A Sermon For You
A ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Sermon Title
Christianity In 2004
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby
Our Text verses for This Sermon are;
Exodus 12:1-2; And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
(PRAYER)
Heavenly Father, bless the message today. Help us to take our stand for the things of God. Save the lost, and revive your children. In Christ Name. Amen!
Listen please to the words of a great song we often sing.
Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss;
From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead,
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished, For Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up!-stand up for Jesus! The solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep He suffers, Away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil, Within you or without,
Charge for the God of battles, And put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, And strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, And watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger, Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long;
The day the noise of battle, The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are living in the last days according to Scripture. This is the time that all of God’s children should stand up for the things of God. We who are the salt of the earth must be useful in flavoring, or we are good for nothing, but to be cast out and troden under the foot of men. So what shall it be with us who are Christians living in the year 2004. What are we to expect in the months ahead? Are we going to just passively sit back while all manner of godlessness continues to take controll of the battle?
I don’t know about you, but I have decided to do something to promote godliness in my generation. I have chosen to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all who will listen. I want to give my all and my best to serve the Lord in 2004. No matter what happens, no matter what attacks of Satan may come, I want to stand up for Jesus Christ my Lord.
(1) Living In The Last Days
I find in Scripture eight references to the two words "Last Days" Ge49:1, Isa2:2, Mic4:1, Ac2:17, 2Ti3:1, Heb1:2, Jas5:3, and 2Pe3:3.
The verse I have chosen to use here is from, 2Timothy 3:1; This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Notice please that our verse tells us that "in the last days perilous times shall come". The word perilous in this verse is from the Greek word "chalepos" which is the idea of reducing the strength; difficult, i.e. dangerous, or (by implication) furious:--fierce, perilous.
Since 9/11/01, we in America have been under the threat of terrorism. Our government has posted a terror alert system to warn Americans of the suspected danger of terrorist attacks upon us. During the short time that this system has been in effect, the danger aleart has changed several times. Although we have not seen any such disastes as we did on 9/11, we are still warned that terrorist attacks are threateniong us each and every day.
Other countries have experianced terror attacks though, countries such as Israel, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Turkey, among many other countries. On April 3 2004 Voice of America News reports: "The FBI is warning U.S. law enforcement agencies of an alleged plot to bomb buses and railways in major U.S. cities later this year. In a bulletin sent out late Thursday, the bureau said terrorists could try to hide explosives in luggage such as backpacks and duffel bags. The bulletin cites uncorroborated evidence that the bombs could be made of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate fertilizer, similar to what was used to blow up a U.S. government building in Oklahoma City nine years ago. The bulletin says al-Qaida and other groups have the intent and capability to carry out such attacks, and takes note of the train bombings in Madrid last month that killed some 200 people. This is just one of the warnings we have received concerning perilous times today.
On April 9 2004 the The Middle East Newsline headlines read, "Syria smuggles weapons to Sudan." On April 13 2004, The EU Observer reports: "European security services have underestimated the capacity of terrorists in Europe to develop chemical weapons, according to a senior French counter-terrorism official. April 14 2004, The Middle East Newsline reports: "The United States has determined that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat approved an attack on a U.S. embassy convoy in which three Americans were killed in 2003. U.S. diplomatic sources said a U.S. investigation into the bombing of the embassy convoy in the Gaza Strip in October 2003 pointed to a clear role by Arafat. The sources said Arafat granted approval to a plan to strike U.S. interests in PA areas. On April 18, 2004, NewsMax.com reports: “Jordan’s King Abdullah revealed on Saturday that vehicles reportedly containing chemical weapons and poison gas that were part of a deadly al Qaeda bomb plot came from Syria, the country named by U.S. weapons inspector David Kay last year as a likely repository for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. April 24 2004, Voice of America News reports: "Afghanistan is seeing a sudden rise in terrorist activity, with one bombing reported Wednesday and two failed bomb plots. April 26th, The New York Times reports: "The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered, counterterrorism officials say. April 28th, The Washington Post reports: "The United States is preparing to significantly raise its estimate of the number of nuclear weapons held by North Korea, from ’possibly two’ to at least eight, according to U.S. officials involved in the preparation of the report. April 30th, Voice of America News reports: "The U.S. State Department has issued a new global terrorism alert warning of the ’heightened threat’ of attacks against U.S. citizens abroad. May 3 2004, The International Herald Tribune reports: "International health experts said they would have to deepen their investigation into a Beijing lab as the Chinese government confirmed another case of SARS. On May 5 2004 (the day this message is being prepaired), BBC News reports: "Three bombs have exploded outside a police station in the Greek capital, Athens, just 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games. They injured a policeman and badly damaged the station in the central district of Kalithea, near several hotels to be used by Olympic officials.
