Sermon Title: Victorious Living in the Last Days
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
It is clear that we are living in the last days leading to the Great Tribulation – when the wrath of God is poured out upon a defiant humanity.
From now till then, we need to understand that the world will become crazier, darker, more depraved and wicked by the day.
For the world, there is no returning to a ‘better’ state; and it will only get progressively worse till Christ returns to reign for “a thousand years”. (Ref: Revelation 20:1-6)
Christians – especially - will become the attention of all social issues and be perceived as the bane of society because of our different moral standard - based on the word of God.
It will become increasingly challenging and difficult to live out our Christian faith.
Compromises to our standing as disciples of Christ will become more tempting, and more insidious.
We will be persecuted - globally.
There is no escaping this prevalent, global persecution – simply because we are agents of the divine standard that is unattainable without Jesus and thus, become the standard-bearers that must be destroyed in order for wilful self-idolatry and unbridled depravity to pervade the world.
But if we courageously and faithfully resolve to stand firm in Christ, and live by the Power of the Holy Spirit - we will resist and overcome every scheme of the evil one; and ultimately be found victorious with our Lord Jesus for all eternity in His coming, eternal Kingdom.
To paraphrase Paul (Ref: Philippians 1:21): if we are to live, we live solely and wholly for Jesus Christ; and if we die, we die knowing that we have gained Christ – coming immediately into His Presence and His Rest; which is the ultimate win for us.
Regarding the actual event of the Tribulation, we will not be around for that.
Remember this well:
In Christ, God’s wrath no longer remains in us (Ref: John 3:36); for His Holy Spirit resides in us – having convicted us of our sins against Him and led us to be justified before God by our faith in Christ; made righteous and holy by His finished work of atonement on the Cross.
His wrath and death has ‘passed-over’ us (Ref: Exodus 12).
And because Christ has already atoned for our sins – having suffered and died for us in our place on the Cross; instead of being judged for our sins, we will be judged for our faithfulness in Christian Service – which really means: we will be judged based on how much we allow our lives to be vessels of His Love, His Glory, His Salvation and His Miracles!
And that is precisely how we remain living victoriously in the last days leading up to the Tribulation!
Our Lord Jesus speaks further to this in Luke 21:5-28:
“5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.
But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen?
And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived.
For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’
Do not follow them.
9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened.
These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you.
They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
13 And so you will bear testimony to me.
14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
17 Everyone will hate you because of me.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 Stand firm, and you will win life.
20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.
22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
We are able to stand firm in the Lord Jesus in daily anticipating His Return and preparing for our redemption through Him – only by being filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and living as His vessels of Light in this darkened world.
In the disciples’ remark “about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God” (Luke 21:5) lies the unfounded insinuation that things are beginning to get better for the people of God.
This is a fantasy that is furthest from the truth.
In fact, our Lord prepares His true believers to be prepared for the deepest betrayals – from within their own families.
Yes. It is going to get really personal.
This form of betrayal is certainly not uncommon in history – with members of our own church community having personally survived China’s Cultural Revolution that spanned from 1966 to 1976 and saw an estimated death toll up to 20 million Chinese nationals.
To think that such purge and persecution within a nation is unrivalled is a tragic underestimation of the purge and persecution of Christians on a global scale in the last days where “everyone will hate us” because of our devotion to Christ. (Luke 21:17)
However, if we stand firm in Jesus, He promises that even when we die, our spirits will be saved - for we will win life. (Luke 21:19)
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.” (Luke 21:20)
Christ’s revelation of the Last Days is right on track with almost every global situation centered around the Middle East; with the ultimate desolation being near, when Jerusalem is under threat of annihilation.
Even then, this is not yet the time of Tribulation; but rather, the time of punishment (Ref: Luke 21:22) – for Christ has not yet returned.
Are you prepared for this eventuality?
Are you filled, and do you live – wholly and solely - by the Power of the Holy Spirit?
What we have read, though deeply disturbing, is only a shadow of what the actual Tribulation looks like; and it is imperative that we prepare ourselves just as the Lord commanded - for these events are beginning to take place even in our lifetime.
In our lifetime, we have seen “Nations rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Luke 21:10) – as Christ alludes to us clearly regarding both military and spiritual realities warring within, and against, one another.
