Look Up! Jesus Is Coming | Sunday Message

0:09 Let's say you're feeling lethargic and tired. You know, if you have a diet of social media and you don't take time for the Word of God, this is going to have a damaging effect. So this is just one of the things we talk about in this new book called What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know. Available at harvest.org. Hey there. Thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. I'm Greg Laurie, encouraging you. If you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org. Why don't you grab your Bible and turn to Luke chapter 21. As many of you know, I started out in my ministry as a cartoonist. I drew a little cartoon book called Living Water and then I created a couple of characters.

1:02 Ben Born Again and Yellow Dog, right? And so we have a brand new cartoon, a comic book out. If you want to get one in the bookstore, there's a young lady sitting in the front row. Would you like this? Bring that little toy with you too. I did not set this up, but look what she's holding. She has a Yellow Dog plush toy. That's cute. Thank you, Amelia.

1:26 Now don't read that while I'm speaking, okay? So Luke chapter 21 is our text. The title of my message is Look Up, Jesus is Coming. I heard the story of a salesman out on the road. After a long day of work, he went back to his hotel room. And he was getting ready for bed, sitting on the edge of his bed, taking his shoes off. And his first shoe dropped with a big thud. Then he thought, whoa, what if somebody's like in the room below me? I'll wake them up. So he took the other shoe off very quietly and set it gently on the carpet. He went to bed. 30 minutes passed. There's a knock on the door. He opens it. There's a man with dark circles under his eyes. And the man says, I'm in the room below you. And I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop so I can get some sleep.

2:23 I feel like our whole culture right now, in a way, is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even among non-believers, there is a recognition that something is going on in the world, something that is not good. Could this be what the Bible says would be the end of days? A USC Irvine study published this year revealed that up to 40% of Americans believe we're living in the end times. These are not church-going people. These are not Christians. These are not Bible students. These are just regular folks out there who are reading the same news headlines that you're reading, and they're wondering, are we in the last days? One expert said we live in a culture awash in apocalyptic imagery. In fact, the very word apocalypse now has become a secular word.

3:22 It's not just a word that we would use. Even nonbelievers are using it to describe the times that we're living in. There's a whole kind of programming now that's out there that they call apocalyptic fiction or doomer fiction. shows like The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, Black Mirror, The Handmaid's Tale. They all are of the doomer genre, a whole genre now, built around the times in which we're living. And so we wonder, are we in the last days? Of course, you know what I think about that. I believe we are. I believe Jesus could come back at any moment. And the church has been praying about this for over 2,000 years as our Lord taught us to. In the Lord's prayer, we say, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That's what we're praying for, the return of Jesus Christ. Well, here before us in Luke 21 is an answer of Jesus to a question. In fact, it's the longest answer he gave to any question that was ever asked of him. And the question was, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? This same talk that Jesus gave is also found in Matthew 24, often called the Olivet Discourse, because it was delivered on the Mount of Olives, which is right outside of the city of Jerusalem. So I want to talk about what Jesus said in this chapter, and just talk about the importance of talking about the end times in general. Why? Because 25% of the Bible is prophetic.

5:13 So it's not some obscure side note. The Bible literally oozes with the return of Jesus Christ. In fact, the New Testament contains over 300 references to the return of Christ. That's one out of every 13 verses. More than 29% of the 21,000 plus verses in the Bible contain prophecy. Okay, so I bring this up because if the Lord talks about it so much, shouldn't we pay attention to it? There used to be a time when you heard this topic addressed in church more often. But now we see some churches that used to talk about it not talking about it anymore. And that is a mistake. because there's a lot of advantages to studying the end times, or as it's sometimes called, eschatology, or the last days.

6:05 In fact, let me give you a quick five reasons why it's a good thing to talk about this and to study this. Number one, understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. Let me say that again. Understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. You know, if you're just reading news headlines, they call it doom scrolling on your phone, it's going to bring you down. A 2025 poll from the Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 38% of adults report worse sleep tied to doom scrolling before bed. And it's linked to anxiety and depression. I remember one person told me that things that are going on in the world keeps them up at night. That should not be the case.

