Sermon: “A Sense of Urgency” by Rick Shabi, Jan 2 2021

we've been talking many times through our bible studies and recently in sermons about the building that god is building among his church and building in us individually as we've gone through the book of hebrews we see that repeated you know just a couple of bible studies ago we talked about the elementary principles that the author of hebrews was reminding them then and reminds us today about elementary principles like repentance from dead works faith toward god baptism laying on of hands resurrection eternal judgment if you've been on those bible studies we recounted some of those things but those are basic principles upon which we have begun to build our house the primary focus of hebrews of course has been to remind us as jesus christ as our savior and just how significant and how important he is and i hope as we've gone through those as we have seen the author of hebrews talk about jesus christ and the extent of what he did just how magnificent it is god's plan is and why he is the chief cornerstone of our calling we're also told that where our foundation is built on apostles and prophets we have a building we're doing and just like the foundation's been laid and as you and i have gone through those processes in the beginning god expects that we are adding those bricks just like when you build a house you start with the foundation but you have to continually add it's not enough to just have the foundation it takes some time it takes effort to build that house and so we are doing that in our lives and if we go over to first peter we see that he gives us the same concept in his second epistle in second peter ii peter 1 and verse 5 says he says to the church he's writing to then he says also for this very reason giving all diligence add to your faith virtue you got vape you got faith there is one building block on top of that add virtue on top of that add knowledge on top of that add self-control you begin to see the building blocks of the christian life how we build those things and as god works with us all these things take our effort to do he gives us all the materials all the tools all the resources we need but we have to be the ones building this house add to your faith virtue add to your virtue knowledge add to knowledge self-control so important keeps us focused on what we're doing and we have to make ourselves do what's right to self-control add perseverance stick to it no matter what comes your way no matter what storms wins come and try to topple us keep building do perseverance add godliness the way we live our lives the way we conduct ourselves to godliness add brotherly kindness and finally to add to brotherly kindness add love agape all those things that god through peter told us these are the building blocks this is what you need to do peter in verse 8 sums it up and he says if these things are yours and abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord jesus christ for he who lacks these things is short-sighted even the blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins you know that's one of the big travesties one of the big dangers as we go through our lives we could forget what god has done for us we can forget the salvation that jesus christ has brought to us we can forget we can forget what our calling is we can forget what we started with and we can find ourselves drifting away as we've talked about we can find ourselves lacks in some areas and it's always the challenge to keep ourselves focused on what's been done for us and what we've been called to verse 10 peter says therefore brethren be even more diligent to make your colony election sure for if you do these things you will never stumble for so and entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and savior jesus christ peter it's not the first time he's told the people that are hearing this that are reading this it's not the first time you've heard this he says for this reason i'm not going to be negligent to remind you always of these things though you know and are established in the present truth yes i think it's right as long as i'm in this tent this physical body is in to stir you up by reminding you knowing that shortly i must put off my tent just as our lord jesus christ showed me so peter knew and we all know we have to be reminded we have to keep we have to keep ourselves focused on what we're doing why we're here the building that god is building in us what we're supposed to be doing the progress that we're supposed to be making our part in that again he gives us everything that we need but it depends on us in those verses peter gives a lot of building blocks in those verses he gives us a key component that he doesn't list specifically with faith and virtue and knowledge and self-control and perseverance and all those but having that having that attribute that's implicit and that's listed here in second peter is crucial for us to build our building what is it what is it as we look through those verses well i won't tell you just let yet let's go back to some proverbs and look at some of those and see as we build our houses build the temples that god wants us to individually and collectively as a church some of the principles that he has for us back here proverbs 10 and verse 4. so see who has a slack hand becomes poor well we've read that certainly that's true physically but as we read through these proverbs it also becomes or is true spiritually too isn't it if we are just slack concerning our spiritual life if we're just drifting along coasting along everything's okay if we have a slack hand we can become spiritually poor but the hand of the diligent makes rich well all of us want to be spiritually rich can't have a slack hand if we're going to be spiritually rich if we're going to be what god wants us to be and blesses us to be we've got to be our hand has to be diligent in what we're doing verse 5 he who gathers in summer is a wise son