Because Iniquity Will Abound

I've chosen is my preaching portion this evening to versus from Matthew chapter 24 and let me read those to you again and then will get into the sermon. These are part of the words of Christ as he preached what is known as part of the Olivet discourse on the Mount of olives. Jesus said this, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved before we get into the text itself is a couple of contextual matters.

I think that are very critical to deal with so that we are able to understand these couple of verses there is number one.

A salvific context that we find these verses in a salvific context. What I mean by that.

If you are not careful in your reading of Scripture and you haven't been taught you can become very very confused as you encounter language in the Scriptures that speak to salvation because you'll find a language that speaks of salvation in the past tense and you'll find language that speaks of salvation in the present tense in the past tense. We have been saved and then places where it clearly says that we are being saved and then language that says we shall be saved and undiscerning person says will, which is an answer that question is, all three, and we have to understand that salvation is a broad term and there are different categories under that we talk of in theological terms of justification and progressive sanctification in glorification, so there is a salvific context to our text it says in verse 12 and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow old, but he who endures he who endures to the end shall be saved. But first part. He who endures is speaking of progressive sanctification. The ongoing activity of being saved. He who endures he who perseveres see there is this issue of sanctification, and it needs to be understood that that takes place in time.

The other part of the verse. The latter half of the verses. Speaking of another aspect of salvation. He who endures to the end shall be saved, saved, how say fully and completely perfectly glorified.

So there's these two aspects of salvation being spoken of in this one verse, progressive sanctification and glorification. So me to say a few words about those two and how those two aspects of salvation and how they relate to one another again. Sanctification is in time. Glorification will be in eternity. Sanctification is a long process.

It begins the new birth, and it continues all the way through life when until we come to death glorification.

On the other hand, will be an instantaneous act of God by which the soul is made perfect at death so sanctification is glorification begun and glorification is sanctification completed. I think that's maybe the easiest way to understand these two aspects of salvation sanctification is glorification begun and glorification will be sanctification completed was two aspects so there's a salvific context. Now there is an eschatological context door and end times context and I alluded to that is I introduced Matthew chapter 24. This is the Olivet discourse. This is the teaching of Jesus.

The most extended portion in all of Scripture where he speaks to the issues of the end times. You know were deep weeds right yes there's been more ink spilled more pages written more books written more commentaries written trying to understand the words of Jesus in these chapters, and I'm certainly not going to attempt to get into that only to remind you that there is a salvific context.

We looked at and then there is this end times context. What I mean by the end times context will notice again. Verse 1313 let me read both verses on because lawlessness lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end to the end shall be saved and the question is what end is in in view here now. You're going to see that language throughout these chapters in these verses and if we don't recognize that the word and these verses are speaking of different things can be very very confused and not me draw your attention to at least three different interpretations of the word in. I read beginning at verse one of Matthew 24 verse two says Jesus said to them, do you not see all these things assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. What is Jesus talking about Jesus is talking about the destruction of the temple that prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. that statement of Jesus concerning the destruction of the temple, provoked two questions from the disciples recorded in verse three. Now, as he sat on the Mount of olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, tell us, when will these things be, and then two things. What will be the sign of your coming, so they're concerned about the coming of Jesus and number two, and of the end of the age, the end of the age so we have the end being referenced as the destruction of Jewish worship.

The temple in Jerusalem itself.

In A.D. 70. That's clear in the context here that that's at least one reference to the end. You can't import that understanding into the verse were looking at again verse 14 verse 13 he who endures to the end shall be saved. That's the end of a person's life so and has a different meaning. There and then clearly the end has reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The end of the age. Notice Jesus as this long teaching section on the great tribulation that begins at verse 15 through verse 28 and then he says in beginning at verse 29 immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable from the fig tree when its branches already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the door. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my father only Jesus is clearly speaking of his second coming. So there is a salvific context and there is an end times context that we need to understand here. If you really want to plunge yourself into unnatural controversy is the right word, but deep thinking Russell with what Jesus said in verse 34. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. All these things we need to go back and be reminded of what all these things are what did Jesus just talk about all the things that would take place and he says I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place in the key word there is generation what is this generation. I came across at least eight different interpretations of what generation means, and none of us bring complete and total objectivity to the text we always bring a bias were looking at the text through our lens and is very easy to see what we want to see and ignore what we don't want to see so it's a very, very, very challenging text but I don't I don't get lost in that but just I think it's important that you understand that the two verses were looking at need to be understood in some measure in these two contexts, salvation, context and an end times context. What Jesus is saying here, I believe, is a prophecy of what will take place in the history of the world during the Christian age.

