Week commencing Sunday 8th August 2021

Devotional Materials. Week Commencing Sunday 8^th August 2021

‘The rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’ Luke 1:79

‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all men- the testimony given at its proper time.’ (1 Timothy 2:6).

Light has dawned that ever shall blaze
Darkness flees away
Christ the light has shone in our hearts
Turning night to day

We proclaim him King of kings
We lift high his name
Heaven and earth shall bow at his feet
When he comes to reign

Saviour of the world is he
Heaven's King come down

Judgement, love and mercy meet
At his thorny crown

Life has sprung from hearts of stone
By the Spirit's breath
Hell shall let her captives go
Life has conquered death

Blood has flowed that cleanses from sin
God his love has proved
Men may mock and demons may rage
We shall not be moved!

Lord Jesus we worship you. You have brought us out of darkness into your wonderful light. You have replaced hostility with your peace and have brought us to the place of sins forgiven. At one time we hated God and justified our sin. But now we have peace with God. Our hostility towards Him has been replaced with love. Similarly our hostility towards others has been replaced with your love.

Thank you for bringing us into your kingdom. Not only us, but you continue to call people from every tribe and nation. One day the kingdom will be fully experienced and we will know your perfect peace in eternity. Amen.

We continue to reflect on what the Bible teaches about Christ’s Second Coming today. To that end we return to Matthew 24. Last week we looked at some of the earlier signs heralding the Lord’s return in verses 1-8. Today we look at other signs following on described in verses 9-25:

Reading. Matthew 24: 9-25  

24 ⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again.

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

Hymn (Piano). 143 MP

2 Run the straight race through God's good grace;
lift up thine eyes, and seek Christ's face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Only believe, and thou shalt see
that Christ is all in all to thee

4 Faint not nor fear: God's arms are near.

God changeth not, and thou art dear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YppcFC8mxKM

Sermon. ‘The Second Coming of Christ. Part 2.

The importance of the Second Coming of Christ cannot be overstated. At his second coming Christ will implement all that was won at the first coming. When he returns all God’s enemies; sin, death and the devil will be removed from God’s world. We look forward to Christ’s second coming when he will establish a new order and salvation will be completely disclosed to those who belong to him.

Last week we looked at Matthew 24: verses 1-8 and examined the first signs described there heralding Christ’s return- wars, famines and earthquakes. We also looked at disease- a sign described in Luke’s Gospel and in Revelation. We saw that these signs could address what is taking place in our world today. These first signs are referred to as the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:8).

Matthew 24:9-14 describes a second set of signs. It begins with deserters in the church. Followers of Jesus will be hated by all nations with a corresponding increase in martyrdom. Now it is a sobering fact there have been more martyrs for Christ in the twentieth century than in the whole of the time that has gone before. There are approximately 250 political ‘nations’ in the world today and Christians are under pressure in all but about 30- and that number is shrinking!

The ‘Open Doors’ website has the headline ‘Over 340 million Christians suffer persecution and discrimination. They follow Jesus, no matter the cost. With your help, we're bringing them resources and hope.’ Their ‘World Watch List’ makes for sobering reading;

Open Doors’ annual ranking of the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.( https://www.opendoorsuk.org/ )

On the one hand nominal Christians will give up-‘many will turn away from the faith. Their love will cool as a result of moral compromise and worldliness. We have certainly seen that in the twentieth and beginnings of this Century, increasingly in the West and Europe. Latest reports in this country reveal a staggering drop in church going: 70 years ago 45% of the UK’s population attended church. (2007 10%). Today that figure is just over 4%. So 45% to 4% in just 70 years. Nominal Christians will listen to false prophets who, like in Jeremiah’s day, offer ‘peace, peace when there is no peace’- secular prophets or false prophets from within the church. People who dilute God’s word and even deny Christ’s literal return. People who preach health, wealth and prosperity and getting comfortable down here. People who say right is wrong and wrong is right; promoters of immorality. But those faithful to Christ and His word will teach about persevering through trials and testings and living right in the light of Christ’s return…’he who endures to the end will be saved’.

