Transcription
I was dead in trespasses and sins. I wasn't looking for you, but you raised me from the dead. You came to me. We have nothing to glory in, Jesus. You did it all. You are our everything. So I pray from my heart, Lord, that you'll help me preach today and you'll help us listen today and you'll cause us all to leave here stronger in the faith of Christ. In your name we pray. Amen.
Let's read together before you're seated. I want to go to Acts chapter 1. We'll begin with verse nine. You ready? Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven."
Hallelujah. Same Jesus coming back to the same spot from which he left. You can be seated. [snorts] Isn't that a great passage of scripture?
[snorts] While they were gazing as Jesus ascended, two men, two angels stood by them in white apparel and said, "What are you staring at? You act as if he's gone. Oh, this same Jesus. He's coming back just the way he left. He's coming again."
Now, I know that through the years and in church vernacular, how should I say, uh, church jargon, you know, in our church talk, we say things we don't really think through. And, and one of those things is, "He could come today." Why? I've said it myself. I grew up listening to preachers say, "He could come today." The fact of the matter is he can't come today. We're talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. But lots of things have to happen before he actually steps his foot back on the Mount of Olives.
One of those things that that glares at us in scripture is the tribulation. Seven years where the wrath of Almighty God is being poured out on the Jewish people for their rejection of Christ. He prophesied in the book of Zechariah that only Onethird of the entire Jewish population will survive. God's wrath is being poured out. Seven years. For you who know the scriptures, it's called Daniel's 70th week, the last seven years of the time appointed to the Jewish people. And then of course God's wrath being poured out on humankind in general for having rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. The kindest gift, the greatest gift God ever offered was his own son and this world simply rejected it.
So because of that seven years of anguish which which will include a man of sin being brought to the stage of this world. He called the antichrist, the man of sin, uh, the son of predition. He's the ultimate deceiver. He's Satan in a body. And he will come to the stage of this world and have a kind of effect mental and spiritual, even physical effect that we can't even imagine.
Now you know, um, as I'm being discreet now, I have seen something in my lifetime in the last, especially last three weeks in this country that I've never seen in my life. I have never seen one man change the whole world. Affect the whole world. The whole world is coming to kiss his ring. He's changing everything. I've never seen that. It's a a profound uh thing that that alls me.
But just think when the church is gone from this world and this man of sin comes to the four, when evil has complete control and darkness is as dark as it can get and there is no good left, no spiritual good, think of the confusion. In the latter times some will depart from the faith. Think of it. The whole world will be deceived by his signs and wonders and miracles. The whole world will eventually cave in. Many will call him God. He will demand to be worshiped as God. We haven't seen that yet.
Jesus will not come back until the man of sin, the antichrist, comes to the world. We know that during the seven-year tribulation, judgments are poured out. Seven seals are broken. Each time it's incrementally worse on the world. Seven trumpets are blown. Increasingly horrible things happening in nature. Seven bowls are poured out. Indescribable agony in this world, in the human race, like we cannot explain or understand coming on this earth.
That all has to happen before Jesus sets his foot on the Mount of Olives the second time. A temple has to be rebuilt. A temple into which this antichrist will parade one day and sit down and declare that he is God above all gods. That has to happen before the true and living Jesus comes back to this earth. And don't forget about Armageddon. Armageddon when the nations who have been deceived by the antichrist gather themselves in the valley of Armageddon, the valley of Jehoshaphat, the va the valley of judgment. When God says in the Old Testament prophets, I will gather the nations, they don't just decide to come. I will bring them in for judgment and I will pour my wrath upon them. This is the battle of Armageddon. This is the battle that Jesus will end. This is the battle that Jesus will win. But all these things have to happen.
But the most important thing I want to say to you this morning has to do with the the part of this prophecy that affects you and me right now. And it's called the rapture of the church.
The great disappearance. This was revealed to Paul. This was not mentioned in the Old Testament. The Lord taught Paul about this. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord. This was something God gave Paul to tell the church that there will be a moment and we don't know when.
That's why I I preach with such seriousness of heart. I'm aggressive when I preach. I'm passionate because even in the words of Jesus, he tells us we are to live expectantly. Never get loose or lax. Don't Don't relax. Don't give in. Don't feel secure. Don't take your eyes off the clouds. Because in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man could appear. He's coming as a thief in the night. And so, we're all always to be on our toes, spiritually alert and awake. We're never to think we have a year left. Well, we're not even supposed to think we got a week left or a day. I It could happen today. But we are never to make so many plans that we forget that Jesus Christ is going to interrupt history at any moment. Nobody knows when.
