Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: I shared this last time.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: But as I just want to share this as a reminder because I think this is cool. Thomas and I have known each other for a long time. We were, we were friends in middle school and high school. We played terrible, awful rock and roll music together. We were rebellious, sinful youths together.
And to see God's faithfulness in both our lives and to reconnect as adults and see how God really does change lives and change the direction of us is such a, such a beautiful, wonderful thing. So I'm honored dude, to have you come serve us. Thomas is going to be bringing the word for us today. So let's, let's zone in, let's be all in on this and let's see what God has for us. Come on up, brother.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Well, church, good morning.
It is awesome to be able to come spend this time with you guys.
I really enjoy the opportunity to be able to bring the word. You know, churches where I know the people, but I don't necessarily know the people, right. It's always interesting to one as you know, somebody that will be moving to Peru on July 2.
It is a thing that's good, right? Because I get to hear some feedback like hey, maybe change this or change that, right?
Maybe reword some of these things, right? So it's a time of growth for me.
But it's also, I feel like it's a, it's a blessing for the churches that we get to be in because you get to hear a different perspective, right?
And then on the fun side like, you know, I can be up here for an hour and a half and I don't have to worry about you guys firing me next week.
So if you are expecting to make it to Cracker Barrel or whatever your local eatery is at noon, buckle up because we're going to be here for a little while. Okay.
I. You can grab UberEats and get some Jimmy John's in here or whatever. But we are in a weighty text, right? So Sam, bless me with the opportunity to be able to continue in your guys's series right now through Matthew. So we will be in Matthew 24 starting in verse 15 and going all the way through 35. Okay, I'm going to be do my best to exposit this for you guys, show you some life application both individually and corporately.
But before we do that, let's go ahead and if you are willing and able, please stand for the reading of God's word.
So again we'll be in Matthew 24 starting in verse 15 going through 35, it says so when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. A man on the housetop must not come back down to get things out of his house, and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath, for at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn't taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect. If anyone tells you, then, see, here is the Messiah, or over here, do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. And take note, I have told you in advance. So if they tell you, see, he's in the wilderness, don't go out or see, he's in the storeroom. Do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.
And immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed its light, the star, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then the Son of the man or the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its branches become tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near at the door. Truly, I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass.
You can be seated.
Let's go to the Lord in prayer, and then we'll dive into our text.
Lord, we thank you for the opportunity and the ability to be able to gather freely, openly and publicly.
Lord, we thank you for the blessing of the canon of your word. We thank you that it's a living document Lord, we ask that you open up our ears and soften our hearts today.
Bring conviction where there needs to be conviction, Lord, but you know, bring rejoicing and reverence where there needs to be rejoicing and reverence. Lord, I ask that you allow my pride and my ways to. To just step aside today. I ask that you allow your spirit to speak through me, use my tongue the way that you desire for it to be used. I thank you for Emmanuel fellowship. I thank you for the opportunity to come here and preach. We pray this all in your Son's holy name. Amen.
All right, so the overarching point of Matthew 24 is be ready, right?
So it kind of leads to a bunch of interesting points, a bunch of interesting ideas, and really, like, I want to start out with just kind of bringing it down a little bit, right? So if you knew that your house was going to burn down tomorrow, right. Would you spend today redecorating? Right. Would you go to Kohl's and buy a bunch of stuff to put inside your house, knowing that it would catch fire tomorrow?
So if you were told that a flow, a flood was coming, right? Would you build a deck or would you build a boat?
You see the real danger of preaching about things from the end times. I don't believe that it's fanaticism.
I believe that it's apathy.
It's the belief that Jesus return is either way too far away to matter to us today or it's too confusing, so we don't try and care.
But Jesus didn't speak in Matthew 24 to confuse us. He gave it to us to prepare us to stir our stalls, to wake the spiritually sleepy.
I believe wholeheartedly that the point of prophecy isn't necessarily prediction, but preparation.
So the disciples had asked him earlier in verse three, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus answers not with dates, but with commands and demands. He didn't give us charts.
He in essence just says, be ready.
So I want to look at four different truths from under this text that fit the idea of being ready.
So we start with our first point, right? Which I believe is be ready for judgment.
