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Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210079S
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00:30 Hello, friends, and welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour.
00:33 We are studying Matthew Chapter 24. 00:36 And we're going to be looking at the third stage 00:38 of deception. 00:40 Our focus is faithful service. 00:44 So have you ever been in a situation 00:46 where someone has sold you something you 00:47 didn't really need or didn't really want. 00:49 I was gone from home when a vacuum cleaner salesman 00:52 came by our house and convinced my wife 00:55 to buy this very expensive vacuum cleaner 00:59 on the installment plan. 01:01 This vacuum cleaner would deep clean our rugs, 01:03 this vacuum cleaner would be able to take out allergens, 01:06 this vacuum cleaner would even be able 01:08 to with attachments wax the car. 01:11 I got home and told my wife or asked my wife 01:14 why in the world would we buy this vacuum cleaner? 01:16 We have a built in top 01:19 of the line brand new cutting edge 01:21 vacuum system in this home, 01:23 we don't need another vacuum cleaner. 01:25 Well, she said I wasn't sure if I should get it or not, 01:27 but they promise me that 01:29 we could return it within three days. 01:30 Well, that promise was not actually validated 01:35 by the vacuum cleaner company. 01:37 Fortunately, we had a church member's daughter 01:40 who was visiting her who was a lawyer from the very state 01:44 where this vacuum cleaner company resided 01:47 and she took the vacuum cleaner explained to us 01:49 that possession is nine-tenths of the law, 01:52 she took the vacuum cleaner with her and dropped it off 01:55 at their office and got us out of those enormous payments 01:58 for something that we didn't need. 02:01 Well, friends, today, 02:03 we're going to be looking at stage number three 02:06 of deception, 02:07 and how the devil is trying to give us something 02:10 that we don't actually need. 02:13 He's trying to convince us to receive something 02:16 that is not in harmony with the Word of God 02:18 and not in harmony with our health 02:21 and eternal salvation. 02:23 Let's just pause for a minute and pray as we prepare 02:26 to dig in to the Word of God. 02:28 Father in heaven, thank You so much 02:30 for each one that's listening here. 02:32 Thank You for Your Word and thank You 02:33 most of all for Jesus. 02:35 He's promised to send the Holy Spirit to instruct us, 02:38 to lead us, to guide us into all truth 02:40 to convict our hearts. 02:42 And, Father, we're praying for the Holy Spirit right now. 02:44 Thank You so much that we can be heard and answered, 02:48 when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. 02:52 Amen. 02:54 Well, we've been studying Matthew Chapter 24. 02:56 It's been an incredible study, 02:57 really, when you think about it, 02:58 Matthew Chapter 24 lays out for us the path 03:03 that we are on past, present, and future. 03:05 And when we look at Matthew Chapter 24, 03:07 and break it up into these three sections, 03:10 these three stages of deception, 03:12 we find Matthew Chapter 24, 03:14 bringing us the first stage in verses 1-10. 03:18 That stage involves wars, rumors of wars, 03:22 pestilence, which is infectious contagious disease, 03:25 earthquakes, natural disasters, and famines 03:29 that are going to increase in intensity and frequency 03:33 until the Lord returns. 03:35 That's where we are right now. 03:37 And the intensity and the frequency 03:40 of these signs that Christ has given us 03:42 in Matthew 24:6-7, 03:46 the intensity and frequency 03:47 is not just in the actual signs themselves, 03:50 but our response to those signs. 03:52 I've never seen an intensity of response to, for example, 03:57 disease as we're seeing today. 04:00 Even 100 years ago, during the Spanish flu, 04:02 we didn't respond the way we're responding right now. 04:05 Wars and rumors of wars, 04:06 the response is overwhelmingly different 04:09 than it's been in the past because that response 04:12 is restricting liberty, it's restricting freedom, 04:17 it's taking away the very principle 04:19 of God's character of love. 04:20 And that principle is liberty. 04:23 In fact, we're told in 2 Corinthians 3:17 04:25 where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. 04:29 Liberty is a foundational principle 04:31 of God's character of love. 04:34 You cannot have love, you cannot have genuine love, 04:37 real love without liberty, without freedom. 04:40 So we see that taking place, and then we go into Matthew, 04:43 and the second stage of deception in Matthew 24:11 04:47 all the way down to verse 21. 04:51 And that talks about, of course, 04:53 this abomination that makes desolate, 04:55 that the Sabbath truth in conflict with it, 04:57 the everlasting gospel going to all the world, 05:00 we saw that, we parallel that 05:02 to Revelation Chapters 13 and 14. 05:05 We saw this as a crisis that is impending. 05:08 It begins with the restriction of liberty of conscience, 05:11 and it moves into this worship crisis. 05:14 So we're somewhere between the first stage of deception 05:16 and the second stage of deception right now. 05:18 We're looking at a transition point 05:21 of this earthly power in Revelation 13:11, 05:23 where's two principles, two horns like a lamb, 05:26 civil liberty, religious liberty, 05:28 but speaks as a dragon. 05:30 And that transition takes that power 05:32 into its last manifestation which is a false prophet, 05:37 a false prophet, or pretended fore teller, 05:39 pretending to know the future, 05:41 pretending to know what we are going 05:44 to be facing in the future, but actually being fake, 05:46 being false because it's not in harmony 05:49 with the truths of God's Word. 05:52 And we could say even with the truths of signs. 05:56 So now we're in Matthew Chapter 24 05:58 and we're looking here in the context of Matthew 24 06:01 at the third stage of deception. 06:04 The third stage of deception begins in verse 23. 06:08 Let's just look there in Matthew 24:23-24. 06:12 "And then if any man shall say unto you, 06:14 Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. 06:19 For there shall arise false Christs, 06:21 and false prophets, and shall shew great signs 06:24 and wonders, insomuch that, 06:26 if it were possible, 06:28 they shall deceive the very elect." 06:31 Verse 25, "Behold, I have told you before. 06:33 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, 06:35 he is in the desert, go not forth, or behold, 06:39 he is in the secret chambers, believe it or not. 06:42 For as the lightning comes out of the east, 06:45 and shines even to the west, 06:47 so also shall the coming of the Son of man be." 06:51 Now you might wonder, what is this deception, I mean, 06:54 we've looked at the first deception 06:56 and that one is basically people claiming 06:59 to have the authority to tell you 07:01 what you need to do in a crisis that's out of harmony 07:04 with conscience, and with the Word of God. 07:06 We looked at the second deception which is basically 07:09 the transition of an earthly power 07:12 that give that promise that was identified 07:14 as giving liberty or religious liberty 07:16 and civil liberties. 07:17 And now it speaks like a dragon it choruses, 07:19 it controls, it deceives. 07:21 What is this third deception? 07:23 Well, this third deception is actually the personation 07:27 of Christ by the devil, by Satan. 07:30 Jesus Christ has promised that He's going to return 07:33 to this earth to set things right to get His people 07:36 and to finish up this legacy of sin and suffering 07:40 and pain and evil that God never intended 07:41 that we would experience. 07:43 He's going to take us back to what it was like 07:45 at the beginning in the Garden of Eden 07:47 before sin entered. 07:48 And before we had all of this guilt 07:50 and shame and sorrow, and we know that 07:52 because when we look at the end of the Bible, 07:54 the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, 07:57 we get to the last two chapters, 07:58 we have Eden restored. 08:00 We have the New Jerusalem returning to this earth 08:02 or coming to this earth, 08:04 and we have God's kingdom being restored on planet earth, 08:07 and we have no more pain, we have no more sorrow, 08:09 we have no more crying. 