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Series A – Second To Last Sunday of the Church Year – Sunday, November 16, 2014 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	in the name of Jesus
0:32	the text I’ll be preaching from this
0:33	morning is our epistle text the gospel
0:36	text will be spending some time looking
0:37	at it during Sunday School in light of
0:39	Genesis 3. actually the two work
0:42	together and I’ll explain that during
0:44	Sunday School
0:46	our epistle text begins with these words
0:48	now Brothers about times and dates we do
0:51	not need to write to you why well you
0:54	know very well that the day of the Lord
0:55	will come like a thief in the night
0:58	now who remembers the book that Hal
1:01	Lindsay wrote entitled the late great
1:03	planet Earth
1:04	who read it
1:06	okay how about the sequel uh 1980s
1:10	countdown to Armageddon yeah I read that
1:13	too unfortunately and in case you
1:15	haven’t noticed the 80s have come and
1:18	gone
1:19	okay although I still really like these
1:22	Styles and the skinny ties and all that
1:24	kind of stuff but that’s a different
1:25	story now have a question were any of
1:28	you raptured on September 6 1994
1:32	no okay uh May 21st 2011 any of you
1:35	raptured no you you were raptured
1:38	Stephen okay
1:40	we’ll have to talk to you later how
1:42	about October 21st 2011 any of you
1:44	raptured
1:46	no okay now the reason I ask is because
1:49	each three of all three of those dates
1:51	were dates that Herald camping predicted
1:53	that Christ would return
1:55	and of course he’s very he was very
1:58	convinced at the time that he had
2:00	cracked the X catalogical code now let
2:03	me get a little closer to home how many
2:04	of you fear that the four blood moons
2:06	are a harbinger of the impending return
2:08	of Jesus
2:10	this is this is kind of a popular book
2:13	right now by the way they’re not and
2:15	I’ll explain that from scripture here in
2:16	a moment now all of these books and
2:18	their prophetic speculations are nothing
2:20	but the ravings of men who are off
2:22	Mission any of you spend time in the
2:24	corporate world you know what mission
2:26	creep is Mission creep is a bad thing
2:30	you know it would be as if Apple
2:32	computer decided that it was going to
2:34	start working on you know making fast
2:36	food chains that’s what we would call
2:37	Mission creep I am not interested in
2:40	eating a MC Apple you know uh whatever
2:42	you know you get what I’m saying or an I
2:45	never mind I hamburgers and things like
2:47	that that would be called Mission Creek
2:49	Apple computer focusing on fast food
2:51	well the same thing applies when it
2:53	comes to eschatological uh code cracking
2:57	it’s you’re off Mission this is not what
3:00	Jesus has given the church to do which
3:02	is why Paul begins our epistle text this
3:05	morning with these words now Brothers
3:07	about times and dates we do not need to
3:08	write to you for you know very well that
3:10	the day of the Lord will come like a
3:11	thief in the night
3:12	what hour do do thieves say Hey listen
3:15	um you know I’m going to be there
3:16	tonight uh 2 30. does that work for you
3:20	I mean no Thief does this right so this
3:24	is this is something we need to consider
3:26	here all of these books
3:28	from these eschatological code Breakers
3:30	don’t buy these books don’t listen to
3:32	these men they are end time
3:34	speculationists who are all hyped with
3:37	no biblical substance they use
3:39	sensationalism to play on the fears of
3:41	Christians in order to sell their books
3:43	they all claim to have cracked the
3:45	Bible’s end time code and in the end
3:47	they end up robbing Christians of their
3:49	money and the joy and peace and comfort
3:51	given to us in scripture regarding the
3:53	end times you’ll notice that our epistle
3:56	text is not all doom and gloom coming
3:58	soon there’s something more to this text
4:00	fact is that Paul in our morning’s
4:03	epistle text shows us that there is no
4:05	end times code to crack you know it’s
4:08	not like the book of Revolution the
4:10	Revelation is a Sudoku puzzle and you
4:12	got to figure it out and at the end of
4:13	it you’ve got the numbers that you can
4:15	put in order and figure out the date
4:16	that Jesus is going to return that’s not
4:18	how this works so the Bible doesn’t give
4:20	us a puzzle to solve instead it gives us
4:23	a message a gospel a good good news to
4:26	Proclaim until Jesus returns and by the
4:30	way Jesus himself makes this exact point
4:33	if you’d like to look on in Acts chapter
4:35	1 I want to take a look at the first
4:37	eight verses in Acts and I want to point
4:39	something out to you a little known
4:41	passage that I think is worth reviewing
4:43	when it comes to all these end times
4:45	speculations Acts chapter 1 I’ll start
