Matthew 7:12 - In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Exodus 20:4 - You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
3 warnings that bring hope as we endure
I. Long Only for the True Son of Man
Luke 17:22-25 - And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
John 21:23 - Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?
“All true Christians who understand Scripture, love the Lord Jesus Christ, and are concerned about His glory desire His return. They desire to see Him set aside His long humiliation and return in majesty and glory to reign.” (John MacArthur, Luke 11–17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013, 408)
A. Beware false messiahs
B. Know His arrival will be unmistakable
“The first coming of the Son of God was quiet and private. He was born in obscurity when His parents visited the small village of Bethlehem in Judea and lived His first thirty years in an obscure town in Galilee. Apart from His parents and the shepherds, none were aware of His birth. His return, on the other hand, the whole world will see.
Ever eager to corrupt the truth, satanic false teachers will try to deceive believers by enticing them to look there or look here for Christ. They will claim that He has returned in secret and revealed Himself only to insiders. But such people will be false Christ’s; charlatans and deceivers of whom the Lord warned, “‘See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them’” (Luke 21:8). His return will be obvious to all, just as lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky. Like a flash of lightning, His appearance will be sudden, unmistakable, and visible. There also will be dramatic changes in the heavenly bodies.” (John MacArthur, Luke 11-17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013, 413-414)
“The basic outline of the events surrounding the second coming is clear. The rapture of the church will be followed by the seven-year tribulation, at the end of which Christ will return in judgment and establish His thousand-year earthly kingdom. After a final rebellion led by Satan is crushed, the current heaven and earth will be destroyed, the Great White Throne judgment will take place, and a new heaven and new earth will be created for all the righteous, which will last forever. Because no prophetic sign is necessary before the Rapture, the next event on the prophetic horizon, every generation of Christians lives in the anticipation of Christ’s imminent coming for His church.” (John MacArthur, Luke 11-17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013, 409)
Luke 17:25 - But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
C. Rejoice in Him because of what He has done
“What is the reason that you make so much of Christ, and talk so much about Him? What has this Christ done for you, that you should make so much about Him?
The converted Indian did not answer him in words. He gathered together some dry leaves and moss and made a ring with them on the ground. He picked up a live worm and put it in the middle of the ring. He struck a light and set the moss and leaves on fire. The flame soon rose and the heat scorched the worm. It writhed in agony, and after trying in vain to escape on every side, curled itself up in the middle, as if about to die in despair. At that moment the Indian reached forth his hand, took up the worm gently and placed it on his bosom.
‘Stranger,’ he said to the Englishman, ‘Do you see that worm? I was that perishing creature. I was dying in my sins, hopeless, helpless, and on the brink of eternal fire. It was Jesus Christ who put forth the arm of His power. It was Jesus Christ who delivered me with the hand of His grace, and plucked me from everlasting burnings. It was Jesus Christ who placed me, a poor sinful worm, near the heart of His love. Stranger, that is the reason why I talk of Jesus Christ and make much of Him. I am not ashamed of it, because I love Him.’” (JC Ryle, Holiness)
II. Two Cautionary Tales
Luke 17:25-32 - And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.
A. Days of Noah
B. Days of Lot
Luke 17:32 - Remember Lot’s wife.
Genesis 13:10 - Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere-this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah-like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
Genesis 13:13 - The men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.
Genesis 19:17 - Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.
Genesis 19:26 - But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
“Notwithstanding all her opportunities and means of grace - notwithstanding all her special warnings and messages from heaven, she lived and died graceless, godless, impenitent, and unbelieving. The eyes of her understanding were never opened; her conscience was never really aroused and quickened; her will was never really brought into a state of obedience to God; her affections were never really set upon things above. The form of religion which she had was kept up for fashion’s sake and not from feeling: it was a cloak worn for the sake of pleasing her company, but not from any sense of its value. She did as others did around her in Lot’s house: she conformed to her husband’s ways: she made no opposition to his religion: she allowed herself to be passively towed along in his wake: but all this time her heart was wrong in the sight of God. The world was in her heart, and her heart was in the world. In this state she lived, and in this state she died.” (JC Ryle, Holiness)
2 Peter 2:5 - …but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…
2 Peter 2:7-8 - …and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds).
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
III. Salvation Does not Come to all
Luke 17:33-37 - “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
A. God’s word has always divided people
1 Peter 4:12-13 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
B. The only relationship that can save you is a personal relationship with God
Luke 17:33 - Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Let me begin with a question today. How many of you when you're reading a book start by reading the last page? Why is that? Is there some level of tension or anxiety that you have that causes you to have to know the final outcome before you're willing to walkthrough the suspense and the trials that the main character has to endure?
