IF THE SALT HAS LOST ITS SAVOR...

The Scripture gives us an ominous warning in Psalm 9:17.  “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”  There is no doubt that this generation is truly witness to the truth of this verse.

As I began to gather my thoughts for this message, a thought occurred to me: the word “godless” does not occur anywhere in the Bible: at least not in the King James’ version.  This is because while someone can be ungodly, or hypocritical, no one is truly godless.  You see, God created man to worship, so man cannot help but worship something or someone.  Some create false deities to worship, others worship possessions, others money, others self, etc.  Every living soul holds some object of worship, therefore no one is truly godless.  So, the humorous idiom is actually true: God does not believe in atheists, therefore they do not exist.

So the Lord asked the question of Israel, “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.  Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:11-13).  Every nation has its particular gods, and they remain true to them.  Even when outside influences cause the nations to deviate from their own ways, and turn to another way, they seem to revert after a time, like a pig returns to the mire or a dog to its vomit.  We see this with Nineveh, Babylon and Persia, which each saw the power of Jehovah and professed a belief in Him, yet did so either in addition to the worship of their own gods, or later reverted to their idolatry.

Israel was called to be God’s chosen people, and He was known as “the God of Israel,” but time and again they turned from Him and embraced the idolatry of the nations that were around them.

There has been an effort for several years to return this nation to its “Christian roots.”  Truly, the early settlers of this land were predominantly some variety of Christian, and that continued to be the case through the formation of the nation of the United States right up until well into the 20th century.  However, while this country has benefitted from the strong influence of true believers, it has never been a truly Christian nation. It has always been a secular nation, run by men of variable levels of righteousness — and, yes, wickedness.

THE DAYS OF LOT

What a wondrous age we live in today, just to think that our Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to this earth.  The disciples of the early church did not have this hope to look forward to.   Although they knew that Jesus would return some day, their hope was in the resurrection.  One day after leaving the temple, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him asking, “Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3).  Jesus then proceeded to explain to them the specifics of these three occurrences:   He told them what to look for when the temple would fall; that no man knew the day and hour that the earth would be destroyed; then He told about the signs of His coming and what those days would be like.   Maybe we, as believers today, should be more like those who walked with Jesus, asking more questions about what we have been taught, and questioning as to what will be the signs of His coming.

PERILOUS TIMES ARE HERE

This trouble that is coming will come according to the prophecy spoken by Jesus Christ himself.   As Jesus answered the three-point question asked by the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 24:1-3, He answered the first two parts and then, in verse 29, He began to answer the question, What about the end of the world?  He said, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and t hey shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels (messengers) with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:29-31).

Thus, Jesus gave us four prominent signs of His immediate coming.  I think it is probable that we have been living in the tribulation of those da ys, at least since the middle of 2008.  Wherefore, I exhort you, and challenge you to believe these words of Jesus, and try to understand them.  These words are true, but be-cause of the general misunderstand-ing of the next five verses, we get sidetracked from the truth of what you have just read.  Please read these words again, and do not allow anyone to persuade you that what Jesus said here is not true.  It is faith in His words that will save us in this evil day, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:11-17).   Jesus spoke partly in parables here in Matthew, but we can see the truth of Jesus’ parables, especially if we have all five of the “Gifts of the Ministry” working in our congregations (Eph. 3:1-5).

I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS

When He was on trial, Jesus was asked, “What is truth?”  That remains one of the greatest questions a man can ask.  If Pilate only knew that the Man to whom he posed that question had already answered it, saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  The message of Jesus’ coming is called the “Gospel.”  It is well-known that the word gospel, translated from the Greek word ευαγγελιον (euangelion), means “good news.”  This is also the source for the word evangelist, which means “bearer of good news.”  Evangelists are God’s heralds – the town criers of the Holy Jerusalem.

Today’s world is characterized by an insatiable thirst for news.  Whether an event is of extreme historical importance, or if it is simply what your friend is having for lunch three states away, you can be instantly informed.