Comforting Words | Pastor Zach Hammond

everything we do goes back to the worth everything we do goes back to that song right there if we don't bring him something of worth we're just playing out the story of Cain and Abel you can be present and you can offer up a sacrifice but if it has no worth sacrifice is the relationship between God and man and sacrifice is derived it's it's it's built upon values do you value him enough to bring him your best praise today do you value I know your Pres but so was Cain and Abel but he brought him something of little value so our worth today I I'm so thankful that every person's here but the goal is to get in his presence right the goal is to be in in that perfect communion and Covenant relationship with him today I wonder just one more time could we lift our hands what a sweet spirit of God that's in this place today can we lift both of our hands and just just tell him God you've been so good to me Lord you're worthy of all the praise and all the glory you're worthy of more than I could give you today Lord you're worthy of everything I've got you're worthy of all that I can give you today Lord Lord you're worthy of every song that's been sung you're worthy oh God lord of every prayer that's been prayed God Lord you're worthy of all that we can give you right now in this place Lord we give you praise and glory in Jesus name in Jesus name 1 Thessalonians chapter number four I will preach to you um this morning in the best of my ability um as Pastor X has already said I found out that I would be preaching to you um about 45 I guess about an hour before service started and um so I will do my best today all right I can't I can't shift outside of who I am I'm just going to have to be honest with you today I can't shift outside of how I feel today I'm going to do my best but I'm just going to have to be honest with you I'm human today um um as I left the hospital last night I recalled a moment that um most of you don't know brother Andy was here before I was here I believe moved from Georgia but we both or from Georgia grew up in the same district there and uh he obviously being a little bit older than me I watched him as a kid play drums at our district events and I'll never forget that that was my goal as a kid I wanted to be able to play drums at you know this big event I'll never forget him hand me he always played left-handed but he played on a right-handed set of drums and I just thought it was the neatest thing as a kid I'll never forget that day that I came in to play this little District rally I thought it was the biggest thing in the world brother snitzer and he handed me those sticks and he said it's yours I'm going to go back here and make sure it sounds good and from that day forward he ran sound and I played drums and uh it was a blessing to know when I moved here um to be able to stay connected with them and as you know they're mingled within our entire family Jacob who graduated from here moved and married uh friends of our families in my dad's church at home and um they are here they came here for sister Jennifer's birthday this weekend and so they were in town and are here but we're praying for the Hollands and we love them and I just I had something else I wanted to kind of but I I just can't get out of this vein my my topic today is just going to be comforting words comforting words 1 Thessalonians 4 and verse number 14 you know know the scripture for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so of them also which asleep in Jesus will God bring with him for they for this say we unto you by the word of the Lord that which are alive and remain the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead of in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore Comfort somebody say Comfort Comfort one another with these words comforting words if you lay your Bibles down let's just pray one more prayer I believe God has something for somebody today and can we just pray the Lord would speak to us today through his word God we know that your word is already anointed we know that your word is forever settled it can do God God much more than what I can even comprehend as it is the lifegiving bread Lord I pray that you would allow it to be the nourishment that somebody needs today that a a mother a father God a family today Lord I pray that your word would be all that we needed it to be as it being not only revelatory but relevant to where we stand today it is is that lamp and that light it is that that that that Vision that gives us oh God to be able to see the perspective of Life Lord through your lens Lord I pray that you would help us today Lord challenge us but most of all change us in your presence in Jesus name we pray amen you may be seated today comforting comforting words he said that I am coming the Lord is coming they which are are are dead will will rise first and we will meet them in the air and we will shall ever be with the Lord Comfort one another with these words and I I see that in the world that we live in today we see that there's so many things happening so many things that are being thrown at us and so many things that will come unexpected but even in just our world we have a a movement that is just turned away from Christ and turned away from the church and turned away from God and uh even a large percent of Christianity in our our in the United States today don't even believe that there's a hell according to statistics they just believe that there's a God and they're serving him to the best of their ability but we have movements such as deconstruction it's a phenomenon within America and the Christians are rethinking their faith and beginning to tear apart what was previously the basis of their life and their beliefs and so they they no longer want to identify with Christians but they want to tear down what's what what was and so they are not just uh they're not just have have turn their their life away from Christ but they're doing everything they can to tear down Christianity they're doing everything they can to tear down the the