Jesus Is Coming?

Matthew 24: 36-51 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. [37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, [39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [43] But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. [45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. [48] But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; [49] And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; [50] The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, [51] And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

We are going to begin a journey this Sunday morning, a journey that examines a major prophetic truth of the Scripture. This is a prophetic truth that many Churches have forsaken in place of "feel good" sermons, a prophetic truth that many of us, in an act of foolishness, have pushed to the backs of our minds. We have taken this truth and rather than consider it certain have, by our actions, branded it as "maybe", and because of this have failed to act on it. The prophetic truth that I'm talking about is the certainty that Jesus is Coming Soon.

When this Church examined me for the purpose of calling me to the ministry, you all had the opportunity to ask me any question. One of the questions I was asked was "What did I believe about the Coming of Jesus?". The question was a valid one, for within the Church today man Christians behave much like children behave on a long trip. When taking a long trip most children will ask their parents, "When are we getting there?", or "How much longer is it, Daddy?", and as time passes with no end in sight the child will begin to feel a sense of hopelessness, a sense that the trip will never end. Or, in the other extreme, the child will begin to watch the clock, devising in his head the time that our journey will end. The truth of the trip is that it will end when the journey's done, and that it will end at the proper time for its ending. We the Church are on a road that God devised from the beginning, and the trip will end when He has decreed it will end. But many Christians, sadly, begin to despair of its ending. "Are we there yet, Daddy?"

Many Christians, in their despair are discomfort over the wait, begin to devise other truths that are far from valid in their minds. Some Christians became amillenialists, believing that each day the world, with the Churches help, will get better and better until we finally grow into a paradise on earth. Any idea of amillenialism would certainly be squashed if we only read the newspapers and watch the television. Is the world getting better? In the days of the early Church the Romans chased down, outlawed, and tortured Christians, killed Christians for the very sport of it. The United States of America is a nation of people who left the religious persecution of the Old World to find a New World where religious freedom was considered sacred. Every this was the foundation of America, freedom in seeking God, a foundation so important that even our money is printed with the words "In God We Trust". Yet do we, as a nation, hold dear the ideal that we truly believe in God, that "In God We Trust"? No, for each day America and every nation under God's good sun grows farther and farther away from the truths of Scripture, moves deeper and deeper into sin. We shall not, nor shall any nation, move into a state of Nirvana, a state of peaceful truce on our own. History has proven this. We cannot move into peace unless the King of Peace sits on His throne. We cannot achieve the millennium unless Jesus comes again.

When I see the terrors of sin around me, when I see the evil that seems to reign supreme in America, when I hear of the terrible Y2K virus or the fact that the sun will go through massive solar flares this summer, will I be dismayed and allow terror to take hold of my life? No, for these things are a comfort, for these things were foretold by the great God who controls all things around us, the great God who controls the trip that the Church is on, and determines when that trip is over.

When we speak about the Second Coming of Christ, are you excited or are you complacent, dear Christian? Do you look at the things going on in the world around you and despair, or do you see the prolific evil that abounds in our era and become driven by Jesus' words. Look what Jesus said:

Matthew 24: 36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Who knows when Jesus will return? You can hardly enter a supermarket without seeing a tabloid at the checkout stand that prophecies "doom in the year 2000", or "Nostradamus prophecies coming true", or "The end of the World at hand". A group of deluded people, the Jehovah Witnesses, several times predicted when Jesus was going to come again. Each time their leader predicted His coming, and He did not come, this deluded soul changed the date and issued another proclamation. When each proclamation proved to be false, and after the fourth or fifth false prophecy, the leader of this cult declared "Jesus did indeed come, but He came spiritually only, and we did not see Him". How foolish, how utterly foolish!

