Handy Dandy Readiness Guide to the End of the World
1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11

1.     Intro: Wal-Mart cart stolen! Mad. Started over.

Ø    Plan #1: full prophetic prowess = busted!

Ø    Plan #2: partial prowess = always vigilant.

Ø    Which method is a better parallel to Biblical end times prophecies and our response to them?

Ø    Today, in brief order I am going to give you a handy-dandy guide to the end of the world; the main events, the major motives for prophecies and the primary responses to it God intended.

2.      Scripture, 1 Thess. 4:13 – 5:11

3.      The main events

Ø    Jesus will return (dramatically, not secretly.)

Ø    Their will be a rapture. (pre/post-trib.)

Ø    Christians who’ve died will return with Christ.

Ø    There will be a great tribulation.

Ø    There will be destruction, wrath & final judgment (sad truth, but Christ was sent to save all who will).

Ø    There will be a millennium (pre/post/a-2nd coming).

Ø    We will then be with Jesus forever.

4.      The major motives

Ø         Why did God tells us these things in advance?

Ø         I’m convinced that t/main motives 4 prophecy are to highlight God’s sovereignty & glory.

Ø    Only He stands outside time in eternity seeing & ordaining the end from the very beginning.

Ø    He gave us enough prophecy so that after it’s all over we’ll know that He knew beforehand.

Ø    This is the main purpose for prophecy.

Ø    I suspect it was never intended to be used to plot out the details of the end times (free to disagree).

Ø         There are many divergent views of end times events.  CCC casts a wide tent.  We’ll focus on God’s main motives & our response.

5.      The primary responses

Ø    Wiersbe, W. W. - We must never permit the study of prophecy to become purely academic, or a source of tension or argument.

A.   Encouragement & Peace

Ø    Death w/o Christ is so final & gut-wrenching.  And thoughts & concerns about the end of the world wrap up our personal mortality in our corporate mortality.

Ø    Current events: from bad to worse… to doom.

Ø    But, for a follower of Jesus, death is not the end of hope for him or his surviving loved ones.

Ø    Those who die in Christ are not dead, but with him.  (Thief on the cross.) Since Jesus died bearing our sin, & rose again, we’re confident we will also.

Ø    So when the world ends & Jesus returns the living & dead will rise & we’ll be united with Christ & reunited with loved ones.

Ø    So, we grieve, but not hopelessly.

Ø    And when the news suggests doom is upon us, remember, final doom for the world will only come in God’s time, & for us it will never come.

B.  Readiness

The Alamo: Ch. 12,     Start: 1:24:53,     End: 1:27:09

Setup: Lt. Col. Travis visits Jim Bowie, who is dying.

Scene: Facing death @Alamo, they trade animosity for admiration.  Bowie: "You live another 5 years you just might just be a great man." Travis: "I think I will probably have to settle for what I am now."

Application: Travis went to t/Alamo thinking he still had time to become great. Now suddenly he finds he’ll have to be satisfied with what he is.

We live most days as if there’ll be many more to come, but in truth we don’t know when we will die or when God will bring the world to an end. We could worry, or even get tangled up in fear, but that’s a poor choice.

1.     We could try to discover the exact time of the world’s end (grocery cart protection plan #1).

Ø    The timing of Jesus’ return will be a surprise.

Ø         “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor t/Son, but only t/Father. Mt 24:36

Ø    It is not that there cannot be any signs, but they won’t be enough to predict the exact time.

Ø    So if we don’t know when the end is coming, how can we be sure we’ll be ready?

2.     This passage suggests another plan, always be ready (grocery cart protection plan #2).

Ø    PowerPoint  Mt 24:42-44

Ø    Day people & night people: we’re day people; awake and alert whenever Jesus returns.

Ø    What did Paul do with his days, believing t/end was near?  He worked on in evangelism and discipleship!

Ø    We maintain self-control.  “Self-controlled” here is neither excessive nor extreme in intoxicants, passions, emotions & appetites: sober-minded.

Ø    The soldier’s equipment brings to mind standing at our post, alert & self-controlled in the face of life’s difficulties even when others get careless (sleep) or intentionally pursue sinful passions to dull the pain.

Ø    Faith: complete trust in God’s leadership & power.  I can follow in the most trying circumstances knowing God is able & leading me well.

Ø         Faith gets at reason & will, love gets at passion.  We desire to please our lover, knowing it’s wise by faith.

Ø    The hope of salvation is that our past justification & current purifying walk will end in our glorification.  When our faith & love lead us into the furnace we remember our sure hope of a perfect eternity.

Ø    Then Paul reminds us, all the armor & ability to be ready, was purchased by Christ on the cross.

Ø    I don’t want to be caught doing something I am ashamed of.  I want Jesus to come during the deepest month of my walk in Him.

6.      Invite:

Ø    When you’re thinking about the world’s end, remember God’s control and give him the glory.

Ø    Be encouraged! We’ll be reunited w/Xian loved ones, and we’re destined for eternal joy, not wrath.

Ø    Always be ready, walking out faith until Jesus’ return.

Ø    Live as if he might return today… for he might!

Ø    If you are asleep today, why not awake?