6:57 Because understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. Jesus said when you see these things begin to happen, look up for your redemption is drawing near. Maybe we spend too much time looking down at our phones. And we don't spend enough time looking up. Remembering that Jesus said He will come back again. That's why the Bible calls it the blessed hope. In Titus 2.13 it says we wait for that blessed hope that is the appearing of the glory of God, of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. And by the way, that word blessed can be translated happy. It's a happy hope. It's a happy thing to know that Jesus could come back at any moment. Martin Luther said, and I quote, there are two days on my calendar, this day and that day, end quote. And that day that he was referring to was the hope of the return of Christ. Another reason it's a good thing to study Bible prophecy is it unravels the mystery of history. It unravels the mystery of history. We ask, Why is there so much evil in the world?

8:10 When will right prevail over wrong? When will Satan finally be judged? Answer, when Christ comes back and establishes his kingdom. There's great benefit in talking about this, in studying the end times events, and specifically studying the book of Revelation. In fact, that's the only book of the Bible It has an actual blessing attached to the person who reads and understands it. It says that there's a blessing for the person who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this book. So you're blessed when you have a biblical understanding of these things. I heard a story about a guy who loves studying the book of Revelation. And some academics came to him. They considered themselves great theologians. He said, why do you read the book of Revelation all the time?

9:04 No one can understand that book. It's an enigma. The guy says, no, I love to read it. And I understand it. Oh, do you? They said. Okay, then explain the book of Revelation to us. And he says, it means we win in the end. He got it right. He got it right. Another reason we should study Bible prophecy is it brings sense to our suffering. It brings sense to our suffering. What do you say to someone who has suffered a great tragedy? What do you say to someone who is dealing with a severe disability? What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one? What do you say to someone who is weeping with grief? you would say this is not God's final plan. You say there's coming a day according to Revelation 21.4 when God will wipe every tear from their eyes and there'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying for all those things are gone forever.

10:10 You say to someone who has lost a loved one who died in faith that one day the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are alive and remaining shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That's what you say. You say you'll be reunited with your loved one again. And that is why after he made that statement, the Apostle Paul added this, therefore comfort one another with these words. And Bible prophecy causes us to want to live a godly life. Studying Bible prophecy causes us to want to live a godly life. the more that we learn about the future, the more we'll be motivated to live right in the present.

11:07 You know, it's an interesting thing to note that whenever you read what the Bible says about the future, there is usually an exhortation to live a godly life attached to it. So it's always with a purpose. As an example, 2 Peter 3, 11 says, since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives we should be living. Right? So some people say, but it's too hard to figure out. It's too hard to understand. Know this, it is not God's desire to conceal, but to reveal. In fact, the very word revelation means unveiling. Jesus, when he talked about the abomination of desolation, which is when the Antichrist sets up the rebuilt Jewish temple and erects an image of himself in it and tells people to worship it.

11:59 Jesus says, let the reader understand. When you see the abomination of desolation, let the reader understand. In other words, hey man, figure this out. You need to know about these things. Paul, when addressing the topic of end times events, says, I would not have you ignorant, brothers and sisters. So we can understand these things and we need to understand these things to the best of our ability. So here we have the Olivet Discourse in Luke chapter 21 where Jesus is answering the question, what will be the sign of your coming? Let's go to Luke 21 verse 8. Watch that you are not deceived for many will come in my name saying, I am he and the time is near. Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars or wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen, but the end will not come right away.

12:57 Now Jesus is describing what we call the Great Tribulation period. In fact, if you were to take the events of the Great Tribulation and overlay them on Luke 21 and Matthew 24, you'll find that the events are in the order that are given. So the idea is that, let me give you a big picture. Here's kind of a prophetic timeline on the screen behind me. Can you all see that? Okay, so here's my understanding of end times events, which is 100% accurate, just so you know that. Of course, I do believe that. And I know there's differing opinions, and I respect their right to be wrong. No, seriously. This is how I see it. And the next event on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church. I'll talk about that in a moment.

