Because of inflation there is a gap for our buildout in Tiverton.  If you can, please consider going above and beyond your regular tithes and offerings to help cover this gap.  We need about fifty to sixty-thousand dollars to cover this gap.

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What does the Church of the Last Days look like?  Jesus knows what it will look like and He tells us in Matthew 25.  He tells us, not to scare us but to prepare us.  Nothing about the Last Days is intended to strike fear in the hearts of God’s people but to give us an anticipation that He could come at any moment.

Ice-breaker:

Q. What would be your first thought if Jesus came right now?

What does a LAST DAYS CHURCH look like?

Answer #1. READY.

In the midst of the global chaos and deception is a Church standing for Jesus.  We are seeing birth pains right now, the table is being set.  We need to make sure our hearts are ready to receive Jesus when He comes.

Luke 21:36 (ESV

There is a harder, darker, more difficult world coming and we need to be ready.  We need to be strong in our faith to be prepared

2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 (ESV) 

When Jesus comes it is not going to be a joke, it is going to get tougher and Jesus is coming back to give us relief.  He doest not want us sucked up by the world.

Matthew 25:1-4 (ESV)

This is what the Church will look like when He comes. Fifty percent of professing Christians will be ready and fifty percent will not.  There will be those that claim to know Jesus, but don’t. The wise were ready for the delay, the foolish did not have any worries, they thought everything would be fine.

Q. Why do we tend to think (and act like) we have all the time in the world for Christ’s return?

For the Last Days Church:

 1. It won’t matter how you LOOK on the OUTSIDE, it matters what’s INSIDE.

All ten virgins wore white garments to accompany the bridegroom, they all had the appearance of preparedness but not all of them were prepared.   In the Last Days Church we cannot just look the part, we have to have it settled in our hearts that Jesus is Lord.  We are citizens of heaven.  We are not to ‘go with the flow.’  Christianity is not some momentary emotional attachment to a cute story in the sermon.  It is not a three week prep for our baptism testimony.  Baptism is not a graduation, it is an inauguration. Total immersion means we are all in.

We cannot afford to be weighed down with cares and stressed out or overreact over the things of this world.  There is a depth to Christianity that goes beyond attending a weekend service like serving, giving, missions, and life groups.

Q. What cares and concerns are weighing you down that might be distract your walk or keep you from serving, giving, etc.?

1 Samuel 16:6–7 (ESV) 

The man looks on the outward but the Lord looks at the heart.

 For the Last Days Church:

 2. It won’t matter what PEOPLE THINK of you, it matters what you THINK inside YOU.

We spend a lot of time worrying about what others think of us.  It starts when we are young.  People are not really thinking about us as much as we think they are.  We should not care what others think, the only opinion that matters is our Father in heaven.

Q. What kinds of things do you worry about others thinking about you and why?

 Matthew 25:2 (ESV); Matthew 7:26 (ESV); Romans 1:21 (ESV); Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) 

We need to believe the Bible, trust Jesus, spend time with Him.  Wise people hear the word and do what it says.  Christians are not to just hear about giving, but we should give.  We should not pray about something God says to do like forgive, or not let bitterness take root in our hearts, but we are to forgive as he commands us to do.

Q. What burden are you carrying in your heart in regards to someone you are harboring bitterness towards?

The first TEMPTATION was DECEPTION.

 Genesis 3:1 (ESV) 

Fear the Lord. The enemy wants us to distrust the Word of God.  We need to put our faith in the word, it is the basis for our lives. It is eternal.  God’s word will remain forever.  How man Christians are claiming to be Christians but do not trust what the Bible says?

Q. With what do you struggle regarding the word of God and why?

Ephesians 4:18–21 (ESV) 

The world is confused, we should expect that from the world.

We need to stop expecting people to be wise who are not believers. We gain insight to Jesus every time we read the word. We learn Jesus. 

Matthew 25:5-6 (ESV) 

It will get darker before Jesus comes.  We need to have an ear to hear His voice. 

 For the Last Days Church:

3. It won’t matter who YOU KNOW, it will only matter WHO KNOWS you.

Everyone in the Body of Christ is valuable.  Not just one, but all of us are valued.  Some of us are more engaged in who we know, not who knows us.  

Matthew 25:8 (ESV) 

We cannot borrow oil  from someone else, God has no grandchildren.

Q. In what ways might you have counted on someone else’s Christianity or tried to ride their coattails? 

 Acts 2:39 (ESV) 

This is not a spectator sport.

 I MUST have a PERSONAL encounter with the HOLY SPIRIT.

 Luke 11:11–13 (ESV) 

 Matthew 25:10–13 (ESV) 

Q. What evidence in your life gives you the confidence to know you have had a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit?

 Sermon in a sentence:

 A Last Days Church is FILLED the the SPIRIT, FULL of God’s Word and INTIMATELY walking with the LORD.

Challenge: Start making spiritual preparation today so you may keep watch for our Lord’s return.