but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame there's a time to do things there's a time to get it done and at some point that time to get things done is gone it's gone it's up to us up to us to see that the time we have we're building the house that god wants us to build a couple chapters over in proverbs 12 and verse 24 says the hand of the diligent will rule what has god called us to become kings and priests the hand of the diligent will rule but the lazy will be put to force labor well that takes some of the self-control that takes some of the self-motivation that takes something from within us god will provide everything we need but it has to be us who do the things that god tells us to do we have to be making choices we have to be making the decisions we have to be about what it is and building that house god's not going to build it for us he'll give us the directions he'll give us the tools he'll give us the resources he'll give us the time but he won't do it for us that's up to us to do using his spirit and all the gifts that he's given us and tools proverbs 22 and verse 29 do you see a man who excels in his work someone who someone who you can count on someone when he gets done with what he's doing is like you know what that is a really good job it's even better than i expected it to be do you see a man who excels in his work isn't the type of employee it's just good enough i just did the bare minimum that that my boss expected me to do do you see a man who excels in his work if you've ever been an employer or a manager you love people who excel in their work you see the focus they put into it you see the determination they put into you see the time they put into it and the commitment to it do you see a man who excels in his work he will stand before kings he's got that quality about him he's always working he's always sure about what's going on he's always doing things to the best of his ability he won't stand before the unknown he will rise the occasion he will be one and if we apply this spiritually what does god say i delight in those who excel in their work who put their effort into it who see their calling and who what they do they're doing it and they simply do it very well not just enough to get by but to do it to the best of their abilities let's go forward to ecclesiastes ecclesiastes 9. ecclesiastes 9 verse 10. a memory verse for many of us i've said many times as i was growing up i heard this my dad mentioned this verse over and over and over again and it is one of my favorite verses too among many in the bible ecclesiastes 9 10 let's look at it not just from the physical but also the spiritual whatever your hand finds to do whatever whether it's physically doing something but when you put your hand to doing what god has called you to do that is becoming like him following his principles building the house that he has called us to build individually and collectively whatever your hand finds to do do it with your might not just to get by do it well do it with your might put your energy into it for there's no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going do it well you don't know how much time you have to do it could be could be several years could be several months how much time do we have to do what god wants us to do implicit in these verses is a sense of urgency about the work that we do there's a time element in everything that you read when you read through the book of hebrews when you read through the book of ii peter when you read through the bible you always see a time element and here in ecclesiastes 9 10 it tells us you know you've got some time whether the god whether god allows you or allots you 10 years 20 years 50 years 60 years 100 years there's a time to get the job done and there's some time that there is no longer going to be there's no longer going to be time to get the job done your time is up just like the people who work in the summer when the summer's done if you haven't on the harvest time is done if you haven't gathered in the harvest it's just a little too late your family's going to be hungry well just like for you and me there's a time god gives us none of us know exactly how long that will be so we have to be about god's business and we have to do it well now spiritual maturity isn't measured in the number of years that you've been in the church is it when god looks at us he doesn't say you know they've been around for 25 30 40 years they're spiritually mature no he doesn't look at that at all he looks at what we are who are we what are we what character have we developed where are we in that list that peter gives where are we in the in the doctrines where are we in developing the fruits of the spirit where are we in that that's what god looks at so someone who's been in the church if we want to use that 10 years might be spiritually more mature than someone who's been around 20 or 25 years what did we do with our time people who have been around you know 10 years might be really diligently working on what what they should be building others may just be coasting and thinking as long as i'm here every week as long as i'm doing whatever i'm doing that's okay now coasting coasting and just getting by is never something that god looks at and says well done jesus christ in the three and a half years that he allotted was allotted for his ministry how much did he accomplish he knew the time he knew the time he was alive and he accomplished everything that god wanted him to do most of us have much more time than three and a half years are we are we where god would want us to be where we are today where are we in building that house how many blocks how many layers have been added to the foundation that was laid back at the time we were baptized how many layers does it look like it's nearing completion can people see the progress what exactly are we doing let's go to the new testament second timothy ii timothy 4 paul writing to a young