Apostles Live | Enduring Wisdom | Part 3

[Music] on behalf of the entire leadership team at the church of the apostles welcome to this special time of worship and celebration good morning i'm jonathan youssef and we are glad that you are joining us if you are a guest with us and would like to share a prayer request please fill out the guest card in the pew in front of you or online today i want to remind you about our midweek gathering activities each wednesday we have a dinner in the commons followed by a time of singing and corporate prayer in the chapel at 6 15. also if you haven't registered to join our new wednesday night class called a crash course in world view and culture please register today please visit our online bulletin for more information on these offerings and more and now let us join together as we worship our lord [Music] [Applause] good morning church we need everybody up on your feet now like this come on show me that you got rhythm church even you richard come on sing this one keep your land trimmed and burning keep your lamb drowned and burn it keep your lamb tremble burning [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] he's [Music] [Music] jesus gave it to me gave it to me [Music] [Music] shine [Music] [Music] mr daniel burtman on the we are field see the king soon and very soon we are gonna see the king soon and very soon the key we are going hallelujah [Music] and the whole church said amen [Applause] [Music] did you feel the mountains triple did you hear the oceans roar when the people rose to see mine jesus christ did you feel the people tremble did you hear the safest roar when the lost christ the saving world we can see we can see that god mighty river [Music] prepare the music [Music] and songs that bring your joy dancers to did you dance the darkness triple when all the saints joined in one song and all the streams flow as one river to watch your way our broken knees [Music] here we see that god's moving a time a jubilee is coming [Music] open up the doors and let the music play let songs that upon injustice sing it dancers to dance upon injustice [Music] [Applause] we pray that this morning that these aren't just words that we're saying and singing that we would mean this with our hearts that we would truly worship our one god this morning together with one voice amen and we're creation certainly articulate with a thousand talks to lift one [Music] we'd hear christ be magnified his name was [Music] be magnified [Music] we'll sing a church christ be magnified lift it up and oh christ be magnified that is [Music] of my life [Music] that's our prayer this morning lord when every creature a similar melody and every human heart is [Music] jesus [Music] me [Music] [Music] me lord that you would be magnified in each and every one of our hearts and our lives you'll be glorified above all others [Music] lord [Music] [Music] the cross brings transformation i'll be crucified with you cause death is just [Music] glory with all angels [Music] in our church [Music] yes lord let's sing that chorus again [Music] me [Music] me [Applause] would you join me in prayer please lord we praise you we thank you we lift up your name the psalmist said i rejoiced with those who said to me let's go to the house of the lord and lord in the midst of this covet and fear you have kept us in a place to worship you and lift up the name of jesus uninterrupted and we rejoice this morning of receiving 57 precious brothers and sisters in christ into membership in the midst of this covet crisis we thank you lord for them we praise you for bringing them here and we pray that you use him among us today and in the coming days but lord we're here for one purpose and that is to lift up the name of jesus it is that name that's above every name that name that is corned and despised and rejected and been told not to mention him in public life and public prayer that name that is now cause of division is the name that's above every name and i am so grateful we are who know you and love you we're so grateful that the day is coming when every knee shall bow whether they want it or not and every tongue will confess whether they want it or not that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father heisten that day speed up this day we long for that day and lord i pray that not a person here in this place or watching around the world who would not be longing for that day that anyone who fears that day today will be the day in which they will make the transformation from fear to faith and father i pray in the name of jesus for those among us who are sick those who are suffering those are hurting those who are lonely those who are physically emotionally spiritually mentally in anguish we come to the great healer we ask you in the name of jesus move among us touch every heart and every life touch every individual father focus our eyes as the psalmist says unite our hearts for the worship of you lord i pray that this would be a moment and beginning and maybe continuing for some to lift up the name of jesus day and night lord we pray for our government you have commanded us to pray for those in authority i pray father god for those who don't know you that they return turn to you that they would repent of their sin and take your word seriously and obey their your word in their governing and those who know you and maybe fearful and maybe in political expedience encourage them to focus on you and to please you above all else and so lord we thank you for all your grace and your mercy and lord as my brothers who prayed with me early this morning for the pastors and the ministers of the gospel of jesus christ oh god i pray protect us from the evil one god our hearts keep us faithful to your word may we never apologize for the truth of the gospel may we never compromise the truth of the gospel may we always stay faithful to you and please you and not man i pray for all my fellow pastors around the world and around this country in this city in the name of jesus i pray for our church for my colleagues and my friends