Gtcotr/ws052020
This
is the fourth in a series entitled “The Coming of The Lord”. We began our study
in the Book of 2 Thessalonians under the concern shared by the Apostle Paul to
the Believers in the Church of Thessalonica. He simply said:
2 Thessalonians 2
1 ¶ Now, brethren, concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask
you,
2 not to be soon shaken in
mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as
though the day of Christ had come.
Paul
told these Believers that it was not yet time for the Lord to come again. But
that was over 1900 years ago. As well, Paul informed the readers of his letters
to the Church to understand that one day the Lord would come and on that day,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet will sound, the dead
in Christ will rise and those who are alive and remain will be changed and
caught up in the air to forever be with the Lord. What a day …
Paul
wrote his letters to the Thessalonian Church in about the year AD52, give or
take a few months. Over 40 years later the elder Apostle John wrote the Gospel
of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, John, and the Book
of Revelation. In these writings John expounded on the last days and the return
of Christ both for His Bride and for the final battle with the Anti-Christ.
Last
week we began Part 3 of our series by reading something John wrote.
1 John 2:18 Little children,
it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even
now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 4: 3
Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you
have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
The
Word of God agrees that the spirt of the antichrist is already at work in the
world. This is the spirit behind the ongoing Covid19 problem and the spirit
behind the “dry run” if you will, softening up the population of the world to
accept stringent control of everything from personal wealth to physical separation
to spying on one another and even to accept the mark of the beast without
concern. We are definitely in the last hour … even the last minutes … and
perhaps even in the last seconds.
The
world has never seen a day like today and neither has the Church. I like what
Pastor Casey Sitter said at the end of the message last week. He said: “I’m not shocked when the world acts like the world … but I
am surprised when the Church acts like the world.”
We
should not be shocked to realize that we are in the last hour. The devil knows
his days are short and we should also recognize our time on earth is limited as
well. Many are dying and many more will die as a result of the world-wide
crisis we are facing. Nations will not be able to provide the answers or the
resources needed in time. This week we have received calls for help from all
over the world. People are praying for help while preparing for greater
hardships to come.
God
has a long history of using nations to accomplish His will. Not one nation has
ever continued to serve Him for long. Israel; Judah; Persia; Rome; Germany;
Spain; Portugal; England; America … all like sheep have gone astray and every
one of them has turned to their own way. Do not misunderstand me, I do not
think what is happening today is the judgement of God on America … I believe it
is the prelude to the coming judgement of God on the whole world. We read about
it in Daniel, Zachariah, Revelation and even in the book of Psalms. Speaking of
the book of Psalms, that is where our message will come from this evening.
Make
no mistake … the only way to save a nation is to introduce its people to Jesus.
I call it the Nineveh Project. God never set out to save Nineveh, He set out to
save the people of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh repented and turned to
the Lord, God saved their city, saved their homes, saved their jobs, and saved
their families. The one thing God needed to save that nation was a preacher who
preached “Get right with God!” If you do not,
worse things are coming.
We
could also call it the Noah Project or the Sodom and Gomorrah Project or the
Abraham Project or any number of other people, places, or nations in history.
Only, this time I believe it’s for keeps! We are in the
very last hour!
While
you turn in your Bibles to Psalms chapter 2, allow me to read the verses we
ended our study with last week. I told you I’d get back to them.
Acts 4
25 “(Lord, You are God) who
by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And
the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth
took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and
against His Christ.”
When
Peter and John, and the leadership of the Church in Jerusalem were threatened
by the spirit of the antichrist and all they held dear was subject to being
taken away from them, they went to prayer. During this most anointed and
pointed prayer for God’s intervention, the Holy Spirit gave them direction,
courage, counsel, and comfort from the Word of God.
Right
in the middle of the prayer, the person praying prophesied straight from the
book of Psalms. Specifically Psalm 2. Let’s turn our attention to the Word the
Holy Spirit gave to the Church in their hour of need.
Of course this Psalm points to Christ and to
the Church age, the last day and this last hour in which we are now firmly
established.
There are four voices in this Psalm. In other
words, 4 different people’s perspective, using 3 verses each. The first voice
is asking a question about the nations of the world. I do not believe it is the
voice of the world but rather, the voice of the Church. I know it is a question
I have, as did many of the prophets, and a question perhaps many of you have
asked God.
Psalms 2
1 ¶
Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
2
The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel
together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”
How can people who say they believe in God set
themselves against Him? Perhaps I could understand if they did not believe in
Him but to believe in God and take up arms against Him … that is crazy! “Let us
break God and Jesus’ bonds … Their guidelines … Their words … Their will …
Now we hear the reply as though the writer is
speaking from God’s perspective.
4
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep
displeasure:
6
“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
God laughs at the so-called rulers of the
earth … God is the One Who elects and appoints the King over all the earth.
Here we see a change. Jesus is speaking …
7 ¶
“I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the
ends of the earth for Your possession.
9
You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces
like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
The concluding voice must be none other than
the voice of the Holy Spirit which is on the earth during the last hour to
guide, guard and direct the work and the plan of God.
10 ¶
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11
Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
12
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His
wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in
Him.
When the nations take counsel, rage, and set
themselves against the One True Living God and against His Son Jesus, and say
they are no longer going to follow His commands and cast away all restraint …
Look out!
God laughs at them. He will confuse their
plans and send them great distress.
God has anointed a King over all the
earth and His name is Jesus!
Jesus has inherited all the earth for an
everlasting possession, and He will rule those who plot against Him with a rod
of iron. He will dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Only now, be wise. Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son … do not make Him angry even a little
…
Blessed are all those who put their
trust in Him.
This is what Peter and John said. This was
their go-to. These are the scriptures given to them by the Holy Spirit to give
them direction, courage, counsel, and comfort.
They prayed for boldness to preach the Word of
God in the name of Jesus. All they wanted was to put their trust in God that He
would take care of their enemies while they followed the Great Commission. They
had confidence that God would do His part while they did theirs. They knew that
God was at the helm of the ship … not the antichrist! And …
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where
they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Now, let’s put our trust in God and go out
tomorrow and tell others about the plan of God and the love of Christ!
After all … it is the last hour! It could be
the last call … at least for someone you know.
Not all news is good news … but we
always have Good News to share.
John 10:32
Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father.
For which of those works do you stone Me?”
