Discerning the Times (Steven DiFrancesco, 10/18/25)

Let's bow our heads. Heavenly Father, Lord, we

come to you as we are. Imperfect. In need of

a Savior. In need of transformation. In need

of a new life with you each day. Lord, we ask

that your Holy Spirit will be here with us. Fill

us, O Lord. Help us to understand the times that

we're living in. Open up our hearts and minds

to listen to your word. We ask this in Jesus'

name. Amen. On a Monday in the year 2000, in

the month of September, a young man by the name

of Kevin Hines got into a bus, a bus that was

headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Throughout

the ride, this young man... had an internal battle.

And the battle began to intensify in his mind.

He had auditory hallucinations. He had thoughts

that he was worthless. And throughout the ride,

he said to himself, if there's anyone in the

bus that notices my anguish and my pain, I won't

do it. So he said that to himself. He waited.

And no one noticed. Here comes the bus approaching

the Golden Gate Bridge. He gets off the bus.

Again, the voices are intensifying in his mind.

He approaches the bridge. And out of the blue,

someone puts out their hand, a woman. And he

looks down. She's holding a camera. And he tells

Kevin Hines, would you kindly take a picture

of me? He was sobbing and crying. He looked at

her, and he obliged. He said, sure, I'll take

your picture. She did not notice his pain. So

at that moment, he heard a loud voice that told

him, jump! And he obliged, jumped, and he had

only about three to four seconds before he hit

that first splash. So in those three to four

seconds, In the nick of time, he made a prayer.

He said, Lord, save me. Forgive me and save me.

And then he thought, maybe I should turn my body

and put my feet first so I can hit the water

with my feet. And that's what he did. He got

in the water, but then another fear creeped in.

The depth of the sea. He thought, I'm either

going to drown. Or sharks are going to eat me.

But at that moment, when he's thinking these

catastrophic things, obviously he thought he

was going to die. I mean, that jump, only what,

97 % of the people that do that die. But out

of the blue, he feels some kind of sea animal

nudging at him. And he thought, this is a shark

for sure. So he starts punching the shark that

he thought it was a shark. And then he realizes,

oh. He is holding me. It was a sea animal, a

sea lion, that held him in the water enough time

for the Coast Guard to realize that they need

to come and rescue Kevin Hines. And they rescued

him that day. He sustained major injuries. His

vertebrae fractured. And I had the privilege

to go to one of his conferences, and he goes

around the world today talking about... suicide,

and saying that it is not the answer, but the

problem. And in that nick of time, he remembered

to ask God to save him. You and I today. What

kind of problems do we go through? And in the

nick of time, we need to make that prayer to

help us align our minds and our hearts in the

heavenly throne, the direction of the heavenly

Canaan. That story also reminds me of someone

who, in another state, also approached a bridge.

She drove down, and as she thought about doing

the same thing that Kevin Hines did, out of the

blue, somebody comes in, grabs her, and takes

her to a hospital, a psychiatric unit. He helps

her to check in. She turns around, and he vanishes.

Gone. So she thought, could this have been an

angel? We don't know that. Only God knows. But

even angels are working hard at the time of the

end we're living in to help us take the message

to the world, to help us carry the message all

around the U .S. and all around the world. Take

heed. Understand the depth of a cosmic conflict.

Revelation 12, 12. Let's read it again. I invite

you to go there. Revelation 12, 12. Therefore

rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them.

But woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the

sea. For the devil has come down to you having

great wrath because he knows that he has a short

time. Now. to be able to comprehend the depth

of the cosmic conflict. The Apostle Paul tells

us that we need a spiritual mindset. Because

what does he say in 1 Corinthians 2, 12 -14?

Spiritual things are what? Spiritually discerned.

And we must compare spiritual things to spiritual

things. Additionally, Peter talks to us about...

what they have lived. 2 Peter 1 .16, you can

go there if you want with me, 2 Peter 1 .16.

