Matthew 24.4-14 (#86.2024.02.18)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholding bibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:46

I have many of you, like to check the weather in order to see what the day's like, what the week's like. Right? Kinda set your life based on the weather. How many of you prefer to know about bad weather that's coming? Yes. How many would you prefer to have no bad weather ever? Isn't there a place we can move where there's no bad weather? Right? San Diego. What's that? San Diego. It might be San Diego, but it's full of, yeah, nuts and containers there. Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:20

Yeah. There's no no heaven on earth. No heaven. Well, we are in a place in Matthew where Jesus is going to give us the weather forecast, and it's a severe weather forecast. I love the local weather. It's always like death defying weather. You know? Because if you have to tune in yeah. I mean, you know, let's you know, tune in today just in case meteor strike, I mean, every day.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:44

But he's gonna give us the severe weather forecast as we move ahead. So let's, stand up as we read from Matthew 24 4 through 14. I'll read this together in reverence for the lord's and his word. And Jesus answered and said to them, see to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ, and must believe me. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars, see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and in various places, there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth banks, then they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:46

At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and mislead many because this this increase, most people's love will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. The word of the lord. Thanks be to god. Well, thanks, Keffer. That's a cheery message. Gee, I should have tuned into a different show.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:33

Yeah. It paints the channels. Well, there's one thing about God and his word, and that is he doesn't mince words. Right? He tells us these things I've told you before they come to pass so that when they come to pass, you may believe. You may not be surprised. You might be prepared. So he tells us times of severe weather ahead times of severe weather ahead. So this section of scripture, like all prophecy, is filled with confusion.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:11

There's lots of interpretation about this section, lots of interpretation about the future. And as a result, you know, the, folks have gotten all bent out of shape over time like they often do about prophecy. So it's a reminder here that he has interwoven 3 things. 1, the fate of Jerusalem Jerusalem. Drew Jerusalem. Thank you. Jerusalem. Jerusalem.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:39

Yeah. Jerusalem, gentlemen. Yeah. So he's talking about the fate of, right, the temple itself. Right? He's talking about that. Very specifically, what will happen in the next 70 years because we can see. He's also talking about the return of Christ, the second coming, and the end of the age, and these are woven together in a way that can be confusing. The pulpit said, prophecy as much exercise the montage of commentators from the earliest times unto the present.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:16

From the disciples who heard it until this day, there has been a lot of interpretation about what it means. And, I think it's really interesting because, there's a bit in scripture. I always say if you're if you if if you are, looking to the Lord who spoke all things into being and who knows all things and you aren't left with some mysteries and questions, you're not really looking at him. Our desire is to make him simple so that we understand everything. If that's the case, then that's not our god. Because that would be the case, then we would put him under the microscope, we would examine him, and we would be able to tell all about him. So if you're not left with some uncertainty and mysteries because the secret things belong to the lord, Right? The secret things belong to him. So, it says, it is indeed full of mysteries, dark, refunded these, and which our minds cannot fathom.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:20

It's a great reminder. But as you go through here, you will not be able to explain everything. If you seek to, you will twist yourself into a pretzel, right, trying to figure out all of this. So in other words, the these prophecies will move between the different times and the different, issues he's talking about, and they're not clear. He doesn't break them with paragraphs and set them apart. Right? So the most important thing is run to the core. That's my philosophy. Run to the core.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:52

See what we know for certain. Don't worry about what you don't understand, but run to the core. That's just the general philosophy for life. The further you go from the certain, the more confused you will be. Where do you go from the certain? Right? Right? So you run to the core run to the core, which is what I know for certain. The farther out we go, the more uncertain it is. And when you're talking about prophecy and the the return of Christ and the end of the age, because Jesus said, I don't even know the date. Only the father does.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:28

So we wanna know all mysteries and all questions. You can't have it. Right? They're interwoven here. So what do we see? Well, we see that the times will be perilous, and they will be increasing over time. So hatred of Christians, persecutions, tribulations, and even martyrdom. Patron of Christians. So Jesus is really clear that the student is not greater than his master. If they hated me, they will hate you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:07

