AUSTRALIAN BIBLE CHURCH – July 26th., 2009     

A CONTINUATION OF THE ORIGINAL THRUST AND BASE OF

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA,

ON CHANGELESS BIBLICAL LINES 

THE END, THE CALL, THE COMING, THE RESPONSE

IN THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST (Philippians 1:6)

In the Old Testament, we often see reference to the day of the Lord, as in Isaiah 2:12, Joel 2:30, and a great and terrible day it is, as you see in the counting over of all those to be affected in Isaiah 24:2.

In the New Testament, the world is facing a thing even more specific. It is the day of Jesus Christ, as met in Philippians 1:6. To that day, Paul believes, God will keep them, having begun a good work in them, with no provision for their loss. Therefore, he says in Philippians 2, "if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfil my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. He goes on to exhort them to let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit..." He goes on to exhort them to remember what Christ gave up so that we might be taken into His fold, giving in to Him in surrender, but not to sin in its squalid splendour.

What then of this day ? Many are its features, by which we recognise it, but today I want you to sense again the drama, the sequence for as you are tested, so also He has much invested in you, and it is well that you see clearly the race before you, as you do in the Tour de France, where they outline on a map. There is the journey to come for the day, with mounts and valleys, showing a wiggly line where the pelaton is to go. Our race is to go straight in its path (Hebrews 12:13), safer, but all the greater in its challenge while we are on it, for that!

THE END

              is unexpected (Matthew 24:11ff. 48); for many will be pre-occupied with false prophets,
             whose words beguile, mislead, and more will think nothing is about to happen, so blatant
             is unbelief even in Churches (as II Peter 2 forecast).

             is sudden, as seen in Matthew 25, when some securely sleep just at the time the
             Lord comes like a bridegroom: it is NOW and not later, so be ready.

             is deep in the night, when action seems out of the question ('midnight' in Matthew 25:6).

             awakens sleepers (Matthew 25:8) so that at last they eagerly communicate
             with the elect, goaded now past further compromise, to seek spiritual reality (25:8-9),
             yet fear is not its source, but faith.

             interrupts temporisers (Matthew 24:48) whose thoughts are not on the Gospel and the
             grace of God in salvation to the lost, but on what they have to do to keep in the swirl of
             things ecclesiastical. 

             dashes unruly and arrogant disputants, warring in selfish strife,
            even in the Church (Matthew 24:49), having only apparent fellowship with each other
            Matthew 25:8), but now seeking what no man but only God can communicate (the 'oil').

    HIS COMING

             confronts hostility to and confrontation with sound, biblical doctrine, weird
             and hellish divergences and diversities, deceit with cunning (II Peter 2, II Timothy 4),  

             calls the spiritually diligent (Matthew 22:1-10), operating at His will.

             culls the restlessly argumentative, filled with fictitious faith (Jude 15).

             outwits the time-servers (Matthew 24:48).

             excludes the trash collectors (II Peter 2, II Timothy 4).

             exposes the petulant (II Timothy 3), whose form of religion is not informed with
             the power of God or His morals or His ways.
             
             draws His own people, each one (Matthew 24:31).

             bares the residue like so many rotten apple cores, ready for trashing
             (Matthew 25:12, 24:50-51).

      HIS RETURN

              collapses the world powers (Revelation 19:19, 1:7, II Thess. 2:8-9) with their leader.

              is incendiary to organised unbelief (Revelation 19:20).

              vindicates the persecuted (II Thessalonians 1:5-7).
 

      OUR RESPONSE is

              to apply the heart in the power of His Spirit to be         

              to be patient, diligent, gracious,

              self-controlled, expectant (Revelation 22:20, Phil. 1:27-28, 2:15, II Peter 3:9),

              not seeking vindication, but victory, now within (Romans 8, Galatians 5)

              for at His coming, it will be present to the very sight.

       to expect and ignore the devious, undisciplined taunters, scarifiers,
      fraudulent churches or wandering, unless they may be snatched from burning
      (Jude 23).

      to avoid the harvest of false crops, GM spiritual frauds now (I Timothy 6:5),
      content in Christ (I Timothy 6:6, Ephesians 1:6-7, II John 9-10, Romans 16:17).

      to make Christ our goal, not sin our gaol (John 8:34-35), by the word of the Lord,
      through the promises of Christ (II Peter 1:1ff., Colossians 1:18),

      to be willing to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29, II Timothy 2:8-9, 3:12).

      to be deep in understanding (Luke 21:25-28). looking up for Him with assured faith.

      to be ready to grow in wisdom and knowledge (II Peter 3:18, Colossians 1:9).     

     to remember

     that just as they did not know in Noah's day that the flood was on them,
     till it came, being occupied with building and the arts of satisfying appetite
     (Matthew 24:38),
     and just as they did not know in Lot's day
     that calamity was coming to Sodom,
     but were intent on building, buying, selling, as if activity and immorality were
     to be covered by being active in all things,
     yet still the events swept in like tsunamis:
     so it will be sudden and swift in the day of Jesus Christ,
     when He comes to be glorified
     in His saints all His people (II Thessalonians 1:10),
     evoking admiration in His disciples.

       

 May the good Lord make you content in your discipleship, full of faith, hearty in love, willing to learn, gracious in demeanour and helpful in His kingdom, ready to set about your task, pulsing to pray, more than ferocious animals to prey: and may you roar with appetite for His coming, His ebullient charity and His stark clarity, seeking to be worthy of your calling, yet resting in Him by faith.

 To those still sleeping: it is time to wake, for in this race,  to sleep is no more useful than in any other race; and the way for the dead to be  raised incorruptible is not to sleep and slumber, but to hear the call, the trumpet that sounds (I Corinthians 15:51-52). It is hard to heed it when you are deaf, dead to Him who calls because this world has your soul, and your ears are dead to heavenly sound.