At the same time there will be an expansion in witness: verse 14 ‘the gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations’. With our modern means of communications there is now extra ordinary evidence to show this sign is near to complete fulfilment. In his book “The Church is bigger than you think” (written in 2000) Patrick Johnstone tables how by 1800- 2000 of the then 8,000 people groups of the world had been reached with the Gospel, by 1900 4000- of the then 10,000 people groups had been reached. But the greatest acceleration in outreach took place in the latter part of the twentieth Century so by the year 2000- 12,000 of the 13,000 people groups of the world have been reached. Johnstone concludes that the goal of reaching all people groups with the Gospel is now attainable in our life time.

Jesus said that he will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. He also said his words would never pass away (Matthew 16:18, 24:35) This He has done and continues to do as the Risen Christ. Worldwide the church has progressively expanded, it still retains a strong witness in the Western World, but the focus of expansion at present is in Latin America, Africa and Asia (including China!) (The Washington Post ‘Think Christianity is dying? No, Christianity is shifting dramatically’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/20/think-christianity-is-dying-no-christianity-is-shifting-dramatically/ ) Furthermore 5 billion Bibles have been sold/distributed worldwide (See Guinness World Records) and the Christian Faith is the only worldwide Religion. The risen Christ continues to build His church.

The third sign signals the coming of the Anti-Christ (5, 15-24)

The key phrase here is ‘The abomination that causes desolation.’ (15)

We need to remember that Jesus discourse about the signs began with the destruction of the temple. The beginning of our passage- Matthew 24 describes how Jesus and his disciples are looking at the temple and Jesus says ‘Not one stone here will be left on another’ (24:2). The disciples then ask ‘When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age??’

The disciples seem to have in mind a series of End time events. They would have been familiar with the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. Certainly Daniel 12 associates end time judgments with the defilement of the temple. The disciples would have thought the destruction/defilement of the temple would signal the end of the world and the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus addresses their misunderstandings. There will be signs. But the destruction of the temple does not necessarily signal the end of the world or Christ’s immediate return.

On one level Jesus’ teaching about signs in verses 9-20 has immediate relevance for the people he was addressing. Particularly this phrase ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ (verse 15). The actual ‘abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place is a reference to the defilement of the temple by the introduction of a heathen altar- put there by the Romans.

The temple was destroyed in A.D 70 when the Roman’s recaptured Jerusalem. The city was put to the sword; the temple desecrated and then burned down.

On one level we can see here that Jesus’ teaching about signs would have immediate relevance for the people he addressed- his disciples. The destruction of the temple will take place in their century/in their lifetime. Jesus had his hearers in mind. He wants to reassure his disciples that though there are initial fearful things happening; persecution and so on-he is saying don’t panic-don’t think that God has left you. These are preliminary events. Christ cannot return yet. Certain events like the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world must still take place. Don’t be disturbed by these preliminary events. The end is not yet. But you are still known by God and He will take care of you. There will be suffering but there will be opportunities for mission. Don’t be discouraged because Christ doesn’t return yet. Your faith and obedience will be greatly used by God.

Jesus shows pastoral concern in these warnings for his first century hearers. Indeed for Jesus immediate hearers there is a specific deliverance promised to them if they heed this prophesy: and that is what happened. Jesus told them to flee to the mountains when they see the ‘abomination that causes desolation. Flee to the mountains! Don’t even wait to pack!! It is a fact of history that these 1^st century hearers headed this prophesy because no Christians died when Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D 70. Many other people perished. But the Christians had fled across the Jordan to Pella the moment the emperor Titus and his troops arrived.

So Jesus discourse on one level answers their question about the destruction of the temple. He is full of concern and compassion for his hearers. He tells them what they need to know.

