Purpose for Prophecy

Is it important to know prophecy? Title of the sermon today is, The Purpose for Prophecy. At least, a purpose for prophecy.

Is it important to know? Should you get into it, so to speak? Some people look at prophecy as an absolute waste of time, especially younger generations. Prophecy has sort of fallen out of favor. Other people think it's a distraction from reality, like fantasy. Another common criticism is that prophecy is always negative. What is up with that? It's always negative.

But, in fact, about one-third of the entire Bible is prophecy.

Is it important to know about the beast, the false prophet, the two witnesses, which I understand you learned about last week, the abomination of desolations, times, time, and half a time, 42 weeks, Gog and Magog, Babylon the Great, the bulls of wrath, the trumpets, the woes, etc.

For some people, that's all they're into. For other people, they couldn't care less. Or worse, they cringe when they hear the term prophecy. So, why did God give prophecy? Was it so that we could know the future and prepare for disaster to save our physical life? Or is there much more important reason why God is foretelling his master plan before things unfold? What does God want you, specifically, personally, to get out of prophecy? That's what we're going to talk about today. There are many purposes for prophecy, including just giving credibility to God. God calling the beginning or the end from the beginning gives him absolute authority in everything that he does. So, that's one purpose for prophecy. But what about for you? In your everyday life, what does prophecy, one third of the Bible, do for you? God did not give us prophecy so that we can prepare for disaster. Another way to put that is, the purpose for prophecy is not to watch the clock. The United Church of God has many great resources online. We have commentary, which, if we're all going through that Deuteronomy reading, we're going through the commentary that we wrote. Well, there's another resource online as well, and it is our free Bible study guides at freebiblestudyguides.org. I would recommend that if you don't know what to teach your children and you're looking for a family study. It's a great resource to go to. freebiblestudyguides.org. And this is from series three, lesson 13. I'm just going to quote from it on why we shouldn't be watching the clock or using prophecy to watch the clock. Quote, the following is a well-known story in history of the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association. In 1987, NCAA basketball regional finals underdog LSU was leading the top-seated Indiana by nine points with only five minutes left in the game. But as often as the case with a team in the lead, LSU players began watching the clock rather than wholeheartedly playing the game. As a result of this shift in focus, the tough Indiana team closed the gap and moved ahead by one point. LSU missed the shot at the buzzer for a heartbreaking defeat. Indiana went on to become the NCAA champions. The lesson for us? While Jesus said we are to stay aware of the signs of the times, he made it clear that we should stay focused like Jesus was on doing the will of him who sent him and to finish his work. John 4, verse 34. As we await the second coming of Christ, instead of watching the clock and getting distracted, we should serve God in such a way that Christ, when he returns, will say, well done, good and faithful servant. Matthew 25 and verse 21. End quote. So I thought that was a good point of view.

Prophecy is not so that we can become preppers. Although the American Red Cross does suggest that in any area that's subject to natural disasters like Florida, for example, and hurricanes, you should have at least three months supply on hand for any disaster. I know my wife and I keep our pantries stocked because San Antonio has all kinds of natural disasters that we could go through. So you might call us preppers, but we're not preppers with bunkers. We're preppers with food and cooking supplies and the ability to hopefully heat our home if we lose power. That sort of thing.

But that's not what we use prophecy for. What I want to do is I want to take a look at a commonly misunderstood statement from Jesus that when we properly understand it, we will gain and understand the main reason why prophecy is so important to Christians in our lifetime today. This verse is often misunderstood to mean, pay attention to world news. But it doesn't. Jesus was talking about something else in his own words. He sets the context for what he means with this verse. And this verse, which is our key verse for the sermon today, does not mean watch world news, although we should. And I'll get to that in a moment. So please don't be offended if you're a news junkie, because you still should be. But not because of this verse. Luke 21 and verse 36. Luke 21 and verse 36. This will be our key verse today. He says, watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. When people read this, and they read the word watch, they think it means watch Fox News.

