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The Legacy Standard Bible

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/

A MESSAGE OF HOPE

Advent 2025

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A MESSAGE OF HOPE

On the first week of Advent, as we light the Hope candle on the Advent wreath, also known as the Prophecy candle, we are reminded to prepare our hearts for the foretold birth of Jesus. This candle symbolizes the hope and anticipation of the coming Messiah, promised throughout the Old Testament. It reminds us of the prophecies that foretold Jesus’s birth and of the faithful waiting of God’s people for the Savior. What a wonderful gift the Lord gives us, in that we have hope! We have hope in Christ, whose birth represents hope to the whole world.

[READ Isa. 42:1-4]
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street. 
3 A crushed reed He will not break
And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will bring forth justice in truth.
4 He will not be faint or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

[READ Mt. 12:18-21]
18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL-PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
19 HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
20 A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
21 AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

[Light the first candle & sing first verse of The Candle of Hope]

Prayer of Hope: O Lord, You are our hope! We are so thankful that You came to live among people like us, that You were fully God and fully man, in order to bring us Your salvation. Prepare our hearts for celebrating You this Christmas. May our worship be a sweet gift to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Responsive Reading:

Leader: The Son of Man is coming, but about that day and hour no one knows,
People: Neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Leader: Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
People: Therefore, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. The first candle of Advent reminds us to keep awake and be ready.

Hymn # 123: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (4 vs.)

ISAIAH’S AUDACIOUS HOPE

Introduction: Do you know that after today, there are only 24 more shopping days left until Christmas? Some people panic when they hear this, but for others it means that they still have more than three weeks left before they have to begin shopping! Doesn’t it seem like a lot of stores start their sales earlier and earlier each year? Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving to kick off Christmas now we’re hearing “Jingle Bells” right after Halloween. If this keeps up, it won’t be long until Labor Day will launch the Christmas rush. How many of you went shopping on “Black Friday?” Retailers love this day because it helps them get in the “black” financially. However, I promise you, I was not waiting in a long line during the wee hours of Thanksgiving night for a store to open at 5:00 a.m., only to deal with a bunch of people with short fuses. You see, Debbie and I have discovered this wonderful thing (maybe you’ve heard of it) called Amazon! It allows us to do almost all of our Christmas shopping from the comfort of our recliners!

Against our culture’s call to get caught up in all the commercialized clamor of Christmas, stands the simple yet profound season of Advent. The word “advent” means “coming” and refers to the coronation of a King. Traditionally it’s been a time for prayer, repentance, and preparation to help believers slow down enough to truly enjoy the awe of the Savior’s birth. You could say, Advent is a spiritual journey that helps us focus on the greatest gift of all so that we can worship the Word made flesh with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Special music, responsive readings, candles, and sermons help us to reflect upon and rejoice in our Savior’s birth.

As we experience both the past and future dimensions of this time of the year, it has dawned upon me that (spiritually speaking) one can never start too early when getting ready for something as monumental as Christmas.

The Advent Wreath with its four colored candles, are said by some to represent the four centuries of waiting between Malachi and Matthew. We’ll light a different candle each week, shining the light on the themes of hope, peace, joy, love, and then on Christmas Eve we add the white candle signifying Jesus’ birth. This will help create a sense of expectation so we don’t just get caught up in the consumerism of our culture. Using rich reminders from the Scriptures, our aim is to keep the Christ of Christmas present in the midst of all the presents as we remember His first coming to this world, and look forward to His second coming to earth. We want His beauty to shine bright in the busyness of our lives. And that can only happen when we slow down.

This morning, we will consider Isaiah’s amazing message of hope. Isaiah has often been called the “fifth gospel” because it is filled with so much good news. Yet, while the book is over-flowing with glory and good news, it also contains some gloom as well.

[READ Isa. 60:2]
2 For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And dense gloom the peoples;
But Yahweh will rise upon you,
And His glory will appear upon you.

Isaiah was written about 700 years before the time of Christ, a fact that should cause us to worship with wonder as we contemplate how specifically Isaiah’s prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. From Isaiah we learn that we can never start too early when getting ready for something as big as the coming of Christ.

Isaiah contains some of the most beautiful language ever written and was quoted by Jesus extensively during His ministry. Since Isaiah was one of the Lord’s favorite books, we should carefully consider what it has to say. Isaiah is called a “major” prophet for two reasons. First, his book is one of the longest and second his message is very meaty.

Some have pointed out that the 66 chapters in Isaiah serve as a “miniature” Bible, since there are 66 books in the Bible. The first 39 chapters correspond to the “law” of the Old Testament; while the final 27 chapters harmonize with the “liberty” taught in the New Testament.

Isaiah’s name actually means “Jehovah saves.” He had a long ministry of more than 50 years, and was the chief prophet who ministered during the reigns of four different kings. Isaiah’s life was deeply impacted when the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed, and its inhabitants led into captivity by the Assyrians. Isaiah actually ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah during a time of cultural corruption (very much like what we’re seeing taking place in our own country today). Part of Isaiah’s mission was to warn the people of Judah that the same thing which had happened to Israel, would happen to them, unless they repented and turned back to God.

Although, Isaiah’s opening words begin with a complaint …

[READ Isa. 1:4]
in Isaiah 1:4: “Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt …”

He continued to offer words of hope and encouragement throughout his book.

Today’s sermon is entitled: “Isaiah’s Audacious Hope.” The word “audacious” means to be bold and fearless. Isaiah was bold about longing for something more. He dared to believe that something better was coming even though his culture was corrupt and everything around him seemed so dark. We can summarize Isaiah’s audaciousness by looking at what he said in …
[READ Isa. 64:1]
1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Your presence.

Isaiah was longing for the Lord to somehow come down into his world in order to make sense out of all the nonsense, to bring peace to all the problems, to dispel the darkness, and to banish evil. Isaiah was hungry for the Holy One to enter our messed-up world in an extraordinary manner. Beloved, aren’t you glad that the Lord came down and visited earth? By the way, He is coming back one day. Isaiah 64:1 is a prophecy with a double-fulfillment – it happened in the past when Jesus came into our world as the Lamb of God. But the prophecy also looks to the future when Jesus will return as the Lion of God for the purpose of bringing judgment upon the world that has rejected Him. “O … that the mountains might quake at Your presence,” even foretells the earthquake that will happen just as soon as the feet of our Lord touch the Mount of Olives.

[READ Zech. 14:4]
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

Now, that we’ve considered Jesus’ first coming and His second coming, let’s look at four important instructive passages in the book of Isaiah. My goal this morning is that we’ll get a composite picture of what Christmas is all about from the mind of the Holy Spirit and the pen of Isaiah, because one can never start too early when getting ready for something really big.

I. A SURE SIGN (Isa. 7:1-2, 8-9, 13-14; Gen. 22:8; Lk. 2:10; Mt. 1:22-23)

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Isaiah, chapter 7. In this chapter we meet an evil king named Ahaz who rules the kingdom of Judah. He had deliberately disobeyed God, and as a result his kingdom came under attack from all directions.

[READ Isa. 7:1-2]
1 Now it happened in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. 2 When it was told to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans (Syrians) have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

Friends, like King Ahaz, if you don’t know God, when troubles come you too will be shaken to the very core of your being.

Instead of turning to the Lord, Ahaz begins thinking about partnering with the evil Assyrian Empire. At this critical time for God’s people, Yahweh in His great love and mercy toward the house of David, took the initiative and sent Isaiah the prophet to help King Ahaz.

[READ Isa. 7:8-9] Isaiah points out …
8 For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not establish your faith in Yahweh, you surely shall not be established.

* This sentence is a pun in Hebrew, which basically means: “If there is no belief, you will find no relief.”

In verse 10, we learn that Ahaz was supposed to ask for a sign that would help him believe. But in verse 12, we’re told that Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. At the king’s refusal, Isaiah explodes in righteous indignation.

[READ Isa. 7:13]
13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?

Then we come to this remarkable prophetic passage in verse 14:

[READ Isa. 7:14]
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

I want to point out a few things in this verse:

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

* Notice, the Lord Himself will give the sign. This is similar to what Abraham said in Genesis 22:8: “God Himself will provide the lamb.”

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

* The sign was given to all of us. The word “you” in this passage is plural, indicating that it was not just a sign to Ahaz but to everyone as the angel made clear to the shepherds …

[READ Lk. 2:10]
10 … “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.

Going back to Isaiah 7:13, the prophet mentions that this sign was specifically given to the “house of David.” The sign would be a son born to a virgin.

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

* In the Hebrew, this phrase is a grammatical interjection which is used to arrest the attention of the listeners or readers. It indicates the importance of what is about to be said. As you well know, this was no ordinary pregnancy and no ordinary birth. A virgin would be with child and give birth to a Son. This would certainly stand out as a miraculous sign. The Son would be God incarnate, meaning He became fully human and lived in a body of flesh.

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

* The name Immanuel means, “The strong God with us.” While this was not Jesus’ proper name, it was a name that identified His attributes, letting us know this is who He is. From Jesus’ miraculous birth forward, God Himself would be present among His people. This verse from Isaiah 7:14, is quoted in Matthew’s gospel.

[READ Mt. 1:22-23]
22 Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, 23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

Did King Ahaz understand all of this? No. Was it fulfilled during his lifetime? No. It was a prophecy, focusing on the future, given to all people by God as a sure and unmistakable sign.

II. A SENT SON (Isa. 9:1-2, 4, 6; Jn. 8:12; Mt. 11:30; Lk. 1:32-33)

Let me give you the context of the next passage we are going to look at. This original birth announcement was made in the midst of grief and gloom.

[READ Isa. 9:1]
1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

Zebulun and Naphtali were tribes from the northern kingdom of Israel, whose collective OT inheritance, made up the lands of Galilee in the NT. For many years the people in this region knew only grief because of invasions by their enemies unleashed by the Almighty as punishment for their sin of disobedience to His Word. Because they lived closest to the route the bad guys followed to invade the land, they were the first ones attacked. Isaiah tells of a time in the future where gloom will be replaced with gladness in Galilee. Also, don’t miss the fact that the ministry of Jesus began in Galilee.

Beloved, Christmas was, and is, birthed in the midst of great grief. While the angels were proclaiming “Peace on earth,” Herod was preparing to annihilate the baby boys of Bethlehem; while Mary was worshiping, other Jewish mothers were weeping for their children (see Jer. 31:15; Mt. 2:18). Christmas joy is best understood in this light -- when we are bogged down by all the difficulties life brings, as well as the confusion and sinful condition of the world around us, the gladness and joy of Christmas comes even when we’re grieving.

If that is where you’re at today, it’s okay because this is exactly where Immanuel will meet you.

Verse 2 describes how the birth of Christ brought light and brightness to our dark world.

[READ Isa. 9:2]
2 The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in the land of the shadow of death,
The light will shine on them.

I’m looking forward to our Christmas Eve service this year when we will light the Christ candle to show the impact that Jesus has made on a dark world.

