Highlights Of The Olivet Discourse; Matthew 24-25

All right. Welcome to New Grace Baptist Church and it is Sunday June 7th, and we are glad that you're here. And today we want to we want to finish our study on the Olivet discourse and we've been studying this now for well almost 12 weeks, I believe and so today we come to the final message and what I want to do today, and I've title dis highlights of the Olivet discourse Matthew 24 and 25. Remember we've been talkin about that when the disciples came to Jesus and they asked him about the signs of the end times and when when when it was going to be And so what I want to do today is just give you the highlights just the highlights of the Olivet discourse and we're going to quickly go through this. We have a lot to cover it took us 12 weeks to cover and I'm going to try to cover the whole thing. You didn't in one message here today and so highlights of the Olivet discourse Matthew 24 to 25 and mean if you know, if you've ever written a research paper when you want to find the most accurate facts on the way to do that is you need to go to the source. Well, this is Eiffel as they wanted to know about the end times so they went directly to the Lord Jesus and then Matthew chapters 24 and 25 the lord gave them a complete answer and he also offered them kind of a cohesive answer since if you compare this section of scripture was Revelation, you'll see how remarkably they are similar in style. But the Lord had made clear that no one would know the time or the day that Christ is coming back. Not even the angels know only the father knows so no one who claims to have figured out a date of Christ's return knows that for sure and if they do say that then they are not speaking for the Lord at all. So although we can't know the exact time Christ did say that we can listen and that we can watch for certain signs to appear and when we see those signs, then we are going to know that the end is near Indy. So There's going to be a seven-year tribulation. We know that and the events leading up to that time. They're going to be marked by Wars and famine and disease. And the Bible says that these events are kind of got like the birth Pains of a woman getting ready to deliver a baby the pain becomes more intense and more frequent. And that's the way it's going to be as we head toward these last days. These birth pangs are going to become more frequent. So when the Rapture takes place to Christians on Earth was going to go up to meet the Lord in the air that's going to occur before the tribulation and then I meet Lee after that that's what the Bible calls the time of Jacob's trouble starts here on Earth and the Antichrist is he's going to implement a one world government and he's going to be the leader and he's going to set up a covenant with Israel to restore the Jewish sacrifices in the temple. So remember the temple hadn't been built yet, but at some point the temple will be rebuilt. The Antichrist is going to come in and he's going to offer them a peace treaty and said little so you can start your daily sacrifices just like you used to do and then halfway through that agreement. The Antichrist is going to be And then he's going to install himself as the figure to be worship. And that's when the most severe persecution of the Jews that's ever occurred. That's when it will happen. Now, the Jews will reject the Antichrist and the Lord is going to seal a hundred forty-four thousand Jews and they will be 12,000 from each tribe. They will be they'll become Born Again evangelist. They'll preach the good news of the Kingdom to all the lost souls on Earth some will accept the truth. But those who do will suffer persecution too many of them will be martyred for their faith. And then at the end of seven years Christ is going to return the Bible says in glory and that's when he sets up his Thousand-Year reign of righteousness honor and that's called the millennial. In Christ shared all this information with his disciples and he shares it with us so that we can understand and know how to live in the end time. So what I want to start with today is I want to give you the 10 signs that we need to be looking for today and I would cover this and when we first started the Olivet discourse, but they are 10 signs here and I have them here on a slide and you can see him all there and I want to just briefly go over each one just say a few few things about each one and then we will move on so as the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end of the age he reminded them to be careful. Because he says that the end times will be full of deception and we see this in verse 5 of chapter 24 of Matthew and I look at verse 5. It says for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and she'll deceive many and then the next few verses add that it will be a time of dissension because there's going to be wars and rumors of wars between countries and Kingdom and then it's going to be a time also of Devastation with with famine and disease in kind of disease is kind of like, you know, what we've had now with the coronavirus following the wharf are there and then it's going to be a time of of disaster look at it. If you would in verse 7, it says for nation shall rise against Nation Kingdom against Kingdom and there shall be famines pestilences and earthquake. In various places in King James says in diver places in the says all these are the beginning of Sorrows and then of course living in a corrupt world as it is verse 9 tells us that there will be a time of death look at it in verse 9 then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and she'll kill you and you shall be hated of all Nations for my namesake and then an inverse 10, it says that they'll be a time of disloyalty when many will betray one another look at burst in and then many shall be offended and she'll betray one another and she'll hate one another and so that's part of the signs as well. And then look at verse 11, it tells us that they'll be a time of delusion many false prophets shall rise and she'll deceive many. It's it's interesting that one of the characteristics of the end time false religion will be what the Book of Revelation cause sorceries now what sorceries really means if it comes from the Greek word pharmakeia and best of where we get our English word Pharmacy. So when you when you go to the doctor the doctor will prescribe you medication or drugs and you go to the pharmacy and get it. So when the revelate Book of Revelation causes sorceries, it literally means drug abuse. So we see it even