He says, we did not follow cunningly devised

fables. What we heard, what we saw, we were eyewitnesses

of his majesty. Peter is also saying that, look,

we did not package something nice for you to

buy. We did not manufacture a lie. We did not

do it with second intentions, with a hidden agenda.

What we saw, what we lived, who we spoke with,

our Lord Jesus Christ, we saw his majesty. And

he walked among us 2 ,000 years ago. And he says

later on in 2 Peter 1 .19, he highlights, But

we have the prophetic word confirmed. The prophetic

word confirmed. Let's read it really quick, real

quick. 2 Peter 1 .19. And so we have the prophetic

word confirmed, which you do well to heed as

a light that shines in a dark place. Thy word

is a lamp unto my feet. and a light unto my path.

The prophetic word is sure, steadfast, strong,

guiding you and I today. You can trust it, because

God knows the future. The study of eschatology,

the events in the final times, should not cause

fear, but hope, because it is what? The revelation

of our Lord. Jesus Christ. We have the prophetic

word confirmed. And look at Matthew 16 .3. Go

there with me. Matthew 16 .3. Now, Jesus is speaking

to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and they're

asking him for a sign. At one point he tells

them, I won't give you any sign. I'll give you

the sign of Jonah. And here he tells them, Matthew

16, 3. Hypocrites, you know how to discern the

face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs

of the times. You can distinguish if it's going

to rain, if it's going to be a sunny day, but

you can't distinguish who is among you. The living

bread come down from heaven. The Messiah among

you. And you are still following your calculations,

saying that, well, Elijah needs to come first.

And what did Jesus say? But Elijah has already

come. And who was Elijah? John the Baptist. But

Elijah has already come, and they did to him

whatever they wanted. They missed the signs.

Will you and I miss the signs of the second coming?

They missed the signs of the first coming of

Jesus. But now he's coming as a conquering king.

He came first as a servant. And this is where

they had a misperception. A misperception. They

perceived to be the Messiah as a ruler who would

deliver them from the Roman Empire. But first

he came for all of us to pay the penalty of your

sin and mine. In that Roman cross. You know how

to discern the face of the sky, but not the signs

of the times. Discern, what does that mean? There

are many ways to define the word discernment,

but I'll go with one definition here. The ability

to properly fine -tune your perceptions to capture

something of value. Properly fine -tune your

perceptions to capture something of value. Perceive,

differentiate, and make sound judgments. Are

we discerning the times we're in? Or do we fall

into the trap of the enchantment of the success

of the world, things that we look for? Worldly

aspirations, what about heavenly aspirations?

Cares for this world, what about caring for your

soul? Guard your heart and your mind. It says

in Proverbs, for out of it flow the things of

life. Are we too focused on problems and obstacles

that get us... and distract us away from the

Word of God? Because in order to have spiritual

perception, we need time perception. Dr. Simbardo

and Dr. Boyd, what do they say? Our scarcest

resource, time, is actually much more valuable

than money. Time. The most valuable resource,

yet the most manipulated resource, time. The

most important resource, yet the most untapped

resource. Because we have to divide our day between

60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, and

24 hours per day. And sometimes we don't get

to have enough time with the Lord, and the Bible

says it's there. right in front of you, either

sitting right next to your lampstand or right

around the kitchen area or right around where

the television is. And sometimes we don't engage

in that battle with a serious comprehension that

the time is short. The time is short. And God

is calling you and I today to redeem the time.

Brothers and sisters, we are, what, six days

out from an evangelistic series, a prophecy series.

Less than a week out to start off. We need to

pray. You know why? Because we don't know, but

for some people, for some people, this might

be their last chance. For some folks, this could

be the last opportunity that they have. To listen

to present truth. To listen to a prophecy series

that is Bible -based and based in the spirit

of prophecy. This could be the last time also

for people to accept Jesus as their personal

Savior. Because we really don't know what could

happen to them after this series. So let us take

that seriously and pray for them to open up also

our minds and hearts to meet their The signs

of the times are speaking, brothers and sisters.