[READ Jn. 8:12] In referring to Himself in John 8:12, Jesus said,
12 … “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

In Isaiah 9:4, we read that the enemies of Israel had burdened the people with “bars across their shoulders.”

[READ Isa. 9:4]
4 For You shall shatter the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, ….

When the One who is the Light of life comes, the heavy yoke of mankind’s enemy will be shattered. Instead of crushing us beneath the heavy weight of guilt and sin, Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Mt. 11:30). In the place of burdens, God wants to give us blessings. Now let’s look at …

[READ Isa. 9:6]
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

“For a child will be born to us.” This describes His birth as a baby.

“A son will be given to us.” Jesus, God’s Son, is the greatest gift ever given to mankind.

The child was birthed in Bethlehem and the gift of the eternal Son is given to us.

On top of this, “the government will rest on His shoulders.” This means that all the expectations of the throne of King David are fulfilled in Christ (see 2 Samuel 7:13-16). The bundled Baby in the straw holds the universe together. The one nestled on Mary’s lap, bears everything on His shoulders. He is Redeemer and Ruler of all. Part of the reason why people (even some Christians) have become bored with the baby in a manger is because we focus only on the infant Jesus. But He is oh so much more than this, as we see in His four-fold titles.

The phrase, “and His name will be called” means “He will justly bear this name…”

• He is Profound – as the “Wonderful Counselor.”

• He is Powerful – as the “Mighty God.”

• He is Personal – as the “Everlasting Father.”

• He is Peaceful – as the “Prince of Peace.”

It’s amazing to me that Isaiah not only knew Immanuel would be born to a virgin as a sure sign; but he also understood that He would be the sent Son. Doesn’t this remind you of what Gabriel said to Mary?

[READ Lk. 1:32]
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”

So, Jesus is a sure sign and a sent Son. Then thirdly, He’s …

III. A SHOOT FROM THE STUMP (Isa. 11:1-2, 6; Lk. 2:4, 14; Rev. 5:5)

Please turn with me now to Isaiah chapter 11.

[READ Isa. 11:1-2]
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and might,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.

During the past 35 years or so that we’ve lived in the parsonage, heavy snows and ice storms have been really rough on our white pines. We used to have two of them in the front yard. One of them was uprooted by the wind years ago and had to be cut down. The one remaining tree, shows the scars of being battered by the elements. It doesn’t look very good anymore. Every time I look at it, I wonder how much more can it take.

In Isaiah’s day, people felt hopeless because it seemed like the only thing left were stumps. The northern kingdom had been destroyed and things were looking bleak for the south. Do you ever feel like that? Have the stumps in your life shattered your hope? But wait a minute, notice that a shoot will come up from the stump. Jesse was the father of King David, and it’s through his line that the Savior would come into the world.

[READ Lk. 2:4]
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

[READ Rev. 5:5] Look at how Jesus is described,
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying! Behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Now back to Isaiah 11.
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him,

* This shoot will become a Branch that will bear fruit from the root of David. Once again Isaiah uses a play on words. The word “branch” is the Hebrew word “neser.” What’s interesting about this is that Jesus spent most of His earthly life in Nazareth, which means “a protected branch.” This pictures Jesus as the tender shoot who branches forth from the protective stump of Jesse. Then, notice also that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.

Isaiah was not only able to catch a vision of the Savior as a shoot; he could also foresee a time when peace will prevail. This dovetails perfectly with the angels’ proclamation to the shepherds.

[READ Lk. 2:14, NKJV]
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Isaiah fleshes all of this out in a series of amazing contrasts to show that during His Second Advent, Jesus will usher in a time of protracted peace. There’s a lot here, but I just want to share one verse.

[READ Isa. 11:6, NKJV]
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.

Are you listening? when Jesus comes again, He will come as the conquering King and the Prince of Peace. During this season, we tend to count the shopping days left until Christmas; but what we really should be doing is counting the days until Christ comes again in power and glory, readying ourselves for His return.

Isaiah gives us a sure sign; he points to the sent Son; he connects the Messiah to David’s throne as the shoot from a stump; and finally, he proclaims that Jesus is …

IV. A SUFFERING SAVIOR (Isa. 53:3-5, 65:1-2; Mt. 1:21; Jn. 12:41)

Jesus came at Christmas so that by His suffering and ultimately sacrificing Himself as our substitute, we can be saved from our sins. This purpose is stated from the very beginning of the Nativity account.

[READ Mt. 1:21]
21 And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

There are an amazing number of prophecies in Isaiah 53 that were fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy, which describe the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross. We’re only going to read and consider three verses from this section. As we do, I want you to think about what Jesus bought for us, not on black Friday, but on Good Friday.

[READ Isa. 53:3-5]
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our peace fell upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.

You can never start too early when getting ready for something really big.

A man from China, who was converted to Christ, told this story which has obvious tie-ins with the story of the Good Samaritan:

A man fell into a dark, slimy pit. He tried to climb out of the pit, but he couldn’t. Confucius came along, saw the man and said, “Poor fellow, had he listened to me, he never would have gotten there,” and he went on. Buddha came along and saw the man in the pit and said, “Poor fellow, if he’ll come up here, I’ll help him,” and he too kept on walking. Then Jesus Christ came along and said, “Poor fellow.” And then He jumped down into the pit and lifted him out.

I’ve often wondered what all Isaiah knew about Immanuel. Ministering seven centuries before the first Christmas, how could he be so specific?

• Jesus is a sure sign

• He is the sent Son

• He is the shoot from Jesse’s stump

• He is the suffering Savior

Though Isaiah wrote about the future, his words seem to indicate that he saw the Savior with his own eyes. Then we find this confirmation …

[READ Jn. 12:41]
41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke about Him.

Jesus not only came to be born into our world, but to be born in us. You can never start too early when getting ready for something really big. Are you ready now to receive the Christ of Christmas? Jesus IS coming again; it won’t be long; it may be soon. Are you prepared? Are you watching the skies? Is your lamp filled with oil?

Isaiah’s promises about Jesus give us hope, and when they’re fulfilled in us, they bring peace. But like a present, Jesus must be received. I want to end with God’s own testimony found in --

[READ Isa. 65:1-2]
1 “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; (Israel)
I was found by those who did not seek Me. (the Gentiles)
To a nation that did not call on My name, (Israel)
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out My hands
to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations …. (all the world)

A woman was doing her Christmas shopping and was stressed out trying to find the perfect present for everyone on her list. Knowing that her credit cards were almost maxed out, she couldn’t wait for Christmas to be over. With her arms full of gifts, she tried to get into a crowded elevator. As she squeezed in with the other weary shoppers she exclaimed, “Whoever came up with Christmas ought to be strung up and killed!” Several around her nodded their heads in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back a voice spoke up: “Don’t worry. They already did that to Him.”

Beloved, let’s not miss the true meaning of Christmas this year.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, every word in Scripture points to the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus. The Christmas story wasn’t the beginning of this message of hope because the Old Testament is full of glimpses of Your plan to redeem Your people and restore them into a relationship with You. But we are able to truly begin to see and understand just how great Your love for us is when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in our Bibles. Help us to see that You are with us. Nothing is too difficult, too messy, or too dirty for You. Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life through the salvation that only You Father, can give when we believe on Your Son, repent of our sins, and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That first Christmas, You gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.

Invitation # 124: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (2 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Rom. 15:13)

ISAIAH’S AUDACIOUS HOPE - Study Guide

ISAIAH’S AUDACIOUS HOPE

Advent Series (Lesson 1) - Nov. 30, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: (Isa. 60:2; 1:4; 64:1; Zech. 14:4; Jn. 4:13-14)

Isaiah has been called the “fifth gospel” because it is filled with so much good news. While the book is overflowing with glory and good news, it also contains some gloom as well.

Isaiah 60:2

There are many themes found in Isaiah’s prophecy, I only want to mention three of them by way of introduction. They are: (1) God is in control; (2) The Messiah is coming; and (3) God always has a remnant that stays committed to Him.
Although, Isaiah’s opening words begin with a complaint (Isa. 1:4) he continued to offer words of hope and encouragement throughout his book.

Isaiah 64:1

This verse is a prophecy with a double-fulfillment – it happened in the past when Jesus came into our world as the Lamb of God. But the prophecy also looks to the future when Jesus will return as the Lion of God for the purpose of bringing judgment upon the world that has rejected Him. “O … that the mountains might quake at Your presence,” even foretells the earthquake that will happen just as soon as the feet of our Lord touch the Mount of Olives.

Zechariah 14:4

Now, that we’ve considered Jesus’ first coming and His second coming, let’s look at four important instructive passages in Isaiah. My goal this morning is for us to get a composite picture of what Christmas is all about from the mind of the Holy Spirit and the pen of Isaiah, because one can never start too early when getting ready for something really big.

I. A SURE SIGN (Isa. 7:1-2, 8-9, 13-14; Gen. 22:8; Lk. 2:10; Mt. 1:22-23)

In Isaiah 7, we meet an evil king named Ahaz who rules the kingdom of Judah. He had deliberately disobeyed God, and as a result his kingdom came under attack from all directions.
Isaiah 7:1-2

Like King Ahaz, if you don’t know God, when troubles come you too will be shaken to the very core of your being.

At this critical time for God’s people, Yahweh in His great love for the house of David, took the initiative and sent Isaiah the prophet to help King Ahaz.

Isaiah 7:8-9

Isaiah 7:13-14

I want to point out a few things in verse 14. Notice, the Lord Himself will give the sign. This is similar to what Abraham said (Gen. 22:8). The sign was given to all of us. The word “you” in this passage is plural, indicating that it was not just a sign to Ahaz but to everyone as the angel made clear to the shepherds (Lk. 2:10).

Isaiah 7:13

The prophet mentions that this sign was specifically given to the “house of David.” It would be a son born to a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14

The name Immanuel means, “The strong God with us.” While this was not Jesus’ proper name, it was a name that identified His attributes, letting us know this is who He is. From Jesus’ miraculous birth forward, God Himself would be present among His people (see Mt. 1:22-23).

II. A SENT SON (Isa. 9:1-2, 4, 6; Jn. 8:12; Mt. 11:30; Lk. 1:32-33)

This original birth announcement was made in the midst of grief and gloom.

Isaiah 9:1

Christmas was, and is, birthed in the midst of great grief. While the angels were proclaiming “Peace on earth,” Herod was preparing to annihilate the baby boys of Bethlehem; while Mary was worshiping, other Jewish mothers were weeping for their children (see Jer. 31:15; Mt. 2:18).

Christmas joy is best understood in this light -- when we are bogged down by all the difficulties life brings, as well as the confusion and sinful condition of the world around us, the gladness and joy of Christmas comes even when we’re grieving. If that is where you’re at today, it’s okay because this is exactly where Immanuel will meet you.

Isaiah 9:2

This verse describes how the birth of Christ brought light and brightness to our dark world (see Jn. 8:12).