today they're growing drug culture will be part of the delusion that Satan uses to destroy people's live in Venom verse 12. We learned that the end times will be a time of defection look at it in verse 12 and because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold iniquity will abound in the love of men. He's going to wax cold. There's going to be many who claim to be Christians, but because of the intensity of the persecution will find out that they're really not saved at all and then in chapter 24 and inverse 14, it says and this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the End come. So it's going to be a time of Declaration. It's going to be a time of great evangelism. It's going to be a time of great preaching the gospel will be preached in all the world in the Bible says and then the end will come so we think about today how the gospel gets out to all the world end and missionaries and all but the end the the final days cannot come right now because it's going to be a time when God is going to seal a hundred forty-four thousand Jewish evangelist and they going to go throughout the Earth during the tribulation. And they're going to It's the gospel and that's what it says here. It says the gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness. And then only then shall the End come. So these are the 10 signs Jesus gave in the early part of the 24th chapter deception dissension Devastation disease disaster death delusion drugs defection and declaration. Now, if you pay attention to the day's news, you'll see that many of these things are happening today. So these are the birth pains these we can see these things in our culture and society today and you can almost keep a journal if you wanted to to track the progress of their so that's the first 14 verses of Matthew 24 and it sets up the rest of the chapter and chapter 25. So what we see here, we see the 10 signs that I've given you and secondly let's look That's what I call the time of Sorrows know. This is going to take us from Matthew 24:15 251 and it's either going it's going to pick up some stories. Also the Fig Tree and stories like that. So in the second half of chapter 24, Jesus describes a great detail the troubles that will occur during the last half of the tribulation. Now remember the first three and a half years doubt, they'll be some trouble of course, but compared to the last half is going to be kind of a relatively a peaceful time. The Antichrist will usher in the time of Jacob's trouble or the Great Tribulation by presenting himself in the temple to be worshiped and we see that here in verse 15. I look at verse 15. It says we need therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet. So we see here that in the scriptures here all of a sudden the Lord starts talkin about Daniel the Prophet and remember We talked about that the abomination of desolation and when you see him stand in the Holy place, he said whosoever read it, let him understand so Jesus refers to this and even points us to the Book of Daniel in verse 15 here and then it verses 16 through 22 the Lord instructs the people to be very leery during this time, and he warns them that there's going to be a Great Tribulation such as never been seen before and look what he says in verse 21 for then she'll be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time. No nor ever shall be and accept those day should be shortened. There should know / be saved but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. In other words. It's only going to last for three and a half years if it lasted any longer there would be no one left. On Earth so and then Jesus in verses 26 to 28. He reminds his followers not to be fooled by the actions of something. What's going to happen here is Satan is going to send people and he's he's kind of going to try to root out who the Believers are and who the Jews are in who are the unbelievers and he's going to instruct people to make false claims about about Christ and all and look at it in verse 26 wherefore art thou shalt saying to you, but hold his in the desert go not forth the hold he is in the street Chambers believe our secret Chambers believe it not for as a lightning coming from the East and shine. Listen to the West. So she'll the coming of the son of man be so what Jesus is saying if they come to you and say look I seen him on down here to Revival. Meetin. I seen Christ on the street corner. They're just trying to get you out in the open so they can arrest you. He said don't even worry about that. He says when I come back he says everyone is gone. Play eyes on me. Everyone will see me because just as the East is from the west and he says it's going to be lightning and all and and don't be fooled by them for as a lightning coming out to eat and shyness to the West. So also shall the coming of the son of man be friends. When the Lord comes back. You're not going to have to go ask somebody. Have you seen him at know every I will see him and one day every X going to confess that he is the Christ the son of the Living God. So there be no hiding out when Jesus returns. He's going to return in the Clouds of the sky. He's going to return with great power and great Glory. He's going to send his angels ahead of him. There's going to be a mighty trumpet blast and everyone who has survived that most difficult time in the tribulation will see him and then finally Jesus tells a story of a fig tree Story of a fig tree at the illustration of all the signs and just like we can tell that summer is coming when all of a sudden the tree starts putting forth its leaves. Well as we can do that week until the end times are near also when all the events that Christ has a said here start to appear and these events will be full-blown in the tribulation. And they're going to begin to appear even before the 7 year tribulation begin. They will begin to appear in our time and our days and they already have even before the Rapture cursed we will be able to see them there would be signs for us to observe and it's not wrong to be looking for them and to be waiting for the Lord we ought to be observing the signs today. And so that we can intensify our sense of urgency in watching for the Lord's return. So What I would say today is this don't fail to see the signs many Christians day. They aren't looking for the signs. They don't understand how the Bible can be a wonderful interpreter of the newspaper today. If we just read what God says it compared to what the news outlets and what's going on in our world. We can begin to see the leaves