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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
Welcome to the Sandals Church Podcast. My name is Chris Reinhart. I'm the campus pastor at Sandals Church San Bernardino. We're so happy to have you join us today as we listen to this incredible message. If you've enjoyed our content, consider leaving us a rating to help this podcast reach more people.
Pastor Chris Reinhardt:But for now, let's get into the message.
Pastor Matt Brown:My name is Matt Brown, and I wanna welcome everybody to Sandals Church. And, if you stumbled into church or you found this on YouTube, man, you came at an interesting time. I've been a pastor for almost thirty years, and I gotta be honest with you. Whenever I teach or preach or even read Matthew 24, it's super intimidating. This is one of the most challenging passages to network through, to try to examine, to try to understand because Jesus is talking about the end of the world.
Pastor Matt Brown:And, so if you have Crystal Lewis in the back of your your mind, you know, people get ready. Jesus is coming. You need to get ready. And if you've never heard of Crystal Lewis, you might wanna Google that song so that so you can get ready because Jesus is coming. But I don't I don't wanna scare you today.
Pastor Matt Brown:I wanna prepare you today. Amen? And so I think a lot of people use scare tactics to try to get people back to church. And so this passage isn't about scaring people. It's about preparing people.
Pastor Matt Brown:So let's open our Bibles to Matthew 24 verses one through 14, and we're gonna try to walk through this slowly so that we can really, really grasp what's going on here. So let's look at Matthew 24 verses one through three. As Jesus was leaving the temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various temple buildings. Now let's stop there. A lot of people who haven't haven't ever gone to Israel don't realize how impressive the ancient Temple Of Of Israel was in Jerusalem.
Pastor Matt Brown:It was one of the wonders of the ancient world, one of the architectural wonders. Matter of fact, Romans, when they got deployed to Israel to serve, they wanted to see three things. They wanted to see the sea where you couldn't drown. That's the Dead Sea. They wanted to see the day where people didn't work.
Pastor Matt Brown:That's the Sabbath. And they wanted to see the temple with no God in it. K? And and the reason they thought there was no God in it because there was no statues of God inside the temple because he's a God who cannot be seen by human hands. God says, don't design any idol or anything to look like me.
Pastor Matt Brown:But this thing was really kinda on your checklist, for for TripAdvisor two thousand years ago to go and see, and the disciples are kinda saying, you know, lord Jesus, you know, this is all gonna be ours one day because you're the true god and you're the true messiah, and Jesus stops them. Look at look at verse two. But he responded, do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth. They will be completely demolished.
Pastor Matt Brown:So in your Bibles, want you to write here, it took sixty years to build this. Matter of fact, I've looked at the foundation stone for this temple. It is as large as this entire studio room. Matter of fact, listen to me. Today, in today's world, we don't have a crane that can pick this stone up.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's that heavy. And they're like, wait a minute. Yeah. This took decades. Think about it.
Pastor Matt Brown:Whole families, whole generations worked on this to construct this monument to God, and he's saying it's all gonna be destroyed. Matter of fact, not one stone will be left on top of another. So it's not just gonna be burned. It's not just gonna be bombed. It's going to be excavated.
Pastor Matt Brown:And we know this that the Romans got so frustrated with the Jews in 8070 that if they would had jackhammers, they would have taken jackhammers to it. And I've actually stood there to see some of the stones that the Romans threw off the top of this mount. And when they hit, they crushed stones beneath it. So this would be like you and I going to visit New York. I'm not saying the two towers are gonna fall, but every building on the island would be laid to waste.
Pastor Matt Brown:You'd be like, wow. This would be like in SoCal. We have beautiful mountains that hold all of our our our our smog in so we can breathe it. It would be like saying, one day, not one of those mountains will be there. They will be laid to dust like the sand of Galamis.
Pastor Matt Brown:Can you imagine? I mean, we would just be like, okay, that's impossible. So verse three, they're confused and you will probably be confused today by some of the things that I say. Later, Jesus sat at the Mount Of Olives, which is the mountain just on the other side. You can you can see one from the other.