Jesus very plainly told us that we do not have the ability to determine when He will come, but that He would, of a certainty, come. Who knows the exact day and hour when Jesus will come? If I stood before you this morning and said, "Jesus will come at a certain time, on a certain day", would such a statement be Biblical? No, absolutely not! We do not know when Jesus will come again, nor does Jesus know when He will come again. Look at His holy words:

Any man who says he knows when Jesus is coming again is a liar. Who knows when Jesus is coming again? The one driving the car knows when the trip will end, the Father knows. How can such a thing be, for isn't Jesus Himself equal in Godhood to the Father? Yes, Jesus is indeed both God and Man, fully God and fully sinless Man, but by His own words He does not know when He shall return. The beauty of the Holy Trinity is that each Member, though infinite and equal God, work together within the agreed upon Plan of God and each Member pays attention to His own work. Each, though equally infinite and powerful, leave the other to Their Own duty while focusing on their own. The Father is driving this car, the Father controls the portion of God's Plan as to when the Christ will return, so Jesus is content to mind His own work while waiting for the Father to declare the end of the trip. The Church could learn from such an example. If each of us concerned ourselves with our own calling, devoted ourselves to operating within the Gift that God gave to us, how mighty and powerful this Church would be.  If one said, "I have been given the Gift of Helps, so, Dear God, how will I use this Gift to edify this Church?" rather than pick at how poorly another Member uses his Gift, how great would be the Church on earth today!

The Father alone knows when Jesus will return, but it is certain, by Jesus own words, His own promise, that He will come again. Why is it Certain?

Nearly 25% of all Scripture deals with prophetic truth, prophecies that God made that came true to the very letter, yet the majority of Church members will rarely hear a sermon on the Coming of Christ. This is to the shame of every minister in God's Holy Church, this is to my shame! For when we, as ministers, fail to emphasize the Second Coming, we have failed to preach one of the greater truths of Scripture.
 

Billy Sunday, one of God's great evangelists, stated: "The Second Coming of Christ is the emphatic doctrine of the New Testament. It is mentioned and referred to more than 350 times, yet the majority of Church members never heard a sermon on the subject; that is the reason they think so little of looking into the matter themselves. The Church makes much of baptism, but in all of Paul's epistles baptism is only mentioned or referred to thirteen times, while the return of Christ is mentioned fifty times. This certainly shows which he considered the most important."

The Second Coming is considered, by God, to be an emphatic truth because it is put before us to mobilize us to service. If I believe as only a concept, yes, Jesus is coming again, then it is only a doctrinal supposition based on theological evidence. Such a thing does not drive me to service. Such a thing would not have driven the early Church to service, but Christianity, under such a weak hope, would have died out years ago. But if I BELIEVE as a certainty that Jesus is, indeed, coming at any moment, then I am spurred to Christian service no matter what the cost. This was the idea that drove the Church to survive even under the harshest trials, under the most fascinating tortures.

Jesus could have said, "I'm going away, and I'll be back in about two thousand years". Had He done so the early Church would have become complacent. After a while the believer's fervor to serve the Lord would have become lukewarm for, indeed, Jesus was not coming tomorrow. In the days before the flood God called Noah, told him that a flood was coming, and told him to build an ark to carry righteous civilization to safety. God did not tell Noah when the flood was coming, did not tell him that he only had 120 years to build and preach salvation, but told him that the flood was coming, to build quickly, to preach heartily. When God told Noah of this flood remember, up to this time, man had never seen rain. The Bible tells us that:

Genesis 2:6  "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

For there was no rain, no water fell from the sky. A mist rose from the ground, much like dew, and was sufficient to keep all things properly watered. When God told Noah that a flood was coming, that water would fall from the sky in such vast quantities that it would cover the highest mountain top, this was something that I believe boggled Noah's mind. It was unprecedented in human history. Something no man had ever seen, water from the sky, would fall and flood mankind. Preach, PREACH, build, BUILD, for this event is coming. So Noah set out with a fever, preaching and building, building and preaching, though that which was coming seemed foolish to "scientifically educated man". He built and preached knowing that any day could be the last day, he focused on the work with a thrill of excitement, all the time thinking "Am I going fast enough? Will I be ready when the great event starts?".