Isaiah 9:4

Isaiah 9:6

The words “to us” mean “for us, for our benefit” and the emphasis is on the child. The baby was given for our benefit. This verse points out the indescribable uniqueness of Jesus. Notice that both His humanity and deity are described. We see attributes of God and characteristics of man. “For a child will be born to us,” describes His birth as a baby. “A son will be given to us.” Jesus, God’s Son, is the greatest gift ever given to mankind. The child was birthed in Bethlehem and the gift of the eternal Son is given to us. On top of this, “the government will rest on His shoulders.” This means that all the expectations of the throne of King David are fulfilled in Christ (see 2 Samuel 7:13-16). The bundled Baby in the straw holds the universe together. The one nestled on Mary’s lap, bears everything on His shoulders. He is Redeemer and Ruler of all. Part of the reason why people (even some Christians) have become bored with the baby in a manger is because we focus only on the infant Jesus.

But He is oh so much more than this, as we see in His four-fold titles. The phrase, “and His name will be called” means “He will justly bear this name.” As the Wonderful Counselor, He is Profound. As the Mighty God, He is Powerful. As the Everlasting Father, He is Personal. As the Prince of Peace, He is Peaceful.

Luke 1:32

III. A SHOOT FROM THE STUMP (Isa. 11:1-2, 6; Lk. 2:4, 14; Rev. 5:5)

Isaiah 11:1-2

Jesse was the father of King David, and it’s through his line that the Savior would come into the world.

Luke 2:4

Revelation 5:5

Isaiah 11:1-2
Here, Jesus is pictured as the tender shoot who branches forth from the protective stump of Jesse. Then, notice also that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. Isaiah was not only able to catch a vision of the Savior as a shoot; he could also foresee a time when peace will prevail. This dovetails perfectly with the angels’ proclamation to the shepherds.

Luke 2:14, NKJV

Isaiah 11:6, NKJV

When Jesus comes again, He will come as the conquering King and the Prince of Peace.

IV. A SUFFERING SAVIOR (Isa. 53:3-5, 65:1-2; Mt. 1:21; Jn. 12:41)

Matthew 1:21

In the next text from Isaiah, I want you to think about what Jesus bought for us, not on black Friday, but Good Friday.

Isaiah 53:3-5

Isaiah’s words seem to indicate that he saw the Savior with his own eyes. Then we find this confirmation …

John 12:41

Isaiah’s promises about Jesus give us hope, and when they’re fulfilled in us, they bring peace. But like a present, Jesus must be received. I want to end with God’s own testimony found in …

Isaiah 65:1-2

Let’s not miss the true meaning of Christmas this year.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, every word in Scripture points to the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus. The Christmas story wasn’t the beginning of this message of hope because the Old Testament is full of glimpses of Your plan to redeem Your people and restore them into a relationship with You. But we are able to truly begin to see and understand just how great Your love for us is when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in our Bibles. Help us to see that you are with us. Nothing is too difficult, too messy, or too dirty for You. Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life through the salvation that only You Father, can give when we believe on Your Son, repent of our sins, and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That first Christmas, You gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.

Cancel Culture - A Political Prophecy

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CANCEL CULTURE - A Political Prophecy

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, send Your Spirit to be present among us today, teaching us Your truth and filling us with the understanding and wisdom of Your Word. I pray for Your power to fall on us today so that we can experience the ultimate impact of Your holy Word. May the message of the Scriptures we study today resonate deeply and bring about the kind of transformations You desire in the lives of those who hear it. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: (Mt. 24:10-12; Mt. 22:37-39; Jn. 4:13-14)
It is one of the great ironies of our age that while we are living during a time when almost any behavior is celebrated no matter how sinful, we are simultaneously living in a time where any small misstep, public or private, could be the catalyst of our own social and financial ruin.

This is the phenomenon in which a person may have made an innocuous comment or even a statement of truth only to be pounced upon by an online mob and demanded to apologize, step down, and/or resign. Some people lose their jobs; some even receive death threats. Whether the person being attacked actually did anything wrong is irrelevant, as is whether or not they apologize. Even if their innocence is later proven in court, the damage has been done.

Several writers of the New Testament made end time prophecies about the rise of this type of brokenness. What they prophesied about tomorrow is increasingly happening today! None is more poignant that Jesus’ own prediction in the Olivet Discourse.

[READ Mt. 24:10-12]

10 And at that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold.

You’d have to be living on another planet not to have noticed all of the tension and animosity escalating here in America since COVID-19 hit in 2020.

One day, pastor Chris Hodges of Birmingham, Alabama, logged onto his Instagram account and clicked “like” on a small number of posts from a conservative author and speaker. Can you imagine something so innocuous causing trouble? Well, it did.

A high school English teacher living in Birmingham saw what Pastor Hodges had done and felt “uncomfortable.” She created a Facebook post to address her discomfort, including an image of Hodges’ name next to the notorious “likes.” She later told reporters, “I would be upset if it comes off as me judging him …. I’m not saying he’s a racist, I’m saying he likes someone who posts things that do not seem culturally sensitive to me.”

In less than two weeks, the Birmingham Housing Authority voted to sever ties with Pastor Hodges and the Church of the Highlands, no longer allowing the church to rent space for one of its campuses. The Housing Authority also cut ties with Christ Health Center, a separate ministry founded by Church of the Highlands to provide free health services for residents of public housing.

Now, think about this for a moment. A local government shut down a free clinic for the poor in the middle of a public health crisis! Why? In their words, “Pastor Hodges’ views do not reflect those of HABD and its residents.”

That still wasn’t the end of it. The Birmingham Board of Education also voted to cut ties with Church of the Highlands after the so-called scandal. For several years, the church had rented two high school auditoriums to serve as additional campuses on Sunday mornings, paying more than $800,000 for that privilege. No more. The leases were terminated immediately.

Pastor and Christian author Ed Stetzer was quick to point out the sad irony of these decisions, given all the ways Hodges and his church had contributed to the Birmingham community and beyond. He wrote:
[Chris] has … led his church to be the largest diverse church in Alabama, to engage the poor and marginalized, and to minister widely and well in his community. He and the church he leads has served the poor, engaged the sick, volunteered in the schools, and more. During the pandemic, Church of the Highlands has served thousands of meals, made masks, hosted blood drives, and helped other churches with online services. He also liked some social media posts. Get the pitchforks!

The long and short of it was that Pastor Hodges had been “canceled” because he liked a few posts from a popular conservative pundit.

The word cancel once described what we did to magazine or newspaper subscriptions, or to what happened to a faltering television program. Now it’s what we do to people. In our society, canceling someone is a punishment for doing something, saying something, or even thinking something that violates a set of unwritten rules currently in play throughout much of the liberal world. These punishments are typically carried out in three stages.

(1) There’s an attempt to publicly humiliate the person by flagrantly exposing the supposed wrong he or she committed.

(2) Once the person has been exposed, he or she is pushed mercilessly to confess and apologize. Whether that person has actually done anything that requires regret is irrelevant. Simply to be accused means a retraction and an apology is expected.

(3) Regardless of whether the accused apologizes or not, attempts are made to remove that person from public life and from all public conversation once and for all. As a result, people are fired, mocked, threatened, de-platformed, and delegitimized in every way.

Professor Evan Gerstmann (comments) said, “There is no single accepted definition of cancel culture, but at its worst, it is about unaccountable groups successfully applying pressure to punish someone for perceived wrong opinions. The victim ends up losing their job or is significantly harmed in some way well beyond the discomfort of merely being disagreed with.”

What does it take for a person to be canceled? We’d like to know because most of us would rather avoid the experience. But no one knows what it takes to be canceled. At least, not specifically. As I said, the boundaries that govern this new way of life are unclear. The rules are unwritten. It sort of reminds me of a vehicle being driven by a drunk person, swerving from lane to lane. We’d best stay out of the way, if possible.

Yet it’s not always possible. People have been canceled for a broad range of offenses – everything from being accused of rape to voting the wrong way to expressing unpopular opinions. Or even liking social media posts that make other people feel “uncomfortable.”

One of the more frightening aspects of cancel culture is that its tendrils extend even to regular members of society. You don’t have to be famous to be canceled. For example, Mary Purdie is a local artist who was accused of plagiarism when a piece she designed went public. The accusations were false, but that didn’t matter to the hundreds of people who posted hateful comments on her Instagram account and found other ways to harass her. She even attempted to apologize for a possible misunderstanding, but, in her words, the apology was “torn to threads.”

Purdie told Good Morning America, “I’ve survived five miscarriages, and breast cancer, and this was still the worst thing that’s happened to me. I had just finished my cancer treatment and 100 people were in my DMs every day that week telling me to kill myself," she recalled.”

If cancel culture sounds unreasonable to you – even unbiblical – you’re correct. When Jesus was asked to identify the most important commandment in the Bible, He replied with a two-for-one special.

[READ Mt. 22:37-39]
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

I can think of few things less loving than publicly excoriating random people, even trying to get them fired and shamed and silenced, all for the “sin” of daring to disagree with a prevalent opinion. Yet that’s what cancel culture demands.

It bears notice that Jesus spent a lot of time with people in His day who had been canceled, so to speak. Remember the woman at the well? Women were considered second-class citizens in the ancient world, and Samaritans were scorned. Even her own people shunned her, which is why she came along to draw water from the community well during the heat of the day. Yet Jesus approached her. He spoke kindly to her. He even offered her the water of life.

[READ Jn. 4:13-14] Jesus said to her,
13 … “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst -- ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Jesus touched lepers who were untouchable according to the law. He welcomed sinners who were despised. He blessed children when others tried to nudge them away. He expressed compassion for a woman taken in adultery, and He accepted the worship of a woman criticized for pouring perfume on His feet. He touched the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He cast out demons from the violent. During His final hours He comforted a criminal nailed to a cross beside Him. After His resurrection, He reassured a doubting disciple and reestablished the one who had denied Him. Jesus had no place in His heart for the cancel culture of His day, but He was wonderful at demonstrating God’s love and grace to everyone. And He still is.

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (Mt. 24:21-22; vv. 8, 10-12, NKJV)

It would be nice to think cancel culture is a temporary phase our world is going through. But society is becoming more intolerant and polarized by the day, and I’m not sure we’ll see a reversal of these trends. The more insidious elements of cancel culture are a malignant form of the spitefulness and self-importance common to all human nature. But what we’re seeing today reminds me of what Jesus described in Matthew 24, which you will recall, was our Lord’s sermon about the last days leading up to the great tribulation.

[READ Mt. 24:21-22] Jesus warned of a coming period of world distress, saying:
21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

You will remember from our study of the Olivet Discourse last month, Jesus predicted a series of signs that will foreshadow the end of history. He spoke of wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, and pestilences. Then He said …

[READ Mt. 24:8, 10-12, NKJV]
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows …. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

There are several terms in these verses that clearly represent today’s cancel culture.