Between his two Cummings between his first coming and his second coming, you say well that's broad enough to keep out of trouble. Well yeah, that's why.

So I said it that way but debate but I'm not going to. There's so much that could be said that perhaps after many many many many more hours of study, I'll be prepared to say but back to our text for this evening to verses and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. First, I want you to see with me tonight and observable reality and observable reality and what is that observable reality. Lawlessness will abound. Lawlessness will abound, iniquity shall abound. That's the observable reality. There are some ages in history of the world where where iniquity will abound into abound means to overflow your remember what the Scripture say of Noah's day you remember what the Bible says about the time of the judges, where Everyman did what was right in his own eyes, times when sin was abounding. It's a time when evil is extreme and it will be intensely difficult for the people of God to maintain standards of obedience and commitment to the word of God and I said it this way that here we have an observable reality. I don't need to spend a lot of time persuading you that we are living in times of iniquity abounding lawlessness abounding, it's observable all around us. There is moral decay.

Truth is under attack.

The world is making advances into the church. Churches are weak, the gospel is being compromised and redefined commitments to truth is low the institution of marriage is under attack. The family is under attack. Iniquity is abounding in our day and unfortunately for the church. We must maintain our testimony in this confusing time. It's amazing how lost people are people do not know where they are. People do not know who they are. People do not know what is right and what is wrong. People do not have any understanding of God or very little understanding of God and when sin abounds in this way there is an increased measure of hatred and hostility and persecution that comes to those who are willing to stand for truth and declare that God has given us a word that there are absolutes that there is a God will hold men accountable. There's a price to be paid in Nubian increasing increasingly price to be paid as iniquity continues to abound. Jesus talked about nations rising against nations and kingdom with kingdoms against kingdoms that will deliver you up to tribulations and kill you and will be hated but you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. Many will be offended, will betray one another will hate one another.

What hatred there is in this world, senseless killings being reported on the news constantly. I heard recently that the city of Baltimore set a record last year, 380 some homicides in just the city of Baltimore alone and persecution persecution in Sudan, persecution in North Korea persecution in China persecution in measures and degrees, unprecedented in our day, another evidence where iniquity is abounding is the way in which morals are declining in society. Christian values are vanishing. God is not mentioned in the classroom is rare to see someone bother had a return thanks in a restaurant. There's no fear of God among men men's consciences have become hardened and seared people live for worldly pleasure with no thought of a God that they must answer to when governments, to whom God is given authority to concurrent control crime and put down evil instead are weak and slack and allow evil in crime to go unpunished. We have in our day sanctuary cities were criminals can go and be safe. Law has no news gets against the law to pursue those people is amazing what's happening in our day.

Some earthquake or tornado or some something happens in electricity goes out and storefronts are crashed people just think they can walk to stores and take whatever they want this the.

The degree of lawlessness is is astounding.

So, make no mistake about it, iniquity, lawlessness is abounding, it's observable, but second I want you to see a causal warning a causal warning. It says, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Here's a causal warning it's because iniquity will abound, it is because lawlessness is abounding that that is having a fact on the church's have an effect on professing Christians because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. All of this lawlessness. All of this growing iniquity has an effect upon the people of God and Jesus is telling us that we are not immune from the influence of the world, the love of many Christians will decline will wax cold. There was a day when godliness and decency and morality in the fear of God were held in high estimation in society but not anymore. Men have turned the truth upside down righteousness has been stood on its head were living in the day that Isaiah spoke woe unto those who call evil good and good evil. That's the day and age in which were living with legalize gambling.

We have the look, the legalization of abortion think with me for a moment of the day and age in which we live.

A football player is deemed worthy to receive 60, 70, $80 million salary to play a game in the life of an unborn child is worth nothing.

That's a day and age in which we live, frightening, really. And we are living in this world and you cannot live in this world without the world having its pressure to come upon you were not insulated from society were all being influenced 1° or another, being pressured by the spirit of the age and it is damaging it.

It is hurtful to our sanctification.

Iniquity abounding and is a danger to the Lord's people notice what it says and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many, many will grow cold not want her to our few, but the result of this will affect many question to you tonight is the fact that sin is abounding having an effect on your love is your love growing coal that's the challenge that God has for us tonight to think on that to consider our ways to sing at the end of the service to him that speaks to this problem. The wonder Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love acknowledging that propensity that temptation and vulnerability. What do we say here's my heart to take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above, we need help. We need God to help us because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Love what love of what let me say first love of Christ himself. Love of Christ himself. We can be presumptuous, we can forget the great love our Savior has demonstrated for us it's a most fearful thing for Christ to come to us and say I have died for you. I have loved you with an everlasting love. But you have lost your love for me. You are too much in love with this world know would owe to God that he would fan the flames of our affection stir us up and to keep us from growing cold that we would not wane in our love for Christ because when iniquity abounds. One of the very first things that is affected in the life of Christian is their love for Christ. We do not want to grow weekly wanted to continue to grow strong. Love has wax cold. Because the pressures of this modern age is weakening the sanctification of God's people. It's harder and harder to live for Christ there's pressures everywhere, temptations everywhere.