In fact, one of the gospels says that not even the son himself knows. The father has reserved this appointed time to tell Jesus when he is to come back and get his chosen ones, his bride.
And so what must be preached and what you must be reminded of constantly is something that was taught since the early days of the apostles that there's going to come a time when Jesus Christ will come and gather his bride, his people for himself. When I turn over to First Thessalonians, I read this thing about the church. Now, keep in mind, before Antichrist, before seals, BS, trumpets, Armageddon, anything else, we have to be removed.
We are the light of the world. We're the salt of the earth. Paul refers to the church. That's who we are. I just got excited there. He's talking about us. [laughter]
We who got happy this morning about the blood of Jesus. We who said, "Magnify the Lord with me." He's talking about us.
None of this can happen until we're gone. This restraining force, this preserving factor called the body of Christ, the church of the living God, holds back evil, holds back darkness. That's why we've got to keep preaching, praying, praising, glorifying, living a life for Christ to get the job done. Because there's going to be a day when the last person coming into the body will indeed do that. And when that happens, a trumpet's going to sound and we'll be out of here. [applause]
Hallelujah. Now, when I talk about the church, and I do a lot, and I have a lot lately, I'm talking about something, as I said, that was not known in the Old Testament. It was a revelation to Paul about a people that God would call for himself. Special people. Oh, Israel's still special. The church did not take Israel's place. God is still in uh the the the hearts and minds and of of Israel. And Israel's still in the plan of God. Oh, no. We didn't take Israel's place. God says, "I've got an even more special family made up of Jews and Gentiles who believe in my son, Jesus, the Messiah."
And so, we are referred to in scripture as the church, as the chosen. Wow. We got chosen.
Now this is where I have to really exercise restraint because when I think where I came from, when I think that God in his grace and mercy picked out my parents and their parents and picked out my birthplace and the school I'd go to. I'm talking to everybody. When you think back and you look at the trek of your life, you can know this. God chose you. God brought you every step of the way. And do be reminded, you did not choose him. He chose you. You didn't have enough sense to choose him. You were so dead you couldn't choose. A dead man cannot RAISE HIMSELF. A BLIND MAN CANNOT heal himself. It takes a healer. IT TAKES A RESURRECTION POWER. IT TAKES A LIVING GOD TO RAISE THAT WHICH IS DEAD. AND HE DID IT. AND HE CHOSE YOU. AND HE CHOSE ME. [screaming]
AND I'M THANKFUL FOR IT IN THE HOUSE OF GOD THIS MORNING. OH, help me. And I I I NEED TO TELL YOU, chosen people don't always choose the right things, BUT WE'RE STILL CHOSEN. THAT WAS GOOD RIGHT THERE. I DON'T ALWAYS CHOOSE THE RIGHT ANSWER OR THE RIGHT ACTION OR THE RIGHT THING. BUT BUT THANK GOD MY BAD CHOICES DO NOT DISQUALIFY ME FROM BEING CHOSEN BY GOD. [applause] WHOA.
We're also referred to as the elect. Elect of God. That means God in his mercy because of his sovereignty, no other reason. THERE IS NO OTHER REASON. God just laid his hand on me and you the way he did Israel. He said, "I didn't choose you because you were the strongest and the best and the richest and the smartest. In fact, I chose you because you were none of that."
So, here we sit today. Not many of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouths, but all of us were born in sin, but God who is rich in mercy.
Oh my, rich in mercy. And you hath he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. You used to walk according to the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. But God who is rich in mercy reached way down and picked you way up and here you sit today clapping your hands, singing songs.
They're dead out there. They could care less about a risen Jesus. They got a football game on their mind. They got gambling on their mind and LIQUOR AND ALL KINDS OF SINFUL STUFF. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE AFTER. BUT LOOK, LOOK WHAT THE REDEEMED ARE AFTER. WE WANT JESUS. MORE OF JESUS. CALL OF JESUS. IT'S PROOF. WE'VE BEEN ELECTED, CHOSEN, CALLED, SAVED. WE ARE THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD. [applause]
That's what God's been doing since the day of Pentecost, putting a new people together, a redeemed people. Over in Acts chapter 15, this is this is what Paul says about Peter's ministry. Simon, excuse [clears throat] me, Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. God decided to choose a people, all colors, kinds, classes, male and female. [clears throat] Elect them, choose them, redeem them, a people for his name. So I refer again to Revelation chapter 5 where the multitudes innumerable masses are gathered around the throne of God and they sing a new song. You are worthy to take the scroll and loose the seals. For you were slain, and you have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. And you have made us, listen, us, a kingdom of priests. That means we can talk to God anytime we want to. And we shall reign on the earth. Did you hear that? We are the people of God. We are going to reign with Christ on the earth. We are a kingdom of priests. [snorts] Meaning we have full, free, constant access to God. We can go in and out of the holy place, the most holy place. Why? Because we've been made righteous by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. And we've been made accepted in the beloved. Meaning God says because of his son in me, I can walk through his door any time.