It's interesting because we would almost never do that with a movie. In fact, if someone tells you they saw the latest film in the theater and you haven't been to it yet we throw our hand up and tell them no spoilers. Is that just because of the ease of watching movies and we know that will get to the final outcome in one sitting? It's certainly not so for most of us with books. When I'm reading I always end up at a cliffhanger just as I have to put it down to go to sleep or do something else and my mind is left to wonder.
When the journey appears long, what is it about knowing the ending that helps us to feel better about enduring the journey?
How about the Bible? What if we read it that way? I would propose that God did not give us his word with the intention that we would only read it starting at Genesis. In some ways I could say that the things God wants us to know most include what's on the last page. Let's take a look.
In Revelation 22, John records the final message that he was given. It says…
and he said to me, “do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong still do wrong and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; And let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; And the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the alpha and the Omega, the 1st and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying. I, Jesus, have sent my Angel to testify you these things for the churches.
Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done.
That's a pretty good ending if you ask me. Jesus is coming back. He's bringing rewards. And blessed are those who get to enter the city gate.
If I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, then why is it still difficult to get through today when I know what is on the last page of my story.
Well this is not just reading the last page of the book. The difference here is that I'm not just a reader of the book.
Our names may not be included, and our lives laid out in detail in a new book called the Chronicles of Faith North where God reveals His work in continuing to build His church here in Lafayette, But we are all apart of God story such that we can know that the final pages don't just tell us what will happen to the main character but they are a promise for you and me and that's part of the good news. Knowing that Truth helps me to endure today because the last page is coming…
This year our church’s annual theme is Growing in Gospel Gratitude, the Joy of Partnering in the Gospel. We will go through several series together this year starting with a verse by verse look at the letter to the Philippians. We chose that letter because it's a letter that speaks of joy and helps us to grow in Thanksgiving to grow in gratitude. This week and next Pastor David and I have individual sermons it will help us to grow in hope based on what is to come. This will allow pastor Viars to start us in Philippians in two weeks.
Today, we're going to begin in the gospel of Luke when Jesus is teaching his disciples about what was on the final pages of God’s glorious plan. Don't forget, they didn't have the Book of Revelation because it wouldn't be written for another 60 years.
Jesus had been teaching many about the Kingdom of God through parables and stories. Among those listening were not just his disciples, but others who were simply curious as well as those who were listening and trying to trap Jesus that they might accuse him. After being questioned by the Pharisees as to when the Kingdom of God would be coming Jesus replied, “the Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed nor will they say look here it is or there it is for behold the Kingdom of God is in your midst.”
The Pharisees had a picture in mind that the Messiah would come as a warrior to establish his Kingdom after which they assumed they would have a special place in the Kingdom because they were the teachers of the law.
But Jesus was teaching that the Messiah would come with a very different purpose and a timeline that we would not choose for ourselves. He would suffer, die and be buried, rise again and then ascend to heaven. Jesus was preparing his followers for what must come after He returned to the Father, at a time they would feel lost without Jesus
But by teaching what is on the final pages he enabled his disciples and us to endure faithfully while we wait.
[Title Slide] Enduring Faithfully until Christ Returns
Let's look at that teaching together. Open your bibles to Luke chapter 17. We will begin at verse 22
READ LUKE 17:22-37
That doesn't feel like the happy ending that makes my life easier today. There is not a lot about Jesus here – Yes, I can know He is coming back, but first He must suffer…Jesus’s teaching is showing us more about what the days ahead will look like so that we might endure faithfully.