They are indeed saying a lot of things. And I'm

just going to read to you real quick some of

those facts that really put us at the edge of

the end of the times. Let's just look at school

shootings. How many here have kids that go to

school? How many prefer to do homeschool? Back

in the day when I used to go to school, that

was a long time ago, this was not a problem,

school shootings. Mass school shootings. Sure,

the problem was maybe there was a fight here

and there. I went to public schools, by the way,

for the most part. And you would hear about a

fight in school, and you'd be kind of excited,

like, oh, what's going on? We had no selfies,

no way they're going to take a video of that.

But nowadays... That's not much of a problem

now, is it? Of course it is a problem. But now

the risk of kids dying in school, it's really

concerning. And look what the stats say. From

1997 to 2022, there were 1 ,453 school shootings,

with the number of shootings each year increasing

to a maximum of 328 school shootings. between

the years of 2021 and 2022 in the U .S. alone.

What did God say about the end of times? Did

he not say it will be like the times of Noah?

And in the times of Noah, what did it say in

Genesis? Violence was out of control. Violence

was out of control. Now, the research done about

school shootings also notes that school shootings

have become deadlier. From seven deaths per shooting

in 1997 to 2012, now we're up to 14 deaths per

shooting from the years 2013 to 2022 when the

research was completed. That's doubling the number

of deaths between those years. So school shootings

have become more. more of a problem. They are

deadlier, and we need to pray for our kids. We

need to pray for our kids. Natural disasters,

you see it all the time on television and on

your iPhone, if you have an iPhone or some kind

of smartphone. Now, according to the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2023,

the U .S. endured the most billion -dollar disasters

ever. That was only two years ago. 2023 was the

peak year of how much it costed Americans to

pay for these disasters, surpassing the previous

year in 2020. In 2023, there were 28 weather

and climate disasters, including one winter storm

or cold event, one wildfire event, one drought

and heat wave event. four flooding events, tornado

outbreaks, two tropical cyclones, and 17 severe

weather and hail events across many parts of

the country. If this is not concerning to you,

perhaps this could be a little bit more concerning

to you. This just came out a few days ago. Researchers

at Virginia Tech, they are sounding the alarm.

about an extraordinary mega tsunami that could

submerge multiple U .S. states. And what is the

problem there? Where? Well, the problem is, this

is in the West Coast, it's all about the Cascadia

Subduction Zone, one of North America's most

dangerous fault lines, which stretches about

600 miles from northern Vancouver Island. In

Canada, all the way down to Cape Mendocino in

California. So, if a powerful earthquake occurs

there, it could trigger a doomsday wave that

could swamp much of the U .S. West Coast, including

Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

And according to the researchers, there is about

a 15 % chance of a magnitude 8 or stronger quake

along this line within the next 50 years. Now,

you might say, well, 15 % chance, eh, I could

play with those chances. However, they say that

by 2100, an earthquake is almost guaranteed to

hit in that area. And they, according to their

research, they say that it could trigger a 1

,000 -foot tsunami capable of killing 5 ,800

lives. 5 ,800 people, and another 8 ,000 people

resulting from the tsunami effects. If it hits

a magnitude of 8 or 9, and they're saying it's

pretty much a guarantee by 2 ,100. I'm not trying

to scare you if you live out in the West. I'm

just trying to bring some attention to what is

happening around the world and how do we need

to respond to these events. And what the science

is saying as well. But look at what the Bible

says. Luke 21, 25. Luke 21, 25. And I'll just

paraphrase. And on the earth, distress of nations

with perplexity. And what does it say there?

The sea and the waves roaring. This is... This

is real. The Bible predicted these tsunamis over

2 ,000 years ago. And we're seeing the evidence.