Oh man, I'm am I going to be the only one today? But here's how good God is. When the rapture takes place, when this people who've been called out for his name. When the last person gets saved and the Holy Spirit empowers the church to meet the Lord in the clouds. He's not coming back to earth. Then we'll meet him in the clouds. It'll happen in a moment before you can bat your eye. We will blink and we will see him. It's not going to be an evolution, a gradual thing. We will just blink and there's Jesus with open arms.
And we love him because he first loved us. He loved me before I knew how to love him. He taught me how to love him. He loved me while I was still a sinner, lost. He loved me and gave himself for me. And so when we are called out and suddenly the darkness and the deception and the damnation and condemnation slapped together and suddenly the world is in ensconced in pure total immoral vile godless degradation. God is still a good God.
Because I read that during the tribulation period. An angel, chapter 14 of Revelation, I I I don't get all this. I I believe it. I don't understand it. I preach it. An angel is going to fly through the skies with the message of the gospel of the kingdom preaching the to the entire world THAT THIS BLACK DARKNESS IS NOT GOING TO LAST. A KING IS COMING.
A world leader is coming. And that angel is reminding people who are hopeless and living with uh soores and boils and death and darkness and disease. You may have missed the rapture, but the king is coming. You may not ever have a glorified body like his, but you can be a saved person in a nation and you can go into the kingdom. God's a good God. Not only that, but I read in Revelation 11 that God raises up two witnesses with powerful preaching ability and anointing who can who can make it rain or make it stop raining. And they are there to say that there is still a God in heaven. And they will preach. And the Bible says when they have finished their ministry, he will allow Antichrist, Satan, to kill them and they will lie in the streets for three days and the whole world will see it. This is not new. I'm just reviewing. Remember, there was a day when we would not know what was going on in Jerusalem from here. But all you got to do is pull out your phone, I'm not fussing, I'm preaching. Pull pull out your phone, your iPad, whatever you got. You can find a live picture of Jerusalem right now sitting in that pew. That's right.
I tell you, technology has come a long way. And it will be this technology that allows the whole world to see TWO PROPHETS, TWO ANOINTED MEN OF GOD HAVING been murdered, lying in the streets for three days. And while they're lighting lying there, THEY'RE GIVING GIFTS to one another. Kings are praising one another. Isn't this great? THEY'RE HAVING CHRISTMAS WITH GOD'S PROPHETS LAYING ON THE GROUND. BUT AFTER THREE DAYS, [snorts] THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL ENTER them and they will STAND UP AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SEE THEM stand up. IT'S THE GOODNESS OF GOD SAYING YOU CAN'T KILL WHAT GOD HAS BLESSED. YOU CAN'T CURSE WHAT GOD HAS BLESSED. [applause]
And they will watch these two prophets rise into the heavens. What a testimony. What a great God that will allow people in gross darkness to see this kind of thing and still have hope. And then the Bible says that God will raise up 144,000 Jewish preachers, spiritfilled Jewish preachers to cover the earth with the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Don't tell me God is not patient and long-suffering. Oh friend, when angels preach it in the sky and prophets preach it on the earth and 144,000 preach it all around the globe. God is a good God.
But that will only last until the end of the seven years. And this is how the Bible says it's going to conclude. Jesus was teaching this in Matthew 24. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come. Then the end will come.
Therefore, if they say to you, "Look, he is in the desert," don't go out there. Or if they say, "Look, he's in the inner rooms," don't believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus is saying, "I'm not coming secretly. I you don't have to try to find me out in the desert behind a rock somewhere with a little group of people. I'm not in an inner chamber. He said, "My coming will be open and the whole world will see it."
I know some of you came from churches that taught that the coming of Jesus is really when one gets saved. And some of you came from churches that don't believe in the rapture. You don't believe in the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. I don't know what why in the world would anybody have any hope when we don't have a hope that Christ is coming to get us. It's a sad religion is a sad thing. You take God's son out of it. You take God's truth out of it. You make it a religious thing. You make it a denominational thing and you just take all the joy out of the whole message.