08:10 And according to Revelation as rested as well as the Old 08:13 and the New Testament, 08:15 that final establishment of God's kingdom on earth 08:19 is going to be preceded by the Second Coming 08:21 of Jesus Christ. 08:22 It's one of the clearest teachings in the Bible 08:26 Old and New Testament, 08:27 hundreds of verses talk about return of Jesus Christ. 08:31 And that return is also talked about here in the context 08:35 of Matthew Chapter 24. 08:36 Jesus tells us what it's going to be like. 08:39 And He tells us now what the devil is going 08:42 to do to try to deceive us in relationship 08:44 to the Second Coming of Jesus. 08:46 What's going to happen is you're going to have, 08:47 first of all the first stage of deception, 08:49 you're going to have that transition taking place, 08:52 the control the deception taking place in our world 08:54 and in our country, 08:56 then you have the second stage of deception, 08:57 you have a false day of worship 08:59 put in the place of God's day of worship, false authority, 09:01 man's authority put in place of God's authority, 09:04 man's mediation put in the place 09:05 of God's mediation, man's counsel put in place 09:07 of God's counsel, 09:09 and then you have the devil himself showing up. 09:11 He appears here, 09:13 he appears there in different places in the world, 09:15 in the desert, in the secret chambers, 09:18 he comes as a majestic being. 09:21 Now a lot of times when you think about the devil 09:22 you think, well, you know, red with horns 09:25 and a pitchfork and a fork tail. 09:27 No, indeed, not. 09:29 That is not what the Bible tells us. 09:31 In fact, look at a Bible verse 09:32 with me in 2 Corinthians Chapter 11. 09:35 2 Corinthians Chapter 11 where Paul describes 09:38 how the devil works. 09:40 2 Corinthians Chapter 11, 09:41 and we'll start here in verse 13. 09:44 I want you to notice the connection 09:45 between 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. 09:50 And what we're reading in Matthew Chapter 24 09:52 as well as in Revelation because really, 09:54 all through the New Testament, 09:56 not just in Matthew 24, and Mark 13, and Luke 21, 09:59 and Revelation, but all through the New Testament, 10:02 there are these little snippets of end time prophecy. 10:05 2 Corinthians Chapter 11 has it, 10:07 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 has it, 10:09 2 Peter Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 has it. 10:12 We talk about it also, 10:14 in many of the different little chapters 10:17 of the New Testament, like Jude, for example, 10:20 it's all about the Lord's Second Coming 10:22 and the signs leading up 10:24 to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 10:25 2 Timothy Chapter 3 is all about what's going 10:29 to happen in the last days, and it's going 10:30 to be perilous times that are going to come upon us. 10:32 So all through the New Testament, 10:34 we have this Revelation from God, 10:37 a God who loves us and cares about us 10:39 of what's going to be taking place in the end of time. 10:41 We can trust the Bible, we can trust the Word of God, 10:44 He can help us to navigate our situation, 10:46 we don't need to trust the misinformation 10:48 and fake news, we don't need to put anyone else 10:51 in the place of God is our authority, 10:53 in the place of God is the one we lean to, 10:55 we can trust the Word of God. 10:56 So Paul says it here in 2 Corinthians 11, he says, 10:59 verse 13, "For such are false apostles, 11:02 deceitful workers, 11:03 transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 11:07 For no marvel, for Satan himself 11:09 is transformed into an angel light." 11:12 Can you imagine that? 11:13 Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 11:17 "Therefore it is no great thing 11:19 if his ministers also be transformed 11:25 as the ministers of righteousness, 11:27 whose end shall be according to their works." 11:30 That's 2 Corinthians 11:13, 14, and 15. 11:34 Now earlier in the chapter, Paul describes what Satan 11:39 and his false ministers, his ministers of righteousness, 11:42 and this angel of light are seeking to do. 11:44 In verses 2 and 3 he says this, 11:49 "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, 11:51 for I have espoused you to one husband, 11:52 that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 11:55 But I fear, lest by any means, 11:57 as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, 12:00 so your minds should be corrupted 12:03 from the simplicity that is in Christ." 12:05 Verse 4, "For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, 12:10 whom we have not preached, 12:11 or if you receive another spirit, 12:14 which we have not received, or another gospel, 12:17 which ye have not accepted, you might well bear with him." 12:22 Paul is talking here about deception. 12:24 And he's talking about deception in the same way 12:26 that Jesus is, he's saying, they're going to be people 12:27 who are going to come and they're going 12:29 to pretend to be Christ, they're going to pretend 12:31 to be representatives of Jesus Christ, 12:33 they're going to be false Christ. 12:34 How are we going to know the false from the genuine? 12:37 The only way that we can know 12:39 is if we are familiar with the Word of God, 12:42 if we know the gospel of Jesus Christ, 12:44 if we know and acquainted with the Holy Spirit, 12:47 if we understand and recognize Jesus Christ as 12:50 our personal friend, and Savior, 12:52 that's the only way we're going to know. 12:54 We can't have a profession of faith 12:56 and no connection with Jesus. 12:57 We can't just go to church, sit in the pew, 12:59 and then go about our daily life 13:00 and think that we're going to be protected 13:03 from deception because that Jesus tells us 13:06 that Satan's going to come as an angel of light, 13:08 Jesus tells us that His ministers going 13:09 to be ministers of righteousness, 13:11 and they're going to be preaching Jesus, 13:12 and they're going to be preaching the spirit, 13:14 and they're going to be preaching the gospel. 13:15 But it's not going to be the gospel 13:17 that's in harmony with the Word of God. 13:20 We've already talked about just a little bit, 13:22 but it's important for us to recognize that now 13:25 as we look into Matthew Chapter 24 13:27 and this last deception. 13:28 So how can we know for sure that we are going 13:31 to be in harmony with the Word of God? 13:33 Well, let's take the second coming, for example. 13:36 We can know that Jesus has not come the second time 13:41 when we hear voices in the media, 13:44 or in a church that says, 13:46 Jesus has landed on planet earth. 13:49 Secretly, no one really knew about it, 13:52 but we've got videotape, we've got pictures, 13:54 we're going to show you Jesus Christ. 13:57 He's going to be healing people. 13:58 And He's going to be speaking about the truths 14:01 that He spoke about when He was on this earth. 14:03 In fact, he looks just like Jesus 14:05 is described in the Book of Revelation Chapter 1, 14:08 you know what, in Revelation Chapter 1 14:10 it talks about Jesus Christ as coming to John 14:14 and His eyes were like a flame of fire, 14:16 His voice of many waters, and His hair down 14:18 to His shoulders was wide, 14:19 and His feet were like polish brass, 14:22 this description of Jesus glorified, 14:25 is going to be counterfeited by Satan in the end of time. 14:28 He's going to come as an angel of light, 14:30 He's going to come, 14:31 and He's going to say I'm Christ. 14:32 And He's going to say, look at the truths 14:34 that He's going to reaffirm those truths from the mount 14:36 of blessings and talk about all of the things 14:39 that are right to do to love and to serve 14:43 and to give and to be humble. 14:45 You can say all of those things, 14:46 and He's going to heal people of diseases. 14:49 He's going to manifest such deception 14:52 that if it were possible, it says in Matthew 24 14:55 even the elect would be deceived. 14:57 And then He's going to say something, 14:59 it's going to make it very clear 15:01 that he is not Christ. 15:04 He's going to say, by the way, I did change the Sabbath day, 15:09 the Bible Sabbath day, the seventh day Sabbath. 15:11 I did change that to the first day of the week. 15:12 I did change that to Sunday, and all these laws, 15:15 and all these restrictions, 15:16 and all these coercions for you to worship 15:20 according to the dictates of the authority of the world 15:22 on Sunday instead of the Sabbath. 