Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19980927.htm
PROPHECY OVERVIEW "Part I: Wise, Effective Living Between Now And The Rapture" (Matt. 13:27-52 with 2 Tim. 3:1-5a)
Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Our world is sinking ever deeper into spiritual darkness, and observing that slippage can really discourage us. Consider these facts:

(1) After last Sunday's sermon in which we mentioned the moral failure of our nation's President, Ray Baldwin told me how he could see how easy it will be for the world to follow the coming anti-christ! His point is well-taken: if a local school principal had been charged with half of what our President has admitted doing in the oval office complex, he would have lost his job long ago; however, most Americans feel the President can keep on functioning as our leader! It is simply amazing!

Sincere Christians in the Southern Baptist Convention voted for the man in the belief that since he was a Southern Baptist, they were electing an exemplary Christian! Now congressmen are reportedly getting calls from disillusioned constituents who, while weeping over the phone, are asking for the President's impeachment!

(2) On any number of occasions, I have gone to funerals in our area that were conducted by other ministers whose churches belong to a denomination that at one time was formed to stand for the truth. Yet, though the sanctuary or funeral home chapel was packed with people who might otherwise never hear the Gospel, the minister, in contrast to Ephesians 2:8-9, said that the deceased was now in heaven for living a decent life, not for believing in Christ as his Savior! I have sometimes fought discouragement over how far such churches in Christendom have DEPARTED from teaching the Gospel of Christ!

(3) On page 55 of the current Christian Book Distributors catalogue, an ad runs for a book on "The Mysterious Yeshua Codes." Its author claims that the Hebrew name for Jesus, Yeshua is hidden in practically every messianic Old Testament prophecy. The problem is, he uses the allegorical method of interpretation to arrive at a mystical conclusion opposite normal literal interpretation! This departs from basic Protestant methods used by the reformers, and leads to all sorts of imaginative errors! Yet, mixed in with lots of good books is this one that counters basic truths on even we are to interpret the Bible!

Well, how do we function with motivation and enjoy God's blessing in a world that seems to be slipping lower into darkness?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I am concerned at the decline in law and decency in today's world! Is there something WONDERFUL I can live for NOW?!"

1. Matthew 13 offers insight for living until Christ's return to earth:
1. Matt. 11-12 records Christ's rejection by Israel, Walv., Matt., p. 95f.
2. Thus, Matthew 13 gives a revised direction to believers as follows:
1. Jesus gave parables in Mtt. 13 since Israel rejected Him, 13:10-15.
2. So, as Mtt. 13:47-50 NIV ends these series of Matthew 13 parables by predicting Christ' Second Coming, these parables foretell things that occur between Christ's rejection and Second Coming.
2. We view the Mtt. 13 parables to see how to live effectively TODAY:
1. Trend One - The Parable of the Sower shows people will respond to God's Word various ways because of various degrees of openness to God, producing varying degrees of spiritual growth, Mtt. 13:18-23.
2. Trend Two - The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares shows that Satan will take advantage of men responding weakly to Scripture teaching and of leaders being irresponsible (13:25a) to plant unbelievers in groups among weak believers, Mtt. 13:36-43. God will not remove Satan's folk from groups to avoid harming weak believers, 13:27-30.
3. Trend Three - Christ predicted in the Parable of the Mustard Seed that these groups would enjoy great external growth unchecked even by Satan, for they would take in Satan's people, 13:31-32; Lk. 13:10-19.
4. Trend Four - Christ predicted in the Parable of the Leaven that the next step would be for false doctrine eventually to spoil the groups' beliefs, Mtt. 13:33; Lk. 14:10-17, 20-21. Other Scriptures identify SOME of these false doctrines that teachers are to oppose as follows:
1. Apostates will forbid marriage & partaking of foods, 1 Tim. 4:1-3.
2. They will hold to uniformitarianism and its product, evolution as foretold in 2 Pet. 3:3-9 (B.K.C., N.T., p. 875); Rev. 3:10f. This error undermines Christ's 1 Cor. 15:21-22 Second Adam salvation: evolution holds that life evolved ages before man existed, and that by survival of the fittest. Thus, death is said to exist before man so that Christ as the Second Adam cannot conquer physical death!
3. Errant teachers will deny Christ's deity and incarnation, that He is fully God and man, 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; 2 Peter 2:1-3.
5. Trend Five - Consequently, in 2 Tim. 3:1-5a, Paul predicted that some people in these groups would develop deep character flaws. These flaws would make them self-centered, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, verbally abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, not separated from evil, heartless, irreconcilable, slanderous, lacking in self-control, untamed, not loving what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure abo ve loving God and hold to an artificial spirituality! To protect themselves from harm (middle voice), the godly are to "shrink back" from close ties with them, 2 Tim. 3:5b!
6. Trend Six - (1) The Mtt. 13:44-46 parables are introduced by v. 43 and its obvious reference to true teachers in Dan. 12:3: thus, Jesus revealed in these parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price that though the costs are high from working against the evils in Trends 1-5, God's teachers will see the eternally great value of discipling anyway. They will gladly invest all they have to disciple. (2) According to Mtt. 13:51-52, Christ wants His teachers who have this invaluable updated Matthew 13 insight (things new) to share it along with Old Testament invaluable insights (things old) with hearers for their encouragement and direction. Thus, I am doing so now!

