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[0:00] This is the First Mustang Pulpit Podcast, a podcast of the weekly preaching and teaching at First Mustang. Thank you for joining us.!

[0:30] That they sing for. But Lord, we also know in that process that you always change us when we go and serve in your name. So I pray that that would be true of this group. That they would come back with a fire to take the gospel to their schools, their workplaces, to their families.

[0:43] And that you would continue to use this group for your namesake and for your glory. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, good morning. It's great to see you as it always is.

[0:56] And before we get into the Word in Mark 13, let me take just a brief moment and just share a couple of personal thoughts and remarks.

[1:07] I just want to join my voice with what John shared in a couple of things. One, I want to thank you as a congregation for caring about our students and specifically for valuing the role of student choir.

[1:22] I'm thankful for what our youth choir at our church does. I love how our choir here sings and serves with their voice, also with their hands and their feet.

[1:34] We love our students here. And I want to thank you as a church for valuing that ministry in our church. And I also want to just extend my welcome and appreciation to these students from Denton Bible Church.

[1:48] It's such a joy to have you here with us. Our connections run pretty deep. When I was first in ministry, one of the first mentors from a distance that I had in preaching was the man who was still the pastor at Denton Bible Church.

[2:09] And when Kendall was going to do music at Denton Bible Church, there was a special, I think it was like a Thursday night special Bible study that their pastor, Tommy Nelson, was doing.

[2:21] And I went down there to hear Tommy preach. And Kendall was there leading music at that. And they were kind of starting to get to know each other. And so, I've known Kendall for a long time and had come to know Denton Bible.

[2:32] And then John went to church there when he was at North Texas, as he mentioned. And then through the years, it's been a blessing for me to be able to have a friendship with Kendall and to get to know the church.

[2:45] Also, a little-known fact about another connection with Denton Bible Church. A number of years ago, Denton Bible Church hosted the Gaither Vocal Band.

[2:55] And I think I flipped a coin for my sons because I was taking one of them with me to go see them. And my oldest son lost, and so he went with me to go.

[3:09] And we had this little deal. I said, I'll tell you what. We'll go to the store, and you can buy a CD of your favorite music. And we'll listen to that on the way down to Denton Bible.

[3:22] We'll listen to the Gaither Vocal Band concert that I want to hear. And then we'll listen to your CD on the way back to town. And I think I can say for both of us, it was the longest night of our lives.

[3:36] What CD did you have? Killa by Lecrae. Is that at least a Christian? Yeah. Okay. I don't have a lot of Killa in my playlist.

[3:49] So we listened to Lecrae, I suppose. I do remember every once in a while stopping the CD and saying, can you just tell me anything he just said? I didn't hear a word he just said.

[4:00] And then we got to Denton Bible Church and listened to about an eight and a half hour Gaither Vocal Band concert. And Killa said, do you think it's about over? And I said, yes, it's almost intermission.

[4:10] But I am so thankful for Denton Bible Church and the role that it has played in my life, the role it played in John's life, the role it's played in the kingdom.

[4:22] And I just, exactly what John said, I just add my voice to that anytime you can see teenagers who love Jesus and love the church and care about what we care about, it is such an encouragement.

[4:34] So thank you guys so much for being here to serve us today. Mark 13.

[4:46] These are heavy words that Jesus is giving. These are some of the final words he will instruct before his crucifixion.

[5:04] And we began this walk through Mark 13 last week. And as we've spent the last couple of years walking verse by verse through the gospel of Mark, every single Sunday in my own heart just picks up intensity, knowing that we are just week by week closer and closer to the cross.

[5:25] And there is a weight and a sobriety that I feel in my own heart, knowing that every verse we're studying is just getting us one step closer to when Christ would lay down his life for us on the cross that sinners like us could be saved.

[5:47] And when Jesus speaks these words in Mark 13, he is helping us know where our victory resides.

[5:58] And it's in him that our salvation is in Christ. Our sanctification is through his work. Our glorification will be to the praise of his name.

[6:10] And he gives us these words about the end of the age, as we looked at last week, not for us to be argumentative, but for us to be hopeful, for us to be encouraged, for us to have a place to rest our faith so that as believers, though we know our eternity is settled to the glory of Christ's work on the cross, there is still life on this earth that we have to endure.

[6:41] And even if you know that heaven is your home, there are still challenges that we face while we're left here. And Jesus gives us these words about a look at the end of it all so that our hearts can be encouraged.

[6:59] And I do want to back up just a bit to last Sunday and just say again what I said last Sunday, that while the study of the end times is important, this is not insignificant.

