1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,640 Hello and welcome to the Church Newtown Square podcast. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,680 If we can serve you in any way, or if you'd like to learn more 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,280 about our church family or the Acts 29 Network, please visit us 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,520 at Church NSQ. Dot org. 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:23,240 That's CHVRCHNSQ. Dot org. 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,200 And now let's listen in to today's teaching. 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,640 What? The risk of being real sappy on 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,200 the front end of this sermon, there's some debate between my 9 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,920 wife and I. When we actually first met, it 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,520 was AI was a student at Westchester University and I 11 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,920 went to the weekly meeting of Campus Crusade for Christ. 12 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,880 And similar to here, we have, we had like a meet and greet or a 13 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:46,840 return. And she says that in the 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,960 semester before that I first really started getting involved. 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,000 She she, she says that she met me, she greeted me, which maybe 16 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,720 subconsciously that's why I stayed. 17 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:01,120 But in the fall I remember, I do remember the first time that I 18 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,280 saw her face and was absolutely struck. 19 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,560 I wanted to keep looking at her but didn't want to make it too 20 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,120 obvious. So I I played it cool like I 21 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:15,080 didn't care, but I actually really didn't care and that's 22 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,200 why I eventually asked her to marry her so I could stare at 23 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:24,160 her without feeling creepy. I also remember seeing the faces 24 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,200 of my boys for the first time. For those of us who are parents, 25 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,800 a feeling is really indescribable. 26 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,560 Really it's it's you want to panic, throw up and run and jump 27 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,960 for joy all at the same time. I love seeing my best friends 28 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:40,600 faces. Every summer I get to see three 29 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,040 of my best friends. We go hiking. 30 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,280 If you've been around long enough, you know that I go out 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,560 West and we do things together. We go on adventures and I love 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,760 seeing them. I love being reunited with them. 33 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,280 There's great joy, there's great delight. 34 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,520 We spent a lot of time together joking and laughing. 35 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:58,640 I love seeing each of you each week. 36 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:00,320 I love seeing you guys each week. 37 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,440 I hope the feeling's mutual. But I love seeing you, the 38 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,800 church each week. And if you have close friends or 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,960 family, or if you are part of the local church where you do 40 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,200 regularly attend and you know others and most importantly, you 41 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:20,040 are also known, then you know the feeling and the joy of 42 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:24,600 reunion. Joy of reunion, finally seeing a 43 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:28,040 beloved face again, seeing someone you haven't seen for a 44 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:29,840 long time. Maybe it's been a week, maybe 45 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,200 it's been a few months, maybe it's been a few years, but there 46 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,440 is joy in being reunited from the people that you miss. 47 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:40,840 With that being said, let me ask you this question. 48 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:47,160 Have you ever thought, pondered about what it will be like when 49 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,480 you see Jesus's face for the first time? 50 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,400 We have never really sat and thought with that because you'll 51 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,440 you'll see him. That's the promise. 52 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,880 That's the promise of the Christian, that we will see God 53 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,400 face to face. John reveals a goddess spirit. 54 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,160 No one can see him, but that's the beauty of Jesus Christ, the 55 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,640 incarnation is that we actually see God as he is face to face in 56 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:11,040 human flesh. Just as we look at one another, 57 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,240 we will see Jesus. He will be a physical being, 58 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,760 human being that we will see. We will be able to touch and 59 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,680 feel him, not really just to think about him, not even merely 60 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,040 just to sing about him, but actually to be in the have you 61 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,400 ever thought about you're going to be as you're in the presence 62 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,680 when he comes up to you and he says, hey, what will that be 63 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,000 like? What will that be like? 64 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:41,920 Have you anticipated it? Matthew 24 teaches that for 65 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,920 some, the day that we see Jesus face will be absolute joy. 66 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,840 Absolute joy. It'll be beyond words. 67 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,360 It also teaches us that for some it will be the most dreadful day 68 00:03:54,360 --> 00:04:00,920 of their entire existence. In Matthew 24, Jesus teaches us 69 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,880 that he will return that that Christ's return is final, That 70 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:11,360 it will be glorious. It will be very sudden and it 71 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:17,560 will be only those who take refuge in Him now that will be 72 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,000 ready to see Him then. And for those that don't take 73 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,680 refuge for him now, in Him now, they will not be ready to see 74 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,440 Him. And by the time they see him it 75 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:31,640 will be too late because Christ will return suddenly and 76 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,760 finally. We must take refuge. 77 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,440 That's the force behind Jesus's teaching is that He is warning 78 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,520 his disciples to not be duped, don't not to be LED astray. 79 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,960 He's saying there's going to come a time when the thing that 80 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,720 you're asking me will happen, will happen, and it will be for 81 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,840 some great joy. So hold on. 82 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:52,440 And for others it will be absolutely dreadful. 83 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,960 And so our focus this morning as we wrap up our time in the 84 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:00,760 Olivet Discourse will be on the return of Christ, starting in 85 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,720 Matthew chapter 29. We'll just work quickly through 86 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,520 44 the rest of the parables that follow, the parables of the 10 87 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,160 virgins, the parables of the talents. 