and in this congregation and the pastors in this church who labor with me i pray for each one of them for their families i thank you for the vestria thank you for the trustees i thank you for the leadership of this church i thank you for the volunteers who sacrifice so much of their time and effort father bless him as you only can in jesus name amen it is my privilege and distinct joy to welcome new members today in the old days before covert we used to have them come and stand here and then have a reception in their honor but in respect for the social distancing and all that stuff we're going to ask them to stay where they are to stand up where they are whatever they may see to be seated and you please stand up and we want you to know that we are honored to receive you we are honored to receive you into membership you are the second class of being received second group of people that are being received during this covert uh season but we know that it took courage and it took commitment and it took dedication and it took a commitment for you wanting to be under the authority of the word of god and we don't take that for granted and i'm so glad the lord called each one of you and i want you to know that you have a ministry with your name written on it in this place and even if you have ministries elsewhere this place will be an encouragement to you to continue whatever ministry you're in and so i thank god for you and these words of affirmation that i'm gonna now ask you to make about responding i do this is many of you have made public confession of faith to the lord and so this is not for the first time but it is for the first time in this body and so i ask you do you affirm that jesus christ is your only savior do you affirm your desire to live under his lordship do you affirm that the scripture both old and new testament is the inspired and infallible word of god do you commit to discovering and using your spiritual gifts do you affirm your commitment to be an active witness for jesus christ do you affirm your commitment to be an active member of the church of the apostles father bless them as only you can in jesus name amen give them a warm welcome thank you amen what a beautiful sight how great it is for us to be able to gather together in the house of the lord this morning together to worship him through singing through lifting our hands through our fellowship now we get to continue that worship uh through uh giving of our tithes and offerings what this should be one of our favorite parts of the service to be able to return to the lord what he's given and blessed us all with if we're here if you're here with us here in the building in the church you'll be able to there'll be ushers as we leave who will receive your offering if you're joining us online there's a tab there that you can click on and follow and and if you join us online do not miss out on that opportunity to worship with us through uh through giving right now i want to make a quick announcement this is a little different but it was my fault i didn't make it in time to make it the end and the announcements in the video but i'm so excited to tell you that we as the worship team are going to have a night of worship here at the church on march 11th in the chapel yeah so excited some of you are clapping some of you are not so i don't know how to take that but we would love for you to join us and as i as i shared with dr youssef why we're doing this it's not it's not different than what we're doing on sunday morning we are going together on that thursday night march 11th at 7 p.m in the chapel to worship our one true god with one voice and i'll be honest with you and i hope this i don't get in trouble for saying this it doesn't matter who shows up because we're going to be there and we we expect we're expecting of god's holy spirit showing up we're going to have an audience of one an audience of one we're going to worship our true god and that's what we want to do right now as i said earlier let's forget about who's beside you forget about you know maybe it's a new song that we're about to do and you don't know the words but right now we dig deep and we as we i heard this this song this week it's called fresh wind and i don't know about y'all but i want a fresh wind of god's holy spirit to pour into my life i know our nation needs it i know this world needs it and as we sing this this new song i pray that you that we would all pray this prayer together [Music] [Applause] [Music] o [Music] the fragrance of heaven pour your spirit out for your spirit [Music] holy [Music] strengthen what remains so we the church [Music] [Applause] a holy anointing the power of your presence pour your spirit out for your spirit pour your spirit down pour your spirit out [Music] we can hear the wind blowing [Music] oh [Music] we we [Applause] [Music] [Music] the power of yours [Music] [Music] the fragrance of heaven [Music] the power of your presence pour your spirit out lord pour your spirit out and pour your spirit down [Applause] and all of god's people said do it lord amen thank you team thank you well before i get to the message you've heard about critical race theory cancel culture and all this stuff i'll pull no punctures in this book it doesn't come out till march 2nd but it's in the back they told me that arrived here in the store in the media center this weekend and say this because some of you might not might be visitors and don't know this this book does not belong to me it belongs to leading the way 31 and a half almost 32 years ago when leading way started i made a decision told the board at the time that i would receive not a red scent will stick to my hand from leading the way because i did not want 30 years from now which is now somebody says he started the media minister to enrich himself it's my labor of love all that i do for leading the way books everything is my labor of love and that is why we don't sell books while this is hardback and all that we don't sell books it's a gift of any amount if you have a high school or a college student