15:24 That's all good. That's all right. 15:26 We're going to know right then that this is not Christ 15:29 because he's not speaking in harmony with his word. 15:34 Now there are other ways that we're going to know 15:36 that this is not Christ, but that is going 15:37 to be one of the most significant ways. 15:39 Jesus tells us we need to remember the Sabbath day, 15:42 pray that our fight is not on the winter 15:43 nor on the Sabbath day. 15:45 He's telling us that under the second deception 15:46 because the abomination of desolation 15:48 is going to be put in place of the Sabbath. 15:50 And remember, the abomination of desolation is putting man 15:54 where God should be, man's laws 15:55 where God's law should be, man's counsel, 15:57 man's authority where only the authority 16:00 of God should stand. 16:02 Remember the call in Revelation 14:7 16:04 to worship Him, who made heaven and earth, 16:06 and the seas and the fountains of waters, 16:08 the Lord of the Sabbath. 16:10 And, of course, He tells us over and over again, 16:13 in Genesis, in Exodus, in Deuteronomy, 16:16 that the Sabbath is reminder of His creative powers, 16:19 reminder of His redemptive power, 16:21 it's a sign that He sanctifies us. 16:23 So remember the Sabbath day, 16:25 mark the Sabbath day to keep it holy, 16:27 don't receive the mark of earthly powers 16:30 of earthly authority. 16:31 So Jesus Christ also tells us 16:33 that He's going to return in verse 27 here of Matthew 24, 16:38 he says, "For as lightning comes out of the east, 16:40 and shines even to the west, 16:42 so also shall the coming of the Son of man be." 16:45 Lightning shining from the east to the west. 16:47 That is, everyone is going to see this, you know, 16:50 lightning flashes so fast. 16:53 And you can imagine it flashing from one end 16:55 of the earth to the other end of the earth, 16:56 it's almost going to look like as Jesus 16:58 is circling the earth at His second coming, 17:00 that He's standing still 17:01 because it takes place in less than a second of time. 17:05 And so we're going to see Jesus, every eye, 17:07 we're told in Revelation 1:7, every eye is going to see Him, 17:11 He's going to be able to circle this earth so quickly, 17:13 that looks like He's standing in one place, 17:15 and the whole world is going to see Him at His return. 17:20 But then we're told in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 17:24 excuse me, 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 17:27 we're told what's going to happen 17:28 when Jesus Christ returns. 17:30 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 17:34 talks about the Second Coming of Jesus 17:35 in verses 13, 14, 15, and 16. 17:39 "Don't be ignorant of this, he says, brethren, 17:41 concerning those who have fallen asleep, 17:43 those who have died in Christ." 17:45 Because sleep in the Bible is like unto a death 17:47 and unconscious waiting in the grave 17:50 for the Second Coming, a moment of time, 17:52 when we die, the next thing we know 17:54 is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 17:56 And then it goes on to say, "For this we say unto you," 17:59 verse 15, "by the word of the Lord," 18:01 I love that, "by the word of the Lord," 18:03 not by the word of man, but by the word of the Lord, 18:05 not by the word of a false gospel, 18:07 by the word of the Lord, 18:08 not by the word of a minister of righteousness, 18:10 that's speaking out of harmony with the truth, 18:12 but by the word of the Lord he says, 18:15 "that we which are alive and remain," 18:17 so there'll be some that are alive and remain 18:18 when Jesus comes. 18:20 And I believe perhaps someone listening to this message, 18:22 you're going to be alive because we are inching 18:24 so close to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, 18:27 the signs are fulfilling, "we which are alive and remain 18:30 unto the coming of the Lord 18:31 shall not prevent or go before those who are asleep." 18:34 Those who are laid to rest in Jesus Christ, 18:37 we won't proceed them. 18:38 "For the Lord himself," verse 16, 18:40 "shall descend from heaven with a shout," 18:42 so it's going to be loud, "with a voice of the archangel, 18:45 and with the trump of God, 18:48 and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 18:50 So we are going to know when Jesus comes, 18:52 it's not going to be one person here or one person there. 18:55 Everyone who's died in the Lord 18:57 is going to be resurrected when Jesus comes. 18:59 It's going to be loud, there's going to be a shout, 19:01 there's going to be a trump of the archangel. 19:04 And then it says in verse 17, 19:07 "Then we which are alive and remain 19:10 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, 19:13 to meet the Lord," where? 19:15 "In the air." 19:16 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is very clear, 19:20 the Word of God is very clear. 19:21 If you hear voices telling you 19:23 that Jesus is appeared over here, 19:25 and He's appeared over there, 19:26 and He's in the secret chamber, He's out in that wilderness. 19:28 And He's speaking these amazing words and these amazing truths 19:32 that He shared with us when He was here before 19:33 and He's healing people and by the way, 19:36 He's confirming all of what the authorities say 19:38 about that day of worship that He actually changed it. 19:40 Do not even go, don't even look at it, 19:44 don't even go there because if it were possible, 19:46 the very elect will be deceived 19:47 because you can imagine as majestic being. 19:50 Paul even says in 2 Thessalonians. 19:52 I'm worried about you. 19:54 I'm jealous of you because I'm afraid just like 19:56 Eve was deceived, 19:57 you all be deceived because when Satan comes, 20:00 he comes as an angel of light. 20:02 His ministers are ministers of righteousness, 20:04 and they're preaching Jesus, but it's another Jesus, 20:06 and they're preaching the gospel, 20:07 but it's another gospel, 20:09 and they're preaching the holy spirit, 20:10 but it's another holy spirit. 20:11 So don't even go Jesus says, "Don't even go." 20:13 You're familiar with those words? 20:15 Don't even go. 20:17 It says here in Matthew Chapter 24. 20:21 It says, 20:23 "For there shall rise false Christs, 20:24 and false prophets, and shew great signs and wonders, 20:26 insomuch that it's possible deceive the very elect. 20:29 Behold, I've told you beforehand. 20:30 For when they shall say unto you, Behold, 20:32 he is in the desert, do not go forth. 20:35 Behold, he is in a secret chambers, believe it or not." 20:37 Don't go and don't believe it, right? 20:40 This is what the Word of God is telling us. 20:42 Because in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it says, 20:45 When Jesus actually comes, those resting in Christ, 20:49 all of the faithful that are going to be resurrected. 20:51 So you're going to know, you don't need the news 20:53 to tell you, you don't need someone to tell you, 20:54 you're going to know 'cause everyone's going 20:56 to be resurrected. 20:57 And it says that there's going to be a loud shout, 21:00 and there's going to be the trump 21:01 of the archangel. 21:02 And it says that we are going to meet the Lord not on earth, 21:06 but in the air. 21:08 Jesus is not going to lay His feet on planet earth, 21:10 when Jesus returns, 21:12 we're going to meet Him in the air, 21:14 and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 21:18 So there's no way that you can be deceived 21:20 if you follow the Word of God. 21:22 And that's what we need to do, friends. 21:24 We need to be following the Word of God. 21:26 We need to let the Word of God 21:27 be the foundation for what we believe. 21:29 And as we let the Word of God be our foundation, 21:32 we will not be deceived. 21:35 The only way we can be deceived 21:36 is if we veer from the Word of God. 21:38 Remember, Eve was deceived by the serpent 21:41 because she veered from the Word of God. 21:44 She listened to the words of the serpent, 21:46 and because she listened to the words of the serpent, 21:48 she was deceived. 21:49 We are not even to listen, we are not even to go, 21:51 we're not to believe the words of deception, 21:54 the words that are out of harmony 21:56 with the Word of God. 21:58 Then he goes on to say in verse 28 22:00 of Matthew 24 because we're going 22:01 to continue now and try to finish this up 22:03 this third stage of deception. 