David Jeremiah - Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World (04/03/2017)
In this sermon, David Jeremiah discusses the anxiety stemming from global instability and presents a biblical view on maintaining inner peace. He suggests that believers can find lasting confidence by grounding their faith in God's unchanging sovereignty and promises, despite the world's increasing chaos.
A Warm Welcome and Humorous Beginnings
What a wonderful privilege to be here in this place! I’m embarrassed that I’ve never been here before. It’s wonderful to see what God is doing here through your wonderful pastor, through the vision of the people in this church and in this community. Your reputation is far and wide. I have a family that lives here—Sam Rasool and his wife came to Christ in our church. They started coming here and they’re so blessed to be in this church. I’ve met other friends already before the service tonight, and I do feel very much at home here. This is just like Shadow Mountain.
I’m always interested in the introductions I get because I’ve been doing this quite a long time, and you would not believe some of the stuff people have said about me. I actually have been introduced as almost every Old Testament prophet in the Bible: David, Malachi, Zacharias. You know, it’s interesting how when people have heard you on the radio or they’ve seen you on television, they get this thing going in their head and they don’t know what to do. I was down in the southeastern part of this country not long ago, and I love to go into Christian bookstores.
Not just to see if they’re selling my books, but I just love to be in there. I went in this bookstore, and this young lady was running it. There was nobody else in the store but her, and she saw me and she just was excited. She said, «Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you’re in my store!» She said, «Wait a minute, I’m going to go get my friends; they’re working in the back.» So she goes in the back and a few minutes later all these young women come out behind her, like 17 or 18 years old. The girl who met me has a stack of books in her hands, and she says, «Oh, while you’re here, would you sign these books?» And I said, «I’d be glad to.» Now, this is true.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
She handed me six books written by Josh McDowell. So I signed Josh McDowell’s name in every book and gave them all back to her. To this day, she probably thinks Josh McDowell came to her store! Every year at Christmastime, we’ve been doing this for a number of years. I love New York, especially at Christmastime, and I try to go there every year if I can. I can’t always do it, but I save up my travel miles and we go to the Radio City Music Hall and other things.
We had an anniversary at Shadow Mountain a couple years ago, and our congregation knows of my fondness for New York, so they decided to give us a special gift. We wanted to take our family this year, so they paid for two stretch limos for the whole week—a white one and a black one. I mean the long ones, these real long things. I thought that was so cool; we could go around New York. Then I started to think, «What if somebody sees me and recognizes me? Here I am riding around in this limo. I’m going to perpetuate the idea of a televangelist, and we’ll never recover!»
So I secretly prayed, «Lord, just let us do this in anonymity. Nobody’s going to watch. Nobody’s going to see.» We made it all the way to the last day. We went to a Broadway play and we were coming back to the hotel. We got in the elevator, and I saw this guy looking at me and I knew I was in trouble. As the elevator started up, he said, «You know what? You look just like a guy I watch on television named David Jeremiah.» I said, «You know what? That’s probably because that’s who I am.» Just then we got to his floor, the door opened, he walked out and turned around and said, «No, you’re not!»
The Joy of Ministry
I attend the National Religious Broadcasters Convention every year, and I sometimes like to walk through the exposition hall. I was with some friends walking, and I heard somebody hollering, «Hey, wait! Hey, wait!» I looked back and this woman was coming just as fast as her legs would carry her right toward me. She got right up to me, got in my face, and said, «Oh, Dr. Stanley, I am so glad to meet you!» So my experience involves somebody thinking I’m Josh McDowell, somebody else thinking I’m Charles Stanley, and somebody’s not sure who I am. But I love doing what I do.
I’ve been doing this for quite a while. I should report to you that my wife, Donna, and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary, and we are blessed. As I was telling your pastor, I am so thankful that God lets me do what I do. I just love to do what I do. People ask me all the time, «Jeremiah, what do you do?» And I tell them, «I study the Bible, and I read the Bible, and I preach the Bible, and I broadcast the Bible, and I televise the Bible. I write books about the Bible, study guides about the Bible. That’s what I do. That’s really all I know how to do.» If I couldn’t do that, I’d be in a lot of trouble. But I am blessed that the Lord lets me do that, and thank you all for being here tonight. I’m honored by your presence.