There is no cruise control for the Christian life is no magic button you can push and put it on cruise.

We must earnestly contend for the faith. We must daily fight the good fight of faith.

Another thing that suffers when the people of God are influenced by an abundance of iniquity and evil generation is the worship of God. The worship of God much worship today consists in making as much noise as possible in the house of God. Entertainment has replaced worship. It's a sad affair.

It's rare to find a place that's sober in God-fearing in God centered in its worship. We strive to maintain that here in this place. But there's pressure to capitulate.

There's pressure to compromise were not in the entertainment business were in the worship business.

If we can say that way. So again, let me pause and ask, are you being influenced by the spirit of this age is the love of other things coming in the way of your love for Christ.

Are you growing cold or the chili icy fingers of worldliness getting a grip on you and if you say now is in touch me, no problem here.

You deceived were all affected by it to some degree or another, we must push back against it. We must resist it. Third, tonight let's look at the next verse in our consideration, but he who endures to the end. Here is an encouraging admonition and encouraging admonition. He who endures to the end. Not it's not a matter of how you start, it's how you finish that matters here, we must endure. We must persevere to the end and endure what well in the tent in the context here endure persecution indoor hatred indoor though the false prophets in their deceptions. That's what we must endure. That's what we must persevere against salvation's end is reserved only for those who persevere in the face until the end of their life. I'm troubled when I hear someone say I've never question my salvation.

I've never doubted my salvation will then what you do when the Bible says to make your calling and election sure what you do when the Bible says examine yourself to see if you be in the faith. What will what, what's the purpose of those warnings if there isn't the possibility of the world creeping in and robbing and eroding away our assurance and putting us in a place where we really stop start to wonder in my being more influenced by the world or be or my being influenced by Christ and his word, which is true. So what is it mean to persevere, persevere, and what endure and what let me suggest a number things, endure number one in your love for the word of God feed that appetite, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and when you see that appetite waning understand that's cause for alarm. Worldly influences today pressure us to lose our faith in the Bible and the word of God. Listen to the voices in our day. The media society you hear anybody champion the word of God. The absolutes of the Scriptures. Any anybody in this day of confusion, pointing us to the authoritative word of God. Rare rare find someone in the public square would dare to say that and if they would dare to say that all the ridicule that would come. Jesus said about his word heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. Jesus is saying my words are more stable than this very universe and the foundation.

It rests on because heaven and earth will pass away, but not so my word is forever settled in the heavens. So we must persevere in our commitment to the word of God. Number two I think we must persevere in our theological understanding what I mean by that will, the things that God has taught us the things that are dear and precious to us in this church the things that will pay a price to believe and confess that we believe even among other Christians. I think I'm think I'm confident to be able to say this that we have made a determination that this coming year. The elders and the deacons in our regular meetings were going to be studying Jim Mark's book mere Calvinism why we going to do that. Don't deacons believe that the elders believe that we have. They do and we do so, why would any requirement to study that book because we need to persevere in our theological understanding.

We need to crystallize it.

We need to understand it and rejoice afresh and so if you're new to this journey talk to the elders about resources that we can put in your hands it will help you.

There's some wonderful resource I just mention one and a good many of you purchase that in our book room and have spoken about how profitable it is been to you, but there's many many other resources. So persevere in our theological understanding. Number three persevere in our gospel endeavors so uncommon for churches to take on building programs that are bigger than their budgets and what was given for missions all of a sudden begins to diminish because we can't afford the maintenance of our facilities anymore was not true here, what's what.

I'm rejoicing in his were seeing an increase interest and participation in the work of missions.

We must persevere in our commitment to gospel endeavors far as my flesh is concerned, it would be easy for me to stay here and not go to Zimbabwe number one. I'm not looking forward to a 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg and there are some concerns about safety and all the rest of that but it's a gospel opportunity. It's unique to our church.

The partnership we have with the laws the needs that were aware of. So when the opportunity is knocking and God is given resources and God is given a staff that Saul allows Amanda go for a week or 10 days then we go because we do not want to minimize nor decrease are in endeavors in gospel pursuits. So we need to persevere in our gospel endeavors and never never waning in our concern for the lost around us.