movement of of of of of the the the the what God really wants to do in the lives of of of every creature that he created at least we we know that they're calling it the right thing because we know that it's called the the deconstruction movement anytime you're going to tear you're going to move away from Christ you're going to have to tear some things down you're going to have to destroy some things in your life and and so if you're going to leave Jesus you're going to have to be very very adamant about it because after all he is giving you the breath that you breathe right and after all we do know that the word of God has told us time and time again through many different ways that that he is jealous over us and he is passionately pursuing each and every one of us through every Peak and every Valley of our life the goal is that we become closer to God and so there's this though though we see a world that is putting on a show of vile wickedness of just some of the worst things that we could fathom there's wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and the list goes on and on and on and we know that there's nothing else Pastor said it time and time again even over the past few weeks there's nothing else that has to take place for the Lord to come and I I I speak today on the coming of the Lord because he said these are the comforting words for the bride of Christ Christ these are the comforting words for the Church of the Living God and we know that that uh a lot a lot of times even in our world today when you start talking about heaven and hell people are like hey don't do that trust me I know firsthand I preached the message uh some time back and it's it's not received very well when you start talking about the consequences of sin of Heaven and Hell and there's even CNN reported some time back that there is even um they're they're they're giving out PTS medicine that the same thing they would give a war veteran to people who claimed that they grew up watching things such as uh such as they uh the depiction that they I don't know if any of you ever watched it but it's not that that the Left Behind series anybody ever watched that as a as a young person I was a teenager when that came out and so these these people are about my same age and they said that they have been haunted and they have traumatic stress over watching the depiction of the Rapture and so have to take medicine because they have what's called Rapture anxiety and and these things are are are real in our world today and so I I I come to you today although we can look at the world and we see a lot of things that are that are panning out and playing out I come to remind the church today that he's coming back for us he's coming back for you it's one day as the old song says it's going to be worth it all it's going to be we talked about his worth today you talk about some worth think about what he thought of you think about everything that he did for you that he died for you he thought you were worth saving if there was ever an exchange that happened there's nothing that we could give him that would equal what he gave for us because he gave his only begotten son and he gave his life and he came and he shed his blood and he died he didn't just die a regular old death he died the most gruesome death that you could die he was he thought you were worth saing no matter what the world says about you today no matter how you feel about yourself no matter what you scrolled through and compared yourself to this week I've come to tell somebody on this Sunday morning that God thought you were worth saving God thought you were worth dying for God thought you were worth taking Nails in his hands God thought you young man were worth a crown of thorns what an exchange we will never never be able to make that the only way that we can exchange is to give our life because it goes back to that worth it's that great exchange and I've come to comfort you today that just as as he gave his life for you if you'll give your life for him he's coming back Revelations 22 he closes this entire book Pastor you want to preach at any moment you do this mic is yours you put on that lapel just start talking Revelations 22 the book closes the entire book all 66 our life will be weighed in the balance with this thing and it all comes to an end and he says behold Revelations 22 and2 and behold I come quickly somebody say quickly quick quickly blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book that's verse number seven verse number 12 and behold I come Qui quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according to his work his work shall be I've come to just Comfort somebody today that it's going to be worth it all Revelations 22 and verse number 20 he which T testify these things saith surely I come quickly amen even so come Lord Jesus the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen every word every promise every truth every thing we preach and live by was all settled by this this closing remark is I'm coming as quick as I can I'm coming that you might have life and you might have it not just more abundantly but you might have eternal life in a kingdom that you don't comprehend but he says I'm coming I'm coming you can hear a longing in his voice I've come to comfort you with some words today that he is coming and I've come to ask you I don't know about you but I'm ready he've waited there's this longing throughout the scripture there's this longing there's this anticipation that you can see as you turn the pages he desires and so he closes it all out where I'm coming as quick as I can you say do you know when absolutely not do do do you have any idea no I have in fact if you want to know one thing when it comes to my theological uh brain up here of trying to process scripture the one thing that I don't know and frankly I hate to be this guy but I don't think really matters is when or whether it's post or pre or you're not going to find me living in the Book of Revelations very much why because I just going to be ready I'm a very logical mind it