Craig Groeschel - 4 Ways to Live for Jesus in the End Times
Well, the Bible teaches us that in the last days, three things will happen. Scripture teaches us that people will grow colder. The Bible teaches us that truth will be twisted, and God’s Word tells us that faith will be tested. In the last days, we’re gonna see that people will grow colder, and truth will be twisted, and faith will be tested. So it raises the question, how do we live for Jesus when the darkness gets darker? How do we stay faithful to God when we’re one day closer to His return now than ever before?
Well, this was the exact tension that the 1st-century Christians felt in a place called Thessalonica. They were a brand-new church. They were some believers that had just come to faith in Jesus, and they were meeting together for the first time, and they were completely convinced that they were living in the last days. And they weren’t wrong because the Bible teaches us that the last days began at the ascension of Jesus. If you remember, Jesus gave His life for us on the cross. And three days later, by the power of God, God raised Jesus from the dead. And 40 days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.
And then God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost. And that, the Bible teaches us, was the beginning of the last days, which will continue all the way until the time when Jesus returns for the bride, which is His church. So the Thessalonians, they were living like Jesus was coming soon, and so should we, because every day we are one day closer to His return. So that raises the question, how should we live if we’re living in the last days? Should we panic? Should we hide? Should we pull back? Should we travel and live big and eat as much as you possibly can, because surely the rapture will cancel out calories?
And Paul answers. And he shows us that in the last days, we shouldn’t be fearful, and we shouldn’t be foolish, but God actually calls us to be faithful. Because if time is short, then every conversation matters. And every choice matters, and every moment matters. And the good news is that we don’t have to face the last days alone. Jesus is always with us. And so today, we’re gonna let God’s Word answer the question: how will we live for Jesus until He returns? All of our churches, would you pray with me?
God, we ask that You would show us in Your Word truth that would guide us to live for You with a spiritual urgency, believing that our King may return soon. Make us ready and teach us to honor You, God, in all that we do. And all God’s people said… amen and amen.
Let’s review in case you missed the previous week, just for context. According to Acts 17, we see how Paul actually visited Thessalonica. The Bible teaches us that he preached there for three Sabbaths. So he was only there for less than a month. And there were some Jews and Greeks that came to faith in Jesus. They were saved, they were born again, and there’s this brand-new baby church. Well, some of the Jewish people that were not converted didn’t like Paul. And they came after him. They were attacking him. And so Paul escaped by night just to get away. He’s running out of town, and he left behind these baby Christians and this brand-new church.
And so his critics started to lie about Paul, and they said, «He’s not the real deal. He’s here for selfish motives. You can’t trust him. His gospel’s not true». And Paul was gonna remind them; he’s kind of defending himself a little bit. He’s saying, «Hey, no, no. I live with integrity». And then he shows them how to live when time is short, and he’s gonna teach them four specific things about how they should live and how we should live if time is short. And Paul teaches them four things. He says, «You’re gonna speak boldly, you’re gonna live purely, you’re gonna love deeply, and you’re gonna endure faithfully».
All of our churches, let’s say it together. Online, you can type it in the comment section. How are we gonna live if time is short? We’re gonna speak boldly. We’re gonna live purely. We’re gonna love deeply. We’re gonna endure faithfully. One more time to make sure everybody’s with us, all of our churches together. We’re going to speak boldly. Live purely. Love deeply. And endure faithfully.