13:49 where the Lord comes for us and we're caught up to meet the Lord in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Then we come to the emergence of Antichrist who inaugurates a seven-year tribulation period. Then we have the seven-year period that I'll talk about more in a moment. Then we have the culmination of the tribulation period, the battle of Armageddon fought in the valley of Megiddo. So it starts with the emergence of Antichrist It ends with the second coming of Jesus Christ. Then we have what we call the millennium, the 1,000-year reign of Christ. And finally, we have the new Jerusalem as a bride adorned for her husband coming down to our planet. So that's sort of the big picture. But to launch things, to inaugurate things, we have Antichrist.

14:45 Many will come in my name saying, I am Christ. Now the prefix anti does not only mean against, it also means instead of. So we have a man who will emerge on the scene that offers himself as the Messiah. And some will even believe he's Messiah for this reason. He'll be a peacemaker. He'll come with a peace treaty that'll get the other nations of the earth to sign that will last for three and a half years. He'll be charismatic, magnetic, intelligent, probably handsome as well. Think the devil wears Prada. So he comes on the scene and he even helps the Jewish people rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. So some will say he is the very Messiah. But as it turns out, he'll be revealed to be the most evil man who ever lived.

15:43 The Bible says Satan gives him his power. He's satanically energized. So instead of being the greatest peacemaker in reality, he's the greatest troublemaker, but it'll take time for people to understand that. Now, is the Antichrist alive today? I don't know the answer to that, but clearly things are ripe for this dark night to rise to power. He'll do with no other president, prime minister. king, queen, or world leader has ever done. He'll bring economic stability and world peace that will be short-lived. But Antichrist cannot be revealed until the church is raptured. 2 Thessalonians 2, 7 says, The secret of lawlessness is already working. Only it cannot be revealed.

16:38 Only he who now restrains is taken out of the way, or another translation puts it, only he who now restrains disappears from the midst. Then the wicked one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming. So the restraining work in the world today is the Holy Spirit working through the church. That's you, that's me. We're the ones that speak up for what is true. We're the ones that speak out against what is wrong. we're a restraining force of evil. But once we're removed, Antichrist can have full reign. In a technical sense, all hell can break loose. And so once we're removed, you can see how these things would go into fast forward. And then the tribulation period begins. Now, some people say, well, but no, the Bible says we'll go through tribulation.

17:32 Let's understand the difference between personal tribulation and the great tribulation. Okay, personal tribulation is something that will be experienced by every Christian. Jesus even said, in this world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. Rejoice when all kinds of trials come your way. The Bible speaks of this many times. So we will go through trials. We will go through personal tribulation. But there's a big difference between that and what we call the great tribulation period. A time lasting for seven years. We will not go through that. Speaking to the church of Philadelphia in the book of Revelation, Jesus says, because you've obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from that great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those that belong to this world. Next point, Israel and the Middle East play a key role in end times events.

18:33 Israel and the Middle East play a key role in end times events. And that's why all Bible students are watching with rapt attention of what is going on over there right now. With this ongoing conflict and war with Iran. With the tension between Iran and Israel. We're watching it with great concern. And in fact in verse 20 Jesus says, Luke 21, you'll see Jerusalem surrounded by armies. You'll know that the time of its destruction has arrived. Let those who are in Judea flee to the hills and those in Jerusalem must get out and those out in the country should return to the city. Now understand, these events, and I'll get to this in a moment, this hasn't started yet. We're not in the great tribulation period. The verse I just read is not unfolding, but here's what we're seeing.

19:26 We're seeing four shocks of it. We're seeing labor pains. Jesus described end times events as a woman getting closer to having her baby. And you ladies know who've had children that the closer you get to the birth of the baby, the closer the labor pains are to each other. So we're seeing labor pains closer together. Let me put it another way. We're seeing signs of the times, things that are happening. He used to be, you know, maybe every couple years something significant. would happen. Or maybe every couple of months. Nowadays it seems like every day there's something going on that alerts us to the fact that Jesus is coming. Right? So Jerusalem, this amazing, this is the most important city in all of the world. Not Washington, D.C., not Moscow, not Paris, not Berlin, not Norco.