22:05 He says, "For wheresoever the carcase is, 22:08 there will the eagles be gathered together. 22:10 Immediately after the tribulation of those days 22:13 the sun shall be darkened, 22:14 and the moon shall not give her light, 22:16 the stars shall fall from heaven, 22:17 and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." 22:19 So going back here to verse 28, when Jesus comes, 22:23 there's going to be a resurrection 22:24 of the faithful who have died in Christ, 22:27 we're going to be caught up with them into the air, 22:29 and all of the wicked are going to be destroyed, 22:32 their carcasses are going to lay on the earth 22:34 unburied because there's not going to be anyone left 22:36 to bury them. 22:37 We're told this in Revelation Chapter 20, 22:39 we're told this all through the Word of God, 22:42 Revelation Chapter 6, 22:44 all of the wicked are going to cry for the rocks 22:45 and mountains to fall on them, 22:47 hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne 22:49 from the wrath of the Lamb. 22:51 Revelation Chapter 20 says 22:52 that all of the wicked are going to be slain 22:54 at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ 22:56 and not resurrected again, until the second resurrection 22:59 of the unrighteous or the wicked. 23:00 And Satan is going to be bound in a chain 23:02 of circumstances on this earth for 1000 years, 23:06 and the saints are going to be with Christ 23:08 in heaven for 1000 years investigating the books, 23:11 looking at the history of this Great Controversy. 23:14 And having all of their questions answered, 23:16 as to why people are there 23:17 and why people are not there, 23:19 every question is going to be answered in that time. 23:21 And so then Jesus goes on to tell about the signs 23:23 of the sun and the moon and the stars, 23:25 these are all signs that preceded 23:27 the Second Coming of Jesus 23:28 or proceed the Second Coming to Jesus. 23:30 And we've seen these signs actually being fulfilled. 23:32 I don't have time to go into that right now. 23:34 And then verse 30, 23:35 "Then shall appear the Son of man in heaven, 23:37 and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 23:39 and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds 23:43 of heaven with power and great glory. 23:46 And he will send his angels 23:47 with a great sound of the trumpet, 23:49 and shall gather together his elect 23:50 from the four corners of the wind, 23:53 from one end of heaven to the other." 23:55 So here are some more signs. 23:57 All the tribes of the earth are going to mourn, 23:59 you know, Jesus doesn't come yet 24:01 if all the tribes of the earth aren't mourning about the scene 24:04 in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, 24:06 and then it says, His angels are going to go out 24:08 and they're going to gather 24:09 from the four corners of the earth, north, south, 24:11 east, and west, all directions of the earth. 24:13 God's people are really gathered up 24:15 to meet Jesus Christ in the air 24:17 as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. 24:21 And then it says in verse 31 of Matthew Chapter 24, 24:26 or verse 32, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree. 24:31 When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth his leaves, 24:34 you know that the summer is near." 24:37 This is where we need to be right now, friends, 24:39 we need to recognize the signs they're indicating 24:43 that the Second Coming of Christ is near. 24:45 We've got to be alert to those signs 24:46 that will be taken unawares. 24:48 And so Christ is saying here in Matthew Chapter 24, 24:51 just like in the springtime 24:54 when the leaves start budding and coming out, 24:56 you know that summer is near, 24:58 just so you could know from the signs 25:00 that My coming is near even at the doors. 25:03 That's what he says here in verse 33. 25:06 "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, 25:09 know that it is near, even at the doors. 25:12 Verily I say unto you," verse 34, 25:13 "this generation shall not pass away, 25:15 till all these things be fulfilled." 25:18 How much time do we have? 25:19 Well, Jesus says, 25:20 "This generation shall not pass away." 25:22 What generation? 25:23 The generation that sees the signs being fulfilled, 25:26 just like in the destruction of Jerusalem 25:28 because remember, this is a dual prophecy, 25:32 the disciples saw the signs being fulfilled, 25:34 they saw the gospel going to all the world, 25:36 they saw wars, rumors of wars, they saw false prophets, 25:39 they saw Jerusalem surrounded with armies, 25:41 and they knew these were the signs 25:42 that Christ had told them about, 25:44 they knew His coming was, 25:45 but the destruction of Jerusalem was near. 25:46 And they fled the city, 25:48 they got out of the city not one Christian lost their lives 25:51 in the destruction of Jerusalem. 25:52 And so it is to be in the end of time, 25:55 we are to know that Christ is near 25:58 by the signs that have been fulfilled. 26:00 And it can be scary. 26:01 I mean, I must admit, 26:03 when you look at what is taking place here in verse 9, 26:05 for example, when all nations hate you, 26:08 and you're afflicted, that word means to pressure, 26:10 when you feel pressured, you're going to get cancelled, 26:13 you're going to lose your job, 26:14 you're not going to be able to support your family, 26:16 you're not going to be able to pay your mortgage, 26:18 that pressure that's coming against you, 26:20 and you're hated of all nations, you know, 26:22 those of us who are not compliant or responsible 26:24 for X, Y, and Z because we're not compliant, 26:27 people hate us 26:28 when we are standing up for Christ's name, 26:31 for God's name, for the love of God, 26:33 for the liberty of conscience, 26:34 for the freedom for the principles, 26:36 the lamb like principles identified in that beast 26:38 that is now transitioning into a dragon like voice, 26:41 it's going to be hard for us. 26:43 But we need to lift up our heads, 26:44 we need to know that our redemption draws nigh, 26:46 we need to know that these are the very things 26:48 that tell us that Christ is near even at the doors. 26:52 So God is calling us now to understand this parable, 26:56 the parable of the fig tree to recognize 26:58 that these things are about to be fulfilled. 27:01 "Verily," He says in verse 34, "I say unto you, 27:04 This generational shall not pass, 27:05 till all these things be fulfilled. 27:07 Heaven and earth shall pass away," verse 35, 27:09 "but my word shall not pass away." 27:11 And then He gives us some more details about 27:13 what's going to be happening leading up to the end of time. 27:16 And these details are really significant. 27:18 Okay, he says, 27:20 "But of the day and hour knoweth no man, 27:24 no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." 27:27 So one of the details we need to recognize here 27:29 is we can't set a time 27:32 for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 27:34 As soon as someone sets a date, as soon as someone tells you, 27:36 He's coming in this month, in this year, 27:38 as soon as you hear that, let me tell you right now, 27:41 according to the Word of God, 27:43 that that is a false prophecy. 27:45 It's a false prediction because Jesus says, 27:47 "We cannot know the day and we cannot know the hour 27:49 of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ." 27:51 Many goes on, He says this. 27:53 "But as it was in the days of Noah," verse 37, 27:56 "so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 27:59 For as in the days of Noah," 28:00 verse 38, "that were before the flood 28:02 they were eating and drinking, 28:04 and marrying and giving in marriage, 28:06 until the day that Noah entered into the ark." 28:08 Does that sound like a description 28:10 of what's happening in our world today? 28:12 As it was in the days of Noah, 28:13 they were eating and drinking and marrying 28:16 and giving in marriage. 28:18 This is exactly what we see in our society today, 28:20 in our world today. 28:22 In fact, we find that liberty of conscience is threatened 28:26 by people who are more concerned about eating 28:29 and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage 28:31 about public access, 28:33 about their life just going on as normal. 