Read Matthew 24:1-31 and 1 Corinthians 4:8-13
I. The End of the Age
- Matthew 24:1-31, We are now living in an exciting time if we are right with God. As we remember back in the year 2000 or "Y2K" and the recent "Mayan Calendar" on 21 December 2012, many have tried to predict the end of this world. Nobody knows, but the Father, when the end will come, not even Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:36). In this text, Jesus provided a prophecy for the end times. Many, even to this day, have asked for signs of the end but all they have to do is look in the Bible. Jesus gave us a few signs to watch for. First is people claiming to be Christ. We are warned about false messiahs who will try to deceive us by performing great signs and miracles. They claim to receive messages from God but what they teach contradicts the Bible. They preach about earthly things that people want to hear, not what God wants us to understand. They approve of idolatry or tells their listeners that there is no sin or hell. Let us be careful and let the spirit guide us to distinguish the false prophets and false Christs of this world. Other than the false messiah, Jesus also spoke about wars against nation which pretty much is a norm in our generation. He talked about famine, earthquakes, and the persecution of the believers. Christians are the most persecuted group nowadays. People mock us, embarrass us, and ridicule our lifestyles. We are discriminated upon and all signs of God is being classified is "illegal" under the law. Bible verses are now called hate speech and because of political correctness, even saying Merry Christmas can be offensive. After these, Jesus gave the final signs: preaching of the gospel to the whole world and the abomination that causes desolation. Prior to the 90s, the reality of the Gospel reaching all the ends of the earth is slim to none. Even with planes and telephones, delivering God's Word to every human being is simply impossible. It is not till the internet world that world wide access became a reality. Now, every person can access information from 5000-6000 miles away with just a click of a mouse. With the development of smart phones, vast knowledge is available on the tip of your finger. The Bible is now translated in 2,287 languages and is distributed all over the world. Everyone now has access to the Gospel and it is our choice to either accept it or reject it. God is just waiting for that special someone to receive His message. That is the reason why we need to be ready at all times for we do not know when this will come. Finally, the Abomination of the desolation is an act by the "anti Christ" after the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. He/she will go to the Temple of the Living God and proclaim that he, himself is a god, and will force people to worship him. This will be the beginning of the worst 3 1/2 years of humanity's history and a sign that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent. So with many claiming that they are the messiah, rampant famine and earthquakes affecting our world, daily persecution of believers occurring, and the Gospel of the Lord reaching almost every inch of this planet, we need to be on watch and be prepared for the second coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.
II. The Corinthians Pride and the Apostle's Humility
- 1 Corinthians 4:8-13, In those times, the church had split into different groups led by Paul, Peter, Apollos, etc. Paul reminded the Church not to be prideful and boast at their accomplishments and the preacher that they are tied to for it not the person who delivers the message that matters but what the message is and who the author was. Every preacher is equal and are humble servants of the Lord. As long as their preaching is God-centered, it does not matter what church we go to or who the messenger is. We are all part of one church and one family, and as believers, instead of fighting among each other, we should instead help each other out in this walk of faith to ensure that we attain spiritual growth and bear fruit for the Father.
III. Proverbs for Today / 10:22
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
IV. Old Testament Reading
Leviticus 25:47-55, Leviticus 26, Leviticus 27:1-13, and Psalms 45:1-17
