9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; and the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite! That’s probably one of the reasons why the Pharisees didn’t like Jesus too much. Both Matthew and Mark record 17 locations where the Pharisees and teachers of the law are either directly or indirectly called hypocrites by Christ.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.
Matthew 23:27 (NIV)

I guess that verse is a pretty good description of what a hypocrite is. How about these other definitions,

The story has been told of a woman who had acquired wealth and social prominence and decided to have a book written about her genealogy. The well-known author she engaged for the assignment discovered that one of her grandfathers was a murderer who had been electrocuted in Sing Sing. When he said this would have to be included in the book, the woman pleaded that he find a way of saying it that would hid the truth. When the book appeared, the incident read as follows: “One of her grandfathers occupied the chair of applied electricity in one of America’s best-known institutions. He was very much attached to his position and literally died in the harness.” (Autoillustrator.com, HYPOCRISY/DECEPTION)

A humorist told the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car. It read: “I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I’m writing down my name and address. I’m not. Good luck.” (Autoillustrator.com, HYPOCRISY/DECEPTION)

The word “hypocrite” was originally a theatrical term, describing actors, who concealed their real countenances behind dramatic masks. What Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees about then is their “wearing of a mask”. They concealed their real selves behind a mask of “righteousness”. In fact Jesus makes this very clear in the following verses,

Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Matthew 23:26 (NIV)

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Mark 7:6 (NIV)

Hypocrites conceal sadness with a smile; they say they are happy to see you when they would rather have root canal work than to be in your presence; they give money to charities they do not truly support; they make speeches for causes they don’t care about; and they laugh at jokes they don’t find funny. In short, hypocrites wear masks, pretending to be who they are not.

There are really two kinds of hypocrites:

1. The hypocrite that does what he doesn’t believe or what he isn’t.
An example of this would be…

…a man who writes a book praising atheism and then prays that it will sell. (Leighton Ford)

2. The hypocrite that doesn’t do what he does believe or what he is.

A father complained about the amount of time his family spent in front of the television. His children watched cartoons and neglected schoolwork. His wife preferred soap operas to housework. His solution? “As soon as the baseball season’s over, I’m going to pull the plug.” (Autoillustrator.com, HYPOCRISY)

What these two statements really say is that, hypocrisy is like a pin. It is pointed in one direction, and yet is headed in another.

The worse of this breed, however are religious hypocrites. The specific problem with religious hypocrites is that they are not only “holier-than-thou”; they are also “holier-than-themselves.” They feign devotion, but it is mostly counterfeit. They’ll appear much different than they are. If we want to be hard on hypocrites – especially religious hypocrites – we seem to have a natural ally in Jesus. Whenever he got a card-carrying hypocrite in his sights, he pulled the rhetorical trigger. With rollicking humor, Jesus mocked hypocrites as the clowns of their own moral vaudeville show. As Jesus described them, hypocrites want the trumpeter to play “Hey Look Me Over” when they pull out their offering envelopes; they conduct prayer meetings at busy intersections during rush hour; and on fast days they put on a melancholy public face that makes them look for all the world like they have the flu. In short, they parade their deeds with a flourish before the admiring eyes of others. That’s what they want, and that’s what they get – indeed, the problem is that the adoration of the crowd is all they get. “Truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “they have received their reward.”

What we know is that Jesus did not tolerate the hypocrite and neither should we. But here we have the story that I read at the beginning of this message – the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee. And I want to ask you this morning, “Who do you think you are?” Are you wearing a mask? Are you the Pharisee or the tax collector?

PHARISEE

First, let’s look at the Pharisee. Pharisee is a word that means, “to separate”. And indeed that’s how they conducted themselves. They were separate from everybody else because they were so holy.

• They did not want to be infected by associating with the “wrong kind” of people
• They were conceited
• They were ignorant
• They were pompous
• They were selfish, and lovers of money
• They were judgmental
• They were legalistic

These guys were mean spiritual people and some of them even carried a sword by their side. If you disagreed with their spiritual doctrinal position, they would cut you to pieces, in love of course!

If you could imagine, the Pharisee is climbing the stairs to the synagogue. He’s swaggering back and forth down the center aisle, and he finds a perfect place where everyone can see him. So he puts on his bouncy peacock strut and he’s not going to pray a prayer to God, but he’s going to make a public announcement about his goodness. He said this, “Lord, I thank you that I’m not like the other men, extortionist, unjust, adulterers, or even, like this lonesome tax collector here!” Today we might laugh at people like that, but then again, we dare not, because we might be laughing at ourselves.

You see, I believe that in every church today, there are some Pharisees, there are people who separate themselves from “the wrong kind” of people because they consider themselves so spiritually elite from everyone else. They’re deep, real deep, they are so deep that they can’t understand where they are, and they can’t even fully understand what they believe. Let me tell you something, God called me to preach to His sheep (found and lost), not search for submarines, and if you’re in something so deep, that you can’t explain it then maybe you better think about coming back up to the surface and looking around a bit.

There are many types of Pharisees, I’m going to share two with you:

Racial Pharisees: these are people who don’t want to associate with another person because of the color of their skin. Now I really believe that we don’t have that kind of Pharisee present in HPC but nevertheless I think something still needs to be made clear. We are into saving people here not skins. There is not white church; no brown church; no black church; or not yellow church – there is only the blood-bought church of Jesus Christ, and if that doesn’t strike you just right then you’ve missed a fundamental truth of the gospel.

Social Pharisee: This Pharisee says, “If you live in the right neighborhood; if you drive the right kind of car; if you have the right kind of education; or if you have the right kind of clothes, we would love to associate with you, but if you don’t, we can’t.” Let me tell you something – I believe that stinks in the nostrils of God.

If someone came a church service, and sat down beside you in dirty blue jeans, and they reeked of alcohol, don’t you dare reject them, you treat them like a brother or sister because the Prince of Peace died for them too.

Now there are many other types of Pharisees in the world, and I’m not going to go through any more of them but I am going to give you eight ways to know if you have a Pharisee spirit:

You know you are a Pharisee when…

…you lack the ability to receive correction.

