We can easily see the world in which we live while reading Matthew 24. It is plain to see that we are living in the end times. The indicators mentioned in our text have been observed at various times throughout history. But in our time, we can see all of the indicators at the same time. Jesus said that many would come and deceive. He says that the pulpit would be polluted. Polluted by men and women who are trying to be culturally relevant at the expense of Cross relevance. The agenda of those that are trying to destroy the influence of the church will not be content with acceptance. They will only rest when they control and dominate. Our churches must preach the word of God no matter if it is culturally popular. Jesus also described unrest. We can see great unrest in the middle east. While that is a concern, the most important place to watch is Israel. Israel is God's timeline on earth. Eternally it does not matter who is president of the united states, or which political party is in control The only thing that matters is that God is still in control. Jesus tells us another indicator will be the preaching of false doctrine. Spiritual relativism is the norm. It is popular to say that there are many roads that lead to heaven. The truth is that there is only one way to get to heaven and that way is narrow. As a church, we must wake up and shine the light of truth to a dark world. In the twinkling of an eye, the church will be taken from this world. We are most certainly living in the end times. We must be awake and ready for His return. Now is the time to witness. Now is the time to share a bible study. Now is the time to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. Now is the time to awaken.

We can easily see the world in which we live while reading Matthew 24. It is plain to see that we are living in the end times. The indicators mentioned in our text have been observed at various times throughout history. But in our time, we can see all of the indicators at the same time. Jesus said that many would come and deceive. He says that the pulpit would be polluted. Polluted by men and women who are trying to be culturally relevant at the expense of Cross relevance. The agenda of those that are trying to destroy the influence of the church will not be content with acceptance. They will only rest when they control and dominate. Our churches must preach the word of God no matter if it is culturally popular. Jesus also described unrest. We can see great unrest in the middle east. While that is a concern, the most important place to watch is Israel. Israel is God's timeline on earth. Eternally it does not matter who is president of the united states, or which political party is in control The only thing that matters is that God is still in control. Jesus tells us another indicator will be the preaching of false doctrine. Spiritual relativism is the norm. It is popular to say that there are many roads that lead to heaven. The truth is that there is only one way to get to heaven and that way is narrow. As a church, we must wake up and shine the light of truth to a dark world. In the twinkling of an eye, the church will be taken from this world. We are most certainly living in the end times. We must be awake and ready for His return. Now is the time to witness. Now is the time to share a bible study. Now is the time to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. Now is the time to awaken.

If we listen to current events, talk radio or read on the Internet it becomes apparent that the world is searching for answers. We are searching for answers to the situations that are overrunning our culture and our world. The world is searching for these answers, but the answers are not found in the world. God is the answer to the problems in the world. God has always had an answer. Somehow the message of our text must be broadcast to the world: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that it was time to wake up. There must be a stiring in the soul of the church to awaken us to the power of the message we have. If we have been blessed, if we have been saved, we have a testimony. Our text calls anyone who has been blessed by God to proclaim that to the world. We must sing the song of the redeemed loud and clear to a world that desperately needs to hear it. The world is waiting for an answer. The world is anticipating someone to stand up and proclaim the good news. They need a witness not another politician or self help guru. They need to hear that we were once like them, but we are now washed, sanctified and justified. Doubt can be overcome. Fear can be put down. The world needs to hear that. They need to hear that God still cares and still heals. We must proclaim that the only hope for this world is God. The world needs an answer. We know that answer and we must proclaim it to a hungry world. We must say so!

If we listen to current events, talk radio or read on the Internet it becomes apparent that the world is searching for answers. We are searching for answers to the situations that are overrunning our culture and our world. The world is searching for these answers, but the answers are not found in the world. God is the answer to the problems in the world. God has always had an answer. Somehow the message of our text must be broadcast to the world: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that it was time to wake up. There must be a stiring in the soul of the church to awaken us to the power of the message we have. If we have been blessed, if we have been saved, we have a testimony. Our text calls anyone who has been blessed by God to proclaim that to the world. We must sing the song of the redeemed loud and clear to a world that desperately needs to hear it. The world is waiting for an answer. The world is anticipating someone to stand up and proclaim the good news. They need a witness not another politician or self help guru. They need to hear that we were once like them, but we are now washed, sanctified and justified. Doubt can be overcome. Fear can be put down. The world needs to hear that. They need to hear that God still cares and still heals. We must proclaim that the only hope for this world is God. The world needs an answer. We know that answer and we must proclaim it to a hungry world. We must say so!

