Preparing For The Day of The Lord (Video)

Let's pray. Lord, I'm just grateful for this opportunity to share your word. Lord, we just pray for those who are hurting, for those who are sick, for those who are suffering, for Jesus' name. Lord, you would strengthen them and you would visit them and you would lift them up. I pray, Lord, for your anointing. Lord, we need the anointing to teach us. Lord, we can't do anything without you. Come, Lord Jesus. I wanted to share a little bit about the day of the Lord and that Jesus is coming. But how will you be found by him? Dan shared already quite a bit about the things that the Lord laid on the heart this morning. A lot of us think it's going to be an exciting time, but our hearts are deceived and we're not ready. We need to prepare ourselves for that day. There's a lot of teachers who teach a lot of different things about the day of the Lord. I used to have this video that was circulating in the days past called Left Behind, where all this great rapture comes and all these people are taken up and people don't know what's going on. But I want to read a few scriptures that give us an understanding of what Jesus says to the church and how we should prepare for the day of the Lord. I want to read something that was written in the book of Enoch, and it's recorded in Jude in verse 14. There's one chapter in the book of Jude, verse 14. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these men also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all and to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. If the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to do some convicting of the ungodly, when is this going to happen? How is this going to manifest? If he just swoops down and snatches away his people, when is this conviction going to take place? Let's look at it a little closer. To execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. So he's executing a judgment and he's bringing conviction. You know, it talks about the coming of the Son of Man. It talks about Jesus coming in 1st Thessalonians in chapter 5. And Paul speaking to the Thessalonians in verse 1, he says, but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly, you yourselves know perfectly, you know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, who's they? It's everybody who's just doing the work of the Lord with slackness. When they say, peace and safety, tomorrow is going to be better. COVID is going to be done. We're going to get on with our lives. We're going to be able to travel. We're going to be able to buy. We're going to be able to sell. You know, economy is going to start to go and life's going to get back to normal and we can go build houses and we can go plant gardens and vineyards and tomorrow will be even better than today. There's a lot of hope ahead, brothers. For when they say peace and safety, then suddenly destruction comes upon who? Upon them. Upon them, as labor pains on a pregnant woman and they shall not escape. Who's Paul speaking to? He's speaking to the church at Thessalonica. He's saying, brothers, sisters, don't listen to them. They have lots to say about how things are going to go moving forward. But you know, the day of the Lord is going to be a difficult day, as brother Dan shared. It's going to be a day of darkness and not light. It's going to be a day of gloominess. There's going to be a lot of fear and dread on the faces of people on that day. But what does the scripture say? Verse four, but you, brethren, are not in darkness, that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and all sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as others do. But let us watch and be sober. I heard a message from Keith Malcolm last day, and I don't know the man, but I'm encouraged by him. And he spoke about being sober and not sleeping. And you know, it's an exhortation that needs to be emphasized. That when we get discouraged, I think of times in my past when I've been discouraged, I want to take a nap. I want to lay down. I want to forget about my problems and thinking maybe I'll get a little strength and after I wake up, I'll feel better and I can face them. Other people, they go to substances to try to mask the darkness, to try to mask the discouragement, the depression. Some take depression pills, other take drugs. Some people have a drink before bed, just to, you know, lighten the load. Brothers, sisters, we're not to sleep and we're to be sober and we're to be watchful, especially in our prayers in an hour in which we live. Let's look at this. For those who sleep, sleep at night. Those who get drunk, get drunk at night. Brother Dan shared that we need to stand in the night season and we need to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. Jesus had disciples and the hour was coming when the devil was going to have his victory over Jesus for the moment, for the hour. And those disciples, they couldn't watch and pray for one hour with Jesus because their eyes were heavy from sleep. And Jesus said it was going to be this way. He said, you all be made to stumble on account of me tonight. But he says, after you're converted, strengthen your brethren. After you return. They all fell away on account of Jesus. But you know, now that Jesus has been resurrected, seated at the right hand of the power, now that we have received the comforter that he promised where Jesus said, I have to go so he can come. The Holy Spirit can come. In Acts 2, there was an outpouring. It was poured out on Cornelius's house and on his neighbors and whoever was there. And it was poured out on whoever asks for the Holy Spirit. We shall receive if we don't doubt. When we receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit, the power from on high, then we no longer slumber and sleep as others do. It says we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when? At the first trump? At the third trump? Is that when rapture happens? It says at the last trump, the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. When Jesus comes, he don't come at the first trump, he's coming at the last trump. After all the judgment is poured out, we see that there's a people there. We see that at the end of 1 Corinthians 15, go look at it in scripture. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, grave, where is your victory? There's victory in Jesus. When we're born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed through this word of God and the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But let us be of the day. Let us who are of the day be sober. Let us who are of the day put on the breastplate of faith and love and a helmet, the hope of salvation. Let's be girded, let's be guarded, let's be armored up. We don't know the day or the hour or the season or the times in which we live. You know, there's a plague that's on the earth at this time, some deny it. And then they've later died from it. Some deny it. And later, they've been so sick from it. And I've gone specifically to their houses to deliver them some different goods and different things to try to help them and aid them and to pray for them. I've been praying for them. We don't want to be in denial in the hour in which we live. We don't want to sleep or be slumbering. We need to be vigilant. We need to be guarded. Now some of us we we say, well, you know, we're going to take our vitamin D and we're going to take our zinc and our vitamin C and we're going to have our different things that we're going to be ready for if this plague comes to our house. But we need to have the blood on the doorposts on the lentils. As we shared last week, we need to be have our houses protected. So that sin doesn't come into this house. So that death doesn't come through the doors. We need to be watching. When they were eating that Passover lamb, they put the blood on the doorposts and lentils and they had their waist girded and their lamps burning. They were watching and they remained in the house. It says also we as servants to the Lord have to have our waist girded with truth and our lamps burning. The word of God has to be burning in our hearts. And we need to be watching a watchman who needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth in the hour in which we live. We need to study to show ourselves to prove them to God. We need to know what the word of God says in this hour. We're not of the night brothers were of the day. Let's this day overtake you as a thief. Let this day overtake you as a thief. There's some that the day is coming as a thief. There's that great day when Jesus returns and he executes his judgment and he gathers his people together to be caught up together with him in the clouds. But you know what? There's a day that he's coming among sleeping Christians among people who are not watching at an hour. They're not expecting at a moment that they're not aware. We need to be of the day not of the night. Dan says even in the night seasons. We need to stand fast having done all to stand. What is the scripture saying? Stand therefore having your waist girded having your helmet of salvation and this breastplate of righteousness and truth. I read something from Joel in chapter 2. The people of God have become slack. They began to spiritually sleep. They were slumbering. Joel in chapter 2 verse 1. Blow the trumpet in Zion. Who's blowing the trumpet in the hour in which we live? Where are the watchmen? God says in Isaiah the watchmen are blind in Jeremiah. They're blind. They're dumb dogs. They can't bark. They're sleeping. They're lying down. They're loving to slumber. Everybody is doing what seems best in their own eyes. And Jesus is exhorting through the Holy Scriptures to the prophet Joel saying blow the trumpet in Zion. Zion is God's holy habitation. God is in Zion. He's coming to his temple. He's coming quickly. Sound the alarm on my holy mountain. Brother Dan shared about having watchmen on the walls. Where are the preachers today? You say well me I don't have a Bible school diploma and I don't have a certificate or no churches will accept me. You know what? You go to those friends in the family and your neighbors and whosoever will. Whoever will listen and you proclaim that Jesus is coming quickly. That they need to get ready. Everybody's eating and drinking as the days of Noah were it says in Matthew 24. So will the coming of the Son of Man be. And they were eating and they were drinking. They're having a good time. We all enjoy a good time. And they were marrying and giving in marriage. We even celebrated a marriage this last summer in August. Our second daughter got married. They were buying and selling. You know there's a lot of us. We're buying property. We're buying products. We're selling. We have work to do. But they were not watching. It says those who do business those who buy as though they did not possess. As those who build houses as though they didn't own them. As those who marry as though they were single. We need to be watchful. We can set our hope in all these things. God gives us all these things to enjoy. But we need to remain watchful and sober and vigilant. Because the days are evil brothers, sisters. The days are dark. But we're not of the night. We're of the day. Blow the trumpet in Zion. Sound the alarm my holy habitation. It says that all the inhabitants of land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming. You know when I got born again I went to a Pentecostal meeting. There's a fellow there and family there. Oh and we'd sing this song. There's a Pentecostal song. And this guy had a horn and he would blow a horn. And all of us in the church we'd go and we'd march around the church. We went around City Hall. We were all over. They run on the city. They march on the wall. Great is the army that carries out his word. Well you know what? You know this army that carries out his word from Joel 2? Those are demon spirits. These are destructive forces in spiritual context. These are armies that were coming in a natural sense against Israel. Because they had fallen asleep spiritually and they were practicing sin. And they were all about me and mine. And all that I can have. And all that I can get. And what's going to be better is tomorrow's going to be even better. And we need to keep buying. We need to keep selling. We need to keep hoarding. And we need to just enjoy ourselves and become spiritually fat. It says in verse 2, a day of darkness and gloominess this day of the Lord. A day of clouds and thick darkness. Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come. This is an army. But it's also a spiritual army. That's coming upon the people of God who are sleeping. They come. They're great and strong like whom has never been. Nor will ever be after them. Even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them and behind them a flame burns. The land in front of them is a paradise like the Garden of Eden. And after the armies come through, it is like a desolate wilderness. Nothing shall escape this army. Dan spoke about the day of vengeance of our God. Dan spoke about these things. And he said it's when Jesus came and he said to free those who were in prison houses. Because what happened was God's people Israel had come into bondage and they did not know that their destruction had been upon them. That the bondage of Satan was over them. And Jesus was there to fulfill that he was going to set them free and deliver them from the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him because they didn't understand. They didn't know what happened to them. They fell away. Their appearances like horses, swift steeds. They run over the mountains. Like a strong people set in battle array, they're coming against God's people. Before them, the people, God's people, they rise in pain. They're in terrible fear. Their faces are drained of color. They run like mighty men. These these armies. Let's call the evil spirits for this portion of scripture. How an evil spirit goes through arid places and then find seven spirits more wicked than itself and come and return to that house where it came from. And the last state of the man is worse than the first. They climb the wall like mighty men of war. It says Jesus would be a wall of fire around us and the glory in our midst. But what does he say? The stone hedges broke down. And because a little sleep and a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. And it says poverty will come on you like an armed man. That's how poverty will come like an armed man. But we need to be watchful in our prayers. We need to pray without ceasing in this hour. We need to have a sobriety about us. Everyone marches in formation. The kingdom of Satan divided. They don't break ranks. They don't push one another. They march in columns. Now look at this. They lunge between the weapons and they're not cut down. Brothers, sisters, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for tearing down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the living God. We have a responsibility to be girded, our waist girded and our lamps burning, and we become faithful stewards from the master when he comes. He will not cut us into pieces. He will not point us with the hypocrites, but will say, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with little. I'm going to entrust you with much. They lunge between the weapons. They're not cut down. They run to and fro in the city. They run on the walls. They climb into the houses and they enter the windows like a thief. Now the scripture says in a spiritual context, you are God's house and you are God's building. And it says that the eyes are the window of the soul. And through the eyes, we can see that there's a spirit of Christ abiding, the Holy Spirit's in there, or there's evil spirits in there. The eye is the window of the soul. And this is where they come. They climb. They come over those stone walls that are broken down. There's no watchman blowing the trumpet. The enemy is coming. And we're at ease in Zion. A little sleep, a little slumber. And the enemy comes and they surround the houses and they enter into the windows as a thief. This is how God's people come into bondage. They start to look at pornography. They start to lust after their neighbor's wife. They start to cover their neighbor's houses and properties and lands and a little buying, a little selling, a little trying to get ahead. And next thing you know, their families are separated. Their children are not walking with God and there's destruction. And it says because of covetousness in Jeremiah 3 and Jeremiah 6, he says, I'll give your wives to others and your fields to those who will inherit them. You spend your entire lifetime amassing to have a place and to have a home. And if you get your eyes off of Christ and the enemy comes upon you, you won't be able to hold your marriage together. You won't be able to cause your children to follow Christ. It'll all fall apart. And it says other men will live in those houses. And we see it today. And even in the church, people, the husbands get told to leave their houses. And all of a sudden you find there's squatters there. There's other people living in the house with the wife. And other people will have your children. It's not just an army taking your children into captivity in a natural sense. It's in a spiritual sense. The children will be overtaken by their video games and by their lust and by all the uncleanness that's out there and their desire to be popular and everything else on Facebook and all these media outlets. And they're going to get caught up in YouTube and all kinds of uncleanness. And you know what, there's going to be some other guy watching over your kids. And this all happened because you were not watching and you were not waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. You were not seeking him with all your heart. And you're not loving him as scripture teaches us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And the day of the Lord, Jesus is coming. He's coming as a thief to those who are not watching. And it says this in Hebrews chapter 25, and he exhorts us not to forsake the gathering together as is the manner of some believers, where now with the