Sermon – Matthew 24 – Love of Many Grows Cold
- This morning’s text comes from Matthew 24:4-13 … this passage
occurs after Jesus’ Triumphant Entry … after He clears the Temple … after He
curses the fig tree … after issues and discussions with and about the religious
leaders … after He weeps over Jerusalem and speaks about the Temple being
destroyed … After all that, the disciples asked Jesus about signs of the End
and His return.
- Matthew 24:4-13 (NLT) … (4) Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone
mislead you, (5) for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the
Messiah.’ They will deceive many. (6) And you will hear of wars and threats of
wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things
must take place, but the end will follow immediately. (7) Nation will go to war against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be
famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. (8) But all this is only the first of the
birth pains, with more to come. (9) Then
you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.
You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. (10) And many will turn away from me and
betray and hate each other. (11) And
many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. (12) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the
love of many will grow cold. (13) But
the one who endures to the end will be saved.
- Jesus’ answer begins with a warning to not let anyone mislead
them; for many will claim to be the Messiah; and many false prophets will
appear and will deceive. We must know
Scripture in order to be able to discern the lies of the enemy. Those who do not know Scripture can be easily
swayed.
- Throughout history many have claimed to be the Messiah – but there
is only 1 (Jesus). Many have claimed to
speak for God, but they contradict the truth.
Many believe these false prophets because they hear what they like …
they can do whatever they want … sin isn’t called or treated as such … they
will be given earthly riches … they don’t have to give or serve or be nice …
they don’t have to faithful to a local church or be accountable to anyone or be
under the authority of anyone.
- 2nd Timothy 4:3 (NLT) … For a time is coming when
people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will
look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
- If you are teaching, preaching, and proclaiming the truth; and are
being ignored, then you can’t take it personal … people want to live a lie and
be able to sin without you telling them it is wrong.
- Jesus says to not panic, but that isn’t always easy. When we hear of conflicts or potential
conflicts or that things between politicians and countries aren’t going well,
it could bring about a war – be it regional or worldwide. Besides the loss of life – maybe even ours or
someone we love – we don’t want our daily life interrupted. These battles are not the end, but in our
study of Revelation, we know about the battles that will happen at the End; and
then Jesus comes back.
- We are told that nation will rise against nation; and kingdom
against kingdom; and that famines and earthquakes will happen in various
places.
- Nations … “ethnos” means … a multitude … a company … a nation … people … and is related to a Hebrew word that means nations or people as distinguished from the Jews – heathen / Gentiles …
- Kingdoms … “basileia” means … a kingdom or realm … a region
governed by a king … dominion … reign … authority … kingly power
- Just looking at the definitions of these words, we can see the
conflicts between each group. Throughout
history haven’t most wars been done by “heathen” nations? … different countries
want to take over others and make their kingdoms bigger … stretch out their
beliefs and influence … and today, you can’t turn on the news or depending on
where you live drive through town without seeing different groups being pitted
against each other …
- Look at the world … there are natural disasters everywhere … fires
– floods – earthquakes – landslides … and if you go into Revelation we are told
that a day’s wage will be what people will have to spend to buy bread … a major
famine would bring that about.
- But those things will only be the beginning of what is to come
before the end … Jesus adds that His followers will be arrested, persecuted,
and killed. That has happened throughout
history; and in many places on earth, it is happening now … and at the End, it
will happen on a grand scale …
- This sounds like Matthew 10:21-22, 34-36 (NLT) … A brother will
betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children
will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are
my followers. But everyone who endures
to the end will be saved … Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the
earth! I came not to bring peace, but a
sword. I have come to set a man against
his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. Your enemies will be
right in your own house.
- We know in certain countries today, it is dangerous to be a
Christian; and if people know about it, you do run the risk of being turned
over the authorities. This will only
increase as we get closer to the End … but who knows the most about you? … your
family … and if they are not believers as well, and especially if they are
promised a reward, you may very well be turned in …
- Jesus says that lawlessness will be increased … that is surely the
case. What is reported on the news more,
the “good” or the “bad?” is it easier to
do good or get in trouble? What does the
world consider more fun?
- We can make sure that our hearts are free from sin; and that our
houses will worship God; but the world is a lost and dying place. People seek freedom, love, acceptance, and a
way out in all the wrong places. Only
Jesus can offer lasting hope and peace … only His light can banish darkness.
- Depending on your translation for the next part … the (agape) love
of many/most will grow/wane/wax cold … people will gradually lose the love they
once had for God and others … they used to be active and loyal to their local
church … they used to read and study the Bible … they used to be generous and
kind … but those days are over; but why?
- I believe the biggest reason is DEPTH. People settle for a shallow relationship and don’t have the roots to make it through the rough spots in life. That only leads to a withered and dead faith. People don’t want to put in the time and effort to grow in the faith; and sadly, many (mature) believers don’t disciple (new) believers.
- It is easier to DENY than stand up for God and His Truth. Honestly, who wants to be ridiculed and
persecuted? People would rather take the
easy way out.
- People don’t want to go through DIFFICULTIES; and when they do,
they want to blame God instead of reach out to Him for help. We only grow when we are tested – it is
through testing that determines if we are sincere and true … (even tests at
school prove what we have studied).
