Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

The Signposts on the Road to Armageddon

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Revelation 19:11-21

Look around, see what is happening in the world. Can you see the signposts on the road to Armageddon? In Revelation 19, the Apostle John has a vision of the Battle of Armageddon, fought on the Mount of Megiddo in Israel. Many great battles have been fought here, and one day, the last great war will take place here.

What will lead to this last great war?

First, see the detailed prophecies already fulfilled. Israel is back in the land, Europe has reunified, Former Soviet Republics and the Arab nations are gathering strength, coming together against Israel.

See also the demonic passions that provoke Armageddon. In the last days, Satan will have his way in deceiving people, spirits and doctrines. Adrian Rogers says, “You will never understand what is happening in today’s society and in the news if you don’t understand behind it all, standing in the shadows, is Satan.” Satan has been careful, gathering strength, unifying the world. But halfway into the Great Tribulation, Satan will move into the temple of God and declare that he himself is God. In this blasphemous move, the sons and daughters of Abraham will no longer worship him as they have been deceived.

Satan’s pride will be wounded and his rage intensified. Armageddon will be his vengeance on those who have refused to bow and worship him. The kingdom of the beast is unraveling before his eyes.

Notice, finally, the divine power that predominates Armageddon. In Revelation 19, John describes Jesus’s descent from Heaven on a white horse. Verse 15 says, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations…” When Jesus comes in power and great glory, the battle will be won by the sword that goes out of His mouth—His words. The One who spoke them into existence will speak them into oblivion.

Adrian Rogers says, “The time is coming and soon and very soon when 777 will take care of 666. And the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.”

####Apply it to your life
Are you at peace with God, or are you at war with God? Tell someone about your faith. The days are growing dark… gloriously dark.

The Coming of the King (2361)

Revelation 19 confirms that Jesus is coming again, and soon. We are not waiting for any more prophecies to be fulfilled. He could come at any moment. We cannot be ignorant or indifferent as we wait for the Second Coming of the King.

His return is both a mystery and full of majesty. Yet, Revelation 19 gives us a glimpse of what we can expect.

Jesus will come visibly; we will see Him. Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” Matthew 25:6 says, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.” Just as God put Noah in the ark before the flood came, He will take the church out of this world before the Great Tribulation. Adrian Rogers says, “There are two aspects to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Rapture is when Jesus Christ comes for His bride, the church. The Revelation is when Jesus Christ comes with His bride.”

Jesus will come victoriously. He is the Most High; there are things we will only be able to learn about Him after the Rapture. Still, there is a mystery about Him that we will never fathom, even in Heaven! The Ministry of His crucifixion also serves His victorious coming. The victory that Jesus will win over the antichrist is based on the blood of the Lamb.

Finally, Jesus will come vengefully. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of wrath. He is the righteous judge who makes wrong things right. Therefore, sin must be punished.

If you want to be saved, you can be saved. If you want mercy, you may have it. But there is coming a time if you refuse Jesus as your personal Savior, you will face the wrath of God.

Jesus is coming again very soon; are you ready?

####Apply it to your life
What can we do about the Coming of the King?

Learn of it; we cannot afford to be ignorant.

Look for it; we’re not waiting on some prophecy to be fulfilled.

Long for it; “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Live for it; we should be found faithful when He comes.

The Marriage of the Lamb (2360)

In Revelation 19, the great tribulation has come to a dramatic close and the church—the Bride of Christ—comes to the most climatic time in all of its history: her Wedding. There are several reasons to anticipate this glorious Marriage of the Lamb.

First, the music will be magnificent. ‘Hallelujah’ means, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Revelation 19 begins with four stanzas of praise for God from his servants.

Hallelujah for the redemption of the Saints. We have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah for the retribution of the Sinner. There is a God who will make wrong things right.
Hallelujah for the relationship of the Saved. Praise God that we can say: I am His and He is mine. He is my God, and I am His servant.
Hallelujah for the reign of the Savior. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee will bow and the shouts of His praise will be through all of heaven.
Secondly, the bride will be beautiful. At redemption, we receive the inner nature of Christ. At the rapture, our sinful flesh will be left behind. And at the judgment seat of God, we will receive, according to the deeds that we have done.

