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[0:00] Please be seated. 2 Timothy 3, if you've got your Bibles. 2 Timothy 3. Talking about the last days. And what can we expect in the days ahead?

[0:12] ! 3 Timothy 3.

[1:00] 3 Timothy 3.

[1:30] It goes on to say, verse 2, For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.

[1:46] For in 2 Timothy 3. Men shall be lovers of their own selves. Now, I like to, and I've said this before, and you're probably getting tired of me saying it, but the selfie generation, isn't it?

[1:59] The selfie generation. People have got their social media, and they've got their faces all over Facebook, and Instagram, and you name it, all of these places.

[2:10] It's been recorded that from 2011 to 2017, so just six years, at least 259 people died while taking selfies.

[2:24] And they just wanted to get that perfect shot, you know, whether it's standing on some wall, you know, multiple stories high, just to get that shocking kind of picture.

[2:37] And oops, gone. 259 in six years. Just have a selfie. Just for the vain glory of their mugshot on their social media.

[2:48] Perilous times. Men shall be lovers of their own selves. Don't we see that? Facebook just consumes people. And we see those other things too, don't we? Covetous, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.

[3:05] Verse 3. Without natural affection. Truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. People are fierce these days, aren't they?

[3:18] There's a rebelliousness. It goes on. Verse 4. Traitors, head, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away.

[3:35] For of this sort are they, which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with lust, sin, sins rather, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

[3:49] Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. What are we seeing that's going on all around us? In 2018, could this be the last days?

[4:02] Could we be at that precipice, at that cliff edge, as it were, perilous times? This note also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come.

[4:15] I was looking lately and saw some information that if you're so minded, you might want to go and have a look at the Christian witches website. What?

[4:28] Did I just say that? Some women believe that they can be a witch and a Christian at the same time, so they've developed a Christian witches website.

[4:39] Can you believe it? Surely not. It's on the internet, so it must be true. No, that's what's happening. It's a sad, sick world, isn't it, that such things should happen.

[4:52] And then we hear, of course, we've got the Franklin Graham visit to Australia soon, and I've got the call saying, oh, can you come and, you know, maybe some of your people might want to get trained to join the Franklin Graham crusade.

[5:06] But, for all the good that might happen, we know there's very doubtful things going on, even with such well-intentioned efforts. Franklin Graham, he once told the Indianapolis Star that his father's ecumenical lives with the Catholic Church and all other denominations was, quote, one of the smartest things his father ever did.

[5:30] One of the smartest things his father ever did was to band together with the Catholic Church and all other kind of the mishmash of denominations to kind of lead people, sadly, even back to Rome, to come under the papal mess and mass and monstrosity that it is of error and falsehood.

[5:54] This is what's happening and many are jumping on the bandwagon. Well-meaning people, I put to you, are doing it, but nevertheless, it's doubtful.

[6:06] people, and some churches are openly supporting abortion. I saw some pictures of some American pastors or pastrixers, you know, there were women pastors with their dog collars on and all looking very holy and they were there to bless the abortion clinics and the abortion mill over there in America and you wonder what is going on in the grey matter.

[6:36] Have they gotten it? That they would want to be a party to that and yet profess to have some kind of faith in the God of the Bible. It's a sad, sick society, isn't it?

[6:50] How are we going to be able to get through in such uncertain days? How can we face these last days? Thankfully, there's sunshine for the shadow I've put to you tonight and I'd like to kind of look at the last days with a more positive spin on it because I think that's what we need.

[7:08] I'd like to have a bit of an uplift, wouldn't you? To think that in the last days there's some hope, there's something positive going to be happening, there's something we can look forward to and there is.

[7:19] Thankfully, there's someone standing ready to help us, someone with a capital S, someone standing ready to help us and I heard some lyrics of a song that say this, standing somewhere in the shadows you'll find Jesus, he's the one who always cares and understands.

[7:39] Standing somewhere in the shadows you'll find him and you'll know him by the nail prints in his hand. There's truth to that, those words, isn't there? That he is standing in the shadows as it were, just about to make his appearance on planet earth.

