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Beginning on Sunday, December 8, 2024, our Pastor began using the LSB version of the Bible in all of his teaching and preaching. This is the newly updated version of the NASB, which he has been using for a number of years. Here is some information on the LSB for those who would like to learn more. It also explains why Pastor Alan is now using this version of the English Bible.

The Legacy Standard Bible has been produced with the conviction that the words of Scripture as originally penned in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are the eternal Word of God. The Holy Scriptures speak with authority to each generation, giving wisdom that leads to salvation, that people may serve Christ to the glory of God. Because it is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), every word of it is inspired, every word is true, and every word must be conveyed to every nation, tribe, people, and tongue (Rev. 7:9), so that every word can be taught and obeyed (Josh. 23:14; Mt. 28:20; Jn. 17:17).

THE FOURFOLD AIM OF THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION

1. These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

2. They shall be grammatically correct.

3. They shall be understandable.

4. They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized.

PREFACE TO THE LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE

In the history of the English Bible translations, the King James Version is the most well-known. This time-honored version of 1611, itself a revision of the Bishops’ Bible of 1568, became the basis for the English Revised Version, which appeared in 1881 (New Testament) and 1885 (Old Testament). Its American counterpart, a product of both British and American scholarship, was published in 1901. Recognizing the values of the American Standard Version, The Lockman Foundation felt an urgency to preserve the ASV while incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources and rendering it into more current English. This resulted in the New American Standard Bible, a translation based upon the time-honored principles of translation of the ASV and KJV, along with other linguistic tools and biblical scholarship.

The Legacy Standard Bible reflects another iteration of such preservation and refinement. Worked on by a core translation team in conjunction with pastors and educators from different countries, it is designed to honor, maintain, and advance the tradition represented by the NASB.

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATION

Key Principles: The Legacy Standard Bible has worked to uphold the style and translational choices of the NASB as much as possible. Even more, it has endeavored to follow through on the NASB’s stated intent to be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. While the interpreter, teacher, and pastor have the goal of understanding what the text means, the translator is to provide them with what the text says. Consistently, the goal of this translation is to be a window into the original text. Within that goal, this revision has focused upon accuracy and consistency. It has checked that words and grammar have been carried over properly. It also established rules for the consistent translation of terms within their various nuances. This allows the reader to more easily reconstruct what the original texts said. It also helps the reader more easily trace the flow of argument within a text, identify when the same word is used in another passage, and make connections between texts.

There are limits to the application of this philosophy. In this edition, a word might not be translated consistently in order to maintain a highly familiar rendering of a text or to preserve a wordplay in the text that advances the inspired author’s message. Moreover, because Scripture is a literary masterpiece, some linguistic features could not be transferred to this translation, not even by a note. Nevertheless, ensuring that the original languages are precisely rendered paves the way for careful readers to discover these insights for themselves.

In this way, the LSB upholds the philosophy that a translation does not replace pastors or teachers but rather depends upon faithful believers and the church to study and live out what has been written (Acts 8:30-31). Translation is a tool for the church and must be done in that context so that each word of Scripture may be taught and lived.

Modern English Usage: The attempt has been made to render the grammar and terminology in contemporary English. When word-for-word literalness was determined unacceptable to the modern reader; a change was made in the direction of a more current English idiom. In the instances where this has been done, the more literal rendering has been indicated in the notes. There are a few exceptions to this procedure. Of note, while an effort has been made to incorporate conjunctions as much as possible, the conjunction “and” is occasionally not translated at the beginning of sentences because of differences in style between ancient and modern writing. Punctuation is a relatively modern invention, and ancient writers often linked most of their sentences with “and” or other connectives.

Alternate Readings: In addition to the more literal renderings, notations have been made to include readings of variant manuscripts, explanatory equivalents of the text, and alternate translations that may bring out a play on words difficult to maintain in the text. These notations have been used specifically to assist the reader in comprehending the terms used by the original author.

THE COMMITMENTS OF THE LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy preserved – to uphold the work and tradition that is found in translations from the KJV, ASV, to NASB.

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy performed – to advance the commitments of past translations by bringing forth features of the original text relative to accuracy and consistency.

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy passed on – to equip generations to study Scripture and continue the philosophy of being a window.
~ The Lockman Foundation

For additional information we recommend you contact The Lockman Foundation -- https://www.lockman.org/legacy-standard-bible-lsb/

THE FALLING AWAY - A Theological Prophecy

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full of gratitude and reverence, acknowledging You as the sovereign Lord, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. You are the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and truth, and we humbly seek Your presence as we prepare for the preaching of Your Word. We pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to move mightily in our hearts through the Scriptures. Let Your presence be felt in every word spoken, in every heart that listens, and in every life that is touched. May this sermon bring glory to Your name, advance Your kingdom, and equip Your people to live according to Your will. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: (2 Thes. 2:3a, NKJV; Col. 4:14; Philem. 1:24; 2 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 10:29, NIV; Jude 1:3; John 14:6, 10:28-29; Phil. 1:6; Jude 1:24)

[READ 2 Thes. 2:3a, NKJV]
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first ….

Very little is more heartbreaking and discouraging in the Christian’s life than to watch someone fall away and abandon the faith. From our friends and family to prominent pastors and authors, more and more professed believers seem to be losing their first love, changing their minds, and following after the idols of self-reliance, fame, and money.

What does this mean for God’s church? Should it cause us to doubt the truth of the gospel? How do we keep ourselves from falling away as well? In today’s message, we’re going to confront the discouraging news of modern-day apostasy and discover that this problem is one of the signs of the end times. As we see others’ lights beginning to flicker, we must take heed ourselves and remember that He who has begun a good work in us has promised to complete what He started.

Imagine writing your first book at age 22 and watching it land on bestseller lists everywhere. A few years ago, this happened to an American pastor. His book conveyed biblical advice about love and relationships, and it encouraged thousands of young people to make better choices. Here’s a quote from its pages: “The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, ‘This is love.” God takes us to the foot of a tree, one on which a naked and bloodied man hangs, and says, ‘This is love.’”

These phrases certainly pack a punch, don’t they? It’s no wonder this pastor became known for his speaking, writing, and counseling, as well as for nearly 20 years of pastoral ministry in a local church. But in 2019, he announced his marriage had come to an end. Then, in a follow-up post on Instagram, he disclosed something even more troubling:

I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.

This is so sad. It cuts deep and breaks our hearts to hear it, especially because he isn’t alone. Many others seem to be falling away from Christ and His gospel. One newspaper recently printed an article titled: “Everyone Is Leaving Christianity. Few Know Where They’re Going.” This departure from biblical faith is happening so often that a new word has been coined. These defectors are no longer evangelicals; they are ex-vangelicals. Why is that? And what does it mean?

This “falling away” is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history many have taken up the banner of Christ only to lay it down again. Even the first generation of Christians faced this challenge.

Do you remember Demas? When Paul wrote to the Colossians and to Philemon, he sent them greetings from his coworker Demas, who was at his side (Col. 4:14; Philem. 1:24). Yet in his final letter, Paul told Timothy, “For Demas, having loved this present age, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica” (2 Tim. 4:10).

Another book in the Bible is devoted to this topic – the short epistle of Jude, written by our Lord’s half-brother, the son of Joseph and Mary. It’s the next-to-the-last book of the Bible, and Jude states his purpose succinctly in verse 3: “To contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

This helps me realize the apostles faced the same problem of falling-away we’re seeing today. Yet the trend toward apostasy seems to be accelerating in our times. I’m almost hesitant to read Christian news sites because I don’t want to hear of another pastor falling or another prominent believer rejecting the faith. The headlines aren’t encouraging, and neither are the statistics.

There are more than 72 million Millennials in America – almost a quarter of the population. And increasingly, a large percentage of that generation has walked away from faith of any kind, choosing to identify as “religious nones.” In 2008, researchers noted that 31.9% of Millennials described themselves as religiously unaffiliated. Just ten years later, that number was 42.7%.

There are more troubling numbers. Church membership in America has suffered a decades-long decline. When Gallup first measured US church membership in 1937, the number came in at 73%. Even in the early 1980s, more than 70% of American adults were church members. In the year 2000, it was 65%. By 2010, it was 59%. Now, less than half of Americans belong to a local church, with corresponding declines in regular church attendance.

But the core issue isn’t that people are falling away from church, or even falling away from faith. We’re talking about falling away from Jesus Himself. We’re talking about branches that cut themselves off from the true vine.

[READ Heb. 10:29, NIV]

These are people who have …
29 … trampled the Son of God underfoot, … treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and … insulted the Spirit of grace?

Judas Iscariot is the clearest example of apostasy in the Bible. He was among Jesus’ inner circle. He had greater access to Christ than almost any other person in his day – walking and talking with the Savior, witnessing the miracles, and watching lives be transformed. Yet Judas fell away.

So did a California pastor. After several instances of publicly criticizing the Bible’s views on sexuality, he was asked to resign from the church he was pastoring. He also lost his teaching positions at two Christian universities. As a result, he decided to live for a year without God. In his words, he planned to “try on” atheism as a New Year’s resolution. “For the next 12 months I will live as if there is no God,” he wrote. “I will not pray, read the Bible for inspiration, refer to God as the cause of things, or hope that God might intervene and change my own or someone else’s circumstances.” At the end of his experiment, he officially rejected his lifelong belief, declaring on National Public Radio, “I don’t think that God exists.”

Again, this man didn’t simply fall away from the church and from the faith. He chose to abandon the Savior, and it left him with nothing except atheism – which, literally, is faith in nothing.

It is appalling when would-be shepherds of God’s flock question the foundational elements of Christian doctrine, including:

• The Divinity of Christ. In the earliest days of Christianity, a heretic named Arius gained popularity by teaching that Jesus was not of the same nature as God the Father. Arius claimed Jesus was merely a man, and his teaching threatened to overwhelm the church until this heresy was rejected at the Council of Nicaea. Yet Arianism has found new life today in those who claim Jesus was a great moral teacher and a wonderful example to follow, but nothing more. They reject the biblical truth that Jesus is both fully human and fully God.

• The Resurrection of Christ. If you were to visit many seminaries today, you might be surprised by the number of professors who reject the supernatural events of Scripture. They view key moments such as the parting of the Red Sea, the rescue of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace, the virgin birth of Jesus, and, yes, even the resurrection of Christ as mere fables. According to them, these are just stories that teach a good lesson, but nothing more.

• The Biblical View of Sexuality & Marriage. Perhaps more than any other issue, the Bible’s clear and unwavering stance on human sexuality has clashed with Western culture’s insistence on tolerance at any cost. Rather than risk being seen as intolerant, churches and denominations have rejected Scripture in order to embrace the shifting sands of secularism.

• Salvation Through Christ Alone. I’m dismayed at the number of church leaders who reject the words of Jesus.

[READ Jn. 14:6]

6 … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.

Instead, they claim Christ is one way to heaven among many other ways, and in doing so they lead many astray.
If Jude were alive today, he would take exception. So should we. But don’t despair. There’s hope even in the face of apostasy. God knows those who are His, and He will bring them home safely.

[READ Jn. 10:28-29]

Jesus said,
28 … I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish -- ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Paul expressed this same hope, declaring,

[READ Phil. 1:6]

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

And let’s not forget Jude, who ended his book praising “Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (v. 24).

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (Acts 21:21; 2 Thes. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 2:18-19; Mt. 24:12)

When I was getting started in ministry, apostasy was a hot topic. Or perhaps I should say “so-called apostasy.” There was the so-called apostasy of long hair on men, short skirts and pants-suits on women. There was the so-called apostasy of dancing and attending movies. There was the so-called apostasy of having fellowship with other Christians who did not perfectly line up with all of your personal convictions. But real apostasy is something much more deadly that anything I just mentioned. In fact, true apostasy is far more lethal than all of them put together.

To be clear, apostasy is not the same thing as atheism. By apostasy, I’m not referring to people in general who reject Christianity or deny the truth of the gospel. Apostasy doesn’t reflect the rise of atheism in and of itself, nor does it apply to everyone who chooses religious systems other than Christianity.

Rather, the concept of falling away has a narrower focus. It applies specifically to apparent Christians – to those who claim to follow Jesus, but then turn their backs on Him. Here is one of the best definitions I have found for the term apostasy:

The Greek word apostasy is found only twice in the NT (Acts 21:21, 2 Thes. 2:3)…. The word means ‘a falling away from,’ a deserting or turning from a position or view formerly held … Spiritual apostasy occurs when a person who once claimed to be a believer, departs from what he formerly professed to believe. An apostate is not one who was saved and then lost his or her salvation. An apostate, though having claimed to be a believer, never was saved in the first place.

Every apostate is an unbeliever, but not every unbeliever is an apostate. Do you see the difference? There are many people who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel, even in part. They are unbelievers because they have not heard. But an apostate is well acquainted with the gospel. He or she knows more than enough to be saved and, yes, has even professed to follow Christ. But at some point, they turn their backs on the Savior. Their commitment wasn’t real, and their decision wasn’t authentic. Those who are Christians in pretense are non-Christians in reality, and sooner or later reality wins.

You may wonder why I’m talking about this theme of falling away. It’s because the proliferation of apostasy is an important, but often overlooked, piece to the end times puzzle. As we know from Scripture, one of the signs of the imminent return of Christ is a rising number of self-proclaimed Christians who ultimately reject Christ.

[READ 2 Thes. 2:1-3, NKJV]

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.

This is indeed a prophecy about tomorrow that has implications for us today. This falling away that Paul was writing about is not just some gradual defection from Christ. Paul called this the falling away. This will be a specific, recognizable departure from the faith during the Tribulation.

Let’s bring it a little closer. According to the Bible, the tribulation period will begin immediately after the rapture of the church. Paul told the Thessalonians that the tribulation could not begin until the Antichrist was revealed and the falling away occurred. Here is the order of events: Christ comes to rapture His saints to heaven; the great falling away (apostasy) takes place; the Antichrist is unmasked; then the tribulation breaks out all over the earth.