88 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,400 Really what Jesus does there is he just helps unpack the same 89 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,760 call to readiness. Jesus calls his disciples to be 90 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:22,120 ready, calls us to be ready. And we're not going to look at 91 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,360 depth in those, but you can later this afternoon read them 92 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,840 in full and see if what we say this morning will make sense. 93 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:30,880 And so if you want to take notes, here's what we're going 94 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:31,760 to do. We're going to we're going to 95 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,320 talk about the return of Christ. What does Jesus say about his 96 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,920 return? We're going to talk about 97 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,320 finding refuge in Christ that Jesus says he will return and it 98 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,320 will be for some great joy and for others great tread. 99 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,240 But how do we take refuge in Christ? 100 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,640 And when we take refuge in Christ, how can we assure our 101 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:54,840 souls that you are indeed in Christ, meaning that you have 102 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,280 taken refuge in him? And as his promise, it says that 103 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:02,960 just like any shelter or castle or ark, that when you are in 104 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,920 Christ, you are safe from the coming judgement in the coming 105 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,960 final end of the age. And finally, as a bonus 106 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:11,400 material, we're going to look to heaven. 107 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,520 What motivates us to actually live lives that Christ calls us 108 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,200 to? It is a looking beyond the 109 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,480 horizon of the now, but it is looking to heaven. 110 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,440 So first let's talk about the return of Christ. 111 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,640 Look at verse 29 with me briefly. 112 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:32,640 Jesus in 2429 says immediately after the tribulation of those 113 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,000 days. Jesus has already spoken about 114 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,000 the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple. 115 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,880 Much of what he has said up to this point has and was fulfilled 116 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,400 in the events leading up to AD 70, when Jerusalem was indeed 117 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:52,920 sacked by the Romans. But now his language turns our 118 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,320 eyes beyond Jerusalem. He's talking to his disciples 119 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,880 and he's saying, OK, now that I've I've addressed what happens 120 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,120 to Jerusalem, he, he turns to the second question, the coming 121 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,240 of the Son of Man. The coming of the Son of Man is 122 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,280 going to come in power and in great glory. 123 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,520 He uses apocalyptic language here. 124 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:10,680 Look, the sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its 125 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:12,200 light. The stars will fall from heaven 126 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:13,880 and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 127 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,400 The writers of Hebrews in the first few chapters talks about 128 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,800 the the cataclysmic, apocalyptic, the revelation of 129 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,760 God's work in redemptive history, and they use a lot of 130 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,240 this language. The sun, the moon, the stars, 131 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,600 the heavens, they're all shaken. This is language, and it's a 132 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,000 language of cosmic upheaval because that's really what 133 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,640 happened when Christ came in the form of flesh, and he is the Son 134 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:40,760 of God. When he was crucified, things 135 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:42,040 happened. When he rose from the grave, 136 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:43,640 things happened. Things that we can see and 137 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,720 things that we don't see. And so Jesus says immediately 138 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,120 after the tribulation of those days, a cosmic upheaval is going 139 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:54,120 to happen. Jesus is saying that his return, 140 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,120 the coming of the Son of Man, is not going to be private. 141 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,280 He says all the tribes of the earth will mourn. 142 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,200 He will appear in heaven, and the sign of Son of Man will be 143 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,200 very clear. He'll come on the clouds of 144 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,440 heaven with power and great glory, and then He will send out 145 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:10,920 his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His 146 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,360 elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 147 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,000 That just simply means, as Moses said, from underneath. 148 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,920 If you look to the east and to the West under the heavens, just 149 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,480 look all around you, all over the place, people will be 150 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,920 gathered. And so the promise is that 151 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,280 Jesus's return will be public. It's the appearing in the Son of 152 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,960 Man is going to come in great power and glory, like lightning. 153 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,960 You will not miss it. It will be absolutely glorious. 154 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,919 Paul had to remind a church in Thessalonica in its Second 155 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:42,559 Thessalonians, chapter 2. They were worried that they had, 156 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,360 they'd missed this. But Paul reminds them of the 157 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:47,480 same truth. In the 1st century, people were 158 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,240 going around saying Jesus has returned, or, you know, the very 159 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,120 same things that Jesus has warned people we see in the New 160 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,200 Testament. The writers are encouraging 161 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:01,120 Christians to hold on. He says to them do not be 162 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,640 quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or a 163 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,360 spoken word or a letter seeming to be from from from us to the 164 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:10,080 effect that the day of the Lord has come. 165 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,680 Let no one deceive you in any way. 166 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:16,080 He says Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses one through 3. 167 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:18,560 In other words, Paul's saying, guys, keep your heads. 168 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:21,040 You didn't miss it. He just encouraged them to live 169 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,440 faithfully and to to wait because you will not miss the 170 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:30,720 coming of the Son of man. Then in verses 32, Jesus uses 171 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,480 another, you know, kind of farming metaphor. 172 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,680 He says the fig tree is for our discernment. 173 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,360 You know, when it's branch becomes tender, when figs become 174 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,120 ripe, you, you pluck them. Jesus likes fig trees. 175 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,720 Apparently He just uses them all the time in illustrations. 