*disclaimer.. I was a Nazarene pastor at the time of this writing. I have since changed some of my positions but I will leave this sermon here. Brian
Then end is near! (And it’s just the beginning!)
(This is an original sermon. any similarities are coincidental. most of the illustrations contained in this message were found on Sermon Central illustration search. the was poetry taken from a sermon I heard a long time ago spoken by Eddy Champion)
Introduction (There is an End! And it is coming)
As a new believer I questioned my pastor?
When…will the end be? what will it be like? Pre? mid? post? A-milinail?
His responce was, "What difference does it make, we are going to heaven no matter when it is?
his responce may be correct, but it didn’t satisfy me!
In this message you’ll hear… there is an end! when it will be! What will it be like? If the beginning, what is it the beginning of? So what! What difference does it make?
This message will rely heavily on the use of scripture! there will be Some comment but i would like to rely heavily on the Bible because i dont’ want to shout where the bible is silent!
The Physical! End is certainly coming for all of us.
o God has set the clock of your life! when god brought us into this world, he wound you up, and he wound me up, and God set the clock of your life!
there is a time comming for all of us when will die and go out to meet God!
Hebrews 9:27 appointed unto man once to die.
2 choices ways to end… the end will come when I die, or the end will come when he comes back! (Unless your name is Enoch or Elijah)
God will not strive with man forever.
Mt 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Mt 13:49 This is how it will be at the end of the age.
Mt 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus disciples knew there was an end and that they equated it with His comming
1Co 15:24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has
nWhen is the end?
No one except God knows!
in matthew 24 Jesus tells us “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. …. (and it goes on to say) “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
When will the end come? At a time when we do not expect him…. Lk 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
the end will come Like a thief in the night!
Lk 12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
When will the end come? It is going to be soon!
Rev 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
"wait a minute preacher! you guys have been talking about the lords comming for years and years! where is he?
( He’s right on schedule! and it’s going to be soon!)
Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Rev 22:7 “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”
Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Rev 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
(Recap! Unexpected time,,,, thief in the night…. Sooon )
What will it be like?
The Lord will come in the same way as we saw him go!
tell the story of the disciples looking up into the sky the cloud hiding him from their sight, and the angel telling them that he will return in the same way. )
( … then show them the verse in revelation 1 that says he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him! )
1Th 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1Th 4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
That doesn’ t sound like a secret event to me! (so much for the "Left Behind series!" (no secret raptures here!
1Co 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
1Co 15:52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1Th 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever
Mt 24:30-31 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
2Pe 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
This last passage agrees with the A-millennial viewpoint! (much oder than the dispensational view)
If the end is the beginning, what is it the beginning of
The poet said, “there is a time I know not when, there is a place I cannot tell, that separates the destiny of men for heaven or for Hell!
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
There is some discussion as to what this means! Who is saved? The ones left or taken?
The implication is clear! Whether your view is that the ones in the ark were symbolic of those left, or you view is that the ones outside the ark were the ones who are left,
the fact remains that not all were saved from the Judgment of God! Some received salvation from the Judgment of God, and the others received the Judgment of God!
Some will be saved from the penalty of Sin, and will enter in to an eternity with God and the rest will be lost to an eternity without the Lord Jesus Christ. which one will you be?
Illustration ( tell the story of the man who died and stood before St. Peter and had to give him some good deed that he had done … Saved an old lady from the bikers by kicking over the motorcycle, kicking him in shins and punching him in the tummy. “Wow that’s quite a story, could you tell me when that happened?” just a couple of minutes ago!)
The end is near and it’s just the beginning, the beginning of what?
For some of us, it will be the beginning of an Eternity with God
1Th 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
The beginning of an eternity with the one who loves you so much that he gave his life for you … the one who die for you!
The beginning of an Eternity separated from Him
There is Not much preaching on hell these days! Not politically correct
I heard a very liberal theology professor from fuller theological seminary on the radio (The Bible answer man broadcast) Thursday night telling that her view is it will take 100 more years and the Christian church will cease to even believe in Hell!
