End Times: Signs You Can’t Ignore | Living in the Last Days: Part 3

Summary

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Life.Church with Craig Groeschel

Episode: End Times: Signs You Can’t Ignore | Living in the Last Days: Part 3
Date: October 19, 2025
Speaker: Lead Pastor Craig Groeschel & Assistant Pastor

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Overview

This episode, the conclusion of a series on 1 Thessalonians, unpacks Christian teachings about the "end times," exploring biblical signs, personal readiness, and spiritual responses to living in what many consider "the last days." Pastor Craig Groeschel emphasizes that while Scripture doesn't specify when the end will come, it gives clear guidance for how believers should live in anticipation of Jesus’ return. The conversation moves through Paul’s counsel to the Thessalonians, offering practical shifts in mindset applicable to contemporary Christian life.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Study the End Times? (00:28–02:21)

• Popular Fascination: Many are interested—or anxious—about future events, as seen in constant social media speculation (blood moons, World War III, AI, cashless society).
• Modern Morality: There is widespread disregard for God and truth, with sin and immorality celebrated (00:56).
• Historical Parallels: Early Christians in Thessalonica had similar questions about Jesus’ return and how to live in uncertain times. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to provide guidance.

"He doesn't tell them when the end will come, but he tells them how to live until it does."
— Lead Pastor (01:40)

• Prayer for Urgency: The episode opens with a prayer for spiritual urgency and transformation (02:18).

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2. Three Spiritual Shifts (02:21–28:16)

Paul urges believers towards three fundamental shifts:

a. From Sinfulness to Sanctification (02:21–11:13)

• Justification vs. Sanctification: Justification is being made right with God instantly upon faith; sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more Christlike (04:53).
• Cultural Context: The Thessalonian culture normalized and celebrated sexual immorality. Paul challenges them—and by extension, us today—to sexual purity.
• Relevance Today: Pornography, hookup culture, and "anything goes" sexuality are our era's challenges.
• Spiritual Growth: Sanctification isn’t just about sexual integrity—God wants to transform our attitudes, habits, forgiveness, and self-control.

"God is not holding out on you. He's not keeping you from the good stuff. He's setting you apart for something way better."
— Lead Pastor (09:37)

• Personal Reflection: Listeners are encouraged to ask God what needs to be sanctified in their own lives.

b. From Confusion to Clarity (11:13–20:25)

• Hope in Grief: Paul reassures believers that death is not the end; Christians grieve differently—with hope—because of belief in Jesus’ resurrection (11:14–14:30).
• Personal Example: Pastor Craig describes two funerals—the difference in hope was palpable (12:29–14:30).
• Christian Eschatology: Explanation of the classic Christian timeline:
  • The Rapture: Dead in Christ rise first, then living believers are "caught up" (harpazo) to meet Jesus (17:08).
  • Tribulation: Seven-year period marked by increasing evil and the rise of the Antichrist (17:55).
  • Second Coming: Jesus returns with the Church to judge evil, ushering in the millennial reign, then final defeat of Satan and new heaven/earth (18:34–19:56).
• Approach to Doctrinal Disagreements: Recognizes multiple interpretations, urges unity and encouragement rather than division (16:33–17:07).

"You're not afraid of it. You don't worry about it. ... Encourage each other with these words. This is good news."
— Lead Pastor (19:56)

c. From Passivity to Readiness (20:25–29:26)

• Be Ready, Stay Awake: Paul urges believers to reject spiritual complacency and remain alert for Christ’s return, which will come "like a thief in the night" (21:02–23:12).
• False Security: Critiques the notion that peace comes from politics, culture, or technology—real and lasting security is only in Christ (21:49–23:12).
• Spiritual Vigilance: Use the armor of God and stay spiritually sober and alert, as our adversary is active (23:12–24:44).
• Sense of Urgency: Time is short, eternity is real, and people are dying without Jesus. Every day counts (24:47–25:19).

"Time is short, eternity is real, and people are dying every day without Jesus."
— Lead Pastor (24:47 & 25:16)

• Group Reflection Question:
  • "What would I change if I really believed Jesus could return at any moment?" (25:56)

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3. Living in the Last Days: Practical Applications (25:43–28:47)

• Life Group Challenge: Encourage discussion of readiness and personal transformation based on belief in Jesus’ imminent return.
• Recentering the Christian Life:
  • Week 1: Turn, Serve, Wait (active anticipation).
  • Week 2: Speak Boldly, Live Purely, Love Deeply, Endure Faithfully.
  • Today: Move from sinfulness to sanctification, confusion to clarity, passivity to readiness.
• Call to Action:
  • This is an urgent time, not for comfortable or casual faith, but for bold, holy living.
  • God wants to stir, shake, and move believers into greater faithfulness and impact.