Of all that is said about Zacchaeus there is one that motiviated all that he did. There is one word that described him. That word is little. He was too small to see because of his height. He ran ahead and climbed a tree to see Jesus. There is a great challenge in overcoming the littleness of life. The difference in a man's life can be summed up in how he deals with the littleness of life. Littleness means the property of lacking. It speaks not only to physical characteristics, but smallness in character. The lack of generosity, compassion or love play into littleness. Littleness is seldom, lacking, infrequent. Littleness might refer to dreams, hopes or faith. Littleness affects all of us in some way. The problem of littleness sabotages relationships. Littleness undermines our efforts to be a better spouse, or a better person. Life can become troublesome over the little things. Littleness can keep us from many things. If we trace far enough back to the root of our problems, we will find a little thing. Most likely the writer in our text was referring to Zaccheaus’ physical stature. But Zasccheaus was small in other parts of his life. He had become wealthy at others expense. He had little regard for others. He was small int he way that he treated other people. He was small in his attitude about life. It was all about him. That is a small world when it is all about you. He was small in the fact that he did not care what he had to do to get what he wanted. His world only included himself. In every way possible, Zaccheaus was little: physically, emotionally, relational. For far too many people the unhappiness in life is linked to something so small. The littleness of life affects too many. The truth is that most of us are blessed far beyond what we deserve and the things we find to complain about come from the littleness of life. The littleness of life is destroying marriages, families, homes, careers, and relationships. If we are not careful we will miss the best things in life over littleness. If there is some area of life that is suffering from littleness, we must address that area. Littleness had affected Zaccheaus' life. Something happened that day, the bible does not tell us what, but something caused Zaccheeaus to look at himself. He came to the realization that he was a little man. Like Zaccheaus, we have to climb up to a higher place to overcome our littleness. We cannot overcome a little problem if we keep living down where we are. He climbed up to a place where he could find Jesus. We have to do more than lift yourself up with self help. We have to lift ourselves up to meet with Jesus. Finally Zaccheaus had to respond to Jesus when he spoke to him. Even if he had done all the other things, Zaccheaus would have not gotten any better if he had not responded to Jesus. We find the answer to what we are seeking when we listen to what Jesus has to say in our life. We find the secret to overcoming littleness by following Jesus.

Of all that is said about Zacchaeus there is one that motiviated all that he did. There is one word that described him. That word is little. He was too small to see because of his height. He ran ahead and climbed a tree to see Jesus. There is a great challenge in overcoming the littleness of life. The difference in a man's life can be summed up in how he deals with the littleness of life. Littleness means the property of lacking. It speaks not only to physical characteristics, but smallness in character. The lack of generosity, compassion or love play into littleness. Littleness is seldom, lacking, infrequent. Littleness might refer to dreams, hopes or faith. Littleness affects all of us in some way. The problem of littleness sabotages relationships. Littleness undermines our efforts to be a better spouse, or a better person. Life can become troublesome over the little things. Littleness can keep us from many things. If we trace far enough back to the root of our problems, we will find a little thing. Most likely the writer in our text was referring to Zaccheaus’ physical stature. But Zasccheaus was small in other parts of his life. He had become wealthy at others expense. He had little regard for others. He was small int he way that he treated other people. He was small in his attitude about life. It was all about him. That is a small world when it is all about you. He was small in the fact that he did not care what he had to do to get what he wanted. His world only included himself. In every way possible, Zaccheaus was little: physically, emotionally, relational. For far too many people the unhappiness in life is linked to something so small. The littleness of life affects too many. The truth is that most of us are blessed far beyond what we deserve and the things we find to complain about come from the littleness of life. The littleness of life is destroying marriages, families, homes, careers, and relationships. If we are not careful we will miss the best things in life over littleness. If there is some area of life that is suffering from littleness, we must address that area. Littleness had affected Zaccheaus' life. Something happened that day, the bible does not tell us what, but something caused Zaccheeaus to look at himself. He came to the realization that he was a little man. Like Zaccheaus, we have to climb up to a higher place to overcome our littleness. We cannot overcome a little problem if we keep living down where we are. He climbed up to a place where he could find Jesus. We have to do more than lift yourself up with self help. We have to lift ourselves up to meet with Jesus. Finally Zaccheaus had to respond to Jesus when he spoke to him. Even if he had done all the other things, Zaccheaus would have not gotten any better if he had not responded to Jesus. We find the answer to what we are seeking when we listen to what Jesus has to say in our life. We find the secret to overcoming littleness by following Jesus.

Faith is much more than a doctrine. It is more than a concept. It is a relationship that we develop with God. Without faith it is not possible to please God. Moses would not have been able to accomplish all that he did without faith. It was by faith that Noah stood out from the world in which he lived. It was the empowering of faith that brought David to the be the king of Israel. The book of numbers is the story of Israel's exodus from Egyptian bondage. For all that God had done for them, the people of Israel lacked a confidence in Him. In our text, the children of Israel come to the border of the promised land. God instructs Moses to send a contingent into the land to scout it out. While they are in the land, they encountered all the things that God had promised. They also discovered some things that God did not mention: fortified cities, giants, well armed and equipped forces, God did not mention those things, so He must not have thought it was important. There is a lot about God's purpose in our life that He does not show us ahead of time. If we are to posses what God promises for us, we will have to face some giants and forfeited cities. Life presents us with many challenges. The challenge is not the issue, but our response to it. That is where faith comes in. How we respond to the things that God did not reveal to us determine if we enjoy the promised land, or stay in the desert. What are the dangers of not responding by faith. First we will focus on the opposition instead of the opportunity. Any opportunity in life will come with opposition. With out faith, the opposition will blind us to what is possible. In any opposition, there is an opportunity for God to show His greatness. Secondly when we respond to life without faith, all that He has done is lost to all that He could do. Israel had witnessed much: plagues, the parting of the red sea, manna, clothes that did not wear out over 40 years. He brought them from all that and to the border of the promised land. Even after all that, they lacked the faith to believe that God had a plan to deal with the giants and walled cities. Finally when we respond to life without faith, negative talk never produces a positive outcome. We will never complain our way to a blessing. We become what we talk. The only way to get to where God wants us to be is to live by faith. In stead of seeing walled cities and giants, see must God doing things that He has never done before.