We know from the prophetic Scriptures that the rapture is a sudden sign-less event. Nothing needs to happen for Christ to return for His own. But here is what we are prone to miss if we do not think carefully. If the rapture could happen at any moment, the “falling away” could also happen at any moment. In fact, what we have been describing, what is happening right now, could very well be the leading edge of the “falling away” that Paul was explaining to the Thessalonian believers.

My point is this: we see the acceleration of people falling away happening now. Apostasy is on the rise in the world right now. To me, it’s just another sign that we’re moving toward the end with increasing speed.

Paul wrote his words about “the falling away” to the church in Thessalonica, which was facing heavy levels of persecution. The Christians there believed the last days were upon them. Paul told them not to be troubled, for all Christians will encounter difficulties, even persecution. The thing to watch for, Paul said, was increased apostasy. That is a predictive sign of the approach of Christ’s return and of God’s final judgment. Before the return of Christ, a great falling away will occur.

I hope to see a great spiritual revival before the rapture. It can happen. But there’s no specific evidence in Scripture that a spiritual awakening must occur before Christ comes for His church. On the other hand, Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 reveal that unbelief will continue to rise on a global scale, including increased apostasy within the church, until a tipping point is reached prior to the day of God’s judgment.

[READ 1 Jn. 2:18-19]

18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared. From this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; ….
[READ Mt. 24:12]
In the Olivet Discourse Jesus said,
12 And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold.

How can this happen? How could anyone who has tasted the goodness of Christ ever choose to fall away? There are many reasons, of course, but let’s focus on three specific ones.

• Some Fall Way Because They Are Deceived (1 Tim. 4:1-2)

Zach Avery is young, sharp, talented, and good-looking – qualities he plied in Hollywood to build an acting career. You can see his face in about fifteen movies. But Hollywood is a tough town. To support himself, Zach started his own entertainment company known as One in a Million Productions. It was an exciting venture. According to news accounts, he met potential investors, told them about his company’s agreements with Netflix and HBO, and promised them a 40% return on their investment.

Between 2014 and 2019, Avery raised more than $690 million. But nothing was real. Avery had no relationship with Netflix or HBO. He fabricated the story and used the money from new investors to pay older ones. It was a classic Ponzi scheme. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Avery squandered most of the money on a lavish lifestyle, including a $6 million mansion, costly home décor, and extravagant trips. His investors lost millions, and the actor ended up with a starring role in a federal courtroom.

There are many deceivers in our day, but the most dangerous ones aren’t the cheats who take our money, as bad as that is. It’s the ones who operate in the spiritual realm. According to the Bible, spiritual deception will cause many to fall away from Christ in the days leading up to the end times.

[READ 1 Tim. 4:1-2]
Paul writes,
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by the hypocrisy of liars, who have been seared in their own conscience, ….

According to this passage, unseen demonic forces are operating in our world, enticing and deceiving people into abandoning their faith in Christ. Their influence, even in the church, will only increase as we draw closer to the end of history.

This passage in 1 Timothy also warns of false teachers who traffic in “lies” and “hypocrisy.” These men and women attempt to cause spiritual damage for their own benefit – typically for their own financial profit. They are cold, callous, and calculating. Paul said their consciences have been “seared.” They have lost moral sensitivity, and their spiritual compasses are defective.

Such people are operating within the church today. They promise miracles for money. They constantly push for power. They twist the Word of God. Their drive to deceive will continue escalating with each passing year.

• Some Fall Away Because They Are Disillusioned (Lk. 8:12-14)

In Luke 8, Jesus told a parable illustrating the reasons why people would fall away from the gospel. He said a farmer went out to sow seed, and he broadcast it over a wide area. Some fell on the pathway or road, where it was trampled down. Other seed fell on rocky soil. As soon as the plants sprang up, they withered away, having no root. Other seed fell in a thorny patch and were choked by briars. But some of the seed fell on prepared soil, yielding a great harvest.

When the Lord’s disciples asked Him to explain the parable, He revealed that the seed represented the gospel message.

[READ Lk. 8:12-14]
Jesus said,
12 And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit.

Notice the first reason people reject the gospel is that “the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts” (v. 12). That’s deception – the deceiving spirits and demons I mentioned earlier.

The second reason is more complicated. Jesus described those who hear the good news and  “receive the word with joy” (v. 13). These people are genuinely excited about Christianity. They’ve seen the brokenness of the world and they’ve felt the brokenness in their own spirits. They know there must be something better. These people encounter the truth and receive the message with joy and hopefulness. They see a pathway to peace, purpose, and meaning. It’s what they’ve been searching for! But, sadly, stony-ground believers “have no root.” In times of temptation, they fall away. Many of these people are looking for a solution rather than a Savior. They want their problems to go away without surrendering their lives to Christ. They want the blessings of belief without the burden of swimming against the cultural stream. They like the idea of the gospel, but they lack a personal commitment to Christ. Sooner or later, they begin to feel disillusioned, disenchanted, even disappointed. Then they fall away.

It’s been relatively easy to live as a Christian in America throughout recent decades. I know that from experience. However, the days are coming, and in many ways they’re already here, when lifting up the banner of Christ will cost something. This will be especially true as we draw closer to the period known as the Tribulation. An increasing number of cultural Christians with little or no roots in the gospel will decide the cost is too great, and they will turn their backs on Christ.

• Some Fall Away Because They Are Distracted (Lk. 8:14)

Jesus’ third explanation for the Parable of the Sower points to another reason why apostasy has been prevalent throughout history.

[READ Lk. 8:14]

14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit.

Many fall away from Jesus simply because they get distracted. When forced to choose between the spiritual blessings of following Christ and the physical “worries, riches, and pleasures of life,” they’re unable to see past the end of their own noses. The pull of desire is too strong, and they let go of their faith in order to grab all the world offers with both hands. They may play the Christian game for a period of time, but they are ultimately revealed as impostors.

I know this isn’t a pretty picture, nor is it an easy subject to discuss. But God has chosen us to be here as His witnesses at this critical time.

II. HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

It’s easy to become discouraged when we consider the prevalence of apostasy in the church and in our world. This is especially true when we hear stories – whether in the news or in our personal lives – of people we admire who fall away from Christ. If we’re not careful, we can begin to think of apostasy as a disease. Something that can be “caught” like a cold or a flu, or yes, even COVID-19.

But apostasy isn’t caught like an illness. It’s not something that happens to you out of the blue. It’s a choice. A decision you make based on your own values and priorities.

So, what can we do to protect ourselves from this ever happening to us? How can we make sure that we are never among those who fall away? I’d like to suggest three things you can do to immunize yourself against this danger.

• Examine Yourself (1 Cor. 13:5; Mt. 7:21-23; Ps. 139:23-24; Jn. 10:28)

Jeff Graf oversees much of the college ministry for the Navigators, a ministry that emphasizes Christian discipleship. One day Jeff was approached in the student union at South Dakota State University by a young man named Thomas. The night before, Thomas had attended a weekly meeting when the speaker said it was dangerous to assume you are saved if you have never personally asked God to forgive your sins and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Those words pricked Thomas’ heart, and he was very troubled. He asked Jeff about it, and Jeff opened the Scriptures and talked with him about it. Growing up, Thomas had known about God. He had gone to church, worked at a Bible camp, and attended Bible studies in college. But he suddenly realized he had been going through the motions but was missing out on Christ. He told Jeff, “All these years I thought I was a Christian, but I’ve never really asked God to forgive me for my sins.”

Jeff had the joy of praying with Thomas as the young man truly turned his life over to Christ and was born again.

[READ 2 Cor. 13:5]
Paul said,
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you fail the test?

The most important thing you can do in response to this sermon is to make sure that you are a Christian. You are not a Christian just because you grew up in the church. You are not a Christian just because your parents are Christians. You are not a Christian because you have lived a good life. And you are not a Christian because you have served in the church and done great things for God.

One of the most sobering passages in the Bible is found in Matthew 7.

[READ Mt. 7:21-23]
Jesus said,
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

By the way, Jesus was not saying that good works don’t matter. He was warning that good works will not get you into heaven. We do good works because we are saved, but not in order to be saved.

On the one hand, we don’t want to have a false assurance of salvation. But on the other hand, we do want a firm assurance that we’re saved. I believe God will run alongside you, as it were, and help you find that balance if you’ll ask Him.

[READ Ps. 139:23-24]
The psalmist taught us to pray,
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Ask God to help you examine your heart. Tell Him you want to be certain of heaven. If you know your spiritual birthday and you’re utterly certain you are a follower of Christ, then thank Him for it. Not every Christian can remember the exact moment when they received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. That doesn’t mean you aren’t born again. But if you’re uncertain about it, then I urge you take a moment before you leave church today to repent of your sins, place your faith in Christ, and trust Him for His total forgiveness. Claim the promise of eternal life. You might want to kneel down and pray aloud. Or, perhaps you want to ask someone to pray with you. Tell the Lord that if you have never truly received Christ as Savior, you want to do so right now! Then claim His assurance.

After your prayer, write down the time and place on the first page of your Bible. Then read these 23 words from Jesus found in …

[READ Jn. 10:28]
out loud
28 And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish -- ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

• Encourage Yourself (1 Sam. 30:6; Ps. 42:11, NKJV)

This leads me to the second bit of advice I’d like to give you: encourage yourself. Encourage yourself in the Lord. We learn this technique from David, who came to a very disheartening moment in his life. While fleeing from King Saul through the cavernous deserts of lower Israel, David became weary. Then he encountered waves of bad news that would have sent the strongest soul over the edge. He also realized his own men were turning on him, and his plight was truly desperate.

[READ 1 Sam. 30:6]
6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people said to stone him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

If we learn to do this, we will never fall away – and the devil can’t push us around.

Derrick and Shannon Williams were thrilled when they learned a baby was on the way. But then everything went wrong. Shannon nearly miscarried, and she spent 96 days on bedrest. At the hospital, doctors came in regularly with bad reports. One doctor told her, “Please don’t get your hopes up high. I doubt if your baby will live for a week after he is born.” They told her the little boy would never breathe on his own. The baby – named Emmanuel – weighed in at 2 lbs., 13 oz. at birth, and he was diagnosed with autism.

“Each and every day I had to encourage myself in the Lord,” Shannon recalled. “In fact, I had encouraging and applicable Bible scriptures taped all over my hospital walls. I would read them, quote them, and confess them several times a day. The Bible was literally my life source. It gave me life when I was surrounded by death. It sustained me and it protected me from the lies, tricks, and snares of the devil.”

That is God-encouragement, coming to us by way of self-encouragement. When we listen to the devil, we’re led in the wrong direction. When we listen to friends, we get mixed advice. When we listen to our doubts, fears, worries, and feelings, we grow confused. Sometimes there’s no one to preach to us, so we must say, like the psalmist,

[READ Ps. 42:11, NKJV]
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Sometimes we try too hard to squeeze encouragement from someone else. Beloved, there are some needs only God can meet. It’s unfair to expect our spouse, or pastor, or friend to do for us what only the Lord Himself can do. Instead of succumbing to discouragement and despair, we can strengthen ourselves in the Lord.

When your faith is faltering, that is when you need to turn to God. There may not be anyone else around in whom you can place your trust, but you can trust God. So, place your faith in Him and encourage yourself and strengthen yourself in faith.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wrote, “I have learned to encourage myself in the Lord by meditating on specific promises from His Word and affirming they are true, regardless of what I may feel at the moment. I carry a list of some of those promises in my Bible and often turn to them to strengthen and encourage my heart.”

• Exercise Yourself (1 Tim. 4:7-8; 2 Pet. 1:5-7, 10; Jude 1:20-21; Rev. 2:4-5a)

Finally, if you want to stay confident and strong, it is important to keep growing in your faith, and that requires exercise. Do you recognize this man?

According to Business Insider, LeBron James spends about $1.5 million each year caring for his body. Where does the money go? LeBron keeps his home gym updated. He’s said to have replicated the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavalier’s gyms in his home. He has a cryochamber in his home, which uses liquid nitrogen to give him something akin to an ice bath. He also has a hyperbaric chamber that puts more oxygen into his body. He doesn’t hesitate to hire and pay for the best trainers, massage therapists, and chefs in the world. He eats only the best and healthiest foods. And he invests in compression gear to wear on airplanes.

LeBron spares no expense to keep his body working like a sleek machine. His former teammate Mike Miller said, “He puts a lot of money behind taking care of his body. A lot of people think it’s a big expense, but that big expense has allowed him to make a lot more money for a long period of time.”

If a basketball player is that concerned about taking care of his body, shouldn’t we be diligent to take care of our souls?

[READ 1 Tim. 4:7-8]
Paul encourages us,
7 … Train yourself for the purpose of godliness, 8 for bodily training is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Stagnant faith is the devil’s playground, and he will fill your heart and mind with doubts. Just when you really need God, it will occur to you that the Lord has not been very important to you of late. Do you know this man? (pause, then )

Andrew Murray wrote this powerful paragraph:
“In commerce, in study, in war, it is so often said there is no safety but in advance. To stand still is to go back. To cease effort is to lose ground. To slacken the pace, before the goal is reached, is to lose the race. The only sure mark of our being true Christians, of our really loving Christ, is the deep longing and the steady effort to know more of Him. Tens of thousands have proved that to be content with beginning well is but the first step on a backward course, that ends in losing all … Let us press on.”

[READ 2 Pet. 1:10]
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and choosing sure; for in doing these things, you will never stumble; ….

“These things,” refers back to the 8 character qualities listed in verses 5-7 …

[READ 2 Pet. 1:5-7]
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence (virtue), and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

Could Peter have been more insistent? If we keep growing in these traits, we’ll never stumble. Now, let me make one thing clear. When Peter said we will never stumble, he didn’t mean we will never make a mistake or commit a sin. He meant we’ll never shipwreck our faith. We’ll never fall away from Christ. Let me paraphrase: “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.”

Earlier I mentioned the book of Jude, a short 25 word letter near the end of the Bible. It’s all about the dangers of false teachers and the temptation to fall away. Reading Jude can help us make the right choices when facing pressure. His words are critical for those of us living in a culture defined by increasing apostasy.