176 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,200 He says, you know, when the summer's near, We, we right now 177 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:48,400 know. How do we know what the summer's 178 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,760 near right now? Not because it's warm, because 179 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,920 goodness gracious, this is schizophrenic weather. 180 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,320 I mean, it's just like I was wearing shorts and T-shirts and 181 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,920 flip flops the other day and the next day I was like, I was like 182 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,920 button down sweater, jacket. I was like, what is going on? 183 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,200 But yet we see evidences of warmer weather coming. 184 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,120 It's inevitable it will be hot. Give us a few weeks. 185 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:10,680 We're going to be like, man, it's brutally hot. 186 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:14,320 I wish it was winter again. Well, we know when summer is 187 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,040 near. In the same way the disciples 188 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,840 would see things that Jesus had warned them about and Jerusalem 189 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,640 would fall. The temple would be destroyed. 190 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,720 And so that was their, that was their sign. 191 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:26,920 Things are moving forward. Look at verse 35. 192 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,280 Jesus gives us a promise that we ought to hold on to. 193 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,240 He says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not 194 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,200 pass away. That's the anchor for our souls. 195 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:40,520 That's what we're we're we're rooting ourselves into a truth 196 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:47,000 that is an anchor that the Kingdom is going to be permanent 197 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,040 under Jesus. But other nations, other 198 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,960 kingdoms, temples will fall, nations will shake, history will 199 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,760 groan, but Christ's words will not fail and so on. 200 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,480 In other words, the coming of the Son of Man won't simply just 201 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:58,760 be glorious. It's certain. 202 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:04,480 Jesus says it's certain. Then verse 36, look, he says 203 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,880 that day and hour, no one knows. The final date has not been 204 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,880 given to us. We're not called to calculate 205 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:12,040 it. We're really called just to be 206 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,120 ready for it does no good to calculate. 207 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,600 It's not the timing of Christ's return that matters. 208 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:23,600 It is what happens when he returns that really matters. 209 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,280 And so when we think about the return of Jesus. 210 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,960 I was thinking this week is like man is there Tom is do you 211 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,720 actually have any anticipation in your heart. 212 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,080 I was I was thinking back to my graduation. 213 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:37,200 You know, I was a senior in in at Westchester University, 214 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:43,000 engaged to Danae and like any good a college graduate, I was 215 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,640 like, dear Lord, please don't come back until my wedding day 216 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:52,120 and I have a job and then and then we're like, Oh, dear Lord, 217 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,840 like, you know, just I want to accomplish these few things. 218 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,240 It's a bit complicated because we can we can enjoy the good 219 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,960 things of God. But when I was a young man and I 220 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,040 had a whole life ahead of me, I didn't really look forward to 221 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,640 the the anticipation of Jesus return. 222 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,400 I think about the confidence that he will know me. 223 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:15,920 Will will he know me? Like what a dreadful thing it 224 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,560 would be to spend all of my life and for him to be like, I don't 225 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:23,560 know you. That shakes me to my core. 226 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:27,800 And what will his return mean for you? 227 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:34,600 Jesus is very clear. It's a bilateral. 228 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,360 Is that the right word? It's a there's only two options. 229 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:40,520 You either know him or you don't. 230 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,440 And if you know them, you stay with him. 231 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,080 If you don't, you're castaway. It's it's there's only two 232 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:46,560 options. There really is no in between. 233 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,160 And so to press that question into our hearts, we come to this 234 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,880 passage in that I read in verse 37 where Jesus gives us analogy 235 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:56,040 and I want to look at that and I want to use that as kind of like 236 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,520 the the secret decoder ring for how we think about what it will 237 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,440 be like when he returns and what the implications are. 238 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:07,560 Look at me at verse 37. Jesus uses this analogy in in 239 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:12,440 Genesis where he says for as were the days of Noah. 240 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,920 First, just apologetically, when Jesus refers back to the Old 241 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,320 Testament, no matter what you want to argue about whether it 242 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,720 was an all earth flood or localized flood, the fact of the 243 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,800 matter is that just if Jesus uses it as an argument, that 244 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:25,680 means that Jesus is affirming that it happened. 245 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,560 Do you understand that? So when Jesus refers back to 246 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,320 Genesis 1 and says God created man and woman, that means that 247 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,440 Jesus the Son of God, God himself is saying what was 248 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,400 written down is actually true. And so we can great get great 249 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,400 confidence in that. But Jesus says for as were the 250 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,760 days of Noah, so will the coming of the Son of man be. 251 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:48,360 So what happened in the days of Noah? 252 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:52,480 Well in those days, verse 38, before the flood, they were 253 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,320 eating and drinking, they were marrying and they were giving in 254 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,080 marriage until the day until the day. 255 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:04,040 Notice this when Noah entered the ark and they were unaware 256 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:09,120 until the flood came and swept them all away. 257 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:12,160 So will be the coming of the Son of Man. 258 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,800 Jesus reaches back to the days of Noah, and in Noah's day, he 259 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,760 says that the world was not trembling before God. 260 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,320 They had no care in the world for God. 261 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:23,680 They did not think about God. They didn't care for God. 262 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,840 Here's Noah building this ark and, you know, asking the 263 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:28,400 question, hey, what are you doing? 