The first thing Paul teaches us is because time is short, we’re gonna speak boldly. We’re gonna declare Christ even when it costs you. And this is what he said in 1 Thessalonians 2:1. He said, «You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results». We saw God work. We saw lives change. He said, «We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi». We’re gonna come back to that. «We’ve been mistreated and abused in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God…»
Now, how do they do it? Not on their own, «but with the help of our God, we dared to tell you His gospel in the face of strong opposition». Paul said, «Hey, we had previously suffered». When he said that, he was referring to what had happened to them before they visited Thessalonica, back when they were in Philippi. And the Bible shows us they weren’t coming in refreshed and rested. They were coming in bruised and beaten. Because if you read Acts 16, which is before them reaching Thessalonica, Paul and Silas were arrested, they were stripped, they were beaten with rods, and they were thrown in prison. And so when they say, «Hey, we dared to share the gospel with you in the middle of strong opposition,» they weren’t talking about their friends criticizing them with negative comments on Facebook, right? They weren’t talking about «Someone rolled their eyes when I prayed over lunch». They were talking about violent mob rage, life-threatening persecution. And so Paul said, «We spoke boldly».
Now, how did we speak boldly? Do you remember what he said? He said, «We did it with the help of our God». We spoke boldly. How did we do it? We did it with the help of our God. And if you don’t feel like you’re bold for Jesus and you start to realize we’re living in the last days, you can speak boldly. And how will you do it? You’ll do it with the help of our God. It’s not gonna be in your power; it’s His power. It’s not your wisdom; it’s His wisdom. It’s not you defining truth; it’s His truth. And His truth sets people free. And some of you, you know what I’m talking about, right? You’ll realize you’re in front of someone who needs hope and needs help and needs healing through Christ.
And so you start to share something, or they ask you a question, and you don’t really know what to say. You are like, «Ooh! I didn’t learn that in my Bible study today». And then you just start talking, and all of a sudden, it’s like a Holy Spirit missile comes into your brain, and you just suddenly have the words to say. And they just come out, and they’re like, «Wow, that was good». You’re like, «I know, where’d that come from»? It didn’t come from you. You were bold with the help of our God. And you’ll see it sometimes when you pray. You’re in a situation, and you’re prompted to pray for someone, and you say, «Can I pray for you»? And then you realize, «I’m not very good at praying. I’m not very comfortable».
And the next thing you know, you’re just praying, and God’s giving you the words. And then, like, you’re quoting the Bible, and you’re like going, «I didn’t even know I knew that verse. How’d you do that»? Well, you did it with the help of our God. Now remember, when you’re bold in the last days, God’s truth is not always popular. But like Paul, we speak boldly for Jesus, even if it costs you friends, even if it costs you your comfort. Now you’re gonna be bold. We’re gonna be bold for Jesus. But let me be clear: boldness doesn’t mean that you’re never afraid. You might be afraid. It doesn’t mean you’re never afraid. It means your conviction is bigger than your fear. Jesus is coming back, and that makes me bold. And how am I bold? I’m bold with the help of our God. So in the last days, Paul teaches us we’re gonna speak boldly.
The second thing we’re gonna do is he teaches us that we’re gonna live purely. We’re gonna live to honor God and not to please people. We’re gonna live for the approval of God and not for the approval of man. In fact, this is what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:4. He says, «We speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel». Now watch what he says. «We are not trying to please people, but instead we’re trying to please God, who tests our heart. You know, we never used flattery». Here’s where he is kind of defending himself. 'Cause they were criticizing. He said, «Hey, we never used flattery. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else».
He’s driving it home. We’re not here trying to please people. We’re here to serve God. Why was he saying this? Because he knew that in the end times, the biggest danger to your faith is living for the approval of people. It’s so easy. It’s easy for me to get sucked into it. Why? Because we wanna be liked, and we wanna be accepted. And so, without even knowing it sometimes, we’ll know what the right thing to do is according to God’s Word. But we may go along with the crowd because we don’t want them to laugh at us, and we don’t wanna be left out, or we may know that we should share our faith at work or with our friends at school, and we wanna share our faith, but then we don’t do it. Why? Because we don’t wanna make them feel uncomfortable. We don’t want them to not like us. We’re obsessed sometimes with: «What do they think about us»?