[7:15] This is important. But while it's important, I do recognize that there are good people who love Jesus, who love the Word, who have some differences of interpretation.

[7:30] I acknowledge that, and I want to be very clear as I was last week, that when it comes to eschatology, this is not a test of fellowship. There are people outside our church, different pastors, different authors, people perhaps within our own church that would have some different perspectives.

[7:48] That's okay. But I do want us to make sure we understand that at the heart of all of eschatology, according to 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, it's to be an encouragement to the church.

[8:04] So as I mentioned last week, as we walk through Mark 13 for a number of Sundays, my goal is not to be argumentative, my goal is not to provide you with weapons to go out and win online debates about eschatology.

[8:21] My primary goal is exactly what Paul articulated in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, and that is, I want to encourage the saints with the words Christ has given us about the end.

[8:37] I also want to say, as I mentioned last week, that while we consider the end of the age, while we consider the events leading up to the return of Christ, I'm also very aware, as I mentioned last Sunday, that for all of us, no matter when Christ returns, we are living in our last days.

[9:05] We will soon meet the Lord. That's been right in front of me this week.

[9:16] I actually have two people, two ladies that I graduated high school with, seniors with me in high school, that passed away this week. Not from car wrecks, from natural causes.

[9:29] I've got a good friend of mine that's a pastor of a very faithful church.

[9:43] He had a heart attack two days ago. Today, he's in very critical condition. He was on vacation with his family. He's a man I talk to weekly.

[9:56] A good friend, a mentor of mine. And I got a note two days ago. He has a heart attack. He's in ICU.

[10:08] Been praying for him nonstop in their church. Life is short. We need to know what's going to happen at the end of the age. But I just want to remind you that regardless of when Christ returns, our time is short.

[10:26] Either way. And we must be ready. We looked last week, starting in verse 1, and I've given you a few words to make note of as we walk through this path.

[10:39] Let me remind you first. I ask you to write down the word stones. Because as the disciples come out, they look around at the buildings of the temple complex and say, what beautiful stones.

[10:54] What wonderful stones and wonderful buildings. And Jesus said, do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

[11:08] He says, judgment's coming. And of course, in 70 AD, judgment came to the temple and to the people of the area. The next word I asked you to write down last week was the word searching.

[11:21] Because right after Jesus mentions the stones of the temple are going to come down, there are some searching questions that are asked. Two sets of brothers, James and John, Peter and Andrew, pull Jesus aside privately in verse 4 and say, tell us, when will these things be?

[11:40] And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? They're asking, when you put all the gospels together, they're asking, when is the temple going to be judged?

[11:51] What are the signs of your coming? And what are the signs of the end of the age? And this was a familiar conversation with them as we looked at last Sunday, because right before his ascension, after Christ has been crucified, resurrected, spent a little bit of time still on the earth, when he is being ascended up to heaven, right before that, the disciples are still saying to him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?

[12:24] That was absolutely what they expected to see happen. His response was, it's not for you to know times or seasons. These are fixed by the authority of our Father.

[12:38] He was not saying you shouldn't think about these things. He wasn't saying you shouldn't know about these things. He was saying you don't need to be preoccupied with setting dates.

[12:50] You need to be fixed on being ready and being faithful. Be ready to meet him and be faithful with what we've been given to do.

[13:04] And that leads to our third word, signs. Signs. Verse 4, tell us what will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished.

[13:23] Now what he's about to walk them through on these signs to be aware of are things that are going to occur all throughout the church age.

[13:34] The things he mentions are things that will take place from his time right there in the first century up through the church age and into the time that we know as the tribulation.

[13:47] The purpose of what he says is not that what the signs, it's not that they're going to happen out of nowhere or that they're going to have never been seen before and just happen once, but he's going to compare the signs to labor pains.

[14:04] Labor pains that increase in frequency and intensity. When a lady has labor pains, when she's getting close to giving birth, she's got these physical pains and she experiences labor pains before the child is born.

[14:27] It's not like you get one pain and then child comes and that was easy. No. They start. They get a little more frequent.

[14:40] They get a little more intense. And then the closer you get to the baby being born, they increase in intensity. They increase in frequency until it becomes all-encompassing.

[14:53] And then the baby is born. Well, this is the very metaphor Jesus uses. You see it at the very end of verse 8.

[15:04] These are but the beginning of birth pains. And he makes it very clear that when you see these signs, verse 7, this must take place, but the end is not yet.