Living in Perilous Times
For the last two years, maybe a little bit longer than that, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the conditions in our world. But I have to tell you, I was taken aback by the headlines that came to me recently in an opinion column by Israeli journalist Eton Haber. It blared, «World War III Has Started.» That was the title of the article. Haber was writing about the success of North Korea’s nuclear program, and he warned that the test missile fired by the North Koreans landed squarely in the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem.
What he meant was it could no longer be ignored that this regime was aggressively moving forward. The world, it seems, is quickly moving toward a point of no return. Haber suggested, especially when it comes to the Middle East, experts believe the Iran-North Korean nuclear axis is now stronger than it was when it started. North Korea appears ready to supply nuclear weapons in exchange for subsidized oil from a nation that is threatening to destroy Israel. You all know that. You know what I’m talking about.
Men and women, it seems like every day there is something in the news that reminds us of the perilous times in which we live. Even the fires which we experience here so routinely in Southern California remind us that we are not in control of our own destiny, that we live in a dangerous world and in dangerous times. As a Christian, I might be tempted to be afraid, maybe even to be in despair. But the Word of God will not let me go there, because when I open its pages, I find God’s instructions for all of us as we face these uncertain days.
In Romans chapter 13 and verse 11, there is a verse with a clarion call from the Lord to be ready for His return. In this verse we find a clear strategy for living proactively every day, right now. As appalling things transpire around us, we don’t have to be affected in our spirit. No weapon on earth can blast this verse out of the Bible. These words tell us how to respond internally and even internationally to the times in which we are living.
The Anchor of Scripture
Before I unpack these verses, I want to express how important they have become to me. Back in 2008, I wrote a book called What in the World is Going On? It’s the most-read book I have written. I’ve been asked to sign a lot of copies, and I always sign my name and «Romans 13:11.» Here is what Romans 13:11 through 14 tells us about how we should respond in the day in which we live: «And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.»
In words terse and blunt, you might say Paul’s message is: live like you were dying. That phrase, as many of you know, was Tim McGraw’s choice for the title of a song he recorded some years ago. It was one of the best songs he ever recorded. In part, the lyrics go like this: «I loved deeper. I spoke sweeter. I gave forgiveness I’d been denying. Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.» I remember when that song came out, right about at the same time Carnegie Mellon University Professor Randy Pausch was invited to give a «last lecture,» as if he were dying.
It turned out that after he got the invitation, he found out that in reality he was dying. He had pancreatic cancer at the age of 47. He delivered an unforgettable talk that became a book selling over 10 million copies called The Last Lecture. The country singer and the university professor hit a common chord. That chord is the importance of living on purpose, of moving through life with a sense of urgency based on something higher than just the pursuit of pleasure. If this was important to them, how much more should it be important to us who call ourselves followers of Christ?
Awakening from Spiritual Apathy
If ever there was a time for the church of God and the people of God to catch a sense of urgency, this is the time. Southern evangelist Vance Havner seems to have captured our laid-back approach to life when he writes, «The devil has chloroformed the atmosphere of this age. We need to take down our 'do-not-disturb' signs, snap out of our stupor, come out of our coma, and awake from our apathy.» From the pages of Scripture, written so long ago, that alarm has never ceased. It calls us to get past thinking about what we’re going to watch on TV tonight.
We can almost hear the voice of Jesus in the garden one night when He came to find His disciples and said to them, «Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. Behold, the hour is at hand.» Romans 13:11–14 gives us four things we can do as we sit in the midst of all these changing scenarios of life. You know, as you get older you get a little more perspective. I remember how it used to be, and I tell my kids sometimes. They just look at me like I’m a relic of the past. But in my lifetime, since 1941, more things have changed than in all the years prior.
Change is so incredibly fast right now; it’s almost more than you can absorb. And as believers, we’re caught up in it. All of us are caught in the changes. If we’re not careful, we let those changes wear us down until we become more and more like the things we’re supposed to be separate from. So I want you to listen carefully to what Paul said to the Romans, because they were living in a time very much like ours under the Roman Empire. Here’s what Paul says we are to do.
1. Watch Vigilantly
Number one, we are to watch vigilantly. Romans 13:11: «And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.» Throughout the Bible, we are told we’re to know the times and the seasons. In the Old Testament, there was a group in Israel appointed for that very purpose. 1 Chronicles 12:32 says the sons of Issachar «had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.»
