Signs of the Times | Ps. Keith Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

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It is so good, so so good to see every one of your precious faces.

I want to do this too.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge our online community, those who are in the family lounge or those who are listening to the podcast.

So, church, can we welcome them to our gathering as well?

We're so glad that you are with us as well.

We have a truly um strong and challenging but encouraging message that I want to share.

But before I jump into it, I do want to share a couple of things with us really quick.

Um, if you're new to our community, last week we announced that we as a church are going on a spontaneous fast.

It was really birthed out of this idea found in Matthew 17 when uh a man had brought his child to be healed and the disciples couldn't do it, and Jesus was able to do it, and he says to them that this kind only comes out through prayer and fasting.

And I felt there was a movement in our church where there are people who are believing God for breakthroughs, believing God for miracles.

And I know that we have strategies and we have different things that we can do in our own strength in order to see it come to pass.

But I do believe that there are some things that only get resolved through prayer and fasting.

And so we made an open call that if anybody wanted to participate in this fast, particularly if you're believing God for a miracle, if you're believing God for a breakthrough of some sort, that as a community we would love to partner and just begin to bombard heaven together as a family.

And so if you didn't jump on last week, it's never too late, obviously, to engage in the presence of God.

But we do have a QR code that you can scan, you can join the group, and really it's just resources around fasting, practical tips around fasting, and encouragement around fasting.

So again, if you're interested and you're believing God for a breakthrough or miracle um in the season of your life, please consider jumping in and joining us as we go um into this season.

The the next thing I want to share is that, and this is kind of like getting ahead of things, but next week, we're in this series called End Times, and next week we're gonna be talking about the second coming or the return of Christ.

And so when we talk about that next Sunday, it's such a robust subject, such as all the things we're talking about are, but we are gonna be doing this in part one and part two.

So I wanted to put this on your radar, um, that that next Sunday we're talking about the second coming of Christ, and that's gonna be two parts.

So, first part will be on Sunday, the second part will be uh a special equip night on that Wednesday.

And and that's gonna be an amazing opportunity for us to come together and in a classroom type format where we're gonna unpack some things around the second coming of Christ, which will be inclusive of judgment.

It'll be also inclusive of some of the other elements that we are often wondering about.

So, again, if you're if you're into this series and you're really curious about what some of these end time things look like, we just want you to put it on your radar that not this Wednesday, but next Wednesday.

And so we have a QR code that you can scan to let us know you're coming.

And that's really just so we know which space we need to use in order to host our community.

So again, if you're interested in in jumping into this series with us and really specifically learning more about the second coming of Christ and and the ancillary parts connected to it, we want to invite you to join us, not this Wednesday, but next Wednesday.

Can we get a good amen to that?

All right, so let's let's jump into our word for today.

I want you to turn with me to the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24.

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

While you're turning there, I want to give us some some context, really, some context really quick.

So ultimately, as I stated, we're we're in our series called End Times.

Um, this is week two of that series, and and and ultimately, um the concept of end times is is something that's very provocative just in culture in general.

Whether you're looking at movies or TV shows or even video games, there's this general desire to learn about what's to come.

And sometimes it expresses itself in post-apocalyptic um environments, but but it's just always been something that's captured the imagination of people of, but what's to come?

And so in the church context, there's this idea that we refer to as the end times.

It's the it's the shifting from our current space into the next dimension or the next reality.

We see these varying progressions in scripture, and the Bible speaks about this sense that we're all heading towards this moment, which is the return of Christ.

And so we talked last week about the idea of is this the end?

And we learned that that end times, the clock for end time started when the church was birthed, that when the Holy Spirit poured out, that is what clicked the talk, the clock for end time.

So, yes, we are in the end times, but there's context and nuance to it.

So again, if you weren't here last week or if you missed last week's message, please go check it out because it these do build on one another and there's a there's a progression that we're working through.

Today, as we are preparing to go into Matthew chapter 24, I want to give us a little context leading up to this moment.

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

Jesus is preparing to conclude his earthly ministry.

He's been ministering now for about three and a half years, and and now he's making his final um approach into Jerusalem and preparing for his crucifixion.

And there's this powerful moment of him looking around at Jerusalem and him literally weeping.

The Bible only declares two times that it specifically says that Jesus weeps.

Once he weeps at the at the tomb of Lazarus, the second time he weeps over Jerusalem.

And when we look in Matthew 23, we see why he's weeping.

The Bible says that he was weeping because he was grieved in his soul about the destruction that was to come.

He was grieved in his soul, and actually he uses language and he says, like, I've tried to gather you close and you missed it.

So he was weeping over the fact that that even though the signs were there, that even though the invitation was there that the people didn't grab a hold of it.

And I suspect that some of us can relate to the idea of having an emotional response when maybe you sat across from people and you see something in them and they just can't see it and it grieves your heart.