on the Fig Tree and this is what Jesus is talking about what am beginning and verse 36 of chapter 24 Jesus tell stories that kind of illustrate the proper response to his teaching here first. He tells the story of Noah and in this is what in this is what he says in in verse 36 and chapter 24, but of that day and hour north no man or the angels of heaven, but my father only but as the Days of Noah were so shall also the coming of the son of man be so the purpose of that story is to help us understand. That when Noah was building his ark the whole world was carrying on just a normal lifestyle just like they were doing in Noah's day. But look at most 38 for in the days that were before the flood. They were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the art. So there's nothing wrong with the eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage that's just normal stuff that we do but the problem was this that no one saw the significance of the ark that Noah was building until it started raining and the door was shut so no I was building this art and some of the people probably never even seen rain and he was talking about rain. He was talkin about judgment and if so, what is this crazy guy doing what's going to be the same way today? No one sees the significance of the world event that's happening right now, and they will not notice it until evil. Starts to rain and then the Lord returns and his door of Grace is shut and it's the same way today people just walk around just doing their normal life. Just living going to work raising her family. Nothing wrong with all that but they're not paying attention to the signs are not paying attention to the evil this into work. They're not paying attention that the Lord has said that he's going to come back. It's just so easy to go through the normal routine of life and miss the significance of the world event in light of God's word. Jesus is warning us not to fall asleep in this world. He saying don't be hypnotized by the routine of life. Just like the people in Noah's day were And so they never heard the greater message of God and one day is going to be too late. Well, Jesus goes on to give admonitions about watching and waiting and telling a story about the wise and faithful servant. So he begins and verse 47 of chapter 24 and he says assuredly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his Goods but if I evil servant says to in his heart by Masters delaying his coming begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and an hour that he is not aware of. So in other words don't fool yourself into thinking that Jesus is not going to return Now listen carefully it's easy to forget about Jesus's return and maybe to even think that well since he hadn't been around in about 2,000 years just perhaps maybe he will never return and all these years have passed and he still hasn't returned. So how do we know that? He's ever coming back or friends? Let me give you one reason that you ought to know that he's coming back he's coming back because he said he would come by and his return is a lot closer now than it used to be friends. You can count on the word of God. If Jesus says he's going to do something he will do it. So Jesus began this teaching here in this section by telling the Fig Tree story. If you're not careful, you won't even see the signs. So he says look at the trees and the Springtime when they start sprouting leaves. What does that tell you it tells you it's almost summer will look at the world event that's going around you right now. What does that tell you? It tells you that the return of Christ will be soon. He followed that up with the north story. If you get caught up in the routine of life, you won't know what's happening and then he told the story of the householder. If you assume that the Lord is never coming back one day you going to be surprised and he's going to come back and it's going to be too late. Well that brings us to the last point. And this is the last the three last stories that Jesus told and their cover the cover the chapter 25 in Matthew and so in the 25th chapter, Jesus tells three more stories. Now he begins with the story of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. If you remember that they were five wise bridesmaid and they have prepared their lamps for when the bridegroom is going to come and they had oil for the lamps because many times at around midnight the bridegroom would come to get his bride so they were able to participate in it because they had oil for the lamps with all the five foolish bridesmaid fail to prepare. They didn't have oil for the lamps. Well, the the wise bridesmaid couldn't give their all the way then no one would have any everyone run out so they told the foolish ones with here you go to the store and you buy you some oil. Well they came and they were not prepared. And they miss the festivities and the meaning of that story was simple. When it comes to the last days, we need to be prepared always be ready and Always Be watchful for the Lord's return. If you're not you can fall into this laksa daisical compromising satisfied Christianity friend. We need to Be watchful and we need to be expecting the Rapture to occur at any moment. If we are it will affect the way that we live but we don't want to come unprepared like the five foolish bridesmaids did well after that. Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man. If you remember that story any travel to a far country and he left all his goods and all his money in the hands of three servants and this story reminded us of that. We were we are all stewards of what God has given us everything that we have. The Lord has given us we own nothing at all belongs to God. He's letting us use it for his purposes. Now. He wants us to manage it. Well while he's gone. Why well, because one day he's coming back and he's going to demand an accounting to be done for and listen. This is about the talents if you remember one had one pallet one head two and one had five he wants us to manage it. Well, the issue is not how much God has entrusted to you. The issue is what you do with what you have two of the stewards in Christ or invested their talents and their their gifts their money their talents their time. They invested all that for Christ purposes and what happened their talents double. They multiply the one with two had for the one with five had 10 and then the third Stewart. And he did nothing with his style except he went and buried in the ground. And the Lord condemned him the Lord told this story because he