Dang. I just don't like to be hated. There is a core in every person that wants to be liked, didn't it? Some of us, more than others, are driven to be liked. We like to be liked. I don't wanna not be liked. Right? What do you remind you? Right? I was here. Right? God in flesh, perfect, morally and, in every way. He was perfect, and they hated me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:35

If that's the case, the more you seek to be like me, the more I work my race inside of your life. If they didn't like me, they won't like you. This idea that the world is waiting for you to be like Christ, it's not. It's just not. Oh, if you just love on him or if you just be like him, I mean, you're all of a sudden, like, what the heck? Jesus loved on him, and they crucified him. We just have to love them more. What are you talking about? Jesus loved them, and they put them on the cross. Right? Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:13

So they right? The the the the light came into the darkness, and the darkness did not receive the light. We are operating against a world system where the people are held captive by the evil one. You have to remember that. They're not our enemy. The enemy is our enemy. He he holds them captive. It says in second Timothy, they're held captive, right, by him. So darkness is in there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:44

So hatred of Christians will happen. The world hates you. You know that it has hated me before it hated you. Right? So we live in a time where we don't suffer persecution. We suffer name calling, or they don't like us in television or we don't like us on social media or they seem to say bad things about us. Oh, it's horrific, the cross that we bear. You know? And I've done interesting as I I was reading up till each one of the, the where where the creeds were put into place, there were times of intense persecution and then not so intense and intense persecution. And and they would take the men, and they would slit their calf muscle, and they would blind them in one eye.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:38

Right? And then they'd stick them in prison. And then there would be times when they were good, so they'd let them out of prison, but they essentially made them unemployable. Right? That was kind of the deal. And so you see everything from, you know, just horrific times of tribulation the knot. And so these tie you know, this warning is as much for people who would live through this. And we see over that time, it kinda like this. Right? The gut comes and goes. It comes and goes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:08

Some people, suffer intense persecution, tribulation, and even martyrdom. And, certainly, they would experience the same, and they would experience the, the entire breadth of that in that 70 year period, including when Jerusalem so he's speaking full to that time, and he's speaking to all time, the end of time. Does that make sense? Speaking to that time, he's speaking to all time, so we see it happening. And he says, interestingly enough, that many will be misled, fall away, and even betray one another. Oh, more good news. Right? Alarming. What do you mean many will be misled? So We said many will be misled. Right? Fall away, which is, again, perplexing to most believers.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:09

What about so and so? What about the guy who preached with Billy Graham at the very beginning, and then he ended up writing against Christ? And why you can't believe in him? What do you what about so and so who left? What about? So in first John, he explains it. They went out from us in order that it might be seen. Right? They were not really of us. If they had been of us, they would have remained with us, but they went out. Why? What's the purpose? In order that it might be shown that they were not all of us. So the ones who appear to fall away are really bring to light that you can in in the church, they're going to be those who operate as Christians, but aren't necessarily aren't necessarily. And Jesus even said, there are gonna be those who don't fall away who remain. They're called the tares.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:08

They're the wheat and the the tares. You leave them. You leave them in place. Right? You leave them in place. So over time, we see that. Right? What's happening? But the I think the the disturbing thing is many will be misled. That idea that many will fall away, and they'll even betray one another. In other words, once the persecution comes, they'll be, hey.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:39

Don't take me. Right? Because why? We're all, you know, we're all self. Right? And so when those times of persecution would come, then when the persecution kinda stopped, they would have various levels of how those people could get back into the church. They would say, well, you can come, but you can't take communion. Or you can come, but you gotta sit over here. So there there were literally writing out in the creeds, what do we do with the people who fell away and are now coming back? What do we do with the people who fell away and and implicated others? So they would say, you gotta sit over here. You got have here. It's gotta be years before you have communion again.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:22