4:48	in verse 1 so we get our context here
4:50	here’s what Luke writes he says in my
4:52	former book Theophilus I wrote about all
4:55	that Jesus began to do and to teach you
4:57	know Luke is the author of the of the
4:59	Gospel of Luke as well as the book of
5:00	Acts so Theophilus is the person he
5:02	wrote These to
5:04	so I wrote about all that Jesus began to
5:06	do and teach until that day when he was
5:08	taken up to heaven and after giving
5:09	instructions through the Holy Spirit to
5:11	the apostles he had chosen after his
5:13	suffering he showed himself to these men
5:15	and gave many convincing proofs that he
5:17	was alive like eating with them right he
5:19	appeared to them over a period of 40
5:21	days and spoke about the kingdom of God
5:23	on one occasion while he was eating with
5:26	them he gave them this command do not
5:28	leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift of
5:30	my that my father promised which you
5:32	have heard me speak about for John
5:34	baptized with water but in a few days
5:36	you will be baptized with the holy
5:38	spirit so when they met together
5:41	so when they met together they asked him
5:43	Lord are you at this time going to
5:46	restore the kingdom to Israel the big
5:48	eschatological question the kingdom of
5:51	God here on Earth and you could just see
5:53	Jesus going I spent three years with you
5:55	guys so here’s Jesus’s response he said
5:59	to them it is not for you to know the
6:03	times or the dates that the father has
6:06	set by his own authority
6:08	whoops
6:09	you mean Peter and Paul and James and
6:13	Bartholomew and those that they weren’t
6:15	allowed to know when Jesus was coming
6:17	back
6:18	bingo so notice it is not for you to
6:22	know the times of the dates the father
6:23	has set by his own authority but you
6:25	will receive power when the Holy Spirit
6:27	comes on you and you will be my
6:29	Witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and
6:32	Samaria and to the ends of the Earth
6:36	so eschatological code cracking is not
6:40	given for us to do
6:42	that’s Mission creep the mission that we
6:44	have is to Proclaim Christ and him
6:47	crucified for our sins to call Sinners
6:49	to repent and to be forgiven by what
6:52	Christ has done for them on the cross
6:53	all of that other stuff if you’ve seen
6:56	the movie up that dog you know he’s the
7:00	talking dog
7:01	I think you’re great right okay well
7:05	that’s what’s going on with this es
7:07	catalogical stuff it’s a squirrel don’t
7:09	pay attention to the squirrels what
7:11	Jesus tells us what God’s word tells us
7:13	is to stay on Mission and when it talks
7:16	about the end times it does so in a way
7:17	in a way that gives us Comfort now let
7:21	me remind you what Jesus said in a
7:23	couple of other places remember we’ve
7:25	read the Olivet discourse last week I
7:26	won’t reread the entire thing although I
7:28	was highly tempted to do so Matthew 24
7:30	verses 4 through 5 Jesus said watch out
7:33	that no one deceives you many will come
7:35	in my name claiming I am the Christ and
7:37	they will deceive many this is a mark of
7:39	the end times verses 26 and 27 so if
7:42	anyone tells you there he is out in the
7:44	desert don’t go out or here he is or in
7:47	the Inner Room don’t believe it for as
7:49	the lightning comes from the East and is
7:52	visible even to the West so will be the
7:54	coming of the son of man in other words
7:56	when Jesus shows up everybody on the
8:00	planet is gonna know it’s Jesus ain’t
8:01	nobody gonna have any doubts about it
8:03	it’s like people are going to go I don’t
8:05	know
8:06	is that Jesus you know no they’re
8:08	they’re all going to know okay this it’s
8:10	not going to be a secret it’s not going
8:12	to happen in it’s it’s not like you’re
8:13	going to hear it in the news that Jesus
8:15	has showed up and he’s going to appear
8:16	in Canada and Winnipeg you know so let’s
8:18	drive on up there and let’s see Jesus no
8:20	that’s not how this works now I told you
8:22	I’d tell you about the blood moons those
8:24	of you who may be tempted by this thing
8:26	let me explain something to you I’m very
8:28	familiar with this Blood Moon’s business
8:31	and it’s a bad bad book and the reason
8:34	why is because it somehow equates a very
8:37	normal thing that happens they’re called
8:39	lunar eclipses they happen from time to
8:42	night from time to time you know the
8:44	moon passes into the Earth’s Shadow this
8:46	is a this has been happening for like
8:48	Millennia and it happens regularly they
8:50	happen when I was a kid nobody freaked
8:52	out about it but nowadays you know
8:54	people are trying to somehow take these
8:55	Blood Moons you know these these lunar
8:57	eclipses and say oh look they fall on
9:00	feast days in the Hebrew calendar it
9:01	must be a harbinger of the end