• A Culture of Disdain (Mt. 24:10)

[READ Mt. 24:10]
10 And then many will be offended, ….
*First, Jesus talked about how easily people would be offended in the days leading up to the tribulation. Boy, is that ever true today!

NFL star Aaron Rodgers got attention when he appeared in a black T-shirt bearing the words, “I’m offended.” The sports world wondered if it meant something, or if it meant nothing.

Lots of people seem to be going around with an “I’m offended” attitude. How many groups or products have had to change their names, their symbols, or their mascots out of fear they might “cause offense”? None of us want to be offensive, but doesn’t it seem people everywhere are too easily offended? How long before someone sees us reading a Bible on the airplane and feels “uncomfortable”? When will someone take offense when we wear a T-shirt with the slogan “John 3:16” on it? What about the cross around your neck?

[READ Mt. 24:10]
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

*Notice that Jesus linked being easily offended with hating one another and betraying one another. The Greek word translated “betray” is important. It doesn’t mean betrayal in the sense of saying negative things about coworkers so that you get a promotion instead of them. Nor does it mean betrayal in terms of deceiving others or turning on someone who used to be your friend – stabbing them in the back.

Instead, the text is talking about betrayal in the sense of intentionally revealing or exposing something that is hidden. It’s the same idea as betraying a secret – or people betraying the Jewish identities of their neighbors to the secret police during the Reichstag leading up to World War II.

In other words, Jesus said society leading up to the end times would be marked by people who actively root out, expose, and betray those around them. Wouldn’t you say this kind of betrayal makes up an essential ingredient of the toxic stew we call cancel culture?

In many ways, cancel culture is dependent on betrayal. We all made mistakes in our past we’d like to forget about. All of us have made choices we regret and decisions we would correct or redo if we had the chance. But in a world fueled by cancel culture, those mistakes are not allowed to remain in the past. People intentionally dig through the histories and biographies and social media posts of others – even those they consider to be friends – in order to drag those mistakes into the present.

Lizzie Troughton is a legal advocate in London who specializes in protecting family life and religious freedom. Her work has included legal consultation with the UK Ministry of Justice and the World Health Organization. Her article “Canceling Christians” is a fascinating dive into our present society. She began by recounting Billy Graham’s influence on England. In 1954, over two million people thronged Harringay Arena, and thousands more came to his last British crusade in 1989.

Troughton wrote, “If Billy were alive today, it seems unlikely that he would have the same opportunities. The courting of cancel-culture across the UK is now rapidly denying Christian preachers the opportunities to preach on the streets, make bookings at privately rented venues, and even be indirectly advertised in public. We’re not just facing a free speech crisis. We’re canceling Christians.”

She ended her article with these words: “Christianity has had too long a positive influence in our land for us to let it be unlawfully canceled by people who take offence or simply dislike it.”

Another voice of reason is Diana Graber. Back in 2010, Diana’s daughter attended Journey School in California. Students and staff there were attempting to confront a major cyberbullying incident – the school’s first. Everyone did their best to understand the situation and figure out a way to respond, but there was a lot of uncertainty. This was new ground.

Diana had just finished her master’s degree in a new field called Media Psychology and Social Change. She had academic experience helping people adjust to the new world of the Internet and social media, and she was eager to put that experience into practice. Together with Journey School, Diana created a new course called “CyberCivics.” The goal was to teach middle schoolers what she called “digital citizenship” – a way to help them make sense of the challenges posed by a digital world, gain a better understanding of ethics and morality, think critically instead of superficially, build their digital reputation, value their privacy, and reject all forms of cyberbullying, shaming, and intimidation.

The vitriol we see on social media today is evidence of something new. Something as sinful as it is disturbing. Our children need to be taught not to destroy one another because they are being raised in a culture that glorifies hatred. And abuse. And exploitation. We are living in a culture of disdain.

• A Culture of Deception (Mt. 24:11)

In His great sermon on the end times, Jesus also warned of the rise of many false prophets who would deceive multitudes.

[READ Mt. 24:11]
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

*This has never been easier than today, due to social media. Most at risk are senior citizens, who lost about a billion dollars in 2020 due to online scams. A total of 105,301 people over the age of sixty-five were taken to the cleaners. The average person lost more than $9,000, and almost 2,000 seniors lost more than $100,000.

Thomas Mulligan, was an 85-year-old retired surgeon and a devout Christian. One day he received a phone call on his landline from Amazon cyber security representatives who said they needed his help to stop a hacker. Mulligan was eager to help, not realizing he was actually on the phone with the very criminals he thought he was helping to catch. He was being scammed by two brothers in India named Karan and Arjun Mishra.

The brothers told Mulligan to download some software that would allow them to “catch the criminals.” That software gave the brothers complete control over Mulligan’s computer, including all his records and accounts. Their goal was to drain all of Mulligan’s bank accounts and take his last cent, including all his retirement funds.

Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story. While Mulligan was on his landline with the criminals, his cell phone buzzed. It was a man calling himself Jim Browning. Browning is an “ethical hacker,” a sort of cyber vigilante trying to help victims. Browning said, “Please don’t announce this but I think you’re on the phone with people who are trying to steal your money.”

Browning, using his own hacking prowess, had been tracking the Mishra brothers and had managed to film the entire encounter. With Browning’s help, Mulligan was able to recover most – but not all – of his money. Browning explained that he himself was once scammed, and now he uses his skills to help other victims – as many as 20 every week.

As for Thomas Mulligan, he told a journalist, “I thought I was an intelligent person and I was too aware to be caught, but I soon realized people can play on your good nature to scam you. They just seemed so credible that I was fooled.”

Fake people, fake reviews, fake predictions, fake news, fake friends – all of this has come to us via the world of Big Tech and it is getting ready to exponentially explode with the addition of insidious AI technology. And it’s all causing our culture of deception to snowball.

• A Culture of Disconnection (Mt. 24:12)

The next logical step? Disconnection. In a culture marked by disdain and deception, people want to withdraw from society in any way possible.

[READ Mt. 24:12] Jesus put it this way,
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Apologist Abdu Murray had this to say about the relationally frightening nature of today’s society: “In cancel culture, a single mistake is perpetually unforgivable because it’s not simply a guilty act. Rather, the mistake defines the individual’s identity, turning them into a shameful person – someone who can be canceled.”

The culture leading up to the tribulation and the end of history will be characterized by coldness in our feelings for one another and in our dealings with one another. It will be marked by isolation and disconnection. Shame will drive people inward. Bullying will drive them downward. Hatred will drive them backward.

We all know about physical and emotional pain, but our society is suffering from social pain. According to Healthline, “Social pain involves painful emotions caused by situations involving other people, such as feeling rejected, alone, ostracized, devalued, abandoned, or disconnected.”

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem, taking people from their schools or places of work and forcing many to live in isolation. But the root cause of disconnection is spiritual in nature. When we are disconnected from God, we don’t have the love, joy, peace, patience, or kindness to show to others. We become isolated in our self-centeredness.

We see these realities at play in the cancel culture of our modern world. It’s not difficult to understand why such a society would lead to relational indifference and isolation. After all, relationships become risky. A good relationship requires us to be vulnerable, but why would I choose to make myself vulnerable to another person when he or she could use my faults to cancel me?

We’re witnessing the consequences of this disconnection firsthand. In fact, isolation has become such a problem in our world that in 2018 – before the COVID-19 pandemic – Great Britain created a new position in its government called the “minister for loneliness.” Tracey Crouch was the first person to fill Britain’s new position, and the prime minister proclaimed in a press release: “For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of the modern life.”

The UK isn’t the only place struggling with an epidemic of disconnection. Japan appointed its own minister of loneliness in 2021 to combat a huge rise in suicide rates. And Dr. Vivek Murthy, the two-time surgeon general for the United States, wrote a book called Together, giving ideas about how to fight loneliness on a national level. His research showed him that loneliness is “associated with an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and even premature death.”

Shockingly, a recent study revealed that nearly half of Americans have not made a new friend in the past five years. As hatred and deception have increased, love in our world has decreased. Our relationships have gone cold.

II. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Now that we understand more about cancel culture and the dangers it poses, what can we do about it? What does it take to live in such a world? Here are some even better questions: What does it take to live for Christ? What does it take to create a different kind of culture in your home? At work? And at church?

The short answer is – a lot! It’s not easy to live as members of God’s kingdom in a world that is increasingly hostile to His values. This is the shared experience of every generation of Christians since the first one, so we’ve had two thousand years to prepare for these days. One thing we know: the rewards of following Christ are worth it.

So, let’s explore four inerasable characteristics we can incorporate into our lives to claim these rewards.

• It Takes Wisdom (Mt. 10:16; Col. 4:6; Prov. 17:28; Acts 7:54, NKJV; Jas. 3:15-17, 1:5)

[READ Mt. 10:16, NKJV] Jesus told us,
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Wisdom is a word that confuses people today. Many believe wisdom is the same as saying something snappy or catchy – as in a fortune cookie. Others believe wisdom means speaking and acting in accordance with a larger group. This is the “wisdom of the crowd.”

On a practical and biblical level, wisdom looks much different from either of these. True wisdom is the ability to discern what is right, good, just, and proper. Wisdom also conveys this discernment to others as temperately as possible. It makes me cringe to see or hear of Christians losing their tempers while trying to share the truth. We can’t avoid the culture wars, but the tone of our conversation is critical.

[READ Col. 4:6] Paul writes,
6 Let your words always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.

Dr. Barry H. Corey, the president of Biola University, remembers sitting by his dying father’s bedside. “What I recall,” he said, “is not his courage in death. It is his kindness in life. I had never given serious thought to the revolutionary power of kindness until my father died. Then I started paying attention to the stories told about him. He wasn’t quickly forgotten. His gentle influence rippled on and continues to ripple on. The stories were neither about his commanding leadership nor about his well-known status. He didn’t start a company, earn much money, make the news, hold public office or write a book. No one would have drafted his Wikipedia page. The stories were about his spirit of kindness.”

Dr. Corey continued, “I’m just now beginning to grasp how uncommon kindness is. My Father’s example doesn’t seem to characterize the tone of conversations many Christians are having today in the public square.”

We don’t need to pick fights with those who disagree with us. On the other hand, we don’t need to stay silent when our faith is challenged. There are moments when wisdom would suggest we listen and learn rather than speak and stumble.

[READ Prov. 17:28] As Solomon said,
28 Even an ignorant fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.

There are also moments when followers of Jesus need to stand firmly for the truth. That includes you and me. And when those moments come, I hope we will speak and write and teach and create with the same boldness Stephen demonstrated before his accusers in the Sanhedrin. May it be said of us, as it was said of him, that those who hear our words will be “cut to the heart” (Acts 7:54, NKJV).

Knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it – that is wisdom. And we all need it.

The book of James contrasts the wisdom from below with the wisdom from above.

[READ Jas. 3:15-17] The wisdom from below is
15 … earthly, natural [sensual], demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, without doubting, without hypocrisy.

