Opening Prayer - Heavenly Father we thank you for the oppertunity to worship your Son this morning. We know that if He hadn't died on the cross for our sins and arose from the dead, we would have no way to have a future home in Heaven or the privilage of worshiping Him this morning. Please bless us indeed and give us the strength and wisdom to live the way the Bible says we should live. We pray that everyone who reads this sermon who are not saved will become saved before it is too late. Please help us to realize how important and urgent it is for us to be a Christian, so we will not be left behind when Jesus returns. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Worship music - Please click the links and sing along if you know the words (You can also click skip ad to go straight to the songs) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE3Rmfhtz4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ClwsynwVrI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePPOaX6HTPI
Jesus' Return
Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;" So, does this mean that it is impossible to escape death?
No, thankfully God's Word teaches us that there is a way to escape dying. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
If you are a Christian, and you are alive when Jesus leaves His throne and comes in the clouds, you will, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52), meet Jesus and other Christians in the air. Eternity with Jesus will begin, and those who aren't Christians (with the exception of children under the age of accountability and those who are mentally disabled) will be left behind.
Only God knows when this event will happen (In Matthew 24:36 Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."), and it will happen when no one is expecting it (Matthew 24:44 says, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.").
So if no one knows when this event is going to happen, and it is going to happen when no one is expecting it, does the Bible give us clues to look for so we will know that it is near? Yes, the Bible gives us plenty of events that will happen before Jesus' return, and these are called prophesys. There are so many propheyes that have been fulfilled, that I have heard Bible experts basically say the same thing, and that is - the only thing that is delaying Christ's return is God having mercy and allowing more people to become a Christian before it is too late.
The people who haven't read or heard how they can become a Christian will still have an oppertunity to know how they can become a Christian. However, it will be too late for people who have heard or read how they can become a Christian, but they have either put that decision off, they refused to make that decision, or they have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian without that truly happening. These people will be left behind. Matthew 24:40,41 says, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
Not only will these people be left on the earth and Christians will be taken to Heaven, but they will not be able to become a Christian after this event happens. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 puts it this way - 1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Since these people will have a chance to be saved before Jesus returns, but they will not respond or will not respond in a way that will result in them becoming a Christian, God will literally give up on them the way He gave up on the people in Romans 1:24–32 and Hosea 4:17 because they refused to repent (turn from) of their sins and become a Christian. After God's patience runs out towards these people, He will send them strong delusion so they will believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This means that the devil will trick them into believeing that they will go to Heaven if they take the mark of the beast.
Therefore, it is extremely important that you know that you are a Christian, so you will go to Heaven when Jesus comes in the clouds.
If you have never prayed or made a decision to trust Jesus' death on the cross and His shed blood to erase your sins and let you into Heaven, please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/howtogotoheaven
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you are not sure that you are really a Christian (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 21:18-22, 1 John 5:14, and Hebrews 11:1), you need to be sure - please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/howtogotoheaven
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you have been living in sin or haven't tried your best to live a true Christian life (whenever you aren't witnessing to and or helping others, you try to think about the things of God), please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/makingsure