expects his followers to be resourceful people investing their time and talent and treasure for the purposes of God, but it says about the one with one talent that He was afraid and he was afraid he may lose it. He was afraid to get involved. He was afraid to do things. He should have done. So what he did is he buried his talent and friends if you bury your talent if you bury your gifts God will take them from you and give them to someone else and you will be unfruitful in the kingdom of God. That's what he saying in this and then he comes to a final story. We looked at the wise and the foolish virgins or bridesmaids looked at the wealthy landowner. Now, he comes to the story of separating the sheep and the goats and we covered this last week. The purpose of the story was to tell us how the tribulation is going to end during those difficult days a person who has come to know Christ the savior. Will take his life into his own hands to help feed and care for those who are suffering those who have accepted Christ during the tribulation will be persecuted. These people will see that and they will try to help these Jews who are being persecuted their actions will reveal. The authenticity of their Fates God's people will care for one another and remember the Bible said that they offered food to the hungry drink to the Thirsty shelter to the homeless the clothes into the naked encouragement to the sick and friendship with those who were in prison in doing so, they are putting their own lives in danger and many will refuse to help due to fear and in so doing they reveal that they don't really believe Christ and they don't really know who he is. That's why I cry said on that last day people's going to cry. Oh Lord it week we claim to know you didn't we cast out demons and didn't we do so much in your name and the Lord's will say depart from me for I never knew you friends. Listen God's people will always give evidence of God's love faith without action. Is dead Faith Christ is not only calling us to be right. But he's calling us to act right toward others. Well now this lesson here. I believe that we can take some applications from this. And here are the applications. I want you to see here four of them. I've written down for you. So here they are number one of through all this teaching to Matthew 24 and 25. We are to be waiting on the Lord. We wait on the Lord because he said I am coming back so friend that off me first and foremost in our minds and in her heart, the Lord one day is going to return he's going to set things right and there's going to be a counting that has to be made. So we we wait on the Lord expecting him to return at least for the Rapture at any moment number 2. We need to Be watchful we need to be looking out don't be like the five foolish bridesmaid and you don't bring your oil to the wedding ceremony and you just kind of live life like they did in the days of Noah. Just well, what are you doing or why are you building the ark not being watchful not noticing what's happening in the world today just living life and working and and partying and going on and just living life like normal people do friend. We have to Be watchful To Be watchful means we have to be prepared. We need to be prepared spiritually, but also we need to be prepared of what we're seeing in the world so that we can grasp it and have a correct biblical worldview when we see what is going on today. We need to be waiting for him to return We Need to Be watchful and prepared for him when he does return. There's something else we need to be doing we need Be working how about the ones that he gave the one two and five Talent two friends. You can't bury your talent. You can't you can't you can't just say no. I'm not going to do it. What I'm going to do is I'm going to bury my towel and when the Lord comes back I'm going to give him back exactly what he has given me or friend if we do that he's going to take that from you and give it to someone else. He doesn't expect us to work down here and do what we're going to do and give him the same thing that he has given us know we need to multiply and if we multiplied he's going to open up doors for us and when he opens up doors for us, he opens up other Ministries for us and we can multiply our gifts and our talent we need to be working. Yes. We need to wait and yes, we need to Be watchful but we just don't need to sit around look up in the sky and not do anything. We need to be working using our talents and then lastly. Anytime that you study. Any prophecy where there's Old Testament Daniel and some of the Minor Prophets whether is the Olivet discourse or whether is the Book of Revelation when you study prophecy it will always push you and compel you to be witnessing. Friends, we need to take as many with us to Heaven as we can and the only way we can do that is we need to be witnessing of what Christ said, but not only that that Christ is coming back and one day there's going to be a division one day. There's going to be a separation. He's going to separate the sheep from the goats the wheat from the tares. It's going to happen. He is coming back. So we need to be witnessing and doing all we can to bring as many as we can into the kingdom of heaven. So here's the final message of Prophecy in will close this series up. The message of Prophecy is that we had better be sure about our relationship with Jesus Christ, and the reason is because he is coming soon will let spray father we do. Thank you and praise you and love you today for your word Lord. We thank you for this teaching in Matthew 24 and 5 Lord Howe speaks to our hearts Lord, you have given us the information that we need where that we can be in the know in these last days more. We see the birth pains right now of what's happening in our world. We know that they're becoming more intense more frequent more. We know that we are indeed living in the last days and we fully expect you to come back for your church Even in our generation. We can't put a day on at my month on it a year on it, but Lord, we need to live expectantly. We need to live waiting on you being watchful working for you and witnessing and bringing others to Christ Lord. Again. Thank you for this series and Thank you for each one that is here today, and or we did thank you for Jesus and for salvation and for saving us in or we just want to say today that we love you, and we love you because you first loved us in Christ's name. I pray amen. All right, well, I hope you have a great rest of today and we will see you Wednesday night at our next service.