Pastor Matt Brown:His disciples came up to him privately and said, that's the best way to ask a question so you don't get embarrassed. You know, if Jesus would have had the debrief, it would have been Annie Moss asking this question. Tell us, when will all of this happen? What sign will signal now here's why this is so confusing because they're asking two questions. What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?
Pastor Matt Brown:And so part of the reason this is so confusing is it's hard to know which part of that question Jesus is asked or is answering based upon the two parts of it that were asked. So let me just say this. I don't wanna talk about the end of the world. I wanna talk about how to build a faith that prepares you for the end of the world. K?
Pastor Matt Brown:Because here's the thing. If Jesus has you, you got this. You don't need to worry about this. So people always ask me, are you are you pre trib, post trib? Are you pre millenius, post millenius?
Pastor Matt Brown:And listen, I'm a pan millenius. So what is that? It'll all pan out. That's what that's that's what it is. It's gonna work out.
Pastor Matt Brown:Okay? So and just just so you know, Christians have been arguing and fighting about the end times for hundreds of years, and I'm not gonna solve it today in one message. So how to build a faith that lasts? Number one, I must avoid following anyone who claims to have it all figured out. Like, you all got a pastor.
Pastor Matt Brown:You fall on YouTube, and he's got a graph and a chart, and he knows exactly when Jesus is coming. And Jesus is in heaven reading the chart, and he'd say, I'd return if I could figure this chart out, you know, because it's all confusing. Just last year, I had some good godly people in our church tell me, hey. Some mathematician figured out exactly when Jesus is gonna return. And they said, what do you think?
Pastor Matt Brown:I said, well, I know exactly when he's not returning whenever that guy said he's coming. Verse four, look at this. Jesus told him, don't let anyone mislead you, and this is more challenging today than it has ever been. Man, I just just just the other day, I there was somebody in our church that I humbly asked to leave, you know, in the name of Jesus. And they have a following on TikTok that's larger than mine.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's not even close. And and people are like, oh, this guy's pretty smart. I'm like, you know, because it's easy to be convincing when people don't know you. So that's the thing is Instagram doesn't reveal people's character or their knowledge. And so there's two things.
Pastor Matt Brown:There's more and more people who claim to be experts today, and biblical ignorance is bigger than it's ever been. K? So don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah. Now let's stop there.
Pastor Matt Brown:Most people are not claiming to be the Messiah now, but they are claiming unique knowledge. And so what they're saying is they're godlike. So I've figured out something that no one else in all of Christianity has ever figured out. Do you realize what they're saying? Now here's the thing that's so sad.
Pastor Matt Brown:Actually, what led to the Jewish revolt in 8067, '68 was Jewish men claiming to be the Messiah. There were multiple. And guess what happened? Jews believed them. They rejected Jesus, but they followed these guys, and these guys led them to war whereas Jesus was trying to lead the nation of Israel to peace.
Pastor Matt Brown:And he told him, if you reject me, you will be crushed. And guess what happened? They rejected him and they got crushed. For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah and they will deceive many. How many of you guys, probably just guys in here, is there any gals that watch Joe Rogan Podcast?
Pastor Matt Brown:Okay. Okay. Couple of guys. It's just that it's a guy thing. We have nothing else to do with our lives.
Pastor Matt Brown:But I had really been looking forward to this podcast, and he was interviewing a biologist, a scientist, and they were gonna talk about God and faith and all this stuff. And I loved it until about forty five minutes in, and I realized this scientist is a moron. You know, because, I mean, he said a couple of stupid things, but I do that. Amen? Don't amen that.
Pastor Matt Brown:But, you know, but then I realized he started talking about Gnostics. Now anybody who's been to seminary, you'll learn about Gnosticism in your first semester semester of seminary. These are people who believed in secret knowledge in the scriptures that they received because they were godlike. And he started talking, and Joe Rogan's just like, uh-huh. Wow.
Pastor Matt Brown:Didn't know that. I'm like, Joe, have me on the podcast. You know? And here's the thing that was so sad is the guy was acting like he was an expert on the Bible. When he was an expert on biology, he's a moron when it came to the Bible.