[7:54] what can we expect in the last days? Here's my question tonight. We know he is coming back. What was that, brother? The raptor, yeah, we know that the Lord is coming back to snatch some people out of this mess and take us home.

[8:15] We're looking forward to that, aren't we? We know he's coming back and his very coming is called the blessed hope. one thing that we can expect in the last days is hope.

[8:28] Hope. In the midst of it all he extends hope. In Matthew 24 verse 6 the context is to talking of the end times of much trouble of wars and rumours of wars and such and Matthew 24 6 what does our Lord tell us in the context of such a time?

[8:46] He says see that you be not troubled. Matthew 24 6 be not troubled. His very voice speaks hope with a capital H. There is hope hope even for the utterly hopeless and helpless.

[9:02] He is the one who says let not your heart be troubled. Believe in me he says believe in me. When all around is trouble and turmoil and it seems like all hope is gone there's someone you can believe in someone you can turn to someone who will see you through and is very coming is that for which we wait is the blessed hope in other words a joyful glad a hope that gives us joy and gladness it's a blessed hope it's a blessing to have that hope deep within it's a hope that someone can ask you a reason for the hope that is in you and we heard some testimonies of that tonight where we have a hope that is beyond what the world can see and beyond what drugs or drink might give some illusion of our blessed hope our blessed Lord and when all around is turmoil we've got that one hope to trust in and those without the

[10:04] Lord yet are described as having no hope Ephesians 2 verse 12 without God without hope Ephesians 2 verse 12 no hope hopelessness it's been described as the result of godlessness to be hopeless is to be godless isn't it or to be godless is to be hopeless the person who is hopeless either does not know God or has been duped into believing that God cannot or will not touch their situation friends as a Christian we have hope we have hope sometimes that hope gets tested and we have moments where we're hanging on by a thread but yet we have hope don't we we have a hope that will endure a hope that will not be overcome and many people yet these days are overcome by depression and disappointments crushed by fears and hurts let down stepped on ignored and some people do come to that place where they're crushed yet this book tells you of a message of hope a message of glad hope glad news great tidings of glad great hope and hope is referred to 150 times in the

[11:28] Bible it's not just mentioned a minute amount 150 times that's a lot isn't it the word hope the message of hope Colossians 1 verse 5 promises believers a hope laid up for us in heaven it's in the security box as it were it's in the security guarantee box isn't it it's in safekeeping that hope that is laid up for you it's reserved for you it's held for you it's stored for you in God's safekeeping that hope that is laid up for us in heaven so take courage and do not lose hope friends today the future as we know the future is out of our control but God is there he's already in the future he's already laid it out what's going to happen he's already planned and he's in our future so there's a glad message of hope for you a glad message of hope for every believer in such times of despair and testing you were dead in trespasses and sins it says

[12:33] Ephesians 2 verse 4 but God but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us he has made us alive in Christ so what can we expect in the last days hope hope ultimately secondly what can we expect peace peace and you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars this is Matthew 24 verse 6 you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars see that ye be not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet think of what's going on in the news lately see this big caravan going from South America to the border of the USA we're seeing talk in our own country of the people in

[13:34] Nauru and the sad situations there and some you've got to grapple with what's right what's wrong but the extreme left would say open borders open borders just let them all in no borders no countries anymore global government globalism we're all one big global family just let down the what do they call those what's it called let down the drawbridge just let them in let them invade as it were imagine what chaos that would bring imagine if we were not a continent an island continent but we were much easier for people to get to imagine the chaos the lawlessness and the invasion of contrary ideals and values and anti-Christian religions welcome to the new normal it's just a matter of time isn't it you see the border of the