I know as a as a husband, as a father, as a as a pastor, as a friend, there are moments when I get a glimpse of things that I see in people's lives, and and when I don't see them grabbing a hold of it, it has an effect on you.

So when Jesus is is weeping over the city of Jerusalem, there's an emotional response that he feels is like, God, I just I just wish they I wish they could see who I am.

I wish they could see who you are.

I wish they could get a glimpse of the goodness of God, but it's because they rejected the Messiah, there's a couple of things that are going to fall into place.

And one of the things that Jesus says is that Jerusalem is going to fall.

Naturally, the disciples were concerned and perplexed by this, so they they came to Jesus to ask some questions to get some clarity about it.

And so looking here in Matthew 24, verses 3 through 14, the text tells us while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, Tell us when these things happen.

Matthew 24:3–14

And what is the sign of your coming at the end of the age?

Jesus replied, Watch out that no one deceives you.

For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah, and they will deceive many.

For you're going to hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see that you're not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All these events are the beginning of labor pains.

Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you.

You will be hated by all nations because of my name.

Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another.

Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many, because lawlessness will multiply, and the love of many will grow cold.

But those who endures to the end will be saved.

This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Today we have a lot to say, and we don't have a lot of time.

So I'm going to make reference to a good amount of passages and give you tons of things to write and go back to, but it's important that you don't just take my words for it.

One of the things that I think that can help us with our biblical literacy is listening to the words of people that we entrust, but also going to the Bible for ourselves and beginning to seek the Holy Spirit to give us clarity so that it's not just information, but it's revelation that brings about transformation.

So my hope and my my true desire is that that we don't just become spectators in this series, that we become participators by engaging this word.

So I'm going to give us a lot of things to write down and some things I'll qualify, some things I won't have the time to get into context, but please go back and look at these things for yourself because I truly believe that it's going to challenge us but also inspire us.

So if you're taking notes, um, and of course, at Celebration Orlando, we believe that if you take notes, you have a fast pass into heaven.

I don't make the rules up.

It's just kind of there's no verse for it, but it just feels good to say it.

Take notes.

And if you're taking notes, I want you to write down this message title, Signs of the Times.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you so much for your word.

We thank you for the opportunity for us to gather in your name.

And Lord, I just pray over the next few moments that we can truly lean in, that we can minimize distractions, God, that we can be present in your presence.

And Holy Spirit, we ask that you speak.

Lord, this is your church.

Um, we didn't come to be impressed by man, we came to be impacted by your word.

So Lord, I pray that I get out the way and allow your truth to go before us all.

We give ask that you give us open eyes to see you above all else, give us open ears to hear your truth above all else, and and ultimately give us open hearts to be transformed by the incorruptible seed of the word of God.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen and amen.

I um I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past couple of weeks.

It's something about hitting that milestone.

In a couple weeks, I'll be turning, um, I'll be turning 50.

And so it's it's one of those things where you're like, this is a milestone that I saw when I was younger, that now that I'm here, I'm actually entering into like this space of like, okay, I'm doing a lot more reflection.

I'm thinking a lot about life and and legacy.

And one of the things that I it just kind of is amazing how time flies, that I've officially been uh a Floridian now for approximately 20 years.

Now, now many of you guys um may or may not know, like my family, we weren't born and raised here um in Florida.

We were actually born up north, the northeast, just in uh northern Delaware, in fact, about 15 minutes outside of um the Lincoln Financial Stadium where the um the world champion, Super Bowl um champions, Philadelphia Eagles, um indeed play.

I'm not sure if you guys knew or not, but the Eagles are God's team.

So um so I was born and raised in that environment, and so that still was deeply in me, but but I also enjoy my time that I've spent in Florida.

And if I were to talk to the younger version of me or even encourage somebody about adapting into what it means to be a Floridian, there's a couple of key things that I would like to encourage them with.

Here's the first thing that I would like to say for anybody.

Maybe you're watching online and you're considering moving to Florida.

Here's a couple of things that I wish someone would have told me.

First, Florida man is not one person, it's a whole community.

It's a collective movement, it's a it's a hive mindset, it's a collective spirit, so to speak.

One Florida man may pop up and it's a man who's wrestling an alligator and flip-flops, and then another Florida man might be the guy who gets arrested because he's riding a manatee to work.

You just never know, but Florida man is a real thing, but it's a collection of people.

Here's a second thing that I would want to encourage somebody with.

Second, um, if there's a body of water, yes, there's an alligator in it.

That's that's just a rule of thumb.

Like, if if there's a puddle in the parking lot of Publix, yes, there's an alligator in it.

If there's a swimming pool in your backyard, yes, an alligator can be in it.

I remember when I would have friends and family come and visit us now, and of course, when you think about the idea of alligators and how terrifying they are, people saying, like, oh, I'm I'm afraid to get in the water.

And I'm saying the most Florida man thing ever.

I'm like, oh no, alligators don't bother you as long as you don't bother them.

Like, that's some that's you'll never hear me say that again.