I mean, we’ll even go and stage the perfect photo. Not because we’re trying to remember the moment, but because we’re trying to post something to get likes from people that we don’t even know. We’re so concerned with what people think. No one would ever do this here. But I’ve heard about churches where someone might even lift their hands in church, not because they’re actually worshiping, but because someone else is watching and they wanna look like they’re worshiping.
And Paul knew that the quickest way to forget about what God thinks about you is to obsess about what people think about you. I’m not trying to live for the approval of people. We’re trying to live for God. And Jesus tells us that the closer we get to the return of Christ, the stronger the resistance is gonna be. Just mark it down. When you step out in faith, the opposition steps in. The devil doesn’t resist those who aren’t moving forward. And when you start getting bold and we start living purely, your spiritual enemy will try to push back. And when he does, I tell myself over and over again, «You can’t please everybody».
You can’t please them. I mean, you can please that one, that one, and not that one and not that one. You can’t please everyone. But guess what? You can please God. You can’t please everybody, but you can please God. You can’t please them all, but you can please the one who gave it all for you. So what do we do? We speak boldly, and we live purely. We don’t fake it. And we’re not playing for likes, and we’re not chasing applause. The time is short. Just like the Thessalonians 2,000 years ago who were living in the final chapter, living in the last days, we’re living in the last days today, the final chapter of God’s redemptive plan.
So we’re going to speak boldly, and we’re gonna live purely, and we’re going to love deeply. We’re gonna show the love of Jesus and be invested in the lives of people. Paul says, love deeply. We don’t just share the gospel, but we share our lives. We don’t just preach on the street corner, but we go into your home, and we show the love of Jesus. Paul uses this interesting metaphor in chapter 2:7. He says, «Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well». «We didn’t just preach to you, but we lived with you. We cared for you. We showed love to you in an intimate, in deep way».
Which is kind of opposite of what culture shows us today, because I don’t know about where you live, but you can live next to someone, next door to someone, and not even know their name. And to talk to people, if they call you on the phone, some of you, you’ll send it straight to voicemail, listen to the voicemail, and then text them back. Why? Keeps you in control. We’ll scroll and look at what people post, but we may not share a dinner with them. And if we see a post someone’s struggling, oh, we’ll stop long enough to give them a prayer emoji. There you go. Prayer emoji. I’m a Christian. I just loved you, but I don’t wanna be bothered to step into your pain. And that is not how followers of Jesus live, certainly not in the last days when time is short.
So Paul uses this metaphor of a nursing mother. And I think that’s very appropriate because a mom doesn’t just, like, feed the baby, here’s a bottle or here’s a whatever, if she’s nursing. Whatever. I’m not even gonna do anything with my hands at this point. But she gives herself to that baby, right? Her body, her time, her heart, her soul is like, «I’m fully invested. Everything I have,» the mom says, «I give my love to a baby like that». And that’s how we’re to love people. And I’ll tell you a big change that God’s done in me in recent years. I had a mentor just when I was starting out as a very young pastor, and he told me, «You’re gonna come across so much pain in ministry».
And it’s so true. Someone loses a baby, someone’s teenager takes their life. I mean, like, it’s we are only there for the highs and the lows. It’s the marriages and the burials. It’s the best and the worst. And so there’s so many of the worst things. My mentor said, «You’ve gotta learn to feel the pain in the moment, then you’ve gotta put it aside in order just to stay healthy». And I took that advice. They’d say, you know, «We lost our pregnancy». And I would pray with them, and I’d feel it, and I’d cry. Then I’d get in the car, and I’d say, «Okay, put that aside. Now we gotta go home and be a dad».
And so I’d learned to kind of put it in a compartment. I don’t know how else to describe it, but the longer I’ve done this, my compartment’s just full. There’s no more room. And so now all of the difficult stuff, it just gets stuck in my heart. And I recognize that advice I got years ago probably was practically okay, but spiritually, there’s actually a better way. And that is just to mourn with people that mourn and rejoice with people that rejoice. And so right now, if I’m talking to you and I tear up in the moment, it’s because I feel it. And I still may tear up when I go home, and I’m praying for you at 10:30 that night because there’s no more room in that compartment.