There was a special group devoted to studying the times to give instructions so Israel knew how to respond. One reason we have prophecy conferences like this one is so we can have discernment about what’s happening in our world. Most of the things we’re facing—the things we don’t truly understand—men and women, these are things the Bible tells us were going to happen. We may be surprised by them, but God isn’t. We may be taken aback as things wax worse and worse, but Almighty God told us it would be there.
If we would just read our Bibles, some of this stuff wouldn’t take us by such surprise. In the New Testament, you hear the Lord Jesus Christ scolding the people to whom He was speaking. He said, «You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.» (Matthew 16:3). Jesus said, «You guys know how to do the weather better than you know how to do the Bible! You can look at the skies and say it looks like it’s going to rain, but you don’t look in the Bible and say it looks like Jesus might be coming soon.»
The Relevance of Prophecy
I’ve been watching the news about all the fires. They tell you which way the wind’s going to blow, where the smoke’s going to go. They’re helping us understand what’s going to happen. Guess what? Most of what they said would happen, is happening. But the Bible is filled with truth from Almighty God telling us what’s going to happen, and we don’t even take time to figure out that it’s important. I cannot tell you how many times other pastors have come up to me and said, «Jeremiah, I can’t believe you teach prophecy. It’s totally irrelevant.»
I’m telling them something different these days. I’m saying, «Well, just hang on. It’s getting more relevant all the time.» Every day that you wake up, it’s more relevant than it was the day before. In fact, there is not anything in the Bible more relevant than Bible prophecy. If you study Bible prophecy, almost without exception, every time there’s a major prophecy, Jesus tells us what we’re to do because of that. Therefore, how pure we ought to be! He says, knowing the times, this is what you should do.
Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. In John 14 He said, «Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions.» How should I live in light of the fact that Jesus is coming back soon? I shouldn’t let my heart get troubled. Every time you open the book to a prophetic passage, there’s the prophecy and Almighty God saying, «This is what this means to you right now.» So don’t let anyone tell you the Bible is full of prophecy that is not relevant to today.
We need to understand that much of the Bible is prophetic, and to ignore it is to cut half of the Bible out of your life. I am so proud of this church for hosting a conference on biblical prophecy. Give yourselves a big hand tonight. There are so many people that laugh at the very thought that you could predict the future from the Bible. You’ve probably read 2 Peter chapter 3 where it says people scoff, «Where is the promise of His coming?»
The Imminence of His Return
Well, let me tell you what the Scripture says about it: «For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.» Amen! What can I tell you for sure about Jesus' return? I can’t tell you when or where, but I can tell you this: It’s closer than it was when I got saved. His coming is nearer than it’s ever been. When we speak of the imminence of Christ’s return, we’re not talking about chronological order; we’re talking about a season. We’re speaking of the fact that everything is ready.
There’s no reason it couldn’t happen today. The Rapture could happen without one single thing taking place. There is no sign that must take place before the Rapture. There are many signs about the Second Advent, and many of those signs are being fulfilled—which means, listen to me—if there are no signs for the Rapture, and it’s seven years before the Second Advent, and there are signs for the Second Advent, what does that mean about the Rapture? It’s even closer than you think!
Future events cast their shadows before them. And these shadows coming from the Second Advent are cast all the way back to the time right before the Rapture. When we begin to see the things the Bible talks about with intensity and frequency, you can count on it: we’re getting close. I don’t believe it’s much longer. Donna and I were talking at dinner tonight that we expect to be here when the Lord returns. I tell everybody all the time, «I’m not looking for the undertaker; I’m looking for the uppertaker.» Amen!
If you want a good answer for people who ask you when the Lord is coming back, just tell them, «I don’t know, but it’s sooner than it used to be.» You will always be accurate when you answer that question. We’re to be watching. We’re to be reading our papers, listening to the news through the grid of the Word of God. We know what the Word says, and then we see these events and how they fit into God’s plan.
The Three Tenses of Salvation
When Paul uses the word «salvation,» he says, «Now is your salvation nearer than it was before.» Don’t let that confuse you, because some will say, «What do you mean? My salvation is in the past.» But if you study the Bible, you’ll discover salvation has three tenses: past, present, and future. In the past, my salvation: we say yes to Christ, we’re sealed by the Spirit, our sins are forgiven. I have been saved. In the present, the ongoing growth process is happening. I am being conformed to Christ. So I can say, I am being saved.