don't make no sense to think that if I can't live for God now with a church with the Holy Ghost with all that he's done for me if I can't do what if you can't live for God on these pews you think you're going to turn down a Mark that says you've got to take this for your family I don't think so I I'm here today to tell you I don't know when but he's told me in closing his entire book I'm going to come as quick as I can and there's not one more thing that has to be dotted acrossed in order for him to split the clouds and to call this church home he's coming he's coming I hope you can feel it as I turn the pages if you really start and there's nothing I took a I took a a couple of master classes on on just writing and how uh Malcolm Gladwell and all these guys they do these things and they teach and I I took this long series of this guy and he said he said I don't I don't I don't start at the beginning I start at the end I know where I'm going and that's how I depict how I write I'm going to conclude before I do anything I know how the story is going to end we know how the story is going to end and if I go to the end of the book he says one thing three times I come quickly I'm coming you say I don't know when he's coming but he's coming as fast as he can and if you'll look at the end and then scroll back through the scriptures he's it's as if he said I waited on Noah to build an ark I waited on the water to rovate the earth I waited on Abraham to separate from lot I waited on lot to get out of Sodom I waited on Jacob to change his name I waited on Joseph in pits and prisons and everywhere else I waited on Moses 40 years in Egypt and I had to wait on him 40 years in the wilderness I waited on Israel to spy out the land I waited on Samson's hair to grow back I waited on Samuel to anoint David I waited in a garden till my sweat became as drops of blood and they would come pick me up as they would betray me I waited 6 hours on a cross and I waited 3 days in a tomb I even waited in an upper room to Endo you with power from on high and I'm waiting I feel the longing of scripture that he just wanted to tell us at the end of the book I'm coming as quick as I possibly can I know some of you feel like you've been beat up I know some of you feel like you can't get a good news to save your life but he's telling somebody today he's telling some daddy today he's telling some family today I'm coming as quick as I can there's a desire there's a longing that God is going to show up you say he may not come when you want him to he may not be right where you want him to right now but he's going to be just right on time the Lord wants me to tell somebody today the Lord wants me to tell tell the church today that he's coming the groom is anxiously awaiting his bride I hope you want to see him because he's coming as fast as he can and I don't hope you there's nothing more more intriguing than knowing that as you begin to preach the comforting words of the thessal that first Thessalonians pastors that get read at funerals all of a sudden the thing that comes back to your mind is songs that you grew up singing just how many of them rattle off the end ofor you didn't do anything you didn't do anything around my grandfather without him being Lord willing the Lord don't come back they anticipated it they didn't they didn't they didn't take it lightly they didn't look at anything and I can imagine him living in this day and knowing the things that are happening in this hour I I just want to ask somebody is Heaven on your mind because if Heaven's on your mind it'll make you look p through the rest of the book in a totally different light and maybe you can look back at the pages of your life and you could turn back a few weeks or you could turn back a few months and it'll help you with even what's coming tomorrow just to know that he's coming and he's he he wants to to to comfort you today with the the knowledge of knowing that he's coming let's

go back from Revelations 22 to Revelations 21 Revelations 21 and verse number one it says and I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away and there was no more sea and I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from from God out of Heaven prepared as a bride adorned adorned for her husband and I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death I don't know about you but this sounds like a good thing neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away and he that sat up on the throne said behold I make all things new and he said unto me right for these words are true and faithful I've come to you with some comforting words today and he said unto me it is done I am not just Alpha but I am Omega I'm not just the one who began a work in you I'm not just the author I am the finisher I'm not just the one who put you in the waters of baptism and allowed you to take upon my name but I'm going to make all things new the things that you thought that you could never get over the things that you thought that you could never get Beyond he says I am the beginning and the end I will give unto thee the a thirst of Fountain of Water of Life freely and he that overcomes shall inherit all things I don't know about you but I have been working in a kingdom that will never end that he said I'm going to inherit something and I'm looking to inherit not just some things but I'm looking to inherit all things all things I will be his God he shall be my son he that overcometh oh I want to see him look upon his face no more pain no more fear no more cancer sister Rhonda no more Hurt No More Lies no more crying no more death no more heart all the loved ones that have gone on oh what a funeral yesterday brother Dave oh the comforting words today is that he's coming the comforting words for the Bryant family is that he's coming the comforting words for the Sullivan family is he's coming brother Jacob I know it hurts I know I know we think back we could turn the pages of all the Death that has come to just this local church over the past couple years even trading back to to to co and we