Glen Bond Thursday Oct. 25, 2007 Fellowship week. F.B.C, Algiers Subject : The Kingdom of God is Nigh at hand Luke 21:29 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. The Lord talking about his second coming said: Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. This is what we all face as a lost sinner. surfeiting is to over-eat. Drunkenness is to over drink. "the cares of this life" is to "over-care" about life, or to love the world Just as drunkenness is to want just one more drink, I don't want to stop now, and surfeiting is to want just one more bite, it is so good, so it is with the cares of this life. We work, we play, we eat, we drink, we rest. There is nothing wrong with any of these. But when we over-do anything, then it becomes a problem. Most people of the world are totally engrossed with the cares of this life. We want to have a good life and have the good things in life. Most times we have good intentions for what we want. But all of our good intentions only lead to "over caring" about this life. You work too much because you need more money. You need more money so that you can enjoy more of life, and have the better things of life. It becomes vicious circle. work more for more money, spend more money on more things, need more money, more things. You get caught up in "the cares of this life". I believe that this use of the term "the cares of this life" is to be taken in the same context as the over-eating and the over drinking that is spoken of here. You are doing too much of it. you care about too many things. This all boils down to the simple fact that you want what God never intended for you. look at Mat. 6:25-34 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. ..seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness... This is a command. While you are completely wound-up in the cares of this life, you can't seek the Lord. You don't have time, and this is right where Satan wants to keep you. Too busy to notice that you are going to Hell. too busy to seek the Lord. The day of the Lord... Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. He is talking about meeting the Lord at his second coming. but this also applies to meeting the Lord in death. It comes as a snare, or a trap to tangle you in that you can't get away from. And it is very much so, when your time comes to stand before God, you will meet that appointment. You will be caught, and you won't get away. What will it be like when YOU stand before God? --------- A scenario ------------------------ On judgment day, when the books are opened. All will come to stand before God and answer for the things of this life. God has every sin written in a book, and a separate book for each one of us. When the books are opened we will each be judged by the things written that book. The judge will call a name, and that person will come and stand before HIM. Then the book for that person will be opened, and read to the judge. I like to think that some, who have lived a shorter, better life will have a smaller book, but all will have a book. I also think that there are hotter parts of Hell, where a condemned sinner is confined to. Kind of like a small book will get a better place (if it can be called better) in Hell. But on judgment day, all who have ever lived on this Earth will be in that court. I like to think bout it like this: The names are called and the people come and stand before God. Every persons book is read and sentence is passed. Over and over again we will hear these words, "Depart from me, for I never knew you". And all will see these books as they are passed out and read to the judge. Big books and small books. Then will come my name: "Glen Bond". I will be called before the Great Judge of all the Universe. The keeper of the books will search through all of the books looking for my book, finally he finds it. Way down on the bottom. It is one of the biggest books in the archive! All around people begin to tremble at the wrath to come. Angels begin to weep. Many begin to think " Oh, I knew him, I didn't think he was that bad of a fellow". For all know that such a large book can not possibly contain any good. Finally the large book is delivered before the judge to be read. The reading angel opens the cover of the book... he stops for a moment,... he looks up at the judge and says, Lord, this book is sealed. I can't open it. Then Christ the Redeemer steps forward, and says to the judge, Lord, This is one of mine, I have paid all his due. Look there on that book, in large letters it says, PARDONED, written in my own blood. Then the judge will say to me, " enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." ----------------- END ------------------------- Are you saved? What are you waiting for? Are you seeking the Lord? No, you're not. You don't want to. You are too busy over-caring for this life. You can't seek the Lord now because the ball game is on. You can't seek the Lord because you are going fishing. You can't seek the Lord for this reason or that reason. Let me ask you a qusetion... If you die tonight... who will watch that ball game for you? If you die tonight... who will go fishing for you? ... who will do all those things that are so important to you? The things that you do instead of seeking the Lord? Who's going to do them. You will have given your soul for those things, surely they must need to be done. Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Paul is here talking to the saved people. But I want to talk to those who are not saved. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: The day of reckoning. ...for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. But to the un-saved, your damnation is nearer. We would like to think that we will live a long life. But those days are behind us. We are no longer looking to live long, but we are looking for the coming of the Lord. His coming is uncertain. To those that are lost, that means your life span is uncertain. With such an uncertain amount of time to live, shouldn't you be preparing to die? 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: The wages of sin is death Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Wages must be paid promptly. Leviticus 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. The Lord tells us to do what is right. And the Lord himself will do what is right. Just as it is not right for me to with-hold the wages of any man, so it is with God. When the time comes for you to receive your wages of death, God MUST promptly pay them. Some religious groups will say that there is a second chance, that you don't have to worry about it now. Others say that there is a purgatory. You pay for a short time and then your debt (or wages) is apparently forgiven. Hosea 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.