But Jesus said, "When I come, every eye will see me, even those who have pierced me, even those who have crucified me. And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
Then, yes sir, the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven. Oh there's a lot of discussion about it. I read all the books. People say I wonder what the sign is. Will it be a big c? What? One commentator said it'll be a big burning cross up in the sky. Others have SAID OTHER THINGS. LET ME TELL YOU WHAT THE SIGN OF THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN IS. THE SON OF [screaming] MAN. the son of man. [applause]
WHAT OTHER SIGN DO YOU WANT? HOW BIG CAN THE SIGN BE? IT'S JESUS SITTING ON A WHITE HORSE FOLLOWED BY 10,000 OF HIS SAINTS COMING BACK TO FIX THIS THING AND BE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. [applause] [applause]
Then comes the end. I love it. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. We're wanting him to come back. Come, Lord Jesus. Come take your bride away. Can't wait.
But then the tribes of the earth will mourn because he's coming back. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. And they will gather together his elect from the four winds from the end one end of heaven to the other.
His remnant, Jewish remnant that will be saved, his elect, those gentile believers who will endure the the wrath of the antichrist and make it through the tribulation. He's going to send an angel and gather all of them together. Folks, it's going to be a great gathering day.
We're going to gather with Christ in heaven. Then we're coming back with him and he's going to gather his people. And then the Lord Jesus is going to clean the place up. And what a mess he's got.
You know, he's going to sit down on a throne and he's going to put sheep on his right hand and goats to the left. And we all know that that means goats, hard-headed, stubborn, who will not conform, who have rejected his son, he will cast into outer darkness.
But those nations, even though they missed the rapture, they came to the knowledge, they listened to the witnesses, they listened to the 144,000, they listened to the angel, they believed, they stood up. He will say, "Come, you blessed of my father. Come into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
And Jesus will start his thousand-year reign with these nations. And we will reign. We will reign with him. And for the next 1,000 years, we and our Lord are going to rebuild this place.
Think about it. the the entire geography of the world is going to be changed. Jerusalem is going to I've told you before by some type of geog uh earthquake pushed so high that it can be seen from mountains and from that mountain the law of the Lord will go forth. Jesus will have his throne room and his residence on top of that that mountain. And the Bible says the nations will come and worship him annually. The nations will come and he will solve their problems. I wish I could find what I trying to preach right here. The nations will still run into difficulties, but they will go to Jerusalem and Jesus will solve their problems for them because he is the king. He is Lord over all. And for 1,000 years, Jesus is going to reign and rebuild this earth.
So when I tell you this is serious, here's another thing Paul said. Listen very carefully if you would. [sighs] Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you.
I'm going to stop and put my finger there because I like that verse. Might read it again because I'm still I'm I'm saved. I'm elect. I'm a saint but I'm still human and I got a little revenge in me.
Oh yeah. I think every Hamas ought to be shot dead. Didn't sound very Christian, did it? No. I could go on and on and on. I I'm not I'm not wallowing in the love that I'm supposed to be in because when I see injustice and I it looks like people are getting away with stuff.
Let me just remind you it's a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. Very just just everybody listen very carefully. Listen to me online. Nobody's going to get away with it.
You're not going to get away with it. Time may have passed and people may have forgotten, but God wrote it down. You're not going to get away with it. You can go back to the earliest days of history. You can go back to the worst days of the history of this country. Nobody's going to get away with anything. The Lord sees it all. The Lord has a file on it all. The Lord forgets nothing except sins that are confessed and repented of. [applause] [applause]
But tribulation and retribution are coming, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes in that day.
Let me explain something to you. In liberal churches that have abandoned the gospel where pulpits are full of preachers preaching everything but the cross of Jesus Christ, Paul said, "I've determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ AND HIM CRUCIFIED."
PAUL NEVER preached about social justice or injustice or racial equality or human rights OR THE CONSTITUTION. PAUL DIDN'T WASTE HIS TIME ON that stuff. He preached the Lord Jesus Christ. But churches are preaching that foolishness today. And when you preach that, you don't preach the justice of God.
You hear me? God is a just God. Oh, he's a God of love. And they make God to be out some out to be some fat sniveling old man who just people just don't like him and he hurts his feelings.
Don't you ever see God that way? God just watching. And God is good and God is patient and God is not willing that any should perish and God has done everything he can do to get everybody in the kingdom that there will be a day when God WILL SAY THAT'S IT.
And this loving God who sent his own son [clears throat] is going to turn into a God of wrath and justice. And I'm telling every one of you because I'm a preacher and I love your soul. And I'm telling you who are watching because I'm a preacher and I love your soul. Do not play around with God. Do not overemphasize the love of God and the mercy of God and forget that God is a just and holy God and he demands that sins be paid for. You will either pay for it by faith in his son or you will pay for it in the fires of hell.