But in that context, I've gotten so assimilated with the culture that alligators aren't a big thing.

Here's the third thing that I would encourage somebody with, and this is really important, specifically for those of us who drive on I-4.

Turn signals are apparently optional.

They're optional.

That the people are on a mission, they're gonna get to where they got to go to, and you just have to read the room and adapt accordingly.

So, so just know that turn signals are optional.

You'll be behind somebody, they'll come to a screeching halt, make a U-turn, and you just gotta accept that's just a part of the culture here in Florida.

If you can adapt to that, you'll do well.

But but here's the fourth one, and and this is a big one that was really meaningful to me.

And this is it's a simple statement.

Yes, it's going to rain.

Let that settle for a minute.

If it's 98 degrees outside, yes, it's going to rain.

If it's 78 degrees outside, yes, it's going to rain.

If there's not a cloud in the sky, and you've made plans to go out for the park and have an amazing time at one of our great amusement parks, let me prepare your heart right now.

At 3 o'clock, it's going to rain.

And and I remember when I first moved here, that was so hard for me to wrap my mind around it because I remember like one of the things that's kind of therapeutic for me, even as to this day, is going outside and washing my cars.

I love to go outside and just watch.

It's like very therapeutic.

I put my headphones in and I just lock in for a couple of hours.

Like it's it's great.

But I remember in my earlier years, I would spend like two hours out there.

I'm talking about armor on the tires, everything looks good.

I'm taking pictures of it.

And then as soon as I'm done, rain comes out of what I thought to be nowhere.

There's nothing more frustrating than putting in a lot of work and feeling like all of it is just wiped away.

But I have fully assimilated into being a Florida man now because now I can actually walk outside and I can discern when it's gonna rain.

You know that you're a Floridian when you walk outside and you're just like, that cloud over there, man.

Yeah, it's gonna rain in about two hours.

Like you can you can begin to sense it, and and it's hard for me to put into words.

I I wish that I could explain it in a more simple way, but but it's just something that you can you can feel it in the air.

You can you can sense the barometric pressure in the atmosphere shifting a little bit, and you can sense the moisture, and you're recognizing like, hey, I it's it's gonna rain, and I can tell you about when, and so now we learn how to navigate around it because you can sense it, you can feel it.

Maybe people who aren't familiar with the atmosphere can't discern it.

Maybe people who don't have eyes to see can't recognize it.

But when you're here long enough, you can begin to recognize there's a shift in the atmosphere and something is coming.

Pause there.

Jesus is having this conversation with his disciples, and he's trying to help them to zero in to become spiritual meteorologists, where he's saying a lot of the world is not going to recognize these signs and things that are happening in the atmosphere, but I want to prepare you that the things are about to shift, that there's something that is beginning to build, and I want you to be prepared for it.

I don't want you to be afraid about it.

I don't want you to be filled with anxiety about it, but I'm calling you to recognize the time and season that you're in so you understand the excitement that you have.

He's saying, Can you sense it?

Can you sense there's a shift in the atmosphere?

Can you sense that something is building up?

Can you sense that I'm working towards something?

So Jesus is sitting with his disciples and he's helping them to understand that there's a shift that's about to come, and he's telling them to stay alert, to be ready, because something is coming.

Now, for the disciples, when they would have heard these words and they came to Jesus and they asked the question, Lord, like what are the signs that these things are going to happen?

Jesus begins to unpack these signs.

But I I need to I need to take a moment for you to understand how the Bible was written and how the original hearers would have heard it.

One of the things that I've noticed in my life as I engage scripture is that I used to think that the Bible was written to us.

Like it was written to us, our context 2025, whatever.

So when you read the Bible, it's possible to look at what the words of Paul are and immediately pull them to us.

But here's something that I want us to grab a hold of.

The Bible is for us, but it wasn't written to us.

That means it was written to an original audience, a real group of people who had a real context and had a real perspective on the world.

So when Jesus is talking to them about the signs and things to come, they're not thinking, well, that'll happen in 2025.

They're looking at their world right now and trying to measure what Jesus is saying with their reality.

I mean, imagine for a moment, if if you are the disciples and Jesus says to them, Man, like what are the signs that things are going to come?

Jesus' response to them is like, listen, the temple is gonna fall and Jerusalem's gonna fall apart.

And then in 70 AD, the temple burns down and Jerusalem falls apart.

They are saying to themselves, we're in the end times.

The end is near.

When they're looking around at Rome and they're seeing the corruption, they're seeing the earthquakes, they're seeing the wars that are going on, they're not thinking about Vietnam and World War III.

They're looking at their context right then and there, and they're saying, the end is clearly near because Jesus said these words, and this is exactly what we're seeing.

When Paul wrote to the church of Thessaloniki, he literally thought that he would possibly still be alive when Jesus came back.

He was in writing thinking of some future centuries later.

He even says in 1 Thessalonians 4, those of us who are still alive will be caught up with Jesus when he returns.

