In this sermon, the preacher warns about the dangers of being consumed by worldly distractions such as video games, lust, and social media. He emphasizes the importance of watching and waiting for the return of Jesus Christ and seeking Him with all our heart. The preacher also highlights the significance of gathering together as believers and contending for the faith, rather than being content with watching services online. He references Hebrews 10:25 to support this point. Additionally, the preacher mentions the day of vengeance of our God, explaining that Jesus came to set people free from bondage and deliver them from the snare of the devil. He encourages believers to be equipped with the spiritual weapons of warfare and to be faithful stewards, so that when Jesus returns, they will be commended as good and faithful servants.

Let's pray, Lord, I'm just grateful for this opportunity to share your word. Lord, we just pray for those who are hurting, for those who are sick. ...can get, and what's going to be better is tomorrow's going to be even better. And we need to keep buying, we need to keep selling, we need to keep hoarding, and we need to just enjoy ourselves and become spiritually fat. It says in verse two, a day of darkness and gloominess this day of the Lord. A day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, this is an army, but it's also a spiritual army that's coming upon the people of God who are sleeping. They come, they're great and strong like whom has never been, nor will ever be after them, even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them and behind them a flame burns. The land in front of them is a paradise like the Garden of Eden. And after the armies come through, it is like a desolate wilderness. Nothing shall escape this army. Dan spoke about the day of vengeance of our God. Dan spoke about these things, and he said it's when Jesus came and he said to free those who were in prison houses, because what happened was God's people, Israel, had come into bondage and they did not know that their destruction had been upon them, that the bondage of Satan was over them. And Jesus was there to fulfill that he was going to set them free and deliver them from the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him because they didn't understand. They didn't know what happened to them. They fell away. Their appearances like horses, swift steeds. They run over the mountains. Like a strong people set in battle array, they're coming against God's people. Before them, the people, God's people, they writhe in pain. They're in terrible fear. Their faces are drained of color. They run like mighty men. These these armies. Let's call the evil spirits for this portion of scripture. How an evil spirit goes through arid places and then find seven spirits more wicked than itself and come and return to that house where it came from. And the last state of the man is worse than the first. They climb the wall like mighty men of war. It says Jesus would be a wall of fire around us and the glory in our midst. But what does he say? The stone hedges broke down. And because a little sleep and a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. And it says poverty will come on you like an armed man. That's how poverty will come like an armed man. But we need to be watchful in our prayers. We need to pray without ceasing in this hour. We need to have a sobriety about us. Everyone marches in formation. The kingdom of of God is not divided, nor is the kingdom of Satan divided. They don't break ranks. They don't push one another. They march in columns. Now look at this. They lunge between the weapons and they're not cut down. Brothers, sisters, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for tearing down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the living God. We have a responsibility to be girded, our waist girded and our lamps burning. And we become faithful stewards whom the master, when he comes, will not cut us into pieces, will not point us with the hypocrites, but will say, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with little. I'm going to entrust you with much. They lunge between the weapons. They're not cut down. They run to and fro in the city. They run on the walls. They climb into the houses and they enter the windows like a thief. Now, the scripture says in a spiritual context, you are God's house and you are God's building. And it says that the eyes are the window of the soul. And through the eyes, we can see that there's a spirit of Christ abiding. The Holy Spirit's in there or there's evil spirits in there. The eye is the window of the soul. And this is where they come, they climb. They come over those stone walls that are broken down, those there's no watchman blowing the trumpet. The enemy is coming. And we're at ease in Zion. A little sleep, a little slumber. And the enemy comes and they surround the houses and they enter into the windows as a thief. This is how God's people come into bondage. They start to look at pornography. They start to lust after their neighbor's wife. They start to cover their neighbor's houses and properties and lands and a little buying, a little selling, a little trying to get ahead. And next thing you know, their families are separated. Their children are not walking with God and there's destruction. And it says because of covetousness in Jeremiah three and Jeremiah six, he says, I'll give your wives to others and your fields to those who will inherit them. You spend your entire lifetime amassing to have a place and to have a home. And if you get your eyes off of Christ and the enemy comes upon you, you won't be able to hold your marriage together. You won't be able to cause your children to follow Christ. It'll all fall apart. And it says other men will live in those houses. And we see it today. And even in the church, people, the husbands get told to leave their houses. And all of a sudden you find there's squatters there. There's other people living in the house with the wife. And other people will have your children. It's not just an army taking your children into captivity in a natural sense. It's in a spiritual sense. The children be overtaken by their video games and by their their lusts and by all the uncleanness that's out there and their desire to to be popular and everything else on Facebook and all these media outlets. And they're going to get