see that it can be frustrating it can ask we can ask questions we never thought we could ask and we we see all the things and and it seems so frustrating and it seems like is there even a God and what what is the the reason for this but I've come to comfort you today to let you know that you got to keep thinking from the back of the book to the front of the book he he he said before he said he said that lamb was slain before the foundation of the world he works that way he don't work in time he he's not here looking he's looking down upon us and being able to be a comforter but Brother Andy holl is is where we all want to be you got to look at it from the back of the book to the front of the book The the world is wicked and and the the things are happening and all the things I want to comfort a mother today I want to comfort some college student today I want to comfort some young people today and let you know the Lord is coming back after you comfort one another with these words he's coming back the early church had persecution in ways that we could definitely identify with today but in some ways we definitely could not people were being murdered they had a way of greeting one another it reminds me of previous generations and many of you have heard this but just let me remind you of the the the the encouraging comforting words the conversation of that day was Maranatha Marin that was the the term they would use it was an Aramaic word that means the Lord is coming see I I I just don't get that language I it's so it's it's become so uncommon of the way that we react to things but in that day it would have been hey the Lord's coming I know you're dealing with something you down here in the Altar and you can pray and you can speak and you can say but their their words would have been hey the Lord's coming their way of looking at things would have been God's coming back he's coming back after so the reason we do all that we are doing is that that he's coming Marin the early Church in the midst of persecution in the midst of things that were going on in the midst of of this this Roman rule that was not easy to live under the Romans required everyone to declare that that Caesar was good and the early Christians knew that there was only one God and there was only one lord and there was only one faith and Jesus Christ and an all good conscience they could not call Caesar Lord right and we've got to remember that as well there's not ever a time that we can compromise our beliefs that's right no matter what we're we're we're challenged with the Romans looked upon that that these people as traitors and they persecuted them they put them to death they they mocked and ridiculed them they didn't get opportunities they didn't get the the the the privilege and so they were living under these adverse conditions and the believer's morale was lifted by The Only Hope was Maranatha right the Lord is coming I've come to speak to somebody that you feel like you're in the lowest of lows and you feel like that you've got some things going on and you feel like that you just can't get above it you can't get Beyond it and you felt this way for some time maybe months perhaps years I've come to tell you today the Lord is here and the Lord hears you and he's got a comforting word for you keep doing what you're doing keep pressing toward the mark keep working in a kingdom that perhaps everybody else around you or others around you maybe even family members don't understand they don't comprehend they don't see the worth they don't see the value I've come to encourage you this morning that no matter what you're going through he's coming for you and right now he's preparing a place that he can come quickly and take his bride home to hold on don't give up don't throw in the towel you've done too much I know you've cried some tears and I know you fought some battles but maratha don't give up behold the bridegroom cometh be continually sounding in your ears let it continually ring let you wake up with the back of the book in your ears that he's coming the Lord is coming if there's anything that we ought to keep on our minds as the people of God as the Church of God if there's anything that we ought to allow to always be in the ear of our young people always be in the ear of our our our students no matter the age just God is coming back after the church you say why do we do everything we do because of first of all first and foremost what he did for us but he's prepared a place for us and he has gone away and the whole plan is not just salvation the plan is sanctification the plan is that we be glorified the plan is that we get to participate in the last pages of the book maratha behold the bridegroom cometh I just want to encourage you today our opening text 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Revelations 4:1 says after this I looked and behold a door was open in heaven first voice I heard was as if it was a trumpet talking with me and he said come up hither and I will show Thee the things which must be must be here there herea Hereafter there are a couple times we see in the Bible that a trumpet is mentioned there is a couple different types of trumpets there's a a Rams Horn and then there's a trumpet of silver the Ram's Horn was used for sacrifice in the Year of Jubilee in the Bible if you study it was the Ram's horm that was used in multiple stories like the walls of Jericho it was a time of Jubilee it was a time of Victory the walls of Jericho represent Deliverance you will see that that that Ram's Horn horn is there and you'll you'll see a a a corresponding thing that that happens that that one trumpet required blood it required blood and the silver trumpet was used for atonement it was a call to Israel to be a witness it was a call to Ministry it was a time uh you would call uh for consecration it would be a call to worship it would be a call to assemble and this obviously trumpet was was was formed through fire and we see that this correlation takes place and if if if you see these the layout of scripture and how it's all panned