28:35 They're more concerned about that 28:37 than they are about their liberty, 28:38 about their liberty of conscience, 28:39 about the freedom, the principles of freedom 28:41 that make this world what it is today. 28:44 And so we lose that we lose everything. 28:48 But according to Matthew Chapter 24, 28:50 a lot of people are going to be so consumed 28:52 with eating and drinking and marrying 28:54 and giving in marriage, they really don't care 28:56 about the restrictions that are coming 28:57 about the affliction, that is coming about 28:59 the pressure that is coming for God's namesake, 29:01 the principles of freedom and liberty 29:04 that lay the foundation of the principle of love, 29:08 which is, of course, 29:10 the revelation of God's character. 29:11 God is love. 1 John 4:8. 29:15 And that goes on to say, in verse 39, 29:18 "They eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. 29:20 And knew not till the flood came, 29:22 and took them all the way so also shall be the coming 29:27 of the Son of man." 29:28 So they didn't know, they didn't understand. 29:30 They weren't aware, they could have been aware, 29:31 but they were not aware until the flood came 29:34 and took them all away. 29:36 Then he says, "Two will be in the field, 29:38 one shall be taken, and the other left," verse 40. 29:40 Verse 41, "Two women shall be grinding at the mill, 29:43 one shall be taken, and the other left. 29:45 Watch therefore, for you do not know what our, 29:48 your Lord does come. 29:51 But know this, that the Goodman of the house 29:54 had known in what watch the thief would have come, 29:58 he would have watched, 30:00 and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 30:03 Therefore be also ready for in such an hour 30:07 as ye think not the Son of man comes." 30:10 All right, so we find now the reason 30:13 why Jesus Christ has told us 30:15 that we don't know the day and we don't know the hour. 30:17 Why? 30:18 Because we will have a false preparation. 30:20 You know, if you know what's going to happen, 30:22 you're going to be ready when it happens, 30:24 or you're going to pretend to be ready or prepared 30:26 to be ready when you happen, but you're not going to have 30:28 necessarily a heart readiness or a heart preparation. 30:32 And so what Jesus is telling us here's the reason 30:33 why we don't know the day and the hour 30:35 is because we need to be always ready. 30:37 We need to be always focused and connected with Christ. 30:41 We don't want to fall into the amusements, 30:44 the eating and drinking and marrying 30:46 and giving in marriage of the world. 30:47 Now let me just clarify here. It's great for us to eat. 30:49 It's great for us to drink, and it's fine for us, 30:52 fine and dandy for us to marry, but not in abandonment of God 30:56 and the principles of truth 30:58 that lay the foundation for eating and drinking 31:00 and marrying and giving in marriage. 31:01 This isn't eating and drinking and marrying 31:03 and giving in marriage that is completely out of harmony 31:06 with the Word of God, 31:07 you know what I'm talking about because we are there, 31:11 we have eating and drinking and marrying 31:13 and giving in marriage that are out of harmony 31:14 with the principles of God's Word. 31:17 That's the society we're living in today. 31:20 And God is warning us away from this kind of a society. 31:23 And then He directs us 31:24 to where we need to be in the context 31:27 of the title of our message today. 31:29 And the title of our message today again 31:30 is Faithful Service. 31:32 Here it comes. 31:33 These are the key verses 31:34 that we need to look at faithful service. 31:36 Then it says in verse 45, "Who then is a faithful 31:40 and wise servant, 31:42 whom his lord has made ruler over his household, 31:46 to give them meat in due season? 31:50 Blessed is that servant, whom when his Lord cometh 31:54 will find him so doing. 31:55 Verily I say unto you, that he will make him ruler 31:58 over all his goods." 32:01 This is where we need to be right now. 32:02 God is calling us to be faithful servants 32:06 to be faithful in our service to God, 32:09 faithful in giving meat in due season, 32:12 faithful in sharing with others the truths of God's Word. 32:17 This is talking spiritually now. 32:18 This isn't talking about literal food, 32:20 this is talking about spiritual food. 32:22 Pastors, teachers, preachers, Christians, 32:26 letting their light shine, standing up for the principles 32:29 of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 32:30 standing up for the principles of love, 32:32 standing up for the principles of liberty 32:34 because with the Spirit of the Lord 32:36 is there is liberty. 32:38 Freedom of conscience, that's what this country 32:41 of the United States of America is all about. 32:42 We are a Christian nation. 32:45 And the reason why we're a Christian nation 32:46 is not because we are Christians, 32:49 and no other religion is allowed in this country. 32:51 The reason why we're a Christian nation 32:53 is because Christianity allows freedom of choice 32:57 and freedom of religion for all other faiths. 33:00 And that's why America becomes the boiling pot 33:03 because if you're an American, you can be an atheist, 33:05 if you're an American, you can be a Muslim, 33:06 if you're an American, you can be a Hindu, 33:08 if you're an American, you can be a Buddhist, 33:09 if you're an American, you can be a Christian, 33:11 if you're an American, you can be an agnostic. 33:12 That's what Christian principles 33:14 are really all about. 33:16 That's what those two principles are at least one 33:18 of those two principles, those lamb like principles 33:21 are really telling us 33:22 religious liberty for all faiths. 33:26 We don't have to worry about being in a country 33:28 where if you're a Hindu, you're persecuted by Muslims. 33:31 If you're a Muslim, you're persecuted by Hindus, 33:33 or if you're a Christian, you're persecuted by Muslims, 33:35 or Hindus. 33:37 We live in a country where there's freedom 33:40 to worship God, according to the conscience. 33:42 In fact, we live in a country 33:44 where if you're not a Christian, 33:45 you still have the freedom not to be a Christian. 33:47 And that's the point. 33:48 That is why this country is a Christian nation. 33:52 It's not because we have one religion, 33:53 we force upon everyone else. We're Christians and that's it. 33:56 Christianity in its Protestant form at least 34:00 allows for that liberty, that freedom for others 34:03 who may not agree with your faith or your persuasion, 34:05 or may not believe in God at all. 34:07 And that's the point. 34:09 And we don't want to move away from that, 34:10 you know, there are some people who say, 34:11 "Well, I don't want this to be a Christian nation at all." 34:14 When you take away the Christian principle 34:16 of liberty from this country, and you are restricting 34:20 the freedom for everyone else, 34:22 not just for Christians. 34:23 So true Christian principles allows 34:26 that freedom of conscience for all other faiths. 34:29 And we see this in the context of Matthew 24, 34:33 we're faithful servants, 34:35 we're giving meat in due season, 34:36 we're sharing these principles of God's love, 34:38 of God's character, of God's kingdom. 34:41 Jesus Christ came and He preached the gospel. 34:42 He never forced anyone to believe. 34:44 He never coerced anyone, and Jesus Christ and religion 34:47 of Jesus Christ, as Jimmy Carter once said, 34:51 "Never persecuted anyone." 34:53 And that is the difference we see right now 34:55 between God's people and the evil servant. 34:58 Notice what it says here in Matthew 24 35:00 and going on here in verse 48. 35:05 "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 35:10 My lord delays his coming." 35:12 Notice, he's saying it in his heart, 35:14 not outwardly, he's still a servant, 35:15 but he's an evil servant. 35:17 Well, how do we know? 35:19 How to differentiate between a faithful servant 35:22 and evil servant? 35:23 Well, let's keep reading here. 35:25 "If that evil servant shall say in his heart, 35:26 My lord delayeth his coming. 35:27 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, 35:29 and to eat and drink with the drunken. 35:32 The lord of that servant shall come in a day 35:34 when he looks not for him, and in an hour he is not aware, 35:36 and cut him asunder, 35:37 and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, 35:40 there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 35:43 That's how we can know. 35:44 The way we can know that this is an evil servant 35:46 is because he's not being faithful 35:48 to give meat in due season. 35:51 He's eating and drinking with drinking with the drunken. 35:54 In fact, there's a really clear understanding 35:56 of what it means to be an evil servant 35:58 in the context of the New Testament. 36:00 1 Timothy 6:10. 36:04 1 Timothy 6:10. Here's what it says. 36:08 It says, "The love of money is the root of all evil. 36:13 The love of money is the root of all evil." 36:16 1 Timothy 6:10. 36:18 So when Jesus identifies this evil servant, 36:20 He's identifying a servant, 36:22 whose heart has left off the principles of the gospel, 36:28 the principles of liberty and freedom of conscience 36:30 because of the love of money. 36:32 Love of money has replaced the love of the truth. 36:36 Money has become more important in this evil servant's heart 36:40 than anything else than liberty of conscience 36:43 than the truths of God's Word. 36:45 They're more concerned about their job. 36:46 They're more concerned about their occupation. 36:47 They're more concerned about their temporal assets 36:49 than they are about the truth of God's Word. 36:52 God's people have always had to let go of things earthly. 36:56 Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24, He said, 36:58 "Don't go back for your cloak, don't go back for your cloak. 37:00 Leave it." God's people have always had to let go 37:03 of things earthly, 37:04 hold them with a loose grip because if you don't, 37:09 they will possess you instead of you possessing them. 37:13 They will take control of your life 37:15 instead of you controlling them. 37:17 Yes, wealth and riches are from the Lord, 37:20 God gives them to people to use for the advancement 37:22 of His kingdom to us as faithful stewards. 37:25 But if they control you, 37:26 and they cause you to compromise the truths, 37:30 if you're more afraid of losing your job, 37:32 you're more afraid of losing your income, 37:33 more afraid of losing your retirement, 37:34 more afraid of losing your assets 37:36 than you are of the Lord, 37:38 of fearing the Lord with a godly fear, 37:40 with a reverential fearing, following His word, 37:43 then you are going to become this evil servant. 37:45 And it says here you're going to smite your fellow servants. 37:48 And that word smite is really interesting 37:50 because it correlates 37:52 with what we've been learning here in the context 37:55 of Matthew Chapter 24. 37:58 What we've been learning here in the context 37:59 of Matthew Chapter 24 is the attitude, 38:02 the spirit that God's people have versus the spirit 38:06 that the evil servants have. 38:08 And this word here in actually, 38:12 there's a couple of words here that we want to look at. 38:13 The first one is smite, it means to thump, to pummel, 38:18 by repeated blows, 38:19 or by implication to punish 38:21 figuratively to offend the conscience. 38:26 And that is exactly 38:28 how we can differentiate 38:29 between the faithful and the evil servant. 38:31 The evil servant is willing to smite 38:33 and pummel with repeated blows, 38:35 is willing to offend the conscience of others. 38:38 That's what we see taking place in our world today. 38:40 It's an issue of religious freedom 38:43 of liberty of conscience, 38:44 and the evil servant doesn't see it that way. 38:46 Why? 38:48 Because at the core value of the evil servant is money, 38:50 the love of money, 38:51 there's nothing wrong with money, 38:52 but the love of money is the root of all evil. 38:57 You follow the money and you find the root of all evil, 39:00 the Bible is telling us in 1 Timothy 6:10. 39:04 And so the evil servant is not a hypocrite, 39:07 the evil servant doesn't say outwardly 39:08 My lord delays his coming. 39:10 The evil servant believes in the second coming, 39:11 he believes in the advent of Jesus Christ, 39:12 he's an advent believer, but in his heart, 39:16 by his actions, by his thoughts, his attitude, 39:20 he believes that the coming of Jesus Christ 39:22 has been delayed. 39:23 And he reveals this in the way 39:25 that he treats his fellow servants, 39:27 in the way that he pummels their conscience, 39:29 in the way he refuses to recognize and respect 39:32 their conscientious convictions. 39:34 And that's why I said to you earlier, 39:36 and I want to say it again, 39:37 the issue that we're facing right now in our world 39:40 is not about being vaccinated or not being vaccinated. 39:43 I have friends, I have co-workers that are vaccinated, 39:46 and I have friends and co-workers 39:47 that aren't vaccinated. 39:48 I support both of those choices. 39:50 The issue is mandates 39:52 and whether you're vaccinated or not vaccinated, 39:55 we need to stand together against mandates, 39:58 against coercion, against the principles 40:00 that undermine liberty of conscience 40:03 against mandates and coercion and force 40:07 that undermine the freedom 40:10 to walk according to your conscience. 40:12 And that's what we see taking place 40:14 in our world right now in stage one 40:16 of the three stages of deception. 40:18 And so it's important to be faithful servants. 40:21 It's important for us, 40:22 even if we disagree with somebody, 40:23 even if we don't see things the same way, 40:25 it's important for us to respect 40:27 their choices to respect their decisions, 40:30 it's important for us to give them that freedom 40:32 and not to be an evil servant, 40:34 that because of the love of money, 40:36 pummels the conscience, 40:38 and the conscientious convictions of other people, 40:40 you know, cancels them. 40:42 That's this kind of society we live in today, we cancel, 40:44 we criticize, we blame. 40:45 This is all the spirit of the dragon 40:48 in Revelation Chapter 12. 40:50 Again, he deceives a third of the angels, 40:52 verse 3, and then he deceives the whole world, 40:55 verses 5 and 6. 40:56 And then we have in Revelation 12:10, 40:59 he's an accuser who accuses God's people day and night. 41:03 And then we have in Revelation 12:17, 41:05 he's angry with a woman, 41:07 he wants to goes to make war with her seed, 41:09 who keep the commandments of God, 41:11 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 41:13 So we need to recognize that the principles of the dragon 41:17 and the principles of the lamb, 41:18 and they're in conflict, 41:20 they've always been in conflict. 41:21 Even among professed followers of Jesus 41:23 we have this manifestation of the wrong principles. 41:27 Cain with his brother Abel professed to worship God. 41:31 He had an altar, just like Abel had an altar, 41:33 he made a sacrifice just like Abel made a sacrifice. 41:36 But the sacrifice of Abel was pointing to the lamb, 41:40 putting his trust in Christ, 41:42 the lamb like principles of freedom, 41:43 the sacrifice of Cain were his own works, 41:46 his own righteousness, I'm good enough, 41:48 I'm righteous enough, I can earn my way. 41:50 And what Cain did to Abel is exactly 41:53 what we see taking place in Matthew Chapter 24 41:55 because Abel stood to, looking toward the lamb 41:58 trusting the lamb. 42:00 Cain slew his brother. 42:02 He afflicted his brother, he slew his brother. 42:04 And that's the same thing we see outlined here 42:07 in Matthew Chapter 24. 42:08 That's how you can know. 42:09 If you're an evil servant, 42:11 or if you're a faithful servant, 42:12 how do you relate to your fellow servants? 42:14 Do you accuse them? Do you condemn them? 42:17 Are you seeking to pummel them again and again, 42:19 to pummel their conscience or do you respect them? 42:21 And you respect their conscience 42:22 and you respect their choice. 42:24 That is so important for us in these last days, 42:27 when the Bible has clearly laid out for us 42:30 in Revelation Chapter 13, 16, 19, and 20 42:33 and Matthew Chapter 24. 42:34 And then we've got the Book of Daniel, of course, 42:36 all these little, you know, snippets, 42:38 like 2 Corinthians Chapter 11 and 2 Peter Chapter 3, 42:41 and Jude, one chapter there's only 42:43 and 2 Peter 3 and 4, 42:45 God has clearly laid out for us, 42:47 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 42:49 and 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 42:50 exactly how it's going to go down at the end of time. 42:53 And we need to be faithful to give meat in due season, 42:57 to be studying the Word of God filled with the Holy Spirit, 43:00 preaching Jesus, 43:01 and preaching the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 43:03 His righteousness is our salvation, 43:06 His life, His death, 43:07 everything accomplished in Christ. 