Actually, Jude wrote to Christians experiencing double pressure. They faced extreme persecution, and they were under spiritual attack from heresies of all kinds. Most of the influential leaders of the early church had been martyred – including Peter, Paul, and James – which left both churches and individual Christians feeling vulnerable. In the darkness of that moment, Jude’s epistle provided a ray of hope. In just two verses near the end of his tiny epistle, Jude explained to Christians how to remain committed to Christ during a time of increased apostasy.

[READ Jude 1:20-21]
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Obviously, Jude was speaking to Christians, and the phrase  “building yourselves up” conveys the idea of continuation. Jude was not speaking of a one-time event, but rather a life-long process. In other words, Jude told us to keep building ourselves up.

You will notice that this passage uses the word “yourselves.” Which means this is your responsibility. You must continue to cultivate your relationship with the Lord. Your walk with God is not static. You are either growing in Him or you are beginning to grow cold toward Him.

This is why God warned the church at Ephesus …

[READ Rev. 2:4-5a]
4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first ….

Examine yourself, encourage yourself, and exercise yourself in the Lord. And most of all just keep going and growing. Don’t stop! Don’t look back! Just keep walking with the Lord.

III. IN CONCLUSION

A young girl named LeeAdianez Rodriguez-Espada arrived late for the Wegman’s Family 5K on a brisk spring morning in Rochester, NY. She was twelve years old at the time. Her mother dropped her off at the starting line before leaving to find a parking spot, then settled in at the finish line to cheer for her daughter as she finished the race. Her mother expected to wait about an hour.

At the starting line, LeeAdianez realized the race had just begun, so she joined the other runners at the back of the pack. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, it wasn’t until around mile four that she began to realize something was wrong. The finish line was nowhere in sight.

After asking a few of her neighboring runners how much longer the race would take, LeeAdianez realized her mistake. She was not part of the Wegman’s Family 5K. She had instead entered the Flower City Half Marathon! This race was not five kilometers, but over thirteen miles! Incredibly, she decided to keep going.

By this time, the young girl’s mother was beginning to panic. She contacted the race organizers, and a police officer eventually found her daughter on the half-marathon course. Even then, 12-year-old LeeAdianez refused to quit. Eventually, she crossed the finish line after running a full ten miles more than she originally had planned.

LeeAdianez’s mother was waiting for her there, drying tears of joy. “I see her with a medal and I thought, ‘Oh my, she ran the other one, like for real,’” she said. “She decided to just keep running and not give up.”

This is my challenge for you today. When you feel the pressure to let go of your faith, decide instead to keep running and never give up! Remember, this is your choice. Jesus is with you. He will keep you from falling, and He will empower you. For He has every intention of presenting you faultless before the Father once your race comes to an end.

Until that moment, keep going. Keep running. And keep building up your faith and the faith of those around you.

Prayer: Blessed Father, I ask You to increase our faith. When we face uncertainties, remind us of Your promises. When doubt whispers in our ear, let Your Word speak louder. Give us the courage to trust You in all things -- in the seen and unseen, as well as in joy and sorrow. Strengthen our belief and resolve so that we may stand steadfast and unmovable until we see Your glory revealed in every part of our lives. Let the Word we’ve heard today dwell richly in our hearts. Do not let it fade with the final hymn. Let it convict, comfort, and guide us in the days ahead. May Your truth become our compass, and may Your Spirit remind us of what You have spoken. Keep Your Word alive in us, shaping every moment by its light. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 364: “My Jesus, I Love Thee” (vs. 1,2,4)

Benediction: Beloved, to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, before all time, and now, and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

THE FALLING AWAY

3 Prophecies Being Fulfilled (Lesson 1) - Nov. 9, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: (2 Thes. 2:3a, NKJV; Col. 4:14; Philem. 1:24; 2 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 10:29, NIV; Jude 1:3; John 14:6, 10:28-29; Phil. 1:6; Jude 1:24)

2 Thessalonians 2:3a, NKJV

In today’s message, we’re going to confront the discouraging news of modern-day apostasy and discover that this problem is one of the signs of the end times.

This “falling away” is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history many have taken up the banner of Christ only to lay it down again. Even the first generation of Christians faced this challenge.

The core issue isn’t that people are falling away from church, or even falling away from faith. We’re talking about falling away from Jesus Himself.

It is appalling when would-be shepherds of God’s flock question the foundational elements of Christian doctrine, including:

* The Divinity of Christ

* The Resurrection of Christ

* The Biblical View of Sexuality & Marriage

* Salvation Through Christ Alone

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (Acts 21:21; 2 Thes. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 2:18-19; Mt. 24:12)

Real apostasy is deadly; it is lethal.

Apostasy is not the same thing as atheism. It doesn’t refer to people in general who reject Christianity, or deny the truth of the gospel; nor does it apply to everyone who chooses religious systems other than Christianity.

Definition of Apostasy: The Greek word apostasy is found only twice in the NT (Acts 21:21, 2 Thes. 2:3)…. The word means ‘a falling away from,’ a deserting or turning from a position or view formerly held … Spiritual apostasy occurs when a person who once claimed to be a believer, departs from what he formerly professed to believe. An apostate is not one who was saved and then lost his or her salvation. An apostate, though having claimed to be a believer, never was saved in the first place.

The proliferation of apostasy is an important, but often overlooked, piece to the end times puzzle. As we know from Scripture, one of the signs of the imminent return of Christ is a rising number of self-proclaimed Christians who ultimately reject Christ.

How could anyone who has tasted the goodness of Christ ever choose to fall away? There are many reasons, of course, but let’s focus on three specific ones.

* Some Fall Away Because They Are DECEIVED
(1 Tim. 4:1-2)

* Some Fall Away Because They Are DISILLUSIONED
(Lk. 8:12-14)

* Some Fall Away Because They Are DISTRACTED
(Lk. 8:14)

II. HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

It’s easy to become discouraged when we consider the prevalence of apostasy in the church and in our world. This is especially true when we hear of people we admire who fall away from Christ. If we’re not careful, we can begin to think of apostasy as a disease.

But apostasy isn’t caught like an illness. It’s a choice. A decision you make based on your own values and priorities.

* EXAMINE Yourself (1 Cor. 13:5; Mt. 7:21-23; Ps. 139:23-24; Jn. 10:28)

* ENCOURAGE Yourself (1 Sam. 30:6; Ps. 42:11, NKJV)

* EXERCISE Yourself (1 Tim. 4:7-8; 2 Pet. 1:5-7, 10; Jude 1:20-21; Rev. 2:4-5a)

III. IN CONCLUSION

This is my challenge for you today. When you feel the pressure to let go of your faith, decide instead to keep running and never give up! Remember, this is your choice. Jesus is with you. He will keep you from falling, and He will empower you. For He has every intention of presenting you faultless before the Father once your race comes to an end.

Until that moment, keep going. Keep running. And keep building up your faith and the faith of those around you.

BE DETERMINED TO ENDURE TO THE END

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, first I want to thank You that You have promised to be with us, no matter what difficulties and dangers may cross our paths. Keep us safe from all perils, problems, and persecutions we may encounter. May our faith remain firm to the end. I thank You, Lord, that there is no situation in life that is outside of Your jurisdiction and that You have every circumstance covered by Your all-sufficient grace. Father, may the blessed Holy Spirit steer our path through this sin-sick world. May our confidence in You never falter, because You have promised us that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world; and that absolutely nothing is able to separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. As we look into the Holy Scriptures this morning, I pray that the Spirit will teach us the principles of standing firm, and give us the determination to endure to the end. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: I’ve read, flying across the Sahara Desert of North Africa is an incredible experience if you have a window seat. For hours and hours and hours, the only thing you’ll see is scorching expanses of sand. The undulating dunes can reach 600 feet deep. This is the hottest, harshest desert on earth – and it’s as big as the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). Along with sand dunes are gravel-covered plains, salt flats, and barren plateaus.

The eastern boundary of the Sahara is the Red Sea, and the western edge is the Atlantic Ocean. It’s like America between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – except it’s all Death Valley.

One November morning, three men dipped their toes into the cold waters of the Atlantic in Senegal. Then they began to run. Their goal was the Red Sea, some 4,300 miles away.

Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin were attempting something never before conceived in history: to run across the Sahara Desert. They were doing it to raise awareness of the millions living in Africa without access to clean water. But according to Charlie Engle, he and his friends were also driven to be pioneers. “The challenge of doing something that has never been done before really appealed to us,” he said.

Their journey was plagued with challenges, some of which were geographical. Their route ran through six different nations: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt. They endured blazing temperatures, sandstorms, government corruptions – and sometimes they had to run on two-lane highways where cars whizzed by at more than a hundred miles an hour.

The physical challenges were even greater. The three friends averaged almost 40 miles per day, and there were several days in which they ran the equivalent of two marathons back-to-back – or longer. Each runner had to work through more than fifty blisters on his feet. They lost weight, faced dehydration, and slept no more than five hours each night.

But the biggest obstacle for the runners was mental. “It was much more of a mental exercise than physical,” Engle said. “It was much tougher on the mind than it was on the body.”

Near the end, the runners were seriously breaking down. Two suffered from severe tendonitis. All three were dealing with intestinal viruses. Their feet had swollen to another shoe size. The youngest runner, Kevin Lin, began to talk openly about giving up and going home. As expedition leader, Charlie Engle encouraged him to stay the course – to keep trying as hard as possible until the last moment.

“It’s something I learned from adventure racing,” Engle said. “Don’t ever pull yourself from the course. Go until you [can’t] go because something might change …. You keep going.”

And they did! They dipped their toes in the cold waters of the Red Sea after 111 grueling days. It was an unequaled feat – or feet! – of endurance.

If you were to check through dictionaries and online resources, you probably couldn’t find a better definition for endurance than Charlie Engle’s statement: You keep going.

That’s what it means to endure, and that’s what Jesus communicated to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we’ve seen so far, the “signs of the times” about which Jesus prophesied were frightening for many reasons. He warned about deception, both from outside and inside the church. He warned about wars and rumors of wars. He warned about famines, earthquakes, and pestilences. He foresaw tribulation and persecution, lawlessness and lovelessness. Even those who professed to be Christians would fall away. But all of the negatives lead to an incredibly positive, and phenomenal promise:

[READ Mt. 24:13, NKJV]
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

This promise was true for Christ’s earliest disciples as they endured attacks from the Roman Empire and the religious leaders of their own community. This promise has been true for all who remained faithful to God’s kingdom throughout the ups and downs of history. And this promise is especially critical for believers today as we approach the end times.

Yes, we’ll certainly face obstacles and difficulties. In so many ways, this world is a giant Sahara Desert. But we have a race to run and we must not give up. We must keep going with enthusiasm, the strength of Christ within us, and the victory in sight.

I. THE STRENGTH OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Lk. 9:62; 2 Tim. 2:3, 8-10; Jas. 1:12; Eph. 6:10-13)
Let’s look again at the first part of Jesus’ promise.
[READ Mt. 24:13]

13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The Scriptures are packed with admonitions and encouragements for God’s people to keep going in tough times. The biblical writers employed many terms to describe this quality of our character: endurance, steadfastness, faithfulness, perseverance, and so on. But the basic idea is for followers to Christ to keep following Christ all the way, come what may.

[READ Lk. 9:62]
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Paul instructed Timothy to keep going in the face of trials.

[READ 2 Tim. 2:3, NKJV]
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

A few verses later, he added ….

[READ 2 Tim. 2:8-10, NKJV]
8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

[READ Jas. 2:12]
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

The Greek word for endure in Matthew 24 is hupomenō, which is a combination of hupo (“under”) and menō (“stay” or “remain”). So, the picture Jesus used to describe those who endure is those who are determined to stay under the load until Christ lifts the load. It refers to submitting to a specific directive or command, choosing to stay in a certain spot even if others have moved on or moved away. In today’s terminology, we might say, “But the person who hangs on to the end shall be saved.”

That’s not easy! It takes a lot of strength to hang on. We often think of endurance as something passive. Did you ever endure a lecture from a boring teacher? What about suffering through an all-night work shift? In cases like these, we just grin and bear it. But that’s not quite what Jesus was talking about.

His call for endurance was a command for His followers to take a stand. To push against the current and refuse to be moved. To hold firm in their convictions and character even when it seemed as if the whole world was against them.

[READ Eph. 6:10-13]
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Pastor Vinod Patil understands this kind of enduring strength. As a church leader in India, he has witnessed the rise of anti-conversion laws passed by the government in recent years – laws specifically designed to increase government-sanctioned attacks against Christian churches.

According to a New York Times investigation, “Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools, and assaulting worshipers. In many cases, the police and members of India’s governing party are helping them, government documents and dozens of interviews revealed. In church after church, the very act of worship has become dangerous despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.”

Extremist Hindus have threatened to kill Pastor Patil if they catch him preaching. For that reason, he now lives like a secret agent – zipping through wheat fields and back alleys on his worn-out Honda scooter, making sure he’s not followed, praying with families in kitchens and courtyards, and leading secret gatherings in falling-down farmhouses.

“The Constitution gives us the right to preach openly,” he told reporters. “Still, you got to be careful.” Despite the danger, Pastor Patil has chosen to keep preaching. He has decided to endure. To stand.

Only heaven knows how many Christians are standing with him and like him on the earth, but we must be among them. “And having done everything to stand firm.”

II. THE STAMINA OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13)

Running across the Sahara takes stamina, which is a word having to do with the resilience of our strength. We are not only to endure, but we must endure until the end!

[READ Mt. 24:13]
13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The end of what? This is a widely debated question, and if you read 10 commentaries you might get 9 different answers. But really, it’s not so difficult.

• Perennial Stamina (Jn. 17:4; 2 Tim. 4:7; Isa. 33:2, 40:31; Acts 20:22-24)

First, we’re to keep on going until Christ comes for us or calls us home. We are perennials, not annuals. We keep coming back again and again, fruitful, growing, pressing forward with whatever God has for us until, like the Lord Jesus, we can say:

[READ Jn. 17:4]
4 I glorified You on the earth, having finished the work which You have given Me to do.

