What In The World Is Going On?-pt.2
Charles A. Frederico
The State of the Church 2020 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 14 viewsThe church is the target of all the mayhem that is going on the world. Like the saints of the Tribulation period who become the target of the wrath of Satan (not God), so wee too will undergo his wrath through the forces of the world.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Review:
33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Remember, in the early centuries of the church, the Christians were considered the problem in most societies.
Antagonizing them and/or killing them was a service to society.
Further, making sure that Christians have limited rights, abilities, and otherwise potential in a society was also normal.
Jesus said it would be this way.
The pressure to conform or be put out of the normalcy of society is on the Christian.
This is why so many Christians compromise or simply recant their allegiance to Christ.
In our country, we have not been persecuted.
However, in almost every other country in the world Christians have been persecuted and ostracized, especially in third-world and middle-eastern countries.
The very concept of being hated because you are a Christian seems foreign to us.
In fact, some Christians might even think that I might even have a war-complex for suggesting that there is even a war going on against Christianity.
So, let me remind you of last week’s message and introduce today’s message.
So, let me remind you of last week’s message and introduce today’s message.
Trouble is God’s plan for the world.
1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”
The world is in an uproar against God.
Last year alone should convince you of that.
Because the world is in an uproar against God and because of their rebellion against God, God will punish them.
Rebellion is the act of disobedience against God, but it comes from a heart of hatred of God and Who He is.
But, the world goes even further.
According to Psalm 2, the world is attempting to remove God from the throne.
They tried in the city of Babel.
1 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
Notice their thinking according to this text.
4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
They wanted to make a city for themselves that reached into heaven.
They wanted a name for themselves.
That is to say they wanted to rule the world in their own name.
The earth would become theirs.
They wanted to resist the will of God.
It is still true today.
The world is desperately trying to make a name for itself.
And, if it was that way 5,000 years ago, and it was that way during Jesus’ time, it will be that way in our time and beyond.
Think of this passage.
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
Notice v.3.
“All nations....”
All the nations will be consumed with the vile things that Jerusalem is doing in the Tribulation and will incessantly copy her.
Immorality and commerce are the components of that time.
Therefore, it will be the pillars of every age leading up to that time.
When anyone opposes these pillars, they will be persecuted.
17 “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
This stress in life, for the child of God, is God’s plan.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Therefore...
Lawlessness will increase
In this world you will have tribulation
The church is the target
Lawlessness will increase.
Lawlessness will increase.
The twisting of all things normal for the sake of creating an “out-of-control” world is the direction.
Unfortunately, all of us are used to things being out of control so we need to constantly be in the Truth so that we recall what normal is.
NOTE:
We will learn that this process of twisting reality is also what happens in the church too.
In this world you will have tribulation
In this world you will have tribulation
For those who want to follow Jesus Christ, the pressures of life will increase.
This is because, as the lawlessness increases righteousness will stand out more.
As righteousness stands out more, persecution will increase.
The nature of righteousness and unrighteousness cannot be changed.
Light and dark cannot mix.
One repels the other and vice-versa.
The church is the target
The church is the target
10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
For today and next time, I want to help us get a clear picture of this reality.
Why do I say that?
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
This is why.
Our struggle, tribulation, is not against man, although they are the clear players in our lives.
Our “wrestling” is against (“towards”) an unseen realm.
Rulers = spiritual leaders of demons.
30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
powers = “authorities”
Those who might carry out the wishes of the “rulers.”
20 Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. 21 “However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.
world (“organized”) forces of this darkness = darkness is a term that describes those who are not reconciled to God and, thus, are under the power of the prince of darkness, Satan.
The idea may be that of those who are strong in the world and yet simply doing the bidding of the ruler of the world, Satan.
Or, it could be the organization of the forces that are arranging the events in the world.
31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
spiritual (forces) of wickedness in the heavenly places = this could refer to the roaming spirits which are existing in the 2nd heaven.
These might be consider the “unclean” demons of Jesus’ day which carried out the will of Satan.
What will happen with the church?
What will happen with the church?
If the church is the target, is there anything that will help us understand what is going to happen to the church and how to avoid this calamity?
Yes; Yes.
It is clear what the church will become.
It is also clear what our mandate is.
The Condition of Christians In Latter Days:
The Condition of Christians In Latter Days:
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
It is vital that we understand this list.
We might think this is unnecessary.
But it has never been more necessary than now to understand these things.
The point to understand is this:
The church will get to the point that sin will become a virtue and what is righteousness will be labeled as sinful.
ILLUSTRATION:
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Notice what Jude wrote here.
He wrote:
Ungodly men have crept into the churches without the church seeing them sneak in = the church is blind and the men are crafty.
They were long beforehand marked out for condemnation = they are part of God’s plan.
They redefine what godliness is = they turn reality around.