[15:21] So what we see in these signs he's going to describe are these are signs that are going to accompany what it means to be on this earth and their birth pains leading up to something.

[15:36] And that great event, that great deliverance that's going to take place is when the Lord returns. Up until then, the earth is going to experience birth pains, signs, reminders that he's on his way.

[15:57] They will increase in frequency. They will increase in intensity. They will hit their high point during the time of the tribulation just before Christ returns.

[16:10] So let's look at these signs. I want to give you four specific signs. First is deception.

[16:23] There will be deception. And with each sign, there is a word of encouragement giving. So the first sign is deception. And the encouragement is, do not be led astray.

[16:39] There will be deception and deceivers. Do not be led astray. Verse 5, Jesus began to say to them, see that no one leads you astray.

[16:49] Now I want you to notice that Jesus is not angered by their questions. These are good questions.

[17:02] Lord, when are these things going to happen? Lord, what are the signs going to be? It is not an unhealthy thing to care about how it's going to end.

[17:16] We should care about that. Let me repeat again. I want us to be gracious both with each other and with others who may have a different viewpoint than we do.

[17:26] Let's be kind and gracious and let's not be argumentative in an unkind, ungracious way. But it's good to care about how things are going to end.

[17:40] And we see that even with the way Jesus responds to their questions. They ask the questions and he just begins to answer them. It's not a wrong thing to care about the end.

[17:51] It's not for us to know when. It is for us to be ready and to be faithful. So the first sign is going to be deception.

[18:05] And he says, do not be led astray. Verse 6, many will come in my name saying, I am he. And they will lead many astray.

[18:19] There are going to be people who claim to be Messiah, who claim to be Christ, and their desire is to lead people astray.

[18:32] This is going to happen throughout history. This is going to increase in intensity and increase in frequency leading up to the events of the tribulation before the return of Christ.

[18:42] And when false messiahs and false teachers and false prophets try to lead people away from the truth, the encouragement Jesus gives to his people is do not be led astray.

[19:05] Now how is it that you can avoid being led astray by false teachers?

[19:16] Here's how you must do it. You must know the truth. You must know the truth. So what makes worship worship is not just the energy or just the emotion or just the exuberance that somebody feels because there are all kinds of people that sing false truths and worship false gods very energetically.

[19:52] What makes worship worship is knowing the truth and loving Christ. And so that's why it's important that when our youth choir sings or our adult choir sings or didn't Bible church youth choir sings, that's why it's important that the lyrics that they sing and that we sing are true.

[20:18] Because it doesn't make it worship just because a lot of people in the platform with energy. So when they sang a moment ago, blessed assurance, the next line tells us everything.

[20:34] Where is your assurance? Where is your hope? Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

[20:45] That's our hope. Understand, you could sing a false gospel energetically and feel lots of emotion and that would not be worship if it's not based on the truth.

[20:59] So what Jesus says is there are going to be deceivers who come out and will give everything they can to lead you astray, but don't be led astray.

[21:10] And the way to avoid being led astray is you must know the truth. And this is why, church, it is so essential that every part of our life is filled with truth.

[21:27] This cannot be just a Sunday morning thing that we pursue. This must permeate all of your life.

[21:42] The truth of who God is. The truth of His Word. Our students were at a camp two weeks ago that Joey and some other youth pastors have started.

[21:59] And at that youth camp, they studied the doctrine of God and the doctrine of Scripture. My assignment was the doctrine of the Trinity.

[22:13] Like, these were high shelf things our students were doing. Why is it that you've got all these students giving up their free time in the summer, not to go and just be entertained or just hear 30 minutes of funny stories, but to be fed God's Word on the essential doctrines of our faith.

[22:45] Here's why. There is an enemy who would love nothing more than to lead them astray. And we must be aware that one of the things that's going to happen, like birth pains throughout our life and throughout church history, leading up to the return of Christ, is that deceivers and false teachers will increase in intensity and increase in frequency.

[23:14] And here's the warning Jesus gives. Do not be led astray. And do not think that merely being religious is the same as being faithful.

[23:33] We must know the truth and believe the truth, and it must permeate everything that we do. This past week, we had vacation Bible school, had an incredible turnout of children here and workers here, and the whole emphasis of the week was that they would know that God's Word is truth.

[23:56] And we want our children to know the truth. We don't want them to wait till they're older. We want them as young as they can understand anything to begin to hear the elementary principles of the truth, that God's Word is truth.

[24:13] Jesus prayed, sanctify them in truth. Your Word is truth. So that's why we take very seriously what we do.

