"The Call to Actively Endure for the Kingdom"(Mathew 24:4-14)

The Call to Actively Endure for the Kingdom 

Mathew 24:4-14 

The time that the Lord was crucified was the beginning of the end, and the people who were following Jesus needed to be prepared for the end. The Holy Communion has been given to us so that we may be reminded to endure and wait for the end. It sounds like a blessing but also a warning for us to be ready for the end. In today’s sermon Pastor Donald preaches about Jesus’ warning of the end times and the importance of actively waiting in obedience for Jesus’ second coming found in Matthew 24:4-14.

Those who accept these words of Jesus are His servants. As servants to the King who has conquered we are also victorious. So then why do we suffer? At times, it seems like Jesus is not here with us. If Jesus is the lord of the universe and has defeated evil, then why is there still so much evil? 

The world is full of suffering and injustice, and there are many examples of these. One example is the current civil war in Syria. By 2016, this civil war had seen 400,000 deaths. Sadly the war continues and so do the unnecessary deaths continue to rise. This is one item on a long list of grief, unfairness and strife in our world. 

With so much suffering and wars going on, some Christians are giving up while others are just living for themselves. Jesus’ second coming is tarrying too long for some people. Some of these people have lost faith or just see it as a reason not to believe. However, Jesus tells us that this is evidence of the coming end. When a prophecy is given there is usually indicating signs. We see this is in verse 6.  

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 

Matthew 24:6 ESV 

There is a real problem here. Will he come back early or will it take longer. Actually, this is not the problem. We need to be actively waiting for his coming, yet many of us are passively just waiting. 

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 

Matthew 24:22 ESV 

We need to understand that Jesus tells us in this verse that He is fully in control. He will shorten the days for the sake of the chosen ones. Make no mistake, His timing is to save the righteous and as many righteous as Jesus can.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

Matthew 24:13 ESV 

In this verse we see that the believer must endure in order to be rescued. What does this mean?

Here are three things that believers are expected to do while waiting for Christ’s return.

  

1. 

We are expected to wait but to continue to behave like followers of Christ. As servants of Jesus, it is not enough to call him Lord but we must act like servants of Christ.

2. 

These perilous times are not going to end to tomorrow. We need to accept this and patiently endure with faith. We are expected to confront the evil that comes up, so we need to ready. As a believer, you will be rejected by the world. Many will fall because it seems Jesus is not coming back, but if you endure, you will be saved.  

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 

Matthew 24:10 ESV 

Even in our congregation there will be those who will make us stumble. This is part of life. We are expected to learn to forgive and grow beyond such petty issues. Someday, we will all meet Jesus as individuals. We are responsible for our actions and choices. 

3. 

Jesus will surely come again, but before that happens there will be an increase in false teachings. We are expected to know the Word so we will endure and not be dissuaded from the truth. We also need to strengthen our faith. False prophets will come with objective and subjective arguments. This can lead us to questioning and doubting our faith, so we need to be aware and confident in our beliefs. 

Jesus will come back and until He does, we have work to do. Let’s encourage one another to do the good work set before us to expand the kingdom of God and be careful not to fall into the traps of the enemy.