Follow Me 5.21.23

Followers Follow Me May 21, 2023 (Mark 13:1-13)-Adam Coach As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls. Jesus replied, "Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!" Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?" Jesus replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah. They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And EVERYONE WILL HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FOLLOWERS. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Good morning and welcome to Lake Erie Church! This weekend marks the four year anniversary of the first Sunday, Shelley came to be your pastors. If you were here, you may recall that our title at the time was "interim" and we did not anticipate that we would remain beyond the summer-however, you guys are like chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe! Now it's already 4 years. PRAYER Introduction: You and I are living in the most unique of times. Evil is increasing everywhere-the result of sin, sinful choices and evil desires now are creating a world that is killing itself in the streets, and become more and more hostile to questions of morality, holiness and righteousness. If there is any good news it is in the fact that Jesus told us this is exactly what it will be in the final hours before the coming of the Lord. I believe we are living in the final moments of life on this earth as we know it. It is altogether possible that Jesus may return before this service is concluded, before this day is over, before you go to bed tonight...that's how close I believe we are to the coming of the Lord. * Spiritually, our world is now more secular, believes far less in God, and is more hostile to faith o (Rachel's teacher)..this was evidenced to me recently when one of the young women in our church sent out some fund raising letters to her teachers and got back a scathing "rebuke" that basically considers any request for money to do ministry as offensive and suggested that the young woman would be advised to be more respectful of people who may not have the same religious conviction. The response was filled with vitriol and reminded me of what Jesus said "...they will hate you because you are my followers..." * Economically, the financial landscape is so volatile that a few banks get into trouble and the markets crash, runaway inflation, it cannot be long before someone is going to propose a one-world monetary system that will include what Biblical prophecy called "the mark of the beast." * Prophetically, the nation of Israel is now surrounded on all sides by its enemies, China and Russia are aligned, Iran is agreed to Russian military might-how long before there is an attack on Israel that brings Armageddon to occur? America, once the beacon of faith and hope, a country founded on Judea-Christian principles no longer acknowledges God, and the moral quagmire is so disgusting that TV is almost unwatchable, schools are overrun with political agendas and families are broken. (only a very small percentage of children in our GMELC have both biological parents involved) These are the LAST DAYS. Which makes the understanding of what it means to be a FOLLOWER of Jesus very important, in my view and this passage especially important to understand what will happen to those who faithfully and fully devote themselves to Jesus as followers. Look back at the things Jesus said... * You'll start noticing some signs...wars (Ukraine, Sudan, NKorea is itching for a fight, Israel/Arab conflict), widespread massive earthquakes and famines, drought... * You will be accused and brought before civic and religious leaders BECAUSE you are my followers o We have known very little religious persecution in America but that is changing-laws and regulations about faith practice are being altered (in the name of equality and fairness) to strip away many of the religious freedoms we have known. * We don't pray in schools anymore. * We cannot pray at public sporting events. * Religious discourse in the marketplace is discouraged-"you have your faith, I have my faith and so you cannot talk about your faith without discounting mine." o There is only ONE FAITH. With growing persecution, every follower of Jesus will be forced to answer the question--Is following Jesus worth it? (Muslim girl) Followers Of Jesus Must Be Prepared To Endure Hardship * Following Jesus means hardship is not only a possibility, but a guarantee. (James 1:12) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. * Something good happens to us when we suffer-and I know that sound weird but if we didn't have trials and temptations, some of us would never pray! * Everything we treasure about Jesus, everything we hold dear about our faith came to us in the hardest places of our life. o We learn to value God's Word. o We learn to appreciate God's faithfulness o We learn our security is in His love. * When we live in prosperity, we take these things for granted. * Hardship produces something in us... (Romans 5:3-5) More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Deuteronomy 8:2) Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Is He worth all that hardships? Followers Recognize The World Will Not Accept You * When you truly know Jesus Christ, it's hard to fathom how others won't receive him and his followers. * Jesus did not shield us from this sobering reality... (John 15:18) If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first * The truth is if you are not serving the Lord, you are working against Him. (Lake County Commissioners) * As a follower of Jesus, don't be surprised or alarmed if you find yourself in situations of persecution, misunderstanding, condemnation, unacceptance, hostility, and oppression. (2 Timothy 3:12) All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. * Every Christian sooner or later will endure persecution. o Persecution refers to harm deliberately inflicted by people who oppose the truth. o There are many other forms of persecution... * Physical violence (Egypt Christians beheaded) * Legal or financial pressures: Christians have lost their jobs, taken pay cuts, been demoted (or not promoted), failed in school, sued in court, or harassed by police. * Loss of property or possessions. * Threat and intimidation: (My grandfather) * Verbal abuse: Christians have been mocked, slandered, falsely accused, lied about, cursed and called nasty names. Some try to trap us or twist our words. The purpose is to shame or embarrass us, make us feel guilty, or discredit us before others. * Social ostracizing: Friends, family members, or loved ones may refuse to associate with us. * Too many of us think the Christian life is easy. Jesus warned us... A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. (I Peter 3:13-17) Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! Conclusion: Everything in your life comes down to what you do with Jesus! Do you believe He is the Son of God? Will you stake your life on that conviction? Is your faith that strong? Jesus said some people only worship with their lips because their hearts are not with Him. If you are not fully convinced and willing to go all the way with your faith-then there will always be something to distract you away... Friends Association Money Addiction Will you follow me? (Luke 9:23-24) Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. God I am a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive my sins I choose Jesus