IN THESE LAST DAYS
(Scriptures and a few Notes from a Sermon preached on 3-22-20)
“And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but
whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall
save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the
whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For
whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of
him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall
come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the
holy angels” (Luke 9:23-26). [Jesus spoke
these words to His disciples.]
-As things come into our lives may we always go through them,
endure them, continue to be faithful to the Lord and His
church in order to please the Lord, for His glory.
-In these last days many things will happen, don’t be surprised.
-Determine now, ahead of time, how you will respond: 1) Be
stedfast in the faith to please the Lord, [this may be the hard
way, but joyful; examples: the Prophets, the Apostles, Daniel,
the three Hebrew men cast into the fiery furnace and many
others] OR, 2) Do what ever it may take to avoid any kind of
harm or personal consequences [this is the easy way, the
natural way, but it will result in eventual regrets.]
-The Lord gives His children many Scriptures to help us respond in the right
way to all that will come into our lives. He is helping His
children to live in the right way now in preparation for eternity
to come.
Here are some of the helpful Scriptures He gives us:
-The above passage in Luke 9:23-26. The first step, ‘deny
himself’.
-“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to
pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places” (Matthew 24:6, 7). [Note: ‘see that ye be not
troubled’. God’s children are not to be troubled. The world
will be. ‘Pestilences’: diseases]
-“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” (II Corinthians 5:7).
-“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace
might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the
glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though
our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed
day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not
seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:15-18). [Note: The goal,
do that which results in ‘the glory of God’. We are not to faint,
quit. In serving the Lord there will be affliction. The Lord
allows His children, His churches to go through many harsh
and difficult situations. This is not because He does not care
about us. He does this to help us to grow spiritually. He
loves us. The afflictions of this life are ‘light’, and if we will go
through them the way God directs us, these will result in a ‘far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory’.]
-“That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for
yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For
verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we
should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye
know” (I Thessalonians 3:3, 4). [Note: We are not to be
moved by the afflictions that come into our lives. We are to
remain stedfast in the faith. We are to be serving the Lord
faithfully before the affliction, and we are to serve Him
faithfully through the affliction. We are not to be moved.]
-“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth
the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light:” (I Peter 2:9). [Note: This is a
description of each of the Lord’s New Testament churches.
We are to respond differently to trials, troubles, afflictions than
the world. We are to respond in a way that shows forth the
‘praises’ of the Lord, by not worrying, not being fearing, but
being joyful, and content, praising and trusting in the Lord
with all confidence that what He brings into our lives is good
and needed and it is what He wants in our lives.]
-“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your
care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in
the world” (I Peter 5:6-9). [Note: Here is what we are to do
with ALL of our cares. We are to be ‘stedfast in the faith’.]
-“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,” (II Timothy 1:8, 9).
-“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye
have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in
me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you”
(Philippians 4:6-9). [Note: The Lord tells us what to ‘think on’.
Certainly these are not things of the world (as on TV, radio,
newspapers, etc.), but of God. We are not to worry and have
cares. We are to cast all of our cares upon the Lord.]
-“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw
nigh to you. ..” (James 4:7, 8).
-“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I
be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my
foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled
and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my
heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me,
in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the
LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house
of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty
of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time
of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret
of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up
upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above
mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His
tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing
praises unto the LORD” (Psalm 27:1-6).
-“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling
thereof. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3).
-“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine
own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (Proverbs
3:5-7).
-When these troubles come that the Lord said would come, the
world will respond by being troubled, fearing, worrying,
panicking, in hysteria, and eventually lawlessness. God’s
children are to respond as the Lord has told us in His Word as
given by the Scriptures above and many others in the Bible.
-Keep our eyes upon Jesus. Love Him. Follow Him. Obey
Him. According to Luke 9:23-26 each one of us is to ‘deny
himself, and to take up his cross daily and follow’ Jesus.
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