The scriptures clearly portray a wise man as one who is eager to receive correction.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

However if you rebuke a person who has a religious spirit, or rebuke a Pharisee who’s saturated in his or her own ego, and the god of self, then he or she will get angry. They will become defensive; they will be resentful, and they will be rebellious. They may even say something like this, “I’m leaving this church, and I’m leaving right now.” Let me tell you something very important – when you get too big to receive correction, then you’ve become too big for God to use.

…you boast, “I only listen to God, never to man”

This is contrary to the teaching of the word of God. Certainly the voice of God is superior to the voice of man but that doesn’t mean God won’t speak through those in authority over us. When you open the scripture you find that the principal of spiritual authority is very clearly taught – in it we find the command to submit to one another.

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17 (NIV)

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

Pharisees hate spiritual authority; they don’t want to be accountable to anyone.

…you have an inclination to see the wrong in other people.

In the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector this inclination is very obvious. Let me tell you something – fault finding is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit!! It is a demon spirit from hell itself. After all satan himself is described as the accuser of the brethren in Revelations 12:10. The work of a Christian is not to find fault in others, the work of a believer in Christ is follow Christ and lead others to Him!!

The pattern of hell is to bring the criticism and shame of mistakes made in the past. If there is something that is within you that enjoys going back through someone’s past and rehearsing every bad thing they ever did, you are doing the work of the devil not the work of God! Think about that for a moment.

…you feel you’ve been appointed to fix others.

Jesus said,

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Luke 6:41-42 (NIV)

Paul said,

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:4 (NIV)

James said,

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:12 (NIV)

When you stand before God on Judgment Day, you’re not going to answer for me, and I’m not going to answer for you. God is going to ask me about my life, and He’s going to ask you about yours.

A pastor was visiting one of his parishioners, and as they were talking the conversation began to lag. The lady of the house, wanting to pick up the conversation, pointed out her window to her neighbor’s back yard where the wash was hanging on the line. She said: “See that lady next door and the wash she hangs out, see how dirty it is, she never hangs out a clean wash.”

The pastor felt somewhat uncomfortable and tried to change the subject and quickly drew the visit to a close. As he was departing from the house the lady of the house walked out on the front porch with him and again the wash next door was clearly visible to them. They both realized at the same time that this wash was sparkling white, just as white as any wash could ever be. The truth began to dawn on them that it was not the neighbor’s wash which was dirty, rather it was the window through which they viewed the wash.

Now this doesn’t mean that we are not to help brothers and sisters who are caught in the traps of sin. But its always important that our intervention be directed by the Holy Spirit and His love. The pharisaical attitude always approaches sin with a “holier than thou” behavior and a feeling of superiority over the “sinner” rather than a genuine love for their well-being. The Christian approach to sin is always to work towards reconciliation rather than leave a person condemned.

…you feel you are closer to God than other people.

At the heart of this Pharisees prayer was, “Lord, I thank you that I’m not like other people”. That is demonic pride. That’s the spirit that was in Lucifer when he went before God, before the earth was created and said, “I will be like God, I will ascend the hill of God, I’m going to replace God.” And that’s when Lucifer became satan. That’s why a verse in proverbs says,

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

This truly is then the foundation of every Pharisaical spirit – egotistical pride.

…your prayer life becomes mechanical.

The Pharisee’s prayer in this story was a performance. It was not an expression of passion but an act of performance. He sought the perfect place of prayer; he sought the perfect position of prayer and he made a proclamation of prayer which had nothing to do with God but everything to do with the Pharisees own “goodness”. Prayer is not telling God how to do your will, prayer is getting you ready to do God’s will. Prayer is not talking about what you’ve done for God it’s about seeking what God wants to do for and through you.

… you want recognition for what you do in the kingdom of God.

The Pharisee boasted, “I tithe, I fast and don’t you forget it” It’s the same attitude that leads to others with the same spirit saying, “I brought hotdogs and hamburgers to the church picnic, and you misspelled my name in the church newsletter…” I seem to recall reading somewhere that Jesus said,

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Mark 10:31 (NIV)

… you are critical of the Holy Spirit and His manifestations.

Now I want to make it clear that the Bible does say to test the spirits. So it is important that we pray for discernment when there are manifestations so that we know which are of God and which are not. However it is also equally important to understand that God, the Holy Spirit cannot be put in a box.

Pharisees like to have a religion to control, the sad thing is that God will let you control your “religion” if you want to. However, God’s desire is that you give control over to Him and have a relationship. Pharisees have to get God in a box, and dare not let Him out of the box because He might want them to do something they have never done before. But when you have an experience with the Holy Spirit, driven by supernatural wind and fire, you will experience a passion that consumes your heart and soul. This passion drives corruption out your life and will lead to speech and actions that you’ve never done before. There will be a Holy passion within you that hell can’t put out, and that’s what God wants you to have!!!

TAX COLLECTOR

Now let’s meet the tax collector. Basically he’s a Jew who works for Rome on a commission. Historically when Rome wanted to collect a certain amount of taxes from a given district they would go to a man and make him a tax collector. They say to this man, we want this many dollars out of this district and anything you get over that is yours. Of course human nature being what it is the tax collector would most often take advantage of this opportunity and extort their own people to get rich. So tax collectors were seen as traitors to their own people – the worst of the worst. This is how bad they were viewed: If a Jewish man was walking down the street, and happened to touch a tax collector, he would do these three things immediately:

i. He would spit instantly, to express his disgust for touching him.
ii. Then he would go home and burn his clothes, everything that he had on when he touched that man.
iii. Then he would take a scalding hot bath; to purify himself, to get over the varmint he just touched.

Do you get the picture? Tax collectors weren’t liked very much!

Now I want you to notice this tax collector’s prayer; a man who would extort money from his fellow Jews; a man who worked for the enemy of the Jewish nation. The Bible says that he stood far off. This was not a show, this was between himself and God. It was not a performance, this was a gut wrenching confession of the sin that was in his life. Luke records that the man would not even lift his eyes to heaven, because he felt unworthy to look at God in the face. And then he said, “God have mercy on me a sinner” at least that’s how it reads in the NIV, however the Greek text actually reads, “God be merciful to me the sinner”. In other words the man was saying, “I’m not just any sinner; but I’m the worst of the worst”. Contrast this with the self-righteousness of the Pharisee!