There's all sorts of they were dealing with that over the years. Less of an issue today because back then, you could leave the fellowship, and there was really nowhere to go. Now you can leave and go down the street. You can leave and go across town. You can leave and start your own church. Right? There's much more mobility in terms of your ability to do whatever you wanna do. Right? Does that make sense? So you can slide away and do whatever. So many will be misled, fall away, and even betray one another.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:55

Then he says, many false messiahs will come. False price or false messiahs. Right? And back then, they would literally show up. I'm the Christ. I'm the Christ. I'm the Christ. Less of that today. Right? You know, rarely, they show up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:22

But they show up, right, they show up as prophets or they show up as messiahs. Right? And, oftentimes, in today's world, messiahs are people as much as they are saviors. Save you. So what are the messiahs of our day? Joel Osteen. Joel Osteen. So it could be false, right, false prophets. So he's literally, right, false prophet. Benny Hinn, there's a lot of those folks out there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:57

What are the other messiahs of our age promising salvation? Yeah. Prosperity gospel is a very big one. Yeah. But so they preach the, yeah, prosperity and, profit with a with dollar sign. With a w. Right? Yeah. That's right. And they profit off of your prop How about today? Technology is gonna save you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:21

Fine. Yep. Oh, science is gonna save you. Yep. Science. Like, what do they say? Right outside of, Pfizer in New York City will solve all human problems. Science will solve all of human problems. Technology.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:38

AI. Yeah. Movement. How about government? Movement. Paul Schwab is promising to save you. Right? The, what's his wicked band of World Economic The World Economic Forum. And the World Economic Forum doesn't even disguise itself. They say you will owe nothing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:59

You'll be happy. This is what's gonna happen. We're we are we will take over, and we will lead you because you don't know how to do this. Right? So the government's gonna take over, or 1 world is going to solve it. Right? Or they the great reset Means you'll owe nothing and I'll own everything. Right? So we see that all around. False messiahs are showing up. Technology is the messiah of our day.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:29

Right? Technology, science, right, all that. So false messiahs, then he says many will come. When he says, do not believe every spirit, but what should we do? Test them. Because many pro false prophets have gone out into the world. And then he says, in the last days, Timothy, what kind of times will come? Difficult. Yeah. The the the word difficult is not appropriate. It really is it should be perverse.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:14

Like men will be lovers of wealth, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceded, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of god holding to a form of godliness and posting regularly on Facebook, Instagram, and all the others. Interesting. Although they have denied right, holding to a form of godliness, but denying its power, avoid such men. So how many say that sure sounds like our time? It sounds like our days, doesn't it? Well, a reminder, not that things are not bad, but they've been bad. Right? So this is a this is a cycle that's cycled, although scripture would seem to say it will get increasingly worse increasingly worse because sin, exponential impact of sin, just like compound interest, sin compounds upon itself. Right? Compounds upon itself. And the the apostle Paul said many walk, of whom I often told you, and I'll tell you, even weeping, they are enemies, the cross of Christ. So Tory says, follow me in the example you have in me, whose end is destruction, whose doubt is their appetite, whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:53

Right? So it's saying lawlessness will get worse and worse and worse. Lawlessness will get worse and worse and worser, worser, sheer. It will just get worser. Worser. It will get worser. So he's saying don't be surprised. Don't be surprised. And then he said that as a result of this, and particularly for the the pressure of being a believer, love will grow cold.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:32

Love will grow cold. Revelation, Jesus said, you've left your first love. Remember, therefore, from where you fall, repent and do what deeds you did at first. So there's a gauge on the right hand side. Today, it'd be crispy down in the blue down in the blue. We're below 0. Right? Below 0 centigrade. I still can't understand why we use a number system.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:01

It doesn't make any sense at all. Why would you divide by 12 rather than 10? It just but but, anyway, we're here. So we are with Fahrenheit. Right? Same way. So where are you? Put your dot over there on the thermometer on the on the on the on the love temperature gauge, where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? It starts with love from god. Love the lord your god with all your heart, soul, and mind, and strength. Yeah. I mean, I think it starts here and that flows out of there, but just this sense of he said your first love.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:44

