Living in the Last Days, 1 John2:18-29
Dr. George Ragsdale, Pastor, West Marion Baptist Church 6001 NW 135th Avenue * Morriston/Ocala, Florida 32668 (352) 245-8900 “LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS” 1 John 2:18-29 I. INTRODUCTION A. We believe that, according to the Scriptures, we are living in the last days. B. The Bible says the perilous times are coming, and we need to be prepared. C. We need to be ready because of: 1. The INTERCESSION Factor - we need to be PRAYING for people 2. The SOUL-WINNING Factor - we need to be TELLING folks about Jesus Christ 3. The FAMILY Preparation Factor - as parents and grandparents, we need to be TEACHING and TRAINING our children in the ways and truth of God. 4. The COMFORT Factor - when we know what the Bible says about coming events, then we don’t have to WORRY; we understand that Jesus is coming again. II. The TIME is the Last Days - Be AWAKE (1 John 2:18) A. The OLD TESTAMENT, the former time, prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. B. The RAPTURE of the church is imminent; we’re not waiting for the fulfillment of SIGN or PROPHECY. C. We are to be EXPECTING the coming of the Lord Jesus at any moment: (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Philippians 3:20; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28;Titus 2:13) D. We are not to look for a SIGN; we’re to be looking for JESUS. III. The TYRANT is the Coming Antichrist - Be AWARE (1 John 2:18-26) A. The ANTICHRIST has many aliases, including the son of perdition, the man of sin, the wicked one, the man of lawlessness, and the beast. (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Revelation 13:1) B. The prefix “anti” has two meaning: “AGAINST” and “INSTEAD OF”. C. Attributes of the antichrist: 1. DEVILISH (2 Thessalonians 2:4) 2. DIVISIVE a. 1 John 2:19 - speaks of other antichrists that have entered the world, many of whom were once a part of the CHURCH. This Scriptures says that “they were not all of us,” meaning that they were never SAVED. b. 1 Timothy 4:1 3. DECEPTIVE a. His primary objective is to DECEIVE men about who Jesus is. (1 John 2:20-23; 26; 1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 7-11) 4. DESTRUCTIVE a. His objective in deceiving men about Jesus has an ultimate goal of CONDEMNING the souls of men. b. 1 John 2:24-25 IV. The TRIUMPH is that Jesus is Coming - Be ABIDING (1 John 2:24-29) A. We need to abide in the WORD OF GOD 1. 1 John 2:24 B. We need to abide in the SPIRIT OF GOD (1 John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:15; John 14:26) C. We need to abide in the SON OF GOD (1 John 2:28-29) VISIT OUR CHURCH WEB SITE...for all of Pastor Ragsdale’s teaching series and messages! Web site: www.westmarionbaptistchurch.com Or listen to the Sunday Morning services on the church YouTube Preaching Channel @ youtube.com/CarolRagsdale You can also watch and listen to Pastor Ragsdale's sermons on Radio and TV here in Central Florida on the following stations: WMBC CHURCH SERVICE SCHEDULE: Sunday School @ 9:45 am Sunday Morning Worship Service @ 10:45 am Sunday Evening Service @ 6:00 pm Wednesday Evening Service @ 7:00 pm TV MINISTRY: The Victory Gospel Hour on TV Central Florida - Sat @ 11:00 pm & Thurs @ 2:30 am SuperChannel 55, WACX Cox TV Ch. 10 Dish Net TV Ch. 55 Direct TV Ch. 55 Brighthouse Ch. 5 (Marion County) Ocala, Florida The Victory Gospel Hour on TV COX CABLE TV Digital Ch. 112.5 & Analog Ch. 16, WCOX-O Tues, Thurs @ 9:30 AM; Friday @ 8:30 AM; Mon, Wed, Sat @ 8 PM Sun @ 7 AM, 12 Noon, 8 PM (Alachua County) Gainesville, Florida The Victory Gospel Hour on TV COX CABLE TV Digital Channel 112.4 & Analog Channel 15, CXLP Tues, Wed, Fri @ 9:00 AM; Mon, Thurs, Sat @ 8:00 PM; Sun @ 10 AM RADIO MINISTRY The Victory Gospel Hour on Radio DAYSTAR Radio 89.5 FM, North Central Fl Sun 5 AM, 12 Noon, 7 PM The Victory Gospel Hour on Radio CLASSIC HITS RADIO of OCALA 104.7 FM, Downtown Ocala, Fl Sundays 8:30 AM FREE MAILING You can also request your name be placed on our mailing list to receive the Sunday morning services in either DVD video or CD audio-free of charge. Call (352) 245-8900 and leave your name/address and specify either dvd or audio cd. SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS
