat the boat has a flat deck 16:47 except for in the very center. So she comes up, she hits... 16:51 There's no place to go up, there's no place to get a 16:53 breath. Remember, she's holding on my daughter. 16:56 She goes back down; she comes back up 16:58 and this time she happens to come up in the middle. 17:02 So she tilts her head back; she gets a breath of air. 17:04 She's still just holding onto the daughter by this. She goes 17:07 back under and she then gets to the side 17:12 and is able to pull our daughter out with two fingers. 17:17 Now, why do I tell you this story? 17:23 The only reason we survived that 17:26 is because we were prepared. 17:30 You know how we were prepared? 17:33 We were all wearing our life vests. 17:37 Here's the thing: when you get on a boat 17:40 in a raging river the question isn't 17:44 if the boat's going to flip someday, right? 17:48 The question isn't if you're going to have an adventure. 17:52 The question is when, right? 17:55 And because you know that someday there's going to be 17:59 a problem of some sort 18:01 someday, you know... Therefore, what do you do? 18:06 You get ready; you wear your life jacket. 18:09 Can you say amen to that? 18:11 I'll tell you, there has never been a day... 18:14 I mean - you know - I think about this all the time. 18:16 I think: "I am so glad I was wearing my jacket 18:18 and I'm so glad my kids were wearing their jackets. 18:21 Now, if you have your Bible, go with me to the book of Matthew. 18:24 Matthew chapter 24. 18:28 Matthew 24 is this great chapter about the coming 18:31 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18:33 And in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus makes an incredibly 18:37 important statement. It's very short; it's very simple. 18:41 And Jesus says... Matthew chapter 24, 18:44 we're going to look in verse 36. 18:46 Jesus makes an incredible statement. 18:49 Matthew 24 verse 36 18:51 Jesus says: "Of that day and hour 18:56 no one knows... not even the angels of heaven 19:01 but My Father only. " 19:03 Now in Matthew 24 what we're going to see as we 19:06 study through Matthew 24 and several other texts... 19:09 what we're going to see as we study through these texts 19:11 is this: that Jesus' coming - the day and the hour 19:15 of Jesus' coming - is unknown and unknowable. 19:19 That is, nobody knows it and nobody can know it. 19:23 The only person that knows it is God the Father. 19:26 Jesus... In fact, look at the text. The text says 19:28 that Jesus Himself does not even know. 19:31 The angels don't know. It's only the Father who knows 19:36 when His coming was or is going to be. 19:41 Now, the purpose that Jesus tells us... Jesus tells us 19:45 over and over again that nobody knows when He's going to come. 19:49 It's not knowable, and what Jesus is going to tell us 19:52 after this is this: "That's why you need to be prepared 19:57 all the time. " 19:59 You cannot know when Jesus is going to come 20:02 so you cannot put off being prepared for another time. 20:07 You have to be prepared all the time. 20:11 OK. Now, let's look... Matthew 24 verse 36 it says: 20:16 "Of that day and hour 20:17 no one knows, not even the angels of heaven 20:22 but My Father only. " 20:26 Now in the book of Deuteronomy, 20:30 the Bible says... and you can go there, in fact. 20:32 Deuteronomy 29:29. 20:34 The Bible says: "The things that are revealed 20:37 are for us and for our children. " 20:46 Let's read it from the beginning: "The secret things 20:48 belong to the Lord our God but those things which are revealed 20:52 belong to us and to our children... " For how long? 20:56 "forever... that we may do all the words of this law. " 21:02 Now what Moses tells us in the book of Deuteronomy is 21:05 something really important. 21:08 That the secret things belong to God. 21:11 God is God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - 21:15 the Trinity - it's OK for God to have secrets 21:21 inside the Trinity. Can you say amen to that? 21:24 Right? So it's OK for God to have secrets inside the Trinity. 21:28 And then it says that God tells us what we need to know 21:33 in order to be faithful followers of His. 21:37 Do you follow that? Notice it says 21:39 "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but 21:41 the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children 21:47 forever. " And then it says this: 21:50 "that we may do all the words of this law. " 21:54 So notice the idea here that God tells us what we need to know 21:59 in order to be faithful obedient followers of the true God. 22:03 Amen? So let's just make this point: 22:06 knowing the day and the hour would not help you spiritually. 22:14 Knowing the day and the hour of the coming of the Lord 22:16 would not help you spiritually. In fact, knowing the day 22:20 and the hour would actually be a detriment to you spiritually 22:25 because it would cause you to put off your necessary 22:28 preparation until a later hour. 22:31 So let's go back to Matthew chapter 24. 22:34 Going back to Matthew 24... 22:36 So Jesus says in Matthew 24 22:39 that we cannot know the day or the hour. 22:44 But Jesus actually makes it really clear 22:48 in Matthew 24. We're going to begin in verse 32 22:51 that though we cannot know the day and the hour 22:55 we can know the season. 22:58 Matthew 24. Let's pick it up in verse 32. 23:05 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree. 23:09 When its branch has already become tender and put forth 23:14 leaves you know that summer is... " What? 23:19 "is near. " 23:21 I love that time of the year, don't you? 23:24 Long, cold, gray winter... right? 23:29 All of a sudden the trees just have these tender little buds. 23:34 And isn't it the most beautiful, most vibrant, 23:38 the brightest green? The first shoots coming out of the tree... 23:43 the first buds? And that's what Jesus says. 23:45 "The moment you start seeing that green sprouting out 23:49 what do you know? Summer is coming. " 23:52 I live in California. If Jesus was telling this story 23:54 in California you know what He would say? 23:56 "When the dogwoods start to blossom 24:00 you know summer is coming. " 24:04 Verse 33: "So you also when you see all these things 24:10 know that it is near... at the doors. " 24:17 Now what Jesus has told us earlier in the chapter, and I 24:20 want to take some time and look at what Jesus has told us. 24:23 So what Jesus has said is: "You can't know the day and the hour 24:26 but you can know the season. It's like when summer is coming 24:30 and the trees begin to blossom and bud 24:32 then you know summer is coming. " Jesus says: 24:35 "I'm going to tell you some signs. In fact, I have told you 24:38 some signs. And when you see those signs, then you know... 24:42 then you know that My coming is near. " 24:45 Can you know the day and the hour? No. 24:47 You can't know that. The angels don't know that; 24:49 Jesus didn't even know that when He was here on planet earth. 24:53 So let's look. What are some of those signs? 24:55 Look there... we're going to look at verse 4. 25:01 Matthew 24... Jesus tells us the signs 25:05 that indicate what season we are in. 25:10 Matthew 24 verse 4: 25:12 "Jesus answered and said to them 25:14 'Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will 25:17 come in My name saying I am the Christ 25:20 and will deceive many. 25:24 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 25:27 See that you are not troubled for all these things must come 25:30 to pass... ' Now notice this next little phrase here. 25:33 What is the next phrase? 25:35 'but the end is not yet. ' " 25:39 Wow! Now what Jesus... 25:43 The disciples ask Jesus: "What are the signs of Your coming? " 25:47 And Jesus says: "Well, you guys are going to see people 25:50 claiming to be the Messiah. 25:51 You're going to see false Christs. 25:53 They're going to deceive lots of people. 25:56 You're going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. 25:59 See that you are not troubled. " 26:01 Jesus says: "All these things must come to pass, but the end 26:06 is not yet. " 26:10 So often as Christians while we see wars and rumors of wars 26:15 and we think: "Jesus is coming again! " 26:18 And what Jesus says is: 26:21 "Wars and rumors of wars... 26:23 don't get too excited about that. " 26:28 Is that shocking? No. 26:33 Jesus says then: "For nation will rise against nation... " 26:36 I'm in verse 7: 26:38 "kingdom against kingdom. 