minister who's beginning his ministry who might have looked at his life and thought i've got decades ahead of me to get things done but paul tells him in these first five verses of chapter four you see a sense of urgency that's there timothy don't just think you've got forever to do these things get to work i charge you verse 1 therefore before god and the lord jesus christ who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom preach the word get out and do it be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all lung suffering and teaching get busy do it don't think you got eons to do it decades to do it do it go all these things for the time will come for the time will come and you don't know when it'll come timothy right now they may be listening to you right now is the time to wake them up give them the sense of urgency they have to be building they have to be paying attention you don't know when the time will come but it will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers ah we want to believe what we want to believe i have this pet theory i know there's something more i'm going to find my own teachers timothy there's a time coming you don't know how much time it is you have to reach these people that have been entrusted to your care make sure they have a sense of urgency just like you need to have a sense of urgency that the time is now to be building while the while it's daylight and not dark while we have the time to do these things verse 4 they will turn their ears away from the truth they will be turned aside to fables it's just a way of the world people will listen and people will fall away and they'll believe things that maybe years before they never would have even imagined that they could believe or fall for that lie or that deception but they do we've seen it happen you've all seen it happen among people that you've known how much time what were they doing with their time were they building their houses that they could get to the point where they could be deceived and have their house just knocked down by this false teaching this fable this idea that's out there that made them feel like there's something different that i can hang my hat onto well they'll turn their away ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables but you timothy you be watchful in all things endure afflictions and do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry get to work and do it don't think just because you're young that you've got decades to get this done do it just do it and have a sense of urgency when you do it because the time is now the time is now to get it done throughout the bible we see that god builds in a sense of urgency almost every example that you can look at in the bible you can see where a sense of urgency must be in the people of god to get things done let's go back to exodus 12. exodus 12 where god is pretty much humbled and defeated pharaoh and he's agreed to let the israelites go after that passover morning pharaoh is in mourning pharaoh realizes he's been defeated but notice what god says in exodus 12 and verse 19. it's not where i want let me see what 13 is no i want 19 and 20. what i want is where god tells them to leave hastily ah let's look at verse um verse 36. now start in verse 33. the egyptians urged the people that they might send them out of the land in haste get out of here get out of here for they said we'll all be dead so the people took their dough before it was leavened having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders and the children of israel had done according to the word of moses and they asked from the egyptians articles of silver articles of gold and clothing god gave them favor in their sight and then they left god said get up and go by the time sunset comes tonight i want you out of egypt close up your homes get everything together get out of here couldn't have waited two or three days to pack up a household god was telling him you've seen my hand you've seen what you've been called to do get out of there do it in haste pack up and go don't dilly dally around get up and go now christ said in essence the same thing when he was on earth when he would when he would call people to follow him the apostles he would say follow me what did they do the ones who became apostles they dropped what they were doing and they followed him but in luke 9 we read about people who he did call and they would always say well okay i need to finish this first i need to go back and i need to finish my responsibilities to my father and then i'll follow you and then another one would have another reason that he wasn't going to do it right then he wasn't going to do it in haste he wasn't going to do it with a sense of urgency when he received the call and the calling but he was going to put it off for a while what did christ say to those remember that in luke 9 he said no one putting their hands to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of god when you know the truth when you've been called god expects us to go god expects us to work god expects us to follow him god expects us to take the time seize the time use the time redeem the time and get to work not dilly dally he knew what would happen jesus christ did those people would go back and then something would happen and he would never see them again i can't tell you how many people have told me over the phone who have never shown up in church i'm going to be there the sabbath i'm going to be there this sabbath and they never show up and i never hear from them again and i think you knew the truth when we talked you seemed to have it all together you knew you should be there and yet you let something interrupt you and then you never show up where's the sense of urgency that's what god is saying when you know do it get to work make it happen don't look back throughout the scriptures we could through we could go through so many of them i mentioned ephesians 5 verses 15 16 says redeem the time that's what paul was telling them don't waste the time redeem it make use of it get to work do the things that you need to do we can go back to romans 13 or forward to romans 13. romans 13 and verse 11 paul to first century christians in rome said do this knowing the time that now now it's high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed if he could say that back in the first century how much more can we say it today with all the years that have passed and all the things that we've seen in the last year anyone who can say that they don't clearly see the end in sight simply needs to wake up simply needs to wake up not setting dates not saying imminently or what on anything but looking at it now is the time now is the time to wake up out of sleep when you see sleep in the bible you should think about those 10 virgins in matthew 25. 