Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, people who live in the last times are people who first of all understand the times. We need to have our finger on the pulse of what is happening in this country and what is happening in this world morally, spiritually, and politically. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, millions of American Christians are discouraged by the moral demise in our country today, and for good reason.
The battle between pro-life and pro-abortion groups rages on, while young children are encouraged to choose their preferred gender. But today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress reminds us that hope is not lost because Jesus Christ is coming back. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Sometimes we scroll through the news and feel agitated by what we read.
And when we watch the television news and the political pundits start taking punches at one another, it gets everyone all riled up. Frankly, sometimes we feel defeated. We want to run. Well, on today's program, I want to speak with you about living in these chaotic times. Before we get started, I'm pleased to remind you that we're in the final stretch of our Beacon of Hope matching challenge. For just a short while longer, you have the opportunity to double the impact of your giving through Pathway to Victory because of this $750,000 matching challenge that's active until July 5th. This means that every dollar you give between now and July 5th to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory will have twice the value and twice the impact. We're well on our way to achieving our goal before July 5th, but you can always close the gap today by giving a generous gift.
And when you do, I'm going to send you a beautiful book for the entire family to enjoy. It's called Miracles in American History, 32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer. These 32 remarkable moments clearly demonstrate God's hand upon the country we love. There's more I want to say about this book called Miracles in American History and other resources we've set aside for you.
I'll do that later. But right now, let's begin today studying God's Word. In light of a season that's marked by fear and uncertainty, I'm presenting a message that's titled with a simple question, How Should We Now Live? What are the possible responses? Response number one, everything will be all right. Response number two, things are going to hell in a handbasket. Would you be surprised to know that 60% of Americans chose that second response, things are going to hell in a handbasket.
By way of note, it's the first time going to hell in a handbasket was ever used in a national survey before. That's how many people feel about the world condition. Another group, 64% of voters said that they believe that the world is spinning out of control.
84% of Americans in another poll said they believe ISIS poses a real threat to American security. It's not surprising then that in another poll, 70% of all Americans said they are angry about the direction in which the world is going. People are asking the question, what is the world coming to? Where are we headed?
Is anybody really in charge? The answer to all of those questions is found in a single event toward which all history is marching. That event is the apocalypse, the unveiling, the revelation, the return of Jesus Christ. And today we're going to talk about the return of Jesus Christ and how we should be living as believers in light of his return. Over and over again in scripture, we find the promise of Jesus that he will come again. And the Bible says two things about the return of Jesus.
First of all, his coming is absolutely certain. Remember in John 14, Jesus was meeting with his disciples before he was crucified and resurrected from the dead. And he made this promise in John 14 three, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. Jesus promised I will come again. And you see that promise from Genesis to Revelation throughout the Bible about the Lord's triumphant return. Did you know in the New Testament alone, there are over 300 verses that talk about the return of Jesus. One out of every 13 verses in the New Testament has something to do about the Lord's return. And although Christians have always differed on some of the minute details of his return, the constant refrain from the beginning of Christianity has been this, Jesus is coming again.
You know, you see that certainty of the Lord's return found in Acts chapter one. Remember, Jesus had been on the earth 40 days after his resurrection. He was in his new body and thousands of people saw him. And finally, he assembled with his followers on the Mount of Olives. Many of us have been there before and Jesus ascended into the heavens.
Can you imagine what that scene was like? I've often tried to imagine it standing on those mountains as the disciples looked up and they saw the Lord lifted up into heaven. And as they were gazing into heaven, the people, two angels said to them in Acts 1 11, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into the sky? Of course they were gazing into the sky. Who wouldn't be after such a miraculous event?
But they said, why do you stand gazing in the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. And the angels were saying, this same Jesus, the one you've been with for these last three years, the one you saw go into heaven, he is coming back from heaven in just the same way. How did he go up into heaven? Did he go figuratively into heaven?
