Preparing For The Day Of Calamity Part 2

Rain forest looking to thunder and perfect trust in riches trust passes away James great deal about economic justice, telling us that one day our gold and silver will not find anything today. Some start lessons for future just around the church.

This teaching across one thing sure is hard his wife make good for us for someone else may be a lot harder. Maybe we need to invest time and resources in alleviating the suffering of others, you know, Dave.

Just listening to your question reminds me of something that Rebecca and I saw on television recently was pictures of people who are suffering in other countries really beyond our imagination beyond our ability to describe in our hearts broke and I think every single believer should be involved in ministries that give people the gospel but also their many fine ministries that do other things as well, giving the poor resources and we can all do something and you know the day of calamity, which is the title of this sermon is about to come were not sure when but calamity ultimately will come to us in the final calamity for many people's death, so let's listen carefully to this message and then let us ask ourselves whether or not we are indeed ready for the day of calamity John Carver says flying to heaven just to warnings of hell insensitive to the impending day of slaughter and judgment. The unrepentant selfish indulgent hoarders stumble belying way to their doom. That's why I entitled this message the day of calamity that day of calamity, not a day of calamity. For those of us who know Christ will mention that in a moment, but there is a final warning and by the way, notice what James says verse six you have condemned. You have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. The Greek word condemned actually is a word that was used for the law courts. James is saying that 10 you know you will use the courts against the poor is not a new idea is it especially in this very litigious society were constantly were in lawsuits. Everybody wants their own thing. Also you because of this and this and this and so what you're doing is you're using the courts to continue to all press. Poor Andy says they do not resist you.

And the reason is, how can they now we read this through 21st-century eyes and we ask ourselves why wasn't James telling them what to do. They should organize they should go to court. They should have union and if they unionize and unions have done a lot of good in terms of helping people to get what is their due.

We may argue whether or not they've overstepped their boundaries but but basically a good concept in those days there wasn't anything like that.

All that you had was crops all that you had was day workers during the harvest time during the planting, and often times after those things were over. There wasn't much to do. They had no recourse at all. And James says they're not resisting you and your taking advantage of them and James appears to be very angry at what is happening because he knows how desperately wrong. That is, there is a final danger and that danger is of course the danger of eternal judgment. James warns about it but I can't help but think of a picture in the book of Revelation when you read this ought to take your breath away. This is the day when there are no more dollars are no more dimes, no more money no more gold no more silver. Nothing else mattered. It's the day when all the pieces get put back into the box. Listen carefully. This is the destruction of Babel and now there to babblings there is the religious battle and and then there is the political/economic Babel in this is what it says come out of her my people, lest you partake in her sins, lest you share in her plagues for her sins are heaped high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities pay her back as she herself is paid back, others as she glorified herself and loved in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment. She says I sit like a queen. I am no widow, and morning.

I shall never see for this reason God says her plagues will come in a single day, and the kings of the earth who committed immorality with her and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning, they will stand far off. Alas, alas, you great city you mighty city, Babel, and for in a single hour your judgment has come in the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore cargoes of gold and silver and jewels and pearls and fine linen and purple cloth scarlet all kinds of scented would all kinds of articles of ivory costly wood bronze and it goes on wine and oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep and horses chariot slaves. That is, human souls, and then the Bible says the merchants of these wearers who gained wealth from her will stand afar off in fear.

Fear of her torment, weeping and mourning allowed alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen and scarlet, and adorned with gold with jewels and pearls print a single hour all this wealth has been a ways so how can it happen in a single hour. We don't know how it all happened in a single hour, but we could take it literally. And today with technology we can understand that very clearly cyber attack. Imagine all of the satellites being destroyed. Imagine an attack against our electronic world. Every computer every cell phone every means of communication.

Suddenly destroyed totally.

Everything would stop in its tracks.

Why God says that they judgment has come the day of calamity is here you say will Pastor Luther II was hoping for something a little bit more optimistic and hopeful when I came to church today. What I know you are and that's why James has you in mind. So do I James now is talking to believers in the midst of this situation he's talking to those who have been wronged by others in the wrong continues and will continue until they die. And James goes on to say these words. Be patient. Verse seven.

Therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth being patient about it until it receives the early and the latter rain. You also be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another brothers so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. James says be faithful and patient until the coming of the Lord, you say well yeah, that was sure a good message to give to those poor people. The Lord didn't even come know he didn't and he still hasn't. But the advice of James is embedded in biblical texts and it is a very important piece of advice for us. The early church was wrong in thinking that Jesus would come in that era, but they were not wrong in expecting the possibility of his coming. Furthermore, at this point it really doesn't matter to the early church because someday Jesus Christ will, and when he does all of these wrongs are going to be made to write and vindication shall at last take place on planet while I believe that God's judgment is going to be so meticulously tuned that throughout all of eternity. We will say just and true are thy works about King of saints will look back and will say three justice and injustice on this planet has been adequately and completely addressed to those folks who died in the first century.

They haven't yet received that justice but be patient. The Lord is going to come and how sure are we that the Lord is going to come as sure as we are that he came once in Bethlehem and died on the cross and was raised because remember those events were at one time prophecy and now their history and someday the coming of the Lord will be history. Imagine what James is saying. Imagine a courtroom. Everybody's there, and they begin to talk and this person is this complaint in this presence is this their murmuring against each other in their upset with their employers and their employees, and all of the murmuring and the complaining that goes on. This is what James is saying he saying don't do that because a man has stepped forward, and imagine a man stepping forward suddenly in the midst of this and saying ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. The judge just like that in mid conversation people stop talking because the judge is at the door and James says don't murmur with one another the word of God has promised. The judge is coming and he is at the door and for those who do not know Christ as Savior who've not come under the protection of his grace, who have not received the gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased for those who believe on him for those people.

It will be a day of calamity, the likes of which we could not imagine, but for all those who have had their bill of justice paid by Jesus through faith in him. It will be a day of vindication. It will be a day of blessing.

It is a day to which all of us should be patient and look forward to the coming of the Lord. Notice what James didn't say it and say now. Be patient my brothers until you get a raise what you can be patient until you do.

But you might have to be patient forever.

The raise might not come.

He didn't say now you be patient until the value of your house exceeds the value of your mortgage or that would be a real nice thing to happen. Many people, and that we don't know whether or not it will all those are uncertainties, but there is one certainty and that is this the judge is coming and James says he's standing at the door.

James also goes on then uses Job as this wonderful illustration uses you've heard of the steadfastness of Job course Job had his doubts and there's nothing wrong with doubts in the Christian life.

If you tell me that you have never doubted.

I know then that you might also lied to me about other thing because we all have our doubts and Job did too at one point but notice it says you heard of the steadfastness of Job and you have seen the purpose of the Lord how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. That's verse 11. You've heard of the steadfastness of Job reason that that's so appropriate is because you know we always say all I know.

God owns everything God owns all my bank accounts.

All of my retirement funds all of my investments.

I know it all belongs to God and then after we said that what we do we leave the church and act as if it is our own. That's generally the way in which we approach that did you know that the Bible says that Job had a great deal of wealth 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys and was the richest man on the earth, and that if you remember the story in Job chapter 1 because of fire because of the coming of the Sabeans and the fire. By the way is lightning because of that servant comes and says Job all of your animals are dead.

The 7000 sheep the camels the oxen the donkeys they're all gone.

And by the way, your servants were killed also by the Sabeans. Job learned something that day.

If you say that it all belongs to God. If you really, really mean that you have to accept the implication God has a right to take it when ever he wants and you can't tell me that your wealth and your money or my money belongs to God until we give him permission to take it if he wants it, so this is a real test for Job it's an economic test and then as if that wasn't enough. Oh wow, the very same day infected says that one servant was running and then the other came says oh by the way, Job of wind blew down the house.

It fell on all of your 10 children and they are all dead calamity but not an ultimate calamity. Job your member whose theology was more impeccable in some ways than ours understood that the children were God's his wealth was God's and at the end of the day. He says this. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He came through that calamity very well because it wasn't the ultimate one. The ultimate calamity is, of course, standing before God with all of your achievements which go up in smoke and finding no reason at all for God to accept you because you've never transferred your trust to Christ that is the ultimate calamity and you know when the Bible says be patient until the coming of the Lord.