9:03	let’s take a look at Matthew chapter 24
9:05	real quick this Bible does talk about
9:08	the Moon turning to blood but watch how
9:10	it does so
9:12	Matthew 24 29-33 immediately after the
9:15	tribulation of those days watch this the
9:18	sun will be darkened
9:21	the what the sun will be darkened okay
9:24	well I don’t know if you’ve noticed this
9:26	but the moon doesn’t actually give off
9:27	any of its own light it kind of borrows
9:29	it from the Sun Well if the Sun is
9:32	darkened what do you think is going to
9:34	happen to the Moon
9:35	right it’s going to become dark it says
9:38	and the sun will be dark and the moon
9:40	will not give its light the Stars will
9:41	fall from the heaven and the powers of
9:43	the heavens will be shaken
9:44	so this Blood Moon business yeah the
9:48	blood moon you’re looking for is in
9:50	tandem with the sun darkening when that
9:53	happens you know Jesus is just about to
9:57	return and you say yeah you don’t say oh
10:01	you say yeah so and here’s what it says
10:03	so then the then will appear in heaven
10:05	the sign of the son of man and all the
10:06	tribes of the earth will mourn they will
10:08	see the son of man coming on the Clouds
10:10	Of Heaven and the powers and the great
10:11	glory and he will send out his angels
10:13	with a loud trumpet call and they will
10:15	gather his elect from the Four Winds
10:17	from one end of the heaven to the other
10:18	from the Fig Tree learn its lesson as
10:21	soon as its branches become tender and
10:23	puts out its leaves you know that summer
10:25	is near so also when you see all these
10:27	things you know that it is near at the
10:30	very Gates so it’s not like we’re going
10:32	to be caught unawares why well we know
10:34	God’s word Jesus has kind of given us
10:36	the inside scoop we know what’s coming
10:38	and if we’re alive when these things
10:40	happen we’re not going to be caught
10:42	unawares now back to our now back to our
10:46	epistle text just a reminder it’s not
10:47	for you to know the times of the dates
10:49	the father has set by his own authority
10:50	we can know that it’s getting close and
10:52	that’s about all that we can know so
10:54	Paul then says this while people are
10:57	saying peace and safety here on the
11:00	earth destruction will come on them
11:02	suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant
11:04	woman and they will not Escape
11:07	now I like the fact that it describes
11:10	Christ’s return as labor pains because
11:12	that’s talking about the arrival of new
11:14	life and what’s going to give birth with
11:16	all the labor pains in the tribulation
11:17	in the end is the visible kingdom of God
11:20	at new Heavens new Earth it’s a big deal
11:22	and it’s something that we can Rejoice
11:23	about but for those who are not in
11:26	Christ
11:27	who have heard the good news and
11:28	rejected Jesus persisted in sin and
11:30	unbelief this is not going to be a good
11:33	day this is why Zephaniah describes it
11:35	this way remember our Old Testament text
11:37	on that day declares Yahweh a cry will
11:40	go up from the fish gate wailing from
11:42	the new quarter in a loud crash from the
11:44	hills whale you who live in the Market
11:47	District all you Merchants will be wiped
11:49	out all who trade with silver will be
11:52	ruined at that time I will search
11:54	Jerusalem with lamps and punish those
11:56	who are complacent who are like wine
11:58	left on its dregs who think the Lord
12:00	will do nothing either good or bad
12:03	it’s like somebody’s saying you really
12:05	believe Jesus is coming back come on
12:07	it’s been like 2 000 years really yeah
12:11	come on Jesus isn’t going to do anything
12:13	either way he’s Jesus is off playing
12:15	golf somewhere on a different planet
12:16	right their wealth will be plundered
12:19	their houses demolished they will build
12:22	houses but not live in them they will
12:23	plant Vineyards but not drink the wine
12:25	the great day of the Lord is near near
12:29	and it’s coming quickly listen The Cry
12:32	of the day of the Lord will be bitter
12:34	and shouting of the warrior there the
12:36	day that day will be a day of Wrath a
12:39	day of distress and anguish a day of
12:41	trouble and ruin a day of darkness and
12:43	Gloom a day of clouds and Blackness a
12:45	day of trumpet and Battle Cry against
12:47	the Fortified cities against the corner
12:49	towers do you kind of see why
12:51	everybody’s going to know it’s Jesus you
12:53	know it’s this is the description of
12:55	what the day of the Lord is going to be
12:57	like
12:59	this kind of hearkens to what we heard
13:01	at the end of our gospel text
13:04	Jesus says throw that worthless servant
13:06	outside into into the darkness where
13:08	they’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth
13:10	yeah Jesus believed in hell