264 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,520 He's like, I'm going to, I'm going to build an ark because 265 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,800 judgement is coming and my family is going to take refuge 266 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,560 in it. And so, you know, kind of like, 267 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,080 you know, do you want to get in? And it the, the, the text 268 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,360 doesn't record people like, really, that's going to happen. 269 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,320 Could we join you? Because I'm certain that if 270 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,120 anybody was like, Noah, can we lend a hand and get on that boat 271 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,840 as well? Noah would be like, come on, 272 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,280 lend a hand. It's just me and my sons. 273 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,600 The more the merrier. But nobody. 274 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,160 What did they do? They laughed at him. 275 00:14:55,720 --> 00:15:00,320 Like, you're nuts. But instead people were eating 276 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,000 and drinking. They life felt normal. 277 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,600 It felt ordinary. Routines continued. 278 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:10,000 The world rolled on through as judgement were unthinkable, yet 279 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,080 all the while judgement was was steadily drawing near. 280 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,080 Genesis tells us that the flood came because the Lord saw that 281 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,680 the wickedness of man was great in the all of the earth. 282 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:21,320 You see, the flood was not random. 283 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,040 It was not just God reacting emotionally. 284 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,040 It was not a divine overreaction. 285 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,800 It was the holy judgement of God against human rebellion. 286 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,440 And so that is the force of Jesus warning. 287 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,680 When the Son of Man comes, his coming will not be a moment for 288 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,080 last second preparation. That's what you'll read in the 289 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,760 parable of the ten virgins where they were not ready. 290 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,560 And by the time the wedding bride came, the wedding came. 291 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,000 Like there were some that had to go prepare and some that left 292 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:50,040 Jesus like, yeah, you can't. There's not going to be time 293 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,440 because by the time you get to the party, the doors going to be 294 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:58,640 shut. It reveals at that time who was 295 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,440 ready and who was not. Two men will be in the field, 296 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,280 one will be taken and 1:00 left. Two women will be grinding at 297 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,000 the mill, one will be taken and 1:00 left. 298 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,920 Ordinary life will be interrupted by final judgement 299 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,080 that left. It's not speaking, in my 300 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,040 opinion, of the rapture. It's Speaking of the fact that 301 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,640 the one who has left was not swept away by judgement. 302 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,320 That's why Jesus uses the flood language. 303 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,320 He says when a flood comes, it's swept them all away because they 304 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,480 were unaware. And what Jesus says, somebody 305 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,400 who is there with someone else will be prepared and they will 306 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:32,440 be, they will be remaining and the other will be swept away in 307 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:37,200 judgement when Jesus returns. The fact of the matter is, is 308 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:44,200 the clock runs out when it's 4 to 2 and the Penguins are, you 309 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:47,120 know, up ahead of the Flyers. The clock is run out. 310 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,880 There's no more time. When the last out in the ninth 311 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:58,760 inning is recorded, the game is over in context, being taken 312 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,400 away. Like I said, it follows the 313 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,240 flood imagery. The wicked are swept away. 314 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,160 And what Jesus is warning here is that His coming will divide 315 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,880 humans finally and forever. The flood is not only a picture 316 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,440 of judgement, it's also a picture of mercy. 317 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,560 Which brings me to my second point is that we have refuge in 318 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:24,839 Christ Jesus has talked about as in the days of Noah and the ark 319 00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:29,120 of our salvation is who we just sang that song, the Lord is my 320 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,400 salvation, the Lord is my salvation. 321 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,240 How does that work? Well, that works because Noah, 322 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,640 if you noticed, where was he when the floods came? 323 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,000 He was in the ark. When Noah had already been in 324 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,840 the ark and the doors were shut and the floods came. 325 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:47,800 That's when people were like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, 326 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,400 wait, wait, wait, wait. We were, we, we went in and you 327 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,320 read the account of Noah and it is this picture of people that 328 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:59,760 were swept away unaware. And Noah is in the ark with his 329 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:02,240 family, with the animals, and the door is shut. 330 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:04,920 In fact, the door is so huge, it says that the Lord help them 331 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,520 shut it. It it's, it's a, it's a, it's a 332 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,000 picture of finality. Once you're on the boat, you 333 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:15,600 cannot get off that boat. And so for Noah, the door was 334 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,760 shut and the time for hesitation had passed. 335 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:19,680 Judgement came, but Noah was kept safe. 336 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,160 So was his family. God in his mercy gave Noah a 337 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:24,440 warning and gave him plenty of time. 338 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,000 I don't know how long it took to, I've not been to the, the, 339 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,080 the Noah's Ark replica down in Tennessee. 340 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,760 It's, it's pretty amazing. I've seen the pictures. 341 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:35,960 I don't know. And if any of you have seen Evan 342 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,720 Almighty, you know how long and how hard it takes to build a 343 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,880 boat, right? The time lapse there, I'm like, 344 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,360 I'm not sure he could build that big of a boat next short of 345 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,600 time. You know, Congress doesn't move 346 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,400 that fast. He's a congressman. 347 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,840 But the fact of the matter is it took a long time. 348 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,080 It would have been hard to notice that one that was in was 349 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:54,840 building an ark in his backyard, right? 350 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,280 Like there's a long time. It wasn't, it wasn't just like a 351 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,960 few weeks, few months. It was it was a while. 352 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,400 And So what Noah did was found safety in the ark. 353 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:10,680 And for us, friends, safety is in Christ and in Christ alone. 354 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:14,560 For us, safety is found in Christ. 355 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,480 And if the flood is an image of final judgement, then the ark is 356 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:20,400 an image of the only refuge that will matter on that day. 357 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,240 Those who have fled to Christ for refuge receive strong 358 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,160 encouragement to hold fast to this. 359 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,080 That's our hope, that we are imagining ourselves in the boat 360 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,800 of Christ, that if Christ has said that he will hold us fast 361 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,720 and in Him there is salvation, then we picture him as safe on a 362 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,080 boat, even though, you know, that's why there's so many boat 363 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:47,200 imageries and sea imagery and chaos imagery that on the boat 364 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,640 you might get seasick a bit, but you're not going to drown, 365 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,680 right? The writer of Hebrews in chapter 366 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,800 6, verses 18 and 19, it says that we have the sure and 367 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,320 steadfast anchor. It's one of my favorite verses, 368 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,160 another boating, an anchor for our soul. 369 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,040 Sure and steadfast that in Christ, though tribulations 370 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:11,040 come, He is the anchor that keeps us rooted in the truth of 371 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,760 our salvation. Christ's followers receive 372 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:17,920 eternal life and cannot be snatched from His hand. 373 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,960 That's what Jesus says in John chapter 10. 374 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:24,040 He emphasizes the permanence of protection once someone enters 375 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,800 into relationship with Him. Is that not good news that 376 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,760 Christ holds on to us despite the fact that, you know, 377 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,480 turbulent waters? I don't know if you've ever been 378 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,280 on a boat where there's rough waters or if you've ever been 379 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,560 behind a boat, if you'd like to wakeboard or or ski. 380 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,800 Water ski has enemy water skiers in here, wakeboarders, anybody. 381 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,880 No one won. That doesn't count, Rondi, that 382 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:49,680 it's hard and the waters are choppy. 383 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:51,240 You're trying to hold on to that rope. 384 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,520 And in the same way, we hold on to Christ and he holds on to us. 385 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:58,440 And when judgement comes, Jesus gives us this picture that 386 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,680 there's only one refuge, and it is in Christ Jesus. 387 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,640 And that's the mercy of God. When we are overwhelmed or fear 388 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:08,600 the overwhelming floods of judgement, Christ promises us 389 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:13,120 that we are in him. And when we are in him, we are 390 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:16,480 in the ark. In fact, some of you might know 391 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,200 this historically, churches in the main area. 392 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,080 Do you remember what it was called for those of you that 393 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,920 grew up in a church that they're like, hey, we're going to, we're 394 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,640 going to meet after, after a church in the Narthax. 395 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,400 But the opposite of the Narthax, which was the back of the of the 396 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,040 the building in in the main auditorium of the church was 397 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,680 called the nave. Did you know that the nave, it's 398 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,480 Latin for Navis, which is where we get our word Navy. 399 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,880 It's a big boat. That's why they would sometimes 400 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:49,520 build these churches. If you see old cathedrals, 401 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,720 they're shaped like a boat actually. 402 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:58,200 And this image of being in the ship, the church has often 403 00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,880 pictured it as a vessel of safety. 404 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:01,520 Some of you remember War of the Worlds. 405 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:05,760 The, the old version, you know, the, you know, the old, the old 406 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:08,720 color version. How many of you are over 45 and 407 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,160 remember that? Anybody remember HG Wells? 408 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,760 You watch it on TV. The newer version with Tom 409 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,080 Cruise is much better, right? The graphics are better. 410 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:21,600 But in both of them, you'll notice in HG Wells, HG Wells, 411 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,160 who was a staunch atheist actually, but he gives an 412 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,560 imagery in those both movies. Do you remember where they run 413 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,600 to for safety? There's a pause in the story. 414 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,320 And after the aliens of Common are wiping people away, where do 415 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,560 they run to for safety? They go into a church. 416 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:38,120 In that scene. They run into a church and it's 417 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:40,720 quiet. People are sleeping and the 418 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:42,880 walls have crumbled. But you know, churches were 419 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:44,800 places where you ran to in World War 2. 420 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,080 They when, when Germany was bombing Britain, you would run 421 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,920 to certain churches because they were made of stone and rock. 422 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,720 They were solid fortresses. You ran there for safety. 423 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,040 Now, of course, the building is not what saves us. 424 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,280 That's what the trap is. Some people think that the 425 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,400 church, the church, not the people, but the church, the, the 426 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,400 traditions of the church, the I go to this church or that 427 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:08,480 church. I'm part of this church 428 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,120 tradition. I go into the building every 429 00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:11,760 week. That's what saves you. 430 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,600 That's not what saves us. It's not at all. 431 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,000 It saves us. You're not going to be sitting 432 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,560 in a church or be a member of a particular church. 433 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,720 And Jesus is like, well, good thing you were here at the 434 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,760 corner of 10th and and Bustleton, because if, if you 435 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,400 weren't there then if you were part of that building, then you 436 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:29,840 wouldn't be saved. No, no, it that has nothing to 437 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,440 do with it. The image is helpful, but the 438 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,640 church is the gathered people, those who have fled for refuge 439 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,320 to Christ. That means that it is possible 440 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,120 for us to be near the ark, but not in it. 441 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,240 Think about that for a second. It is possible for you to be 442 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,640 like, I love the fact that we gather here each week, but it is 443 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,040 possible for us to be like, hey, I go to I go to the church in 444 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,240 Newtown Square. What church is that? 445 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:57,480 You know, it's the church with a cool V in it. 446 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:04,280 Cha Birch Oh, that's great. It's like, I love, I love being 447 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:05,840 there each week. We love doing stuff. 448 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,280 I know some people there. I've been to the website once or 449 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,960 twice and you know, it's just a really great time. 450 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,640 That's not the question that Christ will ask you in the end 451 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,920 of his at the end of the age, he's going to say, do I know 452 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:20,560 you? Do you know me not? 453 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,320 What church are you a part of? The reason we gather is to 454 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,560 remind ourselves that we have a refuge in Christ, not because we 455 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:30,120 love being part of Traverge, but it's because the church is the 456 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:32,240 body of Christ. In him there's refuge. 457 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:37,520 And that matters because lots of people sit near the things of 458 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,040 God. They know Christian language, 459 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:42,040 they admire Jesus vaguely, but really they have no 460 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:44,720 relationship. Some of you here have no 461 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:50,080 relationship with Christ yet. It's hard to say, but it's true. 462 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,360 It's always true in a, in a, in a body like this, there's a mix 463 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:58,400 of us who are like, eh, that might not be permanently true, 464 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,080 but there's a difference between knowing Christ and being close 465 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,120 to Christ. And that's why Jesus makes it 466 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:06,440 very clear that we are to be ready. 467 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,240 Which leads me to my Third Point is the readiness to see Christ. 468 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,880 We are called to live awake and faithful. 469 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:18,840 In Matthew verse 42, he talks about, therefore, look, stay 470 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:20,440 awake all through the New Testament. 471 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,960 You see the warnings, Peter, Paul, the Gospels, stay awake, 472 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,200 wake up, be sober minded, don't fall asleep. 473 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:31,400 In fact, in the parable of the 10 virgins, it says that 474 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,200 everyone was sleepy. It got to be night. 475 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,080 They, they, they, they were sleepy and they fell asleep. 476 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,000 But then when the bridegroom came, they all woke up. 477 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,480 And the ones that were prepared, they, they woke up and were 478 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:46,680 ready. Stay awake, Jesus says, and 479 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:51,640 looking ahead to the next few parables of which I'm not going 480 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,800 to unpack, I'll just kind of give you the Cliff notes and you 481 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,440 can read this afternoon and see if I was just kind of pulling 482 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,640 your leg. But there are three groups of 483 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,640 people that Jesus warns against that have false security. 484 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,920 The 1st is an unprepared world. The world is not prepared for 485 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,080 the flood. Your coworkers, your 486 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,520 schoolmates, your neighbors, you're not. 487 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:12,600 They're not prepared for the end of the age. 488 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:14,680 You just think that it's just going to keep getting better and 489 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,840 better and better and that there's turmoil all around. 490 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,120 But if we could just teach people enough, if we could just, 491 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,640 you know, submit these nations to, you know, the the world's 492 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,760 laws and orders that that things will get better and better. 493 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:31,680 That's, that's not what's going to happen. 494 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:32,920 It's just going to get worse and worse. 495 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,440 But then at the end of the age, Christ is going to come to an 496 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,520 unprepared world. They were unaware. 497 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:42,160 Jesus says in the days of Noah. I think more scary is the 498 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,560 relaxed Christian. The relaxed Christian Jesus not 499 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,960 only warns that there's going to be an openly rebellious world, 500 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,600 but he's warning those who live near the things of God. 501 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,680 Make sure people do not lead you astray, because there will be 502 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,760 men who will come and they will lead you astray. 503 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,960 All throughout the New Testament we see the theme of spiritual 504 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,920 vigilance organized around concerns about being prepared 505 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,160 for Christ's return. That we're to defend against 506 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,280 temptation that we're to be in communion with one another so 507 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:11,240 that we keep our eyes fixed on Christ. 508 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,520 Don't just admire Christ, but live for Christ, Be faithful to 509 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:20,480 Christ, speak of Christ, linger with Christ, take refuge in him. 510 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,520 Now be prepared. Now the relaxed Christians like 511 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,760 I've got time to be serious about my faith. 512 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,200 You don't know how much time that you have. 513 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,160 It's dangerous to be relaxed because then you're off your 514 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:34,520 guard. And then when it when the time 515 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:39,360 comes, it's too late. Finally, there's the false 516 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:41,000 passage. Jesus gives much warning to 517 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,400 there are going to be men who lead people astray. 518 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,840 This morning falls heavily on pastors and elders of a local 519 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,760 church. There are false pastors who are 520 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,800 so dangerous because what they're doing is they're leading 521 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:56,400 people astray. They're they're teaching them to 522 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,640 be comfortable in something that is not true. 523 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,400 They soften what God has spoken. They shift attention away from 524 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,000 Christ. They make peace with the spirit 525 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,880 of the age and they reassure people where Scripture warns 526 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,840 them not to be reassured. They believe what they want to 527 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:11,920 hear. They're itching ears. 528 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,760 Paul says we want pastors and and churches to teach us the 529 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:17,840 things that we want to hear. We don't want to hear any of 530 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,040 that fundamentalist Christian right? 