Notice that James compares worldly wisdom with sensuality, demonic thinking, envy, self-seeking, confusion, and every evil thing. These are the fruits of cancel culture. But true wisdom is from above. It is a gift from God, available to all who ask for it.

[READ Jas. 1:5] James explains,
5 … If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

This is my challenge for you as you seek to navigate the troubled waters of cancel culture. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t be angry. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the silly arguments or escalating conflicts that are increasingly common. Instead, ask God to fill you with His wisdom. Ask in faith believing the truth of His Word. Pray for discernment, and He will give it to you.

• It Takes Courage (Deut. 31:6; Acts 4:31, NKJV; Jer. 18:18; Ps. 27:14, NKJV)

[READ Deut. 31:6]
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or be in dread of them, for Yahweh your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

You and I need to heed these commands if we want to live meaningfully as followers of Jesus in a world influenced by cancel culture. We need courage because, as I mentioned earlier, there will be times when staying close to Christ means taking a stand. And that stand will likely come at a cost.

John Piper offers this reminder: “Christian courage is the willingness to say and do the right thing regardless of the earthly cost, because God promises to help you and save you on account of Christ. An act takes courage if it will likely be painful. The pain may be physical, as in war and rescue operations. Or the pain may be mental as in confrontation and controversy.”

Either way, according to Piper, “Courage is indispensable for both spreading and preserving the truth of Christ.”

The word bold appears repeatedly throughout the book of Acts to describe the attitude of the early Christians who were infused with courage by the Holy Spirit.

[READ Acts 4:31, NKJV]
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Iman was a thief and drug addict in Iran. After he was converted to Christ, it became clear he had the gift of evangelism. One day he was arrested, and his first thought was, “If I’m in prison, it must be because someone here needs to hear about Jesus.” He didn’t resist arrest nor fight the guards. He was kind. When he arrived in his cell, he gave a 15-minute sermon to the inmates he found there, and two men knelt down to receive Christ as Savior.

Iman later said, “I only had those 15 minutes to share the gospel because after I shared the gospel, immediately after, the police came and said, ‘You have been very good, and you shouldn’t be here. You were very kind to us and we want to release you.’”

When the guard opened the doors, the two saved men hugged him, and all three began crying. The police warden was amazed. “You have only known these people for 15 minutes, and they act like you are family!”

Courage is a God-given personality trait that is crucial in critical times. We see this quality in the life of the OT prophet Jeremiah. He remained committed to God and to his prophetic work even in the midst of extreme criticism. Jeremiah was faithful to his ministry even when those attacks came from his own people. He declared the words of the Lord during a particularly difficult period in Judah’s history, and he didn’t falter as things grew worse around him.

His hearers tried to cancel him.

[READ Jer. 18:18]
18 Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to perish from the priest, nor counsel to the wise man, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words.”

Yet Jeremiah persisted in his ministry. He continued to speak the truth as a representative of Almighty God.

You and I need a streak of Jeremiah’s sanctified stubbornness in these troubled times. The mob will mock and malign us. Society will shame and slander us. Associations will assault and attack us. The crowds may even want to kill us. Through it all, we must have courage. We must choose to be courageous. Thankfully, that is a choice we do not have to make alone, nor is it a stand we need to take alone. God will be with us.

[READ Ps. 27:14, NKJV]
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Remember, courage is contagious. Your courage will spread to others.

Mike Nappa wrote, “True Christianity, courageous Christianity – the kind the apostles Paul and Peter and thousands of other early Christians practiced – isn’t for wimps. It’s not for the fainthearted, the lukewarm, the moderately committed, or the occasional churchgoer. It’s for the passionate, the one with the courage to say, ‘I believe God, and I will dedicate my every waking hour to His purpose, no matter what it costs.’”

• It Takes Forgiveness (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12-13)

In a world where the mistakes of the past are fair game for the present, there’s no room for forgiveness or even atonement. Instead, those who are canceled are always treated as deserving of scorn, wrath, and judgment. Thankfully, the Bible offers another way.

[READ Eph. 4:32]
32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.

[READ Col. 3:12-13] adds
12 So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

When we forgive someone who has wronged us, we set them free, but we also set ourselves free. Bitterness in our own hearts is like a poison that continually eats away at our joy and happiness. But when we forgive, it’s liberating for them and for us.

Erik Fitzgerald is a great example of this. One day Erik’s pregnant wife, June, was driving down the road with their young daughter, Faith. A car veered into her lane, and June and their unborn baby were killed. Thankfully, Faith survived the crash. The driver of the other car was Matt Swatzell, a young firefighter who had just endured a 24-hour shift and was exhausted, only a few miles from his home, he fell asleep behind the wheel.

Erik’s grief was immense, and so was Matt Swatzell’s. The firefighter survived the crash, but was devastated at the pain and wreckage his momentary lapse had caused. That pain might have destroyed him – but for Erik.

As a pastor, Erik had been teaching the necessity of forgiveness for years, and he knew he had to practice what he preached. Erik lobbied the judicial system to reduce Matt’s punishment. Then the two men began meeting for breakfast several times a month at a local Waffle House. Erik helped Matt work through his pain and regain his footing.

“You forgive as you’ve been forgiven,” Erik later told reporters. “It wasn’t an option. If you’ve been forgiven, then you need to extend that forgiveness.”

Paul Meyer, who became a millionaire in his twenties because of his entrepreneurial skills, is someone else who discovered the power of forgiveness. Paul grew up in an interesting home. His father never forgave a soul. If he was ever crossed or offended, he carried the offense all his life and into the grave. He simply didn’t forgive anyone – not even family members. His life was full of broken relationships.

But Paul said his mother, on the other hand, “forgave absolutely everyone.” Paul said she based her forgiving spirit on God’s Word, for she preferred to live with forgiveness than to live with unforgiveness. As a result, she had such peace and joy that it bubbled out of her life.

“There I was, stuck between two polar opposites. I loved both of my parents and am still indebted to them for what they taught me; but in this area, I knew I had to choose forgiveness or reject it. Which was the better offer? When I was about 16 years old, I made a conscious decision to start forgiving people and to live a life of forgiveness. I’d watched my parents and knew which of the two had more peace and joy. The difference was not hard to see.”

• It Takes Love (Jn. 8:7, 11; 1 Pet. 4:8; Col. 2:13-14, NIV)

*This brings me to my final takeaway: living for Jesus in a world marked by cancel culture takes love.

Do you remember the passage in the Gospels where Jesus “canceled” a young woman? He had been teaching in the temple courts when a group of Pharisees forcibly dragged this woman in front of Him. They had caught her in the act of adultery. “Stone her!” Jesus declared. “That is the punishment proscribed by the law. She is guilty of sin, and she must be permanently removed. She is canceled.”

Wait, you don’t remember Jesus saying any such thing, and neither do I. Instead of canceling that young woman …

[READ Jn. 8:7] Jesus told her accusers,
7 … “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Then, after everyone had left in shame, Jesus spoke tenderly to her, saying, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (v. 11).

As we’ve seen together this morning, cancel culture is laser focused on judgment, accusation, and punishment. The goal of those who cancel others is to broadcast their sins from pillar to post and never allow them to be removed or forgotten. Christ’s goal, on the other hand, is love, mercy, and grace.

[READ 1 Pet. 4:8] Peter wrote,
8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Daylan McLee was not a fan of police officers. Who could blame him after being falsely accused of pointing a gun at an officer? McLee spent a full year in prison before he was finally acquitted. “Definitely a lot of animosity,” McLee said when asked to describe how he felt about the police. “As in, if I see them, I want to go the other way.”

Then came the day when McLee rounded a street corner near his home in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He heard a tremendous crash. It was a vehicle accident involving a police car. As McLee approached, he saw one officer frantically trying to open the passenger door. Another officer was trapped inside, and the gas tank had been damaged and was leaking. Flames were already approaching the interior of the car. Without a second thought, Daylan McLee ran forward to help. He helped rip open the door and pulled the officer to freedom before the car fully burst into flames.

“It’s amazing when there’s true love in people and they can get you out of something like that, no matter who you are or where you come from,” said Jay Hanley, the officer who was rescued. Then, speaking of McLee, he added, “There should be more people like him.”

Yes, there should be.

III. IN CONCLUSION

If I’m honest, then I have to admit that sometimes I’d like to cancel culture itself, wouldn’t you? I’d like to cancel all the hatred and division, the crimes and lawlessness, the smugness and snobbery of the pundits and pencil pushers. I’d like to cancel the violence and the vitriol.

One day Jesus will do just that.

But for now, there is one form of cancel culture I do embrace, and I want to recommend it to you. This is canceling we need --

[READ Col. 2:13-14, NIV] the Bible says
13 When you were dead in your sins … God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

When we come to Jesus Christ, He cancels our sins and welcomes us into His family. Instead of disdain, deception, and disconnection, He gives us love, truth, and a place by His side. He fills us with wisdom, courage, and compassion. He commissions us to counter cancel culture with the power of the cross – which can never be canceled, revoked, or annulled either in time or in all of eternity. We can go to bed tonight knowing in our heart of hearts that nothing or no one can ever cancel the One who cancels our sins.

Prayer: Holy Father, how it must grieve Your great heart to see people distorting the truth to fit their own opinions of the moment. Lord, we realize that this is nothing new. It happened in the book of Judges when every person did what was right in his own eyes. But today we ask You, God, to help us always stand for You and Your truth. Give us grace and humility when we are forced to deal with today’s cancel culture head-on. Protect us and our families. Preserve Your Holy Word. We intercede for those who are persecuting Your true children throughout this world. They reject Jesus’ name and the gift of life He makes available to them. If they don’t repent and believe in Him, then one day they will experience the awful consequences of rejecting the Lord of glory. Have mercy upon them. Touch their minds and hearts, bringing them to the truth. Help us to forgive others as You have forgiven us. Heal the hurts they cause and send them Your grace. I ask you to remove their hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of humility. And help us, O Lord, to always respond with love and the message of forgiveness. We rely on the Holy Spirit to put the right words in our mouths that will point them to Jesus’ the Savior. For it is in His name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 447: “Freely, Freely” (2 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may you in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. Amen. (1 Pet. 3:15-17)

CANCEL CULTURE - Study Guide

CANCEL CULTURE

3 Prophecies Being Fulfilled (Lesson 3) - Nov. 23, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB
Introduction: (Mt. 24:10-12; Mt. 22:37-39; Jn. 4:13-14)

One of the great ironies of our age is that while we are living during a time when almost any behavior is celebrated no matter how sinful, we are simultaneously living in a time where any small misstep, public or private, could be the catalyst of our own social and financial ruin.

Several writers of the NT made end time prophecies about the rise of this type of brokenness. What they prophesied about is increasingly happening today! None is more poignant that Jesus’ own prediction in the Olivet Discourse.

Matthew 24:10-12

These punishments are typically carried out in three stages:

(1) There’s an attempt to publicly humiliate the person by flagrantly exposing the supposed wrong he or she committed.