10 virgins that are in matthew 25 all of them slept five of them were so soundly asleep that when the bridegroom came they just they just weren't there they had no sense of urgency to what they were doing they thought you know what his time is coming somewhere down the road i don't have to deal with it today i can kind of go about do my business and i have time i have time to be ready for him i realized i don't have time now he's done now the time has passed i didn't expect it this soon i didn't expect that this was going to be the time that it happened and then it's too late and then it's too late we don't need to turn there but in first peter 4 17 we just talked about it in one of my recent letters judgment is now on the house of god right now god is looking at you and me and assessing what are we doing how are we living our lives are we building the house to his standards to his specifications are we interested in it are we committed to it is that where our time and interest is or is this just kind of an afterthought maybe once every seven days oh you know what i've got to do these things because god didn't call us to be one seventh of the time christians but seven sevenths christians continually building it not just when we're with each other but on the job in the family in the neighborhood out among the business that we do day in and day out judgment is now on the house of god it's now it's high time to be looking at at these things back in matthew matthew 24 christ talks about this in the olivet prophecies of that prophecy as well he gives all these things that are going to happen that lead up to the return of of his uh to his return but in verse 22 of matthew 24 he gives this element that we just don't know how much time there is matthew 24 verse 22 unless those days be shortened no flesh would be saved before the elect's sake those days will be shortened what does he mean by that less time than we might think if we read in matthew 24 and see that isn't the days of noah everyone is happy prosperous it's a wealthy time people are marrying giving in marriage looks like everything is okay you know christ's time and the day that we look for so far off in the future i've got time i've got time but then god says those days will be shortened could we be taken as a surprise by when that day whatever that day is comes will we know can we just look at events and say well that can't happen that can't happen for years and years and years because he says all for the elect's sake those days will be shortened he says in this chapter luke's account of it don't let that day come and you be caught unawares that means we need to be working now we don't know when that day is you know we've talked several times when you look at the world around us things could happen literally overnight even economists look at our economy and they shake their heads on how has it been going for years with the situation that it's been certainly through this pandemic time that literally one morning we could wake up and the bottom has fallen out literally could will it probably sometime down the road whenever god determines that time to be we'll all find ourselves and think whoa that was shorter that we didn't expect it we thought things would go on forever and ever and ever the way it is that's what people would have us believe america can survive through anything it'll always be this way but christ says before the elect's day those days will be shortened do we want to take a chance that we may not have a sense of urgency and be coasting thinking there's more time than there may be you know satan has this concept of urgency if we read back in revelation 12 you can turn there if you want but in revelation 12 around verses i don't know for 15 16 and there it says satan has been cast down to you and he knows he has but a short time he knows he has a short time and what does he do with that time well his mission is i want to topple every one of their houses i want winds and storms i want rain to come on their houses i want them all to fall i will do anything in my short time that i have to disrupt the people of god whatever i can do in that short time i'm not slumbering i'm not sleeping i'm busy at work i have the sense of urgency if i'm going to accomplish satan would say what i want to accomplish i've got to get it done now i have a short time he's busy at work are we busy at work well what can be some of the enemies of a sort of a sense of urgency because there are those out there right satan has a sense of urgency and god wants us to have a sense of urgency and he's working against us and we all live in this world what can be some of the things that would be that would that would interrupt our sense of urgency or in matthew let's go back to matthew 13. matthew 13 verse 22 the parable of the sower and the seeds verse 22 says one of the ways that we can have our sense of urgency just dissipated verse 22 he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word well that would be you and me that would be others who have been here with us before others who are listening in on the web