26:40 And there will be famines and pestilence and earthquakes 26:44 in various places... " And then notice what Jesus says: 26:49 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. " 26:57 Really? 26:59 The disciples say: "What are the signs? 27:01 What are the signs that You're coming soon? " 27:03 Jesus says: "Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, 27:06 famines, pestilence, kingdoms against kingdoms, 27:09 nations against nations. These things are just the beginning. " 27:17 Verse 9: 27:21 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you 27:25 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. " 27:32 Jesus says: "All right, you're going to see wars, rumors of 27:34 wars, famines, pestilence, all these things. 27:37 These are just the beginnings of sorrows. 27:40 They're going to deliver you up to tribulation. 27:44 There will be persecution and you will be killed. 27:47 You will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. " 27:51 Verse 10: "Then many will be... " What? 27:55 "offended and will betray one another. " 28:00 The word offend in the original, it's related to the word 28:05 stumble. And so what Jesus is saying is this. It's very 28:08 amazing: "Wars, rumors of wars... don't get too worried 28:11 about that. Famines, pestilence, earthquakes... 28:12 Yeah, the end is not yet. That's just the beginning. 28:15 When they start persecuting then you can know 28:18 you're getting close. " 28:20 And then it says: "Then people will be offended 28:23 because of Me. " What Jesus is saying there is 28:26 that believers - professed believers - 28:30 are going to be offended. And the word there... 28:32 It's the word stumble, and so it's like let's say we're... 28:36 we're friends and we're both Christians 28:38 and there's famines and pestilence. OK, OK. 28:40 And now all of a sudden there's persecution 28:42 and somebody starts to stumble. 28:44 That's what it means to say people will become offended. 28:48 Believing people are going to start stumbling 28:52 over the gospel because of persecution. 28:55 That's what Jesus was saying. 29:00 And then they will betray one another. 29:03 So Jesus is saying that when times get really difficult 29:07 for us who confess Christ 29:11 when we start to betray... when we start to stumble 29:15 because of Jesus, we start to abandon... 29:18 People start to abandon the faith 29:20 then those people that abandon the faith 29:23 will begin to betray the people they used to associate with. 29:28 "Then Jesus said: 'At that time... ' 29:33 Verse 11: 'then many false prophets will rise up. ' " 29:39 OK. So tribulation comes and then people start to stumble 29:44 out of the Christian faith. They begin to betray the true 29:48 Christians and then it says that in that context 29:53 many false prophets will then arise 29:57 and they will deceive many. 30:03 Verse 12: "And because lawlessness will abound 30:08 the love of many will grow cold. " 30:13 The focus of this text is not the world. 30:15 The focus of this text is the church. 30:18 So what Jesus is saying: "Yeah, famines, pestilence, wars, 30:22 rumors of wars... don't get too worked up about that. 30:24 The end is not yet. When tribulation comes 30:27 for the people of God, then you're getting a little closer. 30:30 When the tribulation gets so intense so that people 30:34 are stumbling out of the Christian faith, 30:36 then you know you've got some serious issues going on. 30:39 Then those people that stumble will begin to betray 30:42 and their love will grow cold 30:45 and then people will begin to fail to endure to the end. " 30:51 Look at verse 13: 30:52 "He who endures to the end shall be... " What? "saved. " 31:02 Verse 14 is the punch line of this section of scripture 31:05 and verse 14 is actually one of the most important 31:08 and powerful verses here. "And this gospel of the kingdom 31:13 will be preached in all the world 31:17 as a witness to all the nations 31:20 and then the end will come. " 31:25 You know what the real sign that Jesus is coming soon is? 31:30 It's not wars. It's not rumors of wars. 31:34 Those have been happening for thousands of years. 31:37 Famines... pestilence? 31:39 That's been happening for thousands of years. 31:42 Tribulation, persecution? Yes, that's been happening. 31:46 It will intensify as we get near to the end, but 31:49 the greatest sign of the soon coming of our Savior 31:54 is the gospel being preached to all the world. 31:58 Can you say amen to that? Amen! 32:01 Now what Jesus says is: "You can't know the day 32:04 or the hour. " OK? 32:06 So if somebody comes to you and says: "Jesus is 32:08 coming on such and such a date such and such a time" 32:11 or even you know... then you can know 32:14 that guy has not been reading the Bible carefully enough. 32:20 But Jesus is pretty clear: "Though you cannot know the day 32:24 and the hour you can know the season. " 32:27 And the season where Christ is soon to come 32:33 is the season where the gospel is going to all the world. 32:37 The season where Christ is soon to come 32:40 is the season where God's people begin to be persecuted 32:44 and people begin to betray one another. 32:48 Former believers begin to stumble out of the faith 32:51 and then there is this urgent call to God's people 32:55 to love and not become lawless and to endure to the end 33:00 preaching and teaching the gospel to all nations. 33:03 That is the sign that we are in the season 33:08 that Jesus is coming soon. 33:10 Amen? Amen! By the way, I would say that 33:14 we are in that season. Amen? 33:17 We are in that season. Now, I am so encouraged 33:21 by the progress that the gospel is making around the world. 33:26 Are you encouraged by that? 33:28 But is it possible that I can be simultaneously encouraged 33:33 and discouraged at the same time? 33:36 Absolutely. 33:38 OK. So in one sense I'm totally encouraged. 33:42 I mean, look at what God has done through ministries 33:44 like 3ABN. Right? 33:47 The good news of Jesus is going all around the world 33:49 with great power through radio and television and the Internet. 33:54 But there are 6,829 people groups 34:00 who have never heard even the name Jesus. 34:07 Hard for you to believe that, isn't it? 34:10 It's hard to believe that. 34:11 See, often as Seventh- day Adventist Christians 34:14 we're patting ourselves on the back because we've got a mission 34:18 in every part of the world. We do! In almost every country 34:22 we are represented. The problem is is that just because 34:25 you have a mission office in Turkey doesn't mean 34:29 that anybody in Turkey's ever really met Jesus 34:32 except for the one guy who moved there to run the mission. 34:35 No offense, by the way, if you run the mission in Turkey. 34:38 I'm not picking on you. 34:46 You follow that? Yes or no? 34:50 So you have a country like Turkey 34:52 where there is less than .01% of the population 34:56 that's Christian. 34:58 These people have no... They're not going to tune in. 35:03 They don't know anything. 35:05 In fact, this 6,829 people groups 35:10 represent about 2.74 billion people. 35:19 So in one sense we can be encouraged. 35:23 We don't know the day or the hour. We can know the season 35:25 and the gospel is spreading around the world in remarkable 35:29 ways, amen? And yet there are 2,74 billion people 35:35 who need an opportunity. 35:38 If we want to be the generation that sees Jesus come, 35:43 the mission work of this world needs to be front and center 35:47 in our thinking. Amen? 35:49 Now, Jesus is clear. No one knows the day or the hour. 35:54 Only the Father knows; not even the angels know... 35:57 but we can know the season. 35:59 And when we see famines and pestilence 36:01 we don't get too worried. When we see... 36:02 I mean we get worried for the people that are suffering. 36:05 We see earthquakes we don't get worried Jesus is 36:07 coming soon. But when we see persecution 36:10 and when we see the gospel going around the world 36:13 then we get excited because we know that we are in 36:17 the season when Jesus is going to come. Amen? 36:22 Now let's look down at Matthew chapter 24. 36:28 Matthew chapter 24. 36:33 And we're just going to pick it up in verse 32 again. 36:37 We've read it already, but let's read it again. 36:39 So Jesus says: "Learn this parable from the fig tree. 36:43 When its branch is already become tender and puts forth 36:48 leaves you know summer is... " What? "near. 36:52 So you also, when you see all these things... " 36:55 When you see the things that Jesus has just talked about... 