“Four Elements That Mark the Last Days”
TEXT: Luke 17:26-30
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
INTRODUCTION:
This is a graphic description of the days of Noah.
It was a culture where no thought was given to God or the consequences of one’s activity.
There are forces in operation today similar to those that were active in the days of Noah—
THERE ARE 4 ELEMENTS ACTIVE NOW THAT WERE ACTIVE THEN—
I. AN ACCELERATION OF SINFULNESS
a) A Lack of Spiritual Separation
Read Genesis 6:5
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
b)A Lack of Moral Standards
Sounds like our world – anything goes!
God’s standard for us is one of total holiness and clean living before Him—
1 Peter 1:16
“Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
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Chuck Colson, Christianity Today, November 9, 1992
“There was a time when most Americans respected the Bible, and could quote it with authority. In 1963, according to Gallup, 65% believed the Bible literally; today the number is only 32%.
There was a time when most Americans were familiar with biblical doctrine. You could say, “Believe in Jesus,” and at least they knew what you meant. But today most would be mystified. Newsweek tells of a child who saw a crucifix and asked, “Mommy, what’s that man doing?” There was a time when most Americans accepted absolute standards. They might disagree on what those absolutes were, but they knew that some things are really right or wrong. Today 70% reject moral absolutes.”
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Luke 17:26-27
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
c)A Lack of Spiritual Discernment
Men are blind to:
The truth of Scripture
The demands of a holy God
The APPROACHING JUDGEMENT OF GOD
Satan is responsible for a portion of this blindness—
2 Corinthians 4:4
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Man is responsible as well – Man always has a choice!
Joshua 24:15-16
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
II. AN APPROACHING STORM
Genesis 6:7
“So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."
a)A flood was coming, and men weren’t ready!
The Rapture and the Great Tribulation are on the horizon, and man is still unprepared to meet God.
Matthew 24:44
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
b)This world is headed toward judgment
and it doesn’t realize the magnitude and force
of the storm it faces!
Psalms 9:17
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
You can’t run away from it,
You can’t hide from it –
THERE IS A STORM COMING AND MEN MUST BE WARNED!
III. AN ACTIVE SAVIOR
Genesis 6:5-6
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
a)God was busy in Noah’s day –
He was observing and cataloging the activity and condition of the world—
He still sees everything that happens – in the world and in the heart & mind of man.
God was disturbed with what He saw –
Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Statistics:
1. 80% of men surveyed would rather have a TV than a father –
2. Two million kids run away from home every year—
60% are young girls
80% run away because of incest in the home –
3. Over one million teenage girls become pregnant every year –
4. Every year, 5,000 teenagers commit suicide –
5. One million young people between 6 – 15 are involved in
prostitution.
6. Each day, 33,000 Americans contract a sexually transmitted
disease.
7. Every day, 5,000 people try cocaine for the first time –
8. One out of two marriages will end in divorce in America –
9. 1.5 million unborn babies are murdered in abortion clinics every year.
IV. AN ABLE SPOKESMAN
Genesis 6:8
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
a)Noah was God’s mouthpiece in that day!
He preached the coming judgment for 120 years without a single convert –
b)What Grace! God could have destroyed the world instantly, But instead He gave them 120 years of grace!
We are God’s spokesmen in this day –
Acts 1:8
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”
Acts 2:17-18
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”
CONCLUSION:
Out of all the Church Members in America…
10% cannot be found.
20% never attend church.
25% never pray.
30% never read the Bible.
40% never give to the church.
50% never attend the Sunday evening service.
60% never give to World Missions.
75% never assume a ministry in the church.
85% never attend a midweek service.
95% never have won one person to Christ.
Yet…
100% think they will go to Heaven!