But the question is, how do we respond to that

evidence and what's going on around us? Do we

trust in the Lord that he can carry us through

these final events? Do we spend more time on

our knees and meditating on the Word? Not meditating

on Buddhist mindfulness, because in the Buddhist

religion, there's no concept of sin, which, by

the way, Buddhist mindfulness is a big problem

now in the world, because it's turning people

away from the Word and into this particular practice.

Which does not help the people to realize that

we need to pay attention to the final events

that are coming down quickly. Spirit of Prophecy

says, the calamities by land and sea, the unsettled

state of society, the alarms of war are portentous.

They forecast approaching events of the greatest

magnitude. The agencies of evil, Because they

know they have a short space, a short time. They're

combining and consolidating their forces. They're

strengthening for the last great crisis. And

look at this. It says, Spirit of Prophecy, Great

changes are soon to take place in our world.

And pay attention to this. And the final movements

will be rapid ones. God is telling us to wake

up. Wake up and pay attention to these things.

Pay attention to these things. The Spirit of

Prophecy lets us know that we need to be aware,

not only of our own personal life, but also care

for others, pray for others, be someone's hands

when they're in need, and help them. To follow

Jesus. Now, when we look at the small bracket

of time that we have, we can conceptualize the

2300 day or year prophecy in Daniel from 457

B .C., the decree to rebuild Jerusalem according

to Ezra 1, 1 -27, all the way down to 1844, the

start of the pre -advent judgment. That's the

longest time prophecy has already been fulfilled,

and we are living on borrowed time. So think

about that for a minute. Think about that for

a minute. Count the number of years from 1844,

pre -heaven judgment, to now, that is 181 years.

And how many years did God give the antediluvians?

When he spoke to Noah, 120 years. So we're already

over that, living on borrowed time. Now look

at it another way. Whichever way you want to

look at it, perhaps look at it this way. Since

creation of Adam and Eve, and since the fall,

or since creation, all the way down to the flood,

2 ,000 years. From the flood all the way down

to the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 ,000 years. And since our Lord Jesus Christ

came to earth the first time, until today, that's

2 ,000 years plus 25 more years. So it looks

like it appears that every approximately 2 ,000

years, something significant, something pivotal.

happens in the world shouldn't that wake us up

a little bit we are definitely living on borrowed

time now the greek word for short in the verse

we read in the scripture reading the greek word

for short is oligos oligos and in that verse

it is often used in the context of time denoting

words such as A little time, a little while,

a short space. So that short space is telling

us that we need to move forward. Now in Revelation

12, 12, as we were reading before, it refers

to the casting out of Satan at the time of the

crucifixion of Christ to the end of Satan's tyranny

over the inhabitants of the earth. And Jesus

says this in John 12, 31. Now is the judgment

of this world. Now the ruler of this world will

be cast out. And if I am lifted up from the earth,

will draw all peoples to myself. All peoples

to myself. Or in Greek, just the word all. Because

not only did the crucifixion draw, the family,

the human family to Christ, but also it brought

attention from all the worlds that did not fall

and from the heavenly angels, attention to the

king of kings who paid the penalty of your sin

and mine and died that second death so that you

and I today would have a chance, so that you

and I today would have strength. through the

trials and tribulations that we go through. An

article back in 2021 polled about 10 ,000 people

from all the regions of the world between the

ages of 16 and 25. So young people between the

ages of 16 and 25. Now, the results were interesting.

The article says that 75 % perceived that the

future is frightening. That's three -fourths,

75%. Most of the people that were polled, they

think that the future is very scary, very frightening.

56 % perceived that humanity is coming to an

end. That's about half. Half think that, okay,

the end is coming. And about 39 % endorsed that

they were hesitant to have children because the

future was so bleak. And what does Luke 21, 26

say about that? Luke 21, 26. Go there with me

quickly. What does it say? Men's hearts failing

them from fear and expectation of those things

which are coming on the earth for the powers

of the heavens will be shaken. will be shaken.