One day I’m going to stand before the Lord and be made just like Him. The Bible says I will be saved. I have been saved; I am being saved; I will be saved. Here’s a good way to remember it: In the past, I have been saved from the penalty of sin. In the present, I am being saved from the power of sin. In the future, I will be saved from the very presence of sin. What Paul is talking about here is that third one. He’s saying the salvation from the presence of sin is drawn nigh. It’s coming. It’s nearer than when you first believed.
Charles Spurgeon once spoke about apathy in the church. He said, «You can sleep, but you cannot induce the devil to close his eyes. The prince of the power of the air keeps his servants well up to their work. If we could with a glance see the activity of the servants of Satan, we would be astonished at our own sluggishness.» We need to be watching vigilantly for His return.
The Call to Spiritual Warfare
A story from years ago at a Bible conference in Indiana: Robert E. Lee was preaching on the term «Maranatha"—"The Lord is coming.» A lady walked up to him after and said, «Good job, preacher! Marijuana!» She didn’t get the right word. The Lord is coming, and we’re to be watching. Do you think about that when you see things happening? What does this mean in terms of the Lord’s return? Paul says, «Awake out of your sleep. Be vigilant. Watch for the times.»
Notice the second thing he tells us. We are not only to watch vigilantly, we’re to war valiantly. Verse 12: «The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.» All of this because the Lord is coming. What does Paul mean by «put off darkness»? He chooses a word that means to deliberately, purposefully, significantly, and permanently put things out of your life.
Darkness describes what you were like before you were saved. Ephesians 5:8 says, «For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.» Paul tells us the Lord’s return is imminent, and we should not let the old nature have any inroads into our lives. He is warning that while Christ is accepted in a moment, sin remains our foe all our lives. Many followers of Christ are surprised to discover that when they become Christians, their old nature is not eradicated.
If you do not believe that, poke your spouse and ask, «Is my old nature still with me?» They will tell you! Christians have two natures. Before we were saved, we only had one. Once we are saved, the Lord gives us a new nature. Here’s a simple way to remember how these two natures work: «Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul, the one is blessed. The one I love, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate.» Isn’t that the way it works?
Feeding the New Nature
You want to know why you struggle with your old nature, Christian? It’s because you’re not spending much time feeding the new nature. You’re allowing all the stuff of the world to feed your old nature, and it grows strong and gives you grief. You should go on a program where you starve the old nature. Don’t give it anything it can use to get a foothold. The old nature is still present, but thank God He’s given us a new nature.
When we yield to the Holy Spirit and feed the new nature, we can be victorious. We don’t have to be victimized; we can be victors. Hallelujah! Romans tells us to put off the darkness, reminding us that every victory over sin makes us stronger. Did you know that? Every time you gain a victory, it strengthens you. And every time you yield, it weakens you. You may think, «This is not that important.» Every little thing is important. Everything you do in response to God strengthens you inwardly.
When you become careless and allow sin to reside comfortably in your being, you’re weakening the part of you God wants to treasure. Put off the darkness, and put on the light. Paul is using the New Testament picture for walking in fellowship. Remember 1 John 1:7: «If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.» Scientifically, there is no such thing as darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of light.
When we walk in the light, darkness has no chance. But when you allow darkness in little by little, the light is not as dominant. You feed the old nature and it thrives; you feed the new nature and it thrives. «Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul, the one is blessed. The one I love, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate.» We’re to war valiantly.
3. Walk Virtuously
And then it says we’re to walk virtuously. Romans 13:13: «Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.» I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when you read Paul’s epistles, he’s got lots of lists. You look at those lists and none are really complete; they’re representative. Paul’s saying this is the way the old nature is. The new nature produces different things.
Here in this text, he gives us a bunch of things that help us understand what it means to walk in the night versus walking in the day. Again, this is not exhaustive, but it gives us a good indication. If you divide this list up, you’ll notice there’s public sin and private sin. Drunkenness, partying, lewdness—public sin. Lust—private sin. Paul says as we await the Lord’s return, this is not a time to become careless in how we live. This is a time to become very careful.