We should be driven in much the same way in this Church when we consider the Second Coming of Christ. Will I be ready when Jesus splits the Heavens, What will I be doing when the Good Master of the House, the Great Church of God, returns? Will I be faithfully serving Him, working within my Gift, or will I be complacently watching television, skipping Church, playing when I should be working?

God's Word of Prophecy has always been sure in Scripture. This is what spurred Noah, and should spur us, dear believers. When Noah was called he worked and, 120 years later when the last nail was driven, when the last animal and man got on the Ark, when the door was shut, the first drop of strange water hit the earth and unsaved man looked up and said, "What in the heck is that?". That drop, and the drops that fell for 40 days and 40 nights, was God's prophetic truth revealed. What He said, unlike man with his empty promises, God did!

It should not surprise any of us that God's prophetic truths come true. Look at just some of the evidence that proves what God says, He will do:

1. His Word Was Repeated Proven In The Old Testament
 
 

Billy Sunday: "It is high time for Christians to interpret unfulfilled prophecies by the light of prophecies already fulfilled."

God has repeatedly proven in the Old Testament that His Word of Prophecy is true, though that Word may seem incredulous to the common man. Though I will not read the passage, please note that one of the most unusual prophecies in the Scripture was the one that God through Ezekiel made against Tyre (Ezekiel 26.3-21). Tyre was one of the most famous Phoenician cities, a huge fortified city that prospered because it was the principle seaport on Phoenician coast. Tyre rejected God's Word, followed after false gods, and was one of the most ungodly places in the ancient world. In Ezekiel 26 God told Tyre:

1. Nebuchadnezzar will destroy the mainland city of Tyre (26.8)
2. Many nations would rise up against Tyre (26.3)
3. Tyre would become a barren rock, flat like the top of a rock (26.4)
4. Fishermen would spread nets over Tyre to dry them (26.5)
5. The debris of Tyre would be thrown in the water (26.12)
6. Tyre would never be rebuilt (26.14)
7. Tyre would never be found again (26.21)

1. Three Years after the prophecy Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city, and held it under siege for thirteen years. When he finally broke the gates of the city down he found that the city was nearly empty, as most of the inhabitants had all moved to an island about one half mile off the coast, and had fortified that island. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland city, and left it in rubble, while killing all the citizens who did not have the good sense to escape.

2. In 333 BC Alexander the Great marched across Phoenicia and demanded that all Phoenician cities open their gates. His plan was to capture Egypt, and in order to do so he wanted to deny the Egyptians any use of the Phoenician fleets. Tyre on the Island refused to comply, so Alexander destroyed mainland Tyre and taking the very buildings, threw them in the water to erect a bridge between the mainland and the Island. After seven months Alexander took Tyre, killed 80,000 inhabitants, and enslaved 30,000 more. Though the city was not completely destroyed, God's Word of Prophecy was still sure.

3. Eighteen years later Antigonus, returning from the wars of Babylon, attacked Tyre, and during the Crusades of the Middle Ages Tyre was attacked and destroyed by both Moslems and later the so called Christian Crusaders. Today the original Tyre is only a barren land. Though the causeway of Alexander remains between the island and the old coastal city, Tyre is only a rocky land that fishermen spread their nets on to dry. The Tyre of old is gone, for God's Word of Prophecy is sure.

Throughout the Old Testament God spoke through His Prophets against Tyre, Samaria, Moab-Ammon, Chaldea, Ninevah - a number of nations that were great, seemingly undefeatable in their day. Everyone when they heard these prophetic utterances laughed, scorned, though the Prophets to be senile men who babbled only idiocies. Yet God's Word has shown itself to be true in history again and again. If God spoke, and that Word was specifically fulfilled over and over again as history unfolded, then doesn't this tell us that His Word is true? And since God said in His Word that Jesus will come again, that that coming is at any time, that He could come now, this very moment, shouldn't we trust that Word and be spurred to service as a Church?