"This is not the time for casual faith or comfortable Christianity. This is the moment to step into your calling, to be holy and set apart..."
— Lead Pastor (28:16)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Sin and Sanctification:
  "God may want to sanctify your mouth when you're driving your car, or sanctify a particular finger when someone cuts you off in traffic."
  — Lead Pastor (06:30)

• On Hope in Grief:
  "For one family, death felt final. The other family, it didn't feel like a goodbye. It felt like a we'll see you again in the presence of Jesus."
  — Lead Pastor (14:10)

• On Readiness:
  "Live awake, be alert, be on your guard, be ready. Be sober minded. ... We put on the full armor of God and we stand our ground by faith."
  — Lead Pastor (23:12–24:44)

• On Urgency:
  "If he doesn't return in our lifetime, you still got not a whole lot of time."
  — Lead Pastor (25:22)

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Important Timestamps

• Why talk about the end times? 00:28–02:21
• Three shifts: sinfulness to sanctification 02:21–11:13
• From confusion to clarity, hope in death 11:13–14:30
• Overview of end times events (Rapture, Tribulation, etc.) 15:17–19:56
• From passivity to readiness 20:25–24:44
• Urgency, group reflection question 25:56–26:17
• Summary of series and final challenge 27:37–29:26

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Final Reflections & Call to Action

• Personal Prayer:
  • Listeners are challenged to personally ask God: "What do you want to do in me because time is short?" (30:18–30:49)
• Invitation to Salvation:
  • For those unsure of their standing with God, an invitation is extended to receive forgiveness and become ready for Jesus’ return (32:27–35:47).
• Encouragement:
  • Live with urgency, expectation, and faith; share hope with others; be ready for Christ’s return.
  • Encourage one another. "Our king is coming back ... He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. Our king is coming soon." (29:26)

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Episode’s Central Message:
Live awake and ready—moving from sin to sanctification, from confusion to clarity, and from passive waiting to active readiness—believing that Jesus may return at any moment. Let your hope in Christ stir you towards holy living, urgency, and sharing the gospel.

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Transcript

[Life Church Host]

Welcome to Life Church. We're so glad you're here. Life Church isn't just something you listen to. It's a place where you can grow and connect. And we want to help you do just that. Visit Life Church PodcastConnect for a quick survey that will let us know more about you and the resources that would help you on your faith journey. Now, here's the message.

[Lead Pastor]

Well, a lot of people want to know about the future. A lot of people are talking about the end times. And you can scroll on TikTok or look at YouTube videos and someone's always predicting the end of the world.

[Assistant Pastor]

Have you noticed that?

[Lead Pastor]

They'll talk about blood moons and they'll talk about World War Three and they'll talk about a cashless society and maybe the imminent AI take over into the world could be coming soon.

[Assistant Pastor]

You see it everywhere.

[Lead Pastor]

And then closer to home, you see it in the way that people live. So many people today, they're living with almost no fear of God and almost no respect for truth. I mean, marriage is now mocked and life is devalued and sin is celebrated. So if you've ever wondered, are we living in the last days, you're not alone. Because about 2,000 years ago, some brand new Christians in Thessalonica asked very similar questions. And they wanted to know, when will the world end? When will Jesus return? And if he's coming back, what does that mean to me now? What does it mean to my family? How should we live? And Paul speaks directly to them in a letter that he wrote to the first Thessalonians. And he doesn't tell them when the end will come, but he tells them how to live until it does. And so today we ask God that you would speak to us. Build our faith, God, with a spiritual urgency to do your will. Share your word, share your love, believing.

[Assistant Pastor]

That we're ready when Jesus does return soon.

