March 15, 2025 • 26 mins
Today on Bold Steps Weekend, Mark Jobe shows you how to stand strong in the face of persecution and adversity. This is part 3 and the conclusion of this message taken from Matthew, chapters 24 and 25. Mark will emphasize how you should be following a different compass and going in the opposite direction of the culture around you.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:00):
Today on Bold Steps weekend, Mark Jobe shows us how
to stand strong in the face of persecution and adversity.
S2 (00:07):
Practice the habits of standing firm, of standing alone because
that will only escalate. Stand firm. Get grounded in your faith.
Know who your God is. Know what you believe. And
no matter what the culture around you says. Understand that
you have a compass that's different than the culture that
surrounds you.
S1 (00:37):
And welcome to Bold Steps Weekend with Mark Jobe. Mark
is president of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor
of New Life Community Church in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well,
over the past couple of programs, we've been discussing the
end times. And Mark, you often say, as believers, we
should be following a different compass and going in the
opposite direction of the culture around us.
S3 (00:58):
Yeah, Wayne, you read this passage and It stirs you
up because you understand times will get more difficult. And,
you know, we don't want you to be surprised as
a believer that things will get more difficult. However, people
often ask me, what is God waiting for? And we
answer that question because it really is found in the
(01:21):
patience of God. In fact, Wayne, some people may be
surprised to know that I've heard that there have been
more people that have come to Jesus in the last
decade than in the three centuries prior to that.
S1 (01:35):
Isn't that encouraging?
S3 (01:36):
So the patience of God is there because there's a
harvest happening right now.
S1 (01:41):
Well, let's get into today's message again. It's part three
of the message titled How Close are we? Here's Mark Jobe.
S2 (01:49):
We are experiencing more martyrs, more persecution, more torture, violence,
rape against Christians than practically any generation that has come
before us every month. On average, there are 322 Christians
that are killed for their faith. On average, every month.
(02:11):
On average, there are 214 churches and Christian properties that
are destroyed every month. On average, I'm talking about today,
not 100 years ago. On average today, there are 772
forms of violence are committed against Christian people in a month,
(02:34):
every day. We live in a accelerating time of violence
against Christians. In fact, in an article of Christianity Today.
During the last two years, there have been reports of
terrorist attacks against Christians that have steadily emerged in the world.
(02:54):
For example, seven Egyptians were executed in Benghazi beach last
year 165 Christian girls were kidnapped from a Christian school
by a group called Boko Haram, and 21 Coptic Christians
were beheaded near the Mediterranean Sea. Among other incidents just
(03:16):
in 2014. We have seen that same escalation begin to
happen in 2015. Groups like ISIS, for example, have forcibly
displaced hundreds of thousands of people, conducted mass executions and kidnapped, sold, enslaved,
raped and forcibly converted thousands of women and children, all
(03:39):
on the ground that these people stand in opposition to
their religious dogma. We are living in a season of
unprecedented persecution against Christians at a massive scale. The news
does not report it often because they treat violence in
the Middle East and in other countries, much like they
(04:01):
treat murderers in some of the neighborhoods in Chicago. Oh,
just another gangbanger that got killed. It's a blip on
the news because they just assume, well, there's a lot
of violence in that area. But, hey, since when did
it become just another gangbanger? That's a son or daughter
that we love and raise and believe it's a kid
(04:23):
with a name. The Middle East and some of these
countries in Africa and other places seem so far away
that they seem so to not touch your existence and
my existence. But I want to tell you something. Those
men and women, those girls that have been raped, forcibly converted,
(04:45):
those pastors that are being executed, put in jail, they
are not just a victim of a undeveloped country. They
are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I was in Nairobi,
Africa this past summer, and Nairobi, which is a fairly
(05:08):
peaceable country in Africa at the edges of Kenya that
borders with Somalia. Up in that area, there were 150
college students that were executed, targeted as Christians. Ask, are
you a Christian? Yes. Boom! 150 of them. And then
(05:31):
in the city of Nairobi, there was a mall that
was attacked by an extremist group targeting people that especially
were non-Muslim people targeted and killed. When I went to
preach in this large church in Nairobi, it was I