out there's these trumpets that were continually it was almost as if that Maranatha it was that the same way that that final trumpet was going to sound they would use the same thing as they uh that they would use the same trumpet to call to assembly as they would the trumpet that they would hear in the last days they would blow that trumpet every time they were to come together they would use that trumpet and they would yield this this sound of the trumpet and and everybody would all of a sudden stop and it would call to remembrance what they were supposed to be doing right but the ultimate sound of that trumpet I don't know if I can blow this thing or not this might be the most comical thing we're going to make it on the internet today thank you brother they blow the trumpet because it reminded them of the end of the book so if you're going to live the pages of the law if you're going to live the consecration you've got to be reminded that there's a prize at the end of the path you don't get the prize without the path but you won't stay on the path without the prize it's like the old carrot in front of the donkey huh when you get done working you get the carrot but he's got to keep his eye on that carrot if he's going to keep plowing if he's going to keep working and some of us we wonder why we have wavered we wonder why middle of the week or or maybe on a Tuesday morning we just have difficulty in consecration I just can't I can't seem to to to fall in love with prayer I can't seem to fall in love with reading the word of God I can't seem and so Wednesday night we have to come together and there a little different tone there and remind ourselves why we're doing what we're doing that's right and so you say how is Christianity at the state that it's in today in our world because 80% claim that they are on the fence of whether or not there's a hell that number one selling book about three years ago was called erasing hell they don't want to think about the end therefore you can't stay on the path you can't get up and preach about hell without being called a fearmonger that's right you can't get up and talk about the Rapture without praying on people's emotions it's an agenda to try to get you off the path because they realize if your eyes not on the prize if you're not thinking about the end of the book you can't live the book if you don't hear the trumpet for the call to assemble to worship you're going to forget about the trumpet that's going to call you home and so today I've come to just remind somebody I've come to sound the trumpet and let somebody to know forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as a manner of he says as you see the day approaching because it's more important today that we make sure that we are our family is every opportunity we're in the house of God to remind us this is why we do what we do it's more important than anything else it's more important than any promotion it's more important was a trumpet they called them to assembly it was the trumpet that was the sounding the alarm Paul says 1 Corinthians 14 and8 for the trumpet give any uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the battle they use the trumpet for sacrifice they use the trumpet to remind us that you're going to bring of your time your talent your treasure is a trumpet to remind them of their Covenant it was a trumpet to remind them of sacrifice and offerings it was a trumpet that puts everything into perspective and David says I will praise him I'll praise him and I'll lift up my voice like a trumpet you said why do you get so loud why do you do all the things that you do why do you you you you get so he says with the at the sound of the trumpet it was the thing that they would sound off brother Fuller and they'd all of a sudden they'd all start dancing they'd sound off that trumpet and all of a sudden and everybody start worshiping it it was it was it was like uh let let me try to think of a way there there's a level of worship that happens in this place but if Pastor ever gets up and starts singing there's just another level of worship that happens you can say what you want to but when he starts singing from the pull pit to the door you know his song huh get him in the right key and this place goes crazy crazy it's as if there's worship going on in the Bible and all of a sudden somebody gets up and at the sound of the trumpet all of a sudden the place goes crazy yeah because those that just came in lack aasal and those that just came in and they had forgotten because Wednesday had done them bad and this week the didn't deals didn't go through and this had happened and that had happened Happ and they had gotten this report and they had got that report and this was going on and I just can't believe he said this and she said that and this and we got we got messed up into the world system and we become so petty and we all of a sudden you're reminded that I I'm not living for all that I'm reminded that there is a kingdom that's beyond what I'm living right I know that it may through the week it might become a big deal and through the week it might be overwhelming but when I come together and the man of God all of a sudden starts blowing a it's a reminder to every person to every individual to every situation hey that's not why we're here don't get distracted don't get your you got to stay on the path there is a prize you're going to receive an eternal crown of righteousness don't you dare give up don't you dare throw in the towel don't you dare there's a reward the trumpet put things into perspective praise him with the sound of the trumpet cuz soon and very soon that's all you're going to be doing that's all heaven will be it's a comforting sound it's a comforting word this morning that he's coming quickly let's look at