You know, we should discern the times. We should watch the news. And Jesus and his disciples, later his apostles, told us to pay attention to the news. And we should do that. Just not in Luke 21 and verse 36. If you want the verse that tells you to watch the news, that's Matthew 16. Let's go there. Let's just take a detour for a moment. Just so you know, I'm not saying don't watch the news. I'm saying pay attention to the news. That's just not what Luke 21 verse 36 is about. Matthew 16 verse 1. Then the Pharisees and the Sadducees came and said, testing him, and asked him if he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, When it is evening, you say it will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. Hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times? Now that's the news. We're supposed to watch and listen to current events, discern the times. So keeping up with the news is very important. Let me be very clear about that. My wife and I discuss the news almost every single day. Together we watch both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions. We're here on vacation, just taking a break, stepping out of life for a moment and just taking some downtime. Yet we watch the debate. It's very important between the two candidates for president. You know, we stopped our vacation and paid attention to the signs of the times. That is very important. So I'm not saying don't watch the news, but I am making the point about what Jesus meant in Luke chapter 21 and verse 36. Jesus in Luke 21 and verse 36 wasn't talking about watching the news when he said, watch. That's not what he meant. I'll show you you're supposed to know prophecy because you're supposed to watch something other than the news. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the news. So Matthew 16 tells us to watch the news and pay attention to what's going on around you. But in Luke 21, Jesus was talking about watching something else that gives us the purpose of why a Christian should know there is an end point coming.

That Jesus Christ's return is certain and there is something that you are supposed to watch every time you learn prophecy. In order to get the context of what Jesus meant in verse 36, let's start a couple of verses up in Luke 21 and verse 34. And notice Jesus' own words of what we're supposed to watch. Take it from his own mouth. Luke 21 and verse 34, but take heed, in other words, pay attention to yourself.

Lest your hearts. Your heart. What is your heart? It is your innermost thoughts, your character.

Are you growing to the stature and the fullness of Christ? Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with what?

Carousing and drunkenness. Just living life like we heard in the sermonette. Sitting in that parking lot and not doing anything with that full tank.

Carousing, giving into your desires. Drunkenness. And the cares of this life. And the day come on you unexpectedly. Not paying attention to the fact there is an end point, not only to your life, but to this dark world. And a much better day is coming. And your heart needs to be prepared. Verse 25, for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the earth. Why? Because they're not watching Fox News? No, because they're carousing and getting drunk and paying attention to the cares of this life.

They're not paying attention to their heart, their innermost motives, their character. And that's what leads up to verse 36. Watch therefore. Watch what? Your heart.

And pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. So watching the news is a good thing, discerning the times that we live in. But it is your heart in Luke 21 and verse 36 that Jesus meant.

Let's go to another very, very important prophecy, the Olivet prophecy in Matthew chapter 24.

We use Matthew chapter 24 as a bit of an overview and outline that fits pretty much every other prophecy about the return of Christ into. If you use Matthew 24 from Jesus' own words, then you can make sense out of prophecy because it all fits together and it leaves room for very little debate and very little argument. Matthew 24 is such a good overview prophecy, and it's from Jesus' own words. Matthew 24 and verse 12. Notice the emphasis that Jesus puts on prophecy as he's giving one of the most important prophecies in the entire Bible. Matthew 24 and verse 12, he says, "...and because lawlessness will abound." What is lawlessness? It is immoral behavior. It is behavior that comes from an ill heart. Because lawlessness will abound, the love, which is a heart issue, of many will grow cold. Notice how Jesus is tying prophecy into your conversion, into your heart, lawlessness and love. Verse 13, "...but he who endures to the end shall be saved." So you might say that prophecy helps your salvation. We can surmise from this passage that lawlessness, which is a moral issue, is not physical preparedness, and salvation is the purpose for prophecy. In your personal life, prophecy should prompt you to watch your heart, to become more like Jesus Christ, so that you are there, right there by his side, when he returns, to help other people to learn to watch their heart. You and I, we are firstfruits. We're supposed to go first. The prophecy in Matthew 24 continues. It goes on to talk about how we treat each other, to talk about behaving morally or immorally. Then he goes right into talking about the parable of the ten versions. You know, the converted who have oil and those who don't have oil, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Then he goes into talking about the wicked servant who wasted his talents, who didn't grow and overcome. Notice all of these conversion issues are embedded into one of the most important prophecies in the Bible, because prophecy and your heart are interconnected. There's no mention of whether or not the wicked servant who wasted his talents knew who the two witnesses were. Personal growth and moral behavior are the desired outcome of prophecy. I know this is a review for some of you, because Mr. Kinebeck told me he gave a very similar sermon to this about a year ago. So, it's good to review. The very next parable in this prophecy, Matthew 24, is about the coming king. And what does the coming king do? He separates the sheep from the goats. Again, a moral issue. A heart. A heart issue. How does he delineate?