13:12	in other words the popular preachers at
13:15	evangelicalism has put out there who
13:17	tell us that love wins and that there is
13:19	no hell
13:20	they’re not speaking the truth
13:22	they’re not speaking the truth they’re
13:24	deceiving people but now for the good
13:26	news but you Brothers
13:29	sisters notice that Paul acts like he’s
13:32	writing to Christians can you imagine
13:34	that what a thought and you know what
13:36	I’m a pastor in a church so I feel like
13:38	I’m talking to Christians so I’ve got
13:40	some words of comfort for you this
13:41	morning you are not in the darkness so
13:44	that this day should surprise you like a
13:46	thief you’re not
13:48	you are all sons of the light now Sons
13:51	is used in a broad sense we can say Sons
13:54	and Daughters here you are all sons of
13:56	the light that’s you you
13:58	Judy you are a son daughter of the light
14:01	Gary you are Don you are everybody here
14:05	we are sons of the light
14:08	we do not belong to the night or to the
14:11	darkness
14:12	so then let us not be like others who
14:15	are asleep
14:16	but let us be alert and self-controlled
14:19	for those who sleep they sleep at night
14:22	and those who get drunk get drunk at
14:24	night
14:25	so because you are children of the light
14:28	live as children of the light be sober
14:31	minded and awake good cross reference to
14:34	this passage is Romans chapter 13 11-14
14:36	besides this you know the time that is
14:39	the hour has come for you to wake from
14:41	sleep
14:42	salvation is near to us now than when we
14:45	first believed Paul writes it sure
14:48	certainly is salvation is nearer now
14:51	it’s almost here it’s like Christmas is
14:53	coming for salvation is nearer now to us
14:56	well then when we first believe the
14:58	night is far gone the day is at hand
15:04	so then let us cast off the works of
15:06	darkness and put on the armor of light
15:09	let us walk properly as in the daytime
15:11	not in orgies or drunkenness not in
15:14	sexual immorality and sensuality not in
15:16	quarreling and not in jealousy
15:19	put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no
15:21	provision for the flesh to gratify its
15:23	desires the light is about to break
15:27	since we belong to the day let us be
15:30	self-controlled putting on faith and
15:32	love as a breastplate look at that faith
15:35	in love as a defensive armor what a
15:38	beautiful thought and the hope of
15:40	Salvation as a helmet
15:42	for God did not appoint us to suffer
15:45	Wrath
15:46	let me tweak this a little bit God did
15:48	not appoint you to suffer Wrath
15:52	instead to receive salvation through our
15:55	Lord Jesus Christ he died for us so that
15:58	whether we are awake or asleep that
16:00	means dead or alive we may live together
16:03	with him
16:05	so encourage each other and build each
16:07	other up just as in fact you are doing
16:10	that’s right God did not appoint us for
16:13	wrath Christ bled and died for you
16:16	he has given us salvation we have
16:20	received his salvation he’s washed Us in
16:23	the waters of baptism
16:24	buried us with Christ raised us with
16:28	Christ has circumcised our hearts every
16:30	Sunday that we have the Lord’s Supper
16:32	the Lord is here and you receive his
16:34	body and blood broken and shed for you
16:36	for the Forgiveness of your sins you are
16:38	not children of the darkness you are
16:40	children of the light Christ has bled
16:42	and died for you and he has not
16:44	appointed you to suffer the wrath of God
16:48	on that great and terrible day
16:53	you will see Christ face to face
16:56	and just like the good servants in the
17:00	parable that we read in Our Gospel text
17:02	you too will hear from Jesus well done
17:06	good and faithful servant
17:09	and you might be tempted to say but yeah
17:12	Lord
17:14	sinner
17:15	I know what I’ve done
17:18	I don’t deserve this
17:21	and the reality is you don’t but the uh
17:24	the other reality is this there is no
17:26	higher authority than Jesus and he’s
17:29	bled and died for you he’s accounted for
17:31	your sins and so on the great day of
17:33	judgment
17:35	his verdict cannot be overthrown you are
17:39	in him and he has said you are not
17:42	appointed for Wrath
17:45	you are saved you are in Christ he has
17:48	bled and died for you the gavel has come
17:50	down
17:52	and you are declared innocent
17:55	let us rejoice with what a great
17:57	salvation that we have in Christ
18:00	he came to save sinners sinners like me
18:03	and like you and that we have hope on
18:07	this day of Terror the day of the great
18:09	Wrath of the Lord
18:10	we are assured that he did not appoint
18:12	us to suffer that wrath instead we have
18:15	received salvation through our Lord
18:17	Jesus Christ in Jesus name amen
18:20	[Music]

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