In Paul's mind, Jesus is coming back in my lifetime.

No one knew when Jesus was coming back.

Here's why that's so important.

We certainly want to look at the signs.

We certainly want to lock in.

All of us are meant to have this discernment, but sometimes this church-wide spiritual doom and gloom, prophetic, scary mindset, it was a part of every single generation.

So instead of us being fixated on the signs and how we're supposed to react to the signs, Jesus is saying, Yes, these are signs that I am coming, but you got work to do.

You have a job to accomplish.

Every generation thought it was the end.

When when John wrote the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos, and he begins to talk about what we refer to as the son of perdition, the man of sin, the antichrist, the literally embodiment of sin, when he's referring to him, he's not thinking of any president that's in the United States government.

He's literally thinking about the emperor that was in Rome at that time.

But can I tell you, when I was coming up early in my faith, that every prophetic timeline preacher would take John's words and revelation and apply it to whoever that president was.

They're like, look at his first name, his middle name, and last name.

Six letters.

Six, six, six.

The Antichrist.

And I used to think that.

That may sound ridiculous, but this is a real thing.

And every new president comes in, there's somebody who's got a prophetic inkling, not realizing these dudes aren't even thinking about America, because spoiler alert, America didn't exist then.

They're pulling from their real reality, not some future glimpse.

So Jesus is telling them, but also us, yes, these signs are going to be there, but don't get lost in fixating on the sign, be found in being about your purpose.

Be found being about the Father's business.

So Jesus is telling us that we need to make sure that our hearts are awake, that our hands are busy, and that our eyes are lifted.

Not fearfully predicting the end, but joyfully preparing for his return.

So in Matthew 24, Jesus calls his disciples to take on a new posture in light of the shifting of the atmosphere.

He encourages them to have a mindset.

So today, I want to look at some of these principles, and there's gonna be tons of points and scriptures that you guys can circle back at.

The clock says I have nine minutes and 20 seconds.

I'm not a prophet, but that's not gonna happen.

But we're gonna we're gonna do the best.

We're gonna do the best we can.

Here's the first thing that I want you to write down.

Here's the first thing that's most important.

We need to first understand the purpose of signs.

It's important that we understand why God gives us signs in the first place.

Signs are not given to frighten the church, it's called to focus the church.

They're not given so that we can stockpile fear, but it's meant to stir up faith.

When the disciples come to Jesus and ask him to give them a sign, he gives them several signs.

But I want you to notice this was very common for people of God back then.

It was very common that when God came to someone and they were apprehensive, afraid, or just looking for clarity, they would ask for a sign.

Moses, when when God came to him and said, like, hey, I'm going to use you to set the people of God free, he says, Lord, I I you got the wrong man.

Can you give me a sign?

God would often respond with giving signs, but listen, the sign was not meant to be evidence of the end in and of itself.

The sign was a symbol pointing to something much greater.

When Moses was able to do miracles, it wasn't about Moses doing miracles, it was about Moses' miracles pointing to a greater God.

We have to understand that when God gives us signs, it's not for us to Obsess over the signs, it's what is the sign pointing to.

So Jesus gave them signs, but he also gave them perspective.

Because he said this after he gives them the signs.

I'm going to tell you these signs, but don't be alarmed because the end is not yet.

That word alarmed literally means shaken or thrown into panic.

So in other words, Jesus is telling us, be aware, but don't be afraid.

So I want to give you a breakdown of a couple of the purposes behind the signs.

Here's the first thing.

Whenever God gives us a sign, that sign is meant to point to God's plan.

That signs point to God's plan.

Luke 21, 28 talks about that when these things are happening, for us to recognize that our redemption is near.

That's God's plan.

Signs point forward, but not to themselves.

Think about the wise men.

And when they saw the sign in the sky.

Now imagine if they were so fixated on a sign that they're writing books about the sign, that they're talking all about the signs, instead of them following the signs, they would have never found Jesus.

Listen to me.

Whenever there's a sign that is a that is illustrated in Scripture, it's not to get lost in the sign, but it's to recognize that that sign is pointing to Jesus.

If the sign does not point to Jesus, then Jesus did not give you that sign.

Here's another subpoint that I want you to write down.

The signs are meant to call for readiness.

Whenever the signs are there, they're meant to call us to make sure that we're ready.

Matthew 24, 42, it says, Be alert, since you don't know the day that your Lord is coming.

When we see these signs, it's telling us to stay alert.

In other words, we're alert but not alarmed.

We're ready but not rattle.

Here's the third sub point in that that whenever God gives a sign, a purpose for the sign is to encourage endurance.

It's to let us know that you're not alone.

You can do this.

I'm not sure if you have ever had a good personal trainer.

Someone who's just encouraged you that even in your exhaustion, they just continue to keep you motivated.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 24, 13, but the one who endures in the end, they will be saved.

The signs are meant to help develop and build endurance inside of the body of Christ.

