When Jesus gathered with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, they asked Him privately if He might share with them how one could know when the ‘end of the age’ would come and what might be some evident ‘signs’ leading up to His return. (Matt. 24:3)

And what a ‘sermon’ of a response Jesus gave them. It would appear that it spans two chapters if you read 24 and 25 straight through. Jesus touches on so many points in His response, but it’s always the first statement out of His mouth that always gets my attention: “Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name…and will deceive many.” (Matt. 24:4-5). (Paul alludes to this fact as well in 2 Cor. 11:3-4 and Gal. 1:6-9)

Jesus goes on to point out of a great divide that will arise between ‘nations’, a word derived from a Greek word that we get the word ‘ethnic’. He continues on… warning how ‘you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake’ (9). But it’s the next verse that I’d like to launch from for today’s lesson, and it may read differently depending on what version/translation you read. The NKJV, among several others spells it out this way:

“Many will be …’offended’, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” (10)

Other versions suggest that many will ‘take offense, or ‘fall away from the faith’, or ‘will stumble’. This reminds me of a verse in Ps. 119:165 that has always stood out to me, and it too includes this word/idea about being ‘offended’, or ‘stumbling’. It’s a promise that declares: ‘those who love thy law/word…nothing shall offend them or cause them to stumble’.

If you profess to ‘believe’ in Jesus and are committed to following Him (John 10:27)… can you declare that you truly love His word, His ‘law’... and ‘delight’ in it? I only ask that because the very first Psalm states that the ‘blessed’ person finds their ‘delight in the law of the Lord, and “in His law they meditate day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2).

Can I just tell you now that you can’t say you ‘love Jesus’…but then recoil at His word, or ‘take offense’ to it. The reason being…”in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14).

There is a pretty simple ‘test’ to see who or what really has your heart; is it Jesus…or is it a ‘doctrine’ you were taught to believe that might pertain to Jesus? Let me tell you how it works. If a ‘doctrine’ has your heart, you tend to read through the Bible seeing and marking only those statements that ‘fit with your doctrine’. If/when you come across or hear passages that don’t ‘fit’ with what you have been taught to believe, you tend to dismiss them, overlook them, feel ‘uncomfortable’ when you see them; or worse: You go find some person smarter than you who can pull out dusty commentaries written by men that will explain ‘those verses away’. You’d be surprised how often that happens.

Here’s the problem when we do that- when you reject the word…’who’ are you actually rejecting? (John 1:1,14).

But if Jesus has your heart, and you come across such verses in His word, your response should be more of a pause and recognition that suggests: “Oh my…I’ve never seen that before…and it seems to be saying just the opposite of how I learned that or was taught to believe.” Do you recall what Eve encountered when the serpent approached her and convinced her the ‘word’ actually said just the opposite? (Gen. 2:17; 3:1-5)

Then…you make the necessary adjustments…knowing it clearly says what it says…and you draw closer to Jesus and ask for more understanding. That’s what people who truly love Jesus will do, given they are hungering for truth and righteousness. Sometimes…you may even end up distancing yourself from certain church denominations and yes…even family members in some cases. We are, after all…told that a follower of Jesus will love God even more than mother and father, etc.

This might be what Peter was alluding to when he quotes Isaiah who spoke of the coming Messiah as being the ‘chief cornerstone…whom the builders rejected’ and became the ‘rock of offense’ (1 Pet. 2:6-8).

What does it mean that Jesus became a ‘rock of offense’? Well…when you read through the gospels…who are the ones that were always getting their feathers ruffled, taking exception to the things Jesus spoke, and would ‘bow up’ when He shared things that crossed their way of believing?

It was those who thought they had it all figured out and knew better - the religious experts of the day. Over and over again we read and hear how these Pharisees would lose their minds when Jesus spoke truths that conflicted with their preconceived ideas. How ironic…that the ones who studied the scriptures most, knowing their Messiah was coming…did not even recognize Him when He stood before them. (Matt. 13:57, 15:12; Mark 6:3)

Friends, I feel compelled to exhort, if not warn anyone who ‘has ears to hear’…guard your hearts and minds when it comes to things the word says in your Bible. It’s ok to pause and ‘question’ certain passages that don’t jive, seeking more understanding, even when it seems to be saying the opposite of what you have always come to believe or been taught. But whatever you do…guard against dismissing, if nor rejecting it. I only say this because we are living in a time when many sincere ‘believers’ are going to have their eyes opened to truths…that will be quite convicting and sobering. Many will find themselves in a place where they might come to the conclusion that they were ‘sincere’ in their beliefs…but sadly…were ‘sincerely wrong’ about what they believed. It can happen (Romans 10:1-3).

What a day of reckoning it will be for those folks Jesus pointed out in Matt. 7:21-23…who were convinced they were ‘doing great things in the name of the Lord’….only to be told that God ‘never knew them’…and for them to ‘depart from Him’…given they continued to break God’s laws. How many of you have sat under ministers who flat out tell you regularly: “You are always going to sin and fail God (by breaking His commandments)? What are we told in 1 John 2:6; 3:6-9; 5:18; 1 Pet. 4:1-2, and John 8:34-35?

Yep…it will be a tragic and sobering day for many who have trusted in their traditions…only to be told by Jesus: “IF God were your Father, you would love Me…but you are not able to listen to My word because your father is the devil and you do what he wants you to do.” (John 8:39-44)

Six years ago, I found myself back at ‘Square One’ in terms of what I ‘thought I knew about what it meant to walk and abide in/with Jesus. But I was at a point in my life that I counted all my past as ‘dung’…and I’d rather be at square 1 with Him walking by my side…than for me to think…I knew more than I did. It can be a humbling experience…but let me remind you that God only gives grace to the humble (James 4:6)