Jesus was giving a glimpse of the last pages from God’s Sovereign plan, warnings about what will happen so that we might have hope. As we breakdown this passage I want us to see
3 Warnings that bring Hope as We Endure
If you are asking - How do warnings bring hope? – think of it this way, if you are standing at the top of a mountain with your Ski Instructor. On the way up on the lift, he told you that when you get back to the Lodge, He will have a roaring fire and hot chocolate waiting, but that He has to leave you and he will meet you there. So now you stand alone, with several paths that say “to the Lodge.” Do you have hope of getting down in one piece? Each Path has a warning sign – one with a single black diamond, another with two back diamonds and a third with a black circle – Warning signs about what is on each path – Now do you have hope that you will reach the lodge.
Back to the passage
Jesus began by reiterating something he had been telling his disciples multiple times, That he would not always be with them . Recall in Matthew 16 When he told them that he must go to Jerusalem suffer many things be killed and raised up on the third day. Do you remember Peter's response? Peter took Jesus aside and decided he needed to rebuke his Lord and of course the response to that was not very good. “Get behind me Satan.” That’s because Peter's response came from a selfish, prideful heart that believed his plan was better then God’s.
So our question becomes – How will we respond to this passage. Will we hear the warnings and gain hope and strengthen our faith.
Because the disciples do not know God’s plan – Jesus prepares them for the time He will be gone warning that they must only…
I. Long only for the True Son of Man
“And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
In some ways – this seems obvious or redundant because we are supposed to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might – Jesus is our first love…
But the warning comes because the nature of the human heart…let me give you an illustration.
Many of you know – I love Diet Coke - here is something you may not know – they do not have Diet Coke in Europe – I know, what are they thinking – When we lived in Italy, we had a small relief because the Commissary stocked products from the US and would get Diet Coke – but you know that when it came in, it flew off the shelves faster that toilet paper in a pandemic. Ultimately could not satisfy.
I even tried the European version – Coke Light. Uughhh. That was a false Messiah…
Jesus is warning us about something far more consequential....We must…
Beware False Messiahs
Luke 2:23 And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them.
Jesus knew how the disciples would long for him after his ascension to heaven. And He knows the human heart’s tendency to chase anything we can to get what we long for…
The belief in the early church was not just that Jesus would return soon, but they truly expected it to happen in their lifetimes.
This opened the door for false Messiahs claiming to be Jesus having returned from heaven. False teachers also knew that people would chase after reports of Jesus…
There are a couple implications for this warning for you and I, now 2000 years later…
Do we long for the return of Jesus? Or are we satisfied with what we have now? Yeah, heaven will be great, but I can wait for that. I figure I have another 30-40 years so I will just be concerned for this world.
- Ask yourself - where does my relationship with Christ fit into my priorities? Do my conversations with others ever include Christ? Would my friends know that I am looking for and can’t wait for His return?
- Your answers will help you know if you are longing for Christ? And even when we do long for him, are we chasing other false Messiahs?
The Warning also tells us to not run after every report or every teacher. Longing for answers, do not just run to any source – just because you Googled it, does not mean will get a biblically sound answer
When you are in need or suffering, longing for Christ’s return, where do you run for help? Do you run to the world and secular answers – or do we run to the very Word of God. This is why we have had a Biblical counseling ministry for the past 45 years – to help those longing to run to only the True Son of Man…
Do not leave and do not run after them – If in your heart you are wondering, is it possible I missed it or maybe that report could be the sign that Jesus is calling me. He give us great hope that we can know…
We do not have to worry that one day Jesus will sneak up behind you, tap you on the shoulder and ask if you noticed that he has been back for a while…We can
Know his arrival will be unmistakable
Luke 17:24 For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.
Jesus’s first coming was quiet and effectively unnoticed…even after the wise men traveled to hail the King…it was another 30 years that Jesus lived quietly in Nazareth and even then the fanfare included only a prophet wearing crazy clothes. During his public ministry, Jesus was certainly noticed, but ultimately denied and rejected.
The second coming of Jesus Christ will be unmistakably different in that every soul, believer and unbeliever alike, we'll clearly know that the son of man has returned.