What's our first love? Yeah. It's Christ, his word, his, you know, the things of him. One of the things that Corky said, he said, what does it mean to to pray in Jesus' name? And I said, that's a good question. Does it mean say Jesus' name? Or he says, yeah, in Jesus' name. Oh, I don't think it means say Jesus' name. It doesn't. Pray according to his character, his nature. Right? Pray my name.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:10

Pray an access through Jesus. We pray to the father through Jesus, but in his name is according to who he is, his character and his nature. Right? And, you know, one of the things I pray is one thing I've asked, that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the lord forever, of the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the lord and to meditate in his temple. But in there, when you think about it, I'm not only praying, lord, each day, you gotta keep me. Each day, you gotta keep my heart. Right? Take my heart, lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for that quartz above.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:45

But he says that I might you're that I might behold the beauty of the lord. Well, the fact is, in my nature, I don't think the Lord's beautiful. In my nature, I he's not my hero. He's not who I wanna be. He's not in my core. I struggle with that. That's why I have to pray, that I would love him and love the things of his, love the things he loves. Right? Set your heart on him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:12

Right? Yeah. I mean, that's the reality of it. My heart naturally grows cold. It just it wakes up in the blue. And so I need him to warm it. Right? Even understanding that that that we can't you know, how do you warm your heart? How do you warm your heart? Well, we need the spirit of God, the word of god, his presence to warm me. Don't we? Yeah. This, lord, in your name in your name, oh, jeez, Search me and know me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:44

All that stuff is warn me, confess my sin. I mean, all of that is really just a you know, it's a it's a cold morning. What's your car sound like if it's outside? I saw my car, but it said, boy, do it. Right? That's what your heart is on. That's my heart on a daily basis. Like, starting, you know, when it's 20 degrees outside. Like, jump start it, Lord. Get me warm.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:13

Warm my heart. Because otherwise, our heart grows cold. It will grow cold by nature. Right? That make sense? As Spurgeon said, the heart grows cold Everything. Even if it's done, it's cold. Right? It's just cold. The lord, let my love not grow cold. And the last thing he says, the that the church is to preach the gospel to the whole earth whole earth whole earth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:54

And if you look up there, it says in the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. The one who endures to the end, he will be saved, and I stand on his assurances. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy, to the only god, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority who keeps me from stumbling. He is able to do that. He is able to do that. Jude, it says he is able. Right? He who endures will be saved. So weather forecast, severe weather ahead.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:43

Resist. No surprise. These things I have told you so that when they come to pass, you're not surprised. We look around, and you're waiting for the things to get back to normal. They're not. This is, right, this is according to his plan. As the world system shows, what does the world system show? This is the inevitable end in the judgment for sin. This is what a world that rejects god looks like.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:17

It looks like. I think the, you know, the the the depths of the human depravity are hard to come to grips with, aren't they? Now you think it gets hard when you glimpse a little bit on a regular basis. Lord sees it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. It says he endures vessels of wrath. He endures them. He sees it all. We see glimpses of it. He sees it all.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:51

He sees it all. So he tells us severe weather ahead. Bundle up. Right? Isn't that what it said? You got if you got you got severe weather ahead, bundle up. Get your coat on. Get your boots on. So flip it over. So there are some principles for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:14

It's just not, oh, things are bad. Things are getting worse. Because overarching all of that, god is sovereign, and he is summing up, it says, all things into Christ. He is summing up all things into Christ. You look and say, this is scary, this one world stuff. How many say it's scary? Scary. Scary. He says, no.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:36

It is, and it's not, because this is what's gonna happen. I told you this is gonna happen. I know, but it's not my favorite ending. I'm not lord, I had a different story in mind. And he said, no. I have the best story in mind. You're just in the middle of it, and it feels different when you're in the middle. But I'm telling you the beginning and the end, and it's a good story.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:04