So starting off in verse 15, we see. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place.
So Jesus begins this with a reference to Daniel's prophecy. It's a phrase that sounds ominous because it is. And it's the abomination of desolation. Now, this refers, I Believe to a desecrating force, something that's so vile that it makes the temple unclean. So In Daniel, chapter 9, verses 27, and again in chapter 11, verse 31, and in chapter 12, verse 11, this term is used in the context of a devastating judgment.
So now, historically, I believe that this referred to events such as when Antichius Ivan, 4th of Epiphanes, set up a pagan altar in the Jewish temple right around 167 BC.
But I believe that Jesus is also pointing forward. So now, many theological scholars would say that this is fulfilled, at least in part, when Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and desecrated the temple in 70 AD. Others view this as a dual prophecy with ultimate fulfillment tied to the Antichrist in the last days.
But regardless of this timing, I believe the theological point is crystal clear. There is judgment for rebellion, and it comes with a warning.
So if we continue right through verses 16 and 18, Jesus isn't promoting a panic, but an urgency. There's no time for luggage, right? No time to jump on Facebook and post a status update about how your family's evacuating.
When God's judgment comes, delay is deadly.
And it's. It's a vivid reminder, right? So procrastinated repentance is a fast track to ruin.
I want you to think Back to Genesis 19 with Lot's wife. I'm sure we all remember her. It's a story that we're told from children's church and all the way up into adult church, if you want to call it that.
But God warned Lot's family to flee Sodom and to not look back.
But Lot's wife, though her body might have been moving forward, right? Her heart remained behind and she looked back.
She became a pillar of salt.
So when judgment comes, looking back will cost you.
And in the same way, Jesus urges urgency, so he warns us not to cling to earthly possessions.
We don't run back for comfort. The time for turning from sin and trusting in him is right now.
It reminds me of Hebrews 3, chapter or, excuse me, chapter 3, verse 15, which states, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
So I would ask you, do you believe that judgment is real?
I think oftentimes today we live as though there will never be a reckoning. We kind of sit there and we say, well, judgment, that's just religious fear mongering, right?
But Jesus, who, we often paint this picture of him being just gentle and just lowly.
And I don't say that to be snarky, right? Philippians teaches us that Jesus was gentle and lowly.
But we often forget about his, his holiness and his just wrath.
Because Jesus, he spoke often and clearly about a coming judgment. In Revelations chapter 19, he's painted as a warrior and his robes are dipped in his enemy's blood.
But why would he speak clearly and often about judgment?
Well, because if you love somebody, you warn them.
If there's a bridge out, does Manchester Road have any bridges?
If there's a bridge out on Manchester, right, We're not just going to let people continuously drive over the edge of the bridge.
We're going to wave our arms, we're going to put up signs, we're going to plead with them not to go through the cones and drive off the bridge.
And I believe that that's what Christ is doing here. Judgment is not just historical, it's personal.
The Bible says that it is appointed for people to die once and after this judgment, and that's in Hebrews 9:27.
Every single sin will be judged.
It will either be judged at the cross or ultimately on your head.
And for the believer, this should stir both a reverence and relief.
Reverence because we remember that God is holy and also relief because the wrath that I deserve, the wrath that you deserve, it fell on Christ.
He took our abomination so we could become his sanctuary.
Now I would say that some folks treat God's judgment almost like they treat their dentist appointments.
You know that it's real, but you just kind of keep pushing it back, keep pushing it back. Because nobody likes the dentist.
But unlike the dentist, right, God doesn't take walk ins. So be ready.
So I would ask you, don't just prepare yourself, warn others adults. Speak to your kids, speak to your neighbors, your co workers.
Let them see your urgency and your joy.
I would say let them hear the trumpet of grace before the trumpet of judgment.
This would bring me to my next point.
Be ready in tribulation.
Now verse 21 starts off by saying, for at that time there will be great distress.
The kind that hasn't taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.
Christ doesn't sugarcoat it. The times he describes are worse than anything this world has seen.
Wars, betrayals, famine, persecution, apostasy. The great distress, or as some translations say, at the great tribulation isn't minor inconvenience, it's suffering on a historical, global scale.