Pastor Matt Brown:And and and, you know, I I would say I don't mean to insult him, but I mean to insult him because so many people, including Joe Rogan, were, like, buying it. And I was like, man, this is really, really bad. K? So here's the thing. As soon as somebody tells you Jesus is coming, Jesus is returning, and and there's been all kinds of religious movements that have said in 1930, he's coming.
Pastor Matt Brown:In 1945, the big one amongst evangelicals was in the early nineteen eighties. Look at Matthew twenty four thirty six. However, no one knows the day or the hour. Who knows? No one knows the day or the hour.
Pastor Matt Brown:Who knows? No one knows. I don't care about your graph, your chart, what your grandma's dream, you know, what you saw in your toast. I I don't I don't care. No one knows.
Pastor Matt Brown:Not even your grilled cheese sandwich where it looks like the Lord, and he's saying I'm coming. That's not that's not your toast doesn't know. No one we're laughing, but this is the kind of stuff that circulates. No one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen. Look at this.
Pastor Matt Brown:Not even the angels in heaven. So if an angel appeared to you, hey, it might not be an angel. It could have been a demon. They don't know nor the son himself. Jesus is saying, stop asking me.
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't know. Only the father knows. Now that's hard for us to understand, but we believe in one God who is three persons. Each person is distinct within the Godhead. So God the Father did not die on the cross.
Pastor Matt Brown:God the Son did. Okay? God the Son did not descend at Pentecost. God the Spirit did. And I realize that's difficult, but that's God.
Pastor Matt Brown:And if you understand everything about God, you got the wrong God. K? He doesn't fit in your brain. Okay? So next, realize that bad news keeps me from living out the good news.
Pastor Matt Brown:This is what so many pastors that have gone political, what they're doing is they're they're just talking about bad news. They're talking about wars. They're talking about famines. They're talking about all of these signs. Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Stop listening to them and let's all listen to Jesus. Here's what he says in verse six, and you will hear of wars and threats of wars. Fear six on the Enneagram, here we go. Don't don't panic. You're like, it's too late.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's too late. You lost me at Crystal Lewis. You know? Don't panic. Jesus doesn't want you to be scared.
Pastor Matt Brown:He wants to be prepared. And some of the guys are like, that's why I'm a prepper, and I'm moving to Idaho. Listen. When the Lord returns, Idaho will not keep you safe. I don't care how deep your bunker is.
Pastor Matt Brown:Does anybody know a prepper? Don't point at them. Okay? Oh my gosh. Our next door neighbor was a prepper, and I didn't know that.
Pastor Matt Brown:I was trying to win him to Christ. He was trying to win me to his bunker. And so he showed me. He showed me all this stuff that he has and how he's so ready. He goes, so what's your plan if it's the end of the world?
Pastor Matt Brown:I said, I'm coming over here, and I'm taking your stuff. And he moved. He was like, I'm out of here. You know? But that really was my plan.
Pastor Matt Brown:You know? I wasn't gonna take it violently, but persuasively, we were gonna take it. So, you know, God doesn't want you to be prepped to last. He wants you to be prepped to be saved. Okay?
Pastor Matt Brown:So listen to Jesus. Man, the next time you hear about a war, you hear a rumor of war, you get all scared, you get all upset. Listen to this. Yes. These things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately.
Pastor Matt Brown:K? I'm not an end time scholar, but when I read through Matthew chapter 24, I don't think it's war that brings about the end. I actually think it's peace. Because Jesus says, in the end, it will be like in the days of Noah. People were getting married, people were going about their business, and they did not pay attention until the water came.
Pastor Matt Brown:And then it was too late because Noah had closed the door. So I think that wars are signs that we're moving towards the end, but it doesn't mean that it's immediate. I actually think it might be peace where we're all like, you know what? Who cares? Let's just go to Mexico for the rest of our lives, sit on the beach, drink a tequila.
Pastor Matt Brown:You're like, what could go wrong? And then Jesus is like, a lot. And you're like, ah. Okay? Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Verse seven, nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Listen. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. Verse eight, but all this is only the first of the birth pains. Let's pause there.
Pastor Matt Brown:How many of you went to the hospital too early with your first pregnancy? Yeah. Tammy and I would do that. We just run out. It's not it.
Pastor Matt Brown:We would go home. And they would run. It's not it. And we would go home. And then Kaiser just started, like, laughing at us.
