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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

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Eve and surrender to a God who loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And I can surrender to a God like that, a God of love.

And let's pray as we worship him today and open his word.

Father in heaven, yes, Lord, you are a God who is love and we can surrender all to you.

Thank you for caring for us, for caring for me.

And today, Lord, as We have gathered today in your presence.

We're about to open the Word of God, which is living and powerful.

And we ask, Lord, that you would speak, speak with your gentle yet powerful voice, and we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

Several chapters in the Bible are well known for a particular theme.

Exodus chapter 20 is known for the law of the Lord.

Psalms 23 for its description of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13 for the love of the Lord.

Hebrews 11 for the followers of the Lord.

Revelation 14 for the end time message of the Lord.

And Matthew 24 is known for the signs of the coming of the Lord.

Open your Bibles together with me to that chapter, to Matthew chapter 24.

So we open our Bibles to the gospel written by Matthew.

And here in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus directed the disciples' attention to signs, Signs in the religious, in the political, in the natural, and the social world.

And he spoke not of events that had already taken place.

Nor Did he speak of events that were currently taking place?

Instead, he spoke of catastrophic events that would take place sometime in the future.

Speaking of signs that would come before his return.

So as we think about Matthew 24, I know it's a chapter that many, if not all of us are familiar with.

So the question I have is, what are some of the specific signs that have come and what signs are we to look for?

Those are questions that have been asked and answered for many generations now.

That has been asked by countless people before us.

These are the questions that were asked by Pedro Caldermater, the brother of my great-grandfather, who in turn received answers by a pioneer missionary to Argentina by the name of Frank Westphal in 1897.

Now by that time, 1897, the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Leonid meteor shower of 1833 were both signs of the past.

When my family, 5 generations ago, were asking the questions, what are the signs?

The first 1 being 1 of the deadliest earthquakes in history and the other being a spectacular display of falling stars that was seen throughout the entire United States as an average of a hundred thousand meteors fell each hour.

Signs have been happening for a long time.

Signs found in Matthew 24 have been witnessed by many generations before us, not to mention wars and famines and pestilences and earthquakes.

We know that these signs have been coming for centuries now and certainly will continue to come.

But are we no longer wondering why they keep coming?

Why do these signs keep coming and coming and coming, 1 generation after the next, witnessing some of the same signs again and again and Again and again and again and again and again and again.

What happens when something is just repeated again and again and again and again?

Happens to you more often than what you think.

And are we so disinterested as in a stupor as to why the signs are even happening?

Maybe we are more than what we'd like to admit.

You know Jesus answered the why question.

Jesus answers that question in that same chapter, Matthew 24.

Jesus actually answers the question with a very short parable.

He says there in verse 32, Matthew chapter 24, verse 32, Now learn this parable from the fig tree, when its fruit has already become tender and purts forth leaves, you know, you know that summer is near.

That is to say that signs that are given by Jesus himself are for us to know that the time of his coming is near.

The signs were given to us by Jesus himself so that you and I would know that the time of his coming is near.

That's why the signs have been given to us.

And by knowing the times that we live in, What to do with that?

What are we to do knowing that the time of his coming is near?

Well Paul, the Apostle Paul, he has no problem answering that question in Romans chapter 13 verse 11.

So once you, we'll come back to Matthew, but let's go to Romans chapter 13 verse 11.

By knowing the times that we live in, what are we to be doing?

Apostle Paul puts it this way, and do this, he cuts straight to the point, do this, knowing the time which, pause, ought to result from the signs.

Because the signs were given to us so that we would know the time that the coming of Christ is near.

So do this, knowing the time that now, now, and now is now, now it is high time.

For Now, he's repeating himself, adding emphasis, now.

Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

What are we supposed to be doing with all these signs?

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