Faith is much more than a doctrine. It is more than a concept. It is a relationship that we develop with God. Without faith it is not possible to please God. Moses would not have been able to accomplish all that he did without faith. It was by faith that Noah stood out from the world in which he lived. It was the empowering of faith that brought David to the be the king of Israel. The book of numbers is the story of Israel's exodus from Egyptian bondage. For all that God had done for them, the people of Israel lacked a confidence in Him. In our text, the children of Israel come to the border of the promised land. God instructs Moses to send a contingent into the land to scout it out. While they are in the land, they encountered all the things that God had promised. They also discovered some things that God did not mention: fortified cities, giants, well armed and equipped forces, God did not mention those things, so He must not have thought it was important. There is a lot about God's purpose in our life that He does not show us ahead of time. If we are to posses what God promises for us, we will have to face some giants and forfeited cities. Life presents us with many challenges. The challenge is not the issue, but our response to it. That is where faith comes in. How we respond to the things that God did not reveal to us determine if we enjoy the promised land, or stay in the desert. What are the dangers of not responding by faith. First we will focus on the opposition instead of the opportunity. Any opportunity in life will come with opposition. With out faith, the opposition will blind us to what is possible. In any opposition, there is an opportunity for God to show His greatness. Secondly when we respond to life without faith, all that He has done is lost to all that He could do. Israel had witnessed much: plagues, the parting of the red sea, manna, clothes that did not wear out over 40 years. He brought them from all that and to the border of the promised land. Even after all that, they lacked the faith to believe that God had a plan to deal with the giants and walled cities. Finally when we respond to life without faith, negative talk never produces a positive outcome. We will never complain our way to a blessing. We become what we talk. The only way to get to where God wants us to be is to live by faith. In stead of seeing walled cities and giants, see must God doing things that He has never done before.

The church is characterized in many ways in the bible. One of the most frequent is the church being a bride to a groom. A bride is to be pure and virtuous for her groom. in our text, Paul was concerned that the church would be corrupted as Eve was corrupted in the garden. Eve believed a lie. There are many people who once worshiped at an alter that no longer do because they believed a lie. The Devil’s greatest weapon and the first one he used was a lie. Homes have been divided, marriages ruined and souls lost because of the Devil's lies. The power of Satan is in his lies. Satan lied to Eve and she spread it to Adam. He took a seed of the truth, twisted it and Eve believed it. We need to know to whom we are listening. The voice of God is comfort, and conviction. The voice of the devil is condemnation. Conviction draws us to God. Condemnation drives us away. When a lie comes to us, we have the choice to reject it or to embrace it. The lie is just as much about God as it is about us. The enemy is not attacking us, but he is attacking the integrity of God. God will not stand by and allow his integrity to be attacked. Some of these lies have been in our lives for a long time. We must take these lies and lay them on the alter. God will handle them. We must not believe the lies of the enemy. There is nothing too far for God to recover. There is no place too far that God will not go to bring us back. We must learn to recoginze the lies that the enemy tells us. The enemy would like it to believe that there is no way God can forgive; that God cannot fix what is wrong in life. Give those lies up to God and be restored.

The church is characterized in many ways in the bible. One of the most frequent is the church being a bride to a groom. A bride is to be pure and virtuous for her groom. in our text, Paul was concerned that the church would be corrupted as Eve was corrupted in the garden. Eve believed a lie. There are many people who once worshiped at an alter that no longer do because they believed a lie. The Devil’s greatest weapon and the first one he used was a lie. Homes have been divided, marriages ruined and souls lost because of the Devil's lies. The power of Satan is in his lies. Satan lied to Eve and she spread it to Adam. He took a seed of the truth, twisted it and Eve believed it. We need to know to whom we are listening. The voice of God is comfort, and conviction. The voice of the devil is condemnation. Conviction draws us to God. Condemnation drives us away. When a lie comes to us, we have the choice to reject it or to embrace it. The lie is just as much about God as it is about us. The enemy is not attacking us, but he is attacking the integrity of God. God will not stand by and allow his integrity to be attacked. Some of these lies have been in our lives for a long time. We must take these lies and lay them on the alter. God will handle them. We must not believe the lies of the enemy. There is nothing too far for God to recover. There is no place too far that God will not go to bring us back. We must learn to recoginze the lies that the enemy tells us. The enemy would like it to believe that there is no way God can forgive; that God cannot fix what is wrong in life. Give those lies up to God and be restored.