Expecting

Mark Gardner

Verge • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Matthew 24:1–14

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

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As followers of Christ, we should be anxiously expecting the Rapture of the church.

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Expecting

Parents know what it is like to be ‘expecting’. The excitement of learning that you will soon have a baby is one of the biggest thrills that we will have in this lifetime. As your family goes through each of the trimesters it gets more and more excited as the evidence of the baby grows and grows.

Couples may have to find a home with 2 bedrooms instead of the single bedroom. Morning sickness, trips for ice cream (and other strange cravings), new paint colors, baby clothes, burp bibs, baby showers, strollers, car seats, and lots of diapers all begin to fill up the days during the 9-month sprint to the finish line.

I was forced into a childbirth education class where I learned the importance of the rubbing shoulders…and then, the Lamaze techniques. Don’t get me wrong…I wasn’t raised on a farm so there were things I needed to know. And the breathing and relaxation techniques were helpful. I used them when the drill sergeants had us in the front leaning rest position. At Brittni’s birth, Cindy had no use for the breathing and relaxation techniques – just jump straight to the MEDS! No pain!

When the time finally came and we were able to hold our daughter, then 2 years later, our son. All the hard things about the pregnancy were forgotten. We were ecstatic about our babies, the wait was over, and it was amazing.

We have a great moment coming, and I believe it is very soon because the world is already having birth pains that the Bible tells us will happen before the Rapture of the Church when we will see Jesus.

What Is the Rapture?

The word rapture means “to seize”. It refers to a day when Christ will appear in the sky and call Christians, both dead and alive to join Him in Heaven. As Jesus was nearing the Cross, He gave the disciples some indicators that tell us about the rapture of the Church.

Birth Pains

In the book of Matthew, Jesus compares His return to a birth. He said, “All these are the beginning of birth pains.” All the signs and events that lead up to His Return are a part of the birthing process. The Bible teaches 2 separate events that will occur. The first is the rapture and the second is the Second Coming of Christ. Often the 2 events are both referred to as the 2nd Coming. Soon we will see Him!

Matthew 24:1–14 NIV

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 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.

Later on in the same chapter we are made aware of the fact that this ‘taking away’ would happen almost unexpectedly.

Matthew 24:40–44 NIV

Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

When it is time for the baby to come there are clues. Momma begins to carry the baby lower in her womb. Spasms of pain begin to take place as muscles begin to contract. Right before the baby comes, the water will burst. It won’t be much longer!

Jesus told the disciples that there would be birth pains to indicate that He would be coming soon:

Contraction #1 - Counterfeits

Jesus warned that there would be deceivers who would claim to be the Messiah. Wikipedia lists 25 people who claimed to be the Messiah. Some of the more notable would be:

· Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012), founder and leader of the Unification Church established in Seoul, South Korea, who considered himself the Second Coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.[28] Although it is generally believed by Unification Church members ("Moonies") that he was the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ and was anointed to fulfill Jesus' unfinished mission.[28]

· Claude Vorilhon now known as Raël "messenger of the Elohim" (born 1946), a French professional test driver and former car journalist became founder and leader of UFO religion the Raël Movement in 1972, which teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call Elohim. He claimed he met an extraterrestrial humanoid in 1973 and became the Messiah.[36] Then devoted himself to the task he said was given by his "biological father", an extraterrestrial named Yahweh.[37]

· José Luis de Jesús (1946–2013), founder and leader of Creciendo en Gracia sect (Growing In Grace International Ministry, Inc.), based in Miami, Florida. He claimed to be both Jesus Christ returned and the Antichrist, and exhibited a "666" tattoo on his forearm. He has referred to himself as Jesucristo Hombre, which translates to "Jesus Christ made Man".

· David Koresh (Vernon Wayne Howell) (1959–1993), leader of the Branch Davidians, renaming himself in honor of King David and Cyrus the Great. He and his followers were killed after a botched ATF raid and siege which ended with their compound catching fire when the FBI pumped CS gas into the building.

There are more than 250 religions in the world!

Contraction #2 – Conflict

The aggression of Russia against Ukraine is on the mind of everyone. The potential of a nuclear war is frightening for those of us who grew up in the period between Korea and the War on Terror which took our minds off it. Many are asking, “Is this WWIII?”

According to Crisisgroup.org there are 10 conflicts that the world should be watching – Ukraine, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the US and China, Iran-the US-Israel, Yemen, Israel-Palestine, Haiti, Myanmar, and Islamic Insurgency in Africa.