36:59 the tribulation, the gospel going to the world. 37:02 When you see all of that: "You can know that it is near, 37:05 at the doors. " Verse 34: "Assuredly I say to you 37:10 this generation will by no means pass 37:14 till... " What? "all things take place. " 37:18 You know what Jesus is saying? 37:20 The generation that experiences the gospel going to the world 37:23 and the generation that experiences the tribulation 37:28 that He has described will be the generation 37:31 to see Jesus come again. 37:34 Now, Jesus then says in verse 35: "Heaven and earth 37:38 will pass away but My... " What? 37:41 "words will never pass away. 37:44 But of that day and hour... " 37:47 Who knows? "no one knows. 37:51 "not even the angels of heaven but My Father only. " 37:55 Now what Jesus begins to do now is to illustrate this fact 37:59 that nobody knows the day or the hour. OK? 38:02 How does Jesus illustrate it? Verse 37: 38:04 "As the days of Noah were so also will the coming of 38:08 the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood 38:13 they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage 38:16 until the day Noah entered the ark. " 38:18 And notice it says, verse 39: 38:20 "And did not know until the flood came and took them 38:24 all away. So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. " 38:29 Now what I want you to notice here, my friends: Jesus 38:31 starts in verse 36 "no one knows. " 38:34 Then He says: "It's going to be like in the days of Noah. 38:36 People are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. 38:39 Things are going along, and they didn't know until the flood came 38:44 and swept them away. " 38:46 And so, my friends, I want you to think about this: 38:49 did Noah know the season that the flood would come? 38:54 Yes or no? Of course he did. 38:56 God had him building the ark. The ark gets built. 38:58 And OK, now the ark is built... we know we're getting close. 39:02 In fact, interestingly enough Methuselah died right around 39:06 that time. And you know the name Methuselah: when he dies 39:10 it will come. 39:12 His name was a prophecy. 39:15 So Noah knew the season. 39:18 Noah knew the season, but he didn't know the day or the hour. 39:21 Then God says: "All right, Noah, get on the boat. " 39:24 All right. So Noah gets on the boat. 39:26 Now how long's Noah on the boat before the rain starts to fall? 39:29 Noah's on the boat seven days before the rain starts to fall. 39:32 For those seven days the people were like 39:35 "Noah built a boat on dry land. 39:40 Now he's in the boat on dry land 39:42 with the door closed and all those animals. 39:45 Noah is mentally ill. " 39:49 All right. Isn't that what everybody was saying? 39:52 No question. Everybody's "Noah: he's mentally ill. 39:56 There's no question about it. " 39:59 And then the first pitter-patter of rain began to fall. 40:05 And then the fountains of the great earth broke forth 40:09 and swept them away. 40:14 And they were totally surprised. 40:18 Even though Noah had been preaching for 120 years 40:23 they were still completely surprised. 40:31 Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour. 40:34 It's going to be like in the days of Noah. 40:36 It's going to be a shock to those who are lost. 40:41 Verse 40 He illustrates it: "Two men will be 40:44 in the field. One will be taken; the other left. 40:46 Two women will be grinding at the mill... 40:48 one will be taken; the other left. 40:51 Watch therefore... " Now this is Jesus' punch line: 40:55 You know the season; this is Matthew 24. 40:58 You know the season. You don't know the day or the hour. 41:02 It's going to be a complete surprise. 41:05 "Watch therefore... " That's the punch line. 41:09 "Watch therefore for you do not know 41:14 what hour your Lord is coming. " 41:18 My friends, really what I want you to do 41:21 as a result of this sermon is be vigilant in your life. 41:27 I want you to be a vigilant, serious Christian 41:32 living before Christ comes. Watch. 