[Lead Pastor]

Bless the preaching of your word. May it change lives. We pray this in Jesus name. If you agree, all God's people said amen. All right, today we're wrapping up the message series on first Thessalonians. We're look at the final two chapters. We're going to do an overview of chapter four and chapter five. Let's review where we've been in case you missed previous weeks. We talked about Paul's visit to Thessalonica. You can read about it in Acts 17. When he was there, he preached on three different Sabbaths. So he was there three weeks, less than a month for sure. And a lot of people came to faith in Christ. Some of the Jewish leaders did. Some Greek people came to Christ and there was this brand new excited group of new Christians. Some of the Jewish leaders that were not Christians got angry. They didn't like Paul. They said he was a fake, his motives weren't pure. They came in hot, they were criticizing him, and they attacked him. And so Paul escaped for his life and he left these brand new Christians there going, how do we live? How do we live? What are we supposed to do? And Paul realized they didn't know how to live in the light of the possibility of the return of Christ. So he gets very practical with them, and he's gonna show them a way to shift their thinking. Instead of this, I want you to think this. Instead of this, I want you to think this. And he shows them three specific shifts in their thinking that we're gonna apply to our lives as well. He urged the believers to move in three ways. He urged the believers to move from, first of all, sinfulness to sanctification. Then he urged them to move from confusion to clarity. Then he urged them to move from passivity to readiness. And we're gonna talk about these three shifts and how we shift in our own lives. The first thing he shows them is that we're gonna move from sinfulness to sanctification. And some of you may say, what does it mean to be sanctified? And let's talk about two important words in Christianity. These are kind of theological terms that are very important. There's justification and sanctification. Both important, but they're very different things. What is justification? Well, justification is the moment that your sins are forgiven once for all. You call on Jesus, he hears your prayers, he forgives your sins. You're justified. Some people say, it's just as if I'd never sinned.

[Assistant Pastor]

You're.

[Lead Pastor]

You're justified. He forgives your sins once and for all. That's justification. Sanctification, though, is the lifelong process of becoming like Jesus. So you're justified, you're forgiven, you're sanctified. God still got some work to do on you and me as well. We could say it this way. Justification. Practically, you're right with God. Sanctification, spiritually, we still need to be conformed to the image of Christ. And so he talks about, we're gonna move from sinfulness to sanctification. He says this in chapter four, verse one. Paul says, we instructed you how to live in order to please God. If you wanna please God, there's certain ways that you're Gonna live, and he's gonna tell them how you live. What is God's will? Well, it's God's will that you should be. Here's our word. Sanctified. The lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus. It's God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in a passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God. For God did not call us to be impure, but what did he call us to? He called us to live a holy life. So we're going to move from sinfulness to sanctification. We're going to become more like Jesus now when it comes to you. When it comes to me, God wants.

[Assistant Pastor]

To sanctify a lot of different things.

[Lead Pastor]

God may want to help you overcome a gossiping spirit. That's sanctification. God may want to help you forgive someone that wronged you. That's sanctification. God may want to sanctify your mouth when you're driving your car, or sanctify a particular finger when someone cuts you off in traffic.

[Assistant Pastor]

Right.

[Lead Pastor]

I mean, let's just call it what it is. There's a lot of different. He may want to help you overcome your jealousy. For the Thessalonians, he was speaking directly to a cultural problem. Sanctification is much broader than talking about sexual integrity. But in the Thessalonian culture, this was the glaring problem. And so Paul went right to it. Sanctification is much broader, but for them, this was the glaring issue because in their culture, sexual sin wasn't just tolerated, it was celebrated. And what I'm gonna tell you is all true. It was. Married men were just almost expected to openly cheat with mistresses and prostitutes. They would literally get married, just kind of like a covering. Like, hey, I'm a good guy, and I'm gonna give money to my kids one day. But it was kind of just a covering. And everybody would just kind of look the other way when men would cheat. And in. In Thessalonica, it wasn't quite as bad as in Corinth, but they actually had temple prostitutes. And men would go in and have sex with temple prostitutes and literally call it an act of worship. Can you see why Paul is saying.

[Assistant Pastor]

You need to be sanctified, you need.

[Lead Pastor]

To live in sexual purity? And then the worst, it's all bad. Something else is bad, and it's hard to say, but it was normal for a man to Mentor a younger boy.

[Assistant Pastor]

And then would just exploit and abuse the boy in horrific ways. And people just kind of looked the other way.

[Lead Pastor]

So that's why he's speaking directly to this, because culturally, it was a big problem. Well, fast forward 2000 years, different setting, and you'd probably agree we have similar.

[Assistant Pastor]

Struggles in the sexual area.

[Lead Pastor]

Again, sanctification is much broader than that, and it's not limited to sexual integrity.

[Assistant Pastor]

But Paul is speaking to it.