They're meant to strengthen and steady our faith.

Here's something I want us to know about prophecy and signs and all these powerful things.

They have like this near-far telescopic character trait connected to it.

And here's what I mean by that: that they have the ability to tell you about things that are happening in the near future and also things that are happening in the distant future.

Like a telescope.

I can I can see things that are distant away, but I can also get clarity on things that are up close.

So for the disciples, they saw something up close, Jerusalem being destroyed, but they didn't get a chance to witness the full return of Christ.

So Jesus gives them a sign, but also gives them perspective.

Think about whenever we're on a road trip.

I know for Megan and I, we have completely different temperaments whenever we're on the road.

Like for her, she loves to look at the signs.

She loves to, hey, um, the sign just says we're 280 miles away from Orlando.

That's amazing.

Whereas for me, I'm thinking, we've been in a car for nine days and we haven't made it to Orlando yet, I'm gonna lose my mind.

So I I try not to look at the signs because for me, the signs frustrate our lack of progress.

But for her, she looks at the signs and she's like, no, we're making progress, we're heading in the right direction.

Twenty minutes ago, we still had 50, we still had 50 miles that was stronger, but but we're chipping away that as we continue to progress through it.

But watch this.

One of the things that we both collectively don't do is that we don't see, hey, we're a hundred miles away from Orlando, let's stop here and take a group photo.

We don't obsess over the sign, the sign lets us know that we're going in the right direction, but the sign in and of itself is not the destination.

It's making sure that we recognize, and here's the thing why this is so important.

If we are not careful, we will let the signs intimidate us instead of inspiring fear.

We'll scroll through the news cycle, like it's the new chapter of the book of Revelation, and we're writing our own commentaries that are rooted in fear instead of anchoring ourselves in faith.

But the Bible says that when these things are happening, to lift our heads up.

That means that our posture must shift because we know where we're coming.

The Bible says, I look towards the hills from which cometh my help.

That means that even in the midst of chaos, I should not be shaken to the sense that I've lost the reality that Jesus is coming back for his bride.

Storm clouds don't scare a farmer, they remind him that rain is coming.

And because he has seeds planted, he knows that the rain is going to allow a harvest to come forth.

What I mean for some of us, if you are rooted and you have the seeds of the word of God inside of your life when the storm comes, because they will come, when the rain comes, because they will come, it will actually irrigate the seeds that have been planted and it will produce a fruit that allows you to be rooted in the things of God, but we got to make sure that our seeds are the word of truth and not the words of the world.

It produces something.

Here's the second thing that we need to know about the idea of signs.

One, we two, we need to recognize the signs.

And this is where we get into the meat and potatoes of this.

Jesus didn't leave us in the dark.

And these signs are global and personal, these signs are natural and spiritual.

I'm gonna give us the list of scriptures that I want us to read this week.

I won't be able to read through them all, but Matthew 24, I want you to read it in its entirety.

Mark 13, read it in its entirety.

Luke 21, read it in its entirety.

2 Timothy chapter 3, read them in their entirety.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Here's why.

Because each of those passages, they give you a description of the signs that I'm about to break down for us.

So for the sake of being linear, I'm gonna just give us a couple of them just so we can have a good space for us as a community.

But please go back and read these things for yourself and see the consensus of scripture.

And all of these passages that I referred to, they give overlapping descriptions of the signs that Jesus has provided.

Here's the first one that Jesus said.

He said, Spiritual deception would be one of the signs that we're coming close to the end.

Jesus says in Matthew 24, verses 4 through 5, he says, Watch out that no one deceives you, because many will come in my name.

Matthew 24:4–5

There's gonna be a lot of people with with really big platforms who are profoundly influential, who have tons of followers, who have all this movement around them, many are going to come in my name, but I didn't send them.

False teaching, counterfeit anointings, and deceptive signs will multiply.

Do you know that when the Egyptians were being confronted by Moses, that they also were able to produce signs?

Because the enemy always is trying to mock and mimic what God is doing.

And because Christians are so easily influenced and impressed, anytime we see anything, we think that that's evidence of God.

But the Bible I read tells me there will be people that will stand before Jesus and say, Lord, we casted out devils in your name.

We did all these things in your name, and Jesus is gonna say, I did not know you.

What I'm saying is it's possible for people to produce evidence that looks like it's God and their hearts are far from Him.

So scripture is telling us spiritual deception is one of the signs that's gonna be prevalent in our culture.

This is why biblical literacy is so important.

This is why reading the Bible for ourselves is so important.

This is why engaging the word of God, being connected to community that challenges us, that inspires us, that allows us to be sharpened by iron is so important because if we don't do these things, we can allow ourselves, as the scripture says, to be tossed to and fro by every sound of doctrine.

Everything is gonna sound good.

And the Bible even speaks about in the last days that even the people of God will no longer be disciples, but they will now become consumers.

Who impresses me the most?

Who has the most impressive one-liners?