And then the tax collector used the word translated here mercy. The greek word used here is actually only used twice in the New Testament. The other place where it is used is Hebrews 2:17 where it is used in connection with Jesus Christ being the High Priest making propitiation or atonement for the sins of the people. The greek word used for mercy in this passage is connected with a equivalent Hebrew word in the Old Testament which is used to describe the “mercy seat” and “a covering”. It is used in connection with the burnt offering (Lev. 1:4; Lev. 14:20; Lev. 16:24), the guilt offering (Lev. 5:16,18), the sin offering (Lev. 4:20, 26,31,35) and other respects. It is used of the ram offered at the consecration of the high priest (Exodus 29:33), and of the blood which God gave upon the altar to make “propitiation” or “atonement” for the souls of the people, and that because “the life of the flesh is in the blood,”(Lev. 17:11), and “it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.

Now what is significant here is that this man is pleading for the blood covering of the sacrifice over his sin. He’s praying for the High Priest to take the blood of the sacrificial goat, and sprinkle it over the gold covered mercy seat, of the Ark of Covenant which will make atonement for his sin.

Now follow me carefully – the Ark of the Covenant held the 10 commandments which represent the Law of God and it’s important to know that you can’t know the Love of God until you know the Mercy of God. Jesus said in Matthew 5:20,

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 (NIV)

Jesus said something that is impossible for people to live up to. For the Pharisees were the most legalistic of legalistic people – they knew the law of God inside and out and had even added a few of their own. What Jesus was saying is impossible for any man to measure up to and yet it demonstrated the holiness of God and the totality of sin upon man. Simply put, man cannot satisfy the requirements of the law and because of that cannot draw close to God and in fact will pay the penalty of sin which is death. According to this law, this tax collector deserved death, BUT he was pleading for mercy. He was pleading for the atonement of the blood – something that he could not do but only God could provide. When the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial goat on the Mercy Seat, God in Heaven looked down, and before He could see the Law that said death in the Ark, He had to look through the blood which said life, and it was by the shed blood that this person would receive mercy.

I’m saying to all of you this morning – you can’t know the love of God until you know the mercy of God. Until you realize you’re complete inability to work or earn or buy your way into the graces of God and the paradise of heaven you will be stuck in the deadly clutches of the law (as was the Pharisee). But at the moment you plead for the mercy of God, the blood of Calvary guarantees that God will be merciful. No matter what sin you’ve committed, no matter what past you have, no matter what position you have in life. He will forgive you; He will give you a new beginning; He will be your life, and He will give you a new name, written down in glory and a joy that will last forever and ever. For the blood of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ has power to release life.

CONCLUSION

Finally and in closing, Jesus ended the story with a bit of an anomaly. He basically said that whoever humbles himself will be exalted or in other words, by lowing yourself, you rise to your highest potential. The Kingdom of God defies logic sometimes.

A city boy visited his cousin who lived on a farm in the country for the first time. The city boy had never seen wheat growing in a field. It was an impressive sight for him, the wheat golden brown and ready for harvesting. He noticed that some of the wheat stood tall in the field, whereas some of it was bent low, touching the ground. The city boy said to his cousin, “I bet the ones standing tall are the best ones, aren’t they?” His cousin smiled knowingly and reached over and plucked the head of one of the tall-standing wheat stalks and one that was bent to the ground. He rubbed each of them and the city boy saw that the tall one was almost empty of seeds. But the one bent to the ground was full of the promise of a rich harvest. (R. Curtis Fussel, Deadly Sins and Living Virutues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc, 1997)

You see, this kind of thinking does not compute in the mind of a Pharisee, in the mind of one who wears a mask. But it is nevertheless an important truth in the Kingdom of God. It goes against the logic of a world that says those who are first are best and those who are last are worst. The truth remains however that according to the way of Christ – through death comes life; by giving, you have great gain; through the cross, you gain the crown.

The Pharisee left the church that day a sinner, and the sinner left the church a saint, why? Because of the mercy and the forgiveness of God. And I ask you again this morning, where are you in this picture, are you off somewhere wearing your Pharisaical mask saying, “I thank you God that I’m not like the other people”, or are you on the other side saying, “God be merciful to me, the sinner”?

A martial arts student was meeting with his master and teacher at a table, having tea. The student said to his master, “I’ve learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one thing more now. Please teach me about the ways of God.”

The master took the teakettle and started pouring the student’s cup full of tea. Soon the cup was full and began to spill over onto the saucer. But the master continued to pour the tea until it spilled over the saucer and then onto the floor.

The student finally said, “Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can’t take any more.” The master then looked at the student and said, “You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself.”

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

This morning I don?t have much to say but I do want to talk a little bit about choices. We all face choices in life.

Now I must acknowledge – there are few things that we have no choice over.

We don?t choose what family we?re born into, we don?t choose the disabilities we enter life with, we don?t choose the environment we grow up in.

We don?t choose what others say or do to us: That child didn?t choose to have the adult they trusted, abuse them and maim them. That jogger running down the street didn?t choose to be crippled for life by someone behind the wheel of a weapon created by their drunkenness. The family sitting at a caf? for a nice afternoon lunch didn?t choose to be at ground zero of a terrorist rocket. That man bicycling through town picking up empty beer bottles to turn in for spare change didn?t choose the emotional trauma of his Daddy calling him a “worthless tramp” and a “loser who will amount to nothing”.

We don?t choose the weather! Although some of us wish we could. I often joke with others that if it was my choice, there?d be barbecue weather all year round ? not too hot, not too cold ? just right. The truth is, we have no control over the hurricanes, the tornadoes, the typhoons, the winter storms, the floods, the earthquakes, the volcanoes and the wildfires in this world.