It is a good story. He heals all your diseases. He forgives all your sin. He redeems your life from the pit. He crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. He satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle and, like, my thing is way off. There we go. So it's good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:26

It it's a good news story. In the middle, it doesn't feel like a good news. Just like it didn't feel like, where's my job? What am I gonna do? What's happening? Never feels good in the middle, but he reminds us. It's good ending good start, good ending. So he says very clearly, see to it. It says in the new American standard. In the King James version, they take that Greek phrase, and they they translate it take heed take heed. It does literally mean to see.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:58

So Jesus said see. See to it. See to it. Discern. Right? That that old idea. See to it. In first Timothy, he says something similar. Take pains.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:15

Well, that doesn't sound like a good word. Yeah. Take pains with these things. Be absorbed in them so that your progress will become a pay close attention Those kind of verbs that, right, that this is serious to yourself, to your teaching. Persevere. For as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and those who hear it. Right? Take pains. Be absorbed.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:53

You know, progress, pay close attention, persevere. Strong verbs, aren't they? In other words, see to it. Be serious about it. Let it be in your top priority. See to it. Then it gives us, in in other words, some warnings. Don't be misled don't be misled. He gives us the principle.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:32

Many are called, few are chosen. Many will be misled, few will not. So the kingdom is many and few many and few. So he said don't be misled to to be led astray, to deceive, to cause to wander. No. We're no longer to be children tossed here and there by every wave. Right, here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by trickery of men. Remember the 1st time we went on with those little sailfish? My brother and I got one, and, I pulled up that thing in the middle.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:19

I had no idea what that thing was for. Right? Took it off, and then I just went I realized, oh, that thing in the middle is designed to keep you on course. So he's saying you could be led astray by every wind of doctrine without the rudder of his word. Right? Don't be led astray, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by trickery of men, by craftiness. Innosus. In what? Deceitful scheming. What does that mean? You're to take heed. You're to be serious about this because someone else is serious about misleading you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:08

Craftiness in deceitful scheming, which means plans for your detriment, plans to deceive you, someone who is wiser and stronger than you, and I say wiser in in an evil way, right, Do is crappy. Right? The evil one seeks for you to be misled, to wonder to wander about. So, again, it's the same thing as my heart will go astray. I will go astray. I am for sure, right, that any chance I get. So out in our backyard, Chester, our black lab, now 2 years old, no longer puppy, we have an invisible fence, which shocks him so that if he goes in the wrong direction, he'll get shocked. Number of times, he went right through. Right? And then he's gone.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:09

He's going out in the neighborhood and kind of buttsing around. Well, I'm the same way. Right? I'm the same way. I will wonder. And I say to the lord, you know what? If you don't keep me, I'm gone. Over the hill, down the valley, I mean, I'm out of here. I will wonder for sure. So I have to hold to the fact that he's not only my god and father, but the lord is my shepherd.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:35

I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me. Where? Beside quiet waters he restores my soul. He guides me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. I stand on that. Lord, guide me in the path of righteousness for your name's sake for your name's sake. I love it because there's a greater purpose.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:59

You know, there's a lot that goes on these days where people say, you know, even even if you look at all the Christian music, it's all about me. I'm amazing. God thinks I'm amazing. God is you know, God misdoes in heaven. God doesn't want heaven without us. I mean, it's just all bold. I mean, I'm I'm gonna swear. I mean, but it's just it's just so wrong.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:19

God is not all about us. God is all about his glory in himself. The good news is I'm a part of that, and the reason that he's steadfast in that is because he will fulfill what glorifies him. He's gonna lead me in the past of righteousness because I'm a great guy? No. Because he likes me? No. Because for his name's sake, for his glory. Does that make sense? And in Jesus' name means, like Jesus, Jesus lives for his glory. I'm not here for my glory.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:51

