A Culture in Crisis

1
FLOURISHING
in
TROUBLED TIMES
2
The PROMISE
OF
TROUBLED TIMES
3
2 Tim 31

• In the last days, perilous times
• will come!

4
2 Tim 31

• In the last days, lion-like
• times will come!

5
2 Tim 31

• In the last days, very difficult
• times will come!

6
2 Tim 31

• In the last days,
• times of great trouble
• will come!

7
Matthew 243-14

• 3 what will be the sign of Your coming, and of
  the end of the age?

8
Matthew 243-14

• 5 many will come in My nameand will mislead
  many.

9
Matthew 243-14

• 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of
  wars.

10
Matthew 243-14

• 7 in many places there will be famines and
  earthquakes.

11
Matthew 243-14

• 9 you will be hated by many because of My
  name.

12
Matthew 243-14

• 10 many will fall away from the faith, and will
  betray one another.

13
Matthew 243-14

• 11 many false prophets will arise.

14
Matthew 243-14

• 12 lawlessness will increase.

15
Matthew 243-14

• 12 the love of many will grow cold.

16
2 Peter 33-14

• 3 Know this, that in the last days scoffers will
  come, mocking the truth and following their own
  desires.

17
Jude 14-19

• 14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation
  after Adam, prophesied about these people. He
  said, "Listen! The Lord is coming with countless
  thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment
  on the people of the world. He will convict every
  person of all the evil things they have done and
  for all the insults that ungodly sinners have
  spoken against him."

18
Jude 14-19

• 16 These people are grumblers and complainers,
  living only to satisfy their desires. They brag
  loudly about themselves, and they flatter others
  to get what they want. 18 And in the last times
  there will also be scoffers whose purpose in life
  is to satisfy their ungodly desires.

19
Jude 14-19

• 19 These people are the ones who are creating
  divisions among you. They follow their natural
  instincts because they do not have God's Spirit
  in them.

20
Daniel 823-25

• 23 "At the end of the rule of the princes of the
  earth, when sin is at its height, a fierce king,
  a master of intrigue, will rise to power. 24 He
  will become very strong, but not by his own
  power.

21
Daniel 823-25

• He will cause a shocking amount of destruction
  and succeed in everything he does.

22
Daniel 823-25

• 23 "He will destroy many powerful leaders and
  devastate even the holy people.

23
Daniel 823-25

• 25 He will be a master of deception and will
  become arrogant he will destroy many without
  warning.

24
Dan 121-2

• Then there will be a time of anguish greater
  than any since nations first came into existence!

25
Luke 2123-26

• 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women
  and for nursing mothers in those days. For there
  will be great disaster in the land and great
  anger against its people.

26
Luke 2123-26

• 25 "And there will be strange signs in the sun,
  moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations
  will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas
  and strange tides.

27
Luke 2123-26

• 26 People will be terrified at what they see
  coming upon the earth, for even the very powers
  in the heavens will be shaken!

28
2 Tim 31

• In the last days,
• times of great trouble
• will come!

29
God's PROVISION
in
TROUBLED TIMES
30
1 Thess 54-7

• 4 But you aren't in the dark about these things,
  dear brothers and sisters, and so you shouldnt
  be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like
  a thief in the night. 5 For you are all children
  of the light and of the day!

31
1 Thess 54-7

• We don't belong to the darkness and the night. 6
  So be on your guard, dont sleep through these
  things like the others. Stay alert and think
  clearly about all these things.

32
Dan 121-2

• Then there will be a time of anguish greater
  than any since nations first came into existence!

33
Dan 121-2

• But at that time every one whose name is written
  in the book of life
• will be rescued!

34
Luke 2128

• 28 When all these things begin to happen, stand
  strong and look up, for your salvation is very
  near!

35
Matthew 243-14

• 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
  in the whole world as a witness to Me .

36
Matthew 243-14

• 14 and then
• THE END WILL COME!

37
Dan 1132

• Those that know their God will be strong and do
  great exploits!

38
Matt 1340-43

• 40 So it will be at the end of the age, that 41
  the Son of Man will send His angels, and they
  will remove from His Kingdom everything that
  causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels
  will throw them into the fiery furnace, where
  there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

39
Matt 1340-43

• 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in
  their Father's Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear
  should listen and understand what this means!