Men's hearts failing them. Fear, expectation.

But in Christ Jesus, we go through the time of

trouble with no fear, but assurance that he's

got your back in mind. But assurance that he'll

guide you all the way through if you trust him.

And he will transform your heart and mind to

align ourselves. with the heavenly, heavenly

host. Men's hearts failing them. Now the word

of God says, and war broke out in heaven. That's

in Revelation 12. Michael and his angels fought.

Michael and his angels fought with the dragon.

and the dragon and his angels fought, but they

did not prevail. That's key. They did not prevail.

The controversy is transferred to planet Earth.

It might seem that sometimes sin and lawlessness

is prevailing. It might seem that sometimes things

are going so bad for your family that it's unfair.

It might seem that sometimes the dangers are

too much for you and I to bear. It might seem

that sometimes economic troubles are threatening

to destabilize your home. It might seem that

sometimes you're going through something that

you cannot solve. It might seem that way. But

hang on. Hold on. Like Kevin Hines, keep praying.

Because God will. God will save you. But he did

not prevail. He was cast out. And even though

Adam and Eve opened the door for sin to enter

into the world, another door opened right away,

life. Because when sin came in, life came in

with it through our Lord Jesus Christ. And we

have the power in the Lord. to see it through

all the way to the end. But it is the Holy Spirit

who convicts us of sin, of righteousness, and

of judgment. If you take away the Holy Spirit,

which is part of the Godhead, you take him away

from the equation, you are lost, and the fall

is sure to come quickly. But God is still calling

you and I today. To come out of anything that

is obstructing your personal growth with Him.

Take an inventory of your own life. Examine your

own life. David did that as well. He said, examine

me, O Lord. Examine my heart, my mind. The Word

of God is sure able to take us all the way through.

And all the way through, we will prevail. Not

because of our strength, but because God has

the strength and the ability to provide for everyone's

need. So war broke out in heaven. The controversy

is still unfolding today. It's still a problem

today. And what does Revelation say? Look at

it, Revelation 22. given us the idea that we

need to pay attention. It says, Revelation 2,

22, 7, Behold, I am coming quickly. It doesn't

say, Behold, I am coming maybe sometime in the

future. Behold, I am coming quickly, swiftly.

It is the imminent coming of the Lord. Blessed

is he who keeps the words of this prophecy of

this book. There's a blessing to those who keep.

The Word. Earlier, before that, Revelation 1,

Revelation 1:3

verse 3, what does it say? Right at the outset

of the opening of the book, it says, Revelation

Revelation 1:3

1, verse 3, Blessed is he who reads and those

who hear the words of this prophecy. Hear, read,

and keep those things which are written in it,

for the time is near. Hear, read, keep. For faith

comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of

God. That is the answer, and Revelation opens

up a beautiful fountain of precious knowledge

to put us in the context of the end of time,

Daniel and Revelation, so that we are founded

on truth. Not on speculation, on truth. not on

speculation. So the question is, well, then how

do we engage? You might ask yourself, how do

we do this? What strategies do we employ so that

we can awaken our minds? That would be a good

question to start off for the week as we approach

the prophecy seminar. As we approach the evangelistic

series, it might be good for us to pay close

attention to... a few things that I will mention

now. Hebrews 4 .12. What does it say? Hebrews

4 .12. For the word of God is living and powerful

and sharper than any two -edged sword, piercing

even to the division of soul and spirit and of

joints and marrow, and is a what? and is a discerner

of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

Spiritual discernment vis -a -vis, through the

Word of God, discerns the intent of the heart.

Because on the outside, some people might be

doing something nice or good for society, but

if they have... selfish intentions. Is that according

to the will of God? The Word of God discerns

the intents of the heart. Ephesians 5, 15, and

16. Another aspect of this time perception, this

short time we have, to be able to stay in the

Word and in the Spirit, it says, Ephesians 5,

15, and 16, See then that you walk, see then

that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but

as wise. And what does it say, verse 16? Redeeming

the time because the days are evil. Time redemption.

