End Time Living pt. 1

Guest (Male): God has called his end-time people to take heed, to fill their minds with his word. God has called his end-time people to lift up his standard high, and to be done with the things of this world and not to let the world squeeze you into its mold.
Guest (Male): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: End Time Living, Part One. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: There’s an experience that took place in World War I that has vital significance to Christians living on the verge of eternity and especially to Seventh-day Adventists. Understanding the lessons from this experience may mean eternal life or eternal loss. Let me tell you the story. In World War I, May 7, 1915, Germany was waging war in the Atlantic. War on London and England and France and Ireland and throughout all Great Britain. The British had blockaded Germany. And the German embassy sent word that they would be attacking passenger boats that were coming in the Atlantic. One of those boats was named the Lusitania. And there was an art director by the name of George Duvon, Lloyd George Joseph Duvon. He was the head of a very precious art firm in New York City. And in 1915, he planned to send one of his top pottery experts to the continent to examine some very old ancient pottery. When he got word that it might be possible for the Lusitania to be torpedoed, he said to this young expert, "I can't send you. I don't want to risk your life in sending you. We're going to call it off." And his young pottery expert said, "Oh, don't worry about that because I'll tell you what. When I read the reports that the Lusitania might be torpedoed, I knew that I might have to spend time in the Atlantic. "So what I did is every day I laid down in a cold tub of water. At first, I could only stand this ice water for a few minutes. But then it was an hour, then it was two hours. And sir, do you know what? I am a strong swimmer. I'm hardening myself so that if the boat gets torpedoed, I'll be able to swim. And this morning I spent two hours in the ice water. Just lying in this ice water." Now, of course, Lord Duveen laughed. He thought it was preposterous. But the amazing thing was the young man sailed. The boat was torpedoed and he spent five hours in the chilly, freezing waters of the Atlantic. But yet he was saved. He was rescued. How was he able to do that? Because he prepared ahead of time. You never go through a crisis by preparing for the crisis when the crisis breaks. You go through a crisis by preparing for the crisis before the crisis breaks. And just as this young man took the warning seriously and prepared himself in advance for the tough times that were to come, so Jesus gives us a message of warning. And in Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21, Jesus gives to us more than 20 different signs of his return. These fast-filling signs reveal that the stage is being set for the coming of Jesus and they reveal his coming is near. Now they do not reveal his coming is here, they reveal his coming is near. Not his coming is here. Luke chapter 21, verse 28: "Now when these things begin to happen," now Jesus has just outlined the signs of the times in Luke 21, just talked about wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. He says, verse 28, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near." He does not say your redemption is here. He says your redemption draws near. We find the same thing in Matthew 24, verse 33. Jesus gives the signs of the times. He talks about the last days of earth's history. And in Matthew chapter 24, verse 33, Jesus says: "So you also, when you see all these things," how many of these things church? "All these things, know that it or he is near at the very doors." Now, in other words, the signs of the times that Christ gives give a general outline of end events, but they do not list a precise time when Christ will come. They do not reveal a specific timetable of his return. Now, there are some people today that are preoccupied with trying to figure out, based on some self-imagined timetable, exactly when Christ is going to come. I remember when the year 2000 was going to come and we had all these people saying, "The world has gone now 6,000 years, we're going to enter into the 7,000th year when 2000 comes. Jesus is going to return." Well, he didn't return. And then they reinvented the date. 2023, Christ is going to come. Even some today are looking at another date where they think the 6,000 years are going to be finished in 2027. But Jesus says, when you see all these things know that my coming is near, not here. Ellen White leaves no question about it. Let me share with you an amazing statement here in the writings of Ellen White. It says: "God gives no man." Now notice, "God gives how many people everybody? No man." No man means no man, it means no woman. "A message that it will be 10 years or 20 years before this earth's history shall close." Some in 2027 would say, "Oh, he's going to come in 2027." Some were saying in 2017 he's going to come in 2027. "God gives no man a message that it'll be 10 years or 20 years before this earth's history shall close. If it were 40 or 100 years, the Lord would authorize no man to proclaim it. He would not give any living being an excuse for delaying the preparation for his appearing. "For this leads to reckless neglect of opportunities and privileges to prepare for that great day. Every soul who claims to be a servant of God is called to do his service as if every day might be his last." Now let's pause there for a moment. Any date somebody chooses on a time chart, what does that do? It leads to a reckless neglect of opportunities. Because today is the day of salvation. If I think Christ is going to come in 2027, what does that do to me? It says, "Wait a minute, I got all those years to prepare yet, I don't need to do much now." But if I believe I'm living on the knife edge of eternity, I take advantage of every opportunity. Next part of the quote, notice what it says here: "Here is the great burden to be carried by every individual." So what is our burden, everybody? Is it to find some date on a time chart? Is that our burden? "Here is our burden. Here is the great burden to be carried away by every individual. Are my sins forgiven? Has Christ the burden bearer taken away my guilt? Have I a clean heart, the righteousness of Christ by faith? Woe to be any soul who is not seeking a refuge