2. God's Word of Prophecy was Certain In Christ's First Coming

In the Old Testament God gave us 61 Major Prophecies about the coming Son of God, the Messiah. If I were to go through each of these prophecies we would be sitting here until 6:00 PM tomorrow night, but let me tell you this: We know that the man who proclaimed Himself Jesus Christ was indeed Jesus Christ because each of these prophecies were specifically fulfilled in His life.

What do I mean by specifically fulfilled? God's Word specified that Jesus would be Virgin Born of a woman, that He would come through the line of David, that He would be Abraham's seed, that He would be born in a specific city, and that Herod would kill the children of that city though Jesus would be preserved. The sure Word of Prophecy specified that Jesus would begin His ministry in Galilee, that His ministry would be characterized by the miraculous, and that He would even teach in parables, illustrative stories. The sure Word told us that Jesus would be betrayed by His friends, accused by false witnesses, be sold for thirty pieces of silver, suffer and die a humiliating death, a death reserved for non-humans. His side would be pierced, blood and water would run out, and He would be buried in a rich man's tomb.

Every prophecy that God made about the coming Messiah was deliberately fulfilled in Jesus first Coming. You could say to me, "Yes, Brother David, but some of these prophecies were fulfilled by others in history. Yes, some of these prophecies were perhaps, coincidentally, fulfilled in certain men, yet only Jesus fulfilled all 61 major prophecies in His birth, life, death, and resurrection. The Christian Victory Publishing Company offers a reward of $1000.00 if you can find any man who fulfills only half of the prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus. To date, no one has collected the reward!

I remember, years ago when I was in the military, I and the family were traveling to Lackland Air Force Base in order to be trained for an upcoming assignment. I had heard that Texas was big, yet I never grasped the concept of how big until I started traveling. As we drove across the United States we passed through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, through some states in under a day's travel, some states took about 8 hours. But when we got to Texas we rode, and rode, and rode, but it seemed like we were never going to get to where we were going. Texas is HUGE. Suddenly, I began to comprehend how immense it was that all the prophecies of Scripture concerning the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus.
 

Peter Stoner in "Science Speaks"(Moody Press) said: "We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled [just] eight prophecies [of the coming Messiah] is 1 in 1017. " This is equivalent to taking enough silver dollars to cover the entire state of Texas to a depth of 2 feet deep, marking one silver dollar and throwing it in the pile, mixing it in with the rest, then ask a blindfolded man to find that silver dollar. This is the same as the probability that just eight of these prophecies would come true, by coincidence, in any one man. Yet all 61 prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, deliberately, by the sure Word of God.

If God took such care to foretell of the first Coming of Christ, if all 61 major prophecies were exactly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, then how can we begin to disbelieve that God's Word will be any less sure for Christ's Second Coming? We cannot, unless we be fools, imagine that God has perpetuated a great hoax on us. We cannot imagine that Jesus really isn't Coming Again, for God has proven Himself true in history, He is not a man who lies, but is the very Author of Truth. Jesus is coming again: be ready.

The First Coming of Christ was literal, visible, and personal. What right do we have to assume that His Second Coming will be any less literal, visible, and personal? What right do we have to speculate on the truth, discounting it as if it were some item that we needed to move on the sales floor of the department store? Jesus is coming soon, and when He does He will come in His glorified, eternal Body to receive His saints in the air. Watch, be ready!

3. Jesus is Coming again Because He Said So

The first two proofs of Jesus Coming can be applied by both believer and unbeliever. It is a historical, documented, scientific fact that God's Sure Word of Prophecy is always fulfilled. If God's Word has been proven sure, and it has, then we have no reason to doubt that Jesus is indeed the one True Messiah come to save mankind from their sins. He filled the profile that God gave us in the Old Testament exactly, in the ancient and Holy Writings of Scripture.