Today, we observe heightened conflict erupt between Israel and the Palestine – a war between nations, as much as religions. Soon, we will see the other major religions join the fray, along with certain lifestyle groups who have been mounting relentless attacks on the biblical views of marriage, family and even life itself.
“ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:11)
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)
We are becoming more and more aware of the catastrophic threat of colliding asteroids and ever-shifting planets around the earth, and the profound effects it would have on the conditions of the world; and
We have had countless tsunamis in our lifetime; and only begun to understand how fragile and small we truly are in the face the fury of nature. When the tsunami hit the shores of the Indian Ocean on the Boxing Day of 2004, 230, 000 lives were lost in a matter of hours.
We have witnessed “great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11); and are even right now experiencing a serious pestilence like the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic – with the end nowhere in clear sight.
Apart from a viral pestilence, we are also faced with a ‘mental-illness’ pestilence; with increasing fatalities due to unchecked mental illnesses - that experts widely agree, is due to an increase in the level of anxiety all the world around.
Does all these sound like a terrible time to live in?
It is; and we are living in precisely such a time as this.
According to our Lord, we are living in the times of the Gentiles; the times of the wicked and depraved; the godless and the god-defiers; and we will be persecuted and increasingly so; till these times are fulfilled. (Ref: Luke 21:22)
There is no escaping these terrible times.
This is a pale comparison of what is to come during the Tribulation when God’s wrath is poured out on a disbelieving and defiant humanity.
But we are given the keys to living victoriously in Christ – even in the last days.
How do we live victoriously in the last days?
(1) Do not be deceived into following anyone but Christ Jesus – know Christ intimately; follow Christ alone!
(2) Do not be frightened – as the events of the end-times unfold; “stand up and lift up your heads – because our vindication and redemption is drawing near.”
(3) Be prepared to bear testimony to Christ - “make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves; for the Holy Spirit will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
(4) Stand firm in Christ, and you will win life – for “not a hair of your head will perish.”
Such are keys to victorious living that are all too familiar to us; but many will not embrace, nor embark upon – because there is simply the lack of recognition that the last days are upon us; or that Christ is all we have.
Well, friend.
The last days are upon us.
And Christ is all we have.
If you refuse to embrace this reality, and embark immediately on the course to God -through Christ and by the Power of the Holy Spirit, you will be easily deceived, easily frightened, unprepared to bear witness to Christ and lose life.
Be warned; for Christ has warned us.
Never compromise to the standards of the world, lest you fall into their company in death, as is in life; but rather, stand firm in the Lord – in daily anticipating His Return and preparing for your redemption through Him – by being filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and living as His vessels of Light in this darkest world.
The end may be upon the world; but in Christ, every day is the beginning of our eternal reward in His Kingdom.
So live for Him; live in Him; by living through the Power of the Holy Spirit!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, in these last days, I ask that You open my eyes to the reality and gravity of depravity that has been spawned and rooted in this dark world.
Close my heart to everything that is of this world; but open my life to the things of Your Holy and Eternal Kingdom; and bear witness to my spirit to the calling and destiny that my Christ has prepared for me – His faithful, true and willing disciple.
Grant me courage, strength, resolve and wisdom to live victoriously in the days leading to Your Return; and to face every oppression and persecution with Your Grace and Power bestowed upon me by the Presence of the Holy Spirit in my life:
(i) That I may never be deceived into following anyone but Christ Jesus. Deepen my knowledge of my Saviour, and help me follow Christ solely and wholly all the days of my life;
(ii) That I may never be frightened by the reality and the unfolding of the last days. May I always stand up in faith and lift up my head to You in reverence and awe – in the certain knowledge that through Christ, my vindication and “redemption is drawing near”;
(iii) That I may always be prepared to bear testimony to Christ – having made up my mind “not to worry” how I will defend myself, for You, O Holy Spirit, will give me words and wisdom that none of my adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
(iv) That I may always stand firm in Christ and win life – for I believe that not a hair of my head will perish.
Thank You for Your revelation that we live in the last days; and thank You for Your conviction that Christ is all we have to live for; and to live by.
Daily fill me with Your Power, O God; that I may live as Christ’s vessel of light in this darkest world.