And finally, we don?t choose our death. The truth is, every single one of us knows we will die some day. We don?t know when, or where, or even how we?ll die, but we will die. Even the suicidal individual is deluded in thinking they have control over this great mystery of life. In reality, they died long before they pulled the trigger, or grabbed the razor, downed the pills, or turned the ignition of a vehicle laden with explosives.

Yes there are some things we have no choice over. Then there are other things in which we do. Some of the choices we make in life are really insignificant. Things like what brand of cola you drink, whether or not toilet roll goes over or under, or what color paint you are going to put on the wall.

Some choices are of great importance.

Now I don?t have time this morning ? and probably talking a whole week for 24 hours each day wouldn?t give me the time ? to go over all the important choices in life. But I do have the time to tell you about the most important choice you will ever face. In fact this most important choice will have direct bearing on every other choice you make in this life.

God first laid this choice out for mankind way back at the dawn of time. After looking over everything He had created ? including man and woman, Adam and Eve ? God thought to Himself, “it was very good”. Then in one of His first activities with Adam, God took this first man among the trees and beautiful canopy of Eden and pointed out two trees in particular. The “Tree of Life”, and the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. In my minds eye, I can see God the Father reaching out His gentle hands and softly turning Adam to face Him so He could get Adam to look in His eyes as He delivered this most important choice,

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)

? “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

God had placed before Adam and Eve the choice of life or death and because He is a loving God He was giving them that choice. Unfortunately Adam and Eve, chose to eat of the forbidden fruit and unleashed the curse of sin upon the world. But, our Father in heaven wasn?t about to give up on His beloved creation ? for in His great foresight and understanding He had a plan.

Fast forward a few thousand years and you find this same choice offered. God?s chosen people are gathered together a few miles before the promised Land and in his final words to his charge Moses delivers the message God gave him to present,

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

Again, the choice is given between life and death ? LIFE being obeying and serving God, and DEATH being turning away from Him and serving your own way.

But that isn?t the only time God has issued this choice. The entire Bible is full of stories of events, circumstances, and incredible history where time and time again God presents mankind with a choice between life and death. The most important choice.

Our heavenly Father?s wish ? his deepest desire ? is that His creation would choose Him ? and choose life. You know what the cool thing is? After all is said and done ? it is God who chose you first! How do I know this?

Romans 5:8 (NIV)

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Though all mankind is born into this world with the curse, the corruption, and consequence of sin, God wasn?t about to abandon man to our wrong choice. The penalty still had to be paid, justice still required resolution, death was still necessary. But in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God rewound the clock at Calvary where he paid the penalty, satisfied justice and willingly laid down his life on the cross ? so that you and I and all mankind can have same choice Adam and Eve had. The choice between life and death.

You see, life really doesn?t begin in the womb of our mother, and death doesn?t take hold when the last breath has escaped the body. Life is more than the assemblage of certain chemicals and components, fluid, and signals. Life is the breath of God. Life is the soul He creates. The person He brings into being. Life is measured by connection with the Divine Creator ? and not defined by His creation.

You all know this ? don?t pretend you don?t. Friends, the more God?s life penetrates your being and the more of Him you embrace ? the more you really start living! Your happiness, your joy, your peace, your love, your fulfillment, your contentment, and your impact are all components of this most fundamental choice. When you choose Christ, you choose life and His life starts to filter through everything you experience, every challenge that comes your way, every valley you wade through, every reaction you have, and every choice you make.

Friends you may have not chosen the womb that carried you into this world ? but you can choose who will father you into the next. You didn?t choose the disabilities you have ? but you can choose to gain meaning and significance from your weaknesses. You didn?t choose the environment you grew in ? but you can choose the environment you create because of the river of life flowing through you.

You don?t choose what others say or do to you ? but can choose what you say and what you do. You can choose to be bitter, envious, jealous, or full of revenge or you can choose to rise above all those things and be full love, forgiveness ? and experience the fruit of peace, and joy in spite of what others may say or do because of Him who gives you the ability.

You don?t choose the weather ? but you can choose Him who grants the ability to weather the storms we encounter.

And finally, friends, you can?t choose your death, when or where ? or even how you die. In fact, for those who have not yet chosen Christ, life as you know it is but a shadow of what your life can be. We can?t choose when we exit this world ? but we can choose the world we enter now. It?s true that this most important choice God offers us is where we choose to become a citizen of heaven or remain a prisoner of hell. In a moment Fred Kabbes is going to come and present a picture of the difference between the world of the living and the world of the dead but I want to conclude with this final request.

In this question posed, between life and death ? choose Christ, in Him is faith, hope, and love – choose LIFE!

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

INTRODUCTION

(Read text: Philippians 4:10-23)

A Russian woman lived with her husband & two children in a very small hut. Her husband?s parents lost their home & she had to take them in. Unbearable. In desperation, she went to the village wise man, whom she knew had solved many, many problems. “What should I do?” she begged. “Do you have a COW?” asked the wise man. “Yes,” she replied. “Then bring her into the hut too. And come back and see me in a week,” said the wise man. A week later she was back. “This is utterly unbearable!” she said. “Do you have any CHICKENS?” asked the wise man. “Yes,” she replied. “What about them?” Bring them into the hut too, and come back and see me in another week.” “Now you?re really out of your mind,” she said. Nevertheless, still awed by his reputation, she did as he asked. A week later she returned. “This is absolutely impossible!” she said. “Our home is a mess.” “All right,” said the wise man, “take out the chickens.” The next week she reported that without the chickens it was definitely better, but still a miserable situation. “All right,” said the wise man, “now take out the cow. That will settle your problem.” And it did. Without the chickens and cow the woman, her husband, the children, and his two parents got along quite peacefully. (quoted in the message “Learning Contentment” by Roddy Chestnut)

Sometimes we don?t know how well off we really are until we know how worse it can get! Today I?m going to speak on something that Paul wrote that I believe is a major key to knowing the peace of God in your life. Sadly enough this attitude that Paul talks about is one that seems incredibly elusive to the average person in our part of the world. Even among Christians. Paul talks about contentment. And isn?t it ironic that though we live in one of the most prosperous nations on the face of the earth in the history of the world this attitude is still one that people struggle with.