We’re to pursue the Lord’s will and calling for our lives until we can say, like Paul …

[READ 2 Tim. 4:7]
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

We’re to wait and watch and work until we can say, like aged Simeon …

[READ Lk. 2:29-30]
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation.

We don’t do it in our own strength. We pray like the prophet Isaiah: “Be our strength every morning” (Isa. 33:2, NIV). And we claim Isaiah’s promise: “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31, NKJV).

For those of us living in the last days, Jesus’ words are a call to keep going as the signs of the times explode around us. We’re to run through the smoke, through the trembling earth, through the reeling battlefield, and through the agitation of our age. We’ll never stop until Jesus comes!

This attitude doesn’t always appear as public feats of gallantry. Usually, it shows up quietly in our lives. As Dr. Raymond Edman of Wheaton College used to tell his students, “It’s always too soon to quit.” Paul felt the same way.

[READ Acts 20:22-24] …
22 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

Allow me to paraphrase verse 24: “But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.”

• Personal Stamina (Mt. 24)

Second, a careful analysis of Matthew 24 gives us another clue about the stamina we need to endure to the end. It’s personal. Greek scholars tell us that up to this point in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus had been speaking to His disciples in the plural. This isn’t obvious in English because our word “you” can be either singular or plural. But the Greek language of the NT is different.

* “Do you not see all these things?” (v. 2).

* “And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you” (v. 4).

* “And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed ….” (v. 6).

* “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (v. 9).

* “Because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold” (v. 12).

But there’s a shift in verse 13.

* “But he who endures to the end, shall be saved.” (v. 13, NKJV).

The word translated as “he” in this verse is the Greek term hō, which is singular. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Jesus could have said, “But if you endure to the end, you will be saved.”

Isn’t it interesting? Here in verse 13, Jesus spoke to you as an individual – and to me. He was encouraging each of us to hang on and keep hanging on for as long as it takes.

Enduring as a follower of Jesus requires not only strength but also perennial, personal stamina. Don’t be afraid to take your stand for what you know is right and what God has communicated through His Word. Then keep standing no matter what comes your way. Let’s remain steadfast until the end. Especially as we watch and wait for our Lord’s return.

III. THE SATISFACTION OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

Now let’s look at the last phrase of Jesus’ promise.

[READ Mt. 24:13]
13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Choosing to endure as followers of Christ will require both strength and stamina, but remaining steadfast will ultimately lead to satisfaction.

The biblical word “salvation” is similar to a diamond, having many facets and faces. This word “salvation” occurs over 166 times in the OT and NT, and in different settings it can refer to different things. For example ….

[READ Ex. 14:13]
13 … Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh which He will accomplish for you today.

In this context, the word implied Israel’s deliverance from the pursuing armies of Egypt. God parted the waters and saved them. Let’s look at another example ….

[READ Rom. 13:11]
11 … Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

What does Paul mean? He is referring to the moment when we will be rescued from this evil world by rapture or resurrection when the Lord appears in the air. One more example ….

[READ Acts 4:12]
12 … There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Here Peter was talking about the eternal salvation of our souls from sin, death, and hell – meaning our redemption from these things. So, what then did Jesus mean when He promised that those who endure to the end will be saved?

• What This Salvation Is Not (Eph. 2:8-9; Jn. 16:33; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:12-13)

First, Jesus was not teaching salvation by works. It’s not our ability to endure that saves us. It is Christ alone. We can never erase the reality of our sin by our own strength and stamina. We are saved from sin by grace through faith.

[READ Eph. 2:8-9]
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

Our ability to endure to the end grows out of an intimate connection with Jesus, our Savior. We stand because we know Him. We don’t earn that connection by standing for Him.

Second, Jesus was not promising us guaranteed safety chutes from every difficulty in life.

[READ Jn. 16:33]
33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

[READ 2 Tim. 3:12]
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

[READ 1 Pet. 4:12-13]
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. 13 But to the degree you are sharing the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

Followers of Christ will face resistance, encounter trouble, grievous trials, and more as we move closer to the Lord’s return.

• What This Salvation Is (2 Tim. 4:18)

What, then, did Jesus mean when He promised that those who endure to the end will be saved? The answer is found as plain as day within the final words of the apostle Paul.

In AD 64, the Roman emperor Nero accused Christians of starting the fire that destroyed Rome. In his demonic rage, Nero came against believers with a vengeance. As I shared with you in an earlier message, the apostle Paul was tracked down – he may have been betrayed by Alexander the coppersmith – and thrown into a dungeon to await beheading. From there, he wrote his goodbye letter to the church. It was addressed specifically to Timothy, but it was for us all, the final words of the greatest missionary in history, waiting each moment for the soldiers to come and execute him. Listen to what Paul says at the end of his letter:

[READ 2 Tim. 4:18, NIV]
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I believe this is what Jesus meant. This is the satisfaction of our stand. For those who endure to the end, the Lord will rescue them from evil and bring them safely to His heavenly kingdom – and to Him be glory forever and ever!

IV. THE START OF OUR STAND

When we consider topics like endurance, or perseverance, or steadfastness, it’s easy to think of them in the abstract or to project them into the future. When I face opposition out in the future, I’ll make sure to endure rather than falter. Or, When I’m old and at the end of my life, I’ll be sure to remember the importance of finishing strong.

That’s not how it works. The determination to follow Christ regardless of the cost isn’t something that just flashes into our souls at the moment of crisis. It starts now and takes a lifetime to develop. It’s a day-by-day process.

This is a choice you and I need to make now, at this moment. There are some practical ways to get started and to sustain our progress, regardless of what’s going on in the world.

• Determine to Run Your Race (Lk. 9:23; Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)

First comes a God-given, incontestable, undeniable determination to live for Christ whatever the cost.

[READ Lk. 9:23]
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Let me tell you a story from Juyanne James, an English professor and writer, about a man who came to that decision. In her memoir of growing up as an African American woman in rural Louisiana, Professor James described how, once a month, the children’s choir was scheduled to sing at her church. People would often stand and share their testimonies. According to James’ recollection, one of those testimonies went like this:

I stand before you today to give my testimony …. I was young and foolish. I threw away all my money on women and drink. And I heard the Lord calling me over the years, but I wouldn’t listen. I didn’t slow down for nobody or no thing. Oh, but the Lord, He got such a mighty big hand, and He can reach far and He can reach high and low.

Early one morning, He reached down and grabbed me by my ankles, and I felt like He turned me upside down. He twisted me and turned me until I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. The Devil had got so far up in me that the Lord had to shake him loose. I was driving in my old Ford, but next thing I know the truck had hit this big ol’ tree and was rolling this way and that. I knew if it rolled one more time, I wasn’t long for this world. I called on Jesus ….

And praise the Lord, He heard my cry. I woke up in the hospital some days later, bandages all over me, with a leg near gone. But the first thing I said was “Thank You Jesus ….” When I got up from that hospital bed, I decided to follow Jesus.

At that point, said Ms. James, the whole church erupted in singing, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.”

You know, that’s not a bad testimony. Sometimes the Lord grabs our ankles, turns us upside down, this way and that way, until we come to our senses and decide to follow Jesus. Still, we have to say, “No turning back.” We have to say, “Though no one join me, still I will follow.”

Make up your mind that nothing will deter you from God’s will, that no one will draw you from His path, that no foe will defeat you, and that no sin will stop you. “The world behind you, the cross before you!”

I mentioned earlier that followers of Christ must be prepared to endure trials of various kinds as we seek to finish our race. Jesus Himself promised we would face tribulation.

But here’s a principle and a promise that can help us keep striving: those trials and tribulations can actually become fuel for our endurance. No matter what the world throws our way, we can recycle those experiences in such a way that, through the omnipotence of God, our pain is transformed into power. Don’t believe me? Let’s see what the Scripture says.

[READ Jas. 1:2-4, ESV]
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

[READ Rom. 5:3-5, ESV]
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Yes, trials and suffering can make it more difficult for us to run the spiritual course set before us – but they don’t have to. With God behind us and beside us, suffering becomes steadfastness. Pain becomes perseverance. And trials are transformed into a blessed hope that can carry us toward perfection and completion, where we lack no good thing.

So, how will you handle the bumps and bruises you receive in your efforts to follow Christ? Will you allow them to slow you down, or will you use them as fuel for your faithfulness? According to Scripture, the choice is yours.

• Determine to React with Radiance (Rom. 12:12; 1 Pet. 2:20-23)

Speaking of choice, it’s important that we address our own actions and attitudes when we encounter difficult circumstances. In many ways, how we conduct ourselves throughout our spiritual walk is just as important as how we finish the race.

Here’s what I mean: I’ve known some Christians who look like they were baptized in lemon juice and hit in the mouth with a dill pickle sideways. They were high on endurance but low on love. They were determined to persevere in the midst of persecution, but they made sure everyone around them knew how miserable they were in the process – and they made life miserable for many others who happened to encounter them in the middle of their race.

Such an attitude is not befitting for servants of the King. As Christians, we are called not only to run with endurance and finish the race, but to do so in a way that encourages others to follow us. We have been commanded not only to be disciples of Jesus but to make disciples. And for that to happen, we need to reflect the love, grace, and goodness of the One we follow.

My point is: when we are confronted by all the ugliness Jesus predicted for the world as it heads toward the end, we can respond by radiating the love of Christ.

[READ Rom. 12:12]
12 … Rejoicing in hope, persevering in affliction, being devoted to prayer.

Remember Peter’s commission to the earliest believers, which also applies to us?

[READ 1 Pet. 2:20-23]
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, 22 who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 who being reviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

Developing perseverance as a believer in Jesus does not have to be a bitter experience. Yes, each of us will need to endure unpleasant seasons – and this will be especially true as we move closer to Jesus’ return. But we can use these seasons as opportunities to radiate the love and light of Christ. 

• Determine to Reach Your Goal (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; Eph. 3:20; Jas. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:12)

Being steadfast in your service to God means choosing to run your race, choosing to react to difficult circumstances with the radiance of Christ, and finally, choosing to run until you reach the end of your specific course. It means choosing to keep going until you reach your rest.

Shinzo Kanakuri was the first athlete to represent Japan in the Olympic Games. This was the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, and Kanakuri was an exciting newcomer for the marathon event. At just 20-years-old, he had even set a world record the year before. Expectations were high.

Unfortunately for Kanakuri, things did not go as he planned. After a brutal journey from Japan that took almost three weeks, he was in rough shape prior to the start of the Olympic marathon. To make matters worse, the event was run on an especially balmy day in Sweden with unexpectedly high temperatures and skyrocketing humidity.

About 16 miles into the race, Kanakuri faltered. He stumbled into a local garden and collapsed. He was eventually found by a Swedish family who nursed him back to health with raspberry juice, cinnamon rolls, and a comfortable bed.

Despite this kindness, the Japanese runner was mortified at his own failure. Uncertain what to do next, Kanakuri quietly returned to Japan to deal with his shame. He left so quietly, in fact, that Swedish officials had no record of what happened to him. He was considered a “missing person” in that country for almost 50 years!

Thankfully, there is a happy ending to Shinzo Kanakuri’s story. In 1967, Swedish officials arranged for the now-elderly runner to return to Stockholm and finish the race. Starting where he had left the course all those decades before, Kanakuri completed the course with a mind-boggling time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.

Here’s my point: despite a decades-long delay, Shinzo Kanakuri completed his race. He reached the finish line at last – and there he was greeted by not only his children, but also his grandchildren. Those are grand rewards indeed!

We typically connect to the book of Revelation with the chaos and cataclysms we expect to experience at the end of the world – and for good reason. The vision John received on the island of Patmos certainly allows us to peek through the window of time and glimpse many important details about the end of history. As we’ve seen, those details dovetail perfectly with Jesus’ prophetic promises in the Olivet Discourse.

Yet there’s a section of Revelation we sometimes forget. In chapters 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus commissioned John to deliver seven letters to the seven churches operating in Asia Minor during his day. Each of those letters carries a specific message that uses imagery and word pictures relevant to the regions. Taken together, they create a wonderful word of encouragement and exhortation from Christ to His church during a season of intense persecution.

There’s one specific theme present in each of these letters that’s pertinent to our study this morning. See if you can catch the theme based on the following verses:

* For the church at Ephesus: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (2:7).

* For the church at Smyrna: “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death” (2:11).

* For the church at Pergamos: “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (2:17).

* For the church at Thyatira: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ – as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star” (2:26-28).

* For the church at Sardis: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” (3:5).

* For the church at Philadelphia: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (3:12).

* For the church at Laodicea: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (3:21).

Do you see the pattern? In every church, Jesus called the believers to overcome. To endure. To push past the persecution and the pain they were experiencing. And with every call to “overcome,” Jesus included a promised reward.

This is the overwhelming message of Scripture. As children of God, our Savior is calling you and me to be steadfast in taking our stand for His values, His priorities, and His kingdom. He is calling us to remain faithful even when the going gets tough.

Yet He is also encouraging us to receive the rewards He has promised. That starts with eternal life, of course – and if we never received any other gift from our good Father, we would still be blessed beyond all possible comprehension! But He has promised more gifts. He has promised exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

I mentioned a couple of Scripture passages earlier in this series that certainly bear repeating in light of today’s theme.

[READ Jas. 1:12]
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

[READ 2 Tim. 2:12a]
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him ….

So, beloved, don’t give up on your spiritual walk. Don’t allow yourself to be knocked off course or taken out of the race. And if you do stumble, get back up and start running again. In the words of Sahara-running Charlie Engle, whatever happens, “You keep going.” Because your reward is worth it!

V. IN CONCLUSION

John R.W. Stott was one of the greatest Christian leaders of the last century. For many years he served faithfully as rector of All Souls Langham Place in London; he was a peerless preacher, Bible teacher, evangelist, author, speaker, and global leader.

Os Guinness tells about the final moments of John Stott’s race – and how he remained determined to reach his rest as a faithful servant of Christ:

I knew him over many decades, but I will never forget my last visit to his bedside three weeks before he died. After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, “Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath.”