Pastor Matt Brown:They're like, you know, this is not it. You know? Because, you know, it's it's a little scary that first time you're you're you're not sure. And what Jesus is saying is, look, this is just birth pains. These these are symptoms, but the baby's not coming yet.
Pastor Matt Brown:There's more to come. Okay? Now here's why the bad news can just destroy you from the purpose of your life. This morning I got up and my wife loves to watch in the news in the morning, pray for her soul. And I started watching and this morning was Samantha Guthrie being interviewed for the first time.
Pastor Matt Brown:And I gotta tell you, it wrecked me. Look, when we live in a world where they're kidnapping 84 year old women, I'm just like, what what has happened to us? And it wrecked me. And you know what happened? Bad news keeps me from living out the good news.
Pastor Matt Brown:Listen to what Jesus says. Jesus says there's gonna be wars. There's gonna be rumors of wars. There's gonna be nation against nation. There's gonna be famines.
Pastor Matt Brown:There's gonna be earthquakes. But look at verse 14. And the good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world. Look at this. So that all nations will hear and then the end will come.
Pastor Matt Brown:So here's the thing is I don't know when Jesus will come but we are very very close to preaching the good news to all nations. We're close probably within the next ten to fifteen years every tribe every tongue, every nation in the history of the world, listen to me, will have heard the gospel for the first time in human history. Roll Crystal Lewis. People get ready. Jesus is coming.
Pastor Matt Brown:This has never happened in the end of the in the history of the world. All tongues, all tribes, all nations will hear. Stop focusing on the bad news. Focus on carrying out the good news. Amen?
Pastor Matt Brown:So let me give you some good news. Sandals Church corona lost launched not lost, launched last week. They had almost 500 people the first week in church, man. Come on. Amen.
Pastor Matt Brown:When Tammy and I started and we rolled out Sandals Church, we were hoping for five. You know? But Tammy wouldn't come. So, you know, we didn't we didn't we didn't hit five. But you guys, that's good news.
Pastor Matt Brown:Man, that's great news. God is moving. He's taking ground. The enemy is losing. Man, here's the thing.
Pastor Matt Brown:You gotta focus on good news because the world is full of bad news. And all bad news does is depress you. Jesus is changing lives. I've been doing some counseling sessions with an old friend of mine. Please don't ask me to do counseling for you.
Pastor Matt Brown:I I just I don't have time like that anymore. And the truth is I'm not that good. Let's just be honest. But this is this guy's been in my life for almost thirty years, and I really thought we were heading towards the end of him with his depression and anxiety. If you've ever watched a loved one be crippled by mental health issues, it's hard to watch.
Pastor Matt Brown:And so I intervened. We've done counseling sessions. We even did an exorcism. I mean, that's how how dark it got. And he walked into my office this last week glowing, smiling, skipping.
Pastor Matt Brown:And I just I I just said, do you realize the miracle that you're living out in your own life? And and here's the thing I want you to see. I want you to see not the world going to hell. I want you to see Jesus saving people from the gates of hell. Amen?
Pastor Matt Brown:Because I saw it. I'm like, you're changing. You're changing. And he he, like, didn't wanna get excited about it. I like, no.
Pastor Matt Brown:No. We gotta get excited because it's hard to change somebody. And the Lord was doing a work in his life. It's amazing. Next, this one's not so fun.
Pastor Matt Brown:Here we go. Embrace people judging me because of my faith in Jesus. So Tammy and I, for our thirtieth anniversary, we took a trip to Costa Rica, and we're on the way there, and she's asking me questions about our trip that, you know, I should be able to answer because I planned the trip. And so, like, question is one, is like, where are we going? I'm like, I don't know.
Pastor Matt Brown:Question number two is she's like, what will we be doing? I'm like, I don't know. And she's like, you know nothing about this trip. I said, I know three things. We're gonna surf every day.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's all inclusive, and it's gonna be awesome. Those are the three things I know, and they're picking us up from the airport. So she's, like, trying to figure this thing out. Well, we found out that it was all inclusive. It was great, but we ate meals every single day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner family style with total strangers.