caught up in YouTube and all kinds of uncleanness. And you know what? There's going to be some other guy watching over your kids. And this all happened because you were not watching and you were not waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. You were not seeking him with all your heart. And you're not loving him. As Scripture teaches us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength on the day of the Lord, Jesus is coming. He's coming as a thief to those who are not watching. And it says this in Hebrews. In Chapter 25, and he exhorts us not to forsake the gathering together, as is the manner of some believers, where now with the current crisis, people are just content to sit at home and watch service on video. We no longer getting together and contending for the faith and encouraging and stirring one another up to keep seeking God. We just get our we can just watch video and we can just do all the other things that we want to do so much more time. We can go to Mexico and we can have a one hour Sunday service. Watch video. We haven't missed anything. Yes, you have, because the Scripture says don't forsake the gathering together, as is the manner of some. Now, we need to know that we're two or three gathered together. In Jesus name, he's there. You don't need to have hundreds of people or thousands or go to a building. But we need to gather together with genuine believers and just confess our sins one toward another and pray for one another. And we need to encourage one another. Yes, I believe in the church structure that the elders are supposed to do that. But where there's no opportunity. So long as Jesus provides one or two, you can have fellowship. And says, and so much more. Don't forsake this gathering as you see the day approaching. What day? The day of the Lord, where he comes as a thief. Because the next verse makes it clear. For if you willfully go on sinning. That's when the devil comes in and you get hooked on pornography and you just go on sinning in that pornography. You go on lusting after you go on in your anger and it gets a hold of you and you can't stop. You can't get victory over gossip and slander. You can't get victory over grumbling and complaining. Can't get victory over bitterness and envy and covetousness and sexual morality. That's the day of the Lord for you. He comes as a thief in the night to those who are not watching. But we are not of the night, but of the day, brothers, that this day should overtake you as a thief. This is a day of darkness. This is a day of destruction. This is a day when the powers of darkness come upon God's people who are at ease in Zion. And we need to be girded and we need to be watchful in our prayers. Praying without ceasing. My son knocked on my door last night, the other night, and he said, I heard gunshots, gunshots. I went outside, I was walking around. I said, I didn't see nothing. I said, I put the cameras on, son, I'll watch. He went to bed, I said, you can sleep, dad will watch. And I thought, well, I need to get some sleep. And every little noise, I'm telling you, I was up looking, looking at the cameras, watchful. If an enemy is coming, I want to be ready. I want to protect my family. How many of us in a spiritual sense are watchful to watch over our children so that they can sleep and trust that mom and dad are keeping the word of God and are teaching them the right way? And say, hey, listen, this is not a good thing. Dad will watch. Make sure you walk this way. Make sure you can be at rest. There's a people of God who are watchful in their prayers. We need to be watchful. Amos in chapter 5, verse 18, Amos 5, 18. Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Brother Dan shared on this also. For what good is the day of the Lord to you? Will it not be darkness rather than light? It will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. This doesn't sound like a good day. Or as though he went into the house and he leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. There was a serpent in the house. We need the blood on the doorposts and on the lentils, brothers, sisters. So that these serpents aren't in the house. A lot of us allow the serpents into our house by the things that we bring into our homes. We give the serpent, we give the enemy access to our children. We give the enemy access to our families. Because we're not vigilant to keep the door closed and to keep the blood of Jesus applied. It's not the day of the Lord, a day of darkness and not light. Is it not very dark with no brightness in it at all? Brothers, we're not of the night, but of the day. I'll finish in Matthew 24 and 25. As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Verse 36, Matthew 24, 36. But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking. They were marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark. Also in the same sense, in Luke 17, it talks about as the days of Lot were. It says the day that Lot went out of Sodom, that's when the fire fell. God will not allow the wicked to perish with the righteous. God will spare the righteous and allow the wicked to be removed. They were buying and selling, eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. And they did not know. Who didn't know? The ones who were mocking Noah. They didn't know. They said, you're a fool. Why don't you let your kids go here and go there? Why don't you let your kids, you know, go to regular school and get the conversion therapy teachings? Why don't you let them learn about homosexuality and sodomy and uncleanness? Why don't you let them learn all these things? You're holding your kids back. We've gotten this from family and friends for years. We have chosen years ago that our children would be come out from among them and be saved. They did not know. Those ones who mocked us. Those ones who slandered us. There's yet time. But in Noah's day, they ran out of time. And it says, so will the coming of the Son of Man be in the end again. The flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the Son of Man be. My question to you is, who did the flood take away? Well, this is the rapture, brother. Yeah, it is. They were eating and drinking. They were marrying and giving marriage. They were buying and selling. And they were mocking Noah. And then the flood came and took them away. But another scripture says, then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Who was