In how you treat other people. Those who are naked and you give them clothing. Those who are hungry and you feed them. Matthew 24 and 25, one of the most important prophecies in the Bible, sets the framework for how we interpret the timeline of other prophecies. Yet, most of that prophecy is focused on what kind of person we become, and not how well you can interpret prophecy. Why is it important to know prophecy? Why did God give you the end at the beginning?

What was his goal for giving you prophecy? Not so that you can be a know-it-all.

Some people, like I'll give a Bible study, and sometimes some people just go on and on and on about how much they know about prophecies and this prophet, and go here and go there. And they'll comment in Bible study, and they'll just sort of take five or ten minutes to discuss how much they know about prophecy. But does that accomplish anything in your heart?

Rather, prophecy should help save your eternal life. It should give you a warning and let you know God is building a family. I personally have been called to be in that family, and I must grow to become like God in Jesus Christ. So prophecy, while sometimes it's very sobering, isn't actually negative at all. It's extremely positive. Prophecy prompts us towards salvation. It has a positive purpose. It produces a positive outcome. God is a very busy person, and He is very busy bringing many sons and daughters into His kingdom, back to the Tree of Life. Sons and daughters into glory is what He's doing. And prophecy helps us. It fits into that overall plan by showing you how it will come about. And one of the most important keys—and personally, I find this fascinating—because you hear it mentioned from Jesus and from the other apostles sprinkled through the Old Testament, or through the New Testament, I mean. But when you actually see the magnitude of what these few comments actually mean, to me, I know I'm a nerd, but I geek out over these kind of things. One of the most important keys to understanding prophecy is that it all relates to somehow what God is doing to save mankind through Jesus Christ. In fact, you could say the entire Old Testament—what we call the Old Testament, Jesus and the apostles call the law or the law and the prophets—relates to what God is doing to save mankind through Jesus Christ. If you can gain that perspective on prophecy, then you will understand the purpose for prophecy in your life. If you miss the Jesus Christ connection in prophecy, if you miss that crucial point, then prophecy's benefit to you will truly be lost. Now, not every prophecy is directly about something that Jesus will do. Sometimes the prophecy is about the beast or the false prophet. While many prophecies do directly relate to something Jesus will do, but not all of them do, all prophecies in the Bible, whether indirectly or directly, have some kind of relation to Jesus Christ. Notice that something Peter said after the day of Pentecost, 31 A.D., when he spoke to a crowd on Solomon's portico after he healed a man who was lame from his mother's womb. Peter said this about Christ in prophecy. Let's go to Acts chapter 3 and verse 20. Please turn there and read this with me. Acts 3 and verse 20. This is important for the remainder of the sermon. Acts chapter 3 verse 20 and 21.

Okay, verse 20. And that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the time of restoration of all things, which, now notice this, God has spoken by the mouth of all holy prophets since the world began. How many of God's prophets spoke about Jesus Christ? All of them. We miss that sometimes. It doesn't mean that every single prophecy is about Jesus directly, but every prophet pointed people to Christ. Even the beast and the false prophet and the abomination of desolation, they are dealt with directly by Christ when he returns. So even though prophecies about the beast and the false prophet or the abomination of desolation is not directly about Christ, they are written in relation to Christ for our benefit. So that way, in that way, the entire Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. Think about it from a historical point of view. The Bible talks about world-ruling empires in Daniel, right? And there will be the Babylonian Empire and then the Medo-Persian Empire, then the Greek, and then the Roman. Why didn't it mention Genghis Khan? Why did it leave out Genghis Khan? When you're looking at territory in the largest world-ruling empire on planet earth, it would be the Mongolian Empire under Genghis Khan. It dwarfed the Babylonian Empire. It dwarfed it. I mean, it took over Mongolia, China, and Russia, the largest landmass under one empire the world has ever seen.

Not mentioned in prophecy at all. Why? Because they didn't matter? Not at all. Of course, they mattered very much. But that empire did not come in contact with God's people or God's plan in any way, at least until Gog and Magog come in the scene later. They will eventually. But Genghis Khan was never mentioned because it didn't relate to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ even himself stated that the Old Testament scriptures contained prophecies that He would fulfill. Let's notice a couple of places where Jesus mentions this. Luke 24, verse 27. Luke 24, and we'll stay in Luke 24. Let's start in verse 27. Verse 27, and beginning at Moses. Now, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. So in other words, beginning at the beginning of the Bible, starting with the first page, in other words, and all the prophets.