No, his body ascended into heaven. Jesus went up literally, personally, visibly into heaven and the angels said he is going to return the same way. I've heard these idiotic preachers before appear on the radio sometimes say, oh, Jesus is coming back again. His second coming is when he comes into your heart. That's what some people believe. The second coming of Jesus is when you trust in him, when he comes into your heart.
No, the angels said. Jesus is coming back literally, visibly, bodily for everyone to see. That's the promise of scripture. His coming is certain. And secondly, the Bible promises his coming is soon. His coming, his second coming will be soon.
How can you say that, pastor, with such certainty? Well, the fact is, there are no prophecies that have to be fulfilled before the rapture takes place. Remember, the rapture takes place seven years before the second coming. The rapture is imminent. It could happen before we enter into the invitation time in just a few moments. So in that sense, his coming is soon.
Think about it this way. If 2000 years ago the apostles were talking about the soon coming of the Lord, how much closer is his coming today than it was 2000 years ago? In fact, Paul alluded to that in Romans chapter 13, verses 11 to 12. Paul believed the Lord was coming soon.
Listen to what he says. And this do, knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Paul had done the math in his head. He had figured out that the coming of the Lord is closer.
And it's easy to see why he believed that. If there is a date certain on God's calendar when Christ is coming back again, every second that passes moves us closer to that day. And Paul is saying to these Romans, look at this, our salvation, that word refers to our deliverance that will occur when Christ returns. Our deliverance out of this sin infected world. Our salvation is nearer to us today than when we believed a few years ago.
Time is passing. It is moving us toward that soon return of Jesus Christ. Imagine if the apostle Paul were writing to us today. What would he say to us, the First Baptist Church of Dallas?
He would have said, wake up, remove the sleep from your eyes. If I thought the Lord's return were close 2,000 years ago when I first wrote to the Romans, how much closer is it today? The Lord's return is near.
He is coming soon. That is the promise of Romans 15, verse 13. Well, how are we supposed to live?
We're to live expectantly. We're to live knowing what time it is. I read a story this week about a family that had a grandfather clock. And the clock would chime every hour signifying what hour it is. If it was 1 o'clock, the chimes would ring once, 2 o'clock twice, 3 o'clock and so on. One night in the middle of the night, the grandfather clock malfunctioned. And the clock rang 13 times.
And the little boy in the house awakened and he ran through the house yelling, get up, get up everybody. It's later than it's ever been. Well, that's what Paul is saying to us. He's saying, wake up.
Look at the date, 2015, 2016. We are closer today to the Lord's coming than we have ever been. The Lord's coming is certain. The Lord's coming will be soon. Well, how are we to be living in light of that certain and soon coming of the Lord? As you look through scripture, there are three qualities that ought to characterize every believer who finds himself living in the last days. First of all, the Bible says we are to be people of hope.
We're to be people of hope. We know it's easy to look at the world situation today and get discouraged. We see the very real threat of ISIS. We see Russia attacking our infrastructure. We see the possibility of a nuclear Iran. There are many reasons to be concerned about the world situation.
Not long ago, the former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke at the Washington Ideas Festival. He wasn't sanguine about the future of the world. He said, quote, I think we are living through one of the most historic defining times. We are seeing a new world order, post World War II, post Soviet Union implosion being built. Tyranny, terrorism are going to be with us. It's a reality. I see these things continuing. In other words, get used to the world situation. It's going to continue.
It is only going to get worse. So, Pastor, how can we be people of hope given what's happening in the world today? Ladies and gentlemen, our hope does not rest in Washington, D.C. Our hope is not found in any politician. Listen to what the psalmist said, Psalm 39, 7.
And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee. Our hope is in the everlasting God. Romans 15, 13 contains one of the most beautiful benedictions found in all scripture. Paul closes, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Do you see the repetition of that? We serve the God of hope, and because of that, we ought to abound in hope ourselves. That word abound is a very interesting word. It's a word that refers to a river that overflows its banks.
Pretty appropriate for today, wouldn't you say? People right now are afraid in certain areas of Texas about rivers and lakes overflowing and bringing devastation to many. Well, he's using this term in a positive sense. Because our lives, like a river, ought to be overflowing with hope. That is, when people get close to us, they can't help but get splashed by the hope of God.
And that's because we're hopeful. One of the worst witnesses we can be to unbelievers is to go around depressed and scared and fearful. Oh, what's going to happen next? What's going to... That is no witness. Remember what the apostle Peter said?
He said, be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks for the what? The doom and gloom that's in you? The despair that's in you? The discouragement?
No. Be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for the hope that is within you. Christians ought to be the most hopeful, the most optimistic people they are. We ought to be overflowing with hope. But not only are we to be people of hope, secondly, the Bible says we are to be people of insight.
Tucked away in the Old Testament is a verse that I think best describes how we ought to be living in times like these. You find it in 1 Chronicles chapter 12. When's the last time you've been reading devotionally in 1 Chronicles 12?
Probably been a while, hasn't it? We read the list of these endless names and strange people and customs and we think that has no application to us. But in 1 Chronicles 12, there is a story about a group of Jewish men who decided to leave the service of King Saul and join forces with David, God's man at Hebron. And there is a listing of those who chose to join David in battle. And the writers divided them by the 12 tribes of Israel, those from Judah, those from Levi, Benjamin, and Ephraim. But when he gets to the tribe of Issachar, the men from Issachar, the tribe of Issachar who chose to follow David, the writer adds these words. 1 Chronicles 12, 32, the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times with knowledge of what Israel should do. Men who understood the times with a knowledge of what they, Israel, should do. People who live in the last times are people who, first of all, understand the times. They understand the times. These sons of Issachar, they knew what was happening in their nation. They knew that there was a shift in the political winds. They had an understanding of the moral and spiritual climate of their nation. And we need to be the same way today. We need to have our finger on the pulse of what is happening in this country and what is happening in this world morally, spiritually, and politically.
You know, there are some Christians, they think they're holier than God is. And they just say, oh, I don't get involved in all these current events and so forth. I don't read the newspaper. I don't turn on the news.
It's just too depressing. I just read my Bible. It's just me and God.
I let other people handle all that stuff. That's not being a godly person. That's being an ignorant person. And God places no premium on ignorance, okay?
You don't get any brownie points in heaven for being stupid and ignorant about what's happening in the world. God says if you're going to be a godly person, you need to understand the times in which God has placed you. That's what the sons of Issachar did. They understood the times. And secondly, people of insight or people who know what the people of God should do. The reason they had this insight, the reason they wanted to know what was happening in their country is so that they could know what they should do.
DO, take action. They came to the conclusion it was time to shift allegiances and to follow after God's man, David. You know, it's very easy for us to get discouraged in the world today and say what terrible times we're living in. I think about the Catholic theologian, Father John Newhouse.
He was at a speaking engagement in another city, and the host had arrived to pick him up at the airport, and they were driving to the speaking event, and the driver was just lamenting about what terrible times we're living in, what terrible times Father Newhouse finally had all he could take of it. And he said, yes, these times may be terrible, but they're the only times God has given us. And to sin is a despair.
That's what the sons of Issachar say. They say, yes, the times are terrible, but these are the times in which we are living, and we ought to be doing something. The people of insight are people who not only understand their times, but they know what they should do. And that means in these last days, we are to be people of action, people of action, not just hunkering down or sitting on our blessed assurances, if you know what I mean, and waiting for the end to come.
We're to be people who are doing something. I was reading this week about a well-known evangelical pastor. You all know him very well, probably one of the most influential evangelical pastors in the world, somebody who has roots to this church many years ago. And he was talking to a group of pastors about what we ought to be doing. And he said some good things. He talked about Christians need to live out their faith in a daily way. He said, you know, if Christians would stop watching pornography, if Christians would stop gossiping and slandering, if they would start living true to their faith, we could make a difference in this world. And I agree with that 100%.
And then he said something that could not have been more wrong. He said, I believe Christians need to take a year off from the culture wars and just concentrate on their own relationship with God. Take a year off? Take a year off from fighting for the sanctity of life when a million babies are being murdered every year? Take a year off from that? Take a year off from speaking out against immorality and the sanctity of marriage that is coming under attack? Take a year off from speaking out against human trafficking and the other atrocities that take place in the world?
Look, the sons of Issachar don't get to take a time off. They're always involved in doing God's work, and make no mistake about it, God has called upon us to confront an evil society. He's called upon us to confront evil leaders. He's called upon us to confront all immorality and say without stuttering or stammering, Thus saith the Lord.
We are to be actively involved in battle. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 5 verses 13 and 14. He said, You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?
It is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You've heard me say this before, but when Jesus talked about being salt, he was talking about being a preservative. That's what salt did in Jesus' day. It didn't prevent the decaying of meat. It delayed the decay of meat.
It gave the meat a longer shelf life until it eventually had to be thrown out. And Jesus said, As my representatives in the world today, you're to be salt. You're to be a preservative in this culture. You're to keep this world from prematurely imploding so that people have longer to accept the gospel. You know, for salt to impact meat, to preserve meat, it can't remain in the salt shaker. It has to get out of the shaker.
It has to penetrate the meat itself to be a preservative. God has not called us to take off a year from doing that. He's called upon us to influence this world, to push back against the tide of immorality that is engulfing us. We're to be salt. But he also said, You are to be the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. We're to be at the same time that we are pushing back against evil. We are being the holding forth. We're to be holding forth the word of the light of God.
It's not either or. Jesus didn't say you're to be salt or light. He said you're to be salt and light. You're to confront evil but share Jesus at the same time. After a message like this one, many of us are ready to take action.
We're eager to do something tangible that expresses our desire to become salt and light for Jesus Christ. Well, one of the ways that you can stand firm and take action is to participate in the amazing matching challenge that's active right now. We are three weeks into this exciting event, and we're encouraged by the response from our Pathway to Victory listeners so far. But we haven't crossed the finish line yet.
There's still a way to go, and we can't lose our momentum. The goal is to reach and even exceed the $750,000 match amount. So today, your generous gift of, say, $50 becomes $100. A gift of $500 becomes $1,000. A $1,000 gift would become $2,000.
Many are able to do even more. But whatever amount God places on your heart to give, it will have twice the value and twice the impact because of this matching challenge. As a way of saying thank you for your gift today, I'm going to send you an encouraging book that will engage your entire family. It's called Miracles in American History, 32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer. By reading this book, your children and grandchildren will be captivated by true life moments when God stepped in and accomplished the impossible for the country we love.
Unless we continue to celebrate these stories of God's undeserved blessing, they'll disappear from our public schools. This book will ensure that your family remembers God's faithfulness to America. Thank you for standing by our side. I deeply appreciate your partnership in the ministry of Pathway to Victory.
I couldn't do this without you. David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You're invited to request the book Miracles in American History when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. When you give, you'll also receive a DVD copy of the highly requested message by Dr. Jeffress called America is a Christian Nation. Simply call 866-999-2965 or visit our website that's at ptv.org. Now, when you give an especially generous gift of $100 or more, we'll also include the complete America and the Bible teaching series on audio and video discs. Plus, you'll also receive an additional book written by Dr. Jeffress called Praying for America, 40 Inspiring Stories and Prayers for Our Nation.
Remember, your gift right now will have twice the impact because of our Beacon of Hope matching challenge. So be sure to get in touch right away. Call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. You could also send your request by mail. Write to P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. One more time, P.O.
Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins inviting you back for part two of the message, How Should We Now Live? That's Tuesday here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