now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful well he was fruitful for a while it doesn't say immediately there's another seed that immediately is taken away but here's someone who was becoming fruitful but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches came and choked the word and he became unfruitful his building was interrupted his house fell he stopped the building process and because of everything going on in the world i'm so busy with this i've got this going on over here i have that happening over here and i've got money life is good i can just coast i don't have to worry about this i don't have to worry about that everything is great and as we become comfortable in life we can become comfortable spiritually too but we can't become comfortably spiritually we're told put on that armor every day we might fight the wiles of the devil do we keep our armor on for times that are really good when money isn't an issue when we're so busy with all these other things that you know they just they just take up all our time for six days a week so that when the sabbath comes it's like wow i'm just falling into the sabbath but i can hardly wait until sunday gets here so i can go be about my business again is that what our lives are like because those are deceitful things that satan will use to destroy our sense of urgency spiritually and we all every single one of us can fall prey to that every single one of us can and probably have it's do we catch ourselves do we recognize what we're doing and do we get back on track with a sense of urgency to do what god has called us to do to build that house and to add those layers because we only have so much time to do it only so much time to do it you know we could turn to ezekiel 16. we don't have to turn to ezekiel 16 not too long ago we turned there when we were talking about sodom and there is ezekiel 16 verse 49 and 50 it talks about what were the sins of sodom idleness fullness of food and what did that do even lot who was living in sodom he became very comfortable in that society he lost his sense of urgency god had to have the angels literally drag him out of that society he's not going to do that with us we have to be ready to be dragged out of that society we have to have that sense of urgency that when that time comes we're ready to leave we're ready to follow god no matter where no matter when and how he says it we can talk about spiritual slumber we've already talked about that we don't have to turn to matthew 25 we all slumber but it's high time we're told get out of that slumber get to work be among the diligent do the things that you were called to do make that your priority order your days establish your steps don't have everything physical there and oh by the way i need to pray oh by the way i need to study oh by the way as an afterthought i need to do these things make that your priority and then go about the things that you need to do we can talk about the voices in the world we talked about those last week they can deceive us we can listen to them they can cast us into a sleep they can make us things things differently than what the bible and god tells us to do and say oh i have to listen to that voice well nothing wrong with listening to those voices but what is the voice that we would completely follow when it comes to choice between the two we can turn drill galatians six we can see another thing that we could do that would interrupt our building process and really something we should be doing if we're building the house that god in the manner that he wants us to build it galatians 6 and verse 9 he says let us not grow weary let's not get tired let's not go to sleep let's just say i'm tired of doing that been doing it forever let us not grow weary while doing good for in due season whenever god determines is that due season for in due season we shall reap if we don't lose heart let us not grow weary while doing good for in due season we shall reap if we don't lose heart i think in the old king james the word faint is in there someplace and when you look that up the concept of relaxing is in that verse let's not relax let's not relax while doing good let's not say you know it's time for a little rest time for a little of the folding of the hands let's take a little nap i've been doing this a long time and serving i just need to you know i just need to relax well we read verses and proverbs about what relaxing does to us maybe we don't see the same thing do the same thing in service day after day after day for 15 20 30 40 50 years but there is always service we're doing always something that god wants us to be doing for each other with each other let's not grow weary let's not relax that's not what people who have a sense of urgency do they know the time is imminent in hebrews 10 and i know everyone thinks that these are my favorite verses but i keep coming back to them because there's a lot in these verses in hebrews 10 verses 24 and 25 that we you know even though i try not to come back to the verse there's an awfully lot in that and there's a sense of urgency in hebrews 10 24 and 25 let's consider one another in order to stir up love do you see someone relaxing stir them up see someone who's just kind of coasting let's stir up the agape let's stir up the good works let's not forsake the assembling of ourselves together that's what satan would have us do there's energy when we're together that's part of what god called us to do to be part of his body if we forsake it if we say not important kind of tired of doing that kind of afraid of doing that boy that's doing what satan would want us to do but this is a way for us to be energized not forsakingly assembling ourselves together as is the manner of son but exhorting there's another action word you know when you exhort someone it's not a casual hello it's there's some energy behind it you need to do this you need to look at this i need to i need to build some motivation into you i need