He expounded to them in all scriptures the things concerning Himself. Starting with Genesis and going through all prophecies, He expounded how they related to Him. Drop down to verse 44. Then Jesus said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, that's the first five books of the Bible, and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me.

So what I want to do is I want to show you just a brief overview of the magnitude of how the entire Old Testament and all of its prophecies relate to Jesus Christ. When you look at it from this point of view, it sort of changes your perspective on how we view prophecy. Do we view it as a prepper's guide to survive the Great Tribulation or spiritual motivation to watch our heart? Let's start with the very first prophecy in the entire Bible. It's often called proto-evangelium. The first prophecy in the Bible is about Jesus Christ, and proto-evangelium means the first gospel in Latin.

Let's go to Genesis chapter 3 verses 14 and 15. This is to give you the setting, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve have just taken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They are expelled from the Garden of Eden, and God gives the very first prophecy directly to Satan.

Genesis 3 verse 14. So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat to dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.

He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Who is this seed? Moses is talking about in Genesis. It's the same seed mentioned in Genesis chapter 22, concerning Abraham's seed. When Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac, the journey being three days to the mountain where Abraham was supposed to do the sacrifice, in Abraham's mind, those three days and three nights, Isaac was as good as dead.

And Jesus Christ was dead in the grave three days and three nights, and that parallel is unmistakable. Then God makes this promise, which Paul later identifies as Jesus Christ. Notice Genesis chapter 22 verse 18. Now we just read in Genesis chapter 3 that the seed of Eve would bruise Satan's head. And then God continues this promise through Abraham in Genesis 22 and verse 18. And in thy seed, singular, shall all nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice, because Abraham did not withhold Isaac, his only son.

And then, let's just make sure that we're clear on this point. Paul makes it extremely clear that it was Jesus Christ who was that seed, both in Genesis 3 and 22. Galatians now, let's go to Galatians chapter 3 and verse 16. Galatians 3 and verse 16. Paul says, now to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made, he said not, and to seeds, in other words, plural, as as many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.

So the very first prophecy in the Bible and the prophecy given to Abraham were about Jesus Christ. So we've already started off and see what Jesus was talking about in Luke, where he said Moses and the prophets and the psalms were talking about me. Let's shift gears a little bit and look at a little bit more about how the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ.

And this is just a brief overview. There's so much more detail than this. But let's just consider the feast days for a moment. Think about it from how they point to Jesus Christ. First is the Holy Day, first Holy Day is Passover in the Days of Unleavened Bread. Christ is our Passover, 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 7. We read this every year during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump. Since you truly are unleavened, for indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. And during the Days of Unleavened Bread, we eat unleavened bread.

And Christ said in John chapter 6, both verse 35 and 48, I am the bread of life. It all points to Jesus Christ. Pentecost pictures what Christ is doing through the church. Trumpets pictures Jesus Christ's return. Atonement pictures Christ gathering Israel back as one nation and covering their sins with what? Christ blood. Tabernacles pictures the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

And the eighth day pictures the resurrection of all people who ever lived. They will stand before the white throne judgment of God and have a chance to all be forgiven by the sacrifice of the blood of Christ. It all points to what God is doing for mankind through Jesus Christ. All the Holy Days point to Christ and what God is doing to save mankind through Him. Okay, let's shift gears again. So we've looked at the very first prophecy in the Bible that Moses talked about Jesus Christ. We've seen that the Holy Days point to Jesus Christ.

Let's go through some of the prophets in the Psalms that Christ was talking about and just see how much is really in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ. Now, remember Peter said all prophets pointed to Jesus Christ, every single one of them. We're not going to go through every one of them today. We don't have time. But the prophets of the Old Testament definitely pointed to Christ in various ways through prophecies, types, symbols, and foreshadowing, and even that were fulfilled in His life, death, and resurrection.