[Lead Pastor]

In our culture today, you got porn, you got the hookup culture, you got gender confusion, you got anything goes sexuality. And so Paul urges them in the same way God would urge us, avoid sexual immorality. Control your body. Now, what would sexual sin be? Well, the Bible tells us that sex is a gift from God and it is reserved for the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. And any sex outside of the covenant of a marriage, that's sin. And so he's gonna just say very clearly, in other words, like, God did create sex and God gives us desires. But just because a desire is natural does not make all desires holy. So Paul teaches us that, hey, there are people who don't know God. And if they don't know God, why would they not follow their desires? If they don't know God, they would just follow their desires. My body says, do this, so I wanna do this. But he said, you do know God. So you don't live by your urges. You live by your spirit. You control your body under the power of the Holy Spirit. And you don't just do what you want, but you do what God says. And some people say, but that's not fair. God's holding out on me. I got my needs or whatever. I wanna tell you right now, God is not holding out on you. He's not keeping you from the good stuff. He's setting you apart for something way better. It is what's honorable. It's what's his will. And it's his way. And so Paul doesn't pull punches. He just says, hey, in the last days, God is moving you from sinfulness to sanctification. And I would just encourage you to ask, like, God, what do you wanna show me? And it may be sexual integrity, it may be something else. It may be your thoughts, your mind, your words. It might be your worry. It might be giving into anxiety or fear or the lies of the enemy. But we're gonna move from whatever is not God's will, and we're gonna be conformed to the image of Christ. We've been justified, now we're right with God, but we're being sanctified continually, becoming more and more like Jesus. In the last days. God is moving you from sinfulness to sanctification number two. He's moving you from confusion to clarity. From confusion to clarity. Watch what he says in chapter four, verse 13. He says, hey, we don't want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's a new phrase.

[Lead Pastor]

We'll come back to that. So that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. If you're a believer and a believer dies, you're not like everybody else at that funeral. You actually have a deeper eternal hope. He says, for what do we believe? We believe that Jesus, the son of God. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. Why is Paul talking about this? Well, there were some people, these new Christians, they were freaking out, worried that their loved ones that had already died were gonna miss out on the return of Jesus. Like, well, if they're dead, what's gonna happen to them? They're not gonna get the salvation that we have. And Paul assures them no, that when a believer dies, that's not the end. It's like they've fallen asleep in Christ. And so when we grieve as Christians, if we lose a fellow Christian, we grieve because we miss them. But we don't grieve like those who have no hope. And Amy can tell you.

[Assistant Pastor]

It had.

[Lead Pastor]

Never been more clear to us than years ago. In one week, we had two separate families that had two tragic accidents. And both families lost sons in their 20s. And so we officiated those funerals and.

[Assistant Pastor]

Tried to love the families as best we could.

[Lead Pastor]

The first family, their son died. Their son was not a Christian.

[Assistant Pastor]

And they would tell you their son.

[Lead Pastor]

Wasn'T a Christian, and they would tell you that they were not Christians, that they went to church every now and then, kind of believed in God, but they said, we're not really committed. And at that funeral, I'm telling you right now.

[Assistant Pastor]

The grief was crushing.

[Lead Pastor]

The air was so heavy, it felt like you couldn't get a breath.

[Assistant Pastor]

And so I was.

[Lead Pastor]

Trying to create.

[Assistant Pastor]

Hope when there wasn't much hope.

[Lead Pastor]

And there were people all over, I mean, wailing, wailing. The only way I could say it. It was like grief without hope, Grief without hope. It was horrific.

[Assistant Pastor]

The second family lost their son. They were very strong, very spiritually grounded. The son was one of the most mature, strong Christian leaders in his school. And it was horrific. But I'm telling you right now, the room felt different.

[Lead Pastor]

The tears were real all over the.

[Assistant Pastor]

Place, and the tears were many. But the peace was real too.

[Lead Pastor]

And they grieved. We grieved.

[Assistant Pastor]

But the grieving was different.

[Lead Pastor]

They grieved with this unshakable hope.

[Assistant Pastor]

Both families had a profound loss. But for one family, death felt final. The other family, it didn't feel like a goodbye. It felt like a we'll see you again. We'll see you again in the presence of Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

And so Paul says, hey, let's move from being confused to being clear that because we believe that Jesus died and rose again, our hope is not just.

[Assistant Pastor]

In this world, but our hope is in the goodness of God, in eternity that is to come.

[Lead Pastor]

And then, in the same vein, he continues with one of the clearest pictures of what we would call Christian eschatology.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's a good word.