was shocked when I went to the compound of this church,
because the entire church was surrounded by ten foot wall
(05:52):
with electrical fence on the top, and I thought, wow,
that's pretty extreme. When I went to the gate, I
was met with armed guards with rifles. This was to
enter the church compound. They searched the trunk, looked in
the car to get in the church and I thought, wow,
that's pretty extreme. And they said, well, there's been a
lot of bombings, a lot of killings, a lot of
(06:15):
targeting of Christians. I went to get a coffee in
the morning to the equivalent of a Starbucks. I thought
it'd be a simple process, but there was a lot
of Western Westerners that go there. And when I went
in to go to the parking lot, there was a
there was a railing to get in there. They stopped
(06:37):
our car. Armed guards looked within our car, popped the trunk,
had a mirror where they looked under our vehicle to
make sure there was no bombs. This is to get
my latte. I drove into the parking lot. Once I
got in there, I thought it was all done with
to get into the cafe. I had to stop, put
(06:58):
my arms up, and there was a metal detector that
they searched me to make sure there was no weapons
on me before I could go in, just to get
a cup of coffee. The violence targeted Christians. We live
in a shielded society, in a society that, by and large,
(07:21):
we are not seeing what's happening in other parts of
the world. But Jesus predicted that in the end times,
the aggressive violence against Christians would begin to escalate. In fact,
he predicted that many would be persecuted, and not only
did he say that many would be persecuted, but he
said that many would be hated by all nations, and
(07:45):
that many will turn away from the faith and will
betray and hate one another. Because let me tell you
what happens when persecution starts up, when you have to
pay a high price. Those that are truly authentic believers
step up to the plate and say, I will not
deny my Savior. Those that are just culturally Christians run
away as quickly as they can because they don't want
(08:06):
to pay a price. It purges the church. I don't
know what would happen on Sunday morning, or how full
this place would be if we knew that we had
to look over our shoulders to see if a secret
or of the Secret Service was following us, or if
that to come to a place like this, our name
(08:28):
may go on a list, and we may be targeted
by some government agency or some radical group that would
be seeking to fire us from our job or make
us pay a price. I'm not sure who would remain
in this congregation. Well, I know there'd be some. I
(08:49):
know there'd be some that would stay away. And I
know there'd be some that says no matter what the cost,
no matter what the price, I have chosen to follow Jesus.
Come what may Jesus predicted. In other words, this is
not to scare you, it's to prepare you. Jesus predicted
(09:12):
that there would be persecution. Jesus predicted that there would
be falling away, that many would be deceived, that the
church is no longer going to be popular, or have
a main place in society, that we are going to
experience an aggressiveness against the church more and more as
we approach the end times. And so Jesus did not
say that to scare us. He simply said it to
(09:34):
prepare us. He said, I want you to stand firm
because I know the destination. But the route to there
may be tough at times. And then the last thing
that Jesus says when it comes to the end times.
Aren't you glad it's only for the last thing that
Jesus says is that there will be an increase in
spiritual coldness. Notice what he says in verse 12 because
(09:58):
of the increase of wickedness. The love of most will
grow cold. The love of most. What kind of love
is he talking about? He's talking about the normal human
warmth of heart. What Jesus says is that we, as
(10:20):
we gather closer to the end times, there will be
a coldness about society, a lack of consciousness, a violence,
and a cold heartedness that has not existed until this time.
In fact, in another passage in Second Timothy chapter three,
(10:40):
verse seven, it says, Mark this, it's talking about the
end times. There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited lovers of pleasure
(11:01):
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness
but denying its power.
S1 (11:12):
That's Mark Jobe in a lesson titled How Close are We?
Here on Bold Steps weekend. We'll get to the final
half in just a moment, but let me remind you
that all of these weekly messages are available for listening
any time on our website. Bold steps.org. And if you'd
enjoy hearing these Bible lessons on the move, whether you're
out traveling or exercising, then you'll love our podcast. Find
(11:34):
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even more content like the Bold Steps Minute, as well
as a convenient Bible feature to help you pull up
(11:56):
scripture while you're in the air. Just open up your
favorite app store today and download the Bold Steps app
for free. Now let's get back to today's lesson. Once again,
here's Mark Jobe.