it's a must if you have to bribe them pay them to read it do it i give you permission because it will encourage them to understand what they're facing in schools and in colleges and all the false departure from the truth as we know it what the crisis is this is called hope for this present crisis the crisis is not the pandemic the crisis is a crisis of truth and that's what we're facing now but thank god it's hope for this present crisis because the last chapter i have seven steps for families and for church and for believers in general seven steps to take in order to overcome this present crisis so i hope you get it and get your young persons to read it you know throughout history there were people who have sought to predict precisely when the last day is and when the return of the lord is going to be precisely i mean with to the date others of course as we facing today more than ever the deniers those who are not only deny the coming of crisis that are for 2000 years people saying christ is coming it's not going to come and even some people teaching that from pulpits but even in my lifetime just my lifetime and like most of you i've encountered people who thought they knew exactly what day the lord is returning and the world coming to an end this is amazing to me because even the lord jesus christ himself said no one knows the hour except the father but nonetheless that did not stop them from trying i will never forget in 1987 now that 87 is when this church started okay and we have just been going for a few months and we've been growing and but we wouldn't have had even 400 people in the church when we were meeting a beloved school chapel when this dear lady came and she thrust a book in my hand and she said if you're a faithful minister you need to preach through this book to your congregation now i've never seen her before i did not know her and i took the book from her hand i said i'll read it and sure enough i did read it and the title of the book is 88 reasons why christ is returning in september 1988. now i knew that i'm going to turn 40 that year so i thought well the lord is coming back on my birthday i might be gonna no but it had nothing to do with my birthday had nothing to do with my 40th birthday remember this was at the end of 87 and and so i read the book and it was a runaway bestseller by the way it sold millions and uh she came to see me a few couple of weeks later she said did you read the book i said yes ma'am i did read it and she said are you going to preach through it i said yes ma'am i will she said when i said october she became so upset she said it'll be too late and disappeared i've never seen her before and by the way that wasn't because of my 40th birthday september 88 but it was because of rosh hashanah that he's going to come back on the day of rosh hashanah that is the jewish new year well that is one thing and you would think after that people just would learn the lesson because what happened with this guy is that he said he made this calculation he just miscalculated but it's going to be september of 89 by that time you lost total credibility fast forward few years later another best seller runaway best seller predicted the rapture will take place in 1994. then fast forward again 2010. so most of you were alive in 2010 a radio evangelist i regret your ministry by the name of harold camping i know some of you remember that his book grabbed the headlines not just in the united states i encountered it in asia in australia in the middle east wherever i travel i've encountered people talking about this may 21 2011. exactly i mean precise date 21 may 2011 the lord is coming back back then i used to write a weekly blog i don't do that anymore i got into trouble because i took everybody on and and you know not that i was shy about it but i just i don't do it anymore i was writing a blog and many newspapers would pick it up and reprint it as an editor op-ed and so what i did at that time i wrote an open letter to evangelist harold egbert camping i wrote him an open letter as a dear brother i will not mock you like some people are doing i'm not going to even question your judgment at all be free to make predictions as you want i'm only making one request it's reputedly that you have 31 million dollars worth of equipment for your ministry and assets i said will you please donate donate those to leading the way come 2011. this was 2010. i said come 2011. you will not you'll not need them now i can give you a tax deductible receipt but you won't need that either in a press conference he said oh people after my stuff i'm not going to give it to them but to my surprise a bunch of newspapers around the country republished that letter at least harold camping repented of his sin and he confessed it publicly how sinful it was of him to do that and he said he'll never do it again he died 2014. but beloved i want to tell you more dangerous than that that is dangerous enough but more dangerous than that at the so many church leaders today who are now denying the second coming of the lord jesus christ all together beloved listen to me both deniers and sensationalizers i just made up a word both are an error both are wrong and that is why it is of other most importance for all of us to hear from the lips of our savior from the source the lord jesus christ himself about this issue and he tells us how we should live in the light of that great hope that we have the certainty of his return so this is the passage for today if you turn with me please to luke chapter 12 beginning at verse 35 all the way to 48. now for those of you are visiting we have begun a series of messages both jonathan at nine o'clock and i'm here at 10 30 from the same text same passages that we're going to be preaching throughout this spring and summer it's from the gospel of luke and beginning from chapter 12 we're called enduring wisdom enduring wisdom comes either the lips of the lord jesus christ himself and we looked at the last two messages i hope if you went here you can download them this is 12 35 to 48. in the pew