Hear and Overcome
Scriptures: Matthew 24; Revelations 2-3; 13:16-17
Introduction
“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. "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. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 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. "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.”But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. "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; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24)
The title of my message this morning is “Hear and Overcome.” I shared with you back in January of this year that there is a difference between Success and Victory. Success is the degree or measure of succeeding; favorable or desired outcome; the attainment in wealth, favor or eminence. The idea of success is fluid. Success for one person might mean failure to someone else. Victory, however, is the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist; achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties. Victory is an achievement of mastery. Victory is a way of thinking. We can choose to live in victory or in success – it’s a choice. The one thing that separates success from victory is the repeatability. When we have achieved victory, we have won the battle. There are many who believe battles are not to be won and that we will always struggle, but that is not the case.
This morning I want to focus on one battle that is beginning now and we must choose to win it. For those of you who are following the news, there has been a lot reported about the decisions in some states, North Carolina specifically, as it relates to equality, privacy and religious freedom of all individuals as states propose legislation seen as discriminatory against gay and transgender people in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that legalized same-sex marriage. North Carolina became the first U.S. state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings and schools that match the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity. Some business leaders, a growing list of entertainers and politicians have all out against the law. As part of the backlash, companies and associations have relocated conventions and halted job-creating investment projects initially slated for North Carolina. The message being sent is simple – agree that any lifestyle is acceptable and you can continue to do business as usual. However, if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle and do not make allowances for their lifestyle, then you are discriminating against their freedom of expression.
Let me make one thing clear, I personally believe that every person has the right to live their life as they choose because this is a freedom that God has given to every person. I also believe that I do not have the freedom to demonize, abuse or kill someone because they choose to live a lifestyle that I personally do not agree with based on my religious beliefs. Likewise, I should not be demonized, abuse or killed for not accepting that lifestyle even though if we read the Scriptures for what it says, those days are coming. I believe the answer to the question that many are seeking is one of individuality and the right to choose. Can a person be a good person and live a lifestyle contrary to the traditional teachings of the Bible? The answer to this question is a resounding yes!
Good is defined as of a high quality or standard, either on an absolute scale or in relation to another or others; having or showing an upright and virtuous character; having or showing a kind and generous disposition; worthy of honor or high esteem. This is how “good” is defined in the dictionary. Does this apply to heterosexuals? Yes! Does this apply to those of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community? Yes! So what’s the real issue? The real issue is that people tend to look at the actions and define the person by the actions versus the core of who they are. Let me explain: I am a traditionalist, a Christian that believes that God’s definition of marriage as recorded in Scripture is a relationship between a man and a woman. I therefore cannot participate in a wedding ceremony that does not fall within the core of this definition. Seems simple right? My religious beliefs now hold me in contempt with a U.S. law that says my definition of marriage is no longer valid and therefore I must change my belief so that I do not discriminate against someone of the LGBT community. This is not a belief that I have against another person, it’s a belief that I have in support of what I believe God’s word has said. Let me give you an example.
If you moved into a new neighborhood and your neighbor was kind, helpful, watched your house when you were not home; brought food to you when you were ill and did everything that a “good” neighbor who cared about you would do, would it matter to you that they were of the LGBT community? If you found this out after living beside them for 2 years would you move or bar them from ever coming to your home? I would not and the reason is simple – they have the right to choose to live the way that they want. I also have the right to live my life as a Christian and if I am supposed to be a shining light in a dark world, how can my light shine if I only associate and show it to people who are already “saved?” Maybe them being around me will show them a different way. There are, however, many in the world who disagrees with me. Why you ask? They believe that person’s (someone in the LGBT community) lifestyle is that of a degenerate who would corrupt your very soul if they could. Is this fair? No, but it is the truth that they choose to live by. Now consider if you had a neighbor who stole from your yard; never spoke to you; egged your car at night because they did not want you living beside them; and did an assortment of other things to let you know you were not welcomed there. Would your first thought be that they must be of the LGBT community? Absolutely not because that would not matter! They are a nasty neighbor regardless! What I am trying to get you to see is this: as Christians we have to be careful that we do not get lulled to sleep by accepting all behavior as God ordained and approved. We should never mistreat another human being as we are to be a light in this world, but at the same time we must be true to the God that we serve.
