Goodness of God: Lion and Bear

The Day of the Lord is coming! Stop longing for that day, but prepare for it: Personally - Be a faithful servant of the Master Jesus (Matt 24:42-51)

Collectively - Caring for those around us Physically and Spiritually

Amos 5:18–24 NIV

18 Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? 21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Story of first church after we got married - Guy who just wanted Jesus to come back.

The world is a mess…Globally, Locally, and personally. There is a problem and wishing for the day of the Lord is like wishing for people to experience this lion, bear and snake life.

I believe if we are wishing for the Day of the Lord we are not truly loving our neighbor as ourselves.

It is a statement that says, “I matter more than others, If others want to avoid the Lion and Bear then they need to get on board,CUZ I’m out!”

Romans 10:14–15 NIV

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Stop wishing for the Day of the Lion and Bear and start preparing for it!

Poor Prior Planning Produces Poor Performance

How can we plan or prepare for that day?

Personally

1. Watch and stay awake

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 NIV

1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

2. Be a faithful servant (Hold fast to the relationship with Christ)

Matthew 24:45–51 NIV

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So not become complacent or lazy

John 14:15 NIV

15 “If you love me, keep my commands.

Matthew 28:17–20 NIV

17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Amos 6:1 NIV

1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!

Just like the servant who stopped working while the master was gone…too often we become complacent and secure in ourselves and our position.

This simply pride and arrogance in ourselves not in Christ.

If you love me you will obey my commands.

We show our love for God through our love and witness for others.

Collectively

1. Help physically

Matthew 25:31–46 NIV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

2. Help Spiritually

2 Peter 3:8–9 NIV

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Goodness of God?

Psalm 145:7–10 NIV

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.

Psalm 109:21 NIV

21 But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

There is hope for everyone to avoid the Lion and Bear in the coming Day of the Lord.

Romans 10:9–13 NIV

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

We don’t have to fear the Day of the Lord, but it is a day of great judgement like a man trying to avoid a lion and running into a bear for those who have not been saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrificial gift.

If you long to stand face to face with Jesus Christ…Remember those in your family, neighborhood, community, and world who may not experience the same judgement day as you.

Be a light in the darkness. This fall, and Christmas season; don’t do what you have always done and avoided things you don’t like and celebrate for yourself and your hope for the Day of the Lord, but instead make that knowledge push you to see the fields and begin planting, plowing, and watering those people in need around you.

Plan and prepare more effectively to see people Be Forgiveness in Jesus and others, Find Freedom from old self, and Live Filled.

Pray that God would give you one personal or family

Find that open door to build a connection

Give them “the Story” or go over with them

Invite them to church or church activity

Follow-up with that personal/family and build more relationship

The Lion and bear will be a terrible thing, but We have the ability to be like David in the Spiritual life of those around us.

1 Samuel 17:34–37 NIV

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”