Lesson Application: God's uplifting direction for us in today's EVIL world is as follows: (1) believe on Christ as Savior and then grow in applying God's Word, Jn. 3:16; Mtt. 13:18-23! Then, (2) realize that (a) people respond in various ways to true Bible teaching, and that (b) Satan takes advantage of this fact to plant unbelievers among those who respond weakly to Scripture. Know that (c) God does not change this arrangement in order to avoid unsettling His weak believers, Mtt. 13:27-30 . (3) As then even SATAN approves of external church growth, we should make spiritual growth our focus, Mtt. 13:31-32. (4) We teachers must counter false teachings that will inevitably arise in groups by teaching the truth, 2 Tim. 4:1-5. Some stands to take will include (a) liberty to marry and partake of all foods (1 Tim. 4:1-3), (b) pure creation opposite uniformitarianism and evolution (2 Pet. 3:3-9 with Rev. 3:10-11) and (c) the deity and incarnation of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3). (5) We are also to avoid people who exhibit the flaws of 2 Tim. 3:1-5a (3:5b). (6) Then, though it means trouble from our countering the evils named above, joyfully direct all of our resources to disciple those who hear: their advance and our rewards for helping them are worth whatever it costs us, Mtt. 13:44-46! (7) We must share the insight of #1 thru #6 to equip others to live well today, Mtt. 13:51-52.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

Earlier this month, my wife, Nadine talked to me about a need that had arise concerning Connie's treatments. We were required to invest another $300 to meet an insurance deductible, and we just didn't have the money. We had monitored what funds the Churc h had made available to us to address Connie's needs, but due to various insurance requirements, there just wasn't any way we could address this need.

So, this week, Nadine sat on the edge of our bed going through the Torrington phone book's Yellow Pages, looking for the number of the doctor we have to contact who can administer Connie's medication. We didn't have money to make the appointment, but Nadi ne decided to get all of the information together, anyway.

As she sat there looking through the phone book, I entered the room and plopped down next to her the stack of mail I had just pulled out of the mailbox. I crossed the room to my dresser to do some figuring on the budget book while Nadine sorted through th e mail.

She soon called me back, asking me to read the contents of a note she held up in her hand. The card was from a couple who used to be at Nepaug and who had formerly repeatedly expressed appreciation for our ministry of the Word. They had long since moved away to another state due to a business transfer. In the note was a $500 check sent to us out of what blessing they claimed the Lord had given them!

The part of this event that means the most to me is the fact that the gift had come as an encouragement of the ministry of the WORD. THAT emphasized the VALUE God places on the work of DISCIPLING that changes people ETERNALLY! In accord with 2 Timothy 2:6, the Lord had led this couple to send us a gift that encouraged me to keep on doing what I have been doing since the couple had been here in regards to giving out His WORD!

A few days later, Nadine received another personal gift from a party in the Church! The party appreciates her work in support of my ministry, a work with its eternally invaluable effects. That gift to Nadine is special to both Nadine and me!

Be encouraged to keep serving Christ in advancing the discipleship of others, and do so with all you have, for in God's mind, such service is INVALUABLE no matter what obstacles or difficulties we face in our troubled world in the process!