In Greek, the word there is exagorazo, which

means redeem, which means. Rescue from loss.

Have you lost time? Rescue it. Redeem it according

to the will of the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit. Have you lost time with too much internet?

Too many video games? Have you lost time with

too much concerns about when to get this, that?

Nothing wrong with buying things, but have you

lost too much time on the cares of this world?

That has taken you away from the word, and you've

lost your way. You've lost your path. God can

bring you back, redeem, rescue from loss. And

it says also, because the days are what? Evil.

Now, when I think of that, the days are evil,

these final days, I ask myself this question.

What is your philosophy of evil? It's important

to ask that question because we're living in

a day where certain ideologies will tell you

that what is actually good is evil. Certain ideologies

will tell you that the word of God is not something

good for society, something to be taken seriously.

And they downplay the impact of the word of God.

which has been the most translated book around

the world, the book that has sustained all kinds

of attacks. Since the French Revolution, it's

still calling people to come and be blessed by

God and to change and repent. What is your philosophy

of evil? Never forget, evil can hide in wrong

intentions as well. Remember that sin is... Lawlessness.

Transgression of the law. And the word there

for sin, some of you might know, is miss the

mark. Miss the mark. Off target. What is that

target? The law of God. What is the law of God?

A transcript of the character of God. What is

your philosophy of evil? If you have experienced

evil in your life, whichever way you may have

experienced it, you know because you lived it,

and you know that only it is by the will and

the grace of God that you do not seek revenge.

What does God say? Revenge is mine. If someone

has hurt you in some way, come to the Lord, come

to the throne of grace. God will make you a new

person. God will bring you back from your despair.

Time redemption. Another point for the end of

times is to consider this in 2 Corinthians 4

.16. Go there with me a little bit quickly. 2

Corinthians 4 .16. What does it say? Therefore,

we do not lose heart. Even though our outward

man is perishing, yet the inward man is being

renewed day by day. Inward man or woman, inward

being. Just maybe two years ago, and I still

check the news, there's some tech guy who's a

millionaire, and he's spending $2 million a year.

Trying to find the answer to eternal youth. He'll

wear a shirt that says, do not die. He'll put

up a post that would say, live forever. So he's

spending $2 million a year to stay young. And

he has injections going on. He has all these

kinds of plans and things. But what does the

word of God say? The soul that sinneth shall

die. What does the Word of God also say? The

grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word

of God stands forever. If you're looking for

the fountain of youth, it is found in the Word

of God that stands forever. And we find that

through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in

your life to renew your inward. Man, the exterior,

sure, it's fading. You look at a picture of you

about 30 years ago. Some of you may have not

existed yet. You look at a picture about you

30 years ago and you think, goodness, where did

the time go? But even though the outward is degrading,

the inward is refreshed. Each and every day,

God's promises. And they refresh your mind and

soul to face the final events that we are living

in right now. Now, scholars say that the inward

being is the spiritual self and the intellectual

self. Spiritual self and intellectual self. Mind,

will, and conscience. Mind, the totality of your

thoughts, emotions, feelings, your intellectual

and psychological phenomena that can determine

your decisions. Will, a decision part of your

brain. The Bible says, choose who you will serve

this day. Choose. As for me and my house, we

will serve the Lord. Volition, will, and conscience

is the moral compass. Some people may not have

much of a conscience, but we have a conscience,

and it is defined beautifully in the Old Testament.

I believe in 2 Kings. When Elijah says, The Lord

wasn't in the fire. The Lord wasn't in the storm

or the quake. But then I heard the still, small

voice. The Holy Spirit. speaking to Prophet Elijah.