Who who creates the atmosphere that's gonna make me feel the who is gonna present all of the benefits of Jesus without any of the challenges and the requirements that are required of me?

That's not faith.

That's TED Talks with Jesus at the end.

God is saying we are supposed to test every spirit, we're supposed to test everything that we hear.

This is how we strengthen our discernment in the last days.

Clarity about Christ and the gospel, it's not optional.

It's literally the foundation of our very survival.

Hear me, friends.

Everything that goes viral is not revival.

It could be a virus because that spreads too.

Okay, y'all don't want to have that conversation.

Let me say this: in an age where anyone with a camera, anyone with charisma can become a spiritual authority.

Deception is easier than ever to disguise us.

Social media platforms have become new pulpits where people can critique everything that they see, but they built nothing themselves.

Algorithms are actually shaping our theology, and emotionalism is often mistaken for anointing.

We live in a time where people are more discipled by influencers than they are by scripture.

But that's why biblical literacy is crucial in these last days.

Not every revelation is from heaven, and the last days discernment is so important.

Here's the second thing.

I'm gonna move quicker.

The Bible also says that there's gonna be wars and rumors of wars.

Jesus says these things.

He says for us to be alert, to be mindful.

So when we look at our current landscape, we see wars in Ukraine, things that are happening in the Middle East.

We're literally watching genocide right in front of our own eyes.

News feeds thrive on it.

But while violence may fill our screens, Jesus says, don't panic.

Every war is not the war.

We're called to be informed but not inflamed.

Christians don't chase headlines to find hope.

We fix our eyes on Jesus, be alert, yes, but let's not turn to every global headline and make it an eschatological timeline.

Here's the third thing: natural disasters and global crisis.

Jesus says that there's going to be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Scripture in Romans 8 says that creation itself is groaning.

That creation that is groaning is literally the earth is the Lord's and is fullness thereof.

And when God created the earth, he created it to be Eden, this perfect space that was the overlap between heaven and earth.

And ever since the curse of the fall has also impacted the earth, we live in a broken world.

So even the world itself is groaning and waiting for the time in which it is going to be redeemed.

And we'll talk about that a little bit next week.

But in this time of famines and pestilence and pandemics and plagues, we don't panic, we persevere.

When the world suffers, the church serves.

Because in a culture that's obsessed with self-preservation, the people of God are called to self-sacrifice and hope bear.

We don't just survive the storm, we shelter others while they're in it.

Here's a fourth sign: persecution of believers.

Jesus says, they will hand you over to be persecuted.

You will be hated by all nations because of me.

He speaks about those who live godly lives will be persecuted.

This pressure is not a sign that God has abandoned us, but in many instances, the very opposition we feel is evidence that we're in alignment with God.

In the West, persecution is going to look a little bit different.

Last week I made a joke about it, but I do understand that in the West it can be a little isolating because sometimes persecution can be being ridiculed for your faith.

Imagine going to work and they're saying, like, hey, you want to go to lunch?

No, I'm fasting.

People in the outside looking in, it doesn't make any sense to them.

And it can often mock us and we feel uncomfortable to even saying it.

You give to the church, like it's these things that can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable.

Sometimes we have the risk of being canceled.

Because the truth of the matter is, no matter where you lean politically, no matter where you lean ideologically, both sides are equally mean.

So if you don't agree with me, we're gonna cancel you.

And if you don't agree with me, we're gonna cancel you.

Don't get quiet now.

We all have a version of people that get canceled, the people that we view as irredeemable.

And you know who those people are?

Those people, not us.

Because when we make a mistake, then there's grace.

But when you make a mistake, let's place, let's blast it on social media and make sure you never get a job again.

Both sides do this.

But Jesus is saying that persecution doesn't mean that God is distant.

It's often evidence that you're exactly where He's working.

Some of us right now, we may feel like we're in our own version of persecution.

In other parts of the world, it's going to jail, it's literally being killed for your faith.

But what persecution is, is opposition to your belief system, opposition to your life as a result of what you've rooted yourself in.

And maybe for you, you may feel like all hell is breaking loose in your life, but maybe that's because your life has been loose from the grips of hell.

And there's an enemy who had an assignment on your life who wanted you to not have a testimony of the redemptive nature of Christ.

And the way that we can glorify the enemy is by being people who serve his purposes and die in a desolate state.

But when you can be a child of God who can acknowledge your flaws and your mistakes, and then you can begin to be a champion for the cause of Christ, now you become a threat to the dominion of the enemy, and so now he often will send attacks to you.

So maybe, just maybe, the opposition is evidence that you are beginning to shake hell with your testimony.

That maybe the resistance and the reason why you're not liked is because you're letting your light shine and that glorifies your father that is in heaven.

Don't allow the enemy to cause you to shrink back.

It's in these times that we continue to stand our ground in the words of God and we continue to root ourselves in the truth, knowing that I'm gonna continue to take the ground that God has commissioned me to take.