S2 (12:16):
I don't know about you, but it feels like the
stories I hear of just in Chicago parents treating of
children seems to be every other news item. There seems
to be a coldness and a violence perpetrated against children
(12:36):
that shocks you. That seems like it's done by psychopaths. Like,
where has this gone? Why has this become epidemic? The violence,
the heartlessness, the coldness? It seems like it's escalating. It
seems like it's getting worse. It seems like moral consciousness
(13:00):
is fading and the coldness and the violence and the
behavior that marks a decent civilization seems to be waning away,
and the brutality of a uncivilized generation, civilization seems to
be emerging within us. Jesus predicted that that restraint that
(13:26):
has existed on society, that consciousness that has held us,
that it will be loosening its grip and that we
will be seeing a coldness that begins to escalate more
and more in our society. But thank God that there's
good news. Some of you saying, pastor, I thought you'd
(13:48):
never get there. Like, whoa! So let me tell you
the good news. So the bad news is not to
scare us. The bad news is just to prepare us.
It's like when when you're about to have a baby, you,
the doctor tells you you're going to have birth pains.
It's not to tell you not to have a baby.
(14:09):
It's just to prepare you. It's going to get bad
before it gets good. How many of you didn't believe
how bad it was going to get? And then once
you went through it like this was worse than what
they told me. I think Jesus is doing that a
little bit. He's telling us, but unless you live through it,
you can't really fully understand it. But nothing takes away
(14:30):
from the joy of that baby coming, and nothing will
take away from the great, powerful day of the coming
of Jesus. Again. Nothing takes away from that. It's coming.
It's accelerating. And so the good news is this in
verse 13 it says, but the one who stands firm
unto the end, they will be saved. In other words,
(14:52):
there's going to be many fall away. There's going to
be a backlash of persecution. It's going to be hard.
But I want to tell you something. There's going to
be a remnant of people that do not back away
from their commitment to follow Christ, that they're going to
stand firm no matter what comes, and they will be saved. Yeah,
those that endure to the end will be saved. Now,
(15:18):
I want to say, without heavy persecution, it's hard enough,
isn't it? Yeah. It's like, man, I'm not even experiencing persecution,
but just the culture and the temptation and the pressure
from people. It's hard to stand firm. Start practicing standing
firm now because it's going to get harder. Get grounded
now because it's going to escalate. Practice the habits of
(15:43):
standing firm, of standing alone, of accepting the fact that
you're not always going to be in the in crowd,
that some will ridicule you, that you will be the
odd man out sometime. Get used to it. Get okay
with your own skin. Being a follower of Jesus. That's
not always on the in crowd. You need to start
(16:03):
being comfortable with that because that will only escalate. Stand firm.
Get grounded in your faith. Know who your God is,
know what you believe, and no matter what the culture
around you says. Understand that you have a compass that's
different than the culture that surrounds you. Hebrews chapter three
verse 14 says, for we have become partakers of Christ.
(16:26):
If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm
until the end. And lastly, the last part of good news.
And I love this. Oh man, I love this. Is
that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to
(16:47):
the whole world. Listen to what it says. Verse 14
Jesus says about the end times and the gospel. What
is the gospel? Good news. The good news that says
if you call upon the name of the Lord and
embrace the message of the cross and repent and invite
(17:09):
him to be your Savior and Lord, then the power
of the Holy Spirit will indwell you, and you will
be transformed from the inside out by his power, your
past washed away and your future redeemed for him. That
message of the gospel that has power in its simplicity
to change the hardest of hearts. That gospel. Listen the
(17:30):
gospel of the Kingdom of God. That Jesus is coming again.
That gospel will be preached to the whole world as
a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.
The Bible says that every tribe, tongue, and nation will
hear the gospel. That as this time gets worse, the
(17:53):
acceleration of the gospel will become stronger. In fact, I
love the fact that in revelation at the end, the
last book of the Bible tells us that John, the
revealer he saw and he looked, and there before him
was a great multitude that no one could count from
every nation, tribe, and people and language, standing before the
(18:18):
throne and before the lamb. And they were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches. This is this means
that when you see the end times of people that
have come to Christ, there will be people that are
from the jungles of Africa and from the cities of
Asia and from the tribal groups in, in, in Brazil.
(18:40):
And there will be people that you have never heard
of and can't pronounce their name. People from every tribe,
tongue and language will be a part of the redeemed
of the Lord. This great multitude of people that have said,
Jesus is my Lord, that have been washed and cleansed
by the power of the blood of the lamb. Now,
(19:04):
let me close with this. I have people all the
time that say, pastor, why is God waiting? What's taking
him so long? Why hasn't he come earlier? Look at
the violence of the world, the bigotry and how dark
this world is coming. Why doesn't God do something? Why
(19:26):
is he letting it go? On and on and on
and on. How many of you have thought that? Sometimes
I know exactly why the Bible says that God is
not slow, as some people would call slowness, but he
is patient. Not willing that any should perish, but that
(19:51):
all should come to the knowledge of the truth. The
reason that God has not come yet, the end has
not come yet, is that there are practically 7.
