Responding to Troubled Times
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· 23 viewsRaising up the awareness of God's people during these last few weeks and how to respond to these events.
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Introduction
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Current Events
Current Events
Barcelona Terror Attack: 13 Dead, Dozens Injured
THU, AUG 17
A terrorist drove a rental van onto the sidewalk along Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas on Thursday, the latest in a series of low-tech terror attacks on European cities.
Tension Between North Korea and the U.S. Heightens With Joint Military Drills
SUN, AUG 20
Relations between North Korea and the U.S. continue to be strained, with Kim Jong Un’s plan for possible retaliation against the American territory of Guam still on the table and new North Korean propaganda showing the U.S. capitol hit by missiles.
Rally of white nationalists and supremacists at the University of Virginia that turned into a “tragic, tragic weekend.”
THU, AUG 17
LEFT: Chanting, “White lives matter!” “You will not replace us!” and “Jews will not replace us!” several hundred white nationalists and white supremacists marched Friday as part of a Unite the Right rally at the University of Virginia that resulted in violence and three deaths the next day. RIGHT: Members of the Black Lives Matter movement stage a counter-protest at the rally on Saturday. (Photos by Evelyn Hockstein for The Washington Post)
A terrorist drove a rental van onto the sidewalk along Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas on Thursday, the latest in a series of low-tech terror attacks on European cities.
These are troubled times, what does the Bible tells us about it:
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Jesus told them, “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. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
And how do we respond to this, my proposal:
My proposal:
I. Don’t be misled
II. Don’t be alarmed
III. Understanding God’s Agenda
Let’s Pray
Before we go to the points, I want us to understand two things, first that these verses are NOT JUST A REMINDER for us to be careful and not to be misled, not only a reminder that there will be rumors of war, by the way it’s not rumor anymore because it already happened and it is happening all around us, this verse is a WARNING.
Reminder - just tells you that you have to remember something, it just make you think like “Oh I remember now” you know, it’s just like passively or in passing you were being reminded of something or someone.
Warning - on the other hand, is like a message informing of a danger to come, it makes you alert. You are not just passively being aware of it, but it makes your whole being in a verge of stressful state to the point of wailing!
Again, the Bible says -
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. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
As we continue, I want you to think about these following questions:
Reminder is like thosre billboard that you pass by, saying things about some product, they remind you to buy. warning is lie
How do we look at things happening now all around us?
Are we affected?
If we are, what do we do about it?
I. Don’t be misled
I. Don’t be misled
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
So heres the scenario, they came from a gathering, He talked about the temple buildings being torn down His disciples were in a state of shock and bewilderment because they figured out it was about His second coming and the end of age and then He said, “watch out that no one mislead you! What’s that suppose to mean?
Matthew 24:4-5
So heres the scenario, they came from a gathering, He talked about the temple buildings being torn down His disciples were in a state of shock and bewilderment because they figured out it was about His second coming and the end of age and then He said, “watch out that no one mislead you! What’s that suppose to mean?
It’s like the disciples were saying “whoah, this dude is crazy, He’s scaring us!! Now He talks about destruction, and probably annihilation!
That’s what the disciples were thinking, but check it out, that’s why they asked,
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Matthew 24:3
So heres the scenario, they came from a gathering, He talked about the temple buildings being torn down His disciples were in a state of shock and bewilderment because they figured out it was about His second coming and the end of age and then He said, “watch out that no one mislead you! What’s that suppose to mean?
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
So heres the scenario, they came from a gathering, He talked about the temple buildings being torn down His disciples were in a state of shock and bewilderment because they figured out it was about His second coming and the end of age and then He said, “watch out that no one mislead you! What’s that suppose to mean?
Yes it’s about the second coming, yes it’s about the end of age, but why talk about someone misleading you?
Have you ever experienced that after hearing somebody talked about what they believe in, it was very inviting that it made you have second thoughts about your own belief? Sometimes it’s not really recognizable at first because of the way they present it, that’s why people are easily attracted to it.
Before when we hear this warning, we immediately think of other religions that contradicts what the Bible teaches about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the Biblical doctrines, but today the enemy is now using what we believe in and twisting it, now it’s really hard to draw the line unless you are really grounded in the scriptures what is lurking inside the church now is called “Progressive Christianity” it’s another topic but,
Alisa Childers, who began researching on this said:
Identifying the signs is not always obvious—sometimes they are subtle and mixed with a lot of truth. Progressive Christianity can be persuasive and enticing, but carried out to its logical end, it is an assault on the foundational framework of Christianity, leaving it disarmed of its saving power.
Why do you think this is important? Why did Christ started off with this, it’s very easy just to say “there’s a war and you be ready”!!! Again, the situation here is He was talking to His disciples, those who believe Him. I believe Jesus was not so much concern about how to handle wars, rumor of wars, earthquakes, etc. He was so much concern about their Christian life!! He knows that even the ones who are really steadily serving Him might one day be led astray, He knows that even the elect will be deceived.
That’s why I believe the church was not just raised up to start programs and activities that fills in the yearly calendar. It’s not about stuffing ourselves with “things to do” and when we do those things “religiously” we feel a sense of accomplishment in our Christian lives. NOPE!
We are called to share the Light
We are called to witness what Jesus has done.
And that ONLY HAPPENS
when we study His word
When we practice it in our lives and when we share it to others.
When we keep on seeking Him, His presence.
If we crowd our lives with activities that gives us a sense of accomplishment, and that’s what we’ll get, a “sense” of accomplishment and people will say “good job”!!!
Why not desire for what will the Lord will say “....well done my good and faithful servant”!!!
Desire for God’s approval...
Don’t settle for anything else....
If we do this, if we have this mindset, looking for God’s approval instead of man, then we are in a state where we are conscious of our walk with the Lord and we are being seen as serious follower of Christ.