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (Mt. 24:21-22; vv. 8, 10-12, NKJV)

Matthew 24:21-22; 24:8, 10-12, NKJV

There are several terms in these verses that clearly represent today’s cancel culture.

* A CULTURE OF DISDAIN (Mt. 24:10)

* A CULTURE OF DECEPTION (Mt. 24:11)

* A CULTURE OF DISCONNECTION (Mt. 24:12)

II. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Let’s explore four inerasable characteristics we can incorporate into our lives to claim these rewards.

* IT TAKES WISDOM (Mt. 10:16; Col. 4:6; Prov. 17:28; Acts 7:54, NKJV; Jas. 3:15-17, 1:5)
As you seek to navigate the troubled waters of cancel culture. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t be angry. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the silly arguments or escalating conflicts that are increasingly common. Instead, ask God to fill you with His wisdom. Ask in faith believing the truth of His Word. Pray for discernment, and He will give it to you.

* IT TAKES COURAGE (Deut. 31:6; Acts 4:31, NKJV; Jer. 18:18; Ps. 27:14, NKJV)

The mob will mock and malign us. Society will shame and slander us. Associations will assault and attack us. The crowds may even want to kill us. Through it all, we must have courage. We must choose to be courageous. Thankfully, that is a choice we do not have to make alone, nor is it a stand we need to take alone. God will be with us.

* IT TAKES FORGIVENESS (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12-13)

* IT TAKES LOVE (Jn. 8:7, 11; 1 Pet. 4:8; Col. 2:13-14, NIV)

III. IN CONCLUSION

There is one form of cancel culture I do embrace, and I want to recommend it to you. This is canceling we need –

Col. 2:13-14, NIV

END TIMES PEOPLE - A Biographical Prophecy

Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Click For Audio

END TIMES PEOPLE - A Biographical Prophecy

END TIMES PEOPLE
A Biographical Prophecy

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know that without the moving of Your Spirit, my words are empty. I ask for Your fresh anointing to rest upon me and this congregation today. Pour out Your power that every word spoken may carry divine weight. Anoint my lips, mind, and spirit to declare Your Word with authority and power. May the holiness of Your presence saturate the atmosphere in this room, breaking the chains of sin and healing hearts by Your grace. May those listening to this sermon not just hear me, but most importantly may they encounter You, Lord. Let Your anointing transform hearts and lives today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: (2 Tim. 3:13; Rom. 3:10-12, 5:12; Jer. 17:9, NKJV; Jn. 15:5)

Our world is changing and not for the better. People are becoming more callous, selfish, violent, and angry. Attitudes and behaviors deemed unthinkable even a decade ago are now considered acceptable. Common courtesy is increasingly uncommon. Cordiality is no longer in our lives or in our vocabularies. This world is broken – and it is only getting worse.

As individuals, families, and a society we are experiencing a breakdown that feels irreversible. Increasingly we prioritize self, money, and pleasure over God. As we stretch toward what the Bible refers to as the last days, we find ourselves trying to navigate our way through a very unfriendly world.

[READ 2 Tim. 3:13]

13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

How do we survive this growing hostility, and more importantly, what can we do as followers of Christ to stem the tide of evil in our land?

Shon Hopwood grew up in a Christian home in rural Nebraska with parents who had started a local church. He was the oldest of five children. He was bright, excelling on standardized tests. He played basketball in high school and won a scholarship to Nebraska’s Midland University. But in his teens Hopwood grew disillusioned with his basketball skills, stopped going to classes, and dropped out of school.

He soon joined the United States Navy and ended up in the Persian Gulf guarding warships with shoulder-mounted Stinger missiles. But Hopwood developed acute pancreatitis, almost died in a Bahrain hospital, and left the Navy with an honorable discharge.

That’s when lostness overtook the young man. His alcohol and drug use grew into raging addictions, and he became depressed. One day while drinking with a friend, they decided to rob a bank together. Why not? They could use the money. They ended up robbing five banks while armed. Afterward, Hopwood squandered the money on parties.

Eventually, Hopwood’s life came crashing down in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, when FBI agents tackled and arrested him. A year later, terrified, he stood before a federal judge who sentenced him to more than twelve years in prison. Shortly thereafter, he was on a prison plane, handcuffed shackled, and heading to a federal penitentiary. He was only 23, and his life was growing worse and worse by the day.

I’ll tell you what happened to him a little later, but his story raises two questions for us. Why do people go the wrong way? And, Why do good people do bad things?

For thousands of years, people have been debating these types of questions. Sociologists and laypeople expend huge amounts time in research trying to determine if human beings are basically good or fundamentally evil.

For much of his life, retired British physician Theodore Dalrymple believed in the basic goodness of humanity. During his career, the doctor worked in hospitals and prisons, and he traveled to countries where dictators massacred their own people. Initially he believed widespread evil was impossible unless tyrants were everywhere. Slowly, though, he changed his mind as he listened to the stories of his patients. Evil, he decided, is something inside of us – something we all can freely choose. “Never again will I be tempted to believe in the fundamental goodness of man, or that evil is something exceptional or alien to human nature,” Dalrymple said.

The Bible has a word for what Dalrymple witnessed: SIN. According to Scripture, sin is the fundamental problem of every person.

[READ Rom. 3:10-12]
10 As it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”

Pastor Kevin DeYoung wrote: “Sin is in every human heart. It is the villain with a thousand faces. It’s the man who gets a woman pregnant and leaves town. It’s also the reputable family man who cuts down his wife and ignores his kids. It’s the mean-spirited woman who talks bad about everyone, but it’s also the sweet lady who never says an unkind word but harbors all kinds of resentment and grudges. It’s the kid who swears at his parents and blows off everyone who tries to help. It’s also the kid who gets straight A’s, keeps curfew, and smiles at church, but is one enormous bundle of pride and self-righteousness.

Our problem, then, isn’t just that we live in a sinful world, but that we live in a world of sinful people. Our sin affects everything. The Bible makes it clear we are all corrupted by sin. That corruption entered our bloodstream through Adam and Eve, who rebelled against God in His garden. The blood disease of sin has descended through the generations, and it infects us today.

[READ Rom. 5:12] The Bible says,
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

[READ Jer. 17:9, NKJV] The prophet wrote,
9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?

Because we’ve been stained by sin in this way, we can produce nothing good on our own – either as individuals or collectively.

[READ Jn. 15:5] Jesus said,
5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

The blood of Christ and the Spirit of God must unleash their power in our lives if we’re to be godly people.

This is the war zone we call planet Earth. We’re pushed and pulled between goodness and evil, between love and hate, between creation and destruction. You and I are Christ-followers in a fallen world. This has been true for God’s people throughout the centuries. But can you feel that something has changed?

The bad is getting worse. Godlessness is overtaking every institution, every platform, every square inch of our culture. Decency is crumbling like wooden planks infested with termites. The pathway ahead is increasingly unsound and may snap at any moment.

Just consider the story of Xiao Zhen Xie, who lives in San Francisco. When she was 75-years-old, she was the victim of a brutal attack while she was walking down Market Street in the middle of the day. A young man struck her in the face without provocation. Without warning. Without mercy.

The assailant didn’t know who he was dealing with, because within seconds of the attack, Xie had found a wooden board close by on the ground and began pummeling her attacker as a means of defending herself. In fact, when police arrived, they found the young man lying on a stretcher and Xiao Zhen Xie standing over him to take sure he didn’t escape!

Still, Xie was left bloodied and traumatized by the attack. Worse yet, police discovered that this same attacker had beaten an 83-year-old man earlier that same day. How can we account for such reckless disregard for humanity? Such casual cruelty?

Evil has always been part of human society – including extreme acts of violence and brutality. Satan and his demons have been present in our world for as long as human society has existed. People have been driven to commit atrocities, both small and great. World history is an album of infamy. Yet, we can sense things have reached a tipping point. Gun violence. Depression. Homicide. Addiction. Choose any negative headline, and chances are it has been increasing dramatically over the past decade. Why? Because something is broken in us.

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (2 Tim. 3:1-5, 13)
I want to show you a prediction about the last days that will put all of this into prophetic context. I want to quote from a letter written by another prisoner, this one on death row. He wasn’t there for robbing banks, but for preaching the gospel. The apostle Paul wrote his final letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, from a Roman cell. Near the end of his letter, Paul drew a surprisingly detailed picture of how people will behave prior to the tribulation.

[READ 2 Tim. 3:1-5]
1 But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these.

And notice what he added in verse 13:
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

“From bad to worse!” With these four short words, Paul predicted people will descend into rampant and accelerating godlessness as we approach the tribulation. Please note the apostle’s focus was not on bad times, but on bad people. Commenting on this passage, John Calvin wrote, “The hardness or danger of this time is in Paul’s view to be, not war, famine or diseases, nor any of the other calamities or ills that befall the body, but the wicked and depraved ways of men.”

Paul gave us these 19 specific character descriptions of what people will be like. In other words, here in 2 Timothy 3, the Lord gave us 19 expressions to depict the nature of godlessness in the last days. We can’t dig into all 19 words and phrases this morning, but I can show you the pattern – Paul’s words move from selfish people to splintered families to shattered societies.

• Selfish People (2 Tim. 3:2)

[READ 2 Tim. 3:2]
2 For men will be lovers of self, ….

Right up front, the Lord told us that the last days will be populated by people who are lovers of themselves (v. 2).

Do you remember Narcissus from Greek mythology? According to the legend, Narcissus was a hunter who was extremely handsome. Women constantly fell in love with him, but he spurned their advances and despised all who tried to approach him. One day Narcissus came to a clear pool in the middle of the woods. He saw his reflection and immediately fell in love with his own face. When he realized what was going on – that he had not encountered another person, but only himself – he took his own life in a burst of despair.

That’s the origin of our modern word narcissism, the excessive love of self. According to Paul, the days before the tribulation will be perilous because people will love only themselves.

[READ 2 Tim. 3:2] They will consequently be …
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant (proud), blasphemers, ….

These people love to talk about themselves and to build themselves up. Such people want everyone else to love them as much as they love themselves. They write their own press reports and pad their own resumes. When you finally meet the person in question, you hardly recognize them.

These are proud or haughty people, which means they’re disdainful toward others. Looking down on others comes as naturally to them as it does to a pigeon sitting on a ledge.

The word blasphemers is a theological term referring to verbal abuse toward God. The original Greek word also included the idea of slander. Those who harbor a disproportionate love for themselves, being boastful of themselves and disdainful of others, expend a lot of energy seeking to reduce everyone else around them. They’re intent on pushing others aside so they can stand taller.

Robert Ringer was an early apostle of this aggressive form of narcissism. Decades ago, he published a book called Winning Through Intimidation. He encouraged people to view themselves a wolves or foxes, seizing what they wanted and dominating those around them. His next book was the aptly titled Looking Out for # 1. Both books were New York Times bestsellers.