I declare that I live for Christ alone; and live only through the Power of His Holy Spirit upon me!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
It is clear that we are living in the last days leading to the Great Tribulation – when the wrath of God is poured out upon a defiant humanity.
From now till then, we need to understand that the world will become crazier, darker, more depraved and wicked by the day.
For the world, there is no returning to a ‘better’ state; and it will only get progressively worse till Christ returns to reign for “a thousand years”. (Ref: Revelation 20:1-6)
Christians – especially - will become the attention of all social issues and be perceived as the bane of society because of our different moral standard - based on the word of God.
It will become increasingly challenging and difficult to live out our Christian faith.
Compromises to our standing as disciples of Christ will become more tempting, and more insidious.
We will be persecuted - globally.
There is no escaping this prevalent, global persecution – simply because we are agents of the divine standard that is unattainable without Jesus and thus, become the standard-bearers that must be destroyed in order for wilful self-idolatry and unbridled depravity to pervade the world.
But if we courageously and faithfully resolve to stand firm in Christ, and live by the Power of the Holy Spirit - we will resist and overcome every scheme of the evil one; and ultimately be found victorious with our Lord Jesus for all eternity in His coming, eternal Kingdom.
To paraphrase Paul (Ref: Philippians 1:21): if we are to live, we live solely and wholly for Jesus Christ; and if we die, we die knowing that we have gained Christ – coming immediately into His Presence and His Rest; which is the ultimate win for us.
Regarding the actual event of the Tribulation, we will not be around for that.
Remember this well:
In Christ, God’s wrath no longer remains in us (Ref: John 3:36); for His Holy Spirit resides in us – having convicted us of our sins against Him and led us to be justified before God by our faith in Christ; made righteous and holy by His finished work of atonement on the Cross.
His wrath and death has ‘passed-over’ us (Ref: Exodus 12).
And because Christ has already atoned for our sins – having suffered and died for us in our place on the Cross; instead of being judged for our sins, we will be judged for our faithfulness in Christian Service – which really means: we will be judged based on how much we allow our lives to be vessels of His Love, His Glory, His Salvation and His Miracles!
And that is precisely how we remain living victoriously in the last days leading up to the Tribulation!
Our Lord Jesus speaks further to this in Luke 21:5-28:
“5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.
But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen?
And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived.
For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’
Do not follow them.
9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened.
These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you.
They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
13 And so you will bear testimony to me.
14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
17 Everyone will hate you because of me.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 Stand firm, and you will win life.
20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.
22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
We are able to stand firm in the Lord Jesus in daily anticipating His Return and preparing for our redemption through Him – only by being filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and living as His vessels of Light in this darkened world.
In the disciples’ remark “about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God” (Luke 21:5) lies the unfounded insinuation that things are beginning to get better for the people of God.
This is a fantasy that is furthest from the truth.
In fact, our Lord prepares His true believers to be prepared for the deepest betrayals – from within their own families.
Yes. It is going to get really personal.
This form of betrayal is certainly not uncommon in history – with members of our own church community having personally survived China’s Cultural Revolution that spanned from 1966 to 1976 and saw an estimated death toll up to 20 million Chinese nationals.
To think that such purge and persecution within a nation is unrivalled is a tragic underestimation of the purge and persecution of Christians on a global scale in the last days where “everyone will hate us” because of our devotion to Christ. (Luke 21:17)
However, if we stand firm in Jesus, He promises that even when we die, our spirits will be saved - for we will win life. (Luke 21:19)
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.” (Luke 21:20)
Christ’s revelation of the Last Days is right on track with almost every global situation centered around the Middle East; with the ultimate desolation being near, when Jerusalem is under threat of annihilation.
Even then, this is not yet the time of Tribulation; but rather, the time of punishment (Ref: Luke 21:22) – for Christ has not yet returned.
Are you prepared for this eventuality?
Are you filled, and do you live – wholly and solely - by the Power of the Holy Spirit?
What we have read, though deeply disturbing, is only a shadow of what the actual Tribulation looks like; and it is imperative that we prepare ourselves just as the Lord commanded - for these events are beginning to take place even in our lifetime.
In our lifetime, we have seen “Nations rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Luke 21:10) – as Christ alludes to us clearly regarding both military and spiritual realities warring within, and against, one another.
