| End Time Christianity by Lionel Smith | |||
By Lionel Smith, Bishopstown, Ireland
Intro:
People are very interested in prophecy. People will come to hear
prophecy.
If I was to say today that I would be exposing who the AntiChrist is I
would get a huge
crowd. People would come from far and wide to hear the sermon but if
during that sermon I
preached against sin I believe I would loose my crowd as fast as I
gained the crowd.
This morning I am going to be speaking on prophet events. That is I am
going to be
speaking on events that were to come to pass after they were written
about.
The prophecy that I am going to be preaching about will not draw crowds
but it will
draw us closer to our Saviour and I would rather draw you closer to the
Saviour than draw
crowds.
1. End Time Preachers
Paul told Timothy under the inspiration of God what type of preacher he
should be and why
he should be that type of preacher
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
a. The first thing a Good Preacher does is Preach the
word.
i. A preacher is to proclaim the word of God.
Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three
sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the scriptures
ii. Many preachers spend most of their sermons
giving illustrations!
(1) Illustrations are good but they
are to be the helper to the sermon
not the meat of the sermon
iii. Many preachers tell great stories
(1) Stories are good but they are to
be the helper to the sermon not
the meat of the sermon
iv. It is the Word that will do the work of
God
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
v. “As heralds proclaim the will of their
princes; openly, publicly, and with
a loud voice, without adding to it, or taking from
speaking out the
whole, and keeping back no part of it; and that with all
courage and
boldness.” Gill
b. The preacher is to be Instant
i. He has to be in the Word all the time
ii. He has to be ready to teach the Word all
the time.
iii. In season and out of season he is to be
preaching the Word.
(1) In church or out of church.
c. Reprove
1 v.t. Reject. ME-E17. 2 v.t. Express disapproval of (conduct, an
action, a belief, etc.); censure, condemn.
i. No one likes being condemned for his
actions or beliefs
ii. If a preacher will not reprove he is like
the parent that will only feed his
children sweets, crisps, and minerals. The kids are happy
about it but it
will only ruin them. Many preachers are doing this very
thing.
d. Rebuke
Reprove or reprimand severely. ME. b Find fault with, censure,
condemn (an action etc.).
i. Rebuke and Reprove are very alike they
both have someone in authority
telling you to stop doing and believing wrong.
ii. Rebuke is strong than reprove
(1) A preacher starts off reproving
and then has to rebuke.
iii. Notice the preacher is giving twice as
much negative as positive.
iv. Sometimes the truth hurts but it is
helpful
v. The reason for the rebuke is to make them
sound in the faith.
Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that
they may be sound in
the faith;
(1) Negative preaching leads to
positive living
(a) Preaching against sin
leads to clean lives
(b) Negative = condemning
sin
(c) Positive= changed
lives
(2) Positive preaching leads to
negative lives
(a) Positive (Seldom
condmning sin) leads to sinful lives
(b) Postive = always
exhorting with out rebuking or
reprooving
(c) Negative= unchanged
lives (sin still there)
e. Exhort
Admonish earnestly; urge (a person) to praiseworthy conduct (foll.
by to do, to a course of action).
i. The preacher will need to urge the people
to live right,
ii. The preacher will need to urge the people
to talk right
iii. The preacher will need to urge the people
to dress right
iv. The preacher will need to urge the people
to give right
v. The preacher will need to urge the people
to witness right
vi. The preacher will need to urge the people
to be a right family
vii. The preacher will need to urge the people
to do everything in their life
right
f. All of these things to be done with
i. longsuffering
(1) This means the preacher will
have to suffer long
(2) This is like a parent does with
his children
(3) All reproving, rebuking, and
exhorting is to be done with
longsuffering.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth;
2 Timothy 3:10 ¶ But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life,
purpose, faith,
longsuffering, charity, patience,
ii. Doctrine
(1) All reproving, rebuking, and
exhorting is to be done with
doctrine!
(2) God gave us His Word for
doctrine
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2. End Time Christians
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
End time Christians will be very poor Christians. They will be full of
themselves.
Paul had earlier warned what end time Christianity would be like
2Timothy 3:1-6, 1Tim.
4:1-3
a. They will not endure sound doctrine
i. Sound doctrine has to be undured.
(1) Remember last week what we said
about enduring!
Undergo, bear, (pain, opposition, hardship, etc.), esp. without
giving way. ME.
(2) Sometimes it is painful to have
sound doctrine - it hurts our
pride
(3) Doctrines that go against the
flesh have to be endured
(a) Hell
(b) Sin
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy
rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away.
(c) Judgement
ii. Sound doctrine is doctrine that stands the
test of the whole Word of
God.
(1) Cults have false doctrine that
is based on Scripture taken out of
context
(2) Modern day Christianity says we
do not care about doctrine.
iii. They will reject the preacher of sound
doctrine
(1) They rejected Jesus because He
preached the truth.
John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
(2) The Galatians did not want the
truth
Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the
truth?
b. They will follow their own lust
i. They will find someone that satisfies the
flesh instead of a preacher that
condemns their fleshly desires
ii. The do not want preachers that preach
doctrine.
c. They will get the teacher they want
i. They will heap.
(1) Just get more and more
(2) Not satisfied
(3) Need many pastors to fill their
ears with what they want to hear.
ii. Notice not preachers!!
iii. Preachers will
(1) reprove
(2) rebuke
(3) exhort
(4) with longsuffering and doctrine
iv. Teachers don’t tell you what the Bible
says against your sin!
d. They will have itching ears
i. They want to be amused
ii. They want to be flattered
iii. They want new things.
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and
ask for the old
paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But
they said, We will not walk therein.
iv. They want to be entertained.
(1) Ill of Vincent first coming to
church. Our church did not
entertain him but he did hear the Word of God
preached.
(2) Modern churches are based on
entertaining the Christian instead of reproving, rebuking and exhorting
the Christian.
v. They will be like the people of Athens
Acts 17:19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying,
May we know what
this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain
strange things to our
ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the
Athenians and strangers
which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell,
or to hear some new
thing.)
3. End Time Preachers for End Time
Christians
v. 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables.
a. They do not like the truth because it condemns them
i. The Christians don’t want the truth
because it condemns their life style
ii. The Preachers don’t want the truth because
it will condemn their
preaching.
iii. If you want the truth God will give it to
you
iv. If you want a fable God will give it you
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them
over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
b. They end time preachers will turn people from the
Truth(the Word) to fables,
stories.
i. Fables - false and unprofitable doctrines
Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men,
that turn from the
truth.
ii. Every preacher preaches doctrine it is
just do they preach sound
doctrine or false doctrines, fables.
iii. Modern Christians want the Light of truth
put out so they can be
preached fables to.
Concl:
What type of Christian are you?
What type of preaching do you want?