41:37 That His point: "Watch... be vigilant. " 41:40 "Watch therefore for you do not know what hour your Lord 41:44 is coming. " Verse 43: "But know this 41:48 that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief 41:53 would come he would have... " What? 41:56 "he would have watched and not allowed his house 42:00 to be broken into. " I mean, wouldn't it be nice... 42:03 Wouldn't it be nice if the thief before he's going to break into 42:05 your house texted you ahead of time? 42:07 You know, like: "I'm going to be there at midnight. " 42:11 "OK, I got your text. What are you going to do at midnight? " 42:15 You're going to be there, right? 42:18 You're going to be there. This is southern Illinois... 42:20 you might be there with your shotgun, right? 42:26 So 42:32 Jesus says: "If you know what time the thief is coming 42:37 you're going to be awake... you're going to be watching... 42:40 you're going to be paying attention. " But check this out: 42:44 But you don't know what hour Jesus is coming 42:48 so you need to stay awake all the time. 42:51 You follow that? You need to be vigilant 42:54 all the time. In other words, my friends, 42:57 there is no time where you can say: "You know what? 43:01 Jesus isn't coming for a few more years 43:04 so I'm going to just kind of chill. I'm going to let my 43:06 spiritual guard down; I'm going to just coast. " 43:09 Right? 43:10 Because the moment that you begin to let your guard down 43:14 as a Christian, it's at that moment that disaster's going to 43:18 strike in your life. 43:20 Jesus' point is He's going to come like a thief. 43:24 Jesus is coming like a thief. You don't know when He's coming 43:27 and so don't let your guard down. Be a vigilant, 43:31 sober-minded Christian. Not just when you think 43:35 Jesus is coming. You need to be a vigilant 43:38 sober-minded Christian right now. 43:41 Now in Matthew chapter 24 verse 42 43:47 Jesus - or 43, excuse me - Jesus uses this illustration 43:50 of a thief. Now, this is actually a very common 43:55 metaphor that is now picked up from Jesus 43:59 and used by other authors in the New Testament 44:03 to describe the coming of Jesus. 44:06 This thief metaphor is designed to let us know 44:09 we can't know the day or the hour. That concept 44:13 became a very important theme 44:16 for other writers in the New Testament. In fact, 44:18 it's used by 5 other authors or in 5 other places. 44:24 And we don't have time to look at all of them, but 44:26 let's go to I Thessalonians 5 where Paul uses it. 44:29 I Thessalonians 5... 44:43 I Thessalonians 5... we'll start in verse 1. 44:49 "But concerning the times and seasons... " 44:52 I Thessalonians 5 beginning in verse 1... 44:58 "But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, 45:00 you have no need that I should write 45:03 for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the 45:07 Lord comes as a... " What? "thief in the night. " 45:10 Where did Paul get that? He got that from the teachings 45:13 of Jesus. "When they say 'peace and safety' 45:18 then sudden destruction comes upon them 45:20 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman 45:23 and they shall not escape. 45:24 But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this day 45:29 should overtake you as a... " What? 45:32 OK, now what is Jesus saying here? 45:34 Jesus is saying that those who don't follow Jesus, 45:39 those people, the day of Jesus' coming 45:42 is going to burst on them like a complete and total surprise. 45:48 But then he says: "But the day is not going to come on you 45:52 like a thief. " Why? 'Cause we're going to stay awake. 45:57 Amen? We're going to stay awake. 46:00 We're going to stay vigilant; we are going to pay attention. 46:03 You know what we're going to do? 46:05 We're going to make sure to have our life jacket on. 46:08 Amen? We're going to keep our life jacket. 