Wow! What a prayer for the end of one man’s race, and what a prayer for every believer in these last days! No matter what we encounter in our world’s relentless march toward judgment, let’s be determined to be faithful to our Lord.

Prayer: Blessed Father, even as Your Word guides us and the testimonies of other believers down through history encourage us, let us not lose sight of the fact that it is Your Spirit who rejuvenates and empowers us. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, and He is our source of strength and endurance.
I pray, Lord, for a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit upon each of our lives today. As we journey through the trials and challenges of life, let the Holy Spirit be our constant companion, our guide, our comforter, and our strength, ensuring that we not only endure to the end but overcome. Help us lay aside anything and everything that hinders our spiritual progress, diverts our attention from the goal of our calling, or inhibits our witness for Christ. Strengthen each of Your children who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. In Him may we find ample spiritual strength to persevere and run the race that is set before us with endurance. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 376: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” (4 vs.)
Benediction: Beloved, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Amen. (Heb. 12:1-2)

BE DETERMINED TO ENDURE TO THE END

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 9) - Nov. 2, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: You probably couldn’t find a better definition for endurance than Charlie Engle’s statement: You keep going. That’s what it means to endure, and that’s what Jesus communicated to His disciples on the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 24:13

This promise has been true for all who remained faithful to God’s kingdom throughout the ups and downs of history. And this promise is especially critical for believers today as we approach the end times.

We have a race to run and we must not give up. We must keep going with enthusiasm, the strength of Christ within us, and the victory in sight.

I. THE STRENGTH OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Lk. 9:62; 2 Tim. 2:3, 8-10; Jas. 1:12; Eph. 6:10-13)

II. THE STAMINA OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13)

* PERRENNIAL STAMINA (Jn. 17:4; 2 Tim. 4:7; Isa. 33:2, 40:31; Acts 20:22-24)

* PERSONAL STAMINA (Mt. 24)

III. THE SATISFACTION OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

* WHAT THIS SALVATION IS NOT (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

* WHAT THIS SALVATION IS (2 Tim. 4:18)

IV. THE START OF OUR STAND

* DETERMINE TO RUN YOUR RACE (Lk. 9:23; Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)

* DETERMINE TO REACT WITH RADIANCE (Rom. 12:12; 1 Pet. 2:20-23)

* DETERMINE TO REACH YOUR GOAL (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; Eph. 3:20; Jas. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:12)

IV. IN CONCLUSION

Os Guinness tells about the final moments of John Stott’s race – and how he remained determined to reach his rest as a faithful servant of Christ:

I knew him over many decades, but I will never forget my last visit to his bedside three weeks before he died. After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, “Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath.”

Wow! What a prayer for the end of one man’s race, and what a prayer for every believer in these last days! No matter what we encounter in our world’s relentless march toward judgment, let’s be determined to be faithful to our Lord.

A WORLD OF BAD NEWS

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we come humbly before You today in worship, we seek Your divine presence and power to manifest during the sermon. Lord, may every thought and word spoken be inspired by Your Spirit. I ask You to open the hearts and minds of those who will be listening to the sermon, whether in this service now or online. Remove any distractions or barriers that may hinder them from receiving your message. Soften their hearts, Lord, and help them to be receptive to Your truth. I pray that Your presence will be obvious in the sanctuary, filling every corner with Your glory. May Your power be evident as lives are transformed, hearts are healed, and souls are saved. Lord, let your love and grace flow abundantly, touching every person in the congregation. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of gathering together as a community of believers. We give You all the glory, honor, and praise for You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: In July 1986, thousands of men and women from developing nations boarded airplanes, many for the first time in their lives. They checked into hotels to find something they’d never seen before – indoor plumbing. They were called “barefoot evangelists,” men and women with little education or training who hacked through jungles, forded rivers, endured rejection, and took the good news to huts and hamlets in remote nations all over the world.

Evangelist Billy Graham raised millions of dollars to bring 8,000 of these local preachers to Amsterdam for days of training and encouragement. Never in church history had such a gathering occurred on this scale, with representatives from 180 nations.

In one of his sermons that week, Graham said, “Biblical evangelism preaches Christ alone as the Savior of men. Paul told the Corinthians, ‘For Jesus Christ, and Him crucified’ (1 Cor. 2:2). Jesus alone is the way to God. Apart from Him we are spiritually dead and lost. Jesus Christ by His death and resurrection became the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the Gospel!”

Sitting in rapt attention was one particular barefoot evangelist named Joseph, a converted warrior from the Maasai tribe of Central Africa. During the conference, he asked to see Dr. Graham. For logistical reasons, very few participants could meet privately with Graham, but Joseph was given a few minutes to tell his story.

As a young man, Joseph heard the gospel on a dusty African road, and he responded instantly by trusting Jesus as his Savior. He soon longed to return to his native village and share the good news of the kingdom of heaven. He went from door to door, telling others what had happened to him. He expected everyone’s face to light up. Instead, they were filled with rage.

The men of the village seized Joseph and held him to the ground while the women brutally flogged him with barbed wire. After the beating, he was dragged into the bush and left to die. Joseph managed to crawl to a watering hole, where he spent several days recovering, and decided he had either left something out of the story or shared the message incorrectly. He rehearsed his testimony, prayed, and limped back to the village to try again, saying, “Jesus died for you, so that you might have forgiveness and come to know the living God.” He received another flogging.

Recovering a bit, he went back and was whipped a third time, the barbed wire cutting into the old wounds. But this time, one of the women beating him started weeping. As Joseph lapsed into unconsciousness, he saw others beginning to cry. He awoke in his own bed, his former tormenters trying to save his life. As a result of his patient witness, the whole village came to Christ.

Joseph then lifted his shirt to show Dr. Graham the scars marking his chest and back. After he left, the famous evangelist could only say, “I’m not fit to untie that man’s shoes, and he wanted to meet me?”

Have you ever thought of yourself as a barefoot evangelist – someone who can share the gospel anytime, anywhere, whatever your level of training or education, regardless of the reaction? Because that’s who you are! The world is filled with those of us wanting to tell others what Jesus has done for us. And that reality reflects another prophecy fulfilled from Jesus’ Olivet Discourse.

Remarkably, on one of the last days of His life here on earth, Jesus predicted a time when the gospel of the kingdom would be preached to the ends of the earth, heralding the approach of His return. No one in those days could have conceived of it. In the eyes of most, Jesus of Nazareth was nothing more than a country preacher from the rural mountains of Galilee. He encountered a lot of skepticism on the rare occasions He came to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals. He spoke in simple parables and pastoral teachings, and few people outside His circles of influence even knew about Him.

Yet, speaking privately with His disciples shortly before His brutal death, Jesus said that one day His unique message would touch the farthest corners of the globe. It would go to the ends of the earth – and when it did, the world would be near its end.

Of all the prophecies we’ve studied thus far in Matthew 24, this is probably the most improbable one of them all. We could imagine the continuation of warfare or plagues. Deceivers come and go. But who could imagine that the words of a rural rabbi from Galilee would transform human history, reverberate in every subsequent generation, and be as life-changing over two thousand years later as His disciples knew them to be in their own time?

This is our Lord’s positive prediction.
So far, we’ve looked at a lot of grim forecasts in the Olivet Discourse. But during all of those difficult days at the end of history, one thing will be unstoppable: the relentless spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in every generation, on every continent, through every difficulty. Like a beam of light through the blackened night, the good news will bring the world its only hope. The message of Jesus – crucified and resurrected -- will echo through all the turbulence of time and herald His swift return.

[READ Mt. 24:14]
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

I. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL (Mt. 4:23; Eph. 1:13; Rom. 1:16; Mt. 24:14; Col. 1:13; Mk. 13:10)

Let’s start with the word gospel. The Greek term is euangelion. You can instantly see how we get the word evangelism from it. But look closer. Notice the middle letters: eu-angel-ion. What is an angel doing in the middle of the gospel? Well, the word angel literally means “messenger.” The Greek prefix eu- means “good.” So, the word gospel literally means “good message” or “good news.”

This word appears for the first time in the Bible at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

[READ Mt. 4:23]
23 And Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The gospel is the set of historical facts relating to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It includes the eternal repercussions of these facts for those who place their faith in Christ. They enter a living relationship with God, by grace and through faith. Christ alone offers us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

[READ Eph. 1:13, NKJV]
13 In Him [Christ], you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel [good news] of your salvation ….
The word good seems like the world’s greatest understatement. Our culture loves superlative terms like amazing, awesome, and spectacular. To us, good is far down on the list of adjectives. But the Bible uses good as a moral quality of God and a way to describe the nature of the gifts He has given us. In His vocabulary, good is far beyond amazing, awesome, and spectacular. It may be God’s highest adjective. We can pack every superlative we want into those four letters G-O-O-D, and there will still be an eternity of room left over.

The gospel was sealed and settled by Jesus’ shed blood at Calvary and His glorious resurrection.

Evangelist D.L. Moody said, “The most solemn truth in the gospel is that the only thing Christ left down here is His blood.” When we receive this message by simple faith and confess Christ as Lord of our lives, we become living recipients and embodiments of the good news. In other words, we say yes to Jesus.

Now, let me tell you about a time when “No” said “yes.”

Andrew Lo is the pseudonym for a church planter who works amid danger in a heavily restricted nation. One day Andrew ventured into a village and sought to share the gospel. Only one person listened, and he was wonderfully converted. Ironically, this man’s name was No. But No said yes. Eventually his wife and parents also gave their lives to Christ, and now a small church exists in a spiritually dry land – all because Lo shared with No, and No said yes.

I must pause here and ask: Have you said yes to Christ? Everything in life and eternity depends on this.

[READ Rom. 1:16]
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, ….

Going back to Matthew 24:14, there’s something else to notice.

[READ Mt. 24:14, NKJV]
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Why is it called the “gospel of the kingdom”? The answer can sound complicated, but I’ll try to keep it simple. The word “kingdom” is short for the “king’s domain.” With one exception, every time Matthew used the word gospel, he couched it in this phrase the “gospel of the kingdom.”

There’s a famous theological phrase that says our Lord’s kingdom is “already but not yet.” When Jesus came to our world the first time, He planted the kingdom of believers on this planet, infiltrating the nations and placing the foundation for His church here.

[READ Col. 1:13]
13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love.

When Christ comes again, He will establish His theocratic kingdom in Israel and reign from there for a thousand years. So, in one sense, Jesus’ kingdom is already here. In another sense, it is still to be established – thus the phrase: “already but not yet.”

In Mark’s version of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was recorded as simply saying:

[READ Mk. 13:10]
10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.

That’s the key point. Both the current kingdom of the church age and the coming kingdom of the millennial age spring from the historical facts of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The same gospel that makes you and me instant members of God’s heavenly kingdom right now will be the power plant allowing Christ to rule the world after His return to earth. As we continue today’s study, we’ll see how this works out as a kind of double fulfillment.

• Before the Rapture (Mt. 24:14; Acts 1:8, 2:41, 4:4, 6:1, 9:31, 13)

The first verses of the Olivet Discourse carry an “already but not yet” flavor. They describe the days leading up to the rapture of the church. Then they rewind and take us through the same general sequence of events during the first half of the tribulation with a deeper level of judgment and distress.

On one level, the Lord Jesus was predicting the deterioration of world events during the ages leading to His return in the clouds for His people. These are the times we are experiencing now. There will be increasing dangers from deceivers, wars, international conflicts, famines, pandemics, and natural disasters. Persecution will spike around the world, and love will fade away as a uniting force. The one positive trend amid these signs is the good news:

[READ Mt. 24:14, NKJV]
14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The end of what? The end of the church age. The presence of the Spirit-indwelled church will be removed from this planet in a flash of time. Graves will become launching pads. Believers will fly into the clouds to be instantly transformed with glorified bodies.

As I said earlier, no one watching Jesus that day on the Mount of Olives could have imagined this prediction coming true. Yet Jesus repeated His claim in Acts 1:8 …

[READ Acts 1:8]
8 … You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.

Shortly after Jesus made this prediction, on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people confessed Christ in Jerusalem and were baptized (Acts 2:41). Many of them went home from the festival of Pentecost, taking the message of Jesus to provinces, cities, towns, and islands throughout the Roman Empire. Soon the number of believers reached 5,000 (4:4). The disciples began multiplying exponentially (6:1), and the number of churches multiplied as well (9:31).

From Antioch, the first official church-sent missionaries were commissioned (Barnabas and Paul) and the age of organized missions began (Acts 13). By the early 300s, the Roman Empire had been reshaped by the gospel. Every generation of Christians has spread the news to those around them. Yes, there have been some giants in the list of missionaries and evangelists -- Wesley, Carey, Moody, and Graham. But most of the work has been accomplished by barefoot evangelists – people like you and me who share our testimonies in the same way mariners tell the stories of their rescues from shipwrecks.

Where are we today in world evangelism? The Joshua Project keeps careful track of what God is doing on the earth. According to their research, there are 17,427 people groups on earth, and though 66.9% have been reached with the gospel, there are still 7,626 groups needing the gospel, and many of those are in very restricted nations. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that today we’re starting to penetrate even the most difficult barriers by means of new technology. The internet is essential, of course. But cheaper methods for setting up satellite TV and radio programs have also allowed preachers to reach directly into the homes of those interested in learning more about Christ – even when those homes are in countries actively hostile to the gospel.

This is why one of the ministries Harvest supports, Faith Comes By Hearing, is so important. This crucial ministry is translating the Bible into every identified language whether written or only spoken, and making it available to the world in audio format. This has broken down huge barriers, allowing people to hear God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ in the language they understand. Faith Comes By Hearing’s goal is to translate the Bible into every known language by 2033, so the whole world can hear the good news of the Gospel.

What exciting times we live in! Jesus’ prophecy is being fulfilled in real time: the gospel is being preached throughout all the world as a witness to all nations and peoples. When this process is complete, the stage will be set for the Lord’s return.