20:24 Why do you laugh at that? That was not meant as a joke. That's insulting to the people of Norco that you laughed. How dare you? No, I'm kidding. It was meant to elicit a chuckle. But it's Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the city of the past, the present, and the future. It's a city of the past because so many of the significant biblical events happened there. That was, of course, the city of David, always has been the capital of Israel. Our Lord went to Jerusalem. He preached there. He was crucified outside of the walls of Jerusalem. It's a city of the present. We gather together, modern-day miracle. I'll talk about that in a moment. And the city of the future. God has a plan for her in the future. But isn't it interesting that Jerusalem is specifically mentioned as the key to these things. When the Jewish people returned to their homeland on May 14, 1948, it was a modern day miracle.

21:29 And it set the prophetic clock ticking. Consider this, never as a nation, but able to maintain its national identity even three to five hundred years after being removed from its homeland until Israel. They came back to their land again, the land given to them. So the key to understanding Bible prophecy is to understanding Israel and specifically the Jewish people. God has made a promise to them. Revelation, excuse me, Genesis 12. God says, I'll make you a great nation. I'll bless those that bless you and I'll curse those that curse you. Listen, this book we studied together, this is a Jewish book, primarily given to us through Jewish people. It's more than a Jewish history book, but it is that as well. It's a book that God has given us to show us how to know him and addresses everything we're gonna face in life.

22:28 But we learned so much about his people, the chosen people, the Jewish people in this book, and he loves them and has a plan for them. And he has not cast them off. Some would say, oh, well, God's done with the Jews and now all of the promises given to Israel have been transferred over to the church. This is sometimes referred to as replacement theology. Nothing could be further from the truth. Romans 11 says, has God rejected and deserted his people, the Jews? Oh, not at all. Okay, next point. The primary events of the end times have not yet begun. But once the first event takes place, the rapture of the church, all the rest follow in short order. You could compare it to dominoes closely stacked together. You've seen it before.

23:22 The first domino falls and the next one falls and on they go. And so that's what these events are going to be like. So we're waiting for the next event to happen. And so I know this is quite alarming and concerning and for some maybe even frightening. So Jesus addresses this. Look at verse 28. So when you see these things begin to happen, stand and look up for your salvation is near. Know this, governments change, wars erupt, threats increase, people panic, but Jesus says, look up. He doesn't say freak out. Why should I not freak out? Because God is still sovereign and God is in control. Right? Nothing is catching God by surprise. History isn't spinning out of control.

24:17 History is moving exactly as God said it would because history is His story. The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon put it this way, and I quote, The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which a child of God rests his head at night giving perfect peace. Does that make sense? The sovereignty of God. What is that? That means that God's in control. He's in control of everything that happens to your life, in your life. So nothing surprises God because you might be facing something right now that makes no sense to you at all. Why is this happening? I can't give you the answer to that, of course, but I can tell you this. God is sovereign. God's in control. He either did it or He's allowed it for His ultimate purposes. So you can lay your head on the pillow at night knowing that he has all things in his control. He knows what's coming. When God predicts the future, it's not like he's taking some big risk because God sees the future as clearly as I see the past. Well, I might even say more accurately because I sometimes forget the past. I love it when I'm telling a story of something that happened to me and my wife says, that's not the way it happened.

25:35 And I'll say, no, that's exactly how, no, no, you left out a couple of details. I said, excuse me, you weren't even there when it happened. She says, yes, but I remember how you said, told me about it the first time and you left out a couple of things and talk on it. She's right about that, so. So I forget the past, but God remembers the past with clarity. He knows the future with the same clarity. I remember a while ago I was watching the Super Bowl game and it was getting toward the end and I had to stop for a moment so I hit pause and I went and did something and then I got in a conversation and then I checked my phone and I saw on X, now formerly Twitter, I found out who won the game and how they won. That was a shock. Well now I went back and watched the rest of the game but I saw it differently because I knew what was going to happen, you see?

26:30 and that's how God looks at these things. He knows already. He's told us not to worry. This is how we should look at the world. We've read the last chapter. Jesus wins. Jesus wins and we win too. As I said, Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us. It's given to make us evangelistic, not argumentative. We shouldn't be focused on who is the Antichrist. We should be preparing people for the return of Jesus Christ. That should be our focus. Now Jesus closes this with specific words to each of us in Luke 21 verse 34. Now he's saying this is what you should be doing.