They get the church to deny Jesus Christ = professors unwittingly deny Christ by their behavior.
If you don’t think this is possible, consider:
Bible knowledge is out; how a person feels about a passage they have never studied is in.
Men only in leadership is out; women in leadership is in.
Sexual deviance as a sin is out; sexual deviance as a mistake is in.
Commitment to Jesus Christ on a day-to-day basis is out; commitment to Jesus periodically is in.
Self-denial is out; self-fulfillment is in.
The point is that the only way that the church can get to this point is if they are made to think that sin is a virtue and righteousness is sinful.
Objective truth:
Objective truth:
CP:
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
For men will be: ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι
This is the way that men will be in the last days.
lovers of self, φίλαυτοι
They will make a virtue out of loving themselves.
Self-respect will take the place of fear of God.
lovers of money, φιλάργυροι
The desire to make, spend, and possess money.
boastful, ἀλαζόνες
Word Pictures in the New Testament 2 Timothy 3:2
Boastful (ἀλαζονες [alazones]). Old word for empty pretender, in N. T. only here and Rom. 1:30.
arrogant, ὑπερήφανοι
Word Pictures in the New Testament 2 Timothy 3:2
Haughty (ὑπερηφανοι [huperēphanoi]). See also Rom. 1:30 for this old word
revilers, βλάσφημοι
Evil-speaker
disobedient to parents, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς
Age is not at issue here.
Parents refers to those who begot the child and the child is always that parent’s child, even when older.
It is no different to call the parent’s the child’s parent’s.
There will be complete disregard for where the person came from.
ungrateful, ἀχάριστοι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἀχάριστος, ον
ἀχάριστος, ον ungrateful, not thankful; substantivally ungrateful person (LU 6:35)
unholy, ἀνόσιοι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἀνόσιος, ον
ἀνόσιος, ον of those who reject religious obligations unholy, ungodly, impious (2T 3:2); substantivally (1T 1:9)
unloving, ἄστοργοι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἄστοργος, ον
ἄστοργος, ον devoid of natural affection, unloving, heartless
irreconcilable, ἄσπονδοι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἄσπονδος, ον
ἄσπονδος, ον strictly unwilling to make a treaty; hence irreconcilable, unforgiving (2T 3:3)
malicious gossips, διάβολοι
② subst. ὁ δ. one who engages in slander (since X., Ages. 11, 5; Athen. 11, 508e; Esth 7:4; 8:1; pap first Christian; cp. PLond VI, 1923, 9 [IV A.D.] ‘the devil’; Tat. 22, 1), in our lit. as title of the principal transcendent evil being the adversary/devil, already current in the LXX as transl. of הַשָּׂטָן
without self-control, ἀκρατεῖς
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἀκρατής, ές
ἀκρατής, ές {{ἀ- (not), κράτος, -ής}} without self-control, lacking in moral restraint, intemperate (2T 3:3)
brutal, ἀνήμεροι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἀνήμερος, ον
ἀνήμερος, ον literally untamed, not gentle; figuratively, of persons brutal, savage, fierce (2T 3:3)
haters of good, ἀφιλάγαθοι
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament ἀφιλάγαθος, ον
ἀφιλάγαθος, ον not loving what is good, hating good (things or people) (2T 3:3)
treacherous, προδόται
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament προδότης, ου, ὁ
προδότης, ου, ὁ betrayer, traitor
“for the man who is bent on advancing his own interests is a born traitor”
James Hope Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1930), 539.
reckless, προπετεῖς
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament προπετής, ές, gen. οῦς
προπετής, ές, gen. οῦς literally falling headlong, precipitous; figuratively in the NT, of behavior rash, reckless, thoughtless
conceited, τετυφωμένοι
τυφόω pf. pass. τετύφωμαι; 1aor. pass. ἐτυφώθην; (1) literally wrap in smoke or mist, becloud; (2) figuratively and only passive in the NT; (a) be puffed up, be very proud or arrogant (1T 3:6); (b) be silly, be stupid, be absurd from a sense of one’s own importance (2T 3:4)
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι (pleasure-lovers).
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament φιλήδονος, ον
φιλήδονος, ον used in a bad sense of what is against God and spiritually destructive to oneself intent on pleasure, abandoned to (sensual) pleasure, pleasure-loving (2T 3:4)
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι
Avoid such men as these. καὶ τούτους ἀποτρέπου
The Condition of Corrupt Leaders In The Latter Days:
The Condition of Corrupt Leaders In The Latter Days:
6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.
9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.
The Condition of Approved Leaders In The Latter Days:
The Condition of Approved Leaders In The Latter Days:
10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,
11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The Condition of True Ministry In The Latter Days:
The Condition of True Ministry In The Latter Days:
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.