Robert Ringer is seen as a visionary entrepreneur. In reality, he simply sold readers on the value of plain old selfishness. He wrote, “Clear your mind, then forget the ‘moral’ standards others may have tried to cram down your throat and do what is best for you.”

Perhaps nothing represents modern narcissism better than social media. Facebook, Twitter (X), YouTube, and Instagram allow us to constantly crow about our own success while simultaneously slashing away at the achievements of others, often through anonymous comments and online bullying. Social media is a stronghold for selfish people. Unfortunately, selfish people rarely keep to themselves.

• Splintered Families (2 Tim. 3:2-3)

The increasing selfishness of the last days will manifest itself in selfish people, and those selfish people will unavoidably result in damaged families. People will focus less on loved ones. Their time, energy, and passion will be tied up in themselves. The result? The days prior to the tribulation will be strewn with broken homes.

There are five descriptive terms in 2 Timothy 3 that highlight the damage broken people will perpetrate on their own families in the last days.

[READ 2 Tim. 3:2-3] Paul said these people will be …
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable (unforgiving), ….

When ancient Greek writers wanted to say something negative, they took a positive word and put a letter in front of it called the alpha privative. That letter negated the positive word. We see the same principle in English when we say something is “distasteful.” We take the word tasteful and put a prefix in front of it, and that prefix negates the word.

All five of Paul’s terms in these verses includes the alpha privative. All five describe a positive attribute that has vanished from most families during the last days.

Children will be disobedient. Willfully, they will do what they want to do, casting off oversight and authority. They will ignore the instruction of Scripture.

[READ Eph. 6:1-2]
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise).

They will be ungrateful. Gone will be a thankful spirit between children and their parents, and that lack of gratitude will extend to other relationships as well.

The third word is unholy. In this context, it implies a lack of respect. There will be no respect within the structure or framework of the family. The picture is of someone who throws off the oversight of all levels of authority and harbors a growing sense of rebellion and independence. Ask most schoolteachers and educators in America today, and they’ll tell you all you need to know about the culture of disrespect.

Next, we come to the word unloving. Normal human affection will wither away. This word is translated elsewhere in the NT as “heartless.” Homes will become hard places ruined by harsh hearts, which will spill over into the whole society.

The final word is unforgiving, which could also be translated as “truth-breaker.” This refers to people whose rebellion becomes stubborn and hardhearted. The root of bitterness within them grows into an emotional forest of poisonous trees bearing toxic fruit. They lack the capacity to forgive others, which paradoxically means they live as though they themselves could never be forgiven for all the harm they’ve caused.

By now, you probably need a breath of fresh air. So, let’s take a moment and turn this around. If the ungodly world is characterized by these negatives, how should God’s people live in the midst of it all? It’s very simple. Our grammar should be different. We should leave off the alpha privative. In Christ, it’s not appropriate to negate virtue. Our homes should be filled with obedience between children and parents. Families should be filled with gratitude and defined by respect. They should exude a natural love and affection. And we should be able to trust one another.

We have to work hard to avoid the alpha privative lifestyle. We must be doggedly committed to biblical marriages and to kingdom families. Whatever has happened to you in the past, start where you are today and, with God’s help, make your home a place indwelled by Jesus Christ.

• Shattered Societies (2 Tim. 3:3-5)

Paul began by describing the selfishness of end times people. That selfishness will contribute to the decline of end times families. And the more broken families you find within a society, the more broken that society will become.

That’s what we see in the final section of these nineteen descriptors.

[READ 2 Tim. 3:3-5] The culture of the last days will be dominated by …
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips (slanderers), without self-control, without gentleness (brutal), without love for good (despisers of good), 4 treacherous (traitors), reckless (headstrong), conceited (haughty), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power.

II. HOW DO WE LIVE IN SUCH A PLACE?

How do Christians live in such a place where selfishness reigns and immorality increases? How can we be a different kind of “end times people” in our dark world? I’m guessing you know who this man is.

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin described the darkness that filled the streets of Philadelphia in his day. It was pitch black at night, and people were stepping into mud puddles and stumbling over rough cobblestones. Even worse, crime was increasing. It wasn’t safe to be out after sunset. Franklin waged an intense campaign to persuade everyone to light the area outside their own houses, but he got nowhere. Finally, he just did it himself – but only in front of his own house. He planted a pole in front of his porch with a kerosene lamp on top. That night in the city of Philadelphia, there was one house bathed in a warm glow. The lamp cast light on the street, giving passersby a feeling of well-being and safety.

The next night, another house had a lamp, then another. Pretty soon, almost the whole city was lighting the walkways in front of their houses at night. Franklin learned something: our example is often greater than our admonitions and campaigns. We need to learn this lesson too.

With this in mind, I want to move you out of 2 Timothy 3 and you into Ephesians.

[READ Eph. 5:8]
8 For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light, ….

This sentence is short enough to memorize, but powerful enough to illumine the pathways around your life.

• Remember the Grace You Received (Eph. 5:8)

How do we walk in the light when our society is defined by end times people?

First, by experiencing God’s grace through an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. Metaphors involving light pervade Scripture, and Ephesians 5:8 describes the difference that comes over us when we have a grace experience with Christ. Before that moment, we live in darkness as deep as underground caverns. We are spiritually, morally, personally, and eternally in pitch blackness. The moment we come to Christ, He turns on the switch that connects us to the throne of grace turning on a billion megawatts of light inside us. This experience is so vivid that many Christians describe their moment of grace in bright terms.

Cameron Cole was a missionary kid who grew up in Turkey and Thailand. Though his parents were Christians, Cameron wanted nothing to do with the Lord. He was self-absorbed. But during Cameron’s senior year, a speaker came to his high school and spoke every day for a week.

“It was during this week that the light switched ‘on’ in my heart,” Cameron said, “and I began to see this Jesus and understand that the way to life and joy and peace is His way. The truth that all my awful decisions and hurtful words could be washed away forever by faith in Jesus was the sweetest news I had ever heard, so I began to follow Him and dig into His Word.”

Today, Cameron and his wife are serving a church in Texas, and he’s always eager to tell others about the day Christ lit up his life.

The same happens inside each of us the more we remember the grace we have received.

• Reflect the Light You Have Become (Eph. 5:8-10; Ps. 34:5; Isa. 60:5)

This brings us to our next tactic for living in these dark times: We must exude God’s light. We have to convey it, reflect it, and radiate it.

[READ Eph. 5:8-10]
8 For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

I’m concerned about the way this present darkness is casting its shadow over many churches and Christians alike. Too many people in the community of faith are trying to blend the light and the darkness together, trying to achieve a sort of grayness. It doesn’t work. It’s a devilish lie to believe we can be Christians without being different and distinct from the world.

As followers of Jesus, we have left the kingdom of darkness, and we are now children of light. So now we must walk – we must live – as children of light.

[READ Ps. 34:5]
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be humiliated (ashamed).

[READ Isa. 60:5]
5 Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will tremble and be large with joy;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.

Exactly what does this mean? We don’t need to theorize about it. Paul told us plainly in his parenthetical statement in Ephesians 5:9. Those who are radiant and who walk in the light demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

* People of Goodness. Those who are walking in the light are supposed to be good. This has to do with your relationships with other people. You’ve been translated out of the darkness of deceitful and destructive relationships. Now you’re going in a different direction. You share the essential goodness of Christ through His Spirit, who is working within you. This goodness is a characteristic of those who have been delivered from the darkness and are now walking in the light. In …

[READ 1 Thes. 5:15] Paul states it this way,
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

Before surrendering your life to Christ, you were pursuing evil as fast as you could. Or maybe it was pursuing you.

But now you’re prompted by the Holy Spirit to look for ways to do good things. You are pursuing good for yourself and other people.

This week I was reading about two sisters (twins) who were 97-years-old. When they were 85, someone at church told them about a child who was sick. The sisters bought a teddy bear and crocheted a custom wardrobe for the stuffed animal, which they gave to the child. That began a ministry of teddy bears. For the next 12 years, these two sisters devoted their days to sewing and crocheting custom outfits for teddy bears. They buy the bears and make outfits according to the needs or age or condition of the child. They also pray over the children – and even the bears.

“We can’t get out much anymore,” one of the sisters said. “But we can still do things to bring a smile to people. … It takes pretty much all day to make an outfit for one bear, but I don’t mind. I’ve got the time. We just want to bring some happiness to kids, some who don’t have too much.”

These superb sisters even give bears to high school seniors who are going off to college. Those bears are dressed in the colors of their high school, complete with cap and tassel. “There is a lot of prayer that goes into a bear before it leaves us. Since we know who will be receiving the bear, my sister and I are able to pray over the bear as we’re crocheting the outfit.”

What can you call this except – goodness! It’s a quality we can never outlive.

* People of Righteousness. If our relationship with other people is one of goodness, our relationship to God is one of righteousness.

[READ 1 Tim. 6:11] Paul told Timothy,
11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, ….

[READ 2 Tim. 2:22] Later, he repeated the command,
22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, ….
Notice that verb pursue? It means “to chase after” and “to hunt down.” It gives the impression that when we’ve walked out of the darkness into the light, we are on an important search. We’re pursuing, trying to chase down, running hard after righteousness. In thinking about this, we need to ask ourselves if that’s what we’re really doing. Does this describe our lives? Or are we just kind of floating along with what’s going on in our busy world?

Dr. R.C. Sproul described a night when he was almost asleep in his college dormitory room. He was a new Christian, but he had a lot of questions. Suddenly he was wide awake, feeling he had to get up and get out of the room. “The summons became stronger, more urgent, impossible to ignore.” He got up, got dressed, and stepped out of the dorm into the cold snow of the evening. It was midnight, and the moon cast a ghostly pall on the college buildings. Making his way to the Gothic chapel, he swung open the doors and entered. The door slammed shut behind him, rattling the stain-glassed windows. His footsteps echoed hauntingly as he made his way down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A sense of fear came over him, but then a sense of peace. In that moment, somehow, he yielded all his questions to God and realized his entire life was to be a glorious pursuit in knowing ever more intimately the God of all holiness.

“I was alone with God,” he recalled. “A holy God. An awesome God. A God who could fill me with terror in one second and with peace in the next…. Within me was born a new thirst that could never be fully satisfied in this world. I resolved to learn more, to pursue this God who lived in dark Gothic cathedrals and who invaded my dormitory room to rouse me from complacent slumber.”

Oh, that we would all have that kind of experience! In these perilous days, we need to chase after, to hunt down righteousness in all our habits – and a righteous God in our daily experience.

* People of Truth. Walking in the light also makes us people of truth. Men and women of integrity. Our outward persona must be matched by an inward reality.