27:24 Light up what I've just told you. Watch out. Don't let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness and by the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. So keep alert at all times that your faith might be strong enough to escape the things coming when you stand before the Son of Man. So now he says, be careful. Here's some things to be aware of. The danger. A spiritually dull heart. Watch out, he says, let not your hearts be dulled. Then Jesus identifies three things that can dull our hearts in spiritual alertness. One of them is carousing. The other one is drunkenness.

28:18 And the third one would be worry. Carousing and drunkenness. Two of them are about numbing out and one is about worrying too much. Notice that Jesus puts partying and panic in the same sentence. I know they sound like opposites, but actually they're very similar in that they distract us. One is just partying away or numbing ourselves, alcohol use or drug use, and all the problems it can bring into our lives. And then carousing is a word that actually can be translated excessive partying, indulgence, and pleasure sinking. It's the idea of eating and feasting and drinking. and having the hangover. I remember this from many, many years ago when I was pretty young. And I would go out and drink with friends at night in the way I felt in the morning.

29:15 That horrible hungover feeling, right? I don't have that feeling anymore, of course, because I don't drink anymore. But I had a feeling similar to it after I went to the Orange County Fair. just the other day. Because I don't know if it's required when you go to the fair, but you must eat the worst foods. But is there any healthy food in any fair? It seems like you can't just get a little chicken leg. You get a turkey leg, right? And of course, Everything is deep fried. Deep fried Twinkies. Deep fried Snickers. Deep fried Ozempic. Everything is deep fried. they'll deep fry it somehow. So I ate a cinnamon pretzel, which was gigantic. And when I finally was done, I had sugar and cinnamon all over my shirt. And then I thought, what better way to top it off than with a corn dog? Because I wanted to do an experiment. I wanted to compare the Orange County Fair corn dog to the Disneyland corn dog. Because I'm kind of a fan of the Disney corn dog, I have to say. And so I tried it, and it was okay. But I have to say the Disney corn dog wins. All right. Just costs more, too. But it does win in this case. But, you know, afterwards you have that dull, icky feeling, you know. And if you go on a few rides, you know, and that only adds to it. But we don't want that dullness in our life that dulls us to spiritual things. Of course, drinking, drug use can certainly contribute to that and make, create whole new problems for you. But then there's the worry, the things that we're worrying about all the time. You know, maybe I don't party, I don't drink, I don't use drugs. Thank God you don't do that. But then you're just obsessed with this life and not even with bad things, just with things. You know, the worries and cares of this life. And you're so busy focused on this life. You never think about the afterlife. And it's important that we remember that our time

31:26 on earth is short. Live every day as though it were your last day because one day it will be. So live every day for the glory of God and a state of readiness. So if Christ were to return on that day or this day or tomorrow, we would be ready. So what is the solution to spiritual dullness. Jesus says, watch and pray. Watch and pray. You know, a lot of people spend a fortune on prepping for a physical apocalypse. They have bunkers and generators and freeze-dried foods, you know. But Jesus did not say, hunker down. He said, watch and pray. It's not a survivalist mentality. It's an evangelistic mentality. Like what can I do to influence as many people as possible before the Lord comes back again? So it's watch and pray. You know, I could be watching without praying and that just turns into anxiety. Oh, I look at what's going on in the world around me and oh, it freaks me out. No, it's watch and pray. But I could pray without watching, which makes me live in a state of denial. Act as though nothing is going on. Jesus links them together.

32:43 And then he says, don't let that day catch you unaware. That means be continually expectant. In Revelation 22, 20, Jesus says, surely I come quickly. And John, overwhelmed with this, says in response, even so, come, Lord Jesus come. We just sang that, didn't we? Even so, come. Lord Jesus come. So he starts with amen. Amen. So be it. Another way to translate amen is let it be. As St. Paul said, let it be. Paul McCartney, never mind. But all of my cultural references have been falling flat lately. I don't know what is happening. You have to be alert. You have to be aware. Sort of like when I ride my motorcycle. You have to be switched on. And I will tell you why. If any of you ride bikes, you know what I'm talking about. You have to be prepared for people doing the most ridiculous things. Because they don't see you, they don't hear you.

