A Glimpse of the Future Part I - 2 Thes. 2.1-8

A glimpse into the future

Part i

God gives us a glimpse into the future so that we can live full of hope and expectancy today.

I.  The Day of the Lord 2.1-3

·       The day of the Lord isn’t just a day.  It is a time period

·       In the future when Jesus will come, rule and make things right

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 (NIV) ¹  Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
²  not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
A.  Guard against being shaken while waiting for the Day of the Lord

My focus tonight is not so much on timetable but on how we should live based on what we do know

The purpose of Bible prophecy is not for us to make a calendar, but to build character.
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 2, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 196.

·       Unsettled, alarmed

o   Shaken – wavering, tottering back and forth

§  In essence the Bible is saying “Be settled”  don’t be tossed about to the point of wavering in your faith

·       by prophecy or reports

o   They were facing severe persecution

o   It is easy to lose focus during pain and suffering

o   We become vulnerable to any way of finding relief

·       The day has not yet come

o   They might have been wondering

o   If the day has come – then why aren’t things getting better?

o   Paul assures them, they will know when the day comes

·       Christians do not fear the Day of the Lord – we look forward to it

o   We will be gathered to Him!!

§  Now -  Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) ²⁵  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

§  Future – all believers from everywhere will be gathered together with Jesus - 

·       Now – we assemble ourselves

·       Future – He will assemble us together!!!

B.  Don’t be deceived

³  Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

·       1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV) 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
¹⁸  Therefore encourage each other with these words.

·       After the church is removed

o   The enemy moves in

·       Two events must happen

o   The rebellion occurs – apostasy

§  Falling away

§  Military term - Abandoning the position

·       Willful – not a mistake

o   The man of lawlessness is revealed

§  The man doomed to destruction – a real person

§  The anti-Christ

II.  The Antichrist

A.  Character

⁴  He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

·       Man of Lawlessness

o   Embodiment of Evil

§  Anomia is antithetical to righteousness
Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “455. ἀνομία,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Alpha-Gamma, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "455. ἀνομία".

·       He will oppose and exalt

o   Oppose biblical beliefs

o   Point the attention away from Jesus and toward himself

§  Can you see Satan in this?

·       Set himself up in God’s temple

o   Proclaiming to be God

B.  This truth must be taught in Church

⁵  Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

·       Paul who was trying to calm them down

·       Reminded them he had already taught them these things

o   Jesus is coming back

o   The great and terrible day of the Lord is coming – those who have rejected Christ will suffer His wrath

o   There will be a great falling away

o   The anti-christ will rise up

C.  His appearance

⁶  And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

·       What or who is holding Him back

o   The Holy Spirit

o   The Church

·       “So that he may be revealed at the proper time”

o   Never lose sight of the fact that God is in control!!

§  The anti-Christ will lead many astray

§  But we also know during the Tribulation – many will be saved

⁷  For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

·       The secret power of lawlessness is already at work!

o   Wow!!   That’s not hard to believe is it

·       Imagine what it is going to be like when

o   The One who holds it back is taken away

§  The Holy Spirit will never completely leave or no one would be saved as Revelation says

§  But His restraining work will be removed

o   Lawlessness will run wild

D.  His End
⁸  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

·       The Anti-Christ will be revealed

o   The spirit of anti-christ is already in the world

§  1 John 4:3 (NIV2011) ³  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

·       The Lord Jesus will overthrow him with his breath

·       And destroy by the splendor of his coming!!

o   Isaiah 11:4 (NLT) ⁴  He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

Revelation 19:11-16 (NLT) ¹¹  Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
¹²  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.
¹³  He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.
¹⁴  The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.
¹⁵  From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
¹⁶  On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Sermon 8-2-15

7 Steps to Peter's Fall

We are continuing our look at Walking with God by Faith

We have shared some key words along the way

·       Long Term walk – Obedience

·       After a fall -  Forgiveness

I want to first walk you through the 7 steps of Peter’s Fall

Then I will share with you the key word antidote to avoiding a Fall in your walk with God.

Peter was a strong willed person.

• He was rambunctious
• Boisterous
• Opinionated
• Sure of himself
• I’ll never deny you – even if the others do

•  Impulsive
•  Cut off the guys ear

He was human – He made a lot of mistakes

But it wasn’t one step that led him to denying Christ.

There were missteps along the way

Let’s look at them and learn from them

 I.  Conceit

Matthew 26:31-33

·       Proverbs 16:18 (NLT) Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

·       1 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT) If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

II.  Ease -  Asleep – Not watching – Complacent

Matthew 26:39-40

·       1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) ⁸  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

III.  impulsive

John 18:9-10

IV.  Drifting Away

Matthew 26:58

V.  bad Company

John 18:18

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NLT) ³³  Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

VI.  Open Denial

John 18:25

VII.  Blasphemy

Mark 14:71-72 (NLT) ⁷¹  Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
⁷²  And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.