Today, we observe heightened conflict erupt between Israel and the Palestine – a war between nations, as much as religions. Soon, we will see the other major religions join the fray, along with certain lifestyle groups who have been mounting relentless attacks on the biblical views of marriage, family and even life itself.
“ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:11)
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)
We are becoming more and more aware of the catastrophic threat of colliding asteroids and ever-shifting planets around the earth, and the profound effects it would have on the conditions of the world; and
We have had countless tsunamis in our lifetime; and only begun to understand how fragile and small we truly are in the face the fury of nature. When the tsunami hit the shores of the Indian Ocean on the Boxing Day of 2004, 230, 000 lives were lost in a matter of hours.
We have witnessed “great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11); and are even right now experiencing a serious pestilence like the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic – with the end nowhere in clear sight.
Apart from a viral pestilence, we are also faced with a ‘mental-illness’ pestilence; with increasing fatalities due to unchecked mental illnesses - that experts widely agree, is due to an increase in the level of anxiety all the world around.
Does all these sound like a terrible time to live in?
It is; and we are living in precisely such a time as this.
According to our Lord, we are living in the times of the Gentiles; the times of the wicked and depraved; the godless and the god-defiers; and we will be persecuted and increasingly so; till these times are fulfilled. (Ref: Luke 21:22)
There is no escaping these terrible times.
This is a pale comparison of what is to come during the Tribulation when God’s wrath is poured out on a disbelieving and defiant humanity.
But we are given the keys to living victoriously in Christ – even in the last days.
How do we live victoriously in the last days?
(1) Do not be deceived into following anyone but Christ Jesus – know Christ intimately; follow Christ alone!
(2) Do not be frightened – as the events of the end-times unfold; “stand up and lift up your heads – because our vindication and redemption is drawing near.”
(3) Be prepared to bear testimony to Christ - “make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves; for the Holy Spirit will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
(4) Stand firm in Christ, and you will win life – for “not a hair of your head will perish.”
Such are keys to victorious living that are all too familiar to us; but many will not embrace, nor embark upon – because there is simply the lack of recognition that the last days are upon us; or that Christ is all we have.
Well, friend.
The last days are upon us.
And Christ is all we have.
If you refuse to embrace this reality, and embark immediately on the course to God -through Christ and by the Power of the Holy Spirit, you will be easily deceived, easily frightened, unprepared to bear witness to Christ and lose life.
Be warned; for Christ has warned us.
Never compromise to the standards of the world, lest you fall into their company in death, as is in life; but rather, stand firm in the Lord – in daily anticipating His Return and preparing for your redemption through Him – by being filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and living as His vessels of Light in this darkest world.
The end may be upon the world; but in Christ, every day is the beginning of our eternal reward in His Kingdom.
So live for Him; live in Him; by living through the Power of the Holy Spirit!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, in these last days, I ask that You open my eyes to the reality and gravity of depravity that has been spawned and rooted in this dark world.
Close my heart to everything that is of this world; but open my life to the things of Your Holy and Eternal Kingdom; and bear witness to my spirit to the calling and destiny that my Christ has prepared for me – His faithful, true and willing disciple.
Grant me courage, strength, resolve and wisdom to live victoriously in the days leading to Your Return; and to face every oppression and persecution with Your Grace and Power bestowed upon me by the Presence of the Holy Spirit in my life:
(i) That I may never be deceived into following anyone but Christ Jesus. Deepen my knowledge of my Saviour, and help me follow Christ solely and wholly all the days of my life;
(ii) That I may never be frightened by the reality and the unfolding of the last days. May I always stand up in faith and lift up my head to You in reverence and awe – in the certain knowledge that through Christ, my vindication and “redemption is drawing near”;
(iii) That I may always be prepared to bear testimony to Christ – having made up my mind “not to worry” how I will defend myself, for You, O Holy Spirit, will give me words and wisdom that none of my adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
(iv) That I may always stand firm in Christ and win life – for I believe that not a hair of my head will perish.
Thank You for Your revelation that we live in the last days; and thank You for Your conviction that Christ is all we have to live for; and to live by.
Daily fill me with Your Power, O God; that I may live as Christ’s vessel of light in this darkest world.
I declare that I live for Christ alone; and live only through the Power of His Holy Spirit upon me!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.