[Lead Pastor]

I learned it in seminary and I wanna use it now because four years.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of seminary, I want you to know I studied.

[Lead Pastor]

And it's just a big word that means it's the study of the end times. And he's gonna teach in a few verses one of the many important portions of scripture that we look to, wondering what.

[Assistant Pastor]

What's gonna happen when Jesus returns? And so this is what Paul says.

[Lead Pastor]

He says, according to the Lord's Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, these are the believers, if we're still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, we certainly will not perceive those who've fallen asleep. The people that are dead in Christ are actually gonna go first. He's saying, he said, for the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command and with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. So those who have fallen asleep in Christ, they're gonna rise, they're gonna get glorified body, bodies, and they're gonna go and meet Jesus in the air. And after that, we who are still alive, the believers and who are left, will be caught up. We're gonna come back to the words caught up. Will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. And Paul said, this isn't something to be afraid about. It's not something to worry about. He said, this is something to be excited about. Therefore encourage one another with these words. This is very, very good news. Now, how's it gonna go down? I'm gonna tell you exactly, precisely how it's gonna go down. And anyone who disagrees is wrong. I'm joking. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna give you a traditional view of end time events. And I'm gonna tell you just very clearly that this is debated and disputed. What I'm gonna give you is kind of the classic, most generally accepted viewpoint. But there are very smart people who say, no, this goes here and this goes there and this, that and the other. And so the vast majority of people are gonna believe what I'm gonna teach you, but I'm gonna acknowledge right now the Bible's just not totally clear. And so this isn't a place where we should fight each other. We should still love each other. That's important. And I'm gonna give you the kind.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of the classic view.

[Lead Pastor]

The first thing that's gonna happen is there's gonna be the Rapture. And this is the place where, remember, the dead in Christ rise and those who are still alive are caught up in the air. Caught up. This comes from the Greek word harpazo. And this word means to rescue, to snatch suddenly, to carry away. Suddenly. It's like if you could imagine your toddler is about to run out into the street. What do you do? Harpazo that little kid, whoa, get back here. You snatch him away. This is what Amy does. Anytime I'm about to say something dumb, she pulls me out of the room.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's harpazo.

[Lead Pastor]

This is. They will be caught up together. This is the Rapture. Then comes the seven year tribulation. This is the rise of the Antichrist. The first three and a half years are bad, the second three and a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Half years are worse.

[Lead Pastor]

And at the end of the seven year tribulation, you have the second coming of Christ. You can read about it in Revelation 19. Now, is the second coming of Christ the same as the Rapture? And the answer is no, they're not actually the same. The Rapture is when Jesus comes for the church. The second coming is when Jesus returns with the church. The Rapture. Jesus appears like a thief in the night. The second coming. Every eye will see and know that is the King of kings coming back. And so at the second coming of Jesus, he returns on the white horse. He's got the armies of heaven coming.

[Assistant Pastor]

And he's coming back with a different look in his eye.

[Lead Pastor]

He binds Satan for a thousand years, which leads to what the Bible calls the millennial reign. And for a thousand, the people of God rule as evil is bound up. And at the end of a thousand years, when evil's no longer bound up, Satan revolts again because he can't help but fight back against God. And God says, enough, devil. We're done. And we have the ultimate defeat of Satan when Satan is thrown into the lake of fire for eternal punishment. And. And God says, my plan is now done. I am redeeming the earth, and we have a new heaven and we have a new earth. And when he returns and creates a new heaven and a new earth, that's when there will be no more death and no more mourning and no more crying and no more pain. But those who are in Christ will dwell in the presence of God forever. Can the people of God say Amen? Amen. Type it in the comments section. This is. So what do you do? You're not afraid of it. You don't worry about it. What do you say? You encourage each other with these words, this is good news. If you're in Christ. It's good news if you're in Christ. And if you're in Christ, then you want to share that good news with.

[Assistant Pastor]

Everyone that doesn't know him.

[Lead Pastor]

It's not that we're like, hey, trying to convert people to our religion. No, we're trying to help people have freedom. We're not trying to convert them so we can count them on a membership role. We're trying to help them find freedom from the darkness of this world and find freedom and life in Christ. The joy of. From heaven, the life everlasting.

[Assistant Pastor]

Encourage each other with these words, this is good news.

[Lead Pastor]

So we're shifting. We're shifting. The world is dark and darker. Well, Holy Spirit's doing a work on us. We've been justified.