this Revel Gans 12:9 and the Great Dragon was cast out the old serpent called the devil and Satan deceived the whole world he was cast into the Earth and the Angels were cast out with him and he heard a loud voice saying in heaven now has come salvation strength and the kingdom of God and the power of His Christ for the accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony sounds like two horns to me and they love not their lives unto death therefore Rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the Devil is come down unto you having great wrath some of you are feeling that some of you if you're not careful you will become fixated on that if you're scrolling through news and watching news and seeing the things that are happening you will become anxious you'll become you just it's something that overwhelms you and there's a great wrath that is against us and he is seeking us the Bible tells us that as a roaring line seeking whom he may devour and if you're he's pursuing you more than you're pursuing the prize you'll get yourself in a place you don't want to don't want to be but he's having great wrath because he knows that he has but a short time the devil knows he's got a deadline do you the devil knows that his time is short do you God forbid that the devil have more of a view on what's going on in scripture than we do because some of us we don't say it with words but in our actions we just claim to believe the devil does that and he trembles some of us believe and don't even have a response I've come to tell somebody today that he knows his time is short do you you realize that the pages are turning in scripture and the prophecies are being for C and everything is happening but some of us are not living like it I I I want to ask somebody today the devil's working hard are we the devil's working on his kingdom are we he knows his time is ticking he's working overtime he's got great wrath and I know you're feeling it but there's some that I just want to encourage somebody but also in that encouragement of those comforting words I want to challenge you today just to remind you that today is about heaven it's about eternity I I want these words today to be comforting you say Well they're not very comforting because I don't know where I'm going to spend eternity they're comforting based upon your condition he says Comfort one another with these words and the reason that those words are not preached except when there's a casket laying in front of all right is because it's become confrontational to our current culture but God forbid it become confrontational to our current condition we've got to make sure today that my condition of my heart my Covenant relationship with God allows these words to be comforting you say well it's not very comforting it feels more like you're stepping on my toes it feels more like you're making me uncomfortable in the Pew today talking about some things that I don't really want to think about you're not on the path if you don't have a prize in front of you you have deceived yourself into thinking that you're going to inherit something that you have not invested in I just want to remind you today these are comforting words I can feel the devil talking to somebody today just put it off to tomorrow just put it off to tomorrow you'll do that once you get that once you get that job once you get those things settled once you get that once you get married once you get this taken care of once you guys have kids once you get that house built once you get that promotion once you get that just put it off Luke 17- 26 says as it as it was in the days of Noah shall it be also in the days of the son of man they did eat they drink they married wives they were given in marriage until the day of Noah and entered the Ark and the flood came and destroyed them all and by faith Noah being warned of God Hebrews 11: 7 being warned of God of things not seen as yet that's the problem you say I can't see it I don't really that's Faith right that's faith faith in something you cannot you didn't see it no if he's splitting the crow the cloud just too late you can't wait till you see it pan you can't wait till you hear this thing when you hear this thing every knee it's without option your choice the will of man is now but there's coming a there's coming a day he says as it was in the days of Noah it's going to be that way he said by faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved withar compassion Grace and love and mercy one of those more tangible words one of those more warm and fuzzy words in Christianity no fear moved with fear you say well by faith Noah yeah but Faith didn't move him fear did you're talking about a man that was described with a word that don't even really get to get to full fruition till the New Testament Noah found Grace when who knew what Grace was Noah finds Grace and we don't really see grace until the New Testament he finds Grace but he wasn't moved with Grace he was moved with fear and there's times in your life where things are shaking you and things are moving in your life to remind you that he's coming Jude said some have compassion making a difference and others saved with fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the Garment spotted by the flesh Matthew 10:28 Jesus says himself and fear not them which can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul soul and Body in Hell Jesus spoke like that don't allow the culture to take your eyes off the prize don't allow let's really get real for a moment don't allow culture to take your eyes off the consequence it's a priz if it's comforting but if you're conditioned it it can be consequences there's a heaven and there's a hell second Peter 3 and verse number8 but but beloved be not ignorant of this one thing everybody say this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years as a thousand years as one day he's reminding you that there's way more to the end of this thing than there is there's way more beyond the end of the book than there is in the book right it's it's more you you got to look at it from the end to the beginning the Lord is not slack concerning his promises as some men count slackness but his longsuffering to us were not willing that any should perish not anybody not nobody not anybody I want to stress that to you today it's for everybody but