Thirdly, the guests will be glad. Those who were redeemed before Jesus came to earth (Old Testament saints), or after the rapture will be in attendance.

Finally, the groom will be glorified. As beautiful as the Bride will be, the wedding is really about the Groom. Adrian Rogers says, “If you read the Book of Revelation and you don’t come to know and love and see Jesus more, you’ve missed it all. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. And the spirit of prophecy is Jesus.” Though we have not seen Him, we, the Bride, love Him. And it may not be long until we meet Him.

As the old hymn goes, “Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight and the clouds roll back as a scroll. The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.”

####Apply it to your life
The wedding is not far off. At any moment, Jesus may come. Are you betrothed to Him? If you are saved, remain faithful to Jesus Christ until the wedding.

Goodbye to Babylon (2359)

The Bible has a lot to say about Babylon, much about her history and iniquity, but also her prophecy. The city was built long ago by a man named Nimrod, whose very name means “rebel.” Nimrod was an Old Testament picture of a New Testament prophecy: the antichrist who is to come. As Adrian Rogers says, “Babylon is both the cradle and the grave of false religion.”

And in the End Times, ancient Babylon will rise from the dust to meet her doom at the hands of Almighty God’s judgment. In Revelation 18, we learn of what will happen just before we say goodbye to Babylon. Babylon has always been a center of demonism. Even today, our world is being haunted by her ghost through false religion.

During the Great Tribulation, the world will be dominated by even more demonic spirits. As we get closer to this time, we can expect to see a tidal wave of sin, debauchery and demonism.

Babylon is defiant in her depravity; prideful in her wicked ways.

Once the antichrist establishes his kingdom in Babylon, global corporations will make their headquarters there. The antichrist will control the world economy. He will have it all… including the souls of men.

In spite of her arrogance, Babylon cannot hold back the judgment of Almighty God. Sin that has been piling up for centuries will be judged. The vengeance that has been accumulating for centuries will come.

All of Babylon’s wealth will not be able to stay the judgment of Almighty God. When her economy crashes, a great depression will infiltrate the bankrupt souls of those who invested in her. It is believed by many biblical scholars that this economic crash will trigger the battle of Armageddon.

What can we do today?

Come out of Babylon (false religion); don’t envy her wealth. Rejoice over her soon destruction.

As Adrian Rogers says, “Though you may be a child of God, if you flirt with Babylon, you’re headed for serious problems.”

####Apply it to your life
If you don’t want the judgments of Babylon to fall upon you as well, don’t keep company with her. Come out of her, don’t envy her, and rejoice over her.

Beauty and the Beast (2357)

Revelation 17 shares the prophetic story of a mysterious Beauty sitting on top of a vicious Beast. This prophecy takes place during the Great Tribulation. The Rapture has already occurred; the Bride of Christ has been taken from the earth. And now the false bride shows herself:

“...and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast…” (v. 3) “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (v. 5)

In the Bible, women have often symbolized religion, whether good or bad. Babylon is considered the den of false religion. Even now, the world is haunted by the ghosts of Babylon.

So when the Bible links the woman from Revelation 17 with Babylon, it reveals that she symbolizes false religion.

This Beauty has given birth to all the false religions of the world: New Age/Occult religions, Satan worship, Mother Earth worship, Globalism, Hinduism, Islam, Apostate Christianity. False religion has always been a bloody thing. This passage states that the Beauty is drunk on the blood of the martyrs; she feasts on those who believe in the One True God.

Now, consider the beast, her monstrous consort. This beast represents the antichrist and his kingdom. So, what we see here is the ultimate alliance of church and state; a united world government, growing more powerful as the End draws near.

What will happen to the Beauty?

The beast will turn on her and devour her, for practical and political reasons. He wants to be the ruler of the world. He doesn’t want any competition, even religion.

Yet, the devil is on a leash. His plan to devour her fulfills God’s providential purpose to exterminate false religion from the earth. Even during the Great Tribulation, the devil is simply a servant of God.

If you are a Christian, you don’t belong to this world. You belong to Jesus Christ.

And in these days, though we’re not yet in the Great Tribulation, coming events cast their shadows ahead of time. Don’t flirt with false religion; be true to Jesus.