Hear and Overcome
“And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Rev. 13:16-17)
When I read about what is happening across our nation I am concerned. I believe that we are living in the last days and time is running out for us to get some things done. Revelations 13:16-17 talks about the mark of the beast and what would happen to those who do not receive it. Those who do not receive the mark will not be able to buy or sell, in other words, their lives are going to be totally changed if they do not receive the mark. Well if you consider what is happening around us today, is it not similar? Businesses are refusing to do business with North Carolina because they passed a law about a transgender person must use the restroom based on their birth identity/gender. People are taking money out of the state in order to force them to change that law because they believe that law allows for discriminatory practices. I am not speaking to the validity of the law but what is happening because of it. We are moving to a point in history where you either reject/minimize your Christian beliefs and be accepted by the majority or stand by them and be rejected. So what do we do?
In Matthew chapter twenty-found after the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming, Jesus talked about what is happening around us today. He said, “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… For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes…Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another… Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold… But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” All of these things are taking place right now so we know that our days here are numbered. Now, when you read verses thirty-six through fifty-one, Jesus talks about our being ready – being on guard. He talked about the days of Noah when people were surprised at being washed away by the flood because they were not prepared for its coming. He talked about the homeowner who would have been prepared for the thief if he had known that he was coming. He also talked about the wise and evil slave and what they did in their master’s absence. The wise slave did what he was supposed to do even though he did not know when his mater would return, he did his job as if the master could return at any time. The evil slave, on the contrary, choose to do what he wanted in his master’s absence and when his master returned unannounced, that slave was caught unawares and was punished accordingly because he was not doing his job when his mater returned. That is the lesson for us this morning. We have to be ready, watchful and doing our jobs!
When we read what Jesus said to the seven Churches in the book of Revelations chapters two and three we have an idea of what we should do. To each of the Churches Jesus points out specific things that he was either pleased with or disappointed in as it related to the Churches. But there were two statements that were made that was consistent with all of the Churches and applies to each of us. These statements are as follows:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22)
“To him (he) who overcomes…..” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)
These two statements are contained in each message to the Churches and we are encouraged to read those messages and listen to them. Then we have seven promises of what will happen for those who overcome. The Greek word for “hear” in these verses means to listen closely and understand. It’s not talking about hearing naturally with your ears, but understanding with your heart. It means that when we read these words we need to seek their meaning so that we gain understanding. Once we gain this understanding then we accept and put that understanding into practice into our lives. The Greek word for overcome in these verses means prevail, conquer, and get the victory. These terms are military terms for battles which are very appropriate because we are in a war. Our walk is not an easy one and we have plenty of opportunities to compromise our beliefs and that will be one of the deciding points of whether or not we overcome.
I want to close this message with something for you to think about. On the Day of Judgment, every person will stand before God for themselves. I will not be judged by anything that you have done nor will you be judged by anything that I have done. We will all be judged by the lives we have chosen to live. Those choices include what we choose to accept or reject.
As it relates to what is currently happening around us, you should know where you stand and why. Do not confuse discriminatory practices with the right to worship God as long it that worship does not inflict bodily harm on anyone else. Why do I say bodily harm? In our current society it is believed that traditional practices of Christianity can be emotionally harmful to those who do not believe as I do and I understand that. But my choices are to accept what the Bible says is wrong and say it’s okay so I do not offend anyone or accept that I will be demonized for believing what the Bible says and choosing not to be swayed by society. My choice is simple, the Bible is right and someone else is wrong.
As you make the choice for you, please know that as a Christian I am firmly against anyone being mistreated because of how they choose to live their personal lives. Likewise, I expect the same consideration for others who do not agree that my practice of Christianity as I choose to practice it is correct.
Have a blessed week!