This is all in my heart. And it’s not easy, but it’s right because in the end times, the love of many people will grow cold. And let me just declare for us, for God’s people in this church, in His church, not us, not here, and not now, not for the people Jesus, when the world grows colder, our hearts grow warmer. And when other people close their doors, hey, we’re gonna open our lives, and we’re gonna say, «We’re just not sharing the gospel, but it’s our lives with you».
We don’t just give empty words, but we share our hearts because that’s what Jesus did for us. And so in the last days, whenever the world is darker and the world is hurting more, we speak boldly, don’t we? And we live purely, and we love deeply. And the fourth thing Paul tells us is that we’re gonna endure faithfully. We’re gonna endure faithfully and stand firm when the pressure is greatest. We see this in 3:7-8. Paul said, «Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all of our distress and persecution…» Remember, what’s he talking about? «They beat us with rods. They left us for dead. They put us in prison. They stripped us down naked,» in that kind of persecution. «And all of the physical pain that we endured,» he said.
Watch this. «We were encouraged about you. While we were getting beaten, and we heard that you’re still living for Jesus, that brought us joy. We were encouraged». Why? Watch: «Because of your faith». This is so powerful. He says, «For now we really live». Why do we really live? He said, «Since you are standing firm in the Lord. Now we live not because you, this baby church that we love, are comfortable, not because you’re successful in the things of this world, not because you, little Thessalonica believers, because you’re problem-free. No, now we live because you who’ve been saved by Jesus are standing firm in your faith».
And it’s not gonna be easy in the last days because we live in a time where what used to be called sin is now celebrated, And what used to be honored is now mocked. And so when other people compromise, what do you do? You stay consistent. And when culture makes fun of you, you just keep living for Jesus. And when the enemy attacks, because our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities of this dark world, when your spiritual enemy attacks, you stand firm.
You do what Paul said in Ephesians 6:13 when he said, «Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes,» you may be able to do what? «You may be able to stand your ground». And after you’ve done everything else, what do you do? You stand. You put on the full armor of God. You put on the helmet of salvation, you put on the breastplate of righteousness, you put on the shield of faith, you put on the belt of truth, you take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the living, active, powerful Word of God that never, ever returns void. You put on the shoes of the gospel and say peace, and you stand your ground.
This is battle language. This isn’t like I’m just standing in line. No, this is like a soldier, braced for battle! Your feet are planted, your shield is raised. You refuse to move. You don’t back down. These are the last days. Time is short. And so you are engaged fully to make a difference. And the good news is when you stand, and you do stand, the good news is you don’t stand on your own. Whenever you are weak, Jesus is your strength. Whenever temptation feels strong, what does Jesus do? Jesus gives you a way out. And whenever your enemy attacks, He gives you the faith that is your shield to quench the fiery darts of the evil one.
And the good news is when the pressure is greatest, and for many of you it is right now, your marriage is great, and your house, it’s great, and your finances, the pressure’s great, and your battle for mental health, your anxiety is out… It’s difficult. When the pressure is the greatest, God’s presence is the closest. He is a good God that will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He’s working in all things to bring about good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Time is short. You guys are making me preach hard. I’m gonna take a drink of water. Is that okay? Anytime you bring your front-row friends, you make me preach hard.
What I’m gonna do is take what we’ve covered and gonna give you four questions to ask in your life group. I can’t remember; have I told you recently just how important it is to be in a life group? In case I haven’t, let me just tell you again that as believers, we are better together. Two are better than one. If one falls down, he can’t get above it by himself. But another brother comes along and says, «Hey, I’ll help you get up»? Two can fight better than one. Whenever two or three gather together in His name, He is there in the midst of them. Iron sharpens iron. We do not do battle alone. We come together as the family of God and the community of God, to seek God, to encourage one another, to serve one another, to sharpen one another, and to pray for one another.