in Christ and conforming the character to be like the character of Christ." So the call of the hour is to know the general events that we are living on the knife edge of eternity. It is not to put some date on a time chart, but it's to know Christ, to have our characters formed by Christ, to live for Christ. "Here is the great burden to be carried away. Am I sins forgiven? Has Christ the burden bearer taken away my guilt?" And let's look at the last part of that reference. "Time has not been a test." Now this is a separate reference from early writings that I combined with the first one in a manuscript. "Time has not been a test since 1844 and it will never again be a test." So if you hear some video of somebody who thinks that they know the year Christ is going to come, you know immediately that that's not true because time is never again going to be a test. "The Lord has shown me that the message of the third angel must go, but it must not be hung on time. I saw that some were getting a false excitement arising from preaching time, but the third angel's message is stronger than time can be." So God's last day message leads us to sense that we are living on the knife edge of eternity. It leads us to prepare for the coming of Jesus. Preaching of a time leads to a reckless neglect of our opportunities. It focuses the mind in the wrong place. It rather leads us to a false excitement. Now Jesus at the end of Matthew 24 gives to us two amazing parables that help us to know how to be prepared for his coming because that's the real issue. So Matthew chapter 24, we're going to look there at verse 42 and onwards. Matthew chapter 24, when Jesus comes to this amazing, to the end of this amazing discussion of the signs of the times. So all of Matthew 24 is about time. It's all about what's going to take place just before he comes. But surprisingly enough, Jesus does not end the parable with an emphasis on those signs. He ends the parable with an emphasis on personal preparation for the coming of Christ. So you look at Matthew 24, we're going to start there and look at verse 42. "Watch therefore." So Jesus says here are the signs of my coming. "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." So after he gives all these signs, is his emphasis on the fact that we're going to know? His emphasis is on the fact that we are not going to know. "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. If the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into." Now here is Jesus' punchline. Here is Jesus' major appeal. He just finishes talking about time and he makes his major appeal in verse 44. "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour when you do not expect him."
Guest (Female): We’ll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you’re enjoying today’s message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: So here Jesus is very straightforward. The coming of Christ will be at a time that we least expect it. Therefore, it is imperative that we are in a constant state of readiness. The final events are going to be so rapid, so quick, so unexpected that even the righteous are going to be surprised with the quickness of their coming. Christ's appeal is not that we know the time. Christ's appeal is that we're ready when he comes. Christ's appeal is not that we know the time, his appeal is that we know Jesus, the one that has all time in his hands. Christ's appeal is not that we figure out on a time chart the precise moment of his return, it is that our hearts be totally consecrated to him in these last hours of earth's history. Now this leads us to a vital question. And this question, on this question our eternal destiny hangs. How then shall we live in the light of Christ's soon return? Is there any practical instruction in the Bible in Matthew chapter 24 on how then shall we live in the light of Christ's return? Now fortunately Jesus gives us the answer. There are three expressions in Matthew chapter 24 that give us the clue: take heed, watch, and be faithful. Now let's unpack those three. We first go to Matthew 24. Jesus gives us three action words in Matthew 24 in the light of the signs of the times, in the light of the fast-fulfilling events in the world. What does Jesus say? Matthew 24, and we're going to look at verse 3 and 4. "Now as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?'" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Now notice very carefully what this says. What is Jesus' instruction to a people living just before the coming of Christ? He's concerned about deception. He's concerned about false teachings. And he says take heed that nobody deceives you. Although we do not know the precise time for Christ's coming, this we do know. Satan will use every deception possible just before the coming of Christ to deceive as many people as possible. Now these deceptions are not going to be some crude counterfeit, not some obvious error. Matthew 24, verse 24, there's a very fascinating expression. Matthew 24 and verse 24. Remember Jesus says take heed that no man may deceive you. Matthew 24, verse 24: "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders so as to deceive if possible the very elect." So Jesus says take heed that you are not deceived. Now who are the very elect? How would you define the very elect? Who are the very elect? They're the people of God, right? They're the church of God. They're the people that are waiting for the coming of Christ. So I'm particularly interested in this expression "the very elect." They are God's people, his church in the last days. And so Jesus gives this solemn warning. Satan's deceptions are going to be so cunning, so sophisticated, so close to the truth that if it were possible the very people of God could be deceived. So the great need for this hour of earth's history, the critical need for this hour of earth's history, this crisis hour, is for men and women totally committed to Christ, filled with his Holy Spirit, anchored in the truth of his word, focused on the advancement of his kingdom, and sharing his last day message with their friends and neighbors. If there ever was a time to know the word of God so that you can keep from being deceived, it's today. Are you anchored in the truth of God's word? Is the word of God your daily study? Do you have a regular time to pour over scriptures each day? Now we're told in the book *The Great Controversy*, page 593, 594: "None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict." Only