[24:25] We believe in enjoying it and having fun while we're going through life together. But the task we've been given is so important that our children and our teenagers and our adults, that we know the truth.

[24:42] And everything about our lives must be anchored in truth so that we are not led astray. There's a second sign, not only deception, a second sign he warns of is destruction.

[25:01] You see this in verses 7 and 8. And his warning is, do not be alarmed. Verse 7, And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.

[25:22] So first, he says, there's going to be deception. Don't be led astray. And now he gives a second birth pain, a second sign, and it's destruction that comes from wars.

[25:36] And he says, do not be alarmed by it. But this must take place, but the end is not yet.

[25:51] I went back the last couple of weeks and was looking up some things I had remembered from my childhood and from my teenage years of people that were made headlines because they were predicting certain dates when Christ would return.

[26:09] So we may remember people that did this. They would set dates when Christ was going to return or when certain political events took place, they would say, well, this is it.

[26:20] This is the end. And the caution here is that when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must take place, verse 7, but the end is not yet.

[26:33] Don't listen to somebody who takes a headline and tries to tell you they have figured out times and seasons. It's not for us to know that.

[26:47] And it's worth stating here that in verse 7, when Jesus says this must take place, look, wars and rumors of wars are unnerving. Our nation just celebrated Memorial Day.

[27:03] And there were people very dear to many, even some in this church who had loved ones who have served and given their life for freedom. War is a serious thing.

[27:16] But even when war breaks out, you don't have to be afraid that things are now spinning out of control.

[27:28] Even that is under the sovereignty of God. These things must take place. Again, as we go throughout history, as we go throughout the time of the tribulation, it's going to increase in frequency, it's going to increase in intensity, yet God's plan will not be thwarted.

[27:52] Verse 8, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. In my research, I found that historians say that since the time that Jesus would have spoken these words, historians say there have been 15,000 wars that have taken place.

[28:19] According to the Geneva Academy, this was two weeks ago, more than 110 armed conflicts around the world today are being monitored.

[28:33] So it's not as if Jesus is saying, when you see there's a war, that means that's the end, I'm returning right then.

[28:44] No, these are birth pains. You interpret them that way. They take a while. Various intensity, various frequency.

[28:56] As you get closer to the end, it's going to increase. There will be deception. Do not be led astray. There will be destruction. Do not be alarmed.

[29:11] And this is the comfort that I've been talking about the last two weeks. When Jesus speaks of eschatology, the study of the last things, the details matter. Do not hear me say they're unimportant.

[29:23] They are important. They're not a test of fellowship by any means, but they're not unimportant. But they are meant to be a word of encouragement to the church.

[29:35] So when you hear of false teachers, you say, Jesus told us this would happen.

[29:49] These are birth pains. And when you see wars and hear of rumors of wars, you say, Jesus told us this was going to happen.

[30:04] These are birth pains. And they're going to increase in intensity and frequency. But in the end, all the pain, just as a lady's pain leads to the birth of a baby, so the birth pains of this world will lead to the beautiful deliverance of the people of God in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[30:35] Be encouraged, church. Let me just say a word. We've got our middle school students here, our college students here, Denton Bible High Schoolers up here.

[30:46] Let me just say a word specifically to our teenagers and college students and high schoolers up here. You're going to hear a lot of people, including often even people who know Christ, who are going to inadvertently discourage you by saying to you, man, what a terrible time to be alive.

[31:10] What a terrible time to have to find a career. What a terrible time to have to buy a house. What a terrible day you live in. Don't listen to that.

[31:23] Don't listen to that. You have been sovereignly created by the Lord and put on this earth right now at this time for a reason and for a purpose.

[31:37] This is not a terrible time for you to be alive. This is a dark time where light shines brightly. So, Denton Bible Church, First Mustang College students, middle school students, you're here right now by no accident.

[31:56] You're here by design. You're here by sovereignty. You're here for a purpose. And there will be false teachers and there will be wars and rumors of wars and the labor pains will get intense and they will get frequent and there is persecution.

[32:16] All of that's true but it's all leading to a beautiful, wonderful, glorious end, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[32:27] Be encouraged. discouraged. The world doesn't need discouraged Christians. The world needs a church who knows what's happening in the end and because of what's happening in the end is set free to live today.

[32:54] Deception, but don't be led astray. Destruction, but don't be alarmed. Here's a third sign. Disasters.

[33:06] There will be disasters, natural disasters. Here's the encouragement. Do not be afraid. Look at the second half of verse 8. There will be earthquakes in various places.

