Faithful to the End

Faithful to the End

Sermon by Lars Muller May 17, 2025

Revelation 14:9-12 NLT

Then a third angel followed them, shouting,

“Anyone who worships the beast and his statue

or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger.

It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath.

And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 

The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night,

for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently,

obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

Do you worship with the contentment of peace OR a full heart OR a hungry heart? Does a full heart have any need?

Do you worship because you can share, because you desire to learn, to share from others? 

Mark had an interest in humanitarian aid. He toured with Mother Teresa. She took him to a House of Dying, a place where people come to die. Outside this House are many people looking for assistance with something - medication, healing, etc.

Mark feels overwhelmed by the need. He asks Mother Teresa how she can carry the load and nor be overwhelmed. 

Mother Teresa explains to Mark that she is not called to be successful, but to be faithful. 

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God ....

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying ... 
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God ...

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land...

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old....

All these people died still believing what God had promised them.

They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.

They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.

If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland ....

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him ...
It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau....
It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying,

blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. ...

He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. ...
It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. 

It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down....
It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. ...

How much more do I need to say? ...
All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith,

yet none of them received all that God had promised.

For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Hebrews 11

In early 2000s, a pastor was speaking about evangelism. Success, he said, is not measured by people coming to church, but by people who enter heaven.

It is easy to side tracked professionally by success of money. 

It takes a conscious decision to reach people. I started by journey of reaching others with my family, specifically my children. I wanted my children to have a good religious experience, not a negative one. I wanted my children to experience church as a positive experience, not a burdensome one. Religion should not be a burden, but a joyful experience. 

God created us to enjoy life. Look around us in the world of nature. All the animals, plants and landscapes. What a joy nature is! We can draw close to God in nature!

I asked the Lord to use me. I had challenges ahead of me, Challenges in my family. Challenges with my home. 

I made a decision to study God's word verse by verse. The more you feed yourself from the word of God, the hungrier you become. 

What do you feed yourself with? 

I love nature, and when in the woods, in a special place where the sun shines through to a small clearing, I feel in God's presence. I sing to him without reservation here. I rest in the woods. I run in the woods. I pray in the woods. I had a hunger for God. 

Are you hungry for God? Do you respond to those calls if hunger?

We are all called to be faithful. We are called to treat our enemies with love. 

One day a friend asked me some questions related to faith. I was afraid of being perceived as weird. I did it anyway. Since then I have become aware of this impact I could not see when someone shares how much my words helped them. This, in turn, helped me to be less afraid. 

We are called to be unafraid. 

Look around. Life is a mess. People fall blindly. Critical thinking is less common. There is spiritual darkness. 

What is the problem? People are searching for the answers in many places. They are not found in politics. They are found in the Lord. 

In 2019 my view of God's coming changed. There was so much anger and divisiveness. There was so much uncertainty, even about personal identity. 

Faithfulness is living life consistently, even when it is not popular. 

We need to share truth. Are we always right? No. Therefore we need to share truth with love and caring.

 A faithful, sensible servant

is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of

managing his other household servants and feeding them.

Matthew 24:45 NLT

Who is a faithful and sensible servant?

Do we focus on faithfulness so we are not deceived? 

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you..."

Matthew 24:4 NLT

And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

Matthew 24:11 NLT

“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’

or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 

Matthew 24:23 NLT

Over the last 5 centuries there have  been over 50 people who have claimed to be the Messiah, even making it a profession.  One man not so long ago, claimed to be the Messiah. He was asked what the ten commandments said. He responded that the commandments were written by me, .He did not care about the commandments. He claimed he was Jesus, and as such, he expected people to worship him. 

The three angels message gives us some guidance about how we will know the Messiah. Revelation 14:6-12

  1. Worship God.  

    • And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world - to every nation, tribe, language, and people. “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water. Verse 6,7 

    • If afraid, ask God for help. 

  2. Satan's side is going down.
    • Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality. Verse 8
    • Leave false religion. Seek truth.
  3. Don't be deceived. 
    •  Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Verse 9-12
    • This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus,
    • Stay faithful to Jesus and His commandments.

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 

Matthew 24:37 NLT

Who was left behind in Noah's day? The evil people. Noah and his family were the only ones saved after the 40 days. 

 

There are 2 chances for salvation

  1. In Eden
  2. Now

 A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility

of managing his other household servants and feeding them.

Matthew 24:45 NLT

Who then is a faithful and sensible servant? Your household and anyone under your authority. 

Who can manage their household really well? To lead them to eternal life?

My job is not to focus on what I want to do. I need to accept the assignment give to me by God.

Righteousness  by faith is transformative. It can start with a morning worship routine.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.

He will not rebuke you for asking.

James 1:5 NLT

Who can be a faithful and wise servant? 

God will answer prayers for faithfulness. 

An unfaithful servant is one who oppresses other servants, causing harm to others. 

People backslide and wander from truth. Many will identify as being a good person. When a person digs deeper they see their faults, and thus their needs. When we recognize our unfaithfulness, we open a door for God to work with us. 

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:1-3 NLT

Psalm 1:1-3: Stay connected to Jesus:

  1. Verse 3 Stay connected to Jesus.
  2. Verse 2 Delight / Meditate / Study
    • Reading / studying the Bible
    • Talking to God
    • Tell someone else
  3. Verse 1 No desire to participate in sin

Focus on Jesus!

We are called to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. 

We will grow spiritually.

When Jesus returns He will say:

The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master’s happiness!’"

Matthew 25:23 NLT

We exercise faithfulness in small things, with God our faithfulness can grow in a large way. 

The end days are getting nearer? When? We do not know. What we do know is faithfulness will be strengthened with God's strength. Put your trust in Him.