The main emotion of the adult American who has had all the advantages of wealth, education, and culture is disappointment. (John Cheever, from Leadership Journal)

Contentment is all about being satisfied. The word content means to “be enough”, “to suffice” and has to do with being at peace or okay with what is available.

Are you a contented person? Now be honest, are you satisfied with yourself & with your life? Are you content with your job? Do you look forward to going to work? Do you love the people you work with?

How about your marriage? Are you happy? Do you & your spouse get along well all of the time, part of the time, or just some of the time? Maybe you?re single & you think, “If only I were married, then I would be happy.” Maybe you?re married & you think, “If only I were single again.”

What about your body? When you get up in the morning & look in the mirror do you say, “Oh God, I am fearfully & wonderfully made. Thank you, Lord.” Or do you look in the mirror & say, “Now there?s a scary sight, help me Lord!”

Are you happy with your income? Do you feel like you?re paid what you?re worth? The average income of a major league baseball player is over a million dollars a year. Of course, some baseball stars are making many millions a year. But most ballplayers are “struggling” along, making only $300,000 to $400,000 a year. Are you satisfied with your salary?

The Apostle Paul wrote while he was in a Roman prison these words,

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

“I have learned the secret of being content,” it seems to me that Paul deserves a hearing. He?s getting old. He doesn?t have any money where he once was rich. His health is beginning to decline ? he once was strong. He?s in prison ? he once was free. Yet he says, “I have learned the secret of begin content”.

Now I don?t know if you?ve noticed or not but when somebody mentions the phrase, “I?ve got a secret” people tend to listen a little more closely! In this case, Paul?s secret is certainly worth listening closely to. You see Paul clearly recognized the importance of contentment. As he went to write this letter he was in prison awaiting either release or execution. The church at Philippi, which he helped found, was entering into a time of persecution. Paul wrote this letter as an encouragement to them to bear up under the trials they were about to face and keep an attitude of joy. He continually pointed them to his own life as an example of how to rejoice in the midst of pressure and uncertainty. Paul had learned what it meant to be content no matter what and wanted to teach the Philippians how to cultivate the same mindset.

Before I go into what Paul writes about the secret of being content in any and every situation I think its important I talk about the enemies of contentment ? I?ll call them the dissatisfactors.

ENEMIES OF CONTENTMENT

Dissatisfactor #1: Unrealistic Expectations

Some of you have parents who grew up during the depression & had very little. And when they married & had children, they didn?t want them to be as deprived as they were. So they worked hard to get what they had.

But today we look around and find people of younger generations including mine getting married and wanting everything that took their parents and grandparents years to accumulate, immediately! The level of expectations has changed & many people today just expect to be able to live the lifestyle they want immediately.

Sometimes people get married and then discover their spouse is not perfect. They go to work and discover that their boss is not ideal. Then there are times when the discovery is made that your friends measure up short.

Then there are people who become Christians, thinking that Christians have it all together and that becoming a Christian will make them perfect too. But they find out that that?s not the case. They?re still attacked by temptations and Christians do make mistakes and mess up from time to time. So there is a disappointment and lack of contentment simply because of unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic Expectations can affect a lot of different areas in life ? whether it?s your expectations of others, yourself, things you own, organizations, vacations, your job etc. Now I?m not saying that it isn?t good to have expectations, or dreams, or goals. What I am saying is that when they are unrealistic you are set up for disappointment and discontent.

Dissatisfactor #2: Unnoticed Blessings

We live in one of the most affluent nations in the world. We have more possessions, more freedoms, more opportunities than almost anyone else. And yet, overall, we?re among the most unhappy people on the face of the earth and our suicide rate is extremely high.

Think about some of the things we have or that we want are they necessities or luxuries? A car? Television? One or more than one? VCR? Stereo? What about that super deluxe weed whacker garden trimmer? Or the quiet, efficient, ultra powerful dishwasher? We want all those things.

And yet Paul writes about himself and the early Christians in 1 Timothy 6:8

1 Timothy 6:8 (NIV)

8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Today we have a whole lot more than just food and clothing and many are still not content because they forget their many blessings.

Dissatisfactor #3: Uncontrolled Ambition and Unfulfilled Purpose

Now the Bible does not condemn ambition. It encourages us to be ambitious and to strive for excellence in the sight of God. And there is the key. You see when ambition is uncontrolled, or when it simply fuels our own ego, it becomes evil. James writes,

James 3:16 (NIV)

16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Time magazine reported that a mugger held up a woman at gunpoint and demanded her money. But when she only had $12.50 in her purse he became very angry. Then he saw her checkbook and insisted that she write him a check for $300. The next day they arrested him when he tried to cash that check. (quoted in “Are You Content” by Melvin Newland)

Seems like a stupid thing to do doesn?t it? And yet, uncontrolled ambition can sometimes dull our thinking to the point we aren?t even sane. Uncontrolled or selfish ambition becomes the enemy of contentment.

In Luke 12, Jesus tells about the rich farmer who had a bountiful harvest, more than ever before. But instead of thinking about others, he said, “I?ll build bigger barns. And I?ll say to myself. “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Hebrews 13:5 says,

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have?

The Bible is clear that we are to be content with what we have. We are to be ambitious, but ambitious for the right things ? the things of God ? not the things of man. God has made us for a purpose and gifted us with talents and abilities to accomplish that purpose. When that purpose goes unfulfilled or your talents/abilities are misdirected through selfish uncontrolled ambition then discontent rules

Dissatisfactor #4: Unconfessed Sin

Ultimately the biggest enemy of contentment is sin. Now I?m sure if we thought about it, each one of us could come up with a big list of things that we might classify as sin. However, I think that if left to ourselves some of us may have different lists. There may be things that one person considers a sin that another person doesn?t. Or at the very least many of our lists would have varying degrees of sin. You know, things that we think are worse than other.