S3 (20:02):
Billion.
S2 (20:02):
People on the face of this earth, and this incredible
heart of God is saying, I want as many of
those 7 billion people to come and know me and
bow down and experience my power and my grace before
I bring the end of times. How many of you
(20:24):
in this auditorium have come to Christ in the last
ten years? Raise your hand. High, high, high. Wave it
at me. All right. A whole bunch of you. Let
me ask you this question. How many of you are
super grateful that Jesus did not end it ten years ago?
(20:45):
Because in this decade, you've come to know him. You've
experienced him. You've felt the power of the Holy Spirit.
You've been changed and washed and transformed because the patience
of God had you in mind. Your name was on
his list. And the angels and people have cried out
in their desperation and persecution and said, come, Lord Jesus, come.
(21:06):
The angels push for it. People cry out for it.
But the heart of God saw you and said, I'm
going to wait a little bit because they're coming. I'm
drawing them. I'm pulling them. I'm asking them my Holy
Spirit is drawing them. I'm going to wait just a
little bit longer, because I see him and I see
her and I see them, and I know that they
can transform. And the blood of the lamb is going
(21:27):
to be poured on this place. So he waits and
waits and his patience. And so that is our job,
to preach the gospel with greater passion than we've ever
experienced before, because there's a lot more people that need
to hear about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come,
Lord Jesus, come. But in your time, Lord.
S1 (21:55):
The final part of Mark job's message how close are we?
God's timing is perfect in all situations and circumstances. I've
been thinking a lot about Christ's return, Mark and I
really appreciate this message, and I hope our listeners really
understand the importance of knowing Christ in these times.
S3 (22:11):
Yeah, the biggest takeaway that any person listening to this
message can have is you need to be personally ready.
And by personally ready, I don't mean generators in your
basement and storage of canned food.
S1 (22:27):
Spiritually ready.
S3 (22:28):
Spiritually ready. And that's what Scripture emphasizes being spiritually ready
for the coming of Christ. And so I want to
challenge you if you are not ready. One of the
scariest things on earth is that Jesus would come tomorrow
and that, well, you would be left behind, right? And
(22:49):
there's only one way to prepare for that, and that
is to understand and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Um,
it's as simple as that is that you need to
understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if you're here
and you say, I'm not sure I understand the gospel,
I don't know if I truly have made a decision
(23:11):
to follow Christ like God wants me to, according to
the Bible, then I would encourage you to check out
a video that I made explaining the gospel more clearly.
For all those of you that need to understand it
a bit more concisely, you can find that video by
going to Bold Steps org and clicking on my next step.
S1 (23:33):
Yes, and thank you for doing that. Mark. I know
how strongly you want to see people come to know
the Lord, and that's a very important step. My next
step at Bold steps.org. While you're online, you'll also have
a chance to request our latest Bold Step gift. This month,
we're featuring a book that will equip you to navigate
the challenging, modern changes we face as Christians. In today's age.
(23:55):
Leading through change is challenging enough. Leading through chaos can
feel impossible. And for many believers today, our world seems
full of chaos. But in the book titled A Non-anxious Presence,
author Mark Sayers reveals how periods of disruption often prepare
the way for spiritual breakthrough. He helps us recognize the
(24:15):
signs of renewal that are popping up all around us,
and the opportunities we have to not only navigate the
changing landscape of our culture, but to take the lead
in our own local communities. So request your copy of
this hope filled resource. When you give a gift of
any amount to the Ministry of Bold Steps. Give us
a call and secure your copy of a Non-anxious presence.
(24:36):
Our phone number is 800. D.L. Moody. Again, that's (800)Â 356-6639.
Or go online to give a gift of support and
request the book at bold steps. Org. You can even
send your gift and request this book in the mail.
Write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
(24:57):
Illinois 606 610. And if you ever have trouble joining
us for these weekly messages, we'd like to invite you
to listen to Mark's daily program throughout the week by
listening to Bold Steps on your local station. And of course,
you can always listen to Bold Steps directly from our
website by visiting Bold steps.org. I'm Wayne Shepherd, wishing you
a wonderful weekend. Be sure to join us again next
(25:19):
time when Mark addresses the question, how ready are you?