Yet this next proof can only be truly understood by the Christian who has experienced the very hand of God in their lives. If you stand on the outside looking in, if you stand before God today as an unbeliever, then you may not understand this proof. This proof is: Jesus is coming again if He has said He is coming again. He has said it, He has never lied to me, as His disciple, and therefore I have no reason to believe He is lying now. When Jesus promised me, years ago, perfect peace if I accepted Him as Saviour, He did not lie. Lo, these 24 years, though there have been rough times, I have always had the peace and assurance that God walks with me whether I walk with Him or not. In the dark hours of my life when despair threatened to overwhelm me I have felt His presence. I have spoken with Him, and He with me, and I have felt the thrill of the precious Holy Spirit shift within my soul as I preach and teach. He has never lied to me, and when He says He is Coming I know it to be true.

If you are an unbeliever you cannot understand this assurance, for these words fall on your soul as only so much babble. Yet I pray that today you will hear His voice, and come to this assurance.
 

Years ago in a famous Seminary, a well known Doctor stood up and began to discount many of the truths of Scripture. He likened the miracles that happened in Jesus' earthly ministry to allegories, not real fact, and discounted the Coming of the Son of God as myth. When he reached the end of his lecture he asked if anyone had any questions. An old man stood up in the back of the class, reached into a paper bag he had with him, and pulled out an apple. While all eyes were on him he leisurely bit into the apple, started chewing, and thoughtfully asked the Doctor, "Doc, I have one question for you. This apple I'm eating, is it bitter or sweet?". After the question he remained standing, took another bite, and expectantly waited. The Doctor looked at him and angrily said, "How can I know whether the apple you're eating is bitter of sweet? I can only know this if I've tasted it myself. What a silly question!". The old man replied, "Then in the same vein, how can you know that what you have read in Scripture is myth and not reality. If you have not tasted of Jesus as I have tasted of Him you cannot know the sweetness that He brought to my life. You cannot know the assurance that I have that He has saved me from my sins".

I know Jesus is Coming Again because I have experienced His Saving Grace. He has never lied to me. If you are an unbeliever, sitting here in the Congregation of the Saved, you will never know with a certainty that He is indeed coming again until you meet Him as your personal Saviour. You cannot "Watch" and wait with the rest of us until you take this first step: Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
 

Matthew 24: 36-51 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. [37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, [39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [43] But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. [45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. [48] But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; [49] And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; [50] The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, [51] And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

This morning we talked about the Second Coming of Christ. We examined how, since God's Word of Prophecy has proven itself sure in Scripture, we know for a certainty that Jesus could come again at any moment. Tonight we want to examine how this sure Word of Prophecy should impact this Church and its mission.

Many Christians have taken a cavalier attitude toward their spiritual lives because they have not fully understood the import of the Second Coming of Christ. We find it easy to watch television and pursue entertainment rather than to be about our Father's business. This is a dangerous attitude for two reasons: (1) You don't know how long God is going to allow you life on this earth, and we all stand but one heartbeat away from God, and (2) When Jesus comes, His coming will be literal and catastrophic. In a moment we will be snatched away from this earth to enter into the Judgment Seat of Christ where each one of us, specifically, will suffer loss or gain crowns that we can throw at the Master's feet. Notice what Jesus says:

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come

Jesus tells each and every one of us in the Body to watch and be ready for His coming. Watch is the Greek GREGOREO, which means "To stay alert, refrain from sleep". The word is in the PRESENT IMPERATIVE, Present Tense of duration implying a habitual action, and Imperative Mood meaning this is a command. Jesus is telling each and every believer here tonight to "Wake Up, Keep on Rousing Yourself Up, Shake the sleep out of your eyes", for He is returning and we don't know when that moment will be.

Jesus often spoke volumes of truth in parables (PARABOLE, illustrative stories), using these stories to get His point across. And Jesus frequently used GREGOREO in His parables when speaking to His people.