A lot of the differences will be a result of different backgrounds, values/beliefs, and experiences in life. I think one common thing among all those lists however, would be the general impression that sin is something bad, and something undesirable. Ultimately, however, God has the final say in what sin is. The biblical definition of sin in my understanding is anything that is an affront to the character and work of God and contrary to the creator?s intended purpose for mankind. The truth is, unconfessed sin is the leading cause of discontentment in our world today because sin chains people.

Oh sure, there?s a lot of sin that gives pleasure ? but the pleasure is short-lived and paves the way for discontentment. Here?s the thing. If you actually sat down and came up with a list of things you would classify as sin there most likely will be some things that fit the biblical definition of sin that some people won?t include in their lists because it?s a practice in their own life. I can pretty much guarantee you that those unconfessed sins are a source of great discontentment.

Proverbs 14:12-13 (NIV)

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

SUMMARY: unrealistic expectations, unnoticed blessings, uncontrolled ambition, unconfessed sin.

Now let?s look at Paul?s secret of being content in any and all situations. His first lesson,

SECRETS OF CONTENTMENT

Satisfactor #1: Affirm Christ as the Centre of your life.

The verse I?m about to read is one of the most quoted in the entire Bible. Sadly, it?s often taken out of context and people come to think of it like Popeye?s trusty can of spinach.

Read verse 13

Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

If you read verse 13 without verse 12 and all that comes before it you might look at Jesus like a super vitamin! You might think that you can go out and run a marathon without training just because you?re a Christian. Hey, go try it. I dare you. Taken by itself, you might conclude that you could perform surgery or pilot a plane or run for prime-minister successfully because God will empower you to do it. You?d be wrong. That?s not what these verses taken together are telling us.

Paul?s point is that no matter what circumstances he faces, God?s power is available to help him be content in them. There?s no can of spinach to help you beat up Brutus here. Yes, God does empower us in miraculous ways sometimes, but don?t use this verse as a proof text to go out and do superhuman feats!

What God gives us is maybe even more miraculous than lifting a car over our heads. He gives us the ability, the strength, the power to be content no matter what situation we face. We are only able to do this as we affirm Christ as the centre of our lives.

When you read certain sections of Paul?s letter to the Philippians you can?t help but notice the value he place?s on having an intimate knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:8-9 (NIV)

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Paul initiated this relationship by Recognizing the depravity of sin and the sufficiency of Christ to take care of it

In another letter that Paul had wrote he described his awareness of the work of sin in his own life,

Romans 7:15-25 (NIV)

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

There is only one solution to the problem of sin in our lives and that is the work and person of Jesus Christ. When you confess your sin and believe in Jesus Christ as the one who died and rose to life again you open the door to His grace, and mercy, and forgiveness in your life. Paul says in the next chapter,

Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Not only is sin dealt with but you are free to experience this life-giving relationship with God.

Jesus said to his disciples,

John 10:10 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The more you die to yourself and live to Christ ? the greater your contentment will be. Paul considered the most important pursuit of his life to be his relationship with Jesus and making Him the centre of your life.

Satisfactor #2: Cherish the blessings in your life.

Philippians 4:10-11 (NIV)

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

When Paul initially began his missionary expeditions, churches like the one at Philippi enthusiastically supported him. They sent him money, supplies, and whatever help he needed. By this time in his life, lots of that initial enthusiasm died down and the resources dried up. Some estimate that it had been as long as ten years since the Philippian church had helped Paul in any way. Now suddenly they send Epaphroditus to help Paul out, but Epaphroditus gets sick and almost dies. He becomes more of a burden to Paul than a source of strength.

Despite all these let downs, notice Paul?s attitude toward the Philippian believers. Not once does he lay a guilt trip on them. Not once does he moan about how they dropped the ball in the past. Never does he criticize them for the feeble helper they sent. No instead, he thanks them. “I?m so happy that you thought about me.” He recognized that for all those years of silence the Philippian church simply had no opportunity to help him. They just weren?t able.

Paul focused on the things he had and the love and care behind them. He cherished it all and it reinforced his joy and sense of contentment.

How opposite his attitude is from the typical response of some folks when they perceive that the church has let them down. There have been times as a pastor where I have seen people focus on what they?re failing to receive rather than being grateful for what they have. I have heard when people have complained about how much they feel as though the church has forgotten them and doesn?t care but then I know that isn?t true. There were so many things that were being done for them in their lives, that were demonstrations of the care that is present, yet that didn?t matter because they were focused on what they didn?t have. (unnoticed blessings)

Contentment only comes when you take stock of what you do have ? the people and the things in your life ? and cherish them or are grateful for them. You can only do that when you?re willing to think the best about people and their motivations.

If you consistently focus on what you don?t have and all the failed expectations in your life, contentment and joy will be an impossibility for you. We are flawed, sinful human beings. We will drop the ball and actively hurt one another from time to time. When you?re on the receiving end of the hurt, failure or disappointment the question is “What are you going to do with it?”

Paul was able to get past it because he “learned” the secret of contentment. It wasn?t a natural ability but one he had been taught. He intentionally responded by looking at the positive, trusting people, forgiving their failures and cherishing the blessings in his life.

Satisfactor #3: Nullify selfish pursuits

In this next section of his letter to the Philippians I want you to notice how concerned Paul is with their well-being. If you pay close attention you?ll notice he shares with them another secret of contentment.

Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)

1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I want you to consider this statement?every blessing we have in our lives is a channel through which we can bless someone else. The only way this truth can take root however is when we learn to nullify our own selfish pursuits and in humility look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others. Yes, it?s important to cherish and be grateful for the many blessings we have in life ? but we must be careful that we don?t become possessive of those things. Contentment comes not only through being grateful for what you have but also through passing it on. This is where the importance of Christ as the centre of your life is so crucial ? because this cannot be done without the power of God to enable us to do it.

Paul learned to be content by nullifying his selfish desires and pursuits. He intentionally chose to focus on what God was doing through him and other people.

Think deeply and honestly for a moment about the direction of your life. What?s the focal point of your thoughts? What are the major pursuits that take up your time? What do you spend your money, time and talents on? Contentment and joy are only possible when you surrender it all to God?s plan.

This poem by a confederate soldier, written more than a hundred years ago says it all:

I asked for health that I might do greater things,

I was given infirmity that I might do better things?