Tell me, who are the ones being troubled and restless about this major occurrences now? Those who don’t have Christ! Ask about the Christians, you will even hear them say.. Lord Jesus come!!! That’s why only those who are in love with the Lord Jesus, those who daily seek His presence is not being alarmed with what’s happening around.
II. Don’t be alarmed
II. Don’t be alarmed
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. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Now Jesus when He said “you will hear of wars and rumors of war, see to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, He is now addressing the disciples’ question, He wants to make sure first that they understood what is to be well founded and established in their faith. Now that He said that, He breaks the news....there will be wars and rumors of war.
He is now addressing the disciples’ question, He wants to make sure first that they understood what is to be well founded and established in their faith. Now that He said that, He breaks the news....there will be wars and rumors of war.
Ok Jesus was kinda asking them
“where are you right now in your walk,
where are you, are you secured?
Are you stable?
Are you sure you are in solid ground?
‘Cause when this comes down, when things happen, this is much much more than a problem of not being able to pay your monthly bill, this is much more than missing a complete meal in the table 3 time a day, this is much more than not having something to wear, ‘cause when this hits you, you won’t able to stand up, you won’t have a roof to cover your head, when this happens you will breath in radioactive fumes, when this happens you will only be the one left standing, all your love ones dead, are you sure you are ready?
Jesus is painting a grim picture of what to come.
The phrase “don’t panic” in another translation is rendered as “make sure” in greek it means “hor-a-o” which means :
To see with the mind, to perceive.
Jesus was telling them how things to come, looks like,
He was telling them how things will get worse.
[Go back and mention the introduction.....
[Mention the 3rd Jihad......there is one even more pressing concern and the government is not even lifting a finger to address the problem. I’m talking about the Radical Islams. In 1988, the FBI discovered a secret Muslim Brotherhood document which laid out their plans to replace the Constitution with Islamic Sharia law. The Sharia Law is As a legal system, Sharia law is exceptionally broad. While other legal codes regulate public behavior, Sharia law regulates public behavior, private behavior, and even private beliefs. When this implemented and I’m telling you now, their main belief is to kill the infidels, and to them the infidels are those who are not muslims. That’s us Christians, the Buddhists, name it, anything or anyone who is not a follower of Mohamed.
The document stated that "The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers..
And part of our scripture today says:
“Yes these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately…”
Whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not, this things WILL NOT ONLY HAPPEN…the Bible says .. these things MUST TAKE PLACE. - in the original language it says - IT IS NECESSARY!!
So, in our human tendency, our immediate question is - IS THERE ANOTHER WAY OUT? There is none - it will definitely come to pass.
What we should be doing is....
III. Understand God’s Agenda
III. Understand God’s Agenda
Matthew 24:3-
Matthew 24:3-14
Matthew 24:3-14
What is God’s plan in relation to what’s happening around us?
Where to we fit in all of this things?
In understanding God’s agenda we must have:
The Mind of Christ
We must be in tune with God in order to know His heart, His will, His plan and purpose.
In short, we should have a relationship with the Lord.
Now, why do we have to understand God’s agenda, from the sequence of what we have studying, Jesus Christ wasn’t hesitant to let them know what’s coming .... (the ugliness...
but He made sure first about their standing with regards to their faith because I believe up until that moment He’s kinda telling them, “YOU OUGHT TO BE SURE ABOUT WHAT YOU FULLY KNOW ABOUT ME RIGHT NOW, ‘CAUSE YOU WILL BE THE ONES WHOSE GONNA START TELLING THIS, TELLING OTHERS ABOUT MY SAVING GRACE!!
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.
And not ALL will understand this, not all will come to the saving grace of God, because it clearly says - “so that he may give eternal life to EVERYONE YOU HAVE GIVEN HIM.
The word “to everyone” in greek means individually.
This is where we come in, this is why with what is happening around us, if we understand, really understand our walk with Christ, it should all the more fuel our passion to share His saving grace.
This
We don’t know when He’l come, but there are signs, evident signs about His 2nd coming that is why we have to share the gift of salvation.
To whom?
TO EVERYONE!! JUST SHARE IT!!! The Lord knows who will be saved, the Lord knows who are His.
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
For us probably our only “hint” is that if the person accepts Christ as we share the gospel. But it is not for us to choose whom to share the gospel, we share it to everybody regardless.
Last Friday, we kinda talked about the same thing in our LIFE Group (recognize the Enriqueze’s) How to share that the Kingdom of God is near, we mentioned that:
It might be hard
We’ll experience humiliation,
We’ll be rejected
Some might call us insane.
Sometimes we’ll even come to a point were we’ll argue with ourselves, “why do I have to do this.?
Again folks, this is not about us, this is about the Christ is us, it’s about our Lord Jesus!!!
People will say, there is no God, to the point of denying His power!
People will deny His influence through the founding fathers of this nation, banning His name on school campuses.
But whenever calamity strikes, where can we find those who denies Jesus? They’re in churches again or for thats their first time going in a church.
The Bible says in:
Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!
The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one!
To recap, what God wants us to understand again today is:
Let’s be more dedicated in immersing ourselves in studying His word, let’s want more of Him, for this will ensure us that we are in solid ground when it comes to our faith in Jesus.
By so doing, And we will be ready for whatever comes, not with prideful attitude because we know better than others, but with a humble heart, with a thankful heart, because we took time to strengthen our walk with Christ.
As we strengthen our understanding about the Lord through His words, we will all the more understand His agenda, His plan better. We will discover new powerful insights from the Lord that will better equip us to do His ministry.
,
THU, AUG 17
A terrorist drove a rental van onto the sidewalk along Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas on Thursday, the latest in a series of low-tech terror attacks on European cities.