Bp524 - Believe

Our Lady of Champion

Jesus Tells of the House of God

1 Jesus went out of the house of God. On the way His followers came to Him to show Him the buildings of the house of God. 2 Jesus said to them, “Do you see all these things? For sure, I tell you, all these stones will be thrown down. Not one will be left standing on another.”

Jesus Teaches on the Mount of Olives

3 Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. The followers came to Him when He was alone and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What can we look for to show us of Your coming and of the end of the world?”

4 Jesus said to them, “Be careful that no one leads you the wrong way. 5 Many people will come using My name. They will say, ‘I am Christ.’ They will fool many people and will turn them to the wrong way. 6 You will hear of wars and lots of talk about wars, but do not be afraid. These things must happen, but it is not the end yet. 7 Nations will have wars with other nations. Countries will fight against countries. There will be no food for people. The earth will shake and break apart in different places. 8 These things are the beginning of sorrows and pains.

9 “Then they will hand you over to be hurt. They will kill you. You will be hated by all the world because of My name. 10 Many people will give up and turn away at this time. People will hand over each other. They will hate each other. 11 Many false religious teachers will come. They will fool many people and will turn them to the wrong way. 12 Because of people breaking the laws and sin being everywhere, the love in the hearts of many people will become cold. 13 But the one who stays true to the end will be saved.

14 “This Good News about the holy nation of God must be preached over all the earth. It must be told to all nations and then the end will come.

Days of Trouble and Pain and Sorrow

15 “You will see a sinful man-made god standing in the house of God in Jerusalem. It was spoken of by the early preacher Daniel. The one who reads this should understand it. 16 Then those in the country of Judea should run to the mountains. 17 The man who is on the top of his house should not come down to take anything out of his house. 18 The man who is in the field should not go back to get his coat. 19 It will be hard for a woman who will soon be a mother. It will be hard for the ones feeding babies in those days! 20 Pray that you will not have to go in the winter or on the Day of Rest. 21 In those days there will be very much trouble and pain and sorrow. It has never been this bad from the beginning of the world and never will be again. 22 If the time had not been made short, no life would have been saved. Because of God’s people, the time will be made short.

The False Religious Teachers

23 “If anyone says to you, ‘See! Here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 24 People who say they are Christ and false preachers will come. They will do special things for people to see. They will do great things, so that if it can be done, God’s people will be fooled to believe something wrong. 25 Listen! I have told you before it comes. 26 If they tell you, ‘See! He is in the desert,’ do not go to see. Or if they say, ‘See! He is in the inside room,’ do not believe them. 27 The Son of Man will come as fast as lightning shines across the sky from east to west. 28 Birds gather wherever there is a dead body.

Jesus Will Come Again in His Shining Greatness

29 “As soon as those days of trouble and pain and sorrow are over, the sun will get dark. The moon will not give light. The stars will fall from the sky. The powers in the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then something special will be seen in the sky telling of the Son of Man. All nations of the earth will have sorrow. They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and shining-greatness. 31 He will send His angels with the loud sound of a horn. They will gather God’s people together from the four winds. They will come from one end of the heavens to the other.

The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree

32 “Now learn something from the fig tree. When the branch begins to grow and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things happen, you know the Son of Man is near, even at the door. 34 For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will not pass away before all these things have happened.

No One Knows When Jesus Will Come Again

35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 36 But no one knows the day or the hour. No! Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.

37 “When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as when Noah lived. 38 In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were marrying and being given in marriage. This kept on until the day Noah went into the large boat. 39 They did not know what was happening until the flood came and the water carried them all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes.

40 “Two men will be working in a field. One will be taken and the other will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain. One will be taken and the other will be left.

42 “Because of this, watch! You do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: If the owner of a house had known when the robber was coming, he would have watched. He would not have allowed his house to have been broken into. 44 You must be ready also. The Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not think He will come.

Faithful Servants and Servants Who Are Not Faithful

45 “Who is the faithful and wise servant whom his owner has made boss over the other servants? He is to have food ready for them at the right time. 46 That servant is happy who is doing what his owner wants him to do when he comes back. 47 For sure, I tell you, he will make him boss over all that he has. 48 But if that servant is bad, he will think, ‘The owner will not come soon.’ 49 He will beat the others. He will eat and drink with those who are drunk. 50 The owner will come on a day and at an hour when the servant is not looking for him. 51 The owner will punish the servant and will give him his place with those who pretend to be someone they are not. There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth. — Matthew 24 | New Life Version (NLV) New Life Version Bible Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Cross References: Genesis 6:5; Genesis 6:7-8; Genesis 7:23; Exodus 11:5; Exodus 19:16 Exodus 22:2; Deuteronomy 4:32; Deuteronomy 24:6; 2 Chronicles 15:6; Psalm 102:26; Proverbs 14:35; Proverbs 23:20; Proverbs 28:20; Isaiah 7:4; Isaiah 19:2; Jeremiah 13:25; Jeremiah 37:9; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 14:25; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:3; Matthew 25:10; Matthew 25:13; Matthew 25:21; Matthew 25:23; Mark 13:28; Mark 13:32; Luke 12:39; Luke 12:45-46; Luke 17:36; Luke 21:36; John 2:10; Acts 1:7; 1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:4; Revelation 2:4; Revelation 3:20

The Living Temple: A sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Key Passages in Matthew 24

Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple;

what and how great calamities shall be before it;

the signs of his coming to judgment.

And because that day and hour are unknown,

we ought to watch like good servants, expecting our Master's coming.

‼️This call is for all of us‼️

Don’t just say you’re a Christian; behave like one. Represent Christ competently and faithfully in all things and to all people. Your witness to the world, and even other believers is leaving a greater impact than you think.

•1John 4:20- If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

•James 1:22- But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

•Romans 12:9-21// Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

THE WORD FOR 26/12

Paul says: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6) How does the Bible define faith? According to Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Thus faith means putting your trust in Jesus and having confidence that He will fulfill His promises. When the world seems to be falling apart, our faith stands secure on the rock-solid, trustworthy promises of God and His Word.

My prayer for you today is that you may always have this kind of faith, and that you may receive all that God has in store for you!

 God is wholly trustworthy, so much so that we can base our lives on Him and His Word, no matter what our physical eyes tell us. 

Lord, I’m tired of stressing over things that are already in Your hands. I’m laying it down right now. In Jesus Name, amen.

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit. 

— Romans 8:9

We show who is in control of our lives by the way we live! Our actions and behaviour should be like that of Christ.  So let's live under the control of the Spirit -- obeying the Word and following the Spirit's lead -- so we can show and share Jesus in what we say and do!

Prayer: Dear Father, please help the beauty, grace, and holiness of Jesus to be seen in me. May my life show the  fruit of the Holy Spirit in all I do today and every day and lead me in the way I should go. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.