531 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:25,280 Just hard stuff to hear. Tell us what's softer, easier, 532 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:30,520 more accepted around the world. Michael Reeves has said that the 533 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,480 church is the creature of the word of God. 534 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,120 And he he says that in the Reformation the conviction was 535 00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:38,520 this, that no word priest, no church. 536 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,360 Churches are not sustained by novelty, personality, or 537 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:45,400 religious atmosphere, but by the Word of God. 538 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:49,160 And So what Christ teaches, that's the burden that I feel as 539 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,240 a pastor. That's the burden that the 540 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,240 elders carry together, that we want the truth taught clearly, 541 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,320 Christ set forth plainly, and we want you to be guarded from 542 00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,880 deception because the stakes are eternal. 543 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,800 If you're sitting under a teaching that's telling you 544 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,160 things that are not taught by the word of God, your your heart 545 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:07,960 is going to be assured of something that's not true. 546 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,160 And then on that day and the coming of the age, Jesus says 547 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,280 you're going to be very surprised because you're LED 548 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,000 astray. Be careful what you listen to. 549 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,240 I like you need to be ready. But as James says, I and every 550 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,800 other pastor that teaches the word stands up in front of 551 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,680 people. I'm going to have to be called 552 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,080 to account to what I said. Now I I've not gotten everything 553 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:31,640 right. It's not a matter of like, you 554 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,680 know, well, Tom, actually let's just review your sermon history. 555 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,360 That's not Jesus. That's probably a subordinate. 556 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,920 You know something you you didn't get that you didn't nail 557 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,000 this this line time, right? And you didn't get this 558 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,320 interpretation right. But the question will be, did 559 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:52,640 you point them to Christ and Christ alone? 560 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:57,040 It's not about perfection. It's about pointing to the one 561 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,200 who is perfect. And so when Christ returns, his 562 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,520 coming is going to be final. That door is going to be shut. 563 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:08,840 And so parents, you ought to warn your children while they're 564 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:13,160 soft, while their hearts are tender men, fathers of the 565 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,760 household, you've got to get your act together and set the 566 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,280 spiritual tone of your home because children are so 567 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,160 receptible when they're young. You set that trajectory. 568 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,280 It's hard to move once they see that mom and dad not perfectly 569 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,040 but faithfully point them to Christ. 570 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,720 The things that they remember when they're young, they will 571 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,120 remember when they're old, that they will sing the old hymns. 572 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:34,800 They will remember we took communion every week. 573 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,200 They will remember going to church each week. 574 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,640 And it will be hard to shake them from that faith. 575 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:42,320 Just hands down truth. You're not in control of their 576 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,080 salvation, but you can certainly control the trajectory that they 577 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,440 would have a great chance of trusting Christ. 578 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,240 And moms, you ought to help in that too. 579 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:58,280 Don't make it difficult for him. Work together as a team, don't 580 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,560 hem and Haw when he drags you to church, and men don't whine 581 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,760 about going to the things that your kids want to go to. 582 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:04,880 In terms of learning about Christ. 583 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,280 You got to set the tone because Jesus says you have to prepare 584 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,000 them. Come, let the little children 585 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:15,160 come to me. Friends and neighbors and 586 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:19,160 coworkers should not be left without a witness simply because 587 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,480 we're afraid of being mocked or misunderstood. 588 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:26,480 So how do you know that you're living? 589 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:28,880 Ready to see his face? Well, the question is not when 590 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:31,640 will Jesus return? It's not when we don't. 591 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,480 Who cares when it feels like immediate? 592 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,680 We ought to live every single day, read the New Testaments 593 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,880 every single day. They thought he was coming back 594 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:44,960 pretty quickly, but since he hasn't yet the urgency of the 595 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,840 day, the question is, am I ready? 596 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,720 Am I ready to see his face? What will it be like when he's 597 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:55,560 comes and we see his face? Will our eyes be wide open with 598 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,560 will our heart? I'm sure there will be a mixture 599 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:00,560 of fear after that initial shock. 600 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:05,560 Man, it's gonna be amazing. But then once the adrenaline, 601 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:08,280 however this is gonna work. But in my imagination is once 602 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,720 the adrenaline wears off of like, Oh my gosh, it's 603 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,480 happening. And then there will either be 604 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,040 like, Oh my gosh, it's happening, it's happening, it's 605 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,520 happening. There will be an equal amount of 606 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:23,200 people like, Oh my gosh, it's happening. 607 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:29,920 Oh my gosh, it's happening. And then Jesus says very clearly 608 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:31,800 that at the end of the age, if you look at the end of the 609 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,800 chapter, he says, and that will set those to my right, sheep and 610 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:39,520 goats. If he knows the band cake sheep 611 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,640 go to heaven, goats go to hell. They they get that from 612 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:45,400 Scripture. It's a biblical song. 613 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:50,480 There will be a separation. And for all those who are 614 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,480 prepared and ready, Jesus says, come enter into my joy. 615 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,760 When you live faithfully, you know that the assurance of 616 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,360 seeing Christ and not being unprepared is that you've lived 617 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:05,120 faithfully, not perfectly, but faithfully, faithfully for him. 618 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:09,000 You, you are found doing what Christ gave you to do. 619 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,320 You don't wait for calmer times. You don't drift because life 620 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,960 feels ordinary. You're faithful day in and day 621 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:20,240 out. You live unafraid. 