======================================================================== (COMPILATION) BE READY FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD by Keith Malcomson ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the urgency of the times, highlighting the need for preachers to focus on expounding the Word of God and preaching Jesus Christ rather than seeking entertainment. It addresses the lukewarmness in churches, the importance of surrendering fully to God, and the distinction between biblical love and worldly compromises. The message warns against being a worldly believer who prioritizes self- preservation over faith and challenges individuals to embrace the cross of Jesus Christ despite the challenges. Topics: "Urgency of the Times", "Surrender to God" Scripture References: Matthew 24:8, Revelation 3:15, Revelation 3:20, Philippians 3:18, Luke 9:24, Luke 9:26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the urgency of the times, highlighting the need for preachers to focus on expounding the Word of God and preaching Jesus Christ rather than seeking entertainment. It addresses the lukewarmness in churches, the importance of surrendering fully to God, and the distinction between biblical love and worldly compromises. The message warns against being a worldly believer who prioritizes self-preservation over faith and challenges individuals to embrace the cross of Jesus Christ despite the challenges. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Something is about to happen to initiate the beginning of sorrows. I said if we're not already in it, it's just about to happen. That's how close we are. And saints, I want to tell you, if you preach the Word of God, you'll become a prophet. You preachers in the midst, stop your silly stories. Cast away. This is an urgent hour. We need the Word of God. Expound the Word. Preach the Word. Preach the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't need entertainment. We need the Word of God brought to us in a very clear manner. You know why? Because I believe we are in this period of the beginning. It's not the end. It's the beginning. But it shows how close the end is. It's at the door. It's at hand. It's so close you can see it just around the corner. The beginning of sorrows brings an urgency, a carefulness. You begin to say, this is it. It's convenient and it's non- confrontational. That's something about being a lukewarm Christian or a lukewarm church. Anybody else getting frustrated? All the silent churches out there? Roe v. Wade's overturned. They don't say anything. All these huge sexual perversion, deviant things are going on and transgender drag shows with little kids there and not going to say anything. Boy, it fires me up. Churches become lukewarm. They've lost their fire. They've lost their zeal. God is boring. They don't want to come to church that much. Definitely not going to come to Wednesday nights. Definitely not going to be in prayer meetings. And they've lost that zeal. And Jesus says, I counsel you, buy from me the gold that's been refined in the fire. I'm knocking at the door of your heart. Would you come and fully surrender your life again and get that lukewarm water on the heat of the burner? I'm counseling you to do that. I'm pleading with you. I'm asking you to do that. Rebuke. I rebuke because I love, Jesus is saying. I warn you because I care and I discipline you because I delight in your spiritual success. I think it's important to define biblical love. I don't know if I got it to them in time to put it up there okay. Biblical love. This is the concept of love is thrown around everywhere, right? Even the Dodgers. Oh, we just love everyone. That's why we're gonna have men dressed as women and nuns. That's perversion. That's not love. What is biblical love? It's when a non-judgmental spirit tells the truth in spite of the pain it may cause. A worldly lifestyle compromises the commandments and truth of God's Word for success, comfort, self-preservation, and the approval of others. A worldly believer can be bought and persuaded to loosen or even forsake his convictions if it benefits him in some way or makes his life easier. Instead of embracing the cross of Jesus Christ and its sufferings, a worldly believer despises the cross by his actions while professing its necessity with his mouth. As Paul said in Philippians 3 verses 18 and 19, you don't have to turn there. For many walk, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. In the modern day they set their mind on money, houses, social media, technology, politics, fashion, entertainment, and sports. Worldly believers love their own family more than the family of God's, their own house and garden more than the house of God's, they prefer their own hobbies over spending time alone with God, and they prefer talking with men more than talking with God's. A worldly believer loves his own reputation more than the reputation of Jesus Christ. That's why when the name of Jesus Christ is blasphemed in his presence or her presence, they do not have the courage to defend his name. Not that his name needs any defending, but if we love him, why would we not defend him? A worldly believer cares more about the state of the government than the state of the church, much of which is apostate right now. He will acknowledge the hot-button sins of the culture in private, but will not speak against them publicly. The worldly believer feels very safe at home and in church, but is gripped by fear everywhere else. He is scared to share his faith, scared to defend God's name when it is blasphemed, and scared to stand for righteousness in front of the world. As Jesus said, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. The worldly believer is not motivated by love, but by fear, which has its roots in self- preservation. As Jesus also said, whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory, and in his father's, and of the holy angels. Simply put, the worldly believer loves himself more than he loves God. He sits on the throne of his own hearts, submitting to Jesus, who should be seated there only when he feels like it. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/H7gaDyLosrc.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/keith-malcomson/compilation-be-ready-for-the-coming-of-the-lord/ ========================================================================