Don’t get caught up in the stuff. I don’t have to tell you this; we all know. We know what we’re doing. We have the choice. We make these decisions. We walk into this stuff with our eyes wide open. We go places we know we shouldn’t go. We do stuff we know we shouldn’t do. And we think somehow it won’t matter. Let me tell you something, friends: It matters. It really matters. According to the National Review, Americans rent 800 million pornographic videos and DVDs every year.
A vast majority of men between 18 and 34 frequent pornographic websites every month. Among those addicted are a great number professing to be followers of Jesus Christ. When you do that, it’s a proactive decision. You make that choice. So many children of God, blessed benefactors of the blood of Christ, are choosing to hand themselves over to a new kind of slavery. We damage the precious minds God has given us, the very temples where the Holy Spirit dwells. And we make the choice to do it.
The Command to Flee
Did you know the Bible tells you to run from four things? I will never forget this. The Bible usually tells you to stand up and be a man: «Resist the devil and he will flee.» Having stood, stand. But four times in the New Testament, we’re told to put on our Adidas and get out! From idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), youthful lust (2 Timothy 2:22), the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10–11), and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). Notice on that list, two have to do with sexual impropriety.
Flee immorality. Why does the Bible say run? Because there’s no way you’re going to ever win that war. There’s no way you’re ever going to be able to compete. Remember Joseph? Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. The Bible says she grabbed his coat, and Joseph ran out, leaving his coat in her hands. The best piece of equipment for sexual immorality is the best pair of running shoes you can buy. Get out! Joseph was accused, but he knew in his heart he had been faithful to God.
When I speak to young people, I tell them your commitment to spiritual purity has to be determined long before you’re in the back seat with someone. You better know what you believe. You will not be able to stand up to the temptation unless you know your commitment to purity, especially in sexuality. The devil has many subtle strategies. None is more powerful and destructive than sexual temptation. When I say run from it, I mean it.
I remember a man telling me he worked next to a young, beautiful, vivacious woman and felt an attraction. He asked what he should do. I said, «Either you get another job, or make sure she gets another job.» He said, «I can’t quit my job.» I said, «Let’s put it this way: you want to quit your job or ruin your life? You can find another job, but you can’t find another life.» When you allow yourself to exist where temptation is present all the time, you will ultimately do wrong. Get out. We are to watch vigilantly, war valiantly, and walk virtuously.
Clothing Ourselves in Christ
Then the Bible says in verse 14 we are to wait victoriously: «But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.» Maybe as you’ve listened tonight, you may think Paul’s expectations are unreasonable and borderline impossible. But all the things he asks are possible. The strength through the Spirit of God and the strategy through the Word of God are ours to have. Once we determine to live in the light of the Lord’s return, a sense of confidence returns.
We are no longer overwhelmed by the chaos of the world. Here the Bible says we’re to put on Christ. What does that mean? One of my favorite writers, Ray Stedman, wrote this: «When I get up in the morning, I put on my clothes intending them to be a part of me all day, to go where I go, do what I do. They cover me and make me presentable to others. That is the purpose of clothes. In the same way, put on Jesus Christ when you get up. Make Him part of your life that day.»
Intend that He go with you everywhere and act through you in everything. Call upon His resources. Live your life in Christ. Do not take Him places where you will embarrass Him. Do you know that wherever we go as followers of Christ, we take the influence of Jesus with us? We ought to every day get up and pray, «Lord, use me today. I don’t want to be an embarrassment to You. I want to honor who You are in my life.» Then it says put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh. That’s an important principle.
Row Away from the Rocks
Let me illustrate. There’s an old Native American saying: «Call upon God and row away from the rocks.» The idea is to put yourself in the best position to succeed—as far away from trouble as you can get. Some people need to erase a few streets from their maps. Others need software to protect their eyes from certain internet destinations. When you’re on a diet, you don’t loiter at an ice cream store. I love the story about a guy trying to lose weight whose big temptation was donuts.
He used to stop every day at the donut shop. When he went on his diet, he took another route to work and got victory. One morning, weeks into his diet, a friend saw him eating a donut and asked what happened. He said, «I told God I would drive by the donut shop, and if the parking spot right in front was vacant, I would know it was okay to stop. Sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!» That’s how we do it, isn’t it? We give Satan an inroad.