I have given only a few instances from newspapers and headlines during April and May of this year about the perilous times of these last days. Does this frighten you? It does not frighten me, for I know the One who is still in control of everything that happens about us, and He has forewarned us that these things would come to pass too. We live in dangerous days, but we have a god who can protect, and keep us even during these times. Only those who do not know Him as Lord and Savour should be afraid in these last days.
(2) Riches And The Last Days
James5:3; Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Everyone has surely noticed that during the first few months of this year 2004, that the price of gas and fuel has risen at an alarming rate, and it looks as if there is no end in sight anytime soon.
I know that times have changed since I was younger, but I remember the price of gas being 28 cents per gallon 40 years ago. Only a few years ago in the 90’s it was less that a dollar a gallon, but in this century gas (especially this year) has leaped to almost two dollars a gallon, and in some parts of the world, I am told that it cost three to four dollars a gallon. Is it any wonder that the News reports on financial institutions that the oil companies are now the ones who are sitting in the cat bird seat. The oil companies are now the biggest money making institution in the world, followed by banking institutions who were once the number one money making business.
Listen friends, if this sounds like doom and gloom, it is not. It proves to me that the Scripture is right on the nose as concerning the Last Days. James says that in the Last days that treasures have been heaped together, but also that it will canker and rust, and will be a witness against the wicked. Just yesterday the price of milk jumped to over 4.00 a gallon. in one day almost 35% increase in one day. You should also expect other things to rise in price all because one item that the world is addicted to has increased, oil. So when will it all stop? I will tell you when, it will be when the Lord Jesus comes back in the Second Coming, thats when, and probably not before. I know that it will continue to get worse after the Church is removed from the earth at the Rapture. Just study the events of the tribulation from Matthew 24 and you will also agree.
(3) Rejection of God’s Word In The Last Days
2Pe3:3; Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
Who hasn’t heard or read about judge Moore in Alabama, the judge who was ordered to remove the monument with the Ten Commandments from His court. Then he was expelled from his position for the State of Alabama. Sure there was some outcry from believers, but what effect has it had, judge Moore is still out.
What about the ACLU demanding that the words "Under God" in our pledge of allegiance to the flag of America. This country was founded on Bible principles, by Christian men and women, but we and those of the past have set by and let the unbelievers take over. Now there is the claim that there is separation of the Church and the State, another misconception of the Constitution of the United States. (By the way you will never find such a statement in the Costitution or the bill of rights.) This is a trick of the devil to try to stop the Word of God from being displayed in our country, and men and women who are blinded to God’s truth fall right into the hands of Satan to do his evil work.
Jesus told us in Matthew 10:32-33; Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
The lost can deny God, and His Word now, but there is a day coming in the which they will wish they had not, but in that day it will be to late to change the way they have denied the Word of the Lord. They have walked in their own lust, they have scoffed at God and His Word. They have chosen to continue in their unbelief, and their end is the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15;
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
If you are not a Christian; if you have not received the New Birth by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ you can be Born Again when you come to Christ and confess Him as your Saviour. Receive Him into your heart and life today. Believe on Him and you will be saved from the penalty of sin. Do it NOW!
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
Pine Mountain, Ga. 31822
glhuck@earthlink.net
glhuckaby@excite.com