We're here for his glory, for his name's sake. I love that. That's a lot stronger than, oh, the lord loves me. And he does, but for his name's sake. Does that ever get that? It's a high it's a higher purpose, and I cling to that. That's great. That is the good news for his name's sake for his name's sake. So he says don't be misled.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:18

So what are some of the things that we can do? 1st of all, train your senses. Train your senses to discern good and evil. Solid food is for the mature who, because of practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil. It does require training for us. We need to be trained to discern good and evil. Otherwise, we will be deceived be deceived. It's hard. The word of god judges the thoughts and intentions of the hearts, but I need that need that, don't we? Practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:11

And in in first John, he says 3 there are kind of 3 pictures. I've written unto you little children Little children. What do the little children know? Your sins are forgiven. You remember when you first came to Christ? That's all you knew. That's all you knew. My sins are forgiven. Who is it Andrew who said, you know, I met the messiah. Well, tell me about him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:34

I don't know. I just met the messiah. That's all I know. I mean, when you first come to Christ, I just know my sins are forgiven. He died for my sins. What else? How about all this stuff? I don't know about all this. I just know he died for my sins. It means Jesus.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:47

Died on the cross. Right? That's kinda all you know. You know? That's children. But he said don't stay there. Then he says, here at the other end are fathers. Fathers know him who is from the beginning. They know the eternality of god's character. They know the fact that he is he who was and who is and who is to come.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:12

His unchanging nature, his from eternity nature, that's fathers. In between, we have teenagers. Those are called young men. Right? I've written unto young men because you're strong and the word of god abides in you. And as a result, you've overcome the wicked butt. Why? Because the word of god is my protection. Otherwise, I get lead and scrape. Does that make sense? He's saying on that path, are you little children new in your right? Are you young men, teenagers, or are you fathers? So where are you? Where you got there, where are you in that? And being chronologically a Christian doesn't necessarily equate to, maturity as in terms of notice it's all about the relationship with him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:08

Little children, all I know is he's forgiven my sins. Fathers, I know him. I know him who is eternal. Then in between, alright, the word of god abides in me, and I've overcome the wicked ones. So he's saying grow up. Grow up. Right? Grow up. He said, this I pray, that your love may abound, steal more and more in real knowledge and all discernment that your love may abound.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:51

Interesting. Your love grows cold, and you will lose discernment. Very interesting how the 2 are connected. Your love would have bound more and more real knowledge and all discernment. Why? So that. And they're like, so that. Well, if I'm able to do that, if my love is abounding, I'll have real knowledge and all discernment, and I will approve the things that are excellent. Not just approve them, before them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:21

Right? Validate them. Be be about them, the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until when he comes again, right, or he calls you home, one or the other. So pray for discernment. Mhmm. So this idea of don't be misled, see, I did training, of growing up, maturing. Hate to grow up, don't you? Yeah. Think I don't wanna grow up. I don't wanna grow up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:53

Yeah. I don't wanna I don't wanna take responsibility for my life. Yeah. I want I want the magic closet. Come home, you throw your stuff in there, and it shows up on the hangers. I that's what I want. I mean, come on. Right? Appreciate it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:08

Don't you, when your parents die and you think, I'm no. I'm the oldest? I just don't even like that. Like, you know, I'm not I'm responsible. Holy smokes. We don't wanna grow up, and they'd be praying regularly for discernment, pray for discernment. And then he says don't be frightened. Don't be disturbed. Don't be agitated.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:35

Don't be alarmed. Don't be alarmed. Literally, the Greek would say, do not be scared out of your wits. Isn't that a great phrase? Scared out of you. Because when you're scared on your wits, you lose your wits. Right? It's a great phrase. Right? So he's saying there's gonna be wars, and then there's gonna be rumors of wars. And, oh, by the way, there's gonna be famines and earthquakes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:07