bible page 1618 if you don't have your own bible and then as we have been doing throughout the series we're going to have them on the screen i'm going to ask you in honor of the word of god to stand up and i'm going to read the first verse and then i'm gonna ask you to read the rest so that it can seep down in our hearts be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning it will be is yes so uh jesus uh lord there is no one as the apostle paul said who can truly comprehend all the incredible wisdom and knowledge from your word but the holy spirit who authored these words can and so we ask him to take your words lord jesus and apply them to our hearts for we pray that in your name jesus amen you know the bible from cover to cover makes it absolutely clear that history is going to come to an end one day that jesus is coming back to take his children home to punish the wicked that the second coming of jesus will end the world as we know it that just as the first coming of jesus the christ it was a historic event so will the second coming going to be a historic event the doctrine of the second coming of christ is a vital important part of the gospel every details in the bible regarding the second coming of christ will be fulfilled with the minutest details and the most meticulous precision just like the first coming of the lord fulfilled all the prophetic pronouncement about his first coming that we see in the old testament so will the second coming will fulfill all the prophetic pronouncement therefore anyone who denies or obscure or misinterprets or abandons the truth of the second coming of christ will be severely judged as you just saw in this passage at the end of the book of god the word of god the bible the very last book in the book of revelation chapter 22 verses 18 and 19. the apostle john said i testify to everyone who hears the words of this book if anyone adds to them god will add to him the plagues that are written in this book and if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy god will take away his part in the tree of life and from the holy city which is which are written in this book now i'm here to declare to you publicly that i am absolutely absolutely coward yeah you heard me right i am absolutely coward to add to the word of god will take away from the word of god beloved listen to me most of you know that christians are divided on the minute details about the second coming of christ i think if you read anything you would you would know that if you've been in different churches you'd know that they divided over you know the rapture or the thousand-year reign or the tribulation is is it made this past it's post it's present pre all of that all of that and i'll tell you i have studied all these different positions because they're held by some people i love and respect they're people who love god and love the word of god every one of them but i came to my own solid conclusion i believe that's of the lord and the conviction from the word of god my own conclusion is this i must live every day in a state of readiness whether i go to him first or he comes back to take me home first i'm a happy camper either way i have and i tell the lord this literally every day i have my spiritual bags packed and ready he can call me home anytime or he can come back anytime i will not waste my time i will not waste my life arguing and debating the finer points about the return of christ can i get an amen if jesus comes this moment that next moment i'm going to still be preaching the sermon i'll finish it i'm not going to go up on the steeple and look for it i'm going to be right here preaching finishing the sermon if he does not come for many years to come great because that gives me more opportunity to tell more people about christ so they can come and believe in him please hear me right i think in this passage here the lord jesus christ is far more concerned about those who will get so bogged down with this life that they will totally forget about his second coming let's look at the passage together again look at verse 35 be dressed and ready and keep your lamps lit now in the original language it doesn't this is more of an interpretation really than even translation because in the literal translation it says let your loins geared your loins well that language comes from the time of jesus when men and women wore flowing robes long caftans or whatever and and and they are wonderful if you're sitting there and legally kind of having a conversation but they're not very good when you are doing some manual work or in the battlefield they're going to get in the way they're going to trip you and and you're going to fall and stumble all over the place so what he's saying literally is you take this up and you tuck them into your belt he tucked them into the sash and so that you are free to move and and not be hampered he is taking this image and applies it to the mind you see our mind visualize this with me it's like a free-flowing robe they get all over the place right we get all sorts of distractions a lot of things that can trip us up in our walk and in anticipation of the coming of christ listen you've heard me say this i've always been an add i'm still an add thank god they did not discover ritalin back then it would have slowed me down i used to get punished because you're not concentrating because my mind was all over the place because that's just part of what the add is all about and and that's fine and and so what i need to do is to tuck in these flowing robes in my head all these distracting thoughts that go through my head i need to put these distractions away i need to get some spiritual ritalin into my head and the psalmist says unite my heart unite my unite my mind so keep it from destruction of the fear of you or the worship of you now whether things that are trying to weigh me down in terms of weigh us down in terms of our circumstances or issues of life we need to be tucked in away so that we keep our focus on the coming of christ we keep our focus on that great day let everything