current crisis, people are just content to sit at home and watch service on video. We no longer getting together and contending for the faith and encouraging and stirring one another up to keep seeking God. We just get our we can just watch video and we can just do all the other things that we want to do so much more time we can go to Mexico, we can have a one hour Sunday service, watch video, we haven't missed anything. Yes, you have. Because the scripture says don't forsake the gathering together as is the manner of some. Now we need to know that we're two or three gathered together in Jesus name. He's there. You don't need to have hundreds of people or 1000s or go to a building. But we need to gather together with genuine believers and just confess our sins one toward another and pray for one another. And we need to encourage one another. Yes, I believe in the church structure that the elders are supposed to do that. But where there's no opportunity, so long as Jesus provides one or two, you can have fellowship and says and so much more. Don't forsake this gathering as you see the day approaching. What day? The day of the Lord, where he comes as a thief, because the next verse makes it clear. For if you willfully go on sinning, that's when the devil comes in, and you get hooked on pornography. And you just go on sinning in that pornography. You go on lusting after you go on in your anger and and it gets a hold of you and you can't stop. You can't get victory over grumbling and complaining. Can't get victory over bitterness and envy and covetousness and sexual morality. That's the day of the Lord for you. He comes as a thief in the night to those who are not watching, but we are not of the night but of the day brothers that this day should overtake you as a thief. This is a day of darkness. This is a day of destruction. This is a day when the powers of darkness come upon God's people who are at ease in Zion. And we need to be girded and we need to be watchful in our prayers. Pray without ceasing. My son knocked on my door last night the other night and he said I heard gunshots, gunshots. I went outside I was walking around I said I didn't see nothing. I said I put the cameras on son I'll watch. He went to bed I said you can sleep dad will watch. And I thought well I need to get some sleep and every little noise I'm telling you I was up looking looking at the cameras watchful. If an enemy is coming I want to be ready. I want to protect my family. How many of us in a spiritual sense are watchful to watch over our children so that they can sleep and trust that mom and dad are keeping the Word of God and are teaching them the right way and say hey listen this is not a good thing. Dad will watch make sure you walk this way make sure you can be at rest. There's a people of God who are watchful in their prayers. We need to be watchful. Amos in chapter 5 verse 18 Amos 5 18. Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Brother Dan shared on this also. For what good is the day of the Lord to you? Will it not be darkness rather than light? It will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. This doesn't sound like a good day. Or as though he went into the house and he leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. There was a serpent in the house. We need the blood on the doorposts and on the lentils brothers sisters. So that these serpents aren't in the house. A lot of us allow the serpents into our house by the things that we bring into our homes. We give the serpent we give the enemy access to our children. We give the enemy access to our families. Because we're not vigilant to keep the door closed and to keep the blood of Jesus supply. Is not the day of the Lord a day of darkness and not light? Is it not very dark with no brightness in it at all? Brothers we're not of the night but of the day. I'll finish in in Matthew 24 and 25. As the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Verse 36 Matthew 24 36. But of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking. They were marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark. Also in the same sense in Luke 17 it talks about as the days of Lot were. It says the day that Lot went out of Sodom. That's when the fire fell. God will not allow the wicked to perish with the righteous. God will spare the righteous and allow the wicked to be removed. They were buying and selling, eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. And they did not know. Who didn't know? The ones who were mocking Noah. They didn't know. They said you're a fool. Why don't you let your kids go here and go there? Why don't you let your kids go to regular school and get the conversion therapy teachings? Why don't you let them learn about homosexuality and sodomy and uncleanness? Why don't you let them learn all these things? You're holding your kids back. We've gotten this from family and friends for years. We have chosen years ago that our children would come out from among them and be separate. They did not know. Those ones who mocked us. Those ones who slandered us. There's yet time. But in Noah's day they ran out of time. And it says so will the coming of the Son of Man be in the end again. The flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the Son of Man be. My question to you is who did the flood take away? Well this is the rapture brother. Yeah it is. They were eating and drinking. They were marrying and giving in marriage. They were buying and selling. And they were mocking Noah. And then the flood came and took them away. But another scripture says then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Who was taken away in Sodom and Gomorrah? Even Lot's wife looked back and she was taken. The righteous will not be taken by the wicked. We see it even today. Even as famine, pestilence and sword come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. He says what? Then two men will be in one field. One will be taken and the other left. Who's taken and who's left brothers? Sisters? Two women grinding at the meal. One taken and one