The Last Days

well if you have your bibles let's jump right straight into hebrews chapter 12 verse 25 through 29. i'm going to preach a message today that's burning in my spirit i've never ministered this before i'm calling it the last days i um i've never really ministered this before because i've never i haven't felt this way before i haven't lived in a time like this i've been around a while but this is a very unique time and season and i just feel a responsibility at my age to be true to the word of the lord and to make sure that should god call me home tomorrow i remind you no matter your age of the coming of the lord how many of you believe he is coming again [Music] and so if you would look with me in hebrews chapter 12 verses 25 through 29 see that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth [Music] that's jesus much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven that's also jesus now whose voice then shook the earth but now hath he promised saying yet once more i shake not the earth only but also heaven and this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of those things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved let us have grace let us have grace whereby we may serve god acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our god is a consuming fire mighty god we bow our head and heart before you and we pray that your anointing rest upon the word of god and that you speak clearly today through our lips and we ask this in jesus name and everyone say amen amen amen amen can we put our hands together and thank the lord for this wonderful team my goodness so gifted i gave my heart my life to jesus as my lord and savior in 1976 i was 17 years old i gave my heart to the lord during what time in life magazines would later call the jesus movement i was one of those hippies reach back here and touch my long brown hair waving in the wind just awesome i've been born again now for 49 years i grew up in church but i did not give my heart to the lord until i was 17. i didn't know about grace i grew up in a very legalistic manner and and it was pushing away a lot of the young people out of our church we just didn't know how that it wasn't because we didn't want to be a a believer it was because we just didn't feel like we could ever really measure up i don't know if you understand what that means so we thought we just couldn't get in just couldn't make it so we many of us didn't start when i began to hear about the grace and the love of god this morning when we sang that next to last song love wider than horizons greater than all sin still to this day that's what moves me that's what drew me his loving kindness which is greater than life it it drew me and i gave my heart to jesus and i haven't looked back since i'm so grateful for the 49 years i have had the honor and joy of serving jesus is there anyone here grateful for the life of christ being born again saved washed in the blood of jesus and so i can't tell you in 49 years really all my life because i grew up in church but just how many times i've heard a message about the end times or the last days yet the world events of my youth they they did not they seemed so far away the end times it just seemed like there was so much scripture to fulfill and and what uh the book of revelations prophesied seemed impossible like it could never happen that who would do that and and how would there ever be a time when people would call evil good and good evil how could you ever live in a day like that why the sinners i knew then had good moral values well let's just move on i mean it was and uh there was a heart after god there was our nation uh was a heart after god billy graham was having packed out coliseums and world all over the world great revivals and and the holy spirit was being poured out churches were being planted and and people were coming into the kingdom it was absolutely an incredible season so it just didn't feel like that the world event set the stage for it but now however the world events around us have set the stage for the end of the ages the second coming of jesus christ the daily news has become a page from the book of revelations truly the end is near the lord is coming i don't want to alarm any of you i don't i'm not one of those panic kind of people i i walk in absolute peace because i know the lord but i'm i'm just telling you that the coming of the lord is sooner than we think and that we need to be about our father's business hallelujah we don't need to be backing away and shrinking away from the gospel we don't need to be intimidated by the world or the world standards if ever we lived for god we should live for god now if ever we witnessed and testified we should be doing that now because we are drawing close to the coming of the lord and still many live as if tomorrow is guaranteed but it is not eventually whether you like it or not there will be a last day and i believe that satan himself knows that the end is near just by his activity revelations 12 12 by the way in the book of revelations it prophesies that let me just share it with you it says therefore rejoice you heavens and you that dwell in them rejoice in the heavens it says and woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the seal for the devil has come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth he hath but a short time so there is a season in which the adversary the bible prophesies will realize that if he's going to blind the minds of those that believe not if he's going to keep people away from god if he that he'll never have a better chance if he's if he's got because the time is short and he knows that he must be busy and so he will busy himself the scripture says because he knows he has been a short time and the evidence of that is all around us how can we be blind to it think of some facts that that are present right now i'm just going to give you some a few things especially concerning the church but think about this the evidence for this is the fact that he's isolating people one from another where we cannot reach out and touch the unsaved he's isolating us from unbelievers and unbelievers from us and and isolating believers from other believers he's doing his best to close churches to eliminate missions travel to hinder effective evangelism outreaches satan is stealing faith and replacing it with fear he's attempting to divide the church by race by politics and through compromising sin so the bible teaches us in second corinthians 4 verse 4 that his desire is to blind the minds of those who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of christ who is the image of god should shine unto them and so everything that can be shaken will be shaken and is being shaken we have become witnesses to the evil that is in men's hearts the world is guilty of the prophecy of isaiah 5 and 20. woe unto