That's next time right here on Bold Steps Weekend with
Mark Jones. Bold Steps Weekend is a production of Moody Radio,
a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
Today on Bold Steps weekend, Mark Jobe shows us how
to stand strong in the face of persecution and adversity.
S2 (00:07):
Practice the habits of standing firm, of standing alone because
that will only escalate. Stand firm. Get grounded in your faith.
Know who your God is. Know what you believe. And
no matter what the culture around you says. Understand that
you have a compass that's different than the culture that
surrounds you.
S1 (00:37):
And welcome to Bold Steps Weekend with Mark Jobe. Mark
is president of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor
of New Life Community Church in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well,
over the past couple of programs, we've been discussing the
end times. And Mark, you often say, as believers, we
should be following a different compass and going in the
opposite direction of the culture around us.
S3 (00:58):
Yeah, Wayne, you read this passage and It stirs you
up because you understand times will get more difficult. And,
you know, we don't want you to be surprised as
a believer that things will get more difficult. However, people
often ask me, what is God waiting for? And we
answer that question because it really is found in the
(01:21):
patience of God. In fact, Wayne, some people may be
surprised to know that I've heard that there have been
more people that have come to Jesus in the last
decade than in the three centuries prior to that.
S1 (01:35):
Isn't that encouraging?
S3 (01:36):
So the patience of God is there because there's a
harvest happening right now.
S1 (01:41):
Well, let's get into today's message again. It's part three
of the message titled How Close are we? Here's Mark Jobe.
S2 (01:49):
We are experiencing more martyrs, more persecution, more torture, violence,
rape against Christians than practically any generation that has come
before us every month. On average, there are 322 Christians
that are killed for their faith. On average, every month.
(02:11):
On average, there are 214 churches and Christian properties that
are destroyed every month. On average, I'm talking about today,
not 100 years ago. On average today, there are 772
forms of violence are committed against Christian people in a month,
(02:34):
every day. We live in a accelerating time of violence
against Christians. In fact, in an article of Christianity Today.
During the last two years, there have been reports of
terrorist attacks against Christians that have steadily emerged in the world.
(02:54):
For example, seven Egyptians were executed in Benghazi beach last
year 165 Christian girls were kidnapped from a Christian school
by a group called Boko Haram, and 21 Coptic Christians
were beheaded near the Mediterranean Sea. Among other incidents just
(03:16):
in 2014. We have seen that same escalation begin to
happen in 2015. Groups like ISIS, for example, have forcibly
displaced hundreds of thousands of people, conducted mass executions and kidnapped, sold, enslaved,
raped and forcibly converted thousands of women and children, all
(03:39):
on the ground that these people stand in opposition to
their religious dogma. We are living in a season of
unprecedented persecution against Christians at a massive scale. The news
does not report it often because they treat violence in
the Middle East and in other countries, much like they
(04:01):
treat murderers in some of the neighborhoods in Chicago. Oh,
just another gangbanger that got killed. It's a blip on
the news because they just assume, well, there's a lot
of violence in that area. But, hey, since when did
it become just another gangbanger? That's a son or daughter
that we love and raise and believe it's a kid
(04:23):
with a name. The Middle East and some of these
countries in Africa and other places seem so far away
that they seem so to not touch your existence and
my existence. But I want to tell you something. Those
men and women, those girls that have been raped, forcibly converted,
(04:45):
those pastors that are being executed, put in jail, they
are not just a victim of a undeveloped country. They
are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I was in Nairobi,
Africa this past summer, and Nairobi, which is a fairly
(05:08):
peaceable country in Africa at the edges of Kenya that
borders with Somalia. Up in that area, there were 150
college students that were executed, targeted as Christians. Ask, are
you a Christian? Yes. Boom! 150 of them. And then
(05:31):
in the city of Nairobi, there was a mall that
was attacked by an extremist group targeting people that especially
were non-Muslim people targeted and killed. When I went to
preach in this large church in Nairobi, it was I
was shocked when I went to the compound of this church,
because the entire church was surrounded by ten foot wall
(05:52):
with electrical fence on the top, and I thought, wow,
that's pretty extreme. When I went to the gate, I
was met with armed guards with rifles. This was to
enter the church compound. They searched the trunk, looked in
the car to get in the church and I thought, wow,
that's pretty extreme. And they said, well, there's been a
lot of bombings, a lot of killings, a lot of
(06:15):
targeting of Christians. I went to get a coffee in
the morning to the equivalent of a Starbucks. I thought
it'd be a simple process, but there was a lot
of Western Westerners that go there. And when I went
in to go to the parking lot, there was a
there was a railing to get in there. They stopped
(06:37):
our car. Armed guards looked within our car, popped the trunk,