you do let every decision you make let every lifestyle choice be motivated with that day in mind keep also said keep your lamp lit still same verse 35. again this language comes from the time of jesus where they would have uh lamps or candles or torches would they lit up and be able to go around in the dark and see where they're going that's what the purpose of the lamp is and this is a figure of speech for knowledge knowledge but it's not enough to have just head knowledge that's not what he's talking about you need to be watchful of where you're heading where you're walking how you're living where you're going make sure that your knowledge of the coming of christ motivates your life keeps you in a state of watchfulness keeps you in a state of preparedness that you're not going to be surprised when he comes in matthew 25 the lord jesus christ tell us tells us a parable of ten bridesmaids five had oil in their lamps and as soon as the bridegroom came they were ready the others were not first our minds should not be distracted secondly our lamps should have oil and drim and lit up thirdly verses 36 36-38 you are to be a faithful servant what are the descriptions of a faithful servant the lord jesus christ himself tells us here and the reason he uses the imagery of a jewish wedding because a jewish wedding not like ours you know here you come at six o'clock and the reception is seven till nine or whatever now a jewish wedding just went on and on and on days they never knew when it starts and they never knew when it's finished that's that that that's the image here they understood that and so they're always ready whenever the bridegroom comes they're ready to go on and have a party right that uncertainty was not going to put off a faithful servant he's going to be dressed and ready with his lamp ready no matter what time of night the master shows up the faithful servant not only dressed and ready and lamp lit but he's ready to go you know in my previous life before this church i traveled overseas a great deal sometimes i felt was just a bit too much and i would literally jam my my travel and i would go around the world and make seven country stops and try to be home within 10 days i don't want to stay away from home more than 10 days but the greatest joy is when i come home and my family expecting me and and and the joy that they have for my arrival it's indescribable and that kind of a similar image here verse 38 it would be good for those servants whose master found them ready then i just dressed and then i just have the lamps lit but they're ready and it doesn't matter what time whether it is the second watch or the third watch what is that the second watch was from 10 p.m to 2 a.m the third watch was from 2 a.m to 6 a.m what do you call that the the great the the graveyard shift this tells us that this there is a special blessing all its own that is reserved for those who are waiting for the lord isn't that amazing those who are ready are neither the ones who put on the white robes and hit for the mountains setting dates nor the ones who are so bogged down in this life and the affairs of this life and the circumstances of this life that they have not thought of the return of christ neither of them neither of them you're not talking about getting distracted with the affairs of this life and your attention is all over the place i remember a story a dear friend of mine told me this story many many years ago i have never forgotten it it's about this country preacher a small country church and they have the front view is what he called the amen corner where the deacons sat there and they're amending the pastor not like what i'm trying to get out of you they will do it automatically i remember dr evie hill wonderful preacher of the word of god said to me he said michael he said you're preaching to a white congregation you need to tell them where amen belongs he said in our african uh congregate african-american congregations they know what a man belongs but you need to tell them whereas that's why i've learned that's how i do it for 35 years tell you what amen belongs i learned that from dr hill but this is true as god bless you you're going to get a special blessing but this this this church and the pastor was preaching on the day of judgment and the deacon sitting in the front view amending everything he says but he was saying he said that day is going to be a dark day he said it's going to be so dark wake up in the morning and it's so dark and one of the deacons said have mercy lord have mercy lord and then he says continued he said we're going to pick up the phone and we're going to call hong kong and they're going to say oh it's dark over here it's very dark over here another one yelled out have mercy lord have mercy lord and then we're going to pick up the phone and we're going to call tokyo japan and they're gonna say oh it's very dark here it's very dark here and the other deacon says deliver us lord deliver us lord and we're gonna pick up the phone and we're gonna call paris france and you're gonna say oh it's very dark here it's very dark here and another deacon said lord have mercy and then we're going to pick up the phone and we're going to call moscow and they're going to say it's very dark over here well up to this moment the treasurer was sitting there just like where richard is i love richard he was just sitting there the treasure not saying a word but when he got to moscow he said oh lord lord lord what a telephone bill is going to be we thank god for richard he keeps us straight and honest all he's worried about is the phone bill he was he got distracted you're not focused on the day of judgment return of the lord you've gone distracted well brothers and sisters in christ we are to be dressed and ready mentally emotionally spiritually and in every way then our lamp is lit constantly witnessing the light of christ awake not asleep and fourthly the owner of the house is constantly alert look at verses 39 and 40. you know in the middle east back then and even now most break-ins do not