Vineyard Church of Knox County
Breakthrough of the Future
Sermon Audio from Sunday, April 2, 2006 — Peter, James and John sit with Jesus on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple in Jerusalem and ask, "What are the signs of fulfillment?" Jesus tells them the signs of the end of the age when the kingdom of God will come in its fullness. The signs are like the buds on the flowers and the trees, indications that something new is breaking through. These signs, which include wars, famines, and earthquakes, are the "birth pains." Ladies, what can you be sure of if you have birth pains? Don't overthink this. Right, birth pains mean birth is imminent.
Jesus is telling his disciples that God has a plan that will be fully birthed in the future. This new birth will be pre-dated by signs of its imminent arrival. This new birth will include salvation to all who are in the kingdom of God. Jesus says it this way in verse 13, "He who stands firm to the end will be saved." Wait a minute! I thought salvation is available today. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ aren't we saved today? Well, yes. Salvation to Jesus is not a one time event, but it is a one and done event and it is a future reality. So, biblically speaking, kingdom-dwellers are saved and kingdom-dwellers will be saved. Your future destiny is simply an extension of your current condition. If you enter the kingdom in this life, then you will enter the kingdom come when it comes in full. Verse 26-27, "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." The elect are those who have cast their lot in life on the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Jesus says in verse 23, "I have told you everything ahead of time," so that we can be prepared to make a decision today. We know that the future kingdom will birth a new creation and all who live in the kingdom today will live in the kingdom come. The kingdom dwellers are all those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb of God. This is what Jesus taught his disciples at what we call the "Last Supper."
