Romans 6:19 “19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Presenting our members to impurity and lawlessness is resulting in further impurity and lawlessness which is accumulating in our lives. Last week also, we saw, ‘Do not grumble’, whenever the Lord shows us this area, grumbling attitude, in our life, we need to repent. Dear brothers and sisters, we need to repent. Repentance comes through full submission of our mind, soul and our bodies. God will show us, if we are judging ourselves, every day in our life.
Adding to this, we read in Matthew 24:13 “13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” It is the endurance which we have and everyday God wants us to have this endurance in our lives, because it says here, that “He will be saved.” We see Matthew 1:21, ‘21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”’ Jesus is the one who is saving us from sin.
Matthew 24:9 – 13 “ 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.’
When this lawlessness increases, we have a different spirit within us. We need to see that no one deceives us or misleads us. When this lawlessness is there and when we submit our bodies, mind and soul to the unrighteousness things, the lawlessness accumulates in our life. There is a need of repentance in our life. We see in cold countries, when it snows, it gets builds up when we don’t clear it. If you want to go out, you need to clear it off. If the snow is not cleared, it will end to piling up of snow, day by day by day. In the same way, every day the sin in our lives will be piling over us. Slowly we will be slipping away from God. We need to repent. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.’ Salvation is, to the one who repented. It is because of the sin growing in our heart, dear brothers and sisters, that slowly, slowly we can witness that love is getting cold and it will come to the point where we become unaware that our love is getting cold towards God and towards our brothers and sisters.
Matthew 24:4 – 13 “4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many
We see slowly, slowly we can hear that the rumors of wars are coming up, we need to stand strong and we should not frighten ourselves. Fear should not grip us. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes; Whenever we see this, we need to know that there is a divine protection on you and only thing you need to make sure is to repent on sin, every day and you keep a clear conscious. When the lawlessness should not come up every day in our lives. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. It is the beginning, dear brothers and sisters, and the end has not come. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Because you stand for the Word, because you stand for the testimony and because you judge yourself, every day in your life, we see here, that others will deliver you to tribulations. We see here, tribulation is clearly man-made, it is the wrath of Satan actually. Many will betray one another and hate one another. For a small gain we betray our brothers and sisters. We need to see this, as lawlessness. We need to see if it is increasing in our lives ‘13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.’
When we see the parable about the fig tree, in Luke 13:6 – 9, “ 6 And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’” Jesus was teaching this in a synagogue on a Sabbath. This is what we see here, ‘God is looking for fruit in our heart, in ourselves’ and we see, Jesus came to the fig tree, what did He find? He did not find any fruit over there. He also found lot of leaves . A lot of religious activities, lot of religious things and it was lush green over there. In the wake of this, Is there a real fruit in my life? Whether it is fruitful to others?
Jeremiah 24: 1 -2 “After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness.”
Jeremiah was shown two baskets of figs. We know that Jeremiah is a prophet who prophesied to the kingdom of Judah. After King Solomon’s reign, the kingdom was divided into two. Northern kingdom, which is Israel and Southern kingdom, Judah. We very well know that Northern kingdom was taken by the Assyrians and the kingdom of Judah was taken by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He attacked them and took them as captives to Babylon. Jeremiah was prophesying there. He was shown two baskets of figs. This was a prophesy. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness.” We see that there is rottenness in one basket and very good figs in the other basket. In the wake of this, we might be having fruit in our lives, but whether Jesus is able to eat that fruit?
Dear brothers and sisters, Is there a rottenness in our life? Jeremiah 24:5,6 5 “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” It says here, “I will give them a heart to know.” Dear brothers and sisters, if we repent ourselves daily in our lives to our Lord, He will give us a heart, He will give His Holy Spirit every day, to have a heart to know Him. We see, God is considering us as His own people. At the time of tribulation, He is going to lift us up and He is going to prepare us for the end times.
Matthew 24:32, 32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; We see a parable of a fig tree, it is in relation to the Israelites saying that, ‘now learn from the parable of the fig tree. Branch has already become tender and you know summer is near. We know that Jesus Christ cursed that fig tree which had no fruit. It withered away. But Jesus Christ is not turning away from Israel. But He is giving them hope, dear brothers and sisters. ‘branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near’ In the wake of this, we see, we crucify our old-self. And when we do this, we are in Christ Jesus. The tenderness is coming back into our life. The warmth is coming up in our life. Day by day, that warmth of love is growing in us, in our hearts. He is building the Israelites up. The tenderness is coming up. Are we able to witness that? There is a remnant which God has kept. We very well know about Elijah.
Romans 11:3, 4 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Dear brothers and sisters, there is a remnant. Are we part of this remnant? If we are not part of this remnant, dear brothers and sisters, we need to repent and come into the body of Christ, which He has shown us.
John 1:47 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Here we see, who is a true Israelite. The one in whom there is no rottenness in Him. It is clearly saying that here, ‘there’s no guile in Him’. And this is who is a true remnant. Do we want to be part of this remnant? We need to humble ourselves and come and seek God to help us.
In the wake of the protection which is given to the elect, we see in Revelation 6. Here we see the seven seals; which John saw and they were broken. When the first seal is broken, verse 1, ‘Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.’ Second seal is broken, we see, ‘4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.’ Third seal is broken, we see, ‘a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” When the sixth seal is broken, we see, ‘12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”’
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the wrath which is coming up. This is the wrath of God. The Church will be raptured and will not be here during the wrath of God. The wrath of God is for the earth dwellers. We will go through the tribulations but we will be protected by God. The kings and great men, commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave, free man are all asking to hide themselves. They are not able to face the wrath of God.
Revelation 7:1-3, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.””
We see, four angels are stationed at the four corners, East, West, North and south, holding back the four winds of the earth. We see that no wind would blow on the earth. We see that there’s protection over there. “ 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” Dear brothers and sisters, this is a divine protection to those who are remnant of God.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:”
There’s an endurance required in our life, dear brothers and sisters; every day in our lives. Whenever we are tested, we need to stand strong for the Lord. This is the training ground for us to be strong. Because we know, the end times are like days of Noah. We see clearly in Hebrews. There is no time to repent. The flood comes all of a sudden. We see, Noah and his family are getting saved there and getting into the ark. This is a symbol of protection of God from the judgement.
Revelation 7:9, ‘9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;’ We see a great multitude who came before the Lord. They fell on their faces when they saw His glory, dear brothers and sisters. ‘10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”’
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the ones, who kept themselves pure, who repented daily and who are able to withstand the tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. .They repented day and night
We can see the men of authority and Kings could not repent because they were proud. God is not protecting them. They will have to cry out asking to save themselves and hide into the mountains. Do you want to go through this? Let us repent. Fear gripped my heart, when I was going through this Word. But Dear brothers and sisters, God is encouraging us to stand up and when these things are coming up, you don’t have to withdraw yourself to destruction but you need to look at the hope, which God is giving you, every day in your life.
16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Dear brothers and sisters, in all the tribulations, which we have seen here, at the end, God is guiding us. We see that God is guiding to the water of life and God is wiping our tears.
James 1:2-4, ‘2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.’
Whenever you go through these trials, whenever you feel, there is a pressure building up inside, at workplace or at home or with relationship with others, dear brothers and sisters, consider it joy because it is testing you. When you are tested to your limits, this faith produces endurance in you and this endurance will give perfect result, so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Thank God for His Word.
