Sunday Sermon
Matt 16:1-3 NIV “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
A group of people had approached Jesus asking Him for a sign from heaven that would make them believe in Him.
He replied by rebuking their hypocrisy, contending that they were already surrounded by signs.
All the signs of the Messiah predicted by the Prophets were being fulfilled in vivid technicolor by the One standing right in front of them:
—He was born of a virgin, as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.
—In the town of Bethlehem, as prophesied in Micah 5:2.
—John the Baptist had come in the power and spirit of Elijah to prepare the way before Him, as prophesied in Malachi 4:5.
—The eyes of the blind were being opened, the ears of the deaf were being unstopped, the crippled and lame were leaping like a deer, and the tongue of the speech-impaired was singing, as prophesied in Isaiah 35:5-6.
All these were the “signs of the time” forecasting the arrival of the Messiah.
And yet the hypocritical Pharisees still came asking for a sign when signs were all around them and they still didn’t believe!
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Now, I want to focus today on verse 3:
“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Vs.3).
The people of Jesus’s day were good weathermen in the natural, but lousy at discerning the prophetic weather around them.
Was it calm? Stormy? Sunshiny? Overcast? Hot? Cold? Winter, or summer?
They didn’t know, and their lack of discernment would cost them everything!
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Now, holding that thought, we find in the OT in 1 Chronicles 12 that the time had come for David to be made King over all Israel.
A list is provided for us of all the tribes that came together to make it happen.
We read that there were thousands of men from each tribe, and the Holy Spirit points out that they were mighty men, armed soldiers, famous in their own clans——they were all things military.
But then we come upon one tribe—the tribe of Issachar—and there is a change.
The sons of Issachar were distinguished for one thing—they were: “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (12:32).
And instead of thousands, there were only 200 of them!
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But the fact is that, what good were all the thousands of soldiers if they had no direction? No divine guidance? No understanding?
This is what the sons of Issachar provided!
They understood the times and what Israel should do.
They understood that it was time for King David to be installed as king over all the land of Israel.
They understood God’s hour had arrived to bring the whole nation under the leadership of the “man after God’s own heart.”
It was their DISCERNMENT of the times that informed Israel of what God was doing and what direction to take!
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So, here’s a question—where are the sons of Issachar today?
Those that understand what time it is, prophetically speaking, for America and the world?
People who can recognize the signs surrounding us?
Who can provide a prophetic weather forecast for our nation?
I’ll answer that—Any believer that spends quality time studying God’s word!
Understanding the times is a byproduct of knowing your Bible!
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With that in mind, I want to look at three things from the Bible regarding what the Bible is forecasting for America and the world prophetically.
One is negative and two are positive.
We might call this a prophetic weather forecast!
FIRST:
It’s an hour of apostasy
The Bible predicts a dark hour of apostasy, a falling away from the faith in the Last Days.
Listen to the Apostle Paul: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim 4:1).
And he also wrote to the Thessalonians: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come (the arrival of antichrist) unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,” (2 Thes. 2:3)
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Jesus also said that in the days prior to His return, “Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:10-12).
And later in the same chapter: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time” (Matt. 24:24-25).
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The fulfillment of these predictions is increasingly happening today.
We have just this last year witnessed a number of key Christian influencers and high profile church leaders go public to renounce the faith.
Including one well-known writer of children’s Christian musicals,
A long time and well-known Pentecostal minister,
A professor of religious studies at Rice University,
A well-known Hillsong song-writer,
And a popular Christian author all came out of the closet to renounce Christ and Christianity.
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And on a larger scale entire nations like America and England, that once held to Judeo/Christian values and beliefs, have apostatized, rejecting the truth of God’s word and giving themselves over to godlessness and shocking moral depravity.
Jesus even predicted that much (not all) of the church of the last days would be anything but healthy.
Revelation 3:14-16: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
We have here a lukewarm, compromised, lackadaisical, do nothing, watered down shell of a church.
And Jesus goes on to say that the last days church will be in love with money and materialism:
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (3:17).
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In fact, the church of the last days just prior to Christ’s return will be so out of touch with God, so worldly and lukewarm, that Jesus is presented on the outside looking in, challenging them to open the door to Him!
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (3:20).
So the prophetic weather forecast for the last days is cloudy and dark with apostasy.
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But the flip side is fantastic!
It’s an hour of harvest
While the world grows darker and darker, the Bible says the sun will also be shining in a massive harvest of souls!
Jesus said in John’s gospel, “Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields of human souls are ripening all around us, and are ready now for reaping” (John 4:35).
Now, in those days experienced farmers could look at their fields and recognize the right time to bring in the crops.
Likewise, Jesus is saying that the church should have the same ability to recognize the right time for a spiritual harvest!
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Notice what Jesus said: “Look around you!”
At what?
At a vast harvest of souls like a ripe wheat field ready to be harvested.
The context of His statement is the Samaritan woman at the well has believed on Jesus and has brought the whole town out to hear him.
“She told the town-folks, ‘A man told me everything I have ever done. Come see him.’ 30 So the people left the town and went to see Jesus” (John 4:28-30).
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It’s also worth noting that Jesus spoke these words in the midst of what He had called a “crooked and perverted” generation.
It was spiritually, morally, governmentally, and culturally bankrupt.
The Roman government ruled the world, and was up to its eyeballs in the worship of at least 20 false gods.
And it was in THIS wicked environment that Jesus said “the harvest is ripe!”
The Bible says, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Ro. 5:20 NKJV).
In spite of the darkness, it was harvest time!
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And one last thing an alert church should be recognizing is—Jesus is at the door!
“In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door” (Matt. 24:33 NLT).
Close:
So here’s the Bible’s prophetic forecast in a nutshell.
FIRST: On the one hand it’s dark and going to grow darker as evil men and seducers grow worse and worse, and many defect from the faith.
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled. These things must come to pass.”
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SECOND: God is going to raise up true gospel preachers and churches that will not bow to the idol of Political Correctness.
These Christians are going to reap a vast harvest!
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. Then the end shall come!” (Matt. 24:14).
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THIRD: Jesus is coming soon!