Pastor Matt Brown:I did not read that in the notes. So what's my big fear? We're gonna get to know each other and somebody's gonna ask, what do you do for a living? You know? And that's always when they're drinking, you know, like, so what do you do?
Pastor Matt Brown:I'm like, I'm pastor like, oh, that's yeah. I thought I thought about going to seminary. Because listen to me. We used to live in a world where the church judged people. We now live in a world where people judge the church.
Pastor Matt Brown:It switched. It switched in my lifetime. And so, you know, I was super, super nervous when when people were gonna ask this question. And these people were from all around the world. These are surfers, man.
Pastor Matt Brown:They're sinners. You know what I'm saying? I mean, this is you know? Surfers typically aren't people that embrace reality. Can I get an amen?
Pastor Matt Brown:You know what I'm saying? So but here's the good news. They were great. I think some of them are watching now. You were really great.
Pastor Matt Brown:You still need Jesus, but you you were really great. But we all have to just be prepared that people aren't gonna do somersaults when they find out we love Jesus. Listen to what he says in verse nine. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. K.
Pastor Matt Brown:If that happened to early Christians, I think you can deal with people rolling their eyes at you at work. I think people can get you can deal with people getting frustrated at you because you go to church. He says, then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. Now if you're a jerk, that doesn't count.
Pastor Matt Brown:You're like, I'm just being persecuted. No. No. No, bro. You're a jerk.
Pastor Matt Brown:You're a jerk. Years ago, we went to Israel, we took a trip. And you never know when we take these trips with Sandals who's going show up. We're much better now at vetting people. But back in the early days, it's like, you got money?
Pastor Matt Brown:Let's go. And I remember there's this guy, and he's like it was literally like he's going to get in a fist fight with our guide. And he's like, I'll never forget this. I I've worked on my tact, so just know that I'm not gonna say this to you. But he's like, everyone on this trip thinks I'm a jerk.
Pastor Matt Brown:And I was like, you are. I was like, Nick, ding ding ding ding. You won. I mean, that's the problem. I know.
Pastor Matt Brown:I've worked on my tact. But, you know, it it's difficult. But what he was he was mad about was our Christian perspective from our tour. And I was like, bro, you signed up to go with the church. You know?
Pastor Matt Brown:So, anyways, people are tough. Verse 10. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Man, the hardest part of me and Tammy being here thirty years has been the relational fallout of people we've loved. It just is.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's hard. Because of our faith in Jesus, we've invited people into our home, into our lives, and most people have been great. But some people have not. They're not. And so here's the thing is, just because somebody claims to love Jesus doesn't mean they love you.
Pastor Matt Brown:So be careful. Verse 11. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Why are there so many religions on earth in the name of Jesus? Did you just hear him?
Pastor Matt Brown:Many false prophets will appear. You gotta understand this. If you wanna follow Jesus so the world will be your cheerleader, you got the wrong religion. Have you noticed? There is grace for every religion except Christianity.
Pastor Matt Brown:Every single religion except our faith. Watch watch the next time it's Christmas season. Watch a news person try to say Merry Christmas. They can't even get it out of their mouths. They're like, why is that?
Pastor Matt Brown:But they'll celebrate holidays that aren't even real, like festivals. You know what I'm saying? It's, like, not even a real holiday. First John three thirteen. And don't be surprised, dear brothers, if the world hates you.
Pastor Matt Brown:That's been the hardest part of my life. It's been how my family has been received and treated. But it's part of it. And that's one of the things the Lord had to break in me because early on, Matt Brown, what was most important to me was being liked. But my calling was to love him.
Pastor Matt Brown:And if they hated him, they're gonna hate me. K? So I wanna challenge you. I wanna challenge you to live in the world, but do not look at this. Become like the world.
Pastor Matt Brown:Live in the world, but do not become like the world. Look, when we were on that retreat, some of the surfers it's always bizarre to me when 50 year olds are still smoking weed. I'm just like, did you not grow out of that? And they're like, no, bro. And they were passing around gummies.
Pastor Matt Brown:And here's the thing. Look, if you're a young person, I know you believe that there's nothing wrong with marijuana. But there's all kinds of research coming out that says there's a lot wrong with it. And particularly, how it affects young brains. So if you're old, your brain's already done.