At the same time, however, his discourse has prophetic significance for the end times; when Christ will return and which we over 19 centuries later still await. The signs in the 1^st century described in this chapter foreshadow the signs that will lead to the second coming of Christ in the future.

Biblical prophecy often works on 2 levels. 

Bruce Milne in his book ‘The end of the World’ has a section dealing with ‘interpreting prophecy’. Through various examples he shows how the O.T prophets spoke to their own day in uttering prophesies but those same utterances also predict events in the future. For example Abraham’s offspring were promised the land of Canaan. This came to fulfilment in succeeding generations. But the full terms of the promise- as Paul argues- are realised in the world-wide people of God in the Christian Church.

Bruce Milne explains that the working of prophecy on 2 different levels is present in Jesus teaching about signs here in Mark 13. The fall of Jerusalem in A.D 70 is ‘bound up with events at the Lord’s return’.

Some sceptics may just assume that Jesus prophecy here was mistaken-that he expected the fall of Jerusalem and his return at the same time-back in A.D 70. However this is unlikely. Jesus himself professed ignorance of the time of his return (13:32) And some things he says shows that Jesus anticipated a very real delay in his return i.e. Matthew 24:14 ‘and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come…’ The delay in Christ’s return is on account of God’s grace and love for people. He is delaying judgement and giving more people the opportunity to repent and so be saved. As Peter said to the sceptics of his day…’the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’(2Peter 3:9).

No, Jesus didn’t get it wrong. The Father had revealed to him when Jerusalem would fall but not when Jesus would return. Mark 13 reveals that prophecy works on 2 levels. Here is a prediction of the fall of Jerusalem in A.D 70. But also signs that will find their fulfilment ultimately in the far distant future. Signs heralding the return of Christ.

Most references to the antichrist are found in John’s letter. He says that already in his day many ‘antichrists’ have come (1 John 2:18-27.) He refers to a spirit of anti-Christ. This spirit is something that has always been identifiable between Christ’s two comings. This spirit is one that denies the true God and denies the Christian claim that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. The Church must be vigilant in every age against this spirit- false Christs; religious or secular who substitute themselves as false messiahs. In this sense the Roman Emperor Titus, the one who destroyed the temple at Jerusalem in AD 70, Nero, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao Tse Tung have all been obvious antichrists.

But John also admits to the idea an Antichrist who is to come and whose coming is a sign of the last hour (1 John 2:18). So in 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul gives a detailed description of the man of lawlessness who will appear just prior to the Lord’s return, who ‘opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped and even sets himself up in God’s temple; proclaiming himself to be God’ (2 Thess. 2: 3-4). But Paul adds that this lawless one will be destroyed by the splendour of Christ’s return. Christ will overthrow him.

Revelation. 13 gives us more information. Only those who submit to his authority, being branded by his mark, will be allowed to buy and sell food and goods. The mark will be a number ‘666’. The full meaning will be obvious when the time comes. But 6 is the human number; 666; always falling short of the divine perfection of 7. The antichrist’s authority will be universal and the ‘distress’ Jesus refers to in vs21 unprecedented. But thankfully the days of that tribulation or distress will be shortened. 

Admittedly the whole thing is difficult to imagine (although if you look at the influence of dictators in the twentieth century, maybe we should not find it difficult!) But we have Jesus words ‘see I have told you ahead of time’ (Matthew 24:25). If an antichrist arises in our time or in a future generation whose denial of Christ is of this kind of magnitude, then we may, as Milne puts it “feel some justification for lifting up our heads because our redemption has drawn near” (Luke 21:28). With this knowledge we can patiently endure and be faithful. (In the meantime, Milne adds “We are not to be idle but rather by life and witness confront the powers of the antichrist (with a small ‘a’ abroad in our generation.)

Immediately after the distress of those days there will be no more delay. The final signs are unmissable: verses 29-31, especially the darkening of the sun and the moon and cataclysmic events in the heavens. Amos, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel all foretold such signs. It is also quoted in Acts 2:20. It appears all natural sources of light will be extinguished. But then the sky will be filled with brilliant light, the glory of the only begotten Son of God. Christ will return. What will happen then? That’s what we will explore next week!