So nation against nation, natural disasters, climate disasters, all of this stuff. Any of that going on today? Interesting. Interesting. Well, it also did during the 70 years. Josephus wrote a book called the war the wars of the Jews, the destruction of it's a history of the destruction of Jerusalem. During that period of time, all that stuff happened then, and it's happening over the course of the time between when he said it now, over the course of when he said it, and the end of the age. You get it? Till he comes again. We've said in the psalm, David said, I sought Yahweh.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:52

And one of the things that helps me when I think about the psalms is, when it when in the Old Testament, when it says the Lord in small caps, it means it's his personal name, Yahweh. Very different for me when I say I sought the lord or I sought Yahweh. Right? I sought my father. I sought right? It's it's personal because it's his personal name. So the lord can feel distant, can't it? I saw the lord. I thought god. Well, God is a separate word, but the lord is his name. He said, I sought Yahweh.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:26

And what did he do? He delivered me from my circumstance. No. He said he delivered me from all my fears about my circumstance. He delivered me from all my fears, which begs the question, right, what are your biggest fears today? Write it down. What are your biggest fears today? What are your biggest fears today? I have some extra if you don't have enough. Your biggest fears today. They kinda stack, don't they, on each other? So this is really important because he says, I sought the lord, and he delivered me from all my peers. What that mean? He had lots of them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:15

It doesn't doesn't mean that when I follow the lord, I don't have fear. Because he often says, do not fear. You see it. Do not fear. What's it mean? He knows you will Fear. Fear. You'll fear often. So you need to have a fear bucket where you put all your fears, and then what do you do with the bucket? Yes, ma'am.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:36

Yeah. What do I do with my bucket of fears? See, the fact that you have spears is not the issue. What do I do with them? Right? Sometimes I tend to roll around in them. I love to marinate in them. Sometimes I'll put them on on the on the stove, and then I'll get in. And we'll don't don't we, like, roll we'll be marinating in our fears And they get warmer. Why do we do that? I don't know. But it is a favorite pastime of the human nature.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:06

Right? Let's just kinda marinate in our fears. Oh, woe is me. Woe is me. Woe is me. Put that on the burner. He says, that's fine. Have a fear bucket. Put them in there, but what do you do with that bucket? Bring it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:19

Bring it to the throne. Bring it to the throne. There it is. What do I call it? Right? Your worry wagon. Because I have my I have more than fit in a bucket. So I've got a I've got a wagon full of buckets. Fill the buckets, and I bring my worry wagon, and I dump it. He said, cast your cares on the lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:41

Cast your care. It's a great picture. Right? What do you do? Because he's saying sometimes you can't even pick the buckets up. They're so heavy. That's fine. Here they are, lord. Take them. Because here they are, take them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:53

And he's got a delivery service. He'll he'll home deliver and pick them up. Lord, I can't even bring him to you. Do you you take him? He comes and he takes him. Right? Comes and he takes him. So you got your fear bucket. So it's not the fact that I have fear. Don't get confused.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:12

Because what do I do with the fears? That's all. What do I do with the fears? What do I do with the fears? Because the enemy will accuse you. Now what kind of Christian are you? Are you a Christian? You're fearing all the time. Well, he said, do not fear, what's that mean? You're gonna fear all the time. The question is, what do I do with the fear? So he says, what do you do? It's his best favorite verse. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you. Why is that, lord? For I am your god.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:54

Surely, I will help you. Surely, I will strengthen you with my righteous right hand. Wonder how strong god's right hand is. Well, who's at his right hand? Jesus. I will strengthen you. Right? So he says, do not fear because you'll fear. But then not only will you fear and fill your bucket, then you will. What will you do next? He says.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:33

The next thing he says don't do, that means that's what we'll do. Ever get it? It's it's it's not like he's scolding you saying, I I understand. This is what you do. First of all, you fear, then you will anxiously look about you. So here's my question. What are you anxiously looking at every day? Oh, I tune in to the news. Oh, that's a good thing to anxiously look at every day. I turn to social media.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:02