[Assistant Pastor]

Now we're being sanctified.

[Lead Pastor]

We're shifting from. From sinfulness to sanctification. And then we're shifting from confusion to clarity. Hey, we know what's gonna happen. And then the third thing Paul says, hey, we're gonna shift from passivity to readiness. We're not sitting by doing nothing, just.

[Assistant Pastor]

Waiting passively for the return of Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

No, we're actively engaged, doing the will.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of God on earth as it is in heaven.

[Lead Pastor]

And Paul teaches this principle in, in 1st Thessalonians 5, verses 1 through 3, when he says this about the times and dates, we do not need to write you, for you know very little and very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. He's gonna come like a thief in the night. While people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly. He's gonna come suddenly. So we wanna be ready. And he reminds them, we do not know when Jesus will return. We do not know when the rapture will take place. So we're gonna live ready, we're gonna be ready. What I like about this is it's pretty cool. Paul is both prophesying what's to come and then he's being a little bit.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of a smart aleck.

[Lead Pastor]

He had an edge like that. I like that. Maybe not his best trait. God might not like it. I like it. He was both prophesying and he takes a jab at the Roman Empire because Rome boasted about something called pax et securitas, which means peace and safety, peace and safety, peace and safety. Rome bragged that Caesar and the armies would guarantee peace. If you trust in Caesar, you'll have peace. It was a lie. Because peace that's enforced is not real peace. Peace that's enforced is not lasting. And there's similar lies today that people think if we just vote in the right people, then we'll have peace. We have enough money, we're gonna have peace. Or if we trust in science or technology or AI, then we can be secure. But real peace doesn't come from Caesar, it doesn't come from culture, it doesn't come from politics, it doesn't come from paychecks. Real peace comes from Christ and Christ alone. And when Jesus return on the white horse to make war and bring justice, he will bring an eternal peace. And that is the only peace and.

[Assistant Pastor]

The only security that lasts. And Paul continues very pastorally and he says this in verse four, he says.

[Lead Pastor]

You won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes. Like a thief, he's gonna come like a thief. You won't be surprised, for you are all children of the light and of the day. We don't belong to darkness and to night. So what do you do, spirit filled believers? What do you do, those who are leaning in and longing for his return? You be on your guard. Not spiritually asleep, not dead, not lukewarm like the others. Stay alert and be clear headed, stay alert. Another version says, be sober minded. This may be the most important part of the entire message. He's saying, hey, like don't get complacent, don't be on your heels, don't be lukewarmed, don't be lulled into spiritual sleep. Live awake, be alert, be on your guard, be ready. Be sober minded. Know that your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Know that we don't battle against flesh and blood, against the powers and principalities of this dark world. So what do we do? We put on the full armor of God and we stand our ground by faith. We fight back. We use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, sharper than any, any double living in active.

[Assistant Pastor]

And it never returns void.

[Lead Pastor]

We live awake.

[Assistant Pastor]

Why? Because time is short and eternity is real and people are dying every day without Jesus. Let me say it again. Time is short, eternity is real and people are dying every day without Jesus. Time is short. We're living in the last days. You say we've been living there for 2,000 years.

[Lead Pastor]

Exactly. We have.

[Assistant Pastor]

Like at any day, any moment in the last days.

[Lead Pastor]

If Jesus returns in our lifetime, we're.

[Assistant Pastor]

Living the last days.

[Lead Pastor]

If he doesn't return in our lifetime, you still got not a whole lot of time.

[Assistant Pastor]

Time is short, eternity is real, and people are dying every day without Jesus. So the question we're going to ask this week in our life groups, have.

[Lead Pastor]

I mentioned how important it is to be together with the people of God?

[Assistant Pastor]

Of course I have.

[Lead Pastor]

Because we know that we need each.

[Assistant Pastor]

Other and we join together to strengthen one another, to be the body of Christ in a world that needs the love of Christ. And so we're gonna ask one question this week, and it's an important question. We're gonna ask.

[Lead Pastor]

What would I change if I really.

[Assistant Pastor]

Believed Jesus could return at any moment? Powerful question. What would I change if I really believe the time is short, that eternity.

[Lead Pastor]

Is real, that people are dying every day without Jesus?

[Assistant Pastor]

What would God change in me? And I'm gonna encourage you just to ask that question and just be open.

[Lead Pastor]

You could pray that question today. You can get with other people and.