So here's how some of the key prophets pointed to Christ. We'll start with Isaiah. Isaiah had so many. We'll just talk about a few. The virgin birth, Isaiah 7, in verse 14, prophesies that a virgin will conceive and bear a son. His name will be called Immanuel, which means God with us, and that was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus and described in Matthew chapter 1, verses 22 and 23. How about the suffering servant? Isaiah 53, which is often called the forbidden chapter in Judaism.

They do not read this chapter in the synagogues because it is directly about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, so they skip it, literally. Talks about the suffering servant who bears the sins of many and was led like a lamb to slaughter, pointing to Jesus' crucifixion and the atonement he provides through his suffering and death. Isaiah also describes Jesus Christ as the Messianic king in chapter 9, and we read this almost every single year at the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles.

Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7 speaks of a child who is born and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and this is fulfilled in Jesus' role as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And that's just Isaiah. What about Jeremiah? Jeremiah talks about what Jesus Christ will do, what he will accomplish by initiating a new covenant. In Jeremiah 31, it speaks of a new covenant that God will make with his people where he will write the law on their hearts and forgive their sins. And this prophecy is fulfilled when Jesus established the new covenant that is death and resurrection, which the Apostle Paul describes in Hebrews chapter 8, verses 6 through 13. What about Ezekiel? Did Ezekiel talk about... well, of course he did. All of them did. Ezekiel talks about the Good Shepherd in chapter 34, and this is just one place Ezekiel talks about Christ, where God is raising up a shepherd over his people and he has to be a descendant of David, very specific. Jesus identifies him as the Good... himself as the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10, verse 11, and fulfilled that prophecy by laying down his life for the flock. Daniel. Daniel calls him the Son of Man. That's where we read the term Son of Man. In Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, we see someone in a vision, one like the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven, given authority, glory, and sovereign power. And Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man, a title that encapsulates his role both as a suffering servant and a reigning king. And you can reference Matthew 24, where we just were, and Mark 14. What about some of the minor prophets, like Micah, for example? Micah gives the birthplace of Jesus Christ. In Micah chapter 5, in verse 2, prophecies that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, and this prophecy is explicitly fulfilled at Jesus' birth. Zechariah. Zechariah talks about a triumphal entry in chapter 9, in verse 9, for tells that the king of Israel will come to them humble and riding on a donkey. And that prophecy, of course, was fulfilled in Matthew 21, verses 1 through 5. Zechariah also talks about Jesus Christ will die by being pierced in the side. Zechariah chapter 12, in verse 10. One they have pierced and mourned. And this was fulfilled at the crucifixion, when he was pierced by a spear. John chapter 19, verse 34 through 37.

There's another one that Moses prophesied about, and this is one we often miss. And I want to give this one, because sometimes the mention of Jesus Christ, the reference to Jesus Christ, is subtle. And sometimes we completely read over it and miss the fact that all of the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. Moses said a prophet would come like him. In Deuteronomy chapter 18, in verse 15 through 19, he speaks of a prophet like himself who will come among the Israelites. And Jesus fulfills this prophecy after he feeds the 5,000 people in John chapter 6. Notice what the people say when he feeds the 5,000 with the fish and the loaves. John chapter 6 in verse 14. Then those men, who they had seen the sign of what Jesus did, said, this truly is the prophet who is to come into the world. And we read over that, because they didn't say this is the prophet that Moses mentioned in Deuteronomy chapter 18. But that is exactly what they meant. Notice from John Gill's commentary, quote, said, this is the truth that the prophet should come into the world, meaning the prophet that Moses spoke in Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 15, for the ancient Jews understood this passage of the Messiah, though the modern ones apply it to others. The ancient Jews understood that Moses was talking about Jesus Christ. So after Jesus fed the 5,000, the people realized Jesus was the one Moses was talking about. And just that little tiny detail we often miss, but it connects this mosaic, this picture, that the entire Old Testament is about what God the Father is doing through Jesus Christ to save mankind, that you and I are part of that. We're firstfruits, and we're supposed to watch something every time we hear these prophecies, and the thing that we are to watch is our character, our heart.

King David in the Psalms talked about how they would pierce his hands and his feet. We're going to skip that for time's sake. Hosea talked about how Jesus Christ would be called out of Egypt. In Hosea 11, it says, out of Egypt, I called my son. This applied to Jesus in Matthew 2, when Jesus' family had to flee to Egypt to get away from Herod, and that fulfilled that prophecy. What about Jonah? We all remember Jonah, right? The sign of Jonah. The prophet Jonah, three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, foreshadowed Jesus three days and nights in the heart of the earth before his resurrection. You can read that in Matthew 12, verses 39 and 40.