I will not shrink back.

I know there will be opposition, I will not be loved, but Jesus said they will hate you because they hated me, but I'm loved by God, and that's all that I need.

And sometimes that's just gotta be good enough for us.

We're gonna move quick now.

The fifth thing that he says is apathy and cold love.

We we are the most connected, and yes, we're still the most emotionally depleted generation in history.

We scroll past trauma and tragedy and tantrums on a daily basis, and somewhere along the way we stop feeling.

It's not just being desensitized, it's literally called compassion fatigue.

It's the emotional exhaustion that comes from chronic exposure to the suffering of others.

And when that happens, our empathy switch turns off.

And then wherever there's a lack of compassion, cynicism fills that gap.

So Jesus says, in the last days, lawlessness will multiply.

That means chaos and corruption will multiply everywhere, and as a result of that, the love of many will grow cold.

There's chaos everywhere.

And I remember when going through the pandemic, I remember when going through varying seasons of my life, and you would talk with somebody, and you're like, Man, like, how are you doing with all these things?

And one of the most common things I would hear, even in the counseling world, was man, I'm just numb.

Like, I'm not sure if you just social media puts everything in front of us, and while it's meant to be helpful and insightful, but when you get exposed to it, all the it's hard to react to everything, it's hard to respond to everything, and so we can become numb.

But this is not just a cultural observation, it's a warning for the church because this cold love isn't just out there in the streets, it's also in the pulpits, it's also in the comment section.

Let's be honest, we're not just seeing burnt-out believers, we're also seeing an era of angry and mean Christians like I've never seen before.

I I've never seen more Christians indifferent to suffering in my entire life.

I've never seen more Christians more standoffish from the very people that we're supposed to be missionaries to.

So Jesus is saying, in the last days, we can't afford to be numb.

And in the last days, we can't let our love go cold.

And I know it's not easy.

I know it's a challenge, and none of us can ever be experts at this, but we have to continually make sure that we don't let our exhaustion excuse our indifference.

Don't let clarity cost you compassion, and don't let your boldness bury your kindness.

Jesus is saying, in the last days, we're going to see a lot of people, and there's not going to be a lot of love, but it shouldn't be that with the church.

But but here's the sixth sign that Jesus gives.

He then says, the gospel will go to all nations.

And this is why this is so important.

I want you to hear this.

This might be the most important thing that I say.

He says, The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Listen, Jesus gave us a list of signs that we're observing and probably can feel in real time ourselves.

But interestingly enough, he would say, This sign is going to happen, but don't be afraid.

This sign is going to happen, but that's not the end.

The sign is going to be there, but don't be consumed with it.

But he says, But when the gospel is preached and all people are reached, that is when the end will come.

This just reinforces what we learned last week about God's patience because he doesn't want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

The mission of the gospel is the thing that is going to advance Jesus coming back.

Sometimes we focus on the chaos in the world, but heaven's clock isn't set by conflict, it's set by commission.

Jesus didn't say the end will come when things get bad.

He said the end will come when the gospel is preached.

That means that every missionary that goes out, they're advancing the return of Christ.

That every time the Bible is translated in a different language and it's reaching unreached people groups, we're allowing Jesus to come back.

What I'm saying is that we have a part to play in making sure that everybody has heard the truth of Jesus.

The good news of the gospel is what's going to allow the end to come.

And for many of us, we look at these signs and we say, these things have been unfolding for 2,000 years, and you're right.

2,000 years.

And so it's easy for us to look at this timeline and say, we've been waiting for 2,000 years.

Who knows if it's going to be another 2,000 years?

Like, let's let's just kind of like put it in cruise control and relax.

But but let me let me put it in a way that I think most of us can relate to.

I I remember when when Megan got pregnant the first time and and and going through this pre this progressive process of the development of our children.

There was the moment when she told me she was pregnant, and I was like, we're too broke for you to be pregnant, so send it back.

Um I'm I'm joking.

So I remember hers telling me that she was pregnant, but then you know what?

The next here's the next thing.

Um that wasn't you, Denir, that was another child.

Um it wasn't Caleb.

I don't know what kid we're talking about.

Um, so stick with me, all metaphors fall apart at some point.

Um but but watch this, watch this.

So so when Megan tells me she's pregnant, there's one moment there, but then she starts having morning sickness.

So she's pregnant, and there's a moment when she's going to give birth, but there's this progression.

She has morning sickness, and then she starts having the cravings, and then she has the discomfort, and then there was a moment where I was exposed to something that I never heard, which is called Braxton Hicks.

Scared me out of my like I she woke me up.

I'm having a baby, I'm like, it's terrifying.

Braxton Hicks, these these these false labor pains.

And then there was a moment where she actually went into labor, and then there was the timing, the contractions.

All of these things were progressions of the pregnancy in the ultimate delivery.

Now keep that metaphor.

