Frankie Mazzapica - Peeking Into The Future
Thank you for tuning in today. My name's Frankie Mazzapica. The title of today's message is "Peeking into the Future". Peeking into the Future. Let me just lay the scriptural foundation straight away because we're talking about the future today, and I've got three major points that we're gonna tackle. Number one are future events that we already know are gonna happen. Everybody in this room, you already know it's gonna happen. It's not a matter of opinion. We just know it, and I'll get to that in a minute. And then we're gonna talk about "What will our response be to these events that we already know is gonna happen"?
And then number three, I'm gonna share my one word, a New Year's resolution that is one word that I have for all of you, and if you wanna come up with your own resolution, I would challenge you, don't do a sentence or a paragraph. Just come up with one word, and you may end up adopting the word that I'm praying into your life, but I'll get to that in my third point. Let me lay the scriptural foundation, and, again, we're talking about looking into the future, just taking a peek. First of all, I wanna share three verses. Matthew 24, verse 7, it says this: "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. And this will be the beginning of sorrows. When we begin to see this, it's the beginning of sorrows".
Let me go to, three verses later. It's in Matthew chapter 24, verse 10. It says this: "Many will be offended". See, there once was a day where, "Man, you get offended easy. This per... man, they get offended easy". No, no, no, no, no, we're in a different age now. Now we're talking about many, not a few. We're talking about a whole swath through the country will be offended. They will betray one another, friends. You can't betray an enemy, right? They will betray one another, and they will hate one another. This is not people you already detest. These are people that will, all of a sudden, people will begin to detest them. And then the last and final one is in verse 12, and it says that lawlessness will abound and the love of many will grow cold. They once had a burning heart.
Now they don't. They used to have a burning heart for God. They can remember those times, and now they don't. These are things that we already know are gonna happen. Even if you didn't know that scripture, you already knew that it was gonna happen. So, let's talk about events that we already know. It is 2024. Election season. You don't have to be a prophet. You don't have to be a prophet, because the closer we get to November, there's gonna be grenades everywhere. People in their basement, on social media... You know, social platforms online have given everybody a platform. Everybody gets a platform. People that shouldn't have a platform now have a platform. Thumbs down, messy, you know, mad emojis. "You're a dummy". Insults like crazy.
If they saw each other face to face, they wouldn't be saying any of that, but now there are a few. They're always looking for a fight, but we know election season is going to be fierce. I'm gonna tell you, a lot, I mean, my friends are pastors. I've got a lot of friends who are pastors. We all lost people during election season, every single one of us. They were offended by the pastor because he didn't say this and didn't say that. Offended by their friends who also go to the same church that... we already know, right? We already know. You cheated. He cheated. He shouldn't be there. They shouldn't be there. And how do we know that? Because we've lived through a few elections, and the last few have been a doozy. They've been a doozy, and here's the thing: Whoever gets elected, half of the country wanted that person. The other half did not. We're talking 51% to 49%. That's the margin.
So, half of the country is disappointed. The other half is shouting, and then there's this residue for about three months after the election where everybody's person who didn't get elected is still mad, and there's a reason why we don't tell each other who we're voting for, right? Because we don't know who we're talking to. Are you with me or are you against me? And now we got groups, groups. Us against them. Them against us, and it's very, very awkward. These social things that, last year, oh my goodness, especially during election season last time, things not even having to do with the election of the president, just social trouble.
I don't need to give any examples. You already know, and it caused massive division, not just in the church, everywhere. Division at companies like crazy, everybody offended, everybody mad, but like never before. You know, the Bible says nothing about how as we live, as the world goes on, things will get easier and easier. No, it's the exact opposite. This election season is gonna make the last election season look like a walk in the park. This, I'm telling you, just nod your head at me. You already know I'm right, right? It's gonna be insane.
Here's another thing that we already know: The people that you see in this room will not be here by the end of this year, and they won't be in another church either. They'll either be gone, not connected to church at all, or they'll be watching saying, "Oh, God can meet me here in my living room. It doesn't matter. I don't need to go to the house of God". Just nod at me if you already know that's gonna happen, just nod. Oh, some of you don't wanna nod, because you might be that person.