[33:20] There will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

[33:33] So in addition to false teaching and in addition to wars, something else you're going to see in this world are natural disasters like, he mentions, earthquakes and famines.

[33:46] According to the National Earthquake Center there are 55 earthquakes a day worldwide. 20,000 earthquakes per year.

[34:04] These are birth pains. This is a fallen world groaning. But Romans 8 says that creation has been subjected to futility in hope.

[34:26] And the hope is in the return of Christ where he will make all things new. Jesus here mentions earthquakes.

[34:38] He also says there will be famines. we see that in our world today. As we gather here today there are 45 million people in 37 countries that are considered at risk of starvation according to world vision.

[35:01] Luke 21 11 adds there will be pestilence. These are all birth pains. disasters.

[35:17] Tornadoes. Earthquakes. Famines. Birth pains. When you hear of an earthquake or you hear of a hurricane or you hear of a tornado what I want you to do in your mind is train your mind to interpret the world biblically.

[35:37] Not out of fear. Not out of charlatans that are trying to make money off of their false prophecies but interpret the events of life biblically.

[35:47] Here's what you do when you read those things. You grieve and you pray and you help everywhere that you can and you try to be the hands and feet of Christ to be ministers of mercy and you understand these are birth pains and these things must take place.

[36:05] And you say here's a false teacher I'm not going to be led astray. Here's war and destruction I'm not going to be alarmed by that I know that's going to happen. Here are disasters I'm not going to be afraid because Jesus has told us these things are coming.

[36:28] It's going to happen all throughout the church age and the time of the tribulation is going to increase even more and it's going to eventually build to its high point and then Christ will come and he will make all things new.

[36:54] He says at the end of the verse these are about the beginning of birth pains. So let me just help you church when there's a certain political event and somebody tells you this has to mean this is the end don't listen to them.

[37:20] They don't know the end. We know the signs we know what to watch for. We know they're going to increase intensity and frequency. But the last thing Jesus says before he tells them to take the gospel into all the world in Acts 1-8 is he says it's not for you to know times and seasons.

[37:42] You don't need a calendar. You need a Bible. You need a Bible. to be faithful and you need to be ready.

[37:59] And whether the Lord returns in your lifetime or not your time is short. You need to be ready.

[38:12] You need to make the most of your gospel opportunities and you need to be reminded that when Jesus says these things must take place here's what he's saying it's all under control.

[38:35] We rest in him. If the Lord has for you single adults to get married get married.

[38:54] If the Lord allows you married couples to have children be fruitful and multiply. And you say but what's the world going to be like?

[39:05] I'll tell you what the world's going to be like. There's going to be false prophets. There's going to be wars, rumors of wars. There's going to be natural disasters.

[39:22] And there's going to be the church. He's going to take the gospel into all the nations. And then the end will come.

[39:34] And we will lift up our eyes and see our coming king. And dwell for all eternity according to revelation with the Lord where there will be no death, no sorrow, no tears.

[39:48] For the old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So church, be encouraged. encouraged. be encouraged. If you are a seventh grader and you're thinking about going out for football next year and you've never played football, and you say, what's football going to be like?

[40:14] I'll tell you what it's going to be like. It's going to be hot, you're going to get hit, and it's going to hurt. Hot, hit, hurt.

[40:28] I don't care what team you play for, I don't care what offense you run, it's going to be hot, you're going to get hit, and it's going to hurt. Who would want to do that?

[40:44] People who know the end. People who say, I want the thrill, of being a part of a team that gives up everything for the sake of the end.

[41:01] You want to have a child? What's it going to be like to have a child? I'll tell you. It's exhausting, and it's expensive.

[41:16] I'm on an alliteration roll. Well, maybe we can have a child and it won't be exhausting, no chance. Maybe we'll have a child and life will get less expensive, no shot.

[41:34] Now, wait a minute, I'm going to have a baby, and I'm going to lose sleep, and I'm going to lose money? Yes. Why do you want to do that? Because you're going to raise your own band of disciples.

[41:55] Because you're going to teach them about Jesus. Because you're going to watch these image bearers through the work of the Spirit, and through your shepherding care, and you're going to teach them, and feed them, and you're going to watch this precious baby who grows, and they're going to display for you their sin nature, and you pray by God's grace that they're going to come to a place of repentance, and you're going to watch this child who used to do what they did because they had to, now do what they're supposed to because they love to, and you're going to watch the glory of Christ at work in the life of that child.