to build some action into you exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching and so much more as you see the day approaching what is the day approaching and are we doing what god said are we are we together more as we see the day approaching or are we together less as we see the day approaching certainly today we have more opportunities to be together not necessarily always in person but by virtual means we have an opportunity every week even midweek to be together do we take advantage of those opportunities that god has built in perhaps that's why he did it so we have time to be together a little more so that we can grow together study his word a little bit more be energized be focused are we doing it a little more as we see the day approaching or or we find ourselves assembling together a little less as the day approaching because that's the opposite of what god says to do that's not a way to build your house that's a way to let it be chiseled away in those bricks chisel chisel chisel just put them just chisel them apart but what day is he talking about here is he talking about the day of the lord as we see the day of the lord approaching or we know through bible through the bible when the day of lord occurs time of the seven trumpets comes after the great tribulation comes after the heavenly signs we can see that day approaching but there's an awfully lot that happens between now and the day of the lord are we just looking at the day of the lord because there's an awfully lot that happens before the day of the lord if we're only looking to the day of the lord and think we have until the day of the lord to get our acts together and to be to be urgent about our calling then we might want to think again because there's an awfully lot that happens before the day of the lord know jesus christ and the bible tells us be aware of that day don't let it catch you as a thief in the night in fact let's turn to first thessalonians 1 thessalonians 5 where paul eloquently puts that first thessalonians 5 verse 1 concerning the times and the seasons brethren you have no need that i should write to you we know you know we know what the plan of god is for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the lord so comes as a thief in the night people aren't expecting it it's not that we can point we can point to a day and say you know what that's xx months or xx years away i got plenty of time i there's no need to have a sense of urgency the people in the first century to whom this was written they'd had to have a sense of urgency if they thought if they it's 2 000 years away i've got my entire life to do this you know what i'm just going to coast i'm just going to enjoy every generation of christians has to live with a sense of urgency because we just don't know we're told over and over again we don't know when that day is coming the day of the lord so comes as a thief in the night for when they say peace and safety notice when they say it doesn't mean it's actually technically there for when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape now god uses this example of pregnancy and labor pains a few times in the bible remember in jeremiah 30 when it talks about the time of jacob's trouble and it asks you know what is it this is that i see men are doubled over in pain like a like you know at a time of labor and and we can use this analogy that he's using here to think about the day that's coming for all of us who have had children you know we've seen what our wives have gone through the pain the intense pain that is a part of childbirth it's not an easy process right what do we do we're pregnant doctor gives us a date and says your child will be born around that what do we do just say you know what i don't have to think about it until xxx date no we have classes we go to if you know moms are paying attention to their health they're eliminating things from their diet paying attention to vitamins and health and moms and dads are going to classes because they know this day is imminent we need to know what to do when the pain comes we need to know how to handle it and so your coach here's some breathing techniques here's what you do dad you're a coach dad you're going to be the encourager dad you're going to be you're going to be the strong hand in that to help your wife through it got to be a team effort you need each other and you prepare for that but the time comes you don't know the day now i know today in today's world you can set your birth date and you can do induced induced pregnancies or induced deliveries and all these things but you never know when the day is you know about what it's going to be but you don't know when that day will be if you haven't given it any thought if you thought you know what the doctor told me that child's gonna be born march 1st and whoops february 15th the child is ready uh-oh what do we do we didn't we thought we had two more weeks we thought we had more time than this you know some people it's even earlier than that now if you haven't had that sense of urgency to get things done so that you're ready when that day comes it's disaster there's panic there's there's all sorts of upsets can't even imagine what it'd be like it's it's stressful enough even when you have planned when the day comes and your wife says it's time let's go you're glad you have the bag packed you glad you had the things you have to catch yourself and think this is what we do we're prepared we're ready we had a sense of urgency we didn't put it off until the last minute we worked on it exactly at the plan the same is true for us we don't know when the day is coming how many times does jesus christ and god have to tell us we don't know when that day is going to come now we might think we know we might think it's years off because the day of the lord we know is at least three and a half years if the great tribulation started tomorrow which it won't it'll be three and a half or two and a half