You know, I'm 45 years old, and there's things that I have trouble with that I didn't have trouble with when I was younger. For example, there's a new Dunkin' Donuts by my house. I go to Dunkin Donuts. I order a coffee. My son, "I'll take 12 donut holes". Now, I want 12 doughnut holes too, but I know that what I eat, you guys are gonna know what I eat. Everybody knows what I ate because whatever you eat, you wear, right? There's no secret. "This guy hasn't been eating broccoli. I can tell you that". I went to go play golf yesterday, my son and I playing golf. This morning, I'm walking around with a bad knee. When did this happen? I don't remember hurting it. I was just walking along, and I played golf with a cart. I get out, swing, back in the cart. Get out, swing, back in the cart.
While I'm looking at you right now, my knee is hurting. I've got too much pride to go like this, but it hurts, but I got a feeling, I'm 45 right now, I have a feeling that when I'm 55, it's gonna get a lot easier. Are you with me? Can you see my point? It's only going to get harder. Everything is gonna get harder. See my knee give out? Everything's gonna get harder. Socially, it's gonna get harder. It's gonna be harder to be passionate about God. Everything's gonna get harder. So, you might as well just know that in your head right now. The economy, this is a sensitive subject, so I'll just get right to it. It's not gonna get easy. Nobody's gonna be walking around, going, "Let's make it rain".
So, how are we gonna respond? How are you gonna respond? How am I gonna respond? There's two ways that we can respond: either with apathy or being aggressive. Apathy looks like this... Like, your whole relationship with God looks like this... You're just not moved. It doesn't, you're not moved. It's... Doesn't matter what anybody says. It doesn't matter whatever, anything happens. Your relationship with God is like this. It's like this now. It'll be like this then. It's just you're apathetic to the things of God, which is very scary because now what you're saying is, "Gosh, I know you're there, but I got this. I got this". It's apathy, and apathy is, it's, like, flooding the earth. I mean, like crazy.
You know what the Bible says? It says half of us, half of the people in this room, half, you're here now and you'll always be here, half, and if you're not here, you're gonna be here, half, not just this church, half of everybody in the church, not people who don't go to church, in the church. Now, how do we know that? How do we know it's half? I mean, that's a big statement. I would not have the nerve to say half if I were just coming up with half. The Bible says half. It says this: that two men will be working in the field. One will be taken. The other will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken, and the other will be left. Even so, when the return of the Lord comes, 'cause Jesus is coming back, in a twinkling of an eye, half will be clapping. The other half of the church, here's another one.
Matthew 25, verse 11, there were ten waiting for the Lord, ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Half became apathetic, half. The other half, they were not apathetic. See, nobody's getting comfortable in this stool, nobody. The only time you sit in a stool like this is if you plan on getting up soon. Nobody watches TV in a stool like this. If you're eating, you're gonna eat... you're not gonna just hang out. No back, can't lean back, can't swivel, nothing. This person is on edge. You're on edge. I wanna say, if you're not on edge, you're apathetic. There's no third chair here, and if you're not sure... To be aggressive and to be in pursuit is a decision that you have to make every day, every day.
Why am I saying that? Absolutely, put your hands together. The reason why I say every day is because you're adversary doesn't take a day off. Here's the thing about your adversary. He doesn't care if you come to church, really. He really doesn't care, just as long as you're apathetic while you're here. He doesn't care. You can sit here. You can sit in this chair at home. You can sit in this chair at the church. He doesn't care. Just be in the chair. You can't not pursue him or think about him or talk about him. Every day, you have to talk to him every day. Why is that? He doesn't take a day off. And listen to this: in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 8, it says that the enemy prowls around like a lion, seeking who he may devour, and he's devouring people every single day.
What's the first thing that he devours? I mean, we've all watched "National Geographic". He goes for the throat, and he goes for the heart. I don't know how those lions know that the heart is right there. They instinctively know. They know. He goes for your heart. He doesn't go for your marriage. He doesn't go for your money. He doesn't go for your body. No, he goes for your heart. He wants to kill your passion to put you right here, and how do you stay here? This is the wonderful thing about what I do. I don't have to tell you how to stay here, because you already know. You already know. Your spirit knows that you can't be living like everybody else, copying the behaviors and the customs of this world. You already know.