Apply it to your life
Are you loyal to the heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you a faithful Bride of Christ? Don’t flirt with false religion; be true to Jesus Christ.

How to Gain and Celebrate Victory (2355)

Revelation 15 and 16 tells of the coming tribulation in the End Times. However, it also speaks of the coming victory for those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. How do we gain and celebrate this victory now?

First, we must stand upon the solid Word of God. Victory comes by putting Word of God in our mouths: quoting Scripture, speaking of God’s loving instruction. We must meditate on the Word of God day and night, and obey it. Adrian Rogers says, “It is obeying the Word of God that begins to make the Bible burst aflame.”

Secondly, we must sing of the redeeming Works of God. All throughout the Bible, we can find songs of victory recited by those who watched God work on their behalf. So, we know the way to celebrate the Lord Jesus is to sing of His works. “It is praise that precedes every victory. It is praise that follows every victory,” says Adrian Rogers.

Finally, we must understand that the secret to our victory is the wrath of God. Apart from the righteous judgment of God, there can be no ultimate victory. Sin must be dealt with.

The only question is: who will bear the punishment? As Adrian Rogers says, “Your sins will be pardoned in Christ or punished in Hell, but they will never be overlooked.”

Revelation gives us a glimpse of how the wrath of God will pour out during the Great Tribulation. There will be erupting flames of fire and judgment. Sinners will refuse to repent. Spirits of demons that are working in the hearts and minds of the national leaders of this world. Earthquakes will ensue. Chaos will wreak havoc.

But if we trust in Jesus now, we have victory, by the Word of God, the works of God, and the ensuing wrath of God. The only way to gain and celebrate this victory is to call Him Lord of your life.

Apply it to your life
The only way to gain and celebrate this victory is if we call Jesus Lord. Do you serve Him, and worship Him? Meditate on Scripture today. Sing praises to God.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Luke 4:1-2

No one is immune to temptation, not even Christians.

Temptation can come to any person, at any point, wherever you may be. In fact, many times, the greatest temptations come after our highest spiritual experiences. This was the case for Jesus, who was tempted by Satan after His baptism in Luke 4:1-2.

In order to learn how to handle temptation, we look to the story of when Jesus had a head-on collision with the devil, so that we may also have victory over temptation.

First, we must understand the three types of temptation we may be bombarded with:

The lust of the flesh deals with our passions.

The lust of the eyes deals with our possessions.

The pride of life deals with our person, with who we are.

They can take a myriad of forms, but our temptations are not new. The Bible says, “Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are.” (Hebrews 4:15) This means Satan tempted Him with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life —doing, having, being—passions, possessions, pride.

Yet He was without sin.

How did Jesus overcome the temptation to sin?

He remembered He was a child of God. He submitted to God’s authority. He overcame Satan as man filled with the Holy Spirit, which is promised to us when we become Christians.

Jesus also used Scripture to combat the devil’s lies. And lastly, Jesus remembered that He was completely satisfied in His relationship with God.

As Adrian Rogers says, “Sonship, submission, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, knowing who you are in Christ... Jesus is both the example and the power to do that.”

Apply it to your life

Are you being tempted to sin? Remember Jesus’ example. Remember who you are in Christ, submit to the Father, ask for the help of the Holy Spirit and use Scripture as your weapon. Follow the example of Jesus and win the battle against temptation with His power!

Sermon Overview

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you ever feel there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it?

Many of us are emotionally fatigued, physically drained, and spiritually defeated; and the reason is stress. Stress is the gap between the demands placed upon us and our ability to meet those demands.

It’s not a sin to be stressed, but it is a sin to reject the help given to you to relieve your stress. God offers His insurmountable strength to us so that we may learn how to handle stress.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

God will help us fly in the rigors of life.

A mother eagle teaches her eaglets to fly by making the nest uncomfortable. In the same way, God lovingly nudges us to the edge of our comfort zone, so that we may learn to fly.

God will teach us to run in the rush of life.

There’s enough time every day to do everything God wants you to do; sometimes we have to run to get it done. We need to run like an athlete, trusting God to sustain us, so that we will not grow weary.

God will aid us as we walk in the routines of life.

Our greatest need is day-by-day faithfulness in the little things, steadily walking day by day in the regular humdrum times of life.