33:42 That's why I like loud pipes on my bike. I know it makes people mad. I don't have obnoxiously loud pipes, but you do hear me when I'm around. Because some bikes make no sound at all. Because as you're going down the road, you think that guy might just pull right in front of me. Or that person might just throw their brakes on. So you're in a constant state of readiness. You've got your foot lightly on the brake. You've got your fingers on your handbrake just in case you don't want to hit it too hard. You don't want to fall off your bike. But you're in a state of readiness. Very different from the state I'm in when I drive my car. And now we have self-driving cars. So you can go to sleep. I've seen stories in the news about people that just program their home and then go to sleep and let the car drive them. Well, you know, so you want to be alert and aware. That's the idea that is being communicated here. Be alert and aware. Watch and pray. Okay, pray. Pray about what? What should I pray as I await the return of Jesus Christ? Well, I should pray, Lord, keep me spiritually alert and awake. Keep me spiritually alert and awake. Romans 13 says, knowing the critical, strategic period of time. It is time for you to wake up out of your sleep and cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Wake up, man. Be alert. Pray that you are spiritually alert. Another thing you could pray is, Lord, help me to live a godly life. That's how Bible prophecy should impact us. 2 Peter 3.11 says, what kind of person should you be in holy conduct and godliness?

35:27 as you await the Lord's return. First John three says, he that has this hope, that is the hope of the Lord's return, purifies himself. So if I understand these truths of the imminent return of Christ as I should, it should impact me in the way that I live. And if it isn't impacting me in the way that I live, how well do I understand them? I think I'm missing the point. Heard the story of an old farmer. What an amazing dog. his dog walked on water. Really? And so he had a neighbor named Clem who wasn't impressed by anything. You know people like that? Nothing you say impresses them. So he wanted to impress Clem. So he said, Clem, let's go duck hunting tomorrow. And they went out there and his farmer fired off a shot and a duck landed in the middle of the lake. And sure enough, his dog ran across the top of the water, grabbed that duck, retrieved it, brought it back, dropped it at his feet. And he shot another duck. Once again, his duck walks on the water, gets the duck, brings it back, drops it at his feet. The farmer turns to his buddy Clem and says, what do you think about that, Clem? Clem kind of kicks the dirt and says, I don't think your dog knows how to swim.

36:41 That's how a lot of people are. When it comes to this topic, they just miss the point. If we really get this, it should cause us to live godly lives. Another thing I should pray is, Lord, give me opportunities to share the gospel. Jesus said, the fields are white to harvest. Pray to the Lord of the harvest. they would send forth laborers into the harvest. So, wow, everywhere I look, I see opportunities to talk about my faith. So I pray, Lord, send laborers into the harvest. But before you pray that, make sure you pray, Lord, send me into the harvest. You know, people say, I want to be used by God. I want to be a missionary. I want to cross this sea for Christ.

37:35 Why don't you start by crossing the street for Christ and talking to your neighbor. You have evangelistic opportunities, and if you think you don't, you're just not paying attention. They're all around you. So pray, Lord, give me more opportunities to share the gospel. Here's something interesting. There are some things you can only do in heaven, and there are some things you can only do on earth. Only in heaven can I worship without sin. Only in heaven will I be reunited with loved ones who have preceded me. Only in heaven can I receive my eternal reward. Only in heaven will I see Jesus face to face. But only on earth there are certain things I can do. Or I should say there are certain things I can only do on earth.

38:29 Only on earth can I share the gospel with someone. There is no evangelism in heaven. No need to share your faith in heaven because everyone already believes. So we need to do our evangelizing now. Only on earth can I store up treasures in heaven. You see, I can't write a check to support the work of the kingdom of God in heaven. There's no apple pay in heaven, okay? No Venmo in heaven. So do your giving while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going, right? Do it now. And when I invest my finances in the work of the kingdom of God, I actually lay up for myself treasures in heaven where neither moth or rust can corrupt nor thieves can break in and steal. Then Jesus adds this, and where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

39:27 Only on earth can I suffer and endure trials and draw closer to God. Only on earth can I suffer and endure trials and draw closer to God. You might say, well, I think I'll pass on that. Hold on now, buckaroo. There are some great things that happen when we come through times of testing.