that all should come to repentance but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall shall melt with fervent heat in the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up yes there will be consequences the Bible actually we don't we don't really like it we don't sing about it but so many times he doesn't say he'll turn your mour to laughter in fact double the amount of times I wish I had time in scripture to show you he says you need to turn your mning to weeping you need to reverse your emotions because you don't get to God but through repentance you only get to him through an altar you don't dance your way through an altar that's right you lay yourself on an altar right and just as the scripture deps he spends a good bit of time depicting what hell's going to look like perhaps it's even in even in scripture a little bit easier even though it's seems to it have enlarged itself in the things that we know there's there's some things there that we could maybe depict even a little bit better than the way Heaven is I I just want to remind somebody today that he's coming the most comforting words in scripture is I come quickly he's coming to your situation he's coming to your need he's coming to everything that you need today you say well I don't feel him I'm telling you he's coming is he's coming you you most of us right now you you can't see what he's doing we can't see that he's working but he's come he's already in your situation but he's coming to open your eyes to what he's been doing for some time if you could if you could just see what the Lord is doing he's preparing a place for us and I want to encourage you today with some comforting words that he's coming if you come to the piano this morning Mark chapter 13

and verse number 31 Heaven and Earth shall pass away Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words everybody say that with me my words shall not pass away everything else is going to pass away but he said Comfort one another with these words why because these words aren't going anywhere you stand to your feet but of that day and that hour knoweth no man know not the angles which are in heaven neither the son but the father take ye heed watch and pray but you know not when the time is for the son of man he say a man taking his a far Journey who has left his house and gave authority to his servants to every man his work and commanded the porter to watch watch ye therefore for you know not when the Master of the House cometh at even or at midnight or at the crowing or in the morning lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping yes I hope somebody hears the word of the Lord today oh yes Lord and what I say unto you I say unto all watch somebody say that with me today watch watch watch how can you be watching for something that you don't think about some of us I'm guilty I stand before you today I getting the structure and the plan and the organization and is this right is that right are we the band doing this is the sound good is the lights right is we got the structure and the service layout and everybody's where they're supposed to be is the Cofe shop this is this happening we got people here we got and even within the structure and the confines of what we call spirituality we forget to watch yes I'm thankful for every aspect of what we call church but there's one reason and one reason only we are the bride and the most comforting words that I can give you today no matter what state of life you're in no matter what season of life in no matter where you're at young and old is that he's coming and he's preparing a place right now that each and every person no matter if you go in the Rapture or you go like our dear brother Andy Holland did this morning what a reward what a reward that's what it's all about it's all about the end of the book it's all about living beyond and taking the words the comforting words with us that's what's never going to fail it's never going to leave us it's never it's forever settled forever settled it's not going anywhere so I bring you something today I bring you some words today that perhaps you could grab a hold of and for the next few moments in this altar could we all just ask oursel are you ready because if you're ready you'll be watching if you're ready you'll be trying to take people with you if you're ready if that perspective allows you to live in a in a way that that flourishes the kingdom of God it's a rewarding way because you're watching it's it's what if I keep what matters at the Forefront it'll make everything else make sense so I'm here to ask a church today if you're a guest today we welcome you to be a part of this but I'm asking a church today if you want to be ready and if you want to be a part of this watching bride would you make your way up to this altar today and could we before we pray with anybody else could we just take a little bit of inventory of our life and just say God I want to be ready whatever position you want to choose if you want to fall down on your knees and pray if you want to lift your eyes to the heels from which cometh your help I challenge you today are you ready are you ready are you ready are you ready there's a sound of a trumpet that's going forth to remind you that there's a sound of a trumpet that's going to split the clouds one day and call you home holy God holy God come on that's it let the Lord come on let the Lord remind you today he's for you he's with you come on he's for you he wants you to prosper he wants you to flourish but you you got to stay reminded of the prize you got to stay reminded of the reward you got to keep your feet planted you got to keep pressing on come on for just the next few moments I'm asking every person every musician every production worker every person in this room could you just lift your hands could you lift your voice could you take inventory your life God forbid that we get so busy that we forget that there's a reason why we do what we do come on it's going to be worth it all it's going to be worth it all one day it's going to be worth it all