Around the world, there are 14 mountain peaks that rise to 8,000 meters, which is nearly five miles above sea level. Forty-four people claim to have reached the summit of all 14. But did they really do it? Damien Gildea, an Australian climber and writer, isn’t so sure. He caused a turmoil in the world of mountain climbing because he and his researchers were trying to verify the claims. He matched the words of the climbers with pictures and news reports of their adventures, as well as GPS indicators. Some of the climbers came close to the top, but the last few feet were too dangerous. Others took paths that made it difficult to know exactly where the summit was. Some stopped at what seemed to be the highest point, but it wasn’t. One of the 44 quickly withdrew his claim.

“No one’s trying to take away the fact that they’ve gone a long way up a big mountain,” Gildea told ABC News. “I know how hard it can be. And we all make mistakes, particularly when you’re cold and tired and you’re up at a high altitude. But these people are basing their reputations … on a claim, and that’s a claim to have gone to the top of the mountain.”

If you’re like me, hearing this, pings your conscience. As Christians, do we sometimes misrepresent ourselves or fudge the truth? How often do we exaggerate? How many white lies are floating around in our world? We not only want to avoid dishonesty, but we also want to bring the truth – with a capital T – into every situation. We want to awaken each morning and say, “Lord, I have a lot of things going on today. Help me to take You with me wherever I go. And help me to bring Jesus and His truthfulness and honesty into every situation, with kindness and love.”

Castlefields Church in the center of Derby, England, has a section on its website for its members to share how they found the light of Christ. Amanda grew up without a Christian background, except for a great-aunt who would talk about the Lord and give out Bibles. When Amanda was 25, she was studying at a university, feeling depressed, and having trouble finding employment. While walking home on a cold February evening she heard someone singing behind her. He was singing loudly. Amanda turned around and said, “Why are you so happy?”

He said, “I’m praising the Lord, He makes me so happy.” Turns out the man was a Nigerian evangelist. Over time, he answered her questions, gave her literature, and pointed her to passages of Scripture. He explained the gospel simply enough for her to understand it. One evening, she said, “Something supernatural happened, a light switched on and I believed Jesus had died on the cross for my sins. It all became so personal. I gave my life to Jesus that February night in 1998. Jesus became my Lord and Savior.” Did you hear what Amanda said? “A light switched on.”

When I read this story, I could almost hear that Nigerian evangelist singing as he walked through the dark streets of Derby on that cold February night. His faith lit up the sidewalk, and he was living out the words of Christ.

[READ Mt. 5:14]
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

[READ 1 Pet. 2:9] Peter proclaimed …
9 … The excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

• Reveal the Darkness You See (Eph. 5:11-14, NKJV, 1:7-8; Jn. 3:20-21)

The Ephesians passage goes on to tell us something else:

[READ Eph. 5:11-14]
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
“ Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

Turn over a large rock on a bright day, and you’ll see a whole world of creepy crawlies fleeing in all directions. These creatures prefer the darkness, and the light expels them. In the same way, the world may be ill at ease when we walk in the light and seek, through our lives, to reveal Christ’s holiness.

Did you notice how this happened naturally after you gave your life to Christ? All of a sudden, the people around you started looking at you differently. What’s wrong with him? He doesn’t laugh at my dirty jokes anymore. What’s wrong with her? She doesn’t like to party on weekends now.

We reply, “Well, you know what? I’m now a child of the light, and I can’t have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness anymore.” Some people will turn away from you. Some will remain friends, but your joint activities will become different. But some of them may follow your trail of light and find Christ for themselves.

The word fellowship in Ephesians 5:11 is translated from the Greek word sunkoinoneō. The last part of the word means fellowship, but the prefix sun, is the Greek word for “with.” It means participating with someone in doing something. This verse tells us that once we become a child of the light, we can no longer participate with those who are doing the works of darkness.

This doesn’t mean we reject these people, or stop loving them, or exclude them from our lives. But it does mean we no longer participate with them in things that are unworthy of our walk with Christ. We are still in the world, but we’re no longer of the world. We are lights in the world. As Jesus warned us, some people love darkness more than light.

[READ Jn. 3:20-21] He said,
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light ….

I had the same barber for many years. One day when I went for a haircut, and was waiting my turn. The man in the barber chair became increasingly vulgar in his talk. I looked up from the newspaper I was reading and saw my friend the barber trying to gesture and intervene. He was determined to quietly signal to the man that there was a pastor in the shop. He was uncomfortable with that kind of language himself, let alone while I was present. Why was that? I’m just another person. I was just one of the customers that frequented the shop regularly. But that’s not entirely true, is it? You and I are children of light. We don’t want to be offensive, make people uncomfortable, or drive people away. Yet we can’t help being lights in the darkness wherever we go. And that light casts its rays around us wherever we are.

When Almighty God comes into your life, He changes you, doesn’t He? He makes you an agent of change. He gives you a new description – you’re now a child of light. He gives you a new direction – you walk in the light. You have a new desire – pursuing the will of God for your life. You have a new distinction – you no longer walk according to the unfruitful works of darkness. And you have a new duty – to spread the light.

Everyone is longing for some light. The world and its darkness are closing in on us. But when Jesus Christ comes into your life, He switches on the light that can never be turned off!

This brings me back to Shon Hopwood, whom we last saw entering federal prison at age 23. As time went by, Shon got a job in the prison library where he began reading law books. As he learned about the law, he began taking on cases for fellow inmates, writing petitions they could use in federal courts. They called him the “jailhouse lawyer.” Shon also began corresponding with a friend named Annie, his secret crush through high school. Furthermore, his parents let him know they continued to pray for him, and his mom kept sending him Christian books.

One day Shon’s prison friend Robert had a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ. Shon took all of it in, and he found it increasingly difficult to rationalize his darkened life. After Shon was released from prison in 2009, he and Annie got engaged. They asked pastor Marty Barnhart to officiate the wedding, but Barnhart wanted to talk with them first. He asked them what they believed about Jesus, and he said they could be forgiven by the shed blood of Christ. The pastor’s exact words were: “Yeah, even you, Shon.” Shon described what happened next:

The next day I couldn’t escape the feeling that God had been pursuing me for a long time and that if I’d just abandon my stubbornness and selfishness, and hand everything over to Him, I would find redemption.

What does it mean to be redeemed? And how do you redeem yourself after robbing five banks? The answer is, you don’t. The answer is that you need some help.

In Ephesians 1:7-8, Paul writes that in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.” To put it differently, because of our sins, none of us – and surely no former prisoner like me – can be redeemed on our own. We need the gospel of grace, which says that each of us matters and has worth because we’re made in the image of God. Grace says we are not defined by our failures and our faults, but by a love without merit or condition. God’s grace was enough to redeem me.

Shon and Annie asked Christ to come into their lives, they were married, they were baptized, and they moved to Seattle so Shon could attend the University of Washington Law School. Today Shon is a professor of law at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he is spreading light every day.

III. IN CONCLUSION

Beloved, we’re living in a messed-up world filled with self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent people. The Bible warns that in the last days perilous times will come. Society will go from bad to worse. But remember, the city of Ephesus was also a place of darkness in Paul’s day, yet he viewed the Christians there as children of light. Their presence lit up the city streets with the glow of Jesus.

Even during dark days, you can experience God’s grace, exude His radiance, and exhibit His holiness. So, brighten up!  God wants His people to be light on their feet, so to speak. In a world dominated by end times people, He has empowered you to shine.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we recognize that the world is a dark place, filled with pain, suffering, and injustice. Yet, Your light shines brightest in the darkest places. Equip us, Lord, to be a beacon of hope for those who are lost, a source of comfort for those who are suffering, and an agent of Your justice for those who are oppressed.
Help us not to shy away from difficult places or to turn a blind eye to the needs we encounter. Strengthen our faith and resolve, knowing that light shines most effectively not where it is already bright, but where it is needed most. May our lives become a lighthouse, directing souls toward You, the ultimate source of light and life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation Special: “The Lighthouse”

Benediction: Beloved, may love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, and write them on the tablet of your heart. By doing this, you will find favor and good success both in the sight of God and man. Amen. (Prov. 3:3-4)

END TIMES PEOPLE - Study Guide

END TIMES PEOPLE

3 Prophecies Being Fulfilled (Lesson 2) - Nov. 16, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: (2 Tim. 3:13; Rom. 3:10-12, 5:12; Jer. 17:9, NKJV; Jn. 15:5)

Our world is changing and not for the better. People are becoming more callous, selfish, violent, and angry. Attitudes and behaviors deemed unthinkable even a decade ago are now considered acceptable. This world is broken – and it is only getting worse.

2 Timothy 3:13

According to Scripture, sin is the fundamental problem of every person.

Romans 3:10-12

Our problem isn’t just that we live in a sinful world, but that we live in a world of sinful people. Our sin affects everything. The Bible makes it clear we are all corrupted by sin. That corruption entered our bloodstream through Adam and Eve.

Romans 5:12; Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV; John 15:5

The bad is getting worse. Godlessness is overtaking every institution, every platform, every square inch of our culture.

I. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (2 Tim. 3:1-5, 13)

I want to show you a prediction about the last days that will put all of this into prophetic context.

2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13

“From bad to worse!” With these four short words, Paul predicted people will descend into rampant and accelerating godlessness as we approach the tribulation.

The Lord gave us 19 expressions to depict the nature of godlessness in the last days. We can’t dig into all 19 words and phrases this morning, but I can show you the pattern.

* SELFISH PEOPLE (2 Tim. 3:2)

* SPLINTERED FAMILIES (2 Tim. 3:2-3)

* Disobedient (Eph. 6:1-2)
• Ungrateful
• Unholy
• Unloving
* Unforgiving

If the ungodly world is characterized by these negatives, how should God’s people live in the midst of it all? It’s very simple. Our grammar should be different. We should leave off the alpha privative. Our homes should be filled with obedience between children and parents. Families should be filled with gratitude and defined by respect. They should exude a natural love and affection. And we should be able to trust one another.

* SHATTERED SOCIETIES (2 Tim. 3:3-5)

II. HOW DO WE LIVE IN SUCH A PLACE? (Eph. 5:8)

How do Christians live in such a place where selfishness reigns and immorality increases? How can we be a different kind of “end times people” in our dark world?

This sentence is short enough to memorize, but powerful enough to illumine the pathways around your life.

* REMEMBER THE GRACE YOU RECEIVED (Eph. 5:8)

* REFLECT THE LIGHT YOU HAVE BECOME (Eph. 5:8-10; Ps. 34:5; Isa. 60:5)

* People of Goodness (1 Thes. 5:15)

* People of Righteousness (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22)

* People of Truth (Mt. 5:14; 1 Pet. 2:9)

* REVEAL THE DARKNESS YOU SEE (Eph. 5:11-14, NKJV, 1:7-8; Jn. 3:20-21)

III. IN CONCLUSION

We’re living in a messed-up world filled with self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent people. The Bible warns that in the last days perilous times will come. Society will go from bad to worse.

God wants His people to be light on their feet, so to speak. In a world dominated by end times people, He has empowered you to shine.

THE FALLING AWAY - A Theological Prophecy

Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Click For Audio

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 - Study Guide

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

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