Now there are theologians that believe that a lot of this was fulfilled in the horrors. Like I said earlier of 70 AD during the siege of Jerusalem, but the language also points to a climactic period before Christ's return.
Sometimes we refer to that as the Great Tribulation.
And either way, the message is this, things will get worse before they get better.
So we continue going through verse 22 states, unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.
Now, what a beautiful phrase, right? Because of the elect.
Now, the word elect brings up all kinds of crazy ideas, thoughts. People get really mad about it. But it's biblical. It's all over the place. And it's a beautiful phrase.
God's people are not forgotten.
He knows how much they can bear.
He sovereignly governs history, not just for judgment, but ultimately for mercy. Now, tribulation may roar, but I believe wholeheartedly that it is on a leash, held sovereignly by the hand of God.
Let's think about Job, right? He lost his wealth, his children, his health, and even the support of his wife.
But behind every blow was not a careless world.
There was a controlled test.
I think it's good to remind ourselves that Satan had to seek permission.
The same God who allows suffering sets its boundaries.
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation, he will also provide a way out.
So when tribulation comes right, whether it's personal, personal or cosmic, I would ask that you remember this.
It is not outside of God's plan and you are not outside of his care.
We continue with verse 24 states, false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray if possible. Even the elect. There's that scary word again.
So we tend to think danger always looks evil.
But here's the sobering truth.
The greatest threats to our souls may come wearing religious robes.
You know, oftentimes we depict Satan with a pitchfork in red, with horns and a big crazy tail.
But I would say sometimes he wears a collar.
And this is why discernment is so vital. In times of suffering, people will allow voices that promise peace and comfort, especially when our world seems like it's falling apart.
And that's when wolves show up at your door. They're smooth talking, miracle working, soul eating.
So my question would be this. Are you easily led?
What would happen to your theology? In true tribulation, do you still trust God when your life feels like a battlefield now, many people fall away when pressure rises.
They trade truth for comfort.
But true disciples will Persevere, not because they're strong, has nothing to do with us, but because God will keep them.
Jesus said in John 10:28, I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
So tribulation may shake your grip, but not his.
I read this quote one time that said, you should never trust a leader who doesn't limp.
In other words, be cautious of messiahs or pastors who've never suffered.
Jesus suffered, Paul suffered.
Real shepherds limp because they've been through a valley, but they're still walking.
So, believer, Jesus told you this ahead of time.
Why?
So you wouldn't be surprised.
So you wouldn't be swept away.
Storms can rage all around you, but your ankle will hold.
So I would encourage you and say that if you're going through your own personal tribulation, whether it's a loss, a sickness, a depression, hear this right?
God sees you.
Christ suffered.
He has not left you to navigate this alone.
Psalm 34:19 says, Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues him from them all.
So hold fast because he's coming.
My third point.
Be ready for his return.
We. We continue in verse 29.
And it states, immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light. The stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken.
This isn't just poetic language.
It's a prophetic upheaval.
Jesus points the picture of the sky itself unraveling.
And these cosmic signs aren't random. They're rehearsals from Scripture. It's painted in Isaiah 13, Joel 2, Revelation 6. They all echo this imagery.
But why does creation convulse?
Well, it convulses because the Creator is coming.
In this moment, all pretenses are dropped.
All distractions vanish. And when the King arrives, he will not come quietly. He comes in glory, he comes in judgment, but ultimately he comes in Rescue.
Verse 30, right? It says, then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the earth, or all the peoples of the earth will mourn.
And that's pretty clear, right? Not everybody is going to be happy to see Christ return.
Some will mourn, but not out of repentance, but regret the one that they denied. Right? The one that they mocked, the one that they ignored.
Now totally unavoidable.
The skies tear open and reveal the truth that Christ is king. And hear me say this, there is no neutral ground.
You can't dip half Your foot in the world and half your foot in the spirit and feel like you're Sweden in a spiritual war.
Revelation 1, verse 7 says, look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him.
If you go further in the book of Matthew, you hit chapter 25, right? It's pretty consecutive. 24, 25, 26, etc. In verses 1 through 13 of chapter 25, it's a parable about the ten virgins.