Contraction #3 – Famines

Ukraine has been called the ‘bread basket’ of Europe. Imagine the impact on the people of Europe as this nation is being torn apart by war.

The South Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Yemen are entire nations where the population is vastly malnourished. Over 50% of Yemenis are undernourished. Feeding America predicted that in 2021 45 million people had food insecurities (not sure if it would be available week to week).

Contraction #4 – Pestilence

This one is very much on our minds. Covid has accounted for over 6 million deaths worldwide. Many of us have been affected directly by covid. Other types of things that we could include in pestilences is the rise in crime, murder, and violence. Our own city, Houston, ranks 1st in the nation in homicides.

Contraction #5- Earthquakes and Natural Disasters

Here is some more news…according to the United Nations, natural disasters are occurring 3x more frequently now than 50 years ago.

We are living in a world that is experiencing the groans and spasms of the Return of Christ and the Rapture of the church. What Jesus described in Matt 24:5-7 is happening in real time now throughout the world.

Contraction #6- Persecution and Confusion

Matthew 24:9–10 NIV

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

I’m still working on getting a shirt made that says, “Be Different”. It is becoming more and more evident that the things of this world and the things of God are completely different. I think I will use this passage from Isaiah

Isaiah 43:1–2 NIV

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Jesus said to expect opposition and persecution. An organization that I highly recommend is Voice of the Martyrs. They track the persecution of Christians around the world and offer prayer guides, giving opportunities, and more ways to get involved.

Contraction #7 – Chaos and Coldness

All of what I am pointing out are the signs that we are near the Rapture of the Church. Verses 10-11 describe what is happening in our society.

Matthew 24:10–11 NIV

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Since 1999, church memberships have fallen from 70% to less than 50%. That is 20% in 20 years! Some blame it on the church and some blame it on religion but Jesus Himself predicted it as a sign of the end. Eastern religions are growing in the US while Christianity is in decline.

In addition, people have grown cold…

Matthew 24:12 NIV

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

As I look from my back porch at the lights over the ball fields of Burroughs Park I think of the commitment to the practices - early mornings, late nights, cold, rain, and heat. If only the Church had that level of commitment….

Birth pains aren’t fun, but they are not really the point are they? It is about the baby that is about to come. These pains are indicators that Jesus is about to return!

It is Time to Get Ready

For 2 years prior to deployment to the Middle East I had been told to expect it. I created a family plan so that Cindy and the kids would be taken care of and so that she would know where all the important documents were. Equipment was prepared and I had a “Go Bag” ready. When I got the call, I was on a plane within 2 days.

You and I have been given ample time to get ready.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 NIV

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

According to Dr. Nunnelly of the Assemblies of God, our responsibilities include:

We are to be constantly engaged in witness (John 4:35; 9:4; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 5:16) that emphasizes the time of His return is near (Matthew 4:17; 2 Corinthians 6:2).

We are to be on guard against the increasing number of deceivers and deceptions characteristic of the end-time (Matthew 24:4,5,11,24; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 3:17).

We are to be awake, sober, and alert (Matthew 24:42,43; 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 4:7; Revelation 16:15).

We are to be ready, prepared (Matthew 24:44; 25:10; Luke 12:35-37; Revelation 19:7).

We are to be wise (Matthew 25:2; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:18).

We are to be holy in conduct and thought (Luke 21:34; 2 Peter 3:11; Revelation 16:15).

We are to be living servant lives filled with the fruit of good deeds (Hebrews 10:24,25; 1 Peter 4:8-10).

We are to be earnestly and expectantly desiring His appearing (Luke 12:36; 2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 22:17,20).

It won’t be long!

We Have an Exciting Day Coming!

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 NIV

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

As parents hold their new babies, they don’t think about the morning sickness at the beginning of the pregnancy. Guys aren’t remembering the lengthy Lamaze classes or the hours of preparing the baby’s room. All of that is eclipsed by the precious little boy or girl that they are holding in their arms. They are looking forward to the baseball games, dance recitals, and laughter inside their homes.

Of course, there is a big difference between the day of a child’s birth and the day that the Lord returns. With the child in our arms there is still uncertainty in this world. With us in the arms of the Lord, there is no uncertainty. There is complete assurance and comfort.

First and foremost, the Rapture is about Jesus Christ being personally present. All the birth pains are over, and it will be a time of joy. I like what Billy Graham once said,

The end will come with the return of Jesus Christ…That is why a Christian can be an optimist. That is why a Christian can smile in the midst of all that is happening…We know what the end will be: the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. - Rev. Billy Graham