Adrian Rogers says, “Do you know what victory is? It is all day, every day, hot days, cold days, dull days, bright days, good days, bad days, walking the Christian life.”

What does waiting upon God do for us?

In times of adversity, we soar like an eagle.

In times of opportunity, we run like an athlete.

And in times of necessity, we keep walking day by day.

Apply it to your life

If you believe in the promises of God, you must wait upon Him. What does that mean, practically?

Long for Him daily

Listen to Him in your quiet time

Look to Him for your every need

Live for Him, dedicating your life to the service of the Lord.

Spend some time waiting on the Lord today. Let His Word be your strength in times of stress.

How to Find Peace in the Midst of Your Storm (2158)
Are you in the midst of a storm? Remember the promises of God! Take heart; He has overcome the world, and He is walking on the water, headed straight for you.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: John 6:16-21

John 6:16-21 tells the story of Jesus walking on the water to his disciples’ boat in the midst of a treacherous storm. Sooner or later, you are going to find yourself in a storm—not like the storm depicted in this passage; rather, one far more terrifying.

Things could be going fine, then suddenly you could get a life-changing phone call, or face a shocking diagnosis. How can we find peace in the midst of the storm?

We remember what God has promised to us now, in the stillness.

Peace is not the subtraction of problems from life. Peace is the addition of power to meet those problems; the power being the promises of God.

“I am governed by His providence.” In this story, the storm did not take Jesus by surprise. When difficulty comes, remember God’s providence is over it all.

“I am growing by His plan.” God’s plan is not to indulge you; it is to enlarge you. If you are in a storm, it is your privilege to grow and become more like Jesus Christ.

“I am graced by His prayers.” Did you know that He sees you right now? He is not far away. He sees right through the dark, sees you in the storm, and He praysfor you.

“I am gladdened by His presence.” Sometimes, God waits upon you to wait on Him; but just know… He is coming.

“I am guarded by His power.” Adrian Rogers says, “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”

“I am guided by His purpose.” God has not promised smooth sailing, but He has promised you a safe landing. Your destiny is already determined. He will see you to the shore.

South African minister Andrew Murray once said, “God is willing to assume full responsibility for the life that is totally yielded to Him.” Jesus said, “In this world you’ll have tribulation. But take heart! I’ve overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

In the midst of your storm, see Jesus, the great I AM, walking on the water, straight to you.

Apply it to your life
Are you in the midst of a storm? Remember the promises of God! Take heart; He has overcome the world, and He is walking on the water, headed straight for you.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Psalm 119:9

It seems as though the chaos of this world is ever-increasing, day after day; when taking a closer look, the primary problem is the thoughts of man.

We’ve seen this before in Scripture. Just before the Great Flood in Genesis, the thoughts of men’s hearts were shockingly wicked before the Lord. This is not a new problem, although it does seem to push new boundaries every day.

We are constantly being exposed to narratives of violence, promiscuity, perversion and greed. No wonder our thoughts are out of control!

Satan is very sinister, very clever and diabolically wicked. He wants to capture the hearts and minds of an entire generation; why? When Satan has your mind, he has you!

Though it seems daunting, it is possible and imperative to control your thought life.

First, there must be the purification of the mind. Your mind must be clean to begin with, and the Word of God is the cleansing agent. Jesus says in John 15:3, “Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The Word of God points us toward confession and repentance (the Greek word for “repentance” translates to mean “changing of the mind”).

After your mind is clean, you must be determined to keep it clean. There is a battle for your mind. If you’re half-hearted, you will lose it. You must be serious about taking every thought captive and comparing it the truth of Scripture, before it captivates you. You must fiercely guard your heart with the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” It is the Word of God hidden in your heart that is the antidote to future temptation. Therefore, you must saturate yourself with the Word of God.

When Scripture gets in your mind, it changes your attitude; your attitude determines your actions.

Adrian Rogers says, “When you begin to meditate on God’s Word, then you become a second-nature Christian, which is your true nature, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Apply it to your life

Do you carefully consider the influences you allow to pollute your thoughts? Deep clean your mind today. Choose to meditate on Scripture. Memorize it, personalize it, verbalize it, vitalize it, and internalize it.