left. Watch therefore for you do not know what hour the Lord Jesus is coming. We've been taught about rapture. And Jesus is coming to take his church. But is he coming at the first trump or the third trump? Or you think we're going to have to suffer some things? He said if those days were not shortened, even the elect might not be saved. We're going to go through suffering and persecution like has not been seen since the foundation of the world. And some of us, if we have to go and take a little jab or whatever, we crumble like a cheap tent. If they come and they try and put a mark on you and you can't go to Costco and get your groceries and your grub, you'll be the first one to line up. We have no backbone. We have no spirituality. We have no convictions. We have no self-discipline. We have very little. Just the shallow believism. We need to stand for something. My grandmother gave me a poster when I was a teenager. At the time, I didn't really appreciate it. I wanted gifts of toys and what she gave me, the teen's creed. And part of that teen's creed was choose your friends with care. You become what they are. And she said, you got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. I have some of my people and family and friends. You know, these ungodly, most of them, not all of them, truckers, are standing up to a mandate which is being forced on the people. And everybody's just accepting everything. We need to be vigilant in prayer and say, God, have mercy on our land. Where are the people of prayer who will pray against tyranny and control and wickedness? We just bow down. We bow the knee. We bow the knee. We bow the knee. And when will we stand up for what is righteous? And say, you will not take our faith from us. You will not rip our Bibles from our hands. And you will not take Jesus from me. You can't beat it out of me. You can't whip it from me. You can't force me to renounce my faith. Because greater is he who is in me than he that's in the world. We believe in conversion. That's how people are born again, including homosexuals. You must be converted, including the sodomites, including the adulterers, including those who are in fornication, including all liars. They have to be converted, including those who are fearful, including those who are cowards. They all have to be converted. And you have to have this heart of stone removed. And we need the Lord to give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us and write his laws on our hearts and on our minds. And we have to be so gloriously born again that our faith produce fruit. But know this, if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched. They say, oh, well, he's coming as a thief. He's just coming suddenly. But you know, you ever had a thief come to your house and you've been startled by a thief? It's not an exciting thing. The blood pressure goes up, the heart starts pumping, you get adrenaline, you're going protection mode for your family. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to be watchful so that this day doesn't overtake us as a thief. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming. Are you ready to meet him? Behold, the Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints. Are you ready to meet the Lord Jesus? Will he say to you, well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. You've been faithful with little, I'm entrusting you with much. Will he say to you, you goats? When I was hungry, you gave me no food. You were so busy saving, hoarding, putting in RSPs. I'm not against these things. But we have to also be mindful of those who are around us who are in need and who are hurting. Servants of the Lord are to be generous. We don't have to pass a hat around. We need our people to have a conviction from the Holy Spirit to meet needs when they see them. I'm not against giving. I'm for it. But when God has your wallet and he has your heart, you're not going to give 10%. You're going to give according to what you have to help others who have need. Be ready. Set money aside to help people in need so that when the opportunity comes, you're ready. Be watchful in your prayers when the enemy is coming and times and seasons are changing. Don't think tomorrow is going to get back to normal. Say Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus. That's what the Spirit and Bride say. Come Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, come. Have thine own way. Lord, help me to be ready. Lord of my own strength, I can't do this. Help me to be watch. Help me not to sleep, Lord Jesus, in this dark hour. Lord, help us to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Help us to pray without ceasing, holding fast the convictions and the confidence of our faith steadfast until the end. Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the sufferings and the agony of the cross. You also are called to suffer with Christ. Yes, everyone who desires to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. This is what waits for us. Are you willing? Are you willing to walk the narrow road? Or will you deny Jesus? I never knew the man. After you've seen the power of God, Peter wept bitterly and repented. Some of us have been backslidden. We've denied Christ by our actions. We can also repent. There's yet time. Repent and be converted. At times a refreshing might come from the Lord. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us as a people. Help us that we would be able to stand in this evil hour. In the midst of temptation, in the midst of the darkness. That we would be beacons of light and hope for perishing people. That we would not be cowards, Lord, but we would be bold. We need the spirit of boldness and encouragement to share this message of hope. The message of Jesus Christ to people who don't know you. The people in darkness have seen a great light, Jesus, when you came. And Lord, may we be of those ten thousands who will stand up and say, Jesus is risen, Jesus is alive, and he's coming quickly, and his reward is with him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.