them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter yet we are the kingdom of god and only god offers a kingdom which cannot be shaken and everything in it will remain we've got to make a choice we have to choose between good and evil we're in an hour where as believers we shouldn't be depressed or discouraged or disheartened we should be looking forward with great anticipation to the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our lord jesus christ the scripture calls the coming of the lord glorious it's something that we should be excited about that we should be enthused about that we should be looking forward to wouldn't it be wonderful if we are the generation that sees the our savior coming in the clouds of glory in the eastern sky wouldn't it be a marvelous thing we could be that generation i i wish i was i wish i was just a kid again i wish i could go back to my youth have brown hair right now i i wish i had the strength of my youth so that i could spend it again for christ at his coming oh i pray that i i am alive to see him come and return but if i am not can i tell you that even though i i would not see him the bottom line is that i had a last day my all of us have a last day we talk about the last days and the end times as as if it's always far away but you realize that every person born every person living right now will experience the last day even if the lord doesn't come you will experience a last day look at someone beside you and say isn't that encouraging isn't that awesome sure you will it's appointed unto man wants to die typically we don't know when that last day is many of us are very surprised by it and yet the bible says we all will face the lord everyone will open their eyes in eternity either in heaven or in hell and yes i believe in heaven and yes i believe in hell yes i believe the gospel yes i believe the book yes i know and trust jesus that there's nothing that's happened in recent years or in my lifetime of 66 years to this point that has jaded me toward the gospel and the coming of the lord if anything i'm more enthused about the coming of jesus i'm more excited about the gospel and i believe now more than ever in the reality of my savior hallelujah jesus is real so we're part of a kingdom that cannot be cannot be shaken i believe amos 5 verse 14 and 15 well first let me read for you deuteronomy 30 and 15. it says i have set before thee this day life and good death and evil we're challenged there to choose the good to choose life and then amos chapter 5 verse 14 and 15 tells us seek good and not evil that you may live goes on to say hate the evil and love the good and establish judgment what the world needs right now isn't a politician what the world needs right now is jesus needs the love of god and the grace of god and the power of god and can i tell you this world needs unashamed on fire christians who believe the gospel and live the gospel and share the gospel that's what we need now more than ever let me talk about believing the gospel just for a moment in john 3 verses 16 through 18 this may sound real basic to some of you but this is what it's all about at the end of the day at the last day this is all that matters john 3 16-18 for god so that he that who believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life let's read those next two verses four god sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved he that believeth on him is not condemned can anybody shout hallelujah but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god see you've got to tell somebody you can't just live life as a believer like normal folk do you can't do that you can't just get up in the morning and go to work or go to school and and come back home and and have a meal and hit the sack and go to bed and press repeat the next day you can't just live like like that anymore no now you've got to when you get up in the morning you've got to enter the presence of god you've got to receive the challenge for that day if you go to work or you go to school you've got to say god who can i reach today give me grace give me power give me strength because your kingdom is real and there are people who have never heard about you who do not know you and don't know that you love them oh god give me the courage give me the boldness in this day so that i might tell somebody about jesus the reality of heaven and hell in revelations 21 verses 6 through 8 the bible says and he said unto me this is jesus speaking it is done i am alpha and omega one day he will say it is done he has the final say the final word he's king of kings and lord of lords he's on the throne he's it's not out of control he's still in charge somebody say man he wasn't surprised by covid he wasn't surprised by the elections i wish somebody shout hallelujah out there we act as if god was taken off off guard and we've got to get things back the way it ought to be some that's not our responsibility he's on the throne our job is to tell people about jesus don't don't lose sight of the mission revelations 21 6-8 he said unto me it is done i am alpha and omega the beginning and the end i will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely he that overcometh shall inherit all things and i will be his god and he shall be my son but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death now i don't care whether you believe in hell or not you've just come a little too late to tell jesus it doesn't exist these are in red letters in your bible he's the one who said this about hell it's a literal burning lake of fire and so we've got to tell somebody of the reality of heaven and of hell we've got to tell them about the reality of salvation through jesus christ ephesians 2 verse 8 says for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of god we have a core value here at calvary church that pastor robbie has articulated so well and it is we are all about people sometimes we allow this world to blind us and get in the way and we don't realize we forget we're all about people we we should be reaching people it doesn't matter who you are or what your name is your race or background or language or culture or nationality god has called us to reach people for jesus christ to let them know of the reality of salvation through the lord i love that passage in ephesians 2 8 because it says by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves it's the gift of god somewhere we've got to come to the to and reach to people to where we say you're not saved because of the color of your skin you're not saved because of your nationality you're not saved because you're an american can somebody shout hallelujah you've got to come to know jesus you've got to come and give your life to jesus you're not saved because of your political party you're not saved because of your wealth you're not saved because of your friendship you're not saved because