The Hour Is Coming - Matthew 23-25

Matthew 24:6-8 (ESV)

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

After Jesus had taught in the Temple and called out the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, He and the disciples left the Temple. But on the way out, Jesus speaking about the Temple, stated this:

Matthew 24:2 (ESV)

But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Subsequently the disciples asked when these things might happen.  That is the context for the above verses.  We don’t know when this time will come but we do know what the beginning looks like.  The beginning looks like today.   Wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places are all indications for the beginning of the end.  We don’t know when but we do know it is coming. It is often referred to in Scripture as the hour of God’s wrath.  Note the following in this section alone:

Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Matthew 24:44 (ESV)

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:50 (ESV)

the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know

Matthew 25:13 (ESV)

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

John adds to this in his letter called The Revelation:

Revelation 3:10 (ESV)

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 3:10 (ESV)

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 9:15 (ESV)

So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

Revelation 14:7 (ESV)

And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Revelation 14:15 (ESV)

And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”

Revelation 17:12 (ESV)

And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.

Revelation 18:10 (ESV)

They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! You great city,

you mighty city, Babylon!

For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

Revelation 18:17 (ESV)

For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”

And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

Revelation 18:19 (ESV)

And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city

where all who had ships at sea

grew rich by her wealth!

For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

We don’t know when, but we know what and how long.  It will be devastating.   Jesus spoke of what it looks like throughout Matthew 24-25.   We need to look for it and be prepared for it.  

Worship a God You Have to Carry, Or One Who Carries You! Isaiah 45-50

Isaiah 46:5-7 (ESV)

“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,

and compare me, that we may be alike?

Those who lavish gold from the purse,

and weigh out silver in the scales,

hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

then they fall down and worship!

They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,

they set it in its place, and it stands there;

it cannot move from its place.

If one cries to it, it does not answer

or save him from his trouble.

God lays a challenge down to those who reject Him.  These verses are actually addressed to Babylon.  God is speaking to that evil nation to confront them with the truth of who He is.  He does so by telling them the truth about their god.  Their god is the product of their hands and must be carried by those same hands.  Imagine worshiping a god you have to carry yourself. Here is the irony.  Note what God told the leaders and people of Babylon just before these verses:

Isaiah 46:3-4 (ESV)

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,

all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been borne by me from before your birth,

carried from the womb;

even to your old age I am he,

and to gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear;

I will carry and will save.

Do you see the irony.   God is telling them that He will care for them.  That He can save them.  But they turn to idols, made of hands, that they must carry in their hands. When we start worshiping the things we make and the things we, ourselves, have to carry, we lose out on Him carrying us.   The gods of this world have been manufactured by the hearts and minds of men who reject God.   They not only create their gods but must transport them from place to place with their own hands.  In contrast, our God carries us in His hands.  He holds us to deliver us.  We are to turn away from the gods we have to carry and turn toward the God who carries us.  

Will Anyone Remember Your Name? Job 18-19

 Job 18:16-17 (ESV)

His roots dry up beneath,

and his branches wither above.

His memory perishes from the earth,

and he has no name in the street.

The above two verses are from a speech given by Bildad, one of Job’s friends, to Job.  He is listing out all the things that fulfill his final words at the end of his speech:

Job 18:21 (ESV)

Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,

such is the place of him who knows not God.”

He is listing out all the things that are true about those who don’t know God.  Like all of Job’s friends’ speeches, he is right on truth and completely false on application.   Yes, these things are true about those who reject God, but Job has not rejected God.  Those who don’t trust in God will not have a continuing legacy.  Their names will be forgotten, Bildad states.  However, we do still remember those who have passed away and rejected the existence of God.   Bildad is not saying their won’t be remembered as in existence.  He is trying to make the point that they will have no lasting legacy regarding anything having to do with spiritual matters.  Remember, Bildad (and the other friends of Job) are trying to get Job to see that the reason for his condition is his sin. We know that is not true based upon the beginning of the book where God declares Job righteous.  But these men are obsessed with blame and shame.  They can only minister to Job based upon their limited knowledge of life’s conditions. Since they observe people who sin in Job’s condition, Job must be a sinner.   Job’s name, however, will live on forever.  If we talk about Job we think highly of him.   James mentions him thousands of years later:

James 5:11 (ESV)

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Let’s realize that those who stand for God are remembered by God and others. Those who don’t have no lasting legacy.   If you gave people a Bible quiz and asked them to identify Job vs Bildad, which one of those two would they know?  

Confession Can Bring Improved Emotion - Psalms 24-26

Psalms 25:16-18 (ESV)

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

bring me out of my distresses.

Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

We don’t know the context of Psalm 25.  David wrote it, but we don’t have any indication in the song what was happening to him at the time of the writing.   We can see, based upon the above verses that his mental and emotional state were low.   He felt alone.  He felt afflicted.   That could come from mistreatment from someone or self inflicted wounds.   He does see that these troubles started out small but now he states, they have enlarged in his heart.   He cries for help out of his distress.  He then gives us what may be a clue as to what is happening to him when he writes:

Psalm 25:18

Consider my affliction and my trouble,and forgive all my sins.

A few verses earlier he wrote:

Psalms 25:11 (ESV)

For your name’s sake, O LORD,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Prior to that he wrote:

Psalms 25:7-8 (ESV)

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

David is dealing with sin in his life and he recognizes he needs to confess it, acknowledge it and seek God’s mercy in light of it.   That is a great formula for all of us.   Seeking restoration with him can change the emotional and mental anguish in us.  

Don’t Contribute and Create a Problem - Judges 17-21

Judges 19:2-10 (ESV)

And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father’s house. And when the girl’s father saw him, he came with joy to meet him. And his father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there. And on the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.” So the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl’s father said to the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.” And when the man rose up to go, his father-in-law pressed him, till he spent the night there again. And on the fifth day he arose early in the morning to depart. And the girl’s father said, “Strengthen your heart and wait until the day declines.” So they ate, both of them. And when the man and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold, the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”

But the man would not spend the night. He rose up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a couple of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him.

If you want the recipe for disaster, read the above again.   This man, we don’t know his name, will set off a war in Israel as a result of his initial behavior.  After the story we read above and he arrives in Jerusalem, his concubine will be raped.  He will, as a result, cut her up into twelve pieces and ship the twelve pieces around to the twelve tribes, asking for vengeance.   The vengeance will create thousands of deaths.   All this started because the man liked to party.  It started as a relationship problem and ended as a disastrous war.   He went to find his concubine to bring her home.  Her father convinced him to party.  He did so for five days.  He finally leaves, so late in the evening, it put him and her in a dangerous situation.   The people of Jerusalem are at fault here. But the opportunity was created from a man who didn’t have self control.  Be careful when we scream out that someone was wrong, that you also point out your own flaws.   

Identity - Genesis 32-35

Genesis 32:29-32 (ESV)

Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

In what may be one of the most difficult stories in the Old Testament to understand, there is an amazing truth we should not miss.  The story the above passage comes from is the wrestling match Jacob has with an unknown wrestler, in the middle of the night.  The story is a natural riddle and comes with much ambiguity.  We are not told who the person is, but are told, in the end that he blesses Jacob and changes his name to Israel.  Later, in this section, God actually repeats the name change Himself:

Genesis 35:9-11 (ESV)

God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.

This can certainly lead us to believe that the wrestler was God.  Although we could say this was a metaphorical story about Jacob wrestling in prayer with God, if it were not for the tangible evidence of Jacob’s him being knocked out of its socket during the wrestling match.  Because the author of the book, Moses, memorializes the hip and socket, it would be assumed this is a real wrestling encounter with God.  Hard to fathom, but we are lead to believe that.  

The great take a way, however, is not the wrestling match, but the name change.  In this incident with God Jacob walks away with three things:

1. A physical scar to note the encounter for the rest of his life.  That is how it is with God. Our encounters with Him seldom leave us the same.  Just ask Job, or Jonah, or Paul.  Job lost his children.  Jonah smelled like fish the rest of his life.   Paul lost his eyesight. 

2. A blessing was placed on him as the outcome of the battle.  The passage implies that Jacob was winning, up until he was injured on his hip.   The exchange from the injury brought blessing.   Job was double blessed from what he had.  Jonah lead an entire nation to God.  Paul became the main apostle to the church.   The struggle in prayer with God brings blessing from God. 

3. His name was changed.  This is where we get the twelve tribes of Israel vs the twelve tribes of Jacob.   God is about name changing.  He likes to call us something different than we were.  He is about identity.   Not what He tells the church in Philadelphia: 

Revelation 3:12 (ESV)

The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Or the church at Pergamum He tells us He will give us a new name, no one knows but Him and us:

Revelation 2:17 (ESV)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

God is about changing our identity.   Jacob, in the Hebrew, means, supplanter.  It means someone who takes over from another.  Jacob took is brother’s birthright.   He was deceptive.   God changed all that and gave him the name of Israel, which means: God prevails.   So, God won the wrestling match.  He prevailed.  But He gave that name to Jacob.  God changed Jacob from someone who deceives to prevail to someone who prevails for God.  That is what God does.  He changes our names.  He gives us our identity.  

Remember! Romans 15-16

Romans 15:15-17 (ESV)

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

The ministry of reminding.  What a great ministry to have.   Paul believed one of his main ministry gifts was to remind others about their walk of faith and keeping true to God’s word.  He was not the only apostle with this gift.  Note what John told the church at Sardis, who had grown cold to the things of Christ:

Revelation 3:3 (ESV)

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

John also told the church at Ephesus, who lost their first love of Christ, the same thing:

Revelation 2:5 (ESV)

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Jesus told those who came to hear Him teach on the Kingdom of God to remember something specific:

Luke 17:31-33 (ESV)

On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Paul did all this to make sure the readers of this letter were sanctified by the Holy Spirit.   Being sanctified is tied to remembering the truths of the Gospel. That is the formula God uses.  Satan wishes us to forget the truths and to think about the cares of this world more than the convictions of the next.  Remember!!