Sorry ones it do not know Christ should be troubling to us with an something happened in our neighborhood around the first year.

Think it maybe was even New Year's Day and it was an illustration to me that in all shirt and I'll explain the illustration and how it relates to this point I'm making a card and I were working on an appliance in the house and I went outside to clean something off and when I walked outside I looked out across the street right by her mailbox and the grass was on fire and I looked up the street in the berm was on fire will. I ran in the house and hollered for water and ran outside and my point is because there was a fire. It it completely cause me to lose thought of what I was involved in. It was all consuming it rate it demanded my attention. My wife's attention to fire trucks were there firemen were there to get the fire out folks.

There's a raft coming against all unrepentant sinners and not to trouble us because it is a fire that we will be unclenched is a never dying fire people will burn forever and ever and ever and suffer torment that ought to arrest stuff that should trouble us.

It should somehow affect our agendas in the way we live our lives, not hello hello well so what. And I'm guilty of that and I'm confessing that to you and just rip the reminder little bit a grass burner in my mailbox became a major ordeal. It was our focus mean, seriously, if you want home tonight and drove down the street and you saw house on fire in your neighborhood in you became convinced that people were asleep in that home and nobody was aware there was a fire.

Would you just go park your car go unlock your house and go in and find your comfortable seat. Would you be doing something you be calling 911. You might even pull in the driveway. You might even be on the door. The house trying to wake anybody up its inside we need that same kind of urgency for the souls of men.

And when we see that waning, it should concern us. We must endure. We must endure. We must persevere in our concern for the lost number four. We need to endure and persevere and are waiting patiently for the coming of the Lord for the second coming of Christ. It's a hard thing sometimes to wait for Christ's return to church of every age is had this prayer. What even so, Lord Jesus, and I trust that you are anticipating and looking and longing for the coming of Jesus because he is coming back, he is coming back right yes we need to be prepared. We need to be expecting him because he's coming he's coming visibly and is coming in power and great glory as it tells us here in Matthew chapter 24 my fourth point is lastly a glorious promise, glorious promise. What is the glorious promise he who endures to the end. What you shall be saved, he shall safely arrive in glory in a state of perfection. What the more you are a will are aware of your imperfections and of your remaining sinfulness, the more astounded we all ought to be about the prospect of ending up in glory in the presence of a holy God made perfect water promise a glorious promise. But until that time, we are called upon as followers of Christ to suffer in this world for what little time suffering here will make heaven sweeter. There, this world is not our home, but we do have a home in a house of many mansions which Christ is preparing for us. We are looking for a city whose builder and maker is God you believe the words of Jesus. Don't you when he said I go to prepare a place for you. He's preparing a place in a we can wonder and contemplate where heaven exactly as I'm sure children have that question on their minds. Mommy, daddy were seven darlin' I don't know where it is. But Jesus said it's a place and if it's a place it somewhere and we believe him and trust him all the way to the end.

Were going to be there.

Wherever that is right, a man, but in the meantime because iniquity lawlessness will abound for the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

We must we must watch. We must guard our hearts because the spirit of this world will try and make inroads into our life. The subtleties of it. The suggestions of the devil attempts to weaken us and we can our resolve in our desire to persevere to the end.

This text is true iniquity, lawlessness, and some ages abounds weights abounding in our day and I think this is a fitting text force because lawlessness iniquity iniquity will abound, the love of money will grow cold dear folks, don't be a part of that many pushback against that determined by the grace and help of God that this will not be spoken if you would, by the grace of God, and by his enabling help endure to the end endure to the end because only those who endure to the end will be saved in the spring, our father, we thank you for the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that not only saves us from the penalty of sin, but is right now saving us from the very power of sin in one day will deliver us from the very presence of sin itself and we will be in your presence perfected, glorified, suited for heavenly habitation.

What glory what prospect for the people of God. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation word may there be no one in this place tonight who's guilty of neglect, grant us a fresh measure of grace, that we might persevere.

We might continue in the things that we've been taught, give us grace to guard and protect and pushback can continue to progress in our walk with you.

Thank you that were not left to ourselves. Thank you that you are at work in us both to will and to do according to your good pleasure because your people to rejoice afresh and take seriously this warning is we have acknowledge the reality of this age in which we live. Lord we would pray that you pushback the powers of darkness that you would cause the glorious light of the gospel to shine in the dark corners and recesses of this world and in our neighborhoods and in our homes and our very lives, we might be men and women who are known of her walking in the truth walking in the light.

Help us to find delight in those things I pray in Jesus name, amen