of your money in the bank none of those things save you everybody has to come to jesus and come through the blood of jesus for salvation it is the gift of god and you cannot be ashamed there's a scripture that marked my life when i was a young man i remember standing on street corners when i was 17 years old preaching the gospel on the street corners and romans 1 16 was one of my favorite passages i'd preach from matthew 24 about the coming of the lord i'd memorized entire chapters and portions of scripture at 17. you've got to allow god to get into your heart it's because i it was so real i've given my heart to the lord and and how many of you remember the day you were saved and how oh over the moon over the top in love with jesus and there was nothing i wouldn't do and so i'd stand on the street corners and preach romans 1 16 for i am not ashamed of the gospel of jesus christ for it is the power of god unto salvation to everyone who believes to the top of my lungs shouting out i am not ashamed of the gospel there should be a courage in our hearts there should be occur i said there should be a courage in your heart a boldness where you're not ashamed of the gospel seems so many people are embarrassed by the gospel now just uh i'm talking about christians embarrassed to talk about him or share about him or or mention him to anyone i think part of the reason is because we we have social media we get on social media and use it for everything else we we talk about our politics people talk about their their relationships they just carry on about everything else they get mad at each other they can't help but comment they're saying all kinds of stupid stuff they get stuck on stupid and then it's kind of hard to tell somebody about jesus it's good preaching right there brother richard amen good stuff you're not ashamed of the gospel you're ashamed of you you're ashamed of the rep the way you represent it and so what you've got to do is clean it all up delete it start all over get it right can somebody shout hallelujah begin to tell people about jesus and live as if you know he's coming and so first we've got to believe the gospel do you believe he's coming again do you believe that jesus died for our sins rose from the dead and is coming again if you believe it then you must tell somebody the second thing that we would do is we must live the gospel in this day this world needs people in a time when kingdoms are being shaken it needs people that live the gospel there is something about a person who believes the gospel who lives it you've met people like that you get around them and man you almost feel like weeping or getting it right or you feel challenged by their presence there have been people like that in my life i just know they love god live for god and just being around them makes a difference it impacts me i walk away from them wanting to serve god and love god and and be more like the lord that's the kind of believer you want to be turn to someone beside you and say i want to be like that i want to be that person and so to do that it's living the gospel it's living it second peter chapter 3 verse 10 and 11 the scripture says these verses are actually in the bible i know in their new new testament been reading the new testament but the day of the lord will come it will come as a thief in the night into which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise i believe this and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness you see there is a difference between becoming a christian and being a christian becoming a christian is a once and for all miracle of grace first peter chapter 2 9 describes it this way it says you're a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who hath watched this called you out of darkness into his marvelous light when you give your heart to jesus what a miracle takes place you are brought out of darkness into his marvelous light you are brought out of sin into salvation you are brought out of satan's clutches into the palm of jesus christ oh hallelujah hallelujah you are brought out of destruction into eternal life that's what happens when you're saved he washes you cleanses you and brings you into the family of god adopts you as his own child man i'm so glad i'm a child of god is there anyone else in here who can lift a hand rejoicing i'm so glad i'm a child of god i've settled the old-timers used to sing an old hymn said i the old account was settled long ago don't get me started i'll start singing it being a christian is a daily thing my hero in the faith was billy graham and billy graham wrote these words he said being a christian being a christian is a daily ongoing experience it is a lifelong process of daily repentance and faith of turning from sin and seeking to live for christ in the power of the holy spirit so there's a difference between becoming a christian and being a christian being a christian requires i just give my heart to the lord but i'm going to be a child of god the word christian of course means christ like i'm going to be like jesus in my life in titus chapter 2 i referenced this a few moments ago paul wrote these words in verse 11 through 15. i know i quote a lot of scripture but at least i won't get it wrong for the grace of god that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness is the word of god is the holy spirit still teaching you that as a child of god you're constantly daily taught to deny ungodliness and then it goes on to say and worldly lost we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great god and our savior jesus christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority let no man despise you and so the word of god challenges us to speak it to say it to live it to walk it out to deny the world to deny sin and be a child of god hallelujah man i'll just love it thank god somebody said this depresses me i'd like to say to you it ought to make you happy that you can live that kind of life maybe it depresses the devil in you that wants to excuse a life of sin and compromise jesus said in luke 9 verse 23 he said to them all if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross every other day no wait a minute and take up his cross daily and follow me this means that each morning as we prepare to pray each morning we must choose to die to self don't haphazardly live your christian life don't just go about life like the world would instead express your the necessity of jesus in your life by every day coming into his presence because you know what he'll do he'll make his mercy new every morning and he'll infuse you with the power of the holy spirit to make good decisions that day that's why i think there ought to be a t-shirt you know there is a t-shirt that says don't speak to me until i've had my coffee how many of you realize we ought to have a t-shirt that says don't talk to me until i pray could be