43:10 And because we accept that, 43:11 and because we love God, we walk in His ways. 43:14 We love Him, and we keep His commandments 43:16 not to be saved, but because we are saved 43:18 by the life and death of Jesus Christ. 43:20 And in the last day, Satan's going to come 43:22 against those people with multiple forces, 43:27 deception of every kind, 43:29 you know, you're going to have civil deception, 43:30 you're going to have spiritual deception, 43:32 you're going to have families 43:33 and friends are going to be divided. 43:35 And that's what we see taking place right now. 43:37 We're moving into this last stage of deception. 43:42 So Matthew Chapter 24. 43:43 Again, "The evil servant says in his heart, 43:46 the Lord delays his coming." 43:48 Doesn't say it outwardly, but he says in his heart, 43:50 and he begins to eat and drink with the drunken, 43:55 that is to have social fellowship, 43:57 to have more in common to work together 44:00 with those people who are not really in harmony 44:02 with God and with God's principles and God's Word. 44:06 We see this over and over again, 44:07 this drunkenness 44:09 and there's a spiritual application to this 44:11 because we're told in Revelation 17:2, 44:13 that the kings of the earth are made drunk 44:16 with a woman or a church in the last days. 44:19 We're told in Revelation 17:6, 44:22 the woman, the church is drunken 44:24 with the blood of the saints. 44:25 So there's the persecution, then we're told in Revelation, 44:28 or excuse me, in Matthew 25:50, 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5, 44:34 all of these texts talk about being drunk 44:36 and living in the night and not in the day, 44:38 and then Matthew 25:51, 44:41 where a portion with the hypocrites 44:42 because we're just acting, 44:44 and so we're a portion with the actors, 44:46 we're pretending to be Christ's faithful servants, 44:48 but are we His faithful servants? 44:50 This is the question we need to ask ourselves. 44:53 How can we know if we're God's faithful servants? 44:55 Well, we need to go back now 44:56 to our verses in Matthew Chapter 25. 44:59 You know, we're entering into a New Year. 45:02 And in this New Year, we can make a new beginning. 45:05 And the new beginning that God is calling us to make 45:08 is to examine ourselves 45:09 and make sure 2 Corinthians 13:5 45:11 that we are in the faith that we are faithful servants. 45:16 So how can we know that we are faithful servants? 45:19 Let's just take a look at the verses again. 45:21 Matthew 24:45. 45:25 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant." 45:28 Who is the faithful and wise servant? 45:30 That's the question that's being asked. 45:31 Who is this faithful and wise servant? 45:32 And that's the answer that we want to find. 45:34 "Who is the faithful and wise servant, 45:36 whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, 45:39 to give them meat in due season? 45:42 Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord 45:44 when he comes shall find him so doing." 45:47 So we need to ask the question who is the faithful servant? 45:49 And the context of this question says 45:52 that this servant has been made a ruler over his household. 45:57 Now that word household means attendance, 46:02 especially medical attendance or medical cure, 46:05 and figuratively or collectively. 46:07 And it comes from a root word, 46:09 which basically means to relieve of disease. 46:13 So there are two ways that we can relieve of disease. 46:16 There's spiritual disease, and there's physical disease. 46:19 And God is basically saying, you know, the wise servant, 46:21 the faithful servant are going to be healing, 46:24 they're going to be relieving the maladies that curing people 46:27 of their physical diseases 46:29 and of their spiritual diseases. 46:31 That's what we're going to see in the end of time. 46:32 That's what's going to differentiate 46:34 God's faithful servants from the rest of the world. 46:37 We are going to want to learn 46:40 how to help people physically 46:41 and how to help people spiritually. 46:44 And one of the ways that we can help people physically, 46:47 one of the ways that we can help people 46:48 with disease physically is the basic principles 46:53 of natural health, the eight laws of health. 46:56 I like the acronym NEWSTART 46:59 because it helps me to remember these eight basic principles, 47:02 nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, 47:07 air, fresh air, rest, 47:09 and trust in God, NEWSTART. 47:14 These are the principles that can really help us 47:17 to fight disease, they help us to build 47:19 a strong immune system, and our immune system 47:22 is what we need to fight disease. 47:24 This is a vital part 47:27 of the everlasting gospel message to the world 47:29 because we're told in Revelation 14:7, 47:31 "To fear God and give glory to Him." 47:33 And in 1 Corinthians 10:31, we're told that, 47:36 "Whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, 47:39 we should do all to the glory of God." 47:43 So our bodies and not just our spiritual mindsets 47:48 are to be dedicated to God. 47:51 Romans 12:1, 47:53 "Be not conformed to this world, 47:54 but be transformed by the renewing of your heart, 47:56 that you may present your body as a living sacrifice, 47:59 a living sacrifice to God." 48:01 And God has given us these principles, 48:03 NEWSTART principles 48:05 that can develop a strong immune system. 48:06 I've been following these principles now for 37 years, 48:10 and they've really helped me to stay strong and healthy 48:13 and to overcome disease. 48:15 And I believe that they will help you to overcome disease. 48:18 In fact, I believe this is a vital part 48:20 of the three angels' messages, kind of like the right arm 48:24 to this everlasting gospel message 48:26 because when you're healthy, and God wants us to prosper 48:28 and be in good health, when you're healthy, 48:31 then your mind can discern and understand much better 48:34 than if you're unhealthy, 48:37 and even many times more unhealthy, 48:38 we're drummed up because we want a drug, 48:40 we want a pill to deal with our pains and our weaknesses. 48:45 And so we take these drugs, and they affect our minds, 48:47 and we can't see clearly, we can't understand clearly, 48:49 we can't discern the Word of God as we ought to. 48:53 So part of this character recognition 48:57 of faithful servants in the end of time, 48:59 is that they're going to be helping people, 49:02 attending to people medically, and helping them 49:04 with medical cures, 49:06 they're going to be relieving disease. 49:09 And one of the ways we do that as individuals 49:12 is through the eight doctors. 49:14 If we would follow those eight doctors, 49:16 we many times wouldn't need a medical doctor. 49:19 Now there are going to be times when we're going 49:21 to need a medical doctor, I've gone to medical doctor, 49:22 I've been under the knife, I've had an operation. 49:26 And I've gotten an arm that was broken fixed. 49:28 There are times when we're going to need 49:29 the basic medical care that this world has to offer. 49:34 But then there are other times 49:35 when we really need lifestyle change. 49:38 And my wife works 49:39 as a registered dietician nutritionist 49:44 in functional medicine and helps a lot of people 49:46 with these lifestyle changes 49:48 that can really strengthen our immune system 49:50 and keep us strong in the end of time. 49:52 So that's what we see taking place here 49:54 in Matthew Chapter 24. 49:55 We see a combination of faithfulness 50:00 to the principles that God has given us. 50:03 Now this is a New Year. 50:04 And we're, you know, so used to this idea 50:06 of New Year's resolutions, 50:09 one of the New Year resolutions that I would like to make 50:11 is I want to get more exercise. 50:13 I feel like I travel so much, I feel like I'm always sitting 50:15 and I try to walk when I'm in airports. 50:17 And even when I'm at home, I try to take a little break 50:20 every 30 minutes or an hour 50:22 and just go for a little walk around the property, 50:24 whatever, it's really important that we get exercise, 50:28 it's really important that we get fresh air and sunshine, 50:31 that the message of health is not just about what we eat, 50:35 is just one of the principles. 