Pastor Matt Brown:You know what I'm saying? No, that's what I'm saying. But I had a friend of mine that literally did one gummy, and he went into a state of psychosis, and he never came out for four years. Lost his job, almost lost his marriage, couldn't be alone with his own kids. One gummy.
Pastor Matt Brown:One gummy. And they're like, well, you know, it's it's just a gummy. Look. I'm not called to be like you. I'm not called to alter my mind.
Pastor Matt Brown:I'm called to worship him with my mind. K? So just think about that. The next time you're going to Vegas, the next time you're at a party. K?
Pastor Matt Brown:You you are representing Christ. You're not supposed to be like everybody else. You are supposed to have your wits about you. There are several verses in the scripture that say be sober minded. Most important word there, sober.
Pastor Matt Brown:K? It always cracks me up. Do remember the old billboards think when you drink? That's like like, okay, help me help me help me understand that. Do you know what drinking does?
Pastor Matt Brown:It impairs thinking. Okay. Maybe it should say think before you drink. Alright. Next verse.
Pastor Matt Brown:Matthew twenty four twelve through 13. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. Let's stop there. There's a change happening in our culture. I watched a video this week of a young man beating up his own father.
Pastor Matt Brown:That's about the greatest sin you could commit according to the Old Testament. It's a direct violation of the law. The sixth commandment, love your mother and father. Honor them. And what blew my mind was all the comments.
Pastor Matt Brown:Listen to me if you're a young person. I get it. You love to trauma bond. Instead of bonding on trauma, why don't we bond on the truth of Jesus? K?
Pastor Matt Brown:And you'll know how hard parenting is when you raise him. It's not easy. I think it's worth it, but it's not easy. Your one year old doesn't care how you feel at 2AM. It's not interested in therapy.
Pastor Matt Brown:Look what it says. Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold. What are you watching right now? Love is growing cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Pastor Matt Brown:Verse 13. Many of you and and and here's what we do in Christianity. We think of being saved as either yes, no, in, out, going to heaven, going to hell, and we think of it like this momentary decision. I want you to think about being saved like this. This is my phone.
Pastor Matt Brown:And on my phone, Tammy and I have tickets to fly to Japan in about two weeks. I have the tickets, but that does not mean I'm going to Japan. Many of you, you have a ticket in your pocket that says you went forward. You accepted Christ. You believe in Jesus, and you think you're going to heaven.
Pastor Matt Brown:Let me ask you. Are you on the plane? Are you even at the airport? And so many of you think of Christianity as this, like, insurance card, get out of hell free card. And here's the thing.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's not a get out of hell free card. It's a following Jesus card. So he says, only the ones who endure the end will be saved. It doesn't mean that we're saved by works. K?
Pastor Matt Brown:You cannot earn your salvation. Salvation, you cannot earn it, but it is not opposed to effort. Romans twelve two, don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a what kind of person? A new person. That's what I told you when I'm meeting with my friend who literally was at the end of his wits.
Pastor Matt Brown:He was losing his mind. I'm watching in real time God transforming him into a new person by renewing his mind. I'm watching it in real time. Something only God can do. You know what he told me?
Pastor Matt Brown:He said he went to Kaiser and his doctor hugged him because she could see the change. Do you know what that means? Doctors who specialize in mental health don't see it as much as they would like to. And she's saying, oh my gosh, this is amazing. This is amazing.
Pastor Matt Brown:But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect. So here's why I don't want you to be scared about judgment day because God love God's love is in us, and it's changing us. Look at first John four seventeen. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.
Pastor Matt Brown:So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment. Some of you don't know this, but every single one of you will stand before God on judgment day. Listen to what John says. But we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Are you living like Jesus?
Pastor Matt Brown:And some of you say, well, I believe in Jesus. Okay. Great. So does the devil. Are you living like Jesus?
Pastor Matt Brown:Last point, and we're gonna end with this. And this is heavy, but this matters. If I want to build a faith that lasts, I need to trust Jesus with what matters most. What matters most is your soul. Look at verse 29.