Now Jesus tells this parable of ten bridesmaids who are waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise, they put oil in their lamps, camp kept their lamps full. And five were foolish, they weren't prepared. So then when the bridegroom arrived, only the prepared were welcomed, the rest were locked out.
Well, what's the point, right?
The point is be ready. You can't borrow somebody else's oil.
You can't ask for an extension. Christ is not the irs.
When Jesus returns, readiness is revealed.
So if we come back to chapter 24, we continue in verse 31 states, he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
This is a beautiful picture of glory and grace.
The Elector. All those redeemed by Christ are gathered, rescued, glorified, every tribe, every tongue, from every corner of the globe.
Trumpet sounds and a great reunion begins.
So I would ask you, are you longing or lethargic?
If you're taking notes, write this down and ask yourself this through the week, do I live as though Jesus could come today?
Or am I more concerned with getting to Cracker Barrel on time, getting the newest thing at Kohl's hitting a target sale, all these earthly plans, comforts and ambitions.
Paul wrote in Second Timothy, Chapter 4, Verse 8, that a crown awaits all those who have loved his appearing.
So in other words, the truly ready Christian isn't scared of Christ coming back.
They're excited.
It's not dread, it's it's delight.
I remember growing up in in the 90s during a lot of crazy times in the Baptist community.
And Christ's return was seen as a scary thing, but it shouldn't be. We should be excited, but far too many of us, right? We live like Christ will never return, or like we hope he doesn't.
So we'll say that we believe. We wear a cross necklace. We have a Bible verse on our Instagram bio, but we delay obedience, we postpone Holy living, we kind of treat repentance like it's a to do list item.
But his return will not wait for your convenience.
So think about like a burglar, right, Announcing, like coming up to your door and knocking, saying, like, hey, I'm gonna rob you tonight. So you could be like, well, perfect, right? I'll have everything prepared for you. I'll put the jewelry out. You don't have to tear anything up. We'll be prepared, right? Well, I would reason that most of us, right, we would prepare differently. We would lock the doors, we'd notify somebody. We would not have our jewelry laying out on the counter.
Yet we do the first thing with the returning king of the universe.
And Christ isn't a burglar, right? But he will come like a thief, not in timing and not character. Or in timing, not in character.
So be ready.
First, Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 2 says, for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come, just like a thief in the night.
And friends, if you are in Christ, the return of Jesus is your great hope, should not be your greatest fear.
Don't be anxious, be awake, don't be distracted, but be alert, because your Lord is coming for you.
In Philippians 3, verse 20, Paul reminds us our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await for a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's not just doctrine, that's desire.
That's readiness.
So stay faithful, be in prayer, keep your lamp burning.
Let the world see that your heart beats not just for your own desires, but for who is coming.
So this brings me to my fourth point, which is, be ready for the fulfillment of God's word.
So this would pick up in verse 32 of chapter 24, where Christ starts a parable and he says, learn this from the fig tree, as as soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near at the door.
So Christ shifts to a parable, and it's about a fig tree. It's a very simple image, and one that his disciples would very easily recognize.
Now, in Israel, fig trees bloom in the spring when their branches begin to bud, you know that summer is coming.
And no one panics about the blooming of a fig tree.
They just know what it means. A new season is coming.
And likewise, Jesus says, pay attention to the signs.
The shaking of nations, the rising of false messiahs, the tribulation of saints. These are not random.
They're Fig tree leaves.
They tell us something, that Christ is near.
But here's the key, right? Christ doesn't give this information for speculation, but he gives it for preparation.
Too many of us want to use prophecy to build charts instead of building character.
James, chapter five, verse eight says, you also must be patient, strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near.
And the question is not, can I decode this calendar?
The question should be, is my heart prepared?
Verse 34 picks up and says, truly, I tell you, this generation certainly will not pass away until all these things take place.
This is a fun verse, but it's also tricky.
So what does Jesus mean when he states by this generation?
Well, there's a bunch of different views that exist about this. I'm not here to convince you of any of them, but let me paint a very broad brush about the three biggest ones.
So some people believe that it was talking about the people alive at the time of Christ. And in this case, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD would fulfill that prophecy, both locally and historically.