There's something in you. There's something in you that says, "I can't do what you do". And I'll tell you this: If you try to play back and forth, you're over here. I mean, don't lie to yourself. It's kind of like those circus people who ride on both horses at the circus, and like, "Haiyaiyai," and they're riding on both horses, and it's like, "Ah, you know, it's funny". That's not. That's not how it goes spiritually. You can't, this is not how it goes. The way it goes is two horses, one's going that way. One's going this way. Pick one, and if you think you're riding both, you're riding one. This is an urgency. Things are not optional.
"Ah, I'll be holy. Oh, I'll talk nicely sometimes. I'll talk nicely to you. I'll be kind to you. Sometimes I'll be kind. Sometimes I'll be kind". No, no, no, no. Ephesians 4:29, "Do not even speak unless it gives grace to the hearer". What if I were to come into your house and ask around? Why do I say your house? Because my wife knows me better than all of you. This is my public self. This is my best self. My wife knows my real self, so I can't come here with encouraging words here and then come home and tear my family up. It's not optional. You're here, and you're gonna be here, and you're not moving. This is you.
Here's my word for the year: that I'm praying for you is steadfast. My prayer for you is that you're steadfast. A rock in a hurricane, that rock is gonna be there after the hurricane. Everything else doesn't get blown away. That rock is staying there. I just wanna tell you, I can't predict what's coming up. There's a few things that we know are coming up, but there are unforeseen events that we cannot anticipate, and if we are not steadfast, we're gonna live in this seat, and if you know in your heart that the things of God bore you... They bore you. I want that to be the scariest thing in your life because Revelation 3, verse 16, it says, "You are either hot or you're cold. Because you are lukewarm, trying to be in the middle, I'm gonna spit you out of my mouth". You don't get to be apathetic and survive 2024.
By the time 2024 gets here, at the end, you're gonna be a worse you than you are right now. I can promise you that. You're gonna be colder. You're gonna be more, you're gonna have a lack of faith, a less faith than you have now. You're gonna be more offensive. You're gonna be angry. You're gonna be cutting. You're gonna be cold. You're gonna be a worse you than you are right now, but if you say, "Dear Lord, I'm pursuing you every day of my life, of my life", that's my prayer for you. That's my passion for you, and if... here's the thing I wanna share with you. As a public speaker, when I go, I come up here on a Sunday. The room is different every single Sunday. The next service, the second service, it's gonna be different than this service. I don't know what's gonna be different, but the crowd is gonna be different, and what do I mean by that? Attendance? No, that's not what I'm talking about. There's a kind of a mood of the room, right?
Speakers say, "Man, that was a tough crowd. Oh, that was a fun crowd". And as a speaker, I gotta come up here, and then within 30 seconds, if not less, it's like a combination lock, a master combination lock. "Well, I better, I'll figure it out," 'cause if I don't connect within 30 seconds, you guys are out. In the same way, if you don't figure out what is wrong here, you will end up here, and how do you figure out what's wrong here? You say to the Lord, "What am I missing? Why are they on fire, but I'm not? Why are they passionate, but I'm not? Well, I know I'm over here, but there's people around me that's over here. What am I missing? Please set me on fire. And I'm gonna ask you to set me on fire until I'm set on fire. Set me on fire".
Do you receive that? Come on. It's a big deal. It's a big deal. I got a friend of mine back there, Joe McCune. He's a two-time iron man. Let me just embarrass you. Stand up and wave at everybody. I love this guy. Love this guy. Love him. He was at... I think you were at the first service that this church ever had, weren't you, 18 years ago? And I tell you, the reason why I love him is because he... if there's one thing that he will do for the rest of his life is worship God.
That's why he's one of my closest friends. He doesn't live close to the church. It's a trek, and I remember early on, he said something to me, and I never forgot about it. He says, "Checkers is a game. This is not a game". It's not a game. Would you stand up on your feet for me, please? The reason why I prayed so hard this morning is it doesn't matter how well I speak, does not matter. I cannot talk you into changing one thing about your life. I can't. I can't do it. Unless the Holy Spirit touches your heart, you will walk out of this room the same way you walked in.