40
Rom 819

• All of creation has been anxiously awaiting
• the day of the manifestation of Gods mature sons
  and daughters!

41
How can we FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES?
42
1 Peter 320

• 20 long ago God waited patiently while Noah was
  building his ark, in which only eight people were
  saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

43
1 Peter 320

• 20 long ago God waited patiently while Noah was
  building his ark, in which only eight people were
  saved

44
It's TIME
to
BUILD OUR ARK
45
Matthew 2437-39

• 37 "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like
  it was in Noah's day. 38 In those days before the
  flood, the people were enjoying banquets and
  parties and weddings right up to the time Noah
  entered his boat.

46
Matthew 2437-39

• 39 People didn't realize what was going to
  happen until the great flood came and swept them
  all away. That is the way it will be when the Son
  of Man comes.

47
2 Peter 34

• 4 They will say, "What happened to the promise
  that Jesus is coming again? From before the times
  of our ancestors, everything has remained the
  same since the world was first created."

48
2 Peter 38

• 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear
  friends A day is like a thousand years to the
  Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

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The "WEEK"
of
Old Testament
NT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
REDEMPTION
50
2 Peter 33-14

• 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about His
  promise to return, as some people think. No, He
  is being patient for your sake. He does not want
  anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to
  repent.

51
It's TIME
to
BUILD OUR ARK
52
We can FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES!!!
53
2 Peter 33-14

• 10 The day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly
  as a thief in the night. Then the heavens will
  pass away with a terrible noise, and the very
  elements themselves will be destroyed by fire,
  and the earth and everything in it will receive
  the judgment they deserve from God.

54
2 Peter 33-14

• 11 Since everything around us is going to be
  destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives we
  should live,
• 12 looking forward to the day of Gods judgment,
  and hurrying it along. On that day, He will set
  the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt
  away in the flames.

55
2 Peter 33-14

• 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens
  and new earth that He has promised us, a world
  filled only with God's righteousness.

56
2 Peter 33-14

• 14 And so, dear friends, while we are waiting for
  these things to happen, lets make every effort
  to be found living peaceful lives that are pure
  and blameless in His sight!

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1. Cultivating a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with the
HOLY SPIRIT!
We can FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES by
58
Rom 814

• 14 Only those who are led by the Spirit of God
  are truly the children of God.

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2. Cultivating a PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING of GODS
WORD!
We can FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES by
60
2 Tim 215

• 15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God
  as a servant that receives His full approval. Be
  a diligent worker, one who does not need to be
  ashamed and who has an accurate understanding of
  the word of truth.

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3. Making the Kingdom of God our HIGHEST
PRIORITY!
We can FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES by
62
1 John 215-17

• 15 Do not love this world nor the things it
  offers you, for when you love the world, you do
  not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For
  the world offers only a craving for physical
  pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and
  pride in our achievements and possessions. These
  are not from the Father, but are from this world.

63
1 John 215-17

• 17 And this world is fading away, along with
  everything that people crave.
• But anyone who does what pleases God will live
  forever.

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Matt 619-21

• 19 "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where
  moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where
  thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your
  treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot
  destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

65
Matt 619-21

• 21 Remember that wherever your treasure is,
  there the desires of your heart will also be.

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Col 31-4

• 1 Since you have been raised to new life with
  Christ, set your sights on the realities of
  heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor
  at God's right hand. 2 Think about the things of
  heaven, not the things of earth.

67
Col 31-4

• 3 For you died to this life, and your real life
  is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ,
  who is your life, is revealed to the whole world,
  you will share in all His glory.

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4. Cultivating strong relationships with other
sincere Christians.
We can FLOURISH
in
TROUBLED TIMES by
69
Heb 1024-25

• Motivate one another to acts of love and good
  works. 25 And DO NOT neglect meeting together
  regularly, as some people do but instead
  encourage one another to be faithful, especially
  now that the day of His return is drawing near.

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PLEASE Join a Home Group!
71
FLOURISHING
in
TROUBLED TIMES