years away is that the day of the lord is that the day he's talking about because we know basically when that's going to happen or we'll know when things start happening when the day of the lord is what about the day of the lord what about is the time you know jesus christ says no one knows the day that he's returning except god the father even the angels don't know he doesn't know but there will come a time when god says this is the day now is the time to return but there's other markers that we know about as well go back to daniel daniel 12 we find days mentioned in the last chapter of daniel and when these days happen which happened before the return of jesus christ we know when you know when those days are going to be in daniel 12 you know it's clear we've talked about this before this is the time of the end read through just a few of the verses here the middle of verse 1 daniel there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation just like jesus christ said in his olivet prophecy never a time like that even to that time at the time your people daniel shall be delivered everyone who is written who is found written in the book many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life sun to shame and everlasting contempt those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn away many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever and he says daniel we know we know the time frame of what we're talking about here if we drop down to verse 7 as daniel's asking about these things it says i heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever it'll be a time times and half a time now when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered all these things shall be finished daniel this will happen twelve hundred sixty days as we're told in revelation as well twelve hundred sixty days before the return of jesus christ so when that time happens 1260 days before the return of jesus christ the day of christ's return is set god's very exact in his schedule and when these things happen three and a half years before that we may not know the exact date that the great tribulation starts but when it starts we'll know jesus christ is coming in three and a half years but it's waiting until the time the great tribulations start the time that you want to wait to get serious about your calling is that the time where we get the sense of urgency because believe me there will be a sense of urgency when we find out what's going on at that time but it won't be a time that you want to find yourself unawares if we go over to verse 9. now verse 11 you can read verses 9 and 10 yourself it gives us another another set of days from the time that the daily sacrifices is uh in italics there and from the time that the daily is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up we talked about that a little bit a few weeks ago there will be 1 290 days so before the 1260 days there's a day that something happens 1290 days before the return of christ something else happens is that the day we should be looking at because at 1 290 days the return of jesus christ is set do we know when that 1290 days is none of us can look at it and say you know what we know exactly when that 1290 days is so we can mark our calendars and we can say if i have a sense of urgency i can start working on it because i know when that 1290 days is because 30 days after that you know maybe 30 days after that you know we're you right right next door to a daniel here's hosea and hosea 5 we see something that may be happening during that 30-day period between 1290 and 1260. in hosea 5 and verse 5 says the pride of israel testifies to his face israel is a proud nation we know who modern-day israel is the pride of israel testifies to his face therefore israel and ephraim ephraim stumble in their iniquity judah also stumbles with them and we know if we've been listening who modern day judah is so we have three nations significant in the earth that tumble verse six it says with their flocks and herds they'll go to seek the lord but they won't find him he's withdrawn himself from them you know we're told seek the lord while he may be found this tells us some will seek the lord too late too late the time has already passed to find him he's withdrawn himself from them could that happen to you and me could we just wait until too late thinking that we think we have enough time and there's no sense of urgency but we go and we just can't find god this is talking of nations but you know saying they better be paying attention because there is a time when god's not there for them they've dealt treacherously with the eternal they've begotten pagan children they don't follow his principles at all now a new moon or 30 days shall devour them in their heritage in 30 short days gone 30 short days gone is that what happens at 1290 so when we get to 1290 things go on just as fine and all of a sudden in the next 30 days but god knows when that 12 90 days is and then the next 30 days all these things happen it's like oh oh 1290 was back there we should have been ready for 1290. but we didn't know when 1290 was going to be there because everything looked so good everything looked so fine we didn't count on it happening at that time well that's 1290 but then we go on in verse 12 of daniel 12 and it says blessed is he who waits blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335 days blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335 days that's 45 days even earlier what's going on at that time does the world look like a great place to live are they giving in are they giving in marriage and marrying and times are great we think things are just wonderful but 45 days before 1290 is 1335 and god says to those blessed is he who waits until that time 45 days before 1290 75 days before 1260 and of that person he says blessed is he blessed is he who waits do any of us even suppose that we know when the 1335th day before the return of jesus christ is going to be do you want to bet your salvation on the fact that you do know that it's several years off that's a long time but when god comes to that 1 335 days the return of jesus christ is imminent it's happening now it's it's not going to say oh i changed my mind let's make it one thousand five hundred days instead of one thousand three it's going to be 1 335 days you and i won't know when that 1 335th day is now some of us will know when that 1 335th is because we will not have slept we will have had a sense of urgency not knowing whether it's going to happen a year from now or 10 years from now or 50 years from now if that's even possible that the world could go on in the state that long because we will have been getting ready and preparing and have that sense of urgency that that house every layer is being built we're not going to wait and say oh you know what i've got to wait until godliness gets out oh i've got to wait until agape gets done i you know we have to be about building the house now with a sense of urgency because we don't know when that day is going to come but when that day comes and goes something happens do you want to be among those who whoops now i know it's around between 1290 and 1260. i'm not among those who god said we're blessed i can't tell you exactly what happens or what will happen at 1 35 days neither can you but we better be we better be building our house when that day comes knowing that judgment is now on the house of god god will look at us and say he's built his house well he's been diligent or he has been very lacks and he has taken and he's been asleep and so there's a different sense of urgency that will be thrust upon the people then sense of urgency a sense of urgency is extremely important as we live the life that god has called us to let's go back to first peter again first peter i guess it's second peter 1. ii peter 1. as peter writes about these building blocks in our homes in the temples that we're building individually that god is building together with us as a church never forget that we have a dual responsibility at a dual building we're doing here together in verse 5 he gives us that important thing about the time that we have in order to build the house in verse 5 he says for this reason giving all diligence add to your faith virtue to virtue knowledge and so on later on in verse 10 he says be even more diligent if you look up the greek word diligent 47 10 if i remember correctly it says it comes from the root word that means speed speed it has to do with time has to do with time some places that same word is is translated haste has to do with earnestness there is a focus that people need to have so when paul or peter says for this reason give all diligence when he wrote that greek word they realized time is of the essence you know we may not all live until the 1335th day right for our none of us know exactly how long we will live our time for building could be very short god could say they've had enough time when you're resurrected or when you die when god looks at you would he say yup his house is complete yes he added all those layers he'll be part of the first fruit do you want to bet that you'll live until the return of jesus christ and even if you do do you know where 1335 days is do you want to bet that you'll know exactly when the time should come and that you have that much time or do we believe god when he says it's going to come as a thief in the night we'd better be having a sense of urgency in doing what he has called us to do now build build build let me close in second corinthians second corinthians seven you know where do we get the energy what do we do you know if we've been if we assess our lives through god's eyes and through his holy spirit and we see we've been we've been coasting we've been allowing things to just go by thinking we've got plenty of time all the things in the world are more important to us and you know we we just don't have time to do this we don't have time to do that maybe we have time to do everything else but but some things we find a source of energy is right there in one of those basic building blocks basic building blocks that we read about in hebrew six in repentance in second corinthians 7 you know paul writes about this man they had to put out of the church in first corinthians 5 and when he came to repentance he came back and he was a different guy and all those years when he was coming to church he was just kind of coasting you know i thought as long as i'm coming to church i can do this i can do that you know it says that he has a sexual problem that wasn't even named among the saints but when he was put out he began to realize wow there's eternal life at stake here this is salvation this is real stuff this isn't just like going through the motions and and playing a game with god so verse 11 shows us that when we repent if we found ourselves that we've been coasting now we've been maybe asleep that we haven't had the sense of urgency individually and or collectively to build what god expects us to be building among ourselves look what repentance does here's the sense of urgency here's the energy here's the commitment observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner what diligence there's that word that same greek word that has to do with speed and time haste earnestness what diligence it produced in you what clearing of yourselves what indignation what fear what vehemence desire what zeal what vindication wouldn't we all want to feel that isn't that what we need to fire us up to wake us up to get going to realize the time is now well the time is now the time is now judgment is now on the house of god and now is the time always with a sense of urgency to be building what god has called you and me to build

Channel: United Church of God Orlando

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Length: 59min 33sec (3573 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 02 2021