Shut Out the Noise

Memory Verse: Matthew 24:43 “Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for My unannounced return.”

Noise is all around you. You hear cars and sirens and music from your ipods, CD players, and radios. Your homes are full of it – TV, video games, radio, DVD’s and CD’s. Your schools are full of it – kids talking, music from mp3 players and ipods, cheering at sports games. Your world is full of it – crickets, cars, airplanes and helicopters flying over, birds chirping. All these noises saturate your world. Sometimes they make it difficult, if not impossible for you to hear important things.

Your book gave the illustration of a screaming baby in a grocery store that was being robbed at gun-point. The baby screamed so loud that the clerk did not hear and did not see the robber behind him, pointing a gun at his head and demanding him to get down on the floor. The noise the baby was making drowned out all other sounds to the store clerk. His not hearing the gunman put his life in danger.

Are you hearing God through all the noise in your life? Noise that distracts you from God and from His message takes many forms. What kinds of obvious noise do you see around you everywhere, everyday? (There is the obvious noise of cars, sirens, music from radios, boom-boxes, CD & DVD players, TV, video games, traffic noises, noises of nature like crickets and chirping birds, etc.) Is that the only kind of noise that is distracting you?

There is another kind of “noise” other than the obvious. This “noise” is not as blatant. It is more subtle and sneaky and insidious and deadly. Can you give me examples of this kind of “noise”? (A friend who tries to convince you to be sexually active. A friend who wants you to try drugs. The connection to the internet that allows you to visit pornographic sites or participate in chat rooms. Ads on TV and in magazines that give the wrong message as to lifestyle, behavior, clothing, style of dress, etc.)

What kinds of noises are in your life that block out the message that Jesus Christ will soon return?

What do all these “noises” accomplish? What do they all have in common? (They distract you from your walk with God, keeping you entrenched in the things, mindset and attitudes of this world, allowing you to forget that Jesus is going to return soon)

You can’t afford to allow the “noise” of this world to distract you – no matter how attractive or appealing that “noise” may seem to you today. Listening to and accepting that “noise” may cost you eternal life with your Creator and Savior God.

How can you deal with this “noise”? If you remember that Jesus IS coming back that “noise” will not have power over you. You will be able to shut it out.

Do you believe that Jesus is going to return? Jesus told us Himself He would return.

John 14:27-28 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.

Do you think it will happen soon or at some far off future date? What makes you think so? What things are going on in today’s world that would lead you to think that Jesus will soon return? (War in Middle East, genetic tinkering with man’s DNA, the escalation of interest in the occult and things paranormal, resurgence of belief and teaching about the “old gods” – Greek and Roman and Celtic).

Matthew 24:3-51 3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. 15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. 23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There He is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. 26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, He is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. 29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send out His angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather His chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. 32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know His return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. 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. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. 45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Jesus tells you that there will be men claiming to be the messiah, there will be wars and famines and earthquakes and disease. There will be the persecution of Christians who will be hated. False prophets will appear and deceive many, even Christians. There will be blatant, obvious sinning everywhere and a lack of love for fellow man. The Gospel will be preached in all the world. It will be as in the days of Noah where sin was rampant and everything the people think or imagine will be consistently and totally evil. These are the signs of Jesus’ return.

Can you see these signs around you now? Can you see the evil that is in the world is growing in leaps and bounds? Can you see the love that we should have for one another growing cold?

2Tim 3:1-5 “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

Jesus tells us His return will be unexpected – that we should be watching for it.

Mark 13:32-37 32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! 34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for Him!”

Luke 17:26-28 26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed."

Luke 12 42:48 42 “And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 43 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 44 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 45 But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 46 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful. 47 “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. 48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”

That means that you and all Christians should be thinking about it. God has a wonderful reward for you if you are faithful, if you can shut out the noise that distracts you from a relationship with Him and live your life as if He is coming today – and not tomorrow or somewhere way off in the future sometime.

Luke 12:35-38, 43 35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 The servants who are ready and waiting for His return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, He Himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever He comes, He will reward the servants who are ready. 43 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”

Jesus knew that people would think they have all the time in the world and that it wouldn’t matter what they do in their lifetimes. You are young and have your whole lifetime ahead of you. You can choose how you will live and how you will treat others. But you do have to remember that Jesus tells us that He is coming back when we least expect it. The world will end today, tomorrow or in the future sometime. You may not have the time you think you do to choose to be a part of His family. None of us may have the time we think we have. We all must watch, and wait and look for His coming.

Revelation 16:15 15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 1 "Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’ s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. 4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation."

I Thessalonians 5:9-11 9 "For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with him forever. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Remember that Jesus IS coming back and you ARE accountable for what you do in your life. Live your life as if He is coming back today. Develop your relationship with Him NOW. If you do these things you WILL be able to shut out the “noise” that would otherwise distract you from Him and from remembering He is coming back.

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