Signs of Christ’s Coming Multiply, Are You Ready?

(Message delivered by Pastor at the True Life Church 10.30 am Service, Jul 31, 05)
Text: Matt. 24:3-14; I Thess. 4:13-18

Since every earthquake is a reminder of His Coming and the end of the world (Matt. 24:3, 7), I have been led to keep count of Earthquakes. Six Earthquakes in 3 months and 3 weeks!

From Dec 26, 04 the terrible undersea tsunami that killed 300,000 to April 16 there are 5 more earthquakes. No. 2 killed 500 more in Iran and No. 3 shook Japan. No. 4 was another big one that shook the island of Nias, killed 2,000, the reading was 8.7 on the Richter scale. No. 5 struck Padang, South Sumatra which affected Singaporeans, sending 700 running down the buildings. The 6th quake struck Nias again reading 6.2 scaring people running to higher ground. This happened as recent as Saturday, April 16, 05.

Do you know since the great tsunami of Dec 26, 04 till May 15, 05, 4½ months there have been 8 earthquakes, i.e. Jesus is reminding us His Coming is very, very near and we should be winning souls before He comes.

Let me now add one more, No. 9 which took place in Japan last week, and 27 were hurt in Tokyo which caused the  stopping for one day of the bullet train and flying out of Tokyo.

I preached on the coming of Christ in conjunction with earthquakes some years ago and a B-P pastor criticised me for scaring our members. Now that I have counted 9 earthquakes in 6 to 7 months I cannot be scaring people. I am getting my members to look up and not look down upon the world lest they be left out!

Jesus gave us a lot more signs of His coming in Matt. 24 which are false Christs, false prophets and false brethren inside the church. Outside the church we will hear of wars and rumours of wars, famines and pestilences. Like earthquakes which have so numerously occurred I shall refer to wars and rumours of wars. The most recent wartalk is the 6-Nation negotiation in North Korea and China’s ability to retaliate America. As to pestilences the worsening of bird flu and what I would call social pestilence like the two time bombing of London wherein 50 died and 700 were hurt. Then the killing of 88 in Egypt just south of the Israeli border.

The title of my sermon today is “Signs of Christ’s Coming Multiply, Are You Ready?” You cannot take it easy when you have the 9 earthquakes recently recorded, you have wars coming, and pestilences, and what I have called social pestilences. So I ask, Are You Ready? because if you have Jesus as your Saviour, you are sure to go with Him when He comes. If you are not sure you must repent of your sins and call on Him now to save you.

One sin often mentioned by the Apostle Paul is to abstain from fornication, as brought up in I Thess. 4:3-5, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.”

Finally the Apostle consoles us about loved ones who have died. When Jesus comes again He will come with the voice of the archangel giving a shout and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up with them, i.e. raptured, to meet the Lord in the air, and shall be with the Lord forever. When we meet with the Lord we will meet with our loved ones together. What rejoicings it will be. Let us repeat I Thess. 4:13-18 together.

 

 

THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: Chapter XIII

John 13:16-21
The Treachery of Judas Foreshadowed in David’s Life

King David, the ancestor of Jesus Christ, in many ways portrayed his Greater Son. As our Lord is here being betrayed by Judas, Jesus’ treasurer and one of the Twelve, so was David betrayed by his closest friend and counsellor, Ahithophel.

Did you read Psalm 4l? Do you realise v.18, “. . . . but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” refers to Ps.41:9? As David complains to God in this Psalm about his enemies, he evidently cites the case of Ahithophel at this verse. (Matthew Henry)

Who is Ahithophel? He is to David as Kissinger was to President Nixon. II Sam. 16:23 says of Ahithophel, “And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.”

When Absalom rebelled against his father David, Ahithophel sided with the rebellious son. “He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” What anguish of soul, as David found himself stabbed, as it were, in the back! What anguish of soul in our Lord too as we now re-read Jn. 13:21.

How can it be that a disciple should betray his Master? This dark mystery is hinted in v.16. When a disciple tries to become “greater” than his Master. When his will rises above the will of his Lord. How do you react to your superior’s instructions? How do you work with your boss? In the Church, how do you go about the Lord’s business with your pastor, elder, superintendent, senior? This is one question often asked confidentially to a Referee of one seeking employment with an establishment. Insubordination leads to treachery! Don’t be an Ahithophel. Don’t be a Judas! “The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him” (v. 16).

In Ps. 55 David speaks further of the traitor: “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. . . . The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords” (v. 12, 13, 21).

 

John 13:22-32
Jesus stoops lower to conquer yet

The magnanimous magnanimity of Jesus is magnified further when, after washing all the disciples’ feet, including the Traitor’s, He gave a sop to Judas. A piece of bread dipped in the “sauce” (a paste of dried fruits crushed and moistened with vinegar). It was an ancient custom to show special kindness when a host gave to a guest a portion (cf. I Sam. 9:23, 24), like his Chinese counterpart airlifting a chunk of meat with his chopsticks to his friend. Thus when our Lord gave the sop to Judas, it was His final act of magnanimity. Jesus stoops lower to conquer yet.

Dr David Smith comments, “He told the traitor that he was still dear to His heart, and would he even now repent, all would be forgiven. But alas! The appeal was unavailing. Judas accepted the token of love from the Master’s hand unmoved, and thereby sealed his doom. It happened with him as with that miserable mortal, Francis Spira, when He stifled the Holy Spirit’s pleading and signed his recantation. ‘I felt, he afterwards confessed, a wound in my will that I have never got over since; my will has never been itself since that fatal morning; it is paralysed at the heart.’ And even so it befell the traitor when he thus did despite unto the Spirit of grace. His soul was blasted.” This is what is meant by John when he recorded:After the sop, then entered Satan into him.

He who is afraid to die has died a hundred times! He who is prepared to die, and allows himself to be betrayed to death, can never die! This is the victory of Him who stoops lower yet to conquer. Hence His glorification, and through His glorification the Father is glorified too. In the willing death of Christ on the cross, a wonderful change of things was wrought, says Calvin: “The condemnation of all men was manifested, sin blotted out, salvation restored to men, in short the whole world was renewed and all things restored to order . . . . Christ concludes that He will win a glorious triumph by His death, because His sole aim in it is to glorify the Father.” Hallelujah for the cross! But let us all learn from our crucified Saviour to be magnanimous even to our foes.