[Assistant Pastor]

Hear what they say. And I promise you, you'll hear some things like this, God, what would you change in me if I really believe that you may return soon? Someone would say, I'm gonna confess my sins. I'm gonna confess my sins, my knees, my brokenness to one another, pray for each other so we can be made healed.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm not gonna be in bondage to this thing when Jesus comes back. I'm not gonna be addicted to darkness.

[Assistant Pastor]

I wanna be free.

[Lead Pastor]

Because he who the Son says free is free indeed.

[Assistant Pastor]

I'm gonna confess my sins.

[Lead Pastor]

Some of you might do what I've.

[Assistant Pastor]

Been doing, and I've been working on this series about maybe six weeks now. And just so I'm in it. And God's speaking to me. I'm obeying quickly because I'm prompted often and then I put it aside. And so every time, obey every time pick up the phone every time call every time, give every time, stop, every time pray, every time witness, drown. I am obeying quickly.

[Lead Pastor]

Some of you, if you say, what.

[Assistant Pastor]

Would you change in me? All of a sudden you're gonna have less fear and more boldness. You're gonna step in and say, hey, and not like mean boldness, but loving boldness, where I love you and I care about you enough to share this with you. God, show us, what would you change.

[Lead Pastor]

In me if I really believed that.

[Assistant Pastor]

You were coming soon? And let's review. Where have we been? Three weeks looking at a book that.

[Lead Pastor]

God used to speak to believers who.

[Assistant Pastor]

Are wondering, how do we live in the end days? If we're living in the end days? Week number one, we learn three things. What do we do? Say it with me.

[Lead Pastor]

What do we do? We turn. We serve. We wait.

[Assistant Pastor]

One more time, we turn from our sins. We turn to God.

[Lead Pastor]

We serve, we serve boldly, and we wait actively on Jesus to come. Week two, what did we learn? We learned that we're gonna speak boldly. We're gonna live purely. We're gonna love deeply. We're gonna endure faithfully. Today, we've learned that we're gonna move from sinfulness to sanctification, from confusion to clarity. And we're not gonna be passive. We're moving to what? To readiness.

[Assistant Pastor]

Why?

[Lead Pastor]

Because it's time to wake up. This is not the time for casual faith or comfortable Christianity. This is the moment to step into your calling, to be holy and set apart, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Have your way, God, with me. Do your will through me. God, convict me. Move me, shake me, stir me.

[Assistant Pastor]

Why?

[Lead Pastor]

Because time is short, eternity is real, and people are dying every day with.

[Assistant Pastor]

No hope and no relationship with Jesus. So have your way. Because one day, in the blink of an eye, the trumpet of God will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise, and those who remain will be caught up with him in the air. And one day, when he returns for the church, we will dwell in his presence forever. That is our hope and that is our future.

[Lead Pastor]

Therefore, encourage one another with those words. And when we live awake, what do we do? We live with urgency and we live.

[Assistant Pastor]

With faith as we await the coming of our king. And so what do we do? We encourage one another with these words. Church. What would you do differently if you believed. He's coming soon, I will encourage you with these words. Our king is coming back on a white horse with justice, to judge and to make war. And he is the king of all kings and he is the Lord of all lords. Our king is coming soon. So Father, do a work in us. Stir up our faith. As you're praying today at all of our churches online, because time is short.

[Lead Pastor]

I wonder how many of you would.

[Assistant Pastor]

Be willing to ask God, Just ask God, what do you want to do in me? What do you want to change in me? Today at all of our churches, for.

[Lead Pastor]

Those of you that you are a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Christian, you know it, you've experienced the grace of Jesus, you know you belong to him. For those of you that are committed to walking and following Jesus, would you be willing to ask God, what do you want to do in me? Because time is short, what do you want to do? I'm gonna just ask you if you'll pray that prayer. You can pray it now.

[Lead Pastor]

Pray it all week long. Pray it with your life group, pray.