How do I stay humble?

I.   His Cross

• We deserved the Cross, not the benefits of the Cross
•  He didn’t deserve the Cross but willing took my place
•  Everyone has to come to the cross
• Whether Nicodemous – Best humanity had to offer
• Or the Samaritan at the well married multiple times living with a man who wasn’t her husband
• Whether you come from the Sanctuary or the Street we all have to come to the Christ of the Cross for forgiveness
•  I’m not better than anyone else 

II.   His Mercy

Psalm 103:9-12 (NIV) ⁹  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰  he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹²  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 

 III.   His Grace

• I didn’t save myself
• I couldn’t save myself
• I don’t deserve the blessings God has given me

Sinner Saved By Grace

If you could see what I once was

If you could go with me

Back to where I started from

 Then I know you would see

A miracle of love that took me

In it's sweet embrace

And made me what I am today

Just an old sinner... saved by grace

I'm just a sinner saved by grace

When I stood condemned to death

He took my place

Now I live and breathe in freedom

With each breath of life I take

Loved and forgiven, backed with a living

I'm just a sinner saved by grace

How could I boast on anything

I've ever seen or done?

How could I dare to claim as mine

The victories God has won?

Where would I be

Had God not brought me

Gently to this place?

I'm here to say I'm nothing

But a sinner saved by grace

I'm just a sinner saved by grace

When I stood condemned to death

He took my place

Now I grow and breathe in freedom

With each breath of life I take

I'm loved and forgiven backed with a living

I'm just a sinner saved by grace

Now I grow and breathe in freedom

With each breath of life I take

I'm loved and forgiven backed with a living

I'm just a sinner saved by grace

Saved by grace

  Gloria Gaither Mitch Humphries William J. Gaither  William J. Gaither, Inc.

Random thoughts on the Space Program

My wife loves the movie Apollo 13.  We have seen it many times through the years and it never stops inspiring us.  Ok, we know how it ends and yet we sit at the edge of our seats as we watch the events re-enacted.  We are there with the brave men in space.  We are there with the brilliant engineers on land.  We are there with the family as they agonize over what is taking place in front of the nation. 

The movie captivates us because it brings out the best in everyone.  The reason I'm reflecting on this now is that I pray our nation is not "Melting into Mediocrity."  Have we stopped dreaming of greatness.  According to http://www.jfklibrary.org/ "In 1961 President Kennedy understood the need to restore America's confidence and intended not merely to match the Soviets,[who had just launched Sputnik] but surpass them. On May 25, 1961, he stood before Congress to deliver a special message on "urgent national needs." He asked for an additional $7 billion to $9 billion over the next five years for the space program, proclaiming that "this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." 

Although I wasn't born at the time I can hear the skeptics now because Mediocrity by nature doesn't change. "There are more important things in which to spend the money."  Or the oft repeated, "It can't be done."  Yet because of this dream of rising above mediocrity, less than a year later, John Glenn (from Ohio!) orbited the earth.  "Glenn's success helped inspire the great army of people working to reach the Moon. Medical researchers, engineers, test pilots, machinists, factory workers, businessmen, and industrialists from across the country worked together to achieve this goal."

On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts—Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.—realized President Kennedy's dream.

I know things are different now.  But I have to ask, Where are the dreamers?  Have the needs of today so burdened us we cannot dream of the impossible.  Have we, have I, melted into mediocrity?  I want to spend more time dreaming.  Then I want to inspire others to dream.  It costs nothing to dream, it costs everything not to. 

What a Week!!

We live in South Jersey.  It is different than what most people think of Jersey.  Those outside the "Garden State" only know North Jersey.  We live in South Jersey and are proud of it!  We have small towns, farms, people who have lived in the same town their whole lives, (I say that in a good way) and friends who have known each other for years.  It is a great place to live and raise a family.  

What we don't have is EARTHQUAKES!  That is until last week.  Where were you when the ground shook?   But, by the end of the week that too was old news because we then had a HURRICANE with a TORNADO that touched down in a neighboring town.  Now we have people who had to evacuate and others who basements are flooded.  Some are still without electric and normal routes of travel are roadblocked and detoured.  What a Week!!

It will be nice to be back to normal, whatever that means.  Our prayers go out to those who are still suffering the consequences of this past week.  An old song I love has been coming to mind this week.

Through it, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to Trust in God, Through it all, Through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word.    

An even older song says,

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!  

The storms come to everyone.  The difference is in the foundation.  What A Week to trust in God!