Some people believe that the generation that Christ is speaking about will be the generation alive when the signs begin, meaning that once the final phase starts, it'll happen quickly.
I believe the generation is a symbol of an unbelieving age or a continual resistance to Christ that will remain until his return.
But regardless of your interpretive stance, the takeaway is this, right?
God's timeline is trustworthy even when it's not fully understood.
Verse 35 states, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass.
What a statement.
Jesus has just described the collapse of the stars.
And then he says, but my words, they'll outlast everything.
Think about that for a second, right?
Everything around you, governments, galaxies, gold, it's all temporary.
But the Word is eternal. You can literally stake your life on it.
Many people have staked their death and put their death on it.
Let's think about Noah in the ark for a second.
God told Noah the judgment was coming.
And for 120 years Noah preached and prepped people scoffed. They laughed.
Then the door shut and then the drops fell.
God's word stood firm.
Jesus says the same.
I've told you these things so that you'll be ready. Not panicked, not paralyzed, but prepared.
In Second Peter, chapter three, verses nine to ten, it says, the Lord does not delay his promise, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
But it feels really slow to us.
Why hasn't Christ returned already?
Well, God is patient.
He's gathering his people.
He's giving space for repentance.
But when the time comes, His Word will not fail.
It never has and it never will.
So is God's Word the anchor of your readiness?
You won't survive the end by clinging to your reputation.
You won't survive by clinging to your education.
You won't survive by clinging to your investments or your crypto or your 401k.
You won't survive by clinging to the idea of I meant to do good or good intentions.
You will stand only if you are rooted in the unshakable Word of Christ.
So how do you treat God's Word today?
Does it sit dusty on your shelf?
If it sits dusty on your nightstand, on your shelf, whatever.
Why would it suddenly become a lamp to your feet in the midnight hours?
Psalm 119, verse 105, says, Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
But if you want to be ready, you better be word saturated.
Some Christians read their Bibles kind of like we read Ikea instructions, right?
Only when something breaks or you can't figure out which screw to put where.
And even then, we do it kind of begrudgingly.
But Scripture should not be our final resort.
It must be our first foundation.
So I would ask you this.
In a world full of false promises and fading trends, God's Word is the one thing that never expires.
When you anchor your soul to his truth, you are immovable even when the heavens shake.
So I would dare you to let your skeptics laugh, let your critics scoff. They always have and they always will.
But the day will come when every knee bows, every tongue confesses that Christ is Lord. And on that day, the only people who will stand are those who have bowed their hearts. Now.
So hold fast.
Hide His Word in your heart.
Let it shape your mind, your priorities, and your habits.
Be ready. Not just because he is coming, but because His Word will never fail.
So this brings us to our conclusion, where I simply ask, are you ready?
When Christ spoke these words, he didn't intend for us to be obsessed with decoding prophecy charts.
He intended us to live holy, watchful, set apart lives.
The theme here isn't speculation, it's sanctification.
So be ready.
Be ready for judgment because sin brings destruction.
Be ready in tribulation because the path is hard.
Be ready for his return because he's coming in glory.
Be ready to trust His Word because it will Never fail.
Revelation 22:20 says, Yes, I am coming soon.
And the only proper response is, amen. Come on, let's go.
So if you're taking notes or writing things down, I have five questions that you can reflect on throughout your week, and it's simply what signs of the times do you see today and how do they motivate you to live differently?
In what ways are you tempted to delay obedience and repentance?
How can you encourage others to be ready for Christ's return without sounding like an alarmist or arrogant what does it practically look like to anchor your life to God's word when everything else is shaking?
Are there areas of fear or confusion about the end times that need to be brought to God in prayer?
I would say that we can't just sit around singing about Jesus coming back.
We had better live like we believe it.
My wife, who is awesome and significantly smarter than me, brought up a quote by a pastor this morning and his name is R.C. sproul, and I know that he's a Presbyterian and we should drip coffee and not our babies, but he stated this and I feel like it's really wise if God is not sovereign, God is not God.
If there is even one maverick molecule in the universe, one molecule running loose outside the scope of of God's sovereign ordination, we cannot have the slightest confidence that any promise God has ever made about the future will come to pass.
Let's go to prayer and a moment of reflection.