[Assistant Pastor]

It with your friends, pray with your family, all of our churches, those who say, yeah, I'm willing to pray. God, what do you want to do in me? Because time is short, what do you want to do in me? Have your way. Would you lift up your hands? If you'll pray that this week, lift up your hands. You can type it in the comment section. I'll pray, I'll ask God, what do you want to do in me? And now just ask him right where you are. Just God, what do you want to do in me? Just listen. Listen for his voice. It may not be audible, but you probably have a sense of what he's saying. He wants you to be in the word. He wants you to use your gifts to make a difference. He wants you to share your faith. Maybe there's somebody he's prompting you to be a witness to or someone to forgive or something to give or a sin to confess. God, what do you want to do in me? What do you want to do in me? God, what do you want to do in me? As you pray that, just listen and God will speak to you. And God, as you speak to us, give us the courage and the faith to obey you quickly. God, stir us up to live boldly. Ready believing that you could return soon. As you keep praying today, nobody looking around again, man, I wish I could sit down with everybody personally and just talk and just ask you, like, where are you with God? If you met him. Today was your last day if tomorrow was your last day, if the trumpet sounded and he came back, are you ready? Are you ready? And if you say, I'm not sure, or I think I am, or whatever, I'll just kind of ask you why? Where do you stand? And if you say, well, I'm not sure, I'm trying to be better, I hope I'm good enough, I'm not there, I would just reach in and just tell you, I have been there. I understand. And the truth of the matter is, if you're not sure, you're not ready, you're just really not. I remember thinking, I gotta work harder and be better and stop having bad thoughts and saying bad things. And I didn't realize that I was just living in the brokenness of my sinful body. That I was born into sin, that I'm a sinner, that I've sinned. You've sinned. The Bible says that every single one of us, we sinned against a holy God and we cannot work our way to Him. The only way that we're made right with God is that we're saved by.

[Lead Pastor]

His grace through faith.

[Assistant Pastor]

And it's not faith in our own good works, but it's faith in the perfect work of Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

Who is Jesus?

[Assistant Pastor]

He's the Son of God, the Lamb of God that came not for the.

[Lead Pastor]

Righteous, but came for people like me.

[Assistant Pastor]

Came for broken people, came for sinful people. And he loved us right where we were.

[Lead Pastor]

And he died on a cross in.

[Assistant Pastor]

Our place for our sins, like a sacrificial lamb. He was the Lamb of God who died in our place. And God raised him from the dead. And now Scripture says that anyone who calls on the name of Jesus, the name of the Lord would be saved. In other words, it doesn't matter how dark your life has been, doesn't matter how bad you've been.

[Lead Pastor]

When you call on Jesus, he forgives your sins and he makes you brand new. Today, there are those of you who.

[Assistant Pastor]

Do not know where you stand. You're not ready.

[Lead Pastor]

Today is the day you get ready. Scripture says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. If anyone hears his voice and opens the door, he'll come in. He's ready to come in. You feel him knocking?

[Assistant Pastor]

Can you?

[Lead Pastor]

Can you feel him drawing you? That's His Holy Spirit drawing you. Because he loves you.

[Assistant Pastor]

He does.

[Lead Pastor]

He loves you. All of our churches, those who say, I need his salvation, we're going to.

[Assistant Pastor]

Repent of our sins. We're going to call on his name.

[Lead Pastor]

Not just to save us, but to be the Lord of our life, to take over completely, to have his perfect way in our lives. You're not here by accident. You are here for this moment because our God loves you. All of our churches, those who say.

[Assistant Pastor]

Yes, I need his forgiveness.

[Lead Pastor]

I need his grace. Today I turn for my sins.

[Assistant Pastor]

I call on Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

Jesus, save me. Be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now all over the place. Lift up your hands and say, yes, I give my life to you. Praise God for you others that say, yes, Jesus, I surrender. Be the Lord of my life. As we have hands going up in all of our churches online, type in the comment section. I'm surrendering my life to Jesus. Just just like I'm calling on Jesus to save me. In the presence of a holy God. We have people today around the world being born into the kingdom and heaven is rejoicing.

[Assistant Pastor]

Would you pray with those around you? Pray Heavenly Father, take my life. Be my Savior.

[Lead Pastor]

Be my Lord forgiving all of my.

[Assistant Pastor]

Sins and making me new.

[Lead Pastor]

Fill me with your Holy Spirit so I can walk in truth and know your power and show your love. Have your way in me.

[Assistant Pastor]

Not my will, but your will be done. Jesus, I give you my life.

[Lead Pastor]

Thank you for new life.

[Assistant Pastor]

You have all of mine.

[Lead Pastor]

In Jesus name I pray. Church Give God praise today. He's coming soon and we give him praise. Come on Church.

[Life Church Host]

We are celebrating with those of you who just made the decision to follow Jesus. Check out the show notes for helpful resources and next steps. Don't forget to take the short survey at Life Church PodcastConnect to tell us more about yourself. We'll see you next time for another encouraging message.