39:53 You know, the Apostle Paul talked about a thorn in the flesh. A messenger of Satan sent to buffet him, he said, to punch him, to hit him. What does this even mean? What was this thorn in the flesh? No one knows. It's interesting. Paul could have identified it. He had a lot of thorns in the flesh. He had people always criticizing him, telling lies about him. Maybe that was this thorn in the flesh. He had maybe a physical problem. I mean, after all, this guy's been shipwrecked. He's been beaten with rods. He's faced all kinds of physical persecution. Some might even think it might have been his eyesight. But maybe that was his thorn in the flesh. A lot of things could be listed. But he didn't tell us what it is. But there was some kind of an affliction. Some kind of a problem. That continued to bother the great apostle Paul. And three times he prayed, Lord, take it away.

40:49 And by the way, there's nothing wrong with asking the Lord to take away your problem. And sometimes they'll say, okay. And other times they'll say what he said to Paul. And the Lord said to me, Paul says, my grace is sufficient for you. Then Paul concludes with these words. Therefore I boast about my weakness so the power of Christ may rest upon me. God allows hardship in our life many times so he can come through for you. Because when everything is going well, when all the lights are green and the skies are blue and the bills are paid and there's not a single acre pain in your body, you know what can happen? You can grow complacent and you can forget God. Oh, don't tell me you can't because we all know what it's like. We just say, everything's good. I don't need to be praying.

41:42 Maybe we'll skip church this Sunday too. Oh, but when affliction comes, when hardship comes, let's go to church. That's okay. I'm glad you're here. If that brought you here today, some kind of problem affliction. Or let's get people to pray. That's okay too, because it's got you praying more. It's like the psalmist said, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept your word. Think about a young man that I met a while ago, 16 years old. His name is Cannon. Cannon was living a great life, everything going beautifully. Then he found out he had stage four liver cancer. In other words, it was very likely that Cannon would die. And so we heard about what he was facing, and we asked him to come to church, and we prayed for him in the service.

42:37 Here's a photograph of us praying for him at Harvest Orange County. Here's a closer shot. Well, I don't have a current photo of Cannon. I wish I did, because God heard our prayer and touched and healed this young man. And just yesterday down in Huntington Beach, they did an outreach with a bunch of young people and Cannon got up and gave us testimony. And I love what he said. He said, I was 16 years old when I found out I had stage four liver cancer and it's one of the best things that ever happened to me because it brought me to Jesus. You see? There is nothing more important than being brought to Jesus. And there is nothing more important than staying close to Jesus.

43:33 You see? So we think, no, no. The blessed life is a life where there is no conflict. There is no difficulty. Everything is great. Well, that can be a blessed life. And if you are living that way right now, hallelujah, enjoy it. Because it won't last that long. But something will come. something will happen that will cause you to once again be dependent on God and to call upon His name. And God will be glorified through your problem, through your illness, through your disability, and you can use it as a tool to help others who are also suffering. So yes, when we get to heaven, we won't suffer anymore, but there are certain blessings that come with that suffering. Now let me just close with some of the rewards that are gonna be given to us in heaven because the Bible does tell us that there are rewards given for faithful service.

44:30 First Corinthians 3.8, each one of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor. You don't earn your way into heaven but once you're on your way to heaven, the Bible says that you should live in such a way that God will reward you when you get there. So the reason I'm going to heaven is because I believed in Jesus and was a recipient of his grace and mercy and he forgave me. But now with the life that I have here on earth, I want to do things for God's glory so I'll have some rewards waiting in heaven. There are specific crowns identified in the Bible that God will give for faithful service. For instance, there's the imperishable crown. The imperishable crown that's given for self-control and disciplined living. Paul compares himself to an athlete training for a race.

45:26 And he says, they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we do it for an imperishable crown. I don't think I ever won a single award trophy, not even a ribbon for athletic endeavors. And I competed. I tried, just never won anything. I have a friend that has so many ribbons he's won. So many. I said, if I had those, I'd wear them everywhere. I'd look like Mr. T.

