CERRO
GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
May 1,
2022
What do you believe?
Acts 1:6-8
We are going
to begin a series that is entitled, “Are we living in the end times?” Ever
since Jesus died on the cross and rose again, then ascended to the Heavenly
Father, believers have been looking for Jesus’ return. In Acts 1:6 we read that
the apostles asked Jesus before his ascension, “Will you restore the kingdom to
Israel at this time?” Jesus answered basically “no” by saying in the 7th verse,
“It is not for you to know the times or date the Father has set.” I am not
sharing these upcoming messages to scare anyone or to get anyone worried about
what lies ahead. I am sharing these messages because on some of the news
broadcasts they are asking whether the world is headed toward World War III
with what is going on in the Ukraine with Russia. With Russia seemingly
becoming more aligned with China and Iran, it is easy to wonder where this is
all going to lead. I feel obligated as the one entrusted to spiritually lead
this congregation at this time to have us as ready as we can be. We need to
fully understand what we believe and why we believe whatever that may be.
This morning
I am going to share a number of scriptures that show what Jesus tells us about
what is eventually coming to the world, as well as some other scriptures we
find in the New Testament. The most fundamental question we must answer for
ourselves is “what do we believe?”
Have you
thought about the fact the Bible seems to point to a time the world as we know
it will come to an end and Jesus will come back to earth to establish his
eternal kingdom? Do we believe this is literally going to happen, or is it a
kind of transformation earth will achieve without eternal life being part of an
actual plan from a creator God?
How many of
us have ever thought about these things? Are most of us aware the Bible talks
about these things as facts that will indeed come to pass. Let us dig into some
of the scriptures to better understand what is written in the Bible. First
Jesus talks about signs on earth that will point to God’s judgment on a sinful
world.
Luke 21:25-28 25 “There
will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in
anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint
from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly
bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they
will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things
begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption
is drawing near.”
We read what Jesus
is telling his disciples what to look for.
Matthew
24:3-14 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when
will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end
of the age?”4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one
deceives you. 5 For many
will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,
but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come. 7 Nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All
these are the beginning of birth pains.
He goes into more detail about what is
happening on earth just before the end of this age and Jesus returns. In the verses
in Matthew, Jesus is telling not only what will be going on in the last days
but also challenging God’s people to stand firm and to not be deceived by those
pretending to be Christian leaders who are really out to deceive.
Now let us look at some of the
scriptures found elsewhere in the New Testament.
2 Timothy
3:1-5 3 But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers
of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without
love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, 4 treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying
its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
In this we read
a list of attitudes that are becoming common in the world. In verse 5 we are
being warned that there will be a form of godliness but it is powerless. Basically,
a watered-down version of what God has made available to his people.
We will see if
we back up to 1 Timothy 4:1-3 some more warnings of what will happen during the
end times. It talks of people abandoning the faith and believing what is called
deceiving spirits. In verse 2 it goes as far as to say these false teachers are
hypocritical liars who have no conscience. Paul in these verses even warns that
they will discourage marriage and yet encourage people not to eat meat that God
has said is acceptable to eat. Any of this sound familiar in today’s world?
I Timothy 4:1-3 4 The
Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith
and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical
liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order
them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received
with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
The final
passage I will share with you today is found below.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 4 In the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his
appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the
word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not
put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. 4 They will
turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations,
endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the
duties of your ministry.
These verses are directed at the
church, at true believers. Paul again is warning in the last days there will be
a time when some in the church will turn from the truths of the Bible. People
will embrace things, that suit their own desires by looking for “godly teachers”
who preach what they want the Bible to say instead of what it really says. The
4th verse says they will turn their ears away from the truth and
turn aside to myths. In other words, to lies that are not truly in God’s Word.
These warnings were actually given to Timothy by Paul about some of what he
would encounter during the ministry God had called him to.
The question for us today is, does
any of what Paul was warning Timothy about happening in our world today? During
Paul and Timothy’s times they were battling a variety of pagan religions that
existed in their world. And some who were coming from those religions into the
early church were trying to bring some of these evil beliefs with them. Paul
was encouraging Timothy to stand strong in the true faith. In our world today
is the church being attacked if they believe in the historical views of
scripture? On a regular basis are we being told to accept things that not long
ago would have been rejected by almost everyone in the church. We must go back
to the question that the title of this message asks, “What do we believe?”
We will spend some time over the
next few weeks looking deeper into what the Bible says about some of the things
we read this morning. I ask your indulgence and patience as we look at the
times we live in and what the Bible tells us to be looking for. I pray the Holy
Spirit will lead us as we explore some of these things together. I hope never
to give my opinion as much as share what God’s Word says. We must each know
what we believe. Is what we believe based on what the world is telling us or
what God is revealing to us in his Word? The first question we must answer is
whether the Bible is trustworthy and still applies to the church and God’s
people today.
Bible Study 9:30 Tuesday
May 11 Board Meeting
6:15 Exec. Comm.; 7:00 Commissions; 7:30 board
May 15 Council Meeting
immediately following worship
May 18 12:00 Women’s
Fellowship Luncheon, a salad potluck
May 18 7:00 p.m. via Zoom—Stepping Out of Covid, sponsored by the District
potluck committee—info on bulletin board
To register for Camp Emmanuel, go to: www.campem.com
Women’s Camp begins the season, June 3-5
Offering plates are in the back of the sanctuary. Thank
you for your continued giving!
Donation Box: VBS
First Sundays: food donations for food banks
Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362
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Larrick; Anna Rose Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen; Anna Gentry Thompson;
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Hall; Tina Wilhelm; Baby Tate; Bryce Ashenfelter; Mindy Sawyer; Marlene Schultz;
Sarah Rudelick; Carl and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Kim Lehmann; Doug Fansler;
Candy Dobson; Shawn Cain; Robert Cripe; Mayo & Darlene Hanaver; Zola
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unspoken requests; Coronavirus crisis; healthcare workers and first responders;
the families of those who have died from COVID-19; those who are ill from the
virus; school teachers, staff, and students; victims of disasters; victims of
shootings; nursing home residents; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren;
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Military and Other
Services and their families
Brethren Volunteer
Service workers; Disaster project workers
District Prayer
Calendar: Pray for the Oakley Brick congregation
Church
of the Brethren vision statement:
Together, as the Church of the Brethren, we will passionately
live and share the radical transformation and holistic peace of Jesus Christ through
relationship-based neighborhood engagement. To move us forward, we will develop
a culture of calling and equipping disciples who are innovative, adaptable, and
fearless.
Our
Mission Statement:
Love
God, grow with others, serve faithfully, reach the lost, find peace.