happen in the daytime because now in our culture and almost people are out in the daytime over there somebody's in the house so the robbers don't come in the daytime they only come at night when everybody's asleep and they come in and out and take whatever they came in to take and then run and that is why jesus said about his return to some people is going to be like a thief in the night totally unaware they did not have a clue they're not thinking about it they did not know that sometime during their sleep he's going to sneak in if the owner of the house knew exactly what time or what hour the thief was coming he used to be up all night and ready to defend his family ready to defend his possessions and that is why often the man of the house kind of hardly slept and the bible talks about the shepherd you know the good shepherd actually to this day he'll sleep with one eye closed one eyes open because he wants to defend the sheep listen listen very very carefully to me robbers do not send you a postcard and say to you on such such night we're going to be visiting in your neighborhood just just want you to know please place all your valuables in a place where i can get in and out and get them very quickly no no no that that that does not happen thieves always silently still undetected the goal is to come on the inside and leave very quickly nobody notices ah but here's the good news they're going to absolutely make you shout and if it doesn't something wrong with you is another imagery the lord gives us in matthew 24 and 25. another imagery and i'm going to explain the two for you in a minute and it it it's going to make you rejoice and that is the imagery of an expectant mom who is experiencing labor pain don't miss this don't miss this very important because there is a great deal of difference between the thief coming suddenly totally unexpectedly in the middle of the night and an expectant mom experiencing labor pains is about to give birth the thief is totally unexpected the labor pains while they come suddenly but they are certainly expected why because the expectant mom had months to think about it and plan for that happy event and that is why i am absolutely convinced that to the non-believers or to the professing christians for those who are bogged down with this life and the affairs of this life those who have rejected biblical truth the day of the lord is going to be like a thief in the night but for those who are waiting those who are expecting it's going to be like labor pain i haven't got the good part yet you see the ones to whom is going to be like a thief in the night they they they're totally oblivious they may have thought about it they heard about it but they're just living in oblivion to that to that particular event they're busy with their life they haven't given a thought about the eternity they haven't given a thought about where they're going to spend eternity it's just not their focus these people are too busy building their nest egg here on earth they are too distracted by too many responsibilities they are so concerned of what people think of them they are so worried about this planet earth and ignore the fact that the bible said even though it's not only going to burn down but even the elements of burn are going to burn they have places to go and people to see they're busy but those who love jesus those who are waiting for the return of christ those who live expectantly of the return of christ those who are prepared for the return of christ they are prepared mentally they are prepared emotionally they are prepared spiritually to them it is not going to be like a thief in the night but it's like a pregnancy that culminates in labor pains and a happy moment of birth please please hear me right hear me right here right labor pains are expected as inevitable can i get an amen but we do not know exactly where the labor for when the labor pains are going to begin but we're waiting for them we're waiting for them we know they're coming we don't know when and how but we know they're coming and that is why a pregnant mother is described as expecting expecting and we the believers in the lord jesus christ are living this life expecting but there's more there's more labor pains which are painful and they're painful to experience the announce the joyful deliverance the thief in the night brings calamity and disaster and that is why it's going to be a day of judgment for those who have rejected christ those who refuse to believe those who profess christians but never believe the doctrine of the second coming but labor pains brings rejoicing and a new life which we will experience not so the thief beloved when the day of the lord comes it is my prayer it is my prayer that you and you and you and you and you and you be ready be expecting be prepared not will be to you like a thief in the night a day of judgment always be ready dressed and ready always be prepared always serving and giving and an expectant of that day always working with that day in mind beloved i plead with you don't let that day surprise you don't let it surprise you why because there are consequences regarding the state of readiness look at them with me please verses 41 to 48. there is consequences for the state of readiness you need peter asks the question verse 41 lord are you telling this parable to ask the 12 or you're telling it to everybody here's what i get so emotional and i read the scripture and i just see the wisdom of the lord oh incredible i i i pray to god i'll never cease from being excited about seeing the wisdom of our lord here it's the wisdom that he did not answer his question directly but indirectly he gives him another parable first he said the faithful believers who are ready for the return of christ are going to be uniquely blessed there is a blessing with the name written on it so paul out of the five crowns in the bible out of the five crowns he said there's one crown that is specifically dedicated and will be given to all those who love his appearing but the unfaithful servants those who are not