Believers, it is past time for the Church of Jesus Christ to stop sleeping and to heed the Words of our Lord: "Wake Up"! There is a great spiritual conflict going on all around us, a battle roaring with the Great General Satan on one side and God's forces, the Church of Christ on the other, yet many believers stagger blindly through this life contributing little to the cause. These things must not be at this Church! Yes, the war between God and Satan was won through Jesus' fulfillment of the Plan of God. By fulfilling His mission, by suffering and dying and His subsequent resurrection and ascension, Jesus secured Satan's final defeat. Yet the Work of God is not over. Look what God has said about the Church:

Acts 15:13-17 "And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: [14]  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. [15]  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, [16]  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: [17]  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things."

Did you notice what the Apostle James said? It is within God's Plan that He choose out a people from among the Gentiles (the non-Jews, us), a people for His Name. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. In this present dispensation God is calling and building His Church, the Bride of Christ, and Jesus will not return until this Great Body is completed. Pay particular attention to this statement:

Acts 15:16  "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:"

Did you catch that? James quotes prophecy from Amos 9.11-12, and notes that Our Lord God Jesus Christ will not return until after this Body of Christ is completely built. Each person we bring to Christ is another building block in the Body, each new saved person is another step toward Christ's return. Our God is not a God of pieces, but a God of completion. He is a God who finishes what He has started. The early Church understood this, so they evangelized with a passion, telling everyone they knew and didn't know about the salvation available in Jesus. When you understand the concept that Jesus can come at any moment, but will not come until His Bride is completed, you will be driven with love to join in this great work of God.
 

Colonel Clark, founder of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, put in six nights out of every seven at the mission as long as he lived. Someone asked him, "Colonel, why don't you take a vacation? You're killing yourself by sticking to that mission so close!". The Colonel replied, "I can't do it, brother. I could never do that, for every time I start for the mission, I think, maybe the last man will be saved in our little meeting tonight and the Lord will come. I wouldn't miss being at my post for anything in the world. When Jesus comes I want to be right where He expects me to be".

Praise the Lord, what a great way of thinking! When we as believers begin to realize that we are working with God in this great battle, and that we are, with each soul saved, one step closer to Christ's return, then we are driven to work harder, driven to GREGOREO.

Notice what Jesus said:

Matthew 24:42-43 "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [43] But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up."

When we as a Church GREGOREO, constantly watch, we prevent the thief from stealing our precious valuables. My house is near a somewhat rough neighborhood. Though our own neighborhood is wonderful, a few blocks away many have given their hearts and souls to Satan rather than to God. A few years ago our house was broken into, and thieves came in and stole our microwave, a valuable coin collection and silver that we had saved, and even tore the light fixtures from the ceilings in several rooms. Up until this time we were content and felt safe in our little home, but after this event I put bars on the windows and double locks on every door. You must take definite measures against a thief, though taking measures after the fact (shutting the barn door after the horse has run away) is a empty gesture.

There are many thieves that can come into this house, the Great Church of God, and once they're in the house they rob us of the operational joy of our salvation. The thief of apathy comes in and makes us unconcerned about our brothers and sisters in Christ. We forget:

1 Corinthians 12:26  "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."

That the Bible teaches we are members one of another, and together we form the Body of Christ, a Body that must be completed before the Son returns. We forget that we need that brother or sister who has dropped out of Church, that we need their God given Gifts if we are to work together as a unit. At one time these people thought enough about this Church to walk forward and publicly declare their willingness to join with us: before this service ends we're going to explore an avenue to reclaiming these lost sheep of the House of God.

The thief of self righteousness enters our lives when we begin to feel superior to our brethren, when we forget that our Sainthood was only secured by the screaming death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Self Righteousness is one of the worst sins imaginable:

Isaiah 5:21  "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"

For it blinds us to our own weaknesses, and locks us into cliques away from our brothers and sisters. The Pharisees and Saducees followed after Christ to pick at His ministry, not to learn the pathway of salvation from it. These same unbelievers reside in hell today. Chase this thief from your life!