46:12 We're not going to: "Oh, you know, the river's nice and calm. 46:14 There's no reason to keep... Let's just relax, 46:16 take our jackets off. We're OK. " 46:19 He said: "No! That day is not going to come on you like 46:24 a thief. " Notice what Paul says: 46:26 Verse 5: "You are sons of the light 46:29 and sons of the day. We are not of the night 46:35 nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep 46:38 as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 46:48 For those who sleep sleep at night, 46:50 and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 46:53 But let us who are of the day be sober 46:56 putting on the breastplate of faith 46:58 and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 47:04 For God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain 47:07 salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ: 47:10 He who died for us that whether we are 47:12 awake or asleep... " Now that means alive or dead. 47:16 "we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort one 47:20 another and edify one another just as you also are doing. " 47:25 You follow what Paul is saying? What Paul is saying here 47:27 is something really simple. Jesus' coming... 47:31 nobody knows the day, nobody knows the hour. 47:34 For the wicked it's going to be a complete and total surprise. 47:38 When they're saying "peace and safety; everything is 47:41 great, " it's at that moment that sudden destruction 47:44 comes. But for us, it's not going to be a total surprise 47:47 because we are not getting drunk. We are sober. 47:50 We're awake; we're paying attention. 47:53 And what we're doing is this: 47:56 and I like what he says at the end. He says that we 47:59 should comfort one another and edify each other. 48:06 So... what do we do as we're staying awake? 48:10 We are awake looking for the coming of our Lord 48:14 and we are encouraging each other. 48:17 Amen? Now, go with me 48:23 to Revelation 16. I want you to see the very 48:27 last time that Jesus says 48:33 that He's coming like a thief. 48:36 It's the last time. 48:39 It's Revelation 16 verse 15. 48:45 I actually find this to be a very interesting text. 48:49 I mean shockingly interesting. 48:52 Now Revelation 16 is the section of scripture 48:56 that deals with what is referred to as the seven last plagues. 49:02 OK. Now, the name seven last plagues 49:06 means that they are the very last judgment of God 49:10 to fall on the earth. OK? 49:12 And there are seven of these plagues. 49:14 And just to give you an idea, the first one is terrible sores 49:19 on people's bodies. The second one 49:21 is the sea turns to blood. 49:24 The third one is the rivers turn to blood. 49:26 The fourth one is the sun scorches people. 49:29 The fifth one is darkness covers the earth 49:32 and people are in pain. 49:34 Now, do those seem really dramatic and obvious? Yes or no? 49:39 I'd say if that was happening 49:41 we would all be pretty clear: 49:44 "OK, we've got the seven last plagues going on. " 49:47 Right? Right? Yeah? I mean you pickin' up? 49:51 She's picking up what I'm laying down. 49:54 Look in verse... Then you get the sixth plague, OK? 49:59 Now notice what Jesus says in the midst of the 6th plague: 50:06 "Behold... " I'm in verse 15. 50:08 "Behold I'm coming as a... " What? 50:13 "thief. " Are you kidding me? 50:17 I mean, people are covered in sores. 50:20 The sea has turned to blood... the waters have turned to blood. 50:24 People are being scorched by the sun. 50:26 Darkness descends and people are in tremendous pain, and 50:30 then it says in the 6th plague: "I'm coming like a thief. " 50:38 My friends, could it be... 50:41 Could it be that though we can know the season 50:45 right? Could it be that though we can know the season 50:51 we even will be shocked 50:54 by the rapidity of the final movements? 50:59 Notice what it goes on to say. 51:03 "Behold I'm coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches 51:08 and... " What? "keeps his garments lest he walk naked 51:13 and they see his... " What? "shame. " 51:18 In ancient times there was a group of people 51:23 whose job it was to be the policemen 51:26 for the sanctuary. 51:30 That was their job. 51:32 And we have ancient Jewish documents that say 51:36 if one of those guys was found sleeping on the job 51:39 they took his clothes away. 51:45 Now I don't know about you but that would motivate me 51:47 to like not fall asleep at 2 in the morning. 51:50 Amen? Amen! 51:52 I don't want to be the guy that has to walk through Jerusalem 51:56 naked. You get home... You know, you knock on your door... 52:00 You come home; your wife and kids are there. 