• After the Rapture (Mt. 24:11-14; Rev. 6, 7:1-4, 9-17)

As I’ve said before, the events prophesied in Matthew 24:1-14 will back up and replay after the rapture of the church, this time at a higher volume and with greater intensity. After believers vanish from the earth, there will be a new round of deceivers, including the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist), and an unprecedented time of war and rumors of war. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. As we see in the breaking of the seven seals in Revelation 6, there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places – all leading up to the middle of the tribulation and to the terrible period known as the great tribulation.

Many people don’t realize the first half of the tribulation will be one of the greatest evangelistic awakenings in human history. The gospel will be unstoppable. You may ask, If the church is removed, who will be evangelizing?

First, I believe the troubles of those days will lead many people to search out the billions of Bibles and New Testaments left behind, along with all kinds of Christian books, recordings, and literature.

Certainly, one of the greatest distribution of Bibles in history occurred during World War I, with multiple Bible societies printing New Testaments and getting them into the hands of millions of soldiers. One report said, “Soldiers, when they were very badly wounded, had a tendency to produce the NT from their breast pocket and read it as they died. This is a phenomenon that was recorded when soldiers who were killed on 1 July 1916 – the first day of the Battle of the Somme – were recovered and buried; many of them were found dead with the Bible, or NT in their hands.” Could this be a preview of the tribulation?

Second, the Lord is going to commission 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will spread the gospel with the zeal of the apostle Paul to the ends of the earth (Rev. 7:1-4). Everyone converted under their ministries will also reach others, and many of them will be martyred (vv. 9-17). And don’t forget the two super-evangelists the Lord will place in Jerusalem, described in Revelation 11!

I know you and I are praying for another great awakening to turn around our nation and our world. God has sent massive revivals in the past. Perhaps He will send us one soon. But whether we see global revival or not, we’ll be faithful to the cross of Christ until the very end of the age. We can rest assured another great awakening is coming before the ultimate return of Christ to this earth – even if it occurs in times of tribulation and even if it happens after the church has vanished. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world, and then the end will come.

II. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL (Jn. 4:35; Mt. 16:18)

The unstoppable message of the gospel will be – and is being – spread by unstoppable messengers. In our generation, that’s you and me, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

A recent article in Christianity Today shared how Christians in the Muslim-majority nation of Azerbaijan are seeing the gospel spread in their land. Emil Panahov, a church planter, grew up in a Muslim family. His father was a Communist. Emil came to Christ at age 12 through the efforts of a local Baptist church, but he became a dancer and was caught up in entertainment. In 2007, Emil tore his meniscus, and doctors told him he would never dance again.

That’s when Emil rediscovered Christ and planted a church. He recovered his athletic ability and started using it for evangelistic purposes. During the pandemic, his church baptized 64 new believers, a remarkable number for that nation. Restrictions have been relaxed somewhat by the government, and Emil is praying for a massive revival in his home country. Right now, 4% of Azerbaijanis are considered Christians. Emil is praying for the day when the other 96% will follow Christ!

Impossible? Humanly speaking, it would seem so. But Jesus predicted His followers would be unstoppable in taking His gospel to the world.

[READ Jn. 4:35] Jesus said,
35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.

[READ Mt. 16:18]
18 … I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

When Garrett Kell was a junior at Virginia Tech, he developed an uncanny feeling God was following him. The impression started at a Halloween party he threw in his apartment. He was 20-years-old, living with three female roommates, a live-in girlfriend, and a steady supply of weed, cocaine, and alcohol. One of the partygoers was a high school friend named Dave. When Garrett offered him girls and joints, Dave closed the door, looked at him sincerely, and said he didn’t do those things anymore. He had become a follower of Christ, and he had attended the party only to ask Garrett to do the same.

Garrett had no intention of accepting Dave’s offer, but from that moment he felt haunted. For weeks afterward he was drawn to his Bible like a moth to a flame.

When spring break came, Garrett’s buddy Adam suggested they go to Panama City, FL. Along the way, Garrett told Adam he felt God was following him everywhere he went. As they neared the beach, a plane flew over their car, pulling a banner that said: “Jesus Loves You – John 3:16.”

When they spread their lawn chairs on the sand and cracked open their beer, a small group of students came by, offering them pamphlets and telling them God had a wonderful plan for their lives. That evening while leaving a night club, three vans pulled up, each emblazoned with the words: “God loves you! Believe the gospel! Jesus saves!” It was an outreach team offering free rides to the inebriated spring-breakers.

The next day was rainy, so Garrett and Adam went to a restaurant and wolfed down some waffles. Suddenly the doors flew open and about thirty people came in, talking, laughing, and carrying Bibles. One of them came up to Garrett and offered to share a Bible study with him.

The next day, Garrett took a walk on the beach and saw a girl sitting by herself. Going up to her, he asked if she’d been in the water. When she said it was too cold, Garrett mentioned he’d have to have a few beers before braving the chill. Looking up at him, she said, “I don’t know about that, but God has taught me Jesus is all I need to be happy.”

As he returned to the hotel, a lady in a wheelchair motioned for him. Her name was Stacy James, and she asked him what he knew about Jesus.

It does sound like a conspiracy, doesn’t it?! But Garrett knew the truth. The Lord was following him around, pursuing him like a hound from heaven.  Today Garrett Kell is the lead pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. He recently wrote, “Don’t underestimate the significance of scattering gospel seed wherever you go. Whether you’re on a plane, on a beach, in a Waffle House, driving drunks home, or doing normal life, God is working to call His lost sheep to Himself – and He’s using you to do it.”

How does the Lord use us? What can you do to spread the gospel of the kingdom in these last days? Let me give you three unstoppable ways to share the uncontainable good news.

• By Showing (Mt. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 3:1, 15-16)

Our most basic testimony has to do with our lives – daily exhibiting a biblical lifestyle in this ungodly age. This requires a constant walk with the Lord, a desire for personal holiness, a growing attitude of Christlikeness, and a burden to love others and meet their needs in Christ’s name.

Remember Jesus’ illustration we explored last week?

[READ Mt. 5:14-16]
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Bob Griffin was a legendary missionary pilot – one of the first. While living in Ecuador, he made friends with a military leader named Major Rio Frio. But Bob wasn’t able to say much about his faith in Christ. Whenever he tried, the Major had a way of holding up his hand to stop the conversation. Nevertheless, he continued to exhibit Christ and even flew emergency missions for the Major to help stave off starvation among Ecuadorian troops stationed in remote areas.

One day Major Frio told Bob he was being posted to another location. Even though he could take a military aircraft, he asked Bob to fly him to Quito in the small missionary plane. Surprised, Bob agreed to do so.

During the flight, Major Frio turned to Bob and said, “I’d like to know what makes you tick.” He went on to explain, “I know you could stay in the US and earn big money flying the airlines or doing some other work. Why do you impoverish yourself to come here to the jungle to help us?”

Over the roar of the engine, Bob took the next 15 minutes to explain the power of the gospel – that because of what Jesus did for us, we are motivated to share His love with others. He told the major how he had accepted the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and then he showed him some Bible verses from the Spanish Bible he always kept in the plane.

Major Frio gripped Bob’s arm with both hands and, with tears in his eyes, said, “Mi amigo, that’s what I want!” Right there, flying over the snowcapped Andes, Major Rio Frio sincerely prayed, asking Jesus to become his Savior and Lord.

So, let me ask: What makes you tick? Does your life so exhibit Jesus Christ that others can see the gospel in you – in your attitudes, activities, demeanor, integrity, and love?

The apostle Peter said something interesting about this in 1 Peter 3.

[READ 1 Pet. 3:15-16, NIV]
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

In other words, live in a way that reflects the power of the gospel, and always be ready to share the message of the gospel when opportunities arise. These are two simple principles that have eternal impact. We can apply them wherever we are.

Eddie Taubensee is a former Major League Baseball catcher who still coaches and instructs players. It gives him an arena to show Christ to his players. “Coaching and my faith go side by side,” he said. “Everything about my Christian faith is thinking of others more than myself and serving them and that’s exactly what I’m doing as a coach. I’m coming alongside these players doing everything I can to make them the best player they can be and move them on to the next level.”

It’s really as simple as that. As we look for opportunities and think of others more than ourselves, the Lord lets us come alongside of others and influence them for good.

• By Sharing (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Pet. 3:3-9; Rom. 6:23)

At some point in sharing our faith, words are necessary. They can be spoken, printed, or texted, but people need to receive vital information that they often can’t find for themselves. God has revealed it in the Scripture – that He loves us, that our relationship to Him is broken, that Christ has died for our sins and risen from the tomb, and that we need to repent of our sins and trust His good news of salvation.

Sooner or later, we have to communicate these truths to others. That’s why the Bible says, “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). Remember that Greek word euangelion? The word with an angel in the middle of it, meaning “messenger”? The Bible is telling you to be a good news messenger. Every day. All the time. Doing so doesn’t require a theological degree. Just a willingness to share your faith.

Tom Chandler grew up on a hog farm, and his family was very isolated. Before he went to college, he had never been in a grocery store, and he’d only been in a restaurant when traveling with his high school sports team. He was also acutely dyslexic, with a slight speech impediment. And he battled shyness. But he was a great basketball player, and during his senior year in high school he learned he’d been offered a scholarship at LeTourneau University.

Shortly after he arrived on campus, a group of guys invited him to a Youth for Christ meeting. Tom had never attended church – not ever. Before leaving the dorm, the guys formed a circle and said, “Let’s pray.” Tom had no idea how to pray, and as one guy after another prayed, he became more panicked. When it came his turn, he remembered the Lord’s Prayer plaque at his German grandmother’s farmhouse, but he couldn’t remember the words. So, he said, “Our Father, Amen!”

Tom felt humiliated until one of the guys, George, came to his room and apologized for putting him on the spot. George also invited him to attend church with him, and Tom accepted. Arriving at the church, Tom was horrified when people started singing, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins.” Tom leaned over to George and said, “That’s the most terrible thing I’ve ever heard in my life. How can these people sing about it? They seem to enjoy it.”

Then the pastor stepped into the pulpit, opened his Bible and said, “This morning we’re going to be in John.” Tom only knew the word “john” as a synonym for the bathroom, and, perplexed, he leaned over and asked George about it.

George grinned and opened his Bible to the Gospel of John and showed Tim the way. As the pastor preached, Tom was drawn to his words. Shortly afterward, during a spiritual emphasis week at LeTourneau, a youth evangelist shared the gospel clearly.

“He noted that we’re all sinners and Christ died for our sins,” Tom recalled. “To become a child of God we need to receive Christ as our Savior. I found it fascinating and enticing. When he issued an invitation for people to come forward, I responded. I yearned for God’s grace in my life. Afterward, the school chaplain met with me. He asked me to quote John 3:16. I didn’t know it. Then he asked me to read it, but I struggled as the words jumbled together on the page.”

That didn’t stop Tom, though. He grew in his faith. He went home and shared his faith with his parents, siblings, and elderly grandmother. He was a student at Moody Bible Institute when he learned they all received Christ. Tom and his wife, Clare, became ambassadors for Christ in a range of ministries throughout Asia before Tom’s passing in 2020. He was known as the man who went from the hog farm to the ends of the earth – but think of all of those who had a part in introducing him to Christ!

One thing I’ve learned is that most people don’t decide to follow Christ the first time they hear about Him. It takes multiple exposures to the gospel. That’s why I’m not discouraged when someone doesn’t respond immediately. Sometimes we are seed planters, sometimes we are waterers, and someone else will see the harvest. The apostle Paul said, “I planted,
Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”
(1 Cor. 3:6).

Philip Schaff, the great church historian, wrote an eight-volume set of books covering the entire sweep of church history. In referring to the growth of the kingdom in the post-apostolic era, this is what he wrote:

“Christianity once established was its own best missionary. It grew naturally from within. It attracted people by its very presence. It was a light shining in darkness and illuminating the darkness. Now while there were no professional missionaries devoting their whole life to this specific work, every congregation was a missionary society and every Christian believer a missionary, inflamed by the love of Christ to convert his fellow-men. The example had been set by Jerusalem and Antioch, and by those brethren who, after the martyrdom of Stephen, “were scattered abroad and went about preaching the word.”

That’s how the gospel changed the world after the departure of Christ, and that’s how the gospel will change the world before He returns. The entire span of Christ’s physical absence from this planet – the age of grace from His ascension to His return – has been set aside for the proclamation of the gospel to every generation, to every land, and to every person on earth.

[READ 2 Pet. 3:3-9, NIV]
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

In other words, if the Lord’s return seems like it is taking forever, it’s only to give more people time to come to repentance, and give us enough time to share the gospel with one more person.

Whom can you reach? Ask God to open a door for you to share your faith. Practice your testimony. Learn some verses that summarize the gospel, such as …

[READ Rom. 6:23]
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Trust God to give you the right words at the right time, then leave the results to Him.

• By Supporting

We also share the gospel by sharing our resources for the expansion of Christ’s kingdom. When we regularly, prayerfully give our tithes and offerings to our local church and to the other ministries the Lord lays on our hearts, He receives our offerings as worship. Then He transmutes them into tangible words of grace. The Philippians provided financial support for Paul’s journeys, and his success became their success.

Pastor Chuck Sligh told of a missionary who “returned to England for a brief furlough after many years of faithful service in India. He was invited to a dinner at a great summer resort where he met many women of prominence and position. After dinner he went to his room and penned a letter to his wife. He wrote, ‘My Dearest Sweetheart: I’ve had dinner at the hotel. The company was wonderful. I saw strange things today. Many women were present. There were some who, to my certain knowledge, wore one church, forty cottage organs, twenty libraries and 30,000 Bibles.’”

This man, in his intense longing to “provide the gospel for spiritually hungering millions in India … could not refrain from estimating the silks, satins, and diamonds of the guests at the dinner in terms of his people’s needs on the mission field.”

This is a good illustration as long as we don’t let it “guilt” us into giving. Our silver and gold will perish, but those we win to Christ will join us in heaven forever.

We’re living in the last days, and we’re the only ones who have good news for this world! The media doesn’t. Academia doesn’t. The entertainment industry doesn’t. Politicians and their parties certainly don’t. The only place where hope is found is the proclamation of the good news by the followers of Jesus. And today, people all over the globe are risking their lives to share it. What a privilege, then, for us to show the gospel, to share it, and to support it.