622 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,280 If you're in Christ. Judgment is not your terror. 623 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:24,960 You can be unafraid. You need not be afraid. 624 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:29,040 You live each day without fear, knowing that when He comes, you 625 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,520 can live with joy because joy is seeing His face for the first 626 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:36,480 time. Man, what great joy it will be. 627 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:39,320 You know why? Because heaven is right there 628 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:43,240 around the corner, which is why we need a vision for heaven. 629 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:47,360 And let me just end with this. Jonathan Edwards wrote an 630 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:48,760 incredible book. Man, I encourage you. 631 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,280 It's a small treatise. It's called Heaven is a world of 632 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:53,600 love. Crossway just published it. 633 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:55,800 I've I've read it, I've re listened to it. 634 00:33:58,160 --> 00:33:59,920 Heaven is right around the corner. 635 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:03,200 This is what this is what motivates the Christian to live 636 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,400 because have you ever thought about heaven? 637 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,679 Heaven is not going to be for some of us, we think that heaven 638 00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:11,320 is going to be. We're floating around singing 639 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,960 about, you know that song 1000 hallelujahs. 640 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,040 You know we're going to be singing 1000 hallelujahs, but 641 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,280 it's not going to be 1 long church service in heaven. 642 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:24,360 No, no, no. The beauty of the new heavens 643 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,960 and the new earth is that the curse of God's presence, being 644 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:32,960 fully felt, will be lifted, and in his presence without, without 645 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,199 resistance, there will be no barrier between US and God. 646 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:40,719 There will be the full pleasure of God's delight on this 647 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:44,960 creation, a renewed creation. John in Revelation says that he 648 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:47,880 saw the city coming down, which means that heaven, the throne 649 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,840 room of God, there's no longer some separation distinction. 650 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:52,639 We feel it now. We're like we're going to die 651 00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:54,840 and go to heaven. But one day there will be no 652 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:58,200 death and we will be in heaven. We will not die and we will be 653 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,600 in heaven. We will be on the new creation 654 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:03,280 with physical bodies, with an earth that is renewed and 655 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:08,760 restored, with animals and birds and oceans and sunrises. 656 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,000 It's going to be amazing. That's the promise. 657 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:16,920 We go back to Eden. And Jonathan Edwards in his 658 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:18,800 exposition on 1st Corinthians 13. 659 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,400 Let me just, let me just end with this. 660 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,080 What is the vision of heaven that you have? 661 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,680 Here's the vision of being in heaven. 662 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,360 Heaven, he says, it's not merely a place where suffering ends, 663 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,560 but a world where love finally reigns. 664 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,800 In that world, in every heart, love dwells and reigns. 665 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:39,000 Every soul is filled with love, every person perfectly loved by 666 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,920 every other, and every other heart flowing outward and 667 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:44,640 unbroken mutual, eternal affection. 668 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:50,440 There's no pride. There's no selfishness, no envy, 669 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,920 no hidden tension, no fractured relationships, no guarded 670 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,200 conversations, no quiet rivalries. 671 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:01,640 Instead, there is perfect sincerity that fills everything. 672 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:04,920 When someone says I love your dress, they're not trying to 673 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,400 flatter you. Thus, they will truly love your 674 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,400 dress. When you're talking with 675 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,960 someone, they won't be looking over your shoulder looking for 676 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:14,600 someone else more interesting to talk to you. 677 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:17,360 You will be the most interesting thing they've ever talked to 678 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,800 you, and you will delight in their conversation with you. 679 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,680 And you'll look back at them and love the fact that they are who 680 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,960 they are. And you will be in that presence 681 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:29,080 of joy and love forever. No insincerity. 682 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:36,080 And in that place, Edward says, the joy of one becomes the joy 683 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,720 of all. The glory each St. experiences 684 00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:42,200 is shared as if it were your own. 685 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:48,480 No one competes, no one compares, no one falls short. 686 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:55,000 Everyone rejoices. How is that possible? 687 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,080 That is only possible if we're in the presence of an eternal, 688 00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:01,360 joyful, loving God. And how do we get there? 689 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:08,800 We trust and look to Christ and climb in the boat of Christ. 690 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,480 He is the ark of our salvation. He is, as in the days of Noah, 691 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,640 the only way we will survive the coming flood of judgement. 692 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,880 It will be final. It will be glorious, but it will 693 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:21,800 be joy filled for those who are prepared. 694 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:24,800 Won't you prepare your hearts If you're here this morning and 695 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:28,000 you've not yet prepared your hearts, If you've not laid at 696 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,960 the feet of Jesus and begged for His mercy and called out to Him 697 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,040 for mercy on that day, would you do it this morning? 698 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:38,360 Because you do not know what will happen when you walk out 699 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:42,360 those doors. The sermon you've just listened 700 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,600 to is a presentation of Church Newtown Square. 701 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,240 To find out more about our church, check out Church 702 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:56,240 nsq.org. That's CHVRCHNS q.org. 703 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,800 You are welcome to copy and distribute this sermon to others 704 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:03,600 as long as you do not do it for commercial purposes or alter, 705 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,680 transform, or build upon this talk in any way.