dangerous come on somebody say amen and so we we get in the presence of the lord and he changes our life and he does a work in us and we make better decisions that day because we're depending on him and his grace not our flesh so each morning we choose to die to self and live for jesus view everything that happens to you with a gospel focus let me say that again view everything that's happening to you right now in your life or will ever happen to you with a gospel focus because what it does it no matter what you experience then good things bad things sickness death of a loved one all those i have actually there's more of my family and heroes in the faith ministers that i taught me and preached to me when i was young that are on the other side right now i have more people already in heaven than i have here on this side that i know personally so as life passes you start realizing that there this is real and that people leave this life escorted by angels into the presence of god and they're cheering me on like a great cloud of witnesses and so every day when i wake up i see this day it's no matter what i face today or go through if i'm going to a funeral if i'm visiting a sick person if i if i'm reaching out to someone who's going through sorrow or trouble or difficulty if i'm counseling a marriage god wants to use me that day and so everything that's going i'm going through even personal sickness and struggles all of that i view through the lens of the cross of jesus and understanding that this is all about the gospel and gospel focus so god can will use my life i want him to use my life i want him to use my bad days my good days to get the gospel out i want him to use if i'm sick i want him to use it to spread the gospel if i'm if i'm dying i want him to use my death and my passing to impact people for christ i want to view every day every circumstance every moment of my life through the lens of the gospel of jesus christ and that's what paul did i got to read it to you it's philippians 1 verses 12 through 14. this is in the new living translation he says and i want you to know my dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the good news now he's in prison writing this this is shortly before he his head will be cut off for the gospel sake who he'll be martyred and beheaded and so look at what he's saying he's i want you to know you're concerned about me you're worried but i want you to know that hey listen you got to understand this dear brothers and sisters everything that's happened to me here has happened to get the gospel out and then he gives an illustration for everyone here including the whole palace guard knows that i am in chains because of christ and because of my imprisonment most of the believers in here have gained confidence and boldly speak god's message without fear because i'm here in caesar's household in jail every roman guard around me has heard about jesus and he's saying in that great saints but you're in jail paul you're imprisoned oh but wait let me encourage you a little more beyond stop looking at me and look at the way god is using my circumstance in this situation i've been able to witness to every believer and lead people to christ even in the household oh where somebody would shout hallelujah of caesar and people in his own family in his own family are testifying and witnessing of the gospel of jesus christ oh can somebody shout hallelujah live for eternity live in eternity understand this isn't all there is hallelujah and it'll change your view of every single day would you stand with me real quickly with some closing thoughts i've never felt so close to the coming of the lord when we think of the last days we think of the end times yet millions upon millions of people nearly every person who has ever lived will never live to see the end time but time did end for them they did spend their last day and you too will have a last day there will be an end of time for you a day in which time ends and eternity begins and then you will face god you will stand before god almighty time will end for everyone and while god loves the sinner god hates sin his hatred of sin is necessary it's even unavoidable because of his righteousness his judgment and his love let me explain this to you quickly and we'll pray you see he's too holy to abide sin he's too just to overlook sin but he's too loving to watch us destroy ourselves in sin so god gave his only begotten son to die on the cross for your sin and to provide for you an opportunity to be forgiven to live eternally in his presence to be saved to be set free i want to pray for you right now and i wonder if we could just pray together even in this moment if you're here and you have not given your heart to the lord if you're watching online where you are right now and you want to give your heart to jesus and be prepared for eternity for soon the lord will return you want to be prepared i wonder if in this room right now if that's you if you just lift your hand right where you are just lift your hand say i want to give my heart to jesus i want to i want to live for him for the rest of my life throw that hand up there god bless you i see that it's a little hard with these lights but i see you i wonder if we could pray with those who who lifted their hands even now pray out loud with me mighty god i know you love me i believe with all my heart you died for me rose from the dead and you are coming again forgive me receive me change my life cause me to live the rest of my life recognizing your coming and sharing about you with everyone i meet in jesus name amen can we give the lord a great praise offering even now isn't that wonderful i love it praise god praise god i want to pray for us as believers now i'm trusted everyone is a believer in the room now as believers i want to pray this prayer and i ask you to pray out loud with me repeat this prayer with me mighty god your word speaks to me [Music] you said i know your works you were neither cold nor hot i would that you were cold or hot and not lukewarm oh god remind me of the reality of eternity and the necessity of sharing my faith burden my heart for the lost all around me set my tongue on fire for you give me a sense of last day urgency in jesus name amen amen god bless you i want to thank you for coming to calvary church today can we give the lord a great praise offering amen if you made that commitment to jesus would you please let somebody know come around the altar here or slide out on the way out just stop in the hub and let someone know you made that commitment we have things that will help you with your walk and the next step we can give you a bible whatever you need god bless you thank you for coming to calvary church

Channel: Calvary Church

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Length: 35min 40sec (2140 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 19 2021