Perhaps you recall reading about the 17 missionaries who were kidnapped in Haiti in 2021. One of them, Austin Smucker, was there on a short-term assignment. He’s a construction worker in Oregon, and went to Haiti to rebuild homes. As the party drove back from visiting an orphanage, they encountered a roadblock. It was a kidnapping, and the 17 hostages (including 3 children) were crammed into a 10 ft. x 12 ft. room and kept there for two months.
]
Smucker said the gangsters “would cock the guns in front of us expecting to see us cower in fear. But we didn’t because the worst they could do was shoot us and we’d go to heaven.”

One night at about 2:30 in the morning, the group snuck out of their prison and embarked on an adventure that reminded some of them of the perilous journey in The Pilgrim’s Progress. They had to wade through canals, walk around a lake, navigate through a forest of thorns, follow a cow path – and at each junction, they circled and prayed for direction. But they all made it to safety.

“I don’t have any feelings of anger toward the guards,” Smucker said. He also said that it wasn’t his first mission trip, and it wouldn’t be his last. If anything, he’s more than eager to return. “If Satan was attempting to scare me from ever wanting to go on other mission, he was totally unsuccessful.”

III. IN CONCLUSION

The message of the gospel is unstoppable – continuing to the end of the age. And the messengers of the gospel are unstoppable – going to the end of the world. That’s why I can’t stop until the Lord takes me home, and I believe you feel that way too.

People need the Lord. Our world has never needed Him more than it does right now. Let’s all be barefoot evangelists for Christ wherever we go, whatever the cost, until everyone on earth has heard the good news of Jesus and His story, of Jesus and His glory, and of Jesus and His love. In a world filled with bad news, let’s be the good news!

Prayer: Father in Heaven, as we come to the close this blessed time of worship, we come before You seeking renewed strength for the days ahead. You know our hearts, our struggles, and our joys. Fill us afresh with Your divine power, enabling us to serve You faithfully. Equip us with the endurance we need to fulfill Your purpose and calling in our lives. May our faith grow deeper, our trust stronger, and our hearts overflow with Your strength, empowering us to overcome any trials we face. And most importantly, Lord, may we be Your good news in a world full of bad news. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation Slides: “People Need the Lord”

Benediction: Beloved, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Amen. (1 Pet. 3:15)

A WORLD OF BAD NEWS

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 8) - October 26, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: We’ve looked at a lot of grim forecasts in the Olivet Discourse. But during all of those difficult days at the end of history, one thing will be unstoppable: the relentless spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL (Mt. 4:23; Eph. 1:13; Rom. 1:16; Mt. 24:14; Col. 1:13; Mk. 13:10)

* BEFORE THE RAPTURE (Mt. 24:14; Acts 1:8, 2:41, 4:4, 6:1, 9:31, 13)

* AFTER THE RAPTURE (Mt. 24:11-14; Rev. 6, 7:1-4, 9-17)

II. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL (Jn. 4:35; Mt. 16:18)

* BY SHOWING (Mt. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 3:1, 15-16)

* BY SHARING (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Pet. 3:3-9; Rom. 6:23)

* BY SUPPORTING

III. IN CONCLUSION

The message of the gospel is unstoppable – continuing to the end of the age. And the messengers of the gospel are unstoppable – going to the end of the world. That’s why I can’t stop until the Lord takes me home, and I believe you feel that way too.

People need the Lord. Our world has never needed Him more than it does right now. Let’s all be barefoot evangelists for Christ wherever we go, whatever the cost, until everyone on earth has heard the good news of Jesus and His story, of Jesus and His glory, and of Jesus and His love. In a world filled with bad news, let’s be the good news!

A WORLD OF LAWLESSNESS

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray for Your guidance and wisdom as I deliver Your Word to Your people. Grant me the discernment to rightly divide Your Word, so I may accurately convey Your truth and bring clarity to the hearts of those who will hear. Open our eyes to see the deeper meanings and applications of the scriptures, so that today’s sermon is both relevant and transformative. May I speak with boldness and conviction, proclaiming Your truth with power and authority. Also, help me speak with love and compassion, so that Your grace and mercy will be evident in every word. Above all, Lord, may Your name and the name of Your Son Jesus be glorified through this sermon. In His precious name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Zaki Anwari was seventeen, good-looking, athletic, and a rising star on Afghanistan’s national soccer team. He spent hours practicing each day, trying to emulate his hero, Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi. “He couldn’t get enough,” said Zaki’s older brother. “It was all he talked about, all he did.”

Zaki was born after September 11, 2001. He didn’t remember the brutal rule of the Taliban or the early chaos of the war in Afghanistan. He grew up in Kabul in relative peace and prosperity, thanks to the presence of American forces.

When President Joe Biden announced he would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, Zaki felt apprehensive. He had heard reports of Taliban forces heading toward Kabul. As the Afghan resistance collapsed, Zaki feared for his family and his future. Most of all, he grieved the loss of becoming a soccer star. The Taliban banned most sports, instead rounding up young men and forcing them to participate in Islamic religious rituals and live under strict control.

On August 16, Zaki went to Kabul International Airport with his older brother and a cousin who had worked for an American company to attempt to secure passage out of Afghanistan. There had already been one suicide bombing in the city, and the people were beginning to feel panicked. Taliban forces were close, nearly surrounding the city. The US-backed government was showing more and more signs of imminent collapse. 
The plan was for Zaki to watch the car while the older men negotiated. But Zaki jumped the fence and entered the airport. It’s not clear what happened next. At some point, Zaki made his way onto the tarmac as a US Air Force C-17 prepared to take off. He ran toward the plane and raced alongside the aircraft. As the plane accelerated to 120 miles per hour, he was knocked off balance and fell under the wheel. Among his final known words were: “Pray for me. I am going to America!”
Why would anyone run alongside an airplane as it took off? Desperation. Rising terror in the heart. Lawlessness. Violence. Chaos. Brutality.

Any of these answers will do, and all of them increasingly describe our world. We see it most vividly in today’s failed states such as Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and, yes, Afghanistan, where law and order have collapsed. Extremists fill the void, fomenting hatred and exporting terror.

It’s difficult for you and me to understand the gruesome life that befalls a people when atrocities reign and the leadership are thugs. Most of us in America and the West have felt relatively safe. We elect leaders who swear to uphold the law. We have law enforcement agencies and emergency response systems populated by millions of good and decent people.

But something is changing. Our police officers have been so vilified by the media they’re finding it hard to do their jobs. Politicians curb law-enforcement budgets and prosecutors release those arrested. It’s difficult to control human smugglers, sex traffickers, and dangerous drugs.

Introduction. Our Western nations have become so divided we never know when an incident will provoke rioting in our streets and violence in our neighborhoods. What is happening to us? The answer is just what Jesus predicted in the Olivet Discourse.

[READ Mt. 24:12] 
12 And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold. 

I. LIFE IN A LAWLESS WORLD (Ps. 2:1-3, NIV; Mt. 24:12, NKJV)
Let’s review the sequence of events that will take place before the rapture of the church – remembering the birth-pains principle that these same events will continue to accelerate in frequency and intensity during the tribulation.

Deceivers will come. Wars and rumors of wars will rage. Famines, plagues, and earthquakes will increase in size and scope. The world authorities will track down Christians, with persecution spreading to all corners of the globe. We’ll face betrayal and hatred, and many false prophets will rise up and deceive multitudes.
With this cascading torrent of crises, it’s not surprising to learn that violence will increase and love will proportionally decrease. Yet there’s an even deeper reality behind these trends. They represent a collective rejection of Jesus Christ on this planet. This is the fulfillment of Psalm 2, which is quoted seven times in the New Testament, including in the book of Revelation.

[READ Ps. 2:1-3] 
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their chains
 and throw off Their shackles.”

Everything Jesus described in His Olivet Discourse will create distance between humanity and heaven. Nations will intentionally abandon the values and priorities prescribed in Scripture. Cultures will uncouple from institutions that provide the safety, security, and success we currently take for granted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way: “The most experienced psychologist … knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the cross of Jesus. The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is.”

Bonhoeffer went onto say, “Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of man. And so, it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only the Christian knows this.”

Jesus knew this. Let’s look again at Matthew 24.
[READ Mt. 24:12, NKJV] 
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

The word “because” implies a cause-and-effect relationship between the two clauses of the sentence. As people reject the justice that comes from God’s righteousness, they will forfeit the love that comes from His grace. This, then, becomes a vicious downward cycle. Lawlessness begets lovelessness, and lovelessness produces more lawlessness. Let’s look at the two forces working in tandem in this downward spiral. 

• Wickedness Will Increase (Isa. 5:20-21)
When Jesus said, “Lawlessness will abound,” He was describing more than the absence of laws or law enforcement. His words call to mind periods of human history that were defined by chaos and disorder – the Dark Ages, for example, or the bloody legacy of the first half of the twentieth century. Or, as I mentioned earlier, today’s failed states and terrorist havens. But the lawlessness Jesus pointed to at the world’s end will be exponentially worse than anything we’ve ever witnessed before.

Biblical scholar Frederick Dale Bruner describes this future period as a season of “unique lawlessness” in which the very concept of morality will be turned upside down. Right and wrong will be inverted, with entire cultures celebrating what is evil and condemning what is good.

In Bruner’s words, “Sinful human beings always practice lawlessness, but there will be a unique lawlessness at the end. Good will be called evil and evil will be called good on a massive and unprecedented scale, exponentially. People will ‘glory in their shame.’”
The prophet Isaiah offered a foreshadowing of this season of lawlessness.

[READ Isa. 5:20-21] 
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And understanding in their own sight!

John Staddon witnessed this unique inversion of right and wrong. As a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, he has authored six books and written more than two hundred scholarly research papers. He is well-regarded as an expert in multiple fields of study. Yet Staddon was recently expelled from a psychology and neuroscience forum sponsored by the American Psychological Association. The reason? Staddon spoke openly in the forum about the biological reality of two sexes: male and female. We see this same twisted logic in other headlines.

For example, how about all of the recent “peaceful demonstrations” that have erupted into riots, violence, looting, and destruction of property across America.  In one such incident in Kenosha, WI, local firefighters responded to 37 separate fires during a single night of protesting.

Abortion is the most extreme example of immorality being celebrated as morality. Since the landmark Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade, there have been more than 63 million abortions carried out in the United States alone. This means there are 63 million human beings, created in the image of God, who were legally and officially denied the right to exist. Thankfully, the Supreme Court has struck down the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade, ending the federal protection of abortion as a constitutional right. Of course, the rage of the pro-choice advocates since 2022 has exposed the vehemence with which they disregard the most basic of all civil rights – the right to live.

While society moves ever closer to the return of Christ, we already feel the destructive waves of the tribulation beginning to churn in our time. It is urgent that we are able to articulate Biblical positions on moral issues without confusing or reversing right and wrong. As never before, we need to understand that the growing insanity in our world isn’t primarily a political or military problem. It is a spiritual problem. The further our world strays from Christ, the closer it drifts toward cruelty and chaos. Jesus said wickedness will increase.

• Love Will Grow Cold (Mt. 24:12, NIV)
This growing wickedness will cause the love of many to grow cold. The NIV says, “The love of most will grow cold.” Not just many people, but most people! The further we drift from God’s justice, the less we will reflect God’s love, and the more anger will beget anger.

Years ago, there was a 4-panel cartoon. In the first, a boss was chewing out an employee. In the second, the employee comes home and snaps at his wife. In the third, the mother scolds her young son. And in the last panel, the boy kicks the family dog. My point is, anger produces a chain reaction that can travel around the globe, and it can do it now with the click of a button. We never know where violence will erupt next. Pundits debate the reasons behind today’s violence – guns, mental illness, broken homes, drugs, on-and-on the list goes. All of these things play their part, but the root cause that has brought us all to this point is identified in Matthew 24:12. Because of the increase of violence, true godly love as a human force is being frozen out of our culture, which in turn begets more violence.

Our Lord said, because of this growing wickedness, the love of most people “will grow cold.” This phrase is a translation of the Greek word psycho, which literally means “to breathe or blow.” It’s where we get our English words psyche and psychology. But in Matthew 24:12, the word is used literally in the sense of blowing air across something. Think of your coffee when it’s too hot to drink. What do you do? You blow on it, allowing the air to stir the top of the liquid, cooling it just a bit. That’s the word picture Matthew uses. As the winds of lawlessness blow across our world, it chills our love, and the world becomes a colder place.

Need more evidence? Think of the loneliness and lostness of multitudes of people around us. A recent study concluded that 36% of all Americans experience “serious loneliness” in a way that significantly impacts their lives. This includes a whopping 61% of young adults. Look at the rise in “diseases of despair” over recent decades, including addiction, anxiety, depression, suicide, and more – all of which are skyrocketing in America and across the world.  In fact, the British Medical Journal recently conducted a review of health insurance claims between 2009 and 2018. They found a 68% increase in diseases of despair on a broad level during that time span:

 Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children (those under 18) increased by 287% over that 10-year span.

 The rate of substance abuse recorded within adults aged 55-74 increased by 172 %.

 Substance abuse among infants rose by 114%, which is directly related to the addictions of young mothers.
According to the study, “Diseases of despair diagnoses were associated with significantly higher scores for coexisting conditions, higher rates of anxiety and mood disorders, and schizophrenia for both men and women across all age groups.” And remember, all of this was before COVID-19. Love is draining away from our world, and that trend will only accelerate as we move closer and closer to the end of history.

II. THE WAY OF KINDNESS (Phil. 2:15-16)

It’s difficult to watch the world disconnect from God. Humanity’s slide toward lawlessness and lovelessness is painful. We feel a jolt when outside forces corrupt the institutions and customs we’ve cherished for so long. The darkness seems to be deepening over our culture like the edge of night. But we are not powerless.

[READ Phil. 2:15-16]  Paul wrote,
15 [We are] … blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast [to] the word of life ….