We allow him to get his hooks into us. We blame what happens on somebody else or say, «The devil made me do it.» The devil can do certain things, but many things are our own carelessness—our unwillingness to be proactive so we make decisions to keep him away. We do this every day. I struggle keeping weight down. At Turning Point, they bring me beautiful healthy salads for lunch, and then four large cookies. So I told my secretary, «Don’t put the cookies on the table.»
Sometimes we have to say, «This is an issue for me. I’m not going near that.» I’m going to walk virtuously, war valiantly, live proactively for the Lord. That’s the opposite of making provision for the flesh. When you allow stuff in your life that can get you in trouble, you play a game you can’t win.
Taking a Stand
I love history. I remember reading David McCullough’s biography of Harry Truman. During post-war talks, a public relations officer offered to get Truman anything from the black market—cigarettes, watches, whiskey, women. Truman replied, «Listen, son. I married my sweetheart. She doesn’t run around on me, and I don’t run around on her. I want that understood. Don’t ever mention that kind of stuff to me again.» Every day, every one of us has at least one moment where we have to stand up for what is right.
Every time we take a stand for the good, we build our spiritual muscles. Every time we take a stand of weakness, we allow the enemy more strength. Don’t think those things are incidental. They’re important. Win every little victory, and you will soon be winning all the big ones. Don’t wait for the big ones to come along and say, «I’ll fight on that hill.» Fight all the little ones and win them by the Holy Spirit’s power. When we give our lives to Christ, He comes to live His life through us, and we learn to be uncomfortable with everything that grieves Him.
The Power of the Cross
I will never forget the first time I saw The Passion of the Christ. I was invited to a special showing at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. We had no idea what to expect. We got on a private jet and flew to Dallas. I had never seen a film like that about Jesus. We watched this graphic depiction of what Jesus endured for our sin. Getting on the plane to come back, there was silence. Each of us with private reflections, occasionally the sound of emotion.
I remember praying that night, «Lord Jesus, help me to live my life from this moment onward in such a way that I never do anything to hurt You or break Your heart—not after what You’ve done for me.» That’s the power of the cross. It stands on that rock at Calvary, casting its shadow across the planet and the centuries until it engulfs every one of us. To let ourselves experience that cross, to stand weeping before it, is to be radically changed from the inside out.
To catch even a glimpse of Christ’s incredible love is to devote ourselves to giving Him our lives in return. How could we do less? It’s only because we forget about the cross. We forget the price paid for our redemption. If we’re not careful, we go back to doing the things that put Jesus on the cross, and it breaks His heart. In the movie Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller’s dying words to Private Ryan are, «James, earn this! Earn it!» The scene flashes forward to an elderly Ryan at Miller’s grave.
Overcome, he says, «I hope I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.» We all know we could never merit such a sacrifice. No one could ever do enough to earn the gift of a rescued life. That is the truth about salvation. We can never earn it. There is zero possibility a sinful life can make a good exchange for the one perfect, holy life. No way human blood equates to the blood of God’s own Son. So we can’t earn it. But what we can do is know what Christ has done, know He is with us now, and know He is coming back soon.
Knowing those things in our minds and hearts, as followers of Christ, we must be alert and watchful, with one eye on the headlines and the other on the eastern skies. That’s what Paul is shouting: «Awake! He’s coming!» Live every single moment for Him as if you knew this would be your last. Let your days be filled with victory. In these next hours, you’ll hear from Anne Graham Lotz and others about the signs of Christ’s coming. But don’t lose sight of the fact that the reason these things are in the Bible is to spur us on to godly living right now.
The Bible says, «Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?» I remember as a young boy in a pastor’s home—my dad was a strict fundamentalist. I had a «drug problem»; I was drugged to church every time the doors opened. One rule: we didn’t go to the movies. One year in high school, I snuck off with some guys and went to a movie. I was in the vestibule of hell! I finally left before it was over. You know why? All I could think was, «What if Jesus comes back and finds me in this place?»
It illustrates the point, doesn’t it? Don’t be any place, doing anything, that you would be embarrassed to be found doing if the Lord Jesus comes back. Because just as surely as I am here before you tonight, one day there’s going to be a moment just like that. He’s going to come back and catch us in whatever we’re doing. And I want to be caught worshiping Him, praising His name, telling people about Jesus, and making a difference in this life. Amen. Amen.