I am thankful that it will be a clear sign, but the warning also tells us that we need to be ready…Lightning is not only bright and attention getting – it also comes without warning…
I love watching thunderstorms. I just find it amazing the power that is demonstrated in the weather and though computer models might be able to predict that there will be lightning , when I'm watching the storm there is no indicator visible prior to a lightning strike. It can strike at anytime.
We should live the same way when considering the return of Christ.
- How does your day to day life reflect that you're thinking about the return of Christ.
- Would someone looking at you be able to tell that you are ready for Christ's return based on your prayer life, based on your serving, based on simply looking at how you use your time?
- Does the promised nature but Jesus’s return motivate you to urgently share the gospel with others or do we just think that we all have plenty of time left.
I am thankful to know but it won't be possible to miss His return, but I also know that it can come at any time.
I have great hope because I can trust in His promised return while at the same time, I can…
Rejoice in Him because of what He has done
Luke 17:25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
The disciples needed to know what was to come, because they needed to understand God’s purpose in sending His Son. Israel, this generation, had rejected its King. Again, peaking at the end pages, Christ’s glorious return will mean a reversal of what happened as Israel repents and gathers to the King.
For you and I, this statement is not to inform what will happen, but to give hope knowing what Christ has already accomplished. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the center of the gospel message.
It says that the “first He must suffer many things…” Must is a strong word, but He must first suffer because we have first sinned…
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Paul’s letter to the Romans clearly shows us the nature of man, the utter depravity. None is good, no not one…
We all are sinners before a Holy God, and where there is sin, a penalty is just…but we must acknowledge the seriousness of our crime, the egregiousness of our sin. Every sin we commit points back to the garden. God warned Adam, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.
Each time we sin, we are telling God the same thing as Adam, that we can choose and we know what is good, better than God. And the penalty for our sin is the same
Rom 6:23a For the wages of sin is death
You will surely die. A just penalty that we cannot pat for ourselves. Still waiting for the hope? Here it is, in the pages of God’s Sovereign plan, drawing us all to see the cross at Calvary, because God has made a way for us to be made alive again and it will cost us nothing…
Rom 6:23b but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
The longing for the True Son of God comes not from waiting for the second coming, but in accepting Him, believing in His first coming. A free gift of Eternal life. Free because God only asks that we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
It is our gratefulness for the gospel that then grows a longing for the True Son of Man and enables us to endure faithfully until his return
But this warning that brings hope for the believer is also a clear warning for the unbeliever. When Christ’s return appears like lightning before us, those who have rejected Christ are warned that there will be no second chance.
Jesus painted this picture vividly by pointing us to Two cautionary tales…
II. Two Cautionary Tales
If today, I was trying to describe what was coming, I might refer to some apocalyptic movie with amazing Computer Generated Images to visualize the inescapable nature of the judgement coming.
But Jesus did not have CGI, so he did one better and brought his disciples to the true stories of God’s Judgement in this world…
“And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
The disciples would have been told the stories of the Flood and of Sodom and Gomorrah as part of their childhood. They would have a vivid picture in their minds of God’s Wrath being poured out.
Days of Noah
Days of Lot
Jesus calls them to consider the cautionary tales from the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot in order to imagine what it would be like in the days when the Son of Man returns.
It is important to notice as well, both what Jesus said and what He did not say…
What he did not say was where the disciples’ minds would have first gone….In the days of Noah…
Gen 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart were evil continually
And as because of the wickedness of man’s heart, God wrath was poured out in the flood –
But that obviously did not hold people’s attention very long as they returned to their wickedness as shown by the tower of Babyl and then in the Days of Lot. Consider the hearts of the people based on their actions…
Gen 19: 1, 4-5 Now the two angels came to Sodom…before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom surrounded the house both young and old, all the people from every quarter and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight, bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.”
Pure Evil.
But this was not the focus of the warning – because the listeners would not have connected with these people.
We area clearly not that evil – We would never do that…I am a good person, am I not?
We already touched on that – all have sinned – it is the reason Jesus was caused to suffer and be crucified.
SO how do we connect with these cautionary tales then…well there were a lot of people who thought just like we do now…they were eating and drinking, they were marrying. The were carrying on their daily lives failing to recognize the danger that was looming.
