1 Look Up, Grow Up, Spruce Up
In Rochester, NY, there is a local radio sports show that is a call up program. Some callers are regulars and they have nicknames one that has always stuck out to me is a guy who call’s himself, "Mr. Negativity." I guess he always looks at things from the negative side. To be honest with you that is what I could have called myself when it came to my outlook on the end times. Today’s message will be a very positive and encouraging end times message and I trust the Lord it’s truths will encourage you as much as they have encouraged me.
I have three points from scripture that will help you in your end times view. They are:
Look up
Grow up
Spruce up
1. Look up
Luke 17:26-30 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Most sermons on this passage and the phrase, "As it was in the days of Noah..." will usually go into a long list of the murder rate, the divorce rate, the amount of cultists, the soon coming mark of the beast etc. I used to think that way also, until the Lord reminded me of a passage also found in the book of Luke:
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
I found it hard to look up, or cheer up when I thought the worst was happening, and even worse was ahead. Then a friend shared an insight on Noah that radically changed all my thinking and understanding on the end times. Jesus said, as it was in the days of Noah... even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. The days of Noah are a parallel to how the world will be when Jesus returns, but his insight was this, the days of Noah are also a parallel to how the church will be when Jesus returns. This brings us to several questions, how was Noah doing spiritually, and is there any reference in the NT that the church will be like Noah?
A. How was Noah doing spiritually?
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
This passage tells us several things about Noah.
1. Noah found grace (favor, loving acceptance) (Expound further)
2. Noah was a just man. Just = Hebrew - tsaddiyq; just, righteous (in conduct and character); righteous (as justified and vindicated by God; right, correct, lawful
3. Noah was perfect in his generations. (NAS: Genesis 6:9 ... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.) Perfect = sound, wholesome, unimpaired, innocent, having integrity
4. Noah walked with God, i.e. he walked in a way that was God honoring and God pleasing.
Many people’s view of the last days church is some beat up bride with a ripped and torn wedding gown, and black eye and bloody lip. But is that the picture the bible gives us. Does the bible suggest that the last days church will be like Noah finding grace with God, being just, perfect and walking with him? Yes it does! Here are some scriptures:
Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
I will share more as this message goes on but for now let me simply say that the people in the world of Noah’s day will parallel the people of the world in the last days, and that the church in the last days will parallel the godly character of Noah. Now that is something that can make me look up for my redemption draweth nigh!
2. Grow up.
Matthew 13:24-26 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
This is another one of those passages that the church traditionally only looks at the negative side of it, but there is also a very positive side of it also. The truth is simply this: the wheat and the tares grow up together. Most end times messages always speak of and emphasize the tares growing up, what I want to key in on this message is that the bible teaches that the wheat also grows up! That is just before the harvest the wheat reaches full maturity!
This again is not a picture of a defeated, barely making it into heaven church, but one that has finely come into what God has fully called it to be. The wheat grows up. Surely we live in a generation in which the tares have grown up. Madelyn Murray O’hare is a woman that changed the whole direction of a nation for evil - removing Christian prayers from school. That is a mature tare if ever I have seen one. Our text says: "But when the BLADE WAS SPRUNG UP, AND BROUGHT FORTH FRUIT, then appeared the tares also." So then tares cannot appear unless the wheat has also grown up. There are and always will be problems in the church, but there are also some outstanding things going on. We are living in an age where hell’s final assault has begun, and yet many of you are standing true to the Lord in spite of the great evil of the age, that is a testimony to both the Lord’s saving grace and that He has brought the church to level of maturity. The winds are blowing, the rain has come, and our house remains. The wheat has grown up.
One other thing I want to say about wheat growing up, it also means that it has reached the time of fruitfulness. I see now, and on the horizon a time of unparalleled fruitfulness for the church. the church had a great time of fruitfulness in the beginning and has sustained growth throughout the ages, but the time of the harvest is when the grain produces fruit 30 -60 - and 100 fold! That is record busting crop time. That is one of the images Jesus gave of the last days. Look up your redemption draweth nigh! Grow up! it is a time for much fruitfulness
3. Spruce up.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
This text is a future past tense. What that means is that it is a future event that looks back on an event that is future to the present but past tense to that which is further future than it. In other words someone living in 2095 would call 2050 a past tense event but to us it would be a future event. In the same way Revelations 19:7 is describing an event that is future tense to our frame of reference but past tense to its frame of reference. That event is "the wife hath made herself ready." In other words the last days church was all decked out beautifully when Jesus came and got her. That is how the angel described her. Hath (past tense) made herself ready. She had her wedding garments on, and if she didn’t He would have kicked her out of the wedding feast. (Mt. 22:11-13)
The church prettied herself up before Jesus came. Please understand me, by prettying herself up I do not mean to imply that we can of our own righteousness please God, I mean that we take full advantage of what God has provided for us.
For example we are told to put on the whole armor of God. Have you ever noticed that God doesn’t put the armor on us, but commands that we do. In like manner we are told to put on the garment of praise, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, put on our beautiful garments (Is 52:1)
The great encouragement I take from this passage is that in God’s description of the last church, He says, "we made ourselves ready for the wedding feast." In other words we won, we were victorious, we didn’t just barely make it, we were dressed up and ready for the show when He came. This gives us a picture of a last days victorious church, even as Noah was a just man, found grace with God, was perfect in his generation, and walked with God.
I believe the future of the church is an exciting one. Don’t call me Mr. Negativity.
Close: If Jesus were to come today could it be said of you that you have your wedding garments on? By that I mean have you been born again....