In our life groups, we’re gonna ask and answer these four questions. These are serious questions. If you go before God prayerfully and answer these questions, think what God might do in you, a reflection of our four points here. Four application questions. The first one is: Where is God calling me to share my faith, even if it costs me? Let’s stop there for a moment. You’re working in a place right now, and you don’t wanna make anybody upset. Is God calling you to share your faith there? Family members that you know, if today was their last day, they would not spend eternity in heaven. Is God calling you to share your faith there?
Question one: Where is God calling you to share your faith, even if it costs you? Second question: When do I care more about pleasing people than pleasing God? Is it when you’re with your friends, a certain group of people? Is it that you’re not standing up for something, you’re covering, you’re hiding a truth? What is it? When do I care more about pleasing people than pleasing God? Third question: Who have I kept at a distance that God is calling me to love? I want you to just be open to this because we’re in a culture now today that says, «Protect my time, protect my health». Jesus says, «Die to yourself and love others». And we’re in this whole protect-me thing. And actually, we lose our life, we find that when we serve others, that’s more greatest.
You might ask yourself the question: Who have I kept at a distance that God is calling me to love? Then finally, we’re gonna endure; we’re gonna stand strong. What trial is God using to strengthen my faith? The very thing that you think may be so difficult that you don’t want may be the thing that God’s using to do something deep in you, to draw you closer to Jesus, to make even a bigger difference in this world. Paul closes out chapter three with a very, very powerful prayer. I wanna show you this prayer. I want you to feel the love in the prayer, and I want you to feel the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through His words in this prayer.
Verse 12, this is what he says. He says, «May the Lord make your love increase». In other words, you don’t have to, like, stir it up, but the Lord will do it. The Lord will do it. You ask Him for it, the Lord will increase your love. «May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other». In other words, the compartment’s too big. It’s all in my heart. It’s overflowing. «May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other. May He, may the Lord, strengthen your hearts so that you’ll be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes».
Time is short, and we don’t know the day or the hour that Jesus will return. But we do know that at the beginning of the ascension of Jesus, from that moment until Jesus comes back, we are living in the last days, and the world is darker and getting darker and darker, and the cost is higher and the pressure is greater. So now is not the time to play games with your faith. Now is the time to stand strong for Jesus.
What are we gonna do in the last days? What are we gonna do? Say it with me. What are we gonna do in the last days? We’re gonna speak boldly. We’re gonna live purely. We’re going to love deeply. We’re gonna? Endure faithfully. One more time. In the last days, we’re gonna speak boldly for Jesus. We’re gonna live purely for holiness. We’re gonna love deeply. And we’re going to endure faithfully. Why? Because time is short and eternity is real. And Jesus is coming soon. And that’s why it’s time to live for Jesus now, not tomorrow, not later, not when you get around to it. But now, this is the moment. This is the moment. So church, be the church, sharing the good news for the world. And when the world grows darker, guess what? The church shines brighter.
Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would do a work in your church, God, to strengthen us, to share your Word, to share our lives, to make a difference in this world.
Let’s pray today. Nobody looking around. I wanna talk to those of you that you are a Christian. You know it, you’re baptized, you’ve been in the Word, you’re a Christian, but you might find that you’re a little bit more complacent. And as you’re listening to this, God, He’s building your faith. He may be storing a little bit of boldness in you, and you recognize, «Hey, I wanna be on my game. I wanna be walking in faith and not by sight. I wanna be bold. I want God’s words to direct my steps». And God is maybe just stirring in you. Maybe He’s showing you something that He wants to change. If you would just pray today, «Have your way, God». Just pray, «Have your way, God. Have your way in me today».