52:02 They're like: "Dad, what's going on? " 52:05 "Oh, I fell asleep at work last night. " 52:08 You want to be that guy? 52:10 I don't want to be that guy. 52:13 Now check this out: 52:16 at the very end of time 52:21 five of the seven last plagues have fallen. 52:24 It should be so obvious. 52:27 And you know what Jesus says? 52:30 "Even at the very end you can go to sleep. " 52:35 Even when it appears com- pletely and totally obvious 52:40 you could still fall asleep. 52:45 Stay awake. Amen? Stay awake. 52:49 Go with me... Luke 12. 52:50 I'm going to wrap this up in Luke 12. 52:52 Same story... Or excuse me... not Luke 12. 52:55 I'm going to go to Luke 21. Go to Luke 21. 52:59 It's the same story; it's the fig tree illustration. 53:02 Luke 21... but Luke adds something 53:07 and I want you to see what Luke adds. 53:15 Luke 21, we're going to look in verse 29. 53:24 "Jesus spoke to them a parable: 53:27 'Look at the fig tree and all the trees. " 53:31 I like that. Luke was writing to the Gentiles. 53:33 He knew that his book would go all over the world... 53:36 maybe even places without fig trees. 53:38 Right? Matthew was writing to the Jews 53:40 so when Matthew writes to the Jews what does he say? 53:43 "The fig tree" because Matthew is the gospel for the Jews. 53:46 Luke is for the Gentiles. 53:47 There might not be fig trees everywhere, so Luke expands it 53:50 a little bit. "Look at the fig tree. 53:51 Actually, look at all the trees... " 53:53 Amen? 53:55 "and see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 54:00 So you also when you see all these things happening, 54:03 all the signs, know the kingdom of God is near. 54:07 Assuredly I say to you this generation will by no means 54:10 pass till all things take place. " 54:11 Verse 33: "Heaven and earth will pass away; My words 54:13 will by no means pass away. " 54:17 Verse 34: "But take heed to yourselves... " 54:22 OK? This is the last exhortation for us. 54:28 "take heed to yourself lest your hearts be weighed down 54:32 with carousing, drunkenness, 54:37 and cares of this life 54:40 that that day will come upon you... " How? "unexpectedly. " 54:49 "For it will come as a snare. " 54:51 Now I don't know if you've ever seen an animal caught 54:53 in a snare? It's just going along just fine and then ching. 54:58 Completely out of nowhere snapped up. 55:03 "It will come as a snare on those who dwell on the face 55:06 of the whole earth. " Verse 36: 55:08 "Watch therefore and... " What? "pray always. " 55:15 Now my translation - I'm reading the New King James - 55:18 says "that you may be counted worthy to escape. " 55:21 Many of the other translations say "that you may have the 55:25 strength to escape. " 55:30 In fact, you check the margin in your New King James. 55:32 It says: "that you may have the strength to escape 55:38 all these things that will come to pass and to stand 55:43 before the Father. " 55:45 My friends, we want to be ready when Jesus comes. 55:50 Amen? And if we want to be ready when Jesus comes 55:54 we have to stay awake. We have to keep watching 55:56 because no one knows the day or the hour... 55:58 so there's no time we can go on a spiritual vacation. 56:01 We need to stay awake. We need to stay vigilant. 56:04 And Jesus tells us through Luke how to do that. 56:08 How do we do that? We watch and we pray. 56:12 And as we watch and pray we find strength from God. 56:17 Amen? When we watch and pray 56:20 we find strength from God that we may escape 56:24 through these things. And then it says 56:26 "and stand before Christ. " 56:30 Amen? The day's going to be a surprise. 56:34 You don't want to be caught naked. 56:37 Amen? You don't want to be found sleeping on the job. 56:40 You don't want to be caught in this unexpected coming 56:44 of Christ. You want to watch and pray 56:48 and find strength from your relationship with Christ 56:51 so that you will be able to stand on that last great day. 56:55 Let's bow our heads together. 57:00 Heavenly Father, that day could come unexpectedly 57:05 for any one of us. 57:08 It would be easy for us to lose our footing. 57:12 It would be easy for us to fall asleep. 57:17 It would be completely possible 57:21 for us to be among those who get caught sleeping on the job. 57:26 Please Lord... keep us safe, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. |
Revised 2021-08-02