[14:46] USA it's just in places it's just like it's just some posts with some little wire between like nothing just like you'd see down at the farmyard in some places that's what the US border looks like and think this is a recipe for war and conflict and chaos and lawlessness and confusion the new normal yet what are we to expect in the last days ultimately peace ultimately we will see peace and how are people searching for this elusive peace today some are trying all kinds of ways as I mentioned drugs drink eastern religions you know just just blank your mind you know mindfulness is very popular these days on the worldly thinking neurolinguistic programming and all of these things yet all of these things for all the mantras and machinations of man the lives of such people are still filled with ruin and despair there is no peace as the word says there is no peace saith my god to the wicked you're like a restless sea casting up mire and muck is what it says they're trying to escape their stress or disappointment but they're looking in all the wrong places but the promised one who will take over this war torn planet and bring ultimate peace to the conflict the prince of peace himself is preparing to take up his throne peace will come peace is around the corner thank god peace will come but for the meantime we're living in a world at war and we see the sad consequences of that there was a young soldier who was going off to fight in world war ii at that time the war was against japan he was going to fight the japanese and his father put him on the train and waved a goodbye to his son and he turned with bitter tears and said if my son is killed i hope every jap in the world is killed a year later the son was killed and soon ten thousand dollars in life insurance money arrived but the father did a most surprising thing with the money he sent it to the mission board and designated it for missions to the japanese how could the father do this he got the peace of god he got the peace of god in his situation and he wasn't eaten up with the bitterness and hatred and resentment and anger against the japanese he got the peace of god and he gave because of that our lord's voice speaks peace in the storm doesn't it he is the god of hope the god of peace and he beckons to a hopeless world he can heal the hurting hearts now praying for the peace of jerusalem i know it's very dear to one of our number in particular here praying for the peace of jerusalem is the most appropriate for a city whose name literally means peaceful jerusalem and it is the residence of the god of peace the phrase peace be upon israel is found at the end of psalm 125 and 128 verse 6 it was like a common farewell blessing peace be upon israel further jerusalem will be seen of christ's return and at that time he will establish permanent peace within its walls on the planet and all christians should eagerly await his returning and be praying for such a time when the prince of peace will come that's when jerusalem will know peace and jesus also tells us that we should

[18:46] be praying for peace blessed are the peacemakers we should be peacemakers perilous times shall come no wonder we live in a world filled with violence and stress and error people are tormented and torn troubled many are victims even of so-called religious institutions of so-called churches they're victims abused injured rejected what a shame what a reproach what a dread vile thing that such a thing should have happened and no wonder people are tormented by such things a world that doesn't know peace and many are hurting because of such things crying out for answers for help the disciples on that storm-tossed lake it was a time of chaos and turmoil they were crying out it seemed all hope was lost but the prince of peace came to them and he comes to us too doesn't he when we have those moments of turmoil in such days as this filled with violence and conflict he comes across and calms the waters he takes our hand he offers peace to calm our fears to still our hectic lives and bring his presence his assurance so what can we expect in the last days when perilous times shall come we can expect hope the blessed hope we can expect peace the prince of peace ultimately thirdly we can expect healing in times of testing and hurting in a world that's sick so that call his voice speaks healing still when he saw the troubled when he saw the sick he spoke healing he spoke tenderness he spoke restoration he spoke repair and uplift and surely our world is sick isn't it today it's a sick world

[21:00] Julie and I were just watching some documentary that the church itself is sick some quarters where we see this preoccupation with signs and wonders supposed and slaying in the spirit supposed non-biblical things you wonder the church is sick in many quarters I know a friend of mine rang me today and said my church has taken Hillsong and I don't have anywhere to go it's just like it's an abandonment this lack of discernment this ignorance that prevails that people can jump on a bandwagon that's heading hellwards another man spoke to me just last night in another occasion and he said the church that I've been going to since I was a young man and he's probably in his 60s maybe older they've just painted it all black painted it all black that's the new thing that's the new normal in many church circles now you paint it black just blackness darkness and you're all in the dark and there's a spotlight just on the preacher or the band and the strobe lights and the disco lights and the dancing girls and the you know all the razzmatazz and the congregation sat in darkness and largely not even singing or participating that's the new normal in many churches nowadays surely it's sick it's a sickness it's a sadness it's contrary to

[22:40] Bible I mean it tells us that you are not of the darkness you are children of light why should we sit in darkness like at some witch's coven or something the world is sick the churches are sick souls are searching and troubled but there is healing there is healing there is healing there is healing after abortion there is healing for you we don't shoot the wounded we lift them up we say God bless you Christ will restore you Christ will heal you Christ will touch you Christ will tenderly embrace you and forgive you there is recovery from agony from abuse we don't have to carry that there is healing in his voice in Proverbs 18 14 it says the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear I know

