Sunday Worship 1 September 2024 : The end is not yet

Text: Matthew 24:1-8
1 September 2024

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

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

6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:1-8

INTRODUCTION

1. We live in troubled times

2. There are some who say that things will get better

3. What do the Scriptures have to say about these times?

4. We are reminded of what the Lord Jesus forewarned

6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:6-7
a) Wars and rumours of wars
b) Nation against nation
c) Kingdom against kingdom
d) Famines, pestilences
e) Earthquakes in various places

IN THE DAYS OF THE LORD JESUS

1. Rome ruled over a vast empire

2. Judea was ruled by the Romans

3. The Jews took pride in their Temple

4. The disciples were taken up with the beautiful Temple they saw

THE FIRST WORD OF WARNING GIVEN BY THE LORD

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2

1. The Lord Jesus was unimpressed with the physical temple

2. He foretold the destruction of the Temple

3. Every stone would be thrown down

4. This was unexpected by the Disciples

5. Thus, they asked the Lord to explain further

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:3
a) When would the Temple be destroyed?
b) What will be the sign of His coming?
c) What would be the sign of the end of the age?

THE LORD’S RESPONSE

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

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

6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:4-8

1. The danger of Deception

a) Many would become fearful
b) False teachers would arise and they would be successful in deceiving many
c) Those who are fearful would listen to anybody who offers a solution

2. The danger of a very troubled world

a) Wars and rumours of wars
b) Nation will rise against nation
c) Kingdom will rise against kingdom
d) Famines and pestilences will follow
e) Added to all of the above, natural disasters like earthquakes

NEEDED WORDS OF WISDOM

6b See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:6b, 8

1. Do not be troubled

2. These things must come to pass

3. But the end is not yet

4. All these are the beginning of sorrows

CONCLUSION

1. We need to grow our knowledge about The End Times (Biblical Eschatology)

2. We will need a stronger faith in the Lord

3. We will need to find greater courage and strength to be able to cope

4. We need to begin to take the right steps