<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head></head><body>Matthew 24;3-8<div><br><div><br></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us,</b></div><div><b>When will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age?”</b></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray.</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.</b></div><div><b>6. &nbsp;And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.</b></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places:</b></div><div><b>8. all this is but the beginning of the sufferings.&nbsp;</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><i>“Take heed, that no one lead you astray,” &nbsp; “…see that you are not alarmed.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</i>This is the warning our Lord gives us.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;Believers can be deceived. &nbsp;False prophets and false Christs, servants of the devil are skillful. &nbsp;They know how to play upon our fears <i>(</i><i>alarm)</i>. &nbsp;Fear is perhaps the devil’s most useful tool&nbsp;for attacking our faith.&nbsp;rendering us fruitless, and misleading us into sinful behavior.</div><div><br></div><div>These words of Jesus speak of general, worldly disruptions. &nbsp;Creation itself&nbsp;and human society are not where our peace comes from. &nbsp;Political power is not our source of&nbsp;security, neither are well stocked cabins in the wilderness. &nbsp;We should all be aware of and reasonably informed about&nbsp;politics and vote our conscience, but winning elections will not bring about the kingdom of God, or give us his peace.</div><div><br></div><div>It is also prudent to be prepared for social and physical disruptions. &nbsp;Those who set aside food and water, medicine and means for self-sufficiency concerning shelter and warmth, are not crazy. &nbsp;They are just less trustful of society and nature. &nbsp;But, these measures are not our peace or hope. &nbsp;(I like the saying, “Paranoia, is not a psychological disorder,&nbsp;merely&nbsp;a heightened state of awareness.”)&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The peace of God for us is Christ’s victory over death, and the life he gives which can not be taken away. <i>“And take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won, the kingdom ours remains the.” &nbsp;(</i>Martin Luther, A ‘Mighty Fortress Is&nbsp;Our God’)</div><div><br></div><div>Guarding our faith, is the issue here. &nbsp;Life long, continued growing in the knowledge of the truth of God and&nbsp;personal, temporal, sanctification of walking by the Spirit, are our true source of peace and security. &nbsp;This truth and walk&nbsp;empowers us to be able to face death whenever it comes, with peaceful hearts, minds, souls, and spirits.</div><div><br></div><div>For us death is nothing. &nbsp;It is simply a move from an imperfect temporary shelter, into the perfect&nbsp;glorious&nbsp;eternal presence of the One who has loved us from the beginning and whom we have loved by faith not by sight. &nbsp;For us, death is joyous, as Paul says, “<i>For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”&nbsp;</i></div><div>(Philippians 1;21).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Thank you Father, the threat of death is a toothless old dog. &nbsp;He can harm me not, in Jesus, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS"></a><br></div></div></body></html>

Matthew 24;3-8

3.  As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us,When will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age?”4.  And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray.5.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.6.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.7.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places:8. all this is but the beginning of the sufferings. 
“Take heed, that no one lead you astray,”   “…see that you are not alarmed.”   This is the warning our Lord gives us.
  Believers can be deceived.  False prophets and false Christs, servants of the devil are skillful.  They know how to play upon our fears (alarm).  Fear is perhaps the devil’s most useful tool for attacking our faith. rendering us fruitless, and misleading us into sinful behavior.
These words of Jesus speak of general, worldly disruptions.  Creation itself and human society are not where our peace comes from.  Political power is not our source of security, neither are well stocked cabins in the wilderness.  We should all be aware of and reasonably informed about politics and vote our conscience, but winning elections will not bring about the kingdom of God, or give us his peace.
It is also prudent to be prepared for social and physical disruptions.  Those who set aside food and water, medicine and means for self-sufficiency concerning shelter and warmth, are not crazy.  They are just less trustful of society and nature.  But, these measures are not our peace or hope.  (I like the saying, “Paranoia, is not a psychological disorder, merely a heightened state of awareness.”) 
The peace of God for us is Christ’s victory over death, and the life he gives which can not be taken away. “And take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won, the kingdom ours remains the.”  (Martin Luther, A ‘Mighty Fortress Is Our God’)
Guarding our faith, is the issue here.  Life long, continued growing in the knowledge of the truth of God and personal, temporal, sanctification of walking by the Spirit, are our true source of peace and security.  This truth and walk empowers us to be able to face death whenever it comes, with peaceful hearts, minds, souls, and spirits.
For us death is nothing.  It is simply a move from an imperfect temporary shelter, into the perfect glorious eternal presence of the One who has loved us from the beginning and whom we have loved by faith not by sight.  For us, death is joyous, as Paul says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1;21). 
Prayer:  Thank you Father, the threat of death is a toothless old dog.  He can harm me not, in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”





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