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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

The Major Teachings of Scripture

02 The Major Message of the Scripture

03 The Blessed Hope

01 The Scriptures: Can They be Trusted

Last night we had a message where we looked at the Ukraine and who's to, who's to blame for the Ukraine. And some of us were convinced it was Biden. Others were convinced it was Trump. Some thought it was NATO getting close, but we suggested that if we knew that Christ was coming here, this and he could have come here, this and this has told us numerous times that intimated in scripture, but also in the spirit of prophecy, then maybe there's a little something we could do, pray and be rededicated to God and hasten his coming. How many think that might solve all the wars if Christ comes again? So today we're gonna talk about the second coming and hastening his coming and our scripture texts looked at that. But just have an added word of prayer as we spend a few moments together in God's word. Father in heaven, we're thankful today for the opportunity we have to open your word and freedom today. We pray that your spirit would be with us and with those around the world, even some of our students who have relatives in the Ukraine that are in harm's way, we uplift Karina and her family who's there as well. And we thank you and we asked that you send the leftover angels to be here around us in Christ's name. Amen. The second coming, we're in a little mini series today that started at eight o'clock looking at the scriptures and at nine o'clock looking at salvation and now at 11 o'clock looking at the second coming. And these messages are kind of meant to help those of you that are giving Bible studies as you're using Revelation chapter one as a template to look at these doctrines as you're studying with people. So they should be posted up on the website in a, in a folder so you can use those. And of course we'll put the slides up as well. Matthew 24, Luke Mark 13, Luke 21. All of these have passages, are passages that deal with the second coming and actually tell in advance things that were going to happen so that we're not caught unaware. There'd be wars, there'd be rumors of wars, many of these different things. Revelation or the apostle John was so interested in the second coming, he wrote a whole book Revelation. So you want more detail, you then look at the book of Revelation. But this is a major focus in the New Testament. One in every eight verses is dealing with the second coming. And when things happen, like we're hearing about, this does not catch us by surprise because God already foretold that there'd be wars and rumors of wars and this is the beginning of sorrows. But he then intimates that the way to wrap it up is that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness and then Christ would come. So our job in this time is to do what? Preach the gospel, share the gospel. And perhaps one of the best ways to Hasan is coming is to look at a book that pretty much exclusively focuses on his second coming. And that is First Thessalonians. So look with me in First Thessalonians and will look at each chapter briefly and then focus in on the last. So in First Thessalonians chapter one, we have the chapter inning ending with this wait for his son from heaven when we raise from the dead, even Jesus, which he delivered, which delivered us from the wrath to come. And so in chapter one, that ver that chapter ends with a picture of waiting for his second coming. But what does one verse one through nine talk about? Verse one through nine talks about having a personal prayer life that then reach out reaches out to your family and around the world. In fact, the prayer prescription and first slan chapter one is what fuels any sense of revival You have? So chapter one says, have an act of prayer life that can actually reach the world. We believe that our prayers today reach the world, they actually can make a difference in the Ukraine. In 1939, the Russians were about to attack Finland and Finland had no help. And perhaps many countries had a sense of no help at that time, just before World War II or just at World War ii. And so the king and the entire parliament and all the people knelt down and prayed for Finland and Russia did not invade. And they attributed it to the prayers of all the people throughout the New Testament. We had people that are delivered from jail, delivered from sickness, delivered from various things through the power of prayer. How many of you want to again recommit your life to prayer, not only for the Ukraine, but for others around the world? That's the message of first hustle Land chapter one in chapter two says, what is our hope or our crown of rejoicing are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus that is coming for you are our glory and joy? How many of you long for all your family members to be in heaven with you? And how many you long for others that maybe are not in the fold that you're praying for right now? That's the whole point of chapter two. It's not enough to pray alone. Chapter one, we don't just have prayer, but we also care. And in chapter two it talks about how to care for people in such a way that they might wanna actually go to heaven with you haven't ever met someone you're saying, I'm not sure if you're going, I want to go nobody besides me. And maybe people you know say that about you or say that about me. But how of you want to have that caring spirit that makes it a joy to be around you and people would like to be with you for a long time like eternally. And that's chapter two. Now chapter three And the Lord make you to increase an abounded love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do towards you to the end that he may establish your heart's unbelievable in holiness before God, even our father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with his saints. So chapter three gives additional ways to have our lives come into harmony with the image of God that he wants to have stamped in our hearts and minds that we could be unbelievable in holiness and increase and abound in that love we just heard about in our special number, chapter four. The Lord himself will just did from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch angel, with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. First Thessalonians was talking about the second coming, but people had began to die. There was going to be persecution and conflicts. And so they said, look, even if you die, the dead in Christ will rise and be caught up to meet those in the air. You don't even have to worry about death because he died and he rose again. How many think that's a message of hope even today? And some people are closer to potential death maybe than we are today in the Ukraine, but what a comfort this is, that there's not just one death, there's a second death and we can avoid the second and through the power of the resurrection can live internally even if we should be laid to rest today. I dunno about you, but I think that's good news, isn't it? And then chapter five, oh by the way, the characteristics in chapter four verse 16 and 17 we just read because we are talking about the second coming is number one, it will be audible. It's the noisiest text in scripture, right? There's a voice of the arch angel, there's the Trump of God and it's so loud that it raises the dead. It's audible. Can you say hallelujah to that? It's even more audible than the missiles that were behind that woman we heard the report of today. It will also be visible as lightning shines from the east to the west. So will the coming of the son of men be so every eye will see it. It also will be orderly, the dead in Christ and then the others. And you have your own guardian angel. How many wanna be there for that? It's not gonna be disorganized. Like some of the airlines I've flown on recently have been be very orderly and it will be in the clouds, will be caught up, up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and it will lead to everlasting life. Is it gonna be secret? No, it's gonna be audible, it's gonna be visible, it's gonna be universal. And it most assuredly is coming soon. Now focus now on the final chapter in our remaining moments here in Thessalonians chapter five. And the very God of peace sanctify you holy. And I pray, God, your whole spirit and soul and body will be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So all of these things in chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, and five are actually showing us how we can allow God to hasten his coming. And how many of you think that's something important to allow him to do? That's what we talked about last night. So his plan is to sanctify you to be a holy, a saint, a most holy thing. Some of you're kind of a little discouraged even hearing that because you actually know yourself quite well. But this is the ideal He wants to sanctify who wants to make you complete. He wants to make you whole. Tell us, holy tell us whole and complete at the end, like at the end of a telescope, your whole spirit, your whole soul, your whole body. This is the ideal. He wants to preserve you, to take care of you, to guard you, to reserve you, to keep you so that you can be ready for that second coming. And revelation 14, 12 pictures that people here is the patience of the saints here, are they the keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus turn it around. They have the gift of faith given by the spirit that leads to the obedience of the faith. Like it says in Romans chapter one to the end that we have patience as well. These are all gifts of the spirit. They're not things you can do. They're things that God can do and will do if you let him do them through you. Can you say hallelujah, that's his promise, that he will preserve you and keep you blameless. That means unbelievable deserving of those censure free from fault or defect. He's saying, how in the world is that gonna happen? It's something you allow God to do, but thanks be to God who give us us the victory. It's not something we have, it's something he gives us. Can you say hallelujah to that? He gives us the victory, this is promised. And so work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to what? To will and to do his good pleasure. And so it will be completed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the promise of the verse that we just read, the last chapter of a book of promises preparing people for the second coming. But wait a minute, doesn't he know my problems? Yes he does. But what were the problems they had in this chapter? They were unruly. A tact almost sounds like aax, doesn't it? Disorderly outta rank, deviating from the prescribed order of rule. Verse 14, known sin against God's order against his will. They were fainthearted, they were limited or of diminished motivation to meet the goal. They were very small in mind. In Latin it says I can't do it. Maybe God can't do it in my life, they were weak. Literally they were sick. Verse 14, they had physical illness as well. They had spiritual struggles. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. They we're coming to the communion service in ways that we're not honoring God. And they were not surrendering. So they were unruly, they were fainthearted, they were weak. Does this sound like anybody here today? I mean, Leun don't like to admit they're doing anything wrong. But how am I gonna be a bold Le De and say you've got problems? How many wanna at least say the pastor has problems? Just say that. We can unify him. That, okay? Everybody knows that. So, and they were revengeful. They they wanted to pay back evil for evil. Do you ever find yourself in that situation? He knew their problems when he was saying that they were gonna be presented sanctified holy. He knew their problems and he knows your problems. So how does this occur? Verse 24, faithful is what he that calls you, who also what does it say? He will do it. How many think this is good news? Faithful is he who will do it, but only if you allow him, right? He stands at the door and knocks. He says, I want to rebuke you. I want to counsel you. I want to help you. But you have to let him do those things. But he's faithful and he can do it if we allow him. And how will he do it? We'll do means to bring about, to cause to fulfill. He will do it. I was reading about how to hasten the coming of Christ and I came across an illustration preacher used about bamboo, bamboo, Chinese, bamboo trees. And I say that a Chinese bamboo bulb will just sit there and it only has one little sprig that comes out and it sits there and you gotta water it. And you gotta water it. And you water it. And you think nothing's happening for one year, for two years, for three years, for four years, for five years. It doesn't help to try and dig it up and see what's happening. That just adds additional years. But then finally in the fifth year, everything comes together and the bamboo shoots up in six weeks and grows like 90 feet. And sometimes we think that things are not happening in the lives of those around us, but maybe they are. Maybe he who began a good work can complete it and will complete it. Amen. Amen. Amen. And maybe there is revival and reformation happening in people's lives and we don't think it is, but it really is. That's true. So we shouldn't give up on God. Amen. And we shouldn't give up on each other because if he did it for some fishermen, he can do it for you and he can do it for me. You know, he came and the likeness of sinful human flesh didn't look like there was much there. He was tempted in all points like his, we are yet without sin. He became sin actually for us. And he was cut off for us. And yet he was full of grace and truth and mercy for us. We are not our only hope. He's our only hope. And it says that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ can in fact be with us. How many of you think that's good news today? It can be with us and it will be with us. You know what? This is the heart of his heart surgery he's promised to do. He says, I will make a new covenant. I will write my law in their hearts. I'll, I'll restore order in their lives. I will write it in their hearts. I will be their God, they shall be my people. I will forgive their iniquity. I will res remember their sin no more. I'll do that. How many of you trust him with that? He will do that. Amen. And I'll remember their sin no more. Do you know what part I left out of that? And they shall teach no more. Every man, his neighbor and every man, his brother saying, no, the Lord, for they all will know me from the least of them until the greatest of them say of the Lord. In other words, he'll actually do evangelism through you. Can you say hallelujah to that? And when people see that you're allowing him to write His law in, in your heart, in your mind, and you'll allow them to see that you, your little bamboo life actually can be fruitful for him as he works on that root structure and everything else. It will transform in the most amazing way. But you gotta hold on to the promises of God. How many wanna hold on to the promises of God? Why don't they need to teach every man his neighbor? How will they know the Lord through the power of the spirit? It's through the power of him working in their lives. And God desires us to allow that to happen. And pure religion and undefiled before God and his Father is this to visit the father of us and widows and their flicks in and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. The key Is service to others. And as you're out serving, somehow you forget about yourself and God's able to do amazing things in and through you. How many wanna allow 'em to do it? Because strength to resist evil is best gained through aggressive service. Sometimes no one will see your service. You're like a till sprout of bamboo. Doesn't look like you're doing much, but God's still using you. Hey, amen. This media was brought to you by Audio verse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon, audio, and much more. If you would like to know more about Audio verse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audio verse.org.

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The Major Teachings of Scripture

03 The Blessed Hope

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Other Teachings in Series

02 The Major Message of the Scripture

03 The Blessed Hope

01 The Scriptures: Can They be Trusted

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