Is the End in View?
The sermon encourages believers to discern the approaching end of the age by seeking spiritual discernment and turning to the Bible.
Lewis Sperry Chafer preaches about the nearing end of the age and the importance of discerning the signs of the times as the Church, the body of Christ, nears the shore of its pilgrim voyage. He challenges believers to see as the great spiritual seers do and to recognize the unprecedented signs of the times as indicators of the approaching end. Just as Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not discerning the signs of the times, Chafer urges listeners to be spiritually alert and perceive the world situation in the light of God's Word, which reveals that Christians may discern the approaching end.
Text
The tempest-tossed mariner takes heart when he sights the land. I ask you, O child of God, whether your eyes can see the haven? Can you see as do the great spiritual seers of this generation that we, who are of the same company of the redeemed who have suffered and labored from the apostles until now, are nearing the end of the age, the end of the pilgrim voyage of the Church, -- the body of Christ? Do you see the shore?
To the question, "Watchman, what of the night?" many are replying, "The night is far spent. We hail the Morning Star." The most spiritual, conservative students of God's Word are now hailing the morning. They discern the nearing shore through the unprecedented signs of the times.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Matt. 16:3.) Might some of us be as blind and as deserving of this reproof today? Surely the present world situation is full of interest to all, but how all-absorbing and startling it is to the one who sees it in the light of God's Word! Turning to the Bible we discover that Christians may discern the approaching end.
Sermon Outline
- The End of the Age
- Discerning the Signs of the Times
- The Present World Situation
- Interest and Absorption
- The Light of God's Word
Key Quotes
“To the question, 'Watchman, what of the night?' many are replying, 'The night is far spent. We hail the Morning Star.'” — Lewis Sperry Chafer
“Jesus said to the Pharisees, 'O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?'” — Lewis Sperry Chafer
Application Points
- Believers should seek spiritual discernment to understand the present world situation.
- The Bible provides the light of God's Word to guide us in understanding the signs of the times.
- We should not be blind to the signs of the times, but rather seek to understand them in the light of God's Word.