When will Christ return? The time of his return is unknown. It is vital to realise that even in the case of these signs they are not given so we can try and work out the date of Christ’s return. History is full of examples of those who have tried to argue dates of His return. Luther thought it would be 1636, Wesley 1874, Miller, the founder of the 7^th Day Adventists- 1844. Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses 1914.

Jesus says we believers are to keep watch. It could be argued from what we saw last week, that the earlier signs are being fulfilled to some degree in our day. From this it could be argued a fast acceleration of the latter signs could take place. Christ could return in our life time- the fulfilment of these signs doesn’t rule it out. The End could come more quickly than we think. But these signs do not provide us with a blue print. The bottom line is- the time is unknown. The Lord himself said ‘No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’. (Matthew 24:36).

Hebrews 12 describes God’s unshakeable kingdom. Created things will be shaken- even the earth and the heavens, but the writer says ‘we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken’ (28). He calls it the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ and says ‘You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.’ However ‘shaky’ things seem here, God’s kingdom is unshakeable. His Kingdom will be fully realised- and we will fully share in it- when Christ returns:

Hymn (Guitar) 1227 MP

Blessing and honour, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of Days
Every tongue in heaven and earth…

Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none shall compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days

Every tongue in heaven and earth …

Gary Sadler and Jamie Harvill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tkxGW1w_Nk

Prayers (from Crosswalk.com)

An Encouraging Prayer for Christians in the Here and Not Yet

• “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of the mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Romans 15:5-6
  
  Father, we live stuck in between two realms . . . the world we live in and the eternity we look forward to in heaven. In the middle it appears that chaos abounds; many to do not align themselves with the truth of Your Word or Your intention for creation. But through it all, you reign. Jesus sits at your right-hand side, and death has already been defeated.
  
  In Your great mercy, you are waiting for every ear to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, leaving opportunity for all to come to you and live in the presence of your love. We pray today that you bless our lives to honour you in everything we do. Every conversation, idle moment, and seemingly everyday task—let all we do be for your glory. Help us to live now in the light of your promised return. Walking by faith- relying on you and what your Word says about such times- not relying on what other people say.
  
  In this life between here and the not yet, give us courage and bravery to operate in Your Truth even when we are afraid. As they strip your name from everything and everywhere, let us proclaim it louder and longer . . . and everywhere we go. Jesus Christ has defeated death. In Him, we are victorious, and He will come again as He promised. Be our strength when it’s hard to be Christians in this world. Embrace us with your encouragement and fortify us with your perfect love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

A Hopeful Prayer for Jesus to Return Soon

• “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” -1 John 3:3
  
  Father, there are days on this earth that we yearn for Jesus come, now. Come, Lord Jesus, reigns paramount in our hearts and plays as the anthem to our souls. The compassion and grace of Christ’s presence in our lives causes us to crave more and more of Him. And on the days, Father, when the world is . . . well, the world . . . we pray for Him to come soon.
  
  Your creation is majestic, and your miracles manifest in our lives in gloriously faithful ways. You blow us away with your faithfulness, Father, with your true and perfect love and personal care for each and every life. Thank You for going before us. Thank You being the God of our memories, breaker of every chain, and forgiver of all sins through Jesus.
  
  The more we know you, the more we want to come home. The most blessed life on this earth is only a shred of the happiness we will feel in heaven, in the presence of the Holy Trinity. Some days, imagining the initial embrace when we arrive home in heaven helps us to keep breathing. We trust in your will and pray for your will over all else and everything we desire. Father, we pray, Come, Lord Jesus. Come now. Come soon. Bring us home. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Hymn (Piano) 1358 MP 

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future’s fear,
He whispers ‘courage’ in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
And every longing satisfied.
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.