Not because they did not have a chance to hear the truth though…
First – Noah’s project was too big to go unnoticed. His neighbors would have had to come over and ask “What are you doing?” Noah lived with the wickedness of man all around him and in addition to building his ark, He also warned the people of the coming judgement. Noah is described as a preacher of righteousness in 2 Peter 2:5. He was the prophet of his day preaching a message of righteousness.
Lot as well, called righteous Lot, oppressed by unprincipled men was tormented while in Sodom.
The people of Noah’s Day, the people of Lot’s Day, heard the message of righteousness and rejected it, simply going back to the daily lives. As such, John MacArthur describes them as such - “People were so absorbed in the things of this life that they were utterly unprepared when the time of judgement came.”
Gen 6:21-22 all the flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.”
When Noah entered the ark and God closed the door, the flood came and all mankind perished – there was no second chance.
And in Sodom, when the Angels Evacuated Lat and his family…
Gen 19:23-25 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
There were not even ten righteous souls found in Sodom, and God’s hand wiped the city and all that was around it from the face of the earth. There was no second chance.
The lesson here should not cause us to be concerned whether God will do the same to Lafayette and West Lafayette but rather to cause us to consider
- Have I rejected the truth when it is before me?
- Have I simply returned to my daily life utterly unprepared for the day of the Son of Man, a day of judgement which will come unexpectedly and unmistakably?
- Am I prepared?
These cautionary tales are not given so that we focus on God’s wrath, but rather to show us the urgency of our need to come under his grace and mercy. It is a simple choice between Christ and the world and there is no middle ground.
Remember Lot’s Wife. Even though she was offered salvation, her desire was to hold onto some part of what was left behind, so “his wife from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
The draw of this world is strong, but the life that this world offers is a lie. And it should break our hearts that some will choose the world even when they know the truth.
I am thankful that our third warning brings hope while also facing us with a difficult truth…
III. Salvation does not come to all
““Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”” (Luke 17:33–37, NASB95)
It is a difficult doctrine of God that we can know that not all people will be saved. But it is a truth from his Word.
God’s Word Has Always Divided People
What we read here at the end of the passage is not discussing the Rapture, but rather the judgement that not all will be saved. We are called to consider that even in the daily things of life there may be someone in your life who has not heeded these warnings, has not accepted the truth and has not received salvation by grace alone through faith alone.
When we receive this truth there are two implications to deal with…
First, Is there anyone in your life with whom there is division because of your faith? We should expect that…
That is not to say that only one of every husband and wife sleeping in the same bed will be saved…if that were true, I am in trouble, because I know my wife has a saving faith…Rather, this warning should help us to expect to find tension in our lives because of Jesus…
If you can say that there is no one in my life with whom there is any tension related to my faith – it means one of two things….either you need get out and serve outside your Christian bubble, or you need to embolden your faith, making it clear to others who you stand for. You won’t need to seek out those who disagree – they will likely find you
But do not fear the tension, do not fear the attacks, because we long for the Return of Christ knowing that He has already gained victory of sin and death and our salvation comes by turning over aour lives to Him.
The Only Relationship that Can Save you is a Personal Relationship with God.
““Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33, NASB95)
I mentioned it earlier…our salvation comes when we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord. This verse speaks clearly to what that means – To make Jesus Lord means being willing to give him all authority over our lives, to lose our life for Him. When we confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead – then You will be saved. Not maybe, not sometimes, You WILL be saved by faith.
No amount of good deeds, perfect attendance at Church or any effort on your past can save you.
It is only by trusting in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that you will be saved.
There is no salvation by association. My kids were not saved because their mother and I were saved.
This is a decision that everyone of us has to make for themselves. If you are hear today, no matter the age, and you want to make this decision, or you simply want to ask more questions. Today is the day to take action, because Jesus is returning and it could be today.
But if He does not return today – we all need to heed the warnings of this passage, find His hope and endure faithfully to the end.
We need to ensure that we are truly longing for the True Son of man…knowing that many false messiahs and false ways of worship will come forward at the end…even today.
We need to heed the careful warning to not allow the things of this world prevent us from hearing the truth.
We need to live with urgency, boldly proclaiming What Jesus has done at the Cross and that He will return again, and that salvation is available to all who will believe in the name of Christ.
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