The End is Coming
Matthew 24 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsJesus tells his disciples the signs of the end of age and urges them to be prepared
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SOS illustration
SOS illustration
This distress signal is used by boat crews in imminent danger.
Not possible trouble, but real trouble.
I think in Matt 24 Jesus isnt speaking of possible trouble but real trouble on the horizon
There is an urgency that is felt in this chapter and Chapter 25 that tells us that Jesus tells to be ready at anytime
Not wait for this prophecy or that one- not the man of lawlessness must arrive or other things
But Jesus leaves the disciples with idea that when you see these things playing out, the end is near, be ready
At the same time, its been 2000 years and the church has continued with the same message- the end is near be ready
I want us to do something slightly different- We are gonna read in reverse order today
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Feel the urgency
-The day or the hour is unknown
-life will be as usual and then the Lord will appear
-Noah- people were going about life and the flood came, Noah was saved and the rest judged
-in the end, people will be going about life, Jesus will appear, his people will be saved and the rest judged
Thats why we see the urgency of Matt 25, of being prepared now, their is no time to waste
Be found faithful and ready
I think this mindset is necessary to think about this passage
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Jesus has pronounced judgement on the religious system of Judaism and its leaders
He has spoken that the very walls of the city and temple will be torn down
This would be like the Pope walking out the Vatican and saying its all coming down
But in this case its actually true
And his disciples ask the question- When when will this happen and how will we know?
This is a normal question and shows they get what Jesus is talking about
They wanted to know the time- If the temple is coming down- It must be the end of the world
Every faithful Jew awaited the Messiah- They believed that he was it- they wanted to know when it was finally gonna happen
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
What an interesting response
Jesus will eventually give them some direction but initially he doesnt even address the question
He just tells them dont be lead astray
He will tell them about the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem but he will also tell them about the end of time
But the most important point he tells them, is dont be lead astray
When the cats away the mice will play, right?
But when the leader is killed on a cross, it be pretty easy to want to step out.
Our when the center of the life is destroyed- your life revolves around festivals and the Temple- but it is gonna be gone
It be easy to slip away wouldnt it?
The most important thing for the disciples is not knowing when the event is gonna happen but to live life in the realization that it is coming
To be prepared
Hurricanes didnt bother me too much when i was younger until Katrina
Preparation is needed- The disciples are to live committed to Jesus not emphatuated with the Temple
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
As the end approaches- many will come claiming to be Christ and will lead many astray
Thats true for 1st century church and today
Many were lead astray then and are lead astray now
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
During the time before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, wars were going on all over the place by the Romans against the Jews
Josephus actually records this in his book Roman Wars as he was a Jewish captain who made it out alive
Jesus tells them this must take place, clearly prophesying the end of Jerusalem and speaking to the time before the day of the Lord
But make no doubt, its not the end of the time- The Day of the Lord is coming with fierceness and power that has never been seen or ever will be again
For now, the time between Jesus first and second coming- this is the world we live in
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Disorder and chaos will prevail
Natural disasters and famine(hunger) will prevail
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Jesus look his disciples in the face and tells them the truth
Life is hard and it will be hard- You will think the end has to be here but its just the birth pains
We said this a couple Wednesday's ago- Birth pains tell us there most certainly is a baby.
There is a end- its coming- Jerusalem is going to fall, The temple is going to fall
I think Jesus with all the love in his heart, knew the answer that the disciples needed wasnt a day and a time but a command to persevere
So it is for you and I
I heard a story about one of the Wesley brothers and they were asked, If you only had one day to live, what would you do
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a list of places he was supposed to preach and teach at
He said, I would do this
Thats the urgency of which Jesus pushes the disciples, to lives deliberately lived for the Glory of God no matter what comes our way
Because we know most certainly, the end is coming
Yes, there is work, school, family, the grass has to be cut, cars have to be fixed, and there are appts that must be kept
But we are live each day realizing that the end could today- not searching for signs every where we turn but remembering the end is certain and is coming
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Tough times become a little tougher when you are the intended target
-For the disciples then and sufferings for disciples now is going to get worse
-the 20th century has been the 100 years with the most Christian martyrs and Jesus promises his disciples the same treatment
-They will hate you for my sake
-Christianity isnt for the fair weather believer- its a call to come and die to your sin and self- spiritually and physically
Vs 10- reiterates that idea- its because of this many will fall away
-If Jesus isnt the Pearl of Great Price or the Buried Treasure than most likely the “follower” wont follow long
-Today we see this to be a huge problem- but the problem isnt from persecution as much as it is pride, possessions, popularity
-Loyalty to Jesus and brothers turns into betrayal
Vs 11- the False prophets will come- inside and outside the body of Christ
-The majority of the NT was written in response to false teaching primarily inside the body not necessarily outside
-The churches in Rev 2-3 had their fair share of these and false teachers where named in those letters
-Gnosticism and Docetism where huge- Gnostic- secret truth and Docetism- body is worthless only the soul matters
-Today we have a the same struggles but a new one is emerging
-Its is identity politics and if you dont bow to it, endorse it, condemn everything else , your outed
-We will cancel you- its a religion- its a worldview and thats just a new one thats being fleshed out from Karl Marx’s idealogies
Vs 12- Lawlessness will get worse
-The world will not have utopia this side of eternity
-Sin and lawlessness is ingrained into the world and society
-Most people will not follow Jesus and it shows
-When we scan the autrocities of the last two thousands years- we dont find ourselves getting more moral- but worse
-We maybe the most informed and technologically advanced people ever- but that hasnt equated to morality
Because of this, love for many will grow cold
-This is one reason why Jesus words in John 13 mean so much
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is hard and Jesus knows it
People have been wronged, hurt and killed- and that makes it hard care when its been done to you
How many times have we been asked for money and you say I just know they are going to go use it for drugs or alcohol
Its cause you to be calloused
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
What a difference?!?
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Here it is once again, the theme for all Christians- regardless the time period
-Jesus tells his disciples to persevere and the one who perseveres, there is eternal life
-He doesnt tell them to hold out till the rapture because nothing will ever happen to you- God will keep his people safe
-We are safe from the day of the Lord- but this isnt it
-We are living in the birth pains, just as the disciples were- The time between the first and Second Comings of Christ
-the genuine believer is not found out in his profession of faith but his continuing in faith
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Salvation isnt in the profession alone but in the persevering to the end
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Gospel will go out to all the world
-Rome provided the possiblity for the Gospel to be carried to much of the known world at that time
-Today missionaries and technology are providing access to many places the Gospel hasnt gone
-But this seems to be the only one, we have a active role in helping if that can be said
-We want Jesus to come, share the Gospel- then the end comes
-I hope I’m found doing that when Jesus comes
May we not be like the disciples in that we are more concerned about the signs or as we have seen 131 way the Coronavirus signals the end of time all over Facebook
-We are in the birth pains- When Jesus comes it will be fierce and in a instant
-The pains should urge us to be ready and share the Gospel
Are you living like this beloved?
Unbeliever are you ready?