50:37 The message of health is water and temperance and sunshine 50:40 and fresh air and exercise and trust in divine power 50:43 to take away that anxiety because many times 50:45 if you think negatively, 50:47 you're going to be impacted negatively. 50:49 God wants us to think positively. 50:51 And He wants us to think positively about our health. 50:54 So I want to appeal to you now, 50:55 it's really time for us to take inventory 51:01 of where we are spiritually and physically. 51:04 In this New Year, 51:06 what about making a decision to start walking every day, 51:11 just for five minutes, 51:13 make a goal to walk two miles a day. 51:16 But if you can't do two miles a day, 51:17 start with 100 yards, 51:20 start with a walk around the house, 51:22 wherever you are, whatever your situation is, 51:24 start with just a little bit of a walk, 51:26 perhaps you can do it 51:27 when you go to the grocery store, 51:28 you know how it is when you get into the parking lot 51:30 and you want to park as close to the store as possible. 51:32 Make it a habit to park 51:36 as far away from the store doors 51:38 as possible, park at the end of the parking lot. 51:41 And that's going to benefit you in more than one way, 51:42 it's going to give you a little bit more exercise. 51:45 And it's going to keep those dings off your door. 51:47 You know, when other cars are opening the doors 51:49 and dinging into your, you're going to be ding free 51:51 and you're going to be exercising more. 51:54 We need to look for opportunities to exercise, 51:58 opportunities to strengthen our health, 52:01 make some decisions about the things that you're eating, 52:03 make some decisions about how much fresh air 52:05 and sunshine you get, 52:07 make some decisions about getting off the couch. 52:09 I have at my house, I have a standing desk, 52:12 a desk that can lower and I can sit down 52:15 or can raise up and stand, they're not very expensive. 52:18 And they are worth it 52:19 because standing is the new smoking, 52:22 oh, excuse me, sitting is the new smoking. 52:24 Standing is really good for us, sitting is not good for us. 52:27 And so think about these principles, 52:29 these health principles that you can incorporate 52:32 because we're going to need them 52:33 as we move toward the end of time. 52:35 I believe that we're going to need 52:37 to have strong immune systems 52:39 to deal with those things that are coming down the road. 52:41 Now Matthew Chapter 24 doesn't talk about this, 52:43 but Revelation Chapters 15 and 16 52:46 does talks about the seven last plagues, 52:48 it talks about all kinds of things that are going 52:50 to be taking place in the end of time. 52:52 I'm sorry, Matthew 24 also talks about them. 52:54 Matthew 24:6-7 talks about pestilence, famines, 52:59 wars and rumors of war, 53:00 but pestilence is infectious contagious disease, 53:02 and that's what we're facing right now. 53:04 So it's in Matthew 24 also, as well as in Revelation. 53:07 We need strong immune systems, 53:08 and God wants to give us that strong immune system 53:11 so we can stand in the end of time. 53:14 Daniel also experienced this. 53:16 And we talked about this earlier, 53:17 Daniel had a powerful choice to make in relationship 53:21 to the health principles that God wanted him to follow. 53:24 And when he made that choice for God, 53:27 God honored that choice and blessed him. 53:29 And I'm praying that in this New Year, 53:31 you'll make a choice for God that God can honor and bless, 53:34 not just a physical choice, 53:36 not just about these eight natural laws, 53:38 but I want you to consider making a spiritual choice. 53:41 You know, a lot of us, me included, 53:43 will spend some time in the Word of God as believers. 53:45 You know, we read a Bible verse, 53:47 we spend some time in prayer, 53:48 and then we go on about our business. 53:50 But really, God wants to dwell with us continually. 53:53 That's that daily that's taken away. 53:56 Has Satan taken that away from your life? 53:58 Has he taken away from your heart? 54:00 Do you spend a little bit of time in the Word of God 54:02 or just go to church once a week, 54:03 or once a month, but you don't really saturate yourself 54:06 with the love of God? 54:08 And maybe that's why you feel fearful. 54:09 Maybe that's why you feel anxious 54:11 about what's taking place in the world today. 54:13 God wants to fill you up with His love. 54:15 He wants to fill you up with His Spirit. 54:17 He points us to Bible verses that direct us to the path 54:22 or route that our quarterback wants us to take. 54:25 One of those Bible verses is Revelation 14:4. 54:29 It talks there in the contrast to the mark of the beast 54:31 being enforced and no man can buy or sell 54:34 and their lives are threatened. 54:35 It talks there about a people that are identified 54:38 as with a number, the 144,000. 54:42 That's the number of the redeemed and it says, 54:44 "These people follow the Lamb where ever He goes." 54:47 That's Revelation 14:4, they're just following Jesus. 54:50 You know, the disciples follow Jesus. 54:52 They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 54:54 Revelation Chapter 12 identifies Michael standing up, 54:59 probation closing, a time of trouble 55:01 such as never was comes. 55:03 And it says everyone that is written in the book 55:06 is going to be delivered. 55:07 Well, what book is that? Is that the church book? 55:10 No, those aren't any kind of human books. 55:13 Those aren't any kind of books that we have on planet earth. 55:16 That is the heavenly role. That's the Lamb's Book of Life. 55:19 And we're told in Malachi 3:15-16 55:23 exactly how it is. 55:24 They're going to have our names written in that book. 55:27 It says there in Malachi Chapter 3, 55:29 that, you know, now we call the proud, happy, 55:31 everything's turned upside down. 55:33 And then it says, "Then they that feared the Lord 55:36 spoke often one to another, 55:39 and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, 55:41 and a book of remembrance was written for them 55:43 that fear the Lord, and thought upon his name." 55:47 Malachi 3:15, 16, 17, 18 55:50 tell us that we're going to be His jewels in that day 55:53 that He's going to deliver us in that day 55:55 because we think upon the name of the Lord, 55:57 we talk about the Lord, we behold the Lord. 56:00 And because of that, we're transformed into His image. 56:04 In Daniel 12:2 it says 56:06 that God's people are going to shine 56:08 as the stars forever and ever, 56:10 they that lead many to righteousness. 56:12 Well, Jesus Christ is our righteousness. 56:14 He's the Lord our righteousness, 56:15 we're told in Jeremiah Chapter 23. 56:17 And so those who lead people to righteousness 56:20 are those who lead people to Jesus. 56:22 When you contemplate Christ, when you follow Christ, 56:24 when you talk about Christ, 56:26 you're going to be consumed with Jesus Christ. 56:30 That's what's going to ooze out of you. 56:33 That's what's going to overflow from you. 56:36 When you're filled with the Spirit of God, 56:37 Jesus says, "I'm going to send My Holy Spirit. 56:39 And when He comes, He's going to testify of Me. 56:41 He's going to talk about Me." 56:43 And so when we're filled with that Holy Spirit 56:45 that talks about Jesus, 56:46 guess what we're going to be doing? 56:47 We're going to be talking about Jesus. 56:49 We live in tremendous times. 56:50 It's difficult, it's challenging. 56:52 We have a lot of pressure coming on us from the world. 56:55 People, politicians, 56:56 leaders think they're doing the right thing, 56:58 but they're not necessarily in harmony 57:00 with the Word of God. 57:01 They're not necessarily following the principles 57:03 of God's Word. 57:04 God needs to give us wisdom, 57:05 tact, He needs us to be wise as serpents 57:08 and harmless as doves. 57:10 He needs us to stand for the principles of His Word. 57:13 And He needs us to encourage others who are down, 57:15 who are struggling, 57:17 who are disheartened to feed them, to nurture them, 57:19 to share these same principles with them. 57:21 So my appeal to you friends is in this New Year, 57:23 let's do just that. 57:25 Let's be among those faithful servants 57:27 giving meat in due season. 57:29 In Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2022-02-21