had a mirror where they looked under our vehicle to
make sure there was no bombs. This is to get
my latte. I drove into the parking lot. Once I
got in there, I thought it was all done with
to get into the cafe. I had to stop, put
(06:58):
my arms up, and there was a metal detector that
they searched me to make sure there was no weapons
on me before I could go in, just to get
a cup of coffee. The violence targeted Christians. We live
in a shielded society, in a society that, by and large,
(07:21):
we are not seeing what's happening in other parts of
the world. But Jesus predicted that in the end times,
the aggressive violence against Christians would begin to escalate. In fact,
he predicted that many would be persecuted, and not only
did he say that many would be persecuted, but he
said that many would be hated by all nations, and
(07:45):
that many will turn away from the faith and will
betray and hate one another. Because let me tell you
what happens when persecution starts up, when you have to
pay a high price. Those that are truly authentic believers
step up to the plate and say, I will not
deny my Savior. Those that are just culturally Christians run
away as quickly as they can because they don't want
(08:06):
to pay a price. It purges the church. I don't
know what would happen on Sunday morning, or how full
this place would be if we knew that we had
to look over our shoulders to see if a secret
or of the Secret Service was following us, or if
that to come to a place like this, our name
(08:28):
may go on a list, and we may be targeted
by some government agency or some radical group that would
be seeking to fire us from our job or make
us pay a price. I'm not sure who would remain
in this congregation. Well, I know there'd be some. I
(08:49):
know there'd be some that would stay away. And I
know there'd be some that says no matter what the cost,
no matter what the price, I have chosen to follow Jesus.
Come what may Jesus predicted. In other words, this is
not to scare you, it's to prepare you. Jesus predicted
(09:12):
that there would be persecution. Jesus predicted that there would
be falling away, that many would be deceived, that the
church is no longer going to be popular, or have
a main place in society, that we are going to
experience an aggressiveness against the church more and more as
we approach the end times. And so Jesus did not
say that to scare us. He simply said it to
(09:34):
prepare us. He said, I want you to stand firm
because I know the destination. But the route to there
may be tough at times. And then the last thing
that Jesus says when it comes to the end times.
Aren't you glad it's only for the last thing that
Jesus says is that there will be an increase in
spiritual coldness. Notice what he says in verse 12 because
(09:58):
of the increase of wickedness. The love of most will
grow cold. The love of most. What kind of love
is he talking about? He's talking about the normal human
warmth of heart. What Jesus says is that we, as
(10:20):
we gather closer to the end times, there will be
a coldness about society, a lack of consciousness, a violence,
and a cold heartedness that has not existed until this time.
In fact, in another passage in Second Timothy chapter three,
(10:40):
verse seven, it says, Mark this, it's talking about the
end times. There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited lovers of pleasure
(11:01):
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness
but denying its power.
S1 (11:12):
That's Mark Jobe in a lesson titled How Close are We?
Here on Bold Steps weekend. We'll get to the final
half in just a moment, but let me remind you
that all of these weekly messages are available for listening
any time on our website. Bold steps.org. And if you'd
enjoy hearing these Bible lessons on the move, whether you're
out traveling or exercising, then you'll love our podcast. Find
(11:34):
us on most podcast platforms by searching for Bold Steps
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us a five star review with a comment to help
others discover the show. And have you heard about our
Bold Steps app? It's packed with Mark's video teachings and
even more content like the Bold Steps Minute, as well
as a convenient Bible feature to help you pull up
(11:56):
scripture while you're in the air. Just open up your
favorite app store today and download the Bold Steps app
for free. Now let's get back to today's lesson. Once again,
here's Mark Jobe.
S2 (12:16):
I don't know about you, but it feels like the
stories I hear of just in Chicago parents treating of
children seems to be every other news item. There seems
to be a coldness and a violence perpetrated against children
(12:36):
that shocks you. That seems like it's done by psychopaths. Like,
where has this gone? Why has this become epidemic? The violence,
the heartlessness, the coldness? It seems like it's escalating. It
seems like it's getting worse. It seems like moral consciousness
(13:00):
is fading and the coldness and the violence and the
behavior that marks a decent civilization seems to be waning away,
and the brutality of a uncivilized generation, civilization seems to
be emerging within us. Jesus predicted that that restraint that
(13:26):
has existed on society, that consciousness that has held us,
that it will be loosening its grip and that we
will be seeing a coldness that begins to escalate more
and more in our society. But thank God that there's
good news. Some of you saying, pastor, I thought you'd
(13:48):
never get there. Like, whoa! So let me tell you
the good news. So the bad news is not to
scare us. The bad news is just to prepare us.