There's no better way for us to be reminded of the coming of the Lord than to go back to the words of Jesus when he was saying goodbye to his disciples and the night before in which he was betrayed and he gave them the company gave them bread and he said to them, this brand represents my body, which was broken for you. This cup represents my blood and then said this do in remembrance of me and Paul says when we participate, we remember the Lord's death until he come so let me look into your eyes today. Maybe you can see mine. Be patient my dear sister. Be patient my dear brother, until the coming of the Lord and like a farmer who plants a seed and that seed germinates later, your faith is going to germinate and you will be rewarded by Christ at the end of the day we will all say everything, including the loss of my job. The injustice that I endured exploitation that I was a victim of it was all worth it because when Jesus comes. I promise you he's going to set it all. Right. Be patient, therefore, the coming of the Lord. Let us pray father we want to thank you today for your faithfulness in our lives, but we know that life is hard.

This message fell on two different sets of ears. Those who do not know you as Savior, who perhaps love their money more than they love you and then for those who know Christ and yet life is hard for them which you birth in us today. Father, a deep appreciation for the fact that Jesus is coming, we can stop our murmuring because the judge is at the door. We love you more than our silver or gold.

Thank you Jesus… Pastoralists and of course my friend. I did not mean to imply that we should not work together for fairness, we should do what we can to write any of the wrongs that happen in this world that we can't do everything, and that's why I am so comforted personally by the fact that eventually the judge of all the earth is going to weigh in on everything that is taken place in planet Earth. And you know my friend. If you have been dealt injustice. Do what you can to rectify it. But if you Rectify it. Trust God to do that the judge is at the door, I believe so deeply in these messages, famines, deserts and other hard places. Would you like to have them permanently as yours so that you can listen to them again and again.

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Of course RTW offer is all one word RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the sermon series, famines, deserts and other hard places. It's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor look certain. The question about the Bible or the Christian life. What kind of Christian life pleases God. Sergei lives in Willowbrook, Illinois and listens to us on W MBI rights pastoralists are. Would you please give a clear definition of what being a legalistic Christian in our day is and what doesn't God like about it. Doesn't he teach in effect at the stricter we are toward ourselves, the better we are as Christians. Sergei, you have asked a very interesting question. So let me try to be concise and clear. Legalism is a wrong use of laws or rules. It's not wrong to have laws and rules. I hope that you have some I have some but if we keep them for the wrong reasons we are legalistic. You take for example the Jews during the time of Jesus. It was not wrong that they keep the Old Testament law. The problem was keeping the Old Testament law was a substitute for really godliness and for hearts that were pure walking before God. That was the problem. There's another kind of legalism and that is where we add to the Scriptures and so we tell people how they should dress and how they should look and we think that that is a part of Christianity when in point of fact, it might not be now you say will the stricter we are with ourselves, the better Christians we are, maybe and maybe not if you're strict with yourself and you have the right motive. Namely, you recognize that godliness does not come through your strictness but you will have those strict rules that keep you from sin. That's good. But all the rules in the world will not produce a holy life. That's the problem with legalism. We have a section here not too far from the church.

Actually, just north of here that may be as much as 1/2 miles square where nobody smokes, nobody drinks, nobody goes to dances. It's a huge section here in the city of Chicago.

Several of them.

I'm speaking of course of the cemeteries of Chicago and other words it's possible you see to keep the rules and not have spiritual life. So that's where the balance comes yes we can be strict for ourselves. That's good, but you'd better have the right motivation because if you think that godliness comes that way you're wrong, it only comes by walking in the spirit walking in fellowship and without the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc. we are not really walking with God.

No matter how many rules we keep. Thank you Dr. Luther and thank you Sergei if you'd like to hear one of your questions answered. Go to our website that RTW offer.com and click on ask Pastor look certain or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 what would it take for you to deny Jesus like Peter did. What kind of crisis would take your faith of the next time we begin a compelling three-day analysis of faith at the breaking point. Thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher