February 5, 2006

Lesson: Matthew 24.1-8

Sermon Title: Que Sera, Sera

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INTRODUCTION:

Visual Sermon Illustration (1)

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Three worms were placed into separate jars.

1. The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol.

2. The second worm was put into a jar of cigarette smoke.

3. The third worm was put into a jar of good, clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the minister reported the following results:

1. The first worm in alcohol - DEAD.

2. The second worm in cigarette smoke - DEAD.

3. The third worm in good, clean soil - ALIVE.

So the minister asked the congregation, "What can you learn from this demonstration?"

A little old woman in the back quickly raised her hand and said, "As long as you drink or smoke, you won't have worms!"

XXX

God notifies the editors of 3 three newspapers--The Washington Post, The New York Time and The Wall Street Journal--that the world is going to end tomorrow.

Resulting Headlines:

Washington Post: World to End Today, Women and Minorities Hit Hardest

New York Times: God Says World to End--story page C6.

Wall Street Journal: World Ends Today--Market to Close Early.

XXX

  1. The world may end, but it ends with the return of Jesus which is the thought of the song: Jesus is Coming Again

Words and music: John W Peterson

Retrieved from: Guitar Picker - www.gospelmusic.tk

1
Marvelous message we bring
Glorious carol we sing
Wonderful word of the King
Jesus is coming again

Chorus:

Coming again, coming again
Maybe morning and maybe noon
Maybe evening and maybe soon
Coming again, coming again
O what a wonderful day it will be
Jesus is coming again

2
Forest and flower exclaim
Mountain and meadow the same
All earth and heaven proclaim
Jesus is coming again

Chorus

3
Standing before Him at last
Trial and trouble all past
Crowns at His feet we will cast
Jesus is coming again

Chorus

  1. We spend a little time on the Second Advent of Jesus during the Advent season.

  2. It is not enough.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. The theme of Jesus teaching the disciples in Matthew 24 and 25 is to help them have a deeper understanding of the destruction of Jerusalem and his return in glory.

    1. The skeptics have called this "Pie in the Sky, Bye and Bye."

    2. Where Does the Phrase "Pie in the Sky" Come From?

By Brendan I. Koerner. Posted Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003, at 4:23 PM ET (Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired and a fellow at the New America Foundation.) (2)

"Pie in the Sky" comes from an early 20th-century folk song written by labor activist Joe Hill, aka Joe Hillstrom, a legendary member of the Industrial Workers of the World. The song, titled "The Preacher and the Slave," is a satiric attack on the Salvation Army, whose preachers Hill decried for lulling workers into complacency.

The Preacher and the Slave: by Joe Hill

Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right,
But when asked about something to eat,
They will answer in voices so sweet:

Chorus:

You will eat bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky.
Work and pray, (work and pray),
Live on hay, (live on hay),
You'll get Pie in the Sky,
When you die, (that's a lie!)

And the starvation army they play,
They sing and they dance and they pray,
Till they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they tell you when you're on the bum:

CHORUS

If you fight hard for the good things in life,
They will tell you to stop all the strife,
Be a sheep for the bosses they say
Or to hell you are surely on the way!

CHORUS

Working folk of all countries unite;
Side by side we for freedom will fight
When the world and its wealth we have gained,
To the grafters we will sing this refrain:

Last Chorus:

You will eat, bye and bye,
When you've learned how to cook and to fry;
Chop some wood, 'twill do you good
And you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye.(That's no lie!)

"The Preacher and the Slave" was included in the Little Red Songbook distributed to IWW members.

    1. C. S. Lewis in his book THE PROBLEM OF PAIN takes a much different tack (3)

"Scripture and tradition habitually put the joys of Heaven into the scale against the sufferings of earth, and no solution of the problem of pain which does not do so can be called a Christian one. We are very shy nowadays of even mentioning Heaven. We are afraid of the jeer about 'pie in the sky,' and of being told that we are trying to 'escape' from the duty of making a happy world here and now into dreams of a happy world elsewhere. But either there is a 'pie in the sky' or there is not. If there is not, then Christianity is false, for this doctrine is woven into its whole fabric. If there is, then this truth, like any other, must be faced, whether it is useful at political meetings or no. Again, we are afraid that Heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested. It is not so. Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to. There are rewards that do not sully motives. A man's love for a woman is not mercenary because he wants to marry her, nor his love for poetry mercenary because he wants to read it, nor his love of exercise less disinterested because he wants to run and leap and walk. Love, by definition, seeks to enjoy its object."

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  1. It was not "Pie in the Sky"," for the disciples.

    1. Peter was one of the disciples who asked Jesus the question and listened to his answer.

      1. What does he have to say.

2 Peter 3:1-13 (NRSVA) 1This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you 2that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. 3First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts 4and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!" 5They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, 6through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. 7But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

8But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

        1. Does this sound like "Pie in the Sky"?

        2. It reads very real and attention getting.

    1. Both Mark and Luke in their Gospels write parallel passages with the same information.

      1. Mark 13

      2. Luke 21

        1. Does this sound like "Pie in the Sky"?

        2. Are they teaching "Pie in the Sky"?

    2. John records a wonderful promise in John 14:1-4 (NRSVA)

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4And you know the way to the place where I am going."

      1. Is this "Pie in the Sky"

    1. Paul in his letter to Titus in Titus 2:11-15 (NRSVA) urges him to declare the truth of the return of Jesus.

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

15Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you.

      1. Is this "Pie in the Sky"?

    1. Again in 1 John 3:2 (NRSVA) we read:

2Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

      1. Is this "Pie in the Sky"?

    1. James writes in James 5:7-8 (NRSVA)

7Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

      1. Is this "Pie in the Sky"?

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  1. If its not "Pie in the Sky" than what is it?

    1. What does Jesus in Matthew 24:1-8 (NRSVA) have to tell us?

    2. How does Matthew record the story?

      1. 1As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

      2. 2Then he asked them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."

        1. This threatened destruction awakened the curiosity of the disciples who had a question that begged to be asked.

        2. So four disciples: Peter, Andrew, James and John came to Jesus seeking information that would answer their questions.

      3. 3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

    3. There are at least two questions that Jesus is asked.

      1. What will be the sign of your coming?

      2. What will be the sign of the end of the age (the end of the world).

      3. It is hard to separate the information that Jesus provides into that which refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age.

      4. The disciples believed that these two events were so connected that the second had to happen soon after the first.

      5. Jesus does not answer their question with a date.

  2. Jesus does answer by providing certain events as sign posts that will help the serious and faithful disciple to find the way.

    1. 4Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you astray.

      1. 5For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray.

      2. 6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

        1. Have we heard of wars and rumors of wars?

Some years ago a group of historians gathered together to determine how many years of war and peace the world had experienced over the past 5600 years. As they reviewed the data they concluded that over the 5600 years they looked at 14,351 wars had been fought and 3.6 billion people killed. They also concluded that of the 5600 years there were only 293 years of peace throughout the world. Sobering numbers aren't they. (4)

      1. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

        1. Famines, earthquakes!

        2. The news is not good.

      2. Wars and rumors of wars, the end is not yet.

      3. All this is but the beginning of birth pangs.

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    1. There is great danger in applying current events to the observations of Jesus.

4Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. 5For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray.

      1. You can be led astray.

      2. This happened to my Dad.

I am not saying he was led astray, but a war led to his conversion and entrance into the ministry.

This was not a bad thing, but it may be a terribly disappointing thing.

My dad was driving an oil delivery truck for Diamond Oil Company in Marlboro, Mass.

Going to the South Lancaster Village Church one Sunday in 1931 he heard a sermon by his father, my grandfather that stirred his soul and eventually led to the decision to give up his present employment and seek a place in the ministry.

In 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria (Manchuko). Territory above the Korea's, part of the China mainland.

In 1933 the Japanese invaded China.

By 1937 when my dad wrote his letter conditions in the East had deteriorated and war was imminent.

As my dad remembered his father's sermon on the end of the age and looked at the conditions of the world, he heard of wars and rumors of wars, and decided that he ought to do something very different with his life.

He asked his father, if he could, to help him find a place in ministry.

In 1937, my dad packed what he could in a car and with his wife and two boys headed for Tennessee.

It all occurred because he had heard a sermon on the "war" and interpreted it as the beginning of the end of the age.

        1. There is no fault in this.

        2. Only we ought to beware of the counsel of Jesus in Matthew 24.6-8:

6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

      1. The end is not yet.

      2. All this is but the beginning.

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CONCLUSION

  1. For the movie, "The Man Who Knew Too Much," Doris Day sang: "Que sera, sera,/Whatever will be, will be;/The future's not ours to see./Que sera, sera,/What will be, will be." Is the future ours to see?

In Morocco, American tourists Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart) and his wife Jo (Doris Day) are witness to the street killing of a Frenchman (Daniel Gelin) they've recently met.

Before expiring, the victim whispers some amazing information to McKenna - a political assassination will soon take place in London.

But McKenna is unable to tell the police -- conspirators have kidnaped his son to insure his silence. Even after English authorities deduce that something's afoot, the McKennas must act alone.

The child, Hank, is being held hostage in Albert Hall.

Jo McKenna is playing the piano and singing Que Sera, Sera over and over as loud as she can.

This alerts Hank to his parents presence and with a kidnapper with a conscience, leads to a happy conclusion.

    1. The song is quite fatalistic.

For the movie, "The Man Who Knew Too Much," Doris Day sang: "Que sera, sera,/Whatever will be, will be;/The future's not ours to see./Que sera, sera,/What will be, will be."

    1. The future is not our to see.

    2. Whatever will be, will be.

  1. Is the future ours to see?

    1. What does Jesus say?

    2. All the future is not our to see, but we can see enough to make a decision to commit ourselves to the tender and loving care of Jesus so that when he comes we will have a place with him in the brave new world.

    3. Do you see the future?

    4. Do you desire it more than life itself?

1. Retrieved from: The Good, Clean Funnies List [gcfl-info@gcfl.net] Received from Frank.

2. http://www.slate.com/id/2077026/#ContinueArticle

3. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Fontana, 1973, p.132. (see beginning of chapter 10 in other editions).

4. From the desk of Pastor Wade at http://www.emmitsburg.net/tumc/pastor_wade/2004/cost_of_freedom.htm

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