taken away in Sodom and Gomorrah? Even Lot's wife looked back and she was taken. The righteous will not be taken with the wicked. We see it even today. Even as famine, pestilence, and sword come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. He says what? Then two men will be in one field. One will be taken, the other left. Who's taken and who's left, brothers, sisters? Two women grinding at the meal. One taken, one left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour the Lord Jesus is coming. We've been taught about rapture. And Jesus is coming to take his church. But is he coming at the first trump or the third trump? Or you think we're going to have to suffer some things? He said if those days were not shortened, even the elect might not be saved. We're going to go through suffering and persecution like has not been seen since the foundation of the world. And some of us, if we have to go and take a little jab or whatever, we crumble like a cheap tent. If they come and they try and put a mark on you and you can't go to Costco and get your groceries in your grub, you'll be the first one to line up. We have no backbone. We have no spirituality. We have no convictions. We have no self-discipline. We have very little. Just the shallow believism. We need to stand for something. My grandmother gave me a poster when I was a teenager. At the time, I didn't really appreciate it. Gifts of toys and what she gave me, the teen's creed. And part of that teen's creed was choose your friends with care. You become what they are. And she said, you got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. I have some of my people and family and friends. You know, these ungodly, most of them, not all of them, truckers are standing up to a mandate which is being forced on the people. And everybody's just accepting everything. We need to be vigilant in prayer and say, God, have mercy on our land. We're the people of prayer who will pray against tyranny and control and wickedness. We just bow down. And when will we stand up for what is righteous and say, you will not take our faith from us. You will not rip our Bibles from our hands. And you will not take Jesus from me. You can't beat it out of me. You can't whip it from me. You can't force me to renounce my faith. Because greater is he who is in me than he that's in the world. We believe in conversion. That's how people are born again, including homosexuals. You must be converted, including the sodomites, including the adulterers, including those who are in fornication, including all liars. They have to be converted, including those who are fearful, including those who are cowards. They all have to be converted. And you have to have this heart of stone removed. And we need the Lord to give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us and write his laws on our hearts and on our minds. And we have to be so gloriously born again that our faith produce fruit. But know this, if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched. They say, oh, well, he's coming as a thief. He's just coming suddenly. But you know, if you ever had a thief come to your house and you've been startled by a thief, it's not an exciting thing. The blood pressure goes up, the heart starts pumping. You get adrenaline. You're going protection mode for your family. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to be watchful so that this day doesn't overtake us as a thief. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming. Are you ready to meet him? Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. Are you ready to meet the Lord Jesus? Will he say to you, well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. You've been faithful with little. I'm entrusting you with much. Will he say to you, you goats, when I was hungry, you gave me no food. You were so busy saving, hoarding, putting in RSPs. I'm not against these things. But we have to also be mindful of those who are around us, who are in need and who are hurting. Servants of the Lord are to be generous. We don't have to pass a hat around. We need our people to have a conviction from the Holy Spirit to meet needs when they see them. I'm not against giving. I'm for it. But when God has your wallet and he has your heart, you're not going to give ten percent. You're going to give according to what you have to help others who have need. Be ready. Set money aside. To help people in need so that when the opportunity comes, you're ready. Be watchful in your prayers. When the enemy is coming and times and seasons are changing, don't think tomorrow is going to get back to normal. Say, Lord Jesus, come, Lord Jesus. That's what the Spirit and Bride say. Come, Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, come. Have thine own way. Lord, help me to be ready. Lord of my own strength, I can't do this. Help me to be watch. Help me not to sleep, Lord Jesus, in this dark hour. Lord, help us to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Help us to pray without ceasing, holding fast the convictions and the confidence of our faith steadfast until the end, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the sufferings and the agony of the cross. You also are called to suffer with Christ. Yes, everyone who desires to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. This is what waits for us. Are you willing? Are you willing to walk the narrow road? Or will you deny Jesus? I never knew the man after you've seen the power of God. Peter wept bitterly and repented. Some of us have been backslidden. We've denied Christ by our actions. We can also repent. There's yet time. Repent and be converted. At times, refreshing might come from the Lord. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us as a people. Help us that we would be able to stand in this evil hour, in the midst of temptation, in the midst of the darkness, that we would be beacons of light and hope for perishing people, that we would not be cowards, Lord, but we would be bold. We need the spirit of boldness and encouragement to share this message of hope, the message of Jesus Christ to people who don't know you. The people in darkness have seen a great light, Jesus, when you came. And Lord, may we be of those ten thousands who will stand up and say, Jesus is risen. Jesus is alive. And he's coming quickly. And his reward is with him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.