Okay, and that's just a few. There are so many more, but you see the point.

Each prophet pointed to Christ in a unique way, contributing to this mosaic of prophecies that Jesus would fulfill. The entire Old Testament points to what God is doing for mankind through Christ. God's master plan is unfolded with intricate detail if you simply have the patience to look. So, there are many purposes for prophecy, many benefits to it. Prophecy makes up about one-third of the Scriptures. It shows how God can control all things because he chooses to call the end from the beginning. The New Testament writers often refer to these prophecies to demonstrate that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. The fulfillment of God's plan is revealed through His prophets since the beginning of time. But I find it fascinating that all the Old Testament writers point into Christ. So, how does that relate to you? What's the purpose of prophecy for a Christian today? Is it all negative? Is it a waste of time? So, we learned today in our key verse in Luke chapter 21 verses 34 and 36 that we are supposed to watch something. The thing we're supposed to watch is our heart, our inner motives, our character, as we grow to become like Jesus Christ. We also discussed today that in the Olivet prophecy, one of the most pivotal prophecies in the Bible, let's go back there and let's notice something in the concluding remarks of Matthew 24 that Jesus makes to His disciples and notice how He connects watching prophecy with their moral behavior and character. Matthew 24 verse 42. Matthew chapter 24, back to the Olivet prophecy, verse 42. Notice all of the moral behavior and the moral expectations placed on us who watch. Matthew 24 verse 42. Watch, therefore, for you do not know the hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known the hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour when you do not expect. Prophecy is not about watching the clock. Verse 46. Blessed is the servant who is master when he comes finds so doing. Doing what?

Watching. Assuredly I say to you that he who make him ruler over all his goods, but that evil servant says in his heart. This is a heart issue. My master is delaying his coming.

Someone who's not watching, someone who's not paying attention, and what does this person do when they stop watching? Verse 49. And begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards. That is moral behavior. That speaks to the character and conversion, not their physical preparedness, their spiritual preparedness. Verse 50. The master of that servant when he comes on a day when he is not looking, for him at an hour when he is not aware of, will cut him in two and appoint him a portion with the hypocrites. And he says something chilling.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping and gnashing of teeth refers to the lake of fire, the final condemnation. In other words, the servant who does not watch his moral character, who does not pay attention, will also not pay attention to his own character. And what, or if he doesn't pay attention to prophecy, he's also not paying attention to his character. So what does prophecy do for you personally? Prophecy serves many purposes, but in your individual life, should you pay attention to it, it is not a waste of time. It is not a distraction. It is not a guide for preppers. Prophecy is not for watching the clock.

It's about watching your heart. There is an end point to your life, whether you live to the return of Jesus Christ or not. There is an end point, and you get to see that end through prophecy. And you see the destination where you're going, and that gives you a goal.

Your character. Are you growing to the stature and the fullness of Christ? Yes, prophecy is sometimes sober, but it's sometimes really encouraging. In fact, in the end, it's all encouraging. It foretells what God is going to do. He's going to have a really big, really happy family, and you are to be one of the first to enter that family and help Jesus Christ to help many, many more sons and daughters in the glory. Paul summed up the purpose for prophecy in a letter to Titus. Titus 2 and verse 13. Titus 2 and verse 13. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. What does God want you to get out of prophecy? Encouragement. Urgency. And as we heard in the sermonette, zeal. The book of Revelation, which is one of the most impressive prophecies in the Bible, 22 chapters of foretelling future events, both catastrophic and wonderful. Let's read the end of the book and get the reminder once again. Revelation chapter 21 verses 6 and 7. And we'll end here. Revelation 21 verse 6.

And he said to me, it is done. So at the very end, what's it going to be like? I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes. You see, that's what prophecy is about. Overcoming.

The selfish me inside. When you and I read prophecy, that's what we're supposed to get out of it. It all points to what God is doing for mankind through the blood of Jesus Christ and the life of Jesus Christ and the guidance of Jesus Christ. He who overcomes shall inherit all things. And I will be his God, and he will be my son. Prophecy. It's worth Christians getting into, delving into, not to be a prepper, not to watch the clock, not to get distracted from what your primary goal as a Christian is, and that is to watch your heart.