From the Text (Luke 21:25-36)
We picture the world gasping for its last breath. You see things that used to seem to work automatically begin to fail – the sun, the moon, and the stars. The waters are in an uproar. Like a person on his death bed, our Lord gives us this picture of the earth on its death bed. People are fainting with fear. People don’t know what’s coming next. This is frightening.
We know the world is falling apart. Hearts and bodies are failing, wars, disasters, violence galore, the demise of the family. Sin has taken its toll. Nothing is free from Adam’s curse. You are suffering. You are not alone. No one has it easy. No one gets out of this world without the effects of sin and the curse. We too often consider our sufferings harder than others. We shouldn’t. Everyone has it hard.
For our Repentance
The world is falling apart but we aren’t only victims that are accidentally affected because of its falleness. We are part of the problem. The world’s end is violent because God is warring against sin’s rebellion that has affected the world. We are part of that rebellion. We are sinners.
When I am greedy, I’m pretending that I am Lord over “my” things. I’m pretending to be God. When I hold back from loving or forgiving, or when I judge another in anger, I am trying to cast Jesus down from his rightful throne. When I worry, I show my lack of faith.
You feel this rebellion inside of you. You are a new creation, bought back with Christ’s blood, made holy and desire to live holy and yet you fight because you still want to be selfish, and yet don’t want to be selfish. You want to gossip and yet don’t want to gossip. You want to have pity on yourself and yet you want to take comfort in the Lord’s Word, gather with His saints and live a life of service to others. We are part of this rebellion, part of the problem, and yet we are the redeemed.
For our Comfort
Dear saints, this war, in the world and in you and your life, will soon be over. We see signs even now that it will end and for us, the Lord has a word for you – 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Do not fear. Jesus went down into death for your sin, entered this dark and broken world, experienced your judgment on Himself as the sun and moon and stars failed to shine that day, and came back out of death and shattered your sin. He stands and you stand with Him. You don’t have to fear. You belong to him now. You are free. Stand and rise head – Jesus said. We deserve the opposite: “Fall on your face, and bow your head in shame!” But he makes us stand, forgiven and accepted and loved. Confident that the though the earth gives way, our Jesus is with us and He is soon coming for us
When? Soon. When pimples appear on a young boy, you know that his voice will soon change. When you smell the ham in the oven, you know it will soon be time to eat. When you see the Panthers take the victory formation and Cam Newton kneels, you know the game will soon be over. When the car smell like a dirty oven, you know it will soon be in the shop. When you tickle a child, there will soon be laughter. So you know that signs of brokenness are preaching to us that a change is coming, soon.
So dear saints, beware of anything that distracts you away from this word that endures forever– your temptations, your self-pity, your busy schedule. His Word is for your encouragement – no cliché will get you through your temptations and suffering. His Word will. That is His promise. You hear it now – Jesus stands and you stand with Him.