You are a believer, but you say, «God, just have Your way in me. Whatever You’re doing, do more of it». If you pray that today, «Have your way in me, Your will, God, in my life». If you pray that today at all of our churches. Would you just lift your hand right now, just around the room, say, «Yes, have Your way in me». Pray that right now, just where you are. You can type it in the comment section online. You can just say, «Have Your way in me». Just take a moment at all of our churches and just pray that: «God have Your way in me». Tell Him you want His will in your life. Tell Him that you don’t wanna live for people. You wanna live purely for Him. Ask Him, say, «Help me be bold. Help me live purely. Help me to share Your love. Help me to endure faithfully».
And now, God, as your children are praying, we know that You hear every single prayer in Your Holy Spirit’s work and do a work in all of our hearts, God, individually and then collectively, that we, your church, would be preparing for Your soon coming. Do a work in us. Have your way. Have your way. God have your way in me, we pray.
As you keep praying today, I talk to those of you that you know that you know, that you know that you’re a Christian. I wanna talk to those of you today that say, «Yeah, I mean, I might believe in God and I don’t mind coming to church some, but like, I don’t really know that I belong to God». Like, let’s just assume that tomorrow is your last day. Something happened. Jesus comes back. You get in a car wreck, you have a heart attack. Something horrific happens. Tomorrow’s your last day. Do you feel ready? And this isn’t like… I’m not trying to manipulate, I’m just asking because it’s possible.
Tomorrow’s not a guarantee for any of us. But what would happen if you met God? Would you be ready? If you’re not sure, I’m gonna tell you right now, I was a churchgoer who wasn’t sure, and in my mind, I always thought I needed to do better, try harder, not be so bad, and be better. I didn’t realize just how clear the Bible was. And the Bible just is very clear, saying that I had sinned against God. That all of us, every single one of us, you’ve sinned, I’ve sinned. That means we miss God’s mark. And that’s why you might worry about where you stand and why you feel guilty. And the truth is, the Bible says we can never be holy enough for God on our own.
And that’s why the gospel means good news: that God loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was without sin, who died in our place on a cross. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He took our sins, our shame. He died in our place. And God raised Him from the dead. He defeated death, hell, and the grave, now so that anyone, and this includes you, it doesn’t matter how dark your life is, anyone who calls on the name of Jesus, your sins would be forgiven and you would be saved. You don’t have to wonder, «Where do I stand with God»? because Jesus paid the penalty for your sins so you could be made right with God today.
At all of our churches, those of you online, say, «I don’t really know where I stand». Hey, you’re not here by accident. Today is the day of your salvation. What are we gonna do? We’re gonna step away from our sins. The Bible calls it «repent». We repent of our sins, and we surrender to Jesus. And this isn’t just like a get-out-of-hell-free card, like, «Hey, send me to heaven». No, no. This is a full-on «I’m giving you my life». You’re not just my Savior. You’re my Lord. I wanna live for You. I wanna be empowered by You. You have Your way in me. I give my life to You today. You don’t know where you stand? Guess what? Today is the day that changes. Turn from your sins. Call on Jesus. He’ll hear your prayer. He’ll make you brand new. Today is the day of your salvation.
All of our churches online, those who say «That’s me. I’m ready to give my life to Him. Yes, Jesus, save me. I give my life to You,» lift your hands high right now. All over the place, lift them up. Praise God for you. And you over there. God bless you guys today. Oh, come on. Praise God. Today, in all of our churches, people saying, «Yes. Oh, yes». Saying «Jesus, I call on You». Type in the comment section, «I’m surrendering my life to Jesus». Just type that in: «I’m surrendering my life to Jesus». And then today, all of you, at all of our churches, would you just join your faith and pray with those around you? Nobody prays alone. Pray:
Heavenly Father. I give You my life. Jesus, save me. Forgive all my sins. Make me brand new. Fill me with Your Spirit. So I can know You. So I could live Your Word. So I could show Your love. Have Your way in me. Your will. Not mine. I give You my life. In Jesus' name I pray.