[42:34] That's why you do it. So for the young people in our congregation today, don't be discouraged.

[42:48] Don't be led astray. Don't be anxious. Don't be afraid. You're here for a reason. You're here by divine design.

[43:01] divine. And as you live your life, think of the end.

[43:14] The pain of football practice, the pain of learning a new language in school, the pain of studying for a degree.

[43:31] The pain of all of these things is overcome by focusing on what awaits us. That's the whole point in Mark 13. Never lose sight of what awaits you.

[43:43] Christ is coming again, that where he is, you will be with him forever. So, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Raptured with the Lord, forever with the Lord.

[43:55] Either way, as God's people, you're always with him. So, be of good comfort and be of good courage. Church, we've got to understand how to live life in a hard, dark, fallen world with joy.

[44:14] And the way that you do that is by keeping your eyes focused on what comes after the birth pains. there's a fourth sign.

[44:29] I'll just introduce it and then we'll look at it in detail next week. The fourth sign, you can write down the word difficulty. Verse 9, but be on your guard for they will deliver you over to councils.

[44:50] And you'll be beaten in synagogues. And you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them. There's going to be difficulty.

[45:00] Here's the encouragement he's going to give us people. Do not be anxious. I want to show you that's not my word, that's Jesus' word. Verse 11, and when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand.

[45:16] There's going to be difficulty. There's going to be persecution, but do not be anxious. He's going to walk us through several different ways that persecution comes.

[45:31] We'll look at that next week, but for now, I just want to end with this. Verse 9, if you say, what awaits me as a Christian, if you say, what's life going to be like?

[45:52] If I give my life to Jesus, are things going to get easier? Is it going to be more simple? Am I going to have success in business? Is everything going to go the way I want it to?

[46:02] Here's what Jesus says. Here's what you should expect. Here's what you should They're going to give you over to councils. They're going to be beaten.

[46:15] The governors and the kings are going to be against you. Why? Look at verse 9. For my sake. This is about the name of Christ.

[46:28] Christ. So, didn't Bible church, when you go to Colorado this week, if you get mocked, if you get laughed at, if the people you're singing to laugh while you're singing, turn their back to you while you're singing, if they say hateful, unkind, rude, crude things to you, just understand this is about the sake of his name.

[46:54] And you say, why in the world did I pay this money to give up a week of my time to go sing to people who may not even care what I'm saying? Here's why I did it in Bible church. At the end of verse 9, to bear witness before them.

[47:09] The very people who would seek to mock you or destroy you, here's what the church gets to do. Be a witness for Christ right to the ones who are mocking.

[47:24] That's why we do it. If our youth choir goes out and sings for the sake of First Baptist Mustang, it's too small of a name.

[47:36] Our friends in Denton, if you're going to sing this week for the sake of Denton Bible Church, great church, influential in my life, so thankful for it. But it's too small of a name.

[47:49] The name you sing for and the name that we proclaim is the name of Christ because all the persecution that comes is for the sake of his name.

[47:59] Here's our responsibility. Bear witness before them. So don't tell me I quit teaching because it was hard. Don't tell me I quit sharing the gospel because I got laughed at.

[48:11] Don't tell me I quit living for Jesus because it was too costly. He told us that from the beginning. We know this. No surprises here.

[48:22] I pray by God's grace that there are people in the juvenile detention centers who will hear your message. I pray they will repent and I pray they will give their life to Jesus.

[48:34] But Denton Bible Church, do not go sing at juvenile detention centers expecting applause and affirmation. You go to bear his name and and to be a witness for him.

[48:52] And church, we don't tap out because it's hard. That's how it's going to be. That's how labor pains work.

[49:09] So as you watch history, you're going to see these things and they will increase intensity and frequency. And when it happens, we will be ready and we will be faithful.

[49:29] Amen? Be encouraged by knowing how these things end. Lord, we thank you for your word today.

[49:40] I pray that it would be helpful for us and encouragement. I pray, Lord, for any who may not know you as Savior, that even this day that they would call upon your name, Lord Jesus, and be saved.

[49:52] For any who may be struggling in their sin and lost and confused, may the work of your spirit, even this moment, draw them to a place of repentance and belief for the good of their soul and the glory of your name.

[50:07] we ask this in the name of Christ. Amen. Love you, church family. So grateful you're here. Denton Bible Church, our thoughts and prayers are with you this week.

[50:19] Thanks for serving us today. God bless you. You're dismissed. God bless you.

[50:42] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.

[50:52]  God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. fathers you. God bless you.