those who have been diligent students of the scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. Now this is really an amazing statement. None but those that have done what, fortified? What does it mean to fortify? It means to strengthen. Is your mind being strengthened by the word of God? Is your mind being shaped and molded by the word of God? We are victorious over Satan's temptations only as we read God's word. We draw closer to Christ only as we behold him in the word. The apostle Peter puts it this way. He says that God has given us exceeding great and precious promises that we might overcome the world and be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that's in the world. There's only one way you can escape the corruption that's in the world and that is if you have the word of God saturating your mind. There's only one way you can overcome the corruption in the world because the word of God sustains us, it strengthens us, it supports us, it satisfies us, and it secures us. It is the word of God that transforms our character. One of my dearest friends is Pastor Robert Wong. I've told you a little bit about him before. Pastor Wong is now 84 years old and we were walking out of the auditorium and out of the stadium. Pastor Wong saw me and said, "Pastor Mark, Pastor Mark," and his short white hair ran over, just kept hugging me and hugging me, wouldn't let go. And there on the street corner, we embraced. He's an amazing man. Pastor Wong is from China and he spent 12 years in prison or labor camps. The first four years he was in a prison, a cell that was six feet wide and 12 feet long with three other men. They just had some little bucket in the back to use for the bathroom, no sanitary conditions, a little light bulb coming from the top. It was horrible. The next four years he spent in solitary confinement. He was in like a hole in the bottom, dark, damp dungeon. The next four years in hard labor camps. I asked him, what... and I knew the answer to the question but I wanted him to tell the story again because every time he's told me, I just rejoice in the story. I said, "How did you survive, Pastor?" I said, "Tell us the story again." So a group gathered around on the streets there of St. Louis and this what happened. He really wanted a Bible. He knew he needed the word of God to strengthen his faith. He knew with the challenges he was going through that he would never be able to have his faith strengthened without the word of God. And so he but he knew it was illegal to have the Bible in prison. And he was only allowed to write 30 Chinese characters every month. Once a month he could write 30 Chinese characters to his family. And so but he wanted... he said, "Only if I had a Bible." Now when you're in prison there, you don't have a name. They take away all your names and they give you numbers. And so every prisoner has a number: 568, 922. And so one day he was out in the prison yard and he heard one of the guards call a prisoner and the guard said, "Prisoner 121, get over here." And immediately in his brain thought 121, 121. That is the number of the hymn in the Chinese hymnal, "Give Me the Bible." "Give Me the Bible, precious light shining," and he thought, "I got an idea." He was allowed to have a notepad. And so he wrote to his mother, "Dear Mother, I would love to have a notepad with 121 pages." His mother got it. At first, she looked at it strange, a notepad with 121 pages. This is really strange, why is he going to want a notepad with 121 pages? Then she got it. 121, he wants a Bible. How am I going to get him a Bible in the prison? In those days, Chinese women often made soap, bars of soap for the prisoners because there were not sanitary conditions. So his mom got the idea. "I know what I'll do. I'll make a long bar of soap, I will hollow out the inside, put a small New Testament on the inside." And so she did. She made this bar of soap, put the New Testament on the inside of the bar of soap. And there as she did, she put a little plastic bag, made the soap, and she said to him, wrote a little note and then she sent him the notepad so the authorities wouldn't, of course, know what was going on. And she said, "Here's your notepad and here's your special bar of soap that you're really going to need to get clean." He knew exactly what she was talking about. "My heart is cleansed from your word," David says. He got the bar of soap in the quietness darkness of his little cell. He was in solitary confinement at this time. He cut the soap off, took the Bible and this is what he said. He said, "Daily the word of God strengthened me. I feasted on the word. It became my treasured companion in prison. I was able to cope with the most challenging circumstances because my mind was saturated with God's word." It supported him. It kept him faithful and secure in his imprisonment. One day soon you and I are going to face the greatest challenges of life and Jesus says take heed. Jesus says be alert. Jesus says fill your mind with the promises of my word. Daily let God mold your mind, shape your character, transform your life through the spirit-inspired word of God. The Bible is our safeguard against deception. It's our stronghold against temptation. It's our security in trials. In the quietness, God longs to speak to you. In the challenges of life, God longs to speak. In the difficulties of life, God longs to speak. In our problems, in our perplexities, in our confusion, in our weakness, in our resounding successes and our flat-out failures, God longs to speak. Will you allow God to speak to you through his word every day? Will you fall on your knees and say, "Jesus, speak to me through your book, strengthen me for the challenges today through your book, but strengthen me for the trials of tomorrow." Speak, Lord, give me wisdom to know your will. Give me the strength to do your will. Give me the courage to accomplish your will. If we are not faithful in our devotional life, if our lives are not transformed by God's word, our religious experience will be shallow, it'll be superficial, and it'll be hollow. Rather than being enamored by some preacher's personal speculation about end events, it's time to take heed. It's time to saturate our minds with the word of God in the light of his soon return.
Guest (Female): You’ve been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: Look for those opportunities every day to share Jesus with somebody else.