[23:41] Julie and I were talking of times past we've been wounded we've been wounded wounded by churches wounded by pastors and it's hurts it's it's hard and it is deeply wounding and bruising but there is healing there is healing there is healing for the despairing ones for the hurting for the wounded ones there is one who was wounded for you bruised for you and your spirit can be made whole whatever your situation of life you know some have got awful memories of things that have happened to them of hurts of injuries of sad awful things and I don't really have I've been largely free from that myself but I know many who have had such things happen and there's a bruising there's a hurting that happens and he still can heal the broken heart he heals the broken in heart if we give him all the pieces he can repair it and replace it and it tells us

[24:46] Proverbs 7 saying 22 a merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones let's rather search and reach that merry heart and that broken spirit let it go for we're feeling crushed downcast and it's a world it's a time on our world today these last days when we can feel such things even more sharply and personally God says expect it because what perilous time shall come he says it will be perilous this old world and the people in it are bruised and battered and broken thank God uses broken things I love this little poem that pictures this and there's truth here God uses broken things it takes broken soil to produce a crop broken clouds to give rain broken grain to give bread broken bread to give strength it's the broken alabaster box that gives forth the perfume it is Peter weeping bitterly who returns to greater power than ever

[26:01] God uses broken things sometimes those times of broken us where he's placed us and taken us such that we can bring forth a great perfume to his praise here's the one who repairs here's the one who restores here's the healer Psalm 30 verse 2 O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me O Lord thou hast brought me my soul up from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit sing unto the Lord O ye saints of years and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness for his anger endureth but a moment but in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning to the disturbed and sad and he is the comforter it's one of his names to bring his comfort to the afflicted hope peace healing what can we expect in the last days we can expect grace for a season we can expect grace his voice speaks grace grace think of the woman caught in the very act they didn't worry about the man he just got off scot free but the woman it's her fault caught in the very act the act of adultery in the disgrace of it the embarrassment of it the guilt the shame horrible shame what does he say his voice speaks grace his voice speaks grace he extends grace he offers a second chance he extends forgiveness and pardon and compassion and mercy in the last days we can expect we can expect

[27:50] God's grace can't we thank God when we're in a world where everything is oriented and everything is being moved in that direction that is anti-God when our children are being conditioned and brainwashed and contaminated by this ongoing barrage of propaganda and this evil agenda that's being foisted on humanity such that they'll ultimately accept the false Messiah that will be thrust on them and where the true God has been dethroned by our godless world and an evil culture is overtaking us yet there is grace there is still grace if we can but call out while we can on his name and yet what are we seeing in this world where everything is getting twisted and turned topsy-turvy a recent survey this is actually Friday's news said that 47% of Americans feel like a stranger in their own country it's like everything has changed it's not like it used to be it's not the America it used to be and you could say that for Australia couldn't we but we could say the Australia today the Australia that we know now is not the Australia we used to know not the Australia that was a decade or two ago it's like everything's getting changed the change agents are changing us the newspapers the media the social media all the messaging is changing our culture it's like our nation's culture and way of life has dramatically changed and such that as this survey says 47% of Americans feel like a stranger in their own country it's like this isn't the country