The thief of carnality says, "I have been saved by Grace, therefore I am free to sin". This same thief invaded the Church of Corinth and created a group of Christian people who got drunk at the Lord's Table, who took one another to court, who were hedonists and worse! Among the early Church a group of believers rose up called the "Gnostics" who believed that salvation freed us so we were now free to sin. James warned the Church:

James 1:22-25 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. [23]  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: [24]  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. [25]  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

You have been freed from sin to serve the Living God. Use this freedom to grow as believers and build this Church, not as an excuse to sin without guilt. Such a thought is a doctrine of demons.

The thief of laziness makes the Christian forget that spiritual growth is only achieved when we submit ourselves to God's Will and study His Word. The Christian has two disciplines that he must pray to keep the thief of laziness out of the house: prayer and independent Bible Study. When we pray we communicate with the Godhead, when we study the Word we grow as believers. Listen to this:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

How important is the Scripture, all the Scripture? Paul says that the Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Inspiration of Godis the Greek THEOPNEUSTOS, which is a compound word derived from THEOS, God, and PNEUSTOS, breathed. Paul says the Scripture is literally God breathed, the very breath of God. When you take this Word into your life, apply it to your everyday circumstances, you grow as a believer. You cannot be perfect or mature as a believer unless you are studying and living His Word on a daily basis.

Sadly, many Christians today have confused eternal security with prosperous spiritual living. I do not like the term "Once Saved, Always Saved" when I refer to salvation for not only does it sound flippant, it gives the wrong impression. Yes, the Bible does teach that once you're saved you are eternally secure in the hands of Jesus. But salvation is more than a few minutes at the altar, giving your soul to Christ. Salvation is a process, a way of living.

When Jesus returns, what state do you want Him to find you in?

Matthew 24: 45-47 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Do you want Jesus to find you busily working at your called duty? Those who are faithful in service to the end, we are told, will be rewarded with a crown to reign with Jesus in the afterlife. Listen to Paul:

2 Timothy 2:11-14 "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: [12]  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: [13]  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. [14] Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."

God tells me as your Pastor to put you in remembrance of these things, to remind you that your faithfulness or faithlessness will make a difference in your eternity. Yes, if you have accepted Christ as Saviour you will spend an eternity with Him in the wonders of Heaven. Yes, there will be no more tears, no more sadness, and the old things will have passed away, all things will be made new. But brothers and sisters, as joyous as Heaven will be, won't it be more joyous to reign with Him? O the glories of being a Captain for my General Jesus! To rule a small slice of Heaven for my Saviour will make Heaven all the sweeter. Jesus says that this is a Blessed state to be in, a state that will bring all the more happiness.

The other choice? Jesus illustrates this just as well, though I believe reluctantly, for He wants none of His servants to fall in this category:

Matthew 24:48-51 "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; [49] And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; [50] The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, [51] And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Though there will be no tears in eternity, the Bible does tell us that the Bride will be judged by Jesus at His Great Judgment Seat. During this time all of the works that we did in this life, whether good or bad, are tried by the fire of God for reward.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12]  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13]  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. [14]  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15]  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

There may be a tear or two shed on that day as many of us watch our works burn like chaff. There are many works that I have done in the past, done from self righteousness, done from carnality, that I shall see torched by the fire of God. Brothers and Sisters, we were given a sure foundation at the moment of our salvation, the foundation which is Jesus Christ. But our salvation was not the completion of the work, just the start. We are now partners with God in building the Great Body of Christ. Let's dedicate ourselves toward building this work, as He guides us. Let's reach out to the sheep that have wandered astray, and reach out to the lost. This is a holy work that our Master has commissioned us to do. I pray we will be of one mind on this work. Maranatha!
 

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