I asked for riches that I might be happy,

I was given poverty that I might be wise?

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God?

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life,

I was given life that I might enjoy all things?

I got nothing that I asked for but everything that I hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among all men most richly blessed.

(quoted in “Contentment 101″ by Joel Smith)

SUMMARY: dissatisfactors – unrealistic expectations, unnoticed blessings, uncontrolled ambition & unfulfilled purpose, unconfessed sin.

Satisfactors ? Affirm Christ as the centre of your life. Cherish what you?ve been given. Nullify selfish pursuits.

2 Peter 3:1-18 (NIV)

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

INTRODUCTION

(I showed a short 2min video obtained from sermonspice.com called “The Paradox of Our Time” prior to preaching this message)

Indeed there are many paradoxes that can be found in our day ? things that when you really think about it give cause for wonder if there is any hope for our world. Will we ever see the elusive paradise take shape that so much of humanity has been striving for? Will we ever experience the peace of mind that we seems to be so brief in experience?

There have been many prestigious people throughout the years who have been atheists, but have eventually confessed faith in Christ and ended up saying and doing great things that helped others see Jesus more clearly.

Malcolm Muggeridge was a British journalist who was an atheist. He was so good, that he was occasionally asked to write the editorial page for Time magazine. And many consider that the crowning point in his life came towards the end of his career when he became a Christian.

He was a once guest at a breakfast in Washington, D.C. where he shared his life story. When he had finished, he made a number of comments about world affairs, all of which were very negative. One of those present told him that he was very negative, and asked if he saw any reason at all to be positive. He replied, “Sir, I am very positive because my sole hope is in Jesus Christ alone.”

Hope. That is what we all desperately need. That is what we all desperately search for in this world. The hope of tomorrow ? that it will be better than yesterday and better than today. The problem with searching for happiness or peace of mind is that we too often only look in the worldly things for them, and they can only be found in the Lord Jesus.

Hope. We need hope in order to live peaceful and happy lives. The absence of hope for our future will completely destroy the present we live in today. What oxygen is for our lungs, hope is for the very meaning of our lives. If you take oxygen away from us, it will result in our death. And, if you take any hope of our future away from us, we also shall die. If that is the case then certainly the indications are there that people in our world are losing hope:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone around the globe commits suicide every 40 seconds (2003). In the year 2000, 815,000 people lost their lives to suicide ? more than double the number of people who die as a direct result of armed conflict every year (306,600). For people between the ages of 15 and 44, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death and the sixth leading cause of disability and infirmity worldwide. In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide.

The suicide rate for Canadians, as measured by the WHO, is 15 per 100,000 people. According to Statistics Canada, between 1997 and 1999, there was a 10 percent increase in suicides across Canada, from 3,681 to 4,074. In Ontario alone, suicides rose from 930 in 1997 to 1,032 in 2001.

(Statistics obtained from

www.ontario.cmha.ca/content/about_mental_illness/suicide.asp?cID=3965)

The major cause for suicides is a loss of hope and after viewing the video show today it?s easy to see why.

Today I?m going to talk briefly about one who can give us a hope that will never falter. A hope that every Christian shares. A hope for a future in Jesus Christ ? who is our blessed hope!

TITUS 2:12 tells us that it is the grace of God that enables us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and in VERSE 13, it says we are to do that while we await the blessed hope of the glorious appearing our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, our English language leaves a bit to be desired. When we use the word ?hope?, we are saying that we look forward to something that might or might not come to pass. For example, we might say that we hope it rains. That means that we want it to, but we are not sure it will. Or today, more likely, we say that we hope that it doesn?t rain so we can enjoy sunshine this afternoon for Family Day. That?s our wish and it may happen but there?s no guarantee!

However, in the original Greek, the word ?hope? means waiting for something that will definitely come to pass. It means to bide your time in the anticipation of the guarantee of something that is to come.

So, the blessed hope refers to something that we can absolutely count on; something that will certainly happen.

In MATTHEW 24:3, the disciples were sitting on the Mount of Olives with Jesus, and they asked Him what the warning signs would be to announce the Second Coming. Beginning with MATTHEW 24:6, Jesus tells them what will precede His Second Coming.

Let?s take a look at some of those signs.

FAMINES & WARS

In verses 6-7, Jesus said,

Matthew 24:6-7 (NIV)

6 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. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

I think the closer we get to the His Second Coming, we will see a marked increase in wars, famines, and earthquakes. But, even though we see more and more of these things, we are told to not be afraid.

This world is full of sin, and the return of Jesus will be the greatest spiritual event in history. But it will also be one of the biggest events in spiritual warfare that has ever occurred. It only stands to reason that the enemy is hating the thought of Jesus? return, and since the devil is a being of hatred and violence anyway, he will make sure that hatred and violence spew over into as much of the world as possible.

In the last 60 years, it is estimated that over 100 million people have been killed by some kind of war. Their own leaders have killed millions, just because they were of an ethnic group the leader did not like.

In today?s world, we see a different kind of warfare, don?t we? It is different that any other kind of war that has ever been waged. It is called terrorism, and that name defines it clearly. The world is engaged in a war waged on terror; on evilness; on hatred; and it is a war fueled by the devil.

There is a war going on in almost every country on earth. Those that are not already in a full-scale war are involved in the war on terrorism. Once quiet nations are now finding themselves being safe havens for, or victims of terrorists.

In spite of the ever-increasing influence of the western civilizations throughout the world; despite the fact that the world is more highly educated that ever before; the peace that is looked for is as elusive as ever. That is because the basic cause of hatred and war are spiritual.

And that is the pit we humans fall into. We humans put ourselves at the center of our universe. Everything is about us. We think we are so great. We have stopped depending on God now and depend on our own great selves for health, food, and everything else we want or need.

We don?t look to God anymore to help us; we look in the world around us. And looking in the world will only let us find our own demise. But, looking to Christ Jesus, will let us find our blessed hope, and with that blessed hope comes peace, joy, and happiness.