I’m not willing to sit passively by as humanity turns its back on God’s justice and God’s kindness, how about you? Yes, the trends are going in the wrong direction as we approach the Lord’s return, but the church is still on earth, and we can still make a difference!

One of the biggest ways we can make a difference is by bringing back a revolutionary concept called “kindness,” which in many ways is the antidote to lawlessness. We have limited ability to control the lawlessness and lovelessness in our society, but we can control how we respond to these factors. Specifically, we can use these realities as opportunities to offer kindness even when others don’t deserve it. In fact, especially when they don’t deserve it.

Let me share three specific ways we can show kindness in a culture of wickedness …

• Embrace God’s Kindness (Eph. 3:18-19; Rom. 5:5; 1 Jn. 4:19)

Before we can demonstrate God’s love and kindness to anyone in the world, we need to embrace that love and kindness for ourselves.

Rich Mullins wrote his best-known worship song, “Awesome God” in 1988, and he sadly died in an automobile accident in 1997. A few years later, James Bryan Smith wrote a book about Rich’s life, in which he shared how Rich grieved that his dad never spoke the words, “I love you.” Rich also battled feelings of worthlessness as a teenager. He once prayed, “God, why am I such a freak? … I wanted to be a jock or something. Instead, I’m a musician. I feel like such a sissy all the time. Why couldn’t I be just like a regular guy?”

Despite his struggles. Rich attended church, read his Bible, and began writing worship songs. Along the way he truly began to embrace the love of God. It struck him when he looked at the creation around him. He became awed that God, in His love, gave songs to the birds, majesty to the mountains, and laughter to the children – all for our benefit.

Rich became centered on Jesus. Rich’s brother, David, said that Rich “always struggled with feelings of self-worth. But he found his worthiness in Christ’s death for him.” He once told a crowd at a concert, “If you only knew how crazy about you God is! God has already loved you, if you only knew!”

Rich’s mother, Neva, later said, “He actually felt God’s love. I think because he was a stranger everywhere he went. He leaned into God and drew close to Him. He was not a saint, but it was his sense of being loved by God that made him different.”

Rich’s biographer said, “Rich discovered that the love God has for us is not an emotion but it is in fact the essence of who God is. The death of Christ is the indisputable sign … that shouts to us, ‘God loves you! God loves you!’”

I know some of you may feel jilted by life. Like Rich Mullins, you’ve not had the human love you needed. Perhaps you’ve been abused, neglected, or mistreated. We all battle issues of self-worth, and perhaps everyone wonders at some point whether God loves them. You may feel all alone. Friend, if you only knew how crazy God is about you! He really loves you! It’s our being loved by God that makes us different, and His love isn’t mere emotion. It’s the essence of who He is.

[READ Eph. 3:18-19, NIV]  As Paul wrote, “May God give you -
18 … power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

People who possess this knowledge are insulated from the chilling winds that cause warm love to become as cold and hard as ice. When we embrace the love of God through Christ, our own love will not grow cold. This is why Paul reminded the earliest believers …

[READ Rom. 5:5] 
5 … the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
It’s also why John said …

[READ 1 Jn. 4:19] 
19 We love, because He first loved us.
On a practical level, our sense of God’s love deepens as we spend time with Him. I’ve experienced many wonderful things throughout my years of serving God. But the foundation for those experiences is not complicated. It comes from my time in His presence. I’m talking about prayer. I’m talking about studying His Word. I’m talking about worship that is both public and private. These are the actions that keep the love of God simmering in our hearts. It’s very hard for your love to grow cold when the fervent love of God is surging through your veins.

• Express God’s Kindness (Mt. 10:42; Ps. 82:3; Prov. 14:21; Lk. 3:11; Jas. 1:27; 1 Jn. 3:17)

When we embrace God’s love, it becomes natural to express His love. In many ways, kindness is God’s love expressed through action. And nothing is more obvious in the Bible than God’s commands to love this world in tangible ways, such as providing a “cup of cold water” in Jesus’ name to those who are thirsty (Mt. 10:42).

Bear Creek Community Church in Lodi, CA, took on this very task. They felt a burden to help provide safe water to impoverished parts of the world. The project wasn’t in the church’s budget, and many of the congregation’s families were already under financial strain. So, who took up the challenge? The children’s ministry.

There’s a strong recycling emphasis in California, and the children began collecting bottles and cans to bring with them to church. Other congregations rallied to the cause, and it wasn’t long before they raised nearly a million dollars for clean water projects around the world! The church’s pastor, Dr. Michael Mantel, described this wonderful news by saying, “Jesus turned water into wine. The kids at Bear Creek turned garbage into water.”
This isn’t a call for a select few followers of Jesus but for all Christians.

[READ Ps. 82:3]  The psalmist sang,
3 Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
Justify the afflicted and destitute.

[READ Prov. 14:21]  The Bible says,
21 … how blessed is he who is gracious to the poor.

[READ Lk. 3:11]  Jesus exhorted,
11 … “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

[READ Jas. 1:27]  James wrote,
27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, ….

[READ 1 Jn. 3:17]  The apostle John taught,
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Expressing God’s kindness means fulfilling these commands in small ways such as raking a neighbor’s yard or giving a very generous tip to a waitress in need. We can also reflect God’s kindness in large ways such as taking care of an aging parent or helping a friend work through an addiction. And of course, there is a whole range of options in the middle. The point is that we do something. God’s love is not about warm thoughts or well-wishes. It is expressed through action. Through actually being kind.

In expressing God’s love throughout daily attitudes and actions, we’ll keep it boiling. We’ll keep it fervent. It’s hard for the devil to blow his cold breath over a heart percolating with God’s love for those in need.

Here’s something else to consider: sometimes the ones with the greatest needs are those who are closest to us.

Mary Daniel had to face the hard truth that her husband, Steve, was afflicted with Alzheimer’s dementia. She made him a simple promise: he would never be alone, that she would always care for him. Mary was faithful in her promise for seven years. She stayed by Steve’s side even when his condition worsened and he was transferred to a long-term care facility. Every evening, Mary sat next to Steve and watched a familiar sequence of TV shows to help him wind down his day: the local news at 6:00, then Judge Judy at 7:00, followed by Family Feud at 7:30. Then Steve would drift off to sleep.

But when COVID-19 hit, assisted-living facilities were closed to visitors. FaceTime conversations proved unhelpful because of Steve’s limitations with technology. When Mary attempted to see and comfort her husband through a windowpane, he only sobbed in misery at not being able to hold her hand. Mary’s solution was to take a part-time position as a dishwasher at Steve’s facility. She worked her first shift on July 3, 2020. Having logged five hours washing cups, plates, pans and silverware, Mary was allowed to don a blue surgical gown and walk the familiar steps to her husband’s room, where they resumed their comforting routine.

But Mary’s fight wasn’t finished. She knew many vulnerable residents were in desperate need. So, Mary began to share her story, which went viral. She was appointed by the governor of her state to a 7-person task force formed to reunite families safely during the pandemic. Later, she joined a federal task force to create the Essential Caregivers Act which makes sure family members are not separated again during a public health emergency.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a single person who had that much impact in a long time,” said US representative John Rutherford. “You’ve got to have that champion who will pick up the flag, and they’re going to carry that flag, and they’re going to fight for that cause and not let it go. And that was Mary.”

This is the kind of spirit I’m recommending for us as we contemplate the darkness and wickedness in our world. Those of us who know God and have embraced His love must resist the urge to grow callous or complacent. We must carry the flag of Christ. We must embody His kindness and share it with others in tangible ways that meet real needs in today’s world.

• Embody God’s Kindness (Mt. 5:14-16)

How do we pour out kindness in a world that is increasingly defined by lawlessness? First, by embracing God’s love daily so it fills us up. Second, by intentionally expressing that love to others through regular action. Third, as we encounter God’s love in greater degrees – both receiving and giving – we will begin to embody that love. Meaning, God’s love will become a part of our identity. Let me say this as simply as I can: there is no better solution for the world today than for God’s people to embody God’s kindness to a world in need.

A young man named Hunter Shamatt caught a glimpse of this solution after he flew to Las Vegas for his sister’s wedding. When he arrived at the hotel, he realized he’d lost his wallet. More than that, he’d lost $60 in cash, his $400 endorsed paycheck, his ID, and bank card that were inside his wallet. The young man tried to maintain a brave face throughout the festivities celebrating his sister, but he was devastated. He needed that money.

To his great surprise, Hunter received a package the day he returned home. Inside was his wallet. And inside the wallet was his bank card, ID, $400 endorsed paycheck – and not $60 in cash, but $100!

There was also a note that read: Hunter, found this on a Frontier flight from Omaha to Denver – row 12, seat F wedged between the seat and the wall. Thought you might want it back. All the best. P.S. I rounded your cash up to an even $100 so you could celebrate getting your wallet back. Have fun!!!

Having read the note several times, Hunter was dumbfounded. “No way,” he kept saying. “That can’t be. Just no way.”

I realize that this is a pretty humdrum illustration when compared with the grand scope of history, but it offers a picture of what I mean by embodying God’s love. What if you and I were to reflect God’s love to such a degree that the world around us felt astounded? Even dumbfounded? What if we were to offer God’s love with such generosity and such regularity that people said, “No way. That can’t be!” What kind of difference could we make if we achieved that level of good ness and kindness in a world afflicted on every side by wickedness?

Jesus gave us another picture of what it means to embody God’s love, and I want to introduce it by walking you through a little exercise.  Take a moment to transport yourself mentally back to the ancient world of Jesus’ day. It’s late in the evening. The sun has set, and the last of its light is fading from the night sky. You’ve been walking for more than ten hours under the heat of the sun, and you’re not sorry to see it go. But you’re also tired. And sore. And hungry.

Then you see a glimmering light in the distance. After another few minutes of walking, that light becomes the welcoming glow of a city built next to the road on the side of a hill. The light you see is not produced by electricity but by cookfires and oil lamps hanging on doorposts. There are people in that city. And water to wash the grime off your feet. And a table to recline at as you take your evening meal. As a weary traveler, can you imagine anything warmer and more wonderful in that moment? Could you stumble upon anything more welcoming and refreshing?

This is the image Jesus used to describe how His church should shine the light of the gospel in the middle of a dark and dreary world.

[READ Mt. 5:14-16] 
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Here’s a simple principle: light shines brightest in the darkness. And in a world frozen from lawlessness and the lack of love, you and I have the opportunity to radiate the radical warmth of the gospel. The warmth of community. The warmth of kindness. The warmth of fellowship. And the warmth of intimacy with our Creator.

Though we have limited control over the overall trends of lawlessness and lovelessness in our culture, we can control how we respond personally to those realities. We can choose to display forgiveness rather than bitterness. We choose to heal rather than harm – to help rather than hurt. We can choose to be welcoming witnesses when everyone else practices the emotional equivalent of social distancing. In short, we can be kind.

III. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE (Jn. 14:16)

It’s true that our world has lost something important. We’ve drifted away from God’s justice and love. Not just drifted, but we’ve defected. Humanity is in the process of intentionally rejecting its Creator, and the future may feel bleak. But you and I have an opportunity to capitalize on these losses. We can show the world what’s missing. We can take a stand for goodness and kindness and return what’s been lost, even if only for a season. As we do so, we can add that little extra gift that makes all the difference – an extra serving of God’s love.

Let me give you one last example of how Jesus alone can deal with the lawlessness and lovelessness in our society.

Budi Mulyadi grew up in Southeast Asia. When he was 13, he got into a violent argument with his father and ran away from home. Soon he was placed in an Islamic boarding school, but the rules were very strict. Budi ran away again. That’s when he met an Islamic extremist who promised him a new life.

The man took Budi to a large training compound where, with about 20 other boys, he slept in tents at night and trained with knives and guns during the day. These boys were taught to hate and kill Christians. “We were told that Christians were infidels,” Budi said. “If we would kill Christians, then that would be a free ticket to heaven for us.”

The more Budi trained, the more hatred he felt. It surged through him like a flood, and he expressed it with his 9mm pistol. He spent hours firing at targets as his instructor shouted slurs against the followers of Jesus. But then, when it came time for him to search for a Christian to kill, Budi simply couldn’t do it. He and 4 other boys left.

Budi returned home, but his father’s anger drove him away again. He found a job trimming hedges. At night he began reading the Qur’an, which is where he first saw the name Jesus. Intrigued,
Budi picked up a Bible and began reading it. One evening alone in his room, he heard a voice say, “I will send a Helper unto you.”

Budi couldn’t make sense of that sentence until he came across John 14:16: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” At that moment, Budi trusted Jesus as His Savior.

“My whole demeanor changed,” he said, “and God has filled my heart with love. I’m not an angry person anymore. My temper is gone. I don’t get mad at people like I did before. Because God loves me, I am able to love others.”
Today, Budi preaches the gospel in scores of villages and occasionally meets with the four other boys who left the terrorist training camp. Somehow by the grace of God, all five of them are now Christian pastors.

IV. IN CONCLUSION

The breakdown of law and order is like a deadly wind blowing across our nation and world, chilling the love of most people. But the fire of God’s love keeps us warm and impassioned for Christ as we await His return.

You can make a difference in this world, and you can be the difference in someone’s life. It’s in doing so that you and I can achieve what the early Christians did – turning our world upside down. How? By choosing to be kind.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help each of us to show kindness in our relationships, no matter what the situation. When conflicts arise, let our response be full of grace and understanding. Teach us to live with humility, so that kindness is always our first choice in every interaction. Strengthen us to always act out of love. Help us to show kindness to strangers, just as You have shown kindness to us. Let our hearts be open to those we do not know, and may we be a reflection of Your love to everyone we meet. Enable us to see beyond differences and treat others with the same compassion You offer us. May our actions be filled with love and kindness, reaching those who need it the most. Lord, I also ask You for strength to remain kind, even in the most difficult situations. Help us control our emotions and respond with love and understanding, rather than frustration or anger. Teach us to be gentle when challenged and to trust in Your timing for resolution. May Your peace guide our reactions and help us to choose kindness above all else. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 302: “Share His Love” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Amen. (2 Thes. 2:16-17)