It's like when when you're about to have a baby, you,
the doctor tells you you're going to have birth pains.
It's not to tell you not to have a baby.
(14:09):
It's just to prepare you. It's going to get bad
before it gets good. How many of you didn't believe
how bad it was going to get? And then once
you went through it like this was worse than what
they told me. I think Jesus is doing that a
little bit. He's telling us, but unless you live through it,
you can't really fully understand it. But nothing takes away
(14:30):
from the joy of that baby coming, and nothing will
take away from the great, powerful day of the coming
of Jesus. Again. Nothing takes away from that. It's coming.
It's accelerating. And so the good news is this in
verse 13 it says, but the one who stands firm
unto the end, they will be saved. In other words,
(14:52):
there's going to be many fall away. There's going to
be a backlash of persecution. It's going to be hard.
But I want to tell you something. There's going to
be a remnant of people that do not back away
from their commitment to follow Christ, that they're going to
stand firm no matter what comes, and they will be saved. Yeah,
those that endure to the end will be saved. Now,
(15:18):
I want to say, without heavy persecution, it's hard enough,
isn't it? Yeah. It's like, man, I'm not even experiencing persecution,
but just the culture and the temptation and the pressure
from people. It's hard to stand firm. Start practicing standing
firm now because it's going to get harder. Get grounded
now because it's going to escalate. Practice the habits of
(15:43):
standing firm, of standing alone, of accepting the fact that
you're not always going to be in the in crowd,
that some will ridicule you, that you will be the
odd man out sometime. Get used to it. Get okay
with your own skin. Being a follower of Jesus. That's
not always on the in crowd. You need to start
(16:03):
being comfortable with that because that will only escalate. Stand firm.
Get grounded in your faith. Know who your God is,
know what you believe, and no matter what the culture
around you says. Understand that you have a compass that's
different than the culture that surrounds you. Hebrews chapter three
verse 14 says, for we have become partakers of Christ.
(16:26):
If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm
until the end. And lastly, the last part of good news.
And I love this. Oh man, I love this. Is
that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to
(16:47):
the whole world. Listen to what it says. Verse 14
Jesus says about the end times and the gospel. What
is the gospel? Good news. The good news that says
if you call upon the name of the Lord and
embrace the message of the cross and repent and invite
(17:09):
him to be your Savior and Lord, then the power
of the Holy Spirit will indwell you, and you will
be transformed from the inside out by his power, your
past washed away and your future redeemed for him. That
message of the gospel that has power in its simplicity
to change the hardest of hearts. That gospel. Listen the
(17:30):
gospel of the Kingdom of God. That Jesus is coming again.
That gospel will be preached to the whole world as
a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.
The Bible says that every tribe, tongue, and nation will
hear the gospel. That as this time gets worse, the
(17:53):
acceleration of the gospel will become stronger. In fact, I
love the fact that in revelation at the end, the
last book of the Bible tells us that John, the
revealer he saw and he looked, and there before him
was a great multitude that no one could count from
every nation, tribe, and people and language, standing before the
(18:18):
throne and before the lamb. And they were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches. This is this means
that when you see the end times of people that
have come to Christ, there will be people that are
from the jungles of Africa and from the cities of
Asia and from the tribal groups in, in, in Brazil.
(18:40):
And there will be people that you have never heard
of and can't pronounce their name. People from every tribe,
tongue and language will be a part of the redeemed
of the Lord. This great multitude of people that have said,
Jesus is my Lord, that have been washed and cleansed
by the power of the blood of the lamb. Now,
(19:04):
let me close with this. I have people all the
time that say, pastor, why is God waiting? What's taking
him so long? Why hasn't he come earlier? Look at
the violence of the world, the bigotry and how dark
this world is coming. Why doesn't God do something? Why
(19:26):
is he letting it go? On and on and on
and on. How many of you have thought that? Sometimes
I know exactly why the Bible says that God is
not slow, as some people would call slowness, but he
is patient. Not willing that any should perish, but that
(19:51):
all should come to the knowledge of the truth. The
reason that God has not come yet, the end has
not come yet, is that there are practically 7.