Politics and education cannot solve spiritual problems. We see Israel and the Palestinians doing everything they can to come up with a permanent peace agreement. We see leaders all across this globe talking about another chance for permanent peace between these two peoples.

In 2 PETER 3:13, we read

?But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.?

In case anyone missed it, let me set the record very straight. There will never be any lasting peace on this earth, until Jesus Christ comes back to rule over Jerusalem. And that includes the war between the Israelites and the Palestinians.

Jesus also said there would be famines and earthquakes. Whether it is brought about by natural disasters such as drought, or by mankind, such as wars, or waste famines persist, even in this age of plentiful food.

By the age of only six months, each Canadian has consumed as much resources as the average person in the developing world consumes in his or her lifetime!

27% of all food produced in North America is wasted

(www.rco.on.ca/factsheet/fs_f02.html)

The names of places like Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan are all synonymous with hunger and starvation. In addition millions of people throughout the world are undernourished. It is ironic that famine is increasing at a time when agricultural technology has enabled farmers to grow more food than is needed.

And, as far as earthquakes go, the occurrences of earthquakes have been getting more and more numerous. According to the world almanac, in the hundred years between 1800 and 1900, there were only six sizable earthquakes. From 1900 to 1950, there were 12.

From 1950 to 1976, there were over 50. In 1976 alone, there were 18 quakes alone that registered over 7.0 on the Richter scale. Look at the tsunami that was produced by a quake earlier this year. Just this past Tuesday, a large earthquake off the coast of Japan shook buildings nearly 200 miles away.

I quote these statistics to you so you can believe the biblical claims that there will be earthquakes and famines. But be of good cheer, because war and famine will not continue forever. God is going to step in and when He does, he will end the fighting and the starving once and for all.

ANTI-CHRISTS

In verse 5, Jesus mentions another sign that will precede His coming.

Matthew 24:5 (NIV)

5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

There are many who have already come, claiming to be the Messiah, like Rev. Moon of the Unification church who said he really is Jesus Christ. But, there will be many more that come between now and then, too.

Why would Jesus tell us about them? Because He wants us to be aware so that we are not caught up in their mindless prattle – so that we can be safe in the true word of God and not be caught off-guard by lies.

These liars will fool people into thinking that they are the way to God and heaven. They will delude many into thinking that they have special spiritual powers and connections with God.

If you listen to them, you will hear them ultimately reject the Gospel of Christ, just as many seminary teachers now reject the virgin birth as being myth. That is one way you can tell that they are false. They will dispute the true Bible and try to explain it away as an allegorical concept or myth. If the Bible is a myth, I am one Christian who is happy to be mythified.

They will dupe people into believing that there are no absolutes. They will fool people into thinking that only they know the real truth. These anti-christs are educators, business leaders and political leaders who deny the deity of Christ.

If you do not think they exist today, look at any of our universities and see what kind of things they are teaching the youth today. If you knew, you would not just be shocked ? you would be horrified!

Look at the leaders in business today. They are going to prison for cheating faster than they can make new leaders. And as far as the politicians ? just look what has happened in our parliament lately with the types of issues that are considered “major”. You will be frightened to death. Why? Because it is getting more and more clear as to whom they really serve ? and it doesn?t seem to be God!

Although interpretations differ from one denomination to another, a large majority of evangelical Christians believe that the presence of these false Christs will culminate in the appearance of the one final Anti-Christ.

In the last days there will be one bold, arrogant, powerful and persuasive individual leader who will actively promote that which is evil in God?s sight. He is viewed by many as a leader who will masquerade as a prince of peace, a savior of the world.

He will be one who will promise to solve the world?s problems. In warning us of this individual, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4 says,

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV)

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Who this Anti-Christ is remains a mystery for now. When he will arrive on the scene we don?t know. When the time is right, he will appear and use his considerable influence and power against the Lord and against those who love the Lord.

But again, be of good cheer, as not long after this wicked man arrives, the Lord will come back after His flock. THAT IS US! There are many out there that will be glad to have us gone, and let me say that I will be just as glad to be gone! But sad will it be for those left behind.

EVANGLIZATION OF THE WORLD

In MATTHEW 24:14 Jesus gives another sign.

Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

14 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.

?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.?

God?s Word makes it clear that the gospel will be proclaimed to every nation before the end comes. As a result of our technological explosion, the gospel has, in the last few years, gone forth in an unprecedented manner. Satellites can now beam the message of Christ into every single part of this world.

As a matter of fact, it has been said that everything that needs to be in place has already been put in place. There are new and innovative ways of reaching people, too. One of the most effective recently is introducing foreign students to Jesus Christ so that when they graduate and go back to their nations, they go as missionaries of Christ Jesus.

Consequently, the message of Christ is being spread throughout the entire earth. This sign is but another that points to the return of Christ. These signs and their fulfillment remind us of our blessed hope, the return of Christ and the fact that God, after all, is in control of human history.

CONCLUSION

Today I am talking about that glorious day when Jesus will come back to call His followers up in the clouds to meet Him. This will be the most important meeting that will have ever taken place. Everyone will want to attend, but I believe that many will be fooled on that day. They will expect to be among the first taken, but they will remain after the last one has disappeared. These men and women are among those going to the house of God every Sunday all over this world.

These men and women profess to be Christians and they are very involved in God?s church, but only while they are here.

They are also very involved in the world, and do not want to put away worldly things because everyone they know is involved in them. These people are referred to as the lukewarm. These are the people who make Jesus sick. These are the people who will be spit out of His mouth because they did not care enough about Jesus to walk away from the world and all of its offerings.

Many today live in the blessed hope of Jesus. But there are many others who only think they live in the blessed hope. These are those people who have not surrendered themselves entirely to Christ. In actuality, these people have no hope.

Do you have hope today, or are you just going through the motions? Does your heart yearn to be with Christ, above everything else? If it does, you have hope. If it doesn?t, you had better get right or you will be left.

There are also those who will be left behind on that day who have heard about Christ or who have been misled about Christ. But they have never received and believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

God is affording you an opportunity this morning to get right and to receive that blessed hope. The question is, ?Will you choose to receive it??