Pastor Matt Brown:Jesus says, immediately after the anguish of those days. Now this is apocalyptic language. It's very difficult to understand exactly what Jesus is saying. Some people interpret this literally. Some people believe this is metaphorical.
Pastor Matt Brown:We don't know. What Jesus is saying is the end is gonna be scary. K? The sun will be darkened. That's not good.
Pastor Matt Brown:Can I get an amen? Yeah. The moon will give no light. The stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in heavens will be shaken. We had a great question about whether or not I believe in aliens.
Pastor Matt Brown:You gotta watch the debrief. But here's the thing is, those powers are life somewhere out there, and they will be shaken. It's not just earth that will be judged. It's all of creation, and we don't know what's out there. We don't know.
Pastor Matt Brown:I'm not saying there's an ET. I'm just saying it's something. Okay? And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens. Here's what you need to know.
Pastor Matt Brown:It will not be private. It will be public. There will be no secret rapture. There will be a public rapture where you're caught up with him as he descends on earth to rule and reign forever. K?
Pastor Matt Brown:So don't worry about your pilot vanishing while you're on a flight. Worry about you not being ready for the return of Jesus. And there will be deep mourning. This this is the verse that bothers me this week. And there will be deep mourning amongst all the peoples of the earth.
Pastor Matt Brown:Why? Because all the peoples of the earth will have heard the gospel, and many of them will have rejected it. I saw something this week that shook me. I'll never forget it. It was a Muslim woman, a devout Muslim woman in Tehran who recorded her own death.
Pastor Matt Brown:And as the bombs were raining down, she was calling upon the name of Allah and claiming her unrelinquishing faith in Muhammad. Here's the thing. Even Muslims believe on the day of judgment, they will not stand before Mohammed. They will stand before Jesus. And that is going to be a jarring event for her.
Pastor Matt Brown:I take no pleasure in her death. It breaks my heart to watch that. I'll never forget it. But some of you are claiming faith in the wrong thing, and there is only one name under heaven by which man can be saved, and it is Jesus. That's it.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's Jesus. Those aren't my thoughts. Those are God's thoughts. That isn't my way. It's his way, and he's God.
Pastor Matt Brown:He gets to decide. So look at this. And they will see the son of man. Let's go to the next verse. Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Pastor Matt Brown:I almost said it. The first time I ever preached this, I said with power and great glory. It was terrible. I love you, Greg, but you're not in this verse. Alright.
Pastor Matt Brown:Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great great glory. Verse 31, and he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet. You'll see it, you'll hear it, and you'll feel it. And listen, here's why you don't need to be afraid if you've given your life to Jesus, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world, from the farthest ends of earth and heaven. Listen.
Pastor Matt Brown:God loves you. And you don't need to worry about this. You need to pray for this to come. Because when he comes, there's no more death. There's no more destruction.
Pastor Matt Brown:There's no more pain. There's no more war. There's no more famines. There's no more earthquakes. There's peace.
Pastor Matt Brown:Let me ask you, have you ever responded to the voice of Jesus? Jesus says this in John ten twenty seven to 28, my sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me And I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me. Who have you put your soul? Whose hands have you put your soul into?
Pastor Matt Brown:Who have you trusted your life to? Jesus says there's no one and nothing that can take you out of my hands. Paul says this in Romans eight thirty eight through 39 and we'll close with this. He says, and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Now everybody loves that, but nobody reads the whole verse.
Pastor Matt Brown:Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, Indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God. Here's what people don't wanna accept. Everybody wants the love of God. Nobody wants to accept how you receive the love of God. Here's the only way to receive God's love.
Pastor Matt Brown:God's love that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He's the only way that you can be saved. So let me ask you. Have you entrusted your soul to Jesus? Have you given your life to Jesus?
Pastor Matt Brown:So let's bow our heads. Let's close our eyes right now, and let's just ask. Lord Jesus, is our soul safe in your hands? Have we placed it in your hands? You are the only one who can defeat death.
Pastor Matt Brown:You are the only one that can save our souls. Lord, would you give us the faith right now to entrust not just our soul in your hands, but our life in your hands. Lord, not just to have faith, but to begin to follow. God, let us build a faith that lasts. We pray this in God's name, and all people said, amen.