And over two, more than 2 ,000 years ago, it

was the best definition of conscience. The Lord

speaking to you through the Holy Spirit. That

still, small voice that convicts you of sin,

of righteousness, of judgment. The comforter.

The other comforter. Inward being. And now Matthew

7. 13, go there with me quickly. Another aspect

that we need to take into consideration for the

end of times is found in Matthew 7, 13. This

is a challenge for you and I today. It says,

enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate

and broad is the way that leads to destruction.

And there are many who go in by it. Because narrow

is the gate. And difficult is the way which leads

to life. And there are a few who find it. God

is calling you and I today to be a few of the

few. The remnant. Few find it. But when you find

it, nothing else matters. Nothing else matters.

You don't need to worry about the fountain of

youth. God will give you eternal life. Narrow

way. Narrow walk. A narrow focus of attention

for the final times we're living in. Briefly,

I'll say this. Researchers who study, who do

vision science, there was one particular researcher

that interviewed a couple of elite runners, marathon

runners, short -distance runners, long -distance

runners. And she thought that the runners, when

they are running the race, that they are hyper

-aware of everything in their environment. She

thought that, okay, well, they're aware of everything

in their peripheral vision. But when she interviewed

these elite runners, these very experienced runners,

she found out that that's a mistake. They told

her that is a mistake. We do not do that. What

we do is the following. About halfway through

the race, we start looking ahead and we pick

something from our vision that's right in front

of us. It could be the shorts of the person running

ahead of us. It could be a landmark. It could

be a building that's ahead of us. Once we see

that, what do we do? We focus on that like a

spotlight placed there. like a spotlight. Once

we pass that, we go to the next thing and the

next thing and the next thing. Enter by the narrow

gate. And God created the brain with these neurotransmitters

and neuromodulators to help us focus, like acetylcholine,

dopamine, which has to do with other things.

God is telling us today, do not focus on absolutely

everything happening around you. Just wake up,

focus on the Word of God. Prayer. Seek him first.

Seek you first. Seek the kingdom of heaven first.

And all the other things that you're worried

about will be added unto you. And last but not

least, Matthew 24, 12 and 13. And because lawlessness

will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Hebrews 12, 1. Therefore we also, since we are

surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight and the sin which

so easily ensnares us, and let us run with what?

Endurance. The race that is set before us. Let

aside the weight, the heaviness Christ already

paid for that weight. That sin that you might

be struggling with, Christ already paid the penalty.

Just focus on Him. Put your blinders on and just

seek upward the grace of God and God will see

you through the final. Crisis. And when I think

of the final crisis, and when I think of the

times we're living in, I can only think of one

thing that is amazing to me. John 12, 27. Go

there with me. John 12, 27. What does the Word

of God say? Now my soul is troubled. And what

shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.

But for this purpose, I came to this hour. For

this cause. For this reason. When Adam and Eve

fell and sin entered the world, Life and hope

entered the world. And Jesus walked that narrow

path all the way to the cross, only thinking

of one thing, how to rescue you out of your own

misery, how to rescue me out of my own sin and

shame and troublesome life, and bringing me back

to the lost Eden. For this purpose, that hour,

we will study it forever. That hour where Jesus

took your sin in mind, we will consume our minds

with that and new truths, new aspirations will

come about through the ages because in that hour,

your family was saved. In that hour, your problem

was taken to the cross and in the body of Christ,

finally dealt with. In that hour, Christ thought

of you and I today. And if you have a family

member that's gone off the path, In that hour,

you and I will continue to learn new things.

It will never cease to amaze us. With a perfect

mind through the ages, that hour will protect

us from a second rebellion because there will

be no second rebellion. This is the only rebellion.

This is the only part of the universe that is

a dark place. And God, in that hour, thought

of rescuing you and I today. God in that hour

said, it is finished. It is done. Come to the

throne of grace and I will give you strength

in time of need. Praise God for that hour. May

God bless you and your family today.