- Many people have been DECEIVED by false doctrine. People drift away from God because others
have lied to them – and people think they are OK with God, when they are in
danger of going into the flames. If our
beliefs and opinions don’t match Scripture, then we are in the wrong.
- There are people that always seek to DIVIDE; and that is evident
today … denominations … political parties … which lives matter … what to do
with the national anthem or pledge … and we joke about it, but the color of the
carpet … and you all know from experience, that many have sought to divide this
church – and on some scale have been successful …
- People DRIFT (wax cold) because they DO NOT HAVE A FEAR OF SIN …
We live in an age where there is no fear of sin’s consequences; and sadly, many
individuals and even churches don’t believe certain acts are sinful. Society doesn’t want to believe that God holds
us accountable. People no longer examine
themselves by Scripture; and often fool themselves by thinking that Grace will
cover up everything even without repentance and righteous living. If God hates sin, how can we think it is
acceptable to remain in sinful lifestyles?
- People DRIFT because they DO NOT REPENT OVER SIN … A major issue
in the lives of many so-called Christians is that they may believe in Jesus,
but haven’t given up their sin(s). Too
many come to an altar and pray for salvation, but then walk right back into
their old lives and there is no change.
Sin just doesn’t bother people enough to want to give it up and have
Jesus be Lord. Jesus has to be both LORD
& SAVIOR … if He isn’t LORD of ALL, then He is not Lord at all.
- People DRIFT because they LACK VICTORY OVER SIN … The only victory that you have in your life is the one
that Jesus gained through His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. The only victories that Satan can ever have
over you are the ones that you let him have. We forget this simple fact and we
live far below the level we are meant to be living at. We are able to live holy and righteous lives
– free from sin’s control … and yes, even sin free lives – we need to study
more on and live out sanctified lives … God gives us the power to overcome sin
and never go back to it.
- You cannot defeat Satan in your own strength. You
will never be able to overcome the power of sin in your own strength. The good
news is that you don’t have to defeat Satan because he’s already been beat.
Jesus defeated Satan by beating him with a big ugly stick we call the cross.
- The wages of sin is death and death has been destroyed through the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, the only power sin can have over your life is the power you give it to. The power given to you through the resurrection and the Holy Spirit is greater, you have been given victory. Start living like you’ve got it. Stop walking around with a defeated attitude, a defeated outlook and a defeated expectation. You have victory in Jesus and now is the time to live out that victory day in day out.
- Results of Drifting – (1) Loss of Growth … We are
meant to grow closer in our relationship with Jesus and it is absolutely
impossible to grow in a relationship you choose to neglect. When we settle for
a lower relationship with Christ we will never have the kind of relationship we
are meant to have with Him. We lose the potential that we can only find in
Jesus
- Results of Drifting – (2) Loss of Grace … When
we live at a lower level we miss out on the higher blessings and benefits of a
growing relationship with Christ. Grace is the undeserved favor of God in our
lives. When we fail to live in Christ’s power we miss out on the grace moments
of life. Grace moments are those times that you can look back and say God was
with me in a real way.
- Results of Drifting – (3) Loss of Godliness … When
we strive to be like Jesus it shows in how we live, spend our time and money,
and how we treat the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, fasting,
praise, worship, having a deep burden for the lost, and gathering with the
saints.
- What Do We Do About Drifting? – (1) Recognize … You
will never be able to embrace the change God has in store for your life until
you recognize your personal need. There will never be a greater movement of God
in your life if you are satisfied with where you are right now. How many of you
here this morning need a closer walk with God?
How many friends and family members do?
- What Do We Do About Drifting? – (2) Remember … We must remember the key to a deep relationship with
Jesus is the issue of closeness not feeling. You may be close to Christ but not
feel like you are, or you may be drifting and still feel as if you were close
to Christ. Never base your relationship with Christ on the way you feel because
feelings are fickle, and they will betray you.
If you can remember a time in your life when you were closer to Christ
than you are right now, you need to get back to that place. Remember where you
were. Remember what Jesus has done for you. Remember when you knew His presence
and knew His power.
- What Do We Do About Drifting? (3) Repent … If there was a time when you were closer to Jesus, what made that a
reality? Our relationship with Christ drifts when we neglect the spiritual
disciplines such as prayer, reading the Bible and worship. Repent means to turn
away from. Turn away from your neglect of your relationship with Jesus.
- What Do We Do About Drifting? (4) Return … Return to the practices that
helped you grow and develop as a Christian … daily devotions (prayer &
Bible Study) … fasting … giving … serving … church services … Bible studies …
do the things that will return you to a close walk with Jesus and return to
where you belong.
- What Do We Do About Drifting? (5) Revival … When you make the effort to get back to God, He will
bring inner revival to your soul. When you strive to be more like Jesus, He
will bring a greater love into your life. When you seek more of the Holy
Spirit, He will fan the flames of faith within your heart. It doesn’t matter how far we’ve walked away,
when we seek to return God is “right there.”
- Jesus ends this passage with “but the one who endures to the end will be saved,” We will either be part of the larger group that grows cold or the smaller group that remains true. You must decide if you will commit to stay true to Jesus; or if you will reject Him (and that could be now or later) … but remember, Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven … all other paths lead to death and destruction.