ready for the return of christ they will be judged they will be judged but that's not all the unfaithful person who becomes an abuser listen to me we talk a lot about abuse who becomes an abuser abuser of both the divine stewardship the divine trust that was placed in our hand and abusing of human beings who are under their authority misleading them and misguiding them they will be judged more severely you notice there's a a degree of punishment listen listen to me god is not a communist he's not going to deal the judgment exactly the same for everybody nor he's going to deal the reward the same for every one of his faithful people it's going to be a degrees of it the unfaithful professing christian who only want to please themselves unfaithful professing christians who are unfaithful stewards with a life and faithful professing christians who live under the illusion they have plenty of time to get right with god to do things for god before he returns they're going to be in deep trouble they're going to be in deep trouble but somehow to a lesser degree than those of us who are in leadership why do you think i'll weep when i hear that some of the great men of god who preach the gospel turn their back on the gospel apologize for preaching the gospel it tears me up in fact paul uses very similar imagery here in 1st thessalonians chapter 5 first thessalonians 5 verses 4 all the way to 11. paul said the unprepared person is like living in a state of darkness drunkenness and sleep not the three imagers he gives us here darkness drunkenness and sleep all three of those leavers incapable of seeing hearing or responding to our surroundings beloved the only cure for darkness is light the light of christ the only cure for drunkenness is sobriety and the only cure for sleep is being awake living in the light living soberly living awake fully awake describes the believer who lives on obedience to the word of god don't miss verse 48 don't miss verse 48. the degree of judgment upon the professing christians who are unprepared is directly related to the degree of their knowledge of the truth that is why it's heartbreaking when somebody had known the knowledge of the truth and then they turned it back on it and that is why james the half-brother of jesus says that the judgment upon preachers and teachers and leaders is going to be far worse than just the average and faithful christian i pray to god that we everyone every one of us in a state of readiness let me tell you this as i conclude it's a story that i love to tell because it illustrates the foolishness of some it's a story of a farmer in illinois who wrote a letter to the editor on a local weekly newspaper refuting what he used to believe as a christian and now backslidden he wrote the letter in the letter reads and party said sir i've been trying to experiment i have planted a field of corn which i play out on sunday i planted it on sunday and i did all my cultivating on sunday i gathered the crop on sunday and on sunday i hold all my crops in the barns and i find that i have more corn to the acre than what my other christian fellow farmers had to his credit the publisher published the entire letter without deviation but then there was an editorial line just one line because he said that i've done all the harvesting in october and i've done this in october this in october and the editor said god does not always settle his accounts in october god does not always sell so be patient be patient when you see injustice be patient god does not always settle his accounts on october the day is coming the day is coming the day is coming when god will settle his accounts let's live our lives being dressed and ready lamp slit staying awake making all your decisions with that day in mind can i get an amen pray with me please father you only you're the one you're the only one who know the heart of everyone who's here heart of everyone who's watching around the world literally around the world and many many countries you're the only one who know the heart and if i have a request father selfishly i ask you to keep me prepared my family prepared the body of christ here church of the apostles prepared and then all your believing children be prepared dressed lamp slit ready for that day to come expectant of that day to come not be surprised when that day come and oh by the way lord make it quickly come lord jesus and all of god's people said amen and all the creation all of the earth jesus is coming soon call back to sinner call back to sin wake up the same let every nation shout of your praise jesus is coming soon with the bride of christ like a bride waiting for the room we'll be the church ready for you every heart [Music] lord jesus [Music] there will be justice all will be new in your name forever faithful and true jesus is coming [Music] soon [Music] ready for you every heart longing for our [Music] even so calm [Music] we wait for you [Music] we wait for you [Music] lord [Music] longing ready [Music] lord jesus [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is the land [Music] he [Applause] [Music] i [Music] hallelujah [Music] we proclaim and sing that truth this morning hallelujah [Music] [Music] it up [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is praise the lord this morning he is worthy of all honor of all glory and of all praise y'all have a great day we'll see you next sunday god bless you [Music] thank you for joining us in this corporate worship today we would love to hear from you and love to pray for you and encourage you in what god is doing in your life if you would like more opportunities to connect with us please let us know may god bless you and your loved ones today and the coming [Music] week [Music] you

Channel: The Church Of The Apostles

Views: 1,657

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Sermons by great preachers, testimonies of christians, jesus christ, leading the way, Dr Michael Youssef, The Church of the Apostles

Id: 5zs4LLG3SEA

Length: 86min 2sec (5162 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 21 2021