When Jesus ascends into heaven and the Holy Spirit comes, that was the birth of the church, but also the start of the clock of end times.

And so we've seen the contractions continue to increase every decade.

We see the contractions increasing more and more.

So, no, we don't know when the proverbial water is going to break, but what we know is in the timeline of the Bible, we are getting closer and those contractions are getting a lot closer.

So we have a responsibility to be prepared for it.

The labor pains are not a sign of death, but they're actually a sign that life is about to emerge.

And I believe that for some of us, maybe personally, you've been experiencing some labor pain, some areas of discomfort, some areas where you feel like you're dealing with some suffering and some discomfort.

But I'm here to remind you today that whenever you feel these labor pains, that's not evidence of death, but that's the evidence of growth, and something new is about to be birthed, and life is about to come forth, and and productivity is about to emerge, and purpose is about to give birth, and mission is about to advance, and people are about to get saved, and God's gonna continue to be fruitful with us and multiply in the earth.

So, what I want you to understand is that if deception is spreading, the truth has to be the vaccine.

That if love is growing cold, then our love must be hotter than ever.

And if persecution is rising, then our perseverance must rise even higher.

We have a responsibility and a response for such a time as this.

Let me give us this last point and then we're gonna go back into worship.

I'm not gonna be able to unpack this as thoroughly as I want, but but I want you to hear that the third thing is this, the very third thing is this.

So, because of these signs, we live with an eternal perspective, we keep an eternal perspective.

1 Peter chapter 3 talks about how this world is temporary.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

And when you read verses 1 through 12 in its entirety, it speaks about how we know that this world is temporary, so we have to live with an eternal perspective.

This is not just informing us, but it's forming the way that we should live today.

The Bible says that everything.

In this world, at some point is going to pass away.

So here's my question: why anchor yourself in something that is fleeting?

The Bible says, why stockpile things that the moss and the rust can get at?

We need to build up treasures in heaven.

Carl was talking earlier about seek first the kingdom of God, that is having an eternal perspective.

And an eternal perspective means staying faithful in our witness, being steady in our hope, steady in our heart, pursuing holiness, contending for love, and praying that the kingdom of God will come.

I still remember my first year in Florida and being exposed to the first hurricane.

And I never been in a hurricane.

I didn't quite know what to expect or anticipate.

We were living in Jacksonville, and fortunately we lived in an area where hurricanes just don't hit that bad.

Same thing with here in Orlando for the most part.

So we were very fortunate in that.

But when we were hearing about the hurricanes, we didn't just say, like, oh man, it's it's a small thing.

We we looked at what was said, we went and made sure that we had water or got sandbags, we did all the things to make sure that we prepared so that if the flood would come, we would be protected.

Here's what the Bible says about this we're living in a world where we see and can sense in the air that something is coming.

So Jesus says, So we need to be like the wise man who builds our house on the rock, so that when the rains come, they will come, we will not be shaken.

When the storms come, because our house is built on a rock, we shall survive it.

Listen to me, church.

When you live with an eternal perspective, I am building my life on the things of God.

I am building my life on the word of God, I am building my life around Jesus, and I will orient everything in my life around him.

Because here's what I know that when the storms come, if I'm rooted in Christ, everything that stays is the things that he intended to stay.

Do you know that when the Egyptians were going through the varying plagues, that the Bible says something so profound, it says that while there was darkness in every part of Egypt, it wasn't dark where the people of God were living.

And I believe in my spirit that there's a possibility that while the world is thrown into utter chaos, that we who literally have an eternal perspective, who's rooted ourselves in Christ, have the ability that even in spite of the suffering for us still to have hope.

That even in spite of the darkness, we still have light on the inside of us.

In spite of the chaos, there's still a peace that surpasses all understanding.

I'm not saying that it's easy, but I'm saying that when you're rooted, there's a different confidence.

So I know that when I hear about the global chaos that's in the world, I am having a different response to it.

When I hear messages about the economy and what policies are affecting us, those things are concerning me, but I'm so thankful that God is my provider.

When I hear about all of these things that are happening, yes, I'm aware.

Yes, I'm prayerful, but my faith is anchored in something that transcends all space and time, and his name is Jesus.

And what I believe we need to be in these last days are people who are rooted in Jesus, not in man, not in culture, not in politics, not in policy, but my life is rooted in Jesus.

And if I'm rooted in Jesus, I may bend a little bit, I may get knocked over a little bit, but I won't move, I won't be shaken because my life is built on the rock.

I believe our greatest witness in these last days is not for us to be scared, but for us to be prepared.

We need to wake up and understand that as the people of faith, we're called to have a different posture even in these last days.

Because God is good, he is faithful, and he's holy.

Are you with me, church?

Do you believe that God is with us?

Do you believe that God is for us?

If you believe that, let's stand on our feet.

Let's give God some praise and let's go into worship one more time.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting.

Follow us on social media using the handle at celebrationorl or visit our website at celebrationorl.org.