That's what the Bible says. So when I tell you brothers and sisters, we mean well, but it's wrong to say he could come today. No, he can't come today, but we can go today. [applause]
And you don't know when you don't know when your time to go will arrive. There's a great possibility that somebody in this congregation today won't be here next week. And I don't mean you're somewhere else uh in town. You won't be on this earth. There's a great possibility that somebody watching me on that screen right there will step into eternity this week. This is the truth. This is nothing to play with.
And I just want you to understand once you come to Christ, he takes care of all these sins that burden you and shackle you.
Jesus said, "He that believes on the Son has life, has passed from death unto life, and will not come into the judgment." If you've believed on Jesus, you don't have to worry about tribulation, seals, trumpets, bows, antichrist, boils, heat, nothing because he's already paid the price for you. [applause] And Paul said it time and time again, he has delivered us from the wrath to come. Tribulation is wrath, but we've been delivered from the wrath to come through the blood of Jesus.
Now, I'm going to say this because I'm a desperate man. I was in a conversation this week with believers and I was reminded that of of someone I know, someone I know personally, who has decided and and this person was involved in church, this church heavily, greatly, but through circumstances, you know, we we can use any excuse we want. He he is out now. He's he's uh clubbing. He's bar hopping. He's sleeping around. You know, one thing calls for another. You don't just do one thing. It just gets gradually worse.
And someone who loves his soul told him he was wrong. He said, "Oh, no. I'm still saved." He said, "Once saved, always saved." Okay, I don't disagree with that.
But once you get saved, you'll leave a barroom. You won't chase women or men. You won't lie and steal. You won't live a homosexual lifestyle. Oh, I BELIEVE ONCE GOD SAVES YOU, he puts his Holy Spirit inside you.
But pastor, I'm doing those things. I'm a prodigal. What if I'm just a prodigal? What if this is true? Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness. Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him. Little children, let no one deceive you.
See, there are a lot of people who've been deceived into thinking that once you get saved, it doesn't matter how you live after you got saved. You Is everybody hearing me? Do you hear me? I'm not I don't want to sound bossy. I'm serious. Do you hear me? People use that excuse ALL THE TIME.
WELL, glory to God. Once saved, always saved. But once you get saved, you walk in newness of life. You walk in the power of the spirit. He said, "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous. But he who sins is of the devil. For the devil has sinned from the beginning."
For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works OF THE DEVIL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN SIN. THE GRACE OF GOD, THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THE SPIRIT FROM HEAVEN WILL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO LIVE RIGHT, WALK RIGHT, TALK RIGHT. Whoever has been born of God does not sin. For his seed, his children remain in him. And he cannot sin, cannot practice it, cannot live in it because he has been born of God. Hallelujah. [applause] [applause]
So, since this might be might be my last sermon, I could be the one gone next week. I'm going to make sure I get it right. I don't want anybody here or there to be deceived into thinking that you can sin, practice sin, live in sin, and still be saved. Those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Here's the great thing about this service right now before the rapture takes place in the midst of God's people. Every sin you've ever committed could be obliterated and erased from your life. And you don't have to keep faking it. You don't have to keep trying to live a dual life. You can walk out of here today clean, forgiven, and accepted by God through Christ.
Did I tell the truth? Stand with me, please. [snorts]
Now, some of you don't look so happy right now. I did I preach too long or is it or it's a little hot? We're getting new air conditioners, so if you can just hang on a little while. Yeah, we're getting some new chillers.
But I want to tell you the the best news you will ever hear, ever. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
There is no sin his blood cannot cover. There is no transgression he cannot forgive. And whatever you've done, if you bring it to him, he'll handle it from there on out.
So, here's what I'd like to do before we even sing. Since we're in the body and we could be gone this week, anybody want to go?
But, pastor, don't you want to see your grandkids with? No. Wouldn't you like to visit? No. Just one MORE TIME, PASTOR. NO, I WANT TO GO. I'M READY TO GO. I'M READY TO GO.
ANYBODY WANT TO GO? [applause] TAKE YOUR HANDS AND BLESS THE LORD FOR THE HOPE THAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS. Go ahead. [music]
Hallelujah. Again, which is Wednesday night, I suppose. Look around. Just look around. [music]
It could be that the next time you look at these people, they won't have on the clothes they've got on now. They could be arrayed in fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. It could be that the next time you open your eyes, you won't see me standing here, [music] but you'll see him who loved us and gave himself for us. I'm ready to go.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength, my redeemer. Amen.