[29:42] I I was raised in it's like it's changed and it's interesting when there's a lot of talk about values isn't there when you see especially when politicians talk about values you know community values they're not talking about biblical values they're talking about the new values what they want you to value inclusion tolerance acceptance of sin and just going with the agenda of the policy makers and there's this conflict between cultural values and biblical values so when they use this when the you've got to kind of interpret the political speak when they talk about values what are they talking about they're talking about values where Christian schools can't have policies whereby they confine their teachers to those who abide by godly biblical truth but there's this openness now that anything goes and so there's this conflict going on between cultural values and biblical values but thank god there is still that absolute value of his matchless grace his matchless grace that is beyond compare it's wonderful it's undeserved and in his boundless love and mercy he comes to the downcast the disheartened the downtrodden the downhearted the desperate and he still offers grace and it's like those five phrases or slogans of the reformation by grace alone it's an unearned gift isn't it salvation by grace alone by faith alone we have justification we've made guiltless before god by faith alone by scripture alone that this is the only authoritative and inspired word of god by scripture alone and then we see by christ alone he's the one mediator between god and men the only saviour and then ultimately all glory be to god alone for his work of atonement from sin his grace is full and free his arm is extended reaching out his arm is not shortened that account say his grace extends still so we see what can we expect in the last days hope peace healing grace lastly love he speaks love in a world filled with hate and extremism and and and violence and where the entertainment that possesses our children is shoot em up games where it's all about destruction and mayhem and look out for number one he speaks love he speaks love to the abused to the lonely to the used he comes and he cares for us to that confused woman at the well going for one relationship to the next he speaks love real love he speaks love to the fatherless to the forsaken to the friendless and he sees the bitter the grieving the tormented he hears the cry the anguish he feels the pain the grief the heartache to people at breaking point when perilous times shall come he speaks love he speaks love beyond human love love beyond human capacity to love love that lays down his life for us his love and he brings restoration and order he brings release to the prisoners so many are imprisoned today tormented by memories torn by tragedies in perilous times it's like everything's going to pieces who do I turn to who can I trust his love still looks to you to us through his eyes of compassion and concern perilous times

[33:43] yet a saviour is still beckoning to us and he offers the blessed hope we have a hope that is matchless a hope and this is not a hope so this is a certain hope this is a sure hope this is a confident hope a certain expectation that he's coming as he has promised and it's just around the corner we have that blessed hope that joyful glad grateful hope there is peace knowing that in a war torn world where it's like war it's raging on every frontier on every at every place there's something going on there's some danger of war he offers peace peace that passes all understanding peace perfect peace that keeps our hearts that stills our fears that calms our minds peace soul peace he offers healing in a world that's damaged and ever more damaged people are getting damaged and hurting he offers healing and he offers grace where the world would offer condemnation and and destruction he offers grace he offers peace he offers love and we too can play our part in this world that is filled with dismay and disaster in perilous times we have his message to take to our world this offer of rescue are you saved have you been rescued are you in the lifeboat or are you still clinging to the ship as it sinks let's let's put our trust in the lifeboat the lifeboat let's trust his rescue let's put our trust in him now I know this prayer is somewhat of a source that might be questionable but there's truth to these words and I put to you these words truthful words just to wrap up in a time of peril in perilous times this is a prayer and these are truths we can impart

[36:05] Lord make me a channel of thy peace that where there is hatred I may bring love that where there is wrong I may bring the spirit of forgiveness that where there is discord I may bring harmony that where there is error I may bring truth that where there is doubt I may bring faith that where there is despair I may bring hope that where there are shadows I may bring light that where there is sadness I may bring joy Lord grant me that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to understand than to be understood, to love than to be loved for it is by self forgetting that one finds, it is by forgiving that one is forgiven it is by dying that one awakes to eternal life let's pray, Lord we thank you in such a time as this, in these last days we know, Lord it seems to me that these are ever more closer to those final chapters, those last days of this fallen planet where man has sinned and we see the result we reap what we sow

[37:27] Lord our leaders, our nations have gone astray from Bible values Lord we pray help us in such perilous times to find the grace the hope the healing, the love the peace Lord to find salvation if any here yet have yet to trust you that they'll cry out as it were and say Lord save me and you will place us in that lifeboat Lord that we can be in your safekeeping that you'll be the captain of our destination you'll take us into your safekeeping Lord we pray if there's any here yet to trust you they'll cry out Lord Jesus thank you for dying on the cross for my sin rising from the dead and being my ever living saviour I trust in you and receive your forgiveness and your grace and your love gift of salvation and Lord help us each one as believers to to know assuredly we have a a joyful message even in such frantic times in such perilous times we have such a wonderful truth that keeps us blessed and helps us be strong helps us to get through helps us to know your presence day by day pray for every believer here tonight that will all be encouraged by that and that will take this same glad hope that we have that it will be a reason people will say what is the reason for the hope that is in you and it will be that glad hope that we know you're coming for your people and we are we are such a people thanks to your grace in Jesus name

[39:26]  Amen