S3 (20:02):
Billion.
S2 (20:02):
People on the face of this earth, and this incredible
heart of God is saying, I want as many of
those 7 billion people to come and know me and
bow down and experience my power and my grace before
I bring the end of times. How many of you
(20:24):
in this auditorium have come to Christ in the last
ten years? Raise your hand. High, high, high. Wave it
at me. All right. A whole bunch of you. Let
me ask you this question. How many of you are
super grateful that Jesus did not end it ten years ago?
(20:45):
Because in this decade, you've come to know him. You've
experienced him. You've felt the power of the Holy Spirit.
You've been changed and washed and transformed because the patience
of God had you in mind. Your name was on
his list. And the angels and people have cried out
in their desperation and persecution and said, come, Lord Jesus, come.
(21:06):
The angels push for it. People cry out for it.
But the heart of God saw you and said, I'm
going to wait a little bit because they're coming. I'm
drawing them. I'm pulling them. I'm asking them my Holy
Spirit is drawing them. I'm going to wait just a
little bit longer, because I see him and I see
her and I see them, and I know that they
can transform. And the blood of the lamb is going
(21:27):
to be poured on this place. So he waits and
waits and his patience. And so that is our job,
to preach the gospel with greater passion than we've ever
experienced before, because there's a lot more people that need
to hear about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come,
Lord Jesus, come. But in your time, Lord.
S1 (21:55):
The final part of Mark job's message how close are we?
God's timing is perfect in all situations and circumstances. I've
been thinking a lot about Christ's return, Mark and I
really appreciate this message, and I hope our listeners really
understand the importance of knowing Christ in these times.
S3 (22:11):
Yeah, the biggest takeaway that any person listening to this
message can have is you need to be personally ready.
And by personally ready, I don't mean generators in your
basement and storage of canned food.
S1 (22:27):
Spiritually ready.
S3 (22:28):
Spiritually ready. And that's what Scripture emphasizes being spiritually ready
for the coming of Christ. And so I want to
challenge you if you are not ready. One of the
scariest things on earth is that Jesus would come tomorrow
and that, well, you would be left behind, right? And
(22:49):
there's only one way to prepare for that, and that
is to understand and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Um,
it's as simple as that is that you need to
understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if you're here
and you say, I'm not sure I understand the gospel,
I don't know if I truly have made a decision
(23:11):
to follow Christ like God wants me to, according to
the Bible, then I would encourage you to check out
a video that I made explaining the gospel more clearly.
For all those of you that need to understand it
a bit more concisely, you can find that video by
going to Bold Steps org and clicking on my next step.
S1 (23:33):
Yes, and thank you for doing that. Mark. I know
how strongly you want to see people come to know
the Lord, and that's a very important step. My next
step at Bold steps.org. While you're online, you'll also have
a chance to request our latest Bold Step gift. This month,
we're featuring a book that will equip you to navigate
the challenging, modern changes we face as Christians. In today's age.
(23:55):
Leading through change is challenging enough. Leading through chaos can
feel impossible. And for many believers today, our world seems
full of chaos. But in the book titled A Non-anxious Presence,
author Mark Sayers reveals how periods of disruption often prepare
the way for spiritual breakthrough. He helps us recognize the
(24:15):
signs of renewal that are popping up all around us,
and the opportunities we have to not only navigate the
changing landscape of our culture, but to take the lead
in our own local communities. So request your copy of
this hope filled resource. When you give a gift of
any amount to the Ministry of Bold Steps. Give us
a call and secure your copy of a Non-anxious presence.
(24:36):
Our phone number is 800. D.L. Moody. Again, that's (800)Â 356-6639.
Or go online to give a gift of support and
request the book at bold steps. Org. You can even
send your gift and request this book in the mail.
Write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
(24:57):
Illinois 606 610. And if you ever have trouble joining
us for these weekly messages, we'd like to invite you
to listen to Mark's daily program throughout the week by
listening to Bold Steps on your local station. And of course,
you can always listen to Bold Steps directly from our
website by visiting Bold steps.org. I'm Wayne Shepherd, wishing you
a wonderful weekend. Be sure to join us again next
(25:19):
time when Mark addresses the question, how ready are you?
That's next time right here on Bold Steps Weekend with
Mark Jones. Bold Steps Weekend is a production of Moody Radio,
a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
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