Oh, another great thing to anxiously look about. What do you think those things are gonna do? Speak truth, help you with more peace, give you a real perspective certainly on the world. So he's saying, what are you anxiously looking at every day? Anxiously. That's like running around like a chicken with your head cut off. Anybody ever seen a chicken with their head cut off? Been and around the farm, you cut it off, and they run around, and that stuff squirts out, and they're running around like a chicken with a head cut off. Without vision, my people perish. The word is run around. Run amok.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:43

Right? You will anxiously look about you. What are you running around like a headless chicken every day looking for? I mean, he's literally saying. So what is it? Think about it. What is it that when I'm fearful, where do I go? What do I anxiously look for? What do I anxiously look at? Daily. Daily. Daily. And then, of course, he reminds us, have I not commanded you? What should you be? Strong and courageous. Strength, the word there, the Hebrew word, has this picture.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:27

This picture of taking, right, a piece of paper. Take a piece of paper. I could punch through it. Right? If I take this piece of paper and glue it to a panel, a steel panel, guess what happened? Bang. The picture is, what are you stuck to? The picture is be strong and let your strength be be found in what you're stuck to, not your own strength. Right? Literally, what are you stuck to? If you stick to me, your strength will come from me. What are you wrapped around? In other words, be like yoga pants on the Lord. Right? You think about it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:49:11

Right? Just be wrapped. That's a bad picture. Alright. Alright. Find your own visual. It's my glass. I get to pick that. But you get it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:49:32

Right? Yes. See, be stuck. Right? Be strong. Be stuck on me. Be stuck on me and my strength. Right? Derive your strength from my strength. And then he says do not tremble. Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:49:47

Do not tremble, knees shaking, nor be dismayed. Dismayed is the opposite of courage. Right? I've lost my courage because here's the fundamental promise. I am with you. I am with you. I'm with you. I will never leave you never leave you nor forsake you. In in in Hebrews, if you look at the amplified version of I think it's Hebrews 13:5, something like that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:50:22

He says, I will never, no, never, no, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever leave you. I just won't. I just won't. Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? And the other thing he says is that the process will be like a bird. What does that mean? Long, painful, uncertain in some ways, joy at the end, but he said it's gonna be these are birth pangs. And, oh, by the way, those are the beginning when he said back then. Right? And so he reminds us that for the lord, a day is like a 1000 years, and a 1000 years are like a day. And so the lord is not slack when it comes to his promise.

Scott Keffer [: 00:51:18

He's not slow. He's wishing that all would repent. Right? He wishes that all would repent. So the time is open. Right? He's wishing that none would perish, would all would come to repentance. Then he reminds us in Isaiah, you keep him in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on you, literally steadfast. Don't panic. Be steadfast of mine.

Scott Keffer [: 00:51:47

Be steadfast of mine. Be steadfast of mind. You see in various ways, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So he says, do not lose heart. Do not in the midst of all this, do not lose heart. I'm writing the story, and I'm also writing your story. He says, I'm the author and perfecter of your faith.

Scott Keffer [: 00:52:27

So he's got a grand story, a metastory, which he's writing, which is coming to the conclusion. He will sum up all things into Christ. He says, I'm also writing your story. I'm the author and perfector of your faith, your faith, your faith, your faith, your faith. He's got a story he's writing for each of us. He's saying join the story. It's a grand and glorious story. The story with glory at the end and along the way.

Scott Keffer [: 00:52:56

Right? So he said, remember, keep your mind fixed on me and trust in me. So see to it. Don't be misled. Don't be frightened, and don't panic. Don't panic. God, I'm the lord. Alright. Write down your insight.

Scott Keffer [: 00:53:13

Write down your insight. Amen. And may the lord himself, Yahweh, may he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you shalom deep in your soul. May the grace of the lord Jesus Christ, the love of god the father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and each day and minute by minute, hour by hour, all the day through. Amen.

Scott Keffer [: 00:53:41

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the god of the bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and may the lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may god bless you and keep you.