45:56 You know, but we get these awards, maybe on our walls for academic achievement or because of our performance in some sport or in some other way. But then there's the imperishable crown. And that's what's waiting for us when we discipline ourselves and live godly lives. Then there's a crown of rejoicing. That's for those who lead others to Christ. Paul says, what is our hope or our joy or our crown of rejoicing? Is it not you in the presence of the Lord? Can you imagine getting to heaven and meeting someone who says to you, I came to Jesus because of your testimony. I came to Jesus because you took the time to share the gospel with me on a street corner in Tucson, Arizona in 1984. I don't even remember that.

46:51 Well, I remember it because that was the day I believed in Jesus Christ. And that's all recorded in heaven. God is aware of all these things that are done. That's why he says, your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly. so that faithfulness is known by the Lord. Then there's that great crown that he gives to all of us that's sometimes called the soul winner's crown. So this is gonna be given to us as well. But then there's the crown of righteousness. This is given to the person who looks forward to the return of Jesus. Paul says, I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the course. Henceforth there is later for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me in that day and not to me only but to all who love his appearing. What does it mean to love his appearing?

47:46 It means you look forward to the return of Jesus. How many of you are looking forward to the return of Jesus? Okay, you have a crown waiting for you. You have a crown waiting for you on the other side and that's a great hope that we have. Finally, the crown of life for those who persevere through temptation and trial. For those who persevere through temptation and trial. James 1.12 says, Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. The crown of life. So, every temptation you've resisted. How many of you have ever been tempted to sin? Raise your hand. Okay. You are a sinful bunch of people. So glad you're in church today.

48:38 How many of you have resisted the temptation to sin? Raise your hand. I hope as many hands go up. But interestingly, not as many hands. But you know what? Every temptation you've resisted, God noted. Well done. Well done. He has a crown waiting for you because you've done that. Or the trial you've gone through. Some people go through extraordinary trials and hardship in life. I can't explain it. Like why did that happen to them? This godly man, this godly woman having to go through life with that severe disability or that great difficulty or that loss of a loved one or something else. Why, Lord? I don't know the answer to that. I know one day all these questions will be answered. I know one day we'll look back and we'll see it all. and we go, oh, now I get it. Now you understand.

49:31 But for you that have gone through these things or you that are going through these things, God's gonna give you a special reward and a special crown in that final day. All right, what are we gonna do with these crowns? Just walk around wearing them. I got more crowns than you. I think I got about five crowns here. Looks like you have one. Maybe someone doesn't even have one. We're not getting these rewards to boast. In fact, we read in Revelation chapter four of the elders, the 24 elders, casting their crowns before the Lord, saying, worthy are you, Lord, to receive glory and honor, for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created. So why do we have these crowns? Lord, I just wanted to lay this down at your feet.

50:26 And I wanted to thank you for all that you did for me. No, I can never pay you back. But this is my way of just saying, Lord, thank you. I did what I could do with my life for your glory. Don't you want to say that one day? Don't you want to hear Jesus? Don't you want to hear Jesus say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord. So let's conclude. One day that other shoe is going to drop. The only question that will matter is, will you be ready when it happens? Jesus could come back at any moment. He could come back today. He could come back tonight. I honestly believe that with all of my heart. But then again, death could come knocking. We don't know when that's gonna happen.

51:20 That's why we need to always be ready. I said something earlier. Live every day as though it were your last day because someday it will be. So be ready. Be ready for the Lord's return or be ready to meet the Lord. And I ask you in closing, if this were your last day, if this were your last sermon you ever heard, if this were your last time to attend church and after this it would be your last meal. Would you be ready to meet the Lord? Do you know that when you die you will go to heaven? Are you sure you're ready for the return of Jesus? You say, well, actually, honestly, I'm not. No, what do I do? Tell me, I'm all ears. Okay, admit you're a sinner. You've broken God's commandments. You've fallen short of his standards. Recognize Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and rose again three days later.

52:13 And now turn from your sin, repent of your sin, as the Bible says, and ask Christ to come into your life, to be your Savior and your Lord. And when you do that, you will be ready for the Lord's return. Pray this prayer out loud after me. Pray these words now. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from that sin now, and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering it. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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