Those who don’t believe in hell are in for a wake up call!
Mt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
I am reminded of the story of A couple from north Oklahoma decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter.
Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, and his wife would follow the next day.
Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the motel. He decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back home. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing the error.
In Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband’s funeral. He was a pastor of many years who had been called home to glory. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor.
The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:
TO: My loving wife
FROM: Your departed husband
SUBJECT: I’ve arrived!
MESSAGE: I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down her (Sermon central)
Now that’s a funny story, but there is really nothing funny about Going to Hell.
The world we live in jokes about hell!
They say "All my friends will be there!
it will be One big party
or Heaven will be boring and I don’t want to go there!
But it is no laughin matter!
The Bible gives us several glimpses of what hell might be like!
Tell them about the rich man and Lazarus!
Lk 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
Lk 16:24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Lk 16:25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Lk 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
Lk 16:27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, Lk 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
(Tell them about the fiery lake of burning sulfur and who will go there!)
Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Matthew 13:49 and 50 “The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous Mt 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sir Francis Newport, head of an English infidel club, on his deathbed.
said the following!
You need not tell me there is no hell, for I already feel my soul slipping into its fires!
Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever.
the end is near and it is just the beginning! what will you choose? which will it be?
So what! (closing challenge)
Preacher, you’ve told us all this stuff, and we’ve heard it, now we ask you, “so what!”
Big deal! What of it?
Beloved, We will all be held accountable for the light that we have received in this world. You see knowing the truth is not enough!
The demons believe in God, and know a lot, but they are still going to Hell!
The knowledge that you have calls for a response from you! There are a number of things that we all need to do in response to God’s word this morning
Seek the Lord NOW!
2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. Today is the day of salvation! Not tomorrow! You may not be here a week from now!
Isa 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;call on him while he is near.
The Department of Social Services in Greenville County, South Carolina sent the following letter to a deceased individual. "Your food stamps will be stopped effective March, 1992, because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
There is no second chance!!
The poet said, there is a line by us unseen, that crosses every path, that is a boundary line between God’s mercy and His Wrath!
don’t make the mistake of crossing that line without being on the side of God’s mercy and grace!
Won’t you get it settled?
Repent and Turn from your sin!
That word Repent comes from the Greek word metanoia, and it implies a change of mind that leads to action! (Expound) I used to think _______ was ok. Now I have had a change of mind, and I no longer think that _______ is ok. Not only that, I feel so strongly about it, that I am going to stop doing ___________ (What ever it is)
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
If you are hear and you would like to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation, I want to encourage you with a few things
The Bible says
“anyone who calls upon the name of the lord will be saved
that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
1 John 1: 9 “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive…”
n Revelation 3:20 “behold I stand at the door….”
It has to be Jesus! Ac 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Please don’t’ let another moment go by without getting this settled.
For the rest of us, we also respond in some ways as well. Stand firm to the end!
Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
2Ti 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing
Hang in there! Don’t quit! Keep on! Even in the tough times! You can do it through Christ who gives you strength!
Watch and be ready!
We need to live in the awareness of His coming! I often wonder how we might life differently if we knew that he was coming tomorrow? Would we spend our time with different people? Would we spend our finances differently? How would things be different? Listen to Jesus own words …
Lk 12:35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
Lk 12:36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
Lk 12:37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Lk 12:38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.
Watch and be ready!
Use the time you have left to be busy! Stay Active for the lord while you still can!
Mt 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, Mt 25:43 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.’ Mt 25:44 “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?’ Mt 25:45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Hungry—thirsty—Naked -- stranger—prison—
Spread the good news--- use your spiritual gifts, instead of sitting on them.
The one who says, “I’m with you in spirit” but is never there in action, isn’t much good!
Be active for the lord in your time, you talents, and your treasures.
The end is